CLEVELAND -- When the epic, drama-drenched Game 7 was briefly delayed by rain, Indians players returned to their clubhouse, where chairs had been removed and plastic sheets hung in anticipation for a party waiting to pop since 1948.Later, unopened bottles of Dom Perignon were wheeled out of a luxury suite. An ice sculpture of the World Series trophy was cloaked by a black cloth, soon to melt away.It wasnt meant to be.An amazing, unforeseen season had a familiar ending.Unable to stop Chicagos curse-slaying run, the Indians, a team that perhaps embodied Clevelands blue-collar, get-off-the-mat ethos more than any other, finally succumbed in the 10th inning, losing 8-7 early Thursday before a downpour soaked thousands of Cubs fans who stood in the rain savoring the end of their 108-year championship wait.Heartbreak still resides in Cleveland.Only this time, the hurt isnt as deep.The Indians werent expected to be playing in October, never mind November, and they took some solace in pushing the Cubs to the limit.We shocked the world, said shortstop Francisco Lindor, the 22-year-old who blossomed on baseballs biggest stage. No one had us here. Of course, we didnt finish the way we wanted to finish. We were going to do whatever it took to win, grind at-bats, pitch after pitch, work hard. Thats our mojo. We battled day in and day out.The Indians had hoped to duplicate what the Cavs, their neighbors on the other side of Gateway Plaza, had done in June by winning a championship and ending the citys 52-year title drought. They managed to sidestep adversity for months, but couldnt overcome losing two starting pitchers and simply didnt have enough to put away the Cubs and became the first team since the 1979 Baltimore Orioles to squander a 3-1 lead in the Series by losing Games 6 and 7 at home.They went down -- swinging.Nobody gave up, said reliever Andrew Miller, who was virtually unhittable during the postseason before the Cubs figured him out in Game 7. It was fighting like hell. It was unfortunate that we didnt quite get there.The fact that they got so close is worth a trophy presentation and parade.The Indians were short-handed from almost the first day of spring training in Arizona.All-Star left fielder Michael Brantley, their No. 3 hitter and probably the best all-around player on the roster, was unable to get fully healthy and played only 11 games. Without Brantley, manager Terry Francona had to be creative to find production and fortunately the Indians got huge contributions from sluggers Carlos Santana (34 homers) and Mike Napoli (101 RBI).Jose Ramirez played four positions, started in all nine spots in the batting order and didnt miss a beat, batting .312 and was perhaps the teams MVP.The Indians survived despite losing starting catcher Yan Gomes for long stretches -- the club tried to trade for All-Star Jonathan Lucroy in July -- and the outfield was an almost daily patchwork effort because of Brantley and two PED suspensions.If all that wasnt enough to stop them, the Indians closed out their division and beat Boston and Toronto in the postseason despite not having injured starters Carlos Carrasco or Danny Salazar or losing starter Trevor Bauer after he sliced his pinkie playing with a drone -- an odd accident that somehow seemed fitting for this resilient group.The Indians were stitched together from the start.Francona conjured magic from his bullpen as Miller, Bryan Shaw and closer Cody Allen combined to protect leads and stifle rallies all the way to the Series.But in the end, the injuries caught them.A handcuffed Francona was forced to ride ace Corey Kluber for three starts in nine days against the heavily favored Cubs; Josh Tomlin, who had dealt with his fathers illness during a dreary August, just didnt have it in Game 6; and Miller, acquired from the New York Yankees in July for these kind of moments, didnt have the usual bite on his nasty slider in a finale that rates with any Game 7 in history.In the quiet of Clevelands clubhouse afterward, second baseman Jason Kipnis, a Chicago kid who has grown into Clevelands leader, put a season hell never forget in perspective. Kipnis was hurting, but knew he -- and the Indians -- will soon heal.We will be back, he said. Were pretty confident in this group we got here. There are a lot of people who probably dont even know who Carlos Carrasco is or Michael Brantley. Those guys have huge roles for us. We kind of followed Kansas Citys lead a little bit to get here. They lost before they won, so I wouldnt mind if we follow their lead the whole way through. That would be nice.Adidas Ultra Boost 19 Rebajas . Laudrup revealed Thursday he was notified of his dismissal in "the briefest of letters which gave no reasons why such hasty and final action was deemed necessary. Adidas Deerupt Hombre Baratas .ca NFL Power Rankings, overtaking the Denver Broncos and remaining ahead of NFC competition San Francisco, Carolina and New Orleans. http://www.baratasnmd.com/adidas-nmd-r2-baratas.html . "Four now," Carl Gunnarsson told the Leaf Report proudly following a 5-2 victory over New York on Tuesday night, the clubs fifth straight at home. Adidas NMD R2 Hombre . Jordan Lynch, the all-purpose Heisman Trophy finalist from Northern Illinois, failed to make it into that exclusive club. Adidas NMD R1 Hombre Baratas . At a Manhattan federal court hearing, attorney Jordan Siev said his law office has gotten more evidence nearly every day to support its lawsuit accusing MLB and Selig of going on a "witch hunt" to ruin Rodriguezs reputation and career. He said the defendants went "way over the line.Stephen Curry, LeBron James, Cam Newton and Bryce Harper up for Best Male Athlete. ' ' '