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CHICAGO -- Joe Maddon was driving his RV through Virginia two years ago when he got the news. Andrew Friedman was leaving Tampa Bay to take over the Los Angeles Dodgers.One pivotal moment on the road to this years NL Championship Series.A month after Friedmans departure, Maddon was introduced as the 54th manager of the lowly Chicago Cubs. Friedman hired general manager Farhan Zaidi in his first big move in Los Angeles, and the Dodgers continued their winning ways.Now Maddon and Friedman are together again, with a spot in the World Series on the line. The Cubs and Dodgers play Game 1 of the NLCS on Saturday night at Wrigley Field.We stay in touch all the time, Maddon said before his team worked out on Friday. I know his family really well. His moms a trip. I really enjoy the whole group. So Andrew and I are very close.Friedmans move to sunny LA triggered an opt-out clause in Maddons contract, and Chicago jumped on the opportunity to put the Pennsylvania native in its dugout. The decision has worked out quite well so far, with the Cubs returning to the NLCS for the second straight year for the first time.It turns out there are lots of friends on each side of this years series.Dodgers manager Dave Roberts contributed a famous steal to Bostons run to the World Series title in 2004, stopping an 86-year drought. Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein and general manager Jed Hoyer worked for the Red Sox at the time, and they acquired Roberts in a trade with Los Angeles on July 31 that year.I kind of put Theo and Jed together and theyre good friends of mine, Roberts said, and theres a lot of, a little bit of banter, but obviously Ive got the ultimate respect for those guys and they really helped me get a ring.Roberts and the Dodgers arrived in Chicago on Friday, fresh off a dramatic 4-3 victory at Washington in Game 5 of their NL Division Series. The NL West champions used six pitchers in the series-clinching win, including closer Kenley Jansen for a career-high 51 pitches and ace Clayton Kershaw for the final two outs.The taxing finale in Washington left Roberts few options for Game 1 of the NLCS, and he said Kenta Maeda will get the ball for the opener against the Cubs. Roberts wasnt ready to announce his rotation for the rest of the series, but hinted Kershaw likely would go in Game 2 on Sunday night.Physically, he feels great, Roberts said before the Dodgers workout. Hes going to go out there and get a lift in and throw and run and do what he does. So, obviously, were not prepared to make that decision yet, but hes tracking to start when we all think.Jansen thinks he will be ready for the NLCS opener, and Kershaw said he felt fine. The three-time NL Cy Young Award winner also said he isnt sure when he will make his next start.I havent heard a thing, he said.The 28-year-old Maeda went 16-11 with a 3.48 ERA in his first season in the majors. But the Japanese right-hander has lost three straight starts, lasting just three innings in his first career playoff appearance Monday against Washington.Weve been relying a lot on our relief pitchers to take the load, so I want to be able to -- Im really just focused on throwing quality innings as long as I can, Maeda said through a translator. And as long as I keep throwing quality innings, then I would be able to throw longer and deeper into the game.The Cubs have been resting since they used a four-run ninth to finish off San Francisco with a 6-5 victory in Game 4 on Tuesday night. Jon Lester is lined up to start Game 1, followed by Kyle Hendricks, Jake Arrieta and John Lackey in a repeat of the Division Series.Lester pitched 15 innings of one-run ball in two starts against Los Angeles this year, and the Dodgers hit .213 against lefty pitching overall.Hes good. And right now hes at the top of his game, Maddon said. I mean, from what Ive seen, hes had a couple hiccups, which everybody does. But, man, hes been pretty much right on the last couple months, including the first game of the playoffs for him.There was some question about Hendricks health after he had a comebacker go off his right forearm in Game 2 against the Giants. But the right-hander, who had a major league-best 2.13 ERA this year, felt fine after a bullpen session on Thursday, allowing the Cubs to finalize their rotation.Our staff has been really, really good this year, and I think that, really, if you put all of our names in a hat and pulled one out, I dont think you could go wrong, Lester said. So, its a huge honor, especially for an organization like this, to get the ball again and try to go out and give us a good start.---Jay Cohen can be reached at http://www.twitter.com/jcohenap Charles Mann Jersey . Paul Pierce couldnt believe he missed at the end. Young scored a season-high 26 points to spark a huge effort from the leagues most productive bench, and Los Angeles beat the Brooklyn Nets 99-94 on Wednesday night after blowing a 27-point lead. Terry McLaurin Youth Jersey .Y. - Free agent outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury, fresh off winning the World Series with Boston, reached agreement with the rival New York Yankees on a seven-year contract worth about $153 million, a person familiar with the negotiations said Tuesday night. http://www.redskinsrookiestore.com/Customized/ . Numbers Game examines the deal that sees Michael Del Zotto and Kevin Klein switch places. The Predators Get: D Michael Del Zotto. Darrell Green Redskins Jersey . Datsyuk will miss Tuesdays game against New Jersey and could be sidelined longer, while Cleary will likely miss at least the next three games. Its been an injury-plagued season for Datsyuk, who has suited up for just 39 games. Wes Martin Womens Jersey . Michell Burger, a woman who lives on an estate next to Pistorius gated community, said she and her husband were awoken by the screams in the pre-dawn hours of Feb. 14 last year, when Pistorius killed Reeva Steenkamp by shooting four times through a door in his bathroom. Wahab Riaz has warned Australia to be prepared for the same hostile fast bowling he produced the last time he played against them on Australian soil. Wahabs heated battle with Shane Watson at the Adelaide Oval during the World Cup was one of the most memorable white-ball spells in recent times, despite the fact it didnt produce a wicket.Those four overs have elevated Wahabs reputation in Australia and made him one of the more recognisable figures in a Pakistan squad that hasnt played a Test here in almost seven years. Goaded by Watson when he was batting, Wahab struck back with several body blows in a display of searing pace and short-pitched bowling that, ultimately, couldnt swing the match back in Pakistans favour.That was one of my best matches I have ever played, Wahab said at the Gabba on Tuesday in the lead-up to the first Test against Australia. It was really exciting. I would love to repeat that performance from the World Cup, I want to bowl like that on this tour but I want to be amongst the wickets - I was lacking some wickets in that spell. So this is what Im looking for.Obviously, I have to do what I do really well. I cant change myself because if I do that its not going to work for me. I am going to bowl aggressively, I will bowl short as well. Its part of the plan. But it will all be according to the situations and what the situation demands, how I have to react like that.While the Adelaide pitch hardly has the reputation of being a fast bowlers dream, the Gabba is a different beast altogether. Wahab has only played one match here, also during the 2015 World Cup, against Zimbabwe, which brings other satisfying recollections; he took 4 for 45 and scored 54 not out in a man-of-the-match performance.No one could doubt the Australian players are relieved to be back in their series-starting fortress. A 28-year undefeated streak will do that - they have not lost a Gabba Test since 1988 - reinstating the sort of confidence that has been shaken and stirred by the series loss to South Africa.But, if the Australian fast bowlers are licking their lips at the prospect of a deck that offers pace and bounce, to Pakistans quicks the Gabba must seem a lush bowling oasis after years of plying their trade in an unforgiving desert.Its very exciting, said Wahab. We have played a lot of cricket in the UAE and the wickets over here are really good - they have bounce, they have pace. So its really good for the fast bowlers and Im looking forwaard to bowling here.ddddddddddddThe wickets are slow there [in the UAE] and we are used to playing on those tracks so thats why it looks like our bowlers dont have that much potential or we dont have those kinds of spells every day consistently. Its always different because its a spin track or a batting track in the UAE so that is the biggest difference.There is no doubt Pakistan face a formidable task - no Asian team has won a series in Australia and Pakistan have won only four Tests here, two of them dead rubbers - and they arrive on the back of a 2-0 series loss in New Zealand, but Wahab says his side is not fazed by history, nor the Gabbas intimidating record for visitors.This is what were looking for as well - records are meant to be broken and this might be the chance for Pakistan to break that record, Wahab said. Obviously its not going to be easy, we have to do a lot of hard work. We have to take 20 wickets, and obviously we are looking for that - we know even no Asian country has won a series here in Australia. So looking for that and that should really give us a good boost and give us something to go for.We have to take the challenge. We know Australia is good in their home conditions, its one of the best teams. To compete with them we have to counterattack them, we have to have that confidence. Weve got the skills and everyone is prepared for these Test matches.One positive for Pakistan is the presence in their group of Mickey Arthur and Steve Rixon, both of whom were on Australias coaching staff from 2011 to 2014 and worked closely with several members of the current Australia team including Steven Smith and David Warner. Wahab said the pair had been a great help in giving Pakistans players the inside running on Australia.Everybody knows everything about David Warner and Steve Smith - you have to attack them, said Wahab. Thats it. You cannot look for them to give you their wicket. You have to buy their wickets.Its a great help having Mickey Arthur and Steve Rixon. Obviously they have been working really hard on us, and they have spent a lot of time with Australia as well. We get that information coming up from them, they are telling us their experiences. And obviously its time for us to deliver. So its more important how we deliver, weve got all the consequences so we have to deliver on the day. ' ' '