an insurance TD.MOTIVATORReid and Mizzell were g

PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Pirates play their final home game of the season Thursday, and its a proposition welcomed by them only because they wont play the Chicago Cubs again until 2017.For the first time since 2012, there will be no autumnal postseason baseball in Pittsburgh that Pirates fans like to refer to as Buctober, and the Cubs are greatly the reason why.The Pirates will wrap up an unsatisfying 2016 season at PNC Park, where they are 38-42, including a 5-17 record in their last 22 home games. Its been quite the turnaround, given that the Pirates (192 home wins since 2013) trail only the Los Angeles Dodgers (200) and St. Louis Cardinals (194) in home wins since the 2013 season.This season, its the Cubs whove made themselves at home, winning a major league-leading 57 games at home -- the kind of mastery they hope to carry into the postseason next week, with home field advantage through the NL playoffs. Theyve also gone 14-4 against the Pirates, despite losing 8-4 Wednesday as Pirates first baseman John Jaso became the first player to hit for the cycle in PNC Park.First, though, theyve got to wrap up their best regular season since 1910 with the game in Pittsburgh and three more in Cincinnati this weekend. And that means continuing to give at-bats to their key regulars -- six of their eight position player starters Wednesday night were starters -- and to give a glance or two to some prospects.That includes rookie left-hander Rob Zastryzny, their second round pick in 2013 whos off to a promising start with a 1-0 record and 1.46 ERA in seven relief appearances. Hell make his major league starting debut Thursday night, opposing veteran Pirates right-hander Ivan Nova (12-8, 4.37 ERA).Zastryzny has an interesting background. He was born in Edmonton before moving at age 1 to Dallas where, true to his Canadian roots, he excelled in youth hockey before switching to baseball.I had it (hockey) in my blood, he told the Chicago Tribune. But, after playing in a tournament against Canadian players in which he realized he might not be as good as he initially thought, his parents told him, You know what? Heres a baseball, try that.Cubs manager Joe Maddon likes what he sees of Zastryzny so far, even thought the left-hander has appeared in only three games this month.His stuff is good and hes a strike thrower, and I love strike throwers, Maddon said.This will be Novas 11th start since the Pirates acquired him from the New York Yankees on Aug. 1, and so far hes been exactly what Jonathon Niese, Francisco Liriano and Juan Nicasio werent to Pittsburgh -- an effective starter. He is 5-2 with a 3.49 ERA, 47 strikeouts and only three walks with the Pirates, one reason why they want to bring him back next season if they can afford him.Hes been a really good get for us, and thats an understatement, manager Clint Hurdle told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.However, Nova has been less effective lately, giving up 18 hits and nine earned runs in seven innings over his last two starts after going 5-0 in his first eight Pirates starts. He lasted four innings during a 6-1 loss to the Washington Nationals, giving up eight hits and five earned runs.The past three seasons, the Pirates were gearing up for the postseason -- they lost to the Cardinals in a five-game NLDS in 2013, and to the Giants (2014) and the Cubs and Arrieta (2015) in the NL wild card game at PNC Park the previous two seasons.Now, theyre gearing up for the offseason.Ill finally get to sleep in my own bed for the first time in eight months, Pirates right-hander Jameson Taillon said. Air Max Online Baratas . The Brazilian goalkeeper signed a loan deal with the Major League Soccer club on Friday as he looks to get playing time ahead of this summers World Cup in his home country. Nike Air Max Baratas . There are surprises among the Vezina candidates, but most of the others are standard top-tier performers, even if the two Hart Trophy runners-ups have never been quite as good as they have been through the first half of the season. http://www.airmaxespana.es/ . -- Edmontons Val Sweeting is two wins away from a trip to Winnipeg to play in Canadas Road of the Rings in December. Air Max Baratas Outlet . Aduriz headed home Markel Susaetas cross in the sixth minute to open the scoring at San Mames Stadium. He bettered that with a long-range blast that went in off the goal frame in the 18th, and converted a penalty in the 72nd after Diego Mainz was sent off for fouling Aduriz with only the goalkeeper to beat. Air Max Comprar Online España . Gerald Green and Miles Plumlee? Green had bounced around the NBA when he wasnt playing overseas. The Pacers gave up on Plumlee after just one season. Now Green and Plumlee are key cogs in the Suns surprising breakout season. CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- Bronco Mendenhall had never started a season with three consecutive losses before coming to Virginia.When the Cavaliers finally broke through with a 49-35 victory against Central Michigan on Saturday, giving Mendenhall his 100th career victory, the team figured it was time to celebrate.They were waiting for me to come in like it was a big deal to them to celebrate for me. I couldnt wait to celebrate for them, Mendenhall said. Thats gratifying when it meant a lot for them to make me feel special and vice versa. Its one of those things I wont ever forget. Ever.It almost didnt happen.Kurt Benkert threw five touchdown passes, the last three after Virginia had squandered all of a 28-0 lead, to awaken a hushed stadium and invigorate a team that appeared to be slipping back into its history of seeing things go from good to bad quickly.Were not immune from that being past history and Im not sure the stadium was, Mendenhall said. It seemed like there was this cultural `we know what this feels like, and I felt that. We are fighting that as hard as we can but you have to be able to battle through that a few times before that becomes the new normal. Hopefully this will start that.Benkert hit Olamide Zaccheaus with a go-ahead 82-yard pass after the Cavaliers defense forced its first punt since the opening quarter. Virginia (1-3) forced another punt, and Benkert hit Albert Reid for a 5-yard touchdown, capping a 73-yard drive. Taquan Mizzell also scored twice for Virginia on runs of 4 and 53 yards.The Chippewas (3-1), seeking their first 4-0 start since 1985, scored on four of five possessions after going behind 28-0 less than 20 minutes into the game. Cooper Rush passed for 402 yards and two touchdown passes to Corey Willis, including an 85-yarder, and Amari Coleman read a screen pass perfectly and scored on a 47-yard interception return.This is a game of execution, and when you drop balls, miss tackles and let peoplle behind you in coverage, thats when you get beat, Central Michigan coach John Bonamego said.dddddddddddd It doesnt matter who you are playing or what their record is.Mendenhall, in his first year at Virginia, was 99-43 in 11 seasons at BYU before coming east.THE TAKEAWAYCentral Michigan: The Chippewas are a confident team, and showed it even when trailing by three touchdowns in a loud stadium. They used timeouts when Virginia had the ball late in the second quarter to stop the clock, and cashed in with two touchdowns in the last 4 1/2 minutes of the half to get within 28-14.Virginia: Rush picked apart the Virginia secondary, which lost cornerback Juan Thornhill on the first play of the game. The unit also lacks speed and played off the Central Michigan receivers for much of the day, allowing several long completions that produced third-down conversions. Kareem Gibson was a frequent target, but acquitted himself with a fourth-quarter interception to set up an insurance TD.MOTIVATORReid and Mizzell were getting ready to leave the hotel for the game when they heard a commentator talking Virginia down.They disrespected us, Reid said. They made us the laughingstock of TV today just because they said this game for Central Michigan was going to be a look-ahead game because the Chippewas are slated to play rival Western Michigan next Saturday.I want to thank everyone for not believing in us, Reid said, because we proved you wrong.UP NEXTCentral Michigan: The Chippewas head into Mid-American Conference play at home against Western Michigan.Virginia: The Cavaliers, losers of 17 in a row on the road, will try to end that skid as they open their Atlantic Coast Conference schedule at Duke.---Online: The APs college football page http://collegefootball.ap.org---Follow Hank on Twitter: www.twitter.com/hankkurzjr ' ' '