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CHICAGO - Jason Hammel never wanted to leave the Chicago Cubs, a team with decidedly increased expectations since he last pitcherd at Wrigley Field.Hammel and the Cubs finalized a $20 million, two-year contract Friday, a deal agreed to earlier in the week. The agreement includes a $12 million club option for 2017 with a $2 million buyout. If the option is exercised, the contract would be worth $30 million for three seasons.The 32-year-old right-hander was 8-5 with a 2.98 ERA in 17 starts for the Cubs before he was traded to Oakland on July 5 with pitcher Jeff Samardzija. Hammel went 2-6 with a 4.26 ERA for the Athletics.The phone call that happened when (president of baseball operations Theo Epstein) said that were moving you to Oakland was kind of bittersweet, Hammel said. I felt I had pitched my way to stay here and proved myself, and he acknowledged that. But it was something that just had to be done. I knew that this was a place for me and I wanted to come back, and I was going to get a real good opportunity (to return).The Cubs still are seeking their first championship since 1908. But they believe they are in position to make a jump in the NL Central after five straight losing seasons.Besides bringing back Hammel, they added three-time All-Star Jon Lester with a $155 million, six-year agreement likely to be completed next week. They also acquired two-time All-Star catcher Miguel Montero from the Arizona Diamondbacks.All those moves came after the Cubs hired one of the games top managers, replacing Rick Renteria with former Tampa Bay skipper Joe Maddon. Hammel played for Maddon with the Rays and teamed with Lester in Oakland.The two pitchers talked about the Cubs, although Lester knew Chicagos front office well from their time together in Boston.I think the Theo-Jon bromance was gonna happen, anyways, Hammel said.With Lester and Hammel joining Jake Arrieta (10-5 with a 2.53 ERA in 25 starts) and Kyle Hendricks (7-2, 2.46 ERA), the Cubs figure to have a strong rotation.Chicago also has a pair of All-Stars in shortstop Starlin Castro and first baseman Anthony Rizzo. Young sluggers Javier Baez and Jorge Soler arrived in the majors last season and another wave of prospects is in the pipeline, including third baseman Kris Bryant and shortstop Addison Russell.You see a lot of things going on right now, Hammel said. Its not just shtick. Its not just flash. Theyre making a commitment to winning here. Mike Singletary Jersey . 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The redshirt freshman finished the regular season with nearly 3,500 passing yards, and 35 touchdowns with another three on the ground while leading the Seminoles to the top of the BCS Rankings.KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. -- Serena Williams beat Maria Sharapova for the 15th consecutive time, rallying in both sets for a 6-4, 6-3 victory in the Sony Open semifinals on Thursday. Williams, seeking a record seventh Key Biscayne title, improved to 16-2 against Sharapova and hasnt lost to her favourite foil since 2004. "I have always felt when Im playing at my best, then its hard for people to beat me," Williams said. Rafael Nadal could say the same. He advanced to the semifinals by hitting a flurry of forehand winners down the stretch to beat Milos Raonic 4-6, 6-2, 6-4. On Saturday, the No. 1-ranked Williams will try for a record seventh Key Biscayne title against No. 2 Li Na, who overcame 40 unforced errors to beat Dominika Cibulkova 7-5, 2-6, 6-3. Williams is 10-1 against Li. No. 7-seeded Tomas Berdych advanced to Fridays semifinals, beating Alexandr Dolgopolov of Ukraine 6-4, 7-6 (3). Berdych was the Key Biscayne runner-up in 2010. The No. 1-ranked Nadal, who is 0-3 in Key Biscayne finals, needs one more win to get there again. His opponent Friday night will be No. 7-seeded Tomas Berdych, who advanced by beating No. 22 Alexandr Dolgopolov 6-4, 7-6 (3). Nadal has beaten Berdych 16 times in a row over the past seven years. "This tournament is a tournament where I really feel the love of the people so much," Nadal said, "so Im going to try my best to keep playing well." Three-time champion Novak Djokovic will play in the other semifinal Friday against No. 20-seeded Kei Nishikori, who eliminated Roger Federer on Wednesday. The No. 1-ranked Williams won with a superior serve and better returns. She hit nine aces and broke five times, helping her rebound from deficits of 4-1 in the first set and 2-0 in the second. Williams earned hher 14th consecutive victory against a top-10 player.dddddddddddd Her opponent in Saturdays final will be either Australian Open champion Li Na or Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia. Williams first won Key Biscayne in 2002 and is the defending champion. She has worn Miami Dolphins orange and turquoise throughout the tournament and considers it her home event because she lives 90 minutes up the road. "When I grew up I always wanted to play here," she said. "I guess I just dont want to let go. Its my favourite stop on the tour. Its home. All my friends come. So its perfect for me." There was no evidence of a home-court advantage at the start, when Williams failed to convert four early break-point chances and fell behind. Sharapova cracked a succession of winners from the baseline and earned applause from Williams after besting her in one exchange. But Williams broke back when Sharapova committed three consecutive backhand errors, and gained momentum from there, sweeping the final five games of the first set. The story was similar in the second set, and after falling behind, Williams resorted to her dominating power. She quickly won one game with two aces and two service winners during a period when she swept 11 consecutive points. Sharapova committed groundstroke errors on the final three points, and a victorious Williams trotted to the net, her left fist leading the way. She has more victories against Sharapova than against any other opponent. "Despite my results against her, I still look forward to playing against her because you learn so much from that type of level which she produces," Sharapova said. "You finish the match, and you know where you need to improve and the things that you need to work on." 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