The Boys of November: It took 12 innings last night, but the Kansas City Royals put away the New York Mets 7-2 to win the World Series for the first time in 30 years.

Mets pitcher Matt Harvey had put in a heroic effort, holding on to a 2-0 lead until he let it sip in the top of the 9^th inning. The Royals tied it up in the 9^th before opening the floodgates with five runs in the 12^th.

The Russian Jet: An executive of Metrojet, the airline that lost a plane over the Sinai desert, claimed today that the plane was hit by an object. “We rule out a technical fault of the plane or a pilot error,” said Alexander Smirnov, deputy general director of Metrojet. “The only possible explanation could be an external impact on the airplane.” He did not explain further.

With debris spread over nearly eight square miles in the Sinai desert, investigators say the evidence suggests that the Russian Airbus with 224 people on board broke up in mid air. The jet climbed and descended several times before going off the radar.

Mr. Speaker: If you’re wondering how different things might be with Paul Ryan as the new Speaker of the House, here’s a preview. Ryan said yesterday on several Sunday talk shows that he has no plans to cooperate with President Obama on immigration reform. He said on ABC News, “I think he’s proven untrustworthy on this issue. He tried to go around Congress with an executive order to rewrite laws unilaterally. Presidents don’t write laws. Congress writes laws.”

What’s the Matter with Kansas?: As Republican presidential candidates promise lower taxes and limited government, one of the standard bearers of the Republican cause in Kansas is floundering in the polls. Only 18 percent of voters in the heavily Republican state say they are “very” or “somewhat satisfied” with Gov. Sam Brownback, who made deep cuts in income and business taxes. Sixty-on percent of respondents said the tax cuts had been “a failure” or “a tremendous failure” in growing the economy. Unemployment in Kansas is 4.4 percent — that’s low — but facing a shortfall of 10 percent of the annual budget by January, Brownback has had to raise taxes.

World: In parliamentary elections yesterday, Turkey’s ruling AKP party regained the majority it lost last June. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has shown signs of moving toward dictatorship, said voters had “shown that they prefer action and development to controversy”.

The Obit Page: Fred Thompson, a lawyer with an authoritative voice who became an actor, a Republican US Senator, a presidential candidate, and then an actor again, died yesterday of lymphoma in Nashville at age 73. Probably better known for playing the baritone-voiced district attorney in the television series “Law and Order,” less remembered is that as Republican counsel to the Senate Watergate Committee, Thompson’s questioning during an open hearing revealed the existence of the infamous Oval Office tape recordings that took down President Richard Nixon.

With established movie credits, Thompson left acting in 1994 to run for the Senate seat left vacant when Al Gore became vice president. But in 1992 he took a contract with Law and Order rather than run again for the Senate.

Thompson carried more conviction as an actor playing public officials than an actual elected official. He didn’t seem to love politics. The National Review once asked Thompson what was his most important political accomplishment and he replied, “You mean besides leaving the Senate?” In recent years he hawked reverse mortgages in television commercials, a sad comedown for a man with greater talents.

Fleetfeet: Kenya’s 29-year-old Stanley Biwott, who worked on a dairy farm until he started training to run in 2006, won the New York Marathon yesterday just 14 seconds ahead of the nearest finisher. Defending champion Wilson Kipsang, also of Kenya, finished fourth.

Returning women’s winner Mary Keitany — did we say she’s from Kenya? — won the women’s division.

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