When Wednesday morning dawned in Rome, a man named Jorge Mario Bergoglio was one of millions of people preparing to commence the new day.

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The merger was extended for the third time, now that the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. (CFIUS) decided that it will commence on a 45 day investigation into the acquisition.

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If the deal is ratified, training camp and free agent signings could commence as soon as Dec. 9 with the first games of the shortened 66-game season scheduled for Christmas Day.

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