National Baseball League

[jg2977]

.

[jg2977]

Cold Creek Raccoons: 1881 Pro Cup Champions (2nd title)
1878 1881

[jg2977]

-

[jg2977]

=

[jg2977]

MLB Hall of Fame

[jg2977]

National Hockey League 2006

[jg2977]

Last year, the Flyers were the story. They came out of nowhere, knocked off the top-seeded Rangers, and suddenly Philly fans were dreaming big. Playoff upsets? That’s their identity now. But this season? The script flipped. And Montreal had the pen.
We’re talking about a Wild Card Game that felt like karma delivered on skates. Philadelphia, the team that sent Montreal packing last year, got a taste of their own medicine. Six to three. Montreal didn’t just win—they made a statement. And let’s be honest, in the NHL, momentum is everything. One year you’re the giant killer, the next year you’re the cautionary tale.
Sergio Beltran? Player of the Game. He didn’t just show up, he dominated. One hit, two runs, an RBI, and three walks—he had Montreal buzzing. You talk about a guy who rises to the moment, that’s him. And while Philly’s bats tried to fight back—hello, two homers from J. Barry—they were playing catch-up the whole way.
And the pitchers? A. Sanchez for Montreal threw six strong innings, handled 134 pitches, and kept Philly at bay. On the other side, Philly’s D. Gutierrez couldn’t find the strike zone when it mattered most. Five runs in under four innings—rough night. That’s playoff-level failure right there.
Here’s the reality: only one team moves forward, only one team has a shot at the Cup. Montreal just reminded everyone why they’re in that conversation. The Flyers? They’ll regroup, but right now, they’ve been reminded that the NHL is a league that doesn’t forgive. You beat someone one year, you don’t get a free pass the next.
And for Philly fans—this one stings. But if you’re a Montreal fan? You’re walking out of Wells Fargo with a grin, thinking about the Rangers next, thinking about what could be. This isn’t just a Wild Card win—it’s a message. And in hockey, messages like this? They echo.

[jg2977]

Last year, the Flames were climbing. They made the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time in franchise history. That wasn’t just a fluke—it was a statement. Playoff hockey in Calgary suddenly felt like it had arrived. But fast-forward to this season… and the reality check hits hard.
You can’t sugarcoat it. Calgary barely squeaks past Nashville in a tiebreaker, and then they run into Colorado. And Colorado doesn’t just win—they expose a team that’s lost its edge. Two runs on eleven hits. That’s not “bad luck”—that’s a team failing to show up when it matters.
Nathan MacKinnon—player of the game—2-for-4, a run, an RBI. He leads his Avalanche team, and the Flames? They’re chasing shadows. J. Ramos gave it six-plus innings, but four runs allowed and two home runs given up—playoff pitching doesn’t forgive mistakes like that.
Here’s the bigger picture: hockey is a league that punishes inconsistency. One season you’re the story, the next, if you haven’t fixed the holes in your game, the league reminds you. The Flames’ offense sputtered, their pitching couldn’t stop the bleeding, and Colorado took a step forward while Calgary took a step back.
And for Flames fans? That’s tough. But this isn’t just a loss—it’s a lesson. Teams that climb fast without depth, without adjustments, will be humbled. Colorado moves on, facing the Oilers next, and Calgary… they’re left to ask themselves the hard questions about why last year’s magic didn’t carry over.
Nathan MacKinnon walked off Ball Arena the hero tonight. The Flames? They walked off knowing this season’s climb might be over before it really began. And in the NHL, moments like this define franchises. Not just the highs—but how you respond after a fall.

[jg2977]

2006 Conference Semifinals

Key story: The Edmonton Oilers, led by Wayne Gretzky, are back in the playoffs for the first time since 1998 as the West's #1 seed. The Oilers were Stanley Cup Champions in 1978 and 1994. Can they return to those glory days?

[jg2977]

.

[jg2977]

..

[jg2977]

The Long Island Islanders are the defending Cup champions, and Friday in Hartford, they reminded everyone exactly why that matters. This wasn’t a fluke. This wasn’t luck. This was a statement: “We’re still the team to beat.”
They came out swinging, jumped on the Whalers early, and never let up. Mike Bossy with a two-run double in the first inning—classic clutch performance from a guy who knows how to deliver when the lights are brightest. Eduardo Roman on the mound? Seven innings of shutout dominance. He didn’t just pitch; he controlled the game like a quarterback calling the right plays at the right time.
By the time it was over, the scoreboard read 4-2. Long Island 1, Hartford 0 in the series. But the bigger picture here isn’t just the win—it’s the message. The Islanders are a team built on depth, experience, and confidence. They don’t just show up; they impose themselves.
For Hartford, this is a reality check. They scored a couple runs late, but that was it. The Islanders’ pitching and timely hitting made sure the Whalers never had a chance to feel momentum. And in playoff hockey, momentum is everything.
Here’s the takeaway: Long Island isn’t resting on last year’s laurels. They’re asserting themselves early, showing the league that the crown isn’t coming off their heads anytime soon. Bossy, Roman, the supporting cast—they all played their part.
For fans watching, pay attention: this is how champions start a series. They don’t wait. They hit first, hit hard, and make sure everyone knows who they are. The Islanders just reminded the Eastern Conference—don’t sleep on them.

[jg2977]

The New York Rangers aren’t just a good team—they’re a dynasty in motion. Three straight Stanley Cups, twelve total titles since 1985. That’s not luck. That’s sustained excellence. And yeah, last year they got shocked by the Flyers—but any true champion knows that’s just noise. A hiccup. A blip. A reminder that in hockey—and baseball—it’s a game of inches, bounces, and moments. One unlucky bounce, one fluke goal, suddenly you’re on the wrong side of the ledger.
But Friday night at Madison Square Garden? That noise? Silenced. Eight to nothing. The Montreal Canadiens didn’t have a chance. Seong Gi-Hun on the mound—six-plus innings of shutout dominance, twelve strikeouts, zero runs allowed—he didn’t just pitch, he controlled the narrative. And this isn’t just about one guy. The Rangers’ offense poured it on. Cuylle, Rice, Ising—timely hits, extra bases, runs when it mattered.
Here’s the takeaway: the Rangers are thinking like champions again. Last year’s loss? Forgotten. They’re the favorites, and they’re showing everyone why. You don’t win three Cups in a row by letting one season define you. You come back. You impose your will. You remind the league that the New York Rangers aren’t chasing anyone—they’re setting the standard.
Montreal? They got a lesson in reality. The Rangers are clicking, confident, and on a mission. And for every fan watching, the message is loud and clear: the Rangers are back, they’re hungry, and if you thought last year was the end of the dynasty… think again.

[jg2977]

=

[jg2977]

So the Los Angeles Kings stroll into Chicago thinking they’re gonna steal Game 1. Game 1! You know, ease into the series, set the tone—do their little thing. But what happens? Nine to seven. Nine to seven! What is this, hockey or a beer league softball game?
The Chicago Blackhawks—they’re just piling on runs like it’s a buffet. You got Nick Foligno, he’s 3-for-4, hits a homer, gets on base four times, scores three runs. He’s basically living on the basepaths. You can’t get him out. It’s like trying to cancel a cable subscription—impossible!
And then Emilio Trevino—what is that? Bottom of the eighth, two-run single, just sticking the knife in. You’re the Kings and you’re thinking, “We almost had it… kinda.” No, you didn’t. You didn’t have anything.
And the Kings? Errors, runners left on base, eleven stranded. ELEVEN! You leave eleven guys out there, you might as well leave the bus running outside. You’re going home anyway.
Their pitching? A disaster. Jurado? Oh boy. Three and two-thirds, six earned runs. Six! By the time he left, it was like—why even bother? The bullpen comes in, they’re giving up runs like it’s Halloween candy.
Meanwhile, Chicago… clean defense. Zero errors. They’re just vibing. Smiling. Like they showed up at a party they weren’t even invited to and somehow got the best seats.
And the Kings still made it interesting at the end. Bases loaded in the ninth, big chance… and then—nothing. Classic. It’s like you’re about to make the big comeback, you’re feeling good, and then someone cuts you off in traffic. Boom. Night ruined.
So yeah, Chicago takes Game 1. Kings are sitting there saying, “We’ll get ’em tomorrow.” Yeah sure. You gave up nine runs. Tomorrow better come with a miracle.

[jg2977]

.

[jg2977]

🎙️ DOC BROWN-STYLE GAME RECAP ⚡️
“GREAT SCOTT!! Ladies and gentlemen of the National Hockey League—wait a minute, this isn’t hockey—this is baseball in a hockey arena!! I’ve just witnessed a game of such titanic proportions, it could alter the very fabric of postseason reality as we know it!!
Here at Rogers Place, on the historic date of September 23rd, 2006, the Colorado Avalanche have blasted the Edmonton Oilers right out of their own timeline with a 6 to 3 victory in Game 1 of the Conference Semifinals!!”
📈 SCORING SEQUENCE — LIKE CLOCKWORK, MARTY!
“Nothing, NOTHING through the first three innings. It was as if time itself was frozen in the first act of the space-time continuum… but in the fourth inning—BAM! Sal Calixtro hits a double that sends the Avalanche into the future with a 1-0 lead! Then… oh, the fifth, sixth, and seventh innings became a temporal cascade—a chain reaction of runs! Colorado tallies SIX in total, like the DeLorean hitting 88 miles per hour!”
💥 JORGE SANCHEZ — PLAYER OF THE GAME
“Now listen closely, Marty! Sanchez didn’t just play… HE DISRUPTED THE SPACE-TIME CONTINUUM of the Oilers’ pitching staff! Three hits, two home runs, one double, and ten total bases—TEN!! That kind of offensive output could power the flux capacitor for MONTHS!”
⚾ COLORADO ATTACK — 11 HITS, 6 RUNS, ZERO ERRORS
MacKinnon getting on base like a well-oiled temporal conduit… Calixtro striking at the right moment… Okuhara sacrificing like a man who knows he’s altering history! Meanwhile, Sanchez—oh, Sanchez—launches missiles off Yamamoto and Kim that would leave temporal scorch marks in the right-field bleachers.
🧊 OILERS RESIST, BUT THE TIMELINE BUCKLES
“W. Gretzky tries to restore order to the timeline with a towering home run in the seventh inning—Marty, I swear, it was like seeing the clock tower struck by lightning! But it’s too little, too late. The Avalanche’s pitching combination of Amador, Arevalo, and Cabrera clamps down like a chronal stabilizer.”
🧪 PITCHING NUMBERS—PRECISION ENGINEERING!
“Amador—six and a third solid innings—117 pitches of pure chronal control—just one earned run. Cabrera seals the deal with two innings of shutout ball. Meanwhile, Yamamoto’s outing—oh dear—eight point four four ERA! That’ll send any pitching career spiraling into the temporal abyss!”
⏰ GAME LOG
Start Time: 5:05 PM Mountain Time
Duration: 3 hours, 27 minutes of space-time fireworks
Attendance: 38,759 bewildered fans wondering what sport they’re even watching.
Wind: Out to right field at 10 mph… almost like nature itself was helping Sanchez hit those bombs!
🔥 FINAL RESULT
Colorado Avalanche 6 — Edmonton Oilers 3
Colorado leads the series 1-0.
“Great Scott, Marty… if the Oilers don’t adjust their trajectory in Game 2, the Avalanche are going to rewrite this entire postseason. And trust me… YOU DON’T MESS WITH THE SPACE-TIME CONTINUUM!!”
Cue dramatic lightning strike over the clock tower. ⚡️⏳

[jg2977]

Hartford Civic Center. Conference Semifinals. The Long Island Islanders show up, blasters fully charged, and they light up the Hartford Whalers like a TIE fighter that picked the wrong smuggler to mess with. Sixteen runs. Sixteen. I’ve outrun Imperial blockades with less firepower.
Carlos de la Cerda? Oh, that guy’s flying like he’s got the Kessel Run on his resume. Three hits, two doubles, and a homer. Four RBIs. He’s basically the Millennium Falcon in cleats—fast, loud, and way too much trouble for the other guys.
Then you’ve got Jack Bauer—bases loaded in the third. Bam. Two-run single. Next thing you know, it’s 2-0 and Hartford’s shields are failing. By the fifth inning? They’re venting atmosphere.
And don’t get me started on the seventh, eighth, and ninth. The Islanders kept piling it on—like smugglers who really don’t care about the bounty.
Meanwhile, the Whalers? Eight runs isn’t nothing… but when the other guys put up sixteen, well… let’s just say they’re not making the jump to lightspeed tonight. Mäntymaa on the mound? He didn’t even make it past the third before the hyperdrive blew.
The crowd of over 42,000 saw an absolute shootout. Home runs flying out like blaster bolts—Bossy, de la Cerda, Zuke for the Whalers trying to make it interesting. But the Islanders… they owned this fight.
Long Island takes Game 2, up 2-0 in the series. Hartford? If they don’t fix that defense and cool off de la Cerda, this thing’s over faster than a Hutt loses at sabacc.
“Never tell me the odds,” but right now? Odds are looking mighty good for the Islanders.

[jg2977]

Alright folks, good morning — or should I say, GOOD GRIEF what a night at the Garden — this is Boomer Esiason here on WFAN and lemme tell ya… that, right there, that was a comeback for the ages.
I mean, the New York Rangers were down 7–3 in the bottom of the ninth — dead in the water, the crowd’s quiet, people are already lining up for the subway. And then… BAM! They explode for four runs. Tie game. Pandemonium at Madison Square Garden.
Itsuro Bliebernicht — this guy is on another planet right now. Two bombs, four RBIs, walks twice, scores twice… he basically put the team on his back. And then Kosmo Kramer — yes, KOSMO KRAMER — two outs, bottom of the tenth, steps up, and delivers the walk-off single. The Garden erupted. I’m telling ya, the building was shaking.
And don’t overlook W. Cuylle — double in the ninth, triple earlier, that guy was huge in setting the table. Rice with the triple in the tenth, and boom, Kramer finishes it. That’s how you win playoff games. That’s how you demoralize a team like the Montreal Canadiens.
And look, Montreal had this thing in the bag. Vandelay — two homers, Del Sol with the three-run shot, they were rolling. But their bullpen absolutely melted down like a cheap snow cone in July.
So now it’s 2-0 Rangers in the series, heading to Montreal. And if you’re the Canadiens, you’ve gotta be sick about this one. You had ‘em. You absolutely had ‘em.
But this is why you play all nine innings. This is why playoff baseball — or in this weird hybrid NHL/Baseball world we’re living in — is absolutely electric.
Rangers 8, Canadiens 7. A comeback for the highlight reels.
And somewhere, deep in the Bronx, the Yankees are probably taking notes.

[jg2977]

Alright… picture it, da United Center… it’s a sunny afternoon… and da Blackhawks — our beloved Blackhawks — are down 6–1 going into da bottom of da 8th.
So we’re sittin’ there… eatin’ Polish sausages, sippin’ da brewskis, and we’re thinkin’… “Eh, dis one’s over.”
AND THEN… BAM!
Ten runs. TEN. Like a runaway freight train of bratwurst and brute force. Ron Hextall steps up — DA HEX MAN — and just launches one. Then another. Two homers, four RBIs… pure poetry in pinstripes, my friends.
Los Angeles is standin’ there like a bunch of guys who just got run over by a tailgating party. Edgar Valdivia throws a meatball… Hextall eats it for lunch. 3-run shot. BOOM. Hawks up 9-6.
Couple more runs later and it’s 11–6, and we’re sittin’ back like,
“Da Hawks… Da Hawks… DA HAWKS!!!” 🏒🍻
Series? 2–0, baby. We’re rollin’ into LA hotter than a Vienna beef on a summer grill.
Final score: Blackhawks 11, Kings 6.
Hextall? Legend. Sausage? Delicious.
Los Angeles? Sad.
DAAAAA HAWKS! 🖤❤️🖤❤️