National Baseball League

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Alright… picture a crisp September night in Edmonton… The lights shining brightly at Rogers Place… the crowd — 39,048 strong — buzzing with that unmistakable playoff electricity.
And as we get underway, the Oilers waste no time. A solo shot in the first, then… oh, how quickly it can turn. In the second inning, Adrie Sijtsma — who’s hit a few meaningful home runs in his day — turns on a fastball and sends it soaring. A three-run shot that seemed to float through that prairie night air like a feather caught on the wind.
Colorado, of course, is not a team that folds easily. In the third, they string together a rally of their own… a couple of doubles, a well-timed swing from Sal Calixtro, and just like that, the game is alive again.
But baseball — and hockey, and life itself — often comes down to moments. And in the bottom of the fifth, with a man aboard, Sijtsma digs in once more. The count runs even… and then crack! A majestic arch into left-center. His second home run of the evening. If the first was impressive, the second was pure thunder. Edmonton leads 11-4, and this crowd can feel it.
Colorado would not go quietly — Calixtro again, in the seventh and the ninth, showing why he’s one of the most feared hitters around. Two home runs, six runs batted in… a night he won’t soon forget, even in defeat.
But on this night, it was Edmonton’s turn to shine. Eighteen hits. Five home runs. A crowd that never sat down. A series now tied at one game apiece.
And somewhere in that cool September air, you could almost hear the game whispering to itself…
“This,” it said, “is why we play.”
Oilers 11, Avalanche 9. The next stop: Denver.

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Welllll, hello there, everybody — this is Mel Allen, and how about that! We had ourselves a barnburner of a ballgame at UBS Arena this afternoon as the Hartford Whalers and the Long Island Islanders gave us twelve innings of good old-fashioned drama before Hartford came out on top, 7–6.
It all started early, folks. Hartford came out swinging in the top of the first with a couple of runs — but Long Island answered right back with three of their own. From there, it was back-and-forth action the likes of which you could bottle and save for a rainy day.
And the star of the show? None other than catcher Mike Zuke. The big fella put on quite a display — three hits in five trips, including a towering home run in the third inning that had folks in the mezzanine leaning back to catch it. Add in a double, a walk, two runs scored, and three driven in… and you’ve got yourself a ballplayer who flat-out delivered when it counted.
But let’s not forget third baseman Gianfrancesco Arriola — a name that’ll roll off the tongues of Whalers fans for a while after this one. Four hits, including two doubles, and most importantly… the go-ahead RBI single in the top of the twelfth inning. When the dust settled, Hartford had the lead they’d been chasing all afternoon.
The Islanders gave it everything they had, with Vinnie Hixson providing the fireworks — a triple early, a solo homer later, and a couple of fine defensive plays up the middle. And oh, what a game for Mike Bossy, too, driving in a run and keeping his club right in it. But when Hartford’s bullpen slammed the door shut with five innings of no-hit relief from Ruiz and Bujanda, the Islanders ran out of answers.
And so, after four hours and thirty-one minutes of edge-of-your-seat baseball, the Hartford Whalers walk away winners, 7–6, cutting the Islanders’ series lead to 2–1.
Tomorrow, they’ll be right back here at UBS Arena for Game 4 — and if it’s anything like this one, well, baseball fans, you’re in for a treat.
This is Mel Allen saying, how about that! — we’ll see you at the ballpark.

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YESSSS! Good evening, everybody — Marv Albert with you from Bell Centre in Montreal… and what a finish we had tonight as the New York Rangers pulled out a thrilling 7–6 victory over the Canadiens to take a commanding 3–0 lead in this best-of-seven series.
The hero? Aedyn Grubin. The big first baseman came up huge — and I mean HUGE — with not one but two home runs, including a grand slam in the top of the seventh inning that blew this one wide open.
Let’s set the scene — top of the seventh, game tied 3–3, bases loaded… Dylan McCullough on the mound for Montreal… Grubin digs in… and — YES! — he connects! A towering drive to deep left field, it is gone! A GRAND SLAM for Aedyn Grubin! The Rangers lead it 7–3 and this building goes silent except for that small pocket of New York fans who made the trip north.
Montreal, though, would not go quietly. A late push, including a two-run homer from P. Newman in the bottom of the ninth, made things tense. But the Rangers held on as Bunney closed it out — not without a few sweaty palms on the visitors’ bench.
You look up and down the Rangers’ order — V. Ising with four hits, Grubin driving in five, Bliebernicht showing some power as well — and it’s clear why they’ve got a stranglehold on this series.
For the Canadiens, some strong swings from Newman and Vandelay kept it close, but the big blow from Grubin was just too much to overcome.
And so, the Rangers take Game 3 by a score of 7–6 and now lead this series three games to none. One more, and they’ll be moving on.
This is Marv Albert… saying — YES! — a dramatic night of playoff hockey… er, baseball-style… in Montreal. Game 4 comes your way tomorrow night… and you can bet the Bell Centre will be rocking.

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Alright, friends… pull up a chair and make yourself comfortable. This is Vin Scully, and it was one of those warm, golden Los Angeles afternoons when the sun slanted in through the roof of Staples Center, turning an ordinary ballgame into something a little more special.
It was Game 3 of this conference semifinal… the Chicago Blackhawks in town to face the Los Angeles Kings… and if you didn’t know any better, you might’ve thought it was written in a script.
The Kings came out of the gate like they’d been waiting for this moment all year. First inning… one out… the count 2-and-1 to Corey Perry. Bautista deals… and Perry sends it high and deep to left field. Bedard drifts back… back… and it’s gone! Two–nothing, Kings.
And before the crowd could sit back down, here came young Anze Kopitar. You could almost feel a hush roll through the park — one of those quiet moments that hang in the air just before the swing. The next pitch was a fastball over the heart of the plate, and Kopitar didn’t miss it. He crushed it. Into the seats, to the delight of 55,919 fans, and suddenly Los Angeles led 3–0.
Chicago, though, they’re not a team to scare easy. They chipped away. Bedard with a two-run homer in the fourth. Foligno launching another in the sixth. And just like that, what once looked like a runaway became a one-run game.
But here’s where baseball — and hockey, and life — reveals itself: the small moments. Bottom of the fourth, the bases loaded, two outs, and Jesus Valdespino at the plate. He didn’t need a big swing. He didn’t need a headline. He just needed a little patience. And with the crowd on its feet, he drew a walk. It wasn’t flashy, but it pushed across a run and gave Los Angeles a little more breathing room.
Kopitar added a walk and scored twice on the afternoon, the bullpen held on by its fingernails, and when the dust settled after three hours and thirty-two minutes… Los Angeles 7, Chicago 6.
R. McCoubrey got the win, Valdivia the save. But really, it belonged to Kopitar — two hits, a home run, a smile as wide as the Pacific, and the sound of 55,000 people roaring his name as he trotted home.
You could feel it as the sun began to fade behind the left-field stands — this series had taken a turn. The Kings had cut Chicago’s lead to two games to one.
And that, folks, is baseball’s quiet poetry. One swing in the first. One walk in the fourth. And just enough pitching to hang on.
Tomorrow, they’ll do it again under the Southern California sky. And who knows… there just might be another story waiting to be told.

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Alright… picture it now, fellas. We’re in beautiful Denver, Colorado… the air is thin, the sausage is thick, and the Avalanche? They’re poundin’ the Oilers like a bratwurst on game day.
Da Avalanche.
Second inning — BOOM! — it’s like a buffet of dingers. You got Lee Heap, you got J. Sanchez, you got more hits than Ditka has mustache combs. Before you can say “pass me da Polish,” it’s 6–nothin’, Colorado.
Cale Makar? Fuggedaboutit. The guy goes 3-for-4, hits a bomb, walks once just for fun, scores three times… it’s like watchin’ Mike Ditka skate with a stick, if Mike Ditka wasn’t busy bein’ perfect at everything.
Da score: Avalanche 12, Oilers 4. That’s not just a win, that’s a smackdown.
And Lee Heap — you know, this guy’s hittin’ like he’s got a deep dish pizza waitin’ at home if he crosses the plate. Three hits, four RBIs, and a home run that still hasn’t landed. We’re talkin’ Waveland Avenue distance.
The Oilers? Look, they got some hits — Gretzky doubled twice, tried to rally. But when you give up twelve runs, let’s be honest… you’re not playin’ defense, you’re hostin’ a barbecue.
Pitching? Edmonton had more relievers than I got kielbasa on the grill — and none of ‘em could stop the bleeding. Colorado just kept pourin’ it on like gravy on a beef sandwich.
Final line: Colorado — 12 runs, 15 hits, and probably a few broken spirits in Edmonton. Oilers — 4 runs, 10 hits, and one long bus ride home.
Player of the Game? Da Makar.
Team of the Game? Da Avalanche.
Moral of the story? Don’t bring a spoon to a steakhouse, and don’t bring weak pitching to Denver.
Next game’s tomorrow night at Ball Arena. Avalanche up 2–1 in the series. And if they keep hittin’ like this?
Avalanche in five.
Ditka approves. 🏒🥩🍺

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New York Rangers: 22nd Conference Finals berth
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Alright… listen… lemme tell ya somethin’ right now, folks. The Rangers went up to Montreal tonight, Bell Centre, and they closed the door. Alright? They closed it. They win it 10–7. They sweep the Canadiens. Series over.
This wasn’t pretty — this was not some kind of Picasso performance on the mound, believe me. This was a slugfest. But the Rangers — and I’ve been sayin’ it all series — they hit. They absolutely rake. And once again, they did it tonight.
You look at the box score — Ben Rice, what more do you want from this guy? Two home runs, four RBIs, steals a bag, big hits late. He sets the tone. He’s the kind of guy you need in October. He’s not afraid of the moment.
Itsuro Bliebernicht — the MVP of the series. Deserved. Hitting close to .400, gets on base, drives the ball, 3 home runs in the series. He’s locked in. I don’t care who comes outta that other series — Islanders, Whalers, whoever — they’re not gonna want to face this lineup right now.
And by the way — this pitching tonight? Eh. H. Wang gave up 6 runs. Hewitt almost coughed it up. But they survived. And when you’ve got an offense that can put up ten runs on the road? You can live with that.
Montreal tried. Newman had a big night. Vandelay hit one out early. But you can’t keep trading haymakers with this Rangers team. You can’t do it. By the time you get to the seventh inning, you’re gassed.
The Rangers are moving on to their 22nd Conference Final. Think about that. Twenty-two. That’s a franchise with expectations. And now, they’re gonna sit back, they’re gonna watch that Islanders–Whalers series, they’re gonna set the rotation, rest the bullpen, and get ready to mash whoever shows up.
Bottom line — Rangers are the better team. Period. Montreal was never in control of this series. And if this lineup keeps hitting like this? Folks… they’re gonna be a problem.
Ben Rice. Bliebernicht. Ten runs. Series sweep. That’s it.
Alright — we’ll take a break, we’ll come back, your calls after the hour… 877-337-6666… we’ll talk Rangers, we’ll talk pitching, we’ll talk about who they match up best with. But make no mistake — tonight was about the bats.
Rangers. Move. On.

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