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NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE – MONTREAL AT LONG ISLAND
September 23, 2004
I knew it. I knew it was going to happen. Montreal jumps out with four runs in the first and I’m thinking, “Yeah, this is too good. It won’t last. It never lasts.” And sure enough, Long Island answers right back. Four runs. Just like that. Of course.
By the fifth, Montreal goes ahead again—del Sol crushes a three-run homer, and I almost let myself believe. Seven to four. You’d think maybe this time it’s different. But no. No, it’s never different. Long Island just… waits. Sixth inning, a homer. Seventh inning, Bauer—Jack Bauer—because of course his name is Jack Bauer—hits the two-run bomb that rips the game away. Nine-seven. And I knew right then. Game over.
Then the eighth… Clark homers, Bernabel homers. Eleven to seven. You just sit there watching it unravel, helpless, like a car rolling backward out of the driveway, and you can’t stop it. You scream, but it doesn’t matter. It’s gone.
Roman was awful for Montreal—seven runs, three homers in four innings. Paulino and Qian weren’t much better. Honestly, nobody was. The bullpen was like pouring gas on a fire. Meanwhile, Long Island’s relievers? Untouchable. Of course they were.
And Jack Bauer… I don’t even want to talk about him. Two-for-three, four RBIs, hit by a pitch, scores twice. He’s everywhere. He’s everything. He’s inevitable. He’s the reason Montreal is down 0–1 in this series.
So yeah. Long Island wins, 11–7. They’ll probably win the series too. Montreal will fight, they’ll make it look close, but in the end? It’s always the same. Islanders on top, Canadiens going home.
And you know what the worst part is? I’ll still watch the next game. I’ll still hope. And I’ll still be crushed when it all falls apart. Again.
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