The Bruins have won both Game 1′s of their first two playoff series. Hopefully, their follow-up performance in Game 2 will go a little better the second time around.

After dominating the Maple Leafs two weeks ago to open the series, the Bruins stumbled their next time out and allowed the Leafs to even up the series. Doing that against a much tougher New York Rangers squad is not advisable. NESN Nation’s Dan Duquette has more in the above video.

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Roberts rose to stardom with the then-World Wrestling Federation in the late 1980s and early 1990s. From his patented DDT finisher and snake named Damien to his strange promos, Roberts was one interesting character.

But, as is sometimes the case with professional wrestlers for whatever reason, Roberts’ life has gone off the tracks a bit in recent years. According to reports, he’s in the process of picking up the pieces, and apparently attending Braves games is part of that process.

Roberts was in attendance for the Braves’ game against the Dodgers at Turner Field on Saturday. He wasn’t there to just catch a ballgame, though. Instead, Roberts was there to do what he does best: entertain.

Check out Roberts’ interesting rendition of “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” in the video below.

In 2011, the Boston players handed out an old ’80s Bruins jacket to their player of the game. The jacket was with the B’s throughout their cup run, passed from player to player. Andrew Ference was the one to introduce the awesome idea to hand out some swag, and it didn’t stop in 2011.

The Bruins honor Mark Recchi with the crappy (yet awesome) throwback jacket: http://t.co/ZQroVr0v

—
Andy Gray (@si_vault) October 07, 2011

In 2012, the Bruins carried around a lock and chain to symbolize that there was no weak link on the B’s roster. The chain was worn around the neck of the player of the game, and it was once again Ference’s idea.

Kelly wears this year's version of the jacket. 20 players dress, 20 links in the chain...^BISH http://t.co/t2aJRDtM

—
Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) April 13, 2012

This year the player of the game gets a camouflage Army Ranger jacket. Ference received the jacket after visiting the Rangers’ training school at Fort Benning, Ga., according to the Boston Herald. The prize was influenced by Lucas Carr, an Army Ranger who has befriended some of the Bruins. Carr crossed the finish line of the Boston Marathon two minutes before the bombs went off and immediately turned around to help the victims.

David Krejci looks friggin badass in this "Player Of Game" Army Ranger Jacket and Watertown Police hat #Bruins http://t.co/FFh2SDisu3

—
Masshole Sports (@MassholeSports) May 02, 2013

So which one is the best? Vote below.

Shane Victorino

Don’t worry, though. It’s a healthy addiction, all things considered, and it’s one that each big leaguer battles with today. Worley, who now pitches for the Twins after three seasons with the Phillies, and Victorino both have a strong passion for shoes.

“He’s a big shoe guy,” Victorino reportedly said of Worley. “He loves sneakers.”

Victorino might point to Worley when the topic of sneakers comes up, but as Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press recently discovered, Victorino’s habits involve posting photos of his new additions and critiquing his former teammate’s collection.

“I’ll write, ‘Nice shoes. Must be nice,’” Victorino reportedly said. “We always have fun with it.”

Victorino always shows a great deal of effort on the diamond, and he always seems to be having fun, even when his instinctive hustle leads to him slamming into outfield walls. But who knew the Flyin’ Hawaiian was such a footwear aficionado?

“He’s having a hard time getting a hold of this one pair that just came out the other day,” Worley reportedly said. “He’s like, ‘I know you got a guy.’ I’m like, ‘I’m not saying I don’t have a guy. What’s the importance of this shoe versus another one?’ He’s like, ‘I got to have these, man. My addiction’s getting so bad.’”

Well, the first step is acceptance.

Have a question for Ricky Doyle? Send it to him via Twitter at @TheRickyDoyle or send it here.

Hamilton “Ham” Porter and Michael “Squints” Palledorous (or as they’re known in real life, Patrick Renna and Chauncey Leopardi) are still cult heroes even two decades after they starred in “The Sandlot,” and the two spent some time posing for pictures with Will Middlebrooks, Dustin Pedroia and Jacoby Ellsbury before the Red Sox’ game in Minnesota.

That’s Squints in the backward hat, and The Great Hambino, well, he still looks exactly the same.

Check it out in the photo below.

Photo via Twitter/@RedSox

Army Lt. Col. William T. Adams, the USO and the Tampa Bay Rays pulled off the surprise of a lifetime at Thursday night’s Red Sox-Rays game. Adams was coming back from a one-year deployment in Afghanistan, but his family didn’t know when and where he would return.

His 9-year-old daughter, Alayna, found out in front of a stadium of people Thursday night.

Alayna had been invited to throw out the first pitch at the game, but she had no idea that the person who would catch the ball behind the plate would be her father. She didn’t even know he was in the United States.

After she tossed her offering, the catcher pulled off his mask, and Alayna realized what was going on, running to hug him.

Check out the incredible moment in the video below.

Bergie has come a long way since his rookie year, earning many individual awards, hoisting a Stanley Cup and being named the team’s alternate captain.

Back when he first joined the B’s, Bergeron and then-teammate goalie Andrew Raycroft starred in a memorable NESN promo, which can be seen below. The commercial was called “Zamboni on the Lenny,” and it even scored NESN an Emmy Award.

Sometimes, it’s better to be lucky than good. The Bruins kept getting unlucky against the Rangers in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference semifinals, so in the end, they decided to just be better.

The B’s dominated the overtime period before eventually emerging with a 3-2 win over New York, thanks to Brad Marchand‘s game-winner. However, without the play of a couple of rookies, he likely wouldn’t have gotten the chance.

Without Andrew Ference, Wade Redden or Dennis Seidenberg in the lineup, youngsters Torey Krug and Dougie Hamilton were pulled into the line of fire — and they proved themselves worthy. The two teamed up to give the Boston power play a boost and also provided strong support at the blue line all night. So, NESN Nation’s Dan Duquette is awarding them our “The Kids Are All Right” player of the game award.

Who gets yours?

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There might not be many goals in this Bruins-Rangers playoff series, but the ones that come will certainly count. With both defensive-minded teams being as careful as possible in their own ends, offense is coming at a premium in Game 1. That’s not anything that’s likely to change as the play continues, but one thing is for sure: there will be more goals.

There have to be, after all. It’s the playoffs. There’s no shootout waiting if a stalemate isn’t ended after five minutes of overtime. They will play as long as they have to — and with these two teams, it might be a while.

NESN Nation’s Dan Duquette has more in the above video.

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The early returns on the Bruins-Rangers playoff series didn’t quite compare to those from the B’s-Maple Leafs bout. Then again, what could?

With an immortal Game 7 still fresh in the memory banks for Boston fans, Game 1 of the Bruins’ Eastern Conference semifinals was understandably a little underwhelming. That comes with the territory of adjusting to a new team for a new series — and especially when the opponent is such a defensive-minded one.

NESN Nation’s Dan Duquette is trying to make sense of how the first 20 minutes could shape the rest of the games. See what he came up with in the above video.

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The Bruins and Rangers haven’t played each other in the postseason in a long time. They also haven’t squared off in the regular season very recently.

Despite the results from the three games between Boston and New York this year, NESN Nation’s Dan Duquette isn’t ready to call an advantage for either team. After all, they both have made some big changes since they last met, and the playoffs are a different animal entirely, to boot.

Check out the video above to see why this series could go to either squad.

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During Thursday’s game, Murphy blasted a pitch to right field at Busch Stadium and watched as it landed over the fence … for a double. The reason? The ball didn’t go over the fence — it went through it.

Check out the bizarre play in the animation below.

Animation via Business Insider

A photo of Tortorella from his days at Concord-Carlisle High School in Concord, Mass., has made its way onto the Internet, thanks to WBZ’s David Robichaud. Both Robichaud and Tortorella attended Concord-Carlisle, and Robichaud tweeted a photo of Tortorella from way back in the day.

See the photo below.

Photo via Twitter/@RobiWBZ

Earlier this week, Dodgers pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu was playing catch with a young fan in the stands during Dodgers batting practice. The magical moment was captured on video and posted to YouTube, and the clip has almost 1.5 million views in less than four days.

Check out the fan — who rocks an awesome “Deuce” Dodgers jersey and has a great arm — tossing the ball around with one of his heroes in the video below.

Sometimes, a win’s a win. Other times, it can matter a little bit more.

Wednesday’s win over the Tampa Bay Rays was more of the latter for the Red Sox, who entered the day badly in need of a win. They turned to Jon Lester to right the ship, and that’s exactly what he did — just like he usually does.

The tough left-hander improved to 4-0 following a Red Sox loss this season, tossing seven strong innings to beat the Rays. Of course, he got some support from Stephen Drew and the offense, so all in all, it was a pretty good night.

NESN Nation’s Dan Duquette is giving Lester and Drew our “Grand Slam Stopper” player of the game award. Who gets yours?

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Insanity is often defined as doing the same thing over and over while expecting a different result. If that’s the case, then the Red Sox are a little bit insane.

Like any good team, they kept trying to hit with runners on base but kept coming up with poor results while hoping for better ones. Luckily, they’re no longer looking like the crazy ones after a barrage of runs against the Rays on Wednesday night.

NESN Nation’s Dan Duquette is pumped that Stephen Drew is on the scene to help. See why in the above video.

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The Bluth’s Banana Stand from cult classic television show Arrested Development has been on tour over the past few days, and its most recent stop found it just outside The House That Ruth Built. The publicity stunt is in promotion of the show’s triumphant return to television (technically Netflix) coming up on May 26.

Fans who yell “There’s always money in the banana stand,” in reference to a catchphrase from the show, are eligible to win tickets to an upcoming Yankee game. Of course, that’s if they make sure Mr. Bananagrabber doesn’t get them first…

Photo via Twitter/@Yankees

Affeldt was set to earn $4 million in 2010 as part of a two-year, $10 million contract, but someone made a $500,000 mistake. When Affeldt’s 2010 salary was rewritten into his new contract with the Giants, someone put $4.5 million instead of the $4 million he was supposed to be paid. Affeldt and the Giants both signed the contract without recognizing the mistake, and Affeldt therefore faced the ultimate moral test.

The whole story, which is detailed in Affeldt’s latest book, was told by the San Francisco Chronicle’s Henry Schulman. Affeldt reportedly got three opinions — from the Players Association, agent Michael Moye and Giants assistant general manager Bobby Evans — saying the contract was ironclad and that he could legally keep the extra $500,000, but the lefty decided that giving the money back was the right thing to do.

“I talked to Bobby the next day and said, ‘I can’t take that money. I won’t sleep well at night knowing I took that money because every time I open my paycheck I’ll know it’s not right,’” said Affeldt, who reportedly redid his contract with the $500,000 excised.

Affeldt’s decision to give back the money not only shows a great deal of honesty, but the pitcher thinks it may have also helped when negotiating a new three-year, $18 million contract with the Giants last winter.

Hopefully someone bought Affeldt lunch, at least.

Have a question for Ricky Doyle? Send it to him via Twitter at @TheRickyDoyle or send it here.

Jeon was up in the bottom of the ninth for the Lotte Giants of the Korean Baseball Organization down 6-4 with a runner on first base. He hit what he thought was a game-tying home run to left field, flipping his bat and pointing up to the sky before getting into his jog around the bases. It wasn’t until Jeon rounded first base that he found out the ball had been caught at the warning track. D’oh.

Mike Oz of Yahoo! Sports notes the best part is the shocked look on Jeon’s face when he realizes the ball was caught, but I  disagree. The best part is definitely when the NC Dinos player points and laughs at Jeon from the dugout. It had a very Nelson Muntz from The Simpsons feel to it. “Ha ha!”

Check out the hilarious gaffe in the video below.

Tropicana Field is full of quirks, and the Red Sox fell victim to one of them on Tuesday night.

Instead of getting back on the right track and cruising to a victory after a first-inning home run by David Ortiz. the Sox sputtered the rest of the way in dropping another game. That makes Boston losers in nine of its last 11 games, as the Red Sox continue to tumble further down the standings.

It was a frustrating game to be sure, and it’s leaving NESN Nation’s Dan Duquette thinking that it might not have turned out so badly if the Trop didn’t affect the game so much. He’s still giving Ortiz our “Fresh Squeezed” player of the game, though. Who’s yours?

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