The airwaves were thick with ballgames and beer commercials last night because we’re deep into October and North America is approaching sporting saturation. Late into the night, Philadelphians were sparking victory smokes as the MLB champs advanced, Cincinattians were reveling in the relevance of their resurgent Bengals, and the Los Angeles Kings were atop the West, if only for a spell.

Meanwhile, the Dolphins and Jets stayed busy trading outrageous haymakers in Florida on national TV, with Henne and Sanchez chucking up bombs like 10-year-olds playing Madden. Pretty damned entertaining, and as the dust settles, this sporting observer notes that the East is wide open. But it was kinda hard for me to watch quality professional football teams competing at a high level last night without being racked by debilitating pangs of jealousy and resentment – this past weekend, I drove 1000 miles to attend a game wherein a quarterback completed just 2 of 17 pass attempts and still won.

So while the Fish celebrated their victory, I was mining classic crosscheck gold on YouTube with the TV on mute. Here’s three for your consideration.

1. The Flyers’ Dave Brown obliterates Thomas Sandstrom’s face in October of 1987. Clearest replay is at 1:10.  Listen to Gene Hart and Bobby Taylor’s dismissive response to the brutality – “Acting school,” say the Flyers commentators. “He’s dead on the ice again.”

2. You gotta wait a minute for this one – the video kinda establishes a little context for the violence – but Pavel Bure leaves the ice to drop Edmonton’s Bryan Marchement. Must have been mid-90s. Hilarious the way Marchement really sells the superfluous second hit, as if it just destroys him.

3. Saved the most vicious for last. Detroit’s Jiri Fischer bloodies Hurricane Tommy Westlund in the 2002 Cup Finals, a savage piece of stickwork that earned him a one-game suspension.

- Caps