With Boise’s 9-1 win against Calgary on Monday, the Spuds officially clinched a Wildcard berth, meaning they’ll be in the postseason for the first time since 2045.Boise was tied in the standings with Las Vegas just four days earlier, fighting for the last playoff spot. And they definitely didn’t want it to come down to a one-game playoff against them, since Boise was 7-9 against the Hustlers for the season. So Boise took their destiny into their own hands, sweeping Calgary in a four-game set to emerge with the #3 Wildcard seed.
That means a matchup against Montreal, which is not ideal, since they were one of the hottest teams in the BBA down the stretch (18-9 in September), and Boise didn’t fare well against them at all this year (1-5).
But the Spuds have defied expectations all season, so they’re not worried about the matchup. They’ll roll into Québec this Saturday with high spirits and a chip on their shoulder.
Jen-Kan Zhai, no stranger to the postseason, having literally played in it every season of his BBA career, led the postgame celebration on the Spuds’ clinching night.
“In April, no one expected us to make any noise this year,” he announced to his teammates amid a champagne-soaked clubhouse. “Our own fans weren’t even coming out. But we kept doing what we do, day after day. We were a rolling stone, starting slow but picking up momentum. And now, we’re the best we’ve ever been, steamrolling everyone in our path. And we’ll keep going until we reach the Brewster!”
This was met with drunken cheers by all in attendance. Zhai was designated for assignment after the party.
Pepe Madrid, Boise’s stalwart veteran of fourteen seasons, also took the podium and addressed the team.
“When we first made it to the playoffs my rookie year,” he started. “The Spuds were a good team. We had star power, we had future Hall-of-Famers, you name it. But the rest of us were the supporting cast. We were along for the ride, but it wasn’t really about us. We were just there to help Frenchy, Fetch, and the rest of the them get their rings. And guess what: it didn’t work. We got bounced.”
“This team here, though, is different. It’s all of us, in this together. We’ve got a pitching staff of misfits trying to cobble together nine innings in whatever way they can. We’ve got a different guy every night getting the game-winning hit. We’ve got whatever the hell Mastinsky is.”
“Idi na khuy,” the stoic Russian giant shouted from one of the corners of the room. We are not allowed to print the English translation of that.
“But I’d like to see anyone try and break this up," Madrid continued. "What we’ve got here, you can’t buy this in free agency. This is a real team, and I know every single one of you is going to fight for us, tooth and nail, until we come out on top. So let’s go win us a Brewster.”
Even bigger cheers erupted from the clubhouse, and the champagne celebration continued through the night.