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SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. -- Chicago manager Darold Butler has a message for the Windy City. "Keep cheering," Butler said Thursday night after the biggest victory of his baseball career. "We hear you. Its working. Make it louder." Joshua Houston hit a clutch two-run single, reliever Cameron Bufford pitched a tense scoreless sixth inning, and Jackie Robinson West Little League held off gritty Philadelphia 6-5 in a matchup of inner-city teams at the Little League World Series. The loss eliminated Philadelphia and prevented star pitcher Mone Davis from getting one last shot to put another stamp on what had become her personal playground. Dont worry about her, though. Philadelphia manager Alex Rice certainly isnt. "The worlds her oyster, right?" an emotional Rice said after the loss. "Mone will figure out her future, and its going to be terrific. Shes going to dictate what it is. Good for her." Davis, just the 18th girl to play in the Little League World Series and the only one to win a game on the mound, played first base the first two innings against Chicago, was taken out and re-entered the game at third base in the bottom of the fifth. The Jackie Robinson West team, comprised of all black players, is making its first appearance in 31 years in the Little League World Series. The victory sends the Great Lakes champs into the U.S. title game on Saturday against Las Vegas. Las Vegas, the West champions, beat Philly 8-1 on Wednesday and humbled Chicago 13-2 in four innings in a mercy-rule game last Sunday behind five homers, including a grand slam by Brad Stone and two home runs from Austin Kryszczuk. "It (the lopsided loss) woke us up," Butler said. "The kids have been more focused and todays game showed how focused we were. We had a lot of adversity. They find a way to get it done, and its always a new guy." Bufford walked Scott Bandura to lead off the top of the sixth, putting the tying run at first. He then struck out Jahli Hendricks, induced Jared Sprague-Lott to hit into a fielders choice and walked dangerous Zion Spearman before getting Jack Rice on a fly to right to end it. Philly trailed 6-2 after two innings but clawed back within a run on Tai Cummings long home run to centre leading off the fifth. The grassy hill beyond the outfield fences at Howard J. Lamade Stadium was jammed Wednesday night with 34,128 fans who craned their necks to see every pitch from Davis. With the star right-hander playing the field and not eligible to pitch until Saturday, attendance dipped to 21,119 against Chicago. The 5-foot-4 Davis and her teammates gave the Taney Youth Baseball Association Little League in Philadelphia an amazing dose of publicity. In her first outing, Davis pitched a two-hit shutout to become the first girl to win a game in the Little League World Series. In splitting her two starts, Davis pitched 8 1-3 innings, allowed eight hits and three earned runs, and struck out 14 with only one walk. She also threw a three-hit shutout to lead Taney to an 8-0 victory over Delaware in the Mid-Atlantic Regional championship game. Small wonder that during batting practice Wednesday night on the West Coast the Los Angeles Dodgers streamed the Little League telecast on two giant video boards. The glare of the spotlight on Davis and her teammates had grown exponentially as the Little League World Series unfolded. Television ratings were up 143 per cent Wednesday night from the corresponding game last year and this week she became the first Little Leaguer to grace the cover of Sports Illustrated. Baseball is trying to lure young African-Americans back to the game, and the opponents Thursday night offered some evidence the strategy might be making inroads. That one inner-city team had to beat another for a spot in the U.S. title game was not lost on Major League Baseball Commissioner-elect Rob Manfred. "With respect to baseball games, we try to take a position of neutrality," Manfred said at Lamade Stadium. "I have to tell you a Philadelphia-Chicago matchup is pretty darn good. Its so wonderful when people turn on their televisions and they see people from very different socio-economic backgrounds in a setting like this. When you have a diverse group like the Philadelphia group, it sends a message that baseballs a wide-open sport." When the two teams finally do return home, they likely will be overwhelmed a little bit more. "Weve always had the goal of baseball in the inner cities, how to get more African-Americans to play baseball," said Phillies slugger Ryan Howard, who hung out with the Philly kids and other teams earlier in the day during an appearance for sponsor Subway. "I think it shows its working. I dont think they understand the magnitude of what theyve accomplished. "I think they have a grasp of it, but I dont think theyll really understand it until they get back." Brian Urlacher Jersey . He still wanted out. "It just seemed like the direction they were going didnt fit what I thought my career was going to be," Kesler said. "At the end of the day I want to win a championship and I want to win it now, and four years is a little too long for me. Walter Payton Jersey . The punch happened in the fourth quarter of Milwaukees 116-102 loss to the Kings on Wednesday when the two players became entangled while battling for rebounding position. http://www.cheapbearsjerseysauthentic.com/?tag=authentic-mike-singletary-jersey . - Veteran Kings defenceman Robyn Regehr, sidelined since Game 1 of the Anaheim series, says hes close to returning. Chicago Bears Jerseys China . The Senators return from a lengthy layoff caused by Wednesdays attack on Parliament Hill to host the New Jersey Devils on Saturday night. Dan Hampton Jersey . The team announced the defensive coordinator will not be offered a contract extension.CHICAGO -- The Chicago Blackhawks watched as their championship banner rose to the rafters at the United Center. They took another look at the Stanley Cup, and soaked in the applause from the sellout crowd. Then Johnny Oduya and Co. went out and reminded the rest of the NHL how they won that title. Oduya, Brandon Saad and Marian Hossa scored in the third period, and the Blackhawks kicked off their title defence with a 6-4 victory over Mikhail Grabovski and the Washington Capitals on Tuesday night. "We wanted a good start. I think we got that," Oduya said. "Maybe in the second we came down a little bit, the win is the key thing to that, and to keep building on that. Theres a lot of games this year, so weve got to stay strong and get better." Patrick Kane, Brent Seabrook and Brandon Bollig also scored for Chicago, which won its first game for the second straight season. Corey Crawford made 28 saves, including a couple of huge stops when the Blackhawks killed off a late 5-on-3 power play. Chicago ruined Los Angeles title celebration with a 5-2 victory in last seasons opener and then set an NHL record by recording at least one point in its first 24 games. The fast start played a key role in the Blackhawks run to the Stanley Cup, and coach Joel Quenneville made it clear in training camp that another opening surge is a priority. "The guys have always been in a good place since Day 1 of the season," Quenneville said. "Youve got to commend them on how they prepared themselves." Grabovski had three goals and an assist in his first game since he signed with Washington in August. Alex Ovechkin had a goal and an assist, but the Capitals dropped their opener for the second straight season. "They got a little bit lucky today," Grabovski said. "We need to learn from our mistakes what we did. We just need to play better the next game." Grabovski had consecutive power-play goals in the third, lifting Washington to a 3-2 lead with 14:44 left. But Saad finished a beautiful give-and-go with Michal Handzus, and Oduya converted a long slap shot at 13:53 to put the Blackhawks ahead to stay. Oduya caught a fortunate break on his 32nd birthday when his fluttering shot went in off the glove of goalie Braden Holtby on its way to the net. "It just completely fooled me," Holtby said. "I had a clean llook at the shot, it was just one of those sinkers.ddddddddddddIt happened. It was one I would love to have, but I think there are a couple of others in the game that I should have done a better job on, more than that one." Hossa finished the scoring when he was dragged down from behind as he skated toward an empty net in the final minute, prompting the officials to award him with an insurance goal. Cheered on by the rollicking crowd of 22,158, the Blackhawks staged one last celebration of the franchises fifth title. The team handed out special wristbands that lit up during parts of the pregame ceremony, making the rows of seats look like a clear night sky full of stars. The wristband lights were joined by camera flashes as a group of youth hockey players presented the championship banner to the 19 returning players from last years squad, who carried it to the spot for its trip to the rafters. Front office staff and players posed for a picture with the banner hanging just over the ice. It was then raised to the top while the crowd roared. "It was amazing," Hossa said. "So much light in the stands. To stand on the ice and look at 20-something-thousand people just celebrating. Its going to stay in my heart for the memories." Chicago then brushed aside any concern of a letdown caused by the banner ceremony and grabbed the lead when Bollig stuffed home a rebound 4:06 in for his first career regular-season goal. After Ovechkin tied it with a power-play goal, Kane sent a wrist shot past Holtby to make it 2-1 at 11:06. Kane won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP when the Blackhawks made their run to the championship. Holtby made 29 saves in Washingtons first regular-season game in Chicago since March 18, 2012. NHL teams played games strictly within their own conference last season after the lockout cut the campaign nearly in half. "The first 40 minutes I thought that we played pretty good hockey," Capitals coach Adam Oates said. "If anything, our turnovers gave them momentum and gave them some life. Theyve got a good hockey team. Its hard to play that way." NOTES: Chicago beat Washington twice during the preseason, including a 4-3 overtime win on Saturday night. ... The teams will meet again in Washington on April 11. ... NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman was booed during the pregame ceremony. 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