(Long Island, NY) There’s a professional minor league sports franchise on Long Island that offers a family friendly atmosphere, affordable tickets, free parking, in-game promotions, approachable players who are happy to sign autographs, and a mascot that is a large bird. No, I’m not talking about the Long Island Ducks baseball team. I’m referring to the Strong Island Sound of the American Basketball Association.

Long Island has a long history with the original ABA. The New York Nets were a staple of the league and were one of the 4 teams that merged with the NBA following the 1976 season. Julius Erving, better known as Dr. J, plied his trade for the Nets in long-forgotten buildings such as The Commack Arena and The Island Garden. Especially after the Ducks proved that minor league sports can not only survive but thrive on Long island, it would be a natural fit to try it with an ABA basketball team.

The ABA was brought back to life in 2000 by people that had connections to the original league. This time it was formed as an independent minor league (similar to the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, in which the Ducks play). The new ABA is using the same red, white, and blue basketball and also has some unique rules that make if special. The old league started the 3-point shot and the slam dunk contest. The new league has the 3-D Rule, 6th Foul Rule, and 3-10-and Out Overtime Rule. There are also a number of former NBA players that have joined the ABA, such as Dennis Rodman and Tim Hardaway.

Long Island was granted an expansion team for the 2005-2006 season, which runs from November to March. The name was chosen last year after a ‘name the team’ contest was held in a number of school districts in Suffolk County. The winning students received season tickets and team apparel. The team had to schedule its games at college venues for the inaugural season. St. Joseph’s College in Patchogue and Suffolk Community College in Selden have been their ‘home courts’. The ultimate goal is to be playing at the proposed 6,000 seat arena on the county-owned land in Yaphank. All of the proposals (including one group from the team) have in their plans to build an arena. So it is just a matter of time before the Sound are playing in a home of their own.

The Sound have had different promotions all season long to offer either free or discounted admission. Regular ticket prices are $12.00. College and high school students are admitted for $9.00. Seniors 55 and over are $8.00. Military personnel are half-price. Different agencies were given free admission for a particular game. There was Teacher Appreciation Night, Health Care Worker Appreciation Night and Correction Officer/Sheriff Appreciation Night. An upcoming weekend set of games will honor the Police Department (February 17th) and Fire Department (February 18th). There was also a Youth League Night where fans wearing their team jerseys were admitted for $8.00. The next Youth League Night will be on March 3rd.

The ABA also has a special promotion that allows teams to suit up a “13th Man Celebrity Player” for a game. This person is in full uniform, sits at the bench with the team, and gets into the game and plays. On January 20th, the Sound were joined by 6’6” 419 pound competitive eater Ed “Cookie” Jarvis. The Long Island native and Sound fan brought good luck to the team in a win versus the Newark Express and their head coach, Darryl “Chocolate Thunder” Dawkins. The Sound recently announced that comedian Bob Nelson will join them as the 13th Man for the March 3rd game. There are also rumblings that more announcements are on the horizon.

The Sound have played exciting fast-paced basketball. They have rebounded from a slow start and are currently 10-13, 16th in the ABA Power Rankings. The league has 37 teams, 24 of which qualify for the post season. The Sound are in position right now to host a playoff game.

The Sound provide for their fans a lot of in-game promotions to go along with the high-scoring basketball. There are dribble and free-throw contests for the kids and “Remember the ABA” trivia contests for the adults. There are “T-Shirt Toss Time-Outs”. The team mascot is named Sheyken Bayke and is appropriately a large yellow chicken in a team uniform. He invites all the young fans down to mid-court at halftime to join him in “The Chicken Dance”.

The Sound can be a success on the court and off if they can build a fan base. The team’s marketing motto is “It’s an event, not just a game”. By attending one I’m sure that you will agree with them.

LI SPORTS NOTES: Final scores from Friday February 3, 2006

The New York Dragons evened their record at 1-1 in the young season with a 51-47 win at Chicago versus the Rush.

The Strong Island Sound defeated the Express in Newark 113-108.

For more information on the Strong Island Sound visit: www.strongislandsound.com

(Long Island, NY) So Braden Looper has moved on to the Cardinals. He’ll be replacing the boo-birds for red birds. I’m sure the Metropolitan faithful are checking their pocket schedules for his first visit to Shea. I’ll save you the trouble. Mark down August 22nd. Don’t get all hoarse too soon. Kaz needs a little lovin’ from you too…..

I miss Benny Agbayani. It was fun just saying his name or listening to Ralph Kiner trying to pronounce it…..Don’t get me wrong. I love Ralph. I think I’m the only one amongst my friends that defends him and enjoys his perspective of the game. But he does say some things that make me chuckle…..

News flash: Larry Brown almost decided on a starting line-up…..The Knicks next opponent is listed as a 4 touchdown favorite over at the sports book…..Hint: give the points…..It hurts to say it, but these Knicks make the John McLeod team look like the Celtics of the 60’s…..And those of you who remember that team want to forget it…..How bad is it going to hurt Isiah when the Knicks draw a top 3 pick in the lottery and the Bulls are waiting there saying “Excuse me. But I think that belongs to me”…..And that’s if Mr. Thomas is even a part of the Knicks organization at that point…..I know Eddy Curry is still a youngster in terms of age and the grown-up world, but he says some things that make me just shake my head sometimes…..Don’t think that the Knicks brass didn’t take notice of Epiphanny Prince’s 113-point scoring spree in Murry Bergtraum’s win in a Manhattan Class A League game recently. The 5’10” senior broke Cheryl Miller’s record of 105 points and is attending Rutgers next year. At this rate the Knicks will have high draft picks for the next few years, keeping them in the running to draft her. But by then they probably will have traded that pick away for another high salaried out of shape player.

Padre Piazza. I’m glad that he is staying in the NL. A standing ovation should be a given when San Diego visits Flushing August 8th through the 10th. Wouldn’t it be kinda funny if he finishes with better numbers than LoDuca? It isn’t a stretch, you know…..Julio in the house! Jorge signed a 2.5 mill contract with the Mets after he wanted more and the Mets wanted to give him less. Arbitration is a wonderful thing. Award a guy with a 5 ERA the same money he made so he gives the same effort. He should have been busted down to the major league minimum so he gets hungry again. These guys are spoiled and go through the motions once they get that big bucks deal…..This is why I enjoy watching the Cyclones and the Ducks. These guys are playing for a first shot or a last shot. And they don’t jog out ground balls. Maybe some of these players should spend a little time back in the bushes riding the buses. It didn’t exactly hurt Steve Traschel when he was booted to AAA following a 4 HR allowed disaster…..So Johnny Damon wants to get to Tampa early and break bread with the Boss. I hope he went for that clean-up trim in case his lovely locks may have sprouted some since he signed…..The Rocket pitches batting practice to the Astros. He’s just warming up for when he once again dons pinstripes…..I’ll probably watch some of the World Baseball Classic out of curiosity and baseball-Jones. But I could get the same (if not more) satisfaction watching regular spring training games. The one cool thing might be seeing Pedro plunk A-Rod because he’s playing for the country he was actually born in…..On the same subject, isn’t it ridiculous that Mikey P is suiting up for the Italian team? He has as much right to play for them as I do. The only difference is that he’s a millionaire and can afford vacations in the old country.

The Rangers are still battlin’. The Broadway Blues are in a dog-fight for first place with the Broad Street Bullies. They won’t go away and seem to have the horses to take this far. Brings back old memories of seeing Espo fighting in the corner for a loose puck with Bobby Clarke…..I’m flipping the radio stations around recently and I hear the Devils game on WFAN. Going into a break, there’s a sound bite of a Devil player saying something to the effect, “You’re listening to Devils hockey on WFAN- New York’s sports station”. A bit confusing to say the least. Why don’t we invite the Toledo Mud Hens for a few games on the NY airwaves? The way I see it, the Jersey Devs are as much a NY team now as they were in their previous locations as the Kansas City Scouts and Colorado Rockies…..What’s your vote for the ugliest hockey uniforms of all time? Just off the top of my head, I have to say the Oakland Seals with the white skates and green and yellow unis. Or the Bruins alternate jersey with the bright yellow and the bear’s head. How about the Vancouver Canucks yellow with the big ‘V’ down the front? Special, huh?

The “Are We There Yet?” department- the NBA All-Star break, NHL Olympic break, pitchers & catchers, the actual Super Bowl game…..Who’s going to Disneyland this year?…..Let me get this straight. The Colorado Rockies have 2 pitchers with the last name of Kim and one of them lost his arbitration case. Much to my surprise it was not the infamous Byung-Hyun, who is better known as the meltdown-man of the 2001 World Series. I guess he figures the less his name is in the papers the quicker people will forget his performance…..Don’t you hate when you’re waiting for that late game score to come up on ESPN’s ‘The Bottom Line’ and right before they get to it a commercial for Chia Pet cuts it off? That’s why I love ESPN News. They leave the crawl on the bottom during the commercials. I love that Bottom Line. I even downloaded it for my PC. I wish I can put it on everything. The bottom of the microwave, the bathroom mirror, the edge of the dinner table. Wherever you looked. It’s better than that stock crawl running by on those business channels. I have no idea what the heck that stuff says. It may as well be written in hieroglyphics.

LAST CALL: As we approach the Super Bowl, here’s to a great football season. Many surprises, many disappointments. Just as usual. That’s what makes the game so exciting. What started out in the sweltering heat in August training camps ends in Detroit (Rock City). Hoping for a close game that goes down to the wire. Only one will be left standing in the confetti shower. Just like the last song at a Kiss concert. Smoking Les Paul guitars and fire-breathing bass players forever! “Energize, Mr. Scott”.

(Long Island, NY) The New York Dragons were looking for a fast start to the AFL season in defense of their 3 straight division titles. They welcomed the Nashville Kats to the Nassau Coliseum on Saturday night for their season opener in front of 11,126 fans. Too bad the crashers ruined the party.

Dragons star quarterback Aaron Garcia was sacked 7 times by the tough Nashville defense. He managed to throw 4 touchdown passes in between. The Kats dominated on both sides of the ball and had a momentum changing score on a 58-yard kickoff return following a Dragons touchdown, erasing a 14-7 NY lead.

Dragons head coach Weyland Harding could not have been happy with his offensive line. In addition to the 7 sacks (one of them resulting in a 2-point safety), Nashville intercepted Garcia twice and knocked him down 14 times. The offensive line had some changes in the off-season, losing veterans Richard Harris (retired) and Jermaine Miles (not re-signed). The Dragons receiving corps could not get into the flow of the game because of the pressure on Garcia. Ex-Jet Kevin Swayne, Mike Horacek, Will Holder, and Chris Anthony were held in check by the Nashville’s defensive unit.

Aaron Garcia, 35, is in his 13th AFL season. He is possibly the best Arena League quarterback of all time. This season is the league’s 20th anniversary and the AFL released a list of its 20 best players in celebration. Garcia ranked number 11, just ahead of the man he replaced at QB for the Iowa Barnstormers. Number 12 on the list is none other than Kurt Warner, the current Arizona Cardinals quarterback who was the NFL and Super Bowl MVP for the St. Louis Rams. Prior to the game on Saturday, Garcia holds the AFL record for single-season touchdown passes with 106 in 2001 and career touchdown passes with 725. All the individual accomplishments are impressive, but Garcia’s ultimate goal is to win the Arena Bowl.

The Dragons have had success the past 3 seasons qualifying for the playoffs on 2 occasions. The season they missed the post-season they actually won the division but had less wins than teams in the other divisions. The AFL subsequently changed their playoff format to include all division winners first and then wild card teams.

The Dragons look to shake this loss off Friday night when they travel to Chicago.

(Long Island, NY) Well, the big game is approaching. Break out the junk food and cold beverages for another Super Sunday. Too bad the real football fans and the players have to take a back seat to rock stars performing a ridiculously long halftime concert, a bunch of stupid commercials, and pool boxes being cared about more than who won. What happened to the marching bands? Now we get Brittney Spears doing a duet with Aerosmith, the Rolling Stones, wardrobe malfunctions and who knows what’s next. Believe me I enjoy Mick and Stephen Tyler when I want to hear some good rock. But I don’t like mixing my stuff up like that. It’s like watching a pick-up game on stage at the Garden in between acts at a concert. It just does not belong. The Seahawks and Steelers are 2 really good football teams that will be overshadowed by amplifiers, strobe lights and smoke machines…..

New stadium ideas are chic these days. We have the Mets planning a retro style with a rotunda to emulate Ebbet’s Field, the Yankees with a front that reminds us of the pre-furbished legitimate ‘house that Ruth built’, the Nets with an idea to bring the team back to New York (Brooklyn to be exact), the Devils in a new joint in Jersey, the Islanders hoping for any of the following: a refurbished Nassau Coliseum, a new Nassau Coliseum, or a new Suffolk Coliseum. And let’s not forget the new Giants Stadium out in Jersey after Woody had his West side dreams shattered and now he’s going in ‘halfsies’ with the G-Men to play second-banana once again to another team.

All of these ideas sound and look great in those neat little models. But I’ll believe it when I can fit in the seats and not one of my kid’s toy soldiers…..Hey, did Pay-Rod make up his mind yet if he’s playing in the World Baseball Classic, or who he’s playing for? The saga was dragged out for so long my disinterest took on a lifelessness of its own…..

Speaking of the WBC, I hear now that Barry Bonds is pulling out. I’m sure it has absolutely nothing to do with the Olympic drug tests that will be administered to all the participants. Mere coincidence, don’t you agree?…..How ’bout them Cowboys. They re-upped the Tuna’s contract only to set themselves up to be left standing at the altar just as he’s done to every team that he’s coached….. When will ‘The Poker Channel’ be launched so they could stop taking up valuable time on sports networks with card games? All of those loyal followers can have 24/7 excitement of hoping that fat guy with the cowboy hat draws an inside straight…..Isn’t that Coors Light commercial mixing in the old Super Bowl film clips great? I like it so much that I promise not to group it with the ‘stupid commercials’ when they show it during the Super Bowl…..

Who else out there misses Mike Piazza already?….. Anna Benson- we hardly knew ‘ya. Best of luck in your “career”, whatever it may be…..We finally got to see Rick Peterson during the Mets winter caravan without his warm up jacket on and the collar turned up. Hey Rick, it was cold outside and no one would have chastised you, unlike we do in the sweltering August heat…..By the way, Rick (” I knew there was a by-the-way in there somewhere Alice!”- R.K.) your 10 minutes is up with Zambrano. Let’s just admit it was mistake and trade this guy for that bag of used batting practice balls already…..Memo to Mike and the Mad Dog: I love your show and have listened religiously since the beginning. But I know I’m not the only one reaching for the dial to switch to ESPN Radio when the two of you start playing that ‘guess the ratings’ game…..Too bad WFAN lost the Jets. They could have had the monopoly on all the New Jersey teams i.e. 🙂 Nets, Devils, Giants and Jets. Well excuse me for being geographically correct…..I love Joe B. in the mid-days on the ‘FAN. I think that he can handle the chores solo just fine as he did for us on the overnights. But I have to admit that I miss the way Sid and Joe did the show together…..Boy, Cold Spring Harbor’s Wally Szczerbiak would have looked so much better in orange and blue than he does in green and white…..And speaking of that trade, the T’wolves were so desperate to rid themselves of Michael Olowokandi-a** that they parted with their second best player just to do so in return for not a heck of a lot…..Kudos to the Los Angeles Clips for letting the Kandy Man walk when his contract was up. All-time cheapskate owner Donald Sterling could have just resigned him to fend off some criticism because the guy was an overall number 1 pick and had a half-way decent walk year. But he did the right thing by closing his wallet for once…..Watching the Knicks get taken to school by the Pistons recently at the Garden with them running around aimlessly reminded me of Ken Reeves’ first practice at Carver in the pilot episode of “The White Shadow”…..There was one difference. Salami had better moves than a lot of the Knicks…..’Hoosiers’ is such a great movie. I just had to say that…..Davey Johnson had his Rolaids. Jeff Van Gundy has his Diet Coke…..

Speaking of the Van Gundy’s, I am reminded of that certain film star Ron Jeremy every time I see brother Stan…..I hate the 3 man booth….. Last Call: Here’s to a memorable year in college football. A great regular season followed by some classic bowl games. Things got back to the way they ought to be with Notre Dame and Mr. Paterno. And we saw a ‘one for the ages’ championship game called by the one-and-only Keith Jackson. Salute’, fellas. “Take us out of orbit, Mr. Chekhov”.

(Long Island, NY) Jaromir Jagr has gone through his illustrious career as a superstar. Throughout his tenure with the Pittsburgh Penguins, he even had times when he shined as bright as the great Mario Lemieux. So to be more of a set-up man instead of a sniper is not something totally familiar with him.

On Thursday, he informed a group of journalists that he has to be “the guy” if the Rangers are to do well. He acknowledged the fact that being the team captain and the team’s top player; he has to step up his game.

Jagr has not been the same player since injuring his left shoulder in Game 1 of the first round playoff sweep at the hands of the New Jersey Devils last year. Even though he has recovered and began the season on the ice, his shot has not been the same and he has adjusted his playing style to be more of a complete player. (Jagr stated during the beginning of the season that his shoulder was not at 100 percent.) He has played tougher defensively and looks for assists instead of only goals. Considering that he scored 54 goals and had 69 assists a year ago, his numbers in the current season seem to be a drop off from that. Including his second period tally in Saturday’s 2-1 win at Philadelphia, Jagr has 19 goals and 42 assists. His linemates, Martin Straka and Michael Nylander, are both having nice season, with 24 and 15 goals respectively. In 2005-06, Straka had only 22 goals total, playing in all 82 games. Nylander had 23 a year ago. So the new Jagr is definitely helping his team in other ways, evident by the top line’s plus 32 +/- ratio.

Opposing teams are still giving Jagr the respect he deserves, often double-teaming him in the offensive zone. This has given him the opportunity to dump off to an open man and create scoring chances for his team. His slap shot has suffered due to the injury and it’s after effects, and Jagr has adjusted his game accordingly. He still has his wrist shot, and has used that and a keen passing ability to make things happen on the ice. Jagr also has become more of a ‘rover’ instead of camping out on the right side by the circle. He has moved around much more than in the past, and frequently is in front of the net. All of this has left chances for Straka and Nylander, which they have taken advantage of. The three have played together more than a year now, and the familiarity is definitely a positive.

Rangers’ General Manager Glen Sather suggested that Jagr sit out the NHL All-Star game, which took place this past Wednesday in Dallas. Jagr agreed, and it makes more sense for him to rest than play in a meaningless game. Any time off can only help him get back to where he once was. But even the ‘new’ Jagr is still a weapon on the ice.

(Long Island, NY) Lacrosse is a huge sport in New York, especially out on Long Island. Through youth organizations, high school, and college. It is a sport that is played in the streets, backyards, and fields. It would only seem natural to have a professional team playing in our own backyard. Make that backyards. Because the National Lacrosse League opened it’s 21st year of operation with an expansion team playing in New York, who are calling two of its arenas home.

The New York Titans will begin their home schedule on Saturday, January 20th at Madison Square Garden. The ‘World’s Most Famous Arena’ will host four of the Titans’ home contests, with the remaining four being played at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

The season has started slowly for the new club, who have suffered two road losses. On opening night in Chicago on January 6th, the fellow expansion Chicago Shamrox defeated New York in the Windy City by a score of 15-12. Titans forward Casey Powell had a big game in defeat, gaining 9 points with 1 goal and 8 assists. The fourth quarter became the Titans’ undoing, with the Shamrox outscoring them 5-2.

On Friday evening in Buffalo, the Titans trailed the Bandits 8-1, and then 11-6 at halftime. They came storming back in the third frame, outscoring Buffalo 4-1. Trailing only by two, the Titans were unable to close the gap any further and were defeated 16-14. Powell had 3 goals and 2 assists.

The Titans’ opponent in their next contest will once again be the Shamrox. A home crowd behind them greeting them to the New York sport scene will be a big lift. Also figure in the team will introduce their new mascot and dance team to the fans, and this should be a wild party at the Garden.

The indoor game of lacrosse differs from the outdoor. The field is smaller and played with the glass and boards from the hockey rink intact. They are called ‘dasher boards’ in lacrosse. The average game consists of 25 goals between the two teams, and there are penalty boxes and power plays. The strategy is similar to hockey, and the action is comparable, as well.

Does that team name sound familiar? It should. Back in 1960 when the American Football League was formed and New York granted a franchise, the Titans were born and played three seasons under that moniker. Sonny Werblin purchased the team and changed their name to the Jets.