(Long Island, NY) Cal Ripken Jr. and Tony Gwynn were used to being in front of large crowds. Playing for a combined 41 years during their careers (including three different World Series), large masses of cheering humanity came natural to them. Until Sunday, that is.

A record crowd estimated at over 75,000 crammed into every available space on the meadow of the Clark Sports Center on Hall of Fame Induction Day in Cooperstown, New York. Fitting for a baseball day, the threat of thunderstorms did not come to pass and a beautiful sunny summer day treated all in attendance.

Gwynn, aka ‘Mr. Padre,’ led off with his speech and brought the fans back with him to the beginning. “As a kid growing up, my brothers and I watched baseball all the time, played it all the time in our backyard,” he said. “And for us, I don’t think any of us thought that hitting a fig or hitting a sock ball or hitting a wad of tape was
going to turn into this. Just unbelievable.”

Breaking into the major leagues in 1982, Gwynn participated in the first of his two World Series only two seasons later. Although his team was defeated by the Detroit Tigers (and by the New York Yankees in the 1998 Fall Classic), Gwynn hit .371in nine games on baseball’s biggest stage.

“1984 was a really good year for us, for the Padres,” Gywnn said. “We had some veteran guys on our club. A Steve Garvey, a Goose Gossage, a Craig Nettles. And I was the fortunate one because my locker was right in the middle of all those guys.”

Gywnn also commented on the second National League champion club he played on. “We just had a tremendous team in 1998. We were lucky enough to get to the World Series. Won our division, beat the Astros, beat the Braves and happened to play the best team maybe in the history of the game – the 1998 Yankees.

“Getting to Yankee Stadium for me is still one of the biggest thrills of my life. Being able to walk out there with the monuments, seeing the history, the retired numbers, seeing the guys who kind of paved the way for us to get here.”

Like Gwynn, Ripken wore the uniform of only one team throughout his career. The ‘Iron Man’ won a ring with the 1983 World Champion Baltimore Orioles and is best known for breaking Lou Gehrig’s consecutive game streak of 2,130 games in 1995.

“I know some fans have looked at ‘The Streak’ as a special accomplishment,” he said. And while I appreciate that, I always looked at it s just showing up for work every day.”

Ripken credited the only team he knew during his speech. “A big part of me reaching this Hall was played by my teammates and the Oriole organization,” he said. “From the front office to the training room and the men I played with through the years, I was a better player because I was part of the Oriole way.”

A 19-time All-Star, Ripken won the American League Rookie of the Year Award in 1982 and the AL Most Valuable Player Award the following season. He won a second MVP in 1991 and added two Gold Gloves and eight Silver Slugger awards.

During the press conference following the ceremony, Gwynn lamented on the amount of people in attendance. “75,000. We played on one team in one city. Fans could trust us, especially in this era of negativity.”

Ripken added, “I think that it’s their love of baseball. Many people told me that they wanted their sons and daughters to experience this. They brought them for the first time to Cooperstown, passing on their love of baseball to the next generation. I interpret it as a sign that baseball is alive and well.”

Judging by the response over the weekend, America’s Pastime was never so alive.

(Long Island, NY) When the Mets signed Tom Glavine as a free agent in 2003, they knew that they were acquiring a future Hall of Famer. With one more win, the 41 year-old lefthander will make that as close to an automatic induction into Cooperstown as there is. Pitchers with 300 career wins have a way of finding their plaque in the hallowed halls.

On Wednesday night at Shea Stadium, Glavine took the hill to face the Pittsburgh Pirates and his teammates put up three runs in the bottom of the first inning. In the third, they padded their lead to six.

Glavine was pitching shutout ball through the first four frames before the Bucs got on the board in the top of the fifth. The inning was punctuated by a two-run home run by leftfielder Jason Bay. At the end of the inning, Glavine still was ahead, 6-3.

After six innings and 112 pitches, the ace of the Mets staff gave way to the bullpen and Aaron Heliman (two innings) and Billy Wagner (one inning, 23rd save) pitched perfectly to secure Glavine’s ninth win on the season and number 299 for his career.

“It wasn’t easy. I didn’t feel totally comfortable,” Glavine said after the game. “I’m trying to go out there and get in that groove where I’m locked in every night. I just haven’t had it. So tonight was one of those nights where every inning is a struggle. I was able to be good enough.”

On Tuesday night in Milwaukee, Glavine has his first chance at number 300 and join an elite list that includes only 22 others. “I’m proud of the company that I’m getting into and the company I’m being discussed with,” he said. “They are great players in the game. By no means do I think I’m there. There is still work to do and beyond that, I’m interested in getting on a roll and getting on it at the right time.”

The 300-win club in baseball reads like a who’s-who of the all-time greatest hurlers. Cy Young holds the one record (511 wins) that will probably never be passed. Walter Johnson, known as “The Big Train” and the Washington Senators’ legacy, may be alone in the 400-win category forever. The only active players on the list are Roger Clemens and Greg Maddux.

The big question is will Glavine be the last to win 300? Randy Johnson is the closest with 284 victories. But at 43 and with his bad back, will he have enough opportunities to win 16 more? Mike Mussina, 38, has 244 wins to his name, but has struggled this season at 5-7 with a 4.77 ERA.

“I don’t know. I’ve always felt that Randy [Johnson] would do it,” Glavine said when asked about him being the last one. “It’s hard for me to believe that a 300-game winner will never happen again. 20 years ago, no one looked at me and thought I would do it.”

The Concord, MA native has come a long way since his humble beginning with a struggling Atlanta club in 1987, finishing 2-4 with a 5.54 ERA in nine starts. Two decades later, Glavine has carved out a dominating career for himself that will one day be enshrined in Cooperstown gold.

(Long Island, NY) There are reasons why talented athletes are traded numerous times during their career. Especially ones that have lifetime numbers of a .298 batting average, almost 500 home runs and over 1,500 RBI.

Gary Sheffield was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in 1986 and traded to San Diego in 1992. One year later, he was on his way to Florida, where he actually lasted five-plus seasons before being dealt to Los Angeles in 1998. He was on the move again in 2002 when the Braves traded for him. In 2003, he signed with the Yankees as a free agent and was dealt to Detroit this past off-season.

Now he has gone on television and made ridiculous accusations. HBO’s “Real Sports” aired on Tuesday evening and included Sheffield’s ranting and raving to Andrea Kremer, which were ‘highlighted’ by the slugger claiming that Yankees manager Joe Torre treated him and the other black athletes differently than their white teammates.

Sheffield claimed that during team meetings, Torre would single him out in public while calling white players in his office for criticism. The inconsistent Sheffield did not call Torre a racist, but made his implications quite obvious.

“I’d see a lot of white players get called in the office and treated like a man. That’s the difference,” said Sheffield to Kremer.

When asked about Derek Jeter, the controversial slugger that he was not “all the way black.” Maybe Sheffield has forgotten that the Yankees have treated two players with kid gloves and gave them second chances. Those players? Former Mets Darryl Strawberry and Dwight Gooden, who just happens to be Sheffield’s uncle.

Torre is one of the most respected men in the game of baseball and Sheffield is well known as a malcontent and clubhouse cancer. When he was signed, Yankees owner George Steinbrenner went against his manager and general manager, Brian Cashman, and negotiated with the outfielder himself.

Perhaps Torre did not want Sheffield on his team and felt that he would do more bad than good. That has nothing to do with his race. It has to do with his big mouth and ability to breed controversy everywhere he goes. Also, during that off-season, the Yankees were interested in fellow free agent outfielder, Vladimir Guerrero, who eventually signed with the Angels. Guerrero is a difference maker and has won the AL MVP and Home Run Derby since then. If Torre wanted him instead of Sheffield, it should come as no surprise to anyone.

Sheffield should stop worrying about what was and start dealing with the present. Cashman did him a favor dealing him to the defending AL champions. And Sheffield is enjoying a very productive season, batting .311 with 22 home runs and 62 RBI in 86 games. The Tigers are also in first place of the AL Central, with Cleveland right behind.

How long before he wears out his welcome at Comerica Park? Tigers’ manager Jim Leyland knows Sheffield from their days in Florida together and may have a secret way of taking care of business in the clubhouse. Leyland is similar to Torre in the way that both have been around then game for a while and respected throughout. But sooner or later, the man called ‘Sheff’ will step on his ‘you-know-what.’

(Long Island, NY) The Long Island Ducks had a good first half, but not good enough. Leading the North Division for a good part of the season, they won only three of their last 10 games to bow out of the top spot. Their chief rivals, the Bridgeport Bluefish, finished just as cold by dropping five straight. The Newark Bears were right there to take advantage of both team’s skids and took the First Half pennant by winning 10 of 12.

The Ducks (35-28) finished one game behind the 36-27 Bears and a half game behind the 35-27 Bluefish, who could have clinched the division on the last day of activity before the All-Star break but fell 9-8 to the York Revolution. In the South Division, the Camden Riversharks won the division by two and a half games over the Somerset Patriots.

Long Island DucksIn the Atlantic League, teams qualify for the playoffs by winning either half, or by having the best overall record and the same team wins both halves. So the Ducks have another shot to extend their season, which resumes on Friday with all team’s records 0-0.

The Atlantic League All-Star Game takes place on Wednesday at Lancaster’s Clipper Magazine Stadium. Nine Ducks, the highest in the league, were selected. Outfielders Ray Navarrete and Kevin Haverbusch (who replaced Carl Everett and Danny Graves), along with pitchers John Halama and Ben Grezlovski will represent Long Island. The Ducks also had infielders P.J. Rose, Edgardo Alfonzo and Jose Offerman selected, but they will not participate.

“We’re proud of what our players have been able to accomplish on the field in the first half of the season,” Ducks general manager Michael Pfaff said to reporters. “Each member of the Ducks selected to the All-Star team is an important contributor to our club and is deserving of this honor.”

Rose, the son of baseball’s hit king, led the Ducks with a .351 batting average. He has been a major contributor in his second go- round in Central Islip after spending a year in Bridgeport. Navarrete is hitting .305 and Offerman .300. Everett has been the offensive star of the club, hitting .272 with 12 home runs and 44 runs bated in.

Alfonzo has not been as hot, hitting .267 with only 3 home runs and 34 RBI. Damian Rolls is also a former major leaguer, but is only batting .252 and has committed 10 errors.

On the pitching mound, John Riedling leads the team in wins with a 5-3 record with a 5.59 ERA. Halama is 4-5 with an ERA just over five. Graves, the former Cincinnati Reds closer, is 3-2 with 18 saves and a 2.55 ERA.

The nature of the Atlantic League is to fill your roster at the beginning of the season with talented ex-big leaguers, build up enough of a lead so you can hang on for the first half championship as your club loses pieces to major league organizations. The Ducks have not lost many players, but that is also the result of their players not having big seasons. This can be a plus or a minus, with the heart of the roster still intact. They did have a decent half and look to be contending in the second half. They have been scoring fairly well with 349 runs scored. But their pitching has been the real issue, surrendering 360 runs with a combined 5.21 ERA. If this team has any chance to qualify for the playoffs in the second half, that must improve.

(Long Island, NY) Isiah Thomas had to do something to make a splash. After having the Chicago Bulls swap picks with his team from 23 to nine from the Eddy Curry trade, he needed to make a move. With a roster full of bad contracts, that would not be easy.

No one can ever accuse the Knicks president and head coach of being afraid to make a trade. Thus the reason why he has so many of those immovable contracts. But the Portland Trailblazers did have a player that they were interested in moving. And Isiah was waiting to bring him on.

Portland won the lottery and chose Greg Oden with the overall number one pick. The 7’ center from Ohio State may appear to be a man, but he is still six months shy of his 20th birthday. Possibly not wanting to have a player with character issues on the roster to give their new franchise player the wrong ideas, the Blazers were willing to move Zach Randolph.

Still only 25, the power forward averaged 20.1 and a career-high 10.5 rebounds per game last season. The problem with Randolph was not on the court, but rather off. During his five years in the league, he has been arrested for driving under the influence; suspended for punching a teammate in practice; accused by Indiana police of lying in an investigation involving a shooting at a nightclub allegedly committed by his brother; sued for assault and sexual assault; and being at a strip club in Portland after being granted bereavement leave to attend a funeral in Indiana.

“I don’t have any concerns about that,” Thomas said at the team press conference introducing Randolph to the media. “All the background that we’ve done and the extensive research that we did, I feel confident. We spoke to some very high level people that vouched for him [Randolph]. He’s made some mistakes in the past, but you grow from those.”

The five-year pro from Michigan State has a career average of 16 PPG and 7.7 RPG and will bring a presence to the paint with his 6-9, 260-pound body. Randolph also does not feel that his track record is going to be an issue.

“I was young. Don’t judge me from the past, judge me for the future,” Randolph said. “This is a new start for me, a new slate. I’m going to come out here and play hard and focus every game. Just try to help this team win and better myself.”

In exchange for the fiery forward, the Knicks sent Steve Francis and Channing Frye to the Rose City. In the deal, the Knicks also acquired two expiring contracts in guards Dan Dickau and Fred Jones. Although Randolph has four years and $61 million left on his deal, Thomas was able to shed himself of the two years and $33.6 million owed to the man once known as “Stevie Franchise.”

“We gave up two guys that can still play,” said Thomas. “Steve [Francis] can still play and Channing [Frye] has a very bright future.”

Most reports from the trade have the Knicks getting a steal. But Thomas did not agree when posed the question.

“I think that Steve is still a high-level player in this league and I think Channing one day will be a guy that averages 20 points and 10 rebounds a game,” he said. “If not next year, then playing along side Greg Oden, he will be.”

Considering that the Knicks faired well in 2006-07 from the inside, teaming Randolph with Curry will make them very formidable in the paint. Thomas viewed this as a positive and explained that they play the game inside-out, so having two big men that can score will not be a problem as far as touches go. He even went as far as answering if they are a playoff team right now with “We should be.”

Randolph was unable to stay away from the inquisitive media concerning his troubled past. New York would have it no other way.

“I was young,” he said. “Don’t judge me from the past, judge me for the future. This is a new start for me. A new slate.”

When asked if Thomas sat down with him to discuss the off-the-court concerns, Thomas said, “We talked about it. He knows I know how to handle myself as a professional.”

For the fans that will be coming to Madison Square Garden in the fall, we certainly hope so.

(Long Island, NY) Jets’ head coach Eric Mangini is not a man of many words. Anyone witnessing his briefings to the press can attest to that. To get a straight answer out of him is quite difficult, to say the least. He is from the Bill Pacells/Bill Belichick school, and it is hard to argue with success. Everyone on the beat knows that by now and works around it.

The situation with offensive lineman Pete Kendall is one that needs to be addressed, either it be in public or behind closed doors. The veteran guard would like his contract reworked, and may be a holdout once training camp opens up.

“What I’d say is with all contract matters, any of those discussions are private,” Mangini said on June 14. “I’d say in general our contracts, that situation, they’re entered into freely. There are concessions on both sides of any contract. That’s the nature of a contract.”

When asked if he was concerned if Kendall decides to holdout, Mangini said, “Really what I’m concerned about is today, this camp.”

Kendall addressed the media the same day and stated his case. “I had a conversation with Mike [Tannenbaum, Jets GM] two weeks ago and he said what I’m asking for is not unreasonable and he agrees that I’m underpaid. I think we have an agreement; we just don’t have a contract.”

Kendall has not committed to reporting for training camp, although he did show up for team workouts and mini-camp sessions. “I’m not prepared to say that right now,” he said in response to the question. “I haven’t decided definitely that I’ll be at camp. I guess I have to cross that bridge when I get there. What this does to the team is their consideration.”

In March, Kendall’s agent and Tannenbaum had a meeting where they seemingly came to an agreement. One contingent was that Kendall had to meet with Mangini, who told Kendall that he (Mangini) didn’t think of him as a player on the move. “I came down under the false impression assuming Eric and I were on the same page,” Kendall said.

Kendall feels that there is some miscommunication between Mangini and Tannenbaum concerning him. “I have no idea if they are on the same page or not so I wouldn’t even care to speculate if there is a problem between the two of them,” said Kendall.

There is no denying what Kendall brings to the table. He is a 12-year warrior in the trenches and was a big part of last season’s success on the offensive line. He played in between two rookies, D’Brickashaw Ferguson and Nick Mangold. Right now at guard, the Jets have Adrien Clarke and Brandon Moore. Other offensive lineman that can play both guard and tackle are Na’Shan Goddard, Wade Smith, and rookies Jacob Bender, Dominic Moran, Robert Turner and Andrew Wicker.

Experience on the line is important. Kendall started 15 games a year ago and that is not easy to replace. With a young line and a new number one running back (Thomas Jones, offseason trade with the Chicago Bears), a stud guard would look good for a team hoping to go far.

(Long Island, NY) Coney Island has a carnival atmosphere to begin with. And the Brooklyn Cyclones did not miss a beat with their home opener on Tuesday night at Keyspan Park. Greeting the sellout crowd of 8,888 on the entrance stairs were the players themselves and the team mascots, Sandy the Seagull and Pee-Wee. To make the event even more special was the opponent – the Staten Island Yankees.

The games between the two clubs have been dibbed ‘The Battle of the Bridge’ since 2001, the Cyclones’ inaugural season in the New York-Penn League. Yes, the Mets-Yankees rivalry even works at the Single-A level. Similar to their big league brethren, the Yankees have won four NYPL championships in their eight seasons, including the last two. The Cyclones were named co-champions in 2001 after their series versus Williamsport was cut short after September 11.

Manager Edgar Alfonzo, the brother of former Met and current Long Island Duck Edgardo Alfonzo, is in his second stint on the Brooklyn bench. He led the team in 2001, going 55-25 while being named Baseball America’s 2001 Short-Season Manager of the Year.

“I know what the team means to the Brooklyn fans,” he said.

The scene at the location that once housed the famous Steeplechase Park was perfect as Cyclones’ pitcher Joseph Leaper started the game off with a strike right down Broadway. An early threat was put out just as easily as the fire-breathing lady from the circus side show (who entertained the crowd between innings) when third baseman Zach Lutz backhanded a sharp grounder and made the throw across the diamond for the final out in the first inning with two runners in scoring position.

The game was played at a sharp pace and remained scoreless through the first five and a half innings. The Cyclones had runners on the corners with two out in the bottom of the sixth when Jeff Voyles, who replaced Lutz at third base after he injured his ankle, hit a high drive that just made it over the Premio Sausage sign in left field for a 3-0 Cyclone lead.

“It was a great feeling,” said Voyles. “We needed a big hit. The offense was struggling.”

The Cyclones loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the eighth inning and were able to cash in when rightfielder Raul Reyes doubled down the rightfield line, scoring two more to extend Brooklyn’s lead to five.

Dan McDonald came in to nail it down in the ninth inning. The former Seton Hall closer was a 2007 eighth round draft choice of the Mets. A 1-2-3 inning to top off a 5-1 win.

“It’s important when you have those key hits late in the game,” Alfonzo said. “We can score runs doing the little things.”

Leaper, who impressed with five shutout innings, seemed to be unaware of the rivalry between the teams. “I don’t seem to know much about [the rivalry],” he said. “As the season goes on, I’ll have a better understanding of it.”

(Long Island, NY) There is never a good time to lose five straight games is. But some are worse than others and that is the situation for the New York Mets. With a three-game set at Yankee Stadium staring them in the face, their slim lead in the National League East may quickly disappear.

After shutting out the Tigers at Comerica Park on June 8, the Mets dropped the last two in Detroit and were swept by the Dodgers in Los Angeles. The low point came in the middle game when Mets starter John Maine gave up three home runs on consecutive pitches in the second inning. The bottom of the Dodgers’ order did the damage to wipe away a 1-0 Mets lead. Wilson Betemit, Matt Kemp and starting pitcher Hong-Chih Kuo all went yard to ignite the usually late arriving crowd at Dodger Stadium, which was announced at 42, 438.

Following the 4-1 loss, the feeling in the visitor’s clubhouse was clearly solemn.

“This is a test of character and what we’re made of,” said David Wright. “It’s beyond a little slump. We need to step it up. This isn’t our team. This isn’t what we’re about.”

Paul Lo Duca added, “You have to keep going and work your way out of it.”

The team knows what they have to do, but also realize that all teams go through rough stretches.

“Last year, we went into a stretch like this in August and September,” Maine said. “We’ll be alright.”

The Yankees are playing their best baseball of the season now and with the Mets collectively slumping, opposing teams are noticing their weakness. Dodgers’ catcher Russell Martin was asked if his tem caught the Mets at the right time and responded, “You could say that if you want to.”

The Mets have only one win in their last ten games prior to the weekend’s installment of the Subway Series. That is the exact opposite of the Yankees, who have cut their deficit down to eight games behind the Boston Red Sox. Not too long ago, they were staring at 15 1/2 games.

Everything that went wrong for the Bronx Bombers is now coming full circle. They won the last three games in Chicago against the White Sox and swept the Pittsburgh Pirates and Arizona Diamondbacks at Yankee Stadium.

Roger Clemens makes his second start of the season in Game One against the Mets. The Rocket won on Saturday against Pittsburgh and now will look to go 2-0 to begin his latest comeback.

“It felt like old times,” Clemens told reporters following his first game. “I’ve got to take a little deep breath now. I understand the excitement that’s there and the expectations that are there. There’s a lot of both.”

Clemens will be looking for his 350th career win against the Mets. His pitching opponent will be Oliver Perez, who is 6-5 with a 3.21. The inconsistent lefthander has not won since May 23 at Atlanta and has dropped his last two decisions. In his last start, he gave up five earned runs in five innings at Detroit.

After opening up a comfortable lead, the Mets are now staring at both Atlanta and Philadelphia with only two games separating them. Before the weekend is over, that may look very different.

(Long Island, NY) Besides suffering their first three-game losing streak of the season, the Mets lost more than a ballgame on Wednesday night at Shea Stadium. The 4-2 setback to the Philadelphia Phillies was troublesome enough. But when you factor in that Endy Chavez, the fourth outfielder who has been a starter due to injuries, pulled up lame during the turning point in the game.

With the Mets down by a run and the bases loaded with one out in the seventh inning, Chavez hit a ground ball up the middle that Philadelphia shortstop Jimmy Rollins turned a 6-6-3 double play on. Chavez pulled his left hamstring running down the line and had to be removed from the game and was replaced by rookie Carlos Gomez.

Earlier this week, all three outfield starters from the Opening Day line-up were out. Centerfielder Carlos Beltran returned last night after sitting out three straight games with a bruised right knee. Leftfielder Moises Alou strained his left quad on May 12 and rightfielder Shawn Green fractured a bone in his right foot on May 25. Both have been on the disabled list.

In their place, Chavez has been the first one off the bench. David Newhan, who is hitting under .200 on the season, was forced into a starting role and has been exposed. Gomez looks to have a future, but is in need of more seasoning in the minor leagues. Ben Johnson, an offseason acquisition from the San Diego Padres, was recalled from Triple-A New Orleans at the end of May and has barely hit over .100.

One may ask when the Mets are going to give Lastings Milledge another chance. Even if they felt he was ready, Milledge himself is out with an injured foot and is rehabbing in Port St. Lucie, Florida. The 22 year-old
has made off-the-field news recently by releasing a rap song with lyrics that Mets’ general manager Omar Minaya did not find fitting for the organization.

What is the short-term answer? Minaya should be manning the phones trying to swing a deal for a decent back-up veteran outfielder. Although a hot rumor has the Mets looking to deal for Carlos Zambrano, the Cubs’ ace righthander, they should also look to include someone such as Jacque Jones, who was rumored to be on the move during spring training.

With Green, 34, and Alou, who will turn 41 next month, Minaya needs to get someone who will be available during times such as this. Injuries are a part of the game, but with players that are already nicked up, you need to leave yourself a safety net. Beltran is the youngest of the trio, but he has had injury problems in his Met tenure and is not known as a fast healer.

(Long Island, NY) Aaron Garcia has meant so much to the New York Dragons over the years. But perhaps nothing can be compared to this season. The quarterback threw nine touchdown passes on ESPN 2’s Monday Night Football to lead his team to a 69-63 win over the VooDoo in New Orleans. It was the Dragons’ third straight victory and put them in the sixth and final playoff spot in the AFL’s National Conference with four games to play.

The game came down to final seconds and the Dragons needed to hold the home team with a goal line stance. New Orleans’ quarterback Steve Bellisari ran the clock down for one final play after the VooDoo recovered an onside kick and had a first-and-goal situation. Bellisari tried to sneak the ball in but was stopped inches short of the goal line.

“We tried to let them score so we could get the ball back with some time on the clock,” Dragons head coach Weylan Harding said to reporters. “But they decided to milk the clock. You have to give our guys credit, they were resilient tonight.”

The Dragons scored on every possession except for when time ran out in the first half. Garcia (29 of 37, 358 yards, 0 interceptions) connected with wide receiver Kevin Swayne for six touchdowns. The former Jet wideout caught 13 passes for 150 yards and came up big with fellow receivers Mike Horcek and Chris Anthony both out with injuries.

Even with the gaudy offensive numbers, the game of Arena Football comes down to defensive stops and turnovers. The Dragons were flawless on offense while their defense intercepted Bellisari once and their special teams recovered a kick-off that hit the upright. It was the third consecutive game for Garcia without an interception.

“After a game like this all you can talk about is the team effort,” Garcia informed reporters. “From top to bottom, everyone fought. We realized it’s a crazy game. And young players learn you can play a great game, but it can still come down to the last play.”

After starting the season 1-6, the Dragons have improved to 5-7. It was no coincidence that as soon as Garcia returned from his leg injury, the team’s fortunes began to change. The star QB missed most of last season and the most of the first half of this year with a broken fibula. He returned on April 28 and the team has only lost
once with Garcia at the helm. Since then, they have defeated the Arizona Rattlers, Philadelphia Soul, Kansas City Brigade and New Orleans. The one loss came at Columbus versus the Destroyers.

The Dragons are home for three and away for one to round out the schedule. They face the Austin Wranglers (3-9), Orlando Predators (7-5) and Columbus (6-6) at home and the 11-1 Dallas Desperados on the road in the next to last game. Their main competition for the final playoff spot are the Tampa Bay Storm at 5-7 and New Orleans at 6-6. Two games separate playoff seeds three through six. Whatever the outcome, the last month of the season will be quite interesting.