Sound familiar? Benitez wasn’t even wearing a Mets uniform this time. Instead, the Newark Bears closer failed to hold a two-run ninth inning lead in the Atlantic League’s All-Star game Tuesday night, giving up four runs on five hits as the Liberty Division stormed back for a 7-5 victory.

Southern Maryland’s Mike Just tied the contest by working the count full against the former two-time major league All-Star. With one out and runners on second and third, Just blasted a two-run single up the middle to tie it at 5.

Bridgeport’s Luis Lopez ripped a RBI single down the leftfield line to plate Just with the game-winning run, tagging Benitez and the Freedom Division with the loss.

“Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose,” an upbeat Benitez said in the home clubhouse afterwards. “I felt like I wasn’t 100 percent until the last couple of batters.”

Benitez, who has taken over as Newark’s closer from former Red Sox Keith Foulke, said he wanted to win the exhibition but still was appreciative of the opportunity. The 36-year-old is a two-time major league All-Star but said earning the respect of fellow players, coaches and fans is important to him.

“You make the All-Star game because people picked you. You did something special,” Benitez said. “It’s a good opportunity to come back. It’s not the big leagues but to be in a situation here, it’s very nice. It’s cool for me and I take pride in being in the All-Star game.”

Just was the only Liberty starter to play the entire game, going 2-5 with two RBIs and two runs scored to earn MVP honors. Ducks closer Bill Simas entered in the eighth inning with the Liberty Division trailing by a run. Since the Liberty squad was the visitor, manager Butch Hobson wanted to ensure Simas got to pitch in front of the 20 scouts in attendance at Bears and Eagles Riverfront Stadium.

The move left the Liberty squad with no more pitchers and Simas had to come out in the ninth for a five-out appearance. Yet Simas thrived on the workload, tossing a 1-2-3 ninth to close out the win.

“For us to come back like that, it’s a pretty big win,” Valentine said. “Even though it’s an exhibition, we’re here to win. Anytime you’re an All-Star, it’s an honor, wherever you are. And the talent that’s in this league; it’s pretty nice.”

The Freedom Division jumped out to a 3-0 lead after two innings, scoring once in the first before Lancaster’s Lloyd Turner blasted a two-run double down the leftfield line. Turner was in line for the MVP award if the Freedom team could have protected the lead.

Unlike last year’s All-Star game in Somerset, there was no pregame home run derby. Ray Navarrete represented the Ducks in the contest last year but still got to swing for the fences, knocking a two-run home run to left in the top of the third to put the Liberty Division on the scoreboard and cut the deficit to 3-2.

“Anytime there’s a home run derby, I always think it makes the All-Star game more fun,” Navarrete said. “Either way, I’m having a good time.”

The Liberty Division plated a run in the seventh before the Freedom squad picked up an insurance run charged to Ducks set-up man Joe Valentine in the eighth. Even the extra run couldn’t help Benitez, who started the ninth by allowing a weak infield single before Camden’s Jason Jacobs lined a single to right.

A pop out and a passed ball put two runners in scoring position for Just, who delivered his clutch hit. Just stole second in front of Lopez’s single and Camden’s Jon Knott brought Lopez home on a RBI double to left-center.

Atlantic League rules state that an extra-inning game would be decided by a homer-off, which would be baseball’s version of the NHL’s shootout where the game would be decided by a home run derby.

Freedom manager Chris Hoiles (York’s manager) said that scenario allowed him to use all his pitchers and save Benitez for the end, where it was his job to finish the inning without needing to worry about arms for extra-innings.

“I figured with what we have, Benitez is our closer and that was the best option I had,” Hoiles said.

No backflips accompanied Smith as he took his position during the Atlantic League’s All-Star pregame celebrity exhibition softball game. The 54-year-old said his crowd-pleasing acrobatic ways are a thing of his playing days.

“I play too much golf now. My back is stiff,” Smith said with a laugh inside Newark’s home dugout. “Don’t get old.”

Smith last played a competitive game in 1996 before retiring from the Cardinals. After getting inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2002, the 15-time All-Star is relishing his role as an unofficial ambassador to the game.

Current players like Armando Benitez, who was representing the Bears, flocked over to Smith for a hug and a picture. Newark’s Michael Hernandez also wanted to pose with the 13-time gold glove award winner. Behind the backstop, fans clamored for autographs on baseballs, programs and ticket stubs.

Smith said the attention was hard to envision when he first came up with San Diego in 1978. After getting traded to the Cardinals, Smith earned a plague in Cooperstown, playing in St. Louis from 1982-1996, registering 2,460 career hits. That hit total is still impressive considering Smith’s claim to fame was his defense, where he finished his career with a .978 fielding percentage.

“There’s a positive legacy that you want to leave to where you had a positive impact on the sports,” Smith said. “I tried to conduct myself in a manner that would hopefully get me to this point to where people would come up to me, as they do now, and tell me how much they appreciate the way I went about my business.

“I’ve always taken a lot of pride in the way I’ve approached this game. I’ve never taken the game for granted and now I’ve reaped the rewards of it.”

Smith reached base with a first-inning single, where he immediately fist-pumped a mascot. It was just one of many light-hearted moments in a game featuring entertainment personalities and current big-name athletes like Justin Tuck from the Giants and the Jets’ Thomas Jones and Kerry Rhodes. Newark native Queen Latifah also participated as a team captain.

The softball comparisons brought up comparisons to a favorite off-the-field Smith memory. The famous 1992 episode featured Smith on the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant team that included then-major league stars like Steve Sax, Wade Boggs and Roger Clemens.

So, what softball moment did Smith enjoy more?

“Oddly enough, that’s one of the most-asked questions, people ask me a million questions about the Simpsons episode,” Smith said with a chuckle. “It was all a voice over. None of us were in the studio at the same time.”

Playing in Newark’s home ballpark brought Smith back to an independent league. It’s the same type of set-up for which Ozzie’s son Dustin is playing, as the younger Smith is currently leading United League Baseball in steals for Coastal Bend.

“He’s been in the league for a little bit,” Smith said. “A lot of people think it’s easy for sons or daughters of professional athletes to get in the business. It’s tough to break in. I had to take a different route to the big leagues and I’m hoping it’s the same case for him.”

Even horses can endure performance anxiety and nervousness. Dunkirk posted an 11th-place Kentucky Derby finish, stumbling twice in the first 50 yards amid the 153,563 fans at Churchill Downs.

Dunkirk skipped the Preakness but still garnered favorable 4-1 odds for the Belmont Stakes, making him the third choice for the 14st “Test of Champions” race Saturday. With nearly 100,000 people expected at Belmont Park, jockey John Velazquez said his colt should be able to deal with the pressures and crowd noise that come with a Triple Crown race.

“They get very nervous but I think he got it out of his system now,” Velazquez said instead the grandstand Thursday morning. “He’ll be more prepared for this race with that many people around.”

Trainer Todd Pletcher and Velazquez teamed up two years ago to forge racing history as the latter rode filly Rags to Riches to a Belmont Stakes victory in 2007. Pletcher did not run Rags to Riches in the Preakness that year. Since 2000, four horses have won the Belmont after running in the Derby but bypassing the second leg at Pimlico and Dunkirk’s team is hoping history repeats.

With more than 4,000 career victories to his credit, Velazquez earned the Eclipse Award as the country’s top jockey in 2004 and 2005. Pletcher won the same award for top trainer four straight years from 2004-07 and will be looking to upset favorite Mine That Bird and jockey Calvin Borel’s quest for a personal Triple Crown on two horses.

Dunkirk, the $3.7 million son of Unbridled Song, won his first two races and posted a second-place finish to winner Quality Road in the Grade 1 Florida Derby. The jockey-trainer tandem will look to parlay that quick start into the $1 million payout for the winner.

“We’ve been together since 1999 and we’ve been fortunes that we’ve had a lot of good horses,” Velazquez said. “It’s a relationship that’s grown for many years and it’s definitely a special one when we get to win these kind of races.”

A statute of Secretariat stands in Belmont Park’s paddock area, serving as a tribute to the record 31-length victory that made him the sport’s ninth Triple Crown winner in 1973. Seattle Slew and Affirmed added their names to that illustrious list in 1977 and 1978, respectively. But there will not be a 12th Triple Crown this year as the wait for another Triple Crown winner hits 31years.

Instead, Borel is going for his person history and added prerace excitement with his victory guarantee for Derby winner and Preakness runner-up Mine That Bird. Yet Velazquez said the boasts won’t serve as extra motivation to go for the upset.

“You definitely have to laugh that off,” he said. “I think he [Borel] is very positive about his horse. He’s very confident but horse racing never has guarantees.

“Horses are like people. You don’t know when they could have a headache or something that we don’t know about. That’s just an example of what can happen. There are never guarantees to win.”

Velazquez learned the business under Hall of Fame jockey Angel Cordero Jr. The two still speak regularly, though Velazquez said the conversations are less about strategy. With more than 900 New York riding titles compiled from 2001-2004, a Triple Crown victory and the aforementioned yearly accolades, the current West Hempstead native is past the point of needing constant advice on how to lead horses to victories.

“He doesn’t say much now,” Velazquez said. “In the early stages of my career, we talked a lot… before the races. I’ve grown into myself and been fortunate that I’ve been successful, so he lets me do my own thing.”

Zito’s name is well known to casual racing fans, a byproduct of two victories each in the Belmont Stakes and the Kentucky Derby as well as a Preakness win. The 2005 Hall of Fame inductee is a mainstay in Triple Crown competitions and is the trainer of Miner’s Escape and Brave Victory, which comprise one-fifth of the field for the 14st Belmont Stakes Saturday.

Both colts carry 15-1 odds. At 20-1, Luv Gov is the longest long-shot. But Zito’s propensity for upsets was reaffirmed with Da’Tara’s upset victory here last year and there’s a chance that another Zito-trained horse can thwart favorite Mine That Bird and take the million dollar purse.

“They are both interesting because they don’t have what I would call Triple Crown credentials,” Zito said. “But they were up-and-coming two year olds. As three-year olds, they are approaching rapidly into this league.

“They both come into this race not quite with the credentials of the top-three year olds but right underneath them. Maybe Saturday, they just get good for that day. We’ll see what happens.”

Part of Belmont’s charm is the uncertainty of a 1 ½ mile track. No horse has raced on a track that long, which is conducive to upset victories. Da’Tara exemplifies that uncertainty, preventing Big Crown from becoming the 12th Triple Crown winner last year despite 38-1 odds.

Robert LaPenta owned Da’Tara and also bought Zito’s two horses, giving the team a chance to repeat history. Miner’s Escape struggled at the start of his career, not winning his first race until his sixth start before recording a 4 ½-length Frederico Tesio Stakes victory.

Unlike Dunkirk and his $3.7 million price tag, Brave Victory was bought for $200,000. The horse took a liking to Belmont Park, breaking his maiden there in September 2008 by surging to a 7 ¼-length victory.

“The Belmont is a unique race,” Zito said Thursday morning from inside Belmont Park’s grandstand. “It’s a race where a horse looks like he’s making a move, he makes a move.  “It takes a special horse pedigree-wise. He has to to have something in his genes to make him go a mile and a half.”

Mine That Bird jockey Calvin Borel guaranteed victory and is looking to become the first jockey to win a personal Triple Crown riding two different horses. After winning the Derby and coming a close second at Pimlico, Zito said the favorite’s identity is clear.

“It’s Mine That Bird’s race to lose,” he said Wednesday. “Other than that, it’s pretty wide open. You can make a case for anybody.

“It all depends how the race shapes up. If it’s difficult for him, with his running style, he could be second or third.”

Freshness should benefit Miner’s Escape and Brave Victory since both horses skipped the Triple Crown’s first two legs. The two horses will start side-by-side, with Miner’s Escape drawing post nine and Brave Victory starting on the outside of post 10 in the 10-horse field.

Zito, a Queens native who currently lives in Garden City, also said the rules should not be changed to make it easier to snag a Triple Crown title. Affirmed’s 1978 run is the last time the feat was accomplished. He said the venues and the distances and duration between races should not be altered.

“The Triple Crown is a very hard thing to do and right now, we have to leave it that way,” Zito said. “Kentucky, Maryland and New York are the perfect destinations.”

Jockey Calvin Borel will be making his debut in the “Tournament of Champions” Saturday.  But Borel’s inexperience was a secondary concern for odds-makers, which made Mine That Bird a 2-1 morning-line favorite Wednesday.

Borel will be going for history as he tries to become the first hockey to win the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes in the same year with different horses. After winning the Derby with Mine That Bird, Borel will be back on the gelding against a field of nine other 3-year-olds.

As he goes for his personal Triple Crown, Borel embraced the history of New York’s sporting landscape, guaranteeing a victory for Mine That Bird in the 141st running of the Belmont Stakes.

“I was so impressed when I worked him out. He was unbelievable,” Borel said about the horse that won the Derby as a 50-1 long-shot entry. “He was so happy. He was kicking and bucking, which is not normal. So I think he’ll run good. He’ll win, I’m telling you.”

Borel will have challengers. Leading the pack is Charitable Man, the son of 1999 Belmont Stakes winner Lemon Drop Kid. Charitable Man is raced by 2008 Belmont-winning jockey Alan Garcia, who at 23 is young enough to be the 42-year-old Borel’s son.

Despite not being able to rent a car, Garcia can claim one more Triple Crown victory at Belmont Park than Borel and Charitable Man carried 3-1 morning odds. Garcia isn’t coming off a Letterman appearance like Borel, but Charitable Man trainer Kiaran McLaughlin said his horse’s record at the famous Elmont-based park (two Grade II victories in two tries) makes him confident the colt can compete in front of an expected crowd of nearly 100,000 Saturday.

“He’s 2-for-2 at Belmont, 3-for-3 on the dirt, his sire won the Belmont,” McLaughlin said. ” He’s a fresh horse, he’s training great. Should I go on?”

Mine That Bird took second in the Preakness. Borel switched horses in that race, riding filly Rachel Alexandra to victory while staving off the horse he led to Derby glory.  Talking in Madison Square Garden’s swanky bar during media day Tuesday, Borel elicited laughs when he politely but firmly said “no comment” when asked if Mine That Bird would have completed the comeback if the Pimlico track was just a little longer.”

Belmont’s winding track and sheer distance could play to Mine That Bird’s strength. Trainer Chip Woolley Jr. said his horse might benefit from the fact the race’s early pace could be slower than the first two Triple Crown legs.

“That’s what we’re hoping for,” Woolley said. “With his running style, we’re going to have to let him run his race. When you start slowing the fractions down, if you let him run his same race, he’s going to move way on up.”

The gelding didn’t even enter the Kentucky Derby or Preakness. But both Charitable Man and jockey Alan Garcia established a comfort level in Elmont last year, which could stymie favorite Mine That Bird on Saturday at Belmont Park.

In his first Belmont Stakes appearance in June 2008, Garcia rode 38-1 shot Da’Tara to victory in the mile-and-a-half race. Born in Peru, Garcia now lives in Elmont and is looking to post another victory in front of his adopted hometown crowd.

Outlasting Derby winner Mine That Bird will require Charitable Man to record an upset in the “Test of Champions,” though Garcia said last year’s experience gives him confidence he can go two-for-two at Belmont.

“I won with a long-shot last year. I was so happy to run that horse,” Garcia said. “This year, I have a good shot. I know and love the racetrack. I have an excellent shot to win this race.”

Garcia isn’t the only part of the rider-horse tandem to take a liking to a park originally opened in 1905. With only four races to his credit, Charitable Man owns three victories, including both times he raced at Belmont. That includes a sizable win in the nine-furlong Grade II Peter Pan Stakes on May 9 as a win in a Grade II race as a two-year-old last September.

“It makes my job easier because he knows how to be professional,” Garcia said. “He knows the track.”

Bloodlines make Charitable Man an interesting choice. He is the son of 1999 Belmont Stakes winner Lemon Drop Kid. Charitable Man is also going for a piece of history, bidding to become the eighth horse to win the Peter Pan/Belmont Stakes double and the first to accomplish the feat since A.P. Indy in 1992.

“I don’t think it matters,” Garcia said about his horse’s championship lineage. “The horse has to be good enough to win the race.”

Only 11 horses have won the Triple Crown and No. 12 will not come this year thanks to filly Rachel Alexandra winning the Preakness. Mine That Bird did not race at Pimlico, though jockey Calvin Borel won the Derby with Mine That Bird and rode Rachel Alexandra to her victory.

Borel will ride his Derby winner at Belmont, where he almost guaranteed a victory that would make him the first jockey to win all three Triple Crown legs abroad different horses.  Mine That Bird Trainer Chip Wolley Jr. said he echoes Borel’s confidence but also is aware of a challenging field.

“You’ve got to respect Charitable Man, no doubt,” Woolley said. “That horse is a real monster, and he loves that racetrack.”

Kiaran McLaughlin, Charitable Man’s trainer, didn’t use as strong a language as Borel. McLaughlin did say he’s been impressed by the workouts in anticipation of the big day.

“Our horse couldn’t be doing any better,” McLaughlin said. “We’re very confident.”

Like Charitable Man, Garcia also comes from a racing history. His father and grandfather were jockeys. Wearing a light-colored suit inside Madison Square Garden’s Club Bar and Grill, Garcia said his success at Belmont last year was extra special.

“It was emotional. Everybody in my family wanted to be in America,” Garcia said. “My father always wanted to come here and win races, so I was really proud.”

“I love my work and love being with horses and animals,” he added. “My dad wants me to keep doing better and better and keep my focus on my job.”

Tim Raines still looks like he can run to first base, time the pitcher’s release and slide into second ahead of the catcher’s throw. But Raines will not be adding to his 808 career major league stolen bases. He now is busy trying to help Newark’s 16 former big leaguers on its roster back to the big time as manager of the Bears, which play in the independent Atlantic League.

Raines forged a borderline Hall of Fame career playing 23 seasons. After retiring from the Marlins in 2002, the man nicknamed Rock managed in Single and Double-A before capturing a World Series ring as a White Sox coach in 2005, marking his third championship overall. Managing in the big leagues is about the only thing left on the checklist, though the soon-to-be 50-year-old said he’s enjoying the freedom of 6,000-seat ballparks and East Coast baseball.

“At least here, you pretty much run your club and you don’t have anyone looking over your shoulder telling you what to do and telling you who to play,” Raines said. “This is a pretty neat situation for me as far as managing is concerned. I haven’t gotten the managing bug at the major league level yet.”

When minor league teams hire prominent former players, the conventional wisdom is that the club’s youngsters and struggling veterans will benefit from picking the brain of someone who has already scaled the game’s greatest heights.

As a seven-time All-Star, Raines certainly falls into the accomplished athlete category. Raines said an impressive track record doesn’t automatically mean his opinion is a premium commodity.

“I think sometimes players don’t understand what they have around them,” Raines said. “A lot of them think they already know how to play the game. And as you see here, a lot of them are not where they want to be.

“I’m not one to go after guys. I’ll take it upon myself to try and help guys out but if these guys really want a chance to go back and get better, they need to take it upon themselves.”

Entering Friday, Raines has helped Newark surge into the Freedom Division’s top spot at 16-9. Even before a pitch was thrown, Raines’ presence helped the Bears acquire a potential MVP candidate. Carl Everett spent two productive seasons for the Ducks before saying he would retire. Then Raines signed with Newark and Everett signed on to play with his friend.

During games, Everett can be seen standing immediately to Raines’ left, looking like a coach himself. As the designated hitter, Everett can spend most of his time in that spot, moving only to take his turn at bat, which usually results in good thing for the Bears.

“We’re friends. When he said he was becoming the manager, I said I would come here and help him out,” Everett said. “It’s as simple as that. Other than that, I was good hanging out with my kids.”

In a career that spanned 1979-2002, Raines’ best seasons came for Montreal, the club for which he made all his All-Star appearances, including MVP honors in the 1987 exhibition. The Sanford, Florida native played with the Expos from the start of his career until 1990, where he also won the Silver Slugger award.

Raines’ stolen base mark is still fourth all-time, behind greats like Rickey Henderson, Lou Brock and Ty Cobb. Before the steroids era, Raines was a peripheral Cooperstown candidate after logging 2,605 hits and a career. 294 average.

Now, with modern sluggers like Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa linked to performance enhancing drugs, players like Raines might receive stronger consideration for enshrinement, evidenced by Jim Rice’s induction after more than a decade of falling short of the necessary vote total.

Though his legacy was built in Montreal, Raines is known in New York as a key role player on the Yankees 1996 and 1998 championship teams, when he served as a complementary designated hitter and left fielder.

Before his Bears took on the Ducks at Citibank Park this week, Raines showed he is still candid about baseball. When asked if he was excited to manage a majority of former major leaguers, he smiled.

“If they were playing better, they wouldn’t be here,” he said. “Guys are trying to fight their way back.”

Hall of Famer Gary Carter was in the opposite dugout as the Ducks manager. The Atlantic League also boasts other big-name managers like Somerset’s Sparky Lyle and Bridgeport’s Tommy John.

“The Atlantic League is the best independent league out there,” Carter said.

But Flyers coach John Stevens delivered a not-so-subtle message to Claude Giroux in the summer, instructing the 2006 first-round pick to improve in the minor leagues before thinking about a promotion.

Giroux went to the AHL, where he became a ghost. No, the Hearst, Ontario native didn’t literally disappear. He joined the Philadelphia Phantoms and quickly emerged as one of the league’s most talented players, racking up 17 goals and 17 assists in just 33 games. That led to late a Christmas gift, as Giroux was called up and played his first game with the Flyers on Dec. 26, earning a spot on the team he hasn’t relinquished.

As he gets ready for help the Flyers go up against the potent Penguins in a first-round Stanley Cup playoff series that starts tonight, Giroux said his Phantoms stint was a boon for his career.

“It actually helped my game a lot being able to [log] a lot of ice time,” Giroux said after the Flyers 3-2 victory over the Islanders Saturday. “Playing on the power play, penalty kill, just playing in all those different situations helped my game.”

Stevens said he noticed the difference in Giroux’s all-around game immediately since his promotion. It also helps that Philadelphia boasts six 25-goal scorers, allowing Giroux to fill a complementary role. At 5-11, 179 pounds, Giroux provides speed as a right winger who also can win faceoffs and present different matchups.

Stevens successfully found a formal to incorporate Giroux’s skills into the team framework, playing him alongside veteran Daniel Briere, a former All-Star game MVP. After a two-game stint with the Flyers last season that featured zero points, Giroux scored nine goals and logged 18 assists in 44 games since proving his worth as a complete player to a once-skeptical coaching staff.

“He’s playing at a high level every day,” Stevens said. “We always knew he could play with the puck. But it’s his ability to play without the puck that’s allowed him to be here.”

After turning 21 in January, Giroux finished strong, scoring four goals in Philadelphia’s final eight games, which were pressure-packed contests as the Flyers were fighting for position and home-ice advantage. Philadelphia ended up behind Pittsburgh in the battle for the fourth seed, though Giroux said the games’ intensity was a good test for the best-of-seven series to follow.

“It’s a lot different than during Christmas time,” Giroux said. “The games are a lot tighter and you get less room with the puck. You have to make some quick decisions, but that’s part of hockey.”

Giroux enticed the Flyers to take him with the 22^nd overall pick after scoring 48 goals as part of a 103-point season for Gatineau Olympiques as a junior player in 2005-06. He seemed destined to justify the high draft selection, scoring 48 goals in a 112-point season for Gatineau the next season before closing out the season in the AHL.

That success didn’t translate to training camp and the preseason. Giroux’s slow maturation forced the club to send him down an entire level, though he had to walk just a few hundred feet away, where the Phantoms play in the soon to be demolished Spectrum. Once the home to the Flyers’ Cup-winning teams, Giroux thrived on the same ice the Broad Street Bullies made famous three decades ago.

“During camp, playing defensively wasn’t really important for me,” Giroux said. “I learned playing in the AHL that if I wanted to play in the NHL, I really have to be responsible. I learned a lot by playing on the “PK” with the Phantoms and against the top lines.

His upbeat attitude and scoring touch allowed Giroux to re-cross the parking lot to play at the Wachovia Center, the Flyers’ current home. Before even being allowed to drink legally, Stevens saw signs that Giroux was ready to shed the prospect tag and became a regular contributor.

“He’s been a strong performer,” Stevens said. “I think he’s allowed us to get Danny really involved. [They've] had good chemistry and he’s shown the ability to be responsible without the puck. He’s certainly been a pleasant surprise and he’s a fixture on our team.”

Living away from home continues to be an off-ice challenge for Giroux. But he said Simon Gagne and Briere have helped in that department since all three are French- Canadians.

“It was a little easier to speak to them. They just understand how hard it is when you get in the league,” Giroux said. “Every day, they come to the rink and still have fun. It’s just a big motivation to see the passion they still have.

“Everyone in general has been nice and tried to show me a good path.”

With the win, the Pride improves to 18-9 overall and 10-6 in the CAA, moving into a three-way tie for fourth place with Drexel and Old Dominion (the top four finishers receive byes in the CAA Tournament).

Hofstra also improved its record to 11-2 this season in games decided by four points or less and improved its winning streak in the series with James Madison to 10 games (including a triple-overtime win, a double-overtime win, and two game winning shots in the last 10 seconds of regulation). James Madison slips to 17-11 overall and 9-7 in conference play.

It was a war of attrition as Hofstra forward Greg Washington (Centereach, NY) and James Madison forward Andrey Semenov both missed the game with illnesses. Both starting point guards, Hofstra’s Greg Johnson (Harlem, NY) and James Madison’s Devon Moore were lost to injuries in regulation, as was James Madison starting center Dazzmond Thornton. The contest featured 11 lead changes, 11 ties and had ten players scored in double figures as both teams shot over 50 percent from the floor.

Sophomore guard Nathaniel Lester also set a career high with 22 points

and tied his top mark of 11 rebounds.   Senior forward Darren Townes

(New York, NY) added five of his season-high 15 total points in the first overtime session to help the Pride extend its winning streak to four, and improve to 8-2 in its last 10. Julius Wells matched Jenkins nearly shot-for-shot, scoring 32 points as every Dukes starter finished in double figures, and Juwann James’s 19 points off the bench gave James Madison six players with 10 or more.

The Pride set a season-high in points and shot over 50 percent (53.8

percent) from the field for the first time this year in sweeping the season series. Jenkins lifted the Pride to another dramatic finish in the first meeting, hitting a five-foot runner for a one-point win at the JMU Convention Center Jan. 24. Hofstra fell one point shy of cracking the 100-point mark for the first time since Feb. 29, 1992 against UMBC.

After 45 minutes of hot shooting, both sides found success behind the arc in the second extra session. Sestokas hit right-wing three-pointer to tie it at 86. But Wells answered right back with a trey of his own from the opposite side. Not to be out-done, Sestokas upped the ante next trip down, knocking down another three to it at 89.

Sesktoaks continued to stay in rhythm, as he hit his third trey just off the top of the key, putting Hofstra ahead, 92-90 to erase Madison’s final lead.  Jenkins followed up his veteran teammate’s clutching shooting by stealing down low and lobbing a home-run pass to Lester, culminating with a layup and a 94-90 lead with 34 seconds left.

The Pride nearly won it in the first overtime. After Hofstra’s first overtime basket, Townes grabbed a rebound on JMU’s next possession, then created space in the paint, and scored down low to put the Pride up, 71-67, with 4:11 remaining in the extra session. His shot prompted the Dukes to call timeout, and JMU Head Coach Matt Brady was hit with a technical foul as the teams went to its respective benches, giving Jenkins the chance to add an extra free throw and extend the lead to five.

But the Dukes had no quit, and Wells’ driving layup with 33 seconds left knotted it at 81 and sent a Pride game into double overtime for the first time since Jan. 3, 2007. Hofstra junior guard Cornelius Vines (Syracuse, NY) had a good look at a winning three-pointer in the closing seconds off a feed from Jenkins, but had it hit off the front rim.

Hofstra was up by as much as eight with 7:49 left in regulation before JMU roared back to take the lead. Curtis Pierre (14 points) harassed the Pride into back-to-back steals, capping a 12-3 run that put the Dukes up

57-56 at the 4:27 mark.

Sesktokas gave a preview of his later heroics, chipping in a pair of clutch second-half three-pointers, including a left-wing trey that hit nothing but net with 4:01 remaining that broke a 57-all deadlock. But the Dukes came back when Kyle Swanston drew a three-point shooting foul and hit all three free throws to tie it at 62 with 2:22 left. Jenkins responded and hit Townes on an inside pass, resulting in a conventional three-point play before Wells answered with a three to tie it 65.

Jenkins hit a running top-of-key jumper with shot clock expiring, 67-65 lead at the 1:16 mark. Wells answered on the next possession, creating his own easy layup opportunity to knot it up.

Hofstra tried to run down the clock before Ben Louis created a held ball situation with 33.4 seconds left to swing possession back to JMU.

Louis nearly topped his defensive play before his left-wing three-pointer hit rim and bounced out with 17 seconds showing on the clock.

Curtis grabbed the rebound and after a timeout, nearly helped the Dukes win in regulation when he fired a pass to Juwann James on the baseline low block. Defensive pressure down low prevented the lay-in attempt at the buzzer sending the game into overtime.

Jenkins’ 13 assists were the most for a Hofstra player since Speedy Claxton had 13 in a win over Stony Brook in the 1998-99 season. The Pride won for the ninth team this season when trailing after halftime.

His 32 points were also just one shy of his career high, set earlier this season at UNC Wilmington. Sestokas broke his previous career high of 18 set against Alaska-Anchorage two seasons ago, while Lester passes his previous high of 21 points set earlier this season, and matched his career high of 11 rebounds, which he set last year against Marist (led by current JMU coach Matt Brady).

After a two-day respite, Hofstra will play its first non-conference game since Dec. 27 when it heads to the Arena at Harbor Yard to play Fairfield in a Bracket Buster game Saturday. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. and can be viewed on ESPN360.com.

Lincoln Financial Field, home of the Eagles, is the conspicuous facility because of its size. Even in the offseason, the ballpark across the parking lot is noticeable because of a bright red sign and a message board proclaiming its home inhabitant as Major League Baseball champions. Citizens Bank Park, which opened in 2004, is the home of Phillies while the Eagles’ home field is one year older.  Rounding out the last of the newer stadiums is the home of the Flyers and 76ers, which opened way back in 1996.

But amid the new palaces for this city’s sports teams sits a haunt for generations of Philadelphia entertainment fans. Like the aforementioned venues, the Spectrum’s formal name is preceded by a corporate sponsor. But while the arena doesn’t host big league events anymore, many sports fan have been making the trek to see a historic site that is scheduled to be razed this spring.

The Spectrum has been like an old friend to a sports-crazed city since it opened in 1967. There are many similarities between the old barn and Nassau Coliseum, which is undergoing a major public relations campaign by the Islanders to renovate what is considered by many fans to be an outdated facility.

Yet the Spectrum is undeniably one of the most storied places in North American sports. It has hosted two NBA All-Star Games and four Finals series, six Stanly Cup Finals series (one more than the Coliseum) and two All-Star contests, two Finals Fours and crossed over into the entertainment world, with banners still hanging that chronicled the Grateful Dead tours. From the cinema world, the Spectrum was in the script of the famous “Rocky” fight against Apollo Creed and the actual building at one time was the location of the famous statue to honor the fictional Rocky Balboa (sorry, Philly fans, he is just a character and not a real champion).

Some fans like Will Janson said some non-sports events will make the demolition of the Spectrum a sad day and could prompt him to take home some memorabilia before the doors close for good.

“I actually had the prettiest girl in the world sitting on my shoulders during a David Bowie concert in ’76″ Janson said. “She actually still lives in the neighborhood. I’ll try and grab a section of the wall and I’m going to try and grab my seats.”

The Spectrum serves as the home to the AHL’s Philadelphia Phantoms, the Flyers’ farm team. Though long since outdated for the modern NHL, the capacity of 17,380 for hockey allows fans to sit close to the ice, making it easy to envision the heyday of one of the most intimidating places to play for visiting teams when the Flyers were racking up consistent playoff appearances decades ago.

“I like the comradery here,” Brett Marino said during an intermission of a Phantoms game. “Everybody’s always glad to be here and glad to see a good game. It’s a shame. I’ll hate to see it go.”

Purple stanchions on the glass give the place a unique look and portraits of past Flyers and 76ers great players and coaches are painted on the walls of the narrow corridors that stretch around the arena.  Instead of an eagle-eye view of the action from the press box on the luxury box level, the press sits between the two-tiers of seats, sitting within ear-shot of the crowd. A small staircase actually located inside the media area allows access to the dressing room by descending two flights of stairs into the rickety underbelly that has served as the dressing room for Hall of Famers and A-list celebrities.

Passageways directly next to the benches lead from the dressing room to the ice, making the players who enter and exit the playing surface are level with the first rows of seats. Players are literally within touching distance of the fans. It’s easy to imagine fans of the  Broad Street Bullies taunting future Islanders Hall of Famers during the 1980 Stanley Cup Finals, where the Islanders were able to hold off a Philadelphia team that went undefeated for 35 games during the regular season to win the first of its four straight titles.

“The building is outdated ,but you can’t beat the seating here,” said Chris Poole, who has been coming to the Spectrum for the past three decades. “I saw my first concert here [to watch] Kiss.”

Almost 140,000 fans have passed through the Spectrum’s gates this season. Overall, the Phantoms average nearly 7,000 per game. Claude Giroux, the Flyers 2006 first-round pick who started the year in the AHL before getting called up, said it meant extra playing in the Spectrum.

“Every game, they cheer a lot,” Giroux said after a December win against Hartford. “It’s a big motivation every time we play here. We’re lucky to have those fans.”

New arenas seat closer to 20,000 people and offer amenities like more leg room, cup holders and wider lobbies, though there is usually a tradeoff with fans sitting further from ice level. The Devils’ new home in Newark exemplifies the dichotomy between modern perks and things like great sight lines for which old barns like the Spectrum were noted. Some fans like the close-quarter feelings a 42-year-old arena provides.

“It just has a nice feel,” Michelle Penkrot said. “It’s nice that it’s a little smaller.”

A patch that that espouses the arena as “America’s Showplace” is being worn on Phantoms jerseys this season. It is influenced by the original logo, replete with 1960s-era color scheme. The Phantoms could move to Allentown, Pa. next season after Comcast Spectator, the Spectrum’s owner, sold the team to Brooks Group of Pittsburgh. While those plans have not been finalized, there will certainly be a literal and figurative vacancy at the South Philadelphia Sports Complex.

“It’s very intimate,” Jansen said. “You’re close to [the action]. It’s old style now, well, it wasn’t back then. But it’s just perfect.”