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.”

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.”

Colon started all 33 games at right tackle his last three seasons at Hofstra from 2003-05, earning first-team I-AA All-American honors after his senior season. The Bronx native got the attention of the Steelers, which drafted Colon in the fourth round and made him its starting right tackle with two games left in his rookie campaign.

After being inactive for the first 14 games of his professional career, Colon has started every game at right tackle since then, helping Pittsburgh move within one game of winning its NFL-record sixth Super Bowl title. Speaking to reporters from Raymond James Stadium, Colon said the offensive line is looking to show the world it is not a liability despite taking criticism during the regular season.

“As a unit we have been through so much,” Colon said. “From injuries to guys dealing with serious off- the-field issues, from our unit getting bashed week in and week out no matter how good or bad we played. From a standpoint all that fire that we took motivated us to get better. We all came together as a unit and realized we all had to be accountable for ourselves.”

Colon will be charged with keeping quarterback Ben Roethlisberger upright and springing running back Willie Parker for big gains. The 25-year-old came to the Steelers the year following the franchise’s Super Bowl XL victory against Seattle in 2006 and said even with the veterans around to give advice, he will still be nervous come opening kickoff.

“I think every day that goes by the tension builds up more and more,” Colon said. “My biggest thing is the ability to calm down and open my eyes. I get so worked up. When I am on the sideline about to go on I have to suck it in, leave it out and realize it is a regular game so I can execute. For me personally, this is a great experience, but I don’t want to go home without the trophy so I am going to be as much of a help as I can.”

Only three other former Hofstra players have played a role on a Super Bowl contender. John Schmitt, who had his number retired at James M. Shuart Stadium in the fall, was the starting center for the Jets during one of sports’ most famous championship games, anchoring a line for Joe Namath in Super Bowl III.

Schmitt (class of 1964) was joined on that Jets team by defensive back Mike D’Amato, who graduated Hofstra four years after Schmitt and was a rookie on a Gang Green team that shocked the heavily favored Baltimore Colts at the Orange Bowl.

After watching his No. 77 go up on the façade of Margiotta Hall during the Pride’s homecoming win over Rhode Island, Schmitt said he was proud of becoming the first Hofstra player to make it to the NFL and still wears the ring from what is still the only title in Jets history. Schmitt played for the Jets from 1964-73 and was named to the All-Pro team in 1968 and 1969.

“I just wanted to make the team,” Schmitt recalled about his first training camp. “No one from Hofstra had ever made anything.

“When the Jets signed me, they didn’t need any tackles. They needed me as a center, but I had no knowledge of how to play or snap field goals; anything like that. It was a heck of an adjustment. Nobody helps you when you go to the pros.”

Nearly 40 years later, receiver Ricky Bryant earned a championship ring with the Patriots, playing on New England’s practice squad during the 2004 season, which culminated with a victory over Philadelphia in Super Bowl XXXIX.

The Pride could add a fourth name to its list of NFL champions. Dave Cohen, Hofstra’s head coach, came to Hofstra the year after Colon graduated. But Cohen was Delaware’s defensive coordinator in 2005, when the Pride out-lasted the Blue Hens, 10-6. Having to game-plan against Colon as a coach for a conference rival showed Cohen the lineman’s potential for succeeding at the next level.

“I knew coaching against Will in 2003, 2004 and 2005 that he was special,” Cohen said. “Will was a dominating player from the time he was a sophomore and has enjoyed equal success since his graduation in the NFL.”

Former Hofstra coach Joe Gardi, whose last season as Colon’s senior year, helped the Cardinal Hayes High School pass-rushing force switch from the defensive line to the offensive side. Colon red-shirted his first season and played in just one game as a freshman before becoming a stalwart on the right side starting his sophomore year.

“It was great for me at Hofstra,” Colon said to Newsday earlier this week. “I came away with so much, and now here I am, at the center of the [football] world. . . . Go Hofstra.”

Colon and New Orleans Saints receiver Marques Colston were each drafted out of Hofstra in 2006. Colon made the playoffs in his second year and Colston has amassed 3,000 receiving yards and set a league record for most receptions by any player in their first two seasons with 168.

“It is an honor for the Hofstra football family to have one of our own to be starting in the upcoming Super Bowl,” Cohen said. “Willie Colon represents what Hofstra Football stands for: earning a degree, being a good person and having great work ethic.”

Colon credited his family’s support for putting him in position to possibly hoist the Vince Lombardi Trophy and reach the pinnacle of his profession.

“It’s a dream come true,” he said. “I was a project kid, growing up on the streets and running the streets in New York. But I’m just sticking to my dream and am staying good to myself. It’s a blessing. I give much credit to my mom for sticking by my side through the rough times. I know people from back home are cheering me on.

“My father is Puerto Rican. He’s a proud Hispanic who raised me to be proud of our last name and be proud of where we came from. Everywhere I go I try to represent somehow, some way not only for my family but for the Latino community. Everything is going well for me right now.”