And now, with Armando Benitez in the Atlantic League, things haven’t changed.

The erstwhile major league closer came into Atlantic League All-Star Game in Newark with his division leading 5-3 and promptly gave up four runs on five hit to give the Liberty Division a 7-5 win.

“Look, I gave up a few base hits, but the game was fun for me,” Benitez said afterwards.

Sure the game was fun, especially with the celebrity softball game before hand. And yes, this All-Star game was an exhibition, but this was an important game for the players. Besides being a game for the fans, this was a showcase with over 20 major league scouts in attendance. The main reason why many of these players go to the Atlantic League is for a chance to prove they can still play and get picked up by affiliated ball.

So for a guy like Benitez, who yearns to go back to the big leagues, this was his chance.

And true to form, he blew it.

Unless of course, there’s an organization who wants an over the hill closer, that overthrows and then gets tattooed, Met fans learned that over the years. No matter how many easy saves this guy gets, when the heat gets turned up, Benitez starts to choke. Just look at Game 6 of the 1999 NLCS, or Game 1 of the 2000 World Series, or down the stretch in 2001.

You can argue that the Mets fortunes would have been better if they had a better closer.

Yet, you can’t blame Benitez for being what he is, the same way you can’t blame a terrible actor like Ben Affleck for constantly getting starring roles. You need to blame those that hire them. Steve Phillips should have jettisoned Benitez after the 1999 season and got another closer – or at least took his chances with John Franco. But Phillips kept him and everything that happened afterwards was not just the closer’s fault, but the general manager’s as well.

At least the Yankees learned their lesson after only three weeks. After he was sent to the Bronx, the Bombers immediately saw Benitez’s true colors – and the strain he put on Mariano Rivera, who was forced to clean up the mess. So he was shipped to Seattle for Jeff Nelson. No harm, no foul.

Now, six year’s later, he is in the Atlantic League, doing his thing. Sure he’s a name and a draw, but as we saw last night, no matter the competition, Benitez brings it on himself and the bigger the game, the bigger the choke.

Just ask any Met fan.

More information as it comes in.

But this wasn’t a hum-drum day. Before the game, not a soul was found in the press box, where a pre-game dinner awaited, and the staff scurried around Citibank Park checking numbers and tickets at each of its gates. The Ducks 4 millionth fan was expected that day and nothing could change the historical significance of the event, no matter what Gary Carter’s team did later that night.

And at about 20 minutes before game time, it happened when Brett Liquori of Stony Brook, NY walked through the turnstile, making the Ducks the fastest North American professional sports franchise to reach the magical 4 millionth fan mark with a stadium the size of Citibank Park.

“I’ve owned baseball teams before,” said Ducks principle owner Frank Boulton. “My team down in Wilmington, DE, they were nice people and when Buddy [Harrelson] and I would go down there, we said ‘Gee this would be great on Long Island.’ So it was always my goal to put a team here.”

But then he added with a laugh, “Am I surprised that we got 4 million fans faster than anyone in a 6,000 seat stadium? Yeah.”

The Long Island Ducks have been a slam dunk from the beginning for Boulton. With a very dense baseball friendly population and rising costs for Mets and Yankee tickets, families were look for an alternative, and one that would cater to the casual fan, rather than the corporate monster.

“The casual fan will go to the baseball game,” Boulton said. “We have a lot of casual fans who go to five or six duck games a year, but don’t know a player on the Yankees other than Derek Jeter. Part of it, coming here, is to be close to the action. The ballpark is always clean and people are always nice. If you are not a baseball fan you will have fun watching Quackerjack race some children around the bases. In all of minor league baseball, you short of have a license to have more fun at the event.”

The Ducks have been fortunate, being in such a densely populated area. With so many people, it’s easy to draw. Add to the fact, the team gets name talent on the field and the winning formula is obvious.

But that’s not the case with every Atlantic League team. Although the league has done well over the years, some of the lesser franchises, such as Nashua  (now the American Defenders of New Hampshire in the Can-Am League) and Atlantic City (now defunct) were dropped to other leagues, as Boulton, who also serves as the league’s CEO, strived to put make his league the top independent league in baseball.

Although those two franchises were dropped in the past due to what Boulton described as demographics and population, two more teams almost were lost this past offseason with the Bridgeport Bluefish and Newark Bears both going through ownership changes due to the poor economy.

Both teams were saved in the end, though, with new ownership coming into Newark, while Boulton himself coming into to save Bridgeport.

Even though, it seems strange for an owner to head up two rival clubs, this is commonplace in the Atlantic League.  Lancaster, Southern Maryland, and York currently has the same ownership group and in the past, Somerset’s Steve Kailfer owned Newark at the same time, while Boulton himself had a piece of the Surf and Riversharks over the years.

Bridgeport, though, gave Boulton a challenge. Can he take the Duck formula and have it work on a floundering franchise? Right now, it’s too early to tell, but the results have been positive.

“That’s a work in progress,” Boulton explained. “The first part is we put a new field in, spruced up the ballpark, put a new ticket system in so fans can access their ticket. We made it more fan friendly.”

Boulton has Ducks general manager Michael Pfaff supervising the off the field operations, with former Nashua Pride general manager Todd Marlin holding the position of general manager. Boulton and Pfaff also promoted members of the Ducks staff to head up similar positions in Bridgeport.

More importantly though, Boulton has the Bluefish conducting business the way the Ducks have been over the past 10 years.

“We are reaching out to the corporate sponsors that we have done business in and believe in the way we have done business, signing them up for a three-year deal,” Boulton said. “So in that way you are not always renewing. All the signage [on Long Island] is sold on a rotating basis and if we had to renew everything on a one year deal, we would be in trouble. A lot of ballparks, that’s what they do, they have one year deals. So if our sponsors know they can lock in lower prices and they feel it’s a benefit to lock in.”

It’s too early to tell if it will work long term and poor weather has Bridgeport last in the league in average attendance after the first month of the season. But Boulton seems to have the right people in place and seem to be going in the right direction.

As is his Ducks. Like the Bluefish attendance is down due to the weather during the first month of the season, but it always picks up as the weather gets warmer. With inexpensive tickets, free parking and moderately priced concessions, Boulton heads up one of Long Island’s biggest success stories and it doesn’t have any signs of changing.

After all, he has 4 million examples to prove it.

The board – which consists of Harmon Killebrew, Peter Kirk, Brooks Robinson, Dr. Tom Songster and John Horshok, who has been named chairman of the board – will explore building a 5,500 seat stadium by 2011.

“This is a significant opportunity for all Loudoun County residents. Minor league baseball is unique in offering family affordable fun,” Horshok said in a press release. “To be able to offer it to the community without using any public funds distinguishes this project as a wonderful chance to promote the community in a very special way-minor league baseball is a lightning rod for fun.”

Despite the economy, the Atlantic League is still drawing fans with a Long Island Ducks enjoying its 4 millionth fan at last night’s game. According to league CEO Frank Boulton, the league attendance is only down because of the poor weather in the Northeast and not the economy.

“The casual fan will go to a baseball game and we have a lot of casual baseball fans,” Boulton said. “Part of it is that the fans are close to the action and if you are not a baseball fan, you will always have fun. Minor league baseball has a license to have a little bit more fun.”

Actually the economy may have enhanced minor league baseball with families looking for cheaper alternatives, which the Atlantic League affords fans.

If a team is put into Virginia, the Atlantic League will go back to the Road Warrior format, unless it either expands to 10 teams or drops a franchise. In the past, Atlantic City and Nashua were moved to the Can-Am League, while Newark almost folded this past winter.

Yet, the league has explored expansion into markets such as Nassau County, the Meadowlands, and Yonkers.

There he was, Armando Benitez, wearing No. 48, as he trotted in to close the Newark Bears eventual 7-3 win.

Of course a dunker and a walk put two runners on, but Benitez recorded the save – after all this wasn’t the playoffs – as Long Island wanted to put this match behind them.

“It was one of those games,” said Ducks manager Gary Carter. “Our starting pitcher goes four innings and throws 84 pitches and our middle guy Mike Hrynio throws 51 pitches. It’s not what you are looking for.”

That starter was B.J. Lamura, who Carter described as the team’s No. 5 man. Getting roughed up early, the Ronkonkoma native gave up two in the first highlighted by Rob Mackowiak’s two-out double into left-center field. And then the Bears added another run in the second to get a 3-0 lead.

The Ducks did come back though thanks to Johnny Hernandez’s homer making it 3-2.

Yet that was all the closest Long Island could muster on the chilly night. Since former Duck Carl Everett gave Newark its fourth run on his fourth homer of the season.

“You have to give Newark credit though, they are a good team,” Carter said. “It’s just one of those things. Tomorrow is another day and Newark has done well in the other division. We just have to keep holding our own.”

Time might be getting short for Lamura who is now 0-3 on the season, as Carter said he is looking for “guys he can rely on.”

Just as Newark is looking to lean on their bullpen and shorten games. Besides the former Met closer, the Bears also have former White Sox ninth inning guy Keith Foulke who pitched a scoreless eighth. Although it’s not Putz to K-Rod, it is a formidable one-two punch for the Atlantic League.

“They have the most major league experience,” Carter said. “Foulke has a lot of saves as does Benitez. Obviously the right answer is to get to their starting staff early, because they have a very strong bullpen.”

The Ducks will look to do that tonight as they continue their four games series against the Bears. Long Island will look to rough up Bears starter Edgar Martinez, while the Flock will send their admiral to the mound with former Yankee Brad Halsey toeing the rubber.

Notes: It was Knights of Columbus night at Citibank Park as the fraternal organization took part in all the pre-game ceremonies and sponsored clock night….Preston Wilson is still rehabbing his knee, and is days away from playing.

Instead of being in the dugout of Citi Field, the Hall of Fame catcher will manage at Citibank Park, taking the helm of the Long Island Ducks.

“As we head into our 10th anniversary season, we are excited to have Gary on board to lead our team,” said Ducks principal owner Frank Boulton in a statement. “He has had great success in baseball both as a player and a manager, and we are confident he will help bring an Atlantic League championship back to Long Island.”

Carter comes to Long Island fresh off a year where he managed the Orange County Flyers of the Golden League to a championship. Before that he managed in the Mets system in 2006 and 2006. Yet minor league manager is not his ultimate goal. The member of the 1986 Mets wants to manage in the majors and made it clear this past year when he lobbied on Sirius Satellite for Willie Randolph’s job, even though the manager still was employed by the team.

It caused some controversy and former teammate and current team broadcaster Keith Hernandez criticized Carter on the air.

Nevertheless, Carter moved on and will manage a Long Island Ducks team which is co-owned by Carter’s old coach Buddy Harrelson. He replaced Dave LaPoint, who now moves over to become pitching coach.

Carter will be introduced Monday at a press conference.

• The league is working on two schedules right now, one with the Newark Bears and one without them. If there are eight full teams then expect a 140 game season and if the Road Warriors are around a 126 game season will be in order.
• No decision has been made yet on what to do about the Bears, although it will be sooner rather than later, because the league needs to put the schedule out.
• When a decision is made, the Atlantic League Independent will have an official or two on the record. But right now, things can change from day to day, so it would be improper for them to comment.

So there you have it. We hope to have more as the week goes along, but right now that’s all there is to report.

From what we are hearing, the Atlantic League may look to go back to the Road Warrior format if this situation is not settled. The Warriors were back in 2007, but went away last season as the league added an eighth team.

It was though the Warriors would return in 2009 if a team would have been added in Richmond, VA, but those plans have seem to fallen through.

If on the slim chance the Atlantic League does return to Newark next season, we are told the team will be totally different than the Bear team of last season.

We hope to have more on this situation later this week when the league decides on what to do about the Bear collapse.

The Atlantic League is no exception.

After Friday’s stunning announcement that the Newark Bears will cease operations, the Atlantic League and the city of Newark will have to make some tough decisions.

Right now, there are no Newark Bears. Owner Marc Berson it was time to shut the doors rather than lose money next season. Newark is one of the weaker teams in the Atlantic League in terms of attendance, averaging 2,764 a game in 2008, the second lowest on the circuit. It may not get better next year in the current economic climate.

Yet that doesn’t mean Bears and Eagles Riverfront Stadium will be dark next season. It is possible for the other Atlantic League owners to come in and buy the Bears from Berson. Ducks owner Frank Boulton just bought the Bridgeport Bluefish to keep them afloat and it’s not out of the question for the Bears to get a bailout as well.

In the Newark’s case, the other Atlantic League owners may chip in and each own a piece of the team until a new owner is found. Of course they have to meet Berson’s asking price which may be harder than it seems. According to one Atlantic League official, there are some hard feeling between Berson and the other owners, which contributed to Friday’s move.

If that doesn’t work, the city of Newark may look elsewhere. With an empty stadium comes opportunity and another league may come in to Newark. The Can-Am League – where former Atlantic League teams, the Atlantic City Surf and Nashua Pride, found homes – may be interested in fielding a team. A deal will have to be made with Essex County and Berson, who still owns the rights to the stadium.

As for the Atlantic League, the Bear move won’t hurt the league in the long run. Over the past few seasons, it has been shedding its weaker teams in favor of expansion in stronger markets. The Road Warrior format can return for the 2008 season if a replacement franchise is not found.

Also the league can move the All-Star Game, which was scheduled for Newark, to another market such as Long Island, which is set to host the game in 2010.

The biggest losers in this whole debacle are the full-time Bear employees who will be forced to find jobs in a very tough economic environment.

Just remember it’s still very early in the off-season, so there is still time to resolve this situation and have some sort of professional baseball in Newark for the 2009 season.

One place may be Richmond, VA. According to one official, the league is looking to place a team down in the Virginia capital to possibly replace the Triple-A Braves, who will relocate to Gwinnett County, GA in 2009.

“It all depends upon if they can build an Atlantic League stadium,” said the official.

That may be the sticking point as the Braves organization looking for the city to build a new team for its affiliate. Unfortunately a plan for a new facility fell through, which is why it’s relocating after 44 seasons.

And that opens the door for the independent league.

If a deal can be reached, the new team can play at The Diamond, built in 1934 and renovated in 1985 until a stadium can be built. Currently the existing building holds 12, 134 and is also the home to the Virginia Commonwealth University baseball team. Since it is too large for the Atlantic League, whose stadiums hold between 5,000-6,500 fans, a new facility is needed in the mold of the modern fan friendly facilities that decorate the league.

Besides the Atlantic League, there’s talk of the Double-A Eastern League also looking to relocate a team to Richmond.

If a new Atlantic League team comes to Virginia in 2009, the league will go back to the “Road Warrior” format, with 10 overall teams, nine with home stadiums and one playing exclusively on the road.

But nothing compares to his first championship he won in Brooklyn during that faithful 1955 season. And Zimmer takes full responsibility for his role.

“I remember the first time the Dodgers beat the Yankees in 1955,” recalled the 77 year-old Zimmer, who was in town to be an honorary manager in the Atlantic League All-Star game. “Johnny Podres got a lot of credit for that, but I think I should have a lot of credit myself.

“I started the game at second base, which means Junior Gilliam would be in left field. We were leading 1-0 in the sixth inning with a man on third and one out and Casey Stengel took out the left hander and sent up a right hander to pitch against me. Walter Alston took me out and sent up George Shuba to pinch hit for me.

“That meant Junior Gilliam came in to play second and Sandy Amoros went into to play left. He was a lefthanded thrower with a glove on his right hand. No other outfielder could have caught the ball Yogi Berra hit down the left field line to make a double play off of first base. That’s why I think I should get as much credit as Johnny Podres for me being taken out of the game. That’s how we won.”

Zimmer was only kidding with his story, but he is dead series about his current team, the Tampa Bay Rays. One of the biggest surprises in 2008, the youthful club has 55-39 record and only a half game back of the Red Sox in the American League East, despite losing seven straight games.

“I knew coming out of Spring Training we would be a much improved club,” Zimmer said. “There was talk about winning the most games in their history… There was talk about playing .500 baseball. We were winning without too many runs. We pitch good with a good defense. We went into a little bad spell. Now we are a half game in front of the Red Sox. We will see if we can come back on Friday.”

Now as a special advisor to the club, Zimmer takes no credit for their success. He sees the Rays as a young club on the rise, which can compete with the Yankees and Red Sox for the division title. Built on pitching and defense, the Rays may need another bat to accomplish their worst to first feat, but if it means emptying the farm system, Tampa will probably pass.

“We would like to get some help somehow,” he said. “But the Rays are not going to get rid of young players to get someone. If we can make a deal to get someone in the farm system, I think the organization will do something like that. It’s easy to say that, but not easy to do.”

Even if they stand pat, Zimmer – a former manager of the Red Sox and former bench coach of the Yankees – is rooting hard for his club to make it to the playoffs, the same way he pulled for Brooklyn as a 24 year-old second baseman.

“We’re a half game out of first place,” he said. I am sure everyone picked us last, but we are a half a game out of first place. We have Toronto. We have the Yankees. We have the Red Sox. I am not a mind reader. I know who I hope is going to win – that’s the Rays.”

New York was supposed to dominate, because a Cy Young winner from Minnesota came to the club and the lefthanded closer was considered one of the best in the league.

Does this sound familiar?

The year was 1990 and the manager that time was Davey Johnson, who led the club to its second World Series in 1986 and then back to the playoffs two years later. Yet, the Mets faded at the end of 1989 and even though they added Frank Viola and John Franco, the Amazins were no so fantastic in the new decade, getting out of the box the tune of a 20-22 start.

It was then on May 29th, general manager Frank Cashen decided to make a move.

“They called me the next morning when we were in Cincinnati,” recalled Johnson’s replacement Bud Harrelson. “It came as a surprise to me, because Davey just signed a new contract. I didn’t see it coming. He was a good manager; won a lot and handled the press good.

“I don’t think he saw it coming either. Of course I took over and I didn’t have the experience Davey had. I got the job because I was a third base coach and bench coach.”

Harrelson came in and ignited the sleeping team. Playing what many called “Buddy Ball,” the former shortstop abandoned the Earl Weaver philosophy Johnson employed [get good pitching and wait for the three-run home run] and forced the Mets into manufacturing runs, and not relying upon home runs from their power hitters.

“I played a little but different and won a lot,” said Harrelson, who had a 71-49 record that season and if there was a wild card in 1990, would have gone to the playoffs. “I think the players felt embarrassed by getting [Johnson fired]. I played small ball and I did set up some new rules because [the front office] felt Davey was too lenient.”

The current regime in Flushing is hoping lighting will hit again with Jerry Manuel. Already we have seen new discipline in the clubhouse when the new manager took out Jose Reyes the first game. Much like Harrelson, Manuel is putting his stamp on the team, with roles changing in the bullpen and in the lineup.

There the comparison ends. Harrelson – now the owner and coach Long Island Ducks – sees Manuel’s major league experience as an asset, whereas he felt he wasn’t ready for the media grind that comes with managing in New York.

“I had all the coaches there and I spoke to Mel [Stottlemyre] and told him ‘You have 10 and I have 15’ because we had 10 pitchers,” said Harrelson, who managed in short season A in 1984 and then in A-ball for six weeks in 1985 when he was called up to the Mets after Bobby Valentine left for Texas. “I did alright down there too where I could teach.

“It all stops in New York and it all becomes media. You have to answer the questions and go on Mike and the Mad Dog and Mets Extra. It’s a job to manage the ball club.”

As someone who went through the grind, Harrelson felt for Willie Randolph. Although he doesn’t follow the Mets on a day-to-day basis, he does keep an eye on the team and it was impossible to stay away from ‘Willie Watch.’

“It was talked about all winter after the demise last season with the team falling out of first place,” Harrelson said. “They were saying ‘Willie, Willie, Willie” as if it was his fault. In the last month, they couldn’t win a game. It was coming, as mine was coming in the second year. I was surprised he didn’t get fired earlier. I felt for Willie because there was so much press for that. Pitchers would come in and give it was. Was that the manager’s fault?

“I thought the best thing for him and his heath would be to fire him. I thought about Willie; he was in an awkward position.”