The National Pastime Ain't Politics
and John Rocker's Rocky Ride

By: MICHAEL SCHENKLER

PLAY BALL: Gleefully, I acknowledge that politics is not the national pastime.

Politics, a marvelous diversion, yes! A national game based on kibitzing that has true impact on real life, politics is up there with scrabble, bridge, chess and basketball.

But baseball, where the boys of summer annually carry on sport, fun and tradition, has the unique claim to the title of "national pastime."

Sunday, I shared a very unique baseball game with a very unique young lady. My (almost) eleven year-old daughter Allison and I went to see the Queens Kings play at St. John’s.

It was wonderful.

Allison, or Moo as I frequently call her, has never been to a ball game. Lee, her older brother, and I had gone to Shea when he was smaller. But Moo never seemed too interested. N’Sync, Billy Joel or any concerts were her entertainment destinations of choice. But baseball never seemed to get much play.

A DAY FOR THE KIDS: Allison got the Blues Brothers (Jake & Elwood) to autograph a large magnet with the Kings’ schedule.

Sure, we’d have a catch — with a "Spaldeen." She’d sit on my lap and watch the World Series with me. But to go to Shea was just too much effort for too little reward for Moo and me.

Then along came the Queens Kings, the borough’s newest franchise. For those hearing about it for the first time, the Kings are the Mets Single A Farm Team. They play for this year and maybe next at a new 3,500 seat stadium on St. John’s campus. The Kings will eventually move to Brooklyn (Kings County) and the stadium will belong to St. John’s. Instructional leagues, little leagues and community activities will afford the youth of Queens an opportunity to get closer to the real thing.

The Tribune became a team sponsor — among other things, we have a major league sign in the outfield of the minor league stadium. And I told Allison, she just had to see it; and, the Blues Brothers were performing and I promised we would leave whenever she wanted. So we set aside Sunday to watch the Queens Kings take on the, get this, the Batavia Muckdogs.

As an aside to sports fans, the NY-Penn League in which these teams compete has been the training ground for some impressive major leaguers including: Edgardo Alfonso, Derek Bell, Dwight Gooden, Todd Hundley, Randy Johnson, Jeff Kent, Al Leiter, Don Mattingly, Andy Pettitte, Bernie Williams and John Elway. (Yup, the mile high quarterback batted .318 in 42 games in 1982 before choosing another sport.)

Never having taken her to Shea, I felt the need to explain the contrasts. As we pulled into the Utopia Pkwy. (just south of Union Tpke.) parking lot, and parked in the first row just 50 feet from the stadium entrance, hassle-free baseball was introduced. We walked into the stadium with two of the Kings players, one of who chatted with Allison.

The (free) parking lot, the concessions (with reasonable prices), our 2nd row seats (which go for $10 per), were all within shouting distance of home plate in this intimate 3,500-seat stadium. The franks were made on barbeques and were exactly what you’d expect at a ballpark. Everything was exactly right, only friendlier and cozier than the big leagues. The players took the time to sign autographs and chat with the youngsters. The Blues Brothers were there entertaining between innings and sitting and goofing in the stands during the game. The nameless lion king mascot was everywhere leading the cheers. In between innings, there were games and audience participation events. No beer is sold, thank goodness. And the fans are able to have real old-fashioned fun.

When the game began and the Queens Kings took the field, their baseball buddies – a group of eight-year-old little leaguers from Mitchell Linden – took the field alongside of them and stood there for the National Anthem. The Kings have done their job of outreach and the community benefits.

The initial uproar of protest against the stadium seems to be dying down. It’s the standard NIMBY reaction to progress and growth. In reality, there will be minimal effect upon the neighborhood. Hey, this stadium holds 3,500 and Alumni Hall gets 8,000 for every St. John’s Red Storm basketball game. The impact won’t be noticed. Sure, some very close homes might feel the effect of the lights at night or the loudspeaker system. Those homeowners have the right to complain and deserve compensation. Perhaps, the university will buy the 4 or 5 homes that are really impacted and house some meaningful educational program there.

Allison and I sat next to Edith and Howard Schaerf of Bayside. Howard, a Met season ticket holder, had given away those duckets in order to come see some real baseball at St. John’s. As soon as Allison pointed out the Tribune banner in left field and explained our connection to the paper, the Schaerfs shared a protest of their own.

Seems Bayside Village, just south of Baybridge is bombarded by the noise of the Clearview Expressway. With sound barriers going up all over major thoroughfares, it seems only reasonable to the Schaerfs that their community of 800 homes be buffered by a sound barrier along the northern end of the Clearview. Sounds fair enough to us.

Well as we munched on a variety of ballgame snacks, played some in-between inning games, listened to Jake and Elwood Blues, we also saw some fine baseball: good pitching, a couple of 350 plus foot homers and real sharp fielding except for the Kings right fielder who ran like Gary Ackerman.

As the innings passed, I asked Allison if she had enough. She said no; we stayed. Jake Blues sat next to her; we stayed. Extra innings; we stayed.

In the bottom of the 11th, the best team won. The Kings took a 7-6 victory to lift their record to 4-2. This was great minor league ball. It was fun — more fun than the big leagues.

Next Sunday, the Yankee Farm Team from Staten Island will cross the Verrazano to take on the Mets team the Queens Kings. This bridge (not subway) series has excited us King devotees. Allison has asked me to take her.

Join us at the game. Weather permitting, we’ll be in our Tribune seats — Section 5, Row C, seat 4,5,6,7. Stop by and say hello.

Too bad they’re going to move to Brooklyn.

Let’s go Kings!

ROCKY ROAD:

Speaking of baseball, John Rocker is back in New York. As you read this or shortly before, the Braves horrible hurler, pitcher John Rocker took the No. 7 train to Shea (Thursday, June 29).

According to NYPD sources, the City provided protection to him the way they safeguard diplomats and folks from Intel.

There was an NYPD detail of 700 cops per day for the four days Rocker was in Queens. Police shutdown the airport when he arrived, and halted traffic on the Grand Central Parkway and the Long Island Expressway during his ride to his Manhattan hotel. Sources told us the protection rivaled that provided to President Bill Clinton during his visits to the Big Apple. There were two cops on each highway overpass during his trip, sources said.

Insiders also said there were 10 cops in each section at Shea Stadium (where the sale of beer was limited), along with two cops on every subway platform that Rocker’s "special" express train whizzed by.

Sources tell Not 4 Publication that the NYPD had reassigned Transit cops — a whole subway car of them — to ride with the rowdy Rocker as he made his way on the train from the Hyatt Hotel on 44th Street in Manhattan to Shea.

Regular straphangers were to be kicked off the car, our sources say, to be replaced with cops.

At Shea, Rocker, weather permitting, met with a rally protesting his "tirade against immigrants, Latinos, African-Americans, Asians, Gays and all decent and fair minded people."

The Latino Action Center had secured a permit and together with a variety of organizations (including the NYCLU, Quisqueya Little League and the Gay Officers Action League) that represent diverse New York minorities, planned a protest a short way from the Shea Stadium station on #7 line.

From what we understand, Rocker is a regular at the Hyatt during his stints in New York and on board the #7 train from the basement of the hotel where he rides it to Queens.

Hmmm . . . so this time, could the rocky Rocker be looking for trouble or maybe, attention.

And just how much will this high-level escort cost Mets-rooting, tax-paying New Yorkers?

PITCH: The Padavan Powder Puffs beat the Weprin Wranglers 12-8 in the annual Legislative Trophy game of the Hollis-Bellaire-Queens Village Little League.

We received a press release from Padavan. None from Weprin.

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Liz Goff contributed to this column.

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