The Record from Hackensack, New Jersey • S6

BASEBALLBASKETBALL WEDNESDAY, JUNE 8, 2011 S-6 THE RECORD METS "In my position, you're like a coach. You have to find a way to keep everyone happy. You have to find a way to motivate everyone." Albert King He knows when it's real Former Net Albert King left the glitz for Wendy with an off-day Monday, Jason Bay was back in the lineup and the Mets were hopeful he finally would get on track. "We were out here, took early batting practice again today, and he swung great," Mets manager Terry Collins said. "I just hope it's a chance for him to take a deep breath and relax a little bit." The rest on rest The Mets didn't arrive in Milwaukee until 4:30 a.m.

Monday, flying after the Sunday night home game and forced to land in Chicago and bus to Wisconsin. It wasn't just the hitters who looked forward to a day of rest. The Mets' overused bullpen got a much-needed breather, including closer Francisco Rodriguez. "Sometimes that dead arm stuff lasts a little while," Collins said. "I'm not saying that's what it is.

I'm assuming, because I've used him a lot, situations not even with the lead sometimes. When it happens in spring training, you've just got to keep pitching because the arm does bounce back. A day off may help, sure." Steve Popper Pitchers plucked After the Mets surprised some of the draft experts by opting for a high school center fielder with their top pick, they went with a handful of college pitchers during the second day. With picks in Round 2 through 30 taking place Tuesday, the Mets made college pitchers their first four picks and eight of them overall. "A good day for the New York Mets," said Chad MacDonald, the Mets' scouting director.

"Some things fell our way. You never know how the draft is going to unfold, with who gets to you, but some of the guys we wanted got to us and we took them. Early on it was college pitching." The Mets took Cory Mazzoni, a right-hander from North Carolina State, in the second round and No. 71 overall. McDonald was thankful Logan Verrett was still around in the third round, and he raved about sixth-round pick, outfielder Joe Tuschak of Northern Senior High School in Pennsylvania.

Bay back After sitting out Sunday coupled Mets: Best Brewers By JEFF ROBERTS STAFF WRITER ENGLEWOOD The staircase to the "penthouse" is nothing more than a steep, narrow ladder, rising to a room lined with boxes stacked three high. Albert King climbed the 10 unforgiving steps, pulling his 6-foot-6 frame into his atticlike officestorage room. Even here the smell of French fries hung thickly in the air. "Everyone thinks I'm in the penthouse," King said. "Well, I am." The former Nets small forward lives far from the glamour of the NBA, where for the past 15 years he has built another life at this Wendy's restaurant.

He now is the purveyor of the square burger, sworn protector of the secret chili recipe even reminding someone, "I'd have to eliminate you if I gave you that." King, a former NBA first-round pick, Sports Illustrated cover boy and the kid brother of legend Bernard King, now has three Wendy's franchises. The Englewood restaurant offering "quick service," not "fast food," because he doesn't like the term is his home base. A few reminders of his nine- year NBA career line the walls, in eluding a framed Converse poster of the King boys, decked out respectively in Nets and Knicks gear, on a city playground with the headline, "Where Kings First Ruled." Although basketball never is far from King's heart he's eager for Thursday night's Game 5 of the NBA Finals the Wayne resident is far removed from the days when he was a 13-year-old street-ball legend featured on ABC network news, then heralded as one of the best-ever high school players before becoming one of the 50 greatest players in ACC history for Maryland. "When I finished playing, I didn't have a career; I didn't have a path I wanted to go in," said King, whose last NBA season was 1992. He forged a friendship with a real estate developer who happened to own several Wendy's, piquing his interest.

King, 51, walked into the restaurant on a recent morning, greeted by the usual array of fires waiting to be put out. There was a broken railing, just sitting without explanation. There was the new men's room mirror waiting to be hung, installed while he invited onlookers "to come in and join me." Then came a desperate call for strawber- DAVID BERGELANDSTAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Albert King, who retired in 1992, averaged 17 points for the Nets in the 1982-83 season. He helped lead the team to five postseason appearances. neighborhood of Brooklyn.

Oversize expectations dogged his pro career, in which King averaged 17 points a game his second season and led New Jersey to the postseason five times. Some labeled it a disappointment. "I would say I questioned myself when I was younger, absolutely. 'Why am I not going as well as they thought I should be King said. But that doubt has passed.

King makes a sound living, although he avoids talking about money. But he also doesn't mention his community work, despite the 10 plaques and certificates of appreciation hanging on a wall. He still picks up a basketball from time to time. But the only people who see it are his wife of 27 years, Tammy, and his principal opponent, son Trevor, 14. "I crushed my son the other day in one-on-one in the driveway make sure you put that in," King said.

"He hasn't beaten me yet, but he's getting there. He has good quickness or maybe I'm getting slower." E-mail: robertsjnorthjersey.com ries from his other two franchises. So he pulled the fruit out of the walk-in refrigerator, hopped in his SUV and delivered it before filling in for an employee by making sandwiches. "I have mopped. I have cleaned bathrooms," he said.

"I have worked every station in this business." King employs 80 part-time workers and 10 full-timers, and says handling their personalities is the biggest challenge. "In my position, you're like a coach," King said. "You have to find a way to keep everyone happy. You have to find a way to motivate everyone." But he credits them for transforming the introverted young man he was into a personable adult. "He's a nice boss," said one of his daytime managers, who preferred not to give her name.

She has worked for him for seven years. "Everybody likes him." King does not get recognized often, least of all by his young employees. But he never liked the attention that came with his basketball gifts, developed in the gritty Fort Greene From Page S-l was out of the game, the Mets rallied, getting a walk and a single to lead off the top of the seventh. Pinch-hitter Jason Pridie grounded into a fielder's choice, putting runners on the corners, before Jose Reyes blasted a two-run triple into the right-center field gap, caroming back toward left field. It put Capuano on the winning side of the ledger.

Since joining the Mets as a rehab project spending most of 2010 working his way into form -Capuano has settled into the rotation as a reliable, if erratic back-of-the-rotation starter. "His velocity is up from spring training, which is good," Mets manager Terry Collins said. "But any time you go out there consistently, do your sides, your command is going to improve, which is his whole game. I think the command of his stuff has been really good. I see his change-up; the one game he had his change-up flatten the last two outings have been really good.

The ball is really sinking." Capuano wasn't the only injury on the Mets' mind. In the manager's office before the game, Collins fretted over the status of Carlos Beltran, penciling him in the lineup, but insisting he would watch Beltran test his aching right leg in warm-ups and do whatever he had to do to protect him. But in the clubhouse, Beltran already was working, configuring a new protective shin guard, popping it on, testing it, taking it off and adjusting it until he had it just right. Asked how he felt, he didn't even look upand said, "Feel better. I'm good." He was good enough to make his way back on the field, two days after leaving Sunday's game with a contusion.

Beltran fouled a ball off his right lower leg in the second inning and barely could make his way back to the dugout. He immediately underwent an X-ray, which revealed only a bruise and no break although his shin guard broke. "It was a day where I stayed in my room, iced my leg three times, Finals: Haslem unsung player ASSOCIATED PRESS Mets SS Jose Reyes stroking the decisive two-run triple in the seventh inning Tuesday. got treatment in my room," Beltran said. "Tuesday I woke up feeling better.

So the best thing to happen for me was actually having a day off Monday and being able to recuperate. It's sore, a little bit swollen, but not like it was when I got out of the game." Even though Beltran felt better, it seemed as if Collins' cautious approach might be the right one. The injury was below the knee and on the side of his right leg. While it wasn't one of his troublesome knees, it can't hurt to be careful when dealing with Beltran's legs after he lost most of the last two seasons and nearly all of spring training this year. By getting in the lineup Tuesday, Beltran has played 58 of the Mets' 60 games this season, more than any other player on the team.

Playing for a new contract which certainly won't come from the Mets -Beltran has fought through the bumps and bruises, and has played and performed. He entered Tuesday batting .284 with nine homers and 34 RBI. "If I feel good, there's no reason for me to say I need a day," Beltran said. "I feel good, and if I feel good, I want to go outside and play a game." NBA Finals Mavericks vs. Heat (All games on Ch.

7) Heat lead series, 2-1 Game 1 Miami 92, Dallas 84 Game 2 Dallas 95, Miami 93 Game 3 Miami 88, Dallas 86 Game 4 At Dallas, late Game 5 At Dallas, Thursday, 9 p.m. Game 6 At Miami, Sunday, 8 p.m. Game 7 At Miami, Tuesday, 9 p.m. If necessary From Page S-l with Haslem, the stat line never tells anything remotely close to the entire story. He is Miami's grittiest player, and the way he forced Mavs' star Dirk Nowitzki into a missed jumper on the final possession of Game 3 ensured that the Heat not only would win that night but reclaim the home-court advantage in these finals.

"We would have loved to have him," Nowitzki said. "Unfortunately, obviously, he stayed there. I guess a good move on his part." Maybe a real good move. Haslem gave the Heat one heck of a hometown discount last sum mer, when the Miami native agreed to a deal worth $20 million for five seasons, over 40 percent less than what he likely, potentially could have collected from Dallas, Denver or other suitors. That's what being around family means to Haslem, and when he says that, he's not speaking of his relatives.

The Heat are as dear to him as anything, especially after they took a chance on him eight years ago. "It wasn't a hard decision," Haslem said. "This is where I wanted to be and I couldn't see myself leaving." Haslem averaged 6.2 points and 6 rebounds in Miami's six-game win over Dallas in the 2006 finals, yet it was what he did in the title-clinching game that made a giant impact on the series. Playing with an injured shoulder, Haslem who turns 31 on Thursday, when Miami and Dallas will play Game 5 scored 17 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and nagged Nowitzki on defense for much of that game as well. He earned a reputation as a bit of a Dirk-stopper in that series, and with control of the 2011 finals in the balance Sunday, Haslem again took a turn guarding Nowitzki.

Nowitzki caught an inbounds pass at the top of the key with 4.4 seconds remaining and Dallas down by two, then tried to drive right before spinning back toward the foul line. Haslem stayed draped on him the whole way, kept his arms high as Nowitzki tried to shoot, then left them up until the ball harmlessly bounced off the rim. Only then did he punch the air in celebration, knowing the Heat had just gotten their biggest win of the season. In Game 2, Nowitzki made a game-winner at the end, that time with Bosh guarding him. Haslem demanded the job in Game 3.

Haslem took the longest of all possible routes to his hometown team. He played college ball at Florida with now-Heat-teammate Mike Miller, ballooned to the neighborhood of 300 pounds, then started his pro career in France and shed the weight noting many times since that French food is not the easiest thing to surround yourself with and still slim down so dramatically. Now a lean 230, Haslem has been part of Miami's rotation since his arrival in 2003. Haslem ruptured a ligament Nov. 20 in his left foot and needed surgery.

His comeback was months ahead of what some estimates said would be the schedule for a potential season-ending injury. HHHlinHHBlH fila mmm OPEN DAILY 50 OF no A Couples Friendly Adult Stare 401 MAIN STREET LITTLE FERRY, HJ 201-641-0139 World VidcoNXcom LARGE SELECTION OF ADULT TOYS, NOVELTIES, MALE ENHANCERS, LUBES LOTIONS, OILS, MAGAZINES, RUSH, JUNGLE JUICE, AT THE BEST PRICES NEW RELEASES DAILY OVER 20,000 MOVIES FOR SALE OR RENT.