Busy Esche making his biggest saves

THREE WEEKS removed from left-hip surgery to

repair a torn labrum, Flyers

goaltender Robert Esche is pain-free and moving around again.

Time-free? Hardly. How's this for a summer? He's undergoing therapy to strengthen his repaired hip socket. He's going to return to the net for Team USA in the World Cup tournament that begins Aug. 30. He's also the Flyers' player rep, with next season's NHL season on labor hold until further notice.

Oh, and somewhere in there, he's getting married to fiancee Kelly Usmail.

This weekend, though, it's all about fun and helping others for the 26-year-old Esche. Last year he launched The Robert Esche Save of the Day Foundation to

enhance the life experiences of children and their families living with serious to terminal illnesses in New York's Mohawk Valley. It is his way of "giving back" to the Whitesboro, N.Y. community he continues to call home. Flyer Mark Recchi and other NHL stars arrive today for a softball bash and golf outing that will benefit families in need. Seven families to date have been aided by Esche's efforts. "I've been one of the fortunate ones from here," he said. "It's just my way of doing what I can for the folks up here. Hopefully, it will get bigger and bigger."

How will he ever find time for that wedding?

"It's just going to be a simple service in my backyard, which we always wanted," he said. "The whole team will be here. It's going to be real quick, and then there's going to be a big

party."

Feel a draft?

This is Jameer Nelson's night in New York, his first step into what should be a long, productive NBA career. Hopefully, the 76ers and Jim O'Brien take a major step toward improvement via trade or by staying at No. 9 (we made Connecticut's Ben Gordon our most-desired here months ago). Time for some 76ers draft memories.

Best draft: 1973, by far. Doug Collins, Mike Bantom, Allan Bristow (21), George McGinnis (22), Caldwell Jones (32), Rod Freeman (166). Enough to make us forget Raymond Lewis (Cal State-LA) at No. 18.

Worst draft: 1977. With four picks in the top 43 in '77, the Sixers got nothing (Glenn Mosley at 20, Wilson Washington (25), Robert Elliott (42) and Chester's Herman Harris (43). Wilson Who?...Best No. 1 pick: Tough choice, but we'll go with Billy Cunningham at No. 4 in 1965, nosing out Andrew Toney (8) in 1980; Charles Barkley (5) in 1984; and Allen Iverson (1) '96...All-wasted No. 1 team: Wisconsin's Al Henry (12), 1970; Tulsa's Dana Lewis (12), 1971; Washington's Chris Welp (16), 1987; BYU's Shawn Bradley (2), 1993; and Clemson's Sharone Wright (6) in 1994. Second team: Jiri Welsch (16), 2002; Leo Rautins (17), 1983; Mosley; Lewis; Bud Ogden (13), 1969

...Best 1-2 Big 5 picks: St. Joe's Matty Guokas (9), followed by Villanova's Billy Melchionni at 19 in the second round in 1966

...All-time steal: The incomparable Jack McMahon's greatest find, West Virginia Tech's Sedale Threatt at No. 139 in the sixth round in 1983. I remember seeing him on a 76ers summer league team and thinking, "Wow, where did they find this kid?" Runner-up: South Carolina's Mike Dunleavy at 99 in the sixth round in 1976...Forty years ago: La Salle's Frank

Corace was drafted fourth by the Sixers at No. 29. And whatever happened to Philadelphia Pharmacy's Norm Horvitz,

taken at 228 in the 10th round by the Sixers in 1983?

Draft night.

Gotta love it.

PIAA nixes locals

The Public League hasn't played a season as a PIAA member, and already its teams are

being penalized. A PIAA rule prohibiting member schools from playing in national tournaments outside the school year kept local powers Chester (already PIAA), Bartram and Gratz from competing in the AND1

National High School Basketball Championships East Regional last weekend. The finals are at St. Joe's Fieldhouse this weekend. Kudos to St. John Neumann, led by sophomore Antonio "Scoop" Jardine, junior Earl Pettis and senior David Burton, for advancing to the East Regional semifinals before falling to powerful Riverdale (Md.) Baptist, 74-62. Riverdale features 6-9, 220-pound freshman manchild Michael Beasley (22 points, 18 boards, five blocks), who already is on NBA watch lists. Seton Hall Prep (Brandon Costner) beat rival St. Anthony's to advance to Hawk Hill in another regional

final.

Low bids for Eskin

Celebs such as Ike Reese, Ukee Washington, Jeff Asch, Dave Sims, Joe Pellegrino and Art Mahaffey were golf hits at Monday's Terri Lynne Lokoff Child Care Foundation outing at Meadowlands CC in Blue Bell. The Rick Frimmer team with celebrities Glenn Foley (former New York Jets quarterback),

Eagles assistant David Culley and Citizens Bank Park voice Dan Baker took low gross. Line of the day came during the live auction, when bidding on lunch with WIP's Howard Eskin died at $250 (anything for charity, I guess). "I'll bid $350 not to go," someone yelled...Steal of the day was an autographed Wayne Gretzky hockey stick going for just $180...Reading Phils' ace Gavin Floyd has been selected to the U.S. team for the July 11 All-Star Futures Game in Houston...KYW-3's Ukee Washington is back from the left coast previewing the new "Spider-Man 2 movie. "[Actor] Tobey McGuire is a real sports fan and he was giving me grief about how, in his words, 'our sports teams have gone into hibernation,' " Ukee said. "I started to tell him I was a bigger fan of 'The Hulk,' but his movie is pretty good, so I didn't."...Former Indiana Pacer and Marist

all-timer Rik Smits lunched with new Marist coach Matt Brady (formerly St. Joe's assistant) this week. Brady has added former Villanova assistant Rob O'Driscoll to his staff...And when is someone going to reach Ashburn Alley with a homer? We need a contest winner!