New Duke had better be durable

The Duke, a giant, green, furry bull that serves as mascot for the Las Vegas Wranglers, will return to the ECHL hockey team in October, but the man who has been inside the costume the past five seasons will not.

Dave Romleski, a 41-year-old married father of five who has entertained crowds at the Orleans Arena since 2003, has moved to Germany, where his wife, Stacy, accepted a job with the U.S. Air Force.

Although Romleski said he enjoyed playing The Duke, he'll probably benefit in getting away from a role in which he was punched, kicked and pretty much beaten upon.

"I try to take it as a compliment, that they're forgetting there's actually a guy in there," the 5-foot-9-inch, 220-pound Romleski said in the past. "But people will just beat on you and knock you around and think it's fun. I get three or four bloody noses a season.

"People think it's part of the act, and you can't respond."

Romleski also incurred cuts requiring stitches and blew out his knee while flying around the stands with his typical reckless abandon.

Wranglers president Billy Johnson, who in the 1980s acted as Billy Bird, the mascot for the St. Louis Cardinals' Triple-A affiliate in Louisville, Ky., said the team is in the process of replacing its popular mascot.

The new performer will receive the same training Romleski did from Dave Raymond, the original Philly Phanatic, who entertained Philadelphia Phillies fans from 1978 to 1993.

The new Duke should be in good physical condition and, apparently, also should be able to take a punch. Guess that rules out Henderson resident Mike Tyson.

• MAGIC OR MONKEY KING? -- Most aspiring NBA players would love being compared to legendary Los Angeles Lakers point guard Earvin "Magic" Johnson. But China's Sun Yue, the Lakers' 6-foot-9-inch rookie point guard, would rather be called "Monkey King."

Sun, 23, who started for China in the Beijing Olympics, was drafted by Los Angeles last year and recently signed a multiyear contract with the Lakers.

His stellar all-around game earned him the nickname "China's Magic Johnson," but Sun doesn't like it, the news agency AFP reported.

"I don't want to be called the next Magic Johnson," Sun told the China Daily. "He was a great player ... but I don't think I am going to pattern my game after him in my rookie year."

Chinese fans in Los Angeles reportedly are calling Sun "Sun Wukong," after the mythical "Monkey King," a superhero monkey that battles dragons and demons in the Chinese Buddhist literary classic "Journey to the West."

"For the fans to already have these kinds of plans (to call me Monkey King) is really great support for me," Sun said.

Before battling for a spot on the Lakers' roster, though, Sun will have to battle mononucleosis. He arrived from China on Sunday, tested positive for the illness this week and will miss the start of training camp Tuesday.

COMPILED BY TODD DEWEY REVIEW-JOURNAL