The last two Suffolk Class AA champiuonship games -- meaning Bay Shore-West Babylon in 2005 and Bay Shore-Whitman in 2006 -- were everything a title game should be.

Bay Shore won each game by a single run.

I was skeptical of the new best-of-three format. But after two unforgettable games between Bay Shore and Connetquot, there's no doubt the extended bracket has only enhanced these playoffs.

Had the single elimination format remained, Bay Shore would have walked away a 2-1 winner on Tuesday. But this is 2007 and Connetquot's season wasn't over. The T-Birds answered with a 2-1 win of their own on Wednesday. And it sets up a decisive Game 3. Thank goodness for the new format.