Have you been following the Cumberland County Civic Center controversy? Portland Pirates hockey, fierce checking, body slams, hard shots – and I bet it will be the same ON the ice this winter, too!

There are also lawyers involved, TV-worthy vigorous questioning, emotions running high, lively speeches reminiscent of “L.A. Law” or “Law and Order.” And we haven’t even gotten to a courtroom yet! (Though the Pirates have sued).

Unless you have been living in a cave, you know what is happening.

The Portland Pirates are a big tenant of the Civic Center. When voters approved $30 million in loans to renovate the building, they probably thought, in part, that the Civic Center would be getting rent money from the Pirates to help pay the loans, etc.

The Pirates, meanwhile, appear to have gotten either “entrepreneurially aggressive” (a “little piggy”, as my late mother would have said), or a little “blackmail-y” as famous retired NYC police detective Bo Deitl might say. Pirates know the Civic Center needs money? Pirates then come up with new list of demands for hot dog sales, T-shirt concessions etc. etc.

Enter Neal Pratt.

Neal is chair of the Civic Center trustees. He is a lawyer. He lives in Scarborough. He is no-nonsense and probably does not take a lot of prisoners in these negotiations. I think Neal sensed that Pirates CEO Brian Petrovek thought he had the Civic Center “over a barrel” and decided to try to squeeze the Civic Center in negotiations.

One does not do that with Brother Pratt.

Full disclosure: I have known Pratt for 30 years. I have known him in politics, law and in youth sports. Don’t bet against Pratt.

In 1984, I decided to run for the State Legislature. I ran against a veteran politico. I figured I was Don Quixote, taking on windmills.

Pratt worked for a guy from Bangor who wanted to be Speaker of the House or something. The guy asked Pratt to come down and help me. Pratt did. Knocked on doors on Saturday all the way down Holmes Road 04074. We won the race.

I lost track of Pratt for 10 years. Next I heard, he had gone to law school, passed the Bar, and was back in Maine practicing law.

A while after that, he and his wife and two kids moved to Scarborough.

Then he got involved up to his eyeballs in youth sports.

He helped start a youth baseball league designed to supplement Little League a July league called Southern Maine Kids Travel Baseball. It is now in its 10th year.

He coached a bunch of Little League all-star teams that won state titles.

Neal does not take no for an answer easily.

Yes, he has his hands full with this Pirates controversy. Team is gone, playing in Lewiston. (Cynical friend said this week: “Pirates had a special offer the other night. If you dressed up as an empty chair, you could get in half price. Apparently, they had thousands of people take them up on it.”)

So what will Pratt and other Civic Center trustees do?

They need to make some money. They know that. They have some open dates on their dance card now that the Pirates are gone.

A friend of mine in the ticket business has told me for 20 years there are musical acts that want to get into the Civic Center but can’t due to non-availability of dates. (He says “oldies” acts Paul Revere and the Raiders; the Turtles; the Monkees; Herman’s Hermits etc. are eager to come to Portland for three-night gigs. “The 50-something empty nesters go to these things in other cities, back to back to back. Your past is your future.” OK!).

Now, there will be a chance to pursue new ideas.

My bet is the Pirates will want to come back in the future. I have good friends in Lewiston. For reasons that have nothing to do with any of us in 2013, a pro hockey operation simply might not do as well in Lewiston as they have done in Portland since the late l970s.

I am sure the Civic Center is rapping on a lot of doors, and vice versa.

Stay tuned.

The gloves are off.

The lawyers are involved.

Don’t bet against Pratt.

It will all get interestinger and interestinger.

Dan Warren lives in Scarborough.