Democratic Mayoral hopeful, Council Speaker Peter Vallone is rooting for Herman Badillo.

That's right, the Dem mayoral wannabee wants Badillio to best Michael Bloomberg in the Republican slug out for their party’s Mayoral nomination. The usually close to the vest Vallone who wouldn’t take sides in any other contest — except his son’s Council race — volunteered his preference for Badillo to QConfidential at their office last week.

Why? You ask.

"I want a rematch of my first- ever election for the tri-county Congressional seat," explained the Council Speaker.

It seems that back in 1967 when Peter was just a wee lad in his 30’s and leader of the Taminent Dem Club, he made his first run for public office — for Congress. There was a field of six or seven recalls Vallone.

"And at the end of the day, I won," claims the Speaker.

Then the Speaker said with a twinkle in his eye: "All of a sudden, the party in the Bronx found [machines] with 1,500 votes and Herman was over me by 470 votes.

"I want a rematch."

The United States Tennis Association (USTA) is set to kickoff the fourth annual national USA Tennis Month with a family festival at the National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows on May 8.

The event will feature Jane Kaczmarek of TV’s "Malcolm in the Middle" and her husband Bradley Whitford of "The West Wing," ex-mayor and tennis fanatic David Dinkins, former pros Jim Courier and Pam Shriver, as well as 200 NY school kids. Rumors were flying this week that Rudy Giuliani ordered that any plane seen flying above the Arthur Ashe Stadium will be downed and the passengers held and interrogated by the mayor.

Just prior to the playoffs and his family crisis, QConf ran into the NY Knick's star center, Marcus Camby and discovered not every Knick is Anti-Semitic.

Being a Knick has its many perks including a lavish lifestyle while on the road. While in Philly, the Knicks stay at the deluxe Four Seasons. Our QConfer was in in Philly for a Passover Seder with his in-laws at the world-class hotel.

The Knicks were scheduled to finish the regular season against the Sixers the next day and Camby was hanging out before practice in the luxurious hotel lobby. Once joined by his teammates, they made their way to the exit. Camby had a nagging injury, and his limp was noticeable.

QConf asked about how he was feeling. Camby sighed and answered, "Not so good."

Our Confer offerred,"Marcus, if you give it a go and the wheels aren’t working right (referring to the Knick team practice), you’re welcome to return to the hotel and join us for our Seder."

Camby replied, "Oh, I know about that. Sorry, I can’t make it. But thank you for asking. Have a good time."

According to Men’s Health magazine's recent review of drinking habits, the average age when males begin to drink regularly is 17, while 30-year-olds do the heaviest boozing. The average man with a college degree is 24 percent more likely to drink than a high school dropout.

And, what is the average Joe’s favorite cocktail?

The answer: a martini.

And so, a fearless QConfer went out to a few watering holes in Queens to see if the average male Queensite’s fit the Men’s Health taste profile.

At Buds, a bar on 37th Avenue in Jackson Heights, John – a cheery, young bartender who’s been at the cozy pub for three years – quipped, "I could count on my hands how many martinis I’ve made here."

When it came to a favorite drinks he said, "It’s a beer," listing Budweiser, Coors Light, and Amstel as the most popular. As far as mixed drinks: it's vodka-based drinks like the screwdriver.

After studying a few beers at Buds, Conf made it to Big Boys, a sports bar also in Jackson Heights. Gene McDonnell, the hospitable owner and manager, was shocked to hear that a martini was the favorite cocktail. When it came to mixing drinks, martini was at the bottom of his list. He uses vodka a lot because it mixes well with soda, juice and tonic.

"You know why the martini is a popular drink in Manhattan?" asked McDonnell. "Because gin is easy to hide on your breath."

McDonnell said that by far he sells beer the most. He said that Bud, the king of beer, outsells every other beer by a long shot. The Latin influx in the neighborhood made imported beers more popular and Corona is taking off.

The picture was quite different by the time Conf made it over to Bartinis in the basement of the notable Forest Hills Inn. It was pointless to ask what the favorite cocktail in that saloon was. The menu consists of 21 pages of nothing but martinis, ranging from the Air Gunner to the Z-Tini. That’s over 600 martini drinks. A few martinis were examined. By the by, the Air Gunner consist of vodka, lemon liqueur and a drop of Blue Caracoa Liqueur.

Cheers.