WNBA to open with notable ABL influence.

Gary Cavalli surveyed the Sacramento Monarchs' home schedule and speculated about which of the WNBA team's home games he might want to attend.

The co-founder of the American Basketball League, the WNBA's Palo Alto-based rival until declaring bankruptcy last Christmas, will miss the Monarchs' season opener at Los Angeles Thursday night and their home opener against Phoenix on Saturday.

But Cavalli spied June 22 and July 27, when the expansion Minnesota Lynx visit Sacramento.

``I think I might go and heckle Brian Agler,'' Cavalli said, chuckling. Agler is the former coach of the two-time ABL champion Columbus Quest. He bolted for the WNBA early during the ABL's third and final season, heralding his old league's collapse.

The WNBA begins its third season tonight rich with the spoils of Cavalli's toil. Of the 132 players on its active rosters, 36 were in the ABL last season. With this 32-game season featuring 12 teams who own the monopoly on talent, the NBA-financed league should begin to answer questions about the viability of women's pro basketball after 14 previous attempts in this country …