Michael Klein of the PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER remembers a little wager made by Jon Bon Jovi a few months ago - if his Philadelphia Soul wins the Arena Football League championship, he’ll put on a free concert.

Well, the Soul are one victory away from living up to their end of the bargain. All they need to do is defeat the defending-champ San Jose Sabercats down in New Orleans on July 27.

So, if the Soul wins ArenaBowl XXII, will Philly fans see a free show?

His rep, Ken Sunshine, said yesterday that he couldn’t reach the rocker - he’s in Greece on holiday - “but you know how passionate he is about the Soul.”

Should we take that as a “no”? Well, Jon appears to be more proud of his Arena League team than we thought:

Bon Jovi brought the Soul on stage at the band’s show Tuesday at Madison Square Garden and displayed the National Conference trophy.

Not bad for a so-called niche sport. And we’re sure Bon Jovi’s little stunt angered all the New York Dragons fans in the audience.

A free Philly concert by Bon Jovi doesn’t sound so far-fetched. Heck, he just did one last weekend in Central Park. But whatever venue decides to host the show better have some extra sod handy.