Columnist Steve Carp: Kids know how to keep perspective

Steve Carp

Tuesday, March 3, 1998 | 9:43 a.m.

OUR MEETING WAS a brief one, no more than maybe a minute or two. But the memory will last forever.

Suffice to say, it has been a frustrating year for the UNLV basketball team. It has been disappointing, dysfunctional, disillusioning ... whatever word you want to throw in that starts with 'D.' From the players and coaches, to the fans, to those of us who have had to chronicle this misadventure of a season, it has been an exercise in anguish.

But for one little boy, it has been a dream season.

Jose Venegas had never been to a college basketball game. The 7-year-old from Las Vegas had always wanted to see the Rebels play in person, and he finally got his chance the other night when he, his family and a few friends made it over to the Thomas & Mack Center, thanks to the Make-A-Wish Foundation and Melissa Meacham and Paula Pettit of UNLV's sports marketing division.

To Jose, it was the thrill of his brief lifetime. To sit on the bench during the game with the players, to go into the locker room, to get his white UNLV hat autographed by the team were moments he will treasure forever, along with the upcoming trip he and his family will take to Disney World in Florida later this month.

You could see the sparkle in his eyes as he remained in the building after the game, soaking it all in. To him, this wasn't a brief detour to what has been one of the saddest seasons in the history of the program. No, this was everything he had dreamed about -- seeing the pregame fireworks, meeting his heroes and watching his favorite team in person.

And watching him watch all this was a not-so-subtle reminder to all of us who tend to put more on these games than what they actually are. For some, UNLV basketball is a life-and-death experience. When the Rebels win, everyone's living it up, reveling in the thrill of victory. When they lose, everyone's dying in despair, demanding answers and taking people to task.

Well guess what? This isn't about living and dying. Superficially? Perhaps. Realistically? Not even close.

No, the real battles are being fought by the Jose Venegases of the world, who lie in hospital beds or under home care dealing with real pain, real anguish. Their lives are controlled by doctors and bottles of medicine and never-ending batteries of tests and needles. It's a fight to get through each day.

Those are the battles that should command our attention, our headlines, not why Tyrone Nesby's jump shot has deserted him or why Greedy Daniels has trouble making free throws or whether or not Bill Bayno can coach.

Sometimes, it takes someone who's not consumed with sports to give those of us who are consumed a little perspective. And with the WAC men's basketball tournament tippingoff today and knowing how much is going to be riding on the outcome, here's a little advice, courtesy of a 7-year-old kid who is braver and stronger than most of us:

Watch the games. Enjoy the competition. And have a little fun.