Columnist Ron Kantowski: The truth was a slippery concept for Horton

Tuesday, Feb. 2, 1999 | 10:22 a.m.

Ron Kantowski's notes column appears Tuesday. Reach him at 259-4088 or ron@lasvegassun.com.

How appropriate that Sports Illustrated's Rick Reilly would devote a column to coaches and athletes who lie in print during the same week that former UNLV football coach Jeff Horton fibbed twice -- once to each local newspaper -- that he was not interested in an assistant coaching vacancy at Wisconsin.

He accepted the Badgers' quarterbacks job last Thursday.

Horton generally was perceived to be an honorable man and a nice guy to boot (not literally, mind you), and offered the local press almost total access to his players. But it wasn't the first time he stretched the truth.

For instance, his media guide biography used to state that he played in the Orange Bowl while a wide receiver at Arkansas (he never played a down at Arkansas, according to the Razorbacks sports information department). And prior to last season, he said that mercurial quarterback Jon Denton's decision to transfer to Eastern Kentucky was a mutual parting of the ways when in fact, it was Horton's decision to kick Denton off the squad.

Horton must have his reasons for lying. But if not, the Madison fire marshal had better assign a man to watch his coaching trousers for spontaneous combustion next fall.

* DRIVEN TO INTEGRITY: If you want to know why NASCAR (and auto racing in general) is so popular with its fans, consider this: When was the last time a Winston Cup driver propositioned an undercover police officer for sexual favors on the night before the Daytona 500? Or even the Goody's Headache Powder 500, for that matter?

And when was the last time there was a lockout in motor sports? Or a driver held out for more money? Or fathered an entire pit crew out of wedlock?

Back in the 1980s, Indy-car driver John Paul Jr., was implicated in his father's drug trafficking business, before the former ever hit the big time, and served a couple of years in prison. About the same time, Winston Cup veteran Tim Richmond began sleeping around with trophy girls and the like, wound up contracting the AIDS virus, and died.

Other than Dale Earnhardt getting "The Call" at last year's Daytona 500 (and it has never been proven that Winston Cup officials look the other way during tech inspection when a victory by a certain driver is considered in the sport's best interests), that's about as close as auto racing has come to a scandal.

The stick-and-ball sports would be wise to take notice before NASCAR passes them on the high side.

* GET ON THE BUS: Forget drug and AIDS tests, and any other boxing legislation that Richard Bryan and John McCain can get pushed through the Senate. What the fight game really needs is a mandatory driver's education course for its participants.

During just the past two weeks, former heavyweight champion Michael Moorer was arrested on a drunken driving charge and evading arrest upon driving his car into a ditch. And WBA middleweight champ William Joppy was hospitalized for a nasty cut on his forehead and whiplash when his car was broadsided by another vehicle.

This Friday, Mike Tyson's fighting future will be on the line as a result of a much-publicized Maryland fender bender, after which he defended the right-of-way of his wife, Monica (who was driving), by dinging a couple of old men (who were riding in the other car) with his fists.

And anybody who thinks NASCAR's Dick Trickle is a bad driver hasn't been behind the wheel with Leon Spinks. Or Roger Mayweather. I was once at a Hilton news conference when somebody came running in, to announce that Mayweather had wrapped his car around a pole ... in the parking lot.

Mayweather lived to tell that he was not speeding. The same, sadly, cannot be said for great champions such as Salvador Sanchez of Mexico and Carlos Monzon of Argentina, who were killed in automobile wrecks.

* AROUND THE HORN: How tough can Jimmy Thunder be? He pulled out of last Saturday night's HBO-televised bout against Andrew Golota after being injured on a treadmill, of all things. ... Fight we'd love to see: Golota vs. Mike Tyson. There would be more fouls than at a Big Ten basketball game -- or Rod Carew spoiling 3-2 fastballs on the outside corner. ... That considered, Las Vegas resident Joe Cortez did an admirable job of keeping control of the Golota-Jesse Ferguson bout over the weekend. ... Not only has Long Beach (Calif.) Poly High turned out some pretty good football players, as chronicled in last week's Sun's Super 11 recruiting poll, but the Jackrabbits also produced a pretty fair cheerleader a few years ago -- actress Cameron Diaz is a Poly girl. ... Pontiff-icating: Roger Fairless had a heck of a career as a local high school baseball coach but is he bigger than Pope John Paul II? The morning newspaper played Fairless' resignation above the Pope's U.S. visit on its front page last week. ... Las V

egan and two-time World Cup striker Eric Wynalda probably won't be returning to the San Jose Clash of Major League Soccer. Wynalda is on loan to Leon of the Mexican First Division. ...

Ottawa Senators' ace Alexei Yashin, who played with the Las Vegas Thunder during a contract dispute a couple of seasons ago, is a front-runner for the Hart Trophy, presented annually to the NHL's Most Valuable Player. ... Michael Thompson-Noel of the Financial Times proposes an interesting solution to the Olympic bidding scandals. Hand the Games back to Greece on a permanent basis. ... If the college basketball season ended today, UNLV would be a No. 11 seed in the South Region of the NCAA Tournament, according Jerry Palm, whose Ratings Percentage Index is the major criteria used to determine at-large bids. The Rebels would meet Temple at Indianapolis, according to Palm's best guess. Last year, Palm picked 32 of the 34 at-large teams. ... Worst line of the year: Duke minus 16 vs. North Carolina last week. ... Second worst line of the year: Glenn Hoddle, co ach of England's national soccer team, suggesting that people born with handicaps are being punished for sins of a former life. ... Best line of the week:

England's sports minister Tony Banks, upon learning of Hoddle's remarks: "If (Glenn Hoddle's) theory is correct, he is in for real problems in the next life. He will probably be doomed to come back as Glenn Hoddle."