Columnist Ron Kantowski: Money, sleaze drive today’s tournaments

Thursday, July 15, 1999 | 10:31 a.m.

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

Back when I was a kid, there was a middle-aged guy who coached Little League baseball and C.Y.O. league basketball named Bernie Biel. Bernie was a bachelor who used to take a lot of his players for Cokes and ice cream.

I suppose he was the closest thing we had to a street agent. Only outside of a thank-you and our company, he never got anything from us kids in return.

At first glance, Bernie would have loved to be one of the 256 coaches in town this weekend for the Big Time summer basketball tournament. Until he discovered that a lot of them, maybe even the majority, are more interested in their players' money-making potential than teaching them the value of setting a solid screen or, more importantly, of being a solid citizen.

It's the sleaze factor that keeps this former gym rat, one who might stay up late to catch the quarterfinals of the Big Sky tournament on The Deuce, from embracing events such as the Big Time.

Oh sure, they'll give the winner a trophy following Monday night's championship game. But it'll mean about as much as Clem Haskins' winning percentage. If you don't believe it, look at the bleachers. They'll be as vacant as Guy Lewis' playbook.

By then, all that will remain of this basketball meat market will be a few sticks of beef jerky. With only 10 kids still running around in their short pants and high-tops, all the guys with the shoe logos above their breast pockets will have returned to Big State or Ol' Tex, armed with an inch-thick file on every kid who made a layup with his left hand.

That's just the way it is. But I, for one, liked it the way it used to be. When basketball during the summer was played on asphalt. When the teams were known as shirts and skins. When the only person you were trying to impress with a crossover dribble and a no-look pass was your girlfriend.

When the only thing a coach expected from his players was to block out and hustle back on defense.

* FENDER BENDER: In the time it takes to read this note, Bruton Smith will have made more money on used car trade-ins than I will make in my lifetime. That said, the Las Vegas Motor Speedway owner and his minions sure have some novel concepts/goofy ideas when it comes to auto racing.

Having recently gotten into the business of promoting open-wheel racing, Smith and Co. have suggested those cars are both too small and should have fenders. Now they're talking about building a four-lane drag strip (maybe even here), so when one of the cars drops some oil, additional lanes can be used and racing can continue as clean-up is effected.

For a guy who constantly preaches safety, Smith apparently hasn't considered what would happen to the guy putting down oil dry if the engine on a Top Fuel or Funny Car exploded, sending shrapnel flying in every direction.

While it's an interesting concept, I think we'd be better off with four lanes in the Spaghetti Bowl interchange than out at the new dragstrip.

* AROUND THE HORN: Kudos to Channel 8's Dave McCann for getting a rare 1-on-1 interview with Andre Agassi down at his boys & girls club during a Las Vegas respite this week. But lest it thought McCann was the only one interested in Agassi these days, shame on Agassi's staff for not making him available to the rest of the local media for a few minutes. ...

Following Agassi's lead, Michael Chang is trying to rediscover his game in a small $50,000 Challenger tournament in California this week. It's the first time Chang, the former Henderson resident who has slipped to No. 59 in the computer rankings, has played in a Challenger since he won a tournament at Spanish Trail as a 16-year-old in 1988. ...

The slug on the Associated Press story read "Dolphins-Felon", so my first inclination was that the wire service was overstating things a bit in regard to Miami signing bad-boy quarterback Jon Denton of UNLV to a free-agent contract. In reality, the story was about former Auburn wide receiver Robert Baker, whose exploits -- he was released on parole March 22 after serving a fraction of his 15-year sentence for drug trafficking -- makes Denton look like Opie Taylor. The Dolphins signed four players Monday, and Denton was the only one who wasn't convicted of anything -- unless underachieving is considered a crime. ...

* Bizarre press release of the week: Paul Dobson, a professional bullfighter (not the rodeo kind, but the kind that wears the shiny gear and turns snorting beasts into Big Macs), is offering transportation and lunch as part of a Tijuana bullfight package Aug. 1. The outing will originate from Dobson's bistro in downtown San Diego and will include margaritas, a three-course Mexican lunch and seats on the desired "shady side" at the Plaza Monumental in Playas de Tijuana. Call (619) 231-6771 for reservations. ...

Excerpt from a wire story on this week's Chicago to Mackinac Island yacht race: "Rock singer Bob Seger is also racing. Seger's boat was spotted in the distant second group behind the leader." Seger's boat wasn't mentioned by name, but I'd suggest "Like a Rock."