Columnist Ron Kantowski: Sadly, old pals never made that last call

Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2000 | 1:22 a.m.

Ron Kantowski's notes column appears Tuesday. His page one sports column runs Thursday. Reach him at ron@lasvegassun.com or 259-4088.

It would be too strong a characterization to say that Mitch Halpern and I were close friends.

Let's just say that back in the days before he was a big-shot boxing referee, I knew him well enough that sometimes the two of us would stay out until the sun came up. Back then, we were just a couple of semi-wild and occasionally crazy guys who weren't very good at picking up women or for that matter, drinking beer. But there were a lot of Friday nights when that didn't stop us from trying.

It wasn't long before Mitch finally started getting some sage advice -- from Richard Steele, who took him under his wing and taught him every thing Steele knew about being a boxing referee. Which was a lot. I think Mitch actually got cauliflower ear -- from listening to Steele too intently.

Mitch went to become one of the world's most respected refs while I went on to finally get this marriage thing figured out. In other words, it wasn't long before we stopped lying about our batting averages (he at Cal State Fullerton, me at ... well, not Cal State Fullerton) and went our separate ways.

The last time I saw Mitch Halpern where a satellite feed wasn't involved was about 18 months ago. I bumped into him in the parking lot at the Petco in Green Valley, where I showed off my new Yorkshire Terrier and he showed off his relatively new daughter, Maris.

I kidded him that at least she didn't have a lame mustache like her old man.

Mitch made a cryptic comment about the boxing business being more tawdry than even I could imagine. Then, as old drinking pals are wont to do, we threatened to call each other or go out for a cold one. Of course, it was only an idle threat.

And of course, now that he's gone, having taken his own life at age 33, I wish one of us would have followed through.

Of course, they'll be a footnote in golf's rich past for entirely different reasons.

Van de Velde will be remembered as the sad sack Frenchman who had the British Open handed to him on a platter before tossing it into the burn (several times) on No. 18 at Carnoustie during the 1999 British Open.

May, conversely, will be recalled as the valiant Yank who came out of nowhere -- actually, Las Vegas' Summerlin sector by way of Southern California and some of golf's more obscure outposts (the Nike, Asian and European tours) -- to give Tiger Woods the fight of his life on one of golf's most visible stages, the PGA Championship at Valhalla.

You needn't have an old 9-iron laying around or a pair of soft spikes in your closet to admire the riveting show Woods and May put on Sunday. All that was required was an appreciation for drama in one of its most compelling forms.

* AROUND THE HORN: Curiously, there weren't a lot of Bob May fans (or for that matter, any Tiger Woods supporters) gathered around the TV sets in the pro shop and lounges at the TPC at Summerlin -- May's "home" course -- Sunday afternoon as the golfers made the turn in Kentucky. However, the folks at the Regent Las Vegas sports book (as well as the rest of America, based on the overnight TV ratings) apparently were watching. They've added May to their Masters' futures list and make him a 60-to-1 choice to win at Augusta next April. Woods tops the board at 3-2. ... Once again, one might want to question Glenn Carano's qualifications as a boxing commissioner after he purported not to be familiar with boxing's "step-aside" agreements (a common practice between matchmakers and managers that usually results in both making money when a top-ranked contender steps aside, leading to a more lucrative fight featuring his replacement) during last week's Nevada State Athletic Commission hearing in which Bob Arum received sanctions. ... Las Vegan Alex Shelton will host "This Week in the Mountain West," a new weekly national radio show that will begin airing in late August and run through the NCAA men's basketball tournament in March.