Columnist Ron Kantowski: Caesars has two heavyweights — for now

Tuesday, Jan. 18, 2000 | 11 a.m.

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

It wasn't exactly as big as American Online downloading Time Warner, but the imminent merger of the race and sports book operations at Caesars Palace (and Caesars Tahoe) with those of the seven Park Place Entertainment parlors in Nevada will have some residual effects, not the least of which involves the figureheads of each group.

In terms of industry heavyweights, Art Manteris (who was named vice president of race and sports at Park Place after Park Place was spun off from Hilton Hotels Corp.) and Vinny Magliulo (assistant VP of race, sports and keno at Caesars) are Ali and Frazier. If they were racehorses, they'd be Man O' War and Secretariat.

So when word got out last week that Park Place and Caesars would be combining sports book operations, many wondered if there would be room in the stable for both Manteris and Magliulo.

The answer is yes -- and no.

The (bigger) company line is that Magliulo will remain in charge of the Caesars sports book but that Manteris will be the man in charge of setting the lines.

Temporarily, that may be the case. But a source close to Magliulo said his days in sports most likely are numbered.

Magliulo, said the source, ultimately will shift his focus to "other areas in casino marketing."

In other words, Manteris covers while Magliulo must hedge his bet.

It could be worse. Magliulo, according to the source, is the only Caesars sports book executive who kept his job, or at least a job within the new sports book juggernaut.

Making the transition even more difficult is that Manteris and Magliulo are pretty good buds. You'll have to take my word for it, because a gag order has been placed on both men.

Neither returned phone calls last week which only confirmed that something was up. Manteris and Magliulo normally are easier to reach than the left-field bleachers at Wrigley Field.

Unless you know the particulars, about the only effect the merger will have on local bettors is that there will be one less betting line to choose from. All of the properties under the Park Place umbrella -- the Las Vegas Hilton, the Flamingo Hilton, Bally's, Paris, the Reno Hilton, the Flamingo Hilton Laughlin, Caesars and Caesars Tahoe -- will be using the same numbers -- the ones Manteris sets.

Magliulo, 42, is a sharp and personable guy who probably will do just fine on the marketing end of the resort business. In the past year, his reputation even had grown to the point where David Letterman began soliciting his assistance in "Late Show" bits.

In retrospect, it wasn't a very good week for Letterman, either.

* NASCAR PREVIEW: Local fans who can't afford/find tickets for the upcoming NASCAR Winston Cup weekend can get a sneak preview for about the price of a Budweiser at the track out at Las Vegas Motor Speedway at the end of the month.

According to LVMS officials, a minimum of 36 Cup and Busch Series teams and/or drivers have indicated they will turn out for an open test on Jan. 31, Feb. 1 and Feb. 2.

With so many teams circulating the 1.5-mile oval, it'll be hard to protect setups from the next guy. So LVMS and NASCAR have agreed to open the sessions to the public at a minimal cost of $5 per day (and all money will be turned over to Speedway Children's Charities).

* CREATIVE USE OF NAPKINS: Given last week's report of a new pro football league (featuring the possibility of Mick Jagger singing at halftime and strippers roaming the sidelines in cheerleader garb) coming to Las Vegas, apparently all you need to get a new league started are some doodlings on a cocktail napkin, an Internet website and a vivid imagination.

A reality check evidently isn't part of the Commissioner's Starter Kit.

* AROUND THE HORN: Get out the air brush; Mike Morgan is changing teams again. The Las Vegas native will have an opportunity to play for his 12th team in 20 major league seasons after signing a minor league contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks over the weekend. ... Anybody who thought last fall's CONCACAF soccer tournament at Sam Boyd Stadium was a second-rate representation of top-flight international futbol had better rethink his position. Necaxa of Mexico, which won the event here featuring some of the top club teams from North America, recently played mighty Manchester United of the English Premier League to a 1-1 draw during the World Club Championship. ... For a guy many had projected as the next Shawn Marion, Lou Kelly sure is off to a modest start as a UNLV Rebel.