Columnist Dean Juipe: New coach impresses in debut

Dean Juipe

Wednesday, July 11, 2001 | 9:37 a.m.

Dean Juipe's column appears Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. His boxing notebook appears Thursday. Reach him at juipe@lasvegassun.com or 259-4084.

Few retain their boyish good looks in the face of pressure, stress and everyday wear and tear.

So we'll see how Jim Schlossnagle, currently a youngish 30, holds up after time and UNLV take their toll on him.

Formally introduced Tuesday as the Rebels' new baseball coach, Schlossnagle's initial public outing at the university was pleasant and accommodating. Everyone there was hospitable and wishing him well.

Yet there were snippets of dissent, not directed his way, but reflecting the general turmoil that's ongoing within the school's athletic department.

Very much absent and unaccounted for was outgoing athletic director Charlie Cavagnaro, who, it's speculated, may never attend another UNLV function in the aftermath of a forced resignation that could be trimmed further than his own June 30, 2002, deadline. If, as we've been told, a committee is already being formed to find his successor, rumors of Cavagnaro accepting an early buyout are apt to eventually be proven true.

In his place (and that of the vacationing UNLV president, Carol Harter) and introducing Schlossnagle was associate A.D. Lisa Kelleher, herself under the gun in some quarters.

The curious and the connected made up an audience that, obviously, didn't include Schlossnagle's predecessor, the beleaguered Rod Soesbe. But how could he be there, what with driving a beer truck for the local Coors distributorship serving as his new occupation?

If Soesbe had been free to stop in, he'd have asked Schlossnagle how he intends to raise the "soft" money it takes to supplement a program that in recent years has received only token and bare-bones support from the university. So I did the honors.

"Well, I guarantee you we had to raise a lot more money at Tulane than I'll have to here," Schlossnagle said, referring to the private school that served as his previous employer.

He didn't seem overly concerned, although raising the cash exasperated Soesbe.

"No one held a gun to my head and said I had to take this job," Schlossnagle added, and convincingly at that.

Perhaps he's coming in at a better time than it appears on the surface. Telltale: He's not only getting $65,000 per year in his contract with the school, but sources say it has "guaranteed" an additional $25,000 or so in annual "appearance fees" that will raise him to a level Soesbe never saw.

That's a sign the school has tired of fielding a losing baseball team, Soesbe having had only one winning season in five.

The change in command bodes well for the players Soesbe left behind and those Schlossnagle, a recruiting and pitching specialist, will import on his own. It may also be a boon for local players who felt neglected by the previous regime, or for the type of player who in the last couple of years wound up at the Community College of Southern Nevada only to later relocate out of state while completing his college eligibility.

All in all, Schlossnagle comes across as a positive addition but he'll be tested by these and other periphery issues.

Those who want to see him do well, which seemingly includes the entire community, can only hope he ages gracefully.