Columnist Ron Kantowski: Family ties getting looser

Thursday, May 9, 2002 | 10:46 a.m.

Ron Kantowski's insider notes column appears Tuesday and his Page One column appears Thursday. He can be reached at ron@lasvegassun.com or (702) 259-4088.

Maybe part of the reason family-type values seem to be diminishing in pro sports is because the family unit itself is diminishing.

Getting a divorce these days is as easy as ordering a hamburger and fries, although splitting up is hardly an option for athletes who make their living in individual sports such as golf and auto racing.

After all, it's impossible to dissolve a relationship unless one exists in the first place. In many sports, the schedule and its demands don't leave enough time for affairs of the heart to develop.

This week, NASCAR's Ricky Rudd said he was seriously thinking about retiring at an age (45) that is still considered prime for his sport. His biggest beef is that NASCAR has become too corporate, but he also is considering hanging up his helmet to spend more time with his family, especially his 7-year-old son, who was wearing his hospital bracelet the last time Rudd spent any meaningful time with him.

With NASCAR constantly adding to its already overwrought schedule in an effort to accommodate track owners and now, TV, it doesn't leave much time for mom and the kids.

Maybe that's why Dale Earnhardt Jr. seemed to handle the death of his famous racing father better than most. Until they started trading paint on the racetrack, they hardly saw each other.

Lori Kane, one of the top pros on the LPGA Tour, can relate. "I always thought of myself as a mother," said Kane, who is not, prior to a practice round last weekend.

"I'm 37, and I'm happy to be an aunt to four nieces, and I have young cousins who I think of like my own children. But I don't have anyone in my life to (have kids) with right now. I don't regret my decisions about my career, but a family may be one of the sacrifices I have given to be out here."

At least touring golf pros get to spend four days at the same place. And NASCAR, its broadening fan base notwithstanding, still holds the majority of its races in the Southeast, with most of its teams based in North Carolina. So at least Jeff Gordon has a place to call home -- or did, until he split with his wife recently.

But to a rodeo cowboy, home may be the back of a station wagon, or, if he's really good at ropin' and ridin' -- or better at poker than Ty Murray (rodeo's Michael Jordan) -- a Winnebago.

Rodeo cowboys put more miles on their odometers than Willie Nelson and C.W. McCall combined. They're gone so often than not even Motel 6 leaves the light on for them.

The advent of better-paying circuits such as the Wrangler ProRodeo Tour, which holds its final here June 13-15 at the MGM Grand, has helped champion cowboys such as bareback rider Lan LaJeunesse have at least a semblance of a normal family life.

As recently as two years ago, LaJeunesse traveled to 115-plus rodeos per year in an effort to support his wife of 11 years, Natalie, and their two kids. Last year, he qualified for the National Finals by riding in "only" 46 rodeos.

"I used to be gone the whole week -- now it's just Thursday, Friday and Saturday, and I'm usually back home by Sunday night," LaJeunesse said during a media tour of Las Vegas on Wednesday.

This was one trip Natalie was able to make as well, and she said it was nice to give the cell phone a rest. As they sat across the table, my first thought was that the LaJeunesses truly were enjoying their time together. Maybe absence does make the heart grow fonder.

But 11 years with the same woman?

My second thought was that pro rodeo and pro basketball couldn't be any more different.