Columnist Ron Kantowski: One more and out for Rebels’ Robinson

Thursday, Nov. 20, 2003 | 9:54 a.m.

Ron Kantowski is a Las Vegas Sun sports writer. Reach him at ron@lasvegassun.com or (702) 259-4088.

How's this for a compromise for all those who think UNLV football coach John Robinson should be allowed to serve out the remaining two years on his contract (me and Mrs. Robinson) and those who want to see him go (everybody in my e-mail address book as of last week's pro-Robinson column):

Have him coach one more season and then ride off into Sunset Station.

That way, Robinson gets to see the nucleus of his first full recruiting class through to graduation day while taking a few bows on a farewell tour that a man of his stature deserves.

UNLV also would benefit, in that it would save about a half-million dollars were Robinson to forsake the final year of his contract, while giving athletic director Mike Hamrick more time to get entrenched before having to make the crucial decision of hiring the next Rebels coach. Plus, the university won't have to dispose off all those J.R. bobblehead dolls it plans to hand out at a future Rebels basketball game.

To me, this makes perfect sense. Which is probably all the more reason it won't happen.

Ducks and cover

Former UNLV athletic director Charlie Cavagnaro made a fundamental mistake when it was determined that UNLV and Oregon should play a home-and-home football series in 2005 and 2006.

He didn't get it in writing.

It's not very often that a BCS team agrees to play home-and-home with a BCS outsider, but in that the Rebels and Ducks never followed up on the paperwork, it allowed Oregon a way out of the supposed agreement.

"There never was a signed contract," UNLV athletic director Mike Hamrick said.

But at least this time there is a consolation prize. With Oregon opting to bail out, Hamrick should be able to get Hawaii back on the schedule for at least those two seasons.

Plus, Rebels' fans will have their retinas spared, as they won't be subjected to the gamma rays produced by the Ducks' flaming yellow uniforms.

They like Mike

In that he has been on the job for only about 90 days and the tops of his loafers are just now getting wet, Mike Hamrick hasn't had enough time to effect much change within the athletic department.

But he continues to be surprised and delighted by the degree of cooperation from his coaches and other athletic department personnel, which he termed the most pleasant development of his first three months in office.

"The willingness that our coaches and staff have had to have someone come in and lead the way ... From the equipment manager all the way up to the associate athletic director, the cooperation within the department has been fantastic," Hamrick said.

The feeling is mutual. The equipment manager to which Hamrick referred, Paul Pucciarelli, recently shared a Hamrick anecdote that goes a long way toward explaining why UNLV coaches continue to speak so highly of him.

Pucciarelli was unloading the Rebels equipment bags from under the team bus in freezing rain at Wisconsin when he heard a voice offering a hand. It was Hamrick, and the two unloaded the bags in about half the usual time, sparing Pucciarelli from a backache and a dreadful case of the sniffles.

What a refreshing change from Hamrick's predecessor.

The only way Charlie Cavagnaro would have gotten under the bus is if his coaches threw him there.

Counts for something

Nevada-Reno took a different approach to its exhibition men's basketball schedule this year. Rather than entertain Marathon Oil Change or Bill and Ted's Not So Excellent All-Stars or some other collection of fading basketball vagabonds who weren't very good even in their primes, the Wolf Pack extended invitations to Albertson College, an NAIA school, and Humboldt State, a Division II powerhouse.

That way, at least you know that one of the teams on the court is excited to be there -- as a good UNR team discovered.

It was Bah, Humboldt for the Pack, which dropped a 73-71 decision to the fired-up Lumberjacks from Arcata, Calif.

Around the horn ...

Some accuse KVBC Channel 3 sports director Mitch Roberts of getting a little too involved in the stories he reports, and now I know why. During Monday's Cheyenne-Centennial High football playoff game, Roberts was on the sideline yelling "Ball! Ball! Ball!" when Centennial tried to pass against the Desert Shields' defense. Hey, Mitch, that no cheering-in-the-press-box edict also holds true for the sideline. ... This may come as news to District Court Judge Jackie Glass, but despite all those college scouts who were on hand to watch Cheyenne running back David Peeples after she granted him due process to play (estimated at 0), there still was plenty of room in the press box for anybody who wanted to get out of the cold. But Peeples is a nice player who, judging from his performance against Centennial, might be a nice addition to a WAC-ty pe program. ... One of those sipping hot chocolate in the Centennial press box was Scott Tiefer, a local Mountain We! st Conference football official who still was trying to thaw out from his Saturday assignment, the BYU-Notre Dame game in South Bend. Tiefer said it was a big thrill to tread such hallowed turf, and no, he didn't flag this year's awful Fighting Irish and Cougars teams for trespassing on it. ... Playing in the Pac-10 is all it has been quacked up to be for a couple of former Las Vegas prep stars. Tim Day, a former Western High standout, is a 6-foot-4, 270-pound tight end at Oregon, and has caught touchdown passes in each of his past two games, victories against Cal and UCLA. Mitch Platt, a 6-10 freshman who prepped at Green Valley, is the starting center for the Ducks' basketball team, which opens its season Friday against Fresno State. Both may be on the verge of an expense-paid Las Vegas homecoming, as the Oregon basketball team will play Al abama at the Thomas & Mack Center as part of the Las Vegas Showdown on Dec. 20 while the Oregon football team is one of the! Pac-10 possibilities for the Las Vegas Bowl. ... And finally, can we take some of that water used to make the Strip casinos all nice and green on the outside and donate it to the local high schools, so playoff games don't have to decided on Astrodirt fields?