Columnist Dean Juipe: Marathon gets a shot in the arm

Dean Juipe

Wednesday, July 7, 2004 | 9:51 a.m.

Dean Juipe's column appears Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. His boxing notebook appears Thursday. Reach him at juipe@lasvegassun.com or (702) 259-4084.

Notes today, leading off with an exciting one courtesy of Al Boka and Devine Racing.

"I'm so overwhelmed," Boka said Tuesday, back in Las Vegas after a weekend at Daytona Beach, Fla., and the formal announcement that Devine Racing was not only taking over the Las Vegas Marathon but will spend up to $3 million in promoting the event the next three years.

"They own a bunch of races but they say they're committed to making Las Vegas the focal point of their (marathon) operation," Boka said. "In my opinion, it's a labor of love for (Chris) Devine. He's really serious about upgrading the marathon and I think this is major, major news for Las Vegas."

While in Daytona, Boka took in the NASCAR Pepsi 400 and posed with drivers Michael Waltrip and Kyle Petty, who will run in the Jan. 30, 2005, Las Vegas Marathon. The drivers and Devine Racing will use the Las Vegas Marathon in an attempt to raise $1 million for the Victory Junction Gang Camp, a home for chronically ill youngsters in Randleton, N.C. Devine Racing will donate $10 for every entrant in the Las Vegas Marathon and will attempt to raise the remainder of the $1 million via contributions from the public in support of Waltrip, Petty and several other drivers who may run in the marathon or its half-marathon companion.

"I don't know much about (auto) racing, but I'm going to learn," Boka said of hobnobbing with his new friends.

Seeing the Expos playing in San Juan before smallish crowds -- as has been the case this week, with Montreal "hosting" the Atlanta Braves -- is a reminder that Major League Baseball's first choice for relocating the team wasn't Washington, D.C., or Northern Virginia or Las Vegas. It was San Juan, but only if some investor there could fund the $500 million move. ... Trivial pursuit: Gary Carter, Rusty Staub, Tim Raines and Andre Dawson are the four ex-Expos who have had their jerseys retired in Montreal. ... Someone was kidding, right, when it was recently reported that the area around the projected site for a baseball stadium in Las Vegas had sufficient infrastructure in place to handle such necessities as 25,000 parking spaces? Behind Bally's and Paris Las Vegas? Reality check: No way.

Each of the beautiful golf courses at Lake Las Vegas -- Reflection Bay and the Falls -- has a dog whose sole function is to chase away pesky birds. Well, chase away birds and follow the refreshment-cart girl in pursuit of an occasional treat, to be more precise. ... The Southern Nevada Junior Golf Association does a nice job of raising money via hole in one contests at assorted local courses. No way you can pass by the volunteer and not put $10 to a worthy cause, especially with the SNJGA in position to offer specials such as drink coupons and overnight stays at places such as the Oasis in Mesquite for those who at least keep their tee shots on the green. ... The Las Vegas 51s are so far under the radar that USA Today recently did a lengthy story on catchy minor-league nicknames without once referencing the team's odd moniker.

Telltale sign that the Atlanta Braves aren't what they once were: the team has one All-Star Game representative this year -- catcher Johnny Estrada -- after having seven just a year ago. ... That new ballpark in downtown San Diego looks nice but it's costing the Padres more than a few home runs. They're last in the major leagues with a mere 57 -- thanks in part to outfielder Terrance Long having only 1. ... The American Basketball Association, which had a team in Las Vegas last season that failed to complete its schedule, keeps announcing the addition of expansion franchises, but does anyone believe it's anything more than a marketing ploy? The ABA is now up to 28 teams if the league's point man, Joe Newman, is to be believed. I, for one, don't picture the league having even half that many teams (with or without the Rattlers) if it makes it to its 2005 sea son.

Puzzling fact: Not since 1936 has any Major League Baseball player had as many as 60 doubles in a single season. Joe Medwick had 64 in '36 and Charlie Gehringer had 60 that same year, but no one has reached that plateau since. ... Was Shaquille O'Neal being evasive or cute last week when he said "everyone knows" which team will acquire him from the Los Angeles Lakers? Dallas may have the inside track but it's hardly the sure thing O'Neal implies -- if that's what he was implying. ... A caller says the old Desert Inn once had a slot machine that paid off in golf balls and he wondered about the whereabouts of the 1950s relic. The slot museum in Laughlin, perhaps? Any suggestions? ... Edwin Jackson, the Dodgers' heralded pitching prospect who has spent most of the season in Las Vegas, looked a little fragile in taking himself out of last Saturday's game betwe en LA and Anaheim after only 1 2/3 innings. With an MRI showing no damage, a word of advice: Better toughen up, kid.

Carl Yastrzemski had baseball's last Triple Crown in 1967 but Anaheim's Vladimir Guerrero may make a run at it this year. He's among the top five in batting, RBIs and home runs in the American League. ... Rafael Palmeiro may be 11th in career home runs (and closing in on 3,000 career hits) yet it's tough to visualize him in the Hall of Fame even though every other player with at least 500 homers is enshrined. Palmeiro, now with Baltimore, is too much of a journeyman by my standards, as is Fred McGriff, who's trying to get back to the majors to add to his 493 career home runs. ... Finally, a note of condolences to the family of former major leaguer Lou Berberet, who died recently in Las Vegas. He was a nice man who spent part of his retirement evaluating officials for UNLV, the Pacific Coast Athletic Association and the Big West Conference, and he always ha d a friendly greeting and a few polite words to say.