Tuesday, June 29, 2004 | 8:45 a.m.
Ron Kantowski is a Las Vegas Sun sports writer. Reach him at [email protected] or (702) 259-4088.
One of the stars of the pseudo women's gymnastics Olympic Trials at the Arrowhead Pond this weekend is the offspring of a mother from Russia and a father from India who was thought to be about eight years past her gym prime.
The other standout from these trials is mostly famous for running down the beach in a skimpy red bathing suit.
Maybe the media didn't care much for the glorified exhibition that served as the Olympic Trials, but you get that feeling that Don King would have approved of Mohini Bhardwaj and Pamela Anderson becoming two of the biggest stories in Anaheim, Calif.
Only in America.
At 25, Bhardwaj, a former NCAA champion at UCLA, is still chasing the Olympic dream at an age when most of her contemporaries have gone on to coaching careers and/or raising families. Single and financially strapped for cash, she was selling raffle tickets in an effort to raise money for training when Anderson discovered her.
The photogenic actress wrote Bhardwaj a check for $20,000 to cover her expenses on the Road to Athens. Then she followed up by attending the trials, where she cheered Bhardwaj's every move just as the crowd did.
"Thank you," Bhardwaj mouthed to Anderson during Friday's prelims, turning to the box where the actress was seated.
Anderson was back for Sunday's finals and she nearly upstaged the gymnasts during their post-event interview sessions. Wanting to wish Bhardwaj well before leaving the Pond, Anderson made her way to the press room where the media descended on her as if she had just grafted Kerri Strug's head onto Nadia Comeneci's body.
"This is what I was afraid of," a security guard mumbled to nobody in particular as the media clamored for a word with the former "Baywatch" star.
But give Anderson credit. Not wanting to steal the gymnasts' thunder, she made her way to an adjacent loading dock, where at least she was out of view of the Olympic hopefuls, before conducting an impromptu interview.
"This is fantastic," said Anderson, who held up "Go Mo" signs along with many in the crowd throughout the weekend. "This sport usually ends for women at such at early age. But she's 25, and she's still doing great."
Curiously, just down the hall from where Anderson was mesmerizing the press with her take on tumbling runs and starting values, another familiar face was holding court with a much smaller audience that consisted of herself and three members of the Pond security force.
It was none other than former Laker girl Paula Abdul, who appeared to be lining up an escort out of the building, just in case Simon Cowell showed up in a leotard.
Jennie's side
Later this summer, former UNLV standout and longtime Las Vegan Lori Harrigan will have an opportunity to win her third softball gold medal pitching for Team USA at the Summer Games in Athens.
When she retires after the games, Harrigan probably will be remembered as one of Team USA's greatest pitchers ever.
Or, as she was teased over coffee last week during a respite from Team USA's grueling summer tour, maybe she'll just be remembered as Jennie Finch's teammate.
Finch, who has been named one of the 50 Most Beautiful People by People magazine and the "hottest female athlete" at the 2003 ESPY Awards, is probably better known for her good looks than her rise ball. But Harrigan, for one, doesn't begrudge Finch any of the fame she has received outside the lines.
"Jennie's very young but at the same time I have a lot of respect for her," said the left-handed veteran known as "Vegas" by her USA teammates. "With all the success and all the publicity she's gotten, she's probably been one of the most humble players I've ever played around.
"She tries to draw the attention as much as she can away from herself and put it back on the team. She's really good in that respect. We've got to talk Jennie into admitting that she has brought a lot of attention to our sport."
But Harrigan admitted that sometimes it's difficult to break out of Finch's shadow, even here at home.
She said she went to her local 24 Hour Fitness -- one of Team USA's sponsors -- to work out while she was home and was greeted by a lifesize cutout of Finch.
"One of my friends was (teasing me) that she's come into my town and even stole what little (fame) I had," Harrigan said laughing.
Around the horn
He was sent back to Triple-A Fresno earlier this month, but at least former Clark High standout Brian Dallimore got a cup of big league coffee with the San Francisco Giants. Actually, it was more like one of those refeshing double lattes with whipped cream and sprinkles they serve at Starbucks. Dallimore, the 30-year-old son of former UNLV baseball coach Fred Dallimore, appeared in 12 games for the Giants, collecting nine hits in 36 bats, including a grand slam in just his second game upon being recalled in late May. ... You can add "Chuck Reed returning a kickoff for a touchdown" to the list of things I thought I'd never write in a million years. But that's exactly what happened in Sunday's ArenaBowl, as the former UNLV 300-pound behemoth returned an onside kick for a touchdown in the final 30 seconds to seal the San Jose SaberCats' 6 9-62 win against former Rebels roommate Hunkie Cooper and the Arizona Rattlers. ... Channel 8 was one of the isolated media outlets that showed the replay of drag racer Darrell Russell's fatal accident Sunday. If you're wondering when will be the next time local news shows a drag racing replay after the circuit leaves Las Vegas, the answer is simple: The next time somebody gets killed. ... And finally this, from Monday's wire service: "A bench-clearing brawl at a South Lake Tahoe league softball game involving a police team is under police investigation." Now that's what I call a home field advantage.
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