Tuesday, Sept. 14, 2004 | 10:24 a.m.
Ron Kantowski is a Las Vegas Sun sports writer. Reach him at [email protected] or (702) 259-4088.
Every time the Mountain West's new TV deal comes up, I keep thinking about what George Gobel told Johnny Carson on the Tonight Show many moons ago:
"Do you ever get the feeling that the world is a tuxedo and you're a pair of brown shoes?"
Just a week after the MWC announced it was severing ties with broadcast partner ESPN for a more lucrative deal with fledgling College Sports TV beginning in 2006, ESPN unveiled plans for its own college network, ESPNU, to debut in 2005.
The timing of the announcement seemed curious and the influx of money notwithstanding, it appeared the MWC had elected to go with Beta instead of VHS. If it's exposure you seek, nobody delivers like ESPN (although sometimes you have to stay up real late to get your share).
But at least give CSTV credit for trying to make things right with the MWC. On Monday, the network (which isn't yet available on Cox Cable in Las Vegas) announced it will also be launching Mountain West TV, the first regional sports network dedicated solely to an intercollegiate conference.
Beginning in 2006, Mountain West TV will carry about 40 football games and 120 men's and women's basketball games (as well as other sports) in the conference markets, which seems like a good deal. Others say in that it's only regional TV, it will just be more preaching to the choir.
But in Las Vegas, what it most likely will mean is that about the time the Colorado State and Wyoming women's basketball teams are tipping off on MWTV, the average fan will be switching channels to watch the Ohio State-Michigan replay on the "U."
It's good to see the Rebels signing all these hotshot basketball recruits seemingly out of the blue. But those of us who have been around for a while still get a little nervous when certain phrases pop into recruiting stories, because we know the NCAA's record for returning phone calls.
In the case of Jerry-Davon Jefferson, a highly touted 6-foot-7 forward from Lynwood, Calif., who sort of committed to UNLV over the weekend, it's "has yet to meet minimum NCAA freshman eligibility guidelines" that raises the tattered flag.
Not to be an alarmist, but if memory serves, Lamar Odom also failed to meet his minimum NCAA freshman eligibility guidelines. And the Rebels are still paying for it.
But as I said, it's probably nothing.
Jefferson also told the Sun that Rebels assistant Marvin Menzies has been recruiting him since his sophomore season, long before he joined Lon Kruger's staff at UNLV.
That's probably nothing, too. But it's still a long time to cross every "T" and dot every "I" as mandated by the NCAA gestapo -- er, Infractions Committee.
With UNLV still on double secret basketball probation due to the recruitment of Odom under Bill Bayno's watch, it's imperative the current staff stay out of Dean Wormer's office. UNLV simply can't afford another Bluto Blutarski.
But it's not exactly as if the Rebels are clearing out rafter space in the Thomas & Mack Center for Jefferson's jersey.
For starters, his commitment to UNLV is a "non-binding verbal commitment," which is like something you tell your wife so she'll quit bugging you during Monday Night Football. Secondly, he supposedly also is being recruited by Washington, Arizona, Kansas and Connecticut.
That's one team the Rebels can beat and three they can't, at least not yet.
If Jefferson is as good as projected, I would expect the assistants at those schools to remind him of that between now and the early signing period in November.
Although he had his detractors, Mike Hamrick must have done a good job as East Carolina's athletic director, given how long it took the school to find his replacement.
More than a year since Hamrick took over as UNLV's athletic director, ECU finally appointed former Virginia basketball coach Terry Holland to replace him last week.
Holland will probably do a good job, provided he can bring Ralph Sampson with him as an associate AD.
Larry Croom, the UNLV running back who turned scoring touchdowns from inside the 5-yard line at postseason all-star games into an art form, has made the Arizona Cardinals roster as a free agent.
Other former Rebels active or semi-active in the NFL include offensive lineman Dominic Furio (Eagles injured reserve), safety Sam Brandon (Broncos), cornerback Kevin Thomas (Buffalo Bills), defensive lineman Anton Palepoi (Seahawks) and defensive end Keith Washington (Giants).
Another former Rebel, Pro Bowl wide receiver Keenan McCardell (Bucs), is sitting out in a contract dispute.
With his and partner Mike Lambert's championship match at the Aquafina AVP Shootout to follow at the Hard Rock Hotel Saturday night, beach volleyball legend Karch Kiraly had to start loosening up while he was still calling the women's final, won by Olympic gold medalists Kerri Walsh and Misty May, from his analyst position in the NBC broadcast booth.
So Kiraly stripped down to his bathing suit and began stretching with his headset still in place.
My first thought was that it's a good thing Monday Night Football doesn't allow its team in the booth to work without shirts. I'm not sure how John Madden would look in Speedos but I bet it wouldn't be pretty.
Heather Cox, NBC's sideline reporter for beach volleyball, was stunned to learn you could bet on the matches at the Hard Rock, noting the "25-to-1" odds on women's champions Kerri Walsh and Misty May.
Actually, it was 1-25 odds, as the betting slip Cox showed on camera listed Walsh and May as minus 2500.
Even more amazing then being able to bet on volleyball is that someone actually wasted money on Walsh and May at those odds.
Around the horn
The average price of an NFL ticket is up to $54.75, with the Patriots topping the chart at $75.33 and the Bills coming in at a league-low $37.13. More important, it costs $7 for a beer in Baltimore but only $3.75 in Kansas City. In Oakland, a beer costs $4.50 and a bail bond about $200. ... With its football team manhandling BYU 37-10 on the playing field, the Stanford marching band wasn't needed on special teams Saturday. But it managed to incite the ire of the Cougars' faithful nonetheless, when it poked fun at polygamy by having five dancers take the field at halftime in wedding veils. ... UNLV was the only team in the nation to open its football season against two ranked opponents on the road. Central Florida was the only other team to open against two ranked opponents, but somehow talked West Virginia into coming to Orlando. ... At first, given it wil l be the first time since 2002 a UNLV home game won't be available on local TV, I thought Saturday's home opener against Ai! r Force would draw a huge crowd. But kickoff is slated for 7:05 p.m., roughly the same time Oscar De La Hoya and Bernard Hopkins will start pounding the snot out of each other on pay-per-view. ... UNLV's all-time football record is 201-201-4. The Rebels, despite the efforts of Jeff Horton and Jim Strong, have never been under .500 as a program.
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