Friday, Aug. 19, 2005 | 10 a.m.
Ron Kantowski is a Las Vegas Sun sports writer. Reach him at [email protected] or (702) 259-4088.
It would appear the NFL is in jeopardy of dropping its towel again.
The league recently announced a partnership with the Rolling Stones, in which the geriatric rockers will perform at the NFL's Opening Kickoff 2005 special on Sept. 8 and allow their music and videos to be played on Monday Night Football throughout the season.
But there's a potential brouhaha in the making as the Stones' new album has a track that ridicules President Bush. Although it doesn't mention Bush by name, the reference, say those who have heard "Sweet Neo Con," is clear.
"You call yourself a Christian," the lyric goes. "I call you a hypocrite. You call yourself a patriot. Well, I think you're full of (expletive)."
Well, if the Stones think the President is a hypocrite, what does that make the NFL?
As USA Today's Michael Hiestand pointed out, "this is the NFL that was so worried about unseemly ties it barred Las Vegas tourism ads from Super Bowl telecasts."
An NFL spokesman told USA Today the Stones will only play "Start Me Up" on the ABC special.
"We're working with the Stones for their entertainment value, not political views," the spokesman said.
Oh, it's entertainment the NFL is interested in. I guess that's something we'll just have to work on around here.
A couple of old Rebels -- or at least former Rebels -- have returned to the sidelines at Canyon Springs High School.
Hunkie Cooper, who was the Swiss army knife of the UNLV football team during the forgettable Jim Strong era, given how many positions and roles he filled on both sides of the ball, is a football assistant for the Pioneers, who are starting their second year of athletic competition.
Freddie Banks, who never met a 3-point shot he didn't like -- or couldn't make -- during the Rebels' glory years is helping out with the Canyon Springs basketball team.
Kicks were easy to find for former UNLV specialist Gary Cook on opening weekend of the NFL preseason.
Cook, who averaged 42 yards on 64 punts for last year's first-down challenged Rebels, punted three times for the Raiders against the 49ers last week and dropped all three inside the 20-yard line, including two at the 2-yard line. He also made an extra point, a skill that few around here knew he had.
Cook is listed as the backup punter to Shane Lechler on the Raiders' depth chart, which means he's just a pulled groin muscle away from being pressed into regular duty. Actually, Cook might only be the next Happy Hour away from playing on Sunday, given he's also listed as the backup field-goal kicker behind bad boy Sebastian Janikowski, the so-called Polish Powderkeg.
Bradlee Van Pelt, the former Colorado State quarterback with the Tony Hawk-ish outlook on life, appears closer to becoming an NFL quarterback, if his performance for the Broncos in last week's NFL preseason opener is any indication.
Auditioning to become Jake Plummer's backup, Van Pelt completed 10-of-17 passes for 107 yards without an interception and also had a 40-yard run against the Texans.
It was his first significant action for the Broncos, who selected Van Pelt and his skateboard in the seventh round of the 2004 draft.
Former UNLV tennis coach Larry Easley, who won three consecutive conference coach of the year awards from 1994-96, has been battling a variety of health problems including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, commonly known as Lou Gehrig's Disease.
A recent golf outing and silent auction at Wildhorse Golf Club raised $50,000 that will help offset Easley's medical bills.
Easley spent 12 years as UNLV's director of tennis and was coach when Luke Smith won the NCAA singles championship in 1997. The Fertitta Tennis Complex also was built during his tenure. Before coming to UNLV, Easley coached Pete Sampras before he turned pro.
When he was fired in 2003, Easley made a somewhat revealing comment. "I coached tennis to make a living, but I was never really happy here," he said.
A benefit account in Easley's name has been established at Bank West of Nevada.
Who knows what it may be called by 2011 P.C. -- Politically Correct. But Florida State, which is threatening legal action against the NCAA to retain use of its Seminoles nickname, and Air Force have agreed in principle to a home-and-home football series that will begin that year.
That's a coup for the Falcons, as teams of FSU's stature usually do not agree to play teams of Air Force's stature -- i.e., those affiliated with non-BCS conferences -- on their home fields.
Air Force is one of the few Mountain West schools which attracts decent crowds, which may explain why scheduling Florida State six years from now was doable, even if FSU coach Bobby Bowden will be 104 by then.
Although attendance at the Academy is down from an all-time high average of 48,000 in 1989, the Falcons, in a non-bowl year last season, still averaged 38,000 paying customers, or 3,200 above the capacity of Sam Boyd Stadium.
Florida State also has signed to host Nevada-Reno in a game set for 2008.
If the Florida State-UNR game was scheduled for Mackay Stadium, perhaps by 2008 the Wolf Pack athletic department would find somebody willing to part with $500 for the "privilege" of running onto the field with the football team.
The UNR athletic department is auctioning off an opportunity to run onto the field with the Wolf Pack before its Sept. 9 game against Washington State. A package which includes two game tickets appeared on eBay last weekend with a minimum bid of $500.
It was advertised as a "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to feel the fury as you run through the new tunnel and smoke with the Pack and hear the intensity of the crowd ... "
The ad didn't disclose what you would be smoking with the Pack. Or what whoever came up with the idea was smoking.
It would appear that nobody wants to play for Giac and the Fat Man up at Utah.
The mass defections that plagued the Utah basketball program when Rick Majerus was coach have continued under his successor Ray Giacoletti. Swingman Richard Chaney, a regular in the Utes' rotation under both Majerus and Giacoletti, this week became the fifth player to leave the team since the Utes advanced to the Sweet Sixteen in March.
Chaney, a rising senior, plans to transfer to Indiana, where former Utes interim coach Kerry Rupp is an assistant. Chaney joins fellow starter Justin Hawkins, reserves Jake Schmidt and Jermaine Calvin and AP Player of the Year Andrew Bogut on the list of Utes who have left school early.
In a statement, Chaney said he had a "great time" at Utah and that the current coaching staff had nothing to do with his decision.
Sorry, but I'm not buying it. At least the part about having a great time in Utah.
Speaking of MWC coaches with expanding waistlines, baseball hit meister Tony Gwynn this week signed a three-year contract extension to stay on as baseball coach at San Diego State, his alma mater.
"Now that the contract has been signed, we can concentrate on moving ahead toward our goal of becoming a nationally recognized program," Gwynn said in a statement.
So far, the Aztecs have been moving mostly sideways under Gwynn with a 90-96 record during his three years as coach, although he did build a new stadium at SDSU with money from his own pocket.
Gwynn also said "I remain fully committed to my job here at San Diego State" before boarding a plane for Bristol, Conn., and his baseball analyst gig at ESPN.
I see where the Famous Chicken, the Phillie Fanatic and the Phoenix Suns' Gorilla are the first inductees to the Mascot Hall of Fame. Dicey or Blockhead or whatever Las Vegas Motor Speedway calls its mascot did not make it on the first ballot.
Pit Boss (which is what LVMS officially calls a mascot whose costume consists of a spare firesuit from the Richard Petty driving school and a giant fuzzy dice) had better hope there's a veterans wing at the Mascot Hall of Fame because I don't think he's going to get much respect from the writers.
In fact, I think Pit Boss' final resting place might be hanging from the mirror in a deuce coupe.
If I were going to write in any of the local mascots on my ballot, it would probably be Cosmo, who frightens small children at Las Vegas 51s games.
Despite having 18 games remaining and only a nine-game lead in the PCL Pacific Southern Division, the Sacramento River Cats are putting playoff tickets on sale Saturday.
Meanwhile, the 51s, who were mathematically eliminated from pennant contention Thursday night, will try to play pepper without hurting themselves.
It's a good thing Las Vegan Tasha Schwikert's International gymnastics career is over (at least for now) as this new scoring change that will soon go into effect would blow her mind.
The perfect score of "10" by which all routines have been measured, at least since 1976 when Nadia Comaneci showed the world what one looks like in Montreal, is no longer. A new scoring method will feature an "A" score for difficulty and a "B" score for execution.
"Next year, when a guy scores a 14.75, no one is going to boo (or cheer)," John Roethlisberger, a three-time U.S. Olympian, told the Associated Press, "because they don't know what a 14.75 is."
All I know is it's a good thing the movies don't use the same system. Because in my book, Bo Derek will always be a 10, not a 14.75.
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