Duly noted

Saturday, Oct. 22, 2005 | 10:32 a.m.

He was Howard Hughes' right-hand man, claims to have the inside scoop on the Fidel Castro and JFK assassination plots and was the inspiration for the TV series "Mission Impossible." Yet all Bob Maheu wanted to talk about was tennis.

"I used to buy hotels for Howard Hughes," Maheu said in introducing himself over the telephone.

He's still doing Hughes' bidding. The purpose of Maheu's call was to make sure his former boss received proper credit for bringing pro tennis to Las Vegas.

Maheu, noting my column on the return of the ATP Tour to Las Vegas in Wednesday's Sun, said the Howard Hughes Celebrity Invitational predated the Alan King Classic by three years. It was played at the Frontier in 1969 and 1970, Maheu said, following an exhibition featuring the U.S. Davis Cup team that Hughes had staged at Caesars Palace.

"We had Rod Laver, Ken Rosewall, Robert Wagner, Burt Bacharach ... there was not an empty seat in the bleachers," said Maheu, 87.

So that's at least one secret Maheu won't be taking with him.

ANDRE AVOIDING THE PITFALLS

Upon further review, perhaps it's a good thing Andre Agassi will be playing in front of Arab sheiks instead of his hometown fans when pro tennis will (bulldozers willing) return to Southern Nevada in February with the debut of Las Vegas' version of The Tennis Channel Open.

At least that way he won't sprain his ankle on the courts at the new Darling Memorial Tennis Center that already are falling apart.

Agassi and other top players such as Roger Federer have committed to playing in the more lucrative Duty Free Open in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

IT DIDN'T WORK THEN ...

While I believe The Tennis Channel Open will probably succeed here, it might be in spite of itself. Once again, promoters are talking about re-inventing the wheel, proving that once again they didn't talk to the last guys who were here trying to re-invent the wheel.

Tennis organizers are planning to surround the tournament with clinics and concerts and other extracurricular activities. They're calling it "tennispalooza."

Well, it was just a few months ago that Arena Football tried "Footballpalooza" in conjunction with its title game at the Thomas & Mack Center. It didn't work. Fans complained there were too many activities and distractions pulling them away from Las Vegas' traditional attractions.

$4,500

The amount raised by Southern Nevada high school football officials by donating their Oct. 7 paychecks to the hurricane relief fund.

#10

Foothill High's ranking in this week's USA Today West high school football poll.

PGA journeyman Wes Short, Jr.:

"My first (win) ... don't know what to say, don't know what to do. I can't wait to go get a beer."

Upon notching his first career victory at the Michelin Championship at Las Vegas.