Columnist Ron Kantowski: Sanford a class act even after tough loss

Wednesday, Sept. 21, 2005 | 9:30 a.m.

Ron Kantowski is a Las Vegas Sun sports writer. Reach him at ron@lasvegassun.com or (702) 259-4088.

If this is Wednesday, it must mean there's another hurricane brewing in the Gulf of Mexico. So here's a few more Category 4 notes to consider:

Because members of the local media weren't given a road map and a hard hat, we missed the postgame interview session held in a construction zone following UNLV's 22-14 loss at UNR on Saturday night. But Rebels coach Mike Sanford was gracious enough to answer the same questions all over again when we finally caught up with him near the UNLV locker room. And a few minutes later, Sanford came out of the locker room a third time, making sure the reporter from the Rebel Yell, the UNLV school newspaper, had what he needed.

Maybe Sanford didn't have the answers during the game. But when faced with the tough questions -- not once, not twice, but three times -- he performed like a champion.

A long-time UNLV booster who was seated in the UNLV section at R-rated Mackay Stadium on Saturday night said the Rebels students who made the trip north to drink beer and throw up taught him something.

"Until last night," he told me as we waited to catch our flight back home on Sunday, "I didn't know there were that many body orifices up which you could shove something."

But the booster also told me he wished the athletic department would separate the rowdies from the not-so-rowdies the next time the former travel to a game (which will probably be Reno in 2007).

That way, he won't need a sailor or Andrew "Dice" Clay to translate what is being said.

Have you ever noticed that whenever there's a disputed play at Sam Boyd Stadium the replay is rarely -- if ever -- shown on the scoreboard video screen? Must be an in-house decision, as Mountain West Conference rules stipulate that controversial plays can be shown once in regular speed and once in slow motion.

I would also wager there are fans who would like to see a replay when the other team does something good. That, too, rarely happens.

But at least replays are an option here. When Rebels coach Mike Sanford went ballistic after an apparent catch by Casey Flair was overruled Saturday night, I immediately glanced up at the Mackay Stadium scoreboard for confirmation.

Apparently, the little bird inside Fred Flintstone's camera must have hurt his beak before he could carve out the replay.

It was another bad weekend for Mountain West officials, who, in my estimation, blew several calls at Reno and at least a couple more in the TCU-Utah showdown, one of which probably cost the Utes the game (and the nation's second-longest winning streak) in overtime.

The last time I saw a more blatant pick than the one the Horned Frogs used to score the winning touchdown, Dave Cowens was playing center for the Celtics.

One more way to measure the difference between the haves and have-nots in the Mountain West is that coaches from the big programs sometimes lose track of their championship rings when they are stolen.

"Somebody said there were eight, but I'm almost positive it was nine," Utah coach Kyle Willingham said after a thief broke into a trophy case and made off with the championship jewelry he had accumulated as a player and coach at BYU and Utah.

At places like San Diego State, they don't display championship rings in trophy cases. In fact, they don't even display them on ring fingers.

I've always maintained that the key to putting together a good non-conference football schedule is finding opponents that people have heard of that you can beat. Like Baylor, for instance.

Or Oklahoma, Stanford, Pitt and Nebraska.

Sam King Jr., a star running back and linebacker for Palo Verde High's state championship team last season, recently was awarded a football scholarship at New Mexico State.

King was an invited walk-on who was promised a scholarship. When one opened, new Aggies coach Hal Mumme lived up to his word, said the original Sam King, Sam Jr.'s father and one of the most prolific passers in UNLV history.

Sam King Jr., listed as a third-team outside linebacker, most likely will be redshirted this year, his dad said.

Another local product, Bishop Gorman's Conor Foley, is the starting kicker for the 0-3 Aggies of the Western Athletic Conference.

According to a story in the current issue of Basktball Times, former Rebels great Reggie Theus is now listing his alma mater as California Coast University.

Actually, that's only half-true. On the official New Mexico State Web site, where he is taking over as men's basketball coach, Theus lists UNLV/ California Coast 2002 as his alma mater.

According to its Web site, California Coast University is located at 700 N. Main Street in Santa Ana, Calif. It offers degrees in business administration, psychology, management and administration, as well as T-shirts, sweatshirts, a denim shirt and a one-size-fits-all baseball cap for $9.95.

It does not have a football team.

But then, some will say, neither does Theus' other alma mater.