THE ELEVATOR

Thursday, Aug. 17, 2006 | 7:36 a.m.

Who's headed toward the penthouse on the local sports scene - and who's getting the shaft.

GOING UP

Greg Maddux

Forget about a bottle of '61 Chateau Cheval Blanc as described by Virginia Madsen in "Sideways," and for that matter, Virginia Madsen herself. When it comes to things that get better with age, the future Hall-of-Famer from Valley High School is establishing a new standard. His pitching line Sunday against the Giants: eight innings, two hits allowed, no walks, four strikeouts, just 68 pitches thrown. Closing in on his 40th birthday, Maddux simply refuses to drink merlot.

Bishop Gorman baseball

The Gaels' summer baseball team has won 10 consecutive postseason games to advance to the American Legion World Series in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, the birthplace of Quaker Oats where it still smells like oatmeal 24/7. It could be worse. They could be playing the World Series in Monroe, Wis., the home of Limburger .

Lady Rebels' strength of schedule

The UNLV women's basketball team will play as many as 14 teams that made it to the postseason in 2006, which may not be a good idea for a team that lost five key seniors, including three starters. Or anybody, for that matter, not related to the De Sade family of Paris.

GOING DOWN

Paul Tracy

In his very first race after plowing into fellow Summerlin resident Alex Tagliani and turning the pit lane at San Jose into a boxing ring, Tracy plowed into Championship Auto Racing Teams points leader Sebastien Bourdais on the final turn of Sunday's Denver Grand Prix, precipitating another round of pushing and shoving and name-calling. It's a good thing Tracy's race car isn't insured by Allstate because he couldn't afford the premiums.

Crazy NASCAR rules

Las Vegan Kurt Busch was a split second away from entering the pits at Watkins Glen on Sunday when NASCAR closed them by turning on a red light that the Amazing Kreskin couldn't have anticipated. Busch was penalized, handing the win to Ricky Bobby - er, Kevin Harvick.

Hasim Rahman

America's "Last Line of Defense," which is what Rahman was called in the preflight run-up, was about as effective as a Nerf slingshot in his heavyweight title rematch with Oleg Maskaev at the Thomas & Mack Center on Saturday. The four heavyweight champions are now Russians, or reasonable facsimiles thereof, named Oleg, Wladimir, Nikolay and Sergei. How long before Ivan Drago mounts a comeback?