THE OPENING LINE

Monday, May 29, 2006 | 6:58 a.m.

The last time I went to confession, the priest called me by name, which is never a good sign.

But let's try again, anyway.

Bless me, Las Vegas sports fans, for I have sinned.

I confess that I can only take NASCAR in small dosages, such as when Darrell Waltrip and Larry McReynolds aren't talking.

Yet I will get up at 4:30 a.m. to watch a Formula One race.

I confess that the West Coast offense and the NFL basically bore me, and that the last time I watched an NBA game from start to finish, Happy Hairston was playing.

Yet I will get up at 4:30 a.m. to watch a World Cup soccer match, which I plan to do during much of next month (although TiVo is looking better every minute).

Please do not ask me to be sorry for my sins or say a bunch of Our Fathers or Hail Marys. How 'bout I promise not to take the name of former Notre Dame football coach Gerry Faust in vain and we'll call it even.

Even people who aren't Catholic priests or Notre Dame fans (one in the same where I come from) are bewildered when I tell them I follow Formula One.

"How can you like Formula One?" they ask incredulously "The drivers have names like Nigel and Giancarlo, instead of Dale or Rusty. And there's no passing."

"Not true," I reply. "OK, maybe there's nobody named Dale or Rusty driving the cars. But there is passing. Just not a lot of it."

"And how can you like soccer?" they ask incredulously. "There's nobody named T.O. or D'Brickashaw (as in Ferguson, the Jets' top draft pick) playing. And there's no scoring."

"Not true," I reply. "OK, maybe there's nobody named D'Brickashaw playing left back for the Czech Republic. But there is scoring. Just not a lot of it."

It was a couple of weeks ago, when I was watching the Cubs and Padres play 11 scoreless innings at Petco Park, that it occurred that I actually prefer a low-scoring game to a high one. Maybe that's why I'm a Cubs fan. They seem to specialize in low scoring.

So perhaps the reason I enjoy Formula One and World Cup is that the races and games are often decided by one key moment instead of a nonstop series of moments that become trivial when they happen so often.

It's the slow and steady buildup to a dramatic finish that keeps me on the edge of the sofa.

Plus, you can usually make a sandwich or go to the fridge for a beer and not miss anything.

THIS WEEK'S BEST BET

Diego Corrales vs. Jose Luis Castillo III, 4 p.m. Saturday (first bell), Thomas & Mack Center.

Their first fight was fantastic, their second fight was OK and their third fight was headed to El Paso, until Corrales got hurt.

TICKETS: 739-FANS or www.unlvtickets.com

ON THE WEB: www.unlvtickets.com

ALSO WORTH A LOOK

Sacramento River Cats at Las Vegas 51s, 7:05 p.m. Thursday, Cashman Field.

It's another Beer Night at Cashman Field. But like PCL pitching, it only lasts until the sixth inning.

TICKETS: 386-7200 or www.ticketmaster.com.

ON THE WEB: www.lv51.com