Can the 51s fill a local sports lull?

Friday, Aug. 17, 2007 | 7:29 a.m.

YES

UNLV and Las Vegas' other professional sports teams are dormant, leaving sports fans with few live alternatives to the 51s.

The team doesn't have enough home games in August to take advantage of the lull in other sports, and, hey, it's still awfully hot outside!

The Gladiators have called a truce for the summer in their "50-yard War," and the Wranglers' Zamboni is on blocks for another couple of months, leaving the professional sports landscape wide open for the Las Vegas 51s.

But at a time when there is virtually no competition for local sports fans' dollars, the 51s have played a total of four home games this month and won't return to Cashman Field until Wednesday . Granted, August nights can get hot, but is the team doing itself a disservice by playing so many games on the road when there is little else happening on the local sports scene?

Perhaps, 51s President Don Logan acknowledged, but the matter isn't entirely in the team's hands. The Pacific Coast League's expansion from 10 to 16 teams in 1998 - with teams spread from Tacoma, Wash., to Nashville, Tenn. - has kept the league's schedule maker busier than a Cashman Field concession stand on Dollar Beer Night.

Logan said the PCL schedule already is hamstrung because the Omaha, Neb., franchise doesn't want to go head to head with the College World Series in June. And that, Logan said, may only be the beginning as more PCL stadiums are playing host to or seeking college and high school tournaments in late spring and early summer.

"The other part of the scheduling challenge is that Round Rock gets the Big 12 tournament every third year, and Oklahoma City is in that same rotation," Logan said. "So you've got Omaha asking for those 16 days away, Iowa's high schools play their baseball in the summer because of the weather, so Iowa hosts the state baseball tournament every year at their place, so they ask to be on the road for those days."

Albuquerque, Fresno and Sacramento also reportedly are trying to work their way into the rotation of college tournaments and could join a growing list of franchises that will place additional demands on the league's scheduler.

In a perfect world, Logan said, he would rather have his team play at home more often than four times in 21 days - even in August.

"It's hot, but if you live here you're used to it," he said, adding that the 51s were home for 19 games in July and still drew well at the gate.

"We've got nine games left and this will be probably our best attendance year, or we'll be close to our best ever," he said.

Through 63 home games, the 51s have drawn 322,860 for an average of 5,125 fans per game and rank 11th in the league in attendance.

"In terms of butts in seats, it'll be our best year ever," Logan said. "The paid attendance is what it is, but the show factor this year is better than it has ever been."

Logan credits that to the fact that the team opened the season on the road and played 20 home games from April 26 to May 28 , when the weather tends to be more pleasant.

That and the popularity of Dollar Beer Night, of course.