THE ELEVATOR

Friday, Dec. 28, 2007 | 7:16 a.m.

Who's going to the penthouse in local sports and beyond - and who's getting the shaft in such a slow week

GOING UP

Lon Kruger

I don't know how the UNLV basketball coach does it. Coaching the undersized Rebels to an 8-3 record is a full-time job, yet Kruger still found time for his many charities during Christmas week and to take in the Wofford vs. Bethune-Cookman game (along with son Kevin) at the Findlay Toyota Las Vegas Classic. It's like he's Santa Claus and Batman rolled into one.

Watching Wofford vs. Bethune-Cookman on a Sunday afternoon

You never know who you might run into at courtside when the ah, um ( hold on, let me check the media guides) Terriers and Wildcats are hooping it up at the Orleans Arena. There were the Krugers and Charlie Spoonhour, who Lon Kruger succeeded as UNLV coach, and Norm Nixon - not the former Lakers point guard, but his son, who plays the point for Wofford. Marc Ratner, the former Nevada State Athletic Commission executive director now with the Ultimate Fighting Championship, was keeping time on the scoreboard clock. But I must confess, I didn't know the other 28 people in the building.

DeWayne Walker

UCLA's going to mail it in, the experts said. If you thought Oregon didn't want to be here last year, just wait until the Bruins get to Sam Boyd Stadium with their interim coach. But UCLA lost the Las Vegas Bowl by a single point when favored BYU blocked a chip shot field-goal attempt on the game's final play. If that's mailing it in, I'd love to see what Walker could do with full postage.

GOING DOWN

Mike Young's duds

The Wofford coach wore this pullover thing with a hood in back at the Las Vegas Classic that made Rick Majerus' sweater look like formal wear. Young's team is well coached but it looked like he was about to play golf on a rainy day. Or as if the airline had lost his luggage. Coach Young: "You know, theoretically, I could break the club record. So what do you think?" Carl the Greenskeeper: "I'd keep playing. I don't think the heavy stuff will come down for a while."

Las Vegas Bowl critics

There were those who thought BYU vs. UCLA was going to be the worst match-up since Nicole Kidman married Tom Cruise. Or that Keith Urban guy. Executive Director Tina Kunzer-Murphy and her staff should have told the naysayers to put their angry e-mails where the Sun Bowl doesn't shine. The Las Vegas Bowl may have been a defensive struggle, but it was the first one decided on the last play of the game.

"An Evening With " ads:

You usually see these at New Year's in conjunction with over-the-hill music acts. "An Evening With Gilbert O'Sullivan. An Evening With Michael Bolton. An Evening With The Grass Roots." This is the equivalent of Michael Buffer calling a journeyman boxer "the very popular" before announcing his name. Chances are that guy can't fight and those guys can't sing. At least not anymore.

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