Ron Kantowski listens in as Chancellor Rogers hammers UNLV’S athletic director

Friday, June 29, 2007 | 7:24 a.m.

The first time we met, university system Chancellor Jim Rogers was wearing a cardigan sweater adorned with horsies - I mean horses - belying his image as somebody who walks loudly and is always trying to insert his big stick into somebody's business.

With soft features and black-rimmed glasses, he almost looks like your uncle. And while I promised I would try to get through this column without a "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" reference, I just know, based on that first impression, there are a pair of house slippers mixed among the cowboy boots in his closet.

I just know this because at the recent Board of Regents meeting in Reno, Mister Rogers took off one of his slippers and rapped UNLV Athletic Director Mike Hamrick upside the head with it.

Actually, those in the room at last week's audit meeting said it was more like a size 9 1/2 Tony Lama. One regent I talked with called it a "heated" exchange that might have escalated had Michael Wixom, the board's just-elected chairman, not intervened to suggest this wasn't the time or place for such a discourse. I disagree about the time. Because if there ever was an ideal one to starting knocking on doors looking for money, the aftermath of a Sweet 16 basketball season would seem to be it.

"True," Rogers said when asked if he and Hamrick had words.

Rogers, speaking from his ranch in Montana, said before he and Hamrick got into it, a report at the audit meeting described athletic department fund raising as a "train wreck or car wreck or something like that."

He said he never sees Hamrick at social events and questioned whether the athletic director was doing enough to raise money, such as introducing himself to those who might be interested in donating some to the athletic department.

"Mike Hamrick is invisible," Rogers said.

That might come in handy if you're thinking about joining the "Fantastic Four." But if the Final Four is the goal, at some point you may need to play golf with a chief executive or two to get into his pockets. Rogers said that's basically what he told Hamrick ( who was whitewater rafting this week and didn't return phone calls ) - that he needs to knock on a few more doors at Millionaire Acres Country Club, or wherever Al Czervik and his buddies are throwing their money around.

"He said 'Can I respond to that? That's not so.' That was the whole thing," Rogers said about the depth of the exchange.

"The committee asked him to come back with a plan for going forward."

Ah, going forward. That's what Rogers asked UNLV President David Ashley to do in December, when he stated, in writing, the goal of the athletic department should be total independence from state financial support.

Rogers suggested the president and his minions raise a minimum of $5 million per year over the next 10 years from Las Vegas-area donors. While I don't think "making it rain," is part of his vernacular, Rogers said he would write the first check for $50,000, $100,000 or $150,000, if Ashley or Hamrick would find 99 other aspiring meteorologists to do the same.

While many UNLV fans expect the Rebels to compete against the likes of Ohio State and Florida and Michigan and other members of the Rockefeller Conference, those schools have Floyd Mayweather-sized wads of cash to spend on sports. UNLV's wad is more like Floyd the Barber's.

It's a wonder the Rebels are even competitive within the Mountain West. Their athletic budget of roughly $23 million ranks a paltry sixth among the eight MWC schools receiving state handouts.

During the regents' meeting in March, Hamrick reported that private donations to the athletic department were up 29 percent during his first three years as athletic director. And it should be noted the department wasn't exactly rolling in cash when he took over.

But if contributions are up, they have yet to trickle down into a bigger budget for athletics. Hamrick said at the March meeting he hoped to announce some "major, major gifts" in June but that didn't happen.

As Regent Steve Sisolak told me, "Mike says he has been meeting with people" - potential donors - "but there are no quantifiable numbers" to prove it.

Unless, that is, you count the letter Sisolak received in the mail the other day. It basically said thanks for supporting the Rebels during their 30-7 season and, oh yeah, basketball tickets would be increased by 10 percent this year.

I guess all that CSTV money must have burned a hole in somebody's pocket.