THE ELEVATOR

Wednesday, May 16, 2007 | 7:16 a.m.

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

GOING UP

Men of Iron

Three Southern Nevadans have qualified for the Ford Ironman World Championship triathlon in Hawaii and two have interesting stories. Pat Marsh, 42, of Henderson takes medication for a 95 percent blockage in his coronary artery. Vance Sutton, 46, of Las Vegas survived being struck by a car doing 60 mph while he was riding his bike. The other local qualifier, 37-year-old Derek Rude of Henderson, was an all-state running back in Hawaii who apparently managed to get off the rock without being conked in the noggin by a pineapple or an outrigger canoe oar.

GOING DOWN

Danton Barto

The coach of the Las Vegas Gladiators - you know, our indoor football franchise that moved to a smaller arena this year in an effort to increase attendance - was fired after leading the team to a grand total of one victory and a not-so-grand total of 10 defeats. Which only proves once again that you can't make chicken salad out of chicken well, feathers.

Chicken feathers in the backfield

This year's Gladiators roster features 14 rookies and six second-year players. Instead of a pink slip, perhaps Barto deserves a medal for winning that one game.

Four coaches in five years

That's what the Gladiators will be looking at in 2008 if they A) make good on a threat and return to Las Vegas and B) can talk Danny White or Jon Bon Jovi into becoming their next coach. As the latter might put it, "Shot through the heart and who's to blame?" I'd start with the guy(s) hiring the coach(es).

Phantom Yellow

My favorite NASCAR expression - next to "rubbin' is racin' " and "there's ohl (oil) on the track" made a comeback at Darlington Raceway on Sunday as NASCAR put out the caution flag for no apparent reason with the laps winding down - and then failed to put it out in the closing laps with the track showing more debris than New Orleans after Katrina. "I will say there at the end, debris, oil, everything you can imagine was on the racetrack," Jeff Gordon said. And he was the guy who won.