The Elevator: Up and down the Vegas sports scene

By Ron Kantowski

Saturday, Dec. 13, 2008 | 2 a.m.

Who’s headed toward the penthouse on the local sports scene — and who’s getting the shaft.

GOING UP

Lucha Libre

Mexican wrestling is on tap at the Star of the Desert Arena in Primm tonight featuring the International Men of Misterio — Rey Misterio Sr. and Jr. — who will square off against actor Jack Black and Sister Encarnacion in a no-holds-barred tag team match. Actually, Jack Black and Sister Encarnacion from the movies won’t be on hand. But a lot of spectators will, because the grapplers will be wearing cool Mexican wrestling masks and flying through the air.

Chris Richardson, 1980-2008

The vision I always will have of the slender Rebel and all-around nice guy who died in his sleep while traveling with the Harlem Globetrotters this week is him soaring over the ball rack to throw down a gravity-defying dunk at one of those Fan Jam sessions a few years back. Hank Gathers just got himself a heck of a teammate.

Power guard

Although a lot has been made of Wink Adams’ shooting slump, did you know he has been UNLV’s top or second-top rebounder in every game but one since the season opener against San Diego? Not as much has been made of that. But it’s a pretty impressive feat for a guy who stands just 6 feet tall. Plus, when the game’s on the line, he’s still the one I’d want with the ball.

Blackout ban?

During this week’s winter meetings at the Bellagio, Major League Baseball announced it might lift the crazy blackout restrictions resulting in A’s and Giants games (among others) not being available to viewers in Southern Nevada through the Extra Innings premium TV package — despite those teams being located about 600 miles from Las Vegas. If it doesn’t lift the crazy blackout restrictions before next season, there’s a space reserved for Major League Baseball at the bottom of this column.

GOING DOWN

Arena Football League

Reports of the Football In a Can League’s demise might have been exaggerated this week, but only slightly, as the indoor football league that once had a team here (two of them, in fact) appears to be on life support. It probably won’t be long until Jon Bon Jovi, owner of the AFL’s Philadelphia Soul, will have to find another way to spend his concert T-shirt money. Well, there’s always race cars.