понедельник, 8 октября 2012 г.

There is more in Las Vegas than just football - Deseret News (Salt Lake City)

LAS VEGAS -- Cougar fans are no strangers to Las Vegas and thisbowl city, which has been affectionately named LaVell EdwardsStadium South after busting all attendance records for the Las VegasBowl last year.

By some estimates, more than 80 percent of the sellout crowd forSaturday's matchup at in Sam Boyd Stadium between BYU and UCLA, willbe rooting for the Mountain West Conference champion.

Las Vegas is central to Southern California, Utah and Arizona,where the biggest population of BYU faithful in the country reside.

Aside from sightseeing at Hoover Dam, hitting the buffet lines,choosing a show or hitting the golf links, BYU fans have foundplenty to do in this entertainment capital of the world -- withoutdigesting casino life.

Tonight, both UCLA and BYU teams and coaches will gather at theESPN Zone, part of the New York, New York Hotel on the famed LasVegas Strip. There, both teams will be entertained, dined, andintroduced. The entertainment includes a lot of video game play --on the house for players.

The kickoff luncheon (ticket purchase required) is open to thepublic and features both teams and coaches in the Las VegasConvention Center from noon to 2 p.m. on Friday. A cheer clinic isplanned for the public at the Las Vegas Convention Center from 4 to6 p.m.

While Larry the Cable Guy just finished a weekend performance atThe Orleans, Johnny Mathis Holiday Show is scheduled Friday andSaturday at the Las Vegas Hilton. A Holiday Festival Freemont StreetExperience is planned through Saturday with a special Las Vegas BowlPep Rally and Buffet Bowl on Thursday night on Freemont Street. TheLas Vegas Classic Basketball Tournament is going on in The OrleansSaturday.

For shoppers finishing their Christmas lists, there are more than130 outlet stores in the Las Vegas Outlet Center, located at 7400 S.Las Vegas Blvd.

The Rio buffet is generally a favorite of BYU athletes andfeatures a wide variety of ethnic food. If you are a sports gamejunkee, the best sports TV centers to watch NBA, NCAA Basketball andother events are at Caesars Palace, the MGM Grande, Mirage, Palmsand Wynn.

The Titanic Artifact Exhibition is going on at the TropicanaResort and Casino. There are other interesting and educationalexhibits located at the Atomic Testing Museum, offering more than370,000 declassified documents and photos with five different movievenues and interactive computers and artifacts. The Liberace Museum,Lied Discovery Children's Museum and Nevada State Museum are alsopossible stops.

'Bodies, The Exhibition' is an innovative display of humanbodies, preserved in a revolutionary technique using liquid siliconerubber. Located at the Tropicana Resort and Casino, one display thatshows the lungs of a chain smoker has a bin nearby for discardingpackages of smokes, and it's always nearly full.

The FastKart Speedway is an 1,100-foot outdoor track that allows5-, 10-, 15- and 20-minute sessions so people can race up to eightfriends on go carts (121 East Sunset, Las Vegas).

You've got your Haunted Vegas Tour, the Vegas Mob Tour and theManhattan Express at the New York, New York.

If Elvis is your thing, USA Today says of Trent Carlina, theDream King, at the Sahara, 'You will not believe your eyes andears.'

Magic? Try Hans Klock, who might have Pamela Anderson on stage,at Planet Hollywood, BYU's team headquarters. There's also theAmazing Jonathan at the Sahara, David Copperfield at the MGM Grand,Lance Burton at the Monte Carlo and Mc King Comedy Magic Show atHarrah's.

Education?

Try The Da Vinci Experience at the Henderson Events Plaza in theWater Street District, a collection and copies of his experimentsand paintings, taken from his notebooks.

Shows include 'Mamma Mia,' 'Phantom of the Opera,' 'TheProducers, 'The Soprano's Last Supper' and 'Love,' a celebration ofBeatles music in the Cirque du Soleil show at the Mirage.

Bowl goers will miss a concert by Van Halen Dec. 28 and 30 at theMGM Grand Hotel.

TAKE NOTE: There is plenty of parking on the grounds of Sam BoydStadium, so please do not park along the side of either TropicanaAvenue or Russell Road.

* Vehicles will be towed at owner's expense.

* Sam Boyd Stadium parking lots will open at 11 a.m.

* General parking will cost $5 per vehicle.

* Parking attendants and signs will direct you to the correctparking areas.

* The Sam Boyd Stadium box office and will-call window will openat noon.

* No bottles, cans, coolers, food and beverages, weapons, pepperspray, signs, or other paraphernalia may be brought into thestadium.

* Tailgate Extravaganza on the Star Nursery Field opens at 12:00p.m.

* Shuttle Services: Shuttles will be provided back to a locationon the Strip. Shuttles will be located inside gate No. 1. A fee of$10 will be charged.

* CAT Bus Route 201A will provide continuous 'loop' service fromnoon to 10:30 p.m.

воскресенье, 7 октября 2012 г.

Las Vegas sees stars in NBA weekend. - The Philadelphia Inquirer (Philadelphia, PA)

Byline: Joe Juliano

LAS VEGAS _ Entering the sunny and spacious 10th-floor office of Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman, one finds a crown resting to the left side of his desk and a throne where he sits to do his work and, on this day, conduct an interview.

'It's a great time to be king,' he jokes.

Goodman, a Philadelphia native who made his name as a colorful defense lawyer representing reputed mob figures all over the United States, likes to call himself 'the happiest mayor in the universe.' His happiness quotient, however, has jumped to the nth degree this week as NBA's All-Star Weekend approaches.

For the first time in the midseason exhibition's 56 stagings, the All-Star Game and its associated events will be hosted by a city that does not have an NBA franchise. The game will be played Sunday night at the Thomas & Mack Center, capping a whirlwind weekend of activities that include the NBA Jam Session and numerous player appearances.

If the weekend goes perfectly _ and the energetic Goodman sees no reason it won't _ the next step is to see whether NBA commissioner David Stern will modify his stance and approve the awarding of a new or existing franchise to Las Vegas, the largest city of the only state where it's legal to bet on a sports event.

'I've developed a very good relationship with David Stern over the years,' Goodman said last month. 'I'm hopeful that at the conclusion of the All-Star Game, that he'll have been softened up to the point where he would consider not objecting to Las Vegas because of our gambling, and perhaps be more mellow as far as the potential of having an NBA team.

'We're a natural for basketball. We supported the UNLV teams when they were good. It was the hottest ticket in town. We didn't rely on the tourist element there. To have an NBA team here would just be absolutely a perfect fit. It's an NBA-type town in the sense that the NBA represents to me glitz and glamour, and of course that's what Las Vegas is.'

Stern, while he acknowledges that Las Vegas is a 'terrific destination' and that the league's dealings with the city preparing for the All-Star Game have been 'cordial and professional,' said he had not changed his opinion of Las Vegas as a potential franchise.

'We have been quite consistent with this,' Stern said Friday in a telephone interview. 'Our issue is with basketball betting. We are of the opinion that our fans are not point-spread-focused, and we're concerned that it would change the view of the fans if there was widespread gambling.'

Las Vegas is one of the fastest-growing cities in the United States. The city and the surrounding valley have a population of about 1.9 million. Goodman, 67, running for a third term as mayor this year, said a new person moves into the community every six minutes, a new home is finished every 20 minutes, and 17 schools are built every year.

Add the sense of community to the bright lights of the famous Strip, which is the primary reason that 40 million tourists visit the city every year, and Las Vegas would have all the ingredients to be a world-class city. Not so, says its mayor, who would like to add a franchise from the NBA, or any of the other three major professional sports leagues.

'In order to be the world-class city, you have to have a professional team, particularly in a place like Las Vegas,' he said. 'Most of the folks who have come here haven't lived here for more than five years. They come without being able to identify with anything. The quickest way you're able to get a community spirit and sense of belonging is to have a team with which people can identify.'

Nevertheless, commissioners are leery of placing a team in Las Vegas because of the presence of sports books. For Stern to grant Las Vegas the All-Star Game, Goodman had to ask the casinos that they not take bets. When the casinos agreed, the game was awarded to Vegas.

Stern has said if Las Vegas takes NBA basketball off the books, the city would be a worthy candidate for a franchise. But Goodman, a graduate of Central High, Haverford College, and Penn Law School, calls the fears of Stern and the other commissioners 'old-fashioned.'

'Forty-eight out of the 50 states have legalized gambling,' he said. 'We are the only state that has sports betting, and that's the only thing that distinguishes us, really, from the other states as far as betting is concerned. Gambling is now accepted in the American fabric of life. I don't think it has the negative connotation it may have had.'

Goodman said he would not ask casinos to refrain from accepting bets on basketball as a condition of getting an NBA franchise, saying it would be 'hypocritical.' He added that professional and college sports organizations should be thankful that Las Vegas and the state of Nevada have a system in place to monitor sudden movement in the betting line.

'If there's something unusual, the first thing a casino will do is call the FBI,' he said. 'After they bring the Nevada Gaming Control Board in, they call the FBI, they put a wiretap up, and they get the culprit who's trying to tamper with the game. No other state has that.'

But Stern said the controls in place have no bearing on his opinion of sports betting.

'It's still betting on basketball,' he said. 'It never related to safeguards or not.'

Goodman and Stern had opportunities to talk in October when four NBA teams, including the 76ers, conducted training camp in Europe. Goodman, chair of the Las Vegas Visitors and Convention Authority, a sponsor of NBA Europe Live, showed up in Barcelona, Spain, for the Sixers' exhibition game with a showgirl _ complete with extravagant headdress _ on each arm.

'I think he gets a kick out of me,' Goodman said of Stern. 'I have a lot of respect for him and his intellect. I think he likes to see me with my showgirls. He likes the fact that I do have a good time.'

Said Stern: 'We get along quite well, two ex-lawyers. He has a very good sense of humor, and I enjoy his company. It was a very pleasant experience in Europe.'

Regarding the interest of other sports in coming to Las Vegas, Goodman said the city has had a couple of nibbles from Major League Baseball. Groups inquired into having the Montreal Expos or the Florida Marlins move here in recent years, and Goodman once attended the winter baseball meetings to push his case, but nothing came out of the talks.

Goodman said the experience taught him about the nature of negotiations.

'I won't allow us to be used as a pawn,' he said. 'I was a baby mayor. I was so anxious to have a team that I think we were taken advantage of. I learned my lesson, and now they have to come to me.'

Even with Roger Goodell replacing Paul Tagliabue as commissioner, the attitude of the NFL toward Las Vegas hasn't changed. In his first Super Bowl address, Goodell said he wanted to keep 'a very strong line' between the NFL and gambling, declaring it's not 'in the best interest of the NFL to have any association with sports betting.'

Goodman said Goodell and the NFL are 'missing the boat' and added, 'I'm not going to shed any tears over it. I have little warmth in my heart for the NFL.'

The mayor has been in contact with the San Diego Chargers, who are seeking a new stadium and currently exploring options in San Diego and its suburbs.

For now, it's the NBA that will be in town this week, and Goodman, who used to play basketball in Cobbs Creek Park when he lived in West Philadelphia, is pulling out all the stops to put on a good show.

His wife, Carolyn, will host some events for the league's owners and their wives and show them the entire city and what it has to offer.

'That's going to make a difference,' Goodman said. 'I'm banking on my wife, really, to help me carry the day to get the NBA here.'

His feelings on gambling aside, Stern said that considering a franchise for the city was separate from hosting a successful All-Star Weekend.

'It is not a test run for a franchise,' he said. 'That's not part of the process. We do an analysis concerning demographics, the community, the Fortune 500 companies, the sale of suites and tickets after we get an application from a city.

'It's a great city. A combination of the entertainment capital of the world with the basketball capital of the world we feel will be unbelievable fun for our guests. But we're trying to keep it separate. First things first _ let's get through the week, and whatever happens after that, happens.'

That's fine with Goodman, whose city will be hosting visitors left over from Valentine's Day weddings, as well as the Chinese New Year celebration and a men's apparel show in addition to the All-Star Game.

'There's just going to be a lot of energy in town,' he said. 'It will be a great weekend.'

___

(c) 2007, The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Visit Philadelphia Online, the Inquirer's World Wide Web site, at http://www.philly.com/

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.

суббота, 6 октября 2012 г.

Las Vegas May Take Super Bowl Ad Issue to Court. - Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News

By Chris Jones, Las Vegas Review-Journal Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News

Jan. 15--Las Vegas' ability to advertise on National Football League broadcasts could soon be headed to court, while the NFL on Tuesday accused local tourism officials of drumming up a controversy to attract attention to their new marketing campaign.

If only most playoff games could be this entertaining.

Despite the NFL's refusal, local convention authority officials aren't backing away from their desire to someday air television advertisements touting Las Vegas during football broadcasts including the Super Bowl.

Last month, the NFL denied a request from the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority and its contracted advertising agency, Las Vegas-based R & R Partners, to buy time slots during the Jan. 26 Super Bowl. The league rejected the authority's bid because of its long-standing policy to distance itself from gaming-related ads, NFL sources said.

Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman and other convention authority board members now want to challenge the NFL's perceived anti-Las Vegas stance in court. At two separate points during Tuesday's meeting, a visibly angry Goodman asked the convention authority's legal staff to look into filing a lawsuit against the NFL.

A longtime defense attorney, Goodman believes a judge or jury might decide the league has interfered with the authority's rights to free commercial speech, as well as R & R's contractual obligations that require the company to promote Las Vegas on a national stage.

'This is commercial speech we're talking about, and they're interfering with it, and I don't like it,' Goodman said in reference to the NFL. 'I really want somebody to seriously research this because I think we'd win this case.'

Poking fun at recent controversies involving questionable calls in NFL playoff games, Goodman also said the league needs to 'get its referees to make a call correctly' before it worries about potential damage associated with airing ads promoting Las Vegas.

NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy had no comment on the potential lawsuit Tuesday. However, McCarthy suggested the ads were pitched to the NFL in hopes that the league's anticipated rejection would generate free publicity for the city.

'Someone came up with a strategic plan which has worked quite well,' McCarthy said. 'They made a calculated risk to come up with a spot or series of spots knowing that the NFL would turn it down, and then turned around and publicized their efforts (to gain) more exposure for the city of Las Vegas than if the spot had actually run in the game.

'The Wall Street Journal ran it front page today ... and USA Today and the New York Times will be writing about it, so we're sure they're pleased out your way.'

Goodman's calls to investigate a court case against the NFL were supported by fellow board members Mary Kincaid-Chauncey, a Clark County commissioner, and Henderson Mayor Jim Gibson.

An attorney, Gibson said this 'probably won't be the last time we're rebuffed,' but he questioned the NFL's anti-gaming policy. He said betting lines that originate in Las Vegas are commonly discussed in workplaces throughout the United States and have likely increased the league's overall popularity.

Following Tuesday's board meeting, Luke Puschnig, who serves as legal counsel for the convention authority, said it's still too soon to comment on potential legal avenues the organization might pursue against the NFL.

'(Goodman) is my boss and since he's suggested this, I'll look into it,' Puschnig said, adding it's almost impossible to expect a court action would alter the NFL's position in time to air the Las Vegas ads during this year's Super Bowl.

'But who knows? This may be something that creates a change a year or five years down the road,' Puschnig said.

McCarthy repeatedly defended the league's anti-gaming stance Tuesday.

'The ads don't mention gambling, but Las Vegas is synonymous to the public with sports betting and casino gambling; it's the only place where sports betting is legal,' McCarthy said. 'That's the basis for rejecting that type of ad, which we've done for decades.'

An Aug. 8 letter from Dennis Lewin, an NFL senior vice president of broadcasting and network television, to John Wildhack, senior vice president of programming for ESPN, a sister network of ABC, said ads for Las Vegas fall under the league's 'stringent restrictions on gambling-related advertising in NFL programming,' which exist because of the NFL's 'concern that an association between the NFL and gambling -- even in an advertising context -- could have a uniquely negative effect on the public's perception of our sport.'

Despite the NFL's efforts to sidestep gaming, R & R head Billy Vassiliadis said he believes more football fans will watch the Super Bowl in Las Vegas sports books than will view the contest in host city San Diego.

'And the way I feel about the NFL these days, I hope that happens,' Vassiliadis said.

To see more of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.lvrj.com.

пятница, 5 октября 2012 г.

PLAYERS UNION VOW: NO HARD CAP, EVER SOLIDARITY IS THEME AFTER MEETING IN LAS VEGAS.(Sports) - Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Michael Jordan came down from his luxury suite in this city's newest billion-dollar hotel, mingled with the union's masses and gave no hint as to whether he'll be playing basketball when the lockout ends.

On this day, Jordan's message was the same as that heard from 240 players, that the union is unified and will never accept a hard salary cap.

``My mind is still open. I haven't made my decision, but that doesn't mean I shouldn't be a part of the union,'' Jordan said yesterday after the largest gathering in the history of the National Basketball Players Union.

``I owe an obligation to the young players and the players who came before me,'' Jordan said. ``This work stoppage is not our fault. We're willing to work, but David Stern shouldn't be able to force us to play under a deal that's unfavorable to us.''

Jordan was joined at the meeting by most of the league's high-profile players, including Shaquille O'Neal, Scottie Pippen, Karl Malone, Kevin Garnett and Kobe Bryant.

After meeting for almost five hours, union director Billy Hunter announced that the players had voted unanimously to never accept a hard salary cap. He also said the entire player population - almost 400 players - would come to New York next week to request a formal bargaining session while the league's Board of Governors was in town.

``We'd be willing to do it with as many players as they'd like to bring,'' deputy commissioner Russ Granik said in response. ``We'll meet with anybody.''

The NBA has already canceled the first two weeks of the season, and the rest of the November schedule is expected to be scrapped next week.

The sides haven't met since Oct. 13, and the owners and players remain far apart on the issues of a ``hard'' vs. ``soft'' salary cap and elimination of the so-called Larry Bird exception that allows teams to exceed the cap to retain their own free agents.

Pippen is one of the players who has waited years for his Bird rights to take effect, and he would stand to lose the most if the exception were weakened or phased out.

``I know my opportunity has come to get market value, but I came here because I want to see the future of the game enhanced,'' Pippen said. ``I think their offer upsets a lot of us, especially the free agents.''

The players-only meeting was not open to the media, but many of those who attended said it was marked by player after player standing to make his case for unity and a hard-line stance.

``I thought Karl Malone was the best speaker. He gave a very impassioned plea, a great plea for us to stick together,'' Charles Barkley said. ``We do want to play. We feel bad for the fans and the players, but that's it. We don't feel bad for the owners.''

David Robinson even admitted that he was initially unwilling to sacrifice paychecks for a union that has been historically disorganized, but this particular show of force convinced him that the players are together.

The players also heard from baseball union executive director Donald Fehr and NFL union head Gene Upshaw.

Fehr, seen walking arm-in-arm with Hunter, counseled the players to stick together. Upshaw told them decertification of the union was the wisest course of action.

When the meeting adjourned, the tough talk from Jordan was typical of what all the players were saying.

четверг, 4 октября 2012 г.

WEBB HITS THE JACKPOT IN LAS VEGAS : KLEIN TIES FOR SECOND.(Sports) - Daily News (Los Angeles, CA)

Byline: Kevin Acee Daily News Staff Writer

The scene on the 18th green at the Desert Inn Golf Club on Sunday is likely to be replayed many times in the coming years.

First, Emilee Klein congratulated Karrie Webb for her victory in the LPGA Tour Championship. Webb, in turn, grabbed her playing partner and kissed her on the cheek.

Then, Klein shook hands with Webb's caddie, Evan Minster, who grabbed her and kissed her cheek. After that, Minster hugged Kenny Harms, Klein's caddie and boyfriend.

Not just the two youngest players in the 30-player, season-ending tournament field but the two youngest players on the LPGA Tour, Klein and Webb were tied for the lead at 9-under par after three rounds here and were paired in Sunday's final twosome.

With an eagle on the par-5 15th hole, Webb put the tournament away, finishing with a 7-under 65 for a total of 16-under 272. The Australian's $150,000 first-place check - her fourth first-place finish of 1996 - made her the first LPGA player to ever win $1 million in a year. Nice work for a 21-year-old rookie.

She finished her season in flawless style. Twice - at 3 and 4 and at 10 and 11 - she birdied successive holes. She also birdied 13 before the fateful eagle on 15.

We all know what this feels like: ``Every time I looked up at my shot it was going straight at the pin. The strong parts of my game today was everything,'' Webb said.

Klein did not have such fortune. The 1992 graduate of Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks was shy with her putter on the front nine Sunday - bogeying the seventh and ninth - and closed with a 69. Her total of 12-under 276 tied her for second place with Kelly Robbins (65) and Nancy Lopez (66).

``It was a good ending to a good year,'' said Klein, who is sometimes listed as being from Studio City and sometimes from Graeagle, Calif. - sometimes both places in the same tournament, as she was here - but is actually a new homeowner in Orlando, Fla. ``I would have liked to have won, but Karrie is playing incredible golf.''

Klein, who joined the tour in 1995, experienced a season of emergence this year, winning her first two tournaments - in successive weeks. She finished ninth on the money list with earnings of $463,793.

Klein was also able to quickly realize this weekend was not the last time she will be battling Webb with a tournament on the line. It happened earlier this year, with Klein winning that time for her first LPGA title at the Ping Welch's Championship in August.

``It will probably be going back and forth for a long time,'' Klein said. ``I think you'll be hearing a lot from both of us. I think we'll both probably be on top for many years to come, so we'll be paired together a lot, I'm sure.''

While the talk on the LPGA Tour has been about making it easier to qualify for the Hall of Fame - a likelihood in the next year - the talk around the Desert Inn this week was about how Klein and Webb could probably qualify under the current requirement of having to win 30 tournaments.

``The young players, playing like they are, could reach the Hall of Fame with the criteria as it is now,'' said Lopez, whose 47 tournament titles has her in the 14-member Hall.

Michelle McGann, a two-time winner but fast becoming a senior citizen at 26, is excited by the prospects of future Klein-Webb battles.

``They've got youth on their side,'' she said. ``It's great any time there's a duel like that. It's like Lopez and (Beth) Daniel in their prime. It's going to be great for the tour.''

Both Klein and Webb can be seen the first weekend of December in the JC Penney Classic, which pairs players from the men's and women's tours, and the Dec. 13-15 Diners Club Matches at PGA West in La Quinta.

If you miss those, don't worry. They'll be around for a while.

CAPTION(S):

2 Photos

Photo: (1--color) Rookie Karrie Webb reacts to sinking an eagle putt on the 15th hole in the final round.

Associated Press

среда, 3 октября 2012 г.

NEXT UP IN LAS VEGAS; FROM DANDY SPORT SHIRTS TO TEFLON WORKWEAR, EXHIBITORS HAVE PLENTY OF NEWS TO REPORT.(Brief Article) - Daily News Record

Any decent label knows that the best way to entice balky consumers to open their wallets is to give them something genuinely new. So it's no surprise that a number of brands have put on their thinking caps and come up with some fresh ideas for this season's MAGIC.

Whether its a technology story, like Jeep's Teflon-coated workwear, or a hip-hop label with a global perspective, like Madsoul, there's something out there to give your sales floor some zip. No more excuses, it's time to take some risks -- here are five picks to get you started.

Black & Orange by Ben Sherman

The sport shirt market needs more than a little pepping up, and Ben Sherman is up to the task. The Brit brand is introducing its premium Black & Orange shirt and denim label at the show and for those retailers looking for something fresh on the sales floor, this is it.

The better-priced shirt line reprises the bold colors and prints of the '60s with intricate detailing and high-staple-count cottons sourced in Europe. Some of the attention-grabbing items are a ruffled-front shirt in an archived cotton from the Hammerle mills in Austria; a shimmery black-on-black houndstooth; and a dandified flower print shirt with contrast-striped collar and cuffs.

Throughout, the line creates interest with its meticulous attention to details like contrasting gussets, chevron yokes, triple-button collars, bias-cut fabrics and hidden plackets. The shirts, which are priced to retail between $129 and $250, will also be packaged in shiny black boxes with orange interiors.

'We see it hanging with labels like Hugo Boss, Zegna or even D&G, depending on the store,' said Vince Gonzales, vice-president of sales for the new line. 'Our customers have been asking for us to produce a better-priced product, and this is opening a new tier of distribution for us.'

Black & Orange also has a denim component,including two jeans cuts in rinsed, vintage and destroyed finishes.

National Geographic

Who better to come up with an apparel line that protects would-be explorers from snake and insect bites, ghastly storms and nasty humidity than National Geographic?

The National Geographic Society recently licensed D.E. International, a manufacturer of outdoor-related apparel based in Torento, Italy, to launch an outdoor-oriented apparel collection for men and women.

The collection has four major categories: Desert, Sailing, Mountain and Tropical. It also includes a Vintage category. Prices range from $50 for a shirt to $1,500 for an adventure sailing jacket.

What makes this collection different is that it's field-tested by National Geographic's explorers, writers, filmmakers and photographers..

'Every day,' said John Dumbacher, senior vice-president of licensing for National Geographic, 'we have over 250 explorers and photographers in the field developing story lines..'

IMC Brand Management has exclusive rights to sell the line in the U.S. and Northern Europe.

Madsoul Clothing Co.

Madsoul emerged when founder Marc D'Amelio set out to fuse his love of graffiti with his experience in the apparel industry. Now the year-old T-shirt, tops and hat company will be exhibiting at MAGIC along with the New York City Breakers collection, named after the legendary '80s breakdancing troop.

Fabrications include polyester fleece, nylon and wool. Its wholesale prices range between $10 and $90. Madsoul is looking to attract 13- to 24-year-olds in tune with all elements of hip-hop culture. Current retailers include shops such as Yellow Rat Bastard (New York City), Reggae Wear (Miami) and Ozone (Boston).

According to D'Amelio, he created Madsoul because he wanted a company where artists would be paid for their talent.

'Through the Internet, I was able to establish agreements with [graffiti] artists all around the world,' he said. 'In just a few months Madsoul was born.'

Jeep Workwear

Jeep, which has already been selling Teflon-treated denim, is taking toughness to the next level with a workwear line.

The label, which is produced by Old Toledo Brands under license from DaimlerChrysler, is getting its hands dirty with a line of outerwear and bottoms designed to stand up to hard use. The line includes a canvas duck coat with a snap-on hood, a canvas zip-front jacket, a waxed-cotton barn coat, a duck vest, carpenter and cargo pants, and jeans and jeans-jackets.

All the denim items, along with the carpenter and cargo pants, are impregnated with a Teflon coating from DuPont that makes the workwear water- and stain-resistant. The line also features sturdy, riveted construction and heavy-duty zippers.Tops are available with either blanket linings or six-ounce quilted fill.

'Workwear is a perfect fit for Jeep's reputation for ruggedness,' said Marc Kaufman, president of Old Toledo Brands. 'And we think it's going to appeal to a younger customer than some of the other workwear brands.'

A.P.C.O.

Launched two years ago, A.P.C.O. is looking to capture its share of the mass market.

'We are offering active-inspired looks for bottoms buyers that won't compete with activewear,' states Gene Uy, vice-president of design and merchandising, American Public Co., A.P.C.O.'s parent.

Known as a private-label manufacturer, the eight-year-old American Public Co. decided to launch A.P.C.O. to compete against brands such as OTB, Plugg and Wear First, said Paul Seltzer, president of sales and marketing.

The fall line will be broken into five groups -- varsity, outdoors, utility/workwear, snowboard and skate. Fabrications will include cotton/nylon blends, cotton denim, twill, canvas and corduroy.

вторник, 2 октября 2012 г.

PROJECT LAS VEGAS.(Sports)(latest fashion label) - Daily News Record

Byline: David Lipke

KASIL

'The Denim Garden' is Kasil's branding tagline, and the L.A.-based jeans company is reaping a bounty of new detailing, washes and fabrics for spring. 'We always have a wide variety of styles, but we don't do anything too crazy. We always want to keep that great, classic jeans look,' explains David Lim, who founded the company in 2003 and launched the men's line this past spring.

One area that the company does embellish with flair is the back pocket, with the season's new design elements including metal studs, corduroy trim and plaid insets. Another innovation is a jean made from a hemp-blend fabric ($190 retail), whose brown threads peek through as the denim wears in. Lim is also excited about a marbleized wash that creates a 'blue fire' effect.

For jeans aficionados seeking denim alternatives, Kasil has a new lineup of pigment-dyed cotton twill options, in boot-cut and relaxed straight-leg fits, in colors like olive, khaki and tobacco ($175 to $190). 'It feels like a denim jean, but it has a really soft hand,' says Lim. (The label's name -- pronounced like 'castle' -- is a riff on Lim's Korean name, which means 'Castle in the Forest.')

CANTERBURY OF NEW ZEALAND

Ralph Lauren latched onto the sporty Ivy League appeal of rugby for his latest fashion label, and now one of the sport's pioneers is set to do the same. Canterbury of New Zealand -- which was founded in 1904, originated the rugby shirt and currently outfits a host of national rugby teams around the world, as well as college teams at Harvard, Yale and Dartmouth -- is set to debut a new off-field line of premium sportswear.

The line of color-infused, logo rugby shirts ($98 to $150), polos ($68 to $108), and T-shirts is launching this fall at Nordstrom, the U.K.'s Harvey Nichols, and Spain's El Corte Inglese, among other stores. The line features signature elements from the company's on-field designs, such as rubber buttons and rip-resistant construction.

'Everything's garment washed, with a slim fashion fit and vintage sport look,' says Colin Gillooly, a Ben Sherman veteran who is now overseeing Canterbury's sales and marketing for North America.

The company's casual sportswear initiative is being undertaken by its new owners, an investment group that includes Hap Klopp, who was the founder of The North Face (now owned by VF Corp.) and is currently chairman of Blue Marlin. 'Canterbury has heritage, leadership in a niche sport and the cachet of New Zealand -- a fantastic platform on which to build the brand globally,' says Klopp.

C&C CALIFORNIA

As its name suggests, C&C California is all about laid-back, comfortable styles infused with a casual West Coast vibe. The spring line boasts plenty of printed and solid T-shirts, in a luscious array of colors like pale blue ('snow bunny' as the company calls it), faded black, guacamole green and orange 'sizzle' ($52 to $58 retail). Solid polos are available in a palette of 10 additional colors.

'It's the fabrics and colors that make this line special,' explains Jennifer Lazarus, owner of L.A.-based Showroom 903, which sells the Liz Claiborne-owned line. 'The fabric is this really soft jersey that C&C designs themselves, and the T's are available in either a skinny rocker fit or a looser skater fit.'

Also in the lineup are heavyweight fleece sweatshirts, in zippered and pullover styles ($136). 'They have a vintage, old-time look, very beefy and athletic,' says Lazarus.

OP CLASSIC

While the OP Classic moniker was marketed by former licensee Ray's Apparel for a line of sportswear, the current team working on this sub-label of the OP surf brand -- now owned by Warnaco -- considers it an entirely new concept, debuting next spring. 'This is really a relaunch,' says Sun Choe, vice-president of merchandising and design for the label. 'This is a full-on premium line with very exclusive distribution, much slimmer fits and true retro-classic styles.'

The customer is clearly a guy into '70s fashions with an affinity for kitsch, and is not afraid to show a little leg. Among the spring offerings are corduroy shorts -- including some with a four-inch inseam -- glossy nylon windbreakers with rainbow chest stripes, canvas boardshorts and terry-cloth polo shirts. If the collection had to be summed up in one word, 'cute' might immediately spring to mind.

Prices had not been finalized at presstime, but Choe said graphic-print T-shirts would run $60 to $80 retail, polos around $90 and windbreakers somewhere north of $100. 'It's for the Williamsburg hipster with money,' she explains, adding that part of the line may be sold into actual vintage stores to reach the young, trend-setting consumer who shops there.

THE EMPERORS NEW CLOTHES

After gaining a measure of visibility with their much-photographed 'Please Don't Feed the Models' T-shirts, the duo behind this New York-based label -- model booker Richard Wheeler and photographer Gavin Bond -- is expanding into tailored jackets, elaborately embroidered outerwear and military-inspired shirt-jackets.

'The tailored pieces are vivid blazers in pink or baby blue or plaid, in baby corduroy and wool blends,' says Wheeler, who has sold his fledgling line into big-name retailers like Bloomingdale's, Kitson and H. Lorenzo. 'They're specialty items that will be fairly limited in distribution.'

The new parkas ($330) feature Indian-inspired embroidery in sparkling red, green and silver tones, including images of deities like Ganesh. However, T-shirts remain the core of the collection, with snappy slogans and logos like 'American Excess' and 'Lifestyles of the Rich and Aimless.'

STITCH'S

After hitting the fashion jackpot with its Da-Nang military surplus-inspired label, Albert Dahan has made denim and leather the focus of his newest venture, Stitch's. Launched at retail this past spring, the jeans feature signature bold stitching executed on shoe-making equipment, with denim aged in antique redwood barrels in an historic Evansville, Wyo., facility. The time-consuming process means a wallet-shrinking price tag of $285 for the average jean in the collection.

For spring, Stitch's is introducing non-indigo denim in earth-toned colors like white, khaki and brown, offering new options to jeans collectors swimming in a sea of blue. 'We need to do something more than just boring five-pocket jeans,' reasons Dahan.

Complementing the denim lineup are leather shoulder bags, all hand-stitched using 'rejected' leather scraps ($330 retail). 'We actually find beauty in these non-prime skins because they give the bags a worn-in, organic look,' says Dahan.

Deadline to roll dice on deals is nearing; The Wild's Doug Risebrough is in Las Vegas for three days of general managers' meetings. He is in no rush to deal but has said it might be time to court players from outside the organization.(SPORTS) - Star Tribune (Minneapolis, MN)

Byline: Michael Russo; Staff Writer

Oh, the rumor mill should be churning at record pace this week.

Between sitting down at the blackjack table, throwing dice at the craps table and maybe taking in a little Cirque du Soleil and Danny Gans, general managers are expected to put the pedal to the metal on trade talks during three days' worth of meetings beginning today in Las Vegas.

Wild General Manager Doug Risebrough, who flew to Sin City from Phoenix on Sunday, expects a number of leaguewide trades this week because the meetings lead right into Friday's Olympic break roster freeze, which lasts until Feb. 28.

'In essence, you're creating two trade deadlines by one trade freeze and then the actual trade deadline [on March 9],' Risebrough said.

Just imagine: This could be the week a trade is consummated during a game of Texas Hold'em. For the record, Risebrough says he won't throw a dime into a slot machine. But Risebrough has been on the phone often lately.

Risebrough has been getting lines such as, 'Let me know if I can help you out,' and 'What the heck you doing with all those free agents?'

'Everybody's asking the same questions,' Risebrough said.

Risebrough's been Mr. Popular because he has nine players who could become unrestricted free agents - goalies Manny Fernandez and Dwayne Roloson, defensemen Willie Mitchell, Filip Kuba, Andrei Zyuzin and Daniel Tjarnqvist and forwards Randy Robitaille, Marc Chouinard and Alexandre Daigle.

The theory is that when contracts to potential free agents have not been extended, teams would prefer to trade those players, to avoid the risk of losing them for nothing over the summer.

'I've said this to a number of general managers: `Just don't assume because these guys are unrestricted that they will not be here,' ' Risebrough said. 'I want some stability for the push at the end, but also to keep the team competitive.'

Risebrough is not worried about waiting to negotiate contracts with his free agents. He said because the Wild solely owns these players' rights until June 15, there's a big enough window after the season. And considering there will be a larger player pool with a smaller team pool because teams close to the salary cap are financially restricted, Risebrough said he'll have plenty of options either to re-sign his players or sign others.

With 11 players either drafted by the Wild or brought in through expansion, Risebrough is proud of that stability. But he said the time has come to 'improve the atmosphere with player transactions,' whether that be via trade by March 9 or free agency the next two summers.

'I still believe stability is a big thing and I believe we have good, young players coming, but I also look at [Brian] Rolston and say, `What an impact he's had on our team,' ' Risebrough said. 'I have to look at players that might leave our organization on their own choice or our choice, and I may have to replace them. Before, we looked internally more. But because we've built the base, I feel it's time we have to look a little more externally.'

Risebrough said there's a chance he will make a move before Friday's freeze. With teams such as Tampa Bay, Vancouver and Colorado in dire need of defensemen, he has been getting several calls about the availability of his blue-liners.

As for the goalies, with the Wild six points out of a playoff spot, it's hard to imagine Risebrough trading Fernandez.

He has told Fernandez's agent that he wants to wait until after the season to negotiate a contract. Roloson's trade value has diminished. A month ago it was thought a team looking for a No. 1 for the playoff drive (Vancouver, Colorado or Edmonton) would have interest. But his 5.25 goals-against average in three starts since Jan. 3 likely means that if teams have interest, it would be contenders in need of a security blanket - a veteran backup.

'Right now, I'm with this team, so I have to do whatever it takes to try and win,' Roloson said. 'If it takes sitting on the bench and cheerleading, that's what it is. In this business, you hear 100 rumors and the 110th one might be true. I'm just waiting and trying to look positive.'

There's also one other interesting scenario. Since there's no guarantee the Wild will be able to re-sign Fernandez after the season, Risebrough said he's considering acquiring a bona fide No. 1 goalie to add to the roster to act as an insurance policy.

'But I've got to realistic,' he said. 'The acquisition of a goaltender would be fairly costly by the deadline. It doesn't mean you don't do it, though.'

Because of the roster freeze, essentially two weeks remain before the trade deadline. The landscape is unclear because so many teams are still alive in tight playoff races.

'Like us, you really can't crystallize what people are doing because they're in the hunt,' Risebrough said. 'Those that have already made deals [St. Louis] are basically those out of the hunt.

понедельник, 1 октября 2012 г.

Newest Sounders could come from combine; Sounders FC; Club will keep tabs on players from three-day camp in Las Vegas.(Sports) - The Seattle Times (Seattle, WA)

Byline: Joshua Mayers; Seattle Times staff reporter

Sounders FC hosted 67 college players in Las Vegas over the weekend in its third annual invitational combine.

While the odds are slim of making Seattle's roster next season -- technical director Chris Henderson estimated there might be one spot available for the group -- a handful of players emerged from the three-day camp as potential options in the upcoming MLS SuperDraft (Jan. 12) and Supplemental Draft (Jan. 17).

'Next year's team is going to be tough to make,' Henderson said Tuesday in a phone interview, 'but when you get guys at that quality and that level, they'll definitely be in a pool of players that we watch.'

Of the 67 players that participated, a few will be invited to the MLS combine in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., from Jan. 6-10. Others were from National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) programs and lower-division schools that the Sounders hope could become late-round steals.

Henderson, an Everett native, said the team put a little more focus in scouting defenders and outside backs, which has become an area of need after the loss of three-year starter James Riley in particular. Seattle looked at prospects on offense, too.

'When you're taking a chance on a flier player, many times it's an attacking-type player,' Henderson said.

The Sounders also used the weekend to build relationships with players who might not be MLS-ready at the moment, but could develop into contributors. Those players might go to the United Soccer Leagues or lower leagues in Europe, but Henderson said having a background with them could benefit the team in the future.

Sounders FC will hold another combine, its first outside the country, in early January in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. Henderson said the main goal is similar to that of the team's college combine -- finding 'one of those hidden players who can make a difference.'

Seven of the team's 12 SuperDraft picks are still with the team, but midfielder Steve Zakuani (a first-round pick in 2009) was the only drafted player protected in November's expansion draft.

Contributions from other drafted players have been inconsistent, though Henderson thinks the Sounders' draft history is 'probably right in line with most teams in the league.'

'We've hit on some and we've missed on some,' he said. 'It's really not easy to tell how a guy's going to do when he gets into the pros. ... You always want to do all the research and everything could be positive, and you still get it wrong. I think a lot of it depends on the individual and how he adapts to being a pro.'

Note

* According to a report from Trinidad and Tobago, F/MF Cordell Cato, 19, will sign a one-year deal with Seattle. In a text message regarding the report, general manager Adrian Hanauer wrote, 'He's definitely a player that we like,' but said nothing was official.

CAPTION(S):

Chris Henderson is scouting for talent. (0416212321)

воскресенье, 30 сентября 2012 г.

BATTERED RAMS FOCUS ON FRESNO ST. CSU ACHING FOR BYE WEEK AFTER BEATING ON TURF AT LAS VEGAS.(Sports) - Rocky Mountain News (Denver, CO)

Byline: Angel Hernandez Rocky Mountain News Staff Writer

Colorado State football coach Sonny Lubick deserves a break this week.

He would love to tell his players to relax and recuperate for the home stretch of their Western Athletic Conference regular season.

Lubick will indeed be able to do that in one week, just after the Rams meet Fresno State on Saturday (noon, Hughes Stadium, alternate cable television channels) and before CSU must travel to San Diego State on Nov. 22 for its regular-season finale.

The problem is the Rams could use that time off now instead for waiting later for that bye week.

``I wish it were,'' Lubick said. ``We've got to regroup this week and get everybody healthy . . . That's all we can do.''

Just as CSU (7-2, 5-1) faces its most crucial game yet in seeking the WAC's Pacific Division title, the Rams must crawl out of their most critical injury crisis of the season.

Lubick is awaiting the verdict on the knee of hobbled guard Anthony Cesario - a 6-foot-6, 300-pound starter viewed as the heart of the offensive line along with center Mike Newell, who strained a medial collateral ligament in Saturday's 45-19 victory at Nevada-Las Vegas.

Cesario's injury follows another knee injury to CSU wide receiver Geoff Turner in a practice prior to the Oct. 26 Tulsa game. And both of those mishaps preceded several other aches suffered on the artifical turf at UNLV's Sam Boyd Stadium. Cesario's usual counterpart at the weak-side guard position, Steve Dundee, pulled his left hamstring in the game. Geoff Turner's usual counterpart, senior wide receiver Paul Turner, strained his left patellar tendon. And Fort Collins-bred freshman cornerback Andy Engelstad suffered a concussion.

Dundee, Cesario and Geoff Turner are listed as questionable for the Fresno State game. Engelstad and Paul Turner are probable.

``We've got to get Geoff back because he is such a threat,'' Lubick said. ``I hope we get Anthony back. We're pretty banged up at this present time.''

The casualty list harked back to CSU's medical struggles in 1996 games on artificial turf, where games at Hawaii and Oregon essentially deprived the Rams of three starters for most of the year (Dundee, former tight end Justin Shull, tackle Adam Wallace) and a game at Nebraska cost Geoff Turner much of his effectiveness after he suffered a separated shoulder.

It's not quite what CSU needed before facing Fresno State (5-4, 4-1) in a game that won't necessarily clinch the Pacific title but comes close to knocking out its closest competitor in the division.

``They'll be tough. They're still in the thick of it,'' Lubick said.

Lubick still took some consolation in how the Rams survived the adversity on Saturday, rolling up 291 rushing yards behind an improvised and remolded offensive line.

``Losing Anthony Cesario early in the game, that hurt us a little bit,'' Lubick said.

Such work aided CSU into notching its first five-game winning streak since starting the 1994 season with a 7-0 record.The Rams broke running back Kevin McDougal for his fourth 100-yard game of his season and career. The Rams have a 5-1 record this season when a running back gains at least 100 yards in a game.

However, the Rams defense didn't slack up in its contributions. CSU free safety Myron Terry's first-quarter interception return for a touchdown - one of a career-high two picks in the game - marked the fourth time in the past five games that a Rams defender has scored. And CSU has now taken away 22 turnovers during its five-game winning streak while handing over the ball a mere four times.

суббота, 29 сентября 2012 г.

Late surge lifts Johnson to victory; Caution flag works against Kenseth, beaten on last turn at Las Vegas.(Sports) - Albany Times Union (Albany, NY)

Byline: Associated Press

LAS VEGAS - It took Jimmie Johnson 270 laps to get to the front Sunday, but that was soon enough.

Johnson took advantage of a late-race caution flag, catching and passing Matt Kenseth in a two-lap overtime sprint to the finish Sunday in the NASCAR Nextel Cup UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400.

Johnson's No. 48 Chevrolet surged past Kenseth's No. 17 Ford on the outside after the two sped side-by-side through the third and fourth turns on the 1.5-mile oval for the final time. The winner crossed the finish line 0.115 seconds - about half a car-length - ahead as he led a lap for the only time in the race.

Johnson said he sympathized with Kenseth for getting beat that way, noting he lost to Carl Edwards on the same kind of move last spring in Atlanta and then edged Bobby Labonte with an outside pass on the last lap last May at Charlotte.

'I was slowly catching Matt before that last caution,' Johnson said. 'I think we could have got up there to race with him but, if it stayed green, I believe Matt had it in the bag. Then we got that last yellow.

'I thought long and hard about what I would do if I was protecting the lead. I knew I wanted to be on the outside. I faked kind of to the bottom and he kind of bought it.'

Formula One: Defending Formula One champion Fernando Alonso of Renault almost collided with one Ferrari and held off the challenge of the other to win the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix in Sakhir, Bahrain.

A1 Grand Prix: Team France, with 22-year-old Nicolas Lapierre behind the wheel, finished second to Team Mexico in the 30-minute Sprint race in Monterey, Calif., to wrap up the championship in the inaugural season of the A1 Grand Prix of Nations. Mexico's 20-year-old Salvador Duran made it a doubleheader sweep for his team in the Main race.

CAPTION(S):

PHOTO

пятница, 28 сентября 2012 г.

USC VS. UCLA: A CLOSER LOOK USC NOTEBOOK: HOW'S A TRIP TO LAS VEGAS SOUND NOW?(Sports) - Daily News (Los Angeles, CA)

Byline: - Scott Wolf

For the first time since 1998, USC will be going bowling.

The Trojans (6-5, 5-3) are headed to the Las Vegas Bowl on Christmas Day against the Western Athletic Conference's No. 2 team. Among the possible opponents are Colorado State, Utah, New Mexico and Air Force.

``These last couple seasons we didn't go anywhere, so definitely it's huge,'' USC defensive lineman Ryan Nielsen said. ``It's so big because when we were 1-4, the guys didn't get down and didn't quit.''

--Band director: After the game, USC coach Pete Carroll got a chance to lead the Trojan band to the strains of ``Conquest.''

Asked how it felt, he said, Carroll said, ``What went through my mind? This doesn't happen in the NFL.''

--Rivalry games: In the annual ``Blood Bowl'' between the student newspapers, the Daily Trojan defeated the Daily Bruin 24-12. In the team managers' game, USC defeated UCLA 9-7.

--Recruit watch: Among the recruits at the game were Long Beach Poly's offensive lineman Winston Justice, defensive lineman Manuel Wright and safety Darnell Bing. Also at the game was St. Bonaventure of Ventura tailback Lorenzo Booker.

``I know our coaches were talking after the game and saying, `Can we go recruit tonight?' '' Carroll said.

--Go for it: Carroll signaled that he wanted to go for a fourth-and-1 situation at UCLA's 3-yard line in the second quarter, because a ball boy held his fingers inches apart. But the offensive coaches quickly protested and advised kicking a field goal because the Trojans were actually more than a yard from a first down.

--No injuries: In what was a first for the Trojans this season, USC did not report any injuries.

Free safety DeShaun Hill left the game with cramps, and it forced Carroll to improvise. He switched strong safety Troy Polamalu to free safety and use freshman Jason Leach at strong safety.

--Game ball 2: Cornerback Antuan Simmons, who had a 36-yard interception, was awarded the game ball. Simmons also received the game ball last season, when he was sidelined for a stomach tumor operation.

--Post-game melee: At least three fans were taken off by stretcher, according to witnesses, after being struck by police officers on the field after the game. Some fans were allowed to storm the field, but others were pushed back and had confrontations with police.

--Big win: This is USC's biggest margin of victory in the series since 1979, when the Trojans won, 49-14.

--Few points: USC allowed 197 points this season, its fewest during a regular season since the 1995 team allowed 180.

CAPTION(S):

photo, 5 boxes

Photo:

Coach Pete Carroll is taken aback by a Gatorade shower after USC had victory locked up.

John Lazar/Staff Photographer

Box:

(1) SCORING SUMMARY

(2) PLAYERS OF THE GAME

(3) GOAT OF THE GAME

(4) STATE OF THE GAME

четверг, 27 сентября 2012 г.

'Cats over 'Dogs in 10; Smith, in from Las Vegas, scores the winning run.(Sports) - Albany Times Union (Albany, NY)

Byline: PRESCOTT ROSSI Special to the Times Union

ValleyCats 2

Muckdogs 1

Two days ago, Andrew Smith was living in Las Vegas and out of professional ball. On Saturday night, he scored the winning run for the Tri-City ValleyCats.

Eric Taylor's two-out, bases-loaded single in the bottom of the 10th inning gave the ValleyCats a 2-1 victory over the Batavia Muckdogs in front of 4,175 fans at Bruno Stadium.

Smith, a 22-year-old who played at the University of San Francisco, scored the winning run just hours after he flew into the Capital Region.

'He arrived off the plane after 6:20. I never got a chance to really talk to him,' said Tri-City manager Gregg Langbehn. 'I asked if he could steal bases and he said `Yeah,' so I put him in.'

In the bottom of the 10th, Tri-City's James Goethals reached base on a two-out walk. A single by Nick Moresi, followed by a wild pitch and an intentional walk to Tim Torres, loaded the bases.

Smith replaced Goethals after the wild pitch to put speed on the bases. Taylor then worked a seven-pitch at-bat before hitting a grounder up the third-base line that was too difficult for Cody Montgomery to field cleanly and throw to first, allowing Smith to score the winning run.

Fans were treated to a pitchers' duel for the first nine innings. After giving up a run to the first batter of the game, Tri-City pitchers did not allow another run. Starter David Qualben again pitched brilliantly, allowing only one run on five hits in six innings. Cory Lapinski threw four hitless innings of relief and earned the win.

Taylor tied the game in the bottom of the seventh with his first home run of the season. Through 25 games, the ValleyCats have hit only four home runs.

The ValleyCats (15-10) will try for their fourth straight win as they play the middle game of the three-game set with Batavia (13-9) at 6 p.m. tonight.

Prescott Rossi is a local free-lance writer.

CAPTION(S):

PHOTO

среда, 26 сентября 2012 г.

WHITAKER REMAINS LOOSE AMID LAS VEGAS HOOPLA.(SPORTS) - The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, VA)

Byline: STEVE CARLSON, STAFF WRITER

LAS VEGAS -- Pernell ``Sweetpea'' Whitaker entered the final pre-fight press conference in a large ballroom at Caesars Palace wearing shades, a cap turned backwards, gold chains and an earring, headphones and a Penn State T-Shirt.

While promoters, trainers, other fighters on the undercard of Saturday's Whitaker-Oscar De La Hoya fight and various officials droned on and on, Whitaker rocked on. And while the dog and pony show raged on, Whitaker sat, swaying back-and-forth, often with eyes closed, while listening to a Phil Perry CD.

When it was Whitaker's turn to speak, he talked of how De La Hoya will begin to feel the pressure when reality sets in Friday night that he will have to fight the best fighter in the world pound-for-pound.

``This is the Academy Awards,'' Whitaker said. ``Between about (11 and 11:30) Saturday night, I'll be picking up my Oscar.''

Whitaker's trainer, Ronnie Shields, later laughed about it.

``He shocked me with that,'' Shields said. ``That line right there probably sold about another 10,000 homes for pay-per-view.''

Pay-per-view sales going briskly

The fight, which will be broadcast on TVKO, has been selling well so far. TVKO officials estimate that between 800,000 and 1 million homes will purchase the fight, which would top the pay-per-view record for a non-heavyweight fight. Whitaker-Julio Cesar Chavez in 1993 set that record with 740,000 buys and grossing between $25 million and $28 million in pay-per-view sales.

Promoter Bob Arum said the number of closed-circuit locations that will carry the fight could approach 2,000.

TVKO will utilize new anti-piracy technology in an attempt to catch viewers who try to steal the pay-per-view signal.

De La Hoya likes not missing a meal

Less than three years ago, De La Hoya became a world champion at 130 pounds. He has moved up quickly since then, first to lightweight, then junior welterweight and now takes his first run at welterweight without so much as a tuneup fight before facing a polished veteran.

At 5-foot-11, De La Hoya has the frame to handle additional steps up the ladder. His goal is to win titles in six weight classes.

``I was concerned about the seven pounds I had to gain and that it would slow me down or I wouldn't have the same power,'' De La Hoya said. ``But we did everything right in training for this fight, and I feel faster and stronger.''Quote-unquote

Blustery Lou Duva, on co-trainer/conditioning coach Bob Wareing: ``This guy knows more about weight training than Jane Fonda.''

Duva again, on Whitaker: ``He can punch from the right side. He can punch from the left side. I would say he's naturally amphibious.''

вторник, 25 сентября 2012 г.

TYSON TO FIGHT THOMAS MAY 30 IN LAS VEGAS.(Sports) - Albany Times Union (Albany, NY)

Byline: Staff and wire reports

Pinklon Thomas is in and Larry Holmes out as future title defense opponents for heavyweight champion Mike Tyson.

Tyson will put his World Boxing Council title on the line against former champion Thomas on May30 in Las Vegas, probably at the Hilton, Bill Cayton, Tyson's co-manager, confirmed Thursday.

The fight will be carried on Home Box Office, which also televised Tyson's knockout of Trevor Berbick for the WBC title and his decision over James 'Bonecrusher' Smith last month for the World Boxing Association crown.

Those fights were part of the HBO unification series, which has since been disbanded, but the fight with Thomas (29-1-1) is simply a WBC title defense for Tyson (29-0). It is not yet known whether the WBA will recognize the defense.

Cayton said the Thomas fight will serve as a mandatory WBC defense, and that a future fight with Tyrell Biggs later this year would also fall into that category.

Thomas lost some stature along with his WBC title in a 12-round loss to Berbick in March, 1986, and Biggs looked bad in knocking out David Bey on the Tyson-Smith card.

Cayton, who declined to announce purse figures for the Thomas fight, said both Thomas and Biggs are viable opponents.

'(WBC's) ranking committee ranks Thomas No.1. He's a former champion and a very good fighter,' Cayton said. 'Biggs is a former Olympic champion. They both have status and credibility.'

Negotiations with Holmes, the former champion, broke off because Holmes, 37, wanted too much money, Tyson's co-manager Jim Jacobs said.

понедельник, 24 сентября 2012 г.

MARINERS TAKE LONG VIEW IN LAS VEGAS ZDURIENCIK'S FOCUS ON THE FUTURE MEANS THE END OF THE LINE FOR IBANEZ IN SEATTLE.(Sports) - Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Byline: JOHN HICKEY P-I reporter

LAS VEGAS -- The Mariners knew they were going to need the winter to retool their offense.

The job increased in magnitude Sunday when left fielder Raul Ibanez declined the club's offer of salary arbitration.

Ibanez wants a multiyear contract in free agency. Had he accepted the arbitration offer, he would have been tied to the Mariners for just one season, though the sides could have continued to negotiate a longer deal.

Now, who knows?

'We will leave the door open,' Mariners general manager Jack Zduriencik said late Sunday. 'We might circle the wagons and decide to do something else (go to two or three years with Ibanez). We certainly would have liked to have had him for this season.

Thus began the winter meetings for the Mariners, taking place this year at the Bellagio Hotel and Casino.

The meetings officially begin Monday morning, and Zduriencik comes to Vegas with no particular urge to gamble on his team's future. He says he'd like the Mariners to be competitive in the AL West in 2009, but that's not what drives him.

'Right now, there is a larger picture,' Zduriencik said in looking forward to the meetings.

Specifically, he wants to move the Mariners in such a way that the club is competitive year after year, which is something former GM Bill Bavasi failed to do. The Mariners have had losing records in four of the past five seasons. They had perhaps their worst year ever in 2008, with 101 losses despite a $121 million payroll.

He will have to do it without Ibanez. And the left fielder doesn't figure to be the last key member of the 2008 team to exit. To add the run production the Mariners need, Zduriencik probably will have to trade pitching.

The Mariners did make one move Sunday, completing their coaching staff with the naming of Alan Cockrell as hitting coach. The Mariners spread out the hiring of manager Don Wakamatsu's staff over the past week, and now it's time to focus 100 percent on the roster.

Zduriencik wants to build for the short term, but needs to maneuver for the long term. Doing the latter may mean that 2009 will be another tough season, but Zduriencik is nothing if not optimistic.

'I want to be competitive in 2009,' he said. But, he pointed out, it's not all about signing big-ticket free agents and making a series of trades.

'The biggest thing we'd like to do would be to get this club healthy,' he said. 'Then it would be to get players to play to their potential. Then there are holes to fill. As we go to the (meetings) we'll have discussions (about moves) and whether they help the club short term or long term.

'This is a club that lost 101 games.'

Zduriencik and his staff have had conversations with most big league clubs, but the conversations by their very nature have cross-purposes. There isn't one of the other 29 general managers who wouldn't like to pick some of the prizes off the Seattle roster in a trade on the cheap.

Up to a half dozen teams have their eyes on closer J.J. Putz, for example, and wonder if Putz's injury-decimated 2008 has the Mariners ready to deal.

Moves like that are not on Zduriencik's agenda, however.

'I'm not looking to trade anybody,' he said. 'I'm going into the meetings open minded. I'm getting calls from other GMs wanting to talk about players. (But) I'm not in the mood to give anybody away. I'm in the mood to improve this ball club.

'If I can improve, I will entertain (trade offers).'

Right fielder Ichiro Suzuki is probably the only player on the roster who wouldn't get traded under any circumstances. Young starting pitchers Felix Hernandez and Brandon Morrow are close to untouchable.

Zduriencik probably can afford to trade starting pitching, however, because Morrow and lefty Ryan Rowland-Smith gave indications late in the season they were ready to step up as starters. Lefty Jarrod Washburn is entering the final year of his contract, and the club could move him to make room in a rotation that includes Carlos Silva - slimmed down after a 4-15 season - and Erik Bedard - healthy after missing about half of the 2008 season because of injuries.

'He feels great, and he looks great,' Zduriencik said of Bedard. 'I've heard that he was not 100 percent (healthy) last year. The fact that he is so upbeat now is very encouraging to me. He should roll into spring training ready to go.'

There will be some big names available in free agency, starting with outfielder Manny Ramirez, but expect Zduriencik to bypass the costliest free agents. Instead, the Mariners' needs are so great that he will need to focus, both in free agency and in the trade market, on adding a number of players of lesser cost to fill the gaps.

Toward that end, the Mariners are going into the winter meetings with only 36 players on their 40-man roster, meaning they have plenty of room to add players should the right deal come along.

воскресенье, 23 сентября 2012 г.

WCC tourneys kick off tonight; At Las Vegas; Saint Mary's again a classic bubble team for NCAA berth; Zags strong.(Sports) - The Seattle Times (Seattle, WA)

Byline: Bud Withers; Seattle Times staff reporter

Seemingly with more possibilities than in recent years, the West Coast Conference basketball tournament tips off Friday night in Las Vegas.

It appears there are three prominent story lines to the tournament's second rendition in Vegas, with the event sold out at the 7,471-seat Orleans Arena:

* Can somebody come from deep in the pack to nab the league's automatic berth in the NCAA tournament?

* Will No. 2-seeded Saint Mary's, a classic 'bubble' team for the NCAA field, do enough to get in?

* Can top seed Gonzaga (25-5) nail down a No. 4 or 5 NCAA seed if it wins the event, and thereby make a better case for being placed at Spokane Arena for the first and second rounds of the NCAA?

'For the first time, there are some teams coming out of the 4-5 slot that could make some noise in this tournament,' says Randy Bennett, the Saint Mary's coach. 'It's been awhile since I remember it that way.'

Gonzaga and Saint Mary's benefit from the double-bye format of the event, which was designed to protect the regular-season champion. So those two don't hit the floor until Sunday night while the lower six seeds sort things out Friday and Saturday nights.

No. 5 seed Loyola Marymount meets No. 8 Pepperdine, the winner facing No. 4 San Francisco and Gonzaga getting the team that advances. In the other half, No. 6 San Diego faces No. 7 Santa Clara, winner to meet Portland. That survivor gets Saint Mary's.

Both USF and Loyola thwarted Gonzaga on their home floors, and the Dons extended the Zags to the final possessions last week in Spokane.

'If we're fortunate enough to play Gonzaga, we've played them well,' said USF coach Rex Walters. 'We definitely have confidence.'

'They kind of go to a smaller lineup at times, spread the floor and try to bounce it (use the dribble) and shoot it,' said Mark Few, the Gonzaga coach. 'They've shot it very well against us.'

Saint Mary's, meanwhile, is in a familiar position. A year ago, it was fighting what would be a losing battle to get into the NCAAs. ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi has the Gaels in now, but only marginally.

'It's ironic,' said Bennett. 'We have the same exact record (24-5) we did last year at this time. There are so many similarities.'

Added Bennett, 'We're a better team. I don't think we're more talented.'

Lunardi has been projecting the Zags as a No. 4 or 5 seed, which could land them in Spokane. But it's almost a given that they need to win the WCC first, and then it might be a hairline call.

The league's women's tournament also will take place at the same site. Gonzaga, 17th-ranked and winner of 16 straight behind league player of the year Courtney Vandersloot of Kentwood High, is a solid favorite to claim a second straight NCAA berth.

Bud Withers: 206-464-8281 or bwithers@seattletimes.com

FACTS

Sunday

Gonzaga vs. TBD, WCC tournament, 5:30 p.m., ESPN2

суббота, 22 сентября 2012 г.

RODMAN: VIVA LAS VEGAS BUT NOT EVERYONE PLEASED WITH FORWARD'S TRIP.(Sports) - Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Scottie Pippen does not sound happy about Dennis Rodman's trip to Las Vegas after another sub-par showing in the Chicago Bulls' Finals-tying loss to the Utah Jazz Sunday night.

``We don't have any control of what Dennis does off the court,'' Pippen said gravely. ``It's his preference what he wants to do after the game.

``You would think that he would want to start to look and evaluate what's going on on the court with himself but as I stated it's his priority, and whatever he chooses to do, as a teammate I don't have any say-so about it.''

Rodman returned for yesterday's workouts, and was even early.

Bulls coach Phil Jackson said he had not ``endorsed'' Rodman's trip. ``I thought maybe he was going to the state line. He made it beyond that,'' Jackson said.

``Dennis is the kind of person that needs to blow off some steam and I imagine he got it done.''

Michael Jordan seemed unconcerned.

``If that's his way of getting away and getting a renewed attitude . . . I don't have a problem with it - as long as he comes back ready to play Wednesday,'' Jordan said.

Rodman himself, after getting no points and just six rebounds, made no apologies. ``I went out and had a good time and was relaxing. I got rid of this bad taste in my mouth. I had to do that,'' Rodman said.

The flamboyant six-time rebounding champion added: ``I'm not married. I don't have to entertain a family or nothing like that. So we have two days off (before tomorrow's Game 5) so I wanted to get the hell out of here and relax.''

Designers' inventions could turn your luck; A show in Las Vegas displayed new products that might change your fishing doldrums into a boat-filling bonanza ... or maybe not.(SPORTS)(Ron Schara) - Star Tribune (Minneapolis, MN)

Byline: Ron Schara; Staff Writer

If your fishing success has hit the summer doldrums, do not despair. It's probably not your fault, although I confess that's only a guess.

There is help on the way, however.

Last week in Las Vegas the world's best lure designers and tackle makers opened their giant tackle box of new inventions, gizmos and whatchamacallits to help you catch more fish.

Some of them actually will.

Other fish-fooling inventions tend to raise an angler's eyebrow.

I was hiking the aisles of the giant tackle box the other day when a Florida fellow by the name of Bruce Young ordered me to halt. 'You're walking by the Laser Lure booth?' he asked, incredulously.

I had to admit I had no idea if a walleye loved laser lights as much as shiners. Young had no doubts. He said he had created a line of diving crankbaits that transmit a laser beam. He came up with the idea after accidentally discovering aquarium fish were attracted to the laser light.

He said lasers have been banned at most aquariums because fish love lasers.

Will bass have the same laser passion? If the Laser Lure booth is around next year in Las Vegas, we'll know the answer.

There also was no shortage of Minnesota-based fish concoctions: One of the simplest but unique new products unveiled by Northland Tackle, Bemidji, is a Sling-Shot worm weight, a quick change system invented by Minnesotan Don Link for Texas rigging, Carolina rigging or livebait rigging.

It's a bullet sinker and much, much more.

Lindy Tackle of Brainerd introduced a pre-rigged slip bobber system for those walleye seekers who are unsure of how to correctly assemble the effective combo. Now, it comes in a package.

Normark folks, makers of Rapala, keep coming up with new modifications of the famed Rapala design, this time a slender version of the Shad Rap, called the Minnow Rap. It will cast better than a Shad Rap and will run to depths from 5 to 11 feet.

Pure Fishing, the makers of FireLine, from Spirit Lake, Iowa, achieved a breakthrough in the superline category with the first translucent braided line called Crystal. It's clear like monofilament but has the strength of Fireline.

Most of these new angling weapons will hit the tackle shelves by next spring in time for the 2007 fishing season.

No doubt, the fish are shaking in their fins.

пятница, 21 сентября 2012 г.

Las Vegas "bird" Shooting.(sports and recreation) - Paraplegia News

The 14th National PVA Transhoot Circuit wrapped up with the end-of-the-year tournament on September 24-27 in Las Vegas, Nev. The event took place at the Clark County Shooting Park, a shotgun center with 24 lighted, combined trap and skeet fields. It had 49 participants.

Friday started with an air rifle clinic at the hotel. National Rifle Association Disabled Shooting Services Director Vanessa Ross brought all the equipment necessary for the clinic: backdrop, targets, rifles, ammunition, binoculars, etc.

On the trap range, Friday saw practice under clear skies and extreme heat. Saturday was the first day of competition with 100 singles and 50 pair of doubles, with clear skies and more heat. Sunday featured another day of clear skies and heat for the 100 handicap targets.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Cal-Diego PVA took the Chapter Team Award, ahead of squads from Oregon, Vaughan, and Nevada. The California team won by a mere two birds, 1,301-1,299.

Cal-Diego's Doug Vann earned High Overall Wheelchair honors with a score of 278/300, and Dave David's 285 was High Overall.

In overall circuit results, Cal-Diego also captured the Chapter Team Award. Vann received the end-of-year High Overall Award. John Pilotte (Wisconsin PVA) was High Overall Wheelchair. Ed Hutchison (Arizona PVA) took the Chad Crowley Award as highest-scoring PVA voting member. He also won a brand-new rifle scope and Leupold binoculars.

The Monday after the trapshoot saw Nevada PVA's first pistol shoot at the Clark County Shooting Complex. The course was ten rounds of practice at the 15-yard line, followed by ten rounds slow fire (10-minute time limit) at the 15-yard line, then two five-round events (90-second time limit each) at the 15-yard line and a repeat of those at the 25-yard line. Jim Russell (Cal-Diego) took home top honors and a certificate for a new Glock pistol.

On behalf of all the 14th PVA Circuit atendees, PVA staff, and Nevada PVA, we would like to thank the following sponsors: Rob Johansen and SKG Shotguns, Cabela's, Winchester Ammunition, Michael Harris and Rolls Vans, Leupold Optics, Clark County Shooting Complex, Vanessa Ross and NRA Disabled Shooting Services, and Mary Dvornick and Safari Sun. Special thanks go to Hilda Fox of Cal-Diego PVA for her support and volunteer efforts on the PVA Trapshoot Circuit.

For complete National Trapshoot Circuit results, go to www.pva.org.

четверг, 20 сентября 2012 г.

Par for the course in viva Las Vegas.(SPORT) - Sunday Life (Belfast, Northern Ireland)

Byline: LINDA BRIEN

JUST got back from a five day trip to Las Vegas where I lost more than a few dollars.

Not on the gaming tables or slot machines, I hasten to add, but on the golf courses.

You only have to look at Augusta this weekend to appreciate the special quality of a top class American course. But boy do they know how to charge for them too.

A round at the Stallion Country Club 10 miles from the Strip cost a cool $525 for two. Ok, so that included clubs but it sure didn't leave much for a cool beer from the refreshment trolley that whizzed tantalisingly around the perfectly manicured fairways.

Things looked only marginally better at The Royal Links as the club honoured a previous booking made at a cheaper sister course. It cost $475 for 18 holes -- a ' bargain' said the caddie who probably didn't realise that it would be cheaper and easier for us to play the real Turnberry and Royal Troon than the dodgy Las Vegan replica.

But we simply had to draw the line at $365 per ROUND per PERSON at the Bali Hai -- a delectable course in a tropical setting whose website blurb neglected to point out was on the flight path right beside McCarran airport with jumbos landing every other minute.

In fact the money saved on forgoing that pleasure paid for a chopper ride over the Grand Canyon, a champagne brunch inside it, with change for a night at the Blackjack table in Caesars Palace after.

Lumpy and bumpy they might be but suddenly our wee municipal courses this side of the pond don't seem so bad after all... TUNING into the NCAA top four basketball finals made a pleasant change from Premiership drudgery last weekend.

SKY SOX SCORE FIVE IN FOURTH TO RALLY PAST LAS VEGAS 9-4.(Sports) - Rocky Mountain News (Denver, CO)

Byline: News Staff

COLORADO SPRINGS -- Craig Counsell singled home two runs to cap a five-run fourth inning as Colorado Springs rallied for a 9-4 victory over Las Vegas in a Pacific Coast League game Wednesday night at Sky Sox Stadium.

Counsell's looping fly just inside the left field foul line plated the Sky Sox's seventh and eighth runs. They trailed 2-0 after the first inning, but scored three runs in the third before adding five in the fourth on two hits, four walks and an error. Counsell also singled in the seventh inning.

Doug Dascenzo hit two doubles and a single and drove in a run for Las Vegas. Homer Busch added two hits, including a home run to start the game.

Boxing: JONES JR NEXT UP FOR JOE; BOXING: CALZAGHE v HOPKINS, LAS VEGAS, TONIGHT, FROM 10.30PM LIVE ON SETANTA SPORTS 1.(Sport) - The Mirror (London, England)

Byline: DAVID ANDERSON in Las Vegas

JOE CALZAGHE is in line for an emotional farewell fight back home in Wales against Roy Jones Junior.

Calzaghe faces Bernard Hopkins tonight - and if he wins he is set to take on the pound-for-pound king.

Talks have already started between both camps and the fight could take place at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium on November 15.

Jones is in Las Vegas and will be ringside for Calzaghe's US debut with Hopkins.

And he admits he would love to fight the Welshman.

'If it's big enough, I'll do it,' said the American.

'I'm taking Calzaghe to win and that would be a fight I would be interested in.'

Meanwhile, fellow Brit Amir Khan is backing Calzaghe to conquer America.

Khan, along with David Haye, Enzo Maccarinelli and Gavin Rees, has flown over to support Calzaghe.

среда, 19 сентября 2012 г.

BRIEFLY : LUYENDYK WINS POLE IN INAUGURAL LAS VEGAS RACE.(SPORTS) - Daily News (Los Angeles, CA)

One era will end and another will begin today in the Indy Racing League's first Las Vegas 500K.

The race will mark the inaugural event at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway and the finale for the cars and engines used by the fledgling IRL since its opening race last January at Orlando, Fla.

Arie Luyendyk put himself in the record books Saturday with a pole-winning lap of 226.491 mph, a mark that will likely stand as a track record for years with the IRL set to introduce its new combination of 4-liter, non-turbocharged engines and totally new chassis next January.

Dave Villwock posted the fastest qualifying speed for today's 30th Bill Muncey Cup Unlimited Hydroplane powerboat race on Mission Bay in San Diego.

Randy LaJoie cut deeply into David Green's lead in the Busch Grand National series with a convincing victory in the MBNA 200 at Dover Downs International Speedway in Delaware.

Denver Nuggets power forward Tom Hammonds was unhurt after an accident while competing in the NHRA Pioneer Electronics Keystone Nationals in Mohnton, Pa. Hammonds lost control of his Oldsmobile Cutlass Pro Stock drag racer immediately after leaving the starting line in the left lane. The car crossed to the right lane, hit the right retaining wall and rolled.

TENNIS

Top-seeded Thomas Muster failed to convert on four match points in a second-set tiebreaker before rebounding to beat Lucas Arnold in the semifinals of the Colombian World Series in Bogota.

Muster, who finished off the unseeded Argentine 6-1, 6-7 (9-7), 6-3, will face defending champion Nicolas Lapentti of Ecuador in today's final. Lapentti, seeded fourth, beat No. 7 Mauricio Hadad of Colombia 4-6, 6-3, 7-5.

Third-seeded Carlos Moya of Spain advanced to the final of the $500,000 Romanian Open tennis tournament to face fourth-seeded countryman Alberto Berasategui.

Moya, ranked 24th by the ATP, struggled to defeat unseeded Romanian Andrei Pavel 4-6, 6-3, 6-0 in the semifinals at Bucharest's Progresul clay court. In the second semifinal match, Berasategui, ranked 25th, upset Christian Ruud of Norway 6-0, 7-5.

Patty Schnyder of Switzerland, only 17 years old, beat Italy's Flora Perfetti 7-6 (7-5), 6-2 and advanced to the semifinals of the $160,000 Pupp Czech Open in Prague.

Sports Active: THE NURDLER - I was rescued by a Las Vegas vicar - The Independent on Sunday (London, England)

The cricket season is still in its infancy, but already my clubhave experienced more peaks and troughs than Sir Edmund Hillary.

The pavilion was improved over the course of the winter, and ourground is as picturesque as ever. On the flip side, local youthsonce again mistook our covers for trampolines a couple of weeks ago,causing thousands of pounds' worth of damage in the process.

As for the cricket, our first team, bolstered by a number of newsignings during the close season, are sitting second in theirdivision, while the second team, strengthened by a number of lastseason's first-teamers, are also riding high.

Our Third XI, however, have been a tad inconsistent. A couple ofweeks ago, they looked a batting side to be reckoned with as theycruised to victory, having posted 230 on a tricky wicket. Not onlythat, but their batting line-up was about to be bolstered by, er,me.

Last week I was trying to come to terms with the fact that I wasabout to make my first appearance for the threes in more than 10years. I consoled myself that I would be moving down to a team whoseconfidence would be high after such a resounding performance.

But the thirds would have to wait a little longer for myappearance. I discovered (or should I say decided - I am the club'schairman of selectors) that I was going to be in the second team ataround 1.15 on Saturday morning.

That was when I received a call from Skeggsie, our first-teamcaptain, in a mild state of panic. As soon as his name appeared onmy mobile phone I prepared myself for bad news. Somebody hadobviously dropped out of the first team.

It was worse than I thought: two players had dropped out. Thepair in question had a pretty reasonable excuse, however: they wereat Heathrow airport waiting to board a plane to Las Vegas to getmarried - although not, I hasten to add, to each other. I was goingto benefit from my clubmates' decision to tie the knot: I was backin the second team. Viva Las Vegas!

I ended up opening the batting for the twos and scored acreditable 22 on a very wet wicket. We made 146 for 9, and it provedenough. The threes weren't quite so lucky - they were skittled forjust 42.

It is rare, in a most forms of cricket, for a team to fail toreach the half-century mark. So for it to happen twice in a weekendis highly unlikely. At least you'd think so, wouldn't you? OurSunday First XI, is a mixture of players of varying abilities. Just24 hours after the third team's capitulation, the Sunday Firsts,under my shrewd leadership, equalled a club record. And it was allgoing so well at tea.

Our hotchpotch of eager youngsters and creaking oldies hadperformed wonders to keep much stronger opponents down to 150 for 9off 45 overs. Less than an hour into our innings, though, and it wasall over. We were bowled out for 39.

SC INSIDE LOOK: USC U-G-L-Y IN LOSS TROJANS REVERT TO EARLY-SEASON ILLS IN LAS VEGAS BOWL DEFEAT.(Sports) - Daily News (Los Angeles, CA)

Byline: Matthew Kredell Staff Writer

LAS VEGAS - Like a child unsure whether he had been naughty or nice, USC took a long time unwrapping its Christmas present.

Everything seemed to be going in the right direction for the football program. Four consecutive wins to finish the regular season earned the Trojans a chance to play on Christmas Day in a bowl game, their first in three years.

Santa came to town and the Trojans believed they deserved the best he had to offer, a season-ending bowl victory to acknowledge their improvement and carry over the momentum to next season.

But, in the end, all they got was a lump of coal. And they can't explain why.

The confidence from a late-season surge and dismantling of UCLA was shattered Tuesday as USC regressed to its early problems running the ball, protecting quarterback Carson Palmer, kicking and stopping opponents in key situations. Utah eagerly accepted the Trojans' holiday hospitality in a 10-6 Las Vegas Bowl victory in front of 22,385 at Sam Boyd Stadium.

USC has a history of underwhelming performances in all non-Rose Bowl bowl games, with a record of 20-8 in the Rose Bowl and 5-6 in all others. If it wasn't the Rose Bowl, the Trojans seemed to be uninterested.

That wasn't the case in this bowl. USC players desperately wanted to set the tone for the future.

``This is a step backward for us,'' Palmer said. ``We needed this game badly to take momentum into next season.''

It's difficult to pinpoint why USC didn't perform, unlike the 1998 Sun Bowl, in which the Trojans were lackadaisical before a loss to TCU.

``There's nothing you can point your finger at and say this was the problem or this is the answer,'' senior defensive lineman Bobby DeMars said. ``It wasn't Vegas. It wasn't distractions. We worked hard and did everything right (leading up to the game).''

But as soon as the game started, USC (6-6) hardly could do anything right. The Trojans couldn't manage a first down in the first quarter as the offensive line didn't give Palmer enough time to pass.

He was sacked twice, including a nasty hit by Utah's Sheldo Deckart back to the USC 4 as Palmer did well just to hold onto the ball. Palmer took four sacks in the game.

The offensive line also couldn't give the Trojans any room to run. USC was held to 1 yard rushing on 25 carries.

Trojan rushers gained 79 yards but lost 78 on sacks and runs stuffed in the backfield. It was the fewest rushing yards by USC since 1999 against Arizona. The 151 total yards were the fewest by USC since it gained 124 in 1996 against Washington.

When the Trojans finally did score on a 2-yard run by Sunny Byrd five minutes into the third quarter, kicker David Davis - the Pacific-10 Conference's most accurate field-goal kicker during the season - missed the extra point wide right. In the first half, he missed a 47-yard field goal attempt.

A combination of the inability of USC's offense to sustain drives and the defense failing to stop Utah (8-4), especially on third down, gave the Utes more than a 16 minute advantage in time of possession. Utah rushed for 222 yards on 54 carries.

USC had the Utes pinned at their own 8 with third-and-15 and 3:30 remaining in the game when Utah quarterback Lance Rice found tight end Michael Richardson over the middle for a 21-yard gain and first down. USC had one last chance to get the ball back on third-and-5 with 2:32 left, but running back Adam Tate eluded linebacker Frank Strong at the line of scrimmage and got the game-clinching first down.

USC safety Troy Polamalu was named USC's most valuable player of the game for his career-high 20 tackles. But he sat dejected during the postgame news conference, only looking up briefly to say thank you for the award before going back to thinking about what might have been.

Polamalu nearly blocked a punt in the fourth quarter that could have given USC the lift it needed.

``I can only blame myself,'' Polamalu said. ``I didn't do everything. I could have blocked that punt. I missed tackles. I could have changed how the game turned.''

But blaming USC's defensive leader is more preposterous than any of the options.

``They just came out and beat us,'' senior cornerback Kris Richard said. ``They shoved the ball down our throats. We were prepared and just got beat. It happens to football teams.''

CAPTION(S):

photo

Photo:

Utah running back Dameon Hunter, right, takes a lateral during the Las Vegas Bowl on Tuesday as USC's Frank Strong, left, is blocked.

WEST LAS VEGAS HANDS LADY TIGERS BASKETBALL FIRST LOSS OF THE SEASON.(Sports) - Taos News (Taos, NM)

Byline: GABE TOTH

By Gabe Toth

The Taos News

The Lady Tigers came out with a weak showing against West Las Vegas last Tuesday (Dec. 4), dropping the Dons' season opener 55-41 for their first loss this year.

Coach Robert Trujillo said the girls just didn't play their A game that night.

'They knew that they didn't play their best,' he said. 'You have to come out to play every night.

'We struggled a little bit. We started off slow. West brought their running game, and we just came out flat.'

He said free throws could have made a difference in the game, but the Taos girls shot a lukewarm 15 for 35 from the line.

The girls were only down 21-17 at the half. However, a weak third quarter for the Lady Tigers put the game in WLV's hands, as Taos scored only two points during the quarter and never recovered.

COUNTDOWN TO NEVADA-LAS VEGAS.(Sports) - The Wisconsin State Journal (Madison, WI)

From the infirmary: Alvarez said Monday he doubts free safety Kevin Huntley will be able to play Saturday at Nevada-Las Vegas due to a sprained left ankle sustained in the season opener.

If Huntley, officially listed as questionable, cannot go against the Rebels, redshirt freshman Bobby Myers is expected to start and should get some extended work.

Meanwhile, linebacker Donny Eicher and offensive tackle Aaron Gibson have been cleared for practice. Eicher tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during the spring game and underwent surgery May 23. Gibson strained the ACL in his left knee during preseason camp.

Alvarez said a realistic target for Eicher returning to action is the Big Ten Conference opener with Penn State Sept. 28. Gibson, meanwhile, is a day-to-day situation.

Using your connections: Turns out there are a lot of ties that bind UNLV coaches and players to football entities in Wisconsin.

For starters, UW running backs coach Brian White had two different coaching stints with the Rebels, the latest ending in 1994 when he came to Madison. Not only are some of his recruits on board, so are seven coaches with whom he shared a common goal, including head coach Jeff Horton.

Then there is Wisconsin linebackers coach Jay Hayes, who coached at California the same time as current Rebels assistant Mike Bredeson.

As far as players go, Badgers defensive end Dave Cruickshank played last season at Saddleback (Calif.) Community College along with current UNLV center Bubba Gonzalez and linebacker Scott Patton; Rebels long snapper Darin Lovat is the nephew of Green Bay Packers offensive line coach Tom Lovat; UNLV kicker Gabe Zendejas is the nephew of former Packers kicker Max Zendejas; UW true freshman defensive back Sam Elmore and Rebels linebacker Steve Newton hail from the same Banning (Calif.) High School program; and, last but not least, Wisconsin freshman linebacker Eddie Hartwell was a standout at Cheyenne High School in Las Vegas.

DOUBTFUL BOSTROM WINS SUPERBIKE TITLE FAST PPIR START GIVES LAS VEGAS RESIDENT FOURTH VICTORY IN RACE.(Sports) - Rocky Mountain News (Denver, CO)

Byline: Steve Trivett

SPECIAL TO THE NEWS

FOUNTAIN -- According to the surfer, Friday was a bummer.

Sunday turned into a winner for the rock climber.

Eric Bostrom, who surfs and climbs when he isn't racing motorcycles, sat in his trailer late Friday and bemoaned the fact that he and his Kawasaki 800 weren't handling the usually friendly Pikes Peak International Raceway very well.

Two days later, Bostrom rode that same Kawasaki to victory in the American Motorcycle Association Cruise America Chevy Trucks Superbike Championship in a rain- delayed, wreck-shortened final.

``Going in, I had no idea who was going to win,'' Bostrom said. ``There were six guys who could have won, and I wasn't real sure I was one of them. We had fought it every practice session.''

Bostrom took care of three pretenders less than 10 seconds after the green flag fell. It took him one lap to overtake the last.

Starting fifth on the grid, Bostrom, who won this race in 1998, 2000 and 2002, jumped to second behind Anthony Gobert immediately after the start, then caught him going into the second lap.

Bostrom had pushed his lead to more than 5 seconds over Kurtis Roberts when a red flag came out after a wreck and oil spill on lap 41 of the 49-lap event - causing officials to declare the race over because the leader had finished more than 80 percent of the scheduled laps.

``At the start, it was either go on the paint (the inside line of the track) or back off,'' Bostrom said. ``Backing off didn't seem like an option.''

Backing off never was an option for the 26-year-old Las Vegas resident who grew up on the California coast.

``I had a good time (Sunday),'' Bostrom said. ``It was a ride-your-

(rear)-off race the whole way. That start set us on fire.''

Three hours before the green flag fell, it was doubtful the race would happen.

A thunderstorm pelted the track for almost two hours starting at noon (the original starting time), and postponement was an option until an hour before the race finally started at 3:45 p.m.

``That made it even more exciting,'' Bostrom said. ``I was certain nearly all day that we weren't going to be able to race at all. That makes it even sweeter.''

Roberts finished second on his Honda by more than 6 seconds over pole-sitter Aaron Yates, the yearlong Superbike points leader.

``At the beginning we didn't get the start that we wanted,'' Roberts said. ``And Eric stepped up the pace right from the start. I knew where Aaron was, and I didn't want to melt the tires putting on a big charge, and all of a sudden the race was over.''

Yates, who had taken the pole in qualifying Saturday, had to battle with Ben Bostrom, Eric's older brother, on the 32nd lap to get into third and couldn't make a run at the top two before the race was red- flagged.

``I think I was picking up on Kurtis and was ready to go after him when the red flag killed it,'' said Yates, who has a 244-239 lead over Bostrom in the standings.

Mat Mladin, Yates' Suzuki teammate who was second in the points standings heading into PPIR, had to pit on the 35th lap because of tire problems and finished ninth, which dropped him to third in the standings halfway through the season.

Chevy Trucks Superbike

Name, Hometown, Bike, Interval

1. Eric Bostrom, Las Vegas, Kawasaki 800, 40 laps; 2. Kurtis Roberts, Hickman, Calif., Honda 1000, +5.25; 3. Aaron Yates, Milledgeville, Ga., Suzuki 1000, +11.59; 4. Ben Bostrom, Las Vegas, Honda 1000, +12.57; 5. Anthony Gobert, Lake Elsinore, Calif., Ducati 998, +21.83.

6. Jason Pridmore, Ventura, Calif., Suzuki 1000, +29.94; 7. Miguel Duhamel, Repetigny, Canada., Honda 1000, +34.62; 8. Jordan Szoke, Brantford, Ontario, Suzuki 1000, +38.26; 9. Mat Mladin, Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., Suzuki 1000, +40.09; 10. Steve Rapp, Coronado, Calif., Suzuki 1000, +50.70;

11. Ricky Orlando, Erie, Suzuki 750, 39 laps; 12. Daniel Turner, Fort Collins, Yamaha 1000, +0.38; 13. Shawn Higbee, Big Bend, Wis., Suzuki 1000, +4.54; 14. Pascal Picotte, Repetigny, Canada., Yamaha 1000, +8.96; 15. Mike Sullivan, Centralia, Wash., Suzuki 1000, +22.64.

Others

34. Gregory Glennie, Boulder, Yamaha 1000, 1 lap; 40. Sean Fry, Denver, Yamaha 1000, did not start.

Pro Honda Oils U.S. Supersport Championship

1. Jamie Hacking, Greer, S.C., Yamaha 600, 20 laps; 2. Aaron Gobert, Lake Elsinore, Calif., Yamaha 600, +0.28 secs.; 3. Jason Disalvo, Stafford, N.Y., Yamaha 600, +0.91; 4. Damon Buckmaster, Cypress, Calif., Yamaha 600, +2.20; 5. Tommy Hayden, Owensboro, Ky., Kawasaki 599, +5.50.

Others

18. Martin Sims, Denver, Suzuki 600, +59.51; 21. Terry Skogen, Carbondale, Yamaha 600, 19 laps; 22. David Lambert, Pueblo, Suzuki 600, 19 laps; 24. Darin Scherer, Thornton, Yamaha, 600, 19 laps; 27. Jeff Grace, Colorado Springs, Yamaha 600, 19 laps.

28. Will Sequino, Highlands Ranch, Yamaha 600, 19 laps; 29. Torsten Zorn, Boulder, Suzuki 600, 14 laps; 31. Michael Applehans, Denver, Suzuki 600, 7 laps; 35. Elton Curry, Denver, Yamaha 600, did not finish. 37. Mike McCracken, Louisville, Suzuki 600, did not finish.

MBNA Grand Prix

1. Richard Oliver, Auberry, Calif., Yamaha 250, 20 laps; 2. Charles Sorensen, San Jose, Calif., Aprilia 250, +8.42 secs; 3. Simon Turner, Miami, Honda 250, +14.81; 4. Colin Jensen, Ketchum, Idaho, Aprilia 250, +38.20; 5. Edward Marchini, Placerville, Calif., Yamaha 250, +42.49.

Others