Vegas Rich Speaks Out

The Best Kept Secret In Las Vegas Sports

2010-10-24T15:06:00.000-07:00

I've always wanted to watch a football game from the sidelines, walking up and down the field like the head coach does willing his players on to victory.

I got the chance to do that last night as the Vegas Kings defeated the Southern California Predators 66-13 in their last regular season game.

Let me back up a little, please. As late as June I had no idea that Minor League Football existed here in Las Vegas and I like to pride myself into thinking that in the 15 plus years I've lived in this fascinating city, I knew just about everything that had to do with sports in this town.

How wrong was I! In a chance meeting with Bill Miller, who has about 10 different roles with this non-profit organization, I asked Bill to be a guest on my radio program "Vegas Unwrapped". In that first show he also brought along with him John "Ice" Isola who was recently named Head Coach in this teams third year in existence.

They are part of the Labelle Community Football League, a nationwide program started by the Patti Labelle Foundation and has grown to 32 teams. The Vegas Kings are part of the Western Region which has 15 teams in California and one in Nevada.

A day after that very successful show the Kings asked my partner on the radio show, Aaron Phillips if he and I would like the broadcast the Kings home games this year. We jumped at the opportunity since it was something we had dreamed about over the 13 years we have been friends.

So in July we started to broadcast the games on the Internet station we were associated with at that time. We then added a weekly "Coaches Show" highlighting the previous game and focusing on the offensive and defensive players of the game. This show is still being aired on Sunday nights on www.ecastsports.com at 6:00PM PDT.

The Kings are made up of players who have played the game in High School, Division I and Division II College Football, the UFL, the CFL and the National Football League. Most of these guys still have aspirations to reach a higher level and I can definitely tell you that the talent many of these players have shown this year certainly merits that opportunity.

I hate to say it, because I am a major fan of UNLV Sports fan, but right now the Vegas Kings would mop the floor with the UNLV Football Team.

This year the goal at the beginning of the season hasn't changed for minute despite it's overall 8-2 record. That goal, a national championship, which is still within it's grasp as the Kings host the opening round of the Playoffs as the #3 seed this coming Saturday at Desert Pines High School Stadium on Harris and Sandhill in Northeast Las Vegas.

Last nights victory was typical of most of this years wins. Their vaunted defense known affectionately as the "Dark Side Dominating Defense" once again held the opposition to zero touchdowns and only two field goals. On the other side of the ball John Emelo led the attack with four TD passes while Brandon Lomax chipped in with two TD runs.

In order for the Vegas Kings to get to the National Championship Game they will have to go through the two teams that have beaten them during the regular season, the Southern California Steelers and the North County Cobras who are looking for their second straight National Championship.

I rode the bus with the players to last nights game and to a man there was not one player who feels that the Kings will not make to the championship game but will end the year on a victorious note. They are a loose, fun loving, very close group of young men who are talented and directed by experienced coaches who know this game inside out and backwards.

It is my hope that now that the playoffs begin that "Vegas Unwrapped" has the opportunity to broadcast all the games on the road to the championship. The only thing that stands in our way is obtaining the necessary sponsorship to get the air time paid for.

If you know any business that would like their message heard by a quarter of a million listeners or more worldwide have them contact Ricky Cash at vegasunwrappedrcash@gmail.com.

If you live in Vegas and you want to see some quality football come out to this weeks playoff game on Saturday Night Oct. 30th at 5:00PM. You will see this secret of great sports in Las Vegas be revealed.

"VEGAS UNWRAPPED SOUND OFF"

2010-04-08T21:09:00.000-07:00

Sound Off – Ricky Cash Inside

My friends out there, answer me an honest question.

Have you ever been arrested? Have you ever been held in a holding cell awaiting to be booked for a crime?

Then let me assume by your answer that if you were to be asked what is like to be in one of those holding cells, using legal jargon, it would be hearsay on your part, correct?

OK, what I'm about to sound off actually happened to me, Ricky Cash, this past Thursday in North Las Vegas Municipal Court. Now, I have to do this disclaimer. After consulting with my attorney and him knowing my part in this show, ( VEGAS UNWRAPPED) on www.lvrocks.com, he advised me not to talk about the particulars of my case since it is still ongoing, but, if I had anything to report to my listeners about anything else that occurred while I was there then I should blast away, especially after I told him the story.

So hear goes:

I went to court to resolve a matter that happened to me about 6 months ago. There was a disturbance and I was summons to appear in court as the defendant . I arrived at 2:00PM accompanied by my much better half and regular “VEGAS UNWRAPPED” listener and contributor to our shows chat room, Kami.

We sat in awe listening to a Judge whom I will not name now, perhaps at a later date, but for what it's worth, the best way to describe him and his methods was like a NAZI GESTAPO OFFICER. Now remember folks, I'm no judge, but I have some understanding of the law not because I watch Law and Order regularly, but because Kami is a certified Paralegal and we have spent hours and hours in discussions about every type of case imaginable.

So here we are and “Your Honor” is sentencing people for jay walking, expired car registrations, failure to register a vehicle in Nevada, failure to report to court, noise disturbances with dogs, and a variety of other really hard criminal offenses like these to:

Are you ready for this?

180 days in jail with bails ranging from a $1,000 to $10,000 and in some cases only full cash bail, which means no bail bondsmen who gets you out with 15%, and are you ready ? No Bail which on Law and Order is called remand. Are you Friggin kidding me?

Wait my friends it gets worse.

My name is called and the judge says to me what is your plea?. Now you have 3 options. Guilty, not guilty, and no contest. No contest seems to be the right choice for me but here's where I made my first and perhaps biggest mistake of my life. I didn't discuss this with an attorney because I had none, simply because I thought this could be resolved rather easily.

So, I said “no contest and will the court please oblige me with an explanation?” He said, “sure but before I hear that, first tell me did you do this and this and this and this etc? “ Knowing I was going to get to explain it I said “YES!.” He then says before I get another word out, “Your going to Jail next case.”

I said “What? “ And in my absolute very best Robert DeNiro I said “Are you takin to me?” He said, “Marshall cuff this man, take him out of my court and put him in a holding cell until next Friday April 9^th and he can post a $4200 bail.”

I was stunned, Kami was hysterical and all I could think of is great, I'm finally going to meet Bubba and my ass tightened so much I thought it was shut for good.

So from court, about 12 of us were herded like cattle to the Holding Area next door, all of us dangerous criminals, and all I can say at this point is to tell all our listeners here in Vegas and for those of you who plan to to come here, “don't, I repeat don't my most pleading terms do not even think of breaking any law no matter how stupid they may appear to be at all in the township of North Las Vegas or you will be sent to this horrid place for God knows how long”.

After about maybe 20 minutes of initial processing still cuffed with our hands behind our backs I was put into a room about 20 by 50 feet which should accommodate about 10 people with one open open toilet area. You could walk around a bit, exercise, sit on an aluminum seat bench or on the concrete floor.

The problem was when I got there there were already about 50 people in this room. Now remember these “prisoners” were not murders, rapists, child molesters or hardened criminals. In fact if I did a survey of every person in there and in thet wo days I was there I did speak to most of them there were probably, maybe one or two at the most who were repeating felons who committed these and more serious crimes. The rest of us were all about misdemeanors.

Now here's the process. If you posted bail at the court, from the time the money goes from the payment area to the jail and they process you out after taking a 5 minute medical, a 10 minute interview, a 10 minute fingerprinting , and maybe in about a ½ hour or 45 minutes total you should have been in there no longer than maybe 3 hours total at he most.

NO, not by a long stretch. The average wait in the holding area is anywhere from 48 hours to as much as 5, yes 5 days that is right friends 5 days in that confined area with one toilet, no soap, no showers, nothing but the clothes on your back in a room where the temperature is set at 50 degrees. There was never, not even one time where anybody came in the place to wash a floor, spray a disinfectant or anything like that. They served the same meal three times a day, one slice of bologna and one slice of cheese on two slices of stale wheat bread along with a cookie a small bag of chips and a drink which seemed very close to Jim Jones' Jonestown Kool Aid.

Think about it 5 days, 15 meals the same exact thing. After the first of these meals I was trading the sandwich and the drink for cookies and chips.

These are the most deplorable conditions you could imagine from such a place. They literally treated me and the rest of these people like animals and to think that a vast majority were experiencing this like me for the first time was incredible.

I did my best and tried to talk to all the inmates. My message was the same if they were 18 or 50. I told them not to ever be here at my age. They have choices in this world and the decisions they make will determine the consequences they will receive. After 2 days of this the brothers gave me a new name. Friends you want to guess what it was?

It was “OG”, which does not stand for Old Guy. It stands for Original Gangster. Isn't that special!

In closing let me say two things. First I am certainly not defending people who break the law on any level and people do have to take responsibility for their own actions which I was perfectly ready to do, but to be treated this way in these conditions was absolutely unreasonable. And second somebody perhaps one of the TV stations or the RJ or somebody must get inside and expose these conditions so the public can see just what kind of justice they are paying for.

For me personally, I am not finished with this outburst by a long shot. I am out of steam.

Runnin' Rebels Exit The Big Dance Early

2010-03-19T07:59:00.001-07:00

Junior forward and UNLV's team leader put it best “Losing in the first round is a little disappointing,” Willis said. “But overall, we had a good season. We’re definitely going to have our good days ahead of us.”

That is exactly what this Rebels fan and reporter will focus on within the scope of this report.

Yes,surely the 69-66 loss to a very good Northern Iowa team was disappointing and yes there were enough flaws in the Rebels performance that the outcome was anticipated early enough in the game when the Runnin' Rebels jumped out to an eight point lead, despite some very erratic shooting, and couldn't continue the onslaught.

Let's give the Northern Iowa Panthers credit. They played a very smart defensive game which is their signature and when it came down to the last 11 seconds left in a tie game with no time outs remaining, they were able to find an open man 26 feet from the basket and Ali Farokhmanesh, try saying that name five times fast, simply fired away to put the Panthers up by three.

The Rebels then got two tries to tie the game with 4.9 seconds left. After the inbound pass the ball was knocked away from Oscar Bellfield going out of bounds leaving the Rebels with 1.6 seconds left. They were never able to get off the shot when time expired.

So ends the 2009-2010 season for UNLV. This year, just like for the entire Mountain West Conference, was supposed to be a rebuilding year for the Runnin' Rebels. They lost three key Seniors including four year starter and one of the most exciting players I have ever seen to step out on Jerry Tarkanian Court. That of course was Wink Adams who will always be one of my top five Runnin' Rebels of all time.

With Wink gone as well as Joe Darger and Rrene Rougeau this Rebel team was made of of underclassmen and Junior College transfers trying, under the able leadership of Coach Lon Kruger, to blend into a well run machine capable of causing havoc on the defensive side of the ball.

Their overall record of 25-9 speaks volumes of their success. Their two wins over BYU and one over New Mexico as well as defeating Arizona and Louisville ,is a tribute to the fine job Kruger has done. With most UNLV home games being close to sell out crowds at the Thomas and Mack center, Kruger has pumped the life back into this towns love for Jerry Tarkanian's legendary teams.

The future is extremely bright for the Rebels for the 2010-2011 campaign. They bring back their staring five as well as their key players off the bench. This years Freshman class of Anthony Marshall and Justin Hawkins will only get better and they will still be back ups for Tre'Von Willis and Oscar Bellfield.

With a healthy Derrick Jasper back in the lineup and excellent recruiting class plus a couple of red shirts from this year things are definitely looking up for the Rebels' The emergence of Chase Stanback and Matt Shaw along with the stellar play of Tre'Von Willis plus the ever improving Brice Massamba will make the UNLV a force to be reckoned with not only in the Mountain West Conference but also nationally as they continue on their path to return to the elite of Men's College Basketball.

I will continue to cover the two remaining teams from the MWC, BYU and New Mexico throughout the NCAA Tournament and wish them success. Now that the entire country has witnessed the amazing Jimmer Fredette let's hope for a Sweet Sixteen or more from our two remaining teams. This has been a great year for the Mountain West Conference and it will only be getting better in the years to come.

The time has arrived in both Football and Basketball for the Mountain West Conference to be part of the BCS and be recognized nationally as a major conference.

The NCAA vs. UNLV: Conspiracy or Not?

2010-03-16T22:49:00.000-07:00

Of course there is but more on that in a little bit.

First off I am not what you call a "Conspiracy Theorist". Well maybe a little bit. Like, sure there wasn't another shooter on the grassy knoll. Like, Amelia Earhart really lost her way. Like all the disappearances in the Bermuda Triangle can be explained. Like Elvis is really dead. Now that one I know is not true. Here in Vegas I see Elvis at least three to four times a day, sometimes even in two places at once.

You tell me what dead person could do that. Oh and by the way here's two more I'll let you in on but don't spread the word or I might be found just outside of town in an area called The Valley of Fire. Tupac's alive for sure plus sports players never bet on games and know that Jeb Bush had nothing to do with the results of the 2000 election results in Florida. Duh, the guy with most votes lost.

With the 2010 NCAA Tournament on the verge of sending sports fans everywhere into March Madness my 20 year old nagging conspiracy that the powers that be in the NCAA land continues it's life long vengeance against the University of Nevada Las Vegas.

This body of old, decrepit individuals really can hold a grudge. Geez!

Lets go back a little more than a generation ago. If you think of the City of Las Vegas to be "Sin City" now try to imagine when the town was run by the Mob, known in some circles as the Cosa Nostra, the Mafia, the Godfathers, that thing of ours, and my favorite, the Little Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. Hell our current Mayor, Oscar("I was not a mob lawyer")Goodman was THE mob lawyer for Meyer Lansky and Bugsy Seigal. No he wasn't but it sounds good, doesn't it?

The last thing the NCAA old farts wanted to see were the criminals in waiting, those UNLV students to become a perennial power and dominate the Little Sisters of the Poor on the hardwood.

Remember in the 90's when the University of Miami ruled the College Football world and when they played Notre Dame it was billed as the Catholics vs.the Convicts. The press loved it but the NCAA called in the special opts unit of the CIA to find some dirt to discredit the Hurricanes.

They tried to do the same thing to the Runnin' Rebels. They were coached at that time by one of the most beloved and well liked men to ever coach a group of players. Jerry Tarkanian was given the moniker "Tark The Shark", not because he could coach a hell of a basketball game but because his teams were winners and the NCAA just couldn't have that. Tark took his team to three Final Fours and won it all 20 years ago this month by destroying the Dukies by a mere 30 points in the most lopsided decisive win in a final championship game in NCAA basketball history.

For years the NCAA went after Tarkanian in the worst way. He was accused of recruitment violations, payoffs to players, and other scandalous activities. Nothing to this day has ever been proven about UNLV and the so called infractions and they have never been sanctioned by that sanctimonious, holy institution called the NCAA.

It,like most conspiracies never end. Over the past six years that Lon Kruger has taken over the coaching duties the Rebels have put themselves back in the national spotlight by having 20+ game win seasons and making it to the big dance, along with this years bid, three appearances in the last four years.

Keep in mind for their previous two appearances UNLV won the Mountain West Conference Tournament earning the automatic bid that comes with that victory. This year they made to the final game of the Mountain West Tournament only to lose at home to NCAA tourney bound San Diego State.

So what then is the conspiracy you say? OK, here it is. In 2007 the Rebels upset it's first two opponents and found themselves in the Sweet Sixteen for the first time since 1991. If some Georgia Tech demon possessed player whose name escapes me for the moment hit about 25 three pointers the Rebels could have easily found itself in the Elite Eight or even the Final Four.

The 2008 team was better still but the NCAA had a plan that surely couldn't fail. If you think top rated Kansas is a great team today and will surely be playing this year in Indianapolis, I'm telling you the 2008 version was even better and when they cut down the nets in the final it was certainly no surprise for me.

You know what the "Death Seed" is in the NCAA tournament. It's not 15 or 16. They are expected to be one and done and that has held fast with very few exceptions over the years. In fact in case you didn't know, a 16 has never defeated a Number 1 seed ever in this tournament. It's the 8 or 9 seed that has the coaches leaving lambs blood on the lockers doors after they've won their opener only to have to face certain defeat less than two days later.

Now you know how the Christians felt like going into the arena against the Lions and I don't mean the Detroit Lions either. Back to my conspiracy. I could make a very respectable argument in 2008 that UNLV was a far better team than an 8 seed. They had a better record than most of the six and seven seeds, a higher RPI, with wins over top 25 and top 50 teams and they won a tournament championship already. So what did the NCAA Selection Committee do? They put them in the same bracket as Kansas and waited for the slaughter to begin.

The Rebels to their credit played them pretty evenly through the first half but with Kansas playing it's game so close to home they could hitch a ride and be back on campus by nightfall the Jayhawks pulled away to a relatively easy victory. They then went on to win the National Championship.

So here we are. It's 2010 and UNLV with 5 wins against ranked teams this year gets an invite to the big dance. Yea!. They are once again placed in the Midwest Region. They are given an 8 seed again despite yadie yadie yada, and if they should win against another ranked team this year, Northern Iowa, who has about as much to complain at their 9 seed with 28 wins and a championship in the Missouri Valley Conference plus winning their conference tournament as well, the Rebels if they should come out and be victorious in this opener on Thursday,guess who they have to get by to advance?

If you said the overall number one seeded team in the tournament,the Kansas Jayhawks, you'd win a Kewpie doll,I'd prefer a naked Barbie, and be the winner of the "Conspiracy Tournament".

No Rebels fans, the NCAA will never forgive the Runnin' Rebels, Jerry Tarkanian, Grandmama Larry Johnson, and the fine students and faculty at UNLV. It's a conspiracy,I tell you,a conspiracy.

San Diego State Wins MWC Tournament

2010-03-13T20:55:00.000-08:00

When a team comes out on the floor and misses it's first seven shots and after 10 minutes they are shooting a dismal 2-12 you just have to know it's going to be a very long afternoon.

That it was for the UNLV Runnin' Rebels as they lost their chance for an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament with a 55-45 loss to San Diego State.

Both teams showed the wear and tear of their previous nights victory against nationally ranked BYU and New Mexico. While both those teams have no doubts about playing this upcoming Thursday or Friday, it still remains to be seen where or if the Aztecs and the Rebels would wind up after this championship was decided.

Now that San Diego State gets their automatic bid, it still appears that four teams will represent the Mountain West Conference for the first time in it's 11 year history. The only questions remaining for the four teams are what seeds they shall receive, who their opponents will be and where will the games be played?

Those questions will all be answered on the Tournament Selection Show on Sunday at 3:00PM here in the West.

Just for the fun of it, I'm giving New Mexico a three seed, BYU a six, UNLV a seven and San Diego State an eight. Your comments and picks would be appreciated.

As far a the game, for the most part it was a stinker. Only one player on both sides stood out and Kawhi Leonard, freshman player of the year in the Mountain West Conference, certainly did not look like or play like any freshman I've seen in recent years.

He scored a game high 16 points and had an incredible record setting performance grabbing 21 rebounds including seven off the offensive end. He was a monster out there and the Rebels who put three different men on him couldn't find the answer.

Most impressive was his play in the last four to five minutes of the game. It was here that he calmly dropped in six straight foul line attempts ultimately finishing 8-9. He was without any doubt the difference maker in the game. After it was over, Rebels coach Lon Kruger had nothing but praise for the young man and I know the thought of having to face him twice a year or more for the next years will give any coach a lot of sleepless nights.

UNLV's emotional and best player Tre'Von Willis looked like the ankle injury he sustained at the conclusion of the BYU game was affecting his game. He was short on his jumpers and had difficulty driving in the paint.

He still led the Rebels scoring along with Oscar Bellfield with 11 points while Chase Stanback chipped in with 10.

The Aztecs blew the Rebels away on the boards thanks to Leonard out-rebounding them 36-24.

So, the Rebels end their season with a 24-8 record and wait in anticipation for the expected NCAA bid. Regardless of how they do in the big dance I think it's fair to say that this has been a very good season for the Runnin'Rebels. With only two graduating seniors the Rebels brings back it's starting five plus a host of players that have seen plenty of game time this year.

If all goes as planned next year should be even better, but right now the Rebels, Coach Kruger, and yours truly have only one thing in mind and that's what will tomorrow bring.

I can't wait.

UNLV and San Diego State Reach The Mountain West Conference Tournament Finals

2010-03-13T07:18:00.000-08:00

Wow, and people wonder why the Mountain West Conference Tournament is played at the Thomas and Mack Center here in Las Vegas. 18,500 screaming college basketball fans, that's why. I am constantly hearing that it's unfair to have the tournament here each year because it gives the UNLV Runnin' Rebels the home court advantage.

Nonsense.

Last year in 2009 the Rebels were bounced out of the tournament in the first round by San Diego State. In fact the Aztecs beat the Rebels, who went 21-11, three times, twice at the T&M and literally knock them out of the NCAA Tournament consideration.

Frankly winning this tournament basically comes down to which team is playing their best at this time of the year. The other factor in this tournament is whether the team has already secured a bid to the big dance before the first tip off even happens.

For New Mexico and BYU, they are both nationally ranked in the top 15 teams and will receive a bid regardless of the outcome of the tournament. As much as both teams wanted to win their games they certainly were not under the gun and clearly their overall goal is to make the NCAA Tournament and do well there.

For UNLV and even more so for San Diego State the further they advanced in the tournament the better their chances are to go dancing. The Aztecs were clearly "on the bubble" before the start of the MWC Tournament but now, after beating top ranked New Mexico to reach the final, they are a lock to receive their invitation to continue their season.

For the UNLV Runnin' Rebels, BYU despite their high ranking was just what the doctor ordered. UNLV had won their previous seven meetings against the Cougars on their home court and last night was no exception.

The Rebels had already blown the Cougars out of the building earlier in February in what was the finest first half of basketball I have ever seen in my 55+ years following this game.

Last night both teams were red hot right out of the gate and it looked like Jimmer Fredette just might repeat his 45 point performance from the previous night. After scoring 10 points in the first six minutes of the game, the vaunted Rebels defense shut down the BYU star.

He went over 20 minutes before he scored again and brought the Cougars back from a 13 point deficit to tie the game late. The Rebels, particularly with Tre'Von Willis and Anthony Marshall sticking to Fredette like glue he had to work extremely hard for every shot. At times he appeared totally out of control.With that said, he still managed to finish with 30 points on 7-20 shooting.

The Rebels were led by their top two season scorers, Tre'Von Willis and Chase Stanback but the difference maker last night was the 6'10" Sophomore Center/Forward Brice Massamba. In 24 minutes, the most time he has spent on the court this year, Massamba dominated inside the lane throwing up 13 points on 5-6 from the field. He added six rebounds and moved around the paint like a point guard.

If last night was Massamba's coming out party it couldn't have come at a better time. His team is made up of mostly Sophomores and Juniors so the next two years at least, are looking very fine for the Rebels.

Willis finished with 18 points while Stanback chipped in with 17. This was the first win of the year for the Rebels where they were out rebounded by their opponent.

In today's final against San Diego State the Rebels must continue their defensive intensity that has brought them to this point. The teams split their two previous meetings this year with each team prevailing on their home court. The winner gets an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament and the Mountain West Conference appears most likely to put four teams in the tournament for the first time.

In an earlier article I said that it wouldn't surprise if any or perhaps all of these teams were to make it to the Sweet Sixteen and frankly after last nights doubleheader I wouldn't be surprised to find one of these teams in the Elite Eight or the Final Four. Remember, nobody ever heard of George Mason a few years back and each of these four teams are equal if not better than that Final Four team.

Today's game should be a classic. I give the edge to UNLV not because they are on their home court but because they have a much deeper bench and have the capability to play at this high level in their third game in three days.

Go Rebels.

UNLV-Utah: Revenge For The Rebels 73-61

2010-03-12T05:17:00.000-08:00

Defense wins championships. That's true in NCAA Men's Basketball as it is in the NFL, NBA and Major League Baseball. Never was it more apparent than it was in last nights quarterfinal game between the UNLV Runnin' Rebels and the Runnin' Utes of the University of Utah.

Both teams known for their defense put on a display of full court press, trapping, double teaming and an overall pressure that would stop or least certainly slow down any team in the country.

The Rebels were relentless holding the Ute's to eight points in the first 10 minutes. Coach Lon Kruger who has been using between nine and eleven players each game, substituted freely in the first half bringing in fresh players every few minutes.

The only drawback was they couldn't establish a consistent offensive flow and saw an 11 point lead cut to four at halftime.

The Rebels came storming out in the second half and after a 10-0 run they never looked back as they finally turned the tables on the Runnin'Utes who had defeated the Rebels the last three times they faced each other.

Junior guard and first team all conference player Tre'Von Willis led three Rebels in double figures with game high 13 points. He was joined by guard Anthony Marshall who had a double-double in his first conference tournament game. Along with his 13 points the 6'3" Freshman had a game high 12 rebounds,5 assists,2 steals and a blocked shot.

Chase Stanback added to the Rebels attack with 10 points, six rebounds and three steals. The Rebels out-rebounded the Utes 36-25 and caused 15 turnovers.

With the win here the Rebels move on to the semi-finals where they will meet 14th ranked BYU for the third time this year. Each team won on it's home court and the Rebels have been very successful against the Cougars at the Thomas and Mack Center winning the last seven times they've met here.

Top seeded New Mexico meets San Diego State in the other semi final. Both teams were pushed to the limit in their opening round appearances as the Lobos defeated the Air Force Academy 75-69 and the Aztecs squeaked by the Colorado State Rams 72-71 increasing their chances for an NCAA bid.

Regardless of the results of the tournament it now appears that for the first time in their history four teams look like they will all be invited to the NCAA Tournament. In what was called a rebuilding year for the Mountain West at the beginning of the season the future is certainly looking very nice for the conference who have excelled on the gridiron and now on the hardwood as well.

The semi finals have the promise of some classic games tonight and the sellout Thomas and Mack Center crowd will be the place to be in Vegas. Tomorrows final is set for 2:00PM local time and can be seen on the Mountain West Network part of CBS's coverage of College Basketball.

Go Rebels.

UNLV Rebels Lasso Wyoming Cowboys 74-56

2010-03-07T07:04:00.000-08:00

The UNLV Runnin' Rebels ended their regular season with their fourth straight victory and perhaps a bid to the NCAA Tournament. By finishing on a high note the Rebels clinched 3rd place in this weeks Mountain West Conference Tournament and an opportunity to revenge two previous losses this year to the Utah Runnin'Utes.

I would imagine of all the teams the Rebels didn't want to face in this tournament the Utes would top the list. They clearly are the toughest team in the conference as far as a match-up for UNLV. The Utes have a definite height advantage and in the two losses to them this year the Rebels were easily out rebounded and were punished inside the lane.

In order for the Rebels to prevail and move on to the semi-finals against probable opponent BYU, UNLV must find a way to solve this years dilemma. Last year it was San Diego State who had the Rebels number defeating them three times including in the first round of the Mountain West Conference Tournament eliminating any chance for the Rebels to be considered for an NCAA bid.

The same scenario is possible again this year if UNLV can't get past Utah in the first round. I believe the key to win this game will be the ability of UNLV to knock down three's. Therefore a hot hand is needed for Kendall Wallace, Oscar Bellfield and Tre'Von Willis. Chase Stanback and a healthy Matt Shaw are also very capable shooters from behind the arc and will be needed to have a strong effort against the Utes.

In yesterdays win against the Cowboys the Rebels shot 7-24 which is just under 30 percent. That effort may not get the job done against the Utes. In their previous game the Rebels connected on 13 threes against TCU in a 30 point win.

The one two punch of Tre'Von Willis and Chase Stanback led the way against Wyoming. Willis had a team high 20 points with eight rebounds and five assists in an overall outstanding performance. Willis is a candidate for Player of the Year in the Mountain West Conference this year and very well may have the opportunity to get there with continued impressive games in the tournament.

Stanback, the UCLA transfer, has certainly come into his own this year averaging over 10 points per game with excellent rebounding skills and the ability to knock down the occasional three. Against Wyoming he had 13 points along with nine boards and nailed three three's along the way.

The Mountain West Conference Tournament which kicks off Wednesday with Wyoming taking on Air Force for the eight seed. Thursday in the Quarterfinals, the most intriguing match is the four-five game which pits this years most improved team, the Colorado State Rams against NCAA Tournament hopeful San Diego State. A loss here by the Aztecs will undoubtedly eliminate their chances for an NCAA bid.

The Aztecs will probably have to win the tournament to make this years dance. The most likely scenario will them playing top ranked New Mexico who they split with this year and then facing the winner of the UNLV-BYU game, once again if the Rebels can get by Utah.

This has the makings of a great conference tournament. Having to play in Las Vegas on their home court at the Thomas and Mack Center should certainly help UNLV but more important for them will be unlocking the keys to defeat Utah.

Prediction; Trying to be as objective as I can be this is really a very tough call. The so called experts have New Mexico and BYU the favorites to meet in the final and it certainly would not surprise anyone if that happens. If it does and I don't believe it will, I see New Mexico walking away with the crown.

I believe the UNLV Runnin' Rebels have peaked just at the right time. They will get their revenge against Utah, beat BYU as they always do on this court and outlast the Lobos for the title.

In my scenario the Rebels will earn a five seed in the tournament along with BYU and New Mexico despite it's defeat should get a three or a four because of their overall body of work. All three Mountain West Conference invitees will have a legitimate shot to make it to the Sweet Sixteen. If they achieve that anything can happen from there.

Should be fun. Go Rebels.

UNLV Romps Past Air Force 77-47

2010-02-28T08:25:00.000-08:00

Winning road games in high altitude has been no stranger to the 21-7 Runnin' Rebels this season as they put on a 30 point plastering on the Air Force Academy Falcons yesterday in a one sided blow out win.

Having been previously victorious this season at Colorado State and New Mexico the high altitude has certainly been helpful for the Rebels three point shooters. The Rebels hit on a season high 13 threes with Oscar Bellfield 4-6, Chase Stanback 3-7 and Kendall Wallace 5-8. If any team can shoot at that clip they will be a dangerous force in the key conference games to come.

This game like the past two was over early as the the Rebels went on a 17-0 run midway through the first half. They pressed the Falcons into numerous turnovers and won the battle on the boards 30-17. Once again, Tre'Von Willis saw his playing time decrease going only 24 minutes as the other Rebels stepped up.

I believe Rebels coach Lon Kruger is giving his high scoring Junior Guard some much needed he said rest as they head towards the conference tournament. The rest may cost Willis his shot as the Mountain West Player of the Year but in speaking to him he said "my goal is the big dance and if the coach wants me to rest, rest I will".

Chase Stanback had a career high 21 points along with eight rebounds, two assists, two steals and a blocked shot for his very best overall performance this year. He will need to play at that level in the upcoming conference tournament.

The Rebels hope to have both Matt Shaw and Derrick Jasper back for their final home game against the Wyoming Cowboys this Saturday at the Thomas and Mack Center here in Las Vegas.

It will be a "White Out" game where all Rebel fans will wear white. A close to sell out crowd of 18,000 plus are expected.

March 9th starts the Mountain West Conference Tournament with New Mexico, BYU, and UNLV all picked as the co-favorites. Don't however overlook San Diego State, the fourth team in the conference that has produced a 20+ win season.

Brice Massamba, Darris Santee and Anthony Marshall have all played very well of late and this team seems to be peaking at the right time. Right now it looks like they will face either Utah or Colorado State in the first round. No doubt they would rather match-up with the Rams rather than the Ute's who have beaten the Rebels in their last three games going back to last season.

With a win in the first game a rematch with BYU should come next. In their first meeting at home this year, the Rebels played what I have said was the best first half of basketball I have ever witnessed as they went on to crush the Cougars.

With another victory that would set up the rubber match between UNLV and New Mexico where each team has won on it's opponent court. If that is to be the final of this tournament regardless of the winner, the Mountain West Conference will definitely place three and very possibly four teams in the NCAA'a for the very first time.

If the selection committee does it's job correctly and doesn't put the entire Big East into the tournament we just may see some history made this year.

I don't just watch the Mountain West Conference. I follow all College Basketball diligently and when it comes to the NCAA's the neutral court does tend to even things out a bit.

All four possible teams from the Mountain West have a good opportunity to go beyond the Sweet Sixteen and perhaps even a Final Four appearance. The key of course will be match-ups but one thing is clear to me and that is that the top teams in the Mountain West are as good as the top teams in any conference this year.

Only time will tell.

UNLV-TCU: Rebels Romp at Home 78-62

2010-02-25T14:10:00.001-08:00

Tre'Von Willis led four Rebels with double figures in scoring as they pounded the TCU Horned Frogs at the Thomas and Mack Center here in Las Vegas on Wednesday night.

Willis, playing only 22 minutes scored 16 points along with four rebounds, three assists and three steals. He went 5-7 from the floor with 2-4 beyond the arc and a perfect 4-4 from the line. Once the Rebels took a 31 point early in the second half and Willis was relegated to the bench for some very needed rest.

Averaging over 21 points in conference games this year, Willis is definitely in the running for the Mountain West player of the year.

For the second game in a row the Rebels used a balanced scoring attack with all nine players who saw action was in the scoring column.

Chase Stanback also had 16 points along with seven rebounds six assists three steals and two blocked shots.

Brice Massamba had his second straight excellent game with 10 points along with 9 rebounds and most importantly six of those boards were offensive giving the Runnin' Rebels the rebound advantage. In their last 10 games the Rebels have been 7-3. In all the games they won they also had the most rebounds. In their three losses they were badly out rebounded by their opponent.

They definitely need a healthy Matt Shaw and Derrick Jasper for the Mountain West Conference Tournament which begins March 9th here in Las Vegas.

Kendall Wallace hit four threes on his road to 12 points and also had two steals along the way.

The Rebels defense produced 22 turnovers having TCU look very sloppy for thirty minutes of the game. In the last ten minutes they made a very nice run cutting the 31 point lead down to 12 with just under three minutes to play.

Ronnie Moss led TCU with a game high 25 points while Zvonko Buljan added 21 for the Horned Frogs.

Two games down and two to go for the Runnin'Rebels to pad their resume for the NCAA selection committee. Perhaps their most important game of the year comes this Saturday afternoon when the Rebels travel to the Air Force Academy where the Falcons play very well on their home court. This is another must win along with their final home game a week from Saturday against Wyoming.

I have spoken freely about UNLV's worst nightmare for the Mountain West Tournament. That's Utah, a team that has beaten the Rebels twice this season and currently sits in sixth place in the conference standings. The Rebels 9-5 are tied with San Diego State for third place. If the Rebels are alone in third place at seasons end they will face the Runnin' Utes one more time.

Not a very pleasant thought.

UNLV Bounces Back Against Colorado State 70-39

2010-02-21T10:20:00.001-08:00

"It was the best of times,it was the worst of times", Charles Dickens 'A Tale of Two Cities'. So it is for the Men's Basketball team at the University of Las Vegas Nevada.

With three games to play before the Mountain West Conference Tournament at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas a little more than two weeks away, the Rebels find themselves clearly right on the bubble for an invitation to the NCAA Tournament certainly better known as March Madness.

Just two short weeks ago these same Runnin' Rebels blew out the then 12th ranked BYU Cougars right out of the building. It was their 19th win with only four losses and I was thinking a four seed would be nice and a trip to the sweet sixteen looked like a pretty good bet here in gambling heaven.

Then that same roof caved in with a bang that could be heard all the way to the Pacific Ocean. 15th ranked New Mexico came into town and in a game that had revenge written all over it and the Lobos beat back a late Rebels run and evened the score by repaying the Rebels back for their only loss to them at "The Pit".

From there the Rebels traveled to San Diego State who has owned UNLV over the Lon Kruger era despite the Rebels win at the T&M earlier this year. Last season the Aztecs beat UNLV three times sending the Rebels to the NIT. Needless to say the Rebels dropped their second game in a row and their next stop in Salt Lake City loomed large on the horizon.

If you follow this team as closely as I do you would know that the Rebels do not match up well with this Utah team. They have two guys who are at least 8 ft. tall and after losing earlier in the season to the Runnin' Utes at home, Lon Kruger's plan was to give Matt Shaw more playing time in the middle.

Normally Shaw shares time with Darris Santee and Brice Massamba in the attempt to keep a fresh body in the middle to offset the height advantage many teams have against the Rebels. Matt Shaw is an excellent three point shooter and that would have brought at least one of the Utes giants out to the perimeter to guard against the three point shots.

During warm-ups, Shaw turned an ankle and was pronounced unable to play. With Derrick Jasper already sitting out with a knee injury the Rebels rotation was in flux and once again they found themselves on the losing side of the scoreboard.

Frankly, because I write about the Rebels for the fun of it, I have to be honest and tell you as a fan, I was so upset about the loss I couldn't do my usual recap of the game. As expected nobody called me out on this, however the game had at least one amazing item.

Tre'Von Willis who is the heart and soul of this team put out his most impressive performance of his career to date. Having virtually no support from his teammates at all, Willis still managed a game high 32 points with a couple of steals, assists, and rebounds while bring the Rebels back from a 12 point deficit to tie the game at 61 with less than two minutes to play.

It just wasn't enough as the Rebels dropped their third straight game in February which certainly doesn't help ones resume going for the NCAA's.

Like Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde and I give coach Lon Kruger a lot of credit for this, the Rebels limped home to face a team they should have easily handled at home, the Colorado State Rams.

That they did. With a shooting performance reminiscent of the BYU game the Rebels jumped off to an 18-2 start and never looked back. They shot 48 percent from the floor with an even better 50 percent from beyond the arc. They out-rebounded the Rams 33-28 and had a season high eight blocked shots.

The Rebels finally showed a balanced scoring attack, not totally relying upon Willis to lead the way. Freshman guard Anthony Marshall had his first college career double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Chase Stanback chipped in with 12 points including 3-3 from beyond the arc. Willis also reached double figures along with Kendall Wallace who nailed 3-6 from three point range.

With Matt Shaw still nursing his ankle injury Brice Massamba had the best game of his career. In 25 minutes of play, Massamba had seven points, three rebounds and a career high five blocked shots. He will have to continue this type of performance while Shaw is out for the Rebels to make any noise in the Mountain West Tournament.

The remaining schedule is kind for the Rebels. They have two remaining home games with TCU and Wyoming and one on the road at the Air Force Academy. These are three very winnable games and they have become must wins for UNLV. If they do win all three they will finish the season at 23-7, and 11-5 in league play.

At this point they sit 4th the conference standings and will likely remain there. Their probable first round opponent would be these same Colorado State Rams. That would be good, however right behind the Rams in the standings is none other than those Utah Runnin' Utes the Rebels absolute worst nightmare.

Here's the way I see it. The Rebels still have a good chance to go dancing. They have to win out, and make the Mountain West Tournament final game. With their RPI under 40 and their quality wins over BYU, New Mexico and Louisville I believe that would be enough to get in.

By the way we can thank the PAC-10 for that.

Go Rebels.

UNLV Falls at San Diego State 68-58

2010-02-13T20:41:00.000-08:00

Numbers don't lie. Here's how a top twenty five team losses on the road. You shoot 35 percent from the floor. You go 3-17 from behind the arc and you're out rebounded 37-22. To make matters worse, you have the ball stolen nine times and nine of your shots are blocked.

It appears that the big win just one week ago today against BYU might have been the highlight to the Runnin' Rebels season and perhaps the end of the season as well.

After two straight losses to New Mexico at home on Wednesday and today's loss at San Diego State, the Rebels have not only put their once probable NCAA Tournament bid on hold they very might find themselves back in the NIT and a once very promising season coming to an extremely poor end.

UNLV who had developed a level of consistency on both ends of the court have gone completely cold. Tre' Von Willis has been the guy other teams have focused on is getting doubled and triple teamed at times and the surrounding players are not stepping up.

It has now become how very apparent the loss of Derrick Jasper has been pivotal. Today freshman Anthony Marshall replaced Kendall Wallace in the starting lineup primarily because Wallace is clearly better coming off the bench and providing a spark.

What I don't understand is why Coach Lon Kruger never has two of his three big men on the court at the same time. Massamba, Santee and Shaw all replace each other in the lineup but never have I seen two of the three on the court at the same time. If the Rebels have had one glaring weakness during Krugers tenure is the lack of height and bulk in the front court.

The rebounding is as weak as it has been all year and if changes aren't made soon we will be talking about next season next week.

Admittedly, I definitely got caught up in the BYU win. I believe the team did as well. The road gets no easier when the Rebels travel to Salt Lake City on Wednesday to take on the Runnin' Utes who already have a road victory this year at UNLV and who lost at home tonight in double overtime to conference leader New Mexico.

This is another team that UNLV does not match-up well against. They are bigger and taller once again in the front court and unless the Rebels pick up the intensity, enthusiasm and desire they will looking at a three game losing streak at the most important point in the season.

Enough said!

New Mexico Gets Revenge in Las Vegas 76-66

2010-02-11T07:17:00.000-08:00

I really have to admire those reporters who can be completely unbiased in their reporting. I know 99.9 percent of the media has their favorite team in sports and only the best seem to be able to pull it off in reporting on their team that they can remain objective, reports the facts, point out the mistakes and criticism the team, it's players and their coaches.

When it comes to the UNLV Runnin'Rebels, I am a hopeless fan. I revel in their victories while suffering in their defeats. When they win I have them in the final four and when they lose I make all sorts of justification why they didn't win.

Take last night's Rebel loss to the New Mexico Lobo's a team that is definitely in contention for a high seed in the NCAA's. After starting the conference season with two quick losses including one to these same Runnin' Rebels at "The Pit" where only one Mountain Conference Team has been victorious there in the last 25 games.

New Mexico now sits alone at the top of the Mountain West Conference standings with an 8-2 record along with being 21-3 overall. They have now beat five ranked teams this year.

Revenge can be a powerful motivator for sure and the Lobo's virtually stunned the 18,000 fans in the sold out Thomas and Mack Arena. They made there first five three point attempts and moved out to a 40-28 halftime lead.

They built the lead to 18 points with just over 10 minutes left in the game. At the point in the game I honestly said to myself "geez I really don't want to write about this tomorrow morning". I was still coming off the best college basketball game I have ever attended when UNLV bounced BYU off it's 12th ranked perch.

Then the Rebels caught fire as Oscar Bellfield, Tre'Von Willis, Kendall Wallace and Matt Shaw went on a 20-4 run to make a game out if it for the final three minutes. The crowd very quiet most of the way nearly raised the roof.

Enormous credit to Steve Allford and his Lobo's. They withheld the firestorm and regained their composure to finally in those last three minutes pull away for the final 10 point victory.

The won the game from behind the arc, the foul line and their overwhelming advantage on the boards. The Rebels put three players in double figures with Oscar Bellfield leading the way with 15 points. Tre'Von Willis kicked in 13 while Matt Shaw added 12.

I will not back down off this one loss for the Rebels who are now 19-5 overall and 7-3 in conference play. Unfortunately their next game is no easier as the visit San Diego State on Saturday Night. This game becomes a must win for the Rebels or they will then see their chances to make it to the big dance be based on their performance in the Mountain West Conference tournament.

Lets hope the Rebels can continue their winning ways on the road as they are 7-1 this year.

News and Notes 02/08/2010

2010-02-08T09:05:00.000-08:00

Wow, what a great sports weekend topped off with a Super Bowl that lived up to its expectations and produced a champion that represents more than a football teams victory.

Nothing attracts more passion and compassion than an underdog. In this case the underdog was not the New Orleans Saints football team, remember they were the number one seed from the NFC, but the entire Gulf Coast of the United States. Not since 9/11 has there been as devastating event as Hurricane Katrina and the initial abysmal effort by the United States Government to come to the aid of this devastated area.

85 percent of the City of New Orleans was underwater. Imagine New York, Chicago or LA in that circumstance. The loss of life would be in the millions. In an ironic state of the times we live in it can be said that Haiti actually benefited by the disaster of Katrina. The outpouring of support and help worldwide immediately can certainly be attributed to the guilt that was produced in this country by our actions back then.

During the game as the Colts jumped out to an early 10-0 first quarter lead I thought like so many others I'm sure that this was the night that Peyton Manning would be crowned the greatest Quarterback of all time. Ultimately that very well might be debated in the future if he win a couple more Super Bowls, but not this night.

In speaking to so many family and friends who agreed they thought the Colts would win but they were rooting with all their hearts for the Saints.

Let's face it, as I believe most fans would agree, once your team has been eliminated in post season play your desire to be involved in the big game is hopefully to get invited to a good party with plenty of food and drink and decide which were the best commercials.

Yesterday was different. It won't surprise me if this is not the most watched Super Bowl of all time. Although the teams were very equal in talent it seemed like I was watching Rocky taking on Apollo Creed all over again.

I rarely root for the NFC representative in the Super Bowl with my allegiance to the Jets when I do make the switch, as I have in the last two years, I cover it by showing my 1-A team the Philadelphia Eagles.

When Payton threw that fourth quarter interception the noise level in my home could have broken glass.

I have traveled and lived in many wonderful places in this country. One place I have not been to is New Orleans. I have officially added it to my "Bucket List" of places I must see in this lifetime. Now that the country has New Orleans in the forefront of their thoughts perhaps now, we as a country can finish the job of revitalizing this area.

On the local front, the game between the UNLV Runnin' Rebels and it's arch rival 12th ranked BYU Cougars was the most exciting and best college basketball game I have ever attended in the 40+ years of loving this sport.

Nothing like being part of a full house crowd and watching your favorite team literally blowing out the opponent in such a dominating first half performance I have ever seen. This team has an excellent opportunity to do some serious damage in this years NCAA Tournament. For those who don't know this is the 20th year anniversary of UNLV Championship season under the legendary coach "Tark The Shark" Tarkanian a truly beloved figure in this star studded town.

Trust me, March Madness takes on a life of it's own here in Vegas. The Sports Books are packed and the action is non stop. For what it's worth I have been picking winners in this tournament for the last 30 years and my 78 percent winners is not too shabby at all.

More on that in the near future.

Finally it's less than 10 days now before pitchers and catchers report to Florida and Arizona. Hopes for a great comeback year for my New York Mets weighs heavily on my mind. Follow the Mets all season long on my Mets Blog at www.Rsmclosersblog.blogspot.com.

Belated congrats to Roger Federer and Serena Williams for their victories in the Australian Open and talk of a Tiger sighting leaving a sex addiction clinic in Georgia has him reappearing on the tour in time to ready himself for the Masters.

Many golfers have suggested that Tiger speaks out about his problem upon his return. I wholeheartedly reject this notion as frankly he owes nothing to these players, in fact, they could never in their lifetimes pay back Tiger for what he has done to make them able to achieve the purses and winning dollars that are now available on the PGA Tour.

In closing this week I am very satisfied with this past football season. My teams the Jets and the Eagles both made the playoffs and that was good enough this year for me.

Have a great week.

UNLV Stuns 12th Ranked BYU 88-74

2010-02-07T06:43:00.000-08:00

There is nothing more electric or as exciting as sold out 18,557 screaming UNLV Runnin' Rebel fans at the Thomas and Mack Center on the campus of UNLV.

In what perhaps was the most perfect first half of college basketball I have ever seen, the Rebels jumped all over the 12th ranked BYU Cougars by completing their first nine three points attempts and opened up a 29 point lead.

Led by my top player of the year, Tre'Von Willis had 21 of his career high 33 points in the first half. The Rebels shot the lights out that thrilled the capacity crowd. The atmosphere resembled an NCAA Final Four game as the fans were rarely in their seats. I know I wasn't.

Oscar Bellfield put a defensive blanket on BYU's leading scorer Jimmer Fredette as he struggled from the floor and had to fight to get every shot attempt.

For the second straight game, Matt Shaw came off the bench and added a spark by hitting his first three, three point attempts. Shaw finished with 13 points with five rebounds and three assists in 15 minutes of play. Chase Stanback led all players with 14 rebounds.

BYU cut the lead to 13 in the second half but it was as close as they got as UNLV applied the defensive pressure throughout the game. Jason Tavernari, who I swear has been on the BYU squad for the last 10 years led the Cougars on their attempted comeback. He finished the game with 16 points.

This was the seventh straight win for the Rebels against BYU at the Thomas and Mack Center including two Mountain West Tournament Final Games. With both teams now tied along with New Mexico, at the top of conference with 7-2 records the possibility of another meeting in this years Mountain West Tournament looms on the horizon.

It doesn't get any easier for the Rebels from here. 15th ranked New Mexico comes to Las Vegas this Wednesday looking for revenge of it's only conference home loss this year at the hands of UNLV. In that game, Kendall Wallace hit seven three point plays in the 12 point road victory for the Rebels at the "Pit".

From here the Rebels have three of their next five games on the road including stops in San Diego, Utah, and at the Air Force Academy. The Rebels have been road warriors this year winning seven out of eight on their opponents floor.

The students rushed the floor at games end and I would have loved to have joined them but I was 12 rows from the top of the second tier and by the time I got to the floor the building would have surely been empty.

With one month left and seven games remaining on the schedule, the Rebels improved to 19-4 and will probably find it's way back into the top 25 this week. Barring a major collapse it looks like this will be Coach Lon Kruger's third trip to the NCAA Tournament in his six years at UNLV. Right now a three or four seed looks pretty good to me.

Go Rebels!

UNLV Wins on the Road Again in Wyoming 78-50

2010-02-04T09:46:00.000-08:00

The Wyoming Cowboys held the lead only once at 2-0 as the UNLV Runnin' Rebels continued their winning ways this year on the road punishing the Cowboys 78-50. The Rebels improved to 7-1 on the road and 18-4 overall as they completed the first half of Mountain West Conference play at 6-2, tied with the Lobos of New Mexico one game behind Conference leader BYU at 7-1.

Matt Shaw came off the bench and had a career high 16 points and six rebounds as the Rebels continue to have a different player step up to elevate his game. With the injury to Derrick Jasper who, hopefully, could be back for the Mountain West Conference Tournament starting March 9th at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas. Coach Lon Kruger started junior guard and three point specialist Kendall Wallace in Jaspers place.

The Rebels leading scorers Tre'Von Willis and Curtis Stanback both scored in double figures with 15 and 12 respectively. Oscar Bellfield and Anthony Marshall both added eight points as the Rebels shot 53 percent from the floor.

I had some concerns about this game as it set up a perfect "trap" game with nationally ranked BYU and New Mexico visiting the Rebels this Saturday and next Wednesday. That fact that they played an overall very consistent game on both sides of the ball is a tribute to Lon Kruger and his coaches as they had the young Rebels prepared and ready to play.

Tre'Von Willis seems to be getting better everyday. Already the leading scorer in the Mountain West Conference games, he has upgraded his all around game. Last night in addition to his 15 points he had eight rebounds and four assists. He will have to be at his best as the next two ranked opponents will be looking for road wins to pad their resumes for the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee.

If the picks for the tournament were today all three top Mountain West teams would get bids with San Diego State knocking at the door. The second half of conference play should be intense to say the least.

The overall level of play in the Mountain West Conference this year is the best I have ever seen since the Conference was started. Not only do I think that four teams are deserving a tournament bid but I also predict that at least two of the invited teams have a great chance to reach the sweet sixteen or even further.

Many of these games are televised on either the CBS Sports Channel or the Mountain West Network. My recommendation is if you get a chance to see any of these games you certainly won't be disappointed.

News and Notes 01/31/2010

2010-01-31T12:57:00.001-08:00

Mark your calendar for an upcoming event. Now that Kim has officially joined "The Tribe" we are going to use that occasion to renew our wedding vows in a "Jewish" ceremony on Thursday May 27th at 6:00PM at Temple Beth Shalom here in Las Vegas. If you can get to Vegas, you're invited.

The biggest game of the college basketball season west of the Mississippi River takes place this coming Saturday Feb 6th at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas Nevada. 10th ranked BYU the leader in the Mountain West Conference, 20-2 (5-1) heads to Sin City to face once ranked UNLV 16-4 (5-2). The Cougars squeaked out a four point win against the Rebels at the Mariott Center earlier this month. I will be there for sure.

College Basketball has to be the most exciting spectator sport on college campuses throughout the US. The game in Manhattan, Kansas last night between in state rivals Kansas vs. Kansas State was a thrill a minute as the second ranked Jayhawks finally overcame the Kansas State Wildcats in overtime. Looked for Kansas to be king of the polls this week.

Their stay at number one may not be long though as Syracuse and Villanova are poised for a run to the top. All of this rankings stuff really has no meaning as the National Championship is not decided by the polls but the play on the floor.

This year the Mountain West Conference is clearly superior to the Pac Ten but will they get any more invites from the old line at the NCAA?

How about those Jets. They surprised the entire NFL in making it all the way to the AFC Title Game only to come up 30 minutes short of their first Super Bowl appearance in 41 years. Was it a fluke? or will they be even better next year? Your comments are welcome.

Mark Sanchez, the quarterback who Pete Carroll said came out of college to early surely could have used him at USC this year. About to be sanctioned by the NCAA, Carroll jumped ship to accept the head coaching position available in Seattle. Pete has been in the NFL before and he was out of his league. How many games will the Seahawks win in 2010? My guess five.

Super Bowl Sunday, one week from today, provides an intriguing match up with the Saints and the entire population of the bayou against the surgical precision of Dr. Manning and his air attack. If defense is supposed to win championships the smart money will be on the Colts but how much does emotion really play in a game of this nature? I believe the Colts will win in a shootout similar to the NFC Championship game and as I usually root for the AFC representative because of my allegiance to the Jets, this year I will make a exception.

If any team was ever called an underdog, New Orleans fills the bill. This ravaged city still feeling the effects of Katrina needs a shot in the arm so the rest of the country doesn't forget the tragedy of the devastation there. With most Americans digging deep into the pockets to help rebuild Haiti, New Orleans, still depressed, sits out their with nothing but hope for a football team to provide a lift so richly deserved.

I'm not a big NBA fan. I watch the playoffs and being a lifelong Knicks fan doesn't make my fan hood an easy task. The NBA is seen by many of us a gang of thugs. That's not fair since the vast majority of players are college graduates and really good guys. Those few, the brawlers and the gun toting criminal types certainly don't enhance the image. With outstanding players like Kobe, LeBron and Dwayne Wade it really disturbs me when LeBron makes a commercial with gun references in it.

Three weeks until pitchers and catchers report to Florida and Arizona for the annual spring training routine where every Major League team starts their quest for a world title. Unfortunately, as always, there a more than a few teams that have absolutely no shot whatsoever to get to the World Series.

What's needed is not a Salary Cap but a Salary floor. In an article I wrote last spring for the Bleacher Report, I suggested that each team, has a salary floor. Let's start it at 80 million. If the payroll does not exceed that number the owner must be told he will lose his ownership and his franchise will be run by Major League baseball until an owner who will spend that money is found. Keep in mind, in this day of Baseball revenue sharing each team has the ability to put a quality product on the field. Their fans deserve nothing less.

Can we just get past the issue of steroids? Frankly I could care less about who did what or when. For 140 years every player to play this game has looked for a competitive edge. We only know a fraction of what really goes on behind closed doors so lets just get on with the game.

The NHL. What do I know about hockey? Great spectator sport,lousy watch on TV. Unless something monumental happens in this sport, you're not going to see much written here.

So that's it for week one of news and notes. Hope you enjoy and once again comments will be appreciated and answered as soon as I get them.

Have a great week.

Rebels Shoot Down Air Force 60-50

2010-01-27T13:31:00.000-08:00

The UNLV Runnin' Rebels overcame a sluggish 1st half with Kendall Wallace nailing four early second half threes to spark the Rebels to a 60-50 win over the Air Force Academy Falcons at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas.

14,175 fans were very quiet during the first half as the Falcons did their best Princeton imitation holding the Rebels to 21 first half points while they were connecting on three point plays and points off the bench. At the end of the first half,the Falcons led by three.

The Rebels two leading scorers Tre'Von Willis and Chase Stanback were relatively quiet in the first half. Willis did manage 13 points for the game far from his 24.5 average in conference play. He was 6-6 at the foul line when it counted down the stretch. Stanback finished with 12 points along with four rebounds, two off the offensive board as well as a blocked shot.

As it has been in recent games another Rebel had a standout game. Last night it was Brice Massamba who scored the Rebels first six points and wound up with eight. He also grabbed four boards as the Rebels out rebounded the Falcons 27-19. What's more significant was the Rebels grabbing seven offensive boards while Air Force only managed one.

The key player of the game was sophomore guard Oscar Bellfield. In his 34 minutes of play he scored four points with four rebounds, two off the offensive board and a game high 10 assists. Bellfield definitely took control of the offense in the second half as the Rebels outscored the Falcons by 13 points.

Air Force which is still win less in conference play put up a good battle taking the Rebels out of the their normal offensive sets and kept the game close right to the end.

Derrick Jasper who missed all of last year with micro fracture surgery on his left knee had the leave the game with seven minutes in the first half, perhaps re-injuring the same knee. Coach Kruger awaits today's tests to see how much time Jasper will miss. The fact that Kruger has used 11 players in most of their games is assured to replace Jasper with a competent replacement.

The Rebels have the next eight days off before a classic "trap" game in Wyoming on Wednesday. The trap is there because three days later the Rebels will meet Conference leader BYU at the Thomas and Mack where there are very few seats still available.

The biggest game in the Mountain West Conference season just might be tonight when the 10th nationally ranked BYU Cougars head to "The Pit" to meet 23rd ranked New Mexico. The Rebels have played both these teams on their home court losing to the Cougars by four and beating the Lobo's by 12.

Right now these three teams are the class of the MWC and if they all hold serve at home and get at least one win in the Mountain West Conference Tournament they should all be dancing in the NCAA's. The sleeper teams are Utah and San Diego State who will both be dangerous down the stretch.

People who know and watch sports regularly have always said that when a team plays poorly and can still win the game is a team that can do serious damage in the NCAA's. UNLV was that team last night. Let's hope it continues.

Same Old Jets? Emphatically NO!

2010-01-25T08:24:00.000-08:00

It was 1998 all over again. Today the score was 17-6 in favor of the Jets and I was planning the menu for my Super Bowl party including the very special "Marsh Punch" which has not been tasted in close to seven years. In my bucket list for this decade the Jets reaching the Super Bowl was very high on my list.

Mark Sanchez was brilliant in the second quarter, even in my opinion, out playing his more famous opponent on the opposite sideline. He was 30 minutes away from being the first rookie quarterback in NFL history to lead his team to the biggest game of the season.

Then with just a touch over two minutes left in the 1st half Peyton Manning found his rhythm. He took a grand total of 58 seconds to move the Colts the length of the field to pull the Colts to within four points of the lead.

The handwriting was on the wall.

I need to clarify this a bit before I continue. I was a New York Titans fan. Need I say more. I had season tickets at Shea Stadium the year the Jets last went to the Super Bowl and won the greatest upset in all sports period. For the record they cost $80.00.

Since 1969 the Jets have disappointed their fans and themselves to such a great extent that a new saying was born that still has legs. "Same Old Jets" has been heard so many times over the years that it has come to be expected that the team will some way find a way to lose the game and pull the defeat right out of the claws of victory.

Needless to say I'm sure that the final 30 minutes of the game will have many fans continuing the tradition of blaming just about anyone they can feeling the taste of defeat once more.

To those fans I say emphatically NO! These are not the "Same Old Jets". They are a very young team that achieved far more success than expected. After the heartbreaking loss at home to the Atlanta Falcons the Jets would need a miracle to make the playoffs. With these same Colts and the AFC North Division winner the Cincinnati Bengals on the horizon a 7-9 season was a very definite possibility.

What happened next is now football history. They went into Indianapolis and defeated the Peyton less Colts then mauled the Bengals at the last game ever to be played at the Meadowlands. The so called football experts said the Jets, despite those two victories, backed into the playoff because both of those victories were tainted.

Then the Jets did something no one expected except Rex Ryan and his gritty group of warriors. They went on the road and defeated both the Bengals and then the highly touted San Diego Chargers who many expected would wind up in Miami on February 7th.

By falling 30 minutes short of their goal is by no means a failure. The future is very bright indeed. Darrell Revis is the best cornerback in football. Manning exposed the rest of the secondary yesterday but that's not the first team he has done that too.

Bart Scott is as good a linebacker as their is in the NFL. Shonn Green is one of the exciting young backs in the league. Brad Smith is the best kept secret on the team and Mark Sanchez has future All Pro written all over him.

Players in the league want to come to New York to play for "Gang Green". Braylon Edwards wants to finish his career here. Now, when was the last time a player said that. The coaching staff, many of them will receive offers for higher paid positions with other teams want to remain on this train which very well may make multiple appearances in the Super Bowl in this decade.

Wake up my fellow fans. This team is the real deal. They will,in the coming years, become the team to beat in the AFC East. They are brash like their head coach. They came out of yesterdays loss not satisfied with their extraordinary year. They are hungry to be the best team in New York. As it turned out, this year they were but it's not enough. The next step is becoming the best team in the AFC and then the best team in the entire NFL.

That couldn't happen if this was the "Same Old Jets". They're not, but in fairness to their long suffering fans they need to build on the success of this year. They will and living here in Vegas I intend to put my money where my mouth is. Two weeks from today on February 8th the odds to win the Super Bowl for 2011 will be listed in every Sports Book in Vegas.

My guess the Jets should be at about 30-1. I'll take those odds.

UNLV Victorious on the Road at TCU 79-70

2010-01-23T19:35:00.000-08:00

Tre'Von Willis and Chase Stanback combined for 49 points as the UNLV Runnin' Rebels beat the Texas Christian University's Horned Frogs in Fort Worth with a 79-70 score.

Both Willis and Stanback had career highs with Willis scoring 30 while Stanback added 19. These two players have been coach Lon Kruger's go to guys especially since the beginning of Mountain West Conference play. Willis is the leading scorer in Conference play and has scored at least 20 points in his last six games.

Stanback, the UCLA transfer, has lifted his all around game to new heights since the season began.

What I find interesting is how the rest of the squad producers a new significant contributor to each game. Wednesday at Colorado State, Freshman guard Justin Hawkins had 10 key points in that game while today it was Junior forward Matt Shaw who had 10 points in only nine minutes of play.

Once again Kruger's three headed monsters, Shaw, Massamba and Santee at center had 22 points. Derrick Jasper led the Rebels with nine rebounds. The Rebels shot lights out from the floor and the foul line. They were just under 60 percent from the floor despite going 4-15 beyond the three point arc.

For the second straight game they shot over 80% from the foul line with Tre'von Willis leading the way with 11-14.

TCU made a late run while being down by as much as 10 in the second half. They tied the score at 60 with eight and a half minutes remaining. The Rebels then pulled away to an eight point lead but the Horned Frogs came back again to within two points at 72-70. The Rebels then scored the last points of the game.

The Rebels moved to 4-2 in conference play. They have a home game Tuesday against the Air Force Academy, then an eight day layoff before going to Wyoming the following Wednesday. They then return home to face Mountain Conference leader BYU on Sat. February 6th.

That will be an afternoon game which will be in front of a sellout crowd at the Thomas and Mack Center. With BYU, New Mexico and UNLV all playing at a very high caliber it expects to be a dogfight for the conference crown. THE MWC Tournament begins March 10th here in Las Vegas and the possibility of three or four teams coming out of this conference to the NCAA Tournament is gathering national support.

As I write this BYU leads San Diego State by one early in the second half. The Cougars will then travel to New Mexico on Wednesday to face the Lobos in "The Pit" which is no easy task.

This was the best all around game played by the Rebels since their two victories in Hawaii. If they continue on this pace the Rebels will be dancing again. Take note, this is a very young team that is projected to be even better next year. For the time being continue to enjoy this group of closely knit players who have the potential, depending on the match-ups, to do some major damage come tournament time.

Right now it's very exciting to be a Rebels fan.

UNLV Bounces Back With a 80-72 Victory Over Colorado State

2010-01-21T08:39:00.000-08:00

The UNLV Runnin' Rebels got back to their winning ways with a hard fought victory over the Rams from Colorado State by the score of 80-72. This win comes on the heels of a rare home loss Saturday against Utah.

This was the first home loss for the Rams this year as they proved to me last night that they are certainly are the most improved team this year in the Mountain West Conference.

They played very well on the defensive end by creating 16 Rebel turnovers while committing only 11 of their own. This is usually the formula that can beat the Rebels this year, but Colorado State did themselves in by shooting only 38 percent from the floor while UNLV shot 54 percent.

UNLV got a great, if not unexpected performance by freshman guard Justin Hawkins who had 10 points in 14 minutes of play. All his points were in the first half which was a see saw battle ending with a five point Rebel lead.

The second half saw the Rebels key players, Tre'Von Willis and Chase Stanback take over the scoring with UNLV pulling away in the last few minutes of the game. Willis led the scoring with a game high 21 points while Stanback added 19.

UNLV also had a great night at the foul line as they shot 82 percent. Once again coach Lon Kruger used 11 players in the game moving his rotation in and out of the line up seemingly every few minutes. Only Darris Santee failed to score in his seven minutes of play.

Kruger uses Santee along with Matt Shaw and Brice Massamba in the post while they defend players usually taller at the center position. Last night the tangent contributed with eight points, seven rebounds, and two blocked shots. This has been a big concern all season long as Kruger is hoping one of three will stand out and step up.

The Rebels win moved them to 15-4 on the season and 3-2 in conference play. They move on to play TCU on the road this Saturday. The Rebels have Feb 6th circled on the calendar with their re-match against 13th ranked BYU, the leader with a 5-0 record in conference play.

However UNLV can not afford to look ahead. Along with TCU they have Air Force at home and Wyoming on the road before they get a shot against BYU. That promises to be the game of the year in the Mountain Conference.

After their close four point loss to BYU at the Marriott Center, Coach Kruger said that his young team needed to learn how to "close" the game. Last night they did just that against the Colorado State Rams. Hopefully that will continue.

Utah Upsets UNLV 73-69 at Thomas and Mack

2010-01-17T08:59:00.000-08:00

The Mountain West Conference definitely has arrived. At the start of the season I thought, like most sports writers, that BYU, San Diego State, UNLV and New Mexico would fight it out for the top spot in the conference.

This was supposed to be a rebuilding year for Utah and they were expected to be somewhere in the middle of the second tier teams. They are not. Last night they continued to win at the Thomas and Mack Center where last year, they swept through the Mountain West Tournament on their way to a five seed in the NCAA Tournament.

They put four players in double figures in scoring and upset the Runnin" Rebels on their home court for a rare win by a visiting team.

For the Rebels they had an opportunity to move up in the standings after their road win in New Mexico followed by their win against San Diego State on Wednesday.

For the second time in as many games Tre'Von Willis and Chase Stanback led the Rebels scoring. Willis had a career high 27 points along with six rebounds and four assists. At one point Willis scored 13 straight points for the Rebels to get them back in the game.

Chase Stanback had 14 points and 10 rebounds for his first double double as a Rebel. Freshman guard Anthony Marshall made two spectacular blocks but could not convert free throws down the stretch.

The Rebels lost the game at the charity stripe and beyond the three point line. They made only one three point shot out of 12 attempts and shot an abysmal 64 percent from the foul line going 22 for 34. In the meantime the Runnin'Utes shot 50 percent of their threes getting 24 points there and went 23 for 29 at the line.

The Rebels were not sharp in this game as Utah controlled the pace and forced the Rebels into 10 turnovers. The 16,594 crowd left very disappointed as UNLV who were 11 1/2 point favorites came up short.

UNLV plays three out of their next four games on the road against teams they should be able to handle before the big showdown on February 6th against BYU.

If the Rebels expect to be a NCAA Tournament team they are going to have to be more consistent in their scoring. Their defense is excellent as usual for a Lon Kruger coached team but they have to improve their foul shooting and their three point attempts if they want to play with the big boys. There is still a long way to go and the potential is there.

This is a very young team that is working hard to come together. Tre'Von Willis is the leader and a future NBA draft pick but he can't do it alone. The other players need to step up and not stand around watching Willis. This reminds me a lot of the Marcus Banks years and the Wink Adams tenure at UNLV. Both players could single handily dominate a game but when they were off their game the Rebels needed to find other players to pick up the slack.

I believe Lon Kruger will find the right combination of players to achieve their goal for tournament play. These next four games will measure just how far they have to go to get there.

UNLV Rebels (finally) Beat San Diego State 76-66

2010-01-14T09:53:00.000-08:00

I am all but positive there are three young men who slept very well last night after UNLV's Runnin'Rebels came from behind to beat the San Diego State Aztecs 76-66 at the Thomas and Mack Center.

Those guys happen to be Wink Adams, Joe Darger and Rene Rougeau who led the 2008-09 Rebels. In their Senior year they were humiliated by these same Aztecs three times, twice at the Thomas and Mack, including one in the first round of the Mountain West Conference Tournament.

Given that the Rebels had lost only 3 out of 36 games at home in conference play over the last two years and all those losses came at the hands of San Diego State.

Last night for thirty minutes it certainly looked like history was going to repeat itself. After leading 18-16 early in the game the Rebels fell behind by as much as 10 points only to make a gallant comeback and tie the score at 50 with 10 minutes left in the game.

Chase Stanback provided to spark for the Rebels to get even. He finished with a career high 18 points on 7-12 shooting while also picking up five boards.

San Diego State out rebounded the Rebels 42-30 but appeared not as close as those numbers indicate. It seemed like the Aztecs had all five of their players on the floor completely boxing out the Rebels. Time and time again they had two or three offensive rebounds getting easy baskets right under the net.

Once again the Rebels went to their leader down the stretch and he delivered. Tre'Von Willis scored 17 of his game high 23 points in the second half including nine in a row as the Rebels pulled away in the final five minutes.

Oscar Bellfield added 12 points along with 6 assists bringing his total to 15 assists in his last two games.

San Diego State leading scorer, Las Vegas native, Billy White fouled out of the game with 3 minutes to go. White, who has been a Rebels killer was nursing a high ankle sprain which was obvious while he was on the floor. When he becomes fully healthy this will be a very good San Diego State team which will, despite it's two conference game losses, be in the hunt not only in the Mountain West but also an excellent shot at the NCAA Tournament.

For the Rebels who have now faced the three top teams in the conference and won two out of three, the road doesn't get any easier as the Utah Runnin' Utes come into town on Saturday night. The Ute's who played a vicious non conference schedule come back to the Thomas and Mack where they won last years Mountain West Conference championship game.

In order for UNLV to continue their winning ways they still have to learn to play all 40 minutes of the game. When they do as they did last night they are tough to beat. They will have to shoot better than 40% and they need to have a presence in the middle. They have been constantly out rebounded in most of their games with quality opponents.

The best point about this team is how coach Lon Kruger will use up to 11 different players on the floor. This bodes well as the Rebels get deeper into conference play. Last night they simply wore the Aztecs down with constant defensive pressure causing 20 turnovers to their 10.

Kruger feels you win the turnovers you win the game. I agree.

Unraveling Mark McGwire

2010-01-12T09:51:00.000-08:00

"The Truth Shall Set Me Free", so says Mark McGwire after releasing his statement to the press yesterday that he was indeed a steroid user for the better part of the decade. It was Mark, along with Sammy Sosa, that revived the sport of Major League Baseball from one of it's lowest places in the history of the sport.

McGwire, who never tested positive for any illegal substance during his playing time, stood up before a Select Committee of United States Congressmen and said he would not talk about the past. From that moment on, McGwire has been vilified by the fans, the press and the broadcasters throughout the land.

What all of us learned yesterday for the first time was what went on behind the scenes of that committee meeting. According to Mark he had every intention of coming clean that day before Congress, but his lawyers advised him in order to avoid prosecution he would need to get immunity. The lawyers met with the two key members of the committee, at which time they could not promise immunity. It was agreed upon that since McGwire refused to lie about his steroid use, he could say that he would not speak about the past.

Does that make a difference to anyone? It does to me. The committee knew what Mark was going to say and they agreed not to push the issue.

Perhaps the most amazing part of his revelation was that Mark did not feel that his performance was not enhanced by his use of steroids. His claim about taking low doses just to help heal his injuries and to just "feel normal", comes across as terribly naive or just plain stupid.

McGwire feels that if he were healthy and never took steroids he still would have managed to hit 70 home runs in one season and 583 overall. Really? What Mark clearly does not get is all baseball players play the game going through a series of injuries. Some are obviously more debilitating than others and most of the players of the "Steroid Era" did not use performance enhancing drugs to improve their game.

McGwire is going down the same road as Andy Petitte did for using steroids to help heal injuries faster. So what became of Andy? He's still considered a star and a favorite on a Yankee Team that has seen the use of PED's before.

What happens to Mark McGwire is anybodies guess. He may come out of this like Petitte or Jason Giambi or even like Alex Rodriguez whose play in the playoffs allowed people to forget his disclosure 11 months ago.

I have always been a fan of Mark McGwire ever since his rookie year in Oakland where you could not notice his awesome power and his ability to hit gigantic home runs. Now he becomes the batting coach under his former manager and dear friend Tony LaRusso who has been a consistent supporter of Mark throughout his career.

St. Louis is a baseball friendly town. I don't expect their acceptance of Mark McGwire will be met with animosity or cruelty. If the Cardinals batters are tearing the cover off the ball and they succeed to get to the playoffs and further, then Mark should feel secure in his home park.

However, it won't be the same on the road. Philadelphia and New York come to mind as places where Mark ought to leave his batting helmet on at all times!

Finally comes the question as to his election to the Hall of Fame. I'm not a big fan of the hall, primarily due to the fact that I see the baseball writer's lack of knowledge about the players and their criteria for acceptance to the hall being a joke. Knowing I can't change that, I don't feel Mark will ever get 75% of the ballots to get him in. I believe that all the players of this era who have admitted to taking steroids and those who don't admit it but is perceived to have like Barry Bonds, will ever see themselves enshrined in Cooperstown.

Like everyone else, they will have to buy a ticket to get in.

Rebels Victorious in "The Pit" 74-62

2010-01-10T06:52:00.000-08:00

Kendall Wallace is a three point specialist. In any game where he's on the floor Kendall is capable of making game changing shots. Yesterday was one of those days. In fact it was the best three point performance in Wallace's career at UNLV.

In 23 minutes on the floor, Kendall sent up 10 shots from behind the three point line and nailed seven of them for a career high 21 points. At one point in the second half Kendall netted three's on four straight possessions literally stabbing a dagger into the heart of Steve Alford's Lobos.

I remember Alford when he played for Bobby Knight at Indiana and he was the best three point shooter I have ever seen. Rebel team leader, Tre'Von Willis played his second straight extremely strong game scoring 20 points with four assists and two rebounds. Chase Stanback added 14 points in his game high 33 minutes for the Rebels.

The Lobo's put four players in double figures and out rebounded the Rebels by margin of 35-26.

The loss for the Lobos was the first in the last 19 games in "The Pit", which has always been known as a very tough court for a visiting team to win there. New Mexico who was ranked as high as 12th in the national polls has dropped three of it's last four including a road loss at another Mountain West Power, San Diego State.

Already this early in conference play people are giving three or maybe even four berths to the big dance this year. The Pac-10 is terrible and the Big West doesn't have more than one or two teams worthy of that.

The Rebels definitely needed yesterdays win. Coach Kruger who said his team had to close out games such as the one they let get away at BYU on Wednesday. The Rebels will be happy to get back to the Thomas and Mack and they will have another challenge awaiting them. San Diego State have beat the Rebels in the last three games they played including two on the Rebels home court.

In this very competitive Mountain West Conference every game, even the early ones can be labeled critical. A win against San Diego State will most likely get the Rebels back into the national polls. They really don't mean much expect to the fans.

I look for a big effort on Wednesday in front of a sell out crowd at the Thomas and Mack.

Prediction- Rebels 71 San Diego St 69

Rebels Fall Short in Conference Opener 77-73

2010-01-07T14:05:00.000-08:00

It's not easy for a visiting team to win in Provo Utah. Going into last night's game with the UNLV Runnin' Rebels, the BYU Cougars were 36-1 in conference play at the Marriott Center. Their only loss at home last year was to the Rebels who came from 13 down at half time to score the stunning upset. Of course that was last year and without a player with the caliber of a Wink Adams, Lon Kruger knew he would have his hands full last night.

This is obviously a different team without Wink. Players in the game would often find themselves stopped and watching Wink make his next move. With the tandem of Tre'Von Willis and Oscar Bellfield the Rebels almost pulled it off.

Halfway through the second half the Rebels led by eight with the ball, but an unforced turnover by Bellfield helped the Cougars not only get back in the game, but to their credit, they held the Rebels scoreless from the field for the remaining five minutes of the game.

Willis led all scorers with 24 points along with six rebounds and four assists. He was the only Rebel to reach double figures in scoring. Bellfield had nine assists and Chase Stanback led the team with 8 rebounds.

Jonathan Tavernari who seems like he's been on this team for the past seven or eight years did his usual damage against the Rebels. He and Noah Hartsock led BYU in scoring with 17 each with many of their points coming in the last 10 minutes of the game.

This was the first game for both teams in Mountain West Conference play. From here the Rebels meet nationally ranked New Mexico in "The Pit" on Saturday afternoon before returning home to face their nemesis from last year, San Diego State who beat the Rebels three times including twice at the Thomas and Mack. They have also beat New Mexico at home in their conference opener.

The Rebels could easily find itself 0-3 in Conference play and looking up in the standings for the rest of the season if they don't get a win in the next two games.

This team needs a "closer" like Wink Adams who can dominate a game and close it out at the end. Right now Tre'Von Willis could be that guy but he needs to take his game up a couple of notches to give the Rebels a chance in this very good and tough Mountain West Conference.

On a personal side note. For me it doesn't get any better in sports than it will be this Saturday. First at 1:00 PST the Rebels will on TV against New Mexico. At 1:30PM the New York Jets will try to prove that last weeks win over Cincinnati was not a fluke and they deserve to be in the Playoffs. Finally at 5:00PM my Philadelphia Eagles will show the world just how difficult it is in the NFL to beat the same team three times in one season as the battle the Dallas Cowboys for their playoff lives.

For what it's worth my picks.

UNLV 68 New Mexico 64
NY Jets 17 Cincinnati Bengals 13
Philadelphia Eagles 31 Dallas Cowboys 27

2010: Predictions and Resolutions

2010-01-01T10:23:00.000-08:00

Taking a page out of the late great Casey Stengel, it's seems like there are many exciting events to take place in 2010 and I want to be one of the first people to present them to you.

Knowing this blog, some of these will be about sports of course, but others will be on a personal note that will resonate with family and friends who have a basic knowledge of my somewhat dysfunctional life story.

Lets start with what will definitely remain a constant in 2010. I will continue to write about anything that comes across my mind that I think anyone might be interested in.

I will get to see Avatar, maybe not in 3D or IMAX, but I will see it nevertheless. I also think that "2012" although hokey as hell it was the best disaster movie I have ever seen.

The Eagles will once again get to the NFC Championship Game and will making it to the Superbowl by a field goal with under a minute left in the game. That team will go on to lose the Superbowl to the San Diego Chargers who finally gets there and gets the job done.

Next year as the teams head for the playoffs again it looks like my Jets will finally get a chance to be in a Super Bowl after a 14-2 season.

Phil Kohen, by no later than September will have his own show on Fox Sports Radio on KBAD 920 Radio here in Vegas. He just may not like the hours but what the heck he doesn't sleep anyway. I will be a regular guest because what's sleep.

The LA Lakers will struggle a bit but ultimately will become the NBA Champs for the second year in a row. They will beat Boston in a 6 Game Classic. Koby will get the MVP in the Series but King James will win the overall league MVP. By Nov 30th, Lebron will sign the maximum contract and start the 2010-2011 season in Madison Square Garden. His back court partner Dwayne Wade.

The Phillies and the Yankees will be the favorites to get back to the World Series again, but it's not going to happen. The Seattle Mariners and the St. Louis Cardinals will get there instead, while the playoffs will find the Mets back in there with the Phillies and the Giants. The Yankees Red Sox and Twins will be there in the American League.

The Cardinals will win it all in Game 7 coming from one run down in the 9th and with two outs and nobody on Albert Pujols and Matt Holliday will hit back to back jacks to win it all. Gary and I will be there to see it person.

The Pittsburgh Penguins will win the Stanley Cup again simply because "what do I know about hockey".

Kim and I will go see the Mets play in 3 different cities in 2010. Denver, San Diego and Phoenix. Kairi will go to her second 52's game but this time she will sit in the front row and see fireworks after the game.

Jaime's Book, I believe the working title is "The Waywalkers" will be in the bookstores by May and by years end it will have spent 15 weeks on the New York Times best seller chart. She buys me a Harley for Fathers Day.

My brother Harry and I plan a trip to meet somewhere halfway between Vegas and Hartford, Connecticut. Maybe in Dallas to see the Giants and Cowboys.

Matthew will be deployed overseas for sure in 2010. He will be going on a special Army Commando mission to look for Bubba. They'll find Bin-Laden instead.

Stephanie and Jason will get married twice, and she will be having a baby by the spring of 2011.

Russ and Barbara will go into business together selling the first ever widget that actually works for a specific purpose. It's machine that can wipe away all bad memories that people have. They got the idea from "The Haitian".

Kim will finally find the cure for her headaches. She begins to drink heavily but not until after May 27th when we renew our vows and have complete Jewish Wedding in the Sanctuary at Temple Beth Shalom in Vegas. Everybody is welcome to come and celebrate with us.

Tiger Woods will come out of his hiding to win the British Open and the PGA which will be the only tournament he plays in the USA this year. Andy Roddick finally wins a Grand Slam Event, the US Open, while Michael Phellps gives up swimming and opens up the "The Golden Weed Shop" in Venice Beach.

My Cousin Gary gives up his entire insurance and tax practice and becomes a Sports Agent. He immediately gets Tiger Woods, LeBron James, and Chase Utley to join his list of players.

The Kohen girls both get full ride scholarships to the Colleges they choose and Ilene retires from education after she hits Megabucks at the M Hotel and Casino in Vegas while waiting for Phil to finish his show. The time 4;12AM. She buys Kim a Harley.

Randy Parker after talking to my cousin Gary turns to the PBA Tour and throws consecutive 300 games in the Firestone Open. Ashley gets engaged and Chris and Sylvia has a second baby. This one's a boy.

JJ reaches his 70th birthday in 2010 and I throw him a surprise party and invite all his past triumphs. We fill the Hollywood Bowl for the event. Standing room only sold to non-conquests.

All good stuff for many of my friends. Loren gets a job to oversee a huge office and she's able to do that from home with the latest sophisticated spy ware installed on her computer.

Even is called back to Vegas as the Fountainbleu Hotel gets the go ahead for completion and he is named as the Chief Electrician on the project.

However the best news of the New Year comes to my buddy Scott. He gets word that Steven saves the Warden's life and is given his freedom on Dec 24th 2010. Merry Christmas Scott, you deserve it and one week later your Stephanie ties the knot and you, Randy, Phil and I along with our families head out to Hawaii to watch Phil do his first TV Stint for Fox Sports at the 2011 Pro Bowl Game.

All the best to my family and friends.

So Ends The First Decade The 21st Century

2009-12-29T09:23:00.000-08:00

Wow December 29th 2009, where did the last decade go? Did it fly by for you with only limited outstanding memories or did it seem like it took forever to believe how so much could seem to happen in just 10 short years?

As I approach my 65th year on the planet I can't help but think I just celebrated my first real "Road Sign" birthday at 55. The first 5 years in Vegas seem to just fly by.

I made some great new friends with Phil and Ilene and the girls, Ruth and Randy and their crew, and Scott is his kids as well. Russ and Barb had both visited from the east coast and Jaime and I were on the road to recovery.

Quality Home Foods kept my days and most of my nights very busy but I always had my eye on the sports pages and ESPN. That summer of 2000 it looked like the Mets had a shot at their first World Series in 14 years and Mike Piazza was leading the way. When they did finally get there they were met by those "Damn Yankees" who had ruined my childhood with all their wins against my Brooklyn Dodgers until 1955.

Game One of that series I was at the then called Aladdin Hotel and Casino having dinner with JJ and Vicky who had come to town from California. JJ and I go back 35 years and there is no better man on this earth. I remember running to the Sports Book about every ten minutes for an update. They went on to lose that game and the series 4-1 but I thought I was going to see them in the World Series many times during the new decade and new millennium for that matter. I'm still waiting.

My traveling children Russ and Barb both moved to Arizona during this period and ultimately both moved to Florida. I really miss them both and particularly speaking to them on a regular basis. They live extremely busy lives and I have been careless and unappreciative of them both. Not my best parenting job at all. I have 2 incredible Grandchildren in Rex and Carly but several thousand miles separate us now, but I hope to see them in the coming years.

Jaime spent almost three years living in Vegas and I could write a book about those years but this is just a quick review. Speaking of books, Jaime has a literary agent for her book that she has been working on for what seems like forever. I have read portions of it already and believe me when the world discovers this talent, look out.

I have always loved the UNLV Runnin'Rebels long before I set my first foot down in this valley. I have probably seen at least 100 games live and one of my wishes for this next decade is to see them once again in a Final Four. They don't have to win but that would be like the topping on a cake for me.

The Jets and Eagles have also thrilled me during the past 10 years. People ask me why would a boy from Brooklyn like the Philadelphia Eagles? Most people think it's because of Kim and her South Philly roots. Not exactly that. My family were always fanatic New York Giants fans and I always had to be different. Before the AFL came into play in 1960, I like the Eagles just to be different and I loved Chuck Bednarik so when they beat the Packets to win the championship I was hooked.

The Eagles were certainly in the hunt this decade with multiple appearances in the NFC Title Game and one unsuccessful trip to the Superbowl. The Jets are more the like the Mets. High expectations, some success but mostly as their followers will tell you it's "The Same Old Jets". Maybe this next decade will have both my teams take the Lombardi Trophy home.

On a more personal note it's kind of nice to just be here. In 2007 I had a quintuple bypass heart surgery that certainly prolonged this lifetime by I hope, plenty of years. I have a 3rd Grandchild, Kairi, who is a miracle baby arriving at 27 and a half weeks and surviving a very rough first five months. I've got her saying "Lets Go Mets" and "Rebels" and "Touchdown Eagles and Jets" and I thank the good Lord up there for giving me the opportunity to play an important role in her life.

I miss my New Jersey family Gary,Phyllis,Chris,Valerie,and Paige and their latest arrival Jacob, and without their love and support throughout the decade the new decade might not have seemed so bright.

I haven't seen my brother Harry since the Ravens destroyed the Giants in the Superbowl. We were both visiting my niece and his daughter Laura and her two boys Justin and Jordan in Phoenix and as I approach 65 he approaches 70. My goodness, where did all the years go?

My two youngest children Stephanie 23, and Matt 21 are just beginning what will be their optimum decade. They have been through a lot. They lost their dad, Michael, to cancer at way too young 43 years. I have tried to step up and be there for them but only time will tell if I have been successful.

Through it all it has always been Kimberly. She has been my rock. She is my motivation to keep plugging away and making every day count. It certainly hasn't hurt that she is an avid sports fan like myself and knows the games as well as anybody out there. We were talking about the upcoming decade during the last couple of days and besides the wishes for continued good health we wondered whether or not our teams would bring home some championships so we could celebrate and break out the Marsh Punch.

I want to take the time now to send out a giant Thank You to all those friends and family that have been part of my life for the past decade and as we know nothing is perfect, but when you weigh the good vs.the bad I know that I couldn't have made it without you. I wish you all, as my sister in law Barbara said recently to me, have a happy, healthy, and prosperous New Year. Let's take it one year at a time and look forward to another review in 2019. Love to all

Rich

No "Runnin'' For These Rebels

2009-12-26T09:06:00.000-08:00

The USC Trojans took a page right out of Lon Kruger's play book and put on a defensive clinic as the UNLV's Runnin'Rebels lost the championship game at the Inaugural Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic 67-56.

As good as the Rebels looked in the first two games of the tourney that's how bad they were as the Trojans with a two time transfer, Mike Gerrity led the way for the Trojans fourth straight victory. In fact the Trojans have not lost a game since Gerrity's arrival and now will definitely be a factor in the Pac-10 conference play.

Gerity is no stranger to UNLV basketball. As a member of the 2005 Pepperdine squad, Gerrity came into the Thomas and Mack and like last night almost single handily destroyed the Rebels on their home court.

Although it was only the second loss of the season and with wins against Louisville and Arizona the Rebels will still find themselves either in the Top Twenty Five or just a few spots out of it.

UNLV has two glaring weaknesses this year and if a team has some size in the front court and a point guard who is relentless and can play 38-40 minutes, the Rebels will find themselves in big trouble.

The Rebels also showed that they are not a very good half court team that likes to play a slow down game. In order for them to be effective they must be able to impose their stifling defense and score from turnovers.

Last night that didn't happen as the Rebels turned the ball over 15 times as compared to 7 by the Trojans.

Even with that said the Rebels closed the gap to nine points late in the game but couldn't score on 4 straight possessions that could have put them back in contention.

Players including Tre'von Willis, who was named to the all tourney team, Derrick Jasper and Chase Stanbeck literally seemed not to show up for the championship game as they scored 12 points between them. Oscar Bellfield led the Rebels with 17 points along with three rebounds and three assists.

Lon Kruger had hoped this tourney would prepare the Rebels for the intensity of Mountain West Conference play which begins for the Rebels on the road at BYU and New Mexico, the two other co-favorites in the conference.

So now the Rebels come home and lick their wounds from their two losses against Kansas State and USC, both teams that will most probably be ranked by seasons end.

I must admit I might have been biased while overly stating that this is the best Rebels team I've seen in 15 years. They are good and could still prove to be great if they've learned from these losses and can improve their half court game.

We will see.

Smothering Defense Ignites Rebels Win

2009-12-24T09:44:00.000-08:00

UNLV's Runnin'Rebels defense led the way for it's second straight blowout in the first Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic. This time the victim was the host team, the University of Hawaii on it's home court. Just as they did the previous night to SMU the Rebels started fast and took the Rainbow Warriors and their crowd right out of the game.

By the end of the first half the Rebels had built a 23 point lead at 44-31. Leading the way for Lon Kruger's Rebels was Derrick Jasper who in 29 minutes had 14 points on 5-10 shooting, along with 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals. It was Jasper's best game by far in a Rebels uniform.

The back court tandem of Tre'Von Willis and Oscar Bellfield also reached double figures in scoring with 12 and 10 points respectively.

Again for the second night in a row Lon Kruger used 11 players and this time each one of them were in on the scoring. Every player on the team had at least 10 minutes on the floor. Kruger's plan was not to wear his team down knowing that with their style of pressure defense throughout the game, that three games in four nights might be too draining.

The biggest difference in the two games the Rebels have played so far was in this latest victory the Rebels didn't let up in the second half as they coasted to a 77-53 win.

With these two 'road' victories the Rebels will meet the red hot USC Trojans who disposed of the highly touted St.Mary's squad in the other semi-final match-up. This Christmas day showdown pits a USC squad who,like the Rebels,have beat a highly ranked team with a victory over Tennessee.

The USC Trojans will be hard pressed to generate a sustained offense against a team that has held their two previous opponents to 53 points each.

Once again this is the best total Rebels team I have seen since the Rebels ruled the college basketball world 20 years ago. This is a very unselfish team where on any given night any one of the 11 players can lead the way.

In two weeks play starts in the Mountain West Conference. I will preview the conference team by team and reveal my findings and my picks by New Years Day.

For all who read this I wish you a very happy, healthy, and prosperous holiday season and New Year. Can the UNLV Runnin' Rebels repeat their National Championship of 20 years ago?

Perhaps.

UNLV Runnin' Rebels Are For Real

2009-12-23T09:27:00.000-08:00

Not since 20 years ago have the UNLV Mens Basketball Team drawn this much excitement as the decade comes to a screeching halt next Friday. In his sixth years as the coach of the Runnin'Rebels, Lon Kruger and 2009-2010 edition is certainly invoking memories of Greg Anthony, Larry Johnson and Stacy Augman.

Ranked 20th in this week's ESPN/USA poll the Rebels are in Hawaii this week for the inaugural Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic. Being the only ranked team there is not a guarantee to the championship for the 10-1 Rebels. In the other side of the bracket lies USC and St Marys, both teams that have beat ranked opponents this year.

However if last nights drubbing of SMU is any indication just how strong and how deep these Rebels are, then it looks like it's going to be a year where UNLV and perhaps even three other Mountain West teams will be joining them in the big dance in March 2010.

Last night the Rebels used 11 men to roll to a one sided 67-53 win over the Mustangs from SMU. The final score was no indication of the beating that took place on the floor.

The Rebels jumped out to a 42-19 halftime lead and never looked back. They increased the lead to 28 midway through the second have and allowed the SMU Mustangs to get as close as 12 points with about 2 minutes to play.

Coach Kruger, knowing there would be three games in four days didn't want any of his starters going more than 30 minutes. They didn't. 26 minutes to Chase Stanback who put up 11 points, Derrick Jasper whose 26 minutes yielded 9 points, and reserve freshman guard Anthony Marshall added 12 points in his 26 minutes.

Here's how balanced the Rebs were last night. Eleven players entered the game. Everyone of them took at least one shot. Nine of them scored and all of them had at least one rebound.

This was the best team effort in any one game that I have witnessed in the fifteen years I've lived in Las Vegas and followed the Runnin' Rebels. Last years team which went 21-11 and lost to Kentucky in the NIT graduated three Senior starters including their most explosive player in four year starter Wink Adams.

Kruger has been an excellent recruiter from the Junior Colleges since he arrived on the scene 6 years ago and this years crop of Chase Stanback and Derrick Jasper have already filled the void from last years graduates.

Tre'von Willis, the teams emotional leader who's nursing a bad ankle came off the bench last night and in 25 minutes had 12 points and 4 rebounds while normally reserve freshman guard Anthony Marshall had his best game to date. Not thought of as great shooter, he went 6-9 with two steals, two assists and three rebounds along with his career high 12 points.

Tonight in one semi final the Rebel's meet host, Hawaii who defeated The College of Charleston 84-71. The winner of tonight's game will meet the winner of the USC/St. Marys game for the Championship on Friday night. Hawaii is 6-4 but has won it's last four straight. Two of their losses came at the hands of the other two powerhouses in the Mountain West, BYU and New Mexico. Those two teams and UNLV are the co-favorites in the Mountain West this season.

It should be a fun year as the Rebels try to get back to the NCAA Tournament for the third time in four years.

Let's Fix the New York Mets

2009-12-21T09:41:00.000-08:00

Like all loyal and lifetime New York Mets Fans 2009 will certainly go down in Mets history as the most injury plagued season in their entire 48 seasons of National League play. Everybody knows that every member of "The Core" players were down for various amounts of time during the season and if the core played together for ten games all season long that would probably be an exaggeration.

Dirt was thrown at everybody from the ownership down to and through the medical staff, the Minor League organization and most obviously the Manager Jerry Manuel and the General Manager Omar Minaya . Nobody was as critical of these two so called professionals than me. I gave them some credit for their valiant try to finish on top in 2008 and even went so far to say that the team overachieved in getting down to the last day to decide their fate for the playoffs.

I wrote at least four articles on websites for the Mets to resign Pedro Martinez. Their rotation was a disaster coming out Spring Training and although I like and enjoy the World Baseball Classic it's timing last couldn't have been worse for the Mets as 17 players left camp to play for their countries. Was it a big surprise that so many of those players who did go to the WBC come down with critical injuries during the season? I will address the WBC situation at another time.

The Mets fans and media as well wants the Mets to make a splash in the off season for two reasons. One, many of us feel the Mets still need help in a few areas including left field, second base, and adding depth to an already suspect rotation. The second reason for the need to make a splash is for the Mets ownership to show the fans that they willing to do what it takes to pay for high quality free agents and compete with the other big money teams in pursuit of these players.

For all accounts prior the the winter meetings the Mets were going to be all in on pitcher John Lackey, as well the two top outfielders, Matt Holliday and Jason Bey in the free agent market. What they didn't expect was these players just might not want to come to Citi-Field and have their offensive numbers wind up somewhere around mid-toilet.

Do I want the Mets to pick up either Matt Holliday or Jason Bey? Of course I do. Do I now think they are going to get either one of them? The answer is No. There are lots of secondary outfielders out there that have power and lack defensive skills necessary to play in a big ball yard. On the flip side there are excellent gloves that could make the starting outfield the best defensive unit in baseball but they can't hit their weight.

So, what are the Mets to do? In what appears to be in a no win scenario, I am going propose a plan which is going to be vastly unpopular with my guess being around 97% of Mets fans and media coverage out there.

Let's talk specifics. I believe the club needs both youth and experienced veterans who are willing to run through walls if necessary to get the job done. A guy who can hit.280, knows how to move a runner from first to third, can steal a base, lay down a good sacrifice bunt and willing to bust up a double play. When a veteran like Alex Cora with two busted thumbs does that guys like Fernando Martinez takes notice.

Their are plenty of those gritty type players out there that won't bust the Wilpon bank but will put people in the seats into a ballpark that will lose many visitors if 2009 is even remotely duplicated.

Let's break this down and remember you're not going to to like it. I think Daniel Murphy has the potential to be an excellent defensive first baseman, hit third in the order and remind people of Keith Hernandez. Will he do all this in 2010? No. The answer here is to re-sign Carlos Delgado. I can hear screaming starting now. Carlos Delgado is as proud as a man than just about any ballplayer I have watched for the past 60 years. No clearer indication of that was in 2008 when finally recovered from a wrist injury where he compensated not to reinjure his wrist, He put on a second half performance the likes of which hasn't been seen south of the Bronx in a very long time.

He started off 2009 where he left off the previous fall and if he had played a full season his numbers would have duplicated 2008. But of course that never happened. Carlos is exactly like Pedro. He feels his mission in New York will not be complete until he has a ring. Have him play 130 games at first base and let the Super Sub Daniel Murphy fill in not only there but he can be used occasionally to back up David Wright, and yes even stick him in left or at second for a game or two. Could it be worse then having Tatis at those positions?

Next,at second base we must say goodbye to Punch and Judy, Luis Castillo. Having as good a year that was possible for him he now has value for some teams who need players who can get on base. My problem with Castillo believe it or not was not his bat in 2009 but his defensive play at second base. It was, to put it a one word,,awful. He has lost his range and played the game with his head not always on his shoulders. He did prove his point and gave the Mets a spark they needed last year and for that I hope another team sees value in him. If Orlando Hudson is available and he'll take a two year contract then by 2012 Reese Havens should be ready for Major League play.

I'm not at all concerned about the left side of the infield. I expect David Wright to have that bounce back year and with his partner Jose Reyes getting on base, stealing bases and keeping everyone on the edge of their seats we will once again see the old David Wright smashing the ball all over the yard. Jerry Manuel however has to be smart and not change where he places David in the lineup. If it's 3rd then keep him there. If it's 4th or 5th, then keep him there. One of Jerry's biggest shortcomings last year was juggling that lineup so badly everyday that no one knew their role.

The catching situation is already out of hand and it looks like their next move is to have an open casting call for all catchers to try out for the Mets. Right now they have four catchers. Santos, Thole, Coste, and Blanco. Wonderful and Bengi Molina is trying to secure a three year deal at 35 to be the next catcher. Oye!

I say right from opening day to go with the youth and platoon Santos and Thole and if either one of them breaks out of the gate fast let's stick with him. Thole in his short stay looked no better or no worse than the more heralded Matt Weiters of the Baltimore Orioles. Thole should and could be the Mets catcher for the next ten years.

I would have no problem with a one year deal for Pat Burrell or Marlon Byrd or Johnny Damon or any number of other second level left fielders. Personally I would like to see, if healthy, Fernando Martinez in left field on opening day. He has been out top prospect for 5 years and now is good time to see what he's got for us or to showcase him as major trade bait.

Beltran and Francouer can roam the outfield for the next 7 years and provide the power and defense we need in spacious Cit-Field. Angel Pagan is a very serviceable 4th outfielder and some may argue that he deserves a starting spot in left field for opening day. Personally I'd rather see Martinez there.
So here is my opening day line up.

Reyes                    SS
Hudson                  2B
Beltran                  CF
Wright                   3B
Delgado                 1B
Francouer              RF
Martinez                 LF
Thole                    C
Santana                SP

If you're already mad at me and think I'm ridiculous you're really not going to like this. There are only two starting pitchers out there in the free agent market that I would even entertain a look at. They are Joel Piniero and Ben Sheets. When healthy, and I think we can say that about any pitcher, these two guys could do a great deal to solidify the staff. I'd also keep and eye on Chen Ming Wong, Bronson Arroyo and Aaron Harang. But let's say the Mets don't get any of these pitchers for whatever excuse they come up with, then this is a do or die year for the Mets rotation.

Santana can't make 162 starts so where does that leave us. I believe John Maine is more of a number 2 than Mike Pelfrey. I would push Pelfrey down to the 4 spot and allow Oliver Perez to move to the number 3. If I am sure of one thing this off season it is that Oliver Perez will come to camp in the best shape of his life. He has been working vigorously in the off season on both his physical and mental sides.

That leaves the number five spot open to some very healthy competition for Jonathan Niese, Bobby Parnell,Pat Misch,Fernando Nieve and Nelson Figueroa. Once again I believe we could do no wrong signing Pedro Martinez to a one year deal with incentives for a second year option. I think he certainly proved himself down the stretch for the Phillies and he can not hurt this team. His veteran leadership in the Mets clubhouse can not be measured. This rotation last year before the season started was picked by many to be enough to compete with the Phillies for the NL East.

With Roy Halladay now just 90 miles south and for the Mets to have to face him at least 4-6 times a year is an uphill battle at the least but in a head to head with Johan Santana I'll take my chances.

Finally if the Mets get out of the gate slowly I would look to replace Jerry Manuel after 40 games. As much as I feel he has caused many of the on the field problems for 2009 I am willing to give him just enough rope to hang himself and as far as Omar is concerned, unless some miracle can be pulled out of a hat, this will be his final year for sure.