The Elevator

Sat, Jun 14, 2008 (2 a.m.)

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

GOING UP

Tim Goins

A four-year letterman for the UNLV football team, Goins made his Arena Football League debut Saturday for the Orlando Predators. As was often the case in his days with the Rebels, Goins was on the losing side in his pro debut as the Predators fell to Tampa Bay, 71-61. Goins started 30 games for the Rebels at left guard and center from 2004 to 2007.

UNLV’s 4x100 relay team

The Rebels squad — Brittney Bullocks, Tanesha Carr, Lauren Johnson and Lekeisha Lawson — was disqualified from the women’s preliminary race at the NCAA Championships on Wednesday because of a dropped baton. But the team’s qualifying for the NCAA finals with a third-place finish at the NCAA West Regional was a highlight for first-year head coach Yvonne Scott-Williams’ up-and-coming program.

Kim Bonney

Bonney this week became the first UNLV women’s swimmer to earn academic All-America honors when she was named to the 2007-08 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America second team. In addition to carrying a 3.89 cumulative grade-point average with a double major in accounting and business management, Bonney was named the 2008 Mountain West Conference Women’s Swimmer of the Year after winning conference titles in the 200 breast stroke, 100 breast stroke and the 200 individual medley.

Minor League Baseball attendance

For the second month in a row, Minor League Baseball reported an increase in attendance in May and remains on pace to establish an attendance record for the fifth consecutive season. The Pacific Coast League, of which the Las Vegas 51s are a member, led all of the minors with more than 2.5 million fans through the first two months of the season.

GOING DOWN

Kyle Busch

The local leadfoot saw his lead in NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series dwindle from 142 points to 21 after an unforced error led to a crash and a last-place finish in the race at Pocono Raceway — his third race in three states in three days. Undaunted, Busch, a Las Vegas native, plans to compete in three races in two states in two days this weekend.

Los Angeles Dodgers

The parent club of the Las Vegas 51s announced June 6 that Dodgers pitcher Jason Schmidt would make a rehab start in Las Vegas on Sunday at Cashman Field. The 51s dutifully publicized it, but the Dodgers’ public relations department apparently was unaware that Schmidt had reported “discomfort” in his surgically repaired pitching shoulder after throwing on the side Thursday afternoon. Schmidt’s rehab start was scrubbed on June 7.