The Elevator

Sat, Jun 21, 2008 (2 a.m.)

GOING UP

Las Vegas Showgirlz: The local entry in the Independent Women’s Football League closed its season with a pair of victories, including a 55-0 rout of the New Mexico Menace, and finished with a winning record (5-3). The Showgirlz proudly refer to themselves as “the winningest football team in Vegas,” which is easy to do when measuring yourself against UNLV football.

Andy Bischel: Bischel, the longtime assistant golf coach at UNLV, will serve as the assistant coach for the United States’ team in next week’s Palmer Cup matches in Scotland. The Palmer Cup is a Ryder Cup-style competition between college golfers from the United States and Europe. Bischel, who just completed his 10th season as Dwaine Knight’s right-hand man, earned the position by being named the 2007 Jan Strickland Assistant Coach of the Year in college golf.

Chad Campbell: Campbell, a product of the UNLV golf program, recovered from an opening-round 6-over-par 77 in the U.S. Open, shot even par during the final three rounds and finished in a tie for 18th place in the second major championship of the year. It was Campbell’s best showing in nine career Open appearances and allowed him to move up seven spots in the world rankings to No. 63.

Las Vegas 51s: Kudos to the new owners of the local Triple-A baseball franchise for following up on their promise to change the team’s ill-conceived nickname and including the fans in the process (although the owners have made it clear they will be the final arbiter of the team’s new name). Naming the team after a landmark about 80 miles away that has little to do with Las Vegas was a bad idea from the start. (Apparently the Air Force doesn’t even call it Area 51 anymore; the Groom Lake facility reportedly is now Homey Airport.)

GOING DOWN

Javon Walker: Nobody deserves to be beaten and robbed and left in the street, as Oakland Raiders receiver Walker was this week in Las Vegas, but Walker didn’t do himself any favors by issuing a laughable account of the early morning incident by claiming that he was abducted from his room at the Bellagio. Walker apparently wasn’t aware that Las Vegas resorts have more cameras than Universal Studios and his story easily could be checked.

Las Vegas 51s’ luck: First, the 51s were told that Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Jason Schmidt would make a rehab start in Las Vegas, only to have the parent club cancel the outing after the 51s publicized it. The 51s then got Dodgers infielder Nomar Garciaparra, a bona fide drawing card, for a rehab stint this week. But the six-time all-star’s stay was cut short when he apparently aggravated his strained left calf after one game with the 51s and left Las Vegas to have it checked by a doctor in Boston.