The Elevator: Chad Campbell in the lead

By Ron Kantowski

Saturday, April 11, 2009 | 2 a.m.

GOING UP

Hanging (with) Chad

Former UNLV golfer Chad Campbell made five consecutive birdies to start The Masters on Thursday, and backed it up with 2-under on Friday to stay atop the leaderboard. You can’t buy that kind of publicity. Well, maybe Tiger Woods and his caddy could. Probably Phil Mickelson, too. But UNLV can’t.

Going yard (sale)

In an effort to create room for some new stuff (and perhaps make a quick buck), UNLV will hold a sports yard sale at Rebel Park next Saturday. I’ve got my eye on a 1996 Chad Campbell ball marker. But I’d settle for one of Mike Sanford’s red replay flags, even if they are a bit worn from overuse.

See, he’s not that fast

OK, so he is that fast. But that didn’t stop UNLV’s Rance Roundy from collecting two singles off San Diego State’s Stephen “101 mph Fastball” Strasburg in a 15-4 loss at Wilson Stadium Thursday Night. The Silverado High product also struck out three times, but why bore your future grandkids with the details?

The other Busch

The would be Kurt, below, who, may I remind you, is the only Busch brother of Las Vegas to win a NASCAR Sprint Cup driving title. Lately, Kurt has been playing Tommie Aaron to younger brother Kyle’s Hank, but a story in this week’s Sports Illustrated says he’s back. Actually, it says his car is back, that Kurt has been driving as good as ever. That’s important, because not even Hank Aaron could hit a home run with a fungo bat.

GOING DOWN

Punching Pilots

A second story in this week’s Sports Illustrated, about Henderson-based Findlay Prep’s victory in ESPN’s national championship for high-school-aged basketball players (or thereabout), questioned whether basketball factories such as Findlay and Oak Hill Academy of Virginia have crushed the cast of “Hoosiers” under their collective size-14 high-tops. But in fairness to the Pilots’ players, they don’t make the rules. The adults who run the shoe companies and TV networks do.

Ducks on the pond

The 51s left 15 men on base in their season-opening 9-6 loss at Colorado Springs, walked a bunch of guys and gave up a bunch of unearned runs. If there’s anything to be learned by this, it’s that beers will still be a buck at Cashman Field every Thursday night.