The Elevator: Up and down the Vegas sports scene

By Ron Kantowski

Saturday, June 13, 2009 | 2 a.m.

Who’s going to the penthouse in local sports — and who’s getting the shaft:

GOING UP

The Newest Las Vegas Marathon Yet

This year’s 26.2-mile blisterfest, which was nearly run into the ground by the previous owners, is now being operated by the Rock ’n’ Roll Marathon people. It’s like I told the members of Black Market Music, the Las Vegas trio that covered Billy Idol’s “White Wedding” and a bunch of songs by bands from Seattle I had never heard of, at Wednesday’s media announcement: “If you guys are lucky enough to get a gig on Dec. 6, there’s a good chance you’ll even get paid.”

Eric Boman

The Coronado High School senior has been named a second-team All-American by the American Volleyball Coaches Association, which means he could probably beat C. Thomas Howell — remember the 1990 volleyball movie “Side Out?” — with one hand tied behind his back.

Cutting to the Chase

Former CCSN baseball standout Chase Leavitt is the captain of the University of Arkansas baseball team, which today opens College World Series play against Cal State Fullerton. That’s all the reason I need to put on my official Game Day plastic Hog Head and spend the afternoon chanting “Woo! Pig! Sooie!”

Signing language

It’ll be Fingers-poppin’ time at Borders Books at Town Square at 2 p.m. today as baseball Hall of Famer and Las Vegas resident Rollie Fingers autographs copies of his book “Rollie’s Follies: A Hall of Fame Revue of Stories and Stats, Lists and Lore.” Says the news release: “Ever hear about the time Mickey Mantle accidentally got his friend’s cows shot?” And here you thought Jim Bouton had told all the good Mickey Mantle stories in “Ball Four.”

Minor league baseball attendance

Attendance at Minor League baseball games totaled 7.4 million in May. In a related note, there are now 7.2 million knickknack shelves with a bobblehead doll of Stubby Clapp or a furry mascot sitting on them.

GOING DOWN

Greetings from Mars

Las Vegas NASCAR lead foot (and Pete Townshend wannabe) Kyle Busch, on his visit to Mars Snackfood headquarters in Hackettstown, N.J., which manufacturers the M&M Chocolate Candies that are featured on the hood of Busch’s No. 18 Toyota: “You just see the quality of how they do things and how they use 100 percent cocoa butter in all of their chocolate products.” I have a feeling that if they were still around, Fireball Roberts and Curtis Turner would be rolling their eyes right about now.