It’s not too late to help Gondo

By Ron Kantowski

Monday, June 9, 2008 | 5:07 p.m.

NOW

----- There's still time to help out UNLV basketball legend Glen Gondrezick in his valiant battle against heart disease. The deadline to buy a $100 ticket to Friday's "Gondo Night" at the Orleans Arena has been extended to Tuesday. Call Bonnie at (702) 434-4923 to reserve your seat. Those unable to attend can still make a donation that will be put toward Gondo's impending heart transplant by addressing an envelope to the Glen Gondrezick Heart Transplant Fund, 631 N. Stephanie St., Box 450, Henderson, NV 89014. For more information, click on Gondonight.com.

----- In other tickets-on-sale news, you can get yours to the seventh Findlay Toyota Las Vegas Classic at the Orleans Arena by calling (702) 284-7777 or by logging on to www.orleansarena.com. This is the Christmas week college basketball tournament, or, as I like to call it, the junior varsity event to a companion Thanksgiving week tournament which has featured heavyweights such as Kansas, Florida and North Carolina. This year's December tourney sort of looks like Bracket Buster week on ESPN. It features Creighton, DePaul, Saint Louis, Fresno State, Southern U., Liberty, University of South Carolina Upstate (whatever that is) and Northern Colorado.

----- No word yet on how late the French Market Buffet is going to stay open to accommodate Rick Majerus, the Saint Louis coach.

----- This just in: South Carolina Upstate is in its second-year as a card-carrying Division One member. The Spartans of Greenburg won seven games last year, including one against SMU. They lost 23, including one to Bluefield. They also lost 86-52 to Utah in their Division I debut. They have a guard from Boiling Springs (S.C) and a forward from Nags Head (N.C). And a 7-2 center from Germany. They also won the Peach Belt Conference title in 2005.

Get your tickets now.

Or not.

----- And yet even more tickets to ride. Or at least to watch hoops. UNLV basketball season tickets go on sale June 18. My take: They should have gone on sale March 23, the day after the Rebels lost to Kansas in the NCAA tournament. You know, when the team was hotter than a depot stove, and everybody wanted to jump on its bandwagon with both feet. Anyway, better late than ... well, real late. A limited number of non-donor, lower-level plaza tickets are available for $485 per seat. To get one, call 739-FANS (3267) or click on UNLVtickets.com.

THEN

----- Former Las Vegas Stars play-by-play announcer Rich Waltz, who once was told by the former owners of the club that he had no future as a baseball announcer, is now in his fourth season as the voice of the Florida Marlins. That's impressive, but not as impressive as his impression of Jackie Stewart, the former Formula One world driving champion and ABC auto racing analyst. I heard Waltz also does a mean Niki Lauda but that his James Hunt needs some work.