Columnist Ron Kantowski: Pennzoil Chevy race team says Vegas is a winner

Ron Kantowski's notes column appears Tuesday and Thursday. Reach him at [email protected] or 259-4088.

If there's anything that travels farther than one of Las Vegan Mike Morgan's 80-mph fastballs, it's a NASCAR race team. On the road for 33 weeks each year, crew members can tell you the best places to eat, sleep and have a cold one.

So as of this week, it's official: Las Vegas is one of NASCAR's favorite destinations -- at least according to the guys who turn the wrenches for Steve Park's No. 1 Pennzoil Chevy.

In their poll listing the Top 10 Places To Hang Out on the NASCAR Circuit, the Pennzoil guys ranked Las Vegas No. 7. And there are so many places to unwind here that they couldn't settle on just one.

So if you want to take a year off to run with the NASCAR crowd and don't mind getting a little motor oil on your loafers, chances are you'll find the Pennzoil crew in the following places. Just look for the guys in the bright yellow shirts.

* 10. Sheraton Hotel Bar, Dover, Del. "With most teams staying within a few miles of this place, it's usually wall-to-wall people," says the Pennzoil crew. "Sometimes even the (race team) truck drivers will do karaoke songs, just to keep the crowd down."

* 9. Dutch Inn, Collinsville, Va. "Doesn't have much competition for nightlife around Martinsville. But this is the only place you can hear AC-DC followed by disco music."

* 8. Embassy Suites, San Rafael, Calif. "Free food and drink in the afternoons, two televisions in each room, close to San Francisco, close to wine country and close to the track."

* 7. Anywhere in Las Vegas. "Only place teams would like to test more often."

* 6. Hogs & Heifers, New York City. "If you get tired of the suit-and-tie crowd at the Waldorf Astoria, this is the place to visit. A motorcycle hangs from the ceiling, a jukebox sits in the corner, women's brassieres and animal heads adorn the walls. They'll cut off your tie if you wear one."

* 5. Lulu's Bait Shack, Atlanta. "Site of the year-ending unofficial party. Most stories during Atlanta weekend begin with 'We were at Lulu's last night and ... ' "

* 4. Slippery Noodle, Indianapolis. "Indiana's oldest bar in downtown with blues bands in three rooms. Makes for a great excuse for being late to the track the next day."

* 3. Red Bone Alley, Florence, S.C. "Good food and lots of big screen televisions to watch the NCAA Basketball Tournament."

* 2. Naswa, Gilford, N.H. "Has a great restaurant, a great beach, cool summertime weather, cozy cabins ... and everyone talks funny."

* 1. Ocean Deck, Daytona Beach, Fla. "Loud reggae music, beach volleyball, only a few feet from the ocean and not much of a dress code."

* 13 VS. 8: It appears the annual skirmish between the football teams at Rancho and Las Vegas highs for Sir Herkamer's Bone may have some competition as Las Vegas' most fierce sports rivalry.

According to sources, another chapter in the ongoing battle between local sports directors Ron Futrell (Channel 13) and Dave McCann (Channel 8) was written this week after Futrell once again landed UNLV football coach John Robinson as a guest on his post-Monday Night Football show.

That did not sit well with McCann, who apparently believes Channel 8's contract with the UNLV athletic department to air games and coaches shows gives him exclusivity to Robinson and Rebel basketball boss Bill Bayno. McCann apparently has complained to UNLV about 13 having such easy access to the Rebels' big men on campus.

Robinson probably figures he can talk to whom he wants when he wants. Silly man.

Futrell, who has ruled local TV sports for as long as anybody can remember; and the likewise competent McCann, who some perceive as the first legitimate threat to King Ron's throne, seem to get along. But insiders say it's only a politically correct relationship, which, given the circumstances, is to be expected.

Even if both men did graduate from BYU.

* WEAVER'S DREAM? It seemed like a no-brainer for former UNLV athletic director Jim Weaver, now in the same role at Virginia Tech, when the Hokies were offered a full-time gig in the Big East Conference.

But word out of Blacksburg is that Weaver almost declined the invite before finally accepting Tuesday.

Tech has been a football-playing member of the Big East since 1991 but is aligned with the lesser Atlantic 10 in basketball. Weaver had hoped to put off the decision to change leagues until 2001, which would have reduced the Hokies' A-10 withdrawal fee by $300,000.

By then, Weaver also had hoped that Miami would reveal its hand. The Hurricanes have expressed interest in joining the Atlantic Coast Conference and Weaver apparently didn't see the value in joining the Big East unless the trash talkers from South Beach remained part of it.

* JIM, I'VE GOT NO POWER: Star Trek's Scotty and John Robinson have something in common. The Scripps-Howard Power Ratings are out, and if you put more stock in them than the preseason polls, UNLV is in more trouble than a heavyweight boxer.

With a rating of 75.23, the Rebels are slotted No. 127. To put that in perspective, there are only 114 Division I schools.

Florida State is ranked No. 1 with a rating of 114.99, which means in theory that if the Seminoles played the Rebels, Free Shoes U. would be a 40-point favorite.

Some of the schools ranked ahead of the Rebels: Appalachian State (No. 96), Delaware (100), opening night foe North Texas (102), McNeese State (104), Florida A&M (110 -- although the FAMU marching band is top 5 material as usual), William & Mary (112) and mighty Hofstra (116).

Forget a winning season. A more realistic goal would be for UNLV to jump ahead of any school with an ampersand in its name by season's end.

* SWIM TO WIN: They had better check the Olympic swimming pool in Sydney for WD-40, little baby sharks or an ice-cold pint of Foster's. Because something is helping competitors at the Pan-American Championships make a mockery of the world record book.

Six world records were broken during the first three days of competition this week. One of them stood for 18 years. American Jenny Thompson probably was flopping around in one of those rubber kids pools when Mary T. Meagher set the mark in the 100-meter butterfly in 1981. Thompson established a new world standard on Monday.

"It's probably just the atmosphere. I think everyone just wants to swim well at this pool," Australian Susie O'Neill said.

But according to Olympic officials, these are the features that make the pool so fast: Anti-wave lane ropes, a level wet deck, water depth of 10 feet that reduces turbulence, angled starting blocks with handle bars, ozone-treated water, temperature controls of the air and water, vibrant colors around the pool and piped-in, energetic music.

At least steroids weren't mentioned.

But they still ought to get out the yardstick and measure that sucker again before the Olympic athletes show up.

* AROUND THE HORN: The blue-hued artificial playing surface at Boise State has caused many birds -- mistaking it for water -- to plummet to their death. But now its hardness may have contributed to the loss of human life. Boise defensive tackle Paul Reyna died Monday after sustaining a hard fall during practice, resulting in a torn blood vessel between his brain and skull. ... On the topic of records, here's another baseball one that may never be broken -- Elroy Face's 18-1 pitching record and .947 winning percentage, set as a forkball relief specialist for the 1959 Pirates. Only Phil Regan (14-1, 1966), Las Vegan Greg Maddux (19-2, 1995) and Randy Johnson (18-2, 1995) have come reasonably close. ... Sad to see UTEP's Don Haskins hang up his coaching whistle this week. I once watched Haskins prepare his team for an NCAA Tournament game in Albuquerque weari ng cowboy boots on the practice floor. You can bet his Tony Lamas didn't have a Nike swoosh on them and that nobody at The Pit had the nerve to tell the grizzled ol' Bear that black-soled shoes aren't allowed on the hardwood. ... Oregon State recently sold the naming rights to its football stadium for a few million dollars. If UNLV did the same and the Herbst family of Las Vegas purchased the rights, then the Rebels truly would play in a Terrible Stadium.

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