Columnist Tim Graham: Talent, drive make Diaz a rising star

Tim Graham's media notebook appears Wednesday. His page 1 column appears Thursday. Reach him at 259-4078 or [email protected].

Some might scoff at the thought right now. But there will come a day when KTNV Channel 13 weekend sports anchor Mario Diaz hits the big time.

Of all the local sportscasters, Diaz has the best chance of cracking a national network or major market. He is young, clean-cut, bilingual and extremely ambitious.

"I've said it before and I'll say it again," KTNV sports director Ron Futrell said. "There's no question he'll do more in this business than I ever thought about doing.

"He's got his sights set much higher. He has the desire, drive and talent to take it to the next level."

Diaz, 26, already does work on an international level. He will call the Spanish pay-per-view broadcast of Oscar De La Hoya's fight with Ike Quartey Saturday night at the Thomas & Mack Center. Diaz estimates he has called 50 title fights, dating to Evander Holyfield-Riddick Bowe I -- the infamous "Fan Man" bout -- nearly seven years ago.

But Diaz doesn't have such a high profile on the local scene. In fact, there are some who don't care for him at all.

Diaz is known as a reporter who will do whatever it takes to land an interview. Sometimes, however, his aggressive style aggravates his subjects and fellow journalists.

"I know they're out there," Diaz said of his critics. "I can tell you who they are. But my attitude is you plug away with your job.

"If there's a lot of people worrying about me and criticizing me, I feel bad for them. They must not have much to do in their lives. I'm not so special in the world that I should be talked about that much. I hope to God they're worrying about themselves as well."

Diaz obviously is the best on-the-spot sports reporter in Las Vegas and already has shown the ability to be a network correspondent. He admits he actually works better without a script, which could explain why he appears so stilted in the studio but so smooth off the set.

"I think where Mario is best is in the field doing live shots," Futrell said. "I've always liked his preparation and ability to do live remotes. He just tells the story and does it well."

After Mike Tyson bit Evander Holyfield's ears nearly two years ago, it was Diaz who ran the international media show at Valley Hospital Medical Center. Diaz asked all the right questions and easily outshined ESPN's Mark Schwarz, who stood agog.

"I would love to be an on-camera reporter for a major network that covers boxing," Diaz said.

"I feel my talents are good enough to keep at that level. I know I can do it. What it's going to take is someone saying 'Yeah, he looks young, but let's give him the job.' "

When it came to breaking into the business, Diaz took an unorthodox approach. After interning at KVBC Channel 3 and then at CNN, he was offered a paycheck by KTNV. The only problem: Diaz wasn't yet a senior at UNLV.

So he quit school to work full time. He intends to eventually return to his classes and earn his degree.

"It's always on my mind," Diaz said. "But it's not a matter of not getting it. I know I will. It's a matter of finding the time to finish.

"But I will not be like other sportscasters who will say 'I got a degree from Such-and-Such University.' The experience you get in this business can't compare with a sheepskin. When you go out for a job in this business, the last thing they want to see is a sheepskin. They want to see a tape."

Diaz learned right away that it wasn't going to be easy. Because he was so green, he once was asked to record his weekend sportscasts rather than perform them live on the set.

"I need to be more comfortable in front of the camera," he said. "Overall, I'm 60 percent of where I need to be right now."

Diaz isn't sure where his career will take him. The thought of working for ESPN or CNN/SI is intriguing. He also wouldn't mind anchoring in "a sports hotbed like Dallas."

But he and his fiancee, Allison Piergallini of San Diego, plan to make Las Vegas home for at least a few years.

"Most importantly I want to find the combination of where I'm having fun and being challenged at the same time," he said.

* ALUMINUM ANTENNA: KSFN 1140-AM is broadcasting 53 UNLV baseball games this year. The schedule consists of 42 live and 11 taped games and includes every away date, which will come in handy when the Rebels go on a 17-game road trip in late March and early April.

Each broadcast begins with the "The Rod Soesbe Show" 20 minutes prior to game time.

"It's the most comprehensive package the baseball team has ever had, by far," play-by-play voice Scott Robbs said.

"Coach (Rod) Soesbe wants to take this program to the next level, and one of the ways to do that is by exposing it. There are very few teams in the country that have as many games as we do on radio."

The Rebels' baseball broadcast package is in only its second year. It previously offered 25 games on KLAV 1230-AM.

The games are also available on the Internet at www.radiovegas.com.

Robbs is the son of Hawaii broadcast legend Don Robbs, who has called more college baseball games than anyone.

Former UNLV pitcher Nate Yeskie will offer color commentary until he leaves for spring training with the Minnesota Twins. Scott Taylor, the executive director of the UNLV Dugout Club, will then take Yeskie's spot.

* STATIC: KTNV Channel 13 is televising an Oscar De La Hoya look-alike contest Friday at 5 p.m. from the Las Vegas Hilton's Kabuki Lounge. The winner will receive a pair of $800 ringside seats for Saturday night's fight. ... Former UNLV basketball stud Reggie Theus finally is back to work. Theus, who also serves as TNT's NBA analyst, is handling color commentary on Los Angeles Lakers games for Fox Sports West. Theus, however, is no longer on NBC's Saturday morning teen show "Hangtime." He was replaced by football legend Dick Butkus. ... As much as they're criticized by traditional sports fans, ESPN's X Games, which run June 25-July 3, already have sold out their five major sponsorship packages and have only two of their 10 associate sponsorship packages left to sell. ... ESPN2 will air the 1999 Women's World Cup draw Sunday at 5 p.m.

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