The Heart of Las Vegas

***Update Below*** Many people have wondered what makes Las Vegas tick. Is it the gambling? The girls? The shows? Well, the easy answer is yes, it's all of that, and more. And that more is best understood as UNLV. Not the university mind you, but the basketball team. Yep... the UNLV Runnin' Rebels are really the heart and soul of Las Vegas. When all is right in the universe, the Rebs are runnin' and gunnin' and playing a swarming defense that can completely disorientate an opponent in a few short minutes. I was fortunate to get a ticket to the game last week against Louisiana Monroe. Now I know this is not what one might call a quality team, but what I saw that night impressed me. Like most teams today, the kids, or young men, are always looking for a way to get on the ESPN highlight reels and this game was no exception. Mike Moser had a couple of reverse dunks that brought the house down in the second half. But those dunks were the product of a lock down man to man defense not seen in Las Vegas since the glory days of Larry Johnson, Greg Anthony, and current coach Stacy Augmon in the late 80's and early 90's. I watched as time after time the current group of Runnin' Rebels controlled the tempo of the game, stole the ball, and kept Louisiana Monroe from even getting a shot off before the shot clock ran out. Yes, as evidenced by a 50 point blowout of Central Arkansas last night, and the recent trashings of Cal, Illinois, and North Carolina, the UNLV Runnin' Rebels are back. And that is good news for Las Vegas. The heart is beating again. Here's a nice video of Karam Mashour's dunk from the game against Bakersfield Thursday Night... Enjoy!

Can Magic Strike Twice?

A little over a year ago I wrote an article for Bleacher Report, an online sports blog site, asking Magic Johnson to consider buying the Los Angeles Dodgers. I felt then, as I do now, that the Dodgers deserve local, respected leadership that believes in Los Angeles. We do not need a carpet bagging owner from another city who only wants the franchise so they can make money. We can do just fine with our own guy making money thank you! As a long time Dodger fan, my heart, along with those of millions of other followers has been in a funk pretty much since the O'Malley family felt they had to give up the team. Today brings word that apparently Magic Johnson has finally agreed with me and is putting together a team to make a bid to buy the Los Angeles Dodgers. All I can say is that it is about time we had some good sports news out of Los Angeles. Hopefully, with an owner like Magic, the Dodgers could put together a nice run of championships over the years just like the Lakers did. I wonder what Showtime would look like at Chavez Ravine? Hey, do you think someone passed my article on to Magic last year?