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July 22, 2005
A little of this, a little of that
Yeppir! I am going to Reno to visit one of my favorite cities in the U.S. of A. My only hope is that it will be a trifle bit cooler there than it has been in recent days. It was 99 in Reno Saturday. Yikes! In the meanwhile, let me remind you that two Nevada State Little League baseball tournaments are being played at Honeysuckle Park Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The Under 14 (Junior Division) and Under 16 (Senior Division) will play at the sports complex bordered on three sides by Dandelion, Pahrump Valley Boulevard and Honeysuckle. It was, at this writing, within the realm of possibility the Pahrump Valley could have a host team in the Senior Division. The Pahrump Valley 15-16s were to play in Las Vegas Monday and Tuesday, with a District 4 berth at stake. Coach Doug Marion's team was 1-1 last weekend, beating Western 2-1 and losing 11-1 to Red Rock. • Do you realize that in less than a month, workouts for Nye County's high school fall sports teams will begin? Nye prep sports in the fall are football, boys and girls soccer, boys and girls cross country, girls volleyball, and girls golf. On Aug. 1-2, the Pahrump Valley Junior Golf Association's final summer series tournament - the Gene Goins Memorial - will be played at the Lakeview Executive course. Unfortunately, the fast, exciting and colorful jet ski series won't be back this summer, unless Greg Matta, the promoter of the series that made a four-day run here in June and July, changes his mind. • Looking ahead a bit more ... The Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association rodeo will be part of the Fall Festival Sept. 30-Oct. 1-2 ... The Pahrump Valley Speedway has some championship events remaining, so stay tuned ... • Maybe there were extenuating circumstances, but American Legion baseball should have been played in the Pahrump Valley this summer. Doug Marion, his coaches and players have played 17 games this summer, but they went three weeks without throwing a pitch or swinging a bat in anger. That long layoff did little to enhance their chances in the District 4 playoffs. • Binion's had almost a whole year to plan something flashy for the two days of the World Series of Poker it hosted last week. It's a good thing promoters didn't have two years. even "The Day After Tomorrow" had more warmth and comfort. The final table was surrounded by ESPN camera crews, who taped every nose scratch, ear twitch, all-in bet, bad-beat complaint, and high-five, or disappointed-walk-away-from-the-table the last nine players could muster. But those camera crews, with rare exception, blocked the view of the table of the fans who sat at floor event. The media, except for the ESPN people, had equally bad views. And it was so dark in the room (thanks to funeral-black drapes) that most photographers had to struggle to get not only good angles, but adequate lighting to tell a substantial story. The poker was plodding as well; only two of nine players were gone in the first five hours. Five players still were in contention for the $7.5 million first-place prize at midnight. And it wasn't until 7 a.m. that Joseph Hachem flopped a seven-high straight to beat Steve Dannenmann for the title. For excitement, the tournament was a pair of deuces when it could have been a royal flush - in spades. Las Vegas Oscar Goodman wanted Binion's to host the final two days of the WSOP because of the city's centennial celebration. It was reported that Goodman didn't get to the final table room; maybe he saw the long lines of fans waiting to get into a room that seated (not very comfortably) only 300 and decided to check out Glitter Gulch. My only remaining thought is: How much did the final nine players tip the dealers, without whose expertise and class the WSOP would be just another card game. |
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