View From the Hill: Vegas Bowl not a biggie, but big enough

DUDLEY DAWSON
SPECIAL TO THE DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE

LAS VEGAS -- There is no doubt that today's Las Vegas Bowl is big news in Arkansas.
Most media outlets have representatives out here and have saturated our beautiful little part of the earth with extensive coverage this week while trying to hype things up and give their bosses and readers their money's worth.
Those Razorback fans not able to get to the desert this week but who have ESPN2 will no doubt be gathered around their TV sets tonight to watch the University of Arkansas take on UNLV for what should be an exciting matchup.
But to say the ninth annual Las Vegas Bowl has captivated this city would be a major understatement even during a time when all the headliners are taking a break.
They will apparently be lucky to break 20,000 fans tonight in a bowl where the attendance record is just 28,227 and one game drew only 10,118 patrons.
It is accurately described as a minor league bowl in a major league city, but breaks even because teams agree to pay for 12,500 tickets whether their fans actually buy them or not.
One guy upon finding out I was a sports writer even asked me what night were Arkansas and UNLV playing basketball this week. He had heard those two teams were playing this week and just assumed it was a hoops contest.
The Las Vegas Bowl? He lives here and he had never heard of it.
Another thought that might be the place where Wayne Newton or Danny Gans perform nightly.
One young lady serving a drink to UNLV head coach John Robinson on the casino floor of the MGM Grand actually asked, "UNLV has a football team? Really? Cool."
The newspapers here have finally jumped on board and are giving the bowl some front sports page play after ditching it to the inside early on.
Wednesday morning's press conference wasn't exactly packed and both the room in which it was held and the amount of media who attended reinforced this is certainly not a third straight Jan. 1 bowl for the Razorbacks.
Some so-called college football experts like Trev Alberts of CNN/SI even question the validity of having this bowl.
"I don't care who wins," Alberts noted on CNNSI.com. "This bowl shouldn't count."
Now, now, Trev. If we used that kind of logic on every situation, there really wouldn't need to be any sports shows other than ESPN, now would there?
But despite the indifference of the citizens and guests of the City That Never Sleeps, the game will go on between two teams who are very excited to be playing in a bowl.
Arkansas looked dead in the water just over a month ago, sitting 4-5 with two ranked teams vying for the SEC Western Division left to play and a very real chance of ending an injury-plagued season with a dismal six-game losing streak.
That certainly wasn't going to help recruiting or selling tickets in what will be a 72,000-seat college football showplace next season at renovated Donald W. Reynolds.
But instead of a season lost, the Razorbacks are experiencing a season resurrected and there is not one UA player or coach here who believes they are doing anything remotely minor-league.
There is a momentum back with the program, a non-losing season is guaranteed, an extra 15 practices have been gained and Arkansas coaches can tell recruits they have been to three straight bowl games -- in Orlando, Dallas and Las Vegas.
Compare that with say Ole Miss, who can say it has been to Shreveport, Shreveport and Atlanta? Whoop-de-do.
Arkansas will try to finish the year 7-5 with a win tonight, but it won't be easy because UNLV is not only a high-powered outfit, but one whose players believe they are destined to win a bowl game.
Such is the case when you come from 0-11 to 3-8 to playing in a bowl game on your own field and in your own city.
Even if more people in the opponent's state know you are playing than in your own.
The glitz, the glamour, the indifference, the game -- in the words of one famous Las Vegas celebrity, let's get ready to rumble.

This article was published on Thursday, December 21, 2000

RETURN to main page

Copyright and permissions
Copyright © 2000, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Inc. All rights reserved.
This document may not be reprinted without the express written permission of Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Inc.