Leftovers: Rebels’ tormentor honored

Even UNLV football fans must acknowledge the truth: Chris Ault can coach.

And now Rebels players will be reminded of the man who tormented them whenever UNLV plays at UNR.

The school announced Wednesday it is renaming its stadium Chris Ault Field at Mackay Stadium.

Ault, who is in the College Football Hall of Fame and is the father to the pistol offense, deserves the honor.

The stadium name officially will be changed when the Wolf Pack host UC Davis on Sept. 7.

UNR plays at Sam Boyd Stadium in 2014, so maybe UNLV can find its own way to honor Ault. The Rebels can rename their stadium Chris Ault Field at Sam Boyd Stadium.

He owned the place. Just ask the UNLV defensive players who still have nightmares of chasing Colin Kaepernick.

■ SORE SORIANO — Washington Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper can’t go through walls, but he has tried.

Now he might not even try anymore.

After crashing into the wall at Dodger Stadium eight days earlier, Harper became tentative as he approached the warning track Tuesday night while chasing a fly ball hit by Gregor Blanco in San Francisco. The ball sailed over his head for a game-tying RBI triple in the ninth inning. The Giants won 4-2 in 10 innings.

Harper said he should have made the catch, and the Las Vegas native admitted meeting the wall in Los Angeles played on his mind. He received 11 stitches for that collision.

“Of course it crosses your mind after you jam into a wall, and it doesn’t really feel very good,” he said. “It sucks not making the play. I totally put that loss on me.’’

So did Nationals closer Rafael Soriano.

“It may not have been a catchable ball, but if we’re positioned the right way, there might have been a different outcome,” Soriano said, according to USA Today. “With two outs, I could tell my 4-year-old son, ‘You know where you need to play,’ and he would have positioned himself better. It’s not an excuse, and I’m not speaking badly about anybody, but I think that’s how you play the game.’’

Yeah, he’s not speaking badly about anybody. Here’s some advice, Raffy. Next time, don’t give up a two-out, two-strike hit that can turn into extra bases.

A 4-year-old would know that.

■ TEBOW BACKER — Chuck Norris is known for being a martial arts movie star and a strong political conservative.

He’s also a big Tim Tebow fan and wants the exiled quarterback to find a home with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

“Tebow is a player who rises to the occasion and delivers big in critical moments,” Norris wrote on NewsBusters.org. “He reminds me of myself when I used to compete in martial arts. I would spar with my black belts in class, and sometimes they would outscore me. Yet in the tournaments, I would defeat them. ... The same is true of the former Heisman Trophy winner: When pressure mounts and the game is on the line, Tim’s turbo turns on.”

The Jaguars are desperate to sell tickets, so it’s telling when even they won’t take a chance on a quarterback no one wants.

But Norris is accustomed to supporting those who fall short. Just ask Mike Huckabee in 2008 and Mitt Romney last year.

COMPILED BY MARK ANDERSON
LAS VEGAS REVIEW JOURNAL