Museum idea has fight but not funding

Paul-Felix Montez has a vision to honor boxing, mixed martial arts and other combat sports with a museum. He just doesn't have the $25 million to $30 million needed to build it.

Montez has shopped his idea -- "The Gloves & Fight City Monument and Museum" -- to Las Vegas officials over the past two years. Former Mayor Oscar Goodman loved the concept. So did City Councilman Ricki Barlow and former Councilman Gary Reese.

Unfortunately, Montez's timing couldn't have been worse. The economy has tanked, and even if the city wanted to fund the project, it couldn't at a time it was laying off employees.

So Montez is shopping his museum idea to other cities. He claims to have interest from Houston and Arlington, Texas. But he admits he wants to create the museum in Las Vegas.

"It should be here," he said. "But if someone else offers the funding, I'd have to take it there."

Montez said every form of combat sports would be represented at the museum, not just boxing and MMA. He has talked to Top Rank chairman Bob Arum and officials from the Ultimate Fighting Championship, but neither entity has been willing to financially commit to the project.

"I haven't given up," said Montez, a film producer and artist who lives in Las Vegas. "I think it would be great for the city to have."

■ DUNG IT -- The snakebitten casino project at New York's Aqueduct Racetrack has suffered another setback. This time, it's pigeon poop.

The casino, which is being located in the track's grandstand area, finally was scheduled to open next month after more than 10 years of political and bureaucratic delays. However, years of neglect have resulted in tons of pigeon droppings that the city's health department said represent a small health risk.

Gaming Resorts World New York, the company that is building what will be the first casino in New York City, said the grand opening has been pushed back to fall due, in part, to cleanup efforts. It has spent more than $15 million to remove the pigeon droppings along with asbestos and lead paint from the facility.

■ PAINFUL SLEEP -- Baltimore Orioles first baseman Chris Davis made himself a candidate for the Fluke Injury Hall of Fame after injuring his right shoulder while sleeping awkwardly on his side during a recent road trip in Kansas City.

"It just feels the same every day," Davis told the Baltimore Sun after being placed on the disabled list Tuesday. "It's really frustrating more than anything. The biggest thing I need is rest, and it's hard to do that right now, having been just traded over here."

Davis, who is 9-for-40 (.225) with a home run and three RBIs in 10 games for the Orioles after being traded last month from Texas, missed four games on the last homestand because of the shoulder soreness.

It was among the strangest baseball bedside injuries since Opening Day in 1974 when Chicago Cubs outfielder Jose Cardenal claimed he couldn't see because his eyelid was stuck shut.

COMPILED BY STEVE CARP
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL