Ed Graney
Ed Graney is a sports columnist for the Las Vegas Review-Journal, covering a variety of topics and the Las Vegas sports scene.
egraney@reviewjournal.com … @edgraney on Twitter. 702-383-4618
I assigned myself a moratorium on mocking the Pantheon known as Cashman Field this baseball season. After a while, the tattered shoe sort of grows on you, even the 2,000-year-old moccasin where the 51s play home games.
HOUSTON — Here is what shouldn’t happen: That last impressions determine one’s final opinion.
Isn’t this what we heard all season? That college basketball didn’t own a great team?
HOUSTON — The parade of awards began early here this week for Jimmer Fredette, who better have arrived with an extra suitcase. If the Timmy Chan’s restaurant near Reliant Stadium was handing out Player of the Year honors in college basketball, my guess is the Brigham Young senior would have been there to smile, say a few words of thanks, hoist another plaque and enjoy some chicken and rice.
HOUSTON — The lobby at the downtown Hilton here Saturday afternoon was full of what college basketball coaches refer to as lounge lizards. They’re not talking about John Calipari and Jim Calhoun.
HOUSTON — The dog is the ironic part in all this. Blue 2. That slobbery, lovable canine with the thick folds of skin and 5,000 followers on Twitter, an English bulldog with wide shoulders and matching head and, as typical for its breed, suspect intelligence.
The open practice was about to end, and Virginia Commonwealth basketball coach Shaka Smart jumped into his team’s final drill.
The first part everyone needs to get over is the denial, the pledges to remain in Las Vegas, to finish his coaching career at UNLV.
The easy thing would be to overreact because, well, that was one good ol’ fashioned butt whipping. UNLV’s basketball team got what it deserved in an NCAA Tournament game here Friday evening, thoroughly out-classed by Illinois at every spot and in every way.
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