The Rebels open play against Fresno State at 7 p.m. Thursday at Wilson Stadium as the No. 1 seed in the Mountain West Tournament, a co-conference champion whose roster includes 15 players from the Las Vegas valley.
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The news hit John Richy like a fastball that missed its spot. Square in the heart. “There were no words, nothing you could really say,” Richy recalled. “It was so tough to hear. Devastating. Tragic.”
There is a time and place for contract discussions, and this isn’t it, not for a coach whose side has an opportunity to make the sort of history UNLV’s athletic department rarely enjoys from one of its leading sports.
UNLV is tied for second in the Mountain West, four games back of New Mexico in the loss column, and what felt like a certainty a few weeks ago when it came to NCAA at-large chances for the Rebels isn’t all that assured now. Which in no way has their head coach worried.
When I bumped into Tim Chambers Saturday morning on the UNLV campus, the wind had not yet started to blow. The Rebels baseball coach was driving a golf cart, showing supporters around. He appeared happy, happy and hairy.
The Rebels, coming off a series win over San Diego State, are ranked No. 25 this week by Perfect Game, whatever that is.
UNLV’s next baseball game is tonight, against North Dakota. The last time the North Dakota team played a home game was May 18, 2013, because it’s too cold to play baseball in Grand Forks at this time of year.
Playing teams from a major conference is good; losing to them doesn’t help much of anything.
The conversation between the head coach (Tim Chambers) and a Sacramento (Calif.) City College transfer (Pat Armstrong) went something like this:
Tennessee. Nebraska. Arkansas. Clemson. West Virginia. Arizona State twice. Home and away. If I had to guess, UNLV baseball coach Tim Chambers isn’t all that worried about becoming bowl eligible.
It was a sweaty day around the Fourth of July, and UNLV soccer coach Rich Ryerson was sitting inside a fireworks stand at Westcliff Drive and Durango. He was there out of necessity.
When I heard that Gary Player was going to pose naked for ESPN The Magazine’s annual Body Issue, the first thing that came to mind was those cardboard boxes with pinholes the smart kids made in third grade so they could safely view a solar eclipse.
It’s true. Those rental car drop fees of $1,000 can be a killer. Funny how a 6-iron from 192 yards away in the rain and wind can alter a guy’s perspective on things.
It hasn’t been an easy year for Tim Chambers, but nothing has stopped his Rebels from inching closer to their first NCAA Tournament regional berth in eight years and what would be the first under Chambers in his three seasons as coach.
When I last dropped in on the UNLV baseball team, on March 11, it was coming off a three-game sweep of mighty Stanford.
