2011 is over, make 2012 YOU TIME

January 3rd, 2012 Bill Mahoney Posted in Main

The holiday season is now behind us, or is our behind still enjoying the holiday season? Yes, it was a weak attempt at humor, but you know what I’m talking about. Cookies, cakes, mashed potatoes, ham, turkey, etc, etc, etc. Eating, more than anything else takes precedence during the 6+ weeks from Thanksgiving through the New Year.

Now that is is 2012, it’s time to change some habits, or, if you are like me, let your body know that you are back in charge. There is no better way than starting a work out program.

Tuesday, I caught up with a girl that not only will make you look great physically, but give you a different perspective mentally.

I am talking about Rachael Schein, a “Certified Trainer, a Certified TRX Instructor & BASI Certified Pilates Instructor”. Rachael does her training at the Fitness Source in Las Vegas. www.theFitnessSourceLV.com

After my usual habit of getting lost on the way to events, I found the gym. Entering, a watched a group of people that were working hard, but appeared to be enjoying themselves. Wait a minute, enjoying themselves!

Yes, Will, Rachel, Megan (ME-gan) and Nancy were working out, but smiling most of the time. They were smiling because that’s how Rachael runs her class. She wants to you to work hard, but doesn’t want to kill you.

Rachael believes in getting the most out of her students. She does that by getting to know them. The people that she trains aren’t numbers to her, they are real people that want to get better physically. Rachael tailors programs that hi-light the strengths, but work on the weaknesses, of each and every person she trains.

Chatting with Megan after class, she echoed that sentiment. She said when she first started at The Fitness Source, she felt she was weak in the cardio and abs department. A few months later, she feels she is 100% better. I asked to her, on a scale of 1 to 10, to rate herself when she started, and right now.

She said she was a 1 when she began, but she feels she is now a 10. I can attest to that, as she made the crunches look easy.

Megan enjoys her time working with Rachael, stating she understands proper technique, and is always consistent with the positive reinforcement.

I asked Rachael about that. She explained to me that she loves to dive in to people’s lives, helping them improve while giving them a platform to work from.

She believes that if she gets to know her students, she can find the proper way to motivate them. And she is always available for her students. She told me she has taken phone calls and texts at all times of the day and night. Her students are a full-time job, not a 9-5 obligation.

Getting her degree in Nutritional Science from the University of Arizona, Rachael also works with students on a eating program that doesn’t eliminate all the fun stuff, it mainly works on portion size. Oh yeah, don’t mention the word diet around her, as she disagrees with even the mere mention of that word.

And for those of you that are coming off injuries, Rachael also knows how to work with you too. Playing basketball for the Lady Wildcats, she has overcome 5 knee surgeries, a shoulder injury, a number of concussions, and a foot problem, as well.

No matter your age or gender, Rachael at The Fitness Source, wants to meet with you. One of tonight’s students, Will, told me he is 55 years old (Looks to be in his 30′s).

He runs, hikes and takes classes. Will, who usually works out with his wife Janice, loves exercising. He also found Rachael enthusiastic, and very knowledgeable.

So why not get started on that fitness program you have been putting off? You should get on the Fitness Source website www.theFitnessSourceLV.com, check out the class schedule and get going. I can’t say this for sure, but I bet they would let people check one class out for free.

I don’t know the price, but no seemed to think it was very expensive. But really, can you put a price on your health?

Anyway, Rachael told me that when you are ready to get in shape, she can, and will make you better.

I think the thing that resonated the most with me was her last statement, “You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great”.

Couldn’t have said it better myself.

The Fitness Source is located at 8933 West Sahara. The phone number is 702.804.LIFE (5433)

I almost forgot, Rachael also teaches a spin (bicycle) class, Thursday mornings at the the Agassi 24 hour fitness in Summerlin. The music is great, but the class is even better. You should check that out too.

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WSOBP 2012, Las Vegas style

January 2nd, 2012 Bill Mahoney Posted in Main, Niche Sports, Video

Most times when I attend events, I never know what to expect. Will the event be organized? Will the players be accessible? Not today, not at the 2012 World Series of Beer Pong. I knew exactly what I was getting myself in to. A bunch of guys, mixed in with a few ladies, tossing ping pong balls, in to a cup, filled with beer. You, sitting at home are saying, “How stupid, I can do, no problem”. Well, let me tell you, you can’t, and that’s a big problem. These people may look like the average guy or gal, but they have a skill, one that doesn’t translate to most, who don’t usually throw ping pong balls in to cups from about 8 feet away. What I am trying to say, is these players are good, and they come to play…er,er,er…toss.

Saying all that, I got to the Flamingo, met the friendliest PR lady in the world, Kristin Brocoff, and headed in to the main ball room. I was soon surrounded by a gaggle of people all jacked up to play beer pong. Emotions were running high for every person in the room. Well, maybe not everyone. Henderson’s own Jessica and Jessica, aka “Team Femme Fatale”, were eerily calm & cool.

No dancing, talking trash, or crude gestures for these ladies. All they did was win, finishing the first day by winning 4 of their 6 matches, and reside in 132nd place.

It didn’t take long to catch up with a couple players right up my alley. Chris & Scott, from Wisconsin, are, if you can’t tell, Milwaukee Brewers fans. I do spring training work with the Brewers so it was not hard to pull for these guys. Love their team now too, “Hummel that Shit!”

Chris Hummel and Scott Reck are 27 & 30 respectively, making them believe they are old guys. Looking around, they may be older than some of the players, but I saw guys that were older than them. This is the third WSOBP for these two, who met in college. There main goal in the 2012 WSOBP, other to win, is not to be embarrassed.

H-T-S won that game, but felt they were primed for a long run. Scott made it clear that the first game is always the toughest, comparing it to a baseball pitcher, saying that when a pitcher gets down early, it can make it tough to overcome because the pressure builds. Unfortunately, “Hummel that Shit!” has a tough mountain to climb. After winning their first match, they lost their next 5 games and are in 399th place.

Minutes later, I caught up with a couple guys, who may very well win the tournament. Jeremy and Gabe of team “No Chance”, finished 9th last year, but have even higher expectations this year. Unlike Scott and Chris, who met in college, Jeremy and Gabe met playing beer pong. They are a dynamic twosome, who unlike many players, just play, and never get rattled.

I also like that when they aren’t playing, they are checking out their competition. Jeremy is on the left, Gabe on the right.

Jeremy and Gabe won their first game, but were unhappy with their performance. Gabe wasn’t making excuses said it takes a little bit to get going, but a win is a win. “No Chance” didn’t give many teams a chance on day one, as they won 5 of their 6 matches, and are in 66th place.

When I wasn’t watching the action, I went and looked around. Saw a lot of condoms….yes, condoms. I figured out that NuVo condoms were sponsoring the WSOBP. Sorry, no pictures.

A lot of fans showed up to cheer on the pongers. And those fans didn’t go thirsty, as there was a beer stand right outside the arena. Coincidence, I don’t think so.

Another thing that I liked was the video station set up to play beer pong. So for those who can’t get in to the WSOBP, they can play the video game version. Best thing, your hands don’t get stick from putting it in the cup all night. Well, that may just be my problem.

Now, I don’t think I am breaking a huge new story when I tell you that beer pong is a sport dominated by guys, young guys, so it was nice to see a few teams consisting of ladies (like the Femme Fatale’s), and one co-ed team. In my next beer pong story I will try and catch up to these 2. They were an intense couple, who BTW, were playing another co-ed team.

All in all it was an exciting few hours spent at the Flamingo. If you get a chance, and want to have some fun, get down there, as it’ll be going on this week.

And finally what would a beer pong tourney be without this guy?

Man I was hoping to see some midget tossing. Isn’t that a sport too?

Check out the beer pong web site @ www.beerpong.com. You can check out the live tourney scores, upcoming events, and past events too. It’s a nice site, go to it now. No, not tomorrow, now!

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Vegas Sports Gab News & Notes: From B-usch to Z-ucker

December 31st, 2011 Bill Mahoney Posted in Hockey, Main, NASCAR

I know the NASCAR fans know all about this: Kurt Busch in now part of the Phoenix Racing team, but did you know that he’ll be racing in the #51 car? I know you already know, but I had to try to stump ya.

Busch, the 2004 Cup Champion, parted way with Penske Racing earlier this month. Busch, the older brother a Kyle Busch, will now try and get his career focused more on racing than what he does off the track.

If you don’t remember, Busch went off on Dr. Jerry Punch in a failed post race interview. A number of insiders believe that’s what led to the Busch/Penske split.

When you win championships, those blowups are accepted. When you don’t, you hang yourself out to dry. Busch is adamant in saying he wants to go back to having fun at work. I always hear that word fun, and work, used in the same sentence. What does that mean? When you go through 2 crew chiefs in 3 years, battle with the media, and have to do’s with other drivers, I think having fun should be the least of his concerns.

The man can drive a car, as his inclusion in this past year’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship attests, but if he continues to let personal issues get in the way in his on-track performance, problems will pop up again.

I do like what James Finch said about the Busch/Punch tiff. In an interview recently with ESPN Finch said that if Busch embarrassed him like he did owner Roger Penske and team members this past year “he would have gotten his ass beat on pit road.”

A heavy hand may be exactly what Busch needs.

FYI: – AJ Allmendinger is the new driver of the No. 22 Sprint Cup car at Penske Racing.

In more Vegas sports notes. Have any of you been keeping up with Jason Zucker and the Team USA World Junior Hockey Championship?

Zucker, who is from Las Vegas, but attends the University of Denver, has been holding his own against some of the best Junior hockey players in the world. Through 3 games, Zucker has a goal and 2 assists. Unfortunately, Zucker’s team hasn’t been as successful. So far Team USA has lost 2 of 3 games.

After hammering Denmark in their first game, they have dropped their next two to Finland and the Czech Republic.

The WJC continues on Saturday when USA takes on Canada in a game played in Edmonton.

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No Monkeys riding dogs, but the Wranglers midnight game was an experience

December 28th, 2011 Bill Mahoney Posted in Hockey

Nothing says great hockey like a game that begins at midnight. The Las Vegas Wranglers have a great thing going with this game. However, I can say I was a hair nervous when I sat down and noticed that the arena was three-quarters empty. Minutes later though, right on cue, people started flowing to their seats. All told, more than 4000 people came to see a great game, and experience.

You can disagree with me all you want, but I have found hockey fans to be the most passionate fans in all of sports. By passionate, I mean loud and enthusiastic, not loud and violent. There was one guy in the crowd that was as hyper as I have ever seen. At one time he was threatening to take his shirt off, the next he was pounding in the glass yelling at no one in particular. Thankfully, he limited his unhinged behavior to the arena. I saw him in the concession line and he has as quiet as a mouse. Oh, maybe it would’ve been nice if he pounded on the cash register, or slammed a hot dog or two when he reached the head of the line. Since there were a lot of Las Vegas’ finest roaming around, I can guarantee they would have shut him down if he would have tried anything.

Great to see so many Wrangler fans. Did like when the fans yelled, “You suck!, after each of the Thunder players were announced. When the Stockton coach was announced, they finished off by screaming, “You suck too!” Good times!

Love chatting with fans. One guy that caught my attention was David Gardner. I asked David how long he has been a Wranglers fan? Loved his honest answer, and story.

He told me that he was enjoying the spirits of Las Vegas across the street at McMullens, when he decided to check out a game. He loved it so much, that he bought season tickets. And I’m not talking about cheap ones, his are right near the ice. Anyhow, last night he even upgraded those seats, buying a few more so he could take his family to the game. He bought all these as a Christmas gift. Checking out the looks on his family’s faces, I think the Wranglers have gained a few more fans.

Having imbibed a bit before many a Kings game growing up, I appreciate David’s story. Hockey games, beer, before and during, the game…ahh, the good memories.

The game was all excitement, except I was out of my seat when the most things happened. Big fight in the 1st period, I was in the bathroom. 3 of the games 6 goals, I was either waiting in the food line, or talking with the rabid fans. My timing was horrible last night. especially during the first brawl, which I was told was epic. Damn bladder.

Man, I almost forgot to talk about the Ghost Team Riders. I am sure many people were like me, severely disappointed that the GTR cancelled. Come on now, monkeys riding dogs! It doesn’t get much better than that.

Instead, we were treated to Skippy the talking rabbit. That hare was quick with the jokes and one liners at the end of the 1st period. However, I’m not sure the fans were ready for the talking rabbit.

End of the 2nd period, and the alcohol had taken full effect. Can’t remember his name, but a guy from America’s got Talent moved to center ice. He was dressed in a straitjacket, which he quickly removed. It was quite a performance considering that a majority of the fans were throwing rubber disks at him. He deftly dodged everyone of them, but you could tell he was pissed as he left the ice.

Other than that, everyone seemed to be having a great time. I listened, and talked, to many people that would love if the Wranglers would schedule more of these late night games.

BTW: Wranglers won 5-2.

I agree.

Go Wranglers!

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When it comes managing, the 51′s stay back to the future

December 23rd, 2011 Bill Mahoney Posted in Baseball

With apologies to Marty McFly and Doc Brown, the 51′s manager, Marty Brown, is here to stay–well, at least through the 2012 season.

Brown, who led the 51′s to a 71-73 record last year, will have a new coach joining him. Bob Stanley, who at one time was a successful pitcher for the Boston Red Sox, joins Browns staff as the pitching coach. Chad Mottola will return as hitting coach.

Last year notwithstanding, Brown has quite an impressive minor league record. He has compiled a 10-year minor league managerial record of 704-655 (.518) and a six-year Triple-A record of 445-414 (.518). Brown managed on the Triple-A level with the Nashville Sounds of the PCL from 2001-02, Buffalo Bisons of the International League from 2003-05 and Las Vegas in 2011. He compiled a three-year mark of 238-193 (.552) with Buffalo . He led the team to the IL title in 2004 after a regular season record of 83-61 (.576) and also managed the club to a first place finish in their division in 2005 with an 82-62 (.569) record. He was named the 2004 IL Manager of the Year and was also named Minor League Manager of the Year by Baseball America.

Who Brown will be managing is a different story. Many of the guys on last years’s squad are with new teams. Here are 2011 players that finished on the 51′s roster, and their new teams:

Sean Henn is now with the Mariners,
Wilfredo Ledezma is with the Dodgers
Brad Mills: Angels
Robert Ray: Marlins
P.J. Walter: Twins
Ryan Budde: D’backs
Jayson Nix: Yankees
Jason Lane: D’backs–The outfielder is now a pitcher
Adam Loewen: Mets

You have to figure that Kyle Drabek and Travis Snider will break camp with the Blue Jays.

The best thing about minor league ball is not only the closeness of the action, and the great between inning contests, but the chance to see former major leaguers try to resurrect their careers.

The place to be this season is at Cashman field.

Go 51′s!

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S.W.A.T., Blow up mascots, potato heads–It the MAACO bowl

December 22nd, 2011 Bill Mahoney Posted in Football

Yawn...That’s the best way to describe Thursday night’s MAACO Las Vegas bowl matchup between Boise St and Arizona St.

The Broncos are a better team than the Sun Devils, a point proven over and over in their 56-24 victory. Boise State had this in the bag 14 seconds in to the game. That’s how long it took BSU’s Doug Martin to take the opening kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown. Enough of the game, that really wasn’t that good.

I was at Sam Boyd stadium to check out the crowd and whatnot. The first thing I noticed is the game wasn’t as crowded as the one between BSU and Utah last year. A lot of open parking, and no tailgating that I saw. I think I heard about some Vegas law prohibiting tailgating, but don’t quote me on that. Anyhow, a couple BBQ’s and some flowing beers might have lifted the atmosphere a bit, but that’s just me.

In lieu of tailgating they had a party zone. It was a place to charge for everything that goes in your mouth, while merchants sell their wares.



I did notice the S.W.A.T. team in attendance. Nothing says football like special weapons and tactic guys, with automatic weapons and all, on the scene. Party time!

Arizona State had no chance on the field against Boise State, but they did win the biggest blowup mascot contest. I don’t know if there was a contest, but unless there is a blowup 50 foot Bronco somewhere, ASU is #1.

Wait a minute, I found a Bronco, but it appears to be about 8 inches long. Still, victory for the Devils. Woo hoo!

I also took notice that the Boise State fans outnumbered Arizona State fans 2 to 1. Best thing, no fighting. Mind you, most of the Bronco fans, being the politest bunch in the history of college football, were all about 60 and older. The Sun Devil fans were much younger.

I ran in to a couple of those fans. I’ll call them Robin and Mandi. I’m calling them that,
because that’s their names.

Anyhow, these lovely ladies had a sign that may make ASU fans angry. Their sign said, “One more for Erickson”. Dennis Erickson is the outgoing coach of the Sun Devils, who has guided the team to losses in 6 of their last 7 games. This is the same guy that has a 21-28 record since the 2008 season.

Now before you think these girls are nuts, let me try and redeem their character. Robin (on the left) was a freshman an ASU when Erickson led the team to a sparkling 10-3 record. She just wanted him to lead the team to an winning record next year, and then leave. Mandi, who transferred to ASU this year, just feels bad for the guy. I can’t say for sure, but they may have a different opinion after watching this game. They both are excited about the Todd Graham era to begin. I think every ASU fan is ready for a new era to start.

One thing about Bronco fans, they love to die their hair, or just wear orange wigs. I snapped off a couple pictures of rabid Bronco fans, who like I said are the nicest fans in the world. They’re like small Tim Tebow’s.

Once I headed in to the stadium I noticed girls with pom poms. I thought it was a great touch by the MAACO people, cheerleaders welcoming guests. However, I soon noticed these girls never cheered. Being the investigative guy I am, I asked one of the lovely ladies about the non-cheering.

Taylor explained to me that she was hired by the MAACO people, not to cheer, but too look pretty. Well, they got that right.

Few other notes: How come when I was a cameraman, I was taught to never do a live shot without a tripod? Here’s this guy, no tripod, doing fine with a camera on his shoulder. So I may have been shaky, with blue video, and most likely no audio signal….but still

See those lumps in the flag that looks like ripples? Those are people underneath old glory imitating a ripple.

And does anything say football in Vegas like hotdogs, nachos, and Jameson Irish whiskey?

If you so desired, you could warm your coffee up a little more with something tasty like Kahlua, Baileys, Vodka, or some other Irish whiskey.

Finally, who doesn’t want to wear a potato on their head?

All in all, it was a fun night. Although it was quite chilly, there was no rain, so that made the night a success. Maybe next year they can find two teams that are more equal on the field. 11-1 vs. 6-6 turned out exactly like it should have.

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Who needs Santa when Shane Victorino comes bearing gifts

December 18th, 2011 Bill Mahoney Posted in Main

If you live in Las Vegas, read the newspapers, or watch TV, then you know that the economy in this town is less than solid. With the economy being where it is, the one’s that suffer the most are children. With Christmas a week away, one of Major League Baseball’s best did his best to bring smiles, and gifts to many of the children of this town.

I am talking about Shane Victorino of the Philadelphia Phillies. Victorino, who is from Hawaii and plays in Philly, makes Vegas his off-season home. He has embraced the city by organizing today’s toy drive as part of his Shane Victorino foundation www.shanevictorinofoundation.org


Boy were there gifts. Everywhere I looked, whether it was under, over and around the Christmas tree there were toys a plenty. I can guarantee one thing, kids of all ages will be smiling this holiday season. The best thing? In the couple hours I was at the event, the line never decreased, and every person had an unwrapped gift in their hand–some with multiples

Being a key player for the Phillies, Victorino has many fans. I caught up a with a local couple that was decked out in their Phillies red and blue. Linda and Carl are so impressed with Victorino, not just because of today’s event, but with the way he plays between the lines. Carl raved about the continual enthusiasm that Victorino shows on a daily basis saying, “He plays all out every game, always runs to first, and almost never misses the cutoff man”.

Carl and Linda are such big Victorino fans, that they took a $30 dollar cab to get to PT’s pub, where the toy drive was held. In that cab with them were a couple toys for donation. There only hope was to meet their hero, which I don’t know happened due to the extra large crowd that kept arriving in waves.

One thing I’ll say about Victorino is he is great with the fans. He stopped and chatted with men, women and children. Showing an easy smile and a welcoming handshake, Victorino made many a dreams come true.

After watching all this I decided to head out. As I was leaving I ran in to Jay Ramirez, a casual acquaintance of Victorino.

As you can tell Jay is a Phillies fan—and let me not forget, an Eagles fan! I asked him to put his fandum to the side and tell me how he would describe Victorino. He said a couple things that described this day to a ‘T’. He used the word generous, which I viewed morning and, afternoon. He ended by saying, “Victorino has the heart of a warrior (pause), it’s what you’d expect from a guy from Hawaii”.

I think Vegas owes Victorino a huge THANK YOU. Things may not always be perfect, but with celebrities like Shane Victorino, that are willing, and able, to give back, the children of Las Vegas will have a Merry Christmas after all.

Catch up with the Shane Victorino foundation on FACEBOOK @ www.facebook.com/ShaneVictorinoFoundation

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Make a date with the Vegassportsgab calendar

December 13th, 2011 Bill Mahoney Posted in Main

For those of you that I have spoken with recently, I have some news for you. I now have a calendar on vegassportsgab. Yay!!

If you have a sporting event, or something sporty, like the Shane Victorino (Philadelphia Philles) Toy drive, please message me, and I’ll get it on the calendar for you.

If not, check back from time to time, and maybe there will be something interesting for you to check out.

Right now I’ve got some UNLV and Wrangler games up. Tell me more. The only way I can get the word out, is if you spread the word to me

Happy Holidays,

Bill

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