Tag Archives: Las Vegas sports

Off-Road Desert Racing comes to the Las Vegas Valley

Hundreds of racers are now busy preparing and testing their off-road race vehicles for the return of the 2010 SNORE/General Tire Mint 400, set to take place just 25 minutes North of Las Vegas on March 27, starting at 7 a.m.  

The Mint 400 is one of the top racing titles to win in off-road racing. 

The race course this year features the infamous Rock Garden, a treacherous section of course run over shale rock beds and small boulders, with ditches and “gotcha’s” strewn throughout. The last time the course ran through the Rock Garden was 23 years ago. 

The SNORE/General Tire Mint 400 will be at the Moapa Indian reservation at the Moapa Travel Plaza, Exit 75 (Valley of Fire Rd.) off of Interstate 15. Three special spectator areas have been set-up alongside the course in high-speed, action-packed areas for fans to view the race. The Moapa tribe will have shuttles running to these areas. There will be numerous food, beer and merchandise vendors set up at the Moapa Travel Plaza.
 
Over 250 entries are expected to enter the SNORE/General Tire Mint 400. 

 The race festivities start Wednesday, March 24 at 5 p.m. with a kick-off party at Hussong’s Cantina inside Mandalay Bay. Thursday March 25th , fans, racers and the Media are invited to be a part of the FanFest Meet & Greet on Fremont Street East (between Las Vegas Blvd and 8th St.) from 6 to 8 p.m. to meet the drivers, get their autographs, take pictures, and pick up some swag from the teams. At 8:30 p.m. on Thurs., March 25, General Tire will crown the 2010 Mint 400 Queen on the 1st Street Stage, located on Fremont Street and 1st Street, under the Fremont Street Experience. Friday, March 26 starting at 9 am and lasting throughout the day until 5:30 p.m., every race car entered in the race will parade down Fremont Street for Technical and Contingency inspection. The parade of race vehicles starts on 1st Street & Fremont Street, heads East under the Fremont Street Experience, crosses Las Vegas Blvd., and ends at 8th Street and Fremont. Saturday, March 27 at 7  a.m., race officials will drop the green flag once again for the start of the historic 25th Running of the 2010 SNORE General Tire Mint 400 off-road race. 

The historic race was started by Norm Johnson, former public relations director for the Del Webb Hotel, and was resurrected by the SNORE (Southern Nevada Off Road Enthusiasts) racing organization just three years ago. 

The 2010 SNORE/General Tire Mint 400 will be televised on the Versus network and set to air May 5, 2010.

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Big League Baseball Sort of Comes to Las Vegas

Las Vegas Mayor Oscar B. Goodman, Mayor Pro Tem Gary Reese and Clark County Commissioner Larry Brown all were on hand recently to praise the new baseball sports park as a world-class attraction for local and visiting ballplayers and families. 

“Big League Dreams (BLD) is a beautiful, state-of-the-art facility that raises the bar for baseball and softball in the city of Las Vegas,” Goodman said. “Las Vegas is known for having the best entertainment, hotels, restaurants and shopping, and now we also have the best ball fields.”

 BLD owners and representatives included former Los Angeles Dodgers star Bill Russell, a BLD consultant. 

“This is our 10th Big League Dreams Sports Park, and it’s a great fit for Las Vegas,” Russell said. “We know that this park, even more than our others, will attract visitors from all over the country.” 

BLD includes six fields designed for youth baseball and adult softball, two sports-themed restaurants, an indoor field house for soccer and other activities, batting cages, playgrounds and an area for picnics and private parties. 

BLD is operating and maintaining the sports park in a public-private partnership with the city of Las Vegas. The 35-acre Big League Dreams is part of the city’s upgrade of its 68-acre Freedom Park on the city’s east side. BLD has a 30-year maintenance and operations agreement with the city, covering all expenses related to the sports park at no cost to the city, which shares gross revenue from the complex. 

Big League Dreams is at 3151 E. Washington in Las Vegas. Their website is www.BigLeagueDreams.com

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Sports Illustrated Las Vegas Baseball Star Bryce Harper Slotted for ESPN Show

Former Las Vegas High baseball standout and Sports Illustrated cover athlete Bryce Harper will be featured on an episode of the ESPN network sports magazine “E:60.” 

The profile will deal with Harper’s controversial decision to forgo his final two years of high school to play at the College of Southern Nevada next season. 

The show airs at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, August 11.

[Las Vegas Backstage Access has written prior articles on Harper. Please use search feature.]

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Andre Agassi Laces His Tennis Shoes Once Again

Professional tennis player Andre Agassi says he’s through with laying around the house, so to speak- he wants to get back on the tennis courts.  AndreAgassi

After retiring following the 2006 U.S. Open, Agassi says his back is fine and he really misses playing competitive tennis.  Which is why, at age 39, the Las Vegan will return to the court this month and play a limited schedule in the World Team Tennis (WTT) league for the Philadelphia Freedoms. 

“It’s been a few years since I retired, and that’s been a little unsettling for me,” Agassi said.  “It took some time to try to figure out the best way to say connected to tennis, and that’s hasn’t been so easy. 

“But before I got too far away, I wanted to re-engage, and World Team Tennis seemed like the perfect opportunity.” 

Agassi is scheduled to play two matches for the Freedoms, the team owned by league founder and longtime friend Billie Jean King.  The first match is July 10 vs. Boston in Philadelphia, followed by a July 17 match at Newport Beach, California. 

Although his wife and former tennis star, Steffi Graf, will not play, several big-name tennis players have committed to playing in WTT this summer:  Venus and Serena Williams, John McEnroe, Michael Chang, Anna Kournikova, Kim Clijsters, Sam Querrery, and Mike and Bob Brian.

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Babe Ruth Baseball Protégé — a Las Vegas Teen!

Bryce Harper is only a 16-years-old Las Vegas kid, but he plays baseball like he is already been a pro big leaguer for years. 

The phenomenal Las Vegas High School sophomore baseball player catches, pitches, hits monster home runs andBryceHarper turns baseball diamonds into his own playground.   His versatility of playing anywhere on the baseball field is what sets him apart from other players. 

Harper hit .626 with 14 home runs and 55 RBIs this past season.  Forty-five of his 72 hits went for extra base.  He also stole 36 bases. 

And the home runs we’re talking about are of the towering 570-foot variety- and that started when he was just 15.  He doesn’t just throw at 96 mph, but has a killer curve ball and change-up as well. 

Harper is a one-man baseball team.   

While he is only 16, he’s projected to be the No. 1 pick in the 2011 pro baseball draft, the first year he’ll be eligible. 

Harper announced that he has registeredat the College of Southern Nevada, where he plans to plans to play next season and get his GED to speed the pro baseball draft eligibility.

Now the whole world will learn what Southern Nevadans already know.  Harper is on the cover of the June 8 edition of Sports Illustrated.  Next to the picture of Harper taking a swing are the words “Chosen One.”   In slightly smaller print, the magazine proclaims Harper “The Most Exciting Prodigy Since LeBron (James of the Cleveland Cavaliers professional basketball team). 

Major league baseball teams from all around the country send so many scouts to the Las Vegas High School Wildcat games that, at times, it looks like a convention. 

Responding to this mounting recognition, Harper just takes it in his daily stride, calmly saying, “I just need to get better.”

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