Slow start, lousy finish don’t tarnish festive night

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.

Don Logan, bless his persistent soul, is still trying to change that. He has a new position, having stepped down from his general manager's role after 20 years to be in charge of finding a new buyer and securing a stadium deal for the Triple-A team.

I might start a rumor that the leading candidate to buy the 51s is Reggie Theus, just to see people with gobs of money and too much time on their hands get all loony again and stage another bizarre public-relations push.

You know, just for laughs.

Las Vegas held its home opener Friday night and homing doves were released, but not to begin the grieving process while mourning another season playing at Cashman.

So much for the moratorium.

I will never know how it lasted five paragraphs.

The game against Fresno began after a string of ceremonial first pitches, a ritual that for some reason now takes longer than coming attraction previews at the movies.

It also doesn't help when comedienne Rita Rudner takes forever to throw hers while trying (and failing miserably) to be funny while a 25-year-old catcher (Brian Jeroloman) waits, no doubt wondering who in the world the woman on the mound is, tossing the ball behind her head to no laughs.

I am certain the doves made it home to Sunrise Mountain before Rudner finished her act, but just barely.

There are again things to like about the 51s, though.

Logan remains one.

It was announced in January that the Stevens Baseball Group intended to sell the team to focus on its casino holdings and other interests, which made sense given Major League Baseball prohibits casino owners from running a team. The conflict of interest was obvious, even though Derek Stevens was always Marcel Marceau when approached for comment before putting someone in charge who worked in the family's nuts-and-bolts company for two decades.

Logan has found some prospective bidders willing to spend more than $20 million for the team. Then, a new ballpark in these times of cheap lumber and available skill would be in the $30 million range. Should one be built as the initial phase of a project culminating in a major league stadium, it would cost around $80 million.

Logan talked about fancy things such as club suites, but I suggested he start small and offer wireless Internet for the first time in Cashman history because if McDonalds has Wi-Fi, how can't a professional baseball team?

Jim Gemma does a terrific job as the team's media relations director. Someone needs to pony up 90 bucks and get the poor guy a router.

"There are buyers for the team out there, a lot more than I anticipated," Logan said before the 51s' 11-7 defeat. "I think a component of it would be someone with (local ties) who understands the market.

"But just because someone wants to buy it and has the money to buy it doesn't mean they will be able to buy it. Baseball is a fraternity. We have a pretty effective and good vetting process."

It's not needed to scrutinize Russ Langer, who returns for a 12th season as the 51s' play-by-play voice and who I believe is one Nevada Sportscaster of the Year award away from having the honor named for him.

I've viewed many who receive major league play-by-play jobs in the vein of Bill Fitch when he was coaching in the NBA, which is to say teams often go with the old, consistent and not-so-snazzy choice over giving a promising talent his first big break.

Langer deserves that break.

He has come close several times. Very close.

"On one hand, it's disappointing, and yet in the grand scheme of things, this is still a great existence and profession being in Triple A and Las Vegas," Langer said. "It's still a wonderful way to make a living. I feel I belong up in the (major leagues). I think I have paid my dues. I still believe I'll be there one day."

Home openers always bring optimism, especially for a team that began the season by winning five of eight on the road. A crowd that wasn't very impressive when the doves took flight swelled to an announced 8,285.

Langer threw his traditional bags of Cracker Jack during the seventh-inning stretch, and it took only an inning for Gemma to perform his customary knock on the press box table when he spotted the night's first beauty strolling through the stands.

Fresno manager Steve Decker changed pitchers so many times in the sixth inning, he was one hook away from calling for Jennie Finch, given that her husband, Casey Daigle, had already been used.

Then the 51s began the ninth with a 7-6 lead and closer Rommie Lewis threw, like, 67 straight balls and it all imploded into a bad loss.

Yes, another season has begun at the Pantheon, a temple to dollar beer nights and first-pitch ceremonies that never end.

Las Vegas Review-Journal sports columnist Ed Graney can be reached at egraney@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4618. He can be heard from 2 to 4 p.m. Monday and Thursday on "Monsters of the Midday," Fox Sports Radio 920 AM. Follow him on Twitter: @edgraney.