Fourth of July loaded with sports-related fireworks

The countdown to the Fourth of July has begun, so one figures it is only a matter of time until somebody loses a finger in a bottle rocket accident -- an occurrence that, as the old baseball announcer Phil Rizzuto might have said, puts a damper on even a Yankee win.

Sports and Independence Day pyrotechnics of the literal and figurative kind have been interwoven for a lot longer than Neil Diamond's "America" has been interwoven with fireworks displays, which has only been since 1980, when the American anthem was released on "The Jazz Singer" soundtrack. ("American Anthem," a forgettable movie starring gymnastics star Mitch Gaylord and Wayne Gretzky's wife, was released June 27, 1986.)

Nevada holds one of the biggest sparklers in Fourth of July sporting lore. That was the day, in 1910, that Jim Jeffries ended a six-year retirement from prizefighting "for the sole purpose of proving that a white man is better than a Negro." Jack Johnson pummeled Jeffries, whose handlers finally threw a towel into a boxing ring in Reno, bringing a halt to the first "Fight of the Century."

It was on July 4, 1981, that John McEnroe won his first Wimbledon title by beating the unflappable Bjorn Borg, almost one year to the day since they played their classic 34-point, fourth-set tiebreaker in the 1980 final. (McEnroe won the tiebreaker but lost the match.)

July 4 also was the date that Richard Petty won his 200th and last NASCAR Cup race, with President Ronald Reagan in attendance (1984), Tim McCarver blew a grand slam by passing teammate Gary Maddox while running the bases (1976), Jack Dempsey brutally defeated Jess Willard for the heavyweight title (1919), and the Yankees' Dave Righetti threw a no-hitter against the Red Sox with President Richard Nixon on hand (1983). No damper on that one, said The Scooter.

Tonight's "Night of Fire" at Las Vegas Motor Speedway's Bullring will feature a jet car meltdown and an appearance by the world famous Robosuarus and lots of racing in the Bombers division. And fireworks. But because today is July 3, Night of Fire will not be eligible to take its rightful place among the pantheon of unforgettable Independence Day sports, regardless of how hot it gets.

For those with fifth-grade sensibilities and stomachs cast of iron, July 4 also marks the day that Joey Chestnutt made Takeru Kobayashi puke as they wolfed down their 62nd wieners at the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest in 2007.

And at the way, way, way opposite end of the spectrum, it was on the Fourth of July, 1939, that a dying Lou Gehrig made his "Luckiest Man on the Face of the Earth" speech.

Fans at Cashman Field who finally get in to use the limited men's rooms while waiting for the fireworks to begin at tonight's 51s game will be excused for thinking similarly.

THREE UP

■ UNLV tied a school record by placing 53 of its athlete-students on the Mountain West Conference list of athlete-students who maintain a 3.5 grade-point average. Women's track and field led with eight on the list; football (Theodore "Tate" Knutson, 3.6 GPA, kinesiological sciences/nine catches, 125 yards) had one, men's basketball had none. Not that anybody cares about any of this, though it would be nice if somebody did.

■ Just when they were looking forward to a couple of days off from 12-8 skirmishes that last longer than a Spielberg movie, the 51s' David Cooper and Brad Mills were named to the Pacific Coast League roster for the July 13 Triple-A All-Star Game at Salt Lake City, a Triple-A city that traditionally causes nagging hamstring injuries to flare up.

■ News release of the week, from Fred Sternberg Communications: "Sometimes When We Touch," the Dan Hill-penned ballad sung by the very sensitive Fighter of the Decade, Manny Pacquiao, cracks the top 20 on the secondary Adult Contemporary chart, blasting up from No. 25 to No. 19. (It's) the perfect gift for your special someone and as a hostess gift for July 4 parties." Or one could just go with a cheap bottle of wine and a gross of bottle rockets.

THREE DOWN

■ A district judge has ruled that Floyd Mayweather Jr. must give a deposition in the defamation suit filed against him by the very sensitive Manny Pacquiao. Call me old school, but boxing was better when fighters resolved their differences with their fists.

■ When Findlay Toyota general manager Rich Abajian said UNLV athletic administrators who worked hard to balance the athletic budget "would be very good at selling cars," it was meant as a compliment, though some people might have taken it the wrong way.

■ But when one read the comment from UNLV president Neal Smatresk, "There just may be enough revenue flow to make this thing go," about the proposed multibillion dollar transformation of the UNLV campus into a football stadium and an Applebee's, one's first inclination is to see Rich Abajian about a new Camry.

Las Vegas Review-Journal columnist Ron Kantowski can be reached at rkantowski@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0352. Follow him on Twitter: @ronkantowski.