Admittedly, I’ve been a big critic of the NIAA and some of the decisions made by the state’s governing body since I came here in 2003.
There’s one proposal up for vote that I think is a great idea. The proposal calls for six-team state playoffs in boys and girls soccer, baseball and softball, and boys and girls basketball. It would replace the current four-team format, which I think has always been a mistake because it screws the northern schools every other year.
I understand and believe the Las Vegas schools deserve more slots because there are more schools. When state was eight schools, I always believed it should have been five from the south and three from the north.
The new proposal would call for two north schools to be in state every year whether state is in Las Vegas or somewhere in the north. I applaud that move. The new proposal gives each of the 4A leagues in the state two teams apiece with the south champ and north champ receiving first-round state byes. Each year the winners of the Vegas leagues would play off so there would essentially be a city champion. The other three Vegas schools and the second-place north school would have to play in the first round of the single-elimination tournament.
I know Carson High would have made three straight state basketball appearances if the new proposal had been in place several years ago. Carlos Mendeguia’s boys basketball programs lost twice in the regional finals in years where only the regional champ advanced.
Personally, I’d love to see state be eight teams for the aforementioned team sports, but Donnie Nelson, NIAA assistant commissioner, doesn’t feel that’s in the cards for financial reasons. That’s too bad. I still feel that’s more of a Clark County decision, and we all know the CCSD wields way too much power in the decision making in the state.
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Finally, the NFL schedule was released on Thursday. All I can say is it’s about time.
The NFL needs to get a clue. There are fans like myself who fly to games or fans who stay overnight before or night of a Raiders game. Where’s the consideration by the NFL toward those fans? It’s not cheap to fly or stay in a hotel these days, especially if the hotels are located near a major arena.
I can tell you from experience there are a boatload of people from Las Vegas and Southern California who fly in for Oakland home games.
Hotel rates always go up on a Friday and Saturday everywhere, but in Oakland it’s even expensive to stay a Sunday night after a Raiders home game. That’s why I prefer to fly up and back the same day.
And, speaking of the Raiders, no decision has been announced as to where the team will play in the 2019 season. Early on Coliseum officials said they wanted the team out after this coming season. Bay Area options would be Cal, Stanford or possibly Levi Stadium. The latter might raise a few eyebrows, but I remember the NFL saying since it lent the 49ers money if the Raiders needed a place to play the Santa Clara stadium might be an option.
