Fear and loathing at the RTO

Take my word for it, there's nothing more boring than waiting for a rain delay to end at a PGA tournament.

The last two days have been downright crummy at Montreux Golf & Country Club, as rain, lightning and thunder has played havoc with the Reno-Tahoe open for the second straight year.

The players and their locker room are off limits to the media, and being confined to the media tent for several hours, your options are limited.

About all you can do is eat, and I obviously don't need to do too much of that, watch the Olympics or read the many sports magazines that were brought in. While the thunder crackled above overhead, I did a little bit of all three.

If you can, check out the most-recent edition of Sports Illustrated. It has many fine features on the Olympics, and a several-page spread on my alma mater, De La Salle High School. The Spartans currently boast a 151-game winning streak, and are the most recognized high school football program in the country. They put that streak on the line against one of the top teams in the Seattle area on Sept. 4.

I'm the first to sing their praises, because having covered the team for several years, I know what kind of effort and sacrifice the players put into the program. Had it not been for a one-point loss to Monte Vista and a one-touchdown loss to Pittsburg, the streak would be well over 200 games by now.

Enough about De La Salle. Let's talk Olympics.

I just want to say that no matter what happens the rest of the way, the early performances by men's basketball has been disappointing.

I know these aren't the best players the NBA has to offer, but they still should be blowing teams out in these early round games. The original Dream Team played like a cohesive unit, spreading the ball around unselfishly, and absolutely destroying teams.

This team doesn't have a consistent outside shooter. In fact, the best shooters in the NBA these days might be the foreign stars. This team looks shot first and pass second. Rarely will you see a guy on Team USA pass up a shot to look for a better one. It's absolutely ridiculous.

I love what the United States has been doing in swimming, softball and gymnastics. Michael Phelps has been sensational, and so has Natalie Coughlin. The softball team went undefeated in pool play, and barring injury or a bad day, will certainly win gold.

(insert bullet) No that wasn't a misprint when you read that University of Nevada basketball squad was playing at 9 p.m. on New Year's Night against Hawai'i.

The game is scheduled to be on television, which accounts for the late starting time. Normally I'm all for late starts to get a team on TV, but New Year's Night? The last place I want to be around midnight is near Virginia Street.

All kidding aside, I love the Wolf Pack's nonconference schedule this year. With away games at Georgia, Kansas and Toledo, the Pack will have its hands full in November and December. It will certainly be a learning experience for first-year head coach Mark Fox and his young team.

The only downer is that both tournaments Nevada is hosting didn't attract the top-notch field that Fox had hoped for.

Nevada will open the Jim Thorpe Classic Nov. 3-4 against the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs, a team that won only five games last year, and then most likely will face Southern Mississippi in the finals.

That will be a busy weekend, as the Nevada women are hosting a tournament, and the Nevada volleyball team also is hosting a tournament that includes Stanford.

At the Dodge Holiday Classic on Nov. 20-21, Nevada will host Florida Atlantic, and assuming it wins, then will play the Idaho State-Eastern Illinois winner the next night for the championship.

Expectations are high, but I hope people aren't too unrealistic. With only two starters back, Nick Fazekas and Kevinn Pinkney, the Wolf Pack's success will hinge on how quick the talented recruits make the jump from high school and junior college ball.

(insert bullet) It's nice to see that the University of Nevada, at least in volleyball, likes to recruit local talent. The Wolf Pack have seven players with Northern Nevada ties on their roster.

"The talent in this area is getting stronger," coach Devin Scruggs said. "There's a trend in recruiting where kids are deciding earlier. That means they have to see the campus by their junior years. That has to be done on their own dime."

Ex-Carson star Rachael DeRiemer underwent shoulder surgery on Wednesday and won't play this season. DeRiemer transferred from Point Loma Nazarene.

Darrell Moody is a Nevada Appeal Sports Writer. Contact him at dmoody@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1281.