Classic American West Coast Boxing

[Rick Farris]

TARNISHED SHOES

The talk about knowing when to hang up the gloves. Those old fighters know that they can't recapture the light. Some say they can,but they know when they walk into the gym that the light is gone. Sometimes we believe they can recapture it,but in the end it's always a wash.We want to see their greatness again. So they say that they've got it back . We believe them. It's a fragile faith,but to see that greatness again,that genius that we lived our lives through, is what we want to believe they can recapture. So why do they continue? Some miss the spotlight. Most miss the money. Most know that fighting is all they know in order to make the money.

At the end of his career Denny Moyer knew he could always make a thousand bucks fighting in Nevada. I remember he'd fight on cards at the Silver Slipper. Train more or less in San Diego. Do his share of non training activities, and then fight at the Silver Slipper. In those days a thousand bucks was good money. In those days Denny spent it as fast a ten round fight.

We know he's hurting now. He's got his wife to protect him. He's lucky she's his faith. All those fights in Nevada when he should have been thinking about the consequences. Denny think about consequences? If it crossed his mind,he just set up the bar. Now there's no champagne to drink from the silver slipper.

And there's no Silver Slipper.

[dagosd2000]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=caK1HSLTGIw

Serenata

Nat "King" Cole

[Randyman]

TARNISHED SHOES

The talk about knowing when to hang up the gloves. Those old fighters know that they can't recapture the light. Some say they can,but they know when they walk into the gym that the light is gone. Sometimes we believe they can recapture it,but in the end it's always a wash.We want to see their greatness again. So they say that they've got it back . We believe them. It's a fragile faith,but to see that greatness again,that genius that we lived our lives through, is what we want to believe they can recapture. So why do they continue? Some miss the spotlight. Most miss the money. Most know that fighting is all they know in order to make the money.

At the end of his career Denny Moyer knew he could always make a thousand bucks fighting in Nevada. I remember he'd fight on cards at the Silver Slipper. Train more or less in San Diego. Do his share of non training activities, and then fight at the Silver Slipper. In those days a thousand bucks was good money. In those days Denny spent it as fast a ten round fight.

We know he's hurting now. He's got his wife to protect him. He's lucky she's his faith. All those fights in Nevada when he should have been thinking about the consequences. Denny think about consequences? If it crossed his mind,he just set up the bar. Now there's no champagne to drink from the silver slipper.

I can be the most gullible of them all. When I like a certain fighter I never want them to stop. When they say they are coming back, even though I know better, I allow myself to believe them. I feel that way about the whole 1980's. I never wanted it to end. They all kept coming back; Duran, Chacon, Leonard, Hearns, Arguello and on and on. Only Hagler kept his word and never looked back. He seems all the happier because of it.

It's a combination of the money, the love of fighting, the excitement but I think most of all they loved being called "Champ" and the attention and adoration of the fans. It's has to be hard to let go.

Great post Rog

Randy

[dagosd2000]

Nat"King"Cole

[Randyman]

Nat"King"Cole

[dagosd2000]

TARNISHED SHOES

The talk about knowing when to hang up the gloves. Those old fighters know that they can't recapture the light. Some say they can,but they know when they walk into the gym that the light is gone. Sometimes we believe they can recapture it,but in the end it's always a wash.We want to see their greatness again. So they say that they've got it back . We believe them. It's a fragile faith,but to see that greatness again,that genius that we lived our lives through, is what we want to believe they can recapture. So why do they continue? Some miss the spotlight. Most miss the money. Most know that fighting is all they know in order to make the money.

At the end of his career Denny Moyer knew he could always make a thousand bucks fighting in Nevada. I remember he'd fight on cards at the Silver Slipper. Train more or less in San Diego. Do his share of non training activities, and then fight at the Silver Slipper. In those days a thousand bucks was good money. In those days Denny spent it as fast a ten round fight.

We know he's hurting now. He's got his wife to protect him. He's lucky she's his faith. All those fights in Nevada when he should have been thinking about the consequences. Denny think about consequences? If it crossed his mind,he just set up the bar. Now there's no champagne to drink from the silver slipper.

I can be the most gullible of them all. When I like a certain fighter I never want them to stop. When they say they are coming back, even though I know better, I allow myself to believe them. I feel that way about the whole 1980's. I never wanted it to end. They all kept coming back; Duran, Chacon, Leonard, Hearns, Arguello and on and on. Only Hagler kept his word and never looked back. He seems all the happier because of it.

It's a combination of the money, the love of fighting, the excitement but I think most of all they loved being called "Champ" and the attention and adoration of the fans. It's has to be hard to let go.

Great post Rog

Randy

Randy
Your guy was Duran. My guy was Napoles. Ask me how many times I've watched the tape of Napoles and Stracey. If you cut off one of the fingers on one of my hands,I'd still have enough fingers left to count the number of times I've seen that fight. :(

[dagosd2000]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1oHiljdikCk

That Sunday,That Summer

Nat"King"Cole

[Rick Farris]

Golden Gloves at the Silver Slipper . . .

In 1970, my last year as an amateur and first as a pro, Los Angeles had been banned from sending a team to the Golden Gloves Nationals, which would be held in Las Vegas at the Convention Center.
The AAU was pissed at Aileen Eaton for holding amateur bouts on pro cards and not kicking them back any of the action.
So they took it out on the boxers who fought for her. I was one of them.

With no GG's in L.A. another tournament was created, just like the GG's, but called the "Diamond Belt Championships."
This is how we L.A. guys made it to the National Tournament.
The open class winners of the Diamond Belt Tourney would travel to Las Vegas, not for the Nationals, but to compete in the Nevada GG tourney.
Their were 12 fights in the Nevada finals, and the L.A. boys were all registered out of Henderson, Nevada.

Las Vegas was happy they'd be hosting the Nationals that year and hoped to be well represented in the tournament.
It wasn't to be.

The 1970 Nevada Golden Gloves finals were held upstairs in the Silver Slipper. They were televised live in the South-West.
With the very hot L.A. team now fighting in the Nevada tournament, nine of the Nevada champs crowned that night were from L.A, two from Arizona and only one from Nevada.
The only Las Vegas resident who'd rep the Nevada team in the Nationals was a kid named Chuck Studeville.
Studeville was foored in the last round by LA's Spike Sanborn, and barely beat the count.
Luckily he had a big lead prior to going down or L.A. would have had ten boxers on the Nevada team, Nevada- 0.

The Las Vegas locals were a bit miffed that the L.A. guys had dominated their tournament, however, if they couldn't beat us in their tourney, they's have lost in the Nationals anyway.

Las Vegas was much different in those days.
The pros who fought well at the Silver Slipper's Wedensday Night Fights were provided with a few perks, chips for gambling, VIP show seating, sometimes a leggy broad for company.
Those were good days, things were simpler. Today with all the red tape and white uniforms involved with amateur boxing, the L.A. team would never have made it to the Nationals.
None of us on the L.A. team brought home a National title that year. And of course, neither did Nevada.


-Rick Farris
1970 Nevada GG's bantamweight champ DD
(Nat'l GG's quarter-finals loser )

[dagosd2000]

Golden Gloves at the Silver Slipper . . .

In 1970, my last year as an amateur and first as a pro, Los Angeles had been banned from sending a team to the Golden Gloves Nationals, which would be held in Las Vegas at the Convention Center.
The AAU was pissed at Aileen Eaton for holding amateur bouts on pro cards and not kicking them back any of the action.
So they took it out on the boxers who fought for her. I was one of them.

With no GG's in L.A. another tournament was created, just like the GG's, but called the "Diamond Belt Championships."
This is how we L.A. guys made it to the National Tournament.
The open class winners of the Diamond Belt Tourney would travel to Las Vegas, not for the Nationals, but to compete in the Nevada GG tourney.
Their were 12 fights in the Nevada finals, and the L.A. boys were all registered out of Henderson, Nevada.

Las Vegas was happy they'd be hosting the Nationals that year and hoped to be well represented in the tournament.
It wasn't to be.

The 1970 Nevada Golden Gloves finals were held upstairs in the Silver Slipper. They were televised live in the South-West.
With the very hot L.A. team now fighting in the Nevada tournament, nine of the Nevada champs crowned that night were from L.A, two from Arizona and only one from Nevada.
The only Las Vegas resident who'd rep the Nevada team in the Nationals was a kid named Chuck Studeville.
Studeville was foored in the last round by LA's Spike Sanborn, and barely beat the count.
Luckily he had a big lead prior to going down or L.A. would have had ten boxers on the Nevada team, Nevada- 0.

The Las Vegas locals were a bit miffed that the L.A. guys had dominated their tournament, however, if they couldn't beat us in their tourney, they's have lost in the Nationals anyway.

Las Vegas was much different in those days.
The pros who fought well at the Silver Slipper's Wedensday Night Fights were provided with a few perks, chips for gambling, VIP show seating, sometimes a leggy broad for company.
Those were good days, things were simpler. Today with all the red tape and white uniforms involved with amateur boxing, the L.A. team would never have made it to the Nationals.
None of us on the L.A. team brought home a National title that year. And of course, neither did Nevada.


-Rick Farris
1970 Nevada GG's bantamweight champ DD (Nat'l GG's quarter-finals loser )

Great post Rick

[kikibalt]

Weight issue downplayed in Marquez-Mayweather fight

Mayweather pays a price for coming in overweight and the disparity in pounds could be quite large by the time Saturday's bout begins, but Marquez says it's not going to matter.



Floyd Mayweather Jr., left, and Juan Manuel Marquez strike the usual pose during Friday's official weigh-in. (Ethan Miller / Getty Images / September 18, 2009)

By Lance Pugmire

September 19, 2009

Reporting from Las Vegas - Juan Manuel Marquez has never fought at a weight greater than 135 pounds. He had the chance Friday to step onto the scale before tonight's bout at an agreed-upon limit of 144 pounds. Marquez weighed 142.

Floyd Mayweather Jr., the unbeaten former six-time world champion trying to reclaim the mythical title of the world's best pound-for-pound fighter after a 21-month layoff, couldn't make the 144-pound limit, and had his advisors craft a revised bout agreement earlier Friday that allowed him to weigh in at 146 pounds -- with a financial penalty.

Mayweather has fought as heavy as 154 pounds, and there has been discussion in the Marquez camp that Mayweather will weigh as much as 160 tonight -- an 18-pound disparity if Marquez's weight stays where he has told his camp he feels "most effective [and] comfortable."

Is that disparity safe? Marquez being the stubborn warrior who trains by lifting large stones in the Spartan conditions of Mexico City's mountains, and Mayweather considered the most skilled boxer in the world?

"No concern," said Keith Kizer, executive director of the Nevada State Athletic Commission. "Our regulations would require special permission if there was a nine-pound difference at the weigh-in. They're within four pounds. I'm not going to deal with it beyond that. We already have, and everything's good."

Richard Schaefer, the Golden Boy Promotions executive who's promoting the bout and counts world lightweight champion Marquez as one of his top fighters, said after the weigh-in that Mayweather's extra two pounds had resulted in a "substantial" contracted financial penalty that would be given to Marquez.

Schaefer declined to disclose the penalty, but a source with knowledge of the figure who declined to be identified because he wasn't authorized to discuss it publicly said Mayweather was penalized $600,000.

Beyond that, Schaefer said he hadn't raised safety concerns to the Mayweather camp or the Nevada commission.

"Both fighters agreed to these terms in the first place; that it could go as high as 147 with a penalty," Schaefer said. "Boxing is a very brutal and dangerous sport, and I am always concerned about what happens in the ring, irrespective of a difference in weight, skill, height and reach. You always hope things go well. I say a prayer before every fight that both men will be OK.

"Who says Marquez can't win this? [Manny] Pacquiao has fought bigger guys and won when nobody gave him a chance, either. . . . Sometimes size matters, and sometimes it doesn't matter."

Marquez, making a $2 million guaranteed purse, plus the penalty and pay-per-view money compared to Mayweather's guaranteed $10 million, has already made it clear he is willing to fight the highly skilled bigger man because it's "the most important fight in my career."

In footage aired Thursday on HBO's "24/7," Marquez told an Olvera Street crowd Sunday, "I put my life on the line . . . like an Aztec warrior."

After stepping off the scale Friday, Marquez, 36, repeated that the weight difference "is not going to be a problem at all."

The boxer's trainer and manager, Ignacio "Nacho" Beristain, didn't express reservations about the weight difference, telling The Times that Golden Boy's Oscar De La Hoya "said he'll take action" to address the penalty money Marquez is owed.

Golden Boy matchmaker Eric Gomez declined to speculate when asked if the Marquez camp believed Mayweather ever intended to weigh 144.

"Juan told me personally [Friday] morning that he feels comfortable at 142, and that even if Floyd's weight does go up [from 146], Juan feels he'll have an edge by being lighter and faster," Gomez said. "Juan told me, 'I don't care if Floyd comes in at 160, he could come in sluggish.'

"Juan is not being forced in any way to do something he doesn't want to do."

Boxing historian Bert Sugar says although he believes the weight limit will have more of a draining effect on Mayweather than put Marquez in a dangerous disadvantage, he noted a 2006 lawsuit filed by boxer Joey Gamache against the late Arturo Gatti, who stepped into the ring nearly 20 pounds heavier than Gamache in a 2000 bout Gatti won in less than two rounds.

The lawsuit, which followed a formal complaint by Gamache against the New York State Athletic Commission that said the weigh-in was handled in an errant fashion, alleged Gamache suffered permanent brain damage and repeated migraine headaches because of the battering he took from the bigger man.

"Marquez could've come in heavier, but he made the weight he wanted," Sugar said. "He could've sat in a tapioca eating contest if he wanted."

[email protected]

[kikibalt]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1oHiljdikCk

That Sunday,That Summer

Nat"King"Cole

One of Cole's greatest....

[dagosd2000]

Guys blessed with speed and reflexes will eventually beat themselves when Father Time diminishes those gifts. Robinson,Ali,and Roy Jones Jr. come to mind. One day they step into the ring and their gifts are ready to go in the closet. We'll see tonight if Mayweather's gifts are resting on a shelf.

[kikibalt]

California to probe boxing regulation panel over free tickets

The investigation is announced after The Times reported that commissioners, who also oversee mixed martial arts, requested the free passes from promoters whom they license and regulate.

California boxing regulators gave free fight tickets to friends, records show
By Michael Rothfeld

September 19, 2009

Reporting from Sacramento - California's ethics watchdog agency opened an investigation Friday into the California State Athletic Commission, in connection with free admission to big-ticket events that board members obtained for themselves, relatives, friends and associates.

The investigation was announced after The Times reported that commissioners, who oversee boxing and mixed martial arts, requested the free passes from promoters whom they license and regulate. Requests were made to admit more than 50 people in the last year and a half who did not work for the board; most of the guests were friends and associates of the commissioners.

Most of the free access was not reported to the California Fair Political Practices Commission, an ethics agency that can fine high-ranking officials who violate state law that requires gifts to be disclosed and not to exceed annual limits.

"Based on the information in The Times' article, the [Fair Political Practices] Commission will be investigating the activities of the athletic commission," said Roman Porter, the ethics agency's executive director.

Matt David, a spokesman for Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, said in a statement, "We fully support their investigation and will demand compliance with their findings."

Erin Shaw, a spokeswoman for the athletic commission, said she had "nothing further" to add to the statement from the governor's office.

Those invited to events free included actor Sylvester Stallone, who is a friend of Commission Chairman Timothy Noonan; John Cruz, a high-ranking aide to Schwarzenegger; one commissioner's pastor; and other friends and relatives of the panel's members.

Schwarzenegger and his son sat next to Stallone at a January fight for which tickets cost up to $300. Six of the seven part-time commissioners were appointed by the governor.

Some commissioners disclosed free admissions after The Times inquired about their practices in July, though they said Thursday they'd already been in the process of doing so. They also reimbursed promoters so they would not exceed state gift-acceptance limits, but they did so well after the 30-day legal window for such action. The governor made a similar payment last month.

[email protected]

[dagosd2000]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1oHiljdikCk

That Sunday,That Summer

Nat"King"Cole

One of Cole's greatest....

Frank
Evertime I see one of these music award award shows,I hear some gal with a screachy shouty voice,or some dude singing through his nose. Then I turn it off and put on a song by someone like Nat"King"Cole.

[dagosd2000]

California to probe boxing regulation panel over free tickets

The investigation is announced after The Times reported that commissioners, who also oversee mixed martial arts, requested the free passes from promoters whom they license and regulate.

California boxing regulators gave free fight tickets to friends, records show
By Michael Rothfeld

September 19, 2009

Reporting from Sacramento - California's ethics watchdog agency opened an investigation Friday into the California State Athletic Commission, in connection with free admission to big-ticket events that board members obtained for themselves, relatives, friends and associates.

The investigation was announced after The Times reported that commissioners, who oversee boxing and mixed martial arts, requested the free passes from promoters whom they license and regulate. Requests were made to admit more than 50 people in the last year and a half who did not work for the board; most of the guests were friends and associates of the commissioners.

Most of the free access was not reported to the California Fair Political Practices Commission, an ethics agency that can fine high-ranking officials who violate state law that requires gifts to be disclosed and not to exceed annual limits.

"Based on the information in The Times' article, the [Fair Political Practices] Commission will be investigating the activities of the athletic commission," said Roman Porter, the ethics agency's executive director.

Matt David, a spokesman for Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, said in a statement, "We fully support their investigation and will demand compliance with their findings."

Erin Shaw, a spokeswoman for the athletic commission, said she had "nothing further" to add to the statement from the governor's office.

Those invited to events free included actor Sylvester Stallone, who is a friend of Commission Chairman Timothy Noonan; John Cruz, a high-ranking aide to Schwarzenegger; one commissioner's pastor; and other friends and relatives of the panel's members.

Schwarzenegger and his son sat next to Stallone at a January fight for which tickets cost up to $300. Six of the seven part-time commissioners were appointed by the governor.

Some commissioners disclosed free admissions after The Times inquired about their practices in July, though they said Thursday they'd already been in the process of doing so. They also reimbursed promoters so they would not exceed state gift-acceptance limits, but they did so well after the 30-day legal window for such action. The governor made a similar payment last month.

[email protected]

I bet they give away more than free tickets.

[kikibalt]

Las Vegas clubs get slapped for bad behavior

Authorities crack down on 'topless and lewd activity,' excessive drunkenness, prostitution and drugs, holding nightclubs and casinos responsible. 'We have rules,' a Nevada gaming regulator says.



Eight arrests were made over Labor Day weekend at the Hard Rock Hotel’s pool club, Rehab. Planet Hollywood was hit with a $500,000 fine over violations at its Prive club. “We have rules,” one state official says. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times / May 17, 2007)

By Ashley Powers

September 19, 2009

Reporting from Las Vegas - Even in Las Vegas, apparently, there are limits.

In July, gaming regulators slapped the Planet Hollywood casino with a $500,000 fine for its Prive nightclub's bad behavior, including "topless and lewd activity" and dumping club-goers in the casino "in various states of consciousness."

The same month, the Rio closed its Sapphire topless pool, managed by a local gentleman's club, after authorities arrested 10 people on suspicion of prostitution and drug crimes. Over Labor Day weekend, eight more arrests on similar charges were made at the Hard Rock Hotel's pool club, Rehab.

It's all part of a crackdown by authorities on what they see as clubs gone wild.

"The quarrel is not, 'You guys are offering entertainment that's going to offend Middle America.' We all want to keep Middle America coming to us to have fun. But we have rules," said Randall Sayre of the Nevada Gaming Control Board. During the heyday of the "What happens here, stays here" tourism campaign, the must-have accessory for any Las Vegas Strip casino was a pulsating nightclub that lured Hollywood starlets and drunken tourists willing to pay for a few hours of shimmer.

That has sometimes proved to be an ill-fated mix. Though the clubs are reliable moneymakers and publicity machines, some have vexed officials with their fraternity-style antics -- including stripping contests, fistfights, and alleged drug use and sexual assaults.

In the last decade, smoky lounges on the Strip gave way to three-story mega-clubs and booze-drenched pool parties. Out on the cutting edge of trendy are clubs such as the bronze-walled XS, the centerpiece of casino magnate Steve Wynn's resort Encore.

Most of the clubs, which pull in tens of millions of dollars from high-volume sales of alcohol and special seating, successfully keep thousands of tourists under control. But the venues, jostling for the same young crowd, have a penchant for envelope-pushing -- and the casinos, Sayre said, have mostly kept their hands off the cash machines.

In the last two years, Clark County has warned clubs about a wet-boxer-shorts contest and women shedding shirts at events named "Lose the Tan Lines" and "Boobs or Bust." Some clubs launched stripping contests; others tried to sneak around no-nudity ordinances by slathering women in body paint.

"It seemed our position that body paint was nudity was not completely understood," Clark County spokesman Dan Kulin said.

Many nightlife problems are far graver, however, which could prove problematic for casinos in the long run. Gaming regulators can hold them responsible for most anything that unfolds on their properties.

"They're not operating a club out on the street in the middle of L.A. -- if you want to get rowdy there, it's fine," said Jeff Voyles, who teaches casino management at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. "When those people spill out into a casino, you've got a problem."

In 2006, the state Gaming Control Board told casinos it was concerned about reports of violent, excessively drunk and underage club-goers. In the last year, authorities have noticed an uptick in prostitution and narcotics crimes at Strip hot spots, said Officer Bill Cassell of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.

It was "Prive-gate" that truly rattled the town's after-dark scene.

In July, when Planet Hollywood agreed to the $500,000 fine, which Prive partly paid, the casino also admitted to a lengthy list of violations: At Prive, patrons were involved in drugs and brawls, and minors were served alcohol. Some club-goers were hospitalized after drinking too much. Police calls to Planet Hollywood soared, and authorities noted "significant prostitution activity" near the club.

"The conduct is going to happen," said state Gaming Commission Chairman Peter C. Bernhard at a recent commission meeting. But he added: "I think that Planet Hollywood failed in this case in meeting its responsibilities."

Planet Hollywood agreed to monitor Prive more closely and retooled the club's lease so it can be more easily terminated if problems resurface. If regulators cite Planet Hollywood for similar infractions before next August, the casino must pay an additional $250,000.

A Planet Hollywood attorney did not return calls, and Vanessa Menkes, a spokeswoman for the Opium Group, which runs Prive, declined to comment.

Clark County yanked Prive's liquor licenses in late July. New accusations began to fly. A former security director said managers told him to curb the number of African American patrons on weekends, according to documents obtained by Las Vegas Weekly. In response, a Prive representative told the Weekly that the security director had been fired for cause and the club was "without knowledge" of the documents.

The club did not address the allegations.

Prive attorney Jay Brown told the Clark County Commission during recent hearings that by replacing certain employees and operating under the close watch of multiple agencies, the club had quelled its troubles. It agreed to give authorities unrestricted access; turn over its records, including security logs; and keep patrons out of back areas and off dance poles, where some have flashed too much skin.

Commissioners wagged their fingers but in the end allowed the venue to regain its liquor licenses -- temporarily.

On Prive's first night back last month, hundreds of people streamed in.

[email protected]

[kikibalt]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1oHiljdikCk

That Sunday,That Summer

Nat"King"Cole

One of Cole's greatest....

Frank
Evertime I see one of these music award award shows,I hear some gal with a screachy shouty voice,or some dude singing through his nose. Then I turn it off and put on a song by someone like Nat"King"Cole.

Good choice, Roger....

[kikibalt]

The CBHOF is sold out, 600 plus tickets....

[Rick Farris]

Authorities crack down on 'topless and lewd activity,' excessive drunkenness, prostitution and drugs, holding nightclubs and casinos responsible. 'We have rules,' a Nevada gaming regulator says.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Rules in Vegas?

[dagosd2000]

Las Vegas clubs get slapped for bad behavior

Authorities crack down on 'topless and lewd activity,' excessive drunkenness, prostitution and drugs, holding nightclubs and casinos responsible. 'We have rules,' a Nevada gaming regulator says.



Eight arrests were made over Labor Day weekend at the Hard Rock Hotel’s pool club, Rehab. Planet Hollywood was hit with a $500,000 fine over violations at its Prive club. “We have rules,” one state official says. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times / May 17, 2007)

By Ashley Powers

September 19, 2009

Reporting from Las Vegas - Even in Las Vegas, apparently, there are limits.

In July, gaming regulators slapped the Planet Hollywood casino with a $500,000 fine for its Prive nightclub's bad behavior, including "topless and lewd activity" and dumping club-goers in the casino "in various states of consciousness."

The same month, the Rio closed its Sapphire topless pool, managed by a local gentleman's club, after authorities arrested 10 people on suspicion of prostitution and drug crimes. Over Labor Day weekend, eight more arrests on similar charges were made at the Hard Rock Hotel's pool club, Rehab.

It's all part of a crackdown by authorities on what they see as clubs gone wild.

"The quarrel is not, 'You guys are offering entertainment that's going to offend Middle America.' We all want to keep Middle America coming to us to have fun. But we have rules," said Randall Sayre of the Nevada Gaming Control Board. During the heyday of the "What happens here, stays here" tourism campaign, the must-have accessory for any Las Vegas Strip casino was a pulsating nightclub that lured Hollywood starlets and drunken tourists willing to pay for a few hours of shimmer.

That has sometimes proved to be an ill-fated mix. Though the clubs are reliable moneymakers and publicity machines, some have vexed officials with their fraternity-style antics -- including stripping contests, fistfights, and alleged drug use and sexual assaults.

In the last decade, smoky lounges on the Strip gave way to three-story mega-clubs and booze-drenched pool parties. Out on the cutting edge of trendy are clubs such as the bronze-walled XS, the centerpiece of casino magnate Steve Wynn's resort Encore.

Most of the clubs, which pull in tens of millions of dollars from high-volume sales of alcohol and special seating, successfully keep thousands of tourists under control. But the venues, jostling for the same young crowd, have a penchant for envelope-pushing -- and the casinos, Sayre said, have mostly kept their hands off the cash machines.

In the last two years, Clark County has warned clubs about a wet-boxer-shorts contest and women shedding shirts at events named "Lose the Tan Lines" and "Boobs or Bust." Some clubs launched stripping contests; others tried to sneak around no-nudity ordinances by slathering women in body paint.

"It seemed our position that body paint was nudity was not completely understood," Clark County spokesman Dan Kulin said.

Many nightlife problems are far graver, however, which could prove problematic for casinos in the long run. Gaming regulators can hold them responsible for most anything that unfolds on their properties.

"They're not operating a club out on the street in the middle of L.A. -- if you want to get rowdy there, it's fine," said Jeff Voyles, who teaches casino management at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. "When those people spill out into a casino, you've got a problem."

In 2006, the state Gaming Control Board told casinos it was concerned about reports of violent, excessively drunk and underage club-goers. In the last year, authorities have noticed an uptick in prostitution and narcotics crimes at Strip hot spots, said Officer Bill Cassell of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.

It was "Prive-gate" that truly rattled the town's after-dark scene.

In July, when Planet Hollywood agreed to the $500,000 fine, which Prive partly paid, the casino also admitted to a lengthy list of violations: At Prive, patrons were involved in drugs and brawls, and minors were served alcohol. Some club-goers were hospitalized after drinking too much. Police calls to Planet Hollywood soared, and authorities noted "significant prostitution activity" near the club.

"The conduct is going to happen," said state Gaming Commission Chairman Peter C. Bernhard at a recent commission meeting. But he added: "I think that Planet Hollywood failed in this case in meeting its responsibilities."

Planet Hollywood agreed to monitor Prive more closely and retooled the club's lease so it can be more easily terminated if problems resurface. If regulators cite Planet Hollywood for similar infractions before next August, the casino must pay an additional $250,000.

A Planet Hollywood attorney did not return calls, and Vanessa Menkes, a spokeswoman for the Opium Group, which runs Prive, declined to comment.

Clark County yanked Prive's liquor licenses in late July. New accusations began to fly. A former security director said managers told him to curb the number of African American patrons on weekends, according to documents obtained by Las Vegas Weekly. In response, a Prive representative told the Weekly that the security director had been fired for cause and the club was "without knowledge" of the documents.

The club did not address the allegations.

Prive attorney Jay Brown told the Clark County Commission during recent hearings that by replacing certain employees and operating under the close watch of multiple agencies, the club had quelled its troubles. It agreed to give authorities unrestricted access; turn over its records, including security logs; and keep patrons out of back areas and off dance poles, where some have flashed too much skin.

Commissioners wagged their fingers but in the end allowed the venue to regain its liquor licenses -- temporarily.

On Prive's first night back last month, hundreds of people streamed in.

[email protected]

Sounds like Planet Hollywood didn't want to make their "shakedown" payments.

[dagosd2000]

Joe Gans(The Old Master)

[Rick Farris]

Joe Gans(The Old Master)

You're becoming the new master.
Another good one!

[dagosd2000]

Joe Gans(The Old Master)

You're becoming the new master.
Another good one!

Rick
You've had a lot to do with that

BTW. I'm driving with Maria in a while to Carlsbad. There's a German owned deli there called Tip Top Meats. It's owned by John Haedrich,an old German boxer. It's just like Germany. I'm going to buy some German beer(Augustina Helles). Next week at the CBHOF I'll bring some up for you,Frank,Randy,and Ed. Cheers

[kikibalt]

Chicago mobster Al Capone's Wis. hideout for sale

By ROBERT IMRIE, Associated Press Writer, Robert Imrie, Associated Press Writer

WAUSAU, Wis. – The buyer of a scenic property in northern Wisconsin will get more than just its bar and restaurant: They'll have a former hideout of Chicago mobster Al Capone.

The 407-acre wooded site, complete with guard towers and a stone house with 18-inch-thick walls, will soon go on the auction block at a starting bid of $2.6 million.

The bank that foreclosed on the land near Couderay, about 140 miles northeast of Minneapolis, said Capone owned it in the late 1920s and early 1930s during Prohibition. Local legend claims that shipments of bootlegged alcohol were flown in on planes that landed on the property's 37-acre lake, then loaded onto trucks bound for Chicago.

"He spent a lot of time there," Chippewa Valley Bank Vice President Joe Kinnear said. "Whether it was for getting whiskey out of Canada or whoever knows. It is an incredible property."

The property was more recently used as a tourist attraction. It includes Capone's two-story stone home with a massive fireplace, two guard towers — reportedly manned with machine guns whenever Capone visited — a caretakers residence and other outbuildings.

Kinnear said the bar on the property was built from what was originally Capone's eight-stall garage and still includes some portholes built to shoot through.

"It's pretty neat," he said.

The bank will auction off "The Hideout, Al Capone's Northwoods Retreat" on the steps of the Sawyer County Courthouse in Hayward on Oct. 8.

The bank acquired the property after foreclosing on owner Guy Houston and his company The Hideout Inc. in April 2008, according to court records. The Houston family bought the property in the 1950s from Capone's estate and had operated it as a seasonal bar and restaurant, known for its prime rib, and offered guided tours focusing on the Capone lore.

Kinnear said the bank's bid of $2.6 million to recover its money is not expected to be the only offer. He said two or three other bidders were interested, perhaps to use it as a retreat, and there has long been talk about developing the property.

"It was appraised years ago at $3.7 million," he said.

Kinnear declined to comment on what led to its financial troubles. Houston's attorney, Todd Smith of Rice Lake, did not return telephone messages. Houston had an unlisted telephone number.

Capone — nicknamed "Scarface" — headed a massive bootlegging, gambling and prostitution operation during Prohibition and raked in tens of millions of dollars. He was widely suspected in several murders but never charged.

He was considered the mastermind of the gangland killing on Chicago's North Side in 1929, known as the St. Valentine's Day Massacre. Seven rivals of Capone's gang were gunned down in a garage, but investigators never could collect enough evidence to put anyone on trial for the deaths.

Capone was eventually convicted of income tax evasion and spent part of an 11-year sentence at the infamous Alcatraz prison. He died in 1947.

The Wisconsin property also was advertised in Chicago, in part because Kinnear believes the Capone element could draw more interest.

"I am hoping there is some, especially with the success of the gangster movie that came out earlier this year about Dillinger," Kinnear said, referring to "Public Enemies" starring Johnny Depp as Depression-era bank robber John Dillinger.

The Hideout had been a top tourist attraction in the area, said Leslie Strapon, assistant executive director of the Hayward Area Chamber of Commerce.

"It is always interesting to go somewhere and touch that piece of history," she said. "Al Capone is definitely a public figure, a gangster he may be but still infamous."

[Rick Farris]

Joe Gans(The Old Master)

You're becoming the new master.
Another good one!

Rick
You've had a lot to do with that

BTW. I'm driving with Maria in a while to Carlsbad. There's a German owned deli there called Tip Top Meats. It's owned by John Haedrich,an old German boxer. It's just like Germany. I'm going to buy some German beer(Augustina Helles). Next week at the CBHOF I'll bring some up for you,Frank,Randy,and Ed. Cheers

Rog . . . I'll bring the WBHOF tickets for all in our group who will be there. The rest I'll put in the mail the following monday.
By the way, my God daughter lives in Carlsbad. She's invited Monica and I down several times. One day we'll make the trip and maybe see you and Maria, as well.
Looking forward to the Augustina Helles if you can bring it.