AZTECS TRAVEL TO LAS VEGAS THIS WEEKEND FOR FIRST MWC ROAD SERIES
***San Diego State makes it first Mountain West Conference road trip of the season when it visits Las Vegas for a three-game series against UNLV beginning Friday (April 21) at 6:30 p.m. at Earl E. Wilson Stadium.
***The series continues on Saturday (April 22) with a contest at 2:00 p.m. and concludes with a game on Sunday (April 23) at 1:00 p.m.
***This is the 69th season of Aztec baseball since the sport was elevated to major status in 1936. The school did not field varsity teams from 1943 to 1945.

SERIES RECORD
***The Aztecs record against UNLV stands at 46-35 in the series that began during the 1978 season. The teams met on a regular basis during the 1990's while both were members of the Western Athletic Conference.
***Since joining the MWC, SDSU's record against the Rebels is 20-24. That ledger includes a 19-18 record in regular-season play and 1-6 in conference tournament action.
***San Diego State's record on the Rebels' home field is 23-17. The Aztecs are 22-11 in contests played in San Diego and 1-7 at neutral site fields. UNLV won five of the six regular-season contests between the teams last year and defeated the Aztecs when they met at the 2005 MWC Tournament.
***The Aztecs and Rebels played in San Diego earlier this season during the MWC Preseason Tournament with SDSU claiming an 11-10 win.

SCOUTING THE REBELS
***UNLV comes into the week with an overall mark of 16-22 and 3-7 in league play. The Rebels have lost five of six after being swept at TCU in a three-game series last weekend. They are 1-14 on the road, but have a mark of 13-7 at Earl E. Wilson Stadium in 2006.
***UNLV is led offensively by outfielder Keith Smith (.339, 10 2B, 7 HR, 6 RBI), second baseman CJ Lang (.328, 4 2B, 19 RBI) and first baseman Chris Bonnell (.313, 13 2B, 38 RBI). Chris Saddoris (5-5, 5.07) is the team's number-one starter while the bullpen is anchored by closer Jabe Beard (1-0, 4 saves, 5.34).
***As a team, the Rebels are batting .290 with a 6.09 earned run average.

The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority started the prep work for a $737 million renovation. Once completed, the familiar property at Paradise and Convention Center Boulevard will look very different.

Behind the Convention Center, the first visible work will start in January next year.

Joe W. Brown will be straightened behind the Convention Center and the road will pass through the parking lot and gatehouse of the Las Vegas Country Club, joining Joe W. Brown on the other side.

The Convention Center bought the land from the Country Club, and 200,000 square feet will be added to the Convention Center exhibit space.

Parts of the Las Vegas Convention center have not been enhanced in 50 years. Now board members for the LVCVA say it's time for an overhaul.

Board members for the LVCVA say it's time for an overhaul and LVCVA spokesman Vince Alberta says the expansion will give the building overall flow.

Right now, if someone were to walk from the north hall to the south hall, convention goers must leave the building.

"Our primary focus is to retain existing customers and to maintain our number one trade show destination that we have," Alberta said.

The most interesting part of the project is not the straightening of Joe W. Brown behind the convention center or the extensive meeting space, which will complete a tunnel over Desert Inn. But a two story convention space. It's the largest expansion building in the plans. It will be built over the current front parking lot of the convention center.

The expansion building will be set high enough off the ground so large construction vehicles can park under it. It will start 45 feet up -- meaning the office building in the Hughes Center could sit under the expansion.

"It will still be functional to work to improve the over all experience," Alberta said. "I think what we are doing is re-inventing the convention center.

The entire project will be finished in 2010, but there's action now. Site work for a new metro sub station began last week. The Convention Center also cleared space behind the Renaissance Hotel, which a three-floor customer service building will be built there.

Las Vegas has the third largest convention center in the country. However, all of the top convention centers in the country are renovating -- to stay ahead in a very competitive business.

After months of stoking rumors, the city's flamboyant and popular mayor said Wednesday that he won't run for the U.S. Senate and will instead seek a third term in his current post.

Mayor Oscar Goodman, known for traveling with a pair of rented showgirls, had told reporters earlier that he was being courted by a group of Democratic senators to replace first-term Republican Sen. John Ensign.

Goodman said he will run for a final term as mayor next year in hopes of bringing a pro sports team to Las Vegas and redeveloping the downtown.

"I love Las Vegas. I love Nevada," Goodman said. "I started certain projects here, and I'm trying to get them completed. I can serve the people much better if I can stay in the state."

The former mob lawyer swept into office in 1999 in his first political campaign. He won re-election with a record 86 percent of the vote in 2003.