The Vegas Golden Knights had some chances to strengthen their team this month, but there are real questions about whether that happened.
Then the Aces, Las Vegas' Women's NBA franchise, skipped a game against the Washington Mystics. Was that a wise thing to do?
And horse racing -- on the Las Vegas Strip? A British group thinks it would be a capital idea.
But what's Mitch Moss think?
Moss is a longtime sports commentator and host on V-SIN, the Vegas Sports and Information Network.
Vegas Golden Knights
"They did stay status quo. That can be a good and a bad thing. I think with expectations the fans probably would have said, ‘you know what let’s go get the one or two missing pieces that we had to really make another deep run against next year.”
Moss agreed that the Knights didn't get some of the big fish to help them through this next season.
But people's expectations will be tough for any team to live up to.
“Realistically they had no business making it as far as they did last year,” he said.
Also, it is unlikely that as many teams will fall victim to the Vegas Flu this year. The Vegas Flu was when a team came to town and instead of being focused on facing the Knights they enjoyed all the fun the city has to offer.
“They are all pros. They kind of got that out of their system in year one," he said.
Moss said besides not falling into the city's trap teams will now know to take the Knights seriously.
Las Vegas Aces
A few weeks ago the Aces forfeited a game in Washington D.C. after unforeseen travel troubles caused them to arrive within a few hours of the game without having a chance to sleep or get a good meal.
The Aces have defended their decision but it has not stopped criticism of the decision. Moss is on the fence about his opinion:
“That is a lot to go through if you’re players in a professional sport and be ready to go on game night. On the flip side… part of me says you know, it’s show business and the show must go on.”
Oakland Raiders:
“It is a big deal. The Raider Nation is in full force here in Las Vegas," Moss said.
Moss has been adamant from the beginning that the Raiders would make sense in Las Vegas because of the brand and because there are so many Raiders fans here to begin with.
Super Bowl LIII
Moss' money is on the Minnesota Vikings this year, which is tough for him to say because he's a Green Bay fan.
He thinks the roster for the Vikings is amazing. His second choice would be the New Orleans Saints. He wouldn't put money down now because he wants to see what injuries might happen in the pre-season.
UNLV Football
After several lackluster years, there is now some hope around the UNLV Football program. Some sportswriters are even predicting eight wins and a bowl invite.
“I really hope so. I, from day one, I have had my fingers crossed that Tony Sanchez is the right guy for the job. So for his sake, I don’t want him to be on the hot seat,” Moss said.
Moss doesn't want the team to be sidelined in the city's sports scene. He wants them to be a good team that gets invited to top bowl games.
But, he admits the Rebels have suffered some bad losses over the years.
“Could you imagine what that would look like? If we had horse racing for one day like a popup?” he said.
The idea is to close the Strip and lay down an artificial surface that would allow horses and riders to race. The surface could then be picked back up and cleaned up in less than a day.
"I love that idea!" Moss said.
He thinks racing down the Strip or through Time Square or along the Champs Elysees would help the sport bring in a younger audience. Right now, the average age of a horse racing fan is 60.
He said crazy racing ideas might bring in more eyeballs and younger fans.
Mitch Moss, host, Vegas Stats and Information Network
