Steve & Eydie to close Stardust

LAS VEGAS The Stardust is expected to close its doors at 3 p.m. Wednesday to make way for an early 2007 demolition and to be rebuilt by parent company Boyd Gaming as the $4 billion Echelon Place by 2010.

For years, the Stardust has catered to the old Vegas crowd that eschewed the megaresorts of the modern era, and the Dust filled the niche well, including bringing in Wayne Newton from 1999 to 2005.

So it makes sense that the final event at the Stardust will be a concert by Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme in the showroom at 8 p.m. Saturday night.

That is, unless you include the Fetish & Fantasy Halloween Ball in the conference center on that same night.

Tickets to Steve & Eydie are $69.95, while the F&F Ball, a Tuley family tradition (well, until we settled down and had kids), is $75, or $38 for a late admission pass that doesn't get you in until 1:30 a.m. The party begins at 10op.m. and lasts until 3 a.m., but it's a six-hour event as Daylight Savings Time ends and clocks fall back an hour during the party.

o Halloween parties are huge business in Las Vegas every year, and it's no different this year. With Halloween falling on a Tuesday this year, the holiday weekend has been extended, with parties scheduled every night from Friday through Tuesday. For a full list, go to the link at the Las Vegas Review-Journal website (lvrj.com) or to eyeonvegas.net for more details on the party scene.

NBA opens on Halloween

In addition to all the ghoulish activities, Tuesday is also opening night in the NBA with two games on tap: the defending champion Heat hosting the Bulls, and the Suns at the Lakers.

No lines are available yet, but in addition to future-book odds to win the NBA title next June, many books have over/under season win totals.

At Caesars Palace and its linked Harrah's properties, the Spurs have the highest number at 57 1/2, followed by the Mavericks (56 1/2), Suns (55 1/2), Heat (50 1/2), the Pistons and Cavaliers (49 1/2 each), and the Nets and Bulls (48 1/2 each).

Happy birthday, Nevada

Tuesday is Nevada Day, commemorating the fact that this part of the wild, wild West was granted statehood on Oct. 31, 1864.

Children will not get the day off from school, and for some reason the legal holiday is being recognized this Friday.

Leroy's radio shows roll on

The "Beat Bogdanovich" promotion on the "Leroy's Sports Hour" radio show on Fridays from 2-3 p.m. Pacific has been a huge success. Steve Fezzik and Nick Bogdanovich put up $25,000 of their own money in a head-to-head handicapping contest, and so far Fezzik has taken the promotion's title to heart by compiling a record of 25-11-6 (69 percent) against the spread. Bogdanovich has performed well himself, with a record of 24-16-2 (60 percent), so the real winners have been those following their plays.

The show airs live on KENO AM-1460 from the second floor of Fitzgerald's in downtown Las Vegas. The contest goes for five more weeks, including this Friday.

* The handicappers haven't fared as well on the "Leroy's Money Talks Show" from the Silverton on Friday nights from 7-9 p.m. on KSHP AM-1400. The 16 handicappers put up $5,000 apiece to take part (hence the "Money Talks" title), but through the first seven head-to-head, first-round matchups, they have a combined record of 42-52-4 (45 percent). Three of the winners advanced with a losing record because their opponent fared even worse. This Friday's final first-round matchup pits Alf Musketta vs. Paul Sonner.

* On Sunday night, I will be on the "Leroy's Line Show" from the Riviera on Sunday from 9-11 p.m. Pacific. This show airs on KBAD AM-920 in Las Vegas and KPLY AM-630 in Reno. Outside Nevada, the show can be heard live on americanwagering.com (follow Leroy's links to the radio show) and lvrocks.com.

I'll be going over that day's NFL results and previewing the following week's games with host John Kelly and handicapper Dave Cokin, as well as giving early thoughts on the Breeders' Cup.

Drag races return to Vegas

The National Hot Rod Association's premier circuit makes its second annual stop at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway this weekend with the NHRA ACDelco Las Vegas Nationals.

The best thing about NHRA is the slogan that "every ticket is a pit pass," since fans are invited to watch the crews work on the cars and meet and get autographs from the drivers. They are among the most accessible athletes (we'll leave the "how can they be athletes if they sit in a car all day?" argument for another time).

Qualifying begins Friday (a full schedule is available at lvms.com) from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. in all divisions and continues all day Saturday. Final eliminations will begin at 11 a.m. Sunday.

Odds on Sunday's final eliminations in top fuel division at Station Casinos are: Tony Schumacher is the 3-1 favorite, followed by Brandon Bernstein and Doug Kalitta at 4-1, Melanie Troxel (the top female driver) at 6-1, and Las Vegas resident Rod Fuller at 6-1.

Reality TV star John Force is the 5-2 favorite in the Funny Car division, which he has dominated over the years, though he's not as big a favorite as he used to be. Ron Capps is the second choice at 3-1.

The big favorite in the Pro Stock division is Jason Line at 5-8. Greg Anderson is the second choice at 3-1.

* In the stock cars that go round and round, the Nextel Cup series moves to Atlanta on Sunday for the BASS/MNBA 500. Station Casinos has Kasey Kahne as the 5-1 favorite, followed by Jimmie Johnson, who won last week's race at Martinsville, at 7-1, Tony Stewart at 8-1, and series points leader Matt Kenseth at 9-1.