GRAY MATTERS

Writer Joshua Longobardy was ringside for the match between Diego Corrales and Jose Luis Castillo; Castillo didn't make weight but the fighters went at it anyway. In May, Corrales won by knockout. This time, Castillo knocked out Corrales in the fourth round.

Longobardy reports: "I talked to both Diego and Jose Luis after the fight, and on the day of the weigh-in. On Friday, Jose Luis, in an air of utter disappointment, said that his body just would not respond. He had come into Vegas in fantastic shape, but a couple pounds heavier than normal because toward the end of September he had been dormant for two days on account of a bruised rib (and so he couldn't sweat off the last pounds, as boxers typically do as the fight date approaches).

Now, normally, when a boxer is only a couple pounds overweight on the day before a fight, he can take a trip to the sauna and sweat it off. But Jose Luis' body has had enough. 135 pounds is, in all truth, an unnatural condition for both men, and Jose Luis' body (being over 30 now) just didn't want to get down that low again. That is why, he suspects, he actually gained weight after the first weigh-in.

"After the fight, Diego told me: "No excuses. I will take nothing away from that man. He came into the ring and beat me." It was a comment very typical of his character. His management, however, was full of rancor, and they let it show in a tense and awkward post-fight press conference. They believed that Jose Luis had a huge advantage, for he did not "debilitate" himself before the fight to make the weight limit like Diego did.

Esquire restaurant journalist John Mariani has long been a fierce critic of the Vegas food scene, primarily because so many chefs are present here in name only, such as Emeril, Jean-Georges Vongerichten and Wolfgang Puck.

The new Wynn Las Vegas, however, has changed the equation, because Steve Wynn made it clear he wanted his celebrity chefs in-house. As a result, two of the Wynn restaurants, Alex and Bartolotta, made Mariani's annual list of Best New Restaurants in Esquire, thanks to the stellar performances of their respective chefs, Alex Stratta and Paul Bartolotta.

Well done, boys.

In one of the landmark moments in the history of Marconi's invention, Weekly Contributing Editor Steve Bornfeld will join the yakker lineup on K-News, 970-AM, next month. For now, Bornfeld's trying to find his own distinct radio voice, as we listen in:

• "All drug abusers should be shot! But leave my maid alone—she thought those were Chicklets. This is Steve Bornfeld on the AIB (Arrogance in Broadcasting) Radio Network." ... Nah.

• "It's time to play ... Porn Star Jeopardy! We're inching toward the climactic final round, when the winner will get to be felt up by me, spanked and sent off to a special rendezvous with our own Corky the Midget Unicorn Man. ..." Uh-uh ...

We'll leave him to figure it out, but you can join Bornfeld every Friday from 4 to 6 p.m., starting November 11.

• " ... Hi-Yo Bornfeld, away!" ... Nope. Too Jewish.

"Dear Mr. [Damon] Hodge: You were nominated to participate in the 2006 FBI Citizens' Academy Nevada program. As you know [actually, I didn't], the Citizens' Academy is a community outreach program in which the FBI invites business, civic and religious leaders of the local community to take an inside look into the operations of the FBI. Through this program, the FBI builds stronger relationships with the citizens of Nevada."

So far so good.

"The Las Vegas Field Office received many nominees for the 2006 Citizens' Academy program. Unfortunately, due to the space limitations of the program [I can lose weight], not all nominees [especially if they are reporters and might expose even more gaffes in the American intelligence community] could be selected. I regret to inform you that the FBI Citizens' Academy Nevada Executive Board did not select you to participate in the 2006 program."

Darn.

"Your interest in the FBI Citizens' Academy Nevada [Clarification: I was nominated] is greatly appreciated. If the FBI can ever be of assistance to you, please call the Las Vegas Field Office.

Sincerely,

Ellen B. Knowlton

Special Agent in Charge"

You'll be hearing from me.

Thanks for helping the state by parceling out tax money to the needy, Gov. Guinn. In a nicely crafted story in the R-J, Erin Neff takes us from this: "Gov. Kenny Guinn said ... 'This is a historic day in Nevada: the first time the state has returned surplus tax money to its rightful owners, the people.'" ...

To this:

Cara Roberts, spokeswoman for the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce, said she will "splurge on a pair of Betsey Johnson pumps" because she thinks spending locally "'will have a great effect on the Nevada economy.'" ...

To this:

Mary Carter, a 26-year-old grocery clerk who estimates her refund will be around $100, says, "'It'll probably cover my electric bill."'

And then there's this: Some other R-J headlines from that day, October 6:

• "Moratorium on Halfway Houses Set," in which we learn that we have way too many people in need of better halfway houses; hmm, how could we pay for that?

• "Mobile Home Residents to Be Displaced," in which we wonder where they will go and hope it isn't to a) halfway houses or b) somewhere that costs more than their fat rebate check.

And ...

"Mother Sentenced To Life In Prison in Child Neglect Case," in which we observe the many ways in which failing to provide social services on the front end pays off by housing people in prison for life on the back end.

End of rant.

Thank you.