LAS VEGAS -- Marvin Menzies leaned in to the group and, intimating there was more of the story that could be told, asked with a laugh: You want the off-the-record-version or the real version?One reporter was working on a story, so on the record it was.UNLVs first-year coach spent the next few minutes inside a Las Vegas hotel conference room describing the ruse he used to help convince San Diego State coach Steve Fisher to hire him as an assistant.Menzies voice rose and fell with each plot twist, eyes gleaming, mischievous smirk growing to goatee-stretching belly laugh.The story reached a perfect crescendo, spilling a roar of laughter from the room into the hallway.The Menzies Effect at work.Marvin is instantly disarming as soon as you meet him. You feel like you have known him forever, Fisher said. Hes what you want someone to be.Menzies has a huge task in front of him, trying to turn around a UNLV program thats still trying to regain the magic from the Jerry Tarkanian years.Las Vegas teems with excitement when the Runnin Rebels are running and gunning, yet they havent given fans much reason to turn their attention toward the campus just east of The Strip.Previous coach Dave Rice was a sharp basketball mind, a UNLV alum and had the ability to bring in some of the nations top recruiting classes.But Rice did not win enough and may not have been flashy enough for a program had plenty of both under Tark the Shark.Though not the first choice to run the Runnin Rebels -- Chris Beard was initially hired, but bolted days later -- Menzies may be the perfect person to run the show.Like second-year UNLV football coach Tony Sanchez, Menzies knows the town, its people and the expectations of the job after working under Lon Kruger for a season.Menzies knows basketball after working under Fisher and Rick Pitino, coaches who have both won national championships. He is a proven winner, leading New Mexico State to the NCAA Tournament five times in nine seasons.The 55-year-old has plenty of recruiting chops, annually convincing some of the nations best players to play in Las Cruces.And Menzies has a bit of showman in him, comfortable and confident enough to be the center of attention no matter where he is.Marvin would be a perfect fit anywhere, Fisher said. Hes happy in his own skin wherever hes been.Menzies success comes, in part, from making people feel comfortable in theirs.A natural talker, hes like the life-of-the-party host who has guests in tears from a funny story, yet still makes sure everyone has what they need.Menzies has an innate ability to make people, even strangers, feel comfortable around him. He nurtures those relationships by staying in touch with the people hes met along the way, from former players, coaches, administrators to boosters.A lot of the success stories you have come from the relationships you have, Menzies said. Ive done well and done right by the guys that Ive had and can keep going back to that well.Creativity flows through every one of Menzies wells.From his early days as a coach, he has never been afraid to go against the grain or take a risk if he believes something will work.To get the job at San Diego State, Menzies hatched an elaborate plan -- more on that later -- and had a cartoonist draw a picture of Fisher, his assistant coach Brian Dutcher and Menzies together on the sideline of a game against UCLA. Above their heads were thought bubbles.Everybody is a true artist at heart; were all born with a certain level of creativity, a certain level of artistry, he said. If you trust your instincts and use your intuition and when you need to stay true to form, you can find some favorable results.Now, about that Fisher story.The year was 1999 and Menzies was an assistant coach at Santa Monica College. Fisher was in town to visit a recruit and Menzies knew there was no way the coach who won a national championship at Michigan would notice a junior college assistant.So Menzies hatched a plan.He knew a local restaurant that was filled with waiters waiting to be actors and went in ahead of time, giving them his credit card and telling them to act like he was the most well-known person in town.Menzies convinced Fisher to stop in for a bite while waiting for traffic to die down and the waiters put in Academy Award-winning performances, treating Menzies like Norm from Cheers. When Menzies whipped out his wallet -- with no credit card in it -- the waiters told him, Coach, your money is no good here.Menzies looked like the king of Santa Monica and Fisher walked away impressed.We laughed about it after the fact, Fisher said. 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BOSTON -- Given how the Boston Red Sox bullpen has labored for the past month, getting injured setup man Koji Uehara back by Labor Day would be a welcome development.It just might happen, too.Uehara threw an encouraging 25-pitch session of live batting practice Monday at Fenway Park, his most rigorous workout yet since he went on the disabled list July 19 with a strained right pectoral muscle.According to Red Sox manager John Farrell, Uehara is scheduled for a bullpen session Wednesday in Boston and will throw to hitters again Saturday, one day later than he otherwise would have because the field at Oakland Coliseum wont be available after a Raiders preseason game Thursday night.If all goes well, Uehara could be reinstated to the roster as soon as next Monday for the opener of a three-game interleague series in San Diego.The Red Sox can use Uehara, too. Since he was sidelined, they have lacked a primary eighth-inning setup man. Although submarining right-hander Brad Ziegler hasnt pitched poorly, Farrell prefers not to use him against left-handed hitters. Junichi Tazawa and Matt Barnes have struggled, and lefty Fernando Abad has been a disappointment since being acquired from the Minnesota Twins at the trade deadline.So, although Uehara is 41 years old and has allowed eight home runs in his past 20? innings, he figures to help stabilize a group of relievers that has been searchingg for more definition to their roles.dddddddddddd healthy Koji certainly adds to our bullpen. And I know that he senses that, Farrell said. But I cant say that hes short-cutting any work or rehab for the sake of just getting back.Regardless of the struggles of the Red Soxs bullpen, Uehara made clear Monday night that he doesnt intend to come back before hes ready.It makes no sense to rush at this point in time, so Ill try to be ready when Im ready, Uehara said through a translator. I think the biggest hurdle is getting over the hurdle mentally. I think Im pretty good where I am physically.Indeed, when Uehara got injured, the Red Sox werent sure he would pitch again this season. Pectoral injuries are less common in pitchers than shoulder issues. Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski recently noted that Detroit Tigers right-hander Anibal Sanchez missed the final month and a half of last season with a pectoral strain.Its been impressive to see how [Uehara] has handled the volume with three times on the mound and the intensity to his bullpens and the BP, Farrell said. To his credit, hes worked his tail off. Hes gone about this fairly rapidly.Uehara has appeared in 39 games this season and has a 4.50 ERA with 51 strikeouts in 36 innings. China NFL Jerseys White Cheap NFL Autographed Jerseys Black China NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys From China Black China NFL Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Wholesale NFL Camo Jerseys ' ' '