X GAMES NOTEBOOK: RODRIGUEZ MAKES DAD PROUD.

Byline: Steve Ramirez Staff Writer

Actor-comedian Paul Rodriguez was more than an innocent bystander during the opening of X Games X Thursday at Staples Center.

He was there for his son Paul Rodriguez III, slowly making his own name as one of the up-and-coming action athletes in the skateboard genre.

``I'm just trying to be a good father and be as helpful as I can,'' said the older Rodriguez after watching his son take the gold medal during the Skateboard Street men's finals. ``I told him if I'm going to make you nervous, I won't go.

``But he said he wanted me to come. I will make you proud of the both of us.''

The younger Rodriguez accomplished the feat during a near-flawless performance during the jam session of the competition to unseat 2003 event champion and five-time medalist Eric Koston, who did not place on Thursday.

This is the second consecutive X Games appearance for Paul Rodriguez III. The 19-year-old turned pro two years ago and earned a bronze during the Skateboard Street Finals last season.

``I've told him, `You don't have to do this,' '' his dad said. `` `I make enough money to support the whole family. You don't have to break your neck.'

``But he wants to earn his own breaks. He's such a nice kid and stays out of trouble. I hope all this success doesn't go to his head and he continues to be a nice kid. I think he will.''

The younger Rodriguez has also taught his pop a few things, including a glowing appreciation for skateboarding.

``I've always been a boxing fan,'' Paul Rodriguez said. ``Boxing is a brutal sport and having been exposed to skating, I think all-around they are great athletes. To be a good skater, you have to have good agility and balance. I bet a skater could be a good boxer, especially if you try to mess with his board, but I don't think a boxer could be a good skater.''

While Rodriguez's victory was a minor upset in the X Games X opener, it wasn't as shocking as the favorite, Koston, not placing on the podium.

Even some of the competitors were a little bit surprised by the 29-year-old's performance that saw him make a near-flawless run during this first pass through the course. But he later fell three times and couldn't match either Rodriguez, second-place Andrew Reynolds or third- place Bastien Salabanzi during the jam session.

``He started good,'' the 18-year-old Salabanzi said. ``But I don't know what else to say.''

--Putting his rep on the line: Jeremy McGrath, one of the most dominant competitors in motor sports during the 1990s, leads the entry list for tonight's Moto X Step Up Finals at Staples Center.

McGrath dominated the AMA Stadium Cross series during the 1990s, winning consecutive championships from 1994 to 2000. This is his first time at the X Games.

--Pulling together: Pro Riders Organization, an action-sports group designed to promote and protect the interest of extreme sports athletes, is in full force at this weekend's X Games. The organization includes no fewer than 80 athletes who are competing here this weekend.

The main platform of PRO is to promote action athletes and related events. But it also wants to provide certified rules, regulations and consistent judging; implement a worldwide ranking system; establish safety standards; secure equitable athlete purse distributions and provide input on course design.

``Our goal is to legitimize these disciplines as sports, rather than portraying them as simply entertainment,'' said Wayne Kamemoto, one of the organization's founders.

Steve Ramirez, [phone]

steve.ramirez(at)sgvn.com