NEWS ARCHIVE: November 2000
30
November 2000
Legal Battle Pushes Back CFL Player
Draft
The
Canadian Football League temporarily has dodged a draft
of its players by the XFL, but it may be in for an extreme lawsuit.
The XFL draft of CFL players has been pushed back from
tomorrow to Dec. 31 . However, there is
no guarantee CFL players under contract, even ones who played
out their option year, which doesn't officially expire until Feb.
15, immediately will be allowed to join the XFL. But, the lawyer
for Xtreme quarterback Keith Smith intends to file suit
in Tucson, Ariz., to release him from his contract. [Read
Entire Article: Link to External News Article]
29
November 2000
XFL Signs TV Deal with the National
Network
The
XFL Wednesday reached a deal with TNN: The National Network to
serve as its cable partner. The contract calls for nine broadcasts
on Sunday afternoons, beginning with a game between the Birmingham
Thunderbolts and New York/New Jersey Hitmen on February 11. Financial
terms were not disclosed by the XFL, which will produce the games.
"We are excited to welcome TNN as our cable partner,'' said
XFL President Basil V. DeVito Jr. "Fans who tune in to TNN
on Sunday afternoons will experience a different type of football
telecast, one that we believe will change how sports is presented
on TV.'' NBC already has committed to broadcast regional and national
games on Saturday nights in prime time. UPN, the league's other
broadcast partner, will air games Sunday afternoons. [Read
Entire Press Release]
29 November 2000
BYU Takes Pride in an XFL Connection
The
XFL may soon be taking a place in the hearts of Brigham Young
University fans. Six former BYU football players were either
drafted or reserved by XFL teams in the league's first draft.
Brian Gray, Scott Brumfield, Eric Bateman, Mike Ulafale, Shay
Muirbrook and Kaipo McGuire have been offered the chance to play
in the newly organized league. Gray, last year's cornerback for
BYU, has decided to play in the XFL. "It should be a good opportunity
to get back into the league (NFL)," he said. Gray was recently
released by the Cincinnati Bengals. He was one of three
BYU alumni reserved by the XFL's Las Vegas Outlaws. [Read
Entire Article: Link to External News Article]
29
November 2000
Rage Gears Up for Full Dress
Rehearsal
David
Coughlin,
our Orlando Rage team reporter has given us a Rage update: In
Orlando, the pieces are slowly coming together for the Rage's
inaugural season with the XFL. After finishing up a 5 day minicamp
for the skill positions, the Orlando Rage are getting ready for
the full squad minicamp on December 10-17. After that, training
camp will be conducted in January... [Read
Entire Article: Link to Orlando Rage Team Page]
28
November 2000
Minnesota Attorney General says
Ventura is Covered by State Ethics Code
Governor Jesse Ventura is covered under a
state code of ethics regarding outside income, Minnesota's attorney
general said in an opinion released Tuesday. But Attorney General
Mike Hatch said it's not within his authority to determine whether
Ventura's job as a football analyst for the fledgling XFL violates
that code. And for now, the governor's personal attorney says
the opinion doesn't change his plans to get back in the broadcast
booth. [Read
Entire Article: Link to External News Article]
28
November 2000
The Enforcers Will Put on a Show
When
asked what type of game the Chicago Enforcers would be playing,
running back John Avery, a former Miami Dolphin and the Enforcers'
first-round pick had this to say: "They
want to put on a show. Defense wins games,
but offense sells tickets. That's what I'm about. I'm going to
get the chance to do a little bit of everything." [Read
Entire Article: Link to External News Article]
28 November 2000
Look for Demons on SF TV
"The
Show" is a Bay Area celebrity and personality talk show. Look
for SF Demons Head coach Jim Skipper and quarterback Mike
Pawlawski to be featured on "The Show" on Nov 28th.
"The Show" airs weekdays at 6:00 p.m. and repeats at 10:00 p.m.
and the following day at 9:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. on
BayTV.
27
November 2000
Coaches for New York/New Jersey
Today,
the Hitmen named Joseph Lombardi as their running backs
coach. Joseph
Lombardi is the grandson of the late Green Bay Packers' Hall of
Fame coach Vince Lombardi and was defensive line coach and strength
and conditioning coach at Bucknell this year. Before that, he
was tackle/tight end coach at Virginia Military from 1999-2000,
and defensive line coach at Dayton from 1996-99. The
Hitmen also named Bill Urbanik defensive line coach, Tony
Mottola linebackers coach, Mike Dietzel secondary coach
and Paul Butcher special teams coach.
27
November 2000
Kidd Leaves the Xtreme, Joins Rams
Wide
receiver James Kidd, one of Coach Al’s "Lugies"
and a likely contributor to the Xtreme come February, has been
signed onto the practice squad of the NFL’s St. Louis Rams.
Practice squad members don’t participate on game day unless
promoted to the active roster at another player’s expense.
Kidd probably won’t get such an opportunity in the next few
weeks, but he’s now just an injury away from national television.
[Read
Entire Article: Link to Xtreme Team Page]
27
November 2000
CFL's Joe Paopao heading to the
XFL
The Canadian media has reported that B.C.
Lions Offensive Coordinator Joe Paopao has been offered the Offensive
Coordinator's position with the San Francisco Demons. Paopao will
officially accept the position no later than Tuesday. He is the
second member of B.C.'s coaching staff to head over to the XFL.
Greg Mohns, who was the Lions' head coach earlier this year, left
B.C. and joined the XFL's management team in August.
26
November 2000
Linda McMahon Sets Things
Straight
As we know, the WWFE is a family affair. Father Vince has told
ESPN magazine that he will encourage cheerleaders to date XFL
players. Linda McMahon, the wife of Vince, has recently gone on
record to emphasize that the XFL will be ''a full 100 percent
sport that Las Vegas will certainly make book on,'' meaning that,
unlike wrestling shows, the football games won't be following
a script.
[Read
Entire Article: Link to External News Article]
25
November 2000
XFL.COM Will be Selling Soon
On Dec. 1, just in time for the holidays,
XFL.com plans to launch their e-commerce venue featuring
more than 90 items, including jerseys, hats and the league's official
red and black football. Fans who register online will learn via
e-mail of special deals. The XFL expects e-commerce, which will
be run in-house, to generate about 40% of the site's revenue.
25
November 2000
Saturday Night with the Governor
Matt
Vasgersian, the host of Fox Sports' "Sports Geniuses," and
the new play-by-play announcer for NBC's broadcasts of the Saturday
night XFL games will be sharing the broadcast booth with Jesse
Ventura. When asked how he measures up to the imposing Ventura,
Vasgersian said, "I'm a runt. I'm six foot in pumps. He'd kick
my (butt) without exercising any effort whatsoever. I made it
clear from the outset that if they were looking for a Ronnie Radio-type,
I was the wrong guy. I'm really excited to be part of something
that doesn't require cliched sports-speak at every turn. ... I
can't wait to give the governor a harumph."
22
November 2000
Vince McMahon on CNNSI
What did Vince McMahon have to say in his latest
interview in CNNSI? "It's a very, very, visceral, very, very,
honest type of representation, which is quite frankly a reality
show. That is the concept. It's a reality show inside, arguably
the greatest sport on TV." [Read
Entire Article: Link to External News Article]
21 November 2000
NBC Announces Their Broadcasting
Team
Matt Vasgersian, who does play-by-play for
the Milwaukee Brewers, has been hired by NBC as its lead announcer
for XFL telecasts. Vasgersian, Mike Adamle and Fred
Roggin will join Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura in the
broadcast booth, NBC Sports chairman Dick Ebersol said Tuesday.
Vasgersian is also the host of Fox Sports Net's "Sports Geniuses''.
Ventura has done radio commentary for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers,
will be the game analyst in the booth. Adamle and Roggin will
work the sidelines. Adamle, a former NFL player, is the sports
director at WMAQ in Chicago. Roggin holds the same position at
KNBC in Los Angeles. [Press
Release]
21
November 2000
DiNardo Positive
About His Bolts
A
week-long Birmingham Thunderbolts mini-camp left coach Gerry DiNardo
with one lasting impression: The XFL draft paid off for his club.
"We drafted to put a team in place," DiNardo said. "We didn't
do it as another tryout, the way some teams did. I think our opinion
staffwide is that the mini-camp reinforced how we felt about our
talent coming in." [Read
Entire Article: Link to External News Article]
21
November 2000
We'll
Call it the Wild Thing
There
have been some good moments and some bad moments in this trip
that we call the rise of the XFL. This
latest moment, brought to you by ESPN the magazine and Vince McMahon
himself, has left most people baffled as to how it should be defined.
In the latest issue of ESPN The Magazine, Vince McMahon has quoted
that XFL players not only will be allowed to date the cheerleaders,
they'll even be encouraged to do so. "Yes, our cheerleaders
will date our players," McMahon has said. "Yes, they'll
be hot babes ... We're going to have three or four of them surround
our announcers -- who'll be sitting in the stands, by the way...
then, when the quarterback fumbles or the wideout drops a pass
-- and we know who he's dating -- I want our reporters right back
in her face on the sidelines demanding to know whether the two
of them did the wild thing last night".... [Read
Entire Article]
20
November 2000
Our First Contest Winner
Our
first message board contest has a winner. JCT007 was the
first to post our secret keyword "butkus". Actually
it only took him about two hours after the contest started to
do it. JCT007's comment when informed that he had won the t-shirt:
"Sweet!" We have picked another keyword and will start
another keyword contest tonight, 21 Nov 00 at 12:01 AM EST. The
prize is another XFLBoard.com
t-shirt. Good luck everyone - keep posting!
20 November 2000
State
Senator Asks for Legal Opinion on Ventura
Late
Monday afternoon it has been revealed that the leader of the Minnesota
Senate has asked the state attorney general Monday whether Gov.
Jesse Ventura's planned gig as an XFL announcer violates any ethical
guidelines. Senate Majority Leader Roger Moe asked Attorney General
Mike Hatch to clarify whether the governor is a state employee
and therefore covered under a code of ethics for employees in
the executive branch.
18
November 2000
Just Like We Told You... The Future
is in The 6th Day
The XFL is all over
the
start of the new Schwarzenegger movie, "The 6th Day".
The first scene of the movie takes place at an XFL game, in the
year 2013. The actual XFL logo is shown all over the place. The
quarterback was making $300 million for a salary and has a helmet
with a "heads up" display inside the visor. The display
indicted a blitz and then he took an XFL style hit. We like the
idea that future XFL QB's don't wear panties either.
Incidentally, the NFL
is not featured anywhere in the movie. Maybe this future stuff
isn't so scary after all.
:^)
17 November 2000
Chicago's
ESPN Radio 1000 (WMVP) the XFL's First Radio Broadcaster
Vince
McMahon, XFL President Basil DeVito and Enforcers head coach Ron
Meyer announced today that Chicago's ESPN Radio 1000 (WMVP) will
carry the Chicago Enforcers games. McMahon also alluded to the
fact that there will soon be a radio deal announced in every XFL
city. This is great news for XFL fans everywhere; WMVP 1000 also
broadcasts their signal worldwide on the internet.
17
November 2000
QumarChicago Interviews "Da Coach"
Mike Ditka on the XFL: "As long as they don't ruin what football
really is, and keep football as a competitive sport, then I think
the league can succeed. And most importantly, the cheerleaders
should stay away from the men's locker room. You need to keep
those thing separate, or else it would hurt the league."
[Read
Entire Interview: Link to Enforcers Team Page]
17
November 2000
Major Announcement Regarding Enforcers Later Today
World Wrestling Federation
Entertainment Chairman Vince McMahon along with XFL President
Basil DeVito and Enforcers head coach Ron Meyer will be making
a major announcement regarding the Enforcers on Friday, November
17 at 4:10 p.m. central time on Chicago's ESPN Radio 1000 (WMVP).
The announcement will be made during the Huge Show hosted by Bill
Simonson and Lou Canellis.
16
November 2000
NBC
names Jesse Ventura XFL Analyst
Jesse
Ventura, whose candor and fresh perspective helped him get
elected governor of Minnesota in 1998, today was named analyst
on NBC’s upcoming XFL broadcasts. The joint announcement
was made by Dick Ebersol, Chairman NBC Sports and Olympics and
Vince McMahon, Chairman of World Wrestling Federation Entertainment,
Inc. The XFL, which is co-owned and operated by WWFE, Inc. and
NBC, begins its first season on Saturday, Feb. 3, 2001. NBC will
televise a weekly game in primetime each Saturday at 8 p.m. ET.
“We’re thrilled to have one of the most interesting
and colorful leaders in America today joining us as an integral
part of the XFL,” said Ebersol. “This demonstrates our
commitment to present real football in a fresh, new, fun way.”
[Press
Release]
16
November 2000
Win a Free XFLBoard.com T-Shirt
Announcing our first
discussion board contest! We have picked a "keyword".
The first registered guest that creates a new post in our discussion
board containing that word will receive a free XFLBoard.com t-shirt.
It's that simple! P.S. The word has to be used properly in a sentence,
(ie. not in a list of words) and the word has to appear in the
body of the text and not in any username. We did a count and our
first keyword has already appeared in our board well over 100
times.
15
November 2000
Jesse "The Governor"
Ventura Will Announce
The
Body is heading to the broadcast booth. Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura,
a former pro wrestler, will be an announcer for NBC Sports' telecasts
of the new XFL football league, the Associated Press learned Wednesday.
NBC hasn't yet named any of its on-air lineup for the XFL. Ventura's
hiring will be announced Thursday, according to a TV industry
source who spoke on condition of anonymity. NBC said it would
have a conference call Thursday for a "major announcement
regarding NBC's XFL talent.'' The network would not say who would
be hired. "I'm not commenting on that today,'' Ventura, in
Minnesota, said. "My policy with the media is that I only
talk about today's business.'' [Read
Entire Article: Link to External News Article]
15
November 2000
Maniax in Mini-Camp
There
are dozens of stories in the naked mini-camp... There are some
players whose NFL careers were foiled by injuries, others by bad
luck. Some were the right players at the wrong places at the wrong
times. "All these guys have been good players in their careers,"
Rashan Salaam said, "and because of a circumstance here, a circumstance
there, they're not in the NFL. But this league here gives us a
good opportunity to showcase ourselves." [Read
Entire Article: Link to External News Article]
15
November 2000
The Score to Broadcast XFL in
Canada
Canadians will have spring football on their televisions. The
Score, a Canadian sports news network, has signed a two-year agreement
to broadcast one XFL game every Sunday during the regular season
as well as two playoff games and the Championship game. [Press
Release]
15
November 2000
Hitmen Hire Staff
The New York/New Jersey Hitmen named Ron Calcagni offensive coordinator
and Edwin Bailey offensive line coach.
14
November 2000
XFL to Announce Additional TV Deals
The WWF has scheduled a press conference
on Wednesday, where they plan to announce three new developments
involving World Wrestling Federation, XFL television programming
and the significant business involvement of WWFE in a major Canadian
television broadcast company. It is rumored that these new deals
are with the Canadian cable sports channel Headline Sports.
13
November 2000
XFL Uniforms - Which is Best?
Are you confused by all the colors
and styles of the XFL uniforms? Try this uniform
comparision chart.
13 November 2000
It Must be a Devilish Duty...
Revealing
outfits aside, cheerleading is not about sex, said Jay Howarth,
who handles cheerleading affairs for the XFL. In fact, men have
nothing to do with it. "This is basically about girls and
for girls,'' said Howarth. "It's not about girls for boys.
If men want to view these ladies as wrestler chick strippers,
that's up to them. But that isn't what it's about.'' What it is
about, said Howarth, is show business. Howarth shared that sentiment
with the 230 women who showed up yesterday at Pacific Bell Park
to audition for 10 positions available with the cheerleading squad
of the Demons, "Give us who you are,'' she urged. "If
you're a sports chick, give us sports chick. If you're Baywatch,
give us Baywatch. We have 10 slots to fill, and you shouldn't
try to second-guess us, try to figure out what we need. Just be
you.'' [Read
Entire Article: Link to External News Article]
12 November 2000
Rage Mini-Camp Next Week
Beginning
next week, the City of Orlando be able to get its first look at
its new professional football team as the XFL's Orlando Rage will
conduct a mini-camp at the Citrus Bowl Complex, Nov. 14-18. Head
Coach Galen Hall is anticipating 29 skill position players to
show up for the camp, which will include two daily workouts on
"Thunder Field," adjacent to the Florida Citrus Bowl.
Participants include wide receivers, running backs, tight ends,
quarterbacks and centers. The team will conduct a full squad mini-camp
in December. [Link
to Rage Team Page - More Info]
12
November 2000
Ron Meyer on XFL Player Recruiting
A quote from Ron Meyer, the Head Coach
of the Chicago Enforcers, when asked about who was going to play
in the XFL: "The majority of the players will be ex-NFL players,
by that I mean young players that were let go in the last cut
or guys who may have played one year or two and were let go for
one reason or another. That being said, we're also looking to
the Canadian league for its top players, of which we have a few
on our roster."
11
November 2000
Your Chance to See the Bolts
Quarterbacks,
running backs, receivers, tight ends and centers, recently drafted
by the Bimringham Thunderbolts, will report this Monday for physical
examinations. Then they will hit the field on Tuesday at 9 a.m
to start the Bolts' mini-camp. Some of those who will be attending
will be Casey
Weldon, the Thunderbolts' first-round
selection, former Auburn running back James
Bostic, former Alabama running back Curtis Alexander
and former Dallas Cowboys receiver Stepfret Williams. Workouts
are scheduled for 9 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. through to 20 Nov at the
Intramural Fields on the Birmingham Southern College campus. All
workouts are open to the public. "Not only is this a chance for
us as coaches to get to know these players, it's also a chance
for the people of Birmingham to start getting to know their team,"
coach Dinardo has said. "Everything we do over at Birmingham
Southern is free and open to the public."
10
November 2000
Our Exclusive T-Shirt
This T-Shirt is strictly for fans of the
XFL! (If you are a closet NFL fan lurking on this site - look
away!) This is an XFL Fan's Rant on an excellent quality
T-Shirt: ...Real Football, Football in February, No Pathetic Fair
Catches, Our Quarterbacks don't wear panties... and more! [Click
here for Ordering Information]
9
November 2000
Enforcers Mini-Camp a Public Affair
The
Chicago Enforcers XFL football team will have its first mini-camp
from the 14th to the 17th of November and it is open to the public.
The camp is taking place at a Chicago Park District Field at 47th
and Cornell, right off Lake Shore Drive and about 10 minutes south
of Soldier Field.
9
November 2000
Hitmen Show off their Black and
Blue
The
final inaugural XFL team to show off their uniforms has been the
Hitmen. Wait no more, because here they are! If you like black
and blue, you will like this. [Link
to Hitmen Web Site]
9
November 2000
Enforcers Seal Deal for Soldier
Field
The XFL is expected to pay at least $1 million a year for two
years for the Enforcers to use Soldier Field. The Enforcers have
sold 3,500 season tickets, and are hoping to have crowds of 20,000
on-hand for home games. There is also a plan to gut and rebuild
the 76-year-old stadium. Construction would take 18 months, but
no starting date has been set. There is no word on where the Enforcers
will play if scheduled Soldier Field renovations interfere with
next year's XFL season.
8
November 2000
The CFL Prepares to Fight
Relations between the CFL and the XFL
have deteriorated. The CFL has instructed its lawyers to get ready
to battle the XFL in the courtrooms, and it is all over player
contracts. A
quote from Jeff Giles, the CFL's outgoing president: "We're
preparing to defend the integrity of our contracts. And we're
preparing to do so vigorously." CFL executives were surprised
to learn that some players who are still under contract to CFL
teams were selected in the XFL's first draft. One of the players
in particular, from the Saskatchewan Roughriders, was receiver
Curtis Mayfield. Mayfield retired from the CFL before this
season started - just after signing a contract and receiving a
$35,000 cash signing bonus. Now he is on the roster of the Chicago
Enforcers. Technically, Mayfield still is under contract to the
CFL even though he did not play for them in 2000. [Our
Reference: Link to External News Article]
7
November 2000
Hall Wants to Bring in Bell
CFL
quarterback Kerwin Bell could be the "Rage", when the
XFL
is holds a draft on December 1st for CFL players. Bell,
who was aquired by Toronto as a free agent in September, is being
pursued by the XFL's Orlando Rage. Rage head coach, Galen Hall,
coached Bell at the University of Florida. Bell, a drop back passer
with a strong arm, would bring experience and maturity to the
ranks of the Rage.
6
November 2000
Hitmen Answer the Tough Questions
When
asked about the Cheerleader commercials the Hitmen's Head Coach
Rusty Tillman has spoken out: "Yes, you're seeing half-naked
women, but the point is we're going after a male audience from
13 to 35 years old. There are no questions about it. I
know some people are offended by it, but let's take the Dallas
Cowboy cheerleaders. Do you think sex has anything to do with
that? At least Vince McMahon is being honest about it. Men like
cheerleaders. So we'll have beautiful ones. I don't see anything
wrong with a guy enjoying cheerleaders." [Read
Entire Article: Link to External News Article]
6
November 2000
Are the Players Clones Too?
The
new Schwarzenegger movie, "The 6th Day", is a
look into the near future when cloning is a reality. Apparently,
according to the movie makers, the XFL is also a future reality.
It has been reported that in the opening scene of the movie, which
is to be released on Nov 17th, there is an XFL game being played.
6
November 2000
Beg your Pardon?
We are both confused and intrigued by a quote from Peter King
in a recent CNNSI Article: "Lawrence Phillips signed
with the Las Vegas entry of the XFL, and Vince McMahon, the commissioner
of the XFL, basically said, 'Look, we don't want any convicted
felons in our league.' So Phillips, if the league does not allow
him in, will sue the XFL to gain entry." What
do you think? Take it to our
message board.
[Read
Entire Article: Link to External News Article]
6
November 2000
What do you think?
We are contemplating changes to this site,
especially in our discussion forum. We are thinking of moving
towards a more robust system with more fan features and registration.
What do you think? Answer the poll on this page!
3 November 2000
XFL
Marketer's Tout Internet Strategy
The
XFL just finished the first leg of an e-mail, season-ticket drive
and claims that a blast to its house file of 80,000 XFL fans resulted
in a more than 5 percent conversion-to-sale rate. Respondents
bought an average of 2.5 packages per order. If
only every online marketer's arsenal could include an e-mail list
of rabid fans...
[Read
Entire Article: Link to External News Article]
3
November 2000
The Hitmen Announce Staff Hirings
The New York/New Jersey
named Paul Miles vice president of administration, Jason Danahy
director of marketing, Jon Schwartz director of public relations,
Keith Levin director of sales, Gina Durante finance manager, Jay
Johnson operations manager and Scott Stenback box office manager.
3
November 2000
A Devil in Red and Black
The
San Francisco Demons released their red and black uniforms this
week. The Demons GM and Vice-President, Mike Preacher, has said
that the Demon's look will be unique, and that we will see the
demons mix and match their uniforms a lot this year.
[SF
Demons Home Page]
1
November 2000
Milanovich, Copeland Highlight
Xtreme Draft
We
would like to introduce our new Xtreme Team Reporter, David
Curtis, and his first XFLBoard.com article....
The most intriguing selections made by the Los Angeles Xtreme
during the XFL's inaugural player draft were those of hard-luck
quarterback Scott Milanovich -- the first pick overall -- and
receiving phenom Jeremaine Copeland... [Read
Entire Article: Link to Xtreme Team Page]
1
November 2000
The Demons are Unleashed
Roll
out the football and Mike Pawlawski is there -- his engine running,
his mouth moving, his right arm cocked and ready. The venue barely
matters, from a stadium in Berkeley to an arena in Albany to a
ballpark in San Francisco. So there stood Pawlawski yesterday,
deep in the bowels of Pacific Bell Park, embracing this curious
beast known as the XFL. It's quite a mix, really, the sideshows
of wrestling wizard Vince McMahon teaming with the mainstream
power and exposure of NBC -- all in the name of more football.
[Read
Entire Article: Link to External News Article]