Columnist Ron Kantowski: Latest antics strain new league’s credibility

Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2001 | 10:23 a.m.

Ron Kantowski's notes column appears Tuesday. Reach him at ron@lasvegassun.com or 259-4088.

Well, only three more weeks before the folding chairs begin to fly in the XFL.

With its television ratings tumbling like ice cubes into Dean Martin's highball glass and the NCAA's March Madness just around the corner, Vince McMahon's made-for-TV football league may have to pull out some additional stops to guarantee that somebody's still watching during the second half of its brief 10-game inaugural season.

Many media critics say the league will resort to contrived storylines and women dressed even more outrageously than its uncoordinated cheerleading troupes in an effort to keep viewers interested.

It would appear the wrestling-type presentation already is under way. During the closing seconds of his team's loss to Birmingham Sunday, woeful NY/NJ quarterback Charlie Puleri got on the public address system and taunted the hometown fans that had been booing him.

Then, at halftime of the dreadfully played Outlaws-Maniax game in Memphis, the XFL literally took the wraps off some wrestling bimbo wearing bondage-type gear that even Madonna would find revealing.

The XFL began to lose credibility even before the weekend began. Matt Vasgersian, the Milwaukee Brewers' play-by-play announcer and one of the league's few links to mainstream sports, was demoted to the second-tier broadcast crew and replaced with WWF shill Jim Ross.

And finally, there was yet another report of a near "sellout" crowd in Los Angeles, where about 36,000 fans turned out for the Xtreme home opener. The XFL has set a "sellout" figure of 42,000 for that market -- despite the fact the L.A. Coliseum, where the team plays, has a capacity of 90,000.

The Las Vegas Bandits of the IBL should adopt the same strategy. The Bandits should block out 17,300 of the Thomas & Mack Center's 18,000 seats and then they could announce a sellout, too.

Finally, an XFL footnote. In that Las Vegas quarterback Ryan Clement suffered a separated shoulder on a late hit Sunday and then complained about it, I guess that officially makes him the first "pantywaist" (the term McMahon used to describe NFL QBs who are protected somewhat by the rules) in XFL history.

Around the horn

Wrote "Bud, Sweat & Tees" author Alan Shipnuck: "The PGA Tour has seen many young players corrupted by success, the most glaring recent example being Robert Gamez, who won his first official start on tour in 1990, then two months later electrified the golf world by holing out a 7-iron on the 72nd hole of the Bay Hill Invitational to beat Greg Norman by a stroke. A unanimous Rookie of the Year selection, Gamez proceeded to party his way into oblivion. Winless since '90, he still hangs around the fringe of the tour."

According to reports, foursomes anted up five-figure greens fees Monday for the privilege of playing in the inaugural ESPY Celebrity Golf Classic hosted by native son Greg Maddux of the Atlanta Braves.

Proceeds were to be split among the V Foundation, a cancer research group linked with the ESPYs (which were held Monday at the MGM Grand), and two charities of Maddux's choosing. The tournament reportedly was limited to 72 rich guys comprising 18 foursomes.

Rosegreen is a nice guy who was noted for his work ethic when he played here. Despite standing just 6-foot-4 with No. 2 pencils for legs, he once pulled down 21 rebounds in a single game.

And that was against Fresno State -- not the Washington Generals.

And finally, given her past comments about the man, do you think UNLV president Carol Harter took one of Bill Bayno's athletic supporters to last weekend's not-so-secret meeting with Rick Pitino, just to see if he could carry it?