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'Eht ©amecock Sports Commentary XFL shows promise, but there is room for improvement Kyle Almond is a junior journalism major. He can be reached at gamecock sports© hotmail.com. Like most sports fans around the country, I tuned in curiously Saturday night to watch the debut of the XFL. For the first 15 minutes, I was convinced the hew pro-football league would be the next big thing in sports. Then the game started, and I wasn’t convinced anymore. Don’t get me wrong — I saw a lot of positives in the league’s first game, which pitted the New York/New Jersey Hitmen against the Las Vegas Outlaws. But Vince McMahon still has some work to do. For starters, something needs to be done about the dizzying camera angles. I like the variety of shots the XFL offered, but after a while, it just made my head hurt. Then there was the annoying sound of plays being relayed over and over in the quarterback’s helmet. Hey, it’s cool to hear the game from the players and coaches, but I don’t speak 1 Playbook. I have no idea what a “reverse ] 67 double wingbat” is. A run? A pass? I don’t know. So why do I have to hear it ; every single play? ; The constant interviews were i probably the most annoying thing, i After almost every other play, there was i an on-field interview with a coach or a —■" l ilayer. That’s a little excessive. Again, do [ really care if a guy used Ben-Gay or [cy-Hot? My favorite interview of opening light: Reporter: So what happened on the ast play? Defensive Back: He didn’t want to ee “deez.” You know what I’m saying? >hout-out to L-Town! Someone tell McMahon quality is tetter than quantity when it conies to ilayer interviews. As for the game, I think everyone can igree that it sucked. Big plays were few ind far between, and there was only me really good hit in the game. The NFL nakes these guys look like Pop Warner quads. To the XFL’s defense, however, the concepts they introduced were groundbreaking. The “total access” idea is brilliant; it just needs some work. The new and improved “coin toss” — where instead of an actual coin toss, two play ers race for possession of the ball — was simply awesome. No extra points and no fair catches also make the XFL game unique and could add a lot of excitement in the future. The sheer energy surrounding the game was probably its strength. Jesse “The Body” Ventura, former professional wrestler and current governor of Minnesota, was made for this league. As an announcer, he injects a ton of charisma and attitude into the game. McMahon believes in his product, and his enthusiasm makes us want to believe, too. And the game’s overall upbeat presentation contrasts heavily with the boring, played-out, old-man presentation of, say, the NFL on CBS. With these ideals and McMahon’s vision, the XFL can succeed. It just needs to make some improvements after its first night. It might not be possible to fix the football itself, but the rest can be improved. The XFL should still use the on-field cameras, just not during every play. They should still talk to the players, just not after every play and definitely not to eveiy player. If the XFL can restrain itself from shoving its concepts down our tliroats and tone things down some, maybe we can appreciate it more and not want to watch The Replacements on the RHA channel instead. I wouldn’t doubt McMahon’s abilities to succeed for a second. This is the same guy who has made stars out of nothing in the World Wrestling Federation. Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock and Mankind — all were relative nobodies before McMahon got a hold of them. And McMahon’s TV show, W\VF Raw, is the No. 1 cable show in America. The man knows marketing. He knows what works and he knows what doesn’t. He also knows demographics. He knows me, and he knows you. Armed •yith that knowledge, he lias the ability to make the XFL work and, most importantly, keep us watching week after week. The sports desk can be reached at gamecocksports@hotmail.com Managers from page 11 before we actually step out on the court,” Walker said. “[Managing the team] helps us in the long run,” Parker said. It helps us manage our time, responsibilities and stuff, so that’s going to help us in the real world.” As they prepare to graduate and head into “the real world,” Walker and Parker are now two very busy individuals. Parker, originally from Harleyville, S.C., is majoring in management information systems and marketing. In addition to school and basketball, he is the president of the USC chapter of Phi Beta Sigma and works as a resident advisor in Bates House. Walker is a senior from Columbia majoring in human resource management and management information systems. He hopes to obtain a master Vdegree in human resources. Because they will be graduating, this is the last season Parker and Walker will manage the Lady Gamecocks. “I’m glad I got a chance to work with a program like this,” Parker said, praising the coaching staff and the players he has worked with. “It’s been a great time, and I’ve learned a lot.” Walker agrees. “I’ve gained a lot as well,” he said. However, USC might not have seen the last of these two. “Who knows? Maybe one day, we might be up in the coach’s position,” Parker said. The sports desk can be reached at gamecocksports@hotmail.com Look for the results of Wednesday’s men’s basketball game against Georgia Thursday at www.dailygamecock.com i ■ ■ ■ SEC from page 11 Tennessee: Injuries have been a theme around the SEC this season. Tom ACLs and herniated discs have kept play ers out of action from Baton Rouge to Columbia. But the strangest injury of the year occurred Saturday, when Tennessee point guard Tony Harris sprained his wrist — giving a teammate a high-five. “Freaky thing,” said Tennessee’s Charles Hathaway, who gave Harris the high-five. Hathaway stands 6 feet 10 inches and weighs 265 pounds. Harris is 6 feet and weighs 100 pounds less. “I guess he hurt his little wrist when we did it,” Hathaway said. “I didn’t know I was that strong.” The incident happened at the • beginning of Tennessee’s 72-50 win over Vanderbilt. With his team up 15-0 in the first half, Harris had to come out of the game. He tried to re-enter the game later, but the pain was too much, and he sat out the rest of the game icing his wrist. Now the All-SEC point guard is day-to-day, and his status for tonight’s game against Arkansas is unknown. UT guard Jon Higgins said because of the Harris injury, he’s going to rethink the way he congratulates his teammates. “1 think I’m just going to have to give everybody a fist and not give a high five anymore,” he said. Higgins will start at point guard if Harris cannot play. Georgia: A week ago, they were atop the SEC East standings. Now the Georgia Bulldogs have lost two straight, and according to coach Jim Harrick, have lost their energy and enthusiasm. “We’ve lost our zip,” Harrick said after Florida beat the Bulldogs 82-71 Saturday in Athens. “The zip is gone.” The Bulldogs will try to get back on track tonight against USC. “I still tliink we have a great team,” forward Anthony Evans said. “Probably everybody on our team is mentally drained. Our legs are off.” Vanderbilt: NASCAR fans should keep their eyes peeled in next week’s Daytona Busch Series opener. Vandy will have a car carrying the university’s name, colors and logo. Gary Baker, owner of the No. 28 car and founder of Baker Racing, is a graduate of Vanderbilt Law School and is looking forward to seeing the black and gold race around the oval. “I grew up in Nashville and have known Vanderbilt since day one,” Baker said. “I know it's a grade-A op eration, and we have a grade-A opera tion.” Baker’s son Brad will drive the car. Depending on the amount of spon sors the team receives, the black and gold No. 28 could run in as many as 15 competitions. The sports desk can be reached at gamecocksports@hotmail.com Ring from page 11 Wolff on a Fire team that went to the MLS Championship last October and won the league title in 1998. Wolff entered the MLS in the “Project 40” ■ 11 i _ program in 1997. “This was definitely a big surprise for me,” Ring said. “I wasn’t expecting the Fire to pick up a keeper. I’m very happy for the opportunity to be a part of such a successful club. The Fire is one of the few places to be. Also, I’ve played with Josh in the past, and getting the chance to play with him again will be special.” Other Gamecocks who have played in MLS are Clint Mathis and Rob Smith. Mathis is currently playing for the New York/New Jersey MetroStars mid was named to the league’s All-Star team last season. Smith is currently an assistant coach on the men’s soccer team at USC. The sports desk can be reached at gamecocksports@hotmail.com _..... ■ The National Shakespeare Company’s m t * Thursday February 8th In the Russell House ballroom PLAY STARTS AT 8 PM Department of Student Life Division of Students and Alumni Services The University of South Carolina www.sa.sc.edu/cp *Individuals needing accomodations for disabilities, 803 777 7130 glease dial 777-7130 r^^^nsOpeti! 6 | Carolina Productions | \ has p0Slti°nS °pen m 1 I * CCu(turaCA^reness \ I . (president's Cabinet | 1 stop by r0°^' plications are due*^130 I I „, w“" dlZ J