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Happy homecoming Maddox, L.A. rally past Chicago 39-32 in overtime
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- A hot tub brimming with bikini-clad women, a lifeguard stand on a patch of sand and a party tent just beyond the end zone: Pro football returned to Los Angeles on Saturday night, but it obviously wasn't the NFL. Former UCLA and NFL quarterback Tommy Maddox threw 65 passes, completing 38 for 412 yards and four touchdowns, the last on Los Angeles' second possession of overtime, as the Xtreme won their home debut 39-32 against the Chicago Enforcers. A loud, slightly rowdy crowd of 35,813, many of whom wore Raiders' gear, watched as the Xtreme evened their record at 1-1 and the Enforcers fell to 0-2. After bringing Los Angeles back from a 25-13 deficit with two fourth-quarter scoring drives, Maddox capped his big homecoming with a 20-yard scoring pass to Darnell McDonald in the second overtime. The Enforcers failed to score on their ensuing possession, as Tim Lester's final pass was incomplete in the end zone. The game, the first pro football contest of any significance in the Los Angeles area since the Raiders and Rams left following the 1994 NFL season, had a few technical glitches. NBC, which co-owns the new league with Vince McMahon's World Wrestling Federation, lost power to its truck -- a generator ran out of gas -- and missed televising most of the first quarter. The network lost its feed 1:45 into the contest, switched to San Francisco's game at Orlando, then returned to the Enforcers-Xtreme with 4:30 left in the first quarter when the generator was refueled. When Los Angeles' Rashan Sheehee headed for the goal line early in the game, celebratory fireworks erupted on the rim of the Coliseum. Only Sheehee's 3-yard run was a yard shy of the end zone. Maddox then sneaked in for the TD, and the fireworks began again. There was a carnival atmosphere in the stands, and particularly in the "Xtreme Zone" -- the potted palm-lined area where the party tent was located. Early in the second half, one Chicago fan stood isolated in the stands -- with others scrambling to get out of the line of fire -- as Xtreme fans pelted him with wadded-up paper, food and beer. He seemed unfazed. Another fan waved a sign reading, "I'm here for nothing but cheerleaders." Los Angeles kicker Jose Cortez slipped on his first field goal try, missing from 34 yards. He missed another 34-yarder in the first half, and one fan said, "He better have kept his roofing tools." Cortez has worked as a roofer in Corvallis, Ore. Led by Lester, a high school math teacher and assistant coach back in Michigan, and former Miami Dolphins running back John Avery, the Enforcers built a 25-13 halftime lead. Jermaine Copeland had 17 receptions for 190 yards for the Xtreme.
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