|
 |   |
|
EVENTS Fantasy Central Inside Game Video Plus Statitudes Your Turn Message Boards Email Newsletters Golf Guide Cities 
CNNSI.com GROUP
COMMERCE
|  |
LAS VEGAS (Ticker) -- Is it real football or just a promotional tool for the World Wrestling Federation? The XFL becomes a reality on Saturday night when the fledgling league opens for business with a pair of games. The showcase contest has the New York-New Jersey Hitmen visiting the Las Vegas Outlaws at Sam Boyd Stadium in a game that will be televised by NBC. Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura will be behind the microphone for Saturday's game and try to identify a group of mostly anonymous players. The Hitmen are coached by Rusty Tillman, a former defensive coordinator with three NFL teams, most recently the Indianapolis Colts in 1998. The quarterback is Charles Puleri, who played collegiately at New Mexico State and who may be better known for his role as a signal-caller in the movie "Any Given Sunday." Puleri will be handing off to Keith Elias, a former Princeton star who played briefly for the New York Giants. Jim Criner was coach of the Scottish Claymores of NFL Europe before taking the same job with the Outlaws. The quarterbacks on the Outlaws' roster include Chuck Clements, who played at the University of Houston, and Ryan Clement, who played at Miami. The leader of the defense is 36-year-old linebacker Kurt Gouveia, formerly of the Washington Redskins.
|
