A few notes about the XFL and more

Notes `n. quotes — and a few XFL jokes ...

DeVonte Peterson was just one of several Catawba College football players who were honored at halftime of the school’s basketball game with Presbyterian Wednesday.

He won’t have much time to bask in the glory of Catawba’s 11-1 season however. The 6-4, 270-pound All-American defensive end is heading for Indianapolis.

Peterson is one of a handful of Division II stars invited to the prestigious NFL Combine, which takes place this weekend. If you’re invited to this, it usually means you’re going to be a draft selection.

Also, Peterson and teammate Radell Lockhart are close to signing with a agent. Peterson said it could be the same agent that represents San Francisco 49er — and former West Rowan Falcon — John Milem.

n

Honoring the football team was nothing strange for Catawba. No has stopped talking about last seasonsince the loss to Delta State in the national quarterfinals. It’s hard to forget how powerful and classy David Bennett’s team was.

It’s hard to believe that the spring game is practically here. It is scheduled for next Saturday (March 3) and Catawba is expecting a big crowd.

n

Don’t forget: The CIAA Basketball Tournament, one of the most fun-filled events around, is Feb. 26-March 4 at the Entertainment and Sports Arena in Raleigh.

Livingstone’s men have turned their season around, climbing out of the cellar, while the women are always one of the favorites in a very talented women’s conference.

Something that should be noted: Andrew Mitchell’s Blue Bears always seem to play their best basketball at the end of the season.

Stay tuned.

n

Good news, basketball fans.

Catawba and Pfeiffer are renewing their basketball rivalry, according to Catawba officials.

n

The National Football League says it won’t take the XFLseriously because it isn’t a real pro league.

Except for the cheerleaders, who, as one announcer put it, really do look like pros.

n

Betcha didn’t know: Lenoir-Rhyne men’s basketball coach John Lentz was a college roommate of Texas coach Rick Barnes.

n

In the XFL, the first possession is decided by throwing a football downfield and letting two players chase it.

Florida wants to do something like that in the next presidential election.

n

In his last two fights, Mike Tyson has been hit below the belt by his opponents.

Think about that for a minute. Do we really want Mike Tyson’s voice higher than it already is?

n

COPS beat out the XFLin the ratings war last week. Which just goes to show you, viewers would rather watch NFL players get arrested than watch XFLplayers play football.

n

Rodney Rogers, a former Wake Forest Demon Deacon and current Phoenix Sun, is planning to start a Winston Cup team next season. He met Barry Dodson, who got him interested and Dodson will be his crew chief. A driver will be named later.

n

Mental health groups want the XFL’s Memphis Maniacs to drop the nickname because it’s insulting to people with mental health problems.

In a related story, people in Illinois are applying pressure to the Chicago Bulls to drop the word, “Chicago.”

n

In case, you missed it, Salisbury native Tripp Isenhour won $9,080 at Pebble Beach and $7,420 in the Buick Open.

n

There were 400 paramedics at the first XFLgame — for all the people who died from boredom before halftime.

n

Scooter Sherrill was hoping for better times in his freshman season at N.C. State.

In this week’s RPIIndex, the enigmatic Wolfpack is ranked 83rd, just behind Miami (Fla.) and just ahead of Hawaii.

By the way, Scooter didn’t look very happy at the end of the Virginia win recently, did he? No one could remember him ever slumping on the bench like that.

n

Here’s a quick college roundup:

• Correy Watkins of North Stanly fame went scoreless and his team Radford looked pitiful earlier this season against Wake Forest. But Watkins and the Highlanders are beating up on the big South, standing first at 11-2 (17-9 overall).
• Former Salisbury star Leonard Owens and Texas-El Paso were 17-4 coming into last week and have a shot at the NCAATournament. The Miners are second in the Western Athletic Conference behind Fresno State.
• Carlos Dixon, the former South Rowan guard, is playing a lot of minutes at Virginia Tech but enduring a lot of losses. Virginia Tech lost 12 of its first 20 games.
• Dixon’s former South teammate, Richard Gaston, is not winning either. Eastern Kentucky is 1-8 in the Ohio Valley Conference, floundering in last place. Easternis 7-12 overall.
• Cy Alexander, a former Catawba College player, has his S.C. State Bulldogs in first place (as always) in the MEAC.
• Just for the record, here are the RPIrankings (out of 319 schools): UTEP (77th), Virginia Tech (159), Radford (178) and Eastern Kentucky (289).

n

I saw the replay of the Super Bowl yesterday and while watching, I noticed that the men on the screen looked tired, looked old and looked beaten.

But enough about Aerosmith at halftime.

n

And finally ...

Bob Costas on the XFL: “Idon’t like to blow my own horn but it has to be at least a decade since I first mused out loud, ‘Why doesn’t somebody combine mediocre, high school football with a tawdry strip club?’

“Finally, somebody takes my advice, runs with it and now our long national nightmare is over.”

n

Ronnie Gallagher is the sports editor of the Post.