Cheerleaders Dance Around This Issue

The Los Angeles Xtreme of the XFL introduced its 11-member cheerleading squad Monday at a news conference at the House of Blues in West Hollywood. Contrary to what one might think, all of them are either college graduates or attending college.

More than 500 young women tried out for the squad.

“We were picked first for our dancing ability, and second because of our personalties and people skills,” said Rhonda Kaufman, 22, who graduated from UCLA in June with a degree in sociology.

XFL founder Vince McMahon has recanted on earlier comments that the cheerleaders will be encouraged to date the players. He now says there are simply no rules against it.

“Most of us are involved in relationships anyway,” Kaufman said.

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Add cheerleaders: McMahon was quoted as saying that during game telecasts the cheerleaders might be asked if they “did the wild thing” with one of the players the night before.

One of the Xtreme cheerleaders, Jaayda Lee-McClanahan, 22, of Vancouver, is already sleeping with a possible player. She is married to Anthony McClanahan, 29, a former Washington State and Dallas Cowboy linebacker who hopes to be taken in the XFL’s supplemental draft Dec. 29.

McClanahan, the son of former Minnesota Viking running back Brent McClanahan and a cousin of Miami Dolphin defensive back Brock Marion, attended Monday’s news conference. He played for Xtreme Coach Al Luginbill with Amsterdam of the World League in 1994. He most recently has been playing in Canada.

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Trivia time: Shaquille O’Neal has made 38.6% of his free throws. What was Wilt Chamberlain’s lowest free-throw percentage?

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Castoffs: It was noted in Morning Briefing last week that the Seattle Mariners have lost three future hall of famers: Randy Johnson to the Houston Astros (he later signed with Arizona), Ken Griffey Jr. to the Cincinnati Reds and Alex Rodriguez to the Texas Rangers. “A first?” read the heading.

Reader Doug Kelly of Sacramento, in an e-mail, wrote: “Unfortunately, it’s not a first. One that comes to mind was the San Francisco Giants trading Orlando Cepeda to St. Louis, Willie Mays to the New York Mets and Willie McCovey to San Diego. They also unloaded a fourth future hall of famer, Gaylord Perry, to Cleveland.”

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Birthday boy: Jimmy McLarnin, former welterweight champion, celebrates his 94th birthday today. McLarnin won the title on May 29, 1933, when he KO’d Young Corbett in the first round at Los Angeles’ Wrigley Field.

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Birthday girl: Frances Hopkins of Oklahoma City, who turned 114 on Monday, was still hunting when she was 105. She owned two pistols and a rifle.

“I hit what I shoot at,” she once confided to a friend.

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Trivia answer: Chamberlain’s lowest free-throw percentage was 42.2% in 1971-72, when he helped the Lakers win the NBA title.

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And finally: Cade McNown, starting for the Chicago Bears for the first time in seven weeks, completed only nine of 29 passes for 73 yards in a 17-0 loss to the San Francisco 49ers Sunday.

McNown was feeling the heat a day later.

Wrote Steve Rosenbloom of the Chicago Tribune:

“Good morning, Cade McNown. You’re the reason the salary cap should include no-fault insurance.”

Rosenbloom also wrote: “McNown has no feel for pressure in the pocket and no instinct for getting rid of the ball quickly. He also doesn’t have an NFL arm or even college-level footwork.”