Las Vegas’ Shutout Is the Opening Act

Moments before the XFL’s first red-and-black football was kicked into the desert night, Vince McMahon stood alone at the 50-yard line at Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas.

“We welcome you to our game!” McMahon shouted to the crowd of 30,389. “Thank you for the privilege of competing before you tonight!”

Both sport and entertainment, circus and sideshow, the XFL muscled its way onto the national sports scene Saturday night. Though the quality of play wasn’t much better than that of NFL Europe or the CFL, the game was only part of the spectacle.

“What you saw was an honest game tonight,” McMahon said.

With exuberant cheerleaders and trash-talking players sharing center stage, the Las Vegas Outlaws defeated the New York/New Jersey Hitmen, 19-0.

The Outlaws’ Ryan Clement threw for 188 yards and two touchdowns.

“People are here to see what this is all about,” said Dick Butkus, the Hall of Fame linebacker who is the XFL’s director of competition. “They know what Vince can do, and they like the combination of Vince and football.”

Two hours before kickoff, McMahon and NBC Sports chairman Dick Ebersol were still fine-tuning their creation. McMahon jogged through the stands carrying a yellow legal pad and wearing reading glasses, while Ebersol traded notes and cigars with Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura, the former pro wrestler who is providing color commentary on weekly telecasts.

The parking lots began to fill with RVs and tailgaters five hours before kickoff. By game time, there was a buzz in the stadium, where merchandise shops nearly outnumbered food stands. Ticket scalpers lined the road to the game, which was sold out Friday.

Orlando 33, Chicago 29--Former NFL quarterback Jeff Brohm threw four touchdown passes as the Rage defeated the Enforcers before 35,603 at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Fla.

Orlando scored on its first play from scrimmage, a 51-yard pass from Brohm to Kevin Swayne. Brohm appeared in a total of eight games with the San Francisco 49ers in the 1996 and 1997 seasons.

The Rage’s Hassan Shamsid-Deen was knocked out of the game before it even started. He suffered a separated left shoulder on the loose-ball scramble that decides which team will kick off.

“I think that was a concern we had all along, but it was something [the league] wanted to look at,” Orlando Coach Galen Hall said of Shamsid-Deen’s injury. “Hopefully, they’ll look at it again, and something can be done.”

Xtreme Today

at San Francisco

1 p.m., Channel 13

* Site--Pacific Bell Park.

* Radio--KLSX-FM (97.1).

* Update--The Demons have sold out Pacific Bell Park (capacity is 38,000 in the stadium’s football configuration) for their home opener against the Xtreme.