Posted 2/7/01 Jesse Ventura should demand more money for his color commentary By T.W. Budig ECM capitol reporter Gov. Jesse Ventura refuses to say what he makes moonlighting and guards his pecuniary kills like a lion guarding something lying motionless in the grass. Whatever the governor is being paid for being a color commentator for the XFL he should demand more money. For his notoriety is one of the few assets the fledgling league has. Waiting for Ventura to say something was one of the scant incentives for watching Saturday nightís XFL game between the Las Vegas Outlaws and the New York/New Jersey/New World Order Hitmen. Of course there were the gyrations of the leagueís industrial strength cheerleaders and the keep-it-moving, a gnatís heartbeat is too long coverage that was suppose to keep things intense. But rather than magnify the intensity, the maniac game coverage tended to heighten the sense that events on the field hardly strained the tenets of mediocrity. The daring, first-time glance into the teamsí halftime locker room proved the orange slices the most colorful inhabitants. It was sort of fun trying to read the names or quips on the back of the playersí jerseys. And the therapeutic benefits of having They Hate Me and Happy Go Lucky share a locker should be obvious. But as the governor himself reminded viewers, itís the leagueís first games ñ give it a chance. Players have been practicing since November without pay because of their love of the sport, he commented. This is admirable perhaps, although going without pay is an increasingly common practice up on the Iron Range. That last crack was cheap, but it does illustrate the difficulties of separating the implications of someone whoís sometimes this and sometimes that. The governor, or, ìThe Body,î provided predictable, yeomanís service as color commentator. He has been sharply criticized but the criticism is based on the assumption that Ventura has shadings to his character. Jesse is Jesse. Take it or leave it. In time, XFL play can only improve and subplots and intrigues develop. The big story in professional wrestling is not what goes on in the ring, after all. In the meantime, life continued at the Capitol last week. Earlier in the week, two DFL legislators proposed legislation they say will require state constitutional officers ñ i.e., J.V.ñ to better disclose outside earnings. This is pinprick. An event of more interest to the administration occurred late in the week when House DFLers on the House Tax Committee announced they could not support the governorís sales tax expansion proposal. This cannot be good news for Ventura. And while the XFL football season is short, Venturaís tax initiative will certainly recede into the background in the wash of attention given his part-time job. A person can empathize with the XFL quarterback whom muttered while being tested for a concussion last Saturday, ìItís hard to concentrate.î Someone trying to figure out what the administration is up might say the same thing. ©Post Review