Basisphilosophie » Vince McMahon is resuscitating the XFL.

OK Will Harris Jersey , let’s get the bad jokes out of the way: Are some teams going to be wearing masks and representing parts unknown? Will the hook-and-ladder play involve smashing someone with a real ladder?

The XFL was a ”colossal failure” the first time McMahon tried it – his words – and there’s every reason to believe XFL2 will meet a similar fate.

But a spring football league, done the right way, could work.

And, no, we’re not kidding around.

The United States Football League came up with the most feasible concept back in the 1980s, only to crumble after just three seasons because of out-of-control spending and a suicidal push by owners such as Donald Trump to compete directly against the NFL .

But the USFL might still be around today if it had stuck to its original concept, which was to serve as more of a complement to the NFL than a direct competitor.

The timing is ripe for another attempt.

While the economy is booming and football remains the nation’s most popular sport, the NFL is contending with shrinking TV ratings, empty seats and a lingering debate over players kneeling during the national anthem to protest social injustice. For the first time in decades, there are actually some cracks in the league’s armor.

Clearly, those issues figured into McMahon’s planned re-launch of the XFL in 2020 .

”As far as this league is concerned, it will have nothing to do with politics, nothing to do with social issues,” he said. ”That’s what the fans want. When they tune in to a game Austin Bryant Jersey , they don’t want to deal with political issues. They want to watch good football.”

Good football will likely be the fatal flaw in McMahon’s new venture, just as it was for the original XFL. While the risque cheerleaders and close ties to wrestling brought plenty of much-deserved ridicule, it was the amateurish quality of play that ultimately caused its downfall. As Bob Costas memorably observed, it was ”mediocre high school football” combined ”with a tawdry strip club.”

Since McMahon’s new XFL will follow the same single-entity plan – he’ll be the sole owner of the eight-team league – there’s unlikely to be nearly enough money to lure any recognizable names, unless Tim Tebow (yes, he came up during the announcement Thursday) decides to make a football comeback.

But an updated version of the USFL concept would have a real chance at succeeding during the spring and summer, football’s traditional offseason.

Here’s a few ideas:

– Start with 10 or 12 teams, split between major NFL cities such as New York, Chicago and Los Angeles; those that have lost teams (San Diego, St. Louis and soon-to-be Oakland); and untapped markets with big league stadiums (San Antonio comes to mind).

– Restrict ownership to those who not only have deep pockets, but are totally committed to the concept (i.e., not simply trying to turn their investment into a merger with the NFL). Point out the relative bargain of owning a team in the new league compared to, say, the Carolina Panthers Rashan Gary Jersey , whose selling price will surely exceed $2 billion. Maybe Mark Cuban would be interested in a Dallas franchise. Reach out to Oprah Winfrey about a Chicago team.

– Don’t get into a bidding war with the NFL over players. Focus heavily on scouting and development, which means pursuing lower-level pros who might thrive in a bigger role and college stars projected to go in the later rounds of the NFL draft. Always be on the lookout for someone like 2016 Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson, the subject of wildly varying draft projections, who might have a better chance at playing time in a new league. And let’s not forget: Colin Kaepernick is still unemployed.

– Line up a traditional TV deal to provide financial stability, perhaps some combination of a major network and a newer, sports-themed cable outlet such as NBCSN or Fox Sports 1. But also be on the cutting edge of subscription services, mobile streaming and other innovative conduits that appeal to a younger audience.

In essence, follow the model laid out by the late David Dixon, the New Orleans businessman whose longtime push for an out-of-season league finally came to fruition with the launch of the USFL in 1983.

Looking back, that first season was a rousing success in many ways. The Denver Gold averaged more than 41,000 fans. Overall attendance was roughly in line with the hoped-for 25,000 per game. TV ratings on ABC and then-fledgling ESPN actually exceeded projections. The quality of play was solid.

But the seeds of the USFL’s downfall were already in motion. When the New Jersey Generals skirted the salary cap to lure Heisman Trophy winner Herschel Walker away from Georgia, it only led more teams to dole out big bucks in pursuit of stars. That, in turn Darnell Savage Jr. Jersey , led to huge financial losses. Dixon wisely walked away after that inaugural season.

In the end, the USFL’s most enduring legacy was the $3 judgment it ”won” in an antitrust suit against the NFL, a ruling that finished off the league in 1986 before it carried out a Trump-backed move from spring to fall.

No one since has made a serious attempt at a spring football league.

A revived XFL certainly doesn’t qualify.

But someone out there should heed McMahon’s words.

”Football is America’s favorite sport,” he said. ”We’ve got seven months of no football on the gridiron and 70 million fans. Why not now? Now is the perfect opportunity.”

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Paul Newb For the first time in more than a month, there was music playing in the Baltimore Orioles‘ clubhouse following a game.

The team still faces an uphill battle to turn the season around, but it was admittedly just nice to get a win.

Jace Peterson and Mark Trumbo homered and the Orioles snapped a nine-game losing streak with a 10-4 victory over the Miami Marlins on Sunday.

Baltimore also ended a string of 11 straight losses at home, which tied a club record. The Orioles last win at Camden Yards came May 13 against Tampa Bay.

”We’re doing what we can, constantly trying to get better,” Trumbo said. ”It doesn’t always show up, but that has to be the goal going forward. It’s going to be a long road for the team, but you want to see improvement in some areas. I think if you can target those and actually do it, we’ll be that much better because of that.”

Dylan Bundy (5-7) allowed four runs and five hits with five strikeouts and two walks over six innings. He has accounted for one-quarter of his team’s victories this season.

Peterson got his first homer of the season with a two-run shot off reliever Merandy Gonzalez in the fifth and matched a career-high with four RBIs. Trumbo went 3 for 5 with a home run off Gonzalez in the seventh.

Miami was 1 for 12 with runners in scoring position.

Justin Bour had a pair of homers, including a three-run shot that pulled the Marlins to within 8-4 in the sixth.

”The last couple of days the team has done a good job of picking me up,” Bour said. ”It was nice to contribute today.”

Baltimore entered the game as the lowest-scoring team in the American League Elgton Jenkins Jersey , but knocked around Miami rookie Trevor Richards (1-4). Fellow rookie Corban Joseph was the only Baltimore starter not to manage a hit off him.

Trumbo led off the second with a single and Jonathan Schoop followed with a double. Peterson cleared the bases with another double that bounced over the center field fence.

Trumbo hit another towering RBI double before Mancini followed with a single that boosted the lead to 4-0 in the third. Mancini had been 4 for 50 with runners in scoring position entering that at-bat.

”This is the first time he’s gone through something like this,” Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. ”You’re trying to be real supportive with not only him, but everybody. We’re going to keep trying to create some positive vibes.”

Bour led off the fourth with a homer to left, snapping a streak 211/3 scoreless innings by Bundy.

”Once we get behind, Bour gets us one back and then gets us three more,” Marlins manager Don Mattingly said. ”We never really get where we needed to be.”

Baltimore responded in the bottom half on a double by Adam Jones that drove in two more runs and ended the day for Richards, who was charged with a season-high six runs and nine hits.

Manny Machado had two hits, including an RBI single in the eighth that rounded out the scoring for Baltimore.

FISHING

Trumbo has hit safely in 11 of 12 games against the Marlins, batting .370 (17 for 46) over that stretch.

MOVE

The Orioles optioned catcher Chance Cisco to Triple-A Norfolk following the game.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Marlins: INF Miguel Rojas was held out of the lineup for the second consecutive game after being hit on the left hand by a pitch Friday.

Orioles: RHP Andrew Cashner (back) did not have any setbacks with his bullpen session and will start Wednesday in Washington. He is 2-8 with a 4.98 ERA in 13 starts.

UP NEXT

Marlins: Left-hander Caleb Smith (5-6, 3.75 ERA) will make his second consecutive start against the Giants. On June 13, he allowed three runs and eight hits over 6 1/3 innings and did not get a decision in the Marlins’ 5-4 victory.

Orioles: Rookie David Hess (2-3, 4.13 ERA) will start the opener Tuesday against the Nationals, who handed him a 2-0 loss May 30.

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