XTREME NOTEBOOK: CARPENTER READY TO FACE OLD TEAM.

Byline: Steve Irvine Staff Writer

There are plenty of incentives Saturday, when the L.A. Xtreme plays host to Las Vegas at the Coliseum. Perhaps the most important is control of the XFL's Western Division.

But Xtreme Ron Carpenter is playing for something else.

``This is a vendetta game for me,'' said Carpenter, a 6-foot, 232-pound free safety from Miami (Ohio).

Carpenter made the Las Vegas roster after the team broke training camp but spent the first three weeks on the practice squad.

``I guess they didn't think I was good enough to play,'' the 31-year-old Carpenter said. ``It was a slap in the face. They told me (we) have three (other) young, talented guys at safety. I said the key word is young.''

Carpenter was an Outlaw when the Xtreme went to Las Vegas on the third weekend of the season and came home with a 12-9 victory.

After that game, Carpenter said he was either going to demand a trade or be prepared to go home and wait for the the Arena League. At about the same time, Xtreme coach Al Luginbill was on the phone inquiring about him.

``We knew he was sitting there (and) they had come to a point where they had to make a move,'' said Luginbill, who coached Carpenter for two years at Amsterdam in NFL Europe. ``We offered them a 10th-rounder, they wanted a third-rounder and I said no, the lowest I would go is the eighth round. They called back and said OK.''

It was a welcome move for Carpenter, who said he wanted to play for Luginbill all along. And Luginbill was happy to welcome the experienced Carpenter, who played for four NFL teams.