St. Louis Post-Dispatch from St. Louis, Missouri • Page 48

D14. ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH SPORTS SUNDAY, MAY 7, 2000 postnet.comsports jjj) NFLReport BY STU DURANDO Ofthe Post-Dispatch Super season drives up demand for Rams merchandise lJ Mwn-j-iM i fa A it CSS; i BEARS Taking a chance The Chicago Bears are hoping that Frank Murphy has put his troubles in the past. They decided to take the Kansas State running back in the sixth round knowing that as a teen-ager he was arrested for a carjacking, a firearms violation and aggravated battery. He also was suspended for four games by the NCAA in 1998 for allegedly taking money from a booster to buy a car.

What the Bears like about Murphy is his reported 4.22-second time in the 40. He was called the most underrated offensive player in the Big 12 Conference by one Internet site. "All that stuff was behind me, I thought," Murphy said. "I was 15, 16 years old. I've been at Kansas State for almost three years, and I haven't done anything." CARDINALS Retirement home to the NFL Raynoch Thompson was living in a New Or- leans retirement home with his grandmother when University of Tennessee coaches made a recruiting visit five years ago.

1 Laura Thompson made room for her grandson, who had been living in one of the city's worst neighborhoods. He slept on a couch across from her bed. The linebacker didn't waste any time calling his grandmother after he was selected in the second round of the NFL draft by Arizona. He recalled the impact she had on his career. "She knew I needed a secluded area to keep me focused," he said.

"I ate there, slept there, studied there. I just tried to keep my mind focused on positive things." BROWNS Another Canidate fan Rams coach Mike Martz wasn't the only NFL coach enamored of Arizona running back Trung Canidate. Cleveland coach Chris Palmer was ready to take Canidate with the first pick in the second round before the Rams snatched him with the 31st pick. Palmer was as stunned as anyone. "The surprise was Canidate" being taken, he said.

"We were really looking for an offensive lineman to go to St. Louis." Maybe he shouldn't have been shocked. Palmer was at the same workout as Martz when Canidate was clocked at 4.28 seconds in the 40 on grass. Palmer called Canidate the fastest player in the draft. The Browns ended up taking receiver Dennis Northcutt, a teammate of Canidate's at Arizona.

and following with another playoff berth. McCarthy said Tennessee was helped this year by having a new nickname, logo and colors. He said the Rams should be helped slightly next season by their uniform changes. "The league was pleased the Rams kept the same design and helmet design, which is one of the most famous," McCarthy said. The NFL does not release figures on total sales, but McCarthy estimated that Rams' sales increased 40 percent to 50 percent nationally.

Sales of NFL merchandise are split evenly among the league's teams. Besides having a winning season, the Rams benefited last season from having high-profile players. Next season, McCarthy said they will receive a boost from playing three games on Monday nights. However, he said winning has the greatest impact on sales. "It takes time and it's not necessarily a hot jersey or hot flavor of the month that spurs sales," he said.

"It's building a winner over time. They can expect to move into the top five with another good season. Last year you sensed they could have played in the uniform of the Bad News Bears and still done well." The demand for Rams merchandise was so low the year before they won the Super Bowl that the Cleveland Browns rated higher in national sales despite not fielding a team until last season. But as with any winning team, people began gobbling up items when the Rams embarked on their championship season. Interest increased enough that the team ended the most recent year charted from April 1, 1999 to March 31, 2000 ranked No.

10 in the NFL in sales, which was up from a ranking of No. 28. "People started jumping on the bandwagon, and when you do that you'd better be wearing the right stuff," NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said. "The best indicator is how they're doing in New York, and in January I remember walking across town and seeing (Kurt) Warner jerseys and Rams jackets, and I knew they were on to bigger and better things." The Dallas Cowboys regained the lead, edging the Denver Broncos and the Browns. Two teams the Rams defeated in the playoffs finished higher with Minnesota at No.

5 and Tennessee at No. 9, up from No. 29. The Rams' rating is their highest since 1980 when they were fifth after losing Super Bowl XIV against Pittsburgh THE ASSOCIATED PRESS After getting a one-year suspension for violation of the NFL's substance-abuse policy, Dale Carter fired back at the league. BRONCOS Denver's Carter fires back Denver cornerback Dale Carter took a shot at the NFL after he was handed a one-year suspension for violation of the league's substance-abuse policy.

The NFL ruled on the matter after an appeal by Carter, who will lose about $3.5 million in base salary. He also might have to reimburse the Broncos a portion of his $7.8 million signing bonus. "Based upon the evidence I presented," Carter wrote in a statement, "the severity of the punishment is extraordinary. I pray that other players in the NFL will never need to fight for their livelihoods under the harsh, unfair circumstances that I had to face." Carter is a two-time offender of the NFL's policy and missed two tests earlier this year. The league treats a missed test the same as a failed test.

Around the NFL The Baltimore Sun reported recently that blood matching one of the two men fatally stabbed during a post-Super Bowl fracas was found inside the limousine used by Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis. Tennessee has released starting middle linebacker Barron Wortham, who had two years remaining on his four-year, $8.4 million contract. Jack Elway, the father of former Denver quarterback John Elway, has retired as the Broncos' director of pro scouting. Bill Kuharich, the general manager in New Orleans who brought Mike Ditka back to the NFL and then lost his job, has joined the Kansas City Chiefs as director of pro personnel. Dallas defensive end Dimitrius Underwood was fined and had his driver's license suspended after being clocked driving 95 mph.

He was found guilty of reckless driving by speeding. SPORTS SHORTS HOCKEY Russians are KO'd from medal contention A late goal by Kristian Huselius put Sweden into the quarterfinals of the World Championships in St. Petersburg, Russia, and knocked the Russians out of contention for a medal. The score by Huselius pulled Sweden into a 1-1 tie with Switzerland, giving the Swedes a first-place tie with the United States atop the Group standings with five points. Switzerland, with four points, shares second place with Latvia.

With only two matches left to play in the second round, Russia can not get enough points to advance. It is the first time that Russia or the Soviet Union has failed to reach the quarterfinals at a world championships and the first time the nation will finish lower than seventh. Russia entered the tournament the heavy favorites, billing a so-called "Dream Team" that includes NHL stars Pavel Bure, Alexei Yashin, Alexei Zhamnov and Valeri Kamensky. But the Russians were beaten 3-0 by the United States on Monday before being toppled 3-2 by hockey lightweight Switzerland two days later. On Friday, Russia suffered perhaps its most mortifying defeat, losing 3-2 to their tiny Baltic neighbor Latvia.

SOCCER U.S. women meet Canada for tourney title Shannon MacMillan scored two goals and Mia Hamm added a goal and three assists as the United States continued its dominance of the U.S. Women's Cup with an 8-0 rout of Mexico on Friday in Portland, Ore. The Americans face Canada in the title match Sunday. Canada beat South Korea 1-0 in the semifinals.

National Professional Soccer League commissioner Steve Pax-os announced that the league has agreed to a television contract with Fox Sports World. The network will televise 12 games from the past season over cable systems and direct TV starting May 22. Paxos said Fox Sports World also is expected to televise games in the 2000-2001 season. Paxos also said teams in Toronto and Greensboro, N.C., will enter the league next season. TENNIS Hingis wins, gets No.

1 ranking back Martina Hingis regained her No. 1 ranking from Lindsay Davenport by blasting Anke Huber 6-3, 6-2 at the Betty Barclay Cup tournament in Hamburg, Germany. Hingis took back the top ranking she lost five weeks earlier. Hingis, seeking her third title this year, faces Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario, a three-time winner of the event, in Sunday's final. Sanchez- Vicario beat Amanda Coetzer 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (4) in the semifinals.

Tommy Haas became the first German to reach the BMW Open final in five years when he ousted top seed Tomas Enqvist 7-6 (5), 1-6, 6-4 at the tourney in Munich. He will face defending champion Franco Squillari for the title Sunday. Squillari routed Max Mirnyi 6-2, 6-4 in the semifinals. Chili's Nicolas Massu and Fernando Gonzalez advanced to their first ATP Tour finals, winning semifinal matches at U.S. Men's Clay Court Championship in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.

Massu beat Ramon Delgado 6-4, 6-4 and Gonzalez defeated Martin Rodriguez 6-0, 3-6, 7-5. MISCELLANEOUS Catley wins super-midleweight title Britain's Glenn Catley won the World Boxing Council super-middleweight crown by stopping Germany's Markus Beyer early in the 12th round of their bout in Frankfurt, Germany. Catley ended a close fight when he caught Beyer with a straight right to the chin. Catley's record is 26-3, Beyer's is 19-1. Juan Carlos Gomez stopped Imamu Mayfield in the third round to successfully defend his WBC cruiserweight title in Neuss, Germany.

Gomez knocked down Mayfield with two body shots and a left hook during the third as he improved his record to 31-0 with 26 knockouts. It was the eighth title defense for Gomez. Mayfield is 19-3-1. On the same card, Daniel Santos (22-2-1) stopped Ahmed Kotiev (25-1) in the fifth to win the World Boxing Organization welterweight title. UCLA took early leads in the first two games, then battled back from a 13-8 deficit in the third to sweep Ohio State 15-8, 15-10, 17-15 in Fort Wayne, and win the NCAA men's volleyball crown for the 18th time.

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