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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

650,000 Party With Broncos

From Wire Reports

Thousands of cheering Denver Broncos fans, including some clinging to traffic lights and others on rooftops, paid homage to the Super Bowl champions Tuesday during a parade and rally that nearly brought downtown Denver to a standstill.

The fans, estimated by city officials at 650,000 strong, stood five deep along the mile-plus parade route, waving homemade signs and pennants or tossing confetti and rolls of toilet paper high into the air as the Broncos traveled slowly past in fire trucks and buses with open windows.

City officials stopped the entourage at times when fans swarmed the buses, blocking the street. The players leaned out the bus windows to high-five fans and sign autographs, delaying the start of the rally for more than an hour.

Packers still heroes in Green Bay

Gilbert Brown held up three beefy fingers, and thousands of loyal Green Bay Packers fans in Lambeau Field on Tuesday roared with delight in recognizing the sign.

“We are going to do it again. Three Super Bowls,” said Brown, the Packers’ 345-pound defensive lineman, during an hour-long homecoming lovefest in which players, coaches and team executives praised their fans as the best in the NFL.

Police said at least 35,000 fans turned out.

Betting likely a record

Betting on the Super Bowl in Las Vegas likely will set an all-time record when figures are released next month, said a sports book consultant.

Some $80 million was wagered at casinos, easily outstripping last year’s total of $70 million, estimated Pete Korner, operations manager at Las Vegas Sports Consultants, a firm that advises the casinos. The total bet last year was the most ever.

Davis making moving sounds

Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis lent credence to a Los Angeles councilman’s claim the team may want to leave Oakland again.

Councilman Nate Holden predicted the Raiders will win a lawsuit against the NFL giving them territorial rights to the Los Angeles market, and that would lead the team to head south again.

Davis, in his first public comments since Holden’s news conference, said the councilman was “very, very smart” and had done a good job of reading between the lines.

Around the league

NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue says if Edward DeBartolo Jr. and his sister can’t come to terms over the ownership of the San Francisco 49ers, he will settle the family dispute himself. Tagliabue met Monday with Mayor Willie Brown and 49ers President Carmen Policy after news leaked that the sibling rift would delay, for at least six months, construction of a $525 million football stadium and mall complex.

Marc Trestman is the Arizona Cardinals new offensive coordinator. He left the Detroit Lions, where he was quarterbacks coach.

The Philadelphia Eagles hired Stanford assistant coach Dana Bible as offensive coordinator.

The Baltimore Ravens reportedly won’t re-sign running back Bam Morris.