Kevin Blocker

Nobody messes with commissioner Paul Tagliabue and NFL properties. Photo by Associated Press

It seems as though there are sports stores at every hallway twist and turn in Spokane malls. Two of the city's pioneers in sports merchandise products, Darel and Lesley Maxfield, owners of Pro Jersey in the Franklin Park Mall, remember how it all began. In 1987, Pro Jersey was the first store in Spokane to sell officially licensed professional and collegiate products.

The sale of collegiate sports merchandise rivals that of the sale of professional merchandise. In 1994, the Collegiate Licensing Company estimated that $2.5 billion in college merchandise was sold. The Collegiate Licensing Company, based in Atlanta, is the largest collegiate licensee in the company and has contracts with 145 colleges and universities nationwide. In the company's first year of business in 1984, CLC estimated that its members made $400 million in merchandise sales. That figure reached $1.2 billion by 1990, and it is expected to hit $2.75 billion this year.

GSL MVP Shannon Blott leads all-stars tonight at North Central. Matches begin at 5. Photo by Kristy MacDonald/The Spokesman-Review

1. Those were the days at Jack & Dan's when fans followed John Stockton's pursuit of the NBA assist record. Photo by Dan McComb/The Spokesman-Review 2. They may have known your name at Cheers, but Sam Malone couldn't offer you 12 televisions like one sports bar in Spokane. Associated Press file 3. When there is nothing to watch on TV, patrons like Jason Schumacker take a shot at pool while Don Driggs watches. Photo by Kristy MacDonald/The Spokesman-Review

In the local sports bar business, the king of the viewing hill is the National Football League. "College football is popular, but pro football - folks pack the house for it," said Steve Parker, owner of Steve's Sports Dugout in Post Falls. A Coeur d'Alene High School graduate, Parker had a brief playing career in the NFL with the New Orleans Saints in 1980 and '81 as a defensive end.

Kyle Stonehouse (50) of Hudson's Bay tangle with Glen McCloud of Kamiakin in the AA/AAA All-State game Wednesday night. Photo by Dan McComb/The Spokesman-Review

Cascade's An Nuon does his part in Bruins' effort to contain Gonzaga Prep's Tyler Jordan. The Bullpups finished 19-4 on the season. Photo by Kristy MacDonald/The Spokesman-Review

Gonzaga Prep's Ed Leonetti, right, and Decatur's Arturo Corpoba collide while battling to make a header. Prep won the game 1-0 to agvance to tonight's championship. Photo by Craig Buck/The Spokesman-Review

Bridget Johnson of Ferris threads a shot through the trees as the Saxons sewed up the team championship. Photo by Shawn Jacobson/The Spokesman-Review

Maybe the University and Shadle Park baseball teams spent too much time watching the NBA Playoffs. On Saturday, they both imitated the Phoenix Suns. Because of the inability of the Highlanders and Titans to protect leads, they now have the next week to watch basketball without worrying about baseball.

1. All downhill from here Kirt Vorels (228) and Danny Martinez tackle dual slalom during Jeep/NORBA National Championship series qualifying at Mount Spokane. Photo by Dan Pelle/The Spokesman-Review < 2. Ken Fuller isn't typical mountain bike rider.

Gonzaga University pitcher Darin Blood was named the Pac-10 North's player of the year on Wednesday. But as he sat in his parents' home in Post Falls, one of his first thoughts was: "Man, I'd trade this award for the Pac-10 North Conference Championship." But Washington State coach Steve Farrington, whose Cougars won the division this year, certainly wouldn't accommodate Blood if he made such a request to the first-year coach. Farrington doesn't need another award - he was named the Pac-10 coach of the year.

Ex-treme sports (ek streme sports) - 1. High-octane, heart-pounding, nerve-shattering, adrenaline-rushing activity. 2. See also, crazy. The mountain bike assault on Mount Spokane is back as the mountain will serve as the host for the first stop in the Jeep National Off-Road Bicycling Association National Championship Series.

The East Valley soccer team is quite a collection of athletes. No, check that, they're quite a collection that just happen to be athletes. East Valley posted a 1-0 win Saturday against Eastmont at East Valley to advance to the second round of the State AA soccer playoffs.

Shadle Park's Darin Talotti swings away for the Highlanders. Photo by Dan Pelle/The Spokesman-Review

Whitworth's Don O'Neal rattles fences with his Copperhead bat. Photo by Craig Buck/The Spokesman-Review

Community Colleges of Spokane pitchers Deanna, left, and Julie Fountain may be opposites off the field, but the sister add up to success for the Sasquatch. Photo by Christopher Anderson/The Spokesman-Review

Workman

1. Blood 2. When Darin Blood winds up his career at Gonzaga University, the professional ranks appear within reach. Photo by Shawn Jacobson/The Spokesman-Review

Prep softball/baseball The heck with putting students in the new Mead high school. That building, slated for completion in the late '90s, should just be a massive warehouse with the sole purpose of storing league titles and state championships for the current Mead High. Friday night in front of a crowd of 200 at Franklin Park, the Panthers softball team took a big step in securing this year's Greater Spokane League title. Mead beat Rogers 5-3. In other GSL softball games, University beat Gonzaga Prep 13-0, Shadle Park beat Lewis and Clark 8-6 and North Central beat Central Valley 4-0.

1. Blood 2. When Darin Blood winds up his career at Gonzaga University, the professional ranks appear within reach. Photo by Shawn Jacobson/The Spokesman-Review

West Valley softball player Rachel Shawen smiles at sign language from teammate Peggy Palmer. Photo by Steve Thompson/The Spokesman-Review

GSL soccer University's soccer team may one day find a way to score against Mead. Until that day comes, the Titans will have to find solace in the fact that they at least play hard against the Panthers. The Mead boys beat the Titans 3-0 at Mead in a Saturday afternoon game. In other GSL games, North Central beat Shadle Park 1-0, Central Valley beat Rogers 3-0 and Lewis and Clark beat Ferris 1-0.