Wired In
Fans can score all the latest on the Web

By John Yaukey
Gannett News Service

Friday, July 27 — 10:20 p.m. at a friend's barbecue.

The local news is on in the kitchen and you hear the tail end of a sports report ... "Redskin great Deion Sanders to retire."

What?!!#@%

You click through the full gamut of stations, but no one knows anything. The TV sports world is asleep at the switch as the most charismatic player in the NFL has decided to throw in the towel after a dozen brilliant seasons — just as training camp is about to open.

Not to worry. Fire up the browser and hit ESPN's Web site where all the details are rolling in almost in real time.

Add football to the list of institutions the Internet has changed forever.

Indeed, if you're a real NFL fan, you've probably come to realize your mouse is almost as important as your remote.

The Web will keep you current on the latest trades, injuries, internal spats and arrests, all of which can make the difference between victory and vilification for that band of millionaire mercenaries you call the home team.

Check out this list of top NFL Web sites, and come Sunday afternoon you'll be fully briefed and ready to watch the nation's gladiators take years off each others' lives and your marriage.

NEWS AND INFORMATION

• NFL.com (www.nfl.com). This is the game's official Web site, one-stop shopping for the most fanatical of fans. You'll find all the basics like stats, scores, records, news, new rules, injury reports, ticket information, rookie reports, TV schedules as well as historical archives, newsletters and links to a host of fantasy football sites.
• USAToday.com (www.usatoday.com/sports/nfl.htm). Comprehensive news, stats, transactions and a full list of player salaries (rounded off to the nearest million).
• ESPN's NFL site (football.espn.go.com/nfl/index). ESPN throws its prodigious news resources at this site with the latest on everything from trades and injuries to drug scandals and comeback stories.
• ProWeb (www.nflproweb.com). Posted by the Association of NFL Fan Sites, this Web page bills itself as "smash-mouth football for the hardcore fan." It's mainly a compendium of news, fan blather and cheerleader cheesecake shots. Highly recommended.
• NFLPlayers.com (www.nflplayers.com). No coaches, no owners — strictly news about players. An Inside the Clubhouse feature and in-depth profiles give fans an intimate look at the men behind the masks.
• MSport (msport2.com/nfl). Good index of all the official team sites without a lot of clutter.
• Sports Illustrated/CNN (sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football). Scores, schedules, standings, stats and interactive features such as regular chats with players, coaches and pundits. All the stuff you'll get at other sites except a day before anyone else.
• Pro Football with James Alder (www.profootball.about.com). Good offbeat features like Football 101 and franchise genealogies for tracing those errant teams that move from one boomtown to the next.
• Dick Butkus Football Network (www.dickbutkus.com). Get the latest on the NFL from its most feared player and his crew of columnists. And old No. 51 doesn't stop with the NFL. He covers college, high school and even Pop Warner ball. Drop Dick e-mail.
• Pro Football Hall of Fame (www.profootballhof.com). This is where all the arguments are settled. The site features a complete history of the game as well as chats with recent inductees and a virtual tour of the museum — fairly highbrow as far as gridiron sites go.
• Superbowl.com (www.superbowl.com). Photo gallery, archived news conferences.
• TwoMinuteWarning.com (www.twominutewarning.com). Touts itself as the home of the "Ultimate Prediction Machine" — football's squawk box.
• Playfootball.com (www.playfootball.com). The official NFL site for kids. Packed with games, message boards and "meet the players" profiles.
• SportsAgents.com (www.sports-agents.com/NFL-FS.html). Find out who's showing whom the money with links to the Web sites of NFL agents. Good for wishful parents.

SHOPPING

• RoadTrips.com (www.roadtrips.com). Check here for the latest in travel bargains to game sites. Subscribe to ROADTRIPS NEWS, a free monthly e-mail newsletter for the latest tour information and special discounts.
• SportTicket.com (www.iis-sports.com/ticket/pages/nfl1.html). You can't get in without tickets, and here's where to get them.
• Big Football Store.com (www.bigfootballstore.com). Visit here for licensed team clothing, tailgate necessities, books and football video games for Sega, PlayStation, Nintendo and the PC.
• Forrest's Footballand (www.footballand.com). Football card trading and live chat.
• NFLshop.com (www.nflshop.com). This is the official online store of the NFL, so you'll probably pay twice as much.

But if you're looking for a Vikings halter top and matching capri, where else are you going to go?