Phoenix Cardinals Football Team

Offensive linemen Louis Cheek of the Dallas Cowboys and rookie John Brandom of the Phoenix Cardinals were suspended Monday for violating the NFL's policy on anabolic steroids and related substances. A statement by the NFL said the action was taken after the players tested positive in training camp physicals. Cheek and Brandom, who both signed as free agents, are suspended for the next two weeks. If their systems are then shown to be clear, they can resume practicing and playing.

Here on the banks of Big Bug Creek, where about 1,000 souls are by-God proving there still exist people with spurs on their heels and dirt under their nails, they know a thing or two about disappointment. They know about sticking shovels in the dry creek bed, again and again, for days and weeks. They know about spending a lifetime digging up little more than a down payment on porch furniture for one of those mobile homes that have turned these barren hills into aluminum canyons.

Defensive end Chris Doleman apparently became the highest-paid defensive player in the NFL when he signed with the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday. Terms of the contracts weren't released, but the St. Paul Pioneer Press reported that Doleman signed a five-year contract estimated at $2 million per year. The Star Tribune of Minneapolis quoted a team source who said the contract was for four years at about $1.7 million per year.

A funny thing happened on the eve of what the NFL is touting as its most peaceful owners' meetings in 15 years. The owners bickered. And bickered. Behind potted plants, underneath man-made waterfalls, in various corners of a resort hotel here, discussions began on a topic that has suddenly become hot and heavy: Realignment. And the owners thought figuring out expansion was difficult. "The 82nd Airborne couldn't get this league realigned," said Art Modell, owner of the Cleveland Browns.

Phoenix Cardinal linebacker Eric Hill was charged with misdemeanor assault for allegedly fondling a woman at a nightclub, authorities said. The charge carries a maximum penalty of six months in jail and a $2,500 fine. Hill, 25, was fined by the team and has agreed to seek counseling.

Phoenix Cardinal linebacker Eric Hill was fined $3,525 and sentenced to one year's probation in a plea proceeding on a misdemeanor assault charge claiming he fondled a woman at a nightclub.

The Phoenix Cardinals announced that kicker Al Del Greco underwent a successful emergency appendectomy in Auburn, Ala.

The city's biggest basketball star walks into any given nightclub on any given night, knocks down a few . . . and occasionally orders a drink, too. The city's new football coach used to work in Houston, where he never punched a clock, only an offensive coordinator from time to time. The city of Phoenix--suddenly, it's a swinging town.

Desperate to end a tradition of dull futility, the Phoenix Cardinals Thursday ignored conventional wisdom and turned the franchise over to Buddy Ryan, one of the most combustible and charismatic coaches the NFL has ever seen. Ryan, who has punched a fellow assistant coach and presided over some of the angriest defenses of recent times, became the team's coach and general manager after two days of interviews with owner Bill Bidwill.

Joe Bugel will keep his job as Phoenix Cardinal coach for at least one more season, according to sources in the NFL. The Phoenix Gazette said in Thursday's editions that an announcement ending speculation over Bugel's future was expected soon. The Gazette didn't identify the source of the information. Owner Bill Bidwill had suggested that the Cardinals would have to have a winning season for Bugel to keep his job.

He is lean, tanned and the proud owner of a desert home with enough land out back for a basketball court. He has Garrison Hearst behind him, Gary Clark in the corner of his eye and nothing but clear, twinkling skies ahead. Steve Beuerlein, the new quarterback of the new Phoenix Cardinals, is so giddy that he doesn't even think about the Raiders. Not that Raider owner Al Davis didn't almost win.

The Rams, desperately seeking a third wide receiver, acquired Ernie Jones from the Phoenix Cardinals Thursday for a conditional draft pick. Jones, 28, is a six-year veteran who caught 38 passes for 559 yards last season. He has 210 receptions in his professional career and led the Cardinals with 61 catches and 957 yards in 1991. He would seem to fill a genuine need. The Rams have been searching for a wide receiver to go with starters Henry Ellard and Flipper Anderson.

Police arrested Phoenix Cardinal wide receiver Ernie Jones after discovering crack cocaine and marijuana in his car, a Phoenix police spokesman said. The Phoenix Gazette reported Friday that Jones tested positive for marijuana at the NFL scouting combine in 1988. Jones was released on his own recognizance pending a Feb. 25 preliminary hearing.