Sports Boosters

Former Walt Disney Co. Chief Executive Michael Eisner knows a thing or two about captivating children with cartoon characters. Now he is hoping to hook kids on college sports -- even before they walk or talk. Eisner's new entertainment business, Tornante Co., plans to announce today the purchase of Team Baby Entertainment, a start-up company that makes college-sports booster videos aimed at children ages 6 months to 5 years.

In a conference call last November, USA Wrestling's athletes advisory council debated whether to ask the sport's national governing body to end its association with John E. du Pont. Amateur wrestling's most generous benefactor for almost a decade, Du Pont had been accused of racism after dismissing two African American wrestlers from the state-of-the-art training center on his 800-acre Foxcatcher Farms estate in the rolling hills near Philadelphia.

A\o7 nd the Ford/Bank of America most valuable player of today's Toyota/Visa Southern Section Basketball Division I-AA boys' basketball championship sponsored by Vons and Adidas, is . . . \f7 It could happen. Sponsor names are frequently tagged to premier sporting events already, such as the AT&T National Pro-Am golf tournament and the USF&G Sugar Bowl college football game.

They won't be calling themselves "Save the Rams" anymore, because that no longer can be done. But the group that has battled for 10 months to prevent the NFL team from leaving Anaheim will have a new mission: to help bring a new or existing NFL franchise to Orange County. Leigh Steinberg and Jack Lindquist, co-chairmen of the organization, were optimistic in the wake of news Wednesday that league owners voted to approve the Rams' move to St. Louis.

The happiness . . . it's like going to a wedding. The sadness . . . it's like going to a funeral. I just felt like this is where I have to be--this is home. GEORGIA FRONTIERE, Ram owner * There are still some hurdles that we have to cross . . . There's always concern until things are done. I guess it's because I'm a Missourian, but you still have to show me." STAN KROENKE, New Ram minority owner * Ram fans should not lose hope. St. Louis can celebrate from here until doomsday. . . .

It's official: The Los Angeles Rams agreed Tuesday to take the money and run. In a frenzy of self-congratulation, the Rams were signed, sealed and all but delivered to football-starved St. Louis as the city by the Mississippi put a virtual pot of gold at the end of its famed arch and lured away what was once one of the National Football League's most distinguished franchises. Signing a blown-up version of a relocation agreement, St.

Andrew Kulick cried Tuesday when they became the St. Louis Rams. His association with the team, up close and from afar, spanned more than 25 years and included three generations, from his father to his three sons. Tuesday was not an easy day. "How can I describe my feelings," said Kulick, a 36-year-old Canyon Country resident. "I had three dreams. To pass the bar exam, to have a wife and family and to see the Rams win a Super Bowl. I've done the first two, but I'll never fulfill that last dream."

Tuesday's announcement that the Rams intend to move to St. Louis has done little to slow the Orange County group working to prevent the team's departure. "The fight is just beginning," said Leigh Steinberg, co-chairman of the Save the Rams task force. "I don't care how bad this looks. We're not done until the first game is played in St. Louis next August. While everyone thinks this is a definitive event in this saga, in reality things will continue to be muddled."

It's official: The Los Angeles Rams agreed Tuesday to take the money and run. In a frenzy of self-congratulation, the Rams were signed and sealed and all but delivered to football-starved St. Louis. The city by the Mississippi put a virtual pot of gold at the end of its famed arch and lured away what was once one of the National Football League's most distinguished franchises. Signing a blown-up version of a relocation agreement, St.

Tuesday's announcement that the Rams intend to move to St. Louis has done little to slow the Orange County group working to prevent the team's departure. "The fight is just beginning," said Leigh Steinberg, co-chairman of the Save the Rams task force. "I don't care how bad this looks. We're not done until the first game is played in St. Louis next August. While everyone thinks this is a definitive event in this saga, in reality things will continue to be muddled."