NOTEBOOK : NFL Likely to Add West Germany to Exhibition Site List

So you think team names like the Berlin Walls or the London Bridges have a ring to them? Well, there is increasing talk these days among pro sports leagues of expanding into other countries.

Baseball has toyed with it for years and now has teams in Canada. The topic is one of NBA Commissioner David Stern’s favorites. And Friday, at the annual Super Bowl press conference conducted by the commissioner, Paul Tagliabue talked about it.

The NFL has played exhibition games in Tokyo, London and Goteborg, Sweden, and Tagliabue said that the league probably would play a game next season in West Germany, in either Frankfurt or the Olympic Stadium in Berlin.

Tagliabue also noted that this year’s Super Bowl was being televised in 50 countries and that there were 10 crews here to originate, in 10 foreign languages, Super Bowl telecasts.

In all, the NFL issued 126 credentials to print and broadcast outlets in 17 foreign countries.

The Dr. Forest Tennant drug story left most journalists here with a bad taste. It was pursuit of a complicated non-story with all sorts of side issues, ego trips and grinding axes.

Buddy Martin, columnist of the Florida Times-Union, said: “We’ve got to remember. This isn’t journalism. This is the Super Bowl.”

And Michael Bauman, columnist for the Milwaukee Journal, recalling his feelings while trying to squeeze into the crowd of reporters swarming all over a slightly amazed Joe Montana for comment Thursday, said, “Afterward, I felt like I needed to take a shower.”

Mike Ditka, coach of the Chicago Bears, took great exception to all the heat being put on Tennant.

“It’s all a bunch of garbage,” Ditka said. “Tennant is one of the most honorable men I know. I’ve worked with him very closely.”

In the category of, Let’s play the game, please!

In Tagliabue’s press conference, which lasted one hour and seven minutes, the game itself was not mentioned. It was all about issues and controversy.

Two players were mentioned, Joe Montana and the Broncos’ John Elway, but they came up in connection with Tagliabue’s anger over drug innuendo surrounding them as white quarterbacks.

Tagliabue was kidded because, in the past, souvenir NFL footballs, with Commissioner Pete Rozelle’s name on them, were sold at Super Bowl time for $49. This year, the footballs have Paul Tagliabue’s name on them, and are selling for $57.

“We price them by volume, plus I have more letters in my name,” Tagliabue said.

The father-in-law of Michael Young, Bronco wide receiver, died earlier this week and will be the subject of a memorial service in Young’s hometown of Visalia next Thursday. Don Bratten, 58, father of Jill Bratten Young, died of pneumonia complications while suffering from cancer.

What do NFL officials do for a living when they aren’t tossing flags into piles of players on weekends? Here’s a rundown of Sunday’s Super Bowl cast:

--Dick Jorgensen, the referee, is the president of a bank.

--Hendi Ancich, the umpire, is a longshoreman.

--Earnie Frantz, the head linesman, is the vice president and general manager of a land title company.

--Ron Bluhm, the line judge, is a teaching golf pro.

--Al Jury, the back judge, is a state traffic officer.

--Gerry Austin, the side judge, is an associate superintendent for a county school system.

--And Don Orr, the field judge, is a mechanical contractor.

San Francisco running back Roger Craig returned to practice after missing part of Wednesday’s drill and all of Thursday’s with the flu.

“I feel stronger than I have felt over the last two days,” Craig said, “but I’m still a little weak. Hopefully, I’ll be 100% by Sunday.”

Spencer Tillman, a 49er special teams player, missed Friday’s practice with the flu, and linebacker Keena Turner was given the day off to rest his legs.

San Francisco Coach George Seifert also announced Friday that Michael Carter has recovered enough from his foot injury to start in place of Pete Kugler at nose tackle.

Former coach Bill Walsh attended practice Thursday and visited with safety Ronnie Lott and Seifert.

Bronco Coach Dan Reeves said it’s difficult to tell how tailback Bobby Humphrey’s cracked ribs will hold up Sunday.

“I cannot tell you anything new on him from what I said last Wednesday,” Reeves said. “Until he is hit in the game and hits the ground, we really won’t know. He will start because of his running in practice, but he hasn’t hit the ground when someone lands on him. He hasn’t felt that pressure.”

Times staff writer Chris Dufresne contributed to this story.