PRO FOOTBALL / DAILY REPORT : RAIDERS : Howie Long to Tackle the Confectionery Market

Reggie has one. And now, so does Howie.

Veteran Raider defensive lineman Howie Long has joined baseball Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson and only a few others in the elite group of athletes who have had a candy bar named after them.

The Howie Bar, chocolate with almonds, will soon be appearing in a market near you.

Long plans on donating the proceeds from the candy to various charities in the Southland.

“This will give the fans in other cities something to throw at me,” Long said. “I laughed about it when it was first suggested to me, but at least now, if nothing else works out, I can say I had a candy bar named after me. This is just another way for me to filter something back to the community.”

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Offensive tackle Gerald Perry, who has missed three games because of a torn triceps, is practicing with the team. Perry, who jumped from the Rams to the Raiders as a free agent in the off-season, would like nothing better than to face his old teammates in Saturday’s exhibition game at Anaheim Stadium.

But Coach Art Shell isn’t so sure it will happen.

“I’m going to make sure before I say, yes,” Shell told reporters. “I’d like to see him get some time, but, if I don’t think he’s almost completely right, I’m not going to do it.”