THE NFL / BILL PLASCHKE : The Rookies: Some Are the Best, Some Are a Bust

* HELLO? ANYBODY HOME? When two members of the Rams’ booster club recently met with owner Georgia Frontiere and team President John Shaw, they emphasized the financial guarantees and minority ownership that had been publicly discussed by the Save the Rams group.

Frontiere had never heard of either offer.

“Johnny,” she reportedly said to Shaw, “are there guarantees in their deal?”

Later, she reportedly turned to Shaw and said, “You mean there are people here willing to invest?”

* NOBODY HOME IN MINNEAPOLIS, EITHER: The sudden decline of the Minnesota Vikings, who have needed comebacks in the final 10 minutes to record their only two victories in six weeks, was typified by a mental blunder last Saturday.

After the Vikings scored to pull within eight points of the Detroit Lions late in the third quarter, kicker Fuad Reveiz once again avoided all-world returner Mel Gray with a short kickoff. Eric Lynch grabbed the ball at the 25-yard line and returned it 11 yards.

One problem. Gray had suffered a leg injury on the previous kickoff and wasn’t in the game. The Vikings cost themselves as much as 20 yards in field position because they never noticed that rookie Johnnie Morton--with no official returns--had replaced him.

On the next play, Barry Sanders ran 64 yards up the middle for a game-clinching touchdown.

* HAVE A SUPER NEW YEAR: Leigh Steinberg, the agent who represents Dallas Cowboy quarterback Troy Aikman and San Francisco 49er quarterback Steve Young, issued an NFC championship prediction with his annual holiday greeting card.

The photo on the card is of young son Matt sitting on the back of son Jon.

Matt is wearing a San Francisco 49er cap. Jon is wearing a Dallas Cowboy cap.

Steinberg would only say, “The card is sort of like playing a Beatles album backward. There is a message there, but you have to look for it.”

* FINAL WORD: Those at NBC and Fox who spend much time and effort sniping at each other over who has the best pregame show would do well to check out which pregame show is shown in most of the stadium press boxes and officials’ suites in the league.

Hint: It’s neither one.

* BUT A HUNDRED LASHES TO ESPN: For endorsing the idiot who operated the motorized toy car that rolled around the field and caused the delay in the Raider game in Seattle last weekend.

Sure, announcers Mike Patrick and Joe Theismann were critical of the intrusion, which cost the driving Seahawks momentum that might have cost them the game.

But when producers discovered that a note on the car promoted their network, my, how their morals changed. That note was proudly shown over the air within seconds with a then-meaningless disclaimer from Patrick.

Hmmmm . . . surely ESPN would not have hired someone to sit in the stands with a remote-control box and create a potentially injury-causing distraction, all in the name of shameless self-promotion.

Or would they? Their behavior makes you wonder.

* SAME PUNISHMENT TO THE BILLS: They violated the league’s 12-minute cooling-off policy by bolting their locker room doors for nearly 30 minutes after Buffalo’s playoff-eliminating loss to the New England Patriots last week.

We regard them and their four consecutive Super Bowl appearances as heroic. Even more amazing that they accomplished it while bearing this giant chip.

* HE ALSO DOES WINDOWS: Shortly after being announced as one of the 10 original Carolina Panthers last week, guard Carlson Leomiti, a Cleveland Brown reject, left the news conference and entertained hotel guests on the lobby’s grand piano.

One of the songs he played was “Easy.”

* AMERICA’S ANIMAL HOUSE: Emmitt Smith, sore hamstring and all, climbed over a seat in an attempt to slug James Washington on the Cowboys’ flight back from New Orleans on Monday night.

Smith was angry because he had been hit on the head during an apparent food fight.

It is unknown what Coach Barry Switzer was doing at the time, but we hear he wields a mean mashed potato.

* FINAL WORD II: The weeklong verbal battle between Arizona Cardinal Coach Buddy Ryan and former Cardinal Keith Rucker, now with the Cincinnati Bengals, spilled over into the Bengals’ locker room Sunday.

Sources say Ryan authored a message that appeared on one of three boxes of doughnuts delivered to the locker room before their game.

“Good luck, Fatso,” read the message. It was signed, “Buddy Ryan.”