NFL: NEW BEGINNINGS : Spirit in St. Louis in Midseason Form : Pro football: Ram afternoon practice in new home draws thousands of supporters.

They honked their horns and waved excitedly as the police escort cleared the way for the three air-conditioned buses. Thousands more waited ahead at Parkway Central High to greet the St. Louis Rams with applause and shouts of acceptance.

“It’s something, isn’t it?” marveled Wayne Sevier, special teams coach. “A police escort to go to practice!”

They came for the afternoon practice in their new St. Louis Rams T-shirts and caps, and hot as it was, they sat undeterred, watching their new football team, oblivious to its penchant to disappoint and its 23-57 record over the last five seasons.

“They are in St. Louis now,” said Midge Maguire, who videotaped the practice for friends and business associates. “This is a sports town and the Rams needed this.”

The morning practice--officially the team’s first in St. Louis--had been announced as closed to the public to avoid disrupting summer-school classes at Parkway Central. St. Louis fans, who obligingly gave Georgia Frontiere and John Shaw a $260-million domed stadium, did as they were instructed.

“They didn’t show up,” said Mike Sigler, Parkway Central’s athletic director. “We expected a big crowd and we were going to let them in, but the amazing thing is, they stayed away. The only thing we could figure is that they thought it was a secret NFL practice for the Rams and maybe they were putting in special secret plays.”

As a result the media outnumbered the fans for the Rams’ St. Louis debut. KFAN radio led the charge by broadcasting live from the practice field with announcer Jay Randolph Jr. talking about “our Rams,” and how “we will do this season.”

A few minutes before 9, the buses arrived. Coach Rich Brooks, identified as Hugh Brooks on the cover of a national magazine dedicated to pro football, led the players down a roped-off path, although there was no crowd to control.

“Rah-rah Rams,” yelled someone, and upon investigation it was a local radio guy doing a live broadcast and working hard to enliven almost-silent history in the making.

The players filed without comment past the reporters and onto the high school field. A few minutes later, a horn sounded, a fan squealed and the Rams were officially at work in St. Louis.

“Seeing is believing,” said Marc Schreiber, one of the first fans to see the Rams in operation. “I was in Anaheim a little while ago and you could see why the Rams came here. The team was lousy and no one cared, but the people here will care, no matter how they play.”

An hour into the first practice, 13 fans remained in the stands, among them Howie Kremer and Blake Halpern, the first youngsters spotted wearing Jerome Bettis’ No. 36 jerseys.

“I got it in January when they announced they were coming,” Kremer said. “I tried to take it back to the store when it looked like they weren’t coming, but they wouldn’t take it.”

Susie Fine sought the shade after freeing her son, Max, 10, to seek an autograph from “No. 93.” Both mother and son had no idea who No. 93 was, other than that the morning newspaper had reported that he (Kevin Carter) had just signed a $10-million contract.

Another youngster, Matt Niederhauser, 10, was also prepared to stalk Carter.

“He’s my favorite player because he’s a quarterback like me, too,” he said.

Presumably sometime later in the day young Matt learned that the 6-foot-5, 275-pound Carter is a defensive end.

“I think we look pretty good,” said Chris Lance, a fan. “All except for the quarterback.”

Presumably he was not talking about Carter.

“I heard people yelling my name today,” said linebacker Roman Phifer. “I’m not used to that. There wasn’t anyone at our practices in L.A.”

Mark Rypien, who will back up quarterback Chris Miller, watched with interest the reaction of his new teammates--the former Los Angeles Rams.

“These guys need to see this kind of enthusiasm from the fans,” he said. “It’s something some of these guys have never experienced.”

An hour and 45 minutes into the morning practice, the players began their first 11-on-11 confrontation as the official St. Louis Rams:

Play 1--Quarterback Tommy Maddox yells, “Yellow 58, yellow 58, hut, hut,” and running back James Bostic takes a handoff and stumbles into the offensive line. There is no applause.

Play 2--Maddox throws the first St. Louis Ram pass and Alexander Wright, signed as a free agent from the Raiders to replace Flipper Anderson, drops it.

Play 3--Cleveland Gary gets the ball and . . . no, he does not fumble.

Play 4--Defensive tackle Sean Gilbert jumps offside.

A St. Louis Post Dispatch sportswriter then asked, “When are they going to throw the ball to tight end Troy Drayton?” Same old Rams.

The horn blew again and the players assembled to run a series of 100-yard dashes.

“Let’s do this right or we’ll run more,” yelled Brooks, in the first coaching edict to be ignored by the St. Louis Rams.

Dwayne White, a saggy 300-plus pound guard signed to a $10-million contract during the off-season, became the first player to lose his lunch--and the first training camp lunch had yet to be served.

The heat began to take its toll on everyone. Tony Wiley, public relations assistant for the Rams, watched Anthony Parker intercept a pass by Cree Morris and then announced, “We’re going to sweep the 49ers this year.”

It was a day to be upbeat after being trodden in L.A. Miller, who arrived late because of the birth of his second child, showed up for the second practice and did not get hurt.

“I know, I know all about Chris Miller,” said Gene Spilker, a season-ticket holder with the Cardinals after their arrival here in 1960. “The Cardinals were crummy most of the time when they were here, but I’m optimistic about the Rams. My wife and I paid $1,000 for personal seat licenses to watch them play.”

The Rams, who will travel for all four of their exhibition games, will not play before hometown fans until Sept. 10, against Jim Everett and the New Orleans Saints.

“I’m not buying one of those PSLs--Pay to See Losses,” said Jim Meyer, who tagged along with a friend to watch practice. “I figure they go 4-12 this season.”

And the fans of St. Louis will just love that.

“At least it’s football,” said Pat Mahoney, a local high school coach who recently moved from Tampa, Fla., only to find a team with a worse record in the ‘90s than the Buccaneers’ 25-55. “I just like watching football, even if it’s bad football.”