Raiders’ Claims Go Forward

A Superior Court judge issued a ruling allowing three claims by the Oakland Raiders against the NFL to go forward, including the team’s contention the league owes it money for losing “the Los Angeles market.”

However, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Richard Hubbell also dismissed portions of the Raiders’ contention that they still own the Los Angeles market.

A trial date on the team’s lawsuit had been scheduled for the summer but has since been postponed. A new date could be scheduled at a Sept. 19 hearing.

The Raiders claim their win in a previous anti-trust case against the NFL gave them ownership to the Los Angeles market.

But in the ruling, Hubbell found the anti-trust case stated the opposite, that the “NFL as a whole owned the right to expand into the Los Angeles area,” and “the Los Angeles opportunity represented an extremely valuable expansion possibility for the league.”

According to the ruling, the Raiders can only win by showing the NFL constitution, bylaws and past practices prove the team is entitled to a cash payment.

*

Still nursing a sprained left ankle, running back Terrell Davis gave the Denver Broncos reason to believe he will play Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons.

Davis was held out of practice Thursday for the second straight day, but he reported improvement to his ankle and graduated from walking to jogging.

“My gut feeling is he’ll be able to play,” Denver Coach Mike Shanahan said.

*

Safety and kick returner Tremain Mack signed a one-year contract extension with the Cincinnati Bengals. Terms of the contract, which will run through the 2001 season, were not disclosed.

NFC / Batch Will Start for Lions

Only 24 hours after signing a four-year, $31-million contract extension, Charlie Batch said he will start Sunday against the Washington Redskins.

“I’m not 100 percent, and there are some things in the game plan that I can’t do, but I’ll be out there,” Batch said after practice Thursday. “Obviously, if I keep waiting, I’ll get closer to 100%, but I can do things now that I couldn’t do last week, so we felt the time was right.”

Batch broke a bone in his knee during off-season workouts and missed all of training camp and the Lions’ 14-10 season-opening win in New Orleans.

Lion Coach Bobby Ross said the team is happy to have Batch back, even after Stoney Case helped them to victory over the Saints.

*

Holdout defensive end Simeon Rice, who agreed to a contract with the Arizona Cardinals and then disappeared, signed the $4.25-million, one-year deal Thursday and practiced with the team. . . . Washington safety Mark Carrier was suspended by the NFL for one game for a helmet-to-helmet hit on Carolina tight end Wesley Walls on Sunday. . . . New York Giants’ safety Sam Garnes (concussion) and tight end Pete Mitchell (knee) practiced, but are still questionable for Sunday’s game in Philadelphia. . . . Minnesota defensive end Talance Sawyer was fined $7,500 by the NFL for an illegal hit on Chicago quarterback Cade McNown during Sunday’s 30-27 victory.