Emmys and appointments. That has been the NFL story recently in awards and surveys: ESPN, the league’s Sunday night TV network, last month won an Emmy Award for its NFL programming. ESPN’s Sunday Night Football was honored in the "Live Series" category. Sunday Night was the highest-rated series on basic cable TV for the 14th consecutive year. The Cowboys-Giants game of December 17 was seen by more people than any other cable TV program all year in 2000 (7.2 million homes)……NFL Films won two Emmys in April. Its "Miked Up" halftime feature for ABC’s NFL Monday Night Football, capturing the sights and sounds of a player who wears a microphone in the first half, was honored for "Outstanding Achievement in Audio." And Films’ critically acclaimed special on ESPN, NFL Century: In Their Own Words, was cited for "Outstanding Achievement in Music Composition/Direction"…… "Appointment TV" refers to viewers who make plans to watch a specific program. The NFL leads, by far, in the category. A recent ESPN Sports Poll asked fans which sport – the NFL, Major League Baseball, the NBA or NHL – they "plan to watch, select from other options, or discover when flipping channels?" Seventy percent (70.2) of NFL fans said they plan to watch their sport, compared to 51 percent of NBA, 50 percent of MLB, and 39 percent of NHL fans.

ITEM TWO:

MC NABB & CULPEPPER: HEROES

They’re heroes in others’ minds – not in their own. But quarterbacks DONOVAN MC NABB of the Philadelphia Eagles and DAUNTE CULPEPPER of the Minnesota Vikings have been named just that by the May Men’s Journal in its special "Heroes" issue along with 18 other "men of courage, endurance and extraordinary achievement." Two of the heralded NFL "Quarterback Class of 1999," McNabb and Culpepper both played in the 2001 Pro Bowl. To them, the color of their skin does not matter. "We should be labeled quarterbacks," McNabb told Men’s Journal. "Not black quarterbacks or white quarterbacks, but just plain quarterbacks."

ITEM THREE:

The Arizona Cardinals are meeting their fans this offseason -- door-to-door. The Cardinals’ "Big Red Neighborhood Tour," begun in April and running through May, sends players such as quarterback JAKE PLUMMER, safety KWAMIE LASSITER and center MIKE GRUTTADAURIA into Phoenix-area neighborhoods for three hours every Tuesday through Saturday to "set up shop" at the home of a Cardinals season ticket-holder. All the neighbors are invited over to hear about the Cards’ prospects for 2001, the team’s new stadium or anything else they want to discuss. Nearly 400 neighbors recently showed up at the home of HAL and TRESA HABERLY for a barbecue, interactive games and chit-chat with Cards players, cheerleaders and staff members. "This was a true neighborhood event," said Hal Heberly. "Having the Cardinals come visit us was a wonderful thing for our neighborhood and our children. The response was tremendous. There is a lot of interest and support for the team."