Gary Clark

Cornerback Terry Taylor of the Detroit Lions yesterday became the seventh National Football League player banned for life under the league's drug policy.The Lions, who acquired Taylor from the Seattle Seahawks last season for running back James Jones, said they will not appeal the league action, which was based on Taylor's third positive test for substance abuse. Taylor can reapply for admission to the league in a year."It's always a shock to find out something like that, and my heart is heavy and saddened.

NEW ORLEANS -- The Washington Redskins brought Darrell Green back from injured reserve and put quarterback Cary Conklin on the 45-man active roster last night for the first time in his three-year career.Green, who was feared lost for the season when he broke his forearm in the second game against the Atlanta Falcons, recovered faster than expected and was cleared to practice Friday.The Redskins originally planned to wait until next week to bring back Green. But since A. J. Johnson is playing with an ailing knee and the team put two cornerbacks, Martin Mayhew and Sidney Johnson, on injured reserve last week, they decided to rush Green back to play in nickel situations on passing downs.

Harford's three municipalities will step into the holiday spirit this weekend with parades and tree lightings. Standard fare for each event includes visits with Santa Claus and free hot chocolate, candy canes and cookies. And the one-a-day parade schedule will allow avid fans to watch all three. On Friday night, Havre de Grace's first-Friday-of-the-month activities, which include carriage rides and extended shopping hours, will be punctuated by the Christmas parade, beginning at 6:30 p.m. Karen Green of the county's Parks and Recreation Department said the town's annual event is unique because families are invited to march in the parade.

Sherrie Little has been appointed as the new marketing director for Cranberry Mall in Westminster. She will manage advertising, marketing and promotional programs for the 100-store mall. The Annapolis resident has a bachelor's degree from National-Louis University in Evanston, Ill.C. Alan Jefferson has been promoted to vice president in the commercial lending division of Taneytown Bank & Trust. He has served the bank's business customers since 1992 in the Columbia office.Brenda K. Anders has been promoted to vice president of mortgage servicing at Taneytown Bank & Trust.

The Washington Redskins ended their losing streak in the free-agent market yesterday when they signed defensive lineman Al Noga of the Minnesota Vikings to a four-year, $5.4 million contract.The acquisition of Noga, who had nine sacks last season, offsets the sack total from the free-agent losses of defensive linemen Jumpy Geathers and Fred Stokes, who combined for 8 1/2 sacks last year.The Redskins previously had failed to sign two other linemen -- Reggie White and Wayne Martin. The Redskins would not pay White $4 million a year, so he signed with the Green Bay Packers, and Martin agreed to a four-year, $10.1 million deal, but the New Orleans Saints kept him by matching it.Noga will get salaries of $1.9 million, $1.4 million, $1.05 million and $1.05 million the next four seasons after making $435,000 in base salary last year with a $35,000 bonus.

Site: Candlestick Park, San Francisco. Time: 4 p.m.Line: 49ers by 8.Last week: The Redskins beat the Philadelphia Eagles, 20-6, and the 49ers had a bye as the division champion with the best record.Last meeting: The Redskins beat the 49ers, 26-13, in the second game of the season as Joe Montana passed for 390 yards.The series: The 49ers lead the series, 10-7-1, and have won four of the past five although the clubs split their only two previous playoff games, the 49ers winning, 24-20, in 1971 and the Redskins winning, 24-21, in 1983.

Baltimore area ranks 58th in housing affordabilityBaltimore was the 58th market in housing affordability in a 1996 survey of 75 major metropolitan areas by E & Y Kenneth Leventhal Real Estate Group of Los Angeles. The region moved down one spot from 1995.The study compares what typical midlevel corporate employees are required to pay for "amenitized housing," a four-bedroom home or luxury two-bedroom rental apartment.Continuing a trend first observed last year, it is less expensive to own a home than to rent on an after-tax basis in 53 of the 75 markets studied.

Washington Redskins coach Joe Gibbs said yesterday that backup tackle Ed Simmons' apology for a drunken-driving arrest won't change the fact that Simmons "will have to pay a price."Simmons was arrested early yesterday and charged with driving while intoxicated, District of Columbia police said.Simmons was stopped in the Georgetown section at about 2:30 a.m., according to police spokesman Sgt. Joe Gentile."I had a talk with Ed," coach Joe Gibbs said. "He told me: 'I just messed up, I shouldn't have done it.' He's sorry about it. He's going to have to pay a price, whatever it is. We don't like it, and he doesn't like it. It's just something he's going to work his way through."

Site: RFK Stadium. Time: 9TV: Channels 13, 7. Radio: WCAO (600 AM), WMAL (630 AM)Line: Redskins by 6 1/2Last week: The Eagles beat the Pittsburgh Steelers, 23-14, and the Redskins beat the Cincinnati Bengals, 34-27.The series: The Redskins have a 64-42-5 record in this series that dates back to 1934 when the Redskins were in Boston. The Eagles have lost 8 of the past 11 in the series although they've been tough on Redskins quarterbacks, knocking out Jay Schroeder in 1987 and Jeff Rutledge and Stan Humphries last year when RB Brian Mitchell had to finish the game at quarterback.

New York Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor said yesterday that he may take legal action against sportscaster Howard Cosell for suggesting on a radio talk show that Taylor has cheated on National Football League drug tests.Cosell said Thursday while a guest on Bill Mazer's show on WFAN in New York that Taylor "has fresh vials of Bible Belt urine," a suggestion that Taylor might be substituting his urine with someone else's to pass the league's drug test. Under the NFL's substance-abuse policy, athletes are required to give urine samples during random checks.