LINEMEN PARADISE

Former Husky football player Bob Sapp. Photo courtesy K-1 USA.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------In December, about 74,000 fans packed the Tokyo Dome and another 10 million watched on TV as Sapp, who stands 6-foot-7 and 350 pounds, destroyed four-time world champion Ernesto Hoost of the Netherlands."I don't enjoy hitting and hurting anyone at all, I'm not a madman," says Sapp, who played for the Huskies from 1994-96. "But I do enjoy going in there and getting the adrenaline flowing. Ninety-nine percent of the time it's done in good sportsmanship."Sapp can't believe his stardom overseas. "Oh, man, it's crazy," says the 29-year-old, who is charismatic and loves to clown for the cameras. "And it's so hard to explain. A regular celebrity would hope to just get half this phenomenon."He has signed on as the "ambassador" for Northwest Airlines and the NFL's Japan office. He is almost a regular feature on Japanese TV, appearing in commercials promoting everything from DVD players to fabric softener. His tongue-in-cheek debut CD, "Sapp Time," has sold more than 100,000 copies since March.How did this all come about? "In every sport, you have to have a Plan B," says Sapp, who was drafted by the Chicago Bears but never made the team. He played briefly with the Minnesota Vikings before he was suspended for using steroids, a charge he denies. "For me, Plan B is already set. It's to do everything from voice-overs for cartoons to action and adventure movies, not only in the United States but here in Japan. I'm ready to do Hollywood movies."--------------------------------------------------------------------------------