Moving Is an Option, but Rams Not for Sale : Pro football: In her first extensive interview in years, Frontiere talks about Baltimore, Knox, Everett and the suffering fans.

Georgia Frontiere, owner of the Rams, says she has no interest in selling her team but is exploring the option of moving it.

“It’s something that you have to consider,” Frontiere said. “If you were offered something that was so good for you and your family or your businesses, you’d have to look at it and say, ‘Well, let’s weigh the things . . . and what you’re going to have to go through.’

“It’s just a fact of life. People do look at other possibilities in life.”

In the first extensive interview she has given in many years, Frontiere talked about her desire to continue as owner of the Rams, her empathy with the team’s long-suffering fans, her support for Coach Chuck Knox and the struggles of quarterback Jim Everett.

But most of the discussion centered on whether the Rams will stay or go. Frontiere said the subject was not being broached simply to gain leverage for a better deal from the city of Anaheim.

“We don’t play those kinds of games,” she said.

The Rams could leave Anaheim Stadium before their lease expires in 2015 by providing 15 months notice and paying a multimillion-dollar settlement. They have not requested changes in the current agreement, but have been advised by representatives of Baltimore that a far more beneficial situation awaits.

“There is quite a discrepancy between what we have and what other cities provide, in my opinion,” Frontiere said. “I visited a lot of stadiums and facilities, too. We’ve been trying, for example, to get a weight room for how long?

“That’s neither here nor there. I’m sure that’s something that will be offered soon, but it shouldn’t have to be that way. It would be much nicer if we were appreciated.”

Is there anything that Anaheim can do to end the speculation and keep the Rams firmly entrenched?

“It remains to be seen,” Frontiere said. “I really don’t want to comment on that. I don’t know if they really know what other cities do for their teams--Dallas, Atlanta, Miami, Jacksonville, Charlotte.”

Washington Redskin owner Jack Kent Cooke recently announced that he would like to build a new stadium in Maryland, which suggested to some that the Rams would no longer be able to consider Baltimore.

“Oh, Mr. Cooke doesn’t frighten me as far as that is concerned,” Frontiere said. “Whenever we see each other, he kisses me; there’s not any other owner that can say that. I never feel I’m down before I’ve even made an effort. If I decide to do something, I don’t give up before I start.

“We have several options, and I think we have to really seriously consider all of them. It’s never easy to make a move. I really don’t know right now. I have never given it any thought until recently.

“I’m not always looking on the other side to see if the grass is greener, by any means. My home is here. It’s always tough to even think about having a change, but it’s something that has to be considered--but only considered.”

If the Rams opted to move, they would probably have to sue the NFL to ensure their freedom to do so. Some observers do not believe that Frontiere would be willing to take the league to court.

“No, I’m not looking forward to any litigation,” she said, “if there’s anything we can do to avoid it. I’m sure there’s a way to work things out to everyone’s satisfaction.”

Baltimore has reportedly offered to lease a stadium--yet to be built--for $1 a game and to allow a team to keep all ticket, luxury box, concession and parking revenue.

How could Frontiere turn down such an attractive opportunity? The Rams pay Anaheim up to $400,000 a year in rent, and the city gets 7.5% of ticket sales, 20% from the luxury boxes and about half of parking and concession revenue.

“It’s hard to evaluate something that you can’t see,” she said. “I have not been in Baltimore, for instance, since 1971. I have not even visited there. I’ve heard nice things (are) happening with the downtown situation and everything, but I don’t know.”

Frontiere’s connection with the NFL began in Baltimore when she married Carroll Rosenbloom, who owned the Colts. She moved to Los Angeles in 1972 when Rosenbloom traded the team to Robert Irsay in exchange for the Rams. Baltimore lost its NFL franchise to Indianapolis in 1984.

St. Louis, another potential Ram suitor, suffered the same fate when the Cardinals bolted for Phoenix after the 1987 season.

The cities have other things in common: Both were passed over in a recent league expansion; both are rumored to be dangling lucrative financial packages to go with the promise of a new stadium and Frontiere says she doesn’t know many specifics about either.

“The only reason I’ve been to St. Louis is because I have an aunt and uncle there,” she said. “I haven’t really looked at anything to know how it would feel if I tried it on.

“You hear these glowing rumors, but I haven’t seen anything in black and white. I have not personally talked to anyone. Again, the grass may always appear to be greener than it really is until you get there. You have to show me. I’m from Missouri.”

Frontiere laughed when asked about persistent rumors that she is trying to sell the Rams.

“I really don’t have an interest in selling,” she said. “It’s too much a part of my life. What would I do on Sunday?

“There is still a certain kid in me. When I first met Carroll (Rosenbloom), he used to take me to practice, and I played catch with Johnny Unitas. That was the greatest thing to ever happen.”

Frontiere is completing her 15th season as the Rams’ owner and president. She took control of the franchise after Rosenbloom died in a drowning accident in Florida on April 2, 1979.

Sources within the team said the club turned a profit of approximately $1.5 million in 1992, down from $2.6 million in ’91. An increase in television revenue will undoubtedly improve the profit picture, but Frontiere could collect more than $200 million through a sale.

“What would I buy with the money?” she said. “You can only eat so much, wear so much. I buy clothes, and I end up wearing the same things practically every day.”

Frontiere said she has been approached many times with offers to purchase the team, but has been tempted only once.

“Someone offered me $300 million,” she said. “I said, ‘John (Shaw, executive vice president), how much would I be able to keep of that?’ But I didn’t want to do it. It was a long time ago, and the group was from another country.

“What would I have done? I’ve been in this since 1957. That’s a long time . . . every Sunday.”

During the 1980s, particularly after John Robinson was hired as coach in ‘83, Frontiere became more visible. She could be seen on the sideline near the end of a game and often offered a kiss on the cheek to many of her players.

In recent years, however, she has declined to be interviewed and no longer has a high profile. Much of her time is spent working with charities, particularly organizations benefiting children.

“Quite honestly, I’m very interested in making it a better world, not just making it a better team,” she said. “That, of course, is a part of me. I’ve been in it too long to say it just doesn’t matter. You can say, well, I don’t care if we lose, but I do. I care terribly if we lose. I just wish I could be out there.”

But she has retreated from the public eye, and while she flashed a sense of humor and appeared quite comfortable while being interviewed Wednesday, Frontiere prefers to let her lieutenants do the talking.

“I’m not really the kind of person that likes to be out front anyway,” she said. “The only time I like doing that is if I’m trying to make money for a charity or singing or something like that. I really don’t have that kind of an ego that I have to say ‘it’s mine, it’s all mine.’ ”

Frontiere has attended many Ram games this season, and the empty seats and signs urging her to sell have not gone unnoticed.

“Yes, I do empathize with the fans, because I’m a fan myself, and I get upset,” she said. “What can I do to help? What can I do? I feel helpless sometimes.

“As (for) seeing the empty seats, that hurts, too. I don’t blame them for not being there. (But) why shouldn’t they suffer with me? If they really care about the team and winning, then they would be there not giving up. I hate it when they give up.

“I mean, we’re all similar. All fans are similar. I probably feel the same way. I’d probably still go. I just don’t think they like to lose. But I think sometimes you have to fight a little harder to win, and root a little harder, live and die with your team. A lot of people maybe don’t want to do that.”

Frontiere said she believes fan support can make the difference between success and failure on the field.

“It costs a lot of money to go to any event,” she said. “You go to a movie and it costs a lot of money. You go to a movie, and it’s no sure pop it’s going to be a great movie, or you’re going to like it or not end up crying at the end.

“I like happy endings, and I like happy endings with the games, too, but it’s not always possible.”

Asked what she would like to tell unhappy fans, Frontiere said: “Don’t give up.

“You must have faith that your team is going to do it,” she said. “If they’re hurting and have a lot of players out, have a little empathy just like you would with your children. I have a tendency to think of it more as a family thing, and yet I know that it’s a business.”

When the Rams lose, as they have frequently the past four seasons, she said, “It’s torture. It’s torture. I mean, it’s torture. It’s no fun.”

Frontiere signed Knox to a four-year contract last year in the hope of sending the Rams back to the playoffs. He inherited a 3-13 team and guided them to a 6-10 finish in 1992, but this season, the Rams appear to have regressed and are 4-10.

There have been published reports that Knox is in danger of losing his job, but Frontiere appeared surprised by such a suggestion.

“There are things that have happened he can’t control,” she said. “He’s an optimist, and I do like optimists.”

Will Knox return to coach the Rams next season?

“As far as I’m concerned,” she said. “That’s why we signed him for as many years as we did. He’s still got a few years to go.”

There have also been reports that the Rams are interested in talking with Bill Polian, former Buffalo general manager, about joining the team in that capacity next season.

“What for?” Frontiere asked. “That’s what (Knox) wanted to do; that was part of our negotiations when we hired him. He would have full control in that area.

“I think at the end of the year, we’ll evaluate things and see what he thinks. He may prefer to have some help along those lines that you are suggesting.”

Many of the Rams’ problems in 1993 can be attributed to Jim Everett’s belly-flop. Frontiere, a longtime admirer of the quarterback, also remains a staunch defender, although she hinted that he might have to play elsewhere next season.

“I think he has a future in football,” she said. “He’s a really fine player. He’s a good person, and I like him alot. I always have from Day 1. Besides, his mother always sends me a box of candy; what are you going to say?

“I think sometimes he tries to do the whole thing by himself. It’s hard. But a lot of premier quarterbacks are that way. Why wouldn’t (the fans) let him come back? Because of the booing?

“I think he was just going through a slump, that’s my personal opinion. I think he will come out of it, and I would hope it would be to our benefit. But if he would choose to not be where there’s a problem for him, and he would feel better with a new place, then someone else will really get the benefit from his coming out of it. He probably will do well someplace--quite often that happens.”

The Rams have an 18-44 record the past four seasons; what assurances are there that they will not continue to struggle?

“I wish I could be the doctor of happiness for the fans and give them what will make them happy,” she said. “I wish that.”

Frontiere alluded to the musical “Damn Yankees,” where the principal character sells his soul to the devil in exchange for on-field success.

“I would like to be able . . . to win every game but wouldn’t go quite that far to do it,” she said. “But I’d love to be able to be in the same position and give my fans what the 49ers give theirs. I’d love it.”

But will Southland fans have a Ram team to root for in the coming years, or will it move elsewhere first?

“I really don’t know,” she said. “I have a gut feeling, yeah, but I can’t tell you what it is at this time.”

PROFILE

Georgia Frontiere

* POSITION: Owner and president, Los Angeles Rams.

* OWNERSHIP PATH: Became majority owner after the drowning death of her husband, Carroll Rosenbloom, on April 2, 1979.

* TEAM RECORD: Under Frontiere, the Rams have reached the playoffs eight times, the National Football Conference Championship game three times and the Super Bowl once. The Rams are 18-44 since their last play off appearance.

* FAMILY: Two children, four grandchildren.

Source: Rams