ORANGE COUNTY PERSPECTIVE : Life Without the Rams?

The Los Angeles Rams football team has broken so many hearts in Southern California with its lackluster performances over the years--or, worse, has left so many people indifferent to its fate--that it might be tempting to simply say: “OK, you want to leave the area? Bon voyage.” But wait a minute.

The first thing that should be noted is that the Rams are an important part of the region’s sports landscape and are worth trying to keep--provided that the price is not too high. And although the club’s shrewd Executive Vice President John Shaw has positioned the team to take advantage of the best offers from football-hungry cities around the country, it is not entirely clear that the club’s owner, Georgia Frontiere, will agree to change venues even if some other city offers a deal that pencils out better. So this is basically a chess game.

All of the recent discussions about the fate of the team led up to the moment last week when Shaw informed the host city of Anaheim that the Rams intended to invoke an escape clause in its 35-year lease at Anaheim Stadium that would enable the team to play elsewhere as early as 1995.

In 1990 negotiations Shaw cleverly opened a window to take advantage of whatever greener pastures might await in National Football League expansion. Anaheim made the mistake of allowing the “out” as it bargained for unimpeded construction of Anaheim Arena.

The Rams have not yet given the required formal notice of an intention to leave Anaheim Stadium, and they well may decide to stay. But it is clear that in effect the club--now positioned to sit back and entertain entreaties from the likes of Baltimore, St. Louis and Memphis--is the equivalent of sought-after players who are “free agents.”

But while the team may enjoy being courted by the old Maryland city of the Colts, and humming “Long distance information, give me Memphis, Tennessee,” its fundamental problem in Southern California is not likely to go away with a change of scenery. That is, as much as team officials complain about the lack of fan support, the surest way to put people in the stands here or anywhere is to put a winner on the field.

The team has not done that, and will have to do so if it is serious about retaining the interest and support of area fans and the city of Anaheim. The city, meanwhile, has talked about trying to find local buyers, but Frontiere’s lack of interest in selling would make that an exercise in futility. Instead, Anaheim should do what it can within reason, and without giving away the farm, offer incentives for an important piece of the Southern California mosaic to stay in place.