Maryland’s Clock Is Ticking on Luring a Team to Baltimore : Football: If Rams or Raiders have designs on relocating, they might have to meet a Feb. 15 deadline for a stadium.

The window of opportunity for either the Raiders or the Rams to move to Baltimore will be slammed shut in nine days, says the governor of Maryland.

“I am not optimistic that . . . something will be finalized,” Governor William D. Schaefer said.

John Shaw, Ram executive vice president, has met with officials of the Maryland Stadium Authority. The Raiders won’t concede that they have even made contact with officials from Baltimore.

“I am not aware of any conversations with Baltimore officials,” said Al LoCasale, Raider executive assistant.

Baltimore Mayor Kurt Schmoke insists those conversations have taken place. Schmoke stressed that they occurred before Los Angeles was hit with an earthquake on Jan. 17.

“I don’t want to get into a situation where it would look like we are capitalizing on Los Angeles’ misery,” Schmoke told the Baltimore Sun.

The next step in a move to Baltimore would be for one of the teams to send a letter declaring serious intent to relocate. If that doesn’t happen by Feb. 15, the $160 million in Maryland funds earmarked for a new stadium in the Camden Yard area of downtown can be diverted.

Schaefer would like to see the money used to build an arena to lure an NBA or NHL team.

Other groups are also expected to put in bids for the funds.

Schaefer said that, if no club responds by Feb. 15, he will support Washington Redskin owner Jack Kent Cooke, who wants to build a new stadium in Maryland.

“I do know that two teams will move within a year,” Schaefer said.

He would not, however, identify the teams.

Baltimore is offering the new stadium to a team at a cost of $1 per year in rent. The club will get all ticket revenues, including those from luxury boxes, and all revenues from parking and concessions.

Baltimore officials are also courting the Canadian Football League, but not with the same lucrative offer. Should their attempt to get an NFL team fail, city officials would try to get a CFL team to play in Memorial Stadium, home of the Baltimore Colts before the team moved to Indianapolis.

While they won’t concede they are looking outside Los Angeles, the Raiders can’t say with certainty where they will be playing in 1994. The earthquake damaged the Coliseum so badly that its availability for the upcoming season is in doubt.

The city of Oakland, former home of the Raiders, has offered its stadium as a temporary home, but that suggestion was met with less than enthusiasm by Yvonne Brathwaite Burke, president of the Coliseum Commission.

Because of the lack of luxury boxes in the 71-year-old Coliseum and poor attendance at Raider games, there have been constant rumors and speculation that the team will move.

The Rams, unhappy with Anaheim Stadium, will invoke the escape clause in their lease on May 3, but haven’t firmly committed to leaving.

Ram officials have said they have no intention of moving up their timetable because of the upcoming Maryland deadline.

Times staff writer T.J. Simers contributed to this story.