Notes on a Scorecard - June 26, 1995

Remember when Los Angeles was the sports capital of the nation? . . .

On football Sundays this year it will rank right up there with Biloxi, Miss., Beaumont, Tex., Medford, Ore., Manchester, N.H., Springfield, Ill., and all the other places that are without an NFL franchise. . . .

This L.A. native is depressed and embarrassed. . . .

But apparently I’m in the minority. . . .

Apathy fits the city’s reaction to the loss of the Raiders--on the same day that the moving vans left Rams Park in Anaheim for St. Louis--better than does indignation. . . .

A survey conducted by Channel 7 recently showed that the San Francisco 49ers were the favorite NFL team of 26% of those polled, compared to 18% for the Raiders. . . .

That’s Channel 7 in L.A., not San Francisco. . . .

*

After Hideo Nomo struck out Barry Bonds Saturday night at Dodger Stadium, a guy in the loges yelled, “We don’t need no Raiders!” and was cheered wildly. . . .

The blame for the Raiders following the Rams out of Southern California and leaving the nation’s second-largest market without a team in the most popular league probably should start with Al Davis, but not end with him. . . .

Davis waited 13 years for a new stadium to be built for the Raiders and left just when it was about to happen. . . .

The Raiders’ ma-and-pa operation never properly marketed the product. . . .

It didn’t occur to them that you have to promote heavily to draw in an area that is packed with entertainment choices and without any great loyalty to most of its teams. . . .

A solution to the problem of rowdy behavior at the Coliseum, which scared a lot of fans away, never was found. . . .

Many years, the team underachieved. . . .

The offensive game plan seemed like something out of the 1970s. . . .

Davis is an excellent talent scout, but he picked--and stuck with--the wrong quarterbacks and coaches too often. . . .

His feud with Marcus Allen was divisive. . . .

The owner’s threats to return to the Bay Area didn’t endear him to Southern California fans, either. . . .

Davis apparently has forgotten that the city of Oakland, which now welcomes him back with open arms and pocketbooks, attempted to take the Raider franchise away from him through a lengthy eminent domain suit. . . .

Enough Davis-bashing. . . .

Let’s get to the Coliseum Commission. . . .

Tenants of the Coliseum and Sports Arena over the years have included the Rams, Raiders, Chargers, Lakers, Kings, Clippers, USC and UCLA. . . .

Today we have USC, the Clippers and the Ice Dogs. . . .

Blame it on political footballs, basketballs and pucks. . . .

“We Can’t Get It Done,” should be the Commission’s motto. . . .

Promises to the Raiders to construct luxury boxes never were fulfilled. . . .

In the days when Davis was deciding whether to move north or stay in the Coliseum for two or three years before the new stadium would be ready, he got virtually no support from local leaders. . . .

Oakland cared. . . .

L.A. didn’t. . . .

Now a way has to be found to build that stadium in Inglewood or maybe somewhere else in Southern California. . . .

The NFL could return here as early as the 1996 season. . . .

I hope it won’t be in the form of an expansion team. . . .

It would probably take a minimum of five years for an expansion team to become a contender. . . .

The first couple of years would be a joke. L.A. would have the football equivalent of the New York Mets of the early 1960s. Only Jay Leno could love it. . . .

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L.A. Raider all-time record: Regular season--118-82. Postseason--6-6. . . .

An all-L.A. Raider offensive team--Quarterback: Jim Plunkett. Running back: Marcus Allen. Fullback: Steve Smith. Wide receivers: Tim Brown, Cliff Branch. Tight end: Todd Christensen. Tackles-- Henry Lawrence, Bruce Wilkerson. Guards--Steve Wisniewski, Max Montoya. Center--Don Mosebar. . . .

All-L.A. Raider defensive team--Linemen: Howie Long, Greg Townsend, Anthony Smith, Chester McGlockton. Linebackers: Ted Hendricks, Matt Millen, Rod Martin. Cornerbacks: Lester Hayes, Mike Haynes. Safeties: Vann McElroy, Ronnie Lott.