L.A. Can Switch Signals and Call an Option Play

If NFL owners can be persuaded to put a team in the Coliseum, and if the 65-year-old stadium can be modernized at no cost to taxpayers, then there is little question how to proceed if we want pro football to return before the end of the century.

Those, however, are two large ifs. Time’s wasting. We should begin to at least explore all potential sites, not just the Coliseum.

That’s also the thought of State Sen. Richard Polanco (D-Los Angeles), who scheduled a hearing Friday at the Ronald Reagan State Office Building downtown of a Senate subcommittee on sports and professional teams.

He invited all parties who have stadium proposals. So far, representatives of South Park, near the Convention Center, and Inglewood’s Hollywood Park have accepted.

Coliseum representatives have not.

In fact, they would prefer no hearings. Polanco’s chief aide, Bill Mabie, said Monday that Councilman Mark Ridley-Thomas has been insistent that the Coliseum is “the only viable option.”

How dumb does Ridley-Thomas think we are?

A tax-free Coliseum might be the best option, but it’s hardly the only viable one. I assume South Park and Hollywood will make attractive presentations Friday.

More pertinent, how dumb does Ridley-Thomas think NFL owners are?

They know other options exist. They not only are counting on it, they might at some point demand it if they are to bless Los Angeles with a team.

They’ve made it clear they don’t like the Coliseum, although, in deference to the city, they’ve been reluctant to deal with anyone else.

That has put South Park and Hollywood Park on the sidelines and is one reason the Dodgers are out of the game entirely.

Polanco is assumed to have an agenda; his district includes South Park. But at least he’s willing to open the process.

Steve Soboroff, senior advisor to Mayor Richard Riordan, says the city hasn’t really started to sell NFL owners on the Coliseum yet and that he’s optimistic they eventually will see the stadium’s potential.

I hope he’s right. But what if he’s not?

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During the Dodger game at Atlanta Monday, WTBS’ Skip Caray asked his broadcast partner, Don Sutton, if he had heard the Dodgers wanted to bring back Fernando Valenzuela.

“No,” Sutton said, ending the discussion. . . .

I haven’t heard it, either. But I did hear the Dodgers might want to bring back Mariano Duncan. . . .

Wilton Guerrero could have his increasingly frequent mental lapses in Albuquerque without costing the Dodgers ground in the pennant race. . . .

If the Angels are to remain in their pennant race, they need another starting pitcher. . . .

Their first choice is Philadelphia’s Curt Schilling. . . .

But they’re not his first choice. If he comes to the West Coast, it probably will be to San Francisco. . . .

No one is going to get him at a bargain price. He signed with the Phillies through 2000 at about $5.2 million a year. But that’s because, like W.C. Fields, he’d rather be in Philadelphia. . . .

If he agrees to waive his no-trade clause, he’s going to demand more money. His price probably went up with each of his 15 strikeouts Monday. . . .

Kansas City’s Kevin Appier wouldn’t be a bad consolation for the Angels. . . .

Other pitchers available, such as Boston’s Tom Gordon, Cincinnati’s John Smiley and Mike Morgan and the Chicago Cubs’ Terry Mulholland, would help. But not as much. . . .

The Angels must need to do something, besides win, to excite their fans. Their attendance Sunday, 19,671, was the lowest in the major leagues. . . .

Maybe it would help if the recording the Angels use for callers who are on hold with them had something to do with baseball instead of Disneyland. . . .

That would at least suggest that the Angels’ primary interest is baseball. . . .

What is Andre Agassi’s primary interest? . . .

“He’s married to Brooke Shields,” Australia’s Mark Philippoussis says. “What else is there?” . . .

Well, there’s Agassi’s match tonight in the Infiniti Open at UCLA’s L.A. Tennis Center against former Bruin Justin Gimelstob. . . .

Seldom has there been as much anticipation here for a match between players ranked Nos. 31 and 103 in the world. . . .

Fans who donate rackets at the gate will receive free admission for day sessions Wednesday and Thursday. The L.A. Junior Chamber of Commerce needs them for its “Rackets for Kids” program.

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While wondering if it’s possible the Sparks’ problem wasn’t Linda Sharp, I was thinking: The Galaxy has had better success with its coaching change, now if only Andrew Shue could get healthy, I’m going with Gimelstob.