2003 SPORTS: L.A. GAINS LITTLE YARDAGE FOR TEAM ROSE BOWL, THREE OTHER SITES IN NFL MIX.

Byline: Billy Witz Staff Writer

There was plenty of movement between the 20-yard lines in the last year, but Los Angeles may still not be any closer to scoring an NFL franchise than it has been since the Rams and Raiders left town nine years ago.

Pasadena made the first big move last April by unveiling plans for a $500 million renovation of the Rose Bowl. But city officials were miffed a month later when National Football League owners announced they would investigate a former toxic dump site in Carson to see whether it was suitable for a new stadium.

While those two sites gained most of the attention, the Coliseum quietly moved ahead with its plans for a renovation and earlier this month certified its environmental impact report. Coliseum boosters say a state-of-the-art Coliseum could be ready for play as soon as the 2006 season and they are at least 18 months ahead of the competition.

The Coliseum still must overcome ill feelings about it from some owners - and perhaps Commissioner Paul Tagliabue, who was the NFL's lead attorney when it lost an antitrust suit against the Raiders and the Coliseum Commission in the early 1980.

The Rose Bowl, which some observers believe is the front-runner, still faces a potentially contentious environmental impact report. In Carson, the NFL is negotiating with the glazers union that owns the land the league is considering but there are concerns about the deal.

Lurking is yet another option: Dodger Stadium. With the sale of the team from News Corp.-owned Fox to Boston developer Frank McCourt, there is some speculation that a plan by former Dodgers owner Peter O'Malley to build a football stadium at Chavez Ravine could be revived. It would likely entail a land swap that would result in a new baseball stadium downtown and a new football stadium where Dodger Stadium lies.

Who ends up playing in a new stadium is also up in the air.

With the league now set at a tidy 32 teams (eight, four-team divisions), it is likely that an existing team would move to L.A. rather than the city being granted an expansion franchise. Most of the speculation is focusing on the Chargers, who have been embroiled in a disagreement the city of San Diego over their lease at Qualcomm Stadium. Another candidate could be the Indianapolis Colts, who could be free from their lease after the 2006 season unless Indianapolis makes payments to the club that are expected to be in excess of $10 million per year.

CAPTION(S):

photo

Photo:

This vacant lot just west of the San Diego Freeway's southbound lanes in Carson is seen as a potential NFL site.

John Lazar/Staff Photographer