ARNOLD, L.A. LEADERS MAKE PLAY FOR TEAM.

Byline: BILLY WITZ Staff Writer

GRAPEVINE, Texas - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger might get his way in the movies, but he had a tough time Tuesday trying to persuade NFL owners that Los Angeles was ready for two pro football teams.

``Maybe someday,'' New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft told the governor, diplomatically. ``It's been hard enough to get one (team).''

On a day when Schwarzenegger joined Anaheim Mayor Curt Pringle and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa to pitch stadium projects, big ideas and grand visions gave way to a thirst for details and questions about the bottom line.

NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue, and the 11 owners he's appointed to study stadium sites in Los Angeles, considered the presentations a productive step toward returning to the nation's second-largest market.

How much closer they are to an answer will be borne out in the next few weeks as they examine the fine print.

``In prior meetings, I think very little went below the surface,'' New York Giants co-owner Steve Tisch said. ``In today's meeting, I think a tremendous amount went below the surface. All 11 of us are leaving with real information, not chamber of commerce information. We've got a lot to think about.''

At a news conference in Los Angeles, Villaraigosa and Coliseum Commissioner Bill Chadwick were upbeat about the session, saying they had shown Los Angeles to be fan-friendly and lucrative enough to support a team, even two.

``There is no question we moved the ball closer to the goal line,'' Villaraigosa said.``I would say we are on the two-yard line and, now, it's up to the NFL to make the final decision.''

Still, reaching a decision on a stadium site at the May 22-23 meeting in Denver could be difficult. If a site is not selected by the end of May, Anaheim has said it will begin listening to other offers on the 50-acre parcel it plans to sell to the NFL.

City Councilman Bernard Parks said a delay could also crimp the political will in Los Angeles.

Tagliabue didn't seem concerned.

``This is the year for us to make some decisions up or down rather than keep moving sideways,'' Tagliabue said.

Schwarzenegger has no preference on whether the L.A. team is an expansion team or an existing team that is relocated - as long as it is not already in California, spokeswoman Margita Thompson said Tuesday.

He also does not have a preference on a specific site or stadium within Southern California.

``The governor went to Dallas to make sure he did everything he could to get an NFL team to Southern California,'' Thompson said. ``It is his view that not only do we have the space and the audience for one team, but if one team is good, two is even better.''

Pasadena City Councilman Chris Holden, who provided the owners an update on the Rose Bowl, said a quick decision would squash any hopes he had of resuming talks if a ballot initiative is successful in November.

With each stadium site estimated to cost between $600 million and $800 million, and with no direct tax subsidies, the NFL is placing an onus on the business communities in Anaheim and Los Angeles to partner up with the NFL.

Tagliabue raised the expectation of ``the business community being a surrogate, in a sense, for public investment of tax dollars.''

That means paying what are expected to be premium prices on suites, personal seat licenses, advertising signage, naming rights and the like.

Chadwick, a real estate investment banker, projected revenues for 188 suites, 17,000 club seats, personal seat licenses, advertising within the stadium, naming rights and signage along the Harbor Freeway.

``One of their primary concerns is whether an owner of an NFL franchise playing at the Coliseum can actually make money,'' Chadwick said. ``They're basically trying to construct an income and expense statement to see whether a team at this venue can generate revenues.''

Chadwick said revenues will outpace the debt service on the stadium by a 4-1 ratio.

``I think there's going to have to be a lot more study of those numbers,'' said Seattle Seahawks owner Paul Allen. ``The numbers are so significant, you have to be able to get to something that a potential owner can look at and say this is going to make sense. These are big numbers.''

The owners committee will meet next week on a conference call to plot its course of action. Allen said the owners will gauge support through discussions with business leaders in L.A. and Anaheim.

Staff Writers Rick Orlov and Harrison Sheppard contributed to this story.

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