NFL'S CHOICES ARE STARTING TO DWINDLE.

Byline: STEVE DILBECK

Ah, gee, no parade in Pasadena for the NFL either.

Apparently, they'd rather go with the status quo. Meanwhile, Carson would rather go with another faceless but tax-generating mall, and Anaheim suffers from infighting and might just sell off its property.

For the NFL, there's always the Coliseum.

If Al Davis actually understood how the shadow from his time in Los Angeles continues to haunt the NFL's return, he'd be giddy. Still a pain in the NFL's derriere. How Silver and Black is that?

As it is, it's been a rough week for the NFL, which is used to fawning cities throwing millions at its feet just for the privilege of having their very own team.

First big ol' Manhattan balked at a new stadium for the NFL, and now little ol' Pasadena has passed. Medium-sized cities are on alert.

The NFL claims to have finally understood things are different out here, offering as proof its plan to spend/loan $500 million for a new or refurbished stadium to the Los Angeles-area city it deems worthy of its return.

What it doesn't understand is that for many people here the NFL is still seen as some unfeeling mega-conglomerate trying to play cities against each other or use L.A. as leverage for another desired stadium plan elsewhere, and whose fans booze, brawl, rape, pillage and have really bad breath.

In an area of 18 million, there are more than enough fans and corporate types to fill any stadium that's eventually built, which is not the same as cities and the general public throwing arms wide open and offering first borns, not to mention a nifty tax break.

For hours Monday night, Pasadena residents bemoaned to its city council the possibility of the NFL moving to the Rose Bowl. Most acted more like the city was under siege, not being offered a $500-million stadium makeover.

This was Davis' parting gift, Los Angeles left with an image of the NFL as fans in black-and-silver face paint, dressed like escapees from a Hell's Angels or dominatrix convention.

Add to it Al playing money games with the city of Irwindale and the NFL's history of trying to fleece each community of everything but its pension plans, and this was never a slam dunk.

Pasadena City Councilman Paul Little, who favors the NFL return, said suspicions were predictable.

``In L.A., the NFL has a bit of an image problem, with Al Davis taking Irwindale for $10 million,'' Little said. ``The NFL as an institution has a bit of image problem anywhere because of the way they deal with stadium issues.

``The perception was you're dealing with a school of sharks that is the NFL."

Even in New Orleans, which the NFL wants to cough up millions and Bourbon Street for a new stadium, resistance has emerged. Oh, for the good, old days when cities just rolled over.

``In a city like Pasadena, of 140,000, we know we don't have the resources to even consider something like that,'' Little said.

``But people have the idea that maybe you get sucked so far into a deal, so that when the whereas and fine print become obvious, we're stuck in some kind of financial whirlpool.''

Said another Pasadena official: ``The image people have of the NFL is Al Davis swindling Irwindale out of $10 million. I don't think it's a fair image, but I don't think they've done anything to change it.

``For Pasadena's sake, if you're part of the community, people need a face to identify with, (with whom they) can develop some kind of trust.''

The NFL has no face in Pasadena, but it does have a nifty address on Park Avenue. Through arrogance and ignorance, the NFL has never tried to improve its image here. It's the NFL, why would it have to?

``This is not a PR campaign,'' said Neil Glat, the NFL's point man on returning to L.A. ``This is a community deciding what's in its best interests. There are proponents and opponents to anything of this magnitude.''

Just a few more opponents that the NFL bargained on. Carson would rather build a Gap than a stadium. Pasadena would rather do nothing.

Check that: The day after the wee-hours city-council meeting Monday in Pasadena when it decided to explore other possibilities for the Rose Bowl, the NFL was not quite ready to let go.

Glat said the NFL was still trying to digest exactly what happened. Understand that the players are dwindling, which is not a good thing for the NFL.

If Anaheim decides to sell its parking lot, and with Carson and Pasadena out, that leaves only the venerable Coliseum.

The tortoise in our race is still going, the competition falling by the wayside until only the place where we started appears still available.

Hollywood Park has come and gone. Carson has come and gone, and come and gone again. Pasadena had come and gone. Anaheim teeters.

The Coliseum still stands.