RAIDER NATION WITH AN ORNERY OWNER AND A FAN BASE THAT STRIKES FEAR WHEREVER IT GOES, THEY WILL HAVE A CRUCIAL ROLE IN WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO THE NFL IN L.A.

Byline: Billy Witz Staff Writer

The women and children will be well hidden today at Qualcomm Stadium. So, too, will the powder blue Chargers' throwback jersey season-ticket holder John Bellanger usually wears to the games. It will be home in his closet.

``I paid $50 for this on eBay,'' a grim Bellanger said. ``If I wore it, it would be ripped apart in 30 seconds.''

All of which can only mean one thing: The Raiders are coming to town.

When the longtime rivals play this afternoon in San Diego, the only thing to be settled is whether they share the worst record in the AFC or whether the Chargers will have the distinction of having the NFL's worst record.

That isn't expected to stop legions dressed in silver and black from rolling down Interstate 5 (or Amtrak rails or Southwest gangplanks) and turning Qualcomm Stadium into Black Hole de Baja.

To prepare for this, the Chargers have instituted the following measures: an increased police presence, pat-down searches at stadium entrances, and cutting off beer sales - already limited to one per person - at halftime.

Mitigating the impact of the Raiders is indeed a daunting task, something those interested in bringing pro football back to Los Angeles might soon learn. For whatever team gets here figures to have to go through the Raiders to do it - fighting over fans' wallets, Nielsen ratings and, this being the Raiders, quite possibly in court.

``The Raiders are like a pebble in your shoe in this market,'' said sports-marketing analyst David Carter. ``They're persona non grata among people in the decision-making process (at the NFL). They're out of favor with local governments. Whether you need to go to court or not, you need to prepare to with the Raiders. It's three yards and a cloud of litigation.''

The Raiders, who this year filed suit against the Buccaneers for pirating their logo and against the Panthers for pilfering their colors, still are claiming the rights to Los Angeles. They say that when they left to return to Oakland in 1995, they were forced to leave by the NFL and thus have not relinquished their rights to the Los Angeles market.

A suit, asking for $1.2 billion in damages from the NFL, went in the league's favor in 2001, but the verdict was thrown out last year for jury misconduct. The case is expected to be retried again next year, probably in the next six to nine months, according to a league official.

``The lawsuit is not about relocation,'' Raiders' senior assistant Bruce Allen said. ``It's about economics.''

At least for now. The Raiders are tied to Oakland through the 2010 season, but the team and the city both plan to appeal a verdict last August that found Oakland Coliseum officials fraudulently promised sold-out games. Although the Raiders won the suit, the award of $34.2 million was well short of the roughly $833 million for which the team was asking.

If the Raiders eventually get close to their asking price, speculation is they would waive part or all of the damages in return for being let out of their lease. Thus, paving their way for a move to ...

There are enough Pasadena and Coliseum officials mortified by this thought to put up a human roadblock at the Grapevine.

``Clearly with their fans and their current reputation it would never work out for us or the team,'' former Pasadena mayor Bill Thomson said. ``What I understand of the Raiders situation in Oakland, they would like to return to Los Angeles if the opportunity were available, but given the league's experience with the Raiders and management in particularly, they wouldn't want that to happen - or permit it to happen.''

Yet, as unpopular as the Raiders are in city halls, they clearly are popular in the streets. The Raiders' carefully crafted image as the anti-establishment heroes - forget about class or creed; just win, baby! - has delivered a counter-culture appeal.

The team led the league in merchandising in the past fiscal year, which for the NFL ends in March. Through November, they've sold more gear than any other team in the league through NFL Shop.com.

They're also popular in the living rooms of Los Angeles. On the way to the Super Bowl last year, Raiders' games drew Nielsen ratings here that were 25 percent higher than all other games. Fox, which broadcasts NFC games, put the Raiders on once last year, and it was the network's highest-rated in Los Angeles all season.

Although the ratings are down this season, along with the Raiders' 4-11 record, they're still winning the ratings game by roughly the same margin. Their 41-7 loss to the Green Bay Packers on Monday night had a bigger audience than any of the seven NFL games televised in Los Angeles last week.

Thus, for Channel 2 - the CBS affiliate that carries AFC games - to show a game other than Oakland, the Raiders' game must be as inconsequential as today.

The Raiders' TV time could take a hit if an existing AFC team moves here, and the most likely candidates right now are AFC clubs: the Chargers and Indianapolis Colts.

``Where Raider fans would be up in arms, side arms, is if it caused CBS to no longer be the Raider network,'' Carter said. ``The impact of Raider fans on another team (in Los Angeles) is not as much at the game as on the couch.''

Love them or hate them - and the contrast is as distinct as silver and black - the Raiders elicit a passion in sports rare in Los Angeles.

Since the Raiders emigrated back to Oakland, their fans have followed the team with the same fervor as another Bay Area export, the Grateful Dead. Sunday morning flights from the Los Angeles area to Oakland on Southwest Airlines are filled with Raider fans when the team is home.

KCBS has a Raiders' pregame show Sunday mornings, the team's games are broadcast locally on XTRA-AM (1150) and there are five L.A.-area locations of The Raiders Store, including one at CityWalk at Universal Studios.

The Rams and Raiders each left after the 1994 season, but it's hard to tell the Rams - despite winning one Super Bowl and getting to another since they left - were ever here.

Ray Cruz grew up in Walnut as a Rams' fan in the 1970s, but when they left for Anaheim in 1980 and the Raiders moved south two years later, his allegiance changed. It hasn't shifted since.

``It's a fraternity around the country,'' said Cruz, who often flies to Oakland for games. ``I've got a travel bag with a Raiders logo, and when I'm in airports anywhere around the country, somebody always calls out `Yo, Raiders.' ''

When people think of Raiders fans, they probably don't think of people like Cruz. That is, someone who is employed, educated and doesn't show up on Sundays looking like Darth Vader.

``All that stuff about being unemployed and a gang member is unfair,'' Cruz said. ``There's a lot of closet Raider fans. I was on a plane recently with a lady who was going to St. Louis, a middle-aged businesswoman who had just been to the game in Oakland the day before.

``It's almost like the 'Rocky Horror Picture Show' - some people like to see the movie, others go beyond what I'd like. What everybody has in common is a passion for the Raiders. It's like the Yankees and the Cowboys. Nobody ever says give me your opinion of the Atlanta Braves.''

The Raiders' appeal is particularly strong in the Hispanic community, which the team has cultivated with Spanish-language radio broadcasts and the league's first foreign-language Web site.

Where the Raiders are not embraced so warmly is in the corporate community, according to Carter. While their image as iconoclasts might appeal to some, the prince-of-darkness baggage that goes with the logo isn't the kind many businesses are willing to take on.

And that's another reason, Carter says, the NFL wouldn't want them back.

``The Raider Nation isn't all that attractive to corporate America,'' he said. ``There's a lot of 'normal' people who like that franchise, but it's hard for people to get past the noise. Corporate America investing in the NFL sends one message, investing in the Raiders sends a different message to the company's customers. The Raiders' brand positioning makes it difficult for people to want to spend money in sports to spend it with them.''

And, as Chargers fans might tell you today, when the Raiders are around it's not easy to spend money on their team, either.

Billy Witz, [phone]

billy.witz(at)dailynews.com

Birth of a Nation

Begins play in the American Football Conference before joining the NFL in 1971. Al Davis joins the organization in 1963 as head coach and general manager, beginning his 40-year affiliation with the team.

January 1960

First crown

Captures its first championship with a 32-14 victory over the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl XI. Coached by John Madden, the Raiders roll into the Rose Bowl in behind quarterback Ken Stabler and Hall of Fame tight end Dave Casper.

January 9, 1977

Two for the show

In New Orleans, Oakland upsets the favored Philadelphia Eagles 27-10 in Super Bowl XV. Coached by Tom Flores, the Raiders are led by MVP Jim Plunkett and Hall of Famers Art Shell and Gene Upshaw.

January 25, 1981

Relocation, relocation, relocation

The Raiders open their first season in Los Angeles against the Green Bay Packers at the Memorial Coliseum and spend the next 13 seasons in the heart of L.A.

August 29, 1982

Triple crown

The L.A. Raiders win the franchise's third NFL title with a 38-9 rout of Washington Redskins in Super Bowl XVIII. MVP Marcus Allen sets the record for longest run from scrimmage with a 74-yard touchdown.

January 22, 1984

Return north

Team heads back to Oakland and plays first exhibition against former neighbor and recently moved St. Louis Rams.

August 1995

CAPTION(S):

3 photos, box

Photo:

(1 -- color) Fans such as this one make Raiders games a interesting experience both on and off the field, but the extremism also contributes to the Raider's bad reputation.

Julie Jacobson/Associated Press

(2 -- 3) Raiders fans, like the one above, have a reputation that scares both fans of opposing teams and Madison Avenue. As the woman at left proves, Raiders fans come in all shapes and sizes.

Kirby Lee/Special to the Daily News

Box:

Birth of a Nation (see text)