Michael Tomerlin had his heart broken when his beloved Los Angeles Rams left town. Now they're causing him a backache as well.
Tomerlin is among the thousands of fans in who have had to adjust to life after the Rams and Raiders and the absence of an NFL home team for the first time in 50 years."Since I have more free time now on Sunday, my wife has found lots for me to do around the house, believe me," Tomerlin said of increased chore load.
While several NFL teams have moved, announced they're going to move, or are shopping themselves around to various cities, many pro football followers in Los Angeles don't seem to care much whether there's a team in town any time soon.
Pete Del Duca, a small business owner, enjoys the increased TV menu of games.
"You get a better variety," he said. "Just last year we got blacked out on a big 49ers-Cowboys game because the Raiders were playing."
TV ratings have dipped, but there are more games available to Southern Californians.
"It's logical that the rating would be down without hometown fan interest," NFL director of communications Greg Aiello said. "But there are more games being televised and the total number of people who are watching is up. That's certainly not, however, to suggest that we're better off without a team in Los Angeles."
Dodgers owner Peter O'Malley, Walt Disney Co. chairman Michael Eisner, and Hollywood Park chairman R.D. Hubbard all are scrambling for position to land an existing team or expansion franchise, and city officials and the league itself also are eager to bring a team to town.
Eisner and Disney probably would prefer an expansion team near Disneyland in Orange County, since the company already owns the NHL Mighty Ducks of Anaheim and a part of the American League's California Angels. Hubbard, who last week unveiled plans for a stadium at Hollywood Park, wants to act quickly and apparently is going after an existing team.
The Arizona Cardinals, Tampa Buccaneers and Seattle Seahawks have been rumored to be interested in moving, but Seahawks majority owner Ken Behring said Monday that he has no intention of shifting his team to Hollywood Park.