THE NFL / T.J. SIMERS : ‘Ours’ for the Taking? : If Stadium Referendum in San Francisco Fails Today, the L.A. 49ers Might Not Be as Crazy as It Sounds

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Stopped by to see our new team at work in minicamp, watched Terrell Owens make a diving catch of a wobbly Steve Young pass and advised Mr. Young he will have to do a lot better in our city.

Paid no attention to the sign: “Home of the San Francisco 49ers.” There was a similar one in front of Rams Park.

Rookie Jim Druckenmiller, really our quarterback of the future, who hit the water bucket while trying to fire a pass in the general direction of J.J. Stokes, will be wearing No. 14 in case jersey entrepreneurs want a head start.

Looking more closely at Druckenmiller, there are some encouraging signs: It’s not easy to hit a water bucket while rolling to the right and throwing over a defensive lineman.

It will probably be a year, maybe more like two, before “Druck,” as his teammates call him, and our 49ers start packing for L.A., and there’s still debate about their name and logo and whether they will go along.

Details, details, details.

Technically, sure, these guys are still the San Francisco 49ers. But most everyone here agrees, the 49ers are headed for Los Angeles.

“I never saw the Rams playing in St. Louis, never fathomed the Browns in Baltimore,” said Young, who played for the Los Angeles Express in 1984 and 1985. “So when you think about the 49ers playing in L.A., it’s been proven--anything is possible.”

Local radio station KNBR, expecting San Francisco voters to reject a pair of propositions today calling for $100 million in bonds to help finance a $525-million football stadium-mall complex to replace Candlestick Park, conducted a farewell show Monday for the 49ers, complete with funeral music.

The rampant pessimism has been prompted by 49er owner Edward DeBartolo’s threat to move--mentioning Los Angeles as a potential resting place--if the referendum fails. A lease loophole, which would allow the 49ers to leave in the next few years, and the expectation of a referendum defeat have prompted some fans to concede defeat to L.A.

“The 49ers had more fans at Ram home games than the Rams had,” said San Francisco cornerback Marquez Pope, who played for the Rams while they were still in Anaheim. “I think it would be great to have two sports dynasties like the Lakers and 49ers in one city.”

Every poll taken to date has the stadium vote going against the 49ers, although NFL officials, who have been monitoring the team’s frantic campaign efforts in recent days, are predicting a close victory.

Only 10% of the 49ers’ season-ticket holders live in San Francisco, which has raised much doubt about the chances for success with today’s referendum.

Said 49er defensive lineman Dana Stubblefield: “All I know is, if it goes down, we’re moving . . . maybe just to Sacramento, but we’re moving.”

The 49ers have spent millions of dollars in this campaign and will dispatch 1,500 volunteers today with orders to pursue 50,000 voters, who have been identified in support of the propositions, to the polls. The election is expected to attract 150,000 voters.

DeBartolo and team President Carmen Policy have walked the neighborhoods and met with retailers in making their pitch.

“It’s a slap in the face to Mr. DeBartolo if we lose this referendum,” said tackle Harris Barton. “It’s sad to see him have to grovel with people, and for him to have to walk into bars and restaurants and beg them to vote. It’s a shame.

“If the vote fails, I’m telling you, Cleveland and L.A. become part of the equation.”

DeBartolo, who has told Bay Area voters there will be only one referendum and no more attempts to gain their support, does not take defeat well. Insiders say he put pressure on Bill Walsh to quit after a sluggish 6-5 start in 1988, although Walsh went on to win the Super Bowl; and then did the same to George Seifert last year, prompting the hiring of Steve Mariucci.

NFL officials have said they wouldn’t be surprised if an upset DeBartolo, who was born and raised in Ohio, refused to sell his franchise’s name and logo to San Francisco, much as the Browns did, and moved on to buy an expansion franchise and move into Cleveland’s new stadium to open in 1999.

They also don’t rule out a shift to Los Angeles, citing DeBartolo’s business background with Hollywood Park’s R.D. Hubbard and the impact the 49ers might have on Los Angeles-area fans.

“Hollywood’s kind of team,” said a member of the 49er organization, who would like to keep his job.

San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown, who has supported the 49ers’ bid for a new stadium, surprisingly let it be known that the team has an escape clause in its lease, scheduled to run until 2007, if the city fails to make good on $117 million in improvements to Candlestick Park.

The mayor said the city does not have the money to make such a commitment to the 49ers, prompting the speculation that they will have to move if they lose the referendum. And if the referendum fails, the city must put up a substantial amount of the $117 million by Jan. 1 or be in breach of its lease with the 49ers. In theory, that would free the team to leave, although there is some dispute as to whether the 49ers could depart before 2000.

“The city could end up refurbishing Candlestick Park for more than what this referendum is all about,” said 49er linebacker Gary Plummer. “That’s like overhauling your Hyundai. What’s the point?

“But you know what? I just can’t see Mr. DeBartolo moving the 49ers to L.A., especially being from Ohio and seeing what Art Modell did to those people when he moved his team to Baltimore. If we moved to L.A., I would have to consider retirement.”

Obviously, our team will not include Mr. Plummer.