Presto, football in L.A.

That's how muddled this picture is, for it has no merit. Fun speculation, but nothing more than that. Actually, the folks in St. Louis would have a difficult time seeing the humor even in this fantasy; a reunion with Bidwill would be a nightmare.

The Cardinals are more inclined to look to San Antonio. This is where the NFL could step in and push Bidwill to cash in, selling his franchise to a Los Angeles buyer. Even this is a longshot, at best, for Bidwill would be forsaking his treasured NFL team.

Amazingly, as already has been pointed out, the league may need maverick Oakland Raiders boss Al Davis to salvage football life in Los Angeles.

The Raiders, of course, played in L.A. from 1982 to 1994, the same year the Rams left the market. Davis' return to Oakland has been less than a smashing success at the box office, which is the source of yet another legal dispute that could open the door for the Raiders moving back to Los Angeles.

A judge ruled recently that the Raiders must honor their lease with the Oakland Coliseum through 2011. However, the same judge allowed that the Raiders can proceed with their case in which they seek $850 million in damages for revenue guarantees gone bad. Oakland politicians could fear the consequences of such damages, and wash their hands of Davis by reaching a settlement that would allow him to break the lease.

The NFL probably wouldn't discourage Davis to move this time around. It is fairly evident that football in the Bay Area is struggling; the Raiders have seldom played before sellout crowds and the 49ers have taken a turn for mediocrity. Two teams in the Bay Area doesn't make sense. The Raiders have some history in L.A.; the 49ers do not.

On April 5, the Los Angeles Coliseum Commission started a renewed process of soliciting brokers or other parties to attract a football franchise. The "New Coliseum Project" is alive. Maybe, just maybe, the NFL has life in the nation's second largest market, even if it means giving its blessing to Davis, the man who drove Pete Rozelle out of league.