SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA NFL GETS BACK IN THE GAME : Anaheim on Inside Track for Seahawks?

Anaheim officials scheduled a news conference for today to discuss plans to move the Seattle Seahawks to that Orange County city.

In a statement issued Sunday, officials said the city had begun negotiations with Seahawk owner Ken Behring and hopes to reach an agreement next week that would allow the team to use the former training facility of the Rams.

“There are still many issues to be resolved at the present time, but I believe that we can ultimately arrive at a mutually beneficial agreement that will bring football back to this area in a timely manner,” City Manager James Ruth said.

Said Mayor Tom Daly: “We are optimistic we can reach an agreement with Ken Behring for his team’s use of our training facility, and then use that as a springboard for negotiations for his NFL team to have a home at Sportstown Anaheim.”

The Seahawks are embroiled in a legal battle with Seattle over Behring’s plans to move the team from the city it has called home since its inception in 1976.

Behring, who bought the Seahawks in 1988, cited problems with the 20-year-old Kingdome, including the stadium’s lack of amenities and its inability to withstand a strong earthquake, for moving the club.

But officials of King County, which owns the stadium, called the owner’s complaints a “smokescreen” for a purely financial decision to seek a new home in the Los Angeles area. King County hopes to force the Seahawks to complete their lease to play in the Kingdome through 2005.

In Seattle, a key player in the Behring drama reacted calmly Sunday to Behring’s comments about being committed to Southern California.

“I’m sure Mr. Behring wants to keep as many options as he can on the table,” said Peter von Reichbauer, a member of the Metropolitan King County Council.

Von Reichbauer said he talked to Behring by telephone Saturday and was “still hopeful” Behring would agree to sell the Seahawks to a local buyer.

Seahawks’ fans are hopeful local billionaire Paul Allen will wind up with the franchise. Von Reichbauer hasn’t identified the team’s prospective buyer, but it’s widely believed to be Allen, a Seahawks’ season ticket holder and owner of the NBA Portland Trail Blazers.

“We’re in ongoing discussions that began a couple of weeks ago and I anticipate there will be negotiations within 10 days or two weeks,” von Reichbauer said.

The league, which would like to see NFL football back in the Los Angeles area, plans to discuss the situation at previously scheduled meetings in Chicago next week.