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PRINT THIS PAGE | E-MAIL THIS PAGE Sunday, October 25, 1998 Houston group pushes to attract possible expansion team HOUSTON (AP) -- A group from Houston, led by Bob McNair, and two groups from Los Angeles will be making their way to Kansas City next week for the annual NFL owners meeting -- with a mission. The Houston contingent wants to bring another NFL team to southeast Texas. There's only one flaw in Houston's fight to become the NFL's 32nd franchise -- Los Angeles is tough competition. "In my mind, Houston would be a long shot," Cowboy's owner Jerry Jones said. The NFL has not decided to expand yet, but representatives from Houston and Los Angeles are flying to Kansas City to plead their cases in front of franchise owners. Minnesota Vikings owner Red McCombs of San Antonio told KRIV that he plans to vote no to expansion. "My problem is very simple," he said. "There is such a value on these franchises that I don't see anyone paying what I think the value of these franchises are." McCombs said he has nothing against Houston, but expanding the league is making the value of the franchises plummet. "I'm still a little bit uneasy with, in effect, giving a portion of what I now have as an owner over to someone else without getting compensated for it," he said. Aside from worth, the NFL is the nation's leading sport when it comes to attracting television dollars, and Los Angeles is near the top in the television market. Steve Patterson, the former general manager of the Houston Rockets, said McNair should be able to make a persuasive argument. "Anytime you've got the -1/8nation's fourth largest city and the 10th largest media market with a couple $100 million in public money available for the only retractable-roof football stadium on the planet, I think that would be worth listening to," Patterson said. Since the league is expanding to 31 teams next season in Cleveland, that created a scheduling imbalance. Patterson said it's only a matter of time before the league adds another expansion team. The sooner the better, he said. "It's available for the taking, and it's a very attractive deal," he said of Houston's in-the-works stadium. "We can be ready to go next week."   Send a Letter to the Editor about This Story | Start or Join A Discussion about This Story Send the URL (Address) of This Story to A Friend: Enter their email address below: texnews.com Reporter OnLine Local Sports Texas Sports Copyright ©1998, Abilene Reporter-News / Texnews / E.W. Scripps Publications Send the URL (Address) of This Story to A Friend: Enter their email address below:

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