EDITOR'S NOTE: This has been up in the FanPosts and I think this is definitely worth some front page discussion.  I mean this is Eddie D we're talking about; not some random schmoe.  It's certainly fitting timing with the Rams up for sale.  It certainly seems to show how badly DeBartolo wants to get back in the game if he would consider purchasing one of the 49ers chief historical rivals.  Would this affect your opinion of DeBartolo in any way?

So I flew by Yahoo! Sports today on my way to getting to my fantasy league to see how much I'm losing by this week, when I saw a queer headline... and I had to click it.

Eddie DeBartolo Interested in Purchasing Rams

Now, it's not that weird that Eddie D. is hoping to return to the league. He's pretty much wanted to return to the league every day for the last ten years. What's queer is that he's thinking about taking over one of the 49ers most bitter historical and division rivals.

And even then, it's only weird because I don't want it to be true. He's a businessman and a footballman. More than being "the 49er guy," he just wants to be a part of the sport, and the Rams appear to have an opening since the passing of Georgia Frontiere. Reports are that her children are looking to sell, and based on some of Eddie's own quotes, it looks like they are quite interested in selling indeed. In the words of Eddie:

"I know that they are definitely in play," DeBartolo told Yahoo! Sports last week. "Georgia's kids (son Chip Rosenbloom and daughter Lucia Rodriguez) have decided to sell the team. I've talked to some people who are brokering things, and they've told me about the price and what the deal might entail."

The story gets even more interesting, though, as you go. Apparently, much of Eddie's motivation to return to the league has always been to fill the empty, non-supportable Los Angeles market. The article mentions how a number of years ago, Eddie was actually looking into purchasing the Raiders with the idea of moving them back to LA. But, since Al Davis is and was somehow still alive, that just never happened. Should DeBartolo enter into serious play for the Rams, there would be the distinct possibility that he would relocate the club back to LA. This, to me, seems crazy. The Rams were in LA for years and couldn't scrounge together a fanbase to save their lives. Meanwhile, since moving to St. Louis, they've never been as successful or as loved.

But LA needs a team? (I write that as a question because I don't believe they do)

As it turns out, Eddie isn't even sure that they do anymore either. 

DeBartolo, 61, also says he is not as high on the Los Angeles market as he was two years ago.

"First of all, who's proven in L.A. that a damn team even works?" DeBartolo asked. "It didn't work for Al Davis, and he won a Super Bowl there. I think L.A. has yet to prove it wants to support a pro football team. And unless somebody does an awfully damn good survey and market-research study indicating otherwise, I'll be skeptical."

If, like me, the thought of Eddie taking on the blue and yellow makes your spinal fluid drain a little, there is reason to - at least - not hold it against him. Aside from the fact that he's just trying, somehow, to get back in the game, it appears that The Los Angeles Rams of St. Louis would be somewhat of a last resort for the guy. For a while, he's been part of a group that has been trying to purchase the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. No word on whether they'd try to move that franchise, but he would rather own them than a team like the Rams. In fact, you could say that he doesn't particularly relish the thought of donning the horns. In his own words:

"It would be something to look at, and it's interesting to see the numbers and everything. But it wouldn't be my first choice of a franchise if I chose to get back in."

Numerous league sources appear to believe that Eddie wouldn't have any trouble with reinstatement, either.

This is a strange story for me. On the one hand, I would absolutely love to see the real DeBartolo's back in the business. On the other hand, I don't want to see them behind the wheels of a rival, especially one like the Rams. And on that same other hand, I just don't see the point of football in LA.

In any case, I leave the rest up to you.