urbanSTL

Not sure about continually providing blind loyalty/support for mediocrity or worse. Seems to perpetuate said mediocrity by not providing ownership dollar-incentive to run their business effectively.



Life's full of enough uncontrollable disappointments to warrant spending $65 to go watch 4 hours of them in a sterile building surrounded by people who get mad when you stand up to cheer. If I am going to live vicariously I want it to be through a winner or whomever is dating Amy Adams.



While I don't trust any capitalist robber-baron to have my best interests at heart, I love what Checketts has done for the team and the city so far. Maybe he has some underlying scary vision of becoming another Brigham Young but I haven't seen it.

I would not encourage people to support frachises like to Pittsburgh Pirates or KC Royals, but no Franchise in this town has ever come close to that level. My point is that if your a sports fan, you will come to the games to see two teams play the game, not just to support the home team. I prefer to support a franchise if they are competitive or trying to do so. It is not like the Rams just quit, they made bad decisions. The Cards owners seemed to be holding back for the right opportunity to deal. I admit I was frustrated last year, but there lack of activity last year, may pay off this year. I was angry at the Lauries, but that was no excuse to abandon the team I have supported since I was a kid. I was there at the worst time and I can be proud and be there if they ever hoist the Cup. I understand the fact that it suks to support a bad team, but I think we in St. Louis set the bar much higher, when it comes to sports. We love our sports and are smart fans. I just don't like how the fans abandon their team after a few bad years. It is like they forget the fact that the team won a championship a few years ago. In the Rams case, it seems as though some, don't care if they leave. I think it would be a HUGE loss. I find that attitude odd, considering this team was so good just a few years ago.

Good article from the New York Times about the Cowboys new monument to Jerry Jones' ego.



http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/18/sport ... &th&emc=th

...Still, Cowboys Stadium suffers from its own form of nostalgia: its enormous retractable roof, acres of parking and cavernous interiors are straight out of Eisenhower’s America, with its embrace of car culture and a grandiose, bigger-is-better mentality. The result is a somewhat crude reworking of old ideas, one that looks especially unoriginal when compared with the sophisticated and often dazzling stadiums that have been built in Europe and the Far East over the last few years. Worse for fans, its lounges and concourses are so sprawling that I suspect more than a few spectators will get lost and miss the second-half kickoff.



At one point, it looked as if the stadium might be built in a more contained urban setting. Jerry Jones, the team’s owner, considered situating it in Fair Park, a 277-acre park near downtown Dallas whose many Art Deco buildings, including the Cotton Bowl, were built for the 1936 Texas Centennial Exposition. That location would not only have contributed to the revival of the park’s derelict landmarks, but it would also have helped spark the revitalization of one of the city’s poorest neighborhoods.



But the city rejected the plan as too costly, and Jones was forced to look farther afield, eventually settling on a generic suburban enclave midway between Dallas and Fort Worth, not far from the ballpark where the Texas Rangers play...

It's not often that you can pin a loss on a single player, but Donnie Avery singlehandedly cost us a W.

New coach, same old rams.

Terrible, terrible results thus far.

I am, by no means, defending the Rams coaching staff. I believe they have been awful. From the poor clock management, to the awful lack of discipline, to the lack of ability to 'go for it', they deserve an 'F' so far. However, we all need to remember the horrible situation this new regime has been left with. The poor drafting, free agent signings/lack of signings, etc, are still having a negative impact on the franchise. The Martz and Linehan eras still haunt this new group. It may take years to rebuild and get out of this hole. Lack of on field talent has to be taken into consideration when evaluating this new regime. The talent levels remind me of the 1997-98 Rams, nothing much there. They need to do what the 99 Rams did. Make a big name splash in free agency..ie..Faulk and start the turnaround. They didn't do much but dump salary this offseason. I just hope that when/if this turnaround occurs, the moving fans are not already in front of the dome. If this keeps up, I could see 40K a game at best showing up for an 0-10 team in month or so.



On another note, I read that Stan Kroenke is looking to takeover Arsenal of the English Premier League. Looks like his focus is now on futbol, not football. There goes any hope of him selling off his stake in the Colorado Av's to take over the Rams. That was not likely anyway, but possible. Not anymore, considering how much he is spending to takeover Arsenal.



http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/ ... 855134.ece

Limbaugh could be a partial owner of the Rams



Posted by Mike Florio on October 4, 2009 1:38 PM ET

In 2003, Rush Limbaugh had a brief dalliance with the sport he loves, spending a month as the "voice of the fan" on ESPN's pregame show before resigning after a delayed reaction to comments made regarding Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb triggered a firestorm.



Since then, the mega-rich Rush's name has bubbled up from time to time as a potential owner of all or part of an NFL team.



And it could be coming to fruition.



Charley Casserly of CBS reports that, of the three groups that submitted bids to buy the St. Louis Rams, one group includes Dave Checketts and Limbaugh.



It's unknown whether the bid includes the 40 percent owned by Stan Kroenke, or the 60 percent currently held by the two children of the late Georgia Frontiere.



Checketts previously seemed to complain that his interest in buying the team wasn't being taken seriously, perhaps because at the time he was the only buyer willing to commit to keeping the team in St. Louis. Now that three groups have submitted proposals under the condition that team won't be moved, Checketts and Limbaugh (and whoever else is in the group) might have a chance.



Any sale would have to be approved by 75 percent of the league's current owners.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/20 ... -the-rams/

I was in New Orleans for a wedding over the weekend. It's only been a couple of years but I forgot what it was like to be in a city with a winning NFL team in the fall. A few years ago it was all reversed. My NOLA friends could care less about what the "Aint's" were doing on Sunday and those of us from STL were checking to see what bar had the Rams game on.

southsidepride wrote:I was in New Orleans for a wedding over the weekend. It's only been a couple of years but I forgot what it was like to be in a city with a winning NFL team in the fall. A few years ago it was all reversed. My NOLA friends could care less about what the "Aint's" were doing on Sunday and those of us from STL were checking to see what bar had the Rams game on.

I barely remember what it was like. With each loss, the Greatest Show days become foggier and foggier.



Yesterday's game was an absolute embarrassment. This team has pushed me to the brink of total apathy, which I didn't think was possible.

The bars must LOVE it when the sheep suck. For example, yesterday our party had to move to the bars from my house because the only game on was the Sheep game and NO ONE wanted to watch it.

I really wish Limbaugh wasn't such a polarising public figure. Especially in these times... If it keeps The Rams in St. Louis then that's what matters...

I am all for ANY owner keeping this team in St. Louis, as long as that owner is going to bring this team back to prominence. I can't stand these idiots out there on radio call in shows, in the media and in general, making the Rush thing political. Who cares! If he saves the team from moving, more power to him. I don't care what your political affiliation is, the Rams are good for this town and could move. We have got to support whomever buys the team and keeps it here. For those who fear Rush's opinions and comments, I am sure he is not dumb enough to alienate his customers, by mixing that with ownership of the team. He is too smart. He built close to a billion dollar empire by being smart. He would not be the face of the franchise. Checketts would.

If he succeeds, 'Checketts for mayor'!!!!!!!

^ He will likely be a silent partner...I am sure all parties are smart enough not to make him a frontman or spokesperson. Anyone who has any idea about business and marketing, could assume that. If that was not the case, I may lose faith in the ownership group. Even left wing liberals would be better off using Rush's money to keep the team here. Politics should not play a part in the situation. There will always be a few idiots outside the dome protesting. Let'em, free country. If we have a team run by Checketts, we are bound to see a winner here again. Everyone benefits from a winning football team in St. Louis.

Matt Drops The H wrote:A winning Rams team will not erase the image of St. Louis as Limbaugh's "hometown". Yuck.

For some bizarre reason, Cape Girardeau (Rush Limbaugh's actual hometown and an otherwise nice city) takes pride in its most (in)famous citizen.



I cannot stand Limbaugh, and I am appalled by many of the things he has said over the years, but I don't think his purchase of the Rams would be detrimental to an open and progressive environment. YMMV.



Besides, I think Dave Checketts is smart enough to keep Limbaugh on a short leash. Limbaugh would provide the bulk of the money while Checketts would provide the bulk of the leadership. You might see Limbaugh in the owner's suite during the games, but I don't think he'll ever let anything get in the way of his top priorities. Apprarently, that includes condemning the Democratic Party in general and President Obama specifically at every opportunity. Still, I don't expect to see that spill over into his role as a Rams owner if the deal goes through.



FWIW, I just don't think people's attitude toward the Rams with Limbaugh as an owner would color their perception of the city in general.

Taking a line from the Blues and Checketts...."Whatever it Takes" to keep the Rams here!!!!

If Rush's group does end up owning the Rams, Checketts would still be the face of the franchise. I think Limbaugh would be smart enough to separate his radio persona from his role with the team.

While not a ditto head, and certainly not someone who agrees with all Rush has to say, I find him to be wildly entertaining.



He is huge football fan who has even spent some time in ESPN booth. And before someone try's to trash Limbaugh on his statements on Donovan McNabb - his comments were taken way out of context and that whole situation blown WAY out of proportion. I see his interest in the Sheep as a completely positive thing.



I believe hardly a peep would be made on this board if Maher, Colbert, or Stewart were interested in the team. Just goes to show how liberals are just as intolerant as conservatives which is why I sit happily in the middle and find in the hypocrisy!

Rush will own part of 60% of the team if they win the bid. He won't have 100% control. As long as he doesn't interfere a lot, I don't care. I just want the Rams to stay in St. Louis. And I want Checketts to win his bid.



I don't care if you hate Rush. A lot of people do. As long as he's not on the sidelines coaching or giving press conferences, I don't really care.



Besides, can the Rams be any more of a laughing stock anyway?



I'd rather have Rush and Checketts and Kroenke (who owns 40%) as owners than have the Rams moved to LA in 2015.

I can't stand Rush's shows or politics, but I welcome his bid for the Rams. We may have our differences, but with pretty much anyone there is going to be at least some common ground. I as a city resident want to see the Rams stay in town and I presume he would not want the Rams moved away from Missouri. In this at least, I wish him luck!