Recent Forum Topics › Forums › The Rams Huddle › Back to LA, again
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January 6, 2015 at 2:47 pm #15618bnwBlocked
Do we name the new St. Louis, MO NFL team, or sue to retain the Rams name? I like the St. Louis Archers. I also like suing to keep the Rams name and the Lombardi Trophy.
- This reply was modified 9 years, 10 months ago by bnw.
- This reply was modified 9 years, 10 months ago by zn.
The upside to being a Rams fan is heartbreak.
Sprinkles are for winners.
January 6, 2015 at 2:49 pm #15619wvParticipanthttp://www.rams-news.com/bernie-i-dont-want-to-cover-this-team-next-year-audio/
Bernie: “I dont want to cover this team next year…”January 6, 2015 at 3:47 pm #15624znModeratorHey guys. We have a kind of loose rule here that says there is just 1 LA thread per page. I’ve enforced that before by merging threads, so it’s not fair to those guys in those former merged threads if I don’t maintain consistency with that.
So…pretty soon, this gets merged in with the current big active LA discussion thread.
January 6, 2015 at 4:06 pm #15625znhaterBlockedOnce a fan, always a fan is what i say. Don’t matter where they play.
January 6, 2015 at 4:10 pm #15626znModeratorRams’ Kroenke has made his LA play, but it’s not time for St. Louis to panic — yet
Howard Balzer
FOX Sports MidwestST. LOUIS —
Disaster is around the corner. The sky is falling. Panic is in the air.
That encapsulates the general feelings of the St. Louis football fan base when they woke up Monday morning to learn of the doom that appears certain: Rams owner Stan Kroenke has entered into an agreement with the Stockbridge Capital Group to build an 80,000-seat stadium in Inglewood, Calif. The stadium encompasses roughly half of a $4 billion project at Hollywood Park that will include a performance center with up to 6,000 seats and other amenities that include office space, residential units, a hotel and areas for parks and playgrounds.
Furthermore, according to Chris Meany, senior vice president of Hollywood Park Land Co., construction will begin even without a commitment from an NFL team once a ballot proposal is passed that will green-light the development.
“I’ve heard that there’s a lot of talk about a lot of sites that have been out there for a very long time, for years and years and years. I don’t see shovels in the ground on those projects,” Meany said at a Monday press conference. “We’re putting our shovels in the ground and going forward. This is the location in Los Angeles that for decades was the best location for sports and entertainment.”
None of this should come as a surprise. Ever since it was revealed that Kroenke already owns 60 acres adjacent to Hollywood Park, there have been loud whispers that his Kroenke Group was also involved in talks to develop the Hollywood Park site.
So the suspicions were confirmed. But numerous questions remain unanswered, especially as it relates to the Rams’ future in St. Louis. The NFL wouldn’t comment specifically on the story, only reiterating that there will be no relocation of any team — including the Chargers or Raiders — to Los Angeles this year.
It also hasn’t deterred Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon from strongly pursuing the initiative he announced Nov. 5 and where groundwork has been laid over the last 14 months. Notable in Nixon’s consistent message is that he intends to show that St. Louis merits continued membership in Club NFL — be it as home of the Rams or, should the Rams move on, another team with wandering eyes.
“St. Louis is an NFL city,” Nixon said in a statement issued Monday, “and I am committed to keeping it that way. I look forward to reviewing the recommendations from Dave Peacock and Bob Blitz later this week and working with the St. Louis community to put forward a plan that’s consistent with our principles of protecting taxpayers, creating jobs, and making significant use of private investment to clean up and revitalize underutilized areas.”
Peacock, a former Anheuser-Busch executive, and Blitz, a Clayton attorney, indicated in a Monday statement from their spokesperson that they remain on track to present a new stadium plan — the key to strengthening St. Louis’ bid to keep the Rams.
“The news today is another reminder of how much competition there can be for National Football League franchises and projects that include NFL stadiums, but it does not change our timeline or approach,” the statement read. “It is important to remember this will be a long-term process, but one that the State of Missouri and the St. Louis region are fully pledged to seeing through. We are ready to demonstrate our commitment to keeping the NFL here, and to continue to illustrate why St. Louis has been and will always be a strong NFL market. We will present a plan to Governor Nixon this Friday as scheduled, and we expect that it will meet his criteria, thereby allowing us to share our vision with the public shortly thereafter. In the meantime, we will continue to have discussions with the NFL, as well as Rams leadership.”
Ever since Nixon went public in early November, even in the advisory announcing the conference call, he has emphasized, as did Peacock and Blitz in their statement, the efforts to show that St. Louis is a worthy NFL city. Peacock has made sure to make his case to the league office, keeping Roger Goodell and Co. updated on the plan of attack.
And league relocation rules are tilted heavily toward keeping teams in place. The Rams are obligated to make good-faith efforts to work with St. Louis on a new stadium plan. So, if Nixon’s crack team can present a viable plan, Kroenke can’t just ignore it.
It is important to remember that no NFL team has ever left a city when a legitimate plan for a new stadium had been proposed. It is also important to note Nixon’s stated goal “to clean up and revitalize underutilized areas.”
That’s a clear reference to the proposed area north of Lumiere Place and reaching close to the Stan Musial Bridge that is expected to include mixed-use development around the stadium that Kroenke would likely be a part of. It might not be as grandiose as Los Angeles, but, hey, we are what we are.
The reality is that now is not the time to panic. Kroenke always had leverage and now could have even more with the Inglewood plan becoming very public in the same week that Nixon will see the fruits of Peacock and Blitz’s labor. All along, everyone knew the only chance we have is to present a plan that will open the eyes of those who make the decisions on relocation requests.
Lookin’ good! Flip through our photo album of NFL cheerleaders.
Admittedly, Kroenke is turning the screws on St. Louis already, making big news in Los Angeles while remaining invisible here. If he has sincere intentions of keeping the team in St. Louis, he has a funny way of showing it. But unless he plans to do as he pleases and the league office be damned, the ball isn’t entirely in his court. And soon we’ll see the strength of the city’s plan to make him play ball.
Of course, there have been those within NFL ownership who wondered whether Kroenke might “go rogue” at some point, so we can’t discount that possibility. There are those who believe he plans to move with or without league approval, knowing he holds the trump card: a solution to the league’s long-standing Los Angeles stadium problem.
Meanwhile, we can only sit back and watch the high-stakes game that Kroenke enjoys playing as he continues to collect real estate and teams. No one, it seems, can top him from having his cake and eating it, too. After all, he’s a billionaire.
January 6, 2015 at 4:44 pm #15627wvParticipantOnce a fan, always a fan is what i say. Don’t matter where they play.
Yeah, thats how i am, but I’ve never
had a pro team in my city,
and I’ve never lived in a city, wedded to a pro team
and then had the team run off
for another city.w
vJanuary 6, 2015 at 4:45 pm #15628bnwBlockedHey guys. We have a kind of loose rule here that says there is just 1 LA thread per page. I’ve enforced that before by merging threads, so it’s not fair to those guys in those former merged threads if I don’t maintain consistency with that.
So…pretty soon, this gets merged in with the current big active LA discussion thread.
This thread is about names, not venues or ownership groups. Plus it is not about LA. It is entirely about St. Louis.
The upside to being a Rams fan is heartbreak.
Sprinkles are for winners.
January 6, 2015 at 4:48 pm #15629wvParticipantRams’ Kroenke has made his LA play, but it’s not time for St. Louis to panic — yet
Howard Balzer
FOX Sports MidwestNot time for panic eh.
Ok, but What about hysteria?
Is it time for consternation?
Foreboding?w
vJanuary 6, 2015 at 4:57 pm #15630wvParticipant<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>zn wrote:</div>
Hey guys. We have a kind of loose rule here that says there is just 1 LA thread per page. I’ve enforced that before by merging threads, so it’s not fair to those guys in those former merged threads if I don’t maintain consistency with that.So…pretty soon, this gets merged in with the current big active LA discussion thread.
This thread is about names, not venues or ownership groups. Plus it is not about LA. It is entirely about St. Louis.
Yeah, its about name possibilities. Probably should move my Bernie article though. I wasnt sure where it would fit
so i put it here 🙂There may very well be law suits galore before all this LA-St.Louis stuff is over.
I like the Saint Louis Jazz,
myself.
They could have a mean sinister saxophone
on their helmets. Or Charlie Parker.w
vJanuary 6, 2015 at 4:57 pm #15631DakParticipant<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Dak wrote:</div>
As for whether I’ll be a Rams fan if they leave St. Louis, time will tell. I’ll just see how I feel at the time. It’s not so black and white, the city vs. team thing. Right now, I can turn on talk radio and hear discussion about the Rams much of the year. I can talk with friends and family who follow the Rams. I can go to a game or camp, if I desire. That all goes away once they leave. And, if the NFL ever comes back, so does that experience.So, we’ll just see what happens.
I was just gonna ask if any of the local St.Louis posters
are gonna keep following the Rams if they move to La.
I cant remember if Dak is the only local st louie regular
on this little board or if there are others. Is Trench in St.louis?If i were an omnipotent Time Lord, I’d go back and fix it
so Bidwell lost his team in a poker game, and the new owner
kept the Cardinals in St.Louis,
and I’d fix it soze Carroll Rosenbloom never drowned, and the
LA Rams never fell into the hands of the Evil-Frontiere,
and thus they’d still be in LA.
I’d also make sure Modell never moved the Browns from Cleveland.
Also, the Colts should be in Baltimore.
Indy shouldnt even have a pro team. The Indy team should
be in West Virginia. It could be the WV Fighting Frackers.Also, I’d bring back the Coastal Division.
I believe it was the Rams, Colts, 49ers and Saints.
Or Falcons. I forget.Alrighty then. I’m snowed in. Got lotsa
time on my hands. I got tired of watchin
cars slide down my steep street into car-piles,
so now, I’m a-postin.w
vI agree with all of that, except I’d name WV’s team the Frackin’ Fighters.
January 6, 2015 at 5:07 pm #15633bnwBlockedThat is possible and isn’t there a NBA team with that name?
The upside to being a Rams fan is heartbreak.
Sprinkles are for winners.
January 6, 2015 at 5:08 pm #15634DakParticipant<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>zn wrote:</div>
Rams’ Kroenke has made his LA play, but it’s not time for St. Louis to panic — yetHoward Balzer
FOX Sports MidwestNot time for panic eh.
Ok, but What about hysteria?
Is it time for consternation?
Foreboding?w
vI wouldn’t call it panic as much as resignation. I think it’s good that we know where Kroenke stands — behind STL fans, wielding a knife at our backs.
January 6, 2015 at 5:11 pm #15635DakParticipantJust about anything but Stallions.
You know, Missouri was almost called the Cave State. Maybe the St. Louis Spelunkers. Or, Cavers.
January 6, 2015 at 5:16 pm #15638bnwBlockedSt. Louis Caverns? Not bad.
The upside to being a Rams fan is heartbreak.
Sprinkles are for winners.
January 6, 2015 at 5:17 pm #15639bnwBlockedJust about anything but Stallions.
You know, Missouri was almost called the Cave State. Maybe the St. Louis Spelunkers. Or, Cavers.
I didn’t like the Stallions either. For Louisville fine. St. Louis, no.
The upside to being a Rams fan is heartbreak.
Sprinkles are for winners.
January 6, 2015 at 5:18 pm #15640DakParticipantSt. Louis Caverns? Not bad.
Or, Cavers without the “n” — as in, there goes St. Louis, caving to the pressure again.
January 6, 2015 at 5:22 pm #15641bnwBlockedWhen we’re kids and you have to stomach the spoiled brat who always has the best toy to play with to being an “adult” sports fan supporting the billionaire brat’s football team. Nothing changes.
The upside to being a Rams fan is heartbreak.
Sprinkles are for winners.
January 6, 2015 at 5:44 pm #15645ZooeyModeratorThis is fascinating.
I am dumbfounded to learn that SK hasn’t met with Peacock. That certainly creates a strong impression that he is hellbent on LA.
Yet one would think that SK would be going through all the motions even if he IS hellbent on LA just to make the transition easier. The rougher the voyage out of town, the more it will cost him. And…in the millions. It would be cheaper and easier to play games with Peacock, make requests that cannot be met, hang them out with a plan they can’t finance, and walk away with the blessing of the NFL owners.
But surely SOMEBODY has met with Peacock??? Demoff or someone?
I wonder is Stan has decided to go Al Davis. That would surprise me, though. He doesn’t seem like the renegade type.
Here’s a question – since we are asking St. Louis fans what they think – here’s a question for everybody.
Suppose SK moves the Rams to LA. And a new team moves to St. Louis. Supposing the NFL goes Cleveland on this deal, and the Rams logo and horns stay in St. Louis with the new team, and Donald, Bradford, Bailey, and Quinn all play for the Los Angeles Surf. Now what? Which team do you follow?
January 6, 2015 at 6:26 pm #15646znModeratorWhen I say “LA” its a euphemism and so let’s call it the “will the Rams move what will/can we do and/or what will happen” thread. I have to be consistent. Don’t want the guys who were moved before to think I play favorites.
January 6, 2015 at 6:42 pm #15659InvaderRamModeratorhttp://www.rams-news.com/bernie-i-dont-want-to-cover-this-team-next-year-audio/
Bernie: “I dont want to cover this team next year…”
…
sweet!
January 6, 2015 at 6:47 pm #15660bnwBlockedTeam names for a different NFL team in St. Louis, please. Or should St. Louis sue to keep the Rams name and records like Cleveland did with the Browns?
The upside to being a Rams fan is heartbreak.
Sprinkles are for winners.
January 6, 2015 at 6:51 pm #15661bnwBlockedSuppose SK moves the Rams to LA. And a new team moves to St. Louis. Supposing the NFL goes Cleveland on this deal, and the Rams logo and horns stay in St. Louis with the new team, and Donald, Bradford, Bailey, and Quinn all play for the Los Angeles Surf. Now what? Which team do you follow?
St. Louis Rams and I will enjoy looking at the Lombardi Trophy every year.
The upside to being a Rams fan is heartbreak.
Sprinkles are for winners.
January 6, 2015 at 7:03 pm #15662InvaderRamModeratorit’d be pretty funny if kroenke and khan traded teams, and the jaguars moved to los angeles.
ha ha ha ha!
i mean it has happened before.
January 6, 2015 at 7:15 pm #15663wvParticipantHere’s a question – since we are asking St. Louis fans what they think – here’s a question for everybody.
Suppose SK moves the Rams to LA. And a new team moves to St. Louis. Supposing the NFL goes Cleveland on this deal, and the Rams logo and horns stay in St. Louis with the new team, and Donald, Bradford, Bailey, and Quinn all play for the Los Angeles Surf. Now what? Which team do you follow?I guess I’d follow both,
but my interest in the Los Angeles Surf would
probably fade after the old-ram-players retired or moved on.Los Angeles Surf. I like that.
I’m still dizzy over all this — i was one of those
who really didnt think the odds were good that
the Rams would move.w
vJanuary 6, 2015 at 8:17 pm #1566721DogParticipantSt. Louis Caverns? Not bad.
St. Louis Ribs
January 6, 2015 at 8:41 pm #15671ZooeyModeratorLos Angeles Surf. I like that.
Maybe I should copyright that. Or TM it, er…whatever.
This whole thing is fascinating, is it not? There are just so many different plotlines one could reasonably draw up for this story.
We just really don’t know.
My hypothetical question is mostly for GRITS, though. What would GRITS do if the Rams moved to LA, but weren’t the Rams, and the “Rams” were actually the Jaguars?
The question makes my brain short-circuit.
I think I’m like you, though. I would root for the Surf for 5 years or so while rooting for the Jax/Stl Rams, and then stick with the laundry and decals and history. I had to do some soul-searching when the Rams left LA as I recall. Perhaps that was more complicated for me than you because I’m a Dodgers, Lakers, Kings fan in addition. But finally it floated to the surface to me that the zip code was irrelevant to me. I don’t live in SoCal anyway, any longer. So….city/laundry. I decided “laundry.”
There’s a good chance that our little posting communities will suffer some significant and memorable turnover in the next 24 months. I don’t think Kroenke considered that before making his move.
January 6, 2015 at 8:50 pm #15673wvParticipantThere’s a good chance that our little posting communities will suffer some significant and memorable turnover in the next 24 months. I don’t think Kroenke considered that before making his move.
Well, maybe we should think about
banning Kroenke.…and yes, this is fascinating stuff. It
certainly has my attention now, and I was
bored to tears with the topic a week ago.If they move to LA were are gonna have
to also think about putting
an image of a
drunken-reveling-Grits on the Header.One thing about a move back to LA
that would bring a smile to my face
is the thought of Georgia rolling
over in her grave.
…did i just post that out-loud. O dear.w
v- This reply was modified 9 years, 10 months ago by wv.
January 6, 2015 at 9:05 pm #15675InvaderRamModeratorme personally. i would have to root for the rams although i’d have an eye on that defense. i love the defense that snead and fisher have put together. but yeah. i’d eventually stop following them as players left.
but also. the selfish part of me would like to see them in la. but not at the expense of losing the local guys on this board. i think i’d rather they stay in st. louis in that case.
i also don’t think there is any sort of expansion team. any “new” team in los angeles or st. louis will have to come from some other city. i actually think the trade and move might be very possible.
or maybe they do something totally crazy. kroenke trades the rams to khan who then trades the jags to bowlen while kroenke gets the broncos. and bowlen moves to los angeles with the jaguars. thus solving several problems all at once… i’m calling it right now.
January 6, 2015 at 9:53 pm #15678bnwBlockedbnw wrote:
St. Louis Caverns? Not bad.St. Louis Ribs
Oh yeah!
The upside to being a Rams fan is heartbreak.
Sprinkles are for winners.
January 6, 2015 at 10:18 pm #15679znModeratorKroenke may not have the votes to move, and he may not need them
Mike Florio
After months of saying nothing about whether he’ll keep the Rams in St. Louis or move them, owner Stan Kroenke has made his intentions clear by announcing that he plans to build a football stadium in Inglewood, California.
The NFL believes that, whenever Kroenke applies to move, he’ll need a total of 24 votes approving the maneuver. “Any decision on relocation in 2016 or later is subject to approval by the 32 clubs,” the league office told PFT on Monday. “An affirmative vote by 24 of 32 clubs (three-fourths) is required.”
Per a source with knowledge of the current dynamics in Southern California, it’s not believed that Kroenke currently has 24 total votes. Eventually, he could.
As the source explained it, if Kroenke does the right things this year in Los Angeles, spending the resources necessary to trigger sufficient fan support for the return of the Rams, and if no other team provides with another viable alternative, it’s believed Kroenke eventually will get the 24 votes needed.
Even then, he’ll likely face opposition from the Chargers, and possibly from the Raiders. Both teams have interest in the L.A. market.
But even if Kroenke doesn’t get to 24 votes, it may not matter. According to the source, Kroenke has informed the mayor of Inglewood on multiple occasions that he’ll move the team with or without the approval of the other clubs.
That would be an aggressive, risky move. If Kroenke moves without approval, he’d be entitled to no financial assistance from the league, and his stadium would be blocked from hosting Super Bowls. He also would avoid paying the relocation fee.
The matter could end up in court, as a sequel to the barrister’s brouhaha between the Raiders and the NFL in the 1980s, arising from the league’s efforts to keep the Raiders from moving to Los Angeles. The Raiders eventually won a $34.6-million judgment, which reportedly was settled for a payment of $18 million in 1989.
The dollars, and the stakes, are much higher this time around. If the “B”-level NBA team in Tinseltown is worth $2 billion, what would the Rams be worth?
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