Skip to main content

Well, That's a Load Off My Mind

So you're worried about Georgia's kids selling your St. Louis Rams to owners who will hold the city hostage for a sweetheart new stadium deal, or a sweetheart new stadium, or move the team to parts unknown? You say you can't go through the heartbreak, not to mention the humiliation, of losing another NFL franchise? Well, don't you worry your pretty little head about it. Let Uncle Bernie make it all better:

— OK, so what are Chip and Lucia looking for in a potential owner? Answer: They would like a St. Louis-based buyer to emerge. They want someone who cares deeply about this community, someone who can network the politicians and the corporate bosses, navigate through stadium issues and keep the franchise in St. Louis. . . .

Chip Rosenbloom will try his best to find that happy ending. He'll try to do it to honor the memory of his mother and father, and he'll try to do it for the St. Louis fans. But sooner or later, Chip and Lucia will also have to take care of their own interests.

Oh, I see. Bernie has seen into Chip Rosenbloom's soul, and discovered he's a good guy. Excellent--those sorts of gut level calls always work out well. As far as I'm concerned, all Bernie has demonstrated here is that the new owners will do what's best for them--ie, take the largest offer. It's easy to spout all sorts of inanities about appreciation for what the city meant to his mother; about respecting her wishes; about blah, blah, blah--when you always add the caveat: "Of course, we will have to do what's best for us." That's essentially what's happening here.

Whether Chip is a decent fellow or not is irrelevant. If the best offer keeps the team in St. Louis, fine. If the best offer moves the team elsewhere, he might shed a tear or two, but he'll still take it.

I feel like, as a football city, we've just been given the dreaded vote of confidence. "St. Louis has my full support, for now"; Or how about, "St. Louis is our current football home and will remain so for the foreseeable future."

Such reassurances aren't worth the columns they're parroted in.

Comments

Rich Horton said…
Its a good thing you soon will have an MLS team to soothe your fractured sports soul.

No?

Popular posts from this blog

Salt Lake Follies

More on the saga of Real Salt Lake : On the third day, it was risen. A bill emerged Thursday on Utah's Capitol Hill that could bring a Real Salt Lake stadium to Sandy and salvage Utah's two-year-old soccer franchise, which is being aggressively courted by investors in St. Louis. If the measure passes - it was crafted behind closed doors this week with the blessing of Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr., Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson and legislative leadership - it would snatch at least $20 million for the project out of Salt Lake County coffers, which critics allege could result in a countywide property-tax hike. The move to revive a stadium in Sandy spells the end of talk to relocate RSL to the Utah State Fairpark in Salt Lake City or the former Geneva Steel site in central Utah County. Late Thursday, RSL released a statement saying the Geneva location, owned by Anderson Development, is "not a viable option for our team or the stadium project." "We are no longer ent...

Ticking Off My Friend From Salt Lake

Real Salt Lake seems to be holding on by the skin of it's teeth. Now you've got prominent folks out in Salt Lake bitch slapping Checketts in the press . I'm sure that is a BIG help. Then when you read things like the following : "I expect it to come together quickly or not at all," Valentine said, suggesting a deal could come within a week. All or nothing??? In a week? Sounds ominous. Or, Meanwhile, MLS sources say Checketts has received clearance from the league to explore relocating his two-year-old franchise and possibly selling it to "serious" investors in St. Louis. Salt Lake City's mayor referred to such a possible sale as reason to cancel Wednesday's council meeting. "Mr. Checketts may have sold the team by this afternoon," Anderson said. The mayor also didn't want to discuss soccer in public, saying the news media could "screw things up for us." That's right. It would be the media's fault. So Re...

Early Thoughts on City 2025

There are few things harder to keep track of than an MLS side in their off-season, at least for me. Despite the fact it takes place roughly during the time the MLB Hot Stove season is in full swing, it is nowhere near as easy to follow along with as baseball. Part of it is how disconnected MLS is with the international soccer calendar. St. Louis City SC is still digesting the moves it made last summer even though those players have already played important games for the club. It is all weird and disjointed, and I always feel like I am playing catch-up. Happily, the moves made in the off-season this year were not numerous.  German Timo Baumgartl comes over from Europe as an option at center back, which is good because that was a position that was a little rocky for City last season. Given his own troubles over the last few seasons (cancer and uneven play in the aftermath of that), a spell with City can give Baumgartl a chance to have a re-set. Given his pedigree and the fact City si...