New: Latest on Kroenke, Rams and NFL in STL

[nighttrain]

I think you are confusing contracts with rules if you are going where I think you are.

But yeah - they're pretty much stuck with whatever Stan wants to do. And no - I've never heard of that much of a one sided lease. Georgia and Shaw had been plotting for years and as sad as it is, St Louis and the Dome fell right in their laps. Personally, I always felt it was a serious conflict of interest with Shaw being part of the NFL stadium committee while he and Georgia were plotting to move the team. I think St Louis paid the price while the NFL skated yet again and Georgia got a sweetheart deal so she could keep up her globe trotting and man in every port lifestyle.

It may seem harsh but this is one fan that rejoiced when Georgia passed and Shaw was jettisoned from the team. I don't ever wish for someone to die but when it happened, I felt it was the best thing that could have ever happened for my Rams.

Not the best thing, ha, THE VERY BEST THING!
The Empress cared nothing about the Rams, Hollyweird was where here heart was, among other pieces of her anatomy.
train

 

[Thordaddy]

I think you are confusing contracts with rules if you are going where I think you are.

But yeah - they're pretty much stuck with whatever Stan wants to do. And no - I've never heard of that much of a one sided lease. Georgia and Shaw had been plotting for years and as sad as it is, St Louis and the Dome fell right in their laps. Personally, I always felt it was a serious conflict of interest with Shaw being part of the NFL stadium committee while he and Georgia were plotting to move the team. I think St Louis paid the price while the NFL skated yet again and Georgia got a sweetheart deal so she could keep up her globe trotting and man in every port lifestyle.

It may seem harsh but this is one fan that rejoiced when Georgia passed and Shaw was jettisoned from the team. I don't ever wish for someone to die but when it happened, I felt it was the best thing that could have ever happened for my Rams.

So riddle me this Stu , do you then consider Kroenke a co conspirator or a dupe?

 

[RamFan503]

So riddle me this Stu , do you then consider Kroenke a co conspirator or a dupe?

I suppose if those are my two choices, co-conspirator. However, he had always had the intention of bringing the NFL to St Louis. And that intent began before the Dome was built or the offer extended. No Shaw and he doesn't have that inside info on the deal.

Stan is going to look for every angle to get the best deal. Maybe he would have gotten that deal with the Stallions. But if he had been able to bring in the expansion team, would the CVC have had their backs against the wall already? I really don't know. Maybe some of the people in St Louis do.

As it was, Georgia and Shaw needed someone with money to buy in and back their play. I have no doubt that the sweet stadium deal helped lure him into that arrangement.

 

[Thordaddy]

I suppose if those are my two choices, co-conspirator. However, he had always had the intention of bringing the NFL to St Louis. And that intent began before the Dome was built or the offer extended. No Shaw and he doesn't have that inside info on the deal.

Stan is going to look for every angle to get the best deal. Maybe he would have gotten that deal with the Stallions. But if he had been able to bring in the expansion team, would the CVC have had their backs against the wall already? I really don't know. Maybe some of the people in St Louis do.

As it was, Georgia and Shaw needed someone with money to buy in and back their play. I have no doubt that the sweet stadium deal helped lure him into that arrangement.

Yeah as you know I have been a pretty stalwart defender of Kroenke, however recent events have made me at least more open to some of the criticism that in order to HAVE the Midas touch ya gotta be Midas to some extent,which fly's in the face of a fan who NEVER profits ONLY spends for love of the team and or city( a sentiment the NFL cultivates they mirror and turns around and threatens like a goldigging whore to leave if ya don't sweeten the deal).
I was a season ticket holder for the Cards,the last season after the announcement that they were moving I gave almost all my tickets away and eventually no one would take them. If I go through that for a second time I may become a fan scorned

 

[RamFan503]

Yeah as you know I have been a pretty stalwart defender of Kroenke, however recent events have made me at least more open to some of the criticism that in order to HAVE the Midas touch ya gotta be Midas to some extent,which fly's in the face of a fan who NEVER profits ONLY spends for love of the team and or city( a sentiment the NFL cultivates they mirror and turns around and threatens like a goldigging whore to leave if ya don't sweeten the deal).
I was a season ticket holder for the Cards,the last season after the announcement that they were moving I gave almost all my tickets away and eventually no one would take them. If I go through that for a second time I may become a fan scorned

And I for one couldn't really blame you. I suppose that is one of the advantages I have in not having a city in the mix. I was very disappointed when they packed up the Rams and moved them east. But I just couldn't get behind another team. I had too many memories with friends and family revolving around my Rams. Of course I was already in Oregon then and that no doubt softened the blow for me.

 

[RamBill]

Morning Ram-blings: Roger Goodell on Rams and L.A.
By Nick Wagoner

http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/15916/morning-ram-blings-goodell-on-rams-and-l-a

EARTH CITY, Mo. -- NFL commissioner Roger Goodell held his annual state of the union news conference on Friday and was asked a handful of questions about the potential for football returning to Los Angeles and about St. Louis Rams owner Stan Kroenke's interest (or lack thereof) in working to stay in St. Louis.

As you'd expect, Kroenke didn't offer much in the way of details or direct answers. He provided many of the usual platitudes about "working to stay in current markets." He also offered an acknowledgement of the St. Louis stadium plan and the league's willingness to work with Dave Peacock and his group to get something done here. All of that sounds like good news for St. Louis, right?

Well, Goodell left plenty of wiggle room for himself as well. He made it a point to say Kroenke has been working on a solution for St. Louis "for several years" -- the implication being that should Kroenke want to move, he's made good-faith efforts to get something done in St. Louis. That's one of the "guidelines" that go with relocation and one the Rams have also made a point of saying in statements and releases.

At stltoday.com, Bernie Miklasz offered his interpretation of Goodell's comments with both good and bad, depending on how you want to see it.

My takeaways from Goodell's comments didn't really change much about how I see this whole thing. I think it's quite clear Kroenke provides the league its best option for football returning to Los Angeles and that Kroenke wants to be there. I also think it's clear the league would be silly to pass on the potential of having another stadium put up in St. Louis.

It's worth noting that many of the efforts on the St. Louis stadium front have been NFL-centric rather than Rams-centric. The possibility still exists that the Rams could head back to Los Angeles and St. Louis could end up with a different team. All in all, Goodell's comments didn't reveal any new information, and the bottom line remains that the league is going to do what it feels is best for the NFL and the "rules" or "guidelines" that go with relocation are merely suggestions.

Along with this, it's worth reading this story from the Orange County Register with comments from the NFL's Eric Grubman on the Los Angeles efforts.

I.C.Y.M.I.

A roundup of the weekend's Rams stories appearing on ESPN.com. ... Kurt Warner hopes the Rams stay in St. Louis. ... We then made the case for the Hall of Fame for Warner, tackle Orlando Pace and linebacker Kevin Greene. ... The No. 1 play that shaped the Rams season was much like the one that shaped last year's season. ... This week's Twitter mailbag hit on a variety of topics. ... Warner, Pace and Greene came up short in their pursuit of the Hall of Fame this year. ... Aaron Donald took home the Defensive Rookie of the Year award. ... The final Rams-related notes of the playoffs drew connections between the Rams and the Super Bowl participants.

Elsewhere:

ESPN NFL Nation Chargers reporter Eric Williams has the goods on the efforts to put a new stadium in San Diego.

At 101sports.com, Kevin Wheeler questions Goodell's leadership.

At KSDK.com, Frank Cusumano examines the loss of money that would go with the Rams' departure.

At stltoday.com, David Hunn writes that a local board gave the OK to hiring consultants for the St. Louis stadium project.

Public funding for the St. Louis stadium is not guaranteed at this point.

 

[blue4]

From the way I understand it, no. There is no monetary benefit to the CVC in the Rams choosing to go year-to-year on the lease since it's basically a penalty clause for the CVC because they failed to meet the "top tier" requirement.

The monetary benefit would come from being able to book the dome out. And it depends on what's left to book on relatively short notice. The CVC has been pretty clear that they are better off financially if the Rams are not there. But that's useless speculation, the Rams are going to play a Major League style lame duck season here in 2015. 2016 is decision time.

 

[Boffo97]

The monetary benefit would come from being able to book the dome out. And it depends on what's left to book on relatively short notice. The CVC has been pretty clear that they are better off financially if the Rams are not there. But that's useless speculation, the Rams are going to play a Major League style lame duck season here in 2015. 2016 is decision time.

Huh. Hadn't heard that. I knew the Rams had a sweetheart deal for their 10-12 home dates per year (2 preseason, 8 regular season and 0-2 playoffs), but since they're the whole reason the dome exists, I thought that would be beneficial.

But that's less a benefit of the lease going year to year, and more a benefit of the Rams not being there at all.

 

[Rmfnlt]

This ^^^

@Dagonet

If you want to quote the whole thing, like I did above, just left-click 'reply.' If you want to quote only a part of someone's post, just highlight what you want and left-click 'reply.' I never click the quote function. Hope that helps.

What is the quote function used for?

Is there any place on the site to explain all the functions of it and how to use them?

Thanks!

 

[Prime Time]

What is the quote function used for?

Is there any place on the site to explain all the functions of it and how to use them?

Thanks!

There's a thread on it here...

http://www.ramsondemand.com/threads/multi-quote.22177/#post-241134

I never bothered with it because the reply button does everything I need.

Here's another one...

http://www.ramsondemand.com/threads/how-do-i.25723/

 

[Rmfnlt]

There's a thread on it here...

http://www.ramsondemand.com/threads/multi-quote.22177/#post-241134

I never bothered with it because the reply button does everything I need.

Here's another one...

http://www.ramsondemand.com/threads/how-do-i.25723/

Thanks.... not sure I still get it but thanks!

 

[RamFan503]

Thanks.... not sure I still get it but thanks!

The multi Quote function simply allows you to grab a bunch of quotes from posts and then insert them into your reply so you can either address multiple posts or posters or respond to several individually within that same reply. I use it all the time and think it works great. I used to have to copy and paste the quote code before and after each section of a post that I wanted to reply to.

Not sure if I just cleared anything up or made it more cloudy.

But anyway, all you have to do is hit the +Quote button below any of the posts and once you do, you will see an "insert quotes" button appear at the bottom left of the reply box. Click on it and it will allow you to insert the quotes into your reply.

Another one is to highlight the text you want to reply to and it will give you the multi quote option along with reply. You can add quotes that way or just reply to that section of text.

 

[Prime Time]

The multi Quote function simply allows you to grab a bunch of quotes from posts and then insert them into your reply so you can either address multiple posts or posters or respond to several individually within that same reply. I use it all the time and think it works great. I used to have to copy and paste the quote code before and after each section of a post that I wanted to reply to.

Not sure if I just cleared anything up or made it more cloudy.

But anyway, all you have to do is hit the +Quote button below any of the posts and once you do, you will see an "insert quotes" button appear at the bottom left of the reply box. Click on it and it will allow you to insert the quotes into your reply.

Another one is to highlight the text you want to reply to and it will give you the multi quote option along with reply. You can add quotes that way or just reply to that section of text.

Thanks for the explanation. I don't multi-task or multi-anything well, but then I'm sure you've figured that out by now.

 

[blue4]

Huh. Hadn't heard that. I knew the Rams had a sweetheart deal for their 10-12 home dates per year (2 preseason, 8 regular season and 0-2 playoffs), but since they're the whole reason the dome exists, I thought that would be beneficial.

But that's less a benefit of the lease going year to year, and more a benefit of the Rams not being there at all.

IIRC, the Rams games kind of cramp their style when booking shows and conventions. Whether that's true or it's just talk by the CVC as some sort of negotiations tactic I don't know. But given the ridiculous lease terms I have no problem believing it.

 

[RamBill]

Consultant hired for St. Louis stadium project
• By Jim Thomas

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/foot...cle_5d225179-04d5-5e60-9dd2-5f56901f45ea.html

Dave Peacock and Bob Blitz are getting help on the St. Louis stadium plan.

John Loyd, who has extensive experience in the field, is being hired as a consultant on stadium and design for the riverfront project on the north end of downtown designed to keep the Rams in St. Louis.

Last week, the St. Louis Regional Convention and Sports Complex Authority unanimously approved funding for the hiring of consultants on the stadium project, and Loyd is the first hire. Additional consultants are expected to be brought on in the weeks ahead.

"John comes to our group with an impeccable reputation in stadium design and construction and experience in St Louis," Peacock said. "John's knowledge will expedite our process and save us money as he applies his vast experience to our project."

A formal announcement of Loyd's hiring is expected this week.

Loyd's official title on this project will be developer representative. He was among several candidates considered for the job. Loyd, who is from Orange Beach, Alabama, is familiar with St. Louis having been responsible for the design, construction, and cost control of the new Busch Stadium which opened in 2006.

He had a similar role in a renovation project at Everbank Field, home of the NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars, as well as baseball stadium projects in Cleveland, Miami, and Pittsburgh, and basketball arena projects in Cleveland and Oakland.

 

[Prime Time]

Ex-Ram Grant Wistrom comments on a potential Rams move near the end of the article.
************************************************************
http://www.news-leader.com/story/sports/2015/01/31/wistrom-finds-way-post-nfl-retirement/22661359/

Wistrom finds his way in post-NFL retirement
Jim Connell

When Grant Wistrom officially retired at the age of 31 following his release by the Seattle Seahawks after the 2006 season, it was something of a double-edged sword.

He made millions playing the game he loves, and was able to go out on his own terms in the prime years of his life.

But …

"People are like, 'Wow, being able to retire at age 31,' " Wistrom said. "And I tell them, 'Yeah, but think about that. Retired at 31.'

"It's a blessing and a curse all in the same. It's a good curse. But it doesn't come without its issues as well."

Wistrom came back to Springfield and worked as an assistant coach at Parkview High School for a year. He also continued to work with his foundation that works with pediatric cancer patients.

But he found his passion with CrossFit-Springfield, a pair of workout facilities he and wife Melissa are part-owners of. And it's helped with his recovery from a lifetime of physical abuse on the football field.

"It's given me my life back, and it's given me things back that I thought I had lost forever because of football," Wistrom said. "It's all because of it."

Wistrom had four surgical procedures on his shoulders during his football career, and he has lingering worries about his health.

"I'm worried about post-concussion things, and my knees hurt, my back hurts," he said. "But I feel fortunate for how good my body feels when you consider what I did to it for such a long period of time."

An imposing figure at 6-foot-5, Wistrom played at about 275 pounds. Now, he's down to about 245 and says there's a world of difference from his physical condition as a player to now. And he works and spends his time with a community that he has become extremely close with, plus his wife of nine years.

He said when he retired, he couldn't get down into a squat position, even without any weight on his back. He couldn't do a dead hang from a pullup bar. But his flexibility and range of motion have returned.

"I look at pictures of myself from (the NFL days), and it looks like I got stung by a bee," Wistrom said.

"I can't say enough about what (CrossFit) has given back to me as far as my health, but also the community that I get to associate with on a daily basis is just awesome.

"I wake up every day excited to go into the gym and to see my friends and see the people that I'm going to be working out with. I just love my life."

So yeah, even after having to figure out where he was headed, "retirement" is working out just fine for Wistrom.

In addition to the business and working out, he says his days are about "chasing my kids around and annoying my wife. That's about all I do these days."

Rams' future

Grant Wistrom was blunt when asked his assessment of the future of the Rams in St. Louis.

The team is now on a year-to-year lease with the Edward Jones Dome, and owner Stan Kroenke is planning on a new stadium in Inglewood, California, as part of a huge entertainment complex adjacent to the Staples Center.

St. Louis has a plan for an outdoor stadium along the Mississippi River northeast of the current dome, but Wistrom isn't optimistic.

"I think for all intents and purposes, the trucks are packed and ready to go," he said. "I think it's a done deal, unfortunately.

And it's sad, but it's all about that dollar, from a marketing standpoint and all that. I'm sure there's a lot more of it to be made out in L.A. than there is in St. Louis."

 

[61Woody]

Just to change it up a little bit, what happens if we make the playoffs ? Does that help Stan to leave or Does it give ST Louis an edge in keeping the Rams? God forbid we win the Super bowl, how the hell can you pack up and leave ?

 

[Boffo97]

Just to change it up a little bit, what happens if we make the playoffs ? Does that help Stan to leave or Does it give ST Louis an edge in keeping the Rams? God forbid we win the Super bowl, how the hell can you pack up and leave ?

If St. Louis wants to fight a move (if it's threatened), they could argue that of course a playoff team has local support. But this assumes the NFL bylaws are worth the paper they're printed on... which look at Goodell's recent non-answer when asked what would happen if Kroenke went rogue.

 

[bluecoconuts]

Just to change it up a little bit, what happens if we make the playoffs ? Does that help Stan to leave or Does it give ST Louis an edge in keeping the Rams? God forbid we win the Super bowl, how the hell can you pack up and leave ?

I don't think it'll factor in honestly, I think Stan is going to weigh pros and cons to moving, and look to do what will benefit him most financially, a playoff year wont win over the chance to watch multiple Super Bowls (and a shiny new stadium in LA will get multiple Super Bowls) from his owners box in his stadium.

 

[RamBill]

NewsChannel 5 conducted a study with Anders Accounting firm. After a careful analysis, the firm determined the city and state income taxes from the just the St. Louis Rams players is $8 million. So we are under the impression that if the Rams leave, that would be a sizeable economic blow to the city. However, today, I spent some time with the President of the CVC, Kitty Ratcliffe. She wants the Rams to stay. Ratcliffe does admit if the Convention Center did not have to be compromised by the NFL schedule, they would be booking more events. An extra five conventions would mean, according to them, $23 million spent in our city. Frank Cusumano has more on the story.

Watch Rams Dome Story