St. Louis Rams SOLD (pending NFL approval)

[STL FANATIC]

Bernie already suggests the report is incorrect:

http://www.stltoday.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=696828

[rams80]

Bernie's probably just peeved that Balzer got the drop on him.

Chaifetz's company, ComPsych Corporation, is the world's largest provider of employee assistance programs and the leading provider of fully integrated EAP, behavioral health, work-life, wellness, crisis intervention services and outsourced human resources solutions under the GuidanceResources brand. ComPsych provides services to more than 25 million individuals and 10,000 organizations throughout the U.S. and 92 countries.

Does this mean the team's training facilities would be improved?

[DustDevil61]

Well, the sale of the Rams has caught wind, and commissiner Goodell has apparently said this:

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell: "We want to be in St. Louis"

While it's short, it's there. I wouldn't say this means anything absolutely, but what Goodell said can't be a bad thing for St. Louis.

[dfwabel]

Bernie's probably just peeved that Balzer got the drop on him.

Chaifetz's company, ComPsych Corporation, is the world's largest provider of employee assistance programs and the leading provider of fully integrated EAP, behavioral health, work-life, wellness, crisis intervention services and outsourced human resources solutions under the GuidanceResources brand. ComPsych provides services to more than 25 million individuals and 10,000 organizations throughout the U.S. and 92 countries.

Does this mean the team's training facilities would be improved?

What is means is that his business better not have the Rams or the NFLPA contracts for EAP. If they did, you can tell from Ritchie Incognito that his does not adapt well to the NFL workplace.

[Gothamite]

Well, the sale of the Rams has caught wind, and commissiner Goodell has apparently said this:

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell: "We want to be in St. Louis"

While it's short, it's there. I wouldn't say this means anything absolutely, but what Goodell said can't be a bad thing for St. Louis.

True, but it's not particularly a good thing, either. Just standard corporate PR sunshine.

What incentive would Goodell have for alienating what's left of the fanbase in St. Louis? If the buyer wants to stay, they'll have a hard enough job bringing people in without facing a strong "they're leaving anyway" apathy.

Commissioners only talk up relocation when a franchise wants a new stadium. Until then, they have a financial interest in publicly downplaying such speculation. Right until the day a team moves.

[rams80]

Well, the sale of the Rams has caught wind, and commissiner Goodell has apparently said this:

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell: "We want to be in St. Louis"

While it's short, it's there. I wouldn't say this means anything absolutely, but what Goodell said can't be a bad thing for St. Louis.

He also thinks Chip and Lucia are doing a good job running the team.

[DustDevil61]

Well, the sale of the Rams has caught wind, and commissiner Goodell has apparently said this:

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell: "We want to be in St. Louis"

While it's short, it's there. I wouldn't say this means anything absolutely, but what Goodell said can't be a bad thing for St. Louis.

He also thinks Chip and Lucia are doing a good job running the team.

Au, touche.

[BrianVlietDesign]

Well, when you look at the grand scheme of things there are plenty of viable locations. There are undoubtably Los Angeles, Oklahoma City, Las Vegas, Salt Lake City, Norfolk, Birmingham, San Antonio. Most of those cities listed have are good chance at snagging a club, but Los Angeles in my mind is the one that will ultimately be next in line. And even though I do not live in CA, I've been wanting to see a team back in Los Angeles for a long time now. No offense to Rams fans, because I know STL fans are very supportive of their sports franchises. But, I'm kind of pulling for L.A. to win out on this deal if the Rams make the decision to move.

[The_Admiral]

Exactly one of those cities is viable.

[STL FANATIC]

Well, the sale of the Rams has caught wind, and commissiner Goodell has apparently said this:

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell: "We want to be in St. Louis"

While it's short, it's there. I wouldn't say this means anything absolutely, but what Goodell said can't be a bad thing for St. Louis.

He also thinks Chip and Lucia are doing a good job running the team.

I'd suggest they are. They could be better no doubt, but when Chip took over, he made sweeping changes to an old tired regime and brought in all new guys. This team is terrible because it hasn't drafted well for 10 years, not because Chip has made major blunders in his 2 years.

Will the team be better off with an owner who's 100% (unrealistic, but we can say it) into this team, the type of owner they may have after the sale? Surely. But I think it's unfair to Chip to suggest he hasn't done a pretty positive job since taking over.

Their record sucks, but look at what he inherited.

[rams80]

Well, the sale of the Rams has caught wind, and commissiner Goodell has apparently said this:

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell: "We want to be in St. Louis"

While it's short, it's there. I wouldn't say this means anything absolutely, but what Goodell said can't be a bad thing for St. Louis.

He also thinks Chip and Lucia are doing a good job running the team.

I'd suggest they are. They could be better no doubt, but when Chip took over, he made sweeping changes to an old tired regime and brought in all new guys. This team is terrible because it hasn't drafted well for 10 years, not because Chip has made major blunders in his 2 years.

Will the team be better off with an owner who's 100% (unrealistic, but we can say it) into this team, the type of owner they may have after the sale? Surely. But I think it's unfair to Chip to suggest he hasn't done a pretty positive job since taking over.

Their record sucks, but look at what he inherited.

Chip has made major blunders, however.

1) He made little effort to prepare himself for taking over the team, even though Frontiere had been in severely declining health for some time.

2) He effectively delayed the Rams' rebuilding program, one that any fool could have told you was urgently needed, for an entire year by keeping the Shawmunt regime and their coaching cronies around with instructions that the Rams had to win at least 6 or 7 games if they wished to continue past the 2008 season, which was a physical impossibility for the organization. That didn't stop them from trying, and making roster moves that were of the "win now" variety, though, and the team is the worse off for it.

3) While John Shaw was deposed as President in the general post-2008 house cleaning, Chip had him continue as a team consultant with an unknown amount of decision-making power. Officially this is because the NFL uses him as one of their chief CBA negotiators, but if he was that important to the NFL's efforts, he could have been given a dead-end job with Dallas or New England. I would also like to point out that John Shaw has also continued to do his best to destroy this franchise's ability to remain competitive; it is apparent to me now that the Rams' master rebuild plan for this offseason, and the 2009 offseason was predicated on the assumption that there would be a CBA, salary cap, and free agency "as usual" this offseason. As a chief negotiator, Shaw would be aware of how unlikely this was and should have informed the team he was ostensibly consulting thusly. Instead he didn't, and the Rams now have $40 million in utterly meaningless cap room and a complete dearth of veterans who could have helped mentor the young players at several skill positions-most particularly wideout. I will simply note that the outright incompetence or overt sabotage displayed on Shaw's part here would merit, combined with his other transgressions, his immediate execution in some civilizations.

4) The team still really isn't marketed well outside of metro St. Louis. If you want to actually keep the team in St. Louis rather than creating the illusion that you are not the villain, you would probably try to build your fanbase.

[dfwabel]

Well, the sale of the Rams has caught wind, and commissiner Goodell has apparently said this:

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell: "We want to be in St. Louis"

While it's short, it's there. I wouldn't say this means anything absolutely, but what Goodell said can't be a bad thing for St. Louis.

He also thinks Chip and Lucia are doing a good job running the team.

I'd suggest they are. They could be better no doubt, but when Chip took over, he made sweeping changes to an old tired regime and brought in all new guys. This team is terrible because it hasn't drafted well for 10 years, not because Chip has made major blunders in his 2 years.

Will the team be better off with an owner who's 100% (unrealistic, but we can say it) into this team, the type of owner they may have after the sale? Surely. But I think it's unfair to Chip to suggest he hasn't done a pretty positive job since taking over.

Their record sucks, but look at what he inherited.

Chip has made major blunders, however.

1) He made little effort to prepare himself for taking over the team, even though Frontiere had been in severely declining health for some time.

2) He effectively delayed the Rams' rebuilding program, one that any fool could have told you was urgently needed, for an entire year by keeping the Shawmunt regime and their coaching cronies around with instructions that the Rams had to win at least 6 or 7 games if they wished to continue past the 2008 season, which was a physical impossibility for the organization. That didn't stop them from trying, and making roster moves that were of the "win now" variety, though, and the team is the worse off for it.

3) While John Shaw was deposed as President in the general post-2008 house cleaning, Chip had him continue as a team consultant with an unknown amount of decision-making power. Officially this is because the NFL uses him as one of their chief CBA negotiators, but if he was that important to the NFL's efforts, he could have been given a dead-end job with Dallas or New England. I would also like to point out that John Shaw has also continued to do his best to destroy this franchise's ability to remain competitive; it is apparent to me now that the Rams' master rebuild plan for this offseason, and the 2009 offseason was predicated on the assumption that there would be a CBA, salary cap, and free agency "as usual" this offseason. As a chief negotiator, Shaw would be aware of how unlikely this was and should have informed the team he was ostensibly consulting thusly. Instead he didn't, and the Rams now have $40 million in utterly meaningless cap room and a complete dearth of veterans who could have helped mentor the young players at several skill positions-most particularly wideout. I will simply note that the outright incompetence or overt sabotage displayed on Shaw's part here would merit, combined with his other transgressions, his immediate execution in some civilizations.

4) The team still really isn't marketed well outside of metro St. Louis. If you want to actually keep the team in St. Louis rather than creating the illusion that you are not the villain, you would probably try to build your fanbase.

I do not want to start a flame, but in response to...

1-Chip is trying his best. I'd rather see a person who did not want to be a part of the sport business try to do well as opposed to someone who thinks that they are entitled to just control a franchise. Stay low key and try to make a name for yourself somewhere else or move away from your family business and try to be someone elsewhere.

3-In the opting out, while there "should" be no cap for 2010, but in turn, there will be no floor and most people here do not even realize that. The floor for the 2009-10 season was about 109 M. That will fail to exist is there is no agreement in the next 6 weeks. Someone may walk away with that money, but if the sale is done this year, then Chip and Shaw have actually given the new owners a nice chunk of change to use to pay their debt and to stay viable is the STL, plus the new owners get the TV money to pay off more debt if there is a lockout. Somewhat brilliant to me.

Also, if a team has a man under contract (like Shaw), he cannot move down to take a job...Rooney Rule for his replacement.

4-I have not lived there in the past decade, but when was a PSL not required to get season tickets? Even the 120 mile radius from the STL was fairly rural. Then you get to Columbia to the west, where you are possible split between STL and KC.

[Lee.]

Exactly one of those cities is viable.

Yeah, but the NFL will never go into Vegas.

[STL FANATIC]

The story is breaking, but apparently the Rams have been sold.

Bernie says it's not Checketts, but he does think it's good news for St. Louis. He's currently referring to him just as "Mister X" for now, but says he just filed a story, so maybe the name is forthcoming.

I'd say stay tuned to http://www.stltoday.com/sports for updates at this point.

[AJM]

Well, when you look at the grand scheme of things there are plenty of viable locations. There are undoubtably Los Angeles, Oklahoma City, Las Vegas, Salt Lake City, Norfolk, Birmingham, San Antonio. Most of those cities listed have are good chance at snagging a club, but Los Angeles in my mind is the one that will ultimately be next in line. And even though I do not live in CA, I've been wanting to see a team back in Los Angeles for a long time now. No offense to Rams fans, because I know STL fans are very supportive of their sports franchises. But, I'm kind of pulling for L.A. to win out on this deal if the Rams make the decision to move.

Los Angeles is the only option among the cities listed. It is next in line and the only city in line.

The League (Commish, Owners, Players, etc.) better work on a CBA first before worrying about LA.

[STL FANATIC]

Rams sold to a University of Illinois grad living right here in Champaign-Urbana, IL!

http://interact.stltoday.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=698370

Here are the basic facts of what I reported for Thursday's Post-Dispatch:

Name: Shahid Khan.

Who is he: Khan, 55, is the president of Flex-N-Gate Corporation, an auto-parts manufacturer based in Urbana, Ill.

Where does he live: Khan has lived in the Champaign-Urbana area for more than 40 years and is married with two adult children. Khan is a graduate of the school of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering at the University of Illinois.

What is he buying: According to league sources Khan will purchase the 60 percent of the team owned by Chip Rosenbloom and Lucia Rodriguez. But if Stan Kroenke wants to sell his 40 percent then Khan is prepared to buy that as well.

What are his thoughts on STL and the Rams: Multiple sources describe Khan as an enthusiastic Rams fan who has attended home games at The Edward Jones Dome. League sources say Khan is committed to keeping the team in St. Louis ... which was an important consideration to Rosenbloom and Rodriguez in making their decision to sell to him.

The sale is subject to approval of NFL owners. They can't vote on it until the closing of the sale which probably won't be finished until early April or so.

-B

[dfwabel]

Rams sold to a University of Illinois grad living right here in Champaign-Urbana, IL!

http://interact.stltoday.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=698370

Here are the basic facts of what I reported for Thursday's Post-Dispatch:

Name: Shahid Khan.

Who is he: Khan, 55, is the president of Flex-N-Gate Corporation, an auto-parts manufacturer based in Urbana, Ill.

Where does he live: Khan has lived in the Champaign-Urbana area for more than 40 years and is married with two adult children. Khan is a graduate of the school of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering at the University of Illinois.

What is he buying: According to league sources Khan will purchase the 60 percent of the team owned by Chip Rosenbloom and Lucia Rodriguez. But if Stan Kroenke wants to sell his 40 percent then Khan is prepared to buy that as well.

What are his thoughts on STL and the Rams: Multiple sources describe Khan as an enthusiastic Rams fan who has attended home games at The Edward Jones Dome. League sources say Khan is committed to keeping the team in St. Louis ... which was an important consideration to Rosenbloom and Rodriguez in making their decision to sell to him.

The sale is subject to approval of NFL owners. They can't vote on it until the closing of the sale which probably won't be finished until early April or so.

-B

The "Pending League Approval" is still a very important point. Case in point, see the Texas Rangers.

[STL FANATIC]

This is true.

[Quillz]

Well, when you look at the grand scheme of things there are plenty of viable locations. There are undoubtably Los Angeles, Oklahoma City, Las Vegas, Salt Lake City, Norfolk, Birmingham, San Antonio. Most of those cities listed have are good chance at snagging a club, but Los Angeles in my mind is the one that will ultimately be next in line. And even though I do not live in CA, I've been wanting to see a team back in Los Angeles for a long time now. No offense to Rams fans, because I know STL fans are very supportive of their sports franchises. But, I'm kind of pulling for L.A. to win out on this deal if the Rams make the decision to move.

Rams should move back to LA and St. Louis should get the Jags. Jacksonville is a failed market, anyway.

[Mac the Knife]

Name: Shahid Khan.

This means that every time the Rams lose, fans can yell "KHAN!!!"

And they can do it... in St. Louis.