Five things to know about Rams owner Stan Kroenke and his decision to play a home game in London in 2012, 2013 and 2014:
1. New Rams head coach Jeff Fisher doesn't think the Rams are moving from St. Louis. "It was not a concern of mine," Fisher said of the relocation rumors, which came up in his negotiations with the Rams. "It was certainly discussed. Logically speaking you have to assume we're going to discuss everything during the process. I did.
"And I was put completely at ease by Mr. Kroenke, OK? He reassured me they're going to do everything possible (to stay in St. Louis). We're talking about our immediate future here now and winning as quickly as we can. That's not going to be a distraction for anybody. My gut feel, and my hope, is that they get things worked out, because this is the place where this team needs to be."
2. Los Angeles is still the biggest threat to the Rams. Not London. Yes, the NFL would like to place a team in London at some point. And we'd have to be idiots to rule out London as a potential home for the Rams. But I don't think the NFL will be ready to go full-bore to London by 2015; that's when Kroenke would be free to move his team. Besides, Kroenke doesn't need to move the Rams to London to benefit from having a presence there. I'm told Kroenke has no desire to own an NFL team in London because it would be a logistical mess and an impediment to winning.
By having an alliance with London in the form of an annual game there, Kroenke can strengthen his profile and expand his base in England. He already owns Arsenal of the Premier League; the Gunners are based in North London. And if Kroenke can make the Rams "London's team" without making London a permanent home, he can have the best of both worlds. He can make money in Rams-related deals in sponsorships and media rights, and gain popularity in his role as the generous American who's sharing his NFL team with his new friends and business associates across the pond. And Kroenke gets to pull this off without dealing with the inevitable headaches that comes with having a full-time London-based NFL team.
If you want to add a dash of paranoia to the LA theory, the ingredients are on the shelf. Kroenke's London deal runs for three years, which coincides with the time he has remaining in his STL lease agreement. Kroenke could have signed on to play "home" games in London in 2015, 2016 and beyond. But that would mean taking a "home" game away from LA should the Rams relocate to SoCal. No, three years is perfect. Isn't that right, Oliver Stone?
3. A run of horrendous football has the Rams straining to maintain an enthusiastic fan base here. (I'm pretty sure we'd see a lot of empty seats pop up in most NFL cities if the local team lost 65 of its last 80 games.) The game in London is an automatic sellout and a juicy profit for Kroenke. And his staff only has to worry about finding a way to sell out seven regular-season home games in St. Louis. This is the reason the small-market Buffalo Bills play an annual regular-season game in Toronto. The city of Toronto doesn't want to snatch the Bills from Buffalo; it just wants to share. Kroenke wants to share, too. With London.
4. Kroenke's decision to take away three of his team's next 24 regular-season home games will undoubtedly alienate some fans and make it more difficult to sell tickets. (Let's see: making these folks pay for meaningless preseason games as part of the season-ticket package, but taking the attractive New England game out of the season-ticket package? Gee, why would anyone be upset with that?)
Perhaps Kroenke wants to drive fans away to eventually justify a move. Yes, Kroenke just improved his team's prospects for success by spending big money to hire Fisher. But a stronger Rams team will only make the franchise more appealing to cities that court Kroenke.
5. Say this for Kroenke: He isn't being a phony like, say, Albert Pujols. When prodded to proclaim his loyalty to St. Louis, Kroenke simply refuses to make a pledge that he may not keep. He won't tell fans what they want to hear. It's Kroenke's team, and he will do whatever is best for Kroenke. And he's made that perfectly clear now; no one should be confused.
It's up to St. Louis and area leaders to determine what can be done to enhance the Edward Jones Dome and get Kroenke's signature on a lease extension. Kroenke may be a cold-hearted businessman. But at least Kroenke is straightforward in his motives. He has no interest in playing the slick and often deceptive public-relations game. He makes no apologies for keeping his options open.
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We were saddened by the passing of Jerry Clinton, a great St. Louisan who was always there for any charity, any friend or any stranger who needed his help. He played the leading role in putting St. Louis in position to return to the NFL. I prefer to remember all of the other ways that Clinton enhanced this community — most notably his crusade to raise money for families of fallen police officers and firefighters. There is simply no way to adequately quantify or appreciate Clinton's tremendous value to his hometown. He was a St. Louis original. He cannot be replaced.
Exciting times for St. Louisan Tim Ream. The terrific young U.S. national team defender, 24, is preparing to join Bolton of the English Premier League after the club reportedly agreed to pay the MLS New York Red Bulls $3.5 million for transfer of his contract. Ream is in England, trying to finalize his work permit. Ream recently married his college sweetheart, Kristen Sapienza, who also played soccer at St. Louis U. The newlyweds postponed their honeymoon in Tahiti to get situated with Bolton.
The Blues are on a roll, and it's been a great show. It's fun to see this team mature and emerge as a contender. But do the Blues need to score more goals to have a realistic shot at playing for the Stanley Cup? The answer: yes, if recent history means anything. The Blues are averaging 2.52 goals a game, which ranks 20th in the NHL. We have to go back to 2004 to find a team that advanced to the championship round while scoring fewer goals. That's Calgary, which averaged 2.44 goals in 2003-2004 before losing to Tampa Bay in the Stanley Cup Finals.
Belated congrats to Blues PA announcer Tom Calhoun, who is marking his 25th year with the Blues this season. And tonight's contest vs. Buffalo will be Calhoun's 1,128th consecutive home game behind the microphone. ... How good are the Blues' broadcasts on Fox Sports Midwest? When the NBC Sports Network televised Monday's Dallas-Blues game from Scottrade, NBC hired FSN Midwest's Phil Mollica (director) and Tim Pabst (producer) to present the broadcast. It's rare for a national network to put locals in charge of a broadcast.
Kudos to catcher Larry "Goose" Goessling and first baseman Steve Hacker, two local Missouri State baseball alums who will be inducted into the university's athletics Hall of Fame on Jan. 28 in Springfield. ... Good news for St. Louisan William Inge: He's been hired by the Buffalo Bills as a defensive line coach. Inge is a Kirkwood HS grad.
