With a heavy heart, I read the news Thursday morning that Rush Limbaugh's effort to own a chunk of the St. Louis Rams had come to naught. What are football fans here supposed to get excited about now? The team itself hasn't been entertaining since Mike Martz left.

The news was a bit of a personal blow, too. I was hoping to make a name as a peacemaker. I was going to let everybody yell and scream and then I was going to offer a compromise.

Limbaugh was going to own only a small chunk of the team. Why not let him own just a few of the white players? He could own Marc Bulger and Chris Long, and maybe a couple of others. That way, if any black players were offended by anything he ever said, it would be no skin off their noses, so to speak.

I am not saying that Limbaugh is a racist. I hardly ever listen to him, and ditto-heads always say that if you don't listen to him three hours a day, you can't comment about him. You are also not allowed to quote him because all such quotes are taken out of context.

But if he has complained about football players reminding him of gang members, blaming it on their unsportsmanlike behavior, I am not so sure he's off base. Last Sunday, cornerback Dre' Bly of San Francisco intercepted a pass and as he headed down the sideline, he began showboating, cupping his hand to his ear and high-stepping. He was caught from behind and fumbled. Here in St. Louis, Donnie Avery of the Rams caught a touchdown pass in the waning moments of another one-sided loss. He went into a "look-at-me" dance.

I am too lame to know if this behavior has to do with gangsta culture, hip-hop culture or what, but I find it offensive and I can't imagine Roger Wehrli or Jackie Smith engaging in it. So that gang reference was the sort of thing that could make you think, "Maybe Limbaugh's on to something."

Truth is, I thought things were starting to turn in his favor. Not only did some of his seemingly outlandish statements make sense, but he has the knack of attracting unpopular enemies.

When Jim Irsay, whose family moved the Colts out of Baltimore in the dead of night, announced that he would not vote for an ownership team that included Limbaugh, we had the man with the most despised name in Baltimore joining forces with the Rev. Al Sharpton, who might be one of the most reviled men in the country. It was enough to make me wonder, "Why hasn't anybody contacted O.J. Simpson? He might oppose Limbaugh."

But just as I thought things were coming together, they fell apart. What happened?

Forget about the racism angle.

Perhaps you remember Robert McNair of Houston. During our failed efforts to land an expansion team, he was briefly discussed as a possible Daddy Warbucks. Fran Murray had the dream, Jerry Clinton had the lease and we needed somebody with the dough. For a short time, that was McNair. He was a big fan of the Confederacy. One of his causes was the The Confederate Museum. To raise money for it, he and his wife had a party for which guests wore Confederate costumes.

You know how much buzz that created in St. Louis? None.

Nor does the opposition to Limbaugh have anything to do with his politics. I see that the Wall Street Journal has quoted him — out of context, I'm sure — as saying, "This is about the ongoing effort by the left in this country, wherever you find them, in the media, the Democratic Party, or wherever, to destroy conservatism, to prevent the mainstreaming of anyone who is prominent as a conservative."

That's nonsense. Look who owns the Cardinals. They're all big Republicans. The principal owners, Bill DeWitt and Mercer Reynolds, were partners with George W. Bush in Texas, and when Bush was elected president, they were the co-chairmen of his inaugural committee. Who did Bush stay with when he visited St. Louis? Another Cardinals owner, Stephen Brauer. In fact, Bush gave ambassadorships to Reynolds and Brauer. Did Cardinal fans complain? No.

Yet when Limbaugh was announced as a potential limited partner for the Rams, there was an uproar. It came from liberals, moderates, blacks, gays, environmentalists and feminists, and it was aided and abetted by the media. In other words, the usual suspects. The people Limbaugh heaps scorn and hate upon on a daily basis.

Hey, wait a minute. You think that might have something to do with this? If you revile people on a daily basis, they might not like you? So those people raise a fuss, and the owners listen.

That's the free market at work, folks. You'd think a true conservative would appreciate it.