Two days after hearing an Orange County group's proposal to
keep the team, and two days after saying he's ready to talk to
St. Louis officials, Rams President John Shaw met with Orioles
owner Peter Angelos and MD Gov. William Donald Schaefer "to
further explore Baltimore's interest." Rams owner Georgia
Frontiere did not attend the meeting. A major topic of the
meeting was Redskins owner Jack Kent Cooke, who could try to
block the move of an NFL team into Baltimore. Cooke has plans to
build a stadium in Laurel, MD, about a 20-minute drive from
Baltimore. Shaw revealed no details of the meeting, but said he
plans to keep talking with Baltimore officials (Himmelberg &
Mouchard, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER, 9/20). A top Rams official
told Schaefer that the Rams will probably decide if they will
leave Anaheim in the next 4-6 weeks (Jon Morgan, Baltimore SUN,
9/20). Angelos and Schaefer laid out a proposal that would
include a guarantee of Rams ticket sales, a new stadium to be
built within the next three years, "lucrative revenues from that
stadium" and $1 a year rent (Himmelberg & Mouchard, ORANGE COUNTY
REGISTER, 9/20).
ST. LOUIS: Shaw said he expects to hear from St. Louis
officials within the next few days (ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER,
9/20). In St. Louis, Tom Wheatley interviews beer distributor
Jerry Clinton, who just recently sold his 30% stake in the domed
stadium's lease to FANS Inc. Clinton: "I believe in football
here, but not at any cost. If we get a deal, I hope it's
palatable to the fans, the box holders, the media, everyone." He
is "strongly opposed" to a FANS Inc.'s suggestion that fans pay a
license fee to buy season tickets (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH,
9/20).
