Franchise Notes
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Missouri Governor Has Talked To Goodell,
Will Work Hard To Keep Rams In St. Louis |
Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon said that he has contacted Rams co-Owner Chip Rosenbloom, Blues Owner Dave Checketts and "other figures who might be involved in the Rams' sale or future." Nixon said he reached out to Rosenbloom a "couple of times" and the two had a "really good and thoughtful discussion about our shared principle of keeping the Rams in St. Louis." Nixon added he talked to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to "make him very aware that we worked hard to get NFL football in St. Louis and we want to work hard to make sure we keep it" (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 6/20).
KNOW YOUR ROLE: In Buffalo, Mike Harrington wrote Sabres Managing Partner Larry Quinn is "unquestionably the top dog" of the organization, but he "must get the heck out of the way." Quinn is "not a hockey personnel man," and he "better understand that and the feeling here is that he does." Quinn should set the team's budget with Owner Tom Golisano and then tell GM Darcy Regier to "go to it." Harrington: "No interference from ownership. No right of first refusal on any deals." Quinn instead should "keep pushing the marketing department to maintain corporate sponsors," and should "fix overdone platinum pricing" at HSBC Arena (BUFFALO NEWS, 6/21).
CAR SHOPPING: Stewart-Haas Racing co-Owner Tony Stewart Friday said that he was "open to adding a third Sprint Cup car" to his team next season if the "right sponsor/driver combination was available." Stewart: "It's a possibility. I made a promise (to team members) not [to] try to grow too fast too soon. I wanted to make sure we had two cars that were competitive and had a chance to win a championship. I'm proud of that fact that I think we're at that point. So if the right situation came along, we would entertain it." Stewart would not comment on "who he might consider as a driver or what company might step up to sponsor" a third entry. When asked about IndyCar driver Danica Patrick as a possible new teammate, Stewart said, "We don't pay attention to that stuff" (ESPN.com, 6/19). Meanwhile, Joe Gibbs Racing President J.D. Gibbs yesterday said, "We can still plug in a fourth team. We're in no hurry. If we have to wait a year, that's fine. You have got to have the right driver, the right core group and the right sponsor. But if that happened, we could do it pretty quick. I wouldn't cross it off for next year, but at the same time we're not going to force it" (AP, 6/21).
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