Football fans and area officials alike yesterday "blasted" Rams Owner Stan Kroenke, calling his "scathing relocation proposal a 'pot shot' at the region, and some of his facts 'preposterous,'" according to a front-page piece by David Hunn of the ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH. Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon, visiting the region for an unrelated news conference, said, "Our fans support their professional and amateur teams. Especially ones that win" (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 1/7). A POST-DISPATCH editorial runs under the header, "Silent Stan Unloads, Offers To Show The NFL The Money." The editorial: "How about engaging the community by winning a few more football games?" The Rams "haven’t had a winning season" since '03. From the time he and his money "were brought into the St. Louis stadium negotiations" in the early '90s, Kroenke "knew that all he had to do was wait." He knew Edward Jones Dome "could never be among" the top 25% of facilities in the league. The editorial: "We haven’t seen much of it since the league first moved here in 1960, but a well-run football team, one that wins more than it loses most years, and one willing to return the devotion of fans, would not only prosper in St. Louis. It would thrive. Anyone who thinks differently has a different agenda, and is just making excuses" (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 1/7).
TELL US HOW YOU REALLY FEEL: In St. Louis, Benjamin Hochman writes Kroenke "is ruthless -- he wants his Rams in L.A., and it doesn’t matter who he has to punch to get there." Hochman: "How much does the league really care about feelings? My guess is not much, and we’ll find out. ... Will the voting owners be so fearful about the frayed relationship in St. Louis, that it would make them overlook the logic of the Carson project?" (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 1/7). Also in St. Louis, Ben Frederickson wrote Kroenke in providing his reasons for wanting to leave St. Louis "had to pad his pages with anything he could find." He researched and he "reached, more than once making himself look foolish as he attempted to bury the city in his home state he once said he would not betray." Frederickson: "I have wondered before if Kroenke could repair his relationship with St. Louis. It seems almost impossible now" (STLTODAY.com, 1/6). USA TODAY's Christine Brennan writes Kroenke "certainly is not the first sports owner to yearn for the warm, enticing glow" of L.A., but he "might be the first to so thoroughly trash his neighbors and friends on what he hopes will be his way out the door." Brennan: "There's your native son for you, Missouri. Show me? He showed you, all right" (USA TODAY, 1/7). SPORTS ON EARTH's Will Leitch: "I don't think I've ever seen an owner be crueler to the city that hosted his team for more than a decade than what Stan Kroenke has been to St. Louis. ... I've never seen an owner more hellbent on leaving." The worst part is that Kroenke "isn't just saying St. Louis isn't the right place for the Rams." He is saying that it is "not the right place for anyone" (SPORTSONEARTH.com, 1/6).
HOLD PLEASE: In St. Louis, Diana Barr reported Missouri state Sen. Rob Schaaf "has asked a St. Louis Circuit Court to block construction of the proposed new NFL stadium in St. Louis, claiming various aspects of the project violate state law" (BIZJOURNALS.com, 1/6).
