Football in Los Angeles 2011...?

I'll give you a short answer and I'll give you a long answer. Short: I seriously doubt it. Long: Here we go.

Has anyone actually done a Google search for the following key words vis-a-vis the Roski Stadium project in the City of Industry?

• Ground breaking
• Ground breaking cerimony
• Construction starts
• Completion date
• Progress report
• Start Date
• Finish Date

I can tell you that I have. What did I find? Diddily squat. That's what I found. Do you want to know why? Because Ed Roski has not broken ground on the new Stadium yet. He has stated quitely, but in news print, that he will not begin construction until he has 1 NFL team inked to come play. Read about it here, my friends. This is a smart financial move, but this makes for hell in politics.

Consider the following key points:

• Roski would like a team to commit to come play football in a stadium not yet in construction 2011.
• He won't break ground until you sign.
• If he breaks ground in March or April of 2010, will the stadium be finished by August of 2011?
• If you commit now under the cover of a non-disclosure agreement, and Roski breaks ground, everybody knows that one of the 32 NFL teams committed to play in Los Angeles.
• Every investigative reporter in the Nation is going to beg, borrow, steal, bribe, and kill to find out just which team that was.
• If the NDA is broken before the 2010 season starts, or ends, your ticket sales in your present home go to shit.

This is a recipie for a late launch of the project. Key men are going to waiver because this is a monumentally huge decision. If the team is the Rams, you need to wait until their ownership situation is resolved. If the team is the Chargers, expect perturbations.

In either case, I do not believe that ground will be broken and the project finished in time for 2011. Don't expect football back in Los Angeles until 2012. So say I.

I want you to know, I say all this as a citizen of Los Angeles, and a staunch supporter of Ed Roski Jr. I just want you to know that I think his time-table is far to aggressive and unrealistic. I would love it if he were right, but I do not think he is. I think we need a little touch of realism mixed with excitement.

So how about Bill Polian?

I have a novel idea for turning the Rams around. How about if the new owners (presumably Enos Stanley Kroenke and maybe Ed Roski Jr) hire a good fellow named Bill Polian to be our new President and General Manager? Let's make the Rams his team. Let's give him total control.

For those who don't know Bill Polian, he was the mind behind the Buffalo Bills of the 1990s, the early Carolina Panthers, and current Indianapolis Colts.

Buffalo was a pitiful farce of a football team. Polian constructed the best team never to win the Super Bowl. They totally dominated the AFC for a half a decade, and went to 4 straight Super Bowls. Truth be told, they should have won at least two of those games.

The Panthers had no existence or history at all before Polian constructed them. They got to the NFC championship in year 2 of their existence. They won the NFC in year 7.

Now the Colts... What can we say about the Colts? They were relentless loosers before Polian. The Colts blew one #1 pick after another block buster trade before Polian showed up. The people of Indianapolis used to sing a Blues song called "Lord Help our Colts". The Colts are the finest team of the present decade. They are the best and most consistent winners, year after year. They are the 2000s equivalents of the 1970s Raiders, but they are clean and much more loveable. I believe the Colts are he model franchise. They are the model we should all aspire too.

Polian has been NFL executive of the year 5 times. That doesn't give him nearly enough credit. Who has been better than Polian in the past 10 years?

Polian is probably happy as hell in Indianapolis. The Colts may well be on their way to a 2nd Super Bowl victory this year... If they can get past the Saints. What if they should win the big one again?

Do you think Polian might be a little weary of the easy life? Do you think Polian might want one more mountain to climb? Do you think Polian might crave one more encore performance? Do you think he might want to turn around a 4th organization from lousy to great? He probably already has a spot in the Hall of Fame--a rare thing for an executive--but maybe he might want a little more glory.

Memo to the new Boss Stan Kroenke: Please try to seduce Bill Polian somehow, and get him to take the job.

Connecting the dots

Had a conversation at lunch with a friend who read my blog earlier in the day. He felt there was a missing link in the argument that I should clear up. If Kroenke is in the pole position for ownership of the Rams, how does this connect with Ed Roski's field of dreams in Industry?

Oh this is the most facinating question (in sports business) currently on the table for consideration. We have scuttlebutt, and scuttlebutt only, but it is highly logical scuttlebutt. The logic goes like this:

1. St. Louis is not a growing city. It is a shrinking city. It's economic base is shrinking. Its population is shrinking. People say that the ghetto covers more and more of St. Louis every year. Many are expressing their doubts as to whether St. Louis can be considered a viable NFL city both now and in the future.
2. Many other cities, particularly Cincinnati, are in the same boat. Around the center of our country, we have a collection dying Midwestern towns that were formerly flagship destinations in the U.S. These are the towns in which the NFL has established camps back in the 1930s through 1960s. Many financial analysts have forecast an unprecedented period upheaval and movement as teams like the Bengals, Jags, Bills, and perhaps the Vikings begin looking for better markets to play in. Do you recall that moment in time when a bunch of NHL teams suddenly packed their bags and moved south? Do you remember the Quebec Nordiques?
3. Other teams in other dwindling cities are not for sale. The Rams are. The Rams new owner is going to have to figure out some way to payoff the sizable debt he will incur by purchasing a minimum of $550 million in stock. We do not expect any billionaire to produce this sum as cash out of pocket. There will be financing in this purchase, probably from Goldman Sachs. This will not be easy to do in a dying city.
4. The specific rumor is the Kroenke is well aware of all this, and it is already in his plan. He has cut a deal with Ed Roski which is absolutely confidential. It is confidential for several reasons. It is confidential because any announcement of this deal would destroy the Rams next several years in St. Louis. This would produce terrible financial repercussion for the new owner, at a time when he needs to pay down debt, and prepare for a move. It is confidential because Kroenke is not yet the majority owner of the Rams. The deal could still fall through, no matter how unlikely that is.
5. Further rumors say that Kroenke will temporarily take 100% ownership of the Rams, and never comment on questions regarding a move to Los Angeles... At least for the next two years. Shortly before the Rams break their lease, something between 33% and 40% of the Rams' stock will be sold to Mr. Edward Roski Jr. Roski will then become the minority owner of the Rams. The Rams will then break their lease on the Edward Jones Dome and head to Industry California.
6. It took the Cowboys 3 years and 8 months from ground breaking to grand opening to get Dallas Cowboy stadium ready. They broke ground on 9/30/2005 and opened for business on 5/27/2009. This is the Taj Mahal of football. It cost $1.8 billion to build. The facility planned for Industry California is not nearly so glorious. Cut a billion off that price tag. We're talking about a much more modest open-air stadium. Let's presume that the Roski needs 2.5 to 3 years to get the stadium ready.
7. This would mean that the facility could be ready for the 2012 season. Yep, right on schedule. That is when the Rams can break their lease on the Edward Jones Dome.
8. This would also make Los Angeles an NFL city just about the right time for Los Angeles to put in a bid for Super Bowl 50.

Yep, it all sounds like a plan coming together. How about that?

The one huge point of inference, rumor, innuendo, and speculation is the connection point between Roski and Kroenke. Some say the two are rivals, competing for ownership of the Rams. Many others think this is not the case at all. Rather, the two are partnering to get the job done.

Next time, we shall discuss the possibility that Los Angeles might windup with 2, not just 1 NFL franchise. Surprise! It ain't the Jags, and it ain't the Vikings, and it ain't the Raiders either. Rather they say it is the Bengals.

A short discourse on the sale of the Rams

Yahoo's top ranked search Tuesday 10/13/2009

I visited Yahoo's front page this morning to consult their financial section regarding the state of current interest rates on real estate. My company provides those rates to Yahoo. I have full database admin rights. I could perfectly well look them up myself right here, but we have an agreement with Yahoo. Our guys are supposed to use their site.

To what did my wandering eye did appear? The St. Louis Rams are actually the top-ranked search on Yahoo's search rankings. This hasn't happened since Kurt Warner blew up in 1999. We out-shot Hedi Klum for the title. Shocking. So how does an 0-5-0 team in the cellar of the NFC West get to the top of the Yahoo search pages?

Al Sharpton and Jessie Jackson are pissed that Rush Limbaugh wants to buy the team, that's how. Ah shit... What else can go wrong this year? Fuck... Now we have three (count 'em three) of the world's biggest assholes slapping each other over my team. Please, fuck off and die; all three of you shitheads... especially Jessie Jackson. Jessie is a crap-hound and a manwhore. If Rush pays him $50k, he'll go away, just as he did with NASCar. I think they are all demagoguing this as a publicity stunt.

So without further ado, let us look dispassionately at the facts and assess the situation. I am not thrilled by the prospect of Rush owning the Rams. At the same time I am not concerned about this because I do not regard it as a serious probability. Let me tell you why.

Rush vs. Kroenke: bullet for bullet.

Rush is a poor boy folks. They talk about his vast fortune from broadcasting, and they have no idea what real money looks like. Let me tell you about real money and real pole position.

Enos Stanley Kroenke owns 40% of the Rams. Kroenke has the right of first refusal on any sale of Ram stock. This means he can match any bid, and he gets the stock. Kroenke is estimated to be worth $3.5 billion dollars. This puts him higher than #163 on the Forbes 400 for sure. His wife, Anne Walton, is a Walmart heir. She is thought to be worth more money than he is. It is rumored that Kroenke also holds a poison pill. If he does not like the new majority owner, he has the contractual right to force this new owner to buy his 40% of the stock.

Rush owns exactly 0% of the Rams. He is not worth $3.5 billion. Most people believe his total collective assets are worth far less than $1 billion. By the world's standards, he is not all that rich. Rush is not married. Last time he was married, it was to an Aerobics instructor he met on CompuServ. Do you remember CompuServ?

Kroenke needs to come up with approximately $550 Million liquid cash to close the deal. Rush just might need to come up with $929 million to do the deal. Kroenke just might drop the poison pill, remember?

Now in a financial shoot-out between Rush and Kroenke who do you think is going to win the day? All of you Las Vegas handicappers are laughing your fucking asses off right about now. You might as well put the Indianapolis Colts up against the JV team at East Podunk High School. This is a mega-blow out. Kroenke wins, hands down. It ain't even going to be a close call. It will be worse than Super Bowl XX.

Kroenke holds all the cards. The end of story. Rush better hope that Kroenke loves him, or there is no play on the Rams for Rush.

The Fly in the Ointment

Kroenke owns a lot of sports franchises. He owns the Denver Nuggets of the NBA. He owns the Colorado Avalanche of the NHL. He owns a sizable chunk of the Arsenal FC in England. He also owned the Colorado Crush when there was such a thing as Arena League Football. He was partnered with John Elway and Pat Bowlen in this affair.

The NFL has bylaws which forbid ownership of professional franchises in other leagues... at least if they are in NFL cities. That was the latest ruling when they decided they wanted Paul Allen in the club. Kroenke would run afoul of this rule. Most of his toys are in Denver. This is Pat Bowlen's turf.

However, Bowlen is a buddy, and presumably a political advocate. They have been partners. If Bowlen advocates Kroenke, I think Kroenke is in the owner's booth. Unattributed and unconfirmed rumors say that NFL HQ will waive the cross-ownership restriction for Kroenke. He would seem to be the sort of guy they want in the owner's booth.

So you see, my friends, this PR flap is much ado about nothing. It is an opportunity for political manwhores to jiggle their junk in front of the camera for all to see. The Rams belong to Kroenke if he wants them. I think he does. Rumor has it that he bought 40% to secure his position in line to buy the team. He expected Georgia to sell or die sooner or later. His angle has been well played. He is now about to reap his harvest.

Ed Roski Jr. has been given the greenlight

Ad meanwhile, Mr. Edward P. Roski Jr, ranked #163 on the Forbes 400 with about $2.5 Billion in networth, has been given the green light to go forward with his new $750m to $800m stadium in Industry California. Make no mistake folks, this is L.A. County.

A settlement has been reached in Walnut's lawsuit against Industry. The story is fascinating. When the City of Walnut raised lawsuits against Industry over the environmental impact of a new stadium construction, the State of California Legislature immediately threatened to pass an exemption for Roski, so that he could go forward with the plan. Shortly afterward, crushed opponents agreed (under duress) to terms of surrender. If they hadn't negotiated a surrender, the State would have castrated them legally anyway. It was a no-win situation.

What does this tell you about the situation? Powerful forces in California want this deal to happen. They want an NFL stadium in L.A. county. Presumably, this means they want an NFL team in Los Angeles, and they would like Super Bowl 50 here also. They want it done with private money. They want the stimulus that this construction will bring. Believe me, the politicians are 4-square behind this.

Now you explain to me why Mr. #163 on the Forbes 400 list risks a sizable share of his megar $2.5 billion to build an NFL Stadium when there is no NFL team in the Los Angeles area? I'll tell you why.

There just happens to be a team for sale right now.

The band that would not die

A certain director named Barry Levinson has made a film about the Colts moving to Indianapolis and the Browns becoming the Ravens in Baltimore. It is called "The Band that Would not Die". It is set to air tomorrow on ESPN. The theme is about how devoted fans cope with the loss of their teams when they move.

I know a little something something about that. I lived through 1995, you know. My Rams left town for St. Louis. Now it looks like they might do precisely what the Raiders did before them. They might return home. It is funny how many gaffs I have heard lately on the NFL Network, Fox broadcasts and ESPN where seasoned sports casters (like Rich Eisen) call my boys the Los Angeles Rams. Now why in the hell do you think they are doing that?

This is on everybody's mind folks. I'm telling you, this is on everyone's mind.