I saw this in the comments section of the SDUT and thought I would share it. How funny would it be if the Rams owner refused to let the Chargers share his stadium? Especially since the Raiders stadium is unlikely to win due to worse finances and not as many amenities. That means Spanos has to make a new deal with Kronke (or what ever his name is) but the two hate each other. Spanos pretty much has to move the team and sell part of it because of how he fucked over his family and then lost in court. ------------------ David Darrin Law Partner at Schlecht, Shevlin & Shoenberger ALC The tea leaves say that Kroenke and the Rams will be in Inglewood for sure. Kroenke is the only guy in the mix who can produce a stadium/palace along the lines of what he created in Dallas. He thinks that is what is needed to make NFL football successful in LA. Spanos and Davis aren't going to spend what it takes to create the kind of stadium that Jerry Jones thinks should be there. Spanos will be given a choice between going to LA right away and sharing in the stadium expense, or waiting a year to see if SD will sponsor a stadium for him. Spanos will go to LA mainly because the value ofthe team will immediately increase and he can then sell it for maximum profit. But, in the meantime, expect him to whine and cry to the NFL for a discount on the relocation fee, complaining about how Kroenke is stealing the Orange County market out from under him and forced his hand. After San Diego loses the Chargers, the NFL will then give SD a sales pitch about how, if it gets its ducks in a row and agrees to pay a massive public subsidy, it might get the Raiders or an expansion team in the foreseeable future. Whether that is true or not is unimportant to the NFL. It just needs some San Diegans showing enthusiasm for the idea to use San Diego as a potential venue to pressure city leaders and fans in other cities to subsidize NFL football or risk losing your team to San Diego. In short, the NFL makes SD the next LA. Here's to hoping that San Diegans don't let the NFL make them their next huckleberries and that San Diegans learn to enjoy everything else that San Diego has to offer (e.g., beaches, weather, participation sports (softball, soccer), the zoo, museums) and watch the NFL, if at all, on free television fast-forwarding through the commercials. What the owners do not seem to appreciate and understand is that their sport is at great risk of taking a popularity nosedive, due to disrespect of fan loyalties, disregard for serious player injuries (e.g., concussions), and the fact that a lot of the owners, such as the Spanoses, are in the game almost entirely for profit which makes it a business event rather than a sporting event. Too bad -- so sad. Greed will get you every time. Happened to major league baseball, the NFL is next.
She mostly gave to schools, charities, and the local NPR affiliate because she believed in a compassionated, educated, and informed citizenry. A very generous woman. Heck, she gave several hundred million to the local catholic university and you probably think that is some how liberal.
http://www.kmov.com/story/28872715/is-dean-spanos-riding-to-the-rescue-of-nfl-football-in-st-louis I am really hoping Kroenke tells Spanos to fuck off. Also these sports writers are so full of shit claiming that Qualcomm Stadium is "crumbling". The parking lot needs to be paved because Spanos stopped paving it to make his case that the stadium is run down but that is his fault. The reality is the stadium is perfectly fine, has been refurbished twice in 20 years including adding trolley access, the city will still be paying for that shit for another 20 years, and the only reason Spanos doesn't like it is because it doesn't have enough corporate box seats for him. Ticket sales get shared by all the owners while corporate box seat money is kept by the team who owns the stadium thus Spanos wants fewer seats for fans and more corporate boxes for himself to sell. Fuck him up the ass with a red hot poker.
Summary of "negotiations" between the city and the Chargers over the last 15 years. Spanos: You should give me $1 billion. City: No, but here is $70 million to help spruce up the stadium. Spanos: Ok, if you won't give me $1 billion in cash then give me $2 billion in city owned land free of charge. City: No, but we will spend another $50 million remodeling and pay to hook up the trolley line so you get more customers. Spanos: I can't believe you people never work with me! Give me $1 billion now or I am leaving and it is all your fault! City: No, but we can maybe give you $300 million if the voters approve it. Spanos: You are so stingy! I am leaving! You would never help me! Seriously, fuck those welfare queens. Football stadiums always lose money and the economic effects from two pre season games and six season games just aren't enough to cover interest on the debt to build them much less pay down principle. I am glad the Chargers are going.
I seriously doubt that. It was am amazing gift any way you slice it. She also tried to give the Chargers to the city but the NFL owner nixed it because they were afraid they could no longer blackmail cities.
Wouldn't the city have to pay taxes roughly in the amount of half the value of the football team? Or does that just apply to individuals.?
I am not sure how that would work but I know the NFL owners nixed that idea. You could almost hear them saying "but how can we black mail cities if they own the teams?!"
Not like running the 5:30 drill when you should be running the 2:00 drill will hurt you. Andy Reid proved himself a cretin tonight.
In jobs around the world, that degree of incompetence involves being fired on the spot. Why not in the NFL? Does the Chiefs' owner have debts to bookies that he instructed Reid to pay off? If not, why did Reid retain his job through that fourth quarter? You could hire a starving grad student--or a high school student getting Bs in math--to do better than that for a fraction of the NFL minimum wage. Why in ever-loving fuck don't NFL owners want to do better than that?
We shouldn't be too hard on him, though. The situation was pretty insoluble. Score quickly, and they are still down by at least a touchdown, giving the Patriots plenty of time to march down the field once again. If they hadn't been in a 14 point hole, clock management might have mattered more, but realistically, the game was already lost by the time that excruciatingly long drive began. Put another way, if they were playing for a less embarrassing point differential, the strategy they selected was optimal.
The Chiefs played for a much less than 1% chance of winning when they could have played for a 5% chance of winning. If you make Andy Reid money it is theoretically your job to know the difference. And it's far from just Reid. Way too many NFL coaches can't do clock management to save their lives. And that's one of the few things that's actually their job. NFL coaches with respect to clock management are like primary school teachers who are afraid of children.
I think part of the problem is the disconnect between the Offensive Coordinator, the Press Box, the Head Coach, and the players on the field. Any of those first three might call the offensive plays in a game and it can get really confusing at the end of a game. Especially do or die like the playoffs. Ideally, the head coach has a general philosophy of end of game management that he conveys to his OC and players that the OC then turns that into a specific group of plays for that situation.
UT's my alma mater, so I like Payton Manning, but I'm kind of rooting for the Patriots. I want to see them play the Panthers.
I'm pretty sure that's the match-up the NFL wants, so look for some questionable officiating to favor the Patriots and Panthers next week.
I want to see the Patriots win because I like the idea of dynasties and I think the Patriots are unfairly maligned. Also, the Patriots were for most of their history been one of the weaker NFL teams so the run by the modern Patriots is simply just in my opinion.
So apparently Cam Newton hates sick children and God will teach him a lesson. The butthurt is strong in this one.
