[Elvis]

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/columns/ ... 9e094.html

Bernie: Peacock keeping St. Louis' options open

14 hours ago • By Bernie Miklasz

Dave Peacock, the co-leader of the St. Louis stadium task force, stirred things up earlier this week with remarks made at a Commercial Real Estate Women of St. Louis breakfast.

Speaking about the Rams, franchise owner Stan Kroenke and the team’s potential move to Los Angeles, Peacock put this out there:

“It’s possible we have different ownership of the (Rams) because I think (Kroenke) is really committed to Los Angeles. I’m not against Stan going to Los Angeles, I just don’t want our team there. This is why we’re spending most of our time with the league — we think this is an NFL issue.”

What did Peacock mean by that?

Was he giving up on Kroenke?

No. Peacock was merely stating something that should be obvious by now: The goal is to keep St. Louis in the NFL. And if that means the Rams staying here, that’s option No. 1. If it means getting another NFL team here, great. If it means Kroenke selling the Rams to locally committed ownership to buy the Oakland Raiders and move them to Los Angeles, swell. Whatever it takes.

Instead of putting everything on the line for one team, the Rams, Peacock is determined to keep St. Louis in play for all options. And that’s smart.

The Rams, Raiders and San Diego Chargers want to be in Los Angeles. At most only two of the three will get there, playing in one stadium.

Kroenke obviously craves LA, and I have no doubt that he’ll apply for a franchise relocation. Why would anyone be surprised by this? Kroenke and partners are willing to invest nearly $2 billion to make the Inglewood stadium complex a reality, so naturally he'll file when the NFL opens the window to LA.

Kroenke has conveyed no desire to engage Peacock or local leaders in discussions to put the team in a new stadium on the St. Louis riverfront, so why pretend otherwise?

Peacock, a pragmatist, obviously understand all of this and is making sure he keeps St. Louis in a flexible position. All along Peacock’s goal has been to secure funding for a new stadium that will keep St. Louis in the NFL.

That NFL team doesn’t have to be the Rams.

And when Peacock states, "we think this is an NFL issue" he's right. Peacock doesn't have the power to block a Kroenke move.

Only the NFL can try to stop Kroenke. And if Kroenke gets the necessary votes to relocate, Peacock doesn’t want it to be the end game in St. Louis.

If the Raiders or Chargers get shut out of Los Angeles and have no hope of getting a new stadium in their home markets, then Peacock is trying to put St. Louis in line to accommodate a team interested in moving.

Especially if the NFL settles this confusing game of franchise roulette in a back-room deal. And this matter could be heading to that back room.

That's why Peacock has worked closely with the NFL since late last fall. (And long before that, unofficially.) Peacock is trying to strengthen the St. Louis standing with the league. And if the NFL should throw him any curve balls, Peacock wants to be in the box, ready to take a swing.

It isn’t that Peacock is turning on Kroenke; that’s really missing the point. Peacock’s motivation: This isn’t a Kroenke-or-nothing strategy. The more comprehensive strategy is to have an NFL team. Any team.

Peacock has been consistent in this approach from the beginning, working directly with NFL executive VP Eric Grubman. It was important to establish credibility with the NFL, and Peacock has done that.

Commissioner Roger Goodell and Grubman have commented favorably on the stadium progress being made in St. Louis. In the competition between St. Louis, San Diego and Oakland to keep their franchises only St. Louis is close to reaching an actionable stadium project. Oakland and San Peacock has St. Louis way in front.

But again, this mission goes beyond an effort to "save" the Rams. Peacock believes if the stadium becomes a reality, the NFL will do the right thing by St. Louis instead of abandoning a market that’s willing to build another NFL venue — the second in 25 years. Let's put it this way: to this stage the league has done nothing to dissuade Peacock from that view.

No one knows how any of this will be settled. We've written about this multiple times, but there are so many scenarios swirling around that no one should be stunned by any of the potential outcomes.

The latest buzz — and that’s all it is for now — has Kroenke eventually making a deal with the Chargers to play in Kroenke’s Inglewood palace.

It makes sense for two reasons: (1) by cutting the Chargers in, Kroenke would blow up the Chargers-Raiders alliance for a shared stadium in Carson, near LA. (2) If Kroenke can get the Chargers to join him, then how could the NFL owners possibly reject his request to move?

There would be two NFL teams in a state of the art venue, one in the NFC and the other in the AFC. And both franchises have roots in Southern California.

If that two-team Inglewood exacta comes in, the revenue-challenged Raiders would be stuck in an terribly outdated stadium in Oakland, with no realistic shot of getting a new home there.

If the Raiders come to St. Louis it sets up all three teams in new stadiums. I make no predictions here, and Raiders owner Mark Davis is a West Coast guy.

But as I continue to write, it would be foolish to dismiss any possibility. And if the NFL does cut a back room deal, Peacock wants St. Louis at the table.

Peacock is getting the message out: St. Louis is open for business for any franchise, any owner, that wants to be here. That's one of the reasons why he brought up Kroenke during the breakfast address.

READING TIME, FIVE MINUTES

It’s become fashionable to look for flaws in Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina, the best defensive catcher in the game. Molina doesn’t receive as much credit as he should for two of his greatest attributes: pitch strategy and pitcher management.
The point was validated by former Cardinals starter Joe Kelly, who has a 5.58 ERA for the Red Sox this season. In an interview with Boston radio station WEEI-AM, Kelly acknowledged he’s struggled to adjust to a pitching life that doesn’t include Molina. In St. Louis Kelly had a 2.81 ERA in games caught by Molina.

“When I was in St. Louis I didn’t have to think,” Kelly said. “Yadier just threw out a sign and I threw it. It was great. Before I didn’t even call (off) a sign. It was ‘Whatever you want, bud.’ Not a knock on anybody in this game, but Yadier is the best catcher. You can ask anybody. That guy religiously reads hitters like the Bible.”

Checking up on the locals: After being traded by the Yankees to the Marlins, Hazelwood native David Phelps went into Friday’s assignment against Atlanta with a 2-0 record and 1.80 in his first five starts for Miami. … The Phillies sent St. Louisan Cody Asche to the minors, in part to make a transition from third base to left field. But Asche was batting only .245 with little power and a 28 percent strikeout rate at the time of his demotion.

Meanwhile, lefty pitcher Ross Detwiler (from Wentzville) is off to a rough start in his first season with the Rangers, going 0-5 with a 6.95 ERA in his first seven starts. ... You’ll have to excuse pitcher Mike Kickham (Missouri State) if his head is spinning. The Cubs claimed him on waivers from the Giants in December, the Cubs traded him to the Mariners in January, the Mariners designated him for assignment at the end of April, and the Rangers claimed him on waivers May 5. Kickham is pitching for the Rangers’ Class AAA affiliate.

Former Rams head coach Steve Spagnuolo, back with the New York Giants as defensive coordinator, predicts success for his former St. Louis quarterback, Sam Bradford, in Philadelphia. Spagnuolo says Bradford is a nice fit for Chip Kelly’s offense.

“Trust me when I tell you he’s got all the skills,” Spagnuolo told Philadelphia radio station WPEN-FM. “And I keep going back to the fierce competitor because I believe elite quarterbacks in this league have that,” Spagnuolo continued. “... They love the challenge. They love to rally people around them, and Sam has that. I really believe that. I know he’s going to do great things there.”

Cards right fielder Jason Heyward was in search of increased offensive production as he entered the weekend series with Detroit. The scouts I’ve talked to offer two observations on Heyward. First, he’s pulling off on too many pitches, especially outside pitches. That usually results in a lot of ground balls. And sure enough, Heyward’s 62.4 percent ground-ball rate is by far the highest of his career. Second: Pitchers have picked up on Heyward’s struggles against pitches at the top of the strike zone.

In a recent column I mentioned the impressive crowds that have turned out to watch soccer in St. Louis. But I mistakenly neglected to cite the indoor-soccer Ambush, who averaged a healthy 6,100 last season for home games at Family Arena. … There will be a strong St. Louis connection in Fox Sports 1 booth for a July 29 friendly between Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain in Chicago. St. Louisan Dan Kelly will call the match, with St. Louis U. soccer great Brian McBride handling the analysis.

[Elvis]

Bernie can spin it any way he wants but if Peacock's publicly talking about forcing Kroenke to sell, things are not going well for him...

[Hacksaw]

Agreed. He is beginning to sound grumpy.

The thread title conjured up a horrible image in my depraved mind. lol

[Elvis]

Some not so hot man on man action? Yeah, not a good image...