[bubbaramfan]

I can see it from the roof of my house. the channel is protected on both sides with plastic tarp w/sandbags holding down. they did that about five years ago. The channel is there to funnel rain runoff. I assume the plastic it there to keep whatever is underneath seeping up and getting into the channel.

Shovel ready?

[Hacksaw]

I can see it from the roof of my house. the channel is protected on both sides with plastic tarp w/sandbags holding down. they did that about five years ago. The channel is there to funnel rain runoff. I assume the plastic it there to keep whatever is underneath seeping up and getting into the channel.

Shovel ready?

That was the other reason I was referring to.

bubba, we still need to catch a game this year. Any other LA guys up for a Rams game bash, let's put it together.

[Elvis]

McKernan: Report From The Oakland Town Hall

Tim McKernan posted on October 30, 2015 08:00
Report From The Oakland Town Hall

OAKLAND – They didn’t expect him to appear, but when he did…they stood and cheered.

Raiders’ owner Mark Davis made a surprise entrance at the start of the third and final NFL Town Hall Meeting Thursday night at The Paramount Theater in Downtown Oakland.

Eric Grubman, flanked by the same NFL associates who had joined him on stage in St. Louis and San Diego, introduced Davis, and 90 percent of the crowd stood and cheered…although some boos could be heard.

But, the Raiders’ owner addressed his team’s fans…unlike Stan Kroenke and Dean Spanos…and spoke of a commitment to making it work in Oakland…but needing help from the community in order to make it happen.

Davis went on to say the night wasn’t about him answering questions…but the fans getting a chance to have their voices heard. He promised to listen…and then took his spot in the front row of the theater.

He then sat there and listened…quite a bit…as Raiders’ fans, often dressed in costumes familiar to those who have watched games at The Black Hole, gave Eric Grubman and Davis a piece of their mind.

It got so fiery at one point that Davis got up to answer questions from a gentleman dressed like The Undertaker…only to be yelled at by the crowd to find a microphone. When he did, a number of fans screamed at him to sell the team, with one gentleman yelling, “You don’t have any money, Mark!”

Two of the most fiery speakers of the evening were Dr. Death and Bauce Man. I caught up with both of them outside The Paramount Theater.

You can watch the video of my interview with Dr. Death and Bauce Man here.

Takeaways From The Raiders’ Town Hall

-They may come dressed up in intimidating costumes, but I found the Raiders’ fans with whom I spoke to be quite kind and entertaining to talk to. They love that football team.

-It likely looked bad on TV…because the Paramount Theater holds about 3,000 people …twice as many as San Diego’s Spreckels Theater and 1,000 more seats than the Peabody in St. Louis. With that said, as we were leaving, there were some reporters talking about a surprisingly low attendance total. I don’t have the exact numbers at the time of writing this, but some Bay Area TV people were discussing that one of the focal points of their reports would be a low attendance.

-I have no idea what the two guys on the end of the four-person NFL panel were there to do. I watched three nights of Town Halls, and I heard them talk for a total of two minutes.

-Raiders’ fans said they have no interest in going to Carson…joining Chargers’ fans in that statement. Carson’s a hell of a lot farther from Oakland than San Diego, but it isn’t about distance for the people with whom I talked. As one gentleman told me on the Periscope session outside of The Paramount Theater, “It’s about civic pride.”

-There’s a lot of bitterness from Raiders’ fans about the team leaving to go to Los Angeles the first time. But, similar to Chargers’ fans, they don’t seem too concerned about losing them this time. Just like Wednesday night in San Diego, the majority of the people I spoke with thought that it would be the Rams moving to Los Angeles. With that said, the majority were sympathetic to the people of St. Louis…as there’s a feeling that each fan base in this thing is getting dicked around.

What Stood Out From The California NFL Reconnaissance Mission

-Carson is viewed with skepticism. I think that would be my headline. That’s with political figures outside of Carson. That’s with media covering this situation. And that’s with many I talked to in the fan bases of San Diego and Oakland.

-Now, that could actually wind up meaning nothing. But, I can tell you that heading out here nearly a week ago, I didn’t have an opinion one way or the other. Leaving California, that’s what stands out to me after talking to a number of people on camera and off camera.

-From a credible reporter on this story: “The funny thing about Oakland is they have the least momentum in their city to build a stadium…and yet they’re the ones who are least likely to lose their team.”

-From an NFL source: “The only reason St. Louis got an NFL team 20 years ago is because they made a bad deal. The only way St. Louis keeps an NFL team 20 years later is if they make another bad deal.”

And Now…The River…

Loyal listeners of The Ryan Kelley Morning After and loyal readers of insideSTL.com know that I make poker analogies to damn near everything.

Perhaps the reason I’m so fascinated by this story is because it’s the biggest hand of poker ever played. Billions of dollars are in the pot. Brilliant players with Ivy League advisors are sitting at the table. And the people at home are watching the hand play out without the benefit of the hole card cameras.

The cards were dealt by the NFL, the teams, and the cities years ago. They made their bets.

Everyone came along for the flop. They made their bets.

Everyone came along for the turn. They made their bets.

St. Louis the aggressor. San Diego active as well. Oakland calling.

And now we reach the river.

Who’s holding the best hand?

The honest answer is I don’t know.

But, based on conversations over the last week with multiple sources, I can tell you that St. Louis isn’t just playing this hand hoping to win by holding the best two cards.

They’re playing to win with a Plan B and a Plan C.

Because those in the know think---or know---that the deck is stacked against them.

So, what do you do with a cheater in a card game?

You take him out.

[RedAlice]

At least he was honest regarding Carson.

"You take him out" - that is his ending suggestion for St. Louis actions regarding Kroenke?

Just saw a PD poster offer up Eminent Domain as a Plan C in case the Rams move.

[The Ripper]

At least he was honest regarding Carson.

"You take him out" - that is his ending suggestion for St. Louis actions regarding Kroenke?

Just saw a PD poster offer up Eminent Domain as a Plan C in case the Rams move.

Eminent domain and an antitrust suit, both options will fail. Eminent domain has been tried before and failed each time. Antitrust lawsuit has many issues but one is promissory estoppel, Injustice can be avoided only by enforcing the promise. The facility was not top tier on 3/1/2015 so the team can relocate at the end of any year based on the lease.

[BuiltRamTough]

“The only reason St. Louis got an NFL team 20 years ago is because they made a bad deal. The only way St. Louis keeps an NFL team 20 years later is if they make another bad deal.”

This says it all.

[Hacksaw]

“The only reason St. Louis got an NFL team 20 years ago is because they made a bad deal. The only way St. Louis keeps an NFL team 20 years later is if they make another bad deal.”

This says it all.

Very unfortunate for StL. If they are questioning plan A and they are creating a plan B (stadium approved wait on another team) and C (lay in the roan in front of the vans and refuse to move, or some legal strategy), they are wise.
A lot still has to come into focus still but it is definitely getting hot in here.

It doesn't make sense to dislodge Oakland if only to help Spanos afford to get to LA. That screws everything up.

Spanos apparently cannot afford to move and build in LA on his own. Not completely convinced he really want's too.
He has been forced to play hardball with his leverage window suddenly slamming shut thanks to our owner. His concerns are for the most part valid but he is somewhat culpable in is inaction the past 2 decades as he had the place to himself. Doh

'StL is making a bad business deal again', huh? Why would the owners help facilitate that? Would any of them agree to that deal? IDK, but my opinion is no. Maybe not all, but at least 3/4ths of them.