11-16-2019, 02:07 AM
ST. Michael Cooper Lakers Jersey . LOUIS - St. Louis upped its bid Friday to either keep the Rams or lure a new NFL team, unveiling plans for a new open-air football stadium on the banks of the Mississippi River, not far from the Gateway Arch.The 64,000-seat stadium would cost $860 million to $985 million, with construction beginning in 2016 and ending by 2020.The proposal was announced by attorney Robert Blitz and former Anheuser-Busch president David Peacock, a team appointed by Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon in November to develop the plan.The NFL and the team would be responsible for up to half the cost of the stadium, while some funding would come from tax credits and other public financing, including possibly extending current bonds used to pay off the Edward Jones Dome, where the Rams play. But city and state leaders have long said there is no appetite for again tapping taxpayers, which is reflected in the plan that calls for no new taxes or bonds. Seat licensing fees would also help pay for the project.Its more than just a football stadium, Peacock said. Were talking about a continuation of the revitalization of our downtown.St. Louis is trying to avoid becoming a two-time loser of NFL franchises, as the Cardinals left for Arizona in 1987. Blitz said Nixon sought a new stadium plan so that this history does not repeat itself here in St. Louis.The Edward Jones Dome is outdated by NFL standards despite being just 20 years old. Negotiations over improvements to the dome — which was built with taxpayer money — went nowhere in recent years. The Rams 30-year lease will be on a year-to-year basis starting next season because of a clause that the stadium be among the top quarter of NFL venues.Speculation is rampant in St. Louis that Rams owner Stan Kroenke will move the team to Los Angeles, the nations second-largest market, in 2016. The league has said no team movement will be allowed this year. Those concerns escalated Monday when Kroenke was announced as part of a joint venture building an 80,000-seat stadium in the Los Angeles suburbs.The new stadium plan has been shared with NFL officials and the Rams, Peacock said, but he has not spoken directly with Kroenke. Phone messages left with Kroenkes office were not returned.The Rams said in a statement that theyll review the new plan and speak with states stadium task force, and added that the team has worked for many years, with several agencies and commissions, and their senior management, responsible for stadium facilities in St. Louis.St. Louis city leaders have been frustrated with Kroenke, saying hes refused to return their calls. Much of the effort to either keep the team or attract another is being conducted directly with the league, not the team or Kroenke.City leaders and civic boosters say St. Louis has a compelling argument to remain an NFL city: It is the nations 20th largest market, with a loyal fan base that sold out every game from the teams arrival in 1995 until its 11 straight losing seasons — which along with uncertainty about the future — soured some fans.The new stadium would be built in a largely blighted area, making it eligible for various tax credits, Peacock said. Just north of the Gateway Arch on the northwest edge of downtown, the stadium would be surrounded by a 10,000-space parking lot that provides an area for tailgating.The stadium also could help attract a Major League Soccer franchise, Peacock said. The plan also calls for upgrading the Edward Jones Dome, making it more attractive for large conventions.This proposal would not only protect St. Louiss status as an NFL city, it would also provide the opportunity to redevelop underutilized areas of the city and create jobs, Nixon said in a statement Friday.City and state leaders agree there is no appetite for new public funding. Nixon has said no new taxes or fees would be used for the new stadium, but has hinted that the 30-year bonds issued for the domes construction could be extended.The state of Missouri pays $12 million annually toward the debt; the city and St. Louis County pay $6 million each.Peacock and Blitz have NFL ties. Peacock worked directly with the league on advertising and marketing while at Anheuser Busch, and is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame advisory board. Blitz was part of the legal team that helped bring the Rams to St. Louis and is legal counsel to the St. Louis Regional Convention and Sports Complex Authority.We are an NFL city. We are a deserving NFL city, Peacock said.___AP NFL website: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP_NFL Wilt Chamberlain Jersey .com) - James Harden put the Houston Rockets on his back and willed them to an overtime victory on Thursday. Lakers Jerseys 2020 https://www.lakersjerseycheap.com/1591j-...akers.html . -- Henry Josey watched helplessly from the sideline last fall, rehabbing from a serious knee injury, while Missouri was getting pushed around in its first SEC season.WINNIPEG - Cam Ward grinned as he described how he felt like a kid making some key saves in his Carolina Hurricanes 3-2 victory over the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday. Ward stole a pair of goals from Winnipeg centre Bryan Little in the first period, beginning with a pad save during a Jets two-man advantage and then displaying his quickness with a highlight-reel stick stop. Little was about to fire the puck into a wide-open side of the net, but Ward whipped out his stick and the puck hit the paddle. "It was a fun save," Ward said with a chuckle after making 34 stops. "The initial shot was in a position where I knew I was going to have to kick out a bit of a rebound. Just out of pure desperation, I threw my stick out there and made a save that brings you back to the ol street hockey days as a kid. "But Little, I think he got even with me scoring that second goal in the third period so it all evens out." Jets head coach Paul Maurice, who coached the Hurricanes for parts of 11 seasons, even tipped his hat to Ward. "Cam Ward was the story of this hockey game," Maurice said. "He was the best player on the ice." The Jets had mounted a 9-0 advantage in shots on goal on the way to a 13-6 gap at the end of a scoreless first period. Ward then got some offensive help from his teammates, as brothers Eric and Jordan Staal and Riley Nash each scored within a span of two minutes and 53 seconds in the second. Defenceman Andrej Sekera had a pair of assists for the Hurricanes (31-31-9) to give him 31 on the season to go with 11 goals. Jets centre Jim Slater had scored his first goal of an injury-marred season 7:48 into the second, but Eric Staal got the roll going 37 seconds later with his 17th goal of the season. Little scored his 21st goal of the season for Winnipeg (32-31-9) 1:27 into the third period. Al Montoya stopped 29 shots while making his fourth straight start in net for Winnipeg since Ondrej Pavelec went out with a lower-body injury. Hes expected to return to action next week. Montoya was pointing the finger at himself for the loss. "We came out firing. Their goaltender played well," Montoya said. "I didnt make the saves I needed to make and at the end of the day that cost us the game." Maurice said Montoya was wrong. "If a guy is clearly the reason youre in the hole, Ill get him out of the net before that happens," Maurice said. "They get to this level thinking they should stop everything. He will feel that because hes got a front-row seat to the way tthe guy at the other end is playing so its magnified. Custom Los Angeles Lakers Jerseys. quot; Carolina head coach Kirk Muller said Wards stellar play was inspiring for his teammates. "The guys knew that he was giving a great effort and he was keeping us in there," Muller said. "They were like, Hey, weve got to surround him with some better play here and, fortunately, we got timely goals. We played better the rest of the game and it was a nice team effort for everybody." Ward has battled through two injuries this season and was bumped to backup for Anton Khudobin, who was in net for Carolinas 3-2 loss to Chicago Friday night. Carolina returns home for a game Tuesday against the New York Islanders. Winnipeg, which heads out on a five-game road trip beginning Monday in Dallas, remains at 73 points. Heading into the game, the Jets were six points back of the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference. The Jets were coming off a 5-4 overtime win against Colorado on March 19. The loss to Carolina was Winnipegs 40th one-goal game this season and they are 18-13-9 in those outings. Jordan Staal made it 2-1 when he went through Jets defenders and scored over Montoyas blocker at 10:10 of the second while Slater was in the penalty box for tripping. Maurice said Winnipegs first period was "about as good as were going to play," but Staals power-play marker hurt. "No doubt we got tight at 2-1," he said. "You could feel it." The Jets, who were outshot 21-8 in the second, were working without defenceman Zach Bogosian, who left the game in the period with an upper-body injury that Maurice said isnt too serious. It appeared Stuart tied it up six minutes after Littles goal, but the goal was waved off for goaltender interference as Jets defenceman Dustin Byfuglien fell on top of Ward in the crease and was lying on his right arm. Winnipeg pulled Montoya with about 65 seconds left in the game and swarmed Ward, but the veteran held tough. The Jets outshot the Hurricanes 15-5 in the third. Notes: Jordan Staals power-play goal was the first the Jets have allowed at home in five consecutive games. Winnipegs penalty kill was ranked fifth-best (84.8 per cent) in the NHL heading into the game … Both the Jets and Hurricanes are 2-3-0 in their last five games … The game was the second one of Carolinas 18th set of back-to-back games this season. It plays two more. Only Jersey has more back-to-back sets this season with 22. The Hurricanes so far are 9-8-1 in the first game of their sets and 5-10-3 in the second game. ' ' '