Caution: LA is coming to steal your NFL team in 2011

[duvaldude08]

Don't know what else tha man can do or say....I wish that they'd just remove the comment sections for the readers @ the TU website, however - how have we been so much more fortunate here?

Jaguars owner Wayne Weaver repeats that he has no interest in moving team to L.A.

Los Angeles officials can apparently cross Jacksonville off the list of teams that might consider moving there as long as Wayne Weaver owns the Jaguars.
“I have no interest [in Los Angeles],” Weaver said Tuesday as he repeated a statement he made in the past.
A Los Angeles official listed Jacksonville last week as one of five teams it has talked to, but Weaver noted that Sports Business Daily didn’t even mention Jacksonville when it reported on teams interested in Los Angeles on Monday.
“That’s the real story,” Weaver said.
Weaver added, “I have been consistent in saying I am committed to Jacksonville and have no interest [in moving],” he said.
The Jaguars have often been mentioned in the past as a relocation candidate because of their problems selling tickets.
They avoided TV blackouts last season with the help of the Team Teal initiative, but sales have slowed this year, apparently because of the lockout.
“We have to work hard and be more creative because we’re in a small market in a difficult economy with high unemployment rates and a housing crisis that is more difficult than in other cities,” Weaver said.
The Jaguars added many incentives, including a booklet with $3,000 in goods and services that expires June 30 and the Jaguars advantage reward program.
“Macky [Weaver, the senior vice president, sales and marketing] and his staff have done a great job,” Wayne Weaver said.
vito.stellino@jacksonville.com,

http://jacksonville.com/sports/football/jaguars/2011-06-14/story/jaguars-owner-wayne-weaver-repeats-he-has-no-interest

Good Job Mr. Weaver! May the rumors be put to rest. R.I.P. Los Angelos

[Tacachale]

It's about time those guys were told to shut up by Weaver. Unfortunately just repeating the "often mentioned" rumor about Jacksonville being a relocation candidate is easier for sports pundits than doing their homework. The team has a lease that lasts another 18 years and won't be easy to get out of, and an owner who has repeatedly stated he won't move, and who isn't going to sell for a while anyway.

[duvaldude08]

Well atleast we were no given the worse franchise in Pro Sports title as the Bengels are. Were getting cut some slack somewhere. LMAO

http://www.fannation.com/truth_and_rumors/view/290391-the-worst-franchise-in-pro-sports?xid=cnnbin&hpt=us_bn9

[blizz01]

Jones-Drew would love to see the NFL return to Los Angeles - Not necessarily the Jags, however

Even Maurice Jones-Drew is in agreement -- the name Los Angeles Rams just sounds better. This of course, makes him one of the smartest men in the world. Move over Stephen Hawking, our world's brightest mind is Jones-Drew.
To be clear, Jones-Drew wasn't endorsing the Rams' return to Los Angeles during his visit to NFL Network on Monday, but he did say that if a team comes to Los Angeles, the name has to sing.
Jones-Drew said that the team could have any name really, even the L.A. Pooper Scoopers, just as long as it has the name Los Angeles.
Of course, it should be noted that the Los Angeles Pooper Scoopers -- then known as the Raiders -- already played in Los Angeles. But I digress.
Jones-Drew is in your proverbial catch-22 when talking about the NFL's potential return to Los Angeles. The former UCLA standout would love to see the NFL return to his hometown. The only problem, he plays for one of the franchises often rumored to be on the move, the Jacksonville Jaguars.Not that it weighs on his mind or anything.

"You really don't pay attention to it at all," Jones-Drew said. "For me it's win, win. I love Jacksonville. It's a great place for me to raise a family. I have three kids now. I'm married, I play golf. There is golf everywhere."To come back home to play in front of my family, so they don't have to travel 2,000 miles to see me play, that is something I would love as well."

You can see the dilemma. That is akin to having only one credit in the jukebox and trying to figure out which Lynyrd Skynyrd tune to play. (For the record, Jones-Drew sided with Skynyrd in our long-running argument on the "Dave Dameshek Football Program.")

Not only is Jones-Drew's current team one of those considered a candidate for relocation to L.A., the team he grew up rooting for -- the Raiders -- are also a a possibility. But he doesn't see that working out.
The region already had its chance with the Raiders once and blew it, he said.
"The Raiders have always been Oakland," Jones-Drew said. "They tried L.A. and it didn't work out. No disrespect to L.A. but Oakland Raiders just sounds better. I like the L.A. Rams. Oakland Raiders sounds better."
Unlock HQ Video HQ video delivered by Akamai
Yes, it does sound better. But again, this wasn't an endorsement.
Jones-Drew did say that Los Angeles would be best suited for having two teams, that way the fans can glom on to the team that is actually winning. Similar to when UCLA and USC took turns being the dominant team in L.A. Although, he might want to pump the brakes a little bit. We've only had two professional football teams since 1995 (the AFL's Avengers and the XFL champion Xtreme), so let's not get greedy.
But Jones-Drew does agree that the time has come for an L.A. team.
"Everybody wants to come to L.A.," Jones-Drew said. "Whoever the face of the franchise is, he is going to have a lot of responsibility."
Especially if he is the head of the L.A. Pooper Scoopers.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/09000d5d82069c38/article/jonesdrew-would-love-to-see-the-nfl-return-to-los-angeles

[ProjectMaximus]

I was gonna mention that story, blizz. MJD likes to be on the edge of controversy...

[duvaldude08]

Looks like there's trouble in L.A. You lose two football teams and now the dodgers are in a mess? Sounds like s sports city to me. LOL

http://jacksonville.com/sports/baseball/2011-06-27/story/los-angeles-dodgers-file-chapter-11-bankruptcy-protection

[copperfiend]

The Dodgers are a mess because of a terrible owner. It has nothing to do with the fans in LA. They usually turn out in droves for the Dodgers.

[Non-RedNeck Westsider]

I know I've heard it somewhere, but I'm thinking Mark Cuban to the Dodgers would equal Awesome. 

Now if only the Marlins could get a new owner that didn't mind hanging on to talented players not name Hanley.....

[copperfiend]

The Marlins are moving into their new ballpark next year. That will give them some extra revenue to keep their own talent and maybe even sign some free agents.

[JaxNative68]

I know I've heard it somewhere, but I'm thinking Mark Cuban to the Dodgers would equal Awesome. 

Now if only the Marlins could get a new owner that didn't mind hanging on to talented players not name Hanley.....

didn't cuban already try to buy the cubs and was denied by mlb?

[KenFSU]

The Dodgers are a mess because of a terrible owner. It has nothing to do with the fans in LA. They usually turn out in droves for the Dodgers.

Absolutely. The whole mess with the Dodgers has nothing to do with poor fan support for the team. It's all ownership, and it's really sad considering the rich history of that team in Los Angeles. It's much more like the situation the Hornets faced before leaving Charlotte ten years ago.

[Non-RedNeck Westsider]

The Marlins are moving into their new ballpark next year. That will give them some extra revenue to keep their own talent and maybe even sign some free agents.

I would like to be optimistic, but I don't see a new stadium drawing and extra 35k to the ballgrounds on any given night.  Their attendence is horrible and I have no clue how the city of Miami was shammed into plunking down the millions of dollars for that stadium.

That being said, Loria would get more respect from the fans if he didn't dump a player as soon as his rookie contract comes up.  Win a World Series, firesale.  Coach of the Year - fired.  One of the best hitters and pitchers in the league in '07 - '08 - Willis and Cabrera - dealt for 5 or 6 rookies.  (Granted that was the end of Dontrelle, but I digress)  Uggla blasts 35+ homers for 4 years in a row - dealt w/ time remaining on his contract. 

The only time that I get to enjoy watching the Marlins at their best is here in town - before they're set to get paid.

[Lucasjj]

didn't cuban already try to buy the cubs and was denied by mlb?

If the team goes through bankruptcy and is put up for auction, just like the Texas Rangers were, MLB does not get the same say in who can buy it. The judge presiding over the bankruptcy is there to ensure the creditors get the best deal, and really doesn't care who baseball does or does not want in it's ownership circle.

[Ajax]

I would like to be optimistic, but I don't see a new stadium drawing and extra 35k to the ballgrounds on any given night.  Their attendence is horrible and I have no clue how the city of Miami was shammed into plunking down the millions of dollars for that stadium.

I think that was a big part of why their Mayor was ousted in the recall election earlier this year. 

[KenFSU]

The Marlins are moving into their new ballpark next year. That will give them some extra revenue to keep their own talent and maybe even sign some free agents.

I would like to be optimistic, but I don't see a new stadium drawing and extra 35k to the ballgrounds on any given night.  Their attendence is horrible and I have no clue how the city of Miami was shammed into plunking down the millions of dollars for that stadium.

Though I think the Marlins are bound to increase attendance with a new ballpark, it's hard to be too optimistic when a Miami Heat team with Lebron James, Dwayne Wade, and Chris Bosh can't even draw full houses in an 18,000 seat arena. A terrible sports town, though with Miami's weather and plethora of entertainment options, it's not terribly surprising either.