Baltimore Offer Has Time Limit
A lucrative offer for the Rams to move to Baltimore remains intact, but it now apparently includes this addendum: for a limited time only.
In a meeting that ended late Sunday night in Los Angeles, Maryland Governor William Donald Schaefer and Baltimore Oriole owner Peter Angelos were assured by Ram President John Shaw that they would not be strung along as the Rams, who are also being courted by St. Louis and Hartford, Conn., explore relocation options.
“The governor’s essential message was, ‘Don’t leave us on the hook forever,’ ” said Mark Wasserman, secretary of Maryland’s Department of Economic and Employment Development. “He wanted some sense for how this process will play out, and Mr. Shaw indicated rather clearly that he hoped to arrive at some sort of decision within four to six weeks.”
Officials from Baltimore are also interested in buying the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, so the sooner the Rams make a decision, the better.
And they indicated that their offer, which includes a $160-million, 72,000-seat, 108 luxury-box stadium with revenues from tickets, luxury suites, club seats, parking and concessions going to the team, would not be sweetened to compete with Orange County and other cities.
The meeting marked the fourth between Angelos and Shaw in Los Angeles--Ram owner Georgia Frontiere did not attend--but Wasserman stressed that the governor’s presence didn’t add any significance to the meeting.
“We had planned this visit by the governor (to promote Maryland film production) for quite some time, so don’t rush to inaccurate conclusions,” said Wasserman, who was at the meeting. “I mentioned to Peter that we’d be out here, and he thought it would be timely for the governor to make contact with the Rams.”
Shaw said in a recent interview that two of his concerns about moving to Baltimore was Washington Redskin owner Jack Kent Cooke’s plans to build a stadium in Laurel, Md., about 20 miles south of Baltimore, and whether a $160-million financing package would remain in place when Schaefer’s term as governor expires in January.
“The message was reinforced by Schaefer that anyone who has any true understanding of the Baltimore/Washington market knows they’re completely different, unique,” Wasserman said. “He emphasized that we sold every luxury box (during the expansion process). The Baltimore market stands on its own, and the tremendous success of the Orioles clearly has the attention of the Rams and others.”
Wasserman, however, said Schaefer could not guarantee the financing package beyond January.
“That’s somewhat beyond this administration’s ability to speculate over,” Wasserman said. “But if the Rams decide to move here tomorrow or next month, the (stadium construction) process would move rapidly.”
