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THE RAMS: BOUND FOR ST. LOUIS : Voices

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Here is a selection of comments on Rams owner Georgia Frontiere’s plan to move the team to St. Louis.

“The partnership between the Rams and the city got off on the wrong foot 15 years ago. . . . We tried over the years to encourage the Rams to embrace Orange County in a sincere way. But they have other priorities.”

Tom Daly, Anaheim mayor

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“I don’t want a stigma attached to the area where I live. You think of Baltimore, and you think of the city that lost the Colts, not the city that has the Orioles. Oakland is where the Raiders left, not where the A’s play. There are a lot of bridges being burned here. . . . It puts a little onus on this area.”

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Roy Englebrecht, O.C. sports promoter and entrepreneur

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“I’m very disappointed, not only for L.A. Ram fans but for Orange County itself. I think they’re losing a great franchise, a franchise that’s young and growing. We’ve been in Southern California for so long, and we’re on the brink of something great. It’s unfortunate Orange County and L.A. won’t see us grow from boys to men.”

Troy Drayton, Rams tight end

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“We feel betrayed, we don’t think the effort was made by the Rams to stay. I hope Leigh Steinberg and his group will begin to explore other ideas to bring football back here to Orange County. There is an estrangement now, and even if the Rams could, it wouldn’t be good for the Rams to stay here.”

John Parker, 58, a season ticket holder from Mission Viejo

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“It’s disappointing obviously for the people here in Los Angeles. It’s a sad case that the franchise deteriorated over a period of time. . . . I think that the people that are the customers here are the losers. Obviously the owners come off good, at least financially.”

John Robinson, coach from 1983 to 1991

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“I think what bothered me was how they kept saying we needed a new stadium, which in essence we did (build by adding) state-of-the-art suites. . . . I think Anaheim bent itself into a pretzel trying to accommodate the Rams.”

Miriam Kaywood, Anaheim council member, 1974-90, who welcomed the Rams to Anaheim in 1980

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“What they did is they killed the root of a tradition in a city. . . . They are going to a city that has shown it won’t support a weak franchise. . . . She better wear a helmet in St. Louis. Those people back there will skull her in the head with a beer bottle in a minute.”

Fred Dryer, Rams defensive end from 1973 to 1981

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“Finally, a decision is made, the speculation STOPS! OK, you decided, now good luck. Well, not really good luck. There’s been a lot of Rams fans who have come in here, and the majority have said, just play the damn game. They got tired of trying to figure out whether the Rams were going to stay or go.”

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Carlos Suarez, executive director of the Player’s Club bar in Orange

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“That franchise was one of the most prestigious franchises. . . . in pro football at one time. I think under different management, they could regain the prestige they once had. But under current management, I think they are a bunch of losers.”

Jack Lindquist, Save the Rams co-chair and former president of Disneyland

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“It’s a friend. . . . It’s a loss of a team (that) I used to depend on. . . . The sad part is, given Orange County’s bankruptcy, it’s extremely expensive to attract new teams to our area.”

Bob Ross, 62, of Westminster, season ticket holder since Father’s Day, 1983

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“I still don’t think (John) Shaw should underestimate the Save the Rams ability to block the league vote. If the Rams do move to St. Louis, I hope they don’t make the same mistakes: their arrogance, their unwillingness to identify with the community, their disregard for the fans.”

William G. Steiner, Orange County supervisor

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