Rams Open Camp Today Amid St. Louis Frenzy
The Rams will play the Rams in a scrimmage later this month and, folks here say, that’s entertainment.
Fans will pay $10 each--no breaks for kids--to watch Sean Gilbert shove aside Wayne Gandy at Kirkwood High. The cost for parking has yet to be determined.
“They can get more than 10,000 people in there, and it will be full,” said David Pierce, Maryville University athletic director. “I had someone already ask for 2,000 tickets; people are nuts for football here.”
If you paid--that’s paid--LA-area fans $10 each to watch the Rams scrimmage--would they come? Would anyone come?
“This town is starved for football,” said Mike Sigler, Parkway Central High athletic director. “Ask me to name five Ram players and I wouldn’t have a clue. But fans here don’t care who the players are; it’s football.”
The fans of St. Louis, who have been without professional football since the Cardinals’ departure in 1987, are hours away from seeing their new heroes step on the field for the first time.
A soccer camp at Maryville University, scheduled before the Ram move from Los Angeles, will force the team to open its training camp today at nearby Parkway Central High.
“We haven’t even had a practice yet and people are excited to have us here,” Ram Coach Rich Brooks said. “The enthusiasm is there; it’s up to us to keep it.”
Brooks and the Rams, of course, have done no wrong in St. Louis. The local newspaper has covered the team as if it just won the Super Bowl.
Five TV stations were present for Brooks’ remarks Sunday, a repeat performance as he pointed out, after speaking to the same media gathering four days earlier.
“[Quarterback] Jamie Martin may not be able to throw until the end of next week,” Brooks announced, and 10 p.m. news shows got their lead story.
There are “Welcome Ram” signs everywhere.
The Rams are still unpacking, but the fans are ready. In anticipation of a large traffic jam today, a police escort has been arranged to guide the players from their Maryville dorms to Parkway Central.
“Do we order concessions for 1,000, 3,000 or 10,000 fans?” Sigler asked.
“The funny thing is, our high school marching band is going to the Rose Bowl parade this year, and the money we make off the Rams is going to send the band to Los Angeles.”
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NFL Notes
The Rams signed their No. 1 draft pick, Kevin Carter, a 274-pound defensive end from Florida. Carter was the sixth pick in the draft.
The Raiders do not begin workouts until Saturday in Oxnard, but players will report to El Segundo today to begin three days of classroom sessions to learn the new system being installed by Coach Mike White.