From the Archives: Georgia Frontiere is St. Louis’ misery, and it can have her

More than two decades after they left town, the Rams will return to Los Angeles for the 2016 season. This column was published nearly 21 years ago. Frontiere died in 2008 at the age of 80.

Oldest NFL widow sells all.

Georgia Frontiere officially sold the Rams down the river Tuesday, the river being the Mississippi. She stood in front of a room in St. Louis and said she couldn’t remember ever being so happy, a few days after saying that she felt just awful about having to do this to the people of Southern California. I bet she can speak this stuff and drink a glass of water at the same time.

Actually, what the majority owner (and Mata Hari) of the late Los Angeles Rams said at her big coming-out party in Missouri was, “I don’t know if I’ve been this happy since the last game we won.” Funny, funny stuff. Roseanne, Ellen, Georgia . . . next fall’s comedy lineup on ABC.

Management--and I use the word loosely--of the Rams tore down this team, piece by piece, pad by pad, then sold it like a chop-shop sells a Corvette. This team that has been so completely mismanaged is St. Louis’ problem now, and wait until the suckers there get stuck paying the tab. You people think Orange County is broke, wait until you pay for those Ram season tickets.

Carroll Rosenbloom left Georgia Rosenbloom his football team in his will. This was the beginning of the end for the Rams, who were once such a prize. Carroll nourished them here, Georgia killed them here. She took one of the great organizations in sports, turned it into a national joke, then packed up her circus tent and hit the road. Thanks for dropping by.

The images we retain. Players walking out of a Christmas-week playoff game, carrying Cabbage Patch Dolls given them by Georgia as gifts. Trust me, this was not the way the 49ers motivated their players.

Or I can still see Frontiere--standing there wearing bunny-rabbit earrings--introducing the coach who was going to turn this team around, her old friend, Chuck Knox. A man who went out and actually made the team worse, just when you thought such a thing wasn’t possible.

John Shaw can grab some blame here himself. He had a big say-so in such decisions. He can take the blame for the Rams going downhill faster than Alberto Tomba, same as he can take the credit for making Frontiere a much richer woman. I call it the Shaw redemption. The man sat there and took bids like Bob Barker. Well, congratulations and spend it all in one place.

At least Frontiere, Shaw and the rest of the Ram carpetbaggers haven’t loaded up the vans at midnight to sneak out of town. No, they were totally up-front about their money lust, landing a deal that has been described as the most lucrative in the history of sports. Personally, I hope they choke on it.

The Rams gave us bad football and turned it into no football. Tens of thousands would have been out there on Sundays if there was something worth watching. Put a winning team in Anaheim and tell us what time you want us to be there for kickoff. That’s all we asked.

As far as I’m concerned, St. Louis can have them. I hope they keep the horns on their helmets and keep their colors exactly the way they are, unless Georgia wants to dress them in peach.

At a time when the San Diego Chargers are demonstrating exactly what can be done with a little effort, a little expenditure, an innovative coach and a front office so willing to be flexible that the owner gets out of everybody’s hair, the Rams can do nothing more than peddle themselves to the highest bidder.

Frontiere would have sold this team to an Arab sheik if she could have made another $20 million. She would have stepped inside a tent, bowed before the assembled Saudi investors and called it her happiest day since the game against Denver.

In its desperation to buy a team, any team, the city of St. Louis rolled over and begged. You say you need $4,500 for the right to apply for a season ticket? Sure, our fans all have forty-five hundred sitting around doing nothing. We accept.

You say you want full use of our new stadium? Sure, stick a big “A” on it if you like. We accept. You say you want us to make good around 30 mil of your old lease? Sure, we’ll buy the whole place and turn it into a drive-in movie. We accept. What else do you Anaheim devils want to shove down our throats--your baseball players?

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Elroy “Crazy Legs” Hirsch. He was a Los Angeles Rams All Pro end.

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Hall of Fame quarterback Bob Waterfield with Tom Fears and Norm Van Brocklin of the Los Angeles Rams in 1951.

  (Vic Stein / NFL)

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Los Angeles Rams halfback Glenn Davis on a carry in a 24-17 win over the Cleveland Browns in a League Championship game Dec. 23, 1951, at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

  (Vic Stein / NFL)

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Coach Joe Stydahar and members of the Los Angeles Rams celebrate winning the National Football League Championship 24-17 over the Cleveland Browns in game at the Coliseum.

  (Art Rogers / Los Angeles Times)

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1952 photo of Bob Waterfield, Los Angeles Ram team captain.

  (Los Angeles Times)

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Norm Van Brocklin of the Los Angeles Rams in an undated photo.

  (Associated Press)

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Los Angeles Rams quarterback Roman Gabriel (18), with the only clean uniform on the team, calls a huddle with his muddy teammates during a game with Minnesota Vikings in the Twin Cities on Dec. 1, 1968. Gabriel was tackled only once, in the last quarter. Los Angeles downed the Vikings, 31-3.

  (AP)

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Hall of Fame defensive end David “Deacon” Jones (75) of the Los Angeles Rams during the Rams 10-7 victory over the Detroit Lions on Nov. 3, 1968, at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

  (Associated Press)

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Merlin Olsen, right, of the Los Angeles Rams, battles Atlanta guard Gregg Kindle in Olsen’s final regular-season game in Los Angeles on Dec. 4, 1976. The 6-foot-5, 270-pound star was retiring with a club record of 207 games. The Rams won 59-0 to take their fourth straight National Football Conference Western Division title.

  (Associated Press)

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This 1964 handout provided by NFL photos, shows the Los Angeles Rams defensive front four, known as the “Fearsome Foursome.” From left to right are Lamar Lundy (85), Merlin Olsen (74), Rosey Grier (76) and Deacon Jones (75).

  (NFL )

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Steeler and Rams fans at Super Bowl XIV, held Jan. 20, 1980, at the Rose Bowl.

  (Ken Hively / Los Angeles Times)

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Rams quarterback Vince Ferragamo (15) prepares to pass, but never gets the ball past Steelers Robin Cole (56). Ferregamo is sacked on the play during Super Bowl XIV action at the Rose Bowl.

  (Associated Press)

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Dec. 26, 1977: Los Angeles Rams defensive end Jack Youngblood walks the sidelines after the Minnesota Vikings scored a fourth-quarter toughdown to take a 14-0 lead in an NFL playoff game. Vikings won 14-7.

  (Michael Mally / Los Angeles Times)

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Pittsburgh Steelers receiver Lynn Swann (88) goes up for a touchdown catch as Los Angeles Rams defenders Pat Thomas (27) and Nolan Cromwell (21) arrive too late during third-quarter action in Super Bowl XIV in Pasadena.

  (Associated Press)

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Tom Mack of the Los Angeles Rams watches from the sidelines during the game against the San Francisco 49ers at Candlestick Park on Nov. 20, 1977, in San Francisco. The Rams defeated the Niners 23-10.

  (Michael Zagaris / Getty Images)

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“Mean” Joe Greene #75 of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Jackie Slater #78 of the Los Angeles Rams joke around on the field after Super Bowl XIV at the Rose Bowl on Jan. 20, 1980. The Steelers defeated the Rams 31-19.

  (Focus On Sports)

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Head coach John Robinson at a Rams full squad workout in 1991.

  (Gary Ambrose / Los Angeles Times)

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Wide receiver Isaac Bruce #80 of the Los Angeles Rams enters the field at an exhibition game against the Oakland Raiders at the Oakland/Alameda County Coliseum on Aug. 12, 1995. The Raiders won 27-22.

  (George Rose / Getty Images)

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Los Angeles Rams running back Eric Dickerson (29) breaks away from Tampa Bay Buccaneers defender Ricky Easmon (26) for a big gainer Oct. 6, 1986, in Anaheim. Dickerson scored two touchdowns, the final one coming on a 42-yard run in overtime giving the Rams a 26-20 win.

  (Lennox McLendon / Associated Press)

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Chuck Knox coaches the Rams against the Raiders during a preseason game on Aug. 20, 1994, in Anaheim.  (Steve Dykes / Los Angeles Times)

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From left, Giants Mike Fox, Erik Howard, and Michael Strahan try to stop Rams running back Jerome Bettis (36) in the fourth quarter Oct. 16, 1994, at Anaheim Stadium.

  (David Fitzgerald / Los Angeles Times)

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Rams owner Georgia Frontiere with her team during picture day in 1993.

  (Los Angeles Times)

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Jackie Slater says goodbye to his fans at the last home game on Christmas Eve 1994.

  (Alex Gallardo / Los Angeles Times)

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Rams owner Georgia Frontiere is applauded in 1995 by Rep. Richard Gephardt and former Sen. Thomas Eagleton, two of the many who were responsible for getting the Rams to move to St. Louis.

  (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

Ever since losing one to Arizona, the city of St. Louis has wanted another professional football team. Unable to find one, it took the Rams.

Georgia Frontiere wants us to know she’s sorry.

She sure is.

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