| | ST. LOUIS -- The St. Louis Grizzlies?
Billionaire Bill Laurie's announcement Thursday that he was
buying the NBA's Vancouver Grizzlies quickly led to speculation
that he would move the franchise to St. Louis.
Laurie was coy about his plans, saying only that his focus is on
improving a team that went 8-42 during the lockout-shortened
1998-99 season. There's no hurry to announce a move -- the NBA
requires expansion teams to stay in their original cities at least
five seasons, and this coming season will be the Grizzlies' fifth
in Vancouver.
Still, the relocation speculation seems well-founded.
Laurie and his family live in Columbia, Mo., just 120 miles west
of St. Louis. His wife, Nancy Walton Laurie, is the daughter of the
late Bud Walton, who with his late brother Sam co-founded Wal-Mart.
Earlier this month, the Lauries bought both the St. Louis Blues
and their too-often-unused arena, the Kiel Center.
"It all fits, doesn't it?" St. Louis Rams coach Dick Vermeil
said. "It's great for St. Louis."
Mayor Clarence Harmon even offered to help the team move.
"Although we know that there are no immediate plans to move the
team, I can assure the players, staff, and the new owners that the
people of St. Louis would welcome the Grizzlies to the city with a
big bear hug," Harmon said.
Part of the reason the Blues and Kiel were for sale was because,
without a second major tenant in the building, the group of local
businessmen who owned the team was losing money each year.
An NBA franchise would mean 41 more regular-season home dates,
plus preseason and playoff games, though for the Grizzlies, the
playoffs don't exactly appear to be right around the corner.
Still, St. Louis hasn't had an NBA team since the Hawks left for
Atlanta in 1968. And sports fans are ready for the Grizzlies.
"They've got to do it," said Mike Redmond, 27, who manages a
sports clothing store near Kiel. "They own their own arena. There
isn't any reason why not to bring them."
Craig Towns, 29, said the city needs an NBA team.
"It would be a great addition," he said. "The only thing
we're missing as fans in a big city is a professional (basketball)
team."
After the NFL's St. Louis Cardinals left for Arizona after the
1987 season, St. Louis was down to two major professional teams --
the baseball Cardinals and the Blues -- until 1995, when the NFL's
Rams were lured from Southern California.
Stan Kroenke, also of Columbia and brother-in-law of Bill
Laurie, is minority owner of the Rams. It is widely believed he'll
become majority owner if Georgia Frontiere sells her share of the
team.
The arrival of the Grizzlies -- or whatever they'd be called if
they moved here -- could spell trouble for some of Kiel Center's
secondary clients. They include the St. Louis Ambush indoor soccer
team, the St. Louis Vipers roller hockey team, and, most notably,
the Saint Louis University basketball team.
The Billikens play 15-17 home games at Kiel each year, often to
sellout crowds. The only basketball arena on campus, the West Pine
Gym, holds only a few thousand fans.
The only other viable option would be the new Family Arena,
opening next month in St. Charles, about 20 miles west of St.
Louis. The Family Arena holds 11,200, though it already has three
tenants -- a minor-league hockey team, the St. Louis Swarm
International Basketball League team, and another indoor soccer
team, the St. Louis Steamers, who begin play this season.
Saint Louis University athletic director Doug Woolard said it
was too early to speculate. But he noted that other college teams
in cities with both NHL and NBA teams -- Miami, Seton Hall (New
Jersey), Georgetown (Washington) -- are able to share facilities.
"Certainly if that becomes reality it's something we're going
to need to work through," Woolard said. "So far, Kiel has worked
really hard to try to accommodate our needs. We've been able to get
the dates that have been beneficial to us, for both our fans and
TV."
Jim Woodcock, vice president of marketing for the Blues and Kiel
Center, said, "There's nothing really to talk about. That's just
pure speculation right now. For the next fiscal year ahead, it's
just business as usual." | |
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Grizzlies sold to Lauries, owners of St. Louis Blues
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