Blues franchise gets fresh start

By George Dwyer
Sports Reporter

Last week, the St. Louis Blues announced there would be new ownership of the team and Kiel Center.

The sale came to $100 million, which is a bargain by most financial analysts. The ownership will now shift from the Clark Partners to the Laurie Group headed by Bill and Nancy Laurie.

"The ideal buyer would be a neighbor, like Bill and Nancy Laurie," said Jerry Ritter, the head of the Clark Partners. "Both believe in the ultimate commitment."

The Lauries were University of Missouri graduates and both still live in Columbia, Mo. Bill was a member of the Mizzou Tigers basketball program and has given large amounts of grants to the basketball team.

All in all, the Lauries have had a huge impact on Mizzou and soon, hopefully, the Blues.

The Lauries were very eager to own a professional sports franchise. A few months ago, they seemed to all but lock up a $400 million deal to buy the Colorado Avalanche, Denver Nuggets, and the arena both teams share.

Unfortunately, their offer was not enough, and they were left searching for another team to buy. It was only five weeks ago that the Lauries seriously looked into buying the Blues.

"We've been looking for the right pro sports program, and it's incredible it was in our backyard," Laurie said. "The Blues have a great tradition and we're looking to keep that going."

Bill Laurie will be the first to admit that he does not know much about hockey. That is why he won't become a very active owner like Jerry Jones, owner of the Dallas Cowboys football team. He does see the excitement of the National Hockey League and the joy that St. Louis gets watching the Blues.

"The Blues and myself will be determined to bring a Stanley Cup to St. Louis," Laurie said. "We aren't exactly sure how long it will take, but the fans of St. Louis deserve it."

It seems now that the Blues will have some money to get a top-name free agent. Many Blues fans were upset at management for letting go of long-time Blue, and current Dallas Star, Brett Hull. Hull did go on to win the Cup last season in his first year with Dallas.

One of Laurie's passions is basketball, and he admits it is his favorite sport. He attends all of Mizzou's regular season home games and was very active in trying to purchase the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association. Since he offered $400 million for two teams, many experts feel he will try to bring an NBA team to St. Louis.

"If an NBA team came on the market, we would look at it," Laurie said. "As you know, I am a basketball fan."

The future for the Blues looks pretty good with new ownership taking over, and Laurie seems pretty excited to get things started in St. Louis.

Since the Rams have a bye this weekend, here are some picks for week two in the National Football League season. Last week I was 3-0. Look for Seattle to beat Chicago, 28-21; Denver over Kansas City, 27-14; and Atlanta over Dallas, 20-7.

Some other key matchups in the NFL in Week 2 include New York Jets at Buffalo, New Orleans at San Francisco, Pittsburgh at Baltimore, Washington at New York Giants and Cleveland at Tennessee.