Rams hope to avoid local TV blackouts

[RamWraith]

By Bill Coats
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
Thursday, Aug. 23 2007

The Rams made history last Christmas Eve. Not the kind that they wanted,
however.

For the first time since the team moved here in 1995, the Edward Jones Dome
wasn't sold out for a regular-season home game. As a result, the Rams' 37-31
overtime win against the Washington Redskins wasn't shown on local television,
per NFL rules.

As of Wednesday, only two home games for this season were sellouts: Dec. 16 vs.
Green Bay and Dec. 20 vs. Pittsburgh. In an effort to avoid more blackouts, the
Rams again have made history. For the first time, they've made public the
number of tickets remaining for each game.

"One of the things that we've heard for the last couple of years, since we've
struggled with getting these last 3,000 to 4,000 tickets sold, is that 'we
didn't know we could buy tickets,'" said Bob Wallace, the club's executive vice
president. "So now we're letting people know that there are tickets available."

There are on-field and off-field reasons to push for sellouts, Wallace
explained. First, the noisier the building, the harder it is for opposing teams
to make their calls. Second, Wallace said, "it's important from a commercial
aspect to be on television."

Wallace said about 97 percent of season tickets were renewed. Most of the
remaining single-game tickets are in the upper level, in the $35 and $44 price
ranges.

Tickets are available at www.stlouisrams.com/tickets or Ticketmaster outlets.
Tickets also may be ordered by calling Ticketmaster at 314-241-1888 or
314-421-4400 in the St. Louis area; 866-646-8849 in outstate Missouri; or
618-222-2900 in Illinois.

INJURY UPDATE

Right guard Richie Incognito (ankle) hasn't practiced all week and probably
won't suit up Friday night in Oakland. Claude Terrell and Milford Brown will
fill in.

Wide receiver Dominique Thompson (ribs) and safety Jerome Carter (foot) also
are expected to sit out. Tackle Todd Steussie (neck) returned to practice
Wednesday and should play Friday.

RAM-BLINGS

The NFL has yet to hear cornerback Fakhir Brown's appeal of his suspension.
Brown was banned for the first four games of the regular season for violating
the NFL's substance-abuse policy. ... To prepare for the trip to Oakland's
"Black Hole," crowd noise was piped into the indoor facility during offensive
team drills.

[RAMMAN68]

I think they will end up selling out the remainder of their home games after they pound the Panthers.

[Keenum]

I wish I was able to get some of those tickets and go to those games, but it'd be near impossible for me. Hopefully they sell out!

[prof22693]

I wish I was able to get some of those tickets and go to those games, but it'd be near impossible for me. Hopefully they sell out!

Same here, there's no way I'm able to fly over there on the weekends, considering I am the only Rams fan in the family and the youngest. I wish they were playing the Skins' this year.