Rush could come to pass with Rams

Los Angeles should be thankful the Rams left for St. Louis 15 years ago. And it has nothing to do with their NFL-worst 14-game losing streak and 5-31 record since 2007.

If the Rams' present is dim, the future could be more dismal.

Conservative talk radio host Rush Limbaugh said in a prepared statement Tuesday that he and St. Louis Blues owner Dave Checketts have made a bid to buy the Rams.

Limbaugh, who grew up about 100 miles south of St. Louis, could be worse as an owner than he was during his short-lived stint as an NFL analyst.

He was hired in 2003 as an analyst on ESPN's "Sunday NFL Countdown." His employment lasted about a month before he resigned amid controversy over his comments that the media wanted Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb to succeed because he is black.

Could Limbaugh's history of racially insensitive comments prove to be an impediment to luring minority free agents to the Rams?

In the fall of 2003, Limbaugh admitted to abusing prescription painkillers, after which he was periodically drug tested. Maybe his drug abuse will lead the NFL to include team owners in its testing program.

• GOOD JOB, YOU'RE FIRED -- Tampa Bay hitting coach Steve Henderson helped the Rays set team records for runs, home runs, on-base percentage and walks this season.

So the team fired him Monday.

Rays executive Andrew Friedman said by not renewing Henderson's contract, the club was not blaming him for the team finishing 19 games behind the New York Yankees in the American League East a year after Tampa Bay won the division and AL pennant.

Friedman cited situational hitting woes for Henderson's dismissal.

Apparently the next hitting coach will have to teach the Heimlich Maneuver to keep the Rays from choking at the plate.

• CLEVELAND DISLOYALTY -- First LeBron James admitted to a love affair with the New York Yankees and Dallas Cowboys -- not Cleveland's Indians or Browns -- despite being a native of Northeast Ohio and linchpin for the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Adding to the disrespect by Cleveland stars for Cleveland teams is newest Cavalier Shaquille O'Neal, who tweeted "Let's go Steelers let's go" Sunday after Pittsburgh beat San Diego.

O'Neal became friends with Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger during a summer taping of the "Shaq Vs." reality TV show.

He claims to be a "bandwagon football fan," and that logic will make it easier for Browns fans to understand how he can favor the Steelers over the Browns

But it still hurts on the Lake Erie coast.

• START WITH UNLV-RENO -- The International Olympic Committee wants to better understand how to protect human rights in sports.

"We have the responsibility to work for the respect of human dignity within the sphere of sport," IOC president Jacques Rogge said.

Were college football under his jurisdiction, he could start by banning UNLV from playing UNR. The Wolf Pack's 63-28 embarrassment on the Rebels on Saturday was as inhumane as it gets.

COMPILED BY JEFF WOLF LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL