It’s 1985 and I’m a wet-behind the ears student teacher at Pacific Palisades High School on the SoCal coast. My initial impression of Mr. Weinstein, one of my two mentor teachers is that he’s a smart, no-nonsense, and skilled athletic director/social studies teacher. I liked him from the get-go. While shaking his hand I told him I got stopped by a security guard for parking in the faculty lot. He said that guy “has a muscle for a brain” and “Let’s go talk to him.” How can you not like a guy who has your back from day one. I worked hard under his supervision, did a good job I think, and the respect was mutual. So it wasn’t too surprising that two social studies educators working side-by-side would talk politics. Long story short, Weinstein repeatedly told me that inevitably I would become more enlightened and evolve into a conservative as I grew older, took on a mortgage, and had more at stake.

Maybe Weinstein was right because I’m about to take as conservative a view as I ever have as a blogger. What follows may come back to haunt me when Obama appoints me to replace Arne Duncan and I’m undergoing my background check. On the other hand, it will probably ingratiate me to my legion of conservative friends and readers. So you win some and lose some.

I’ve been following the “Rush Limbaugh St. Louis Ram’s minority ownership bid” story fairly closely for someone that’s gainfully employed. In short, I haven’t been convinced by any of the myriad arguments for rejecting his bid. For example, here’s an excerpt from one of the more sophisticated arguments against a Limbaugh bid from a blog entry written today by Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks:

“The problem with Rush is that its his job to take on all of life’s partisan issues and problems.  Not only is it his job to take on these issues and problems, its key to his success that he be very opinionated about whichever issues he feels are important to him and/or will cause his very large audience to tune in.  Given that we will never know what the “next big issue ” in this world that Rush will be discussing on his show is,  its impossible for the NFL to even try to predict or gauge the impact on the NFL’s business if something controversial, or even worse yet, something nationally polarizing happens. There is an unquantifiable risk that comes with the size of Rush’s audience.  The wrong thing said on the show, even if its not spoken by Rush himself,  about a sensitive national or world issue could turn into a Black Swan event for the NFL.Thats a huge risk that is not commensurate with the value a minority investment in a franchise brings. This isnt about Free Speech. Its about the NFL protecting their business.”

This takes me back to Sunday’s “Meet the Press” discussion when the panelists were discussing the impact of conservative talk show figures (Limbaugh and Beck in particular) on the political landscape. An insightful Republican strategist whose name I don’t recall said something to the effect of, “Despite tens of millions of listeners, Limbaugh can’t deliver a pizza let alone an election.” Great line that I’m guessing he came up with in the shower Sunday morning and couldn’t wait to use.

Cuban is overestimating Limbaugh’s influence. I enjoy listening to Rush on occasion to stay one step ahead of my right wing nut job friends (of course I use that term affectionately). He’s almost always obnoxious and sometimes offensive. But I’m not sure there’s anything Limbaugh could say that would get my friends to turn off a Rams game. The American sports fan is not the most politicized animal in the world. And the hints of a player protest are pretty laughable too. Does anyone think any player drafted by the Ram’s, let alone a critical mass, is going to pass on playing for the Rams and take less money to play somewhere else? And similarly, does anyone think players are going to retire early rather than accept a trade to the Rams?

Also, isn’t it safe to assume that some of the existing owners are also obnoxious and offensive whether ultra liberal or conservative? Some of the owners have committed felonies. Extreme wealth, professional sports, and exemplary morals typically don’t go together. Will letting an obnoxious and offensive person into the private club, and apparently the only one likely to keep the Rams in St. Louis, ruin the club? Will bars start switching to professional bowling when the Rams are playing? Will the nation compromise the progress it’s made in combating the “isms” over the last few decades?

Here’s a litmus test. If it’s true that the Limbaugh bid may be the only one likely to keep the Rams in St. Louis, survey the St. Louis fan base to see if they support his team’s bid, and you’ll get a much better feel for how football trumps politics. I’m guessing nine out of ten Rams fans care more about whether the Rams can become competitive again than they do about Rush’s radio personality. Just win baby.

Alas, maybe it’s too late for elRushbo. Just read that his partner has decided to drop him, without even telling him apparently. Rush probably needs some conservative compassion right about now, and to Weinstein’s delight I’m sure, I’m apparently the only guy available to offer it.