ST. LOUIS -- The owners of the Edward Jones Dome said Tuesday they are hopeful the St. Louis Rams wont leave after city leaders rejected $700 million in publicly funded upgrades sought by the team under a clause some officials now regret signing. The Rams can break their 30-year lease after the 2014 season -- a decade early -- but have said little about their plans beyond expressing an interest to stay. That isnt keeping stadium boosters from hoping for the best. "Everything is in play," said attorney James Shrewsbury, chairman of the St. Louis Regional Convention and Sports Complex Authority, which owns the downtown dome. "Theres nothing off the table." The lease requires that the dome, which opened when the Rams arrived from southern California in 1995, remain among the top quarter of the 32 NFL stadiums. It was built with money from city, St. Louis County and Missouri taxpayers. The St. Louis Convention & Visitors Commission, which manages the dome, last year offered a $124 million improvement plan that included a bigger scoreboard and better club seating, with the Rams paying slightly more half those costs. The team countered with a far more ambitious proposal that called for a new roof with a sliding panel and a bevy of improvements that would keep the city convention centre in the dome closed for three years. The team didnt put a price tag on its request, but city officials estimated the upgrades would cost $700 million. Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon has taken over negotiations with Rams owner Stan Kroenke after arbitration between the team, the commission and the stadium authority failed. Visitors commission chairman Andrew Leonard said hes been assured by Nixon that keeping the Rams in St. Louis is a top priority. The city has already lost one NFL franchise -- the football Cardinals moved to Arizona after the 1987 season when owner Bill Bidwill was unable to get a stadium of his own rather than share Busch Stadium with the baseball Cardinals. "The governor told me he was going to (keep the Rams in St. Louis)," Leonard said Tuesday during a quarterly meeting of the sports authoritys governing board. "I took him at his word." Leonard served on that very board two decades ago, helping to craft the lease that could lead to the Rams departure. He wasnt circumspect about its long-term value. "That was the best deal we could get," he told the board. "We did what we could...Its the price we paid for getting the Rams." A Rams spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Rams opposed the public release of their stadium proposal, but Missouris attorney general released the plan under the states public records laws. Nixons office also did not respond to an interview request. 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Fluto Shinzawa of the Boston Globe reports that the New York Rangers are considering using a compliance buyout on centre Brad Richards. Sean Weatherspoon Womens Jersey . The Bulls brought back James on Wednesday with Kirk Hinrich sidelined by a hamstring injury. Alameda Ta amu Youth Jersey . - The Arizona Coyotes have recalled goalie Mike Lee from Gwinnett of the ECHL to serve as starter Mike Smiths backup.As Dana White goes through the final motions leading up to UFC 173 this Saturday, his company couldnt be doing much better. "Were in 175 countries, 23 different languages and over a billion homes worldwide in some form of television," he said Tuesday on TSN Drive with Dave Naylor and Dave Hodge on TSN Radio 1050. "We are the largest pay-per view provider on the planet."What makes White and his organization special is that they are always reaching farther and aiming higher. In 2014, the UFC has already held events in the U.S., Canada, Brazil, China, U.K., Abu Dhabi and Singapore. By the end of the year, Japan, Sweden, Turkey, Germany and New Zealand will be added to that list. Additionally, White has begun his descent south into Latin America, where the UFC will host its first-ever event in Mexico a heavyweight title bout between champion Cain Velasquez and Fabricio Werdum in November. The show UFC 180 will also feature the finale bouts of "The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America", the regions first edition of the reality show.As mentioned, White has big plans and high hopes for expansion. "You guys know how big (UFC) is in Canada, you know how big it is in the U.S. Well in Brazil, The Ultimate Fighter reality show gets 12 million viewers a week. And when we do a live fight on TV, 65 million people watch down in Brazil, its insane," he said. "We believe that Mexico and Latin America will rival that."However, there are still growing pains for White and his 20-year-old organization. Many would say the UFC is still in its infancy, despite the resounding success. 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