St. Louis ? The lowly Rams have someone who loves them.

Conservative talk radio host Rush Limbaugh said Tuesday he is teaming up with St. Louis Blues owner Dave Checketts in a bid to buy the Rams, owners of the NFL’s longest losing streak at 14 and just 5-31 since 2007.

In a statement, Limbaugh declined to discuss details, citing a confidentiality agreement with Goldman Sachs, the investment firm hired by the family of former Rams owner Georgia Frontiere to review assets of her estate, including the NFL team.

Limbaugh also declined to discuss other partners that might be involved in the bid, but said he and Checketts would operate the team.

“Dave Checketts and I have made a bid to buy the Rams and we are continuing the process,” Limbaugh said.

Forbes magazine has estimated the Rams franchise has a value of $929 million.

Frontiere’s children, Chip Rosenbloom and Lucia Rodriguez, inherited 60 percent of the Rams when their mother died in January 2008. Billionaire Stan Kroenke of Columbia, Mo., owns the remaining 40 percent. It wasn’t clear if the Limbaugh/Checketts bid was for 100 percent of the Rams or just the share owned by Rosenbloom and Rodriguez.

Limbaugh is a native of Cape Girardeau, Mo., about 100 miles south of St. Louis.

Limbaugh, who lives and works in Palm Beach, Fla., once worked for the Kansas City Royals and is an avid sports fan.

In 2003, Limbaugh worked briefly on ESPN’s NFL pregame show, but resigned after saying Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb was overrated because the media wanted to see a black quarterback succeed.

NFL

League probes Browns WR

Cleveland — The NFL is investigating whether Cleveland Browns wide receiver Braylon Edwards violated the league’s conduct policy following accusations he assaulted a man outside a nightclub. Edwards allegedly punched promoter Edward Givens, a friend of NBA standout LeBron James, early Monday morning following an argument in downtown Cleveland.

Crabtree, 49ers meet

San Francisco — Three top San Francisco 49ers executives met in person Tuesday with unsigned wide receiver and top draft pick Michael Crabtree and his agent, Eugene Parker.

Team spokesman Bob Lange confirmed the meeting to The Associated Press but said the 49ers would not get into particulars of discussions or negotiations, though this development appears to be a positive step for both sides to getting something done.

Crabtree and Parker sat down with team president Jed York, vice president of football operations Paraag Marathe and general manager Scot McCloughan, Lange said.

The former Texas Tech star is the only draft pick who has yet to sign, so this meeting could point to progress in him finally ending his contract impasse. It’s not common for a player to join in on such contract talks.

NFL keeps eye on Raiders

Lyndhurst, N.J. — NFL commissioner Roger Goodell says the league is watching as authorities investigate allegations that Oakland Raiders coach Tom Cable assaulted one of his assistants.

Goodell told the AP on Tuesday that the league will speak to the coach when the appropriate time comes. He says the league wants to make sure it understands all the facts of the case before commenting. Raiders defensive assistant Randy Hanson was hospitalized with a broken bone in his face following the Aug. 5 attack that he told police was initiated by a member of the Raiders coaching staff.

BASEBALL

MLB approves Cubs sale

Chicago — Major League baseball owners on Tuesday unanimously approved the sale of the Chicago Cubs from the bankrupt Tribune Co. to the family of online brokerage billionaire and longtime fan Joe Ricketts.

The vote was made during a conference call. Tom Ricketts, who has headed the sale for his family, could take day-to-day control of the Cubs by the end of the month.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

Vols forward won’t play

Knoxville, Tenn. — Tennessee forward Emmanuel Negedu will not play or practice during the 2009-10 season but will remain on scholarship after suffering sudden cardiac arrest last week. The 20-year-old sophomore from Kaduna, Nigeria, underwent surgery Tuesday to have a cardiac defibrillator implanted in his chest to monitor his heart’s rhythm and delivery energy when an irregularity occurs.

AUTO RACING

Fences to be raised

Talladega, Ala. — The fences at Daytona and Talladega will be raised from 14 to 22 feet following a safety analysis conducted after Carl Edwards’ airborne flight into the Alabama track’s safety barrier.

A wreck on the last lap in April’s race at Talladega sent Edwards sailing into the fence. It bowed, but held and his car shot back onto the track. Debris from the accident injured seven fans in the stands, the most serious a broken jaw suffered by a teenage girl.

Cars pass inspection

Charlotte, N.C. — NASCAR found no problems with the cars of championship leaders Mark Martin and Jimmie Johnson on Tuesday following a second, more thorough inspection.

The Hendrick Motorsports-owned cars were taken to NASCAR’s research and development center after Sunday’s race at Kansas to make sure there were no issues with the Chevrolets. The team was warned last week that the cars had squeaked through inspection following their 1-2 showing at Dover.

NBA

GMs pick Lakers, James

NBA general managers predict repeats this season for the Los Angeles Lakers and LeBron James.

The league executives who responded to the eighth annual NBA.com GM survey picked the Lakers to win another NBA title — though their opponent is unclear — and saw James as the runaway winner of another MVP award. The Lakers received 61 percent of the votes to win the championship while Boston and Cleveland shared second place at 18 percent. The Celtics took 50 percent of the vote to capture the Eastern Conference, and the Cavaliers 43 percent.