ST. LOUIS _ Dado Ceric would get so excited the night before games it was tough to sleep.
"I couldn't wait to wake up the following morning, because I would be doing one of my favorite things in life: watch the St. Louis Rams play football," said Ceric, 35, who works for a pharmaceutical company. "If my wife and kids were going apple-picking at Eckert's farm, I would stay home to watch the Rams."
Craig Nowotny, an executive recruiter from Clarkson Valley, attended church wearing his Rams gear _ time was of the essence after all _ then headed down to the Dome early.
The pregame tailgate was half the fun for Mark "Bull" Berry, an auditor from Hillsboro, Ill.
"It was a time of camaraderie, sharing food and stories, and having the anticipation that maybe this would be the year the Rams would finally turn it around," Berry said. "For me the games were fun, but spending time with lifelong friends is what I will miss most."
There's nothing quite like the connection, the passion, that fans feel for their hometown team and all the shared experiences and bonding that come with it. But for Rams fans in St. Louis, their love affair with their team was a 21-year marriage that ended in a tumultuous divorce. It's not something you get over in a few months.
Now, the games are here again. The 2016 season is upon us with a full slate of games Sunday and the now-Los Angeles Rams opening Monday night in San Francisco. For the first time since 1994, an NFL season won't include a team in St. Louis.
With that in mind, the Post-Dispatch contacted dozens of St. Louis Rams fans, with two basic questions:
1.) How are you coping?
2.) What will you do on Sundays?
