In the trenches
When you're being worked over by the Republican aristocracy, like Merritt Paulson, and the construction company boys, like whoever's supposed to build his two new stadiums for him, you have to cover up pretty tight. With those guys, no blow will be too low. They send their rock-em sock-em robots (in this case Mayor Creepy and Fireman Randy) in there to fight as dirty as they can.
And so here it is, for the "citizen advisors" out in Lents: If you don't vote to spend $80 million in public money for Paulson's new palaces -- if you don't let him wreck your neighborhood park -- then you're voting the Portland Beavers out of Portland.
So not true. And if it is, I say, let 'em go. They've left before. Somebody always brings them back.
| Posted at 9:19 PM | Permalink |
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Comments (10)
Even the Oregonian columnists have started making some sense. David Sarasohn discussed the original need for two stadiums, then wrote:
"But sometimes your signals change, and maybe Portland could tell MLS that since we started talking, something has changed --like the solvency of the worldwide economy --and that maybe for the moment, MLS could share with baseball, as it does in several other cities."
It sounds like the John Canzano crowd at the paper is through playing footsie with Merritt Paulson and better minds at the Oregonian have begun to think this through.
Suddenly what the grouchy, negative rabble has been saying all along makes sense.
I'm waiting for the day Merritt realizes HE doesn't really want the baseball team to leave PGE Park. It's his best option and it's going to be interesting watching him realize that.
One stated reason that seats have to surround the field is for a good TV shot. If you watch MLS on TV, the crowds look pretty sparse with Colorado/Real Salt Lake being an exception.
But even if we fill in the outfield with some seats, I think shooting with the cameras facing West will give you a much more impressive shot.
The sun sets pretty far north on the horizon this time of year, so I don't see the glare problems. Set up a media spot on the east side of the field and you'll have a better crowd looking back at what's already there.
Take the strip of bare outfield near the soccer match and let it be a picnic area like up at the zoo concerts. We can do this, people, without blowing millions to make something that fails. Of course, the city council sees success as spending the money, so in this case, doing it prudently would be a huge failure for them, but it could work as a plan.
Call Merritt's bluff. If he really wants to take his baseball team somewhere else in this economy, good luck. But even rich kid visionaries sometimes get realistic. Keep both sports in PGE Park and let's get on with our lives.
Posted by Bill McDonald | June 15, 2009 10:20 PM
Sam and Co. has been working in the dirty trenches for some time. About five years ago Sam came to a South Portland Neighborhood meeting and said if you want to get the I-5 Pedestrian Bridge funded (even though it is a requirement to be built in all the SoWhat docs)"you need to support my $475 Million dollar Transportation Initiative-campaign for me".
Lately, he's using the same kind of bribes to take from SoWhat an additional $10 Million in SoWhat TIF dollars, and also another $10 Million in Service Development Charges (SDC's) from SoWhat to help bridge the funding gap for the Milwaukie LightRail. The trade-"I'll help find funding to start the Greenway Trail (already a requirement in SoWhat docs that was to be completed over two years ago) and find dollars to build the streets for the benefit of the OHSU Campus area in the north part of SoWhat.
Portland makes Chicago look like a Nunnery.
Posted by Lee | June 15, 2009 10:26 PM
I'm waiting for the day Merritt realizes HE doesn't really want the baseball team to leave PGE Park.
To this point, it's only been the politicians who've been talking about the Beavers leaving town. I've only seen Paulson comment on the possibility once, and his answer was the Beavers weren't leaving. I still believe if Paulson can't get this stadium thing done, it's the MLS who'll be playing somewhere else, not the Beavers.
Posted by Chris Snethen | June 15, 2009 11:05 PM
Sarasohn says baseball and soccer coexist in "several other cities." Why not here? It could work because it already is working.
Posted by Bill McDonald | June 16, 2009 12:21 AM
If the Portland Beavers leave town, the 3,000 people (many of them disguised as empty seats) will really miss them. Class A pro baseball is more fun anyway. Bring back the Portland Rockies....
Posted by rod | June 16, 2009 4:43 AM
"Why not here?"
Because Don Garber won't be happy. I thought that was obvious.
This is amazing how Mr Tough Guy Leonard has such a man-crush on Garber especially when he's never seen a soccer game. The reason Sammy keeps using these red herring attacks is because it saves him from the spotlight and the blame for anything.
What a buffoon. Of all the stuff in this town (bad schools, Sellwood bridge, potholes, 12.4% unemployment, 18% higher water rates. 3% CoP raise) they can just spend 1000s of hours trying to keep Paulson happy.
Posted by Steve | June 16, 2009 6:03 AM
"Construction company boys." That'd be Hoffman. This fleecing is right up it's alley.
Posted by dg | June 16, 2009 9:09 AM
"If the Portland Beavers leave town...."
Who'd notice?
Posted by Dave | June 16, 2009 11:23 AM
Beaverton Beavers sounds pretty good. Or better yet, Aloha Beavers !!!
Posted by PD | June 16, 2009 11:32 AM
There is some pretty good baseball in Keizer, and the local colleges in the Portland metro area (Lewis & Clark; UP; George Fox; Pacific,) as well as the folks at Corvallis (OSU), put on a pretty good show.
Eugene college baseball is a work in progress.
Little Lord Paulson needs to realize that Portland Beavers baseball is not irreplacable. Replacements already abound.
Adios, Portland Beavers.
Try not to let the door hit you in the rear end on the way out.
Posted by Nonny Mouse | June 16, 2009 1:09 PM