Regular readers of this blog (and they're up to about 80 a weekday) know that I don't like it when public money is wasted on frills, particularly at times like these, when our state and local governments are running on empty. So it might be surprising to find my name on the list that supports bringing a major league baseball team to Portland.

To do this will require the state to chip in $150 million toward the cost of a new stadium, which might run around $350 million overall to build. But the state's piece can be financed with government bonds, and the Oregon 9% income tax on the players' huge salaries should be more than enough to cover the payments on those bonds.

Having a big league team here would be an enormous stimulus to the local economy. The economic development that would spring up around the team should generate lots of new jobs and resulting tax revenues.

Sure, there are some risks. Some question whether there's a big enough fan base out there in the Portland metropolitan area to support a big league team over a 162-game season. But several major league teams such as the Montreal Expos are suffering greatly in their current locations, and itching to try someplace new.

Others have stated the case for major league baseball in Portland more eloquently and thoroughly than I could. To me, it's simply a gamble worth taking, even in these tough times.