I wonder what Neil's house looks like.

Neil's house is big, old, dark, and ugly.

But what does his house look like?

Nice little shack for sure. Love the comment Mrfearless... awesome!

It says on the RMLS website that he paid all CASH for the house.

Previous residence was Lake O. New residence is Dunthorpe. Neither one is subject to the CoP taxes that will be supporting the sucker deal that he passed off on city council.

That tell the story right there.

Sorry. "tells"

1 acre? Let 'em play soccer on the lawn!

Or sewer rates increase

I've tried to avoid the MLS stuff so
I can return to my lifelong love of soccer for the World Cup. I saw one story where Thierry Henry could be coming to New England and I admit it would be a thrill to see him play as he's been in so many big matches in Europe. That was my NASL experience as well - a chance to see the world's greats after they started to fade.

But what struck me is how little buzz of any kind I feel from MLS in this society nationally - and I monitor these things everyday for my job.

Even locally there is more chatter about the Blazers now then the team that's currently playing.

What does come up on the national stage is an occasional reference to the damage Henry Paulson did to America. Most recently, Nouriel Roubini - the famous Dr. Doom of economics - mentioned Henry Paulson as an example of Wall Street using the federal government against us.

The idea that our brain trust of Randy and Sam would spend months to try and funnel money to this family is one of the great disgraces in the history of Oregon.

So where are we now? The college Ducks and Beavers just played their last baseball game at PGE Park, the Portland Beavers are ready to leave town, and for what?

So a rich kid can have Daddy buy him a soccer team. And our people went along with it.

We're down one baseball stadium, and appearances by 3 Oregon baseball teams and we're just getting started. All for a league that isn't making a ripple in the national pond of America - a league that is about to be the most irrelevant thing in our galaxy for a few weeks while everyone watches the World Cup.

And meanwhile the minority owner of the Timbers just got millions out of a city council in America for his son's soccer project - even as the debt of the country he damaged so much, hits 13 trillion.

I like the trees better than the house.

Moving companies like working for visionaries and adrenaline junkies because, you know, no books.

Bill, while watching the last Duck/Beaver baseball game Wednesday at PGE Park, I thought of many of the things you mention. Now this is true, in the fourth inning a suited, cleancut guy comes climbing up the stairs from his front row seat above the Oregon dugout. From a distance he looked like Hank III, but wasn't as he strolled past my aisle seat, and then my mind really started thinking.

I sat there and analyzed how baseball could have been saved at PGE Park and combined with soccer. At the NE corner an additional two sections could have been added extending the present seating to the east and not interfere with the left field baseball line. I counted at least 1000 additional seats.

Then at the 7th ending stretch I paced off the distance from the outfield east walls to the street, like under the Fred Meyer Family Center. There is enough room to excavate a huge storage room to store at least 32 rows of collapsible, roll out seating over 200ft in width providing over 5000 additional seats. The roll-outs could be moved out into the outfield up near the east soccer field line to provide the intimacy Paulson so desires.

At the southwest corner near the Mac Club there's room for another section extension for another 500 seats. In total that would add 6500 seats to the present 19,500 capacity, equaling 25,000 total. This is more than Paulson's 24,000 soccer-only stadium configuration based on his website. And my plan would be much cheaper.

Wallah, BASEBALL and PORTLAND BEAVERS are saved, TIMBERS prosper, and better, year round use of PGE Park is achieved. Please put the money in my paypal account. Thanks.

I wonder if His Lordship Henry III also made a few contributions towards bailing our mayor out of his impending foreclosures?

Sam certainly earned it!

He lives in a $2M house while the city subsidizes his hourly employees...TWISTED.

I must say for $2M, or even $500T, that is one ugly house. Maybe it has a pool, tennis court, putting green and a six car detached garage. It's still ugly. Makes one wonder about his business acumen.

Here's a tremendous irony for you: You know how our civic leaders become moist anytime we build something reminiscent of Europe?
The esplanade was supposed to be like Barcelona, etc...They often trot out some European city to help sell their visions, right?

Well, google "Greece Goldman Sachs" and read up on the Henry Paulson years as they pertain to Greece's current problems - problems that are sweeping the rest of Europe including Spain just in the last few days.

Maybe it's too much to expect Sam and Randy to care about Portlanders left homeless and unemployed in this Wall Street recession.

But maybe they'll get emotional when they realize they just gave millions to help Henry Paulson - a man who ran Goldman Sachs during the time when some shaky deals with Greece allegedly were made. Deals that are causing riots and threaten to break up the EU.

If Sam and Randy don't care about Portland's economic future, maybe they'll wake up when they realize this could also hurt Barcelona.

What cracks me up are the Timbers ads on the buses - "Milan, Barcelona, Liverpool, Portland"

Overhype much?

Probably looked nice before the ghastly remodel - 1956 moderne. If Zillow can be believed, there's a place a half-dozen houses down the road worth only $232,000 - Smithers, Release the Hounds!

Two surprising words in the property's description caught my eye: "Baseboard Heat."

For a house of that size? I guess large electricity bills aren't an issue in the Palais de Paulson.

While he was at it, Paulson also donated $50,000 to Portland Parks & Rec.

http://www.portlandonline.com/fish/index.cfm?c=47690&a=302689

What a carpetbagging sleezeball!

That is a nice gesture toward a park system that last summer he was trying to rape.

I would think Paulson's LLC donated the dollars-not him personally.

Show of hands: How many people have been to a Portland Beavers game this year?

Thought so ...

There's much to say in response to Jerry's thoughtful note. Since none of you want to hear it, I will simply observe that the entertainment value of contemporary baseball must be mighty low indeed if he spent his night at the ballpark wandering the stands, pacing out distances and estimating seating configurations and potential costs.

Roger,
The crux of the debate is whether or not we had to go soccer-only to get MLS. I believe that was a TARP-like bluff. You remember right? Henry Paulson said we absolutely had to have the TARP funds to do one thing, then as soon as he got them, he did something different.
So compare having the Ducks and Beavers play this past Wednesday to PGE being dark waiting for the lads to return to the pitch.
And funny...I don't remember you being so dismissive of "the entertainment value of contemporary baseball" when you were trying to stick this on Lents.

Bill:

I can tell you've missed the buzz: It's Thierry Henry to NEW YORK.

Actually, we both could be wrong:

"Barcelona forward Thierry Henry has rejected stories that he has agreed in principle to sign a contract with Major League Soccer side New York Bulls."

Some statistics for the home in Dunthorpe.
Listed: 10/12/09 for $2,295,000
Sold: 4/29/10 for $2,50,000
178 Days On Market.

Home is 6,913 square feet and has four bedrooms and five and a half bathrooms (County has it as four and a half).

The home comes equipped with an elevator, sauna, large wine cellar and five fireplaces. There is no pool. Public water and septic system. Heat is forced air gas.

Remodeled to the studs six years ago. Modern in look except for the very ugly hand-scraped, wide-planked hardwood floors that were popular then.

Paid $296. per square foot.

Jeez Paulson , that thing is ugly.

Next time you need a house let me design one for you.

It will look like millions of bucks , and not a walmart.

Roger, in regards to your remark "he spent his night at the ballpark wandering the stands, pacing out distances and estimating seating configurations and potential costs", you're totally embellishing and wrong.

I watched all the game and enjoy baseball for what it is, and enjoyed it with five friends. Like I said at the seventh inning stretch I went to grab a hotdog and while doing so I paced off the distance. Before that after I saw the Paulson look-a-like I counted the seats of existing sections next to the east-end side by width x height (15 seconds of time) and made a mental note. I did say to myself right then, "that's 1000 seats".

I have posted before on the fold-out bleacher seat idea. But while leaving the game I merely walked the east length on the way to my car (gosh, now you know I didn't take transit) noting the distance. The calcs of number of seats achievable was done when I posted above after pulling out my files on bleacher seat capacity here at my office.

So, excuse me for multi-tasking at a sporting event that I enjoyed. And I attend soccer games too. What's your point?

I'd also like to know how we can call this Major League Soccer when the American World Cup team has only 4 MLS players. Even our own countrymen take off for the real major leagues if they're good enough.
And if you're looking for a trend - that is half of the 2006 level according to the article I just read.

In letter dated May 28, 2010 in link above:
The Portland Timber’s community mission is to make the quality of life better for children and families in the greater-Portland area. As part of this mission, the Timbers are dedicated to improving sports fields and recreational opportunities for children in the City of Portland. The Portland Timber’s gift to Portland is the first in a multi-year commitment towards that mission.

Question: If this is the first, how many more and where? At some point, would the Timbers buy land for more sports fields? or would Nick Fish and Zari Santner allow more soccer fields in small public parks located in neighborhoods?

People were concerned that an agenda would be to bring in more and more soccer into the East Portland area because of flat land available. The land may be flat but public parkland is scarce in that area. . and the parks are small.

The open space for all the infill/density added in the area is not adequate.

On the surface, all sounds good, like good for the children again.
Consider though, if put in the small neighborhood parks that are surrounded by homes, the constant games, parking, and noise would become troublesome. A series of fields like at Delta Park do not have that kind of impact. Am not familiar with the Parkrose area and this may be a good thing there.

Could it be that the city is planning to bring in these sports fields into the neighborhoods and why they several months ago wanted to make changes in recreational field’s codes? The code change proposed was to delete conditional use on recreational fields and to instead have a good neighbor agreement.

Do Nick Fish and Zari Zantner really care about the livability around the parks or are they more interested in revenue generating for their bureau?

I am not against sports, but they are not the end and be all. Parks need open space for children to play without having to be under the constant control of organized sports.

Parks are to provide an element of peace and nature and yes some quiet time much needed in the world we live in today. Let’s not cheer Paulson so much for this as there may be other motives here. He can have his peace and quiet in his wooded acre, does he even think about others who do not?

Roger -

I'll be at a a game when I'm certain it won't rain. Might be August.

Responding to Bill's remarks: In 2002, the U.S. World Cup team had 15 players from MLS and one from other professional leagues. This year, there are four from MLS and 13 from other professional leagues who started in MLS. What this means is that MLS has developed players who are good enough to play in the English Premiership, get signed by AC Milan, and play in the Bundesliga.

This makes MLS roughly the equivalent of Boise State football. The fact that American players are getting better is a bad thing? Interesting take ...

Hogwash! All a bunch of hogwash!

Roger,
I was with you right up to the Boise State analogy.
What you have described is a developmental league or a minor league. Maybe it would work if Boise State players developed and then moved onto the Oklahoma-type college teams, instead of playing Oklahoma in a BCS game.
Even other MLS advocates feel the World Cup roster is a bad sign. How do you market your local MLS American player after he comes home from glory in the World Cup? You don't, unless he's Donovan - the other 3 will probably watch most of it from the bench.
The only way you could make the Boise State analogy work is if you convince Merritt to dye the field at PGE Park blue.

It's a 5 year commitment built into the MLS deal. See the ordinance. $50K a year for 5. Parkrose was year one.

Is that $10k/year more or less than Portland taxpayers are paying to subsidize Paulson's hot dog vendors?

I know it's a rounding error on the annual interest that will be paid on the $60 million worth of bonds for both PGE Park remodels.

It's been suggested that I'm trying to blame Merritt Paulson for the sins of his father. Don't forget Merritt Paulson's father is a minority owner here and the money behind Merritt.
In fact, that leads to an interesting point.

Notice how the Dad can't even give his son this project without a slice for himself? This is a guy worth hundreds of millions but he needs a cut of the Timbers action, rather than let Merritt stand on his own. What a guy.

Look, Henry Paulson isn't even in the Top 5 Bush officials whom I think should face prosecution. You've got George, Cheney, Rumsfeld, and Condi, plus the other Neo-Cons.

I mean a preemptive strike based on lies is still a much bigger crime, especially when thousands of young Americans get killed.

But when you look at the actual damage to the world economy set into motion while Henry Paulson was running Goldman Sachs, you've got to feel a little concern for the fair City of Portland.

Think of it that way. Not as a look at the Paulsons, but as a look at Randy and Sam who surveyed the damage of the Wall Street recession, and said to themselves, "We're just the people to negotiate with these guys, because we're tough and we're pretty darn smart."

I don't think they are. I don't think they're up to this. Somewhere in this deal, I'm pretty confident there's something potentially very ugly for our economic future. And if not in this deal, then in the next one when they come back for more. And they always come back for more. I also bet there's something in this one that gives them more leverage in the next one.

Remember: The leaders in Greece thought they were doing something smart too.

I don't think they are. I don't think they're up to this. Somewhere in this deal, I'm pretty confident there's something potentially very ugly for our economic future. And if not in this deal, then in the next one when they come back for more. And they always come back for more. I also bet there's something in this one that gives them more leverage in the next one.

Leonard’s first trip to New York in Oct. 2008.
http://wweek.com/editorial/3503/11892/
. .On Oct. 27, Leonard accompanied Paulson to MLS headquarters in New York City to clarify expansion requirements. .

Was he overwhelmed and taken in by what happened there like a starry eyed teenager? Did he make promises? He was more than determined to get that stadium deal.

Now, take a close look at our Portland’s Water Bureau. You wouldn’t think it by the way Sam and Randy play it like a piggy bank, but the PWB is in debt. Someone in this city who knows more about finances than I do needs to examine the bonds, the debt and who might we be indebted to.

I only hope our public ownership of the Bull Run Water System will not be lost somehow as a result of many bad decisions by Leonard and our Council.

Leonard, PWB and Council are on a race even using emergency ordinances to hand out expensive contracts for unnecessary projects. Last March, Leonard did an over $130 million contract on an emergency ordinance for a Powell Butte Storage Tank and this was done just in case we would not get an exemption from EPA for the LT2 rule. We have plenty of storage right now.

He and the Council would not ask for a 10 year delay, New York did as they are in a similar situation. Now, the very people who lobbied for this EPA LT2 rule are on the receiving end of getting the money from that rule. Our community will be over a billion dollars with debt if we cannot get this waiver and stop this race Leonard and the Council are on.

That house looks like a medium-security corrections facility.