The Natives Are Still Restless

Recent posts and articles about MLS and the Triple AAA Stadium:

Peter Apanel comes up with another idea to help soccer here, by building a soccer specific stadium for the Timbers instead of redoing PGE Park. His base premise is using Montreal as the bench point, stating that the team spent $13 million dollars to build Saputo Stadium, so why couldn't something like that be done here. Mind you, he never mentions a specific site for this stadium, he fails to mention that the Impact received a generous donation of land from the government of Quebec to build the stadium, and that the current owner has been asking for at least $25 to $30 million more to invest in upgrading various parks of the park. I'll get that Lents may not be the best place for the ballpark, but following this idea doesn't pan out in terms of saving money. The comments on this article are truly hysterical, but I'll talk about that in a bit.

The Portland Mercury has posted a blog entry about an economic study done for the new Lents ballpark, showing that the ballpark would create 453 jobs but the net result would be lost jobs in the end. The hastily prepared study was done in one day, and the results held for almost two weeks before being reported, and most ballpark opponents have been having a field day with the results, but there are major flaws in the premise of the study. It only accounts for ballpark construction jobs, it doesn't take into account the jobs for the team, the possibility of other jobs put in the area because of the park, or the other economic streams that Lents suddenly gets by having a ballpark there. But hey, the opponents need to hang their hat on something, and this gives the situation some traction. Now, their archrivals in the alternative newspaper world, Willamette Week, run a bit more balanced take on things, not immediately calling the idea bad but providing some food for thought that maybe this isn't such a terrible idea.

But perhaps the most crazy take on things was done when Commissioner Randy Leonard appeared on the Bald Faced Truth on Tuesday and spoke with the guys about the park. The few calls that made the air were against soccer, which led John Strong and Dwight Jaynes to rip on the soccer haters because of the process here. Leonard is hopeful a resolution is coming, it's all dependant on what Commissioner Dan Saltzman is deciding to do, and right now, he's not talking to anyone about his thoughts. But suffice to say, the process is really about where it was a few months ago, full of posts and conjecture and nothing really resolved. But what this whole thing has gotten me thinking about is some observations about how things work for the city that works:

Observation 1 - We love our process, no matter how clunky it is or how many hurdles it has. We love our neighborhoods, we love our town, and we love to talk about ways to get things done. And when decisions need to be made, there's more talking and more discussion and more thoughts, and then we talk more. It's the Portland process, labeled to be progressive and inclusive, and I don't want to squash anyone's right to be part of the process and provide their voice. The problem is simply that the process needs to have an end resolution at some point, and too often, decisions made lead to more discussion and a vicious cycle of talking. What our city lacks right now is someone to actually make a decision, good or bad, and have the guts to stand up and say I'm doing this and here's why. Instead, the circular logic goes on and on, and we sit in this version of status quo.

Observation 2 - While we crave change, we secretly despise it and are resistant. If you look at Portland as a whole, on the surface it's a lot about new ideas, trying to think outside the normal, or as it's put here, "Keep Portland Weird" We want to be thought of as a cutting edge city, thinking above and beyond other areas, but yet, the way our city is set up, it's really easy to keep within your own comfort zone, thus resisting the changes that could really kick start an area. People in NW Portland rarely venture to the eastside, because they have everything they want in their neighborhood, so why do I care about what happens in Lents? Well, the fact is the city is one big collective, and what affects one of us, affects us all. And staying within our institutions and not thinking on a larger scale sometimes puts us in a small town way of thinking.

Observation 3 - The NFL, MLB and NHL aren't coming anytime soon. Get over it. Seriously, I'm tired of sports fans shitting on the soccer idea because it's not one of the major sports, and they proclaim why can't we finally think bigger. Do you even seriously think the NFL would come here, knowing the process that MLS has been put through trying to be secured here. Other cities are clamoring to get professional sports to come to town, and Portland is tripping all over itself trying to figure out where to put a minor league baseball park. So by all means, sports that will demand an investment 7 to 10 times as much as the proposed price tag for just a stadium and need huge corporate support will come here simply because we have passionate football fans? It's not going to happen, and the sad truth is that if this deal implodes, no other league will want to come here knowing how difficult a process it is to try and survive here unless you are the Trail Blazers. Just ask Angela Batinovich, the owner of the Portland Lumberjax, the most recent team that failed here.

Observation 4 - We run the risk of losing both our teams if we choose to do nothing. If we choose to keep the current Timbers and current Beavers in PGE Park and say we are happy with the status quo, we are taking a huge chance that the park will be empty in 2010. That's when the Beavers lease is up, and there are cities already watching this process to see what happens. If Portland can't make a go of it, there is at least 3 other cities that have been rumoured to make a play to move the Beavers there. It's already happened twice when the Beavers left town, so you can't say it would never happen. And honestly, if I was an owner and saw the process here and then saw a city falling over itself to bring baseball and it could be a smooth process, where am I going to choose. The Timbers, meanwhile, would be the only west coast USL Division 1 team on the west coast with Vancouver moving up, so you have a soccer team on an island. So you immediately increase travel costs, scheduling becomes more difficult, and if another city that was closer to where the USL is came calling, what would stop the Timbers from going there? I would hate that happening, but seriously, doing nothing means this is a very true possibility.

Observation 5 - The teams can't share the stadium, no matter how much you think they can. MLS wants their teams to control scheduling and revenue streams, and with PGE Park as it is now, the Timbers are second fiddle to baseball. Baseball also requires a specific footprint that doesn't mesh with soccer, so that's why you have the empty area behind the Timbers benches. PGE Park is a great multi purpose stadium, but not quite good enough for baseball itself or for soccer itself. It makes sense to pick one sport and go with it. And soccer could easily stay by adding seats along 18th Avenue, and we could even host football there easily. Seattle already has that arrangement with their MLS and NFL teams, but that is only because the park was built with both sports in mind and the guy that owns the stadium happens to be an owner of both teams. Ladies and gentlemen, Paul Allen.

Observation 6 - The Trail Blazers destroyed the Memorial Coliseum deal because they don't want competition. I can't confirm this completely, but I was in the room when J Isaac talked about the ballpark destroying income potential for the Trail Blazers, and that it would hurt the team in the long run. This despite the fact that up until then, most insiders felt the team was OK with triple AAA baseball coming in. The Rose Garden is dead most nights unless there is a show there or a Trail Blazers game, and the ballpark going for the Memorial Coliseum made sense because the MC has been under utilized and it's not been kept up. The Trail Blazers don't own the MC but run it and are in charge of the upkeep, but they've done about as little as they can just to keep it from falling down. And they want the land for their properties for bars, shops, and the like, and as long as the MC still stands and it's owned by the city, that will never happen. If the MC is still standing in 5 years, I'll be shocked, but for those that saved the building, it's coming down whether it's for a ballpark or the Trail Blazers ideas. And no, the MARC isn't the idea they are thinking of because there's not enough dollar signs behind it. The Trail Blazers want to keep their monopoly on the sports market, and so far, they're doing a really good job of it.

Observation 7 - The ballpark won't destroy Lents Park. It's not a jewel, but it is a good sized park in an area that has really not changed much over the years. And you have the footprint of an old baseball park that could be used for the new baseball park, and suddenly you have an anchor to the area that will draw people from outside the area to come and watch games. In the past 10 years, urban renewal monies for Lents have gone unused as they try to come up with ways to draw people to the area, and now there's an idea that could do that and suddenly it's a huge risk. I get that it's a huge investment for the area, but here's the point. What good is affordable housing and jobs if your residents have nothing to do when they aren't working? People expect a certain level of services from their town to give them things to do, and many people put sports on the same level as arts, movies, concerts, parks, and the like. I get that some of the park land will be used, but they are looking at replacement sites, and the traffic in the area is not nearly as bad as other areas of the town. It's all about planning, and then finding a plan and sticking with it. While I would have preferred the MC for the ballpark, Lents is a good fallback because it will give the Beavers a stadium that they can fill that isn't a cave, and it will give an anchor destination to an area that has been looking for.

Observation 8 - There is a market for soccer here. Just listen to stories of pubs around town showing the UEFA Cup championship earlier this week, or World Cup matches when that is going on in Pioneer Square. Yes, the Timbers are part of that, but follow the passion of the University of Portland and their fans, the Timbers, and the various clubs and national teams around town, and there are fans everywhere. Portland sports fans are unique in that they follow some of the more fringe sports, like track and field, cycling and soccer. I hate calling soccer fringe, as that is only the case here in the States, but having other sports fans refer to soccer as "boring" or "not cool" misses the point that it is a beautiful game to watch. It's not for everyone, but if you can appreciate the skill, passion, and strategy of what's going on, it's an amazingly fun game to watch. It can be very simple and so complex all at the same time, and if you bring MLS here, the fans will come.

Observation 9 - Public discourse isn't civil at all in a state that prides itself on being civil. Whether you can blame Fox News or the Internet, but simply put, there's a lot of haters on the whole MLS and Triple AAA idea simply because of who is proposing it. If it was Phil Knight, I don't expect we'd be dealing with nearly the backlash that we have here because of Merritt Paulson being involve. And people aren't very civil in their arguments either, latching onto any small nugget of information that can be distorted and then using it to post everywhere. And if you happen to wander into an article or discussion about the topic, it's usually the naysayers spouting anti-sports, anti-tax, why doesn't the rich guy pay for it himself versus the passionate sports fan who can't figure out why people are so against it. We don't have public discourse in this country anymore, it's who can come up with the cleverist line to prove a point.

Observation 10 - Cities and teams will work together to build stadiums. Cities want to own stadiums to help their tax base, earn some potential revenues and keep some control over teams leaving in the middle of the night. Some teams prefer to own their own park, but at the same time, if you have another group that is willing to own it and maintain it, why not? But as any tenant will do, teams demand things from the stadium owner, and it's usually a long discourse into getting sides to agree. But as Dwight Jaynes pointed out earlier this week, Memorial Coliseum was the last facility built here without public money, and that was over 40 years ago. You may not like the trend, but it's happening all over, and it's not going away.


I'm a sports guy, so this is simply my take and I'm entitled to it. And I've shared my thoughts on blogs around town, and the crowds are diametrically on the opposite ends of things. You have the naysayers talking about wasting tax money, the prosayers saying that events will come here. The arguments all really fall into one question in my mind - Are you satisfied with the city the way it is now or do you think it's time to invest in an idea that has the potential to help the city long term? It's that simple really, and you can phrase the arguments anyway you want, but it comes down to keeping things as they are, thus avoiding risk, or taking a chance on an idea that could bring revenues at a time where jobs are being lost and people are struggling to make ends meet. My answer is simply, passionately, unwaveringly, that it's time to think long term and invest in the future with MLS and the Beavers/Lents.

Stadium Update and Timbers Thoughts

Reading Links:

The City is close to a deal to put the new Triple AAA Baseball Park in Lents Park.

The original article announcing the change in venue from Memorial Coliseum to Lents Park

Anna Griffin from the Oregonian asks should we care about the Beavers at all?

William Glasgow talks about MLS again and gets schooled in the comments

The Trail Blazers' plan to refurbish the Memorial Coliseum isn't without its own set of risks.

And apparently, the cost of upgrading the Memorial Coliseum is about as much or more than actually building a baseball park there.

So it would appear that things in the MLS to PDX and the Portland Beavers world have gotten a bit clearer, but things have really changed a lot since my last posting about it. To recap the high points, the Memorial Coliseum is safe from demolition for now as the baseball park is now being considered for Lents Park. The particulars couldn’t be worked out, as the Trail Blazers decided to support their Live Area concept of restaurants and shops around the Rose Garden, although it’s now been determined that the cost of saving the MC will be significantly more than the cost of putting the ball park there.

So why are we at this point? Well, apparently, the Trail Blazers and a small chorus of architectural professionals have convinced the city that the MC should be saved, because of its structure and significance to the area. Yet, in the 15 years since the Rose Garden was built, the Trail Blazers have effectively done nothing in the area around their arena, and the MC has fallen further into disrepair. It still serves a purpose as the home to the Winter Hawks hockey team and other assorted events, but the arena is slowly dying in front of our eyes. I place a lot of the blame squarely on the city and the Trail Blazers, as it was their responsibility to keep the arena updated. The Trail Blazers owed it to the city as part of their operating agreement to help keep the MC updated, yet it hasn’t made a dent in the overall condition. The city should have been more proactive in keeping the Trail Blazers at their word, but instead, they just let things sit where they currently are.

The city council had the right idea in bring the ballpark to the MC, where it would be centrally located, easily accessible to transit, and put near the center of the city. It would revitalize the area, giving baseball the attention it deserves while giving PGE Park new life as a soccer and football facility. But instead, the NIMBYs and naysayers clouded the facts of the deal, stating that this was a bad deal for the city and the MC deserves a better fate. And so now, we are looking at putting the ballpark in SE Portland.

While it’s not the center of the city, Lents Park wants the ballpark there and I think it will do quite well in the area, giving the neighborhood an anchor that it has been lacking for a while. It should attract development, it will bring people to watch games in an area that is deserving attention, and allow baseball to flourish. I’m based this simply on the enthusiasm for bringing baseball there, along with the attention that most teams get in a new stadium. Portland is a good baseball town, and we will support this team, despite the challenges. It doesn’t help when the Mariners have a hold on the area because of their aggressive marketing and television presence, as well as the fact that Triple AAA baseball, by nature, is hard to market at points because players come and go all the time. Unlike other sports, it’s hard to build the face of the franchise when the faces change all the time. But give the Beavers credit, they are getting more attention now than they have in a while. And unlike other versions of the Beavers, it's nice to put them in an area that really wants them there.

But the fact that this park should be in the Memorial Coliseum instead is a travesty, and the blame can be pointed in many different directions. The Trail Blazers don’t want direct competition on their doorstep unless they have control of the revenue streams, and I can see why they opposed the baseball deal. It’s too bad that they couldn’t see the benefit of revitalizing the area by bringing a baseball team that wouldn’t directly compete on most scheduling nights, and attract more people to the area for events. We aren’t a Live Concept kind of town, especially since we already have neighborhoods that have the same amenities that are being offered by this. But the Trail Blazers have had such a monopoly on the attention of sports fans here, they want to protect their position at all costs, never mind that having another top-level professional team would improve the overall sports profile of our area, and draw attention away from the team at key points. When the Trail Blazers were having all sorts of off the court issues, I bet they would have likely having some other sports around to distract attention. It's about establishing a sports profile for your town, and the Trail Blazers at this point prefer to have the spotlight all to themselves, whether it's best for the city or not.

I blame the city for not realizing or supporting the deal more than they should have. I get that you want to have a public process here, and it’s important to see all sides of things, but at the same point, the facts need to be made and presented. In looking at the costs of the Live Concept, the cost of it doesn’t compare to the cost of putting baseball there, yet that distinction was hardly made. I understand that some of our political figures have issues right now, but you have to stay with your convictions unless you are proved wrong, and none of the criticisms leveled by the opponents carried enough weight to cause this kind of reversal. Every point could be refuted, yet we still have plan B coming around because the voices kept saying this won't work. I have news for those that say keeping the MC is a good idea, it's coming down whether you like it or not. It's a matter of whether you want a developer to help with the costs and put forth a good idea for the space or the alternative of having it destroyed for some cookie cutter bars and restaurants.

I blame the sports fans who are pining for MLB and NFL or just hate soccer in general. I respect the desire to have those leagues come to town, but if you are struggling to commit $88 million in funds for MLS, how can you justify spending 10 to 12 times as much to bring MLB or NFL here. Recent stadiums for both leagues are costing around $700 million, and that doesn’t include the needs for corporate support or the need for ticket sales. We watch games quite a bit, but does that translate into success when it’s live? MLS is a great jumping point to establish Portland as a real sports town, and will cause MLB, NFL or other sports that want to come to town to look at us differently when it’s a success. And soccer is growing in popularity here and abroad, where it’s already a hugely popular sport and America in on the cusp of ingraining it into regular sports. But instead of realizing that other sports help bring attention to a profile and supporting them will make a market more attractive, it’s easier to belittle or hate on it. Mind you, I have a beef with some soccer fans that couldn’t care less about baseball and it’s future, because as long as the teams share a stadium, their futures are intertwined and will be until they both get taken care of. And our future with baseball is much better than if they leave, as it will give further credence to the non-sports fans of another team that got away for whatever reason.

I blame the media for not asking the right questions until now, and providing a thorough and well written analysis of the deal in detail. Instead, the facts came out very piece meal, and it distorted the picture at points. Mind you, the sound bites are catchy and easily digestible, but they don't provide an honest investigation unless necessary. I give the Oregonian some credit for trying to keep up, but they've done as much damage by printing stories from people that don't completely understand the facts of the situation, using tired and faulty arguments to make their point.

But finally, I blame the NIMBYs who use pithy quotes and misinformation to cause undecided people to make faulty decisions. I get that you might not like soccer or sports in general, but this plan won’t hurt the city or their providing services to those in need. While it’s important to take care of potholes and kids, it’s also important to give citizens things to do when they aren’t working, and sports does that. And cities want to own stadiums, not only to share in revenues but also to have some control over teams in case they want to leave for greener pastures. What makes sense is teams and cities working together to find a deal that works for everyone. And while this plan was on the table before, it’s now dead and so Portland moves forward with plan B.

I’m not worried about the long-term fortunes of either team, because I think for a fallback plan, this will work just fine. What I worry mostly about is the attitude that keeps Portland in a perpetual state of wanting to keep the status quo. We want to keep the town weird, but at the same point for many residents, it’s important to keep things as close to the way they are as possible, using the process to help. Let’s talk to whomever will listen, and try to use whatever tactics we can to make whatever point we can to gain traction against the plan. So many good ideas have come through town and left, yet all I seem to hear about at points is what is wrong with what has been done.

For a supposedly progressive city, we seem to lack in confidence to make tough choices, especially when the “I told you so” people pop up all the time. I get the Tram was a huge cost overrun, I get that we are in tough economic times right now, but at the same time, tough times demand tough choices and conviction, and right now, our city is struggling in that area. I feel that Sam Adams is still our best choice for Mayor, because he has shown the ability to make tough choices, even if he’s made a mistake or two in his life. And I think if he survives the recall, we’ll see more leadership in that area. Otherwise, I worry about the next few years in our city with the mass asylum running the show.

The Timbers played Cleveland last Saturday and drew nil to nil. For the non-soccer group, that is zero to zero. My plan really is to only do match reports on matches that I actually see in person, either on TV or on the computer, and I had a match of my own to play Saturday night. The Timbers are in action Thursday night versus Rochester, with a late 8 PM start due to the game being on Fox Soccer Channel. Hope to see you all there.

Just When You Got Used to the Plan, We Go Back to the Drawing Board

Just when you thought the plan made sense, the whole thing implodes on itself and it's back to the drawing board. The news hit from City Hall late Wednesday night that the scheduled vote on the current plan for MLS and triple AAA baseball. The original idea was building a baseball park in Lents Park with PGE Park being dedicated to soccer for about $85 million, but since that point, the plan morphed into building the baseball park at the Rose Quarter along with an entertainment district that the Trail Blazers wanted while destroying the Memorial Coliseum and refurbishing PGE Park for amounts anyway between $100 and $250 million.


The problem with the plan stemmed with the money amounts, a supposed compressed time frame, and a sudden interest from citizens and architects wanting to save Memorial Coliseum. As I mentioned in my last post, I have a history with the Memorial Coliseum, but see the need to either refurbish the arena or replace it with a new ballpark. The building is a neglected gem, and needs to be honored as part of Portland's history, but honestly, at what point do we decide that keeping history isn't worth the cost anymore? For some of the sports fans here, the time has come and gone, but apparently, there are many who disagree and made their voices heard. This caused City Hall to look at a possible delay in the vote until later this summer, and also go back to the beginning and reconsider Lents for the baseball park.


Even Merritt Paulson, the owner of both the Portland Timbers and Beavers, saw the writing on the wall and decided that he would support a delay, because of the time and money involved. He didn't want the city to feel that the decision was rushed despite the fact that it's been over 10 years of planning to find a new purpose of the Memorial Coliseum, and this is about the 8th or 9th idea about the future of the building. And yet, somehow, the building survives and it still has events booked there, despite the crumbling insides. While the building outside is very distinctive and it looks very nice from the exterior, the inside is falling apart and needs help.


As far as the idea is concerned, I never had an issue with Lents being the baseball park location, because the land was available, the neighborhood was looking for things to draw people in and didn't object to the idea, and it was a fairly centralized location on the east side that you could get to by freeway or by MAX coming up very soon with the Green line. It's an idea that makes sense, and while the Rose Quarter offered a chance to update the Coliseum and update the moribund atmosphere around the Rose Garden, the simple fact was the added moving parts added to the price tag and drew increased scrutiny from the NIMBYs in the area.


And let's face it, there's plenty of them about, the ones that couldn't see a reason to spend any money on anything considered superfluous when there are potholes in the road, schools closing down, unemployment on the rise, and businesses struggling with the bottom line. Why spend money on sports when there are these other things that seem more important? Well, honestly, it comes down to contributing to the way of life in an area, and for a lot of people, sports is put in the same frame as arts, culture, and other lifestyle things. Mind you, there's things about sports that average fans find annoying, such as the money being made or the aloofness of some stars in sports, but the sense of pride that engulfs a city during the season when there is success is simply amazing. Blazer Mania rules the town, and it's important to remember those things when sports comes to town. But for many, it's a simple bottom line and sports isn't even on the radar of important needs.


Many NIMBYs just don't bother getting involved, but many of them are organized and part of the neighborhoods, and so they will rally the troops for or against an idea, depending. NIMBYs also take the facts supporting their arguments and then hammer the news sites with their message. And when you are dealing with a political culture that is fragmented in beliefs and approach to the point that some avoid being involved at any costs, and you can see why some voices appear stronger in the whole dialogue. Nothing like some single issue politics to spice things up.


What many of them don't understand is the long term benefits of what MLS will bring to town, what a new baseball stadium will bring, and what the vision is behind this plan. It's the ultimate public - private mix of investment, and will bring so much to town, and all we need is for people to understand the dream. Even John Strong put in some thoughts about the deal in his show Thursday night, along with interviews with Merritt and Tony McManus from the Timbers. I understand a few things about the process very well after the past few weeks:

• Some people will hate this deal simply because of Merritt Paulson's name. They won't bother to understand the facts, they simply will hate it to hate it.
• Some people will hate it because they don't like sports and don't see the point.
• Both of the above groups will pull out every cliched argument against the plan, from not thinking of the children to why pay for soccer when we have potholes that aren't fixed to if this is such a good idea why doesn't the owner pay for it.
• People could and will attempt to refute the statements above, when then turns on a fascinating phenomenon where people must get the last word, which is a favorite technique of Fox News. It doesn't matter if you are right, but simply get in the last word by taking one piece of information and distort it just enough to cause a minor sensation, and then make that the last word. Our country hates public discourse, which is sad, because many good ideas come from thoughtful, intelligent debate. The problem is that our country doesn't have the time, energy or patience to debate, so it becomes who can yell the loudest or who said something that agrees with me, and I declare them the winner.
• The Trail Blazers may be winner on the court, but their front office is still up to their old tricks. They don't want the Coliseum to be around anymore, but want the city or someone else to be the bad guy in tearing it down so they can put in their idea.

The plan will fall into place, and we'll have MLS here, because the votes are there for now and the interest is still strong. And we'll keep you updated as much as I can, but now I'm off to bed because I have a long drive to Canada tomorrow. The Timbers open their season in Vancouver against the WhiteCaps, and we are going to win. I'll have a report sometime next week!!

The Rules of An Institution

I remember the days of growing up in Boise, Idaho, a sleepy hamlet in the southern part of the Treasury Valley. It was a big city, or at least what I thought was a big city for the time, because we had just topped 100,000 people when I was in the 7th grade. Mind you, this was from a town that at that point had no mall, no professional sports teams, and was trying to find an identity outside of being the capital of a state that most people didn't know a whole lot about. I remember spending a bit of time at the A and W Root Beer restaurant on the corner of Fairview and Curtis, because the food was pretty good, they still had the carhops that would deliver the food to your car, and the floats gave you the bestest sugar buzz until I discovered Pixie Stixs. The place was always busy, because while the food wasn't anything special, it was the place to hang out and be seen, or at least get your snack buzz on. I remember a lot of good times, eating in the car with my family, and I wished the times would never end. As I've traveled back there from time to time, I see the old corner that now has a mini mart or something, and it makes me sad to see an institution of my youth tossed aside like that, but I also realize that times have changed.

It's something that we in Portland are facing with the eminent closure of GI Joe's, a popular sporting goods chain in the area, and the potential loss of the Memorial Coliseum for a proposed baseball park. I've lived in Portland long enough to have eaten at Rose's in Beaverton and Quality Pie when they were still open, I've had sundaes at Farrell's, and saw shows at the old Pine Street Theatre before it faded into the sunset, I used to eat burgers at the Red Coach, skated in Pioneer Square the winter they put a rink in downtown, and saw Ramblin' Rod during many Twilight Parades. I may not have grown up here, but I understand Portland institutions quite a bit, and realize that GI Joe's and the Memorial Coliseum are two of our most long standing ones.

I remember a trip that my family and I made to Long Beach, Washington when I was 13, and we rented an RV and drove from Idaho to the coast. I remember being told that Portland was a huge place, so be quiet while we drove through it. It's funny to look back at the same roads we drove on that time, and realize that while Portland is a really big city, it's also pretty well signed and it's really difficult to get lost in most parts of it. During our stay in Portland, we spent quite a bit of time out in Beaverton at the mall, and that was my first encounter with GI Joe's. I'd never seen anything like it, a mish mash of sporting goods, camping, hunting, surplus gear, electronics, automotive stuff, and other things in one place. And it was packed with people, buying various things. I'd seen sporting goods stores in Idaho, but nothing like this, and I realized that this place seemed pretty special and different. I saw clerks taking care of people, answering questions, a ton of Trail Blazers gear, not realizing that I was in a Portland institution.

When I moved here in 1989 after college, one of the first places I stopped at was the GI Joe's in Beaverton to get some supplies and check on concert tickets. It was still bustling, and it didn't seem like much had changed. Over the years, I bought various things there, but I also began to notice in the late 90's that the store was changing. I saw less and less of people interacting with clerks in the rows, asking about hiking trails or the fishing gear to use, and the stock in the place was different, with more high end equipment and less of the things I remember, like surplus stuff, boats and such. The few times I did check there for automotive things, they never seemed to have anything in stock, and it often seemed like a ghost town in shopping there. I even felt a bit of sadness when GI Joe's just became Joe's because the new owners felt that the name would be more welcoming.

What they failed to realize is that the first rule of institutions is change might be necessary, but don't stray too much from what brings people here in the first place. Joe's put a lot more effort into higher end sporting goods, clothing, camping equipment, and spent less time and energy on the things that brought in clientele in the first place. I heard less and less people talk about going to Joe's unless there was a sale, or something that they knew would be in stock there. By reaching out and trying to capture another market, Joe's abandoned part of the loyal customers that visited often, and people stopped visiting. I also encountered employees that knew less about the things they were selling that I did, which meant getting any type of advice from them was useless. If you want to buy outdoor things, you want to speak to people that know their stuff. While I'm sad to see the institution go away, I'm surprised it had lasted as long as it did with the new changes. I realize retail is a fickle business, but the one thing about Portland is they are loyal to places, and if you keep giving them what they want, they will go there always.

The Memorial Coliseum, however, is part of the second rule of institutions, and that rule is that sometimes you have to realize when it's time for an institution to fade away. Loyalty will get you so far, but it's important to keep up with the times without altering your core. The MC was the site of my very first Trail Blazers game in 1989 versus Denver, and I went to 3 Winterhawks games that year, and found the MC to be small, intimate, and cozy. The place rocked when the crowd was into the game, and it was awesome to see the banners of the past glory of the teams. Since then, I've attended various games there, a few concerts, and even spent two summers rollerblading on the concourse, so I feel I know the building rather well, and it seems like that in the past 20 years, they've not done much to the MC at all.

The interior roof and acoustic tiles look water damaged, the seats in some sections feel worn out or appear broken, the concourses are hard to move around in with a full house, and some of the nooks and crannies show off old plumbing and bathrooms that need some serious TLC. It became more apparent that the building was getting old when the Rose Garden opened in 1995, and had the serious bells and whistles of modern arenas, with great sight lines, big scoreboards, and concessions everywhere. It was no comparison in the experience, and after a while, I stopped going to the MC because it just wasn't a fun place to watch games. They've recently updated the scoreboard within the past year, but the arena seems old and tired. Especially if you find the veterans memorial, which is needed some love. Granted, the memorial hasn't been updated since the 60's, so while the veterans have remembrance there, it's only the old war Veterans that get recognition.

One of the ideas for getting a baseball park for the Portland Beavers so that PGE Park can be fitted for soccer is to tear down the MC and build a park there, with an improved memorial and other things. It's been 15 years since the Rose Garden was built, and even after it was finished, there were talks to change the MC into retail space, a community center, a park, a refurbished arena, yet to this day, none of that has been ever completed, and the arena is now falling into further disrepair. But since the idea has been floated to tear it down, people in the are have been clamoring to try and save the old relic, saying it's a historic place and should be preserved.

I am angry at the city for not doing more to keep the building up over the years, because it could be in very good shape with some regular maintenance and upkeep, but instead, the RG got a lot of the attention and the MC became the forgotten arena. It still serves many events, and I would hate to see it go away because it's actually an interesting looking building. But I have to ask myself: am I wanting to keep it because of the memories only, or is there a purpose that this building still fulfills? And honestly, the Rose Garden is a much better arena in so many ways, and can fill most of those purposes rather well. Knowing that the city is paying $500,000 each year to keep this building running at a very minimal level, it makes me realize that as a city, we could be investing those funds into something that helps the city more, which is bringing baseball to the Rose Quarter, and filling more dates and events in a season when basketball and hockey aren't around.

Seriously, the Rose Quarter is a ghost town when the Blazers aren't playing or there is a major concert about. The area was touted as an entertainment mecca when it was first built, but it's failed to live up to those dreams simply because there is little to do outside of go to the RG when you are there. Putting baseball in with other shops and arenas would make the area a destination point, which is what you want to build to attract people to come, and not just sports fans. As much as I like the MC, I don't want its continued existence to be the reason why the Beavers are still playing in PGE Park in 5 years, and MLS decides to go elsewhere because we can't get our stadium needs figured out.

I've posted links below to various articles about the topic:

http://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2009/04/portland_soccers_perry_mason_m.html - An opinion piece about PGE.

http://portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=124001070455212200 - Discussion about URDs and a plan that will help stadium financing.

http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2009/04/portlands_rush_to_replace_memo.html - Calls to keep the MC as is.

http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2009/04/portlands_accelerated_major_le.html - Accelerated time frame squashes debate?

http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/mls_soccer/ - The MLS soccer coverage home on the Oregonian. They've done some decent pieces in there, but the slant of most of the articles lately have been taking bits of information and distorting them a bit to give the anti-soccer crowd something to use against proponents of the plan. I get that a lot of media now doesn't spend time showing both sides of a story, they print what will antagonize or irritate readers into buying papers and continuing to read, so why not put stories out about a plan to build a stadium that will bankrupt the city, which is full of potholes, teachers that are getting laid off, and social issues piling up all over. Honestly, I realize the city has challenges going on, and I don't want to make light of anything they are facing, but seriously, the benefits here outweigh the risks, and doing this could likely help the struggling tax base and job front.

But what both stories have shown me is that people are passionate about institutions, and they are a tough thing to let go of, even if it's the right thing to do. They invoke memories, feelings, and make people feel comfortable, and that's a good thing to have those thoughts because it means you've invested something in being there and spending time and money at a certain place. But sometimes we need to remember that new things aren't necessarily bad, and you can form new memories quite easily. It's just tough to say goodbye to something that means that much, but sometimes that's the only choice.

Playing a Little Catchup

It's been a bit, so I'm providing a condensed recap of my last few events, and a few thoughts about topics about town:

Anniversary Trip - The trip was truly amazing, and I'm glad that girl and I were able to get out of town and see the sights on the Oregon Coast. I love vacation time, but being able to spend quality time together without interruption was just great. We did have a nice house rental, we had nice amenities with a TV and killer view, and there was no Internet available, so we couldn't even work or check email if we even wanted to, so it was a matter of really relaxing and just doing whatever. Which it was we needed, because our schedule is pretty packed otherwise, with sporting events, social obligations, me playing soccer again, plus the things around the house to deal with. But it was nice to get out of town, enjoy a sunny weekend on the coast as it was 75 and sunny Saturday, Sunday and Monday, and we took advantage. We wandered into Rockaway Beach for a day taking in the sights, we went to Lincoln City to shop a bit and visit the casino and while we were there, we found anniversary pie to eat, and we drank a lot of really good wine. Ok, six bottles worth, but it wasn't all at the same time. There was a lot of cooking as well, as I got to barbecue on a charcoal grill, while girl made a very good sirloin dinner on our last night there. I am so happy to have her in my life, and it was great to be able to celebrate it. I really didn't want to come back, but at the same time, income is needed to pay for trips. If you want to see pictures, click on this link and you'll see our fun time.

Portland Timbers - We are just 12 days away from the start of the 2009 season, and I can safely say that it's going to take a while to get to know this bunch, as the roster is almost a complete turnover from last year. In some respects, that isn't a bad thing as the Timbers were the last place team from 2008 after being in second place the previous year with essentially a similar roster in place. While last year's team had some decent defense at times, we lacked stability in the keeper spot, as we played 4 different players there, and our offense up front wasn't very creative unless Bryan Jordan was back with us on loan from the Galaxy. We don't have the luxury of relying on him this year, as he's finally stuck on the team there. But at least from what I've seen in two exhibition games here in town during the first part of the season, we already have a different mentality.

The offense is willing to take more chances, with Antou Jallow and Manjou Keita providing some speed up top, and new additions Johan Claesson and Alex Nimo providing some speed and energy in the middle. And our keeper situation is solidified with having Steve Cronin and Brian Visser with us all year, and not on loan. It was tough to get any sort of solid attack and defense when you didn't know who was playing in the pipes. And I like Stephen Keel and Takuro Nishimura in defense, as they showed a lot of smarts and energy in the two games I saw. At least from what I've seen, we have a lot more energy on the pitch, and we tried a few things with passes and plays that we wouldn't have even tried last year, and while some of them didn't work, it was nice to see them trying something new besides trying to get the ball in the box and then trying to draw a penalty. It will also be good to watch the new Under 23 team that is starting this year, which will give us a chance to develop some younger talent, with the intent of moving them up to the first team or possibly the MLS team in 2011. We've not done much with player development, so it's nice to see the team finally looking at creating a foundation with guys that have a shot of doing something special. I'll be up in Vancouver, BC for our opener, and I can't wait for the 2009 season to get going.

Portland Trail Blazers - The playoff drought is over, and we are finally living up to some of the potential that everyone has been expecting. We could finish anywhere from 3rd seed to 5th seed, but for us to advance far, we need to secure the home court advantage in as many matchups as we can. Simply put, we have a dominant advantage playing games in the Rose Garden, and we can't count on that being there for any road games, especially in places like Houston, Dallas and Denver, places that we tend not to play very well at. I'm actually glad that Utah isn't a possible opponent, because of all of the places that we struggle with, Utah is like a Bermuda Triangle of offense for us, as we just don't play well there. I think it might be different in the playoffs, but I don't want to chance it. It's just nice not having to plan a lottery draft party this year to celebrate another top pick in the draft to add to our collection of young talent. It's great to have a collection of players that have skills, but it's better when those guys start to put it together and show their talent and start winning.

This team isn't just Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge either, as each member of the team brings a specific skill that fits the overall puzzle. Nicolas Batum plays great defense and shoots from the outside well, Steve Blake runs the offense with precision, Joel Pryzbilla and Greg Oden provide blocked shots, toughness and rebounds, Travis Outlaw provides the offense off the bench, Rudy Fernandez provides more offense and long range shooting, while Sergio Rodriguez understands his role in running the team, making others better while on the floor. Even guys that don't play much like Channing Frye understand their role, and do what they can when they get their minutes. It's a great collection of talent, and I'm looking forward to seeing what they can do in the playoffs.

And as far as opening round matchups, I think we would do very well in a matchup with New Orleans or San Antonio, as we play great defense versus the Bugs, and San Antonio is reeling with major injuries around their roster. Houston just drives us nuts, and I'm hoping that if we have to face them, it's later than sooner. Even the Lakers don't provide as much of a challenge, because they just can't win up in Portland regardless of what they do, even if their top guys are on target.

MLS to PDX update - The plan for the baseball stadium is starting to take a bit more shape, and it looks like the Rose Quarter is the final destination. While some might not like the idea, I think it's great to consolidate these stadiums in a destination area with other shops and restaurants that will attract people to the area. It's not just firming up the actual numbers for the financing, and that magic number is $15 million dollars. There's lots of other news floating about with different figures, but essentially, with the removal of the urban renewal district around PGE Park, this amount needs to be secured before the deal can be finalized. The next few weeks, the city council will be firming up their commitment to the plan, and then coming up with final renderings of the stadium and more firm financial numbers.

This plan makes sense for the city, as we get two great stadiums that will help solidify our position as a major sports player, and we'll get the attention of the soccer world in 2011 going up to MLS. I do love a lot of the "Internet whack a moles" who quote a lot of their fears or issues with this plan, which falls into the "we need to think of the potholes or kids" or "why not when we're in crisis" thing. And there's just as much deception with some specific members of the media, like Beth Slovik from Willamette Week and Matt Davis from the Mercury, who think that good reporting is done with minimal facts and maximum conjecture. I don't mind people being against the plan as long as their reasons are valid or at least well thought out, because I realize that not everyone is going to be a fan of this. But at least be factual in your presentation, which is seeming to be hit and miss with some media.

Ok, that's it for now, talk to you all this weekend!!

Quick Post for a Monday

Here is another nice account of Friday's events, courtesy of El Diablo from the SCUSA universe. It's nice to have another perspective of things, and I wanted to share it with everyone.

Not much to report from this end for now, the Trail Blazers lost to the 76ers tonight at home, but still are very much in the playoff race with only 11 games left. We'll chat more about them later in the week.

Have a great Monday all, and be safe.

I'm Still In Shock Right Now..

"We'd like to announce that Portland will become the 18th and newest franchise for Major League Soccer." And with that, the room erupts in a sea of cheers, hugs, chants, and pure bedlam. Of course for the folks of the Timbers Army, this was probably the worst kept secret ever, since it had been alluded to during the broadcast of the Flounders - Energy Drinks the previous evening, plus our boards and emails had been flooded with calls to get ready from Friday. The crowd was so big, they were turning people away at the door, and it was pure insanity inside.

The official MLS announcement is right here, and you can read more about the official press stuff in this link. And if you look really closely behind Don Garber in the first link, you'll see half of my face in a bit of a cheer. Yes, I was on the stage at the announcement, and it was a nice vantage point. It was completely hot and bright from the lights, but it was a great place to be. And honestly, when girl and I walked in a bit before 9:30AM, we were walking up the stairs when our friend Finnegan motioned girl over to the right and said to stand over here, and bring me with her. The next thing I know, a person from MLS is saying we are going on stage and to be polite and cheer, line up from shortest to tallest, and have a good time. I stood behind girl, found someone to watch my backpack (Thank you, Jerroid!!), and then we walked in and stood for about 15 minutes, chanting, cheering, and dancing a bit while we waited for the announcement. And folks kept filing in. And then more came, and then still more.

I got some pictures from the stage, and a couple of videos as well, and even captured a bit of the fun later at the pub and at the match later that day versus Red Bull New York. I also got a link to the pictures from the official Soccer City USA site, courtesy of Allison. We knew about the match for a few weeks, but I had no idea that it would then become a celebration of MLS. I know there's a lot of people that worked very hard to make this happen, and a lot of credit goes towards them within the Timbers Army. While Merritt has worked tirelessly to secure financing, appear on television, and do many of the media tasks that surround bringing the team here, there's been dozens of Timbers employees helping along the way. The City Council deserves a lot of credit as well for believing in Merritt and soccer in Portland, and realizing this has a chance to be something special. MLS also deserves some credit for realizing the potential of the Portland market, and seeing the opportunity to build from the rebirth of the Pacific Northwest rivalry and the Cascadia Cup. And that doesn't mention the hours of time the Timbers Army have devoted to helping, from attending task force meetings, creating artwork, spending time on news blogs promoting the team or smashing on douche nozzles that are clueless, wearing scarves about town to promote the team, or just generally be enthusiastic about soccer in Portland. It was certainly a team effort, and a chance for everyone to celebrate what was going on.

The match itself showed me that as a team, we have a long way to go. We have a great defense, and Steven Cronin has solidified our goalkeeping situation greatly. And we have some creative players, who are just learning now how to play the game with each other, learning tendencies and strengths. I saw the team take chances they wouldn't have last year, and while we only got 4 shots on goal, I thought we played well, against an MLS side in New York that has some talent, but it appears they are also trying to gel a bit. It was great to see a large TA group there, almost 500 folks, and while the rain was driving down, it didn't dampen our enthusiasm one bit. What more could you want, a new MLS team coming, celebration all day, and then your team taking the pitch that night. Seems like the recipe for a really great day.

Although admittedly, I was struggling to celebrate at times, as my emotions have been all over the place lately. I mentioned that I have been going to counseling a few weeks ago, and the process has been one of the most painful and rewarding things I've dealt with. I had always considered myself a low key, laid back person from my childhood, but I've come to find out that a big part of that was due to my mom really coddling me on many things and dealing with a sister who while I love very dearly, always needed to have her way and get the last word in. My mom didn't make smart choices in husbands either, and her last husband majored in intimidation and was an asshole. He never had many friends, mostly because he was too busy being a jerk or trying to show off what he had or had earned. And I spent many years trying to earn his respect, and tried to figure out why my life was so all over the place yet my mom kept telling me things would be OK. And then I lost her, and even my step dad admitted that he figured I'd be a wreck trying to figure out what to do.

Well, what happened was that I fell in with a group that gave me the unconditional love and support that you get from a family. They've propped me when I needed it, smiled when I was in pain, laughed at me or with me when I was doing something unusual, and they've shown me the love and friendship I so needed in my life. You may not be able to choose your family, but you can choose your friends, and I fell into this lot because of a love for soccer and due to Obi. Now, I have some of the best friends a guy could ask for, and a wife who I love more than anything. My old self would have told me I didn't deserve all of this, because you don't deserve to be happy. And that old self came popping out a few times yesterday, when I should have been celebrating and whooping it up.

But then, I saw the faces of the TA at the Bitter End, I heard Bickle talk about the triangle of the new TA, I spend time with Drumman, General Timber Howie, RC and Drumman's son after the match, and even talked with Gavin for a bit while he was buying girl and me pints. And Scot even came over and chatted with us for a bit, thanking us for coming out to the match, which really was a lot of fun even in the rain. It's Portland, and it's March so it rains, get used to it. And I realized that I'm part of something that is so much bigger than me, so much bigger than one person, and I've got a green and while family that shows me love because of the team I support, and because I choose to contribute something to the cause. It's one thing to come to the matches, but it's another to contribute time to help promote the team, money to travel or buy the latest merchandise, or just care and believe beyond reason. I saw Bickle's enthusiasm at explaining the team, town, and timbers army, and the desire to want to envelop the town in Timbers love, and I realized that I'm home and where I want to be.

And mind you, this process will continue to be hard, because it's hard to face the reality that you might just be messed up, and the things and beliefs you had growing up just don't fit anymore, or your sense of history isn't the true reality of what happened. I'm not talking about anything happening to me that was so terrible, but in the years of trying to figure out who I was, I became the things that people wanted me to be, not what I should have become. And the Timbers Army showed me that being who you should be is important, because it's important to love yourself, your team, and your city beyond anything. I never quite expected to learn this by simply wearing a green and white scarf, but I think that it's apparent that I've learned an important lesson about family and it being redefined for me. I used to think you couldn't really choose your family, but I've learned that a green and white scarf and some of the best people ever proves otherwise.

So Now What Happens? Gee, That Was A Quick Response

So now what happens? Well, I got this email tonight to be at this location at the time, and I think you'll see history in the making:

It has come to our attention that there will be a very important announcement this Friday with the Portland Timbers and and MLS representatives.

• What: Rally and Press Conference Announcement
• When: 9:30 a.m., Friday March 20
• Where: Portland Hilton, 921 SW Sixth Avenue, Portland Oregon
• What we need to do: We need to take what we did with the MLS to PDX rally and be even louder, prouder, more drums, and even more noise. It looks like this is going to be the CELEBRATION we have all been waiting for! Our goal is 300 people for this event wearing your green and white plus as many scarves as we can muster.

Arrive early to claim your flag, banner, drum etc. As always, the Timbers Army and Timbers fans will play a prominent part in any announcement. Do whatever it takes to join us, and be a part of history.

Gee, I posted something on the blog, and now all I can say is wow!!! It's simply amazing that this has gone from a pipe dream to potential reality in a matter of weeks. And Friday's match at the Bluff is going to be insane, and I'll post something over the weekend talking about. Right now, though, I just want to sit back and be happy. Because the wait is over, and MLS will learn what the Rose City is all about!!

So Now What Happens

I couldn't think of a better title after last week's events, but it is a question I've been asked by a lot of my friends. Especially since the City Council voted 3 to 2 to the agreement to work on an agreement, so what's the next step?

Well, I could write it all down, or just link you to Mark Larrabee's last article about it, which really does a good job of explaining the next steps. There's still a lot of work to do, but what this does do is allow Merritt Paulson to start talking more to MLS, and allows more concrete work to be done in firming up the financing. There's still the $15 million dollar question to be figured out, plus there's also the question of where do the Trail Blazers stand on all of this?

As you may know from reading this blog or the newspaper, the Trail Blazers made a last ditch attempt to submarine the MLS deal. I did get a very nice email from the team about it, saying it was miscommunication on their part, but they want to make sure their vision matches the vision for the area. With all due respect to the team, the Coliseum isn't theirs to decide what to do, and the fact that this tidbit of information is even under contention makes me more angry at the team. They've finally got things going the right way on the court, but instead of making smart business decisions, they make short sighted decisions without gaging the impact. A large portion of the team's fan base still can't see the games on cable because Comcast Sports Net isn't on most satellite systems, the team is raising ticket prices in most parts of the arena, and then this. Seriously, are you just trying to kill any good will the town has for this team? I know it's hard to separate the team from the business end, but for me, that's really what I will need to do over the next few weeks. It's sad because I am happy they are making a playoff run, but at the same time, the greed and lack of forethought lately makes me wonder about the culture of the team.

The schools are also ramping up for any fight about the potential of an urban renewal district, courtesy of the commissioner of the county, Ted Wheeler. One organization, Stand for Children, was so proud of their efforts to get this removed, they celebrated the decision with a congratulatory email, which some of the Timbers Army received. I can understand wanting to protect your domain, but as has been pointed out, it's not as if the city was the only group to profit from these districts, as schools and other public services have benefited from these. I wonder what will happen now if schools try these type of bonds to finance their expansion, and how some people might react to it? What frustrated me about their conduct during the hearing and afterwards is that Portland Public Schools was the only group with their hands out so to speak, saying the idea would harm them, yet other school districts would be affected as well. Plus, this idea had been on the table for months, and instead of being constructive and helping the process along, you wait for an last minute tactic to attempt to destroy it. Wow, that's thinking about the city as a whole.

I get that educating kids is expensive and schools need attention, but I also have an educator in my family and a relative that works for a school as a secretary, and I get to see the other side of the equation. Teachers working long hours with little direction, trying to manage the testing needs with actual learning, while the districts continue to throw money at the situation and the results are average at best. Two issues that I see with the schools is the budgeting process itself and the influx of new students. Oregon's budget process doesn't allow districts to keep any funds they don't spend, so agencies need to spend it in order to prove it was a need, and if you don't spend it, it may or may not be added in future budgets. So instead of spending wisely and trying to save, it's a matter of spend it or else, so many decisions may not be the wisest. And when you are trying to educate a vastly changing populace about here, I know it's a challenge, but is it the right choice to try and educate kids in Spanish, hoping they will be able to catch up with the rest of the class? Not that I want to pile on complaints I hear about all the time, but it is frustrating to hear about children who either can't learn English or don't want to, so it's a matter of the districts to meet the need, even if that slows down everybody else. I get that for many people that move here, it's comfortable to speak in your native tongue, but at the same time, say I moved to Italy, I wouldn't expect the Italians to all speak English for me, I'd learn the language.

And I never want to short change the schools, because I understand education is important, but at the same time, is that the only thing that should even benefit from state budgets, city budgets or windfalls? I remember being told that school districts would fail if they didn't get more money, and that conversation was when I was in 7th grade, which is almost 30 years ago. I kept hearing it during my school days there, while in Spokane at college, and during the nearly 20 years I've lived in Oregon. At some point, you have to ask yourself when is it enough? The gloom and doom message is great every now and then, and it's easy to say it's about the kids and their future, but at what point do you have to start asking yourself is it time to look elsewhere? I'm not advocating pulling massive amounts of money out of schools, but rather look at the financing angle and see if there's a better way to do this. The tax structure in Oregon is already wacky, and subject to the volatility of the housing markets, since property tax remains a key funding source, and the ups and down of employment. If people are losing homes and jobs, that does impact us greatly as a state, but when things are good in those areas, we are fine. Maybe it's time to find something more stable.

But at this point, those discussions are long off, and probably won't happen for a while. For now, the focus is on contacting MLS to alert them to what Portland can bring, and providing grass roots support when Merritt does make his MLS pitch. He will be in Seattle this Thursday to start the MLS season, and while I don't expect an announcement for us there, I would expect it soon. Vancouver has already been linked as a near definite choice, and I'm glad they got chosen. They are a smart soccer market, have great fans, and it's a beautiful city to visit, and I look forward to many trips up there over the years. And the Timbers actually started their season last week in San Jose, and play at the University of Portland on Friday versus New York Red Bull. Showing support of the current USL team helps the overall MLS effort, so if you can come, please do, and if not, find another game soon to attend and bring a friend. There's still a lot to do, and many questions to answer. But one thing is not in dispute. Portland is Soccer City USA, and the MLS is coming, whether the naysayers like it or not.

I'll provide my thoughts about Friday over the weekend, stay dry out there everybody.

One Crazy Ride, But We Always Win 3 to 2.

3:37 pm, March 11th. History was made in Portland, and it was a long, crazy ass ride.

I have been through emotional rides before, like when I lost my mom or on days at work where the shit is proverbially hitting the fan, but Wednesday was such a different experience. I won't ever forget what happened. But before I get to that, let's start at the beginning of the day.

I had asked for the day off from my job to make sure that I could attend the City Council meeting where the council discussed the proposal to bring MLS to Portland, in addition to discussing a new triple AAA ball park for the Portland Beavers. Talks had problems on the preceding Friday, but apparently, a deal had been struck over the weekend between Sam Adams (current mayor of Portland), Randy Leonard (city commissioner), and Merritt Paulson (current owner of the Timbers and Beavers). The deal was announced on Tuesday, and so the council was going to discuss the plan during their regular Wednesday meeting, starting at 9:30 AM. I went to bed that night after scrambling about to get caught up on work stuff, TV stuff, and helping girl so that she could come to the hearing as well. We went to bed rather late, and as usual, I fell asleep almost immediately after my head hit the pillow, but she had some nervous energy, because it was going to be a big day.

I woke up just before 7 AM, as girl had dropped her mom off at work, because her car was in the shop. She had gotten back, and was going to check email before eating and getting ready to head downtown. I logged onto the board (soccercityusa.com), and was checking on the headlines and topics. The board has been crazy, as members of the Timbers Army were preparing for today, posting links to various media outlets, sharing letters that they'd written to various people, and posted comments from people who either supported or hated the idea of MLS. As I sat down, girl had mentioned that they were asking for someone to read a letter from our friend Gary from Seaham. He had written a wonderful story about his first trip to Portland, the hospitality that he was shown, and how much he enjoyed the passion that the Timbers Army showed during matches. I originally wasn't going to testify, but when the opportunity presented itself, I didn't hesitate to say I would read it. Gary is a wonderful friend of mine, and he's done a lot for me personally after two trips across the pond, so I felt honored that it would be me sharing his words. After putting out the trash, showering and eating, we left the house at 8 AM. We wanted to be in the chambers by 8:45 AM so that we could sign me up to talk.

The traffic wasn't terrible for a Wednesday morning, but the drive into downtown didn't make me miss commuting into the core of Portland one bit. I love the people that jump lane to lane, or are doing other things while driving, but it's what you see in the morning, so it is what it is. We pulled into 4th street about 8:40 AM, and found a parking garage near City Hall, the site of the hearing. I figured we would be in and out within a few hours, as the council meeting was supposed to start at 9:30 AM with the vote happening around 11 AM. But I also remember my days of being in student senate at Gonzaga, and meetings almost invariably never followed the right schedule, as they often went long or ended way early. While I hoped that it would end early, I wasn't that optimistic about that happening. As we pulled into the garage, I took the ticket and pulled into the first floor and got ready to park, when girl said, "No, wrong spot, it's 106. Go one more over!", and sure enough spot 107 was open, so we parked there. I firmly believe in karma, so hey, anything I could do to help the cause, let's do it. I even pulled out my match day scarf to wear with my green shirt, so that I followed the color scheme of the TA. As we walked down to City Hall, we saw the Tri-Met number 10 to Sunderland, letting people off. Again, perhaps another sign, as I was ready to read a letter from a Sunderland AFC supporter to our city council in support of MLS.

We passed through security at 8:50 AM, and walked upstairs to see the semi-large group of Timbers Army already waiting to get into the council chambers. There was at least 50 people gathered outside, waiting for the 9 AM time to sign up and I ran into many of my friends, and a few Army members that I hadn't met yet but knew me and girl by face. Finn, our main TA organizer for MLS to PDX, made sure I was Ok to read the speech, and Obi even offered me a SAFC scarf to wear while reading Gary's letter, but I decided to stick with my match day TA scarf. It made me feel comfortable, and so as I wandered up to sign up, I felt ready and calm to go. I'd already been talking with various city council members by email to provide input about the decision, answer any questions they might have about MLS, and do what I could to provide information about Paulson's idea. The chambers opened up soon after 9 AM, and we saw Merritt walking in, and he stood outside, shook a few hands and thanked us for being there. After the bonding moment, many of us started to head in. There was already a half dozen news cameras there, following us in and taking pictures before things got rolling. The lower floor of the chambers was filled with TA, so many that they had to open the balcony for more seating. I don't think anyone expected this many people, as evident by many of the council meeting regulars who were used to getting close up seating. Today would be a little different.

At 9:35ish the Councilors and Mayor Adams wandered in, and things officially got going. The first hour was going through the agenda items before soccer, including two calls for Adams to resign, a prayer from a pastor, and the Palau foundation giving the city money. It was rather interesting to hear the discussion about various things, and the business was handled rather respectfully. I did find it funny that most of the people asking for Adams to resign didn't appear to be Portland residents, but at any event, around 10:30, the topic of MLS started up. Being a former college senator, I was used to the parlimentary rules of procedure, so following along was pretty easy. First, the task force chairman talked....and talked...and talked...and got grilled with some questions. I noticed a few people typing into their computers, and apparently, Oregon Live sent one of their columnists to follow along. Ryan White did a great job of following along, and honestly, I'm not sure I could have done such a good job keeping up and making it sound interesting.

The city attorneys came up, and talked more about the nuts and bolts, and got questioned more, as Commissioners Fish and Fritz were asking most of the questions. The deal had been brokered by Commissioner Leonard and Mayor Adams, who fielded and clarified things, but the attorneys and PDC guys talked for nearly another hour, until Merritt took the stand around noon time. By now, my stomach was still in knots as I'd expected to have been gone by now, but at the rate we were going, it looked to be a very long day. I even got my picture taken by the Oregonian with girl sitting next to me, I believe it was taken about 11 AM or so, about the point that I had wished I had eaten more than a bowl of cereal. The discussion continued, and there were many questions thrown out, some good and some not so good. Fritz indicated she hadn't seen the documentation until today, although if that was truly the case, she grasped some of the text pretty well. There was plenty of talk about seating, the ballpark, transportation credits, urban renewal districts, zero coupon bonds, and more finance talk than I'd heard since my college days. Needless to say, lots of details were discussed at great length.

Around 11:55 AM after Merritt left the microphone, Multnomah County Commissioner Ted Wheeler took the stand, and the next 45 minutes or so was punctuated as "the Leonard - Wheeler" bitch fest. I'd never seen anything like it, as Wheeler and Leonard took shots at each other verbally about urban renewal districts. Wheeler didn't want one formed because it would affect the county budget adversely, although Leonard pointed out that not only does the county have many now that they earn from, but that he'd mentioned to Wheeler 3 months ago this was part of the plan. Apparently, that fact didn't register until the thing became a back and forth trading of barbs, with a final "oh, snap" moment where Leonard basically said Wheeler didn't know what he was talking about, followed by Wheeler's "uh, your mom" retort. It was truly a spectacle to follow, but the events here did have an affect on things later. Wheeler was joined by someone from the Portland Public Schools, who said this proposal would hurt their budget, too, so please don't do it.

It's not that I have anything against schools mind you, but it seems like the PPS always has their hand out if they can get more money, and sure enough, it appeared they were upset that an urban renewal district would be put in around PGE Park that could adversely affect them. URDs allow an area to set up a taxable district, in which bonds can be issued. However, these bonds can affect the amount available for other public entities, such as schools, if they wish to either set up bonds, and they can impact the taxable values of properties in the area, which affects the amount they collect from the states and counties. In most cases, the bonds and other public financing work in conjunction with each other, but apparently, the county and PPS felt otherwise, and so it was their time to say their peace. Once this was done, more task force dudes came up and said their peace. It was interesting that the task force had unanimously agreed on the recommendation, and one of the guys admitted he was a no until that final meeting.

The public testimony finally got rolling just before 1 PM. Short statements good, but you have 3 minutes to talk and then you get cut off anyway. Most of the other council business has been pushed to other days and meetings, so at this point, we're in for the long haul. Most of the speakers have good things to say about MLS, including the president of the Oregon Sports Authority, some veterans who were happy at the prospect of getting a new memorial, and lots of Timbers Army, while many spoke against it, including a guy that felt the Coliseum made more money with cat shows than baseball, and a city employee that thought it was a waste of time. There was another veteran who said they were supposed to get use of the Memorial Coliseum, but apparently no one remembered this fact. He didn't seem to mind it possibly being torn down, especially at getting a new memorial.

At 1:25 pm, my name gets called, and I'm up there with two other TA, Kari Sue and Obi. It's Obi's fault that I joined the TA, so it was fitting that we were up there to testify at the same time. My part went rather well, I didn't butcher the letter too bad, and by 1:33 PM, I was done. The letter was from the heart, and while I missed some of the words, it was an honor to read it. Even the mayor liked the story, and within a few more minutes, I was back at my seat. I never felt such a thrill as actually standing up for something I believed in.

But my optimism was short lived as at 2:13 pm, the Portland Trail Blazers testified, and said the MLS deal, specifically the baseball part, harms them. Up until now, they'd been a willing participant, realizing that another tenant might bring more folks to the Rose Garden, an area that has really struggled to pull people there on non-game nights. While the Blazers had been supportive, they suddenly said that their idea for an entertainment district near there would be harmed by the baseball park, and it would cause them economic harm. I'm not sure what loud sound I heard first, Merritt's jaw dropping at the change of heart, or Adams and Leonard sitting dumbfounded at the situation. Even the local sports columnist, John Canzano, was disheartened at the conduct, and wrote about it at great length today. It's one thing if you were disrupting an already established area, but in the 15 years since the RG was built, it's still what it is, two arenas, some random office buildings and a restaurant. While baseball would fill in crowds on non-basketball nights, I think the problem here is as simple as asking this - Do the Blazers want competition in their market? Or Do the Blazers want competition in their market for revenue streams that they currently have a monopoly on? The Trail Blazers guy leaves hurriedly, and the room is still stunned at what just happened.

The testimony continues, Merritt goes back up to talk more, more legal stuff gets talked about, and around 3 Pm, they decide to see if they even want to vote today. When suddenly, Commissioner Saltzman proposes an amendment to remove the URD part of the financing, and the piece that the county was complaining about is discussed and gone. The amount of the financing is $15 million and so it will need to come from somewhere, either another source or a URD that the county and schools can agree upon, but either way, it needs to be in place by September 1st, when this agreement officially becomes binding after a vote. It appears that with this one change, perhaps we might get a vote and it will finally pass. It appears that Fish is leaning towards a yes, Saltzman and Fritz are no's, while Leonard and Adams are already committed yes votes. We hit 3:20 and then it's time for final remarks.

Fritz pulls out some soccer scarves, talking about being a huge soccer fan, and loving the game. She continues on about soccer, when her tone changes about not wanting to hurt the city or the Trail Blazers, and after a rambling roundabout speech, she said she can't support it, and so the first no vote is on the book. Fish steps up, saying he'd be the first in line to buy MLS season tickets, but he can't support the idea of harming county services, and so he's a no. I'm shocked by this one, because I thought he was a yes. The Army sits huddled in their chairs, realizing that our fate hangs by one final vote. If it's a yes, we are in, if not, the MLS dream is done. Saltzman starts to talk about financial terms, and not harming the city, but soon says "This seems like a good stadium deal for us and I look forward to discussing it more, so I'll vote yes"

The room explodes into a crazed celebration of cheers and tears. Girl cried in her seat, I sat there stunned and humbled while tearing up, and there was plenty of noise. Leonard and Adams soon cast their yes votes with short discussion, and soon enough, the deal is passed 3 to 2. There's still the 15 million dollar question, but we can go to MLS with the deal and go from there. It's now a matter of MLS saying yes to Portland. I shook Merritt's hand later, got to speak with Sam Adams a bit, and generally hugged and celebrated with the TA around there. It was a truly great moment, and one of historic proportions. I had truly seen the city at work, and while we got what we wanted, it wasn't without challenges.

We live in a society that doesn't believe in sharing truth anymore, but rather placing doubt on ideas as much as possible because information can be skewed in many different ways. I don't want schools to be harmed, or the Trail Blazers to suffer monetarily, but at the same point, if schools can't find ways to more efficiently use their funds, why should they get more. And seriously, as much as I love the Trail Blazers, they seriously upset a lot of fans with their antics on Wednesday, and while I'll support the team, I have issues with the business end. But as we ended up at the Bitter End celebrating, none of that mattered. We all celebrated because for one night, we convinced a city that soccer was a good thing, and we got three powerful people to believe in it's future in Portland. And when Merritt came into the pub later to celebrate and buy drinks for everyone, it showed exactly what kind of a guy he is - one that loves Portland and wants to see this happen.

I did send thank you notes to the council, to Ryan for his humour, and to the Trail Blazers, and while I was cordial in every one of them, I won't forget the lessons learned on this journey. There's a lot more work to be done, but at least for now, we have achieved something that just a few months ago seemed like a pipe dream. And I will remember this day when I'm sitting in PGE Park in 2011 as the Timbers open up their MLS campaign, and realize just how far this city has come in such a short time.

It's Post 107!!!

It's the best number ever...

Playing Catchup - The MLS Rally last Saturday was truly inspiring, and I've captured some videos from the event, and some pictures as well. The pictures are not only from the rally, but some of the sign work from Friday night. I loved being a part of something that contained so much energy, so much passion, and it was all home grown support from our group. We did have some cameras about, and a few bloggers that followed us along, but the atmosphere was all ours. There was no sponsorship from the team, it was all us. And while it didn't matter that it was a Saturday and the City Council wasn't around, it was still over 300 voices meeting at a place, sharing their dreams, and making a statement. Democracy may have its faults, but when it is at its purest form like this, it's truly moving.

Since then - The task force to study the MLS proposal voted 18 to 0 to pass the measure, with some stipulation about the positive recommendation. There are 11 things that the task force wants considered, but the task force was unanimous in supporting this initiative. The City Council will be talking about the issue next Wednesday, and putting it up for a vote to support the continuing of the plan.

The past week has been spent sending letters and emails to various city councilors, reading various blog posts and commenting, and putting together information to support the positive position on MLS. It hasn't been without challenges, because every article is met with comments to the negatives, matching my last blog post. I get the people being scared, but at the same time, it's a matter of deciding to do something because doing nothing makes no sense, or doing nothing hoping things will get better. I think the proactive approach is a better plan, and I'm not alone. But with the positive voices come the negative ones, backed with whatever facts they've managed to piece meal together to support their point.

Although if you read today's paper, it appears there are some snags in the process. This isn't unusual for something with this much money being thrown about in a situation like what we are experiencing right now. We've all tried to buy a car and walked away, or went to the store and they didn't have what we were looking for, so you left, and I view this simply as part of the negotiation process. I think everyone understands the stakes here, and why it's important to keep talking or walk away and take a moment to look at things with a new perspective. In my own experience, girl and I went car shopping after her Taurus started having issues. We spent a couple of hours at a Subaru dealership close into town, looking at another Taurus, and we had a great test drive. The negotiations came up, and the game changed, as girl and I really didn't want to over pay for the car, so we left. A few days later, we went to Tonkin on 122nd, and while they didn't have the car we wanted anymore, we found another deal that turned out to be the Row N mobile. Sometimes, part of the negotiations is knowing the strategy and doing the best ploy. We'll know more on Wednesday.

Midweek Distraction - I was able to get to the Trail Blazers game on Wednesday versus Indiana, which was a pure nail biting experience, as we almost gave away the game to the Pacers, and let their guards to the rim all night. In the end, it was too much Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge and we pulled out a two point win.

While the game was fun there, it was also good because my bowling team, the Gutter Punks, were there because of winning some game tickets during our league bowling. We've been bowling on Tuesdays in the Big Turkey Bowling league for years, and while we've come in second place once and third place overall twice, we mostly bowl for the prizes, drinks and bonding with friends. Our team has changed a bit over the years, from the days when S3K bowled since the beginnings, and I bowled with the old Bourbon Crew. Girl was an original Gutter Punk, who was then joined by graceless, KC, and S3K when the teams combined. Hornman came along later, and then we got NickyD, and we were set. Fenrus joined us after a while, and we had our 8, and while we miss KC terribly, we know she's happy in Pittsburgh, and still keeping tabs on us. Hornman's honey finally joined us this season, and so we're back to 8 again. While we are taking a slight break from bowling, we still hang out all the time because we enjoy each other's friendship. I've never met such a great group of people, and I'm proud to call them my friends. So being able to hang out with them and catch a game was truly fun.

You can check out the pics, and I can at least say that I finally got to make a free throw, so I'm officially 1 for 5 in free throw shooting at the Garden. Well, and considering that of our Underdog group of shooters, there was only 3 free throws made all night, I was in select company. But it was also what I needed, because with everything going on right now, it's just nice to be with people that care about you and you want to be around.

I'm A Zombie. And I Want Soccer!!!

I’m fucking tired right now. Seriously, I feel like a walking zombie. Ok, most of the reason for this is the change in schedule that girl and I took on this week, by moving our regularly attempted gym trip and move it from evenings to very early mornings. So at 5:00 AM each morning, we get up, get dressed in our gym clothes, and trudge off to the gym to work out, then I head off to work while she starts her home-based job. My first day on Monday was rather easy to get up and get going, but today being day number two, I was struggling between wanting to go work out and falling back asleep for a few more hours. As I wandered about the house, I think glorified zombie would be a good description for my condition, but by the time I am writing this, I seem to be doing much better. It’s an adjustment, but not one that can’t be made if you put your mind to it and be open to the change. Humans are amazing, in the sense that while we are creatures of habit for many things, we also have the ability to alter habits with some effort and luck if that is desired. Change is easier for some people than others, mostly depending on a person’s mental attitude towards different things.

And I haven’t always been that adaptable, as living by myself for many years will reinforce some habits that become extremely annoying when you move in with someone. Living as a single person alone, you don’t have to answer to anyone except for your tolerance for certain behaviours, which will cause you to look at things in your home and cause either no ill effects or a reaction to recoil in horror. I was a stickler for putting clothes away living in a studio apartment due to the limited room, but I didn’t care so much for doing dishes, which was a habit I had to break when suddenly you have your future wife and their family about, amongst others. But, it’s possible to do that if you want it and put forth the effort.

Instead, many people cling tenaciously to the things they know or the habits that find them comfort, and I still have some that I need to address. But, my segment here is relating to a lot of the commentary going on about MLS to Portland from the people on the opposing side. For many people who abhor this idea, it’s easy to fall back on the tried and true objections to anything new – “We don’t have the money”, “I don’t want my money to fund this waste of time” or “We should fund schools before sports.” There are some other objections, but the three listed above encompass about 85% of the naysayers against MLS. For them, it’s easier to stick with the status quo, because the alternative is too risky, too scary, or requires too much effort or risk to pursue. The benefits might not be immediately evident to them, or it’s a matter that the benefits don’t mean anything to them so it’s a bad idea, and they want to share their opinions to anyone that will listen. And with the Interwebs everywhere and readily available, it’s easy to share thoughts completely anonymously on any available outlet.

I can appreciate a good discourse as much as anyone, and I can respect a different opinion if the rationale behind it is solid, but many of the dissenting opinions against MLS are the same arguments that come up when any major expenditure of funds is proposed for the city noted above. It’s hard to have an intelligent conversation to try and clear up misconceptions or share information in an Interweb world, where identities can be created and deleted at a key stroke. And granted, I realize that even I’m playing on a slippery slope here by using my blog to speak about things I want, yet hiding things in a somewhat veiled existence. My issues with keeping things secret have to do with avoiding any potential hassles with my employer, and not overly involving my friends and family in my endeavors too directly without asking them every time I write about them. I’m not worried for my job, but at the same time, I want what I say to represent my opinions without too much influence one way or another. So for now, I post in some secrecy, but honestly, as we read in the news almost daily, how much secrecy does anyone have in posting things on the Internet anyway?

But the point of not having a true place to do point and counterpoint discussion about topics makes fact sharing difficult, and so many discourses turn into a battle of semantics, played by picking apart what you can and placing doubt in the reader’s mind. It’s much like our legal system, which has gone from “what you can and can’t prove” to “let’s place a doubt by finding anything to refute, even if it’s reaching”. Reasonable doubt is a truly powerful concept, but at the same point, it’s really taken the shades of grey and made them more pronounced and apparent. And if you really tried hard to go onto websites and forums to make a point about something, it ends up being nearly a full time job, trying to keep up and address every single point.

I could do a list of all the most common arguments for MLS coming here, and a simple refutation to each one easily, but I can’t guarantee it would reach everyone nor would it change the minds of certain people, who have already determined it’s a waste of time without really understanding the opportunity here.

• “Soccer is boring” – Ok, I could go easy here and use the “You don’t understand it” argument, but that’s like using “Your Mom” as a retort for an insult. Soccer is an incredibly easy to understand as you get the ball in the net, yet an incredibly difficult game to comprehend because of the differing strategies to get the ball into the net. But seriously, what’s not to like about a sport where most games are done within 2 hours, and you don’t have a lot of lag time with substitutions.
• “The rules don’t make sense” – Well, the rules for the most part are simple, but it does leave a lot of room for interpretation. However, just like football and basketball, there are fouls in soccer only if the official calls them. And yes, just like other sports, there’s a lot of controversy when things get called that probably shouldn’t have or things don’t get called when they should. If you like sports, you’ll understand this.
• “Why should my tax dollars go towards a stadium that’s already been fixed up” – Well, it’s not really tax dollars, as the money that goes towards the stadium comes from the people that use it or the people that buy tickets to go to events there. Any revenues from PGE Park go into the Spectator Stadium fund, which is then used to pay for operations of each facility. The bonds will be issued against the security of this fund, plus pledges from the team to make additional payments from the merchandise and concession revenues, tax from player salaries, and other income streams. And the last refurbishment, while it did make some major cosmetic changes mostly fixed the seismic structure of PGE Park so that it could withstand an earthquake or other natural disaster. We got volcanoes around here, you know.
• “Why take money away from other things to pay for this, like schools?” – This plan doesn’t take money away from any public service, like police or schools, because it’s a different fund. The rules say the stadium revenue goes into the stadium fund, so you can’t use the stadium revenue to pay for anything else, and if you did add structures to the tax base, it’s possible to affect things positively so that more tax collection could be made from improved neighborhoods.
• “85 million is a lot of money to spend on this” - Yes, that is a lot of money, more than I will see in my lifetime, but it’s small in comparison for other stadium efforts if say you wanted to go after Major League Baseball or the NFL. The Rose Garden itself was built with a near $200 million dollar price tag. But this investment gets you a refurbished PGE Park, a brand new baseball stadium, and an owner who is personally guaranteeing the bonds and is committed to keeping the teams here.
• “But I like things the way they are now.” - And yes, it’s very good now. But the issues here are the stability of the USL, and the current lease for the Timbers and Beavers, which expires in 2010. The USL has lost teams in California, Virginia Beach, Calgary and Edmonton over the past 5 years, while Atlanta has suspended operations for a year. There are issues whether Division One will be able to stay together, especially since one former Division One team, Seattle, is moving up to MLS, and two of the other Division One teams are vying to move up, Portland and Vancouver. If one team gets in and the other doesn’t, you have an isolated franchise which spells murder. Plus, if the stadium changes don’t pan out, Mr. Paulson could consider bids from other cities to move his team. And if you think that won’t happen, just recall the previous version of the Portland Beavers, who were lured to Salt Lake City for promises of a new stadium and 500 pounds of candy. We run the risk of going from having two teams, to having none and a stadium that has no tenants.
• “Aren’t we paying on the old stadium debt?” – Well, the people that use PGE Park are, courtesy of the Spectator Fund I mentioned previously, but Mr. Paulson has agreed to help pay off the debt as a sign of good faith. Yes, he didn’t create the situation, but he’s trying to correct it.
• “I want MLB or NFL” – And I think a lot of us would like that too, but figure that the cost of a new park for either team would run you about $300 to $500 million (based on estimates from new parks built around the country), and that doesn’t include the cost of the team. Plus, MLB is 81 home games, requiring an average of 20,000 people each game to generate enough revenue to pay for the park, and NFL requires an average attendance of 2 to 3 times as much for only 10 home games with more expensive tickets. People may balk at an average ticket price of $22 for MLS, but MLB and NFL that and more for their average tickets. As much as I love the city, I don’t think we could support either one, plus there’s the Seattle factor. Both their MLB and NFL franchises consider Portland as part of their home market, so bringing a team would affect their bottom line for tickets and TV dollars, so there would be a cost to work out any territorial restrictions.
• “Is MLS a major sport, I don’t think so” – MLS has been around for over 10 years, and they’ve taken a very responsible approach to expansion and salary growth. While only three current teams make money, the others are addressing problems with working out stadium deals and firming up other revenue streams. MLS has seen steady attendance gains, while gaining exposure with a national TV contract on ESPN. Granted, there are other soccer leagues with better talent, but MLS is starting to attract new international talent each year, as players see it as an attractive alternative.
• “If this is such a good idea, why not pay for it privately?” – Many cities have wanted to retain control of their sports teams as much as they can, to keep control of the revenue or facility, so many towns work out a public-private relationship with the team, whereby both sides share revenue. That’s the case with PGE Park, as Mr. Paulson asked to buy the park and refurbish it a while back, but the city wanted to keep control of it. And after the previous situation with PFE, I can see why this might be a concern. And so you would now ask someone who is renting a publicly owned facility to pay for its upgrade with private money, without seeing any real benefit? No, most owners asked to do that would build their own park to regain control or move elsewhere, because most cities wouldn’t give a discount on work like that. This deal makes sure that the city continues to get revenue from the stadiums, while paying for the renovation that will ensure the Timbers and Beavers remain in Portland indefinitely with the backing of the owner in case something goes wrong. The risk is minimal.
• “There’s risk here” – Sure, and there’s risk in getting up in the morning that you might be struck by lightning, meet your true love, win the lottery, or find spare change in your couch, but most of us all do the above things because the risk is minimal. The thing is the risk here is small because the bonds are backed by Mr. Paulson and his family backing the bonds personally, even if projections don’t meet what they expect.
• “We can’t support this for ticket sales” – Well, if you look at the numbers for the current USL Timbers, we average about 8,800 fans for the past year, which has been steadily increasing each year. However, the team has seen crowds of over 15,000 for some league games and most exhibition matches, where a concentrated marketing effort is put into place. I would imagine this same approach would be enacted for MLS if they come to town.
• “Why wouldn’t we just go to Seattle to see MLS?” – Anyone who knows the Flounder – Timbers rivalry would understand why most Timber fans will avoid that situation like the plague unless absolutely necessary. Soccer fans here want to avoid the situation of having another Seattle sports team shoved down our throats into liking, instead having a team of our own to represent.
  

And as I read through the questions, I’m sure there are some I missed, which is the whole thought of an intelligent discourse is so difficult. So, it’s a matter of sharing what you can where you can to whatever audience you can to share information, and see what happens. The thing is, even if all the above questions and the answers are enough to convince the city to support the MLS bid, there’s dozens of questions after that about the future. Right now, it’s important to focus on the here and now, and that means deciding if we want to bring top level American soccer to town now, or if we want to leave things as they are, hoping for another chance in the future. For me, the time is now to pursue the dream, and we should bring MLS to Portland.

Light reading About MLS:

Soccer By Ives - Vancouver is the front runner for MLS now that Miami is officially bye bye.

The Portland Trail Blazers weigh in on future plans for Memorial Coliseum. They'd love to have the Rose Quarter filled nearly year around, and if the MC becomes the potential home for baseball, I'd imagine them getting involved in design ideas to renovate that entire area.

One blogger from Canada is calling the race already for the Pacific Northwest.

The Mercury's Matt Davis weighs in on the situation, and learns a few things, although I suspect he's still undecided.

Draft of the MLS proposal, and some comments from Oregonlive's Ryan White.

A guest piece also on OregonLive on why MLS won't work, but potentially a hotel near the convention center will. For a person that supposed wants to bring sports events to Portland, he doesn't seem to understand much about soccer and its popularity here.