A Subtle, but Pointed Reminder

I couldn't have said it better myself. Portland has an identity crisis, and we can't seem to figure out what we want in terms of sports in our long term future. The author points to the city up north as the poster child of getting things done for their teams.

Well, I'd hate to point out what happened to their former NBA team, but I think the issue there was a combination of apathy, anti-government forces, a city that wasn't sure why an arena needed to be upgraded when it was done a few years prior, a hated owner, and the NBA secretly involved with the change. I can't imagine the league really wanting to lose a top 20 TV market for their team, but they approved the move and we are where we are at. But, the city and team ownership has stepped up to help the Mariners and Seahawks with their various stadiums, and the city has done some forward thinking, which doesn't seem to be in short supply here.

Granted, there are some factors that helped with this situation. The 1995 vote to provide tax funds for the Mariners new ballpark happened just after the magical 1995 playoff run, and the end vote was really close, even with the renewed baseball interest. Qwest Field, just like the Rose Garden, was mostly paid for by Paul Allen with some involvement from the city with tax benefits and infrastructure changes. That playoff run doesn't happen, the Mariners are actually playing elsewhere, and we miss the 2001 historical season, the train noises in Safeco, Ichiro, none of it. It's also likely that the Seahawks would still be playing in the Kingdome, which had all the charm of a cave and the smells of the forest all indoors for everyone to enjoy.

But the key point of Portland not having the moxie to make something like this happen couldn't be more true. The original plan to bring baseball to the Memorial Coliseum and refurbish PGE Park for soccer was visionary, and took care of a need for MLS and helped upgrade the Rose Quarter from the doldrums it currently suffers from. But some short sighted architects and the Trail Blazers threw a monkey wrench in the plan, and the City Council blinked. It does appear that at least one city commissioner, Randy Leonard, is still interested in putting baseball at the MC, and I think he's got the right idea. The baseball plan would solve the ghost town the RQ is now, give the veterans a more usable and vibrant memorial, and revitalize an area that simply put, should be doing more than it is now. But, instead of us talking about this plan and getting excited, we sit 6 months later with the MC still standing, and more talk about what to do with it. My hope is that the city can stop with the blue sky conversations, and come up with something useful and tangible. I'd love to see some of the moxie from up north here, as long as they keep that god awful green color to themselves.

EDIT - At least one suburb has already stepped up to lure the Beavers there. Can you guess which one?

Quick Timbers - Vancouver Match Update

The Timbers won tonight 2 to nil over the White Craps as 9,081 watched a beautiful match in about 90 degree weather at PGE Park. The scoring was from Ryan Pore with a PK in the 6th minute and George Josten in the 41st minute, and Steve Cronin kept the clean sheet.

It was a truly great day, as we started by honoring our fallen friend General Timber Howie, and then watched our boys get the win. I'll have a full match report later next week, and a special tribute to Howie as well, but I'm getting ready to pack up for a quick weekend trip with girl and I to the Columbia River Gorge.

Official Timbers Match Report, courtesy of the team.

Allison's match report, courtesy of Soccer City USA website.

Timbers Vs. Rhinos 5/14/09 Match Report

Last night was one of the most roller coaster sports experiences I've ever had. It was a match of great highs and crippling lows, and while the result pleased me, there's still a nagging feeling of something missing from last night. I lost a dear friend and right now, I'm just trying to deal with that reality.

As many long time Timbers Army members know, General Timber Howie was a fixture at the Timbers matches, he sat in the first seat in the first row in 108, arriving right as the gates opened. Often times, he would waive to girl and I to join him up front in line to get into the stadium, as we are notoriously early arrivals as well to stake out our space. I've talked with Howie for many years about his love of baseball and hockey, traveling with him to England in a large TA group, seeing him on the road at many locations. He gave us a great tour of San Francisco, including eating lunch at a great place in Chinatown and we saw him at a Giants - Diamondbacks game that same night from AT&T Park. The man had a enormous heart, and always had wonderful things to say to everyone, and I will miss his smile, the talks with him, and his presence in the TA.

I found out the news about Howie about 4 hours before the kickoff, and my emotions were all over the place for the rest of my day at work as I tried to concentrate as best I could. I came home, and hugged girl and we cried and talked about our feelings. Howie always asked me to hug my wife to make sure she knows how I feel about her, and after the news, I needed a hug. We felt a bit odd going to a Timbers match after the news, but I also know that I needed to be there because it's what Howie would have wanted. It was a late start, so we wandered to our usual gate and nobody was in line where Howie stood. So in his honor, I stood there and waited. And I waived other TA to come up and join me. I felt odd being there, but at the same time, it felt right.

We got into the stadium, and there was a memorial already being constructed at his usual seat. For the first time in over 3 years, I went to a Timbers match without a camera, but at the same time, I wanted to just watch and be a fan for a night without worrying about the shots or the angles. I did notice that in the back of section 107, the team had hung a sign labeling the section as Timbers Army Supporters Section, which we'd been asking about for a long time. It was a nice touch. TA members filed in, and there was a lot of hugging and crying, as we all tried to deal with the loss. For one night anyway, Howie's seat held flowers, and as I helped with the memorial, others came to pay their respects. The team even agreed to have a moment of silence before the anthem, which I really appreciated, even if some of the tourist fans didn't have a clue about or care to observe the moment. As a few of us tried to shut them up, it became apparent to me like on many Thirsty Thursdays, there are some fans that don't give a flying fuck about anything but getting drunk at the match. I appreciate new people wanting to experience this for themselves, but at the same time, you should show some respect.

The anthem singer decided to do her version of the anthem, which was way slow and done like a bad R and B song. Seriously, the pauses were crap, and so the Army sang the last verse as loud as we could to get things started. And then the match began. Keel was in for defense, as Nishimura was not on the bench (apparently, he has a VISA problem that is being resolved) and Keita started up front with McLaughlin, but I had the rest of the starters pegged.

The first half was a pure passing clinic by the Timbers, as they tried to stretch the Rhinos defense with short passes and crosses. The plan worked pretty well, as they were getting chances, but as with previous matches, some players seem content to pass rather than shoot. The Rhinos, meanwhile, countered with some solid, extremely physical defense, as they held position and really pushed our guys around a lot. Some of the tackles were good, hard challenges, while a few drew cards, which they should have. Overall, the first half was pretty even until Brian Farber knocked in a gorgeous cross from Keita to get the Timbers' first goal. We had the control of the possession, and the defense was doing a great job on Johnny Menyonger, the Rhinos key forward. Steve Cronin was solid in goal, even sporting a cool black and light blue kit in two color English fashion. The mood of the Army was still a bit all over the place, as some sang and danced like a normal match, but many people had a heavy heart, and so getting the goal helped ease some of the tensions.

The second half saw some of the same pinpoint passing from the Timbers, while the Rhinos were content to play long balls over the top to get chances, and try to create set piece opportunities. While Andrew Gregor might not be a favorite person around here, he's still dangerous in set pieces, and we got to see that later. At the 62nd minute, Nino Short from Rochester went in with a hard challenge, and drew straight red for the contact, putting Rochester down to 10 men. However, the Rhinos seemed energized by this and actually outplayed the Timbers for the next 15 minutes or so, creating chances all over the place and testing Cronin. In the 66th minute, a free kick from Gregor was headed towards Cronin and saved, but Darren Kenton pounced on the bounce and knocked one past Cronin to level the score and end the Timbers' defensive scoreless streak. And after that, they kept the pressure on, as shots came at Cronin and the defense seemed to be struggling to find itself.

Taka Suzuki came on in the 70th, and the offense continued to sputter until about the 82nd minute when the TA broke into the Sunshine song. The passes that weren't working for the Timbers suddenly found players, and the pressure on Scott Vallow, the Rhinos keeper, over the last few minutes was relentless. It appeared at minute 83 that Rochester was simply trying to play for the tie and a point, but the Timbers were trying to salvage a win. The game's physicality escalated with some altercations, a few more yellows, and some challenges that went awry but were missed. Until the game hit stoppage time and at the 94th minute, Steven Keel was in the box and went down hard on contact away from the ball. Darren Kenton had shoved Keel in the box, and the center official called it with only seconds remaining.

The Rochester players were incensed, and Vallow did his best to delay the kick by walking around and drinking water. The other Rhinos players did their best to wander around and mess with the shooter by kicking the ball around. The Rhinos were also upset at 2 minutes of announced stoppage time, yet when Menyonger was substituted for in the 90th, he took over a minute to leave the pitch after first trying to feign injury with a limp. The official extended the time, and so Ryan Pore stepped up to take the PK. Vallow, after a delay, went left, and after waiting a tiny bit, Pore punched it right and into the back of the net. Pandemonium struck the shed, as we got a second goal, and just 30 seconds later, full time was called and it was over.

For such a draining night, it was nice to get a win, and everyone felt Howie was in the house, watching down on us and his team. I've never been so relieved to get a win, because we deserved it. As much as soccer has talent determine winners, sometimes luck has more influence in determining outcomes. Needless to say, we got a win for the General, and so we could all smile after a rather trying day.

Match Reports:

Allison's recap from Soccer City USA, including pictures.

Official Match Report from the Timbers.

My Observations

• My man of the match was Steve Cronin. After some shaky communication at points, he settled in and kept us level. I would say the entire defense would probably be 1B, because everyone in the back stepped up to keep Menyonger from getting shots, and they marked Gregor well all night.
• Keita continues to get shot opportunities, and I like his work rate, although he doesn't have a goal yet. As a matter of fact, our 4 goals are all from midfielders, and we had 2 official shots from forwards last night. I like our forwards but at the same time, don't be afraid to pull the trigger from time to time.
• McManus, Pore, Farber and Claesson all put in solid work all match. Claesson may not be the fastest guy out there, but he's smart and crafty, and he works very well with faster players like Pore and Farber. McManus has some tough matchups, but he held his ground, and I was impressed with his play.
• Taka did OK in his short stint, but he still struggled with a couple of good chances. We overall shot 25 times to 9 and 11 shots on goal, but we had to pull it out late.
• Vallow is a seasoned pro, and so is Sancho. They payed a lot of respect to the TA after the match, and I loved watching them work. It's nice to see some veterans from other teams get it when they are on the road, and they showed class in defeat. I didn't like some of their tactics during the match, but if you're willing to try it.
• There will be a lot of talk about the officiating, but the center official actually did an even job of calling things. There were calls missed on both sides, and while Rochester earned 6 cards, I felt that we deserved one or two with some awkward challenges. But in my mind, Keel was contacted hard and Kenton extended his arms, and the PK call was made I think because of that, plus a few other non-calls just prior. The Rhinos played physically, and we lost our composure after the 63rd minute and it cost us because they turned up the heat. We deserved the win, but seriously guys, can you do it a bit earlier next time?
• And yes, we always win 2 to 1!

Tomorrow is the TA meet and greet, and I'm looking forward to meeting a lot of folks and seeing some familiar faces. Plus, we get to run around on the PGE Park surface, which is always fun. The TAFC also has a match Sunday afternoon, so my weekend is very much soccer filled.

Next Timbers match is next Friday night in Puerto Rico. If you need a Timbers fix this weekend, the U-23 boys will be playing at PGE tonight (actually the game tonight versus Spokane is done) and tomorrow night versus Yakima. The game tomorrow is a 7 PM kickoff.

And finally, Howie, rest in peace, and Rose City Til I Die.

We Scored Some Goals!!! Timbers Vs. Carolina 5/2/09

Video From Last Night's Game

Pictures from Last Night's Game

We beat Carolina 2 to nil last night, getting our first goals of the 2009 campaign, and getting our first home win. It had been so long for girl and I to see a home win, we'd forgotten what it was like. Well, we won 3 home games last year while we were still in England, so it's been a while.

Observations:

• The weather was great, although about 4 pm, it was coming down in sheets with thunder and lightning. They announced a crowd of 6724, but I thought it was more like 8,000 myself.
• Tried the new cheesesteak sandwich at the park, it wasn't terrible but needed more cheese. At least the park is trying new menu options, and most of their stuff is pretty good.
• It was old school night in Row N, as Harrison Bannister made an appearance, which hasn't happened for a long while. He was a regular before he and his lovely wife had a baby, although now the young one will be coming to games soon I'm sure. That, and Dick Danger forgot his ticket so he showed up late, and Firestarter forgot when the game started, so they were late, too. But we had a very full row, and full of people we knew. Apparently, Hoss is back and hopefully it's more than just part time, and we get other guests like last night, like Stuarto and the missus, Nando, and Red Scout.
• I like Brian Farber a lot, he showed some energy and drive on the pitch, and he got a goal, which you can see on the video page noted above. Ryan Pore was the man of the match for me, with an assist and goal. He was all over the place, and really helped our midfield gel.
• I like Keith Savage and Johan Claesson a lot, too, although they didn't play together last night. Savage is tall, rangy, and has a good first step, while Claesson is smart and crafty.
• Tony McManus and Tom Poltl were separated at birth, I swear. They play the same way, bulldog style leaving everything on the pitch. They may not be the tallest or biggest guys out there, but you will not outwork these guys.
• Chris Seitz played really well in goal for us on loan from Real Salt Lake, and I wouldn't mind seeing him stay, although Cronin is apparently our number 1 guy for this year. Wishing him speedy recovery, and hope to see Seitz back again sometime.
• I'm still buzzing after the win, and it's the next morning!!!

Girl's family birthday dinner is later today, and so I'll check out for now. Have a good one, and remember, Rose City Til I Die!!!

The Other Brand of Football, Timbers Recap, and A Fun Weekend Coming

I love being in Portland, and I especially love the early fall time here. The leaves begin their colored kaleidoscope change, and being in a large city with trees, you see all sorts of colors and combinations. The mornings have a bit of crispness to them, but by afternoon, the sun is out and it feels like a warm summer day. The jacket has been hung up all summer, and now it's at least time to find out where it's hiding because the evenings can get a bit chilly if you aren't careful. The summer memories of camping, hiking, being outdoors are still in full recall, and the upcoming rains and cold weather seem miles and miles away, even though we all know they are coming soon enough.

It also represents the time of year that the sports landscape changes, as the Timbers wind up their 2008 campaign in the next few weeks, and people are starting to talk Trail Blazers, even though training camp is just under a month away. Yes, there is lots of college football talk about, as the Ducks and Beavers dominate the Saturday television viewing and portions of the daily newspaper. Even though both schools are over an hour away by drive, Oregon and Oregon State are very present, especially as both schools fight for notoriety. Oh, and high school football dominates the Friday landscape, as every television station in the area devotes a big portion of their newscasts to game coverage and highlights. You'd think this town was football crazy, and I think you'd be right.

We are unique in the fact that our nearest NFL team is over 3 hours away in Seattle, and the major college programs are over an hour from Portland. Portland State is in town playing the Championship Subdivision level, which sounds more like a housing complex than an NCAA level designation, and has struggled to gain attention in town despite having a former NFL coach running the show here, Jerry Glanville. Despite all of the distance for our football games, it remains a powerful influence in sports in this town. Sports bars advertise having the NFL package, and fans flock to watch games on Sunday, filling various spots around town. These people could be fans of the teams, playing fantasy football, or just generally getting together with the guys, but football is serious business here.

Which makes a lot of the comments about the efforts to bring MLS here make sense. There is a large portion of folks that would prefer Portland to go big in their effort to bring another sports team to town, and the NFL fits the bill. It's mega popular, on television and getting great ratings, and makes a ton of money for the cities it's in. And it's also an extremely costly venture as well. Lucas Oil Field in Indianapolis just opened this season, with a price tag of around $700 million dollars; the stadium is full of the latest bells and whistles from giant big screen, various restaurants on the grounds, luxury boxes abound and plenty of seats, about 70,000 of them. Figuring that an NFL team plays roughly 10 homes games a year (2 exhibition games and 8 regular season games), most NFL stadiums are only full a few times a year. Most other times, they sit empty unless you can find conventions or events to fill them. Some NFL teams have decided to share their stadiums with other sports to maximize the dates it's used to earn more money, from having an MLB team present to an MLS team. Ticket prices in the NFL remain the highest of the 4 major sports, averaging about $300 for one game for a family of four, figuring the $300 represents tickets, concessions, programs and such.

So for these dollar figures, you can see that bringing the NFL here represents a huge financial undertaking, and for something that will remain unused for a large period of time. I would love to have the NFL come here, but I see the value in bringing MLS here for a tenth of the potential cost. You get an updated stadium that could house college football exhibitions, MLS games, international and national friendlies, and other events for about $40 million dollars. It's not the NFL, but I think it serves a purpose to fill another sport in the area that is passionately followed. I get that some people are disappointed in this approach as evidenced by a recent column in the Oregonian's opinion, where the major focus of the article is why can't we aim higher when really it sounds more like a MLS bashing party. It'd be nice if some rich person came into town and said they'd take care of all of our stadium needs, but it's not going to happen. So we have to approach this the best we can, and for me, that's MLS.

I would love to get the football fans taken care of, but for now, it's time to keep huddling in front of the televisions at sports bars. I hope one day we can get you outside to watch the game live.

TIMBERS UPDATE - The Timbers came into the past weekend with some great momentum after their 4 - 0 win against Miami, but they still needed points as they headed to Rochester and Montreal for two road matches. Rochester is a place where we don't play well at all usually, and Montreal is a place that we normally play very well at, but instead we ended losing both matches by the same 2 to 0 score. Apparently, we didn't play very well in either place, as both opponents really took it to us. I've tried to find a match report for Rochester but can't (this was as close as I could find), while Montreal's match report is available here. I echo a lot of the thoughts about the team now by saying that while I love my Timbers and want them to do well every time they go out and play, I won't be disappointed if they miss the playoffs. Simply put, we've struggled to find any sort of identity this year, and I think it's serious time to really rethink the roster. I understand the complexities of USL, but we need to get some quality talent and keep them in Portland. I think the eventual plan of adding a PDL team here will help in that cause, as we can have players work out and play to get better before moving up, but as with any plan, it takes time to build the level up.

Mind you, I'm not saying we don't have talent here, but it's obvious the talent doesn't work well together at times. Our defense has been pushed to the limit numerous times, the keeping has been up and down as players rotate in and out, the midfield can't control and keep balls, and the forwards haven't really generated much offense because they aren't getting much service. We've seriously done well to get to this point, and I think the talent has done that, but there are other things that teams must do to win: overcome adversity and take advantage of your schedule. Our team in 2007 was hit with lots of challenges, but overcame all of them right up until the end, and they took advantage of the schedule to maximize their points. Having the California Victory on the schedule helped, but simply put, we could have folded or not taken them seriously and gave up points, but we didn't and it led to great things. This year, we haven't been able to deal with the adversity of injuries and player movement, and the schedule hasn't been dealt with at all.

While we still have a chance to get into the playoffs, it requires us to win out and get some help from Atlanta and Minnesota. It's possible to get in with draws as well, but we'd need more help, so really it comes down to getting points in our last two games. It starts with Charleston on Thursday coming to PGE Park, a team that is in the thick of the race and has something to play for, so it won't be easy. Either way, I'll be there because it's the last home regular season match for the year, and it will potentially be the last time I'll see some of the TA for the winter. I expect some magical things to happen, but if not, it will still be a great night. Besides, I already have my 2009 season tickets on order.

I will be heading to the Oregon Coast this weekend for a wedding, so the blog gets a break until next week. Two of my best friends, KC and Steve, are getting married on the coast. They are huge Timbers fans who got relocated to Pittsburgh for work, and I miss them terribly, as KC was not only a great friend, but an awesome bowler. It will be great to see them this weekend as they begin their journey as a married couple, and to be able to see my friends again. If I'm asked for any wedding advice, I'll give them one point: Marriage can be hard unless you communicate and share of yourself all the time, because it doesn't work doing it alone. I wish them the best in their future, and we'll chat with you all next week.

A Great Day in Sports History in Portland

Perhaps many of you are following the baseball playoff race, or paying attention to the Republican National Convention as the pomp and circumstance continues, or maybe you are trying to get outside to take advantage of the last few nice days around here before the rains come. Me, I'm paying attention to a website and dreaming about what might happen, and I'm more than a little distracted.

The MLS to Portland official website was launched this morning. Designed by a team working for the current USL Timbers owner, Merritt Paulson, the site gives folks a one stop shop to view statistics about the MLS effort, what will happen to PGE Park, and what will happen to the baseball Portland Beavers. The plan to bring MLS to Portland involves paying an expansion fee, building a new baseball stadium in Lents for about 8,000 to 10, 000 fans, and then refurbishing PGE Park to a soccer/football stadium where the MLS Timbers, PSU Vikings football, and high school games would occur. The plan also calls for restaurants to be added, new sky boxes for rent, and a full bleacher of seats on the 18th street side; there used to be bleachers there in the old Civic Stadium days but they were pulled out during the PGE Park upgrade. The hope is the website would be a good source of information for people who want to know more about MLS, the Beavers, the Timbers, and the efforts. And I must say that they've done their homework, and the site is extremely informative and easy to use. You can even see artist's renderings of the new site as well. The investment being asked for is $75 million dollars for the changes to PGE Park, and a new stadium in Lents; this figure doesn't cover the MLS expansion fee which will be paid for by team ownership.

For me, I see nothing but wins here for everyone involved. Portland would get a newly refurbished stadium for MLS use, but could also be used for other international soccer matches, concerts, exhibition football games, and other large events. They would also get a rather nice baseball stadium in Lents, an area within southeast Portland that has been working hard to change its image as one of the slum parts of town. The city wants more commerce and business in Lents, and a ballpark would certainly bring people. Transit is being built to the new location, as the new Green Line MAX will have a stop a few blocks away. The Beavers would get their own stadium to use as they see fit. Portland gets another major sport, and plays on the top level of soccer in the United States, so we would get international and national attention.

But I'll admit, I'm a hardcore fan of the Timbers, and would watch them if they played their games in a parking lot. I'm already invested in the team and seeing matches, and I've felt for years that we have one of the most passionate fan bases for soccer in the world here. It doesn't take much convincing for me, but what I see on the site and heard in the media today should make stadium opponents a bit nervous. The city would actually be issuing bonds backed by the city to cover the debt, and revenues from ticket sales, player salaries, and other taxes would be used to offset the bonds. Money being put into this isn't taking away from any critical city services, and could provide a long term investment for the city. I also love baseball and see the Beavers getting a win from this. They would get a nice stadium in southeast that was their own, instead of a multi-purpose stadium, and it would provide some improvement to Lents, an area that needs it. Instead of trying to schedule around multiple events, you have one stadium, one team to deal with.

But I also understand the concerns of the casual fan of either sport or baseball fans in general. I like PGE Park for baseball, and find that games there are fun to watch. There's great architecture to see, unique views throughout the park, and some great history in the park as well, including a few events that I got to see in person (Crash McCray's run, Beavers playoffs a few years ago). Plus, moving the team to Lents would kill some of the walk up crowd you currently get from having a downtown park, but not necessarily all of it. There's some great character to PGE Park for baseball, but I think it could thrive in a new dedicated home. It's hard to deny the great baseball history that has happened at PGE Park, but a new stadium could fulfill the same purpose and be a destination spot. I could imagine the Beavers incorporating many of the nice touches they currently have now, like the cheap beer Thursdays, benches for food, great sight lines, and lots of great entertainment during breaks in the game.

Ok, Lents is a bit out from downtown although it's easy to drive to and transit will take care of some issues coming up, but Lents is only 15 to 20 minutes from downtown right now. Plus, any improvements to the area will attract businesses and consumers, something that Lents would love to have right now. You are losing part of Lents Park by building the park there, and there will probably be some parking and traffic issues in the area around game time. But I believe the people in charge will take care of the parking and traffic issues, they did in NW Portland when PGE was refurbished but working with the neighborhoods to set up parking permits and encourage folks to use transit. I can feel for the casual fans that might not totally buy into this plan. It might take a bit longer to get out to Lents for baseball, plus MLS tickets are a bit more expensive than USL, and didn't we already just fix PGE Park??? This idea is something that needs to be thought through in order to completely invest in it, and I think if you consider the situation, it's a win for everyone.

Put it in monetary terms - MLB would require a stadium investment of around $250 to $300 just to build something to standards, and that's not accounting for the money to get an available team, of which there aren't any. NFL has the same stadium costs, plus you are dealing with approximately 10 home games per year, so the ticket costs are a bit more, so you have a stadium that might be sitting empty for long periods. NHL hasn't been the same entity since the strike, and they've already admitted to over expansion issues. For a $75 million dollar investment, we get MLS in town, an up and coming sport, and a new baseball stadium. Ticket prices would be more reasonable for top flight soccer and triple A baseball, and they would still be available for us to see.

I'll admit, I like the idea of a downtown baseball stadium better, but there's no logical place to put the stadium without spending a lot more money than what's at stake here. And with MLS expansion deadlines applicable in October 2008, the city needs to move now. And the website is a great first step towards letting folks know what's going on. My hope is that the new stadium caters a bit to the hardcore fans by giving us a dedicated section of seats that aren't general admission. I appreciate what casual fans bring to the park and realize that most sports wouldn't survive by just catering to hardcore fans, but I want an area to share with people that understand what it's like to support their team by chanting, singing, and generally providing a wall of noise. I caught the Timbers fever back in 2001, and I don't miss home matches at all unless necessary and travel to see them on the road when I can. I think I'm entitled to a bit of care in my home park, and the casual fans can sit in other areas of the park to enjoy the game.

What impresses me most about this entire situation is that it's happening and it's out there now in the public eye. Many folks in this town have put forth ideas for new teams, new event centers, whatever, but have lacked either the funds or the forethought to put their ideas out there and then follow through. I give Merritt and his staff tons of credit by not only putting out the idea, but then following it up with press conferences, the web site, and appearances about town. This won't be the last you'll hear of this effort, but right now I'm optimistic that we have a chance to join MLS very soon. So pardon me if I'm a bit distracted right now, imagining the possibilities. I'm busy seeing our future....and it looks amazing..

Fan's Perspective - Charleston vs. Timbers 8/9/08

You might say we scored a goal at home, which hasn't happened in a while. You can also say that we got a point for our troubles in drawing with Charleston last night. You can also say that we played with heart and character, but in the end, this game still feels like a loss to me. Simply put, we needed 3 points badly and an elementary defensive mistake gave them a point. I should know about mistakes, because I joined our TA outdoor team for a bit of workout today. While I made some nice plays, I also got schooled on some fundamentals as well, like when you have opposing players that are faster than you, you shouldn't let them get behind you.

In reading the recap from the Oregonian, it was apparent that we didn't play good defense on a corner and let Charleston get the equalizer. Never mind this was a team that doesn't play well from home, never mind they are on a long road trip out west, never mind that we badly needed a win, never mind there were a couple of questionable calls from the ref, we simply didn't do enough to win. How can you outshoot your opponent 20 to 5 and run them around the pitch all night and draw, especially since both teams were banged up and were missing key players. I'm not sure I believe in superstitions, but it does appear that we might be snake bitten as a club. The breaks that we got last year as a team aren't following us this year at all, and we are basically an average offensive, somewhat better defensive club but not elite in any stretch.

The Timbers Army was in good spirits, but unlike Thursday's absolute wall of noise with 12,000 strong, it was a smaller but just as loud crowd. It reminded me of the Shed in the 2005 days before the section exploded and people filled all the seats, as there were pockets of empty seats about but yet people were chanting and singing all night. While the TIFO display wasn't as elaborate as Thursday, there were still signs a plenty, as you can see in Allison's match report.

It certainly seemed that when offseason moves were made to the Timbers, they were addressing the team's weaknesses last year, basically finishing. We had our team leader, Andrew Gregor, back with most of the players from our top rated defense. We even had Leo Griffin return to the team, and other new players were signed, such as Taka Suzuki and Chris Brown. It seemed like we had the recipe for success on our side with a great 3 - 0 start in April, only to struggle in May and then really struggle in June and July. And now, Gregor is in Rochester, Brown has been out with a suspension, and Suzuki hasn't done much since his early season goal.

I'm not convinced that Gavin Wilkinson needs to lose his job right now, some of this I don't think you can blame on him. Injuries happen as part of the game, but couple that with the talent base brought in and the system of play, and it's apparent some changes need to be made. We are 23 games into the season and have a grand total of 18 goals scored. You aren't going to win many titles scoring less than a goal a game, unless your defense is awesome and ours is just average right now. The crazy part is that with the existing parity of the USL, we are still in 7th place and would make the playoffs if the season ended today, and we've not come close to playing any of our best soccer lately. So it's important to either have the guys play more cohesively in an offensive strategy that works, or find a coach that can bring some offense to this team. I like Gavin's GM skills, he finds players very well, but can he mix them together and coach, that's the question that I think gets answered in the next 7 games.

Last night was a start, with Bryan Little playing some of his best footy all year with pinpoint passes and some great corners/crosses, and Lawrence Olum with stellar work in the controlling mid. And Bryan Jordan's goal was a sight to see, as he made a few moves and made a sweet shot. He played tirelessly all game, and was a huge catalyst for the offense. Miguel Guante, Cameron Knowles and Byron Alvarez were also very serviceable in their respective position. The problem was that we didn't have enough of that consistently, and we gave away points tonight.

On a lighter note, I'd also like to point out our kit sponsor this year, Nike. Their newest design is flashy, form fitting and apparently made of rice paper. These kits must be tear away, cause I can't explain how many games guys get shirts torn and it appears quite easily. Chris Bagley was in the game for less than 2 minutes, and his name went from Bagley to Ba in that quick of time. I know kits get tugged on a lot, but seriously, unless you want our team looking like Captain James T. Kirk battling the Gorn, do some quality control here and choose another design. Cameron Knowles had his 13th kit destroyed and we resorted to our wonderful add number with sharpie tactic for the second half. At least that was better than Larry Olum's taped on number that lasted 10 seconds during one of our friendlies.

But all we can do is lace them up again, and go after Montreal on Saturday. They've traditionally played well here, but in an ironic twist, we tend to beat them at their home. Right now, 35 points probably gets you into the playoffs, and the Timbers have 25 points with 7 games left to play, so there is a potential of 21 points left for them. We just need to take a game at a time, and it starts on Saturday, the 16th. Hope to see you all there, ready to stand and chant. Rose City Til I Die!

Long Weekend of Not Posting

I have been a little busy the past few days, and so the blogging has been put to the wayside a bit. My friend Obi's dad turned 75 on Sunday, and some of the TA and myself pitched in to help out for the party. Was loads of fun, although I was exhausted when I was done, still trying to get caught up on a bit of sleep.

Things that have been on my mind so far..

• Lebron James is pretty amazing, but the Trail Blazers essentially gave away a game tonight. They had the Cavs on the ropes with aggressive play, timely shots, and keeping Lebron in check. Then, with about 5 minutes left, they forgot everything they'd done in the first 3 quarter, Lebron hits 3 uncontested 3 point shots, and the offense stalls. The game was in the balance until the end, but really it came down to a lack of aggressiveness. There were too many times a guard broke down their man driving to the basket to have an open 10 footer, only to pass it to another guy for a difficult shot. It doesn't help when we shoot close to 35 percent for the night, either, but this is a game you can look at and say "woulda, shoulda, coulda, but didnta". They face the Knicks on Friday with Zebo in town, and I hope they drill them.
• PGE Park gets some new grass, and it's about time. The old Nexturf had been installed when the park was first renovated in 2001, and seemed to get more dingy and flat as the years went on. The past couple of seasons I imagine the stuff was like concrete painted green, and when I got a chance to walk on it after a match last year, I think concrete would have more give. It's sad that players needed to play on such crappy turf, but to the credit of our new owner, he's trying to get facilities upgraded for new events and possibly to bring MLS to town. I'd love to see it, cause I think we'd do amazing in the league.
• The past few days, we've been threatened with snow, ice, wind, and other winter weather, but so far, the snow in my area has been limited to a couple of light dustings, and an ice day on Monday that kept me from going to work although things were thawed out by early afternoon. I appreciate weathermen trying to keep us informed, but I could do without the gloom and doom forecasts. Although last year, they misforecast something and we ended up getting 5 inches of snow on a random March day. It's a tough job to do, I'm sure, but I'd also like to be paid to do something where you can be off that much and still be believed.
• Wedding planning is coming along for the Row N wedding. April 5th, my life changes again and I couldn't be more happier about it. The past year, things have been a whirlwind getting to this point, and I really appreciate what having girl in my life has done. I feel like I'm a happier person overall and as crazy as it sounds, I have things to focus on outside of work. I know, they say being single shouldn't matter, but at the same time, it's fun to come home to someone and share your day. Pets are great in that respect, but then again, I'm not sure I would want to take a cat to the movies or to a Trail Blazers game. Well, maybe Daisy, she might like the constant action, and balls flying about.

Peace out for now, talk to you all soon. It's been almost a week, and I still am having trouble processing the Timber Jim retirement. I know he'll still be about at games, but I'll miss the antics. Anyone know anybody that's good with crowds and a chainsaw?