On a beautiful day like today, don’t you wish you could strap on the old glove, buy some peanuts or sunflower seeds and head over to the ballpark?
Yeah, the Oregon softball team is holding practices at Howe Field, but that’s not what I’m talking about.
The Eugene Emeralds, the San Diego Padres’ Single-A minor league squad, doesn’t start until June, and even then, it’s not the real deal.
Safeco Field may be one of the greatest places on earth, but the 300-mile trek to see the Mariners makes frequent trips unreasonable.
What I seek is not much to ask: just a mere Major League Baseball team. Nothing more. Well, maybe one more thing: a baseball stadium — and they only run for about $300 million these days.
Lucky for me and the thousands of die-hard Oregonian baseball fans, Santa may grant this wish next Christmas.
As of Monday, a proposal to help solidify Portland as a main player in the bid to get a major-league team was sent through the state Legislature. The Oregon Baseball Campaign is one of several groups that went to Salem Monday to lobby House Bill 2941, which would authorize the use of $150 million of Oregon lottery bonds to finance a new baseball stadium in Portland.
“Houston’s new ballpark has a retractable roofs, it’s downtown, and it has all the modern amenities, yet it cost just $250 million,” said Lynn Lashbrook, president of the Oregon Baseball Campaign in a released statement. “That’s half the cost of the Safeco Field aberration in Seattle.”
The idea of getting a franchise in Portland — the largest city in the country with only one professional sports team — is not a new one, but the opportunity has never been as tangible as it is now.
With professional baseball in financial turmoil (especially after our pal Alex Rodriguez became the greediest man alive), something is going to have to change. And the most likely possibility is that a franchise will move.
With teams such as the Montreal Expos, Minnesota Twins and Oakland Athletics struggling to keep afloat financially, a move may come as early as the end of the 2001 season.
A new team would likely bring in more than $7 million in state revenues, Lashbrook said.
But it will probably take a little more to convince the Legislature. While more than 50 of the 90 legislators have supported the baseball bill, when it comes time to decide between funding for baseball and several other state needs, baseball may go down swinging.
Gov. John Kitzhaber, for example, has proposed that the lottery money be used for rural water systems, sewer lines and new roads.
As an avid baseball man, I wholeheartedly disagree with the politician. But I’m not responsible for the taxpayers’ money, either.
To try to gain support, the Oregon Baseball Campaign will tour the state to promote this “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
If you would like to voice your desire to bring the great American pastime to this lovely state, sign the petition at www.oregonbaseballcampaign.com.
If you’re apathetic about an Oregon franchise or don’t want one, just keep your opinions to yourself.