Ducks Attack Message Board Forum

http://www.baseballamerica.com/columnis ... ostseason/

Honestly, I would be against it.
1) Would use public $$$.
2) No NFL to the area.
3) Go Ms!

I'd definitely be in favor of it if the economics for the city made sense. It's a bummer only having one pro team in the three major sports.

I don't care enough honestly.

I've been following the MLB2PDX movement for some time. This is the first I've heard about a "legitimate ownership group."
We have the land (Portland Public Schools building--North of NE Broadway) We have a sliver of funding : 150 million
set aside from our prior attempt to land the Expos; but a ballpark with the necessary retractable roof would cost well over 500 million.

Even if there was a legitimate ownership group, they would have to pay the exorbitant expansion fees and then make up
the substantial deficit to fund the park. This is Portland, not Arlington Texas, no hope in Hades of tax dollars spent here
to make up the gap.

Outside chance that Tampa Bay relocates to Montreal, but per Rob Manfred, both Oakland and Tampa will be given every opportunity
to resolve their stadium issues before relocation, and/or expansion is considered.

I'm an eternal optimist; but I don't see this happening anytime in the next decade. I'n the meantime the glass is half full.

1) Go Ducks
2) Go Timbers
3) Go Trailblazers

For a number of reasons there is no chance Portland gets an NFL team. I remember reading an article about several years ago and basically, we are about 12th on the list of possible cities for a team.

I think NHL and MLB are the best bets for a new team. I actually think an NHL team would do really well here. With MLB, you have to get it all right for the team and city to mesh. If the stadium and/or location are a dud, I don't think anyone would go.

I'd be all in with the idea of Portland having a MLB team.

1. Baseball
2. Hockey
3. A million other things.
4. Nothing
5. NFL

I'd be all about an MLB team coming to Portland, and I say that as a lifelong Mariners fan. Screw that mismanaged franchise from hell.

It is nice to have an actual ownership group in the mix this time around (these rumors pop up every few years), but I see a few major strikes against Portland:

1. If it comes to needing public funds to complete the stadium, that's going to be an uphill battle.

2. Now that professional sports are embracing Vegas, I have a hard time seeing Portland beating them out if a Vegas-based ownership group puts in a bid.

3. Seattle will fight tooth and nail to keep the MLB out of Portland. This wouldn't be a dealbreaker -- Baltimore fought against Montreal relocating to DC, for instance -- but it doesn't help.

In addition to the financial costs needed to bring a team here, there is also the infrastructure needed and we've shown we're not so good at that. The Hwy 20 project is going to end up costing close to 100M/mile and we've got a dire need to fix/build bridges. What are we going to get back in yearly tax revenues from a baseball team? Maybe 30M? Another Costco would bring in as much or more revenue for the state than that.

Basically we need Paul Allen.

Thurston wrote:I'd be all about an MLB team coming to Portland, and I say that as a lifelong Mariners fan. Screw that mismanaged franchise from hell.

It is nice to have an actual ownership group in the mix this time around (these rumors pop up every few years), but I see a few major strikes against Portland:

1. If it comes to needing public funds to complete the stadium, that's going to be an uphill battle.

2. Now that professional sports are embracing Vegas, I have a hard time seeing Portland beating them out if a Vegas-based ownership group puts in a bid.

3. Seattle will fight tooth and nail to keep the MLB out of Portland. This wouldn't be a dealbreaker -- Baltimore fought against Montreal relocating to DC, for instance -- but it doesn't help.

1) Agree with you on the Mariners, can't get myself to root for anything from Seattle.

2) MLB will never go to Vegas. Too much bad history. (1919 Chicago Black Sox----Pete Rose---etc)

3) 30 franchise owners and likely Seattle would be the only dissenting voice for a Portland franchise.

Best case scenario: Tampa relocates to Montreal, Oakland gets shovels in the ground and MLB then expands to Charlotte and Portland,
closing the geographical gaps on both the East and West coast. Cautiously optimistic.

Do the A's actually have an official stadium plan in place? MLB can only help subsidize their dump of a stadium for so long. It's been 15 years now since the fans and team have been wanting a new/different stadium in place.

Apparently the A's ownership group is ready and willing to privately fund the park. Three sites were discussed and
after much analysis they have settled on a site near Lake Merritt; but adjacent to a community college which
will likely cause some push back.

Yes, the ballpark is a dump by today's standards, but I've been going there for so long that I've grown
fond of the place.

(The wife grew up in San Leandro--just 5 or so miles from the stadium--so we go back and visit every summer)

StevensTechU wrote:1. Baseball
2. Hockey
3. A million other things.
4. Nothing
5. NFL

You and I hold the NFL in equal esteem.

Vegas used to be off-limits for every professional sports league, but money trumps all. The Black Sox scandal was 98 years ago, Vegas is absolutely a viable MLB relocation venue.