Escondido Ballpark "Dead"

And on the former Portland Beavers front, plans to build a Triple-A ballpark in Escondido, California, are dead, says Escondido Mayor Sam Abed.  To build the ballpark, the city needed redevelopment funds that the California state legislature took away.  San Diego Padres owner Jeff Moorad bought the former Portland Beaver franchise from Merritt Paulson and moved it to Tucson, Arizona for a year while waiting for construction of a ballpark in Escondido, whose field dimensions were to be identical to those in Petco Park.  Now those plans are squelched, and Moorad may opt to sell the team.

Read more about this in SignOn San Diego.

Hey Merritt, hey Portland City Council -- there's still time to get the Beavers back!  And to do something with that troublesome Coliseum. Yeah sure, dream on.

Milwaukie City Council to Discuss Stadium

Wondering what's going on with the City of Milwaukie and it's effort to build a minor league baseball stadium?  Me too.  So I'm glad to report that the Milwaukie City Council will discuss the issue during its meeting on Monday, January 9, 2012.  The meeting is set for 7:00PM at the City Council chambers.  During this meeting, the council will decide whether to shut down the project or move on to the second phase, which would involve the programming, design, cost, and economic impact of the multi-use facility.

The city council chambers are located at 10722 SE Main Street, Milwaukie, OR.

Read more about this in the Clackamas Review.

Clark County Backs Out of Admissions Tax

Clark County Commissioners backed out of a proposed admissions tax that would have funded a baseball stadium in Vancouver.  The stadium was targeted for use by Clark College and a potential short-season Single-A baseball team.

Read more about this in the Oregonian.

The Yakima Bears of the Northwest League had been in discussions with Clark County to move to the new stadium.  Now they will be looking elsewhere, hopefully in Milwaukie, Oregon, where leaders there have held a series of community meetings to gauge interest in building a ballpark.  For many Portland residents, a Milwaukie ballpark, situated right along the new SE MAX line would be a lot more convenient than the Vancouver site.  The SE MAX line is funded and construction (at least, the bridge portion) has already started. A MAX line to Vancouver, along with a new I-5 bridge, seems to be many years away.  So let's hope Milwaukie can get their ducks in a row and jump on the opportunity that Clark County has left them.

Notes From Third Milwaukie Listening Lounge

On Thursday, November 17, I attended the third City of Milwaukie "Listening Lounge," a forum for residents to express their opinions about the possibility of bringing professional baseball to Milwaukie, Oregon.  According to the city, this was the best-attended session, with more than 70 people crowding into the Linwood Elementary School cafeteria.

As usual, people signed up to speak, and were initially limited to about one minute of time, but they could, and many did, raise their hands to speak again later.  I'm probably prejudiced because I favor the stadium, but of the people who spoke, I counted eight who were definitely pro-stadium and three who were definitely anti-stadium.  The rest leaned one way or another but had concerns.

On the pro side, these were the major points:

• A stadium would bring commerce and people to Milwaukie.  We need to create a vibrant economy.
• Milwaukie is dying. We need to do something to get the storefronts back.
• We need to be forward thinking.
• How much worse do you want it to get.  We don't have another choice.
• Milwaukie is a blue-collar town.  We like baseball here, and the population and location are better than Salem-Keiser.

On the anti side, these were the major points:

• We shouldn't be subsidizing baseball when we can't afford to pay teachers.
• We should pay for sidewalks and streets first, the waterfront and the plaza before baseball.
• We'd have to pay more for police, firemen, services.
• Studies show that baseball doesn't bring economic stimulus.

Other concerns were:

• Naturally, how are we going to pay for this?
• Extra noise and light.  Will it be a problem?
• Concerned that we already spent money on a study.
• We should do an economic study first, to see if a stadium makes sense.
• We need the budget committee to be involved.
• If baseball is so great, why did Portland lose it?
• With MAX, people might come to games, then go right back home.

But all in all, despite my listing more items that are anti and concerns, I still felt that the majority of people who attended this event were positive about the possibility of baseball in Milwaukie.  There were two or three people who were "violently" opposed to the idea; one lady closed her eyes and shook her head whenever anyone said anything positive about a stadium (she was shaking for most of the meeting), and clapped whenever something negative was said.  But a large number of people echoed the positive points.  They seemed genuinely concerned about their community and wanted to do something positive to make it a better place to live.  Baseball seems like a lifeline to many of these folks.  They want to grab on and pull themselves up from being just a town of strip bars.  I was impressed.  This thing may actually have a chance.

Milwaukie Hosts Second Listening Lounge

The City of Milwaukie hosted a second "listening lounge" to hear thoughts from residents about building a baseball stadium in the community.  I didn't have the chance to attend this one, nor the architects meeting on Thursday, 11/10.  But the Oregonian reports that opinions are still positive, if reserved.

The final "listening lounge" will be held at 6:00PM, Thursday November 17, at the Linwood Elementary School Cafeteria.  I'll try to attend that one and gauge the opinions.

Milwaukie Residents Sound Off on Baseball

On October 27, the City of Milwaukie hosted the first of three Listening Lounges to solicit opinions of Milwaukie residents about a possible baseball stadium in their community.  Milwaukie mayor Jeremy Ferguson was there, along with all but one of the Milwaukie city council.  Approximately 40 people attended the event, and everyone was allowed a minute or two to voice their opinions.

It seemed to me before the meeting started that pro-baseball supporters were in the majority, simply by the number of baseball caps and jackets being worn.  But opinions pro and con were voiced.

From those who were for a stadium in Milwaukie:

• Milwaukie's current image sucks.  People think of the Acropolis (a strip joint) when they think of Milwaukie.  A baseball stadium could revive the city's image.
• A stadium and a team could build community pride.
• A stadium would spur other economic growth in the area, along with the new Max line coming in.
• We shouldn't be afraid of progress.
• Noise and light levels will affect only a few people.  The stadium will be good for a greater number.
• (Concerning noise and light issues) "Ghost towns don't have airports and ballparks."
• A stadium offers benefits that can't be measured.
• (From the mayor) The stadium site (currently an ODOT facility) would add land to the tax rolls, and perhaps be incentive for other stores to locate to the area and provide more taxes.

From those who had concerns about building a stadium:

• Studies show that bringing in minor league baseball doesn't aid in the economic growth of the area.
• A stadium would add noise and light pollution to the neighborhood.
• Additional infrastructure would be needed (sewer, water, larger fire trucks, etc.)
• Why spend money for this when streets need fixing, education funding is needed, and children are going hungry.
• How is a stadium that hosts only 40 games a year going to be profitable for the city?

One interesting concern was the orientation of the stadium.  As planned, it faces east, into the community, as opposed to west, toward McGloughlin Blvd.  One person asked why it couldn't be switched so the noise would be toward the highway instead of the community.  I pointed out that the rules of baseball strongly suggest that stadiums be laid out generally to the east, so that batters aren't blinded by late afternoon sun.  But another person also noted that most of the noise of a stadium is caused by PA systems, not by crowd noise.  In the current configuration, crowd noise would be aimed at the community, but the PA system, would be aimed back at the crowd, toward McGloughlin.  Thus the current orientation is actually better for noise control.

All in all, a good meeting, and, in my opinion, positive for baseball.

Milwaukie Seeks Input on New Stadium

The city of Milwaukie has scheduled three meetings in which residents can voice their opinions about the possibility of a new baseball stadium in Milwaukie.  The sessions will be approximately one hour in length and will be prefaced by a progress report on the city's efforts.  The sessions will be held at:

• October 27th, 6:00PM at the Ardenwald Elementary School cafeteria
• November 9th, 6:00PM at the Milwaukie Elementary School cafeteria
• November 17th, 6:00PM at eh Linwood Elementary School cafeteria

Read more about this at OregonLive.

Escondido Given More Time to Approve Ballpark

The Portland Beavers eventual move to Escondido was thought to be thwarted when the community decided not to fund a ballpark.  However, the owner has decided to give them until January to change their mind.

Read more here.

Milwaukie Makes Progress on Stadium

The Milwaukie City Council authorized three companies to investigate whether it's feasible to build a minor league baseball stadium in the city, bypassing a longer, more time-consuming formal bid process.  Baby steps maybe, but forward moving ones.  I still haven't heard anything about Vancouver's progress with the Yakima Bears.  Apparently, their exclusive negotiating agreement expired on September 20.

Read more about the Milwaukie stadium process at OregonLive.com

Biggest Collapse: Atlanta, Boston, or Maybe Minnesota?

The playoffs are finally here, and if the last day of the regular season is any indication, they'll be exciting.  But while all the attention has been on the stunning collapse of the Red Sox and Braves, to this Twins fan, the collapse of the 2011 Twins was just as epic.  Worse, it took much longer sit through.

Last season, the Twins were 94-68, the third best record in the AL, and won the Central Division.  This year they were 63-99, worst in the AL, with only an epic pitching performance by Carl Pavano saving them from a 100-loss season.  Injuries and the loss of bullpen stalwarts did them in. As did poor fielding and lack of desire in the final months. But unlike the Red Sox and Braves, it may be many seasons before they recover.  To me, that's just sad.

As for the playoffs, in the NL I'll be pulling for the Brewers.  In the AL, it's ABY (anybody but Yankees).

Bears to Play in Yakima in 2012

As reported in the Vancouver Columbian, the Single-A Bears will continue to play in Yakima during the 2012 season.  They are still trying to work out a deal with Vancouver for a stadium there, and have exclusive negotiating rights with Vancouver and Portland until September 23.  But even if a stadium deal is approved, there's not enough time to ready a new stadium for the 2012 season.

On the Milwaukie front, officials there have been meeting with all the Northwest League teams about possible relocation.  Although some have speculated that there might be territorial rights issues between a team in Vancouver and one in Milwaukie, the real issue for Milwaukie is the Salem-Kaiser team.  The territorial rights prevent a team from locating in a county adjacent to the county where another team already resides.  Clackamas County, where Milwaukie's stadium would be built, is adjacent to Marion County, where the Salem-Kaiser stadium is.

Vancouver Stadium Admission Tax Gets Hearing

The folks in Clark County are pushing forward with their baseball proposal, holding a public hearing on the admissions tax that will be used to fund the new stadium, according to this article in the Columbian Newspaper. The hearing will be held at the regular county commissioners' meeting on Tuesday, September 20.  According to the article, the Yakima Bears have exclusive negotiating rights to the entire Portland/Vancouver area, but those rights expire in three weeks unless progress is made.  If the commissioners approve an admissions tax, that would be enough to retain the rights.

It sounds like even with the admissions tax, there could be a 30 percent funding shortfall.  So more work would be needed.

Although some people have speculated that a team in Vancouver would have territorial rights that would prevent Milwaukie from obtaining a team too, this is the first time I've seen that in print.  It will be interesting to see what, if any, response Milwaukie makes to up the ante.

Possible Shopping Mall Synergistic with Milwaukie Stadium

Developer Fred Bruning is eyeing Milwaukie's north industrial area as a possible site for a shopping mall that could include outfitter Cabela's as an anchor store.  The developer likes the area and the synergy that light rail and a possible new baseball park could provide.  Read the story in the Clackamas Review.

Bring it Back

The City of Milwaukie's web page has a link to the latest information about their effort to bring minor league baseball to that city. Here it is.

The city has also produced a nice brochure describing the proposal and why it might be a great idea.  It includes a much better map of where the proposed ballpark would be in relation to roads and MAX lines.  You can download the brochure.

If you'd like to be on the mailing list to receive updates on the Milwaukie project, send an email to Kenny Asher, Milwaukie's Director of Community Development and Public works.  You can reach him at:  asherk@ci.milwaukie.or.us.

Sam Agrees to Help? What Gives?

Mayor Sam Adams agreed to lend Portland experts in facility management to the City of Milwaukie in their quest to build a baseball stadium and lure a Single-A team.

Read about it here.

Although I'm glad about this, I've got to ask, Portland has experts in facility management????  Where were they when we were trying to get a stadium built in Portland?  Where were they when we needed to rip down the eyesore that is Memorial Coliseum and build a gem of a new ballpark?  How are they doing on the Coliseum plan now?

Baseball in Milwaukie?

Yesterday's Oregonian had an article about the City of Milwaukie's interest in building a baseball park and convincing a Northwest League short-season Single-A team to relocate.  Here's the story.

I find readers comments in these types of stories very interesting.  In this story, there seemed to be several "history-revisionists" at work.  Or maybe I should call them people living in their own version of reality.  I'm referring to the ones who claim people in Portland don't like baseball, or who won't attend a baseball game.  Perhaps those people should be reminded of the very last Portland Beavers baseball game on September 6, 2010.  In a lot of cities, when it's known that a team is leaving town, fans lose interest or get disgusted and stop going to games.  But the last Beavers game was a sellout.  During the last out, people got to their feet and roared for a victory, so much so that the batter stepped out, dumbfounded by such enthusiasm over a meaningless game on the last day of the season.

Steve Novick Weighs in on Baseball

With the loss of the Portland Beavers, I've made a pledge to never vote for any member of the current City Council again.  Sam Adams said he's not running again.  So, one down.  Randy Leonard's not running either.  Two down.  But what about potential candidates?  How do they feel about what went down with the Beavers?

Recently, I sent Steve Novick, candidate for Randy Leonard's council seat, an email asking him how he felt about the baseball situation and asking what he would do to bring baseball back.  Here's his response.

 I am a baseball guy myself, but am leery of investing public money in any sports-related venture. I can't stand soccer, but can't say I disagree with choosing major league soccer over minor league baseball. So I'd like to have a team here and would want to cooperate with an effort to restore it, but in terms of committing public resources, I"d be reticent.

Not the overwhelming support I wanted, but the guy seems honest and didn't pull punches with someone (me) who was obviously a baseball fanatic, just to get my vote.

I've sent similar emails to Charlie Hales and Eileen Brady.  If they ever respond, I'll post their comments.

Sam Adams Won't Run for Re-election. Hip, Hip, Hooray!

Portland Mayor Sam Adams today announced that he will not run for re-election.  Don't let the door hit you in the butt on your way out, Sam.  And don't worry that we'll forget you.  You'll always be known as the mayor who allowed professional baseball to leave town.

What's Up With Vancouver's Bid For Minor League Baseball

In May, the owners of the Yakima Bears, a short-season Single-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks, announced interest in relocating to Vancouver, WA.  The proposed move would include remodeling or replacing the stadium at Clark College and ending up with a 3,500 (or so) seat park that would be used both by the Bears and by Clark College.  With lawn seating, capacity could be up to 6,000.  Since that time, some progress has been made.  But like the situation with Portland's Beavers, citizen reaction, at least on the Vancouver Columbian website has been decidedly mixed.

Part of the controversy is the addition of a 5% county-wide entertainment admissions tax to help pay for the stadium.  The tax would be levied on entertainment such as movie tickets, the county fair, motocross events, etc. I believe the tax would not be imposed on events of non-profit organizations, such as the Vancouver Symphony.

There are many articles about the progress of acquiring the Bears.  Here are a few links to get you started.  If you read the comments from readers and compare with what you remember from discussions about the Beavers, you may experience deja vu all over again.

Exclusive Baseball Talks OK'd By County
Nonprofit  Backs Bid to Lure Baseball
Toss a Few Questions at Baseball Discussion
Tuesday's Public Forum on Baseball Cancelled

Saturday at Joe Etzel Field

Saturday was a beautiful day for baseball.  My wife and I took in the 1:00 WCL-Portland game between the Stars and the Dukes at the University of Portland.  Here she is kicking back and waiting for the game to start.

The umpires were just coming out onto the field.  As you can see, not many fans in stands.  A typical weekend day game draws about 20-50 people, most of them parents or relatives of the players.  But don't let the fact that few people attend keep you from coming.  The whole herd mentality thing really bothers me.  If nobody else goes, maybe I shouldn't either.  Maybe there's something wrong with me if I go and no one else does.  Baloney!  It was a beautiful day and a nice game.  Empty seats mean more choices and more room to spread out.  I'll bloviate more about the herd mentality in a later post.

On a sunny day, the best seats are way over on first base side, under a shade tree.  We were the only ones over there for a while.  But by the fourth inning or so, other people decided they were too hot and joined us, and we had our own little cheering section.

I asked one of the Dads how kids get picked for these teams.  He told me their college coaches recommend them, and they get thrown into a pool and drafted by the coaches of the summer teams.  They try to make sure that at least three or four guys from the same college team are on a single summer team, so they've got a few people around that they know.    The regular WCL consists of mostly Division 1 players, but some of the guys in the WCL-Portland can get called up to one of those teams.  When they do, they have to sign a contract and everything.  No pay is involved, but it is a promise, both by team and player, of how long the player will be on the team.

Who won the game?  Does it matter?  Would you care if I told you?  The thing about summer league ball here in PDX, and about minor league professional ball too, is that players and managers care about winning and losing.  We the fans don't have to.  Suffice to say there were sparkling double plays, good pitching for five or six innings, and a few dumb errors and running mistakes.  Not bad for three bucks.  I'll opine more about why  fans of minor league baseball shouldn't care about wins and losses in a later post.  For now, here's some more action, one of the Dukes at bat.

West Coast League - Portland

With the University of Portland's baseball season over, the best option for live baseball in PDX is the  West Coast League - Portland.  Jamie Goldberg of the Oregonian recently published a piece about the West Coast League, but he didn't mention the WCL-Portland.  The league consists of six teams of college kids, mostly freshmen and sophomores, from nearby universities (Linfield, Clackamas CC, Chemeketa, Mt. Hood CC, etc.).  It's a wood-bat league, and games are played at the University of Portland and at Mt. Hood CC.  I've attended several games at UP this year, and I've enjoyed them all.  The play is better than high school ball, but not up UP standards.  It feels like the WCL-Portland is a minor-league version of the regular WCL, which plays its games in towns up and down the west coast.  Still, at least at UP, the scoreboard is running, the concession stand is open, and the PA announcer is at work.  For only three bucks a ticket, it's a deal.  I plan to be there tomorrow for the 1:00PM game.

Introduction

Portland, Oregon is the largest US city without a major league baseball team.  As of this year, it is the largest US city without a Triple-A team.  And it is by far the largest city without professional baseball of any kind.  The Beavers played their last game in Portland on September 6, 2010 to a packed house.

It looks like we won't have to worry about this sign any more.  Or do we?  With this blog, I'll comment on some of the few baseball options left for Portland fans.  And about efforts to bring back baseball to Portland. So stay tuned.  And be kind.  I'm still new at this.