But here's what I do know:
Major league baseball doesn't fit in South Florida, for a variety of reasons. And certainly, if you're trying to charm or threaten politicians into helping you get a new ballpark, the Marlins are going about it all wrong " you don't sell off or trade away all your good players in hopes of enlisting support.
I also know that if Portland is being "used," that's no big thing and is actually a part of the process of getting a team. Baseball used Washington, D.C., for years. Same with St. Petersburg, Fla. Eventually, though, they were "used" enough that they become candidates.
Portland is now the leading candidate for relocation.
Oh, some will say Las Vegas, but there are way too many impediments there " including the insufferable summertime weather and the fact that many tourists come for gaming, not to watch games. People there also tell me that too many of those with enough income to afford baseball tickets work that Vegas night shift " 4 p.m. to midnight " which is like our 9-to-5 shift.
Let me again make clear what you may or may not know " Portland is a baseball town. Much more of a baseball town than a few cities that already have a major league team.
According to a survey by ESPN.com, Portland has the highest MLB following (72 percent) of any city without a big league club. In the survey, 16 percent of Portlanders named baseball their favorite sport " higher than in any other city without a big league team.
On top of that, we've got a stadium-funding plan in place and an interim facility. A poll released in the Portland Tribune about a year and a half ago indicated that two-thirds of Portlanders favored chasing major league baseball, while about 30 percent did not favor it.
I mention all this again only because there isn't another city in the country as unaware of itself as Portland. It's high time this city got another major league sports franchise, and baseball fits with basketball much better than hockey does. An NHL vs. NBA battle " their seasons run at the same time " would inevitably lead to both franchises suffering.
The backers of MLB in Portland are a nice blend of average citizens and prominent business people. They have been clear, consistent and concise for several years.
The missing piece has been political leadership since Vera Katz left the mayor's office. Whether our local politicians have any interest in responding to that 67 percent of locals who want baseball remains to be seen.
They ignore them at their own political peril.
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Posted December 10, 2005 2:35:00 PM
