Portland - Part 2

[The Marquis]

Is this a serious question?

Do you really think the Philly, Seattle, and St. Louis MLS bids have never made the front pages of newspapers in those cities? Especially something at the level of a free paper that comes out twice a week, like the Portland Tribune?

Wow. We've found one Portland fan who needs to get over himself. You guys are great at supporting your team, but you're not the only soccer fans in America.

The tribune has a very large readership. Besides I asked a question, I didn't answer it and I wasn't asserting. Has anybody else had this so far before the team was announced? I guess you need a Marquis to English dictionary like the rest.

I know that Seattle and Philly have recently had their share of press, but in those cases we're talking about press involving a major move, such as a stadium or the announcement of the actual expansion. I'm not talking about that, I'm talking about if there was a column 2-3 years ago about Hanauer and his vision for MLS making the front page of whatever #2 paper Seattle has that has decent circulation. If so, GREAT for the league. I should bust out some goddamn quotes from this. MLS fans would be pleased with how it came out.

[bright]

EDIT: I should probably add this quote, which gets the TA all moist:

Which underlines what Paulson says is one of his beliefs about sports team ownership: “Any sports owner, first and foremost, has to understand you can be an owner from a legal standpoint, but you never truly own the team. The community owns the team. And I’m not sure every owner, from every level of sports, gets that.”

You guys are lucky to have an owner who thinks that way.

- Paul

[The Marquis]

You guys are lucky to have an owner who thinks that way.

- Paul

Seriously, he's about as good as they get, we couldn't be happier with him. He also mentions MLS in a very good light (as he should), but the guy actually seems to believe in the league as it relates to Portland beyond just the money and investment. He's in 107 cheering with us and holding the flag after a goal etc. He also has said if we do get MLS, it will be the Timbers, which makes everybody quite happy.

[Timbers]

I don't think that is a viable solution long term at all, and I think MLS agrees.

Scheduling problems, and the inability to permanently convert the East Side to serious revenue generating seating areas are the two biggest reasons.

It is healthier for both franchises if the Beavers have their own properly sized ballpark with an MLB footprint.

Just out of curiosity: has anyone in Portland ever looked into retractable seating for the east side? This would be similar to the lower level at the Rose Garden, or the sideline seats at the Metrodome, that can be pushed back (the sections and seats fold up, so they don't take up much space when retracted). There are automated "telescopic" systems that can be operted mechanically, thus minimzing the labor involved in the conversion. It would probably only take about 25 rows of seats to fill up the east side in this way. Such systems are shown here (the blue seats on the first page show a good example of what could be installed at PGE Park):

http://www.preferred-seating.com/pdf/catalogue.pdf

[The Marquis]

Even if they could. I think part of the problem MLS has with sharing with a baseball team stems from the fact that it makes scheduling for MLS much more difficult. I'm sure they day DC didn't have to share with the Nationals that the scheduling staff sighed a great sigh of relief.

[Hierarchyfive]

totally agree here, but i wonder what happens if the city greenlights the $20 mil or whatever for renovation, but a stadium for the beavers is left ambiguous. Does Merritt go ahead and share the stadium strictly as a short term plan?

He's meeting with people at a City Club event at the Bridgeport on Monday... i'll be going and hope to ask him this.

Report back for those that can't attend. Please :)

[trip76]

the stadium needs updating regardless. i've said the montreal staduim is minor league, and as it stands, the portland one is as well.

[jasontoon]

I guess you need a Marquis to English dictionary like the rest...I'm talking about if there was a column 2-3 years ago about Hanauer and his vision for MLS making the front page of whatever #2 paper Seattle has that has decent circulation.

Really? Your original question:

Any other cities making moves for MLS ever made the front page of a local paper?

Maybe "the rest" aren't the ones with the English problem.

You asked a frankly dumb question that implied that somehow Portland was getting unprecedented coverage for their MLS bid. If that's not what you meant, you should have said so the first time around.

[The Marquis]

Really? Your original question:



Maybe "the rest" aren't the ones with the English problem.

You asked a frankly dumb question that implied that somehow Portland was getting unprecedented coverage for their MLS bid. If that's not what you meant, you should have said so the first time around.


Read my original post. I asserted it was awesome, which it is. Then I asked a question, you read it how you wanted to read it. No english problem here, in fact minored in english in college, just don't give a ******** how I write when I'm on the damn internet.

Regardless, apparently the answer to the question is "no" then, since you apparently can't be assed to answer it since you assert that you know the answer. Am I right?

[SounderMan]

Read my original post. I asserted it was awesome, which it is. Then I asked a question, you read it how you wanted to read it. No english problem here, in fact minored in english in college, just don't give a ******** how I write when I'm on the damn internet.

Regardless, apparently the answer to the question is "no" then, since you apparently can't be assed to answer it since you assert that you know the answer. Am I right?

Don't get too worried Marquis.............. it's just the manifestation of the "Dey took our jobs" syndrome. In some people's mind, St. Louis has, and always will have, a divine right to an MLS franchise and the whole world is conspiring against them. Except the rare few......... an intelligent discussion is out of the question.

[The Marquis]

Man, and here I was rooting for St. Louis to get a team.

[SounderMan]

Man, and here I was rooting for St. Louis to get a team.

St. Louis most likely will get a franchise which makes all the grousing just that much more annoying. Other communities have had to wait until MLS deemed the time was right to award a team. For selfish reasons, I'd like to see Portland and Vancouver but the bids have to make sense to MLS and not just a few fans on BigSoccer. For now...... I'm looking forward to the first Timber' vs Sounder match of 2008.

[PopsKrock]

Don't get too worried Marquis.............. it's just the manifestation of the "Dey took our jobs" syndrome. In some people's mind, Seattle has, and always will have, a divine right to an MLS franchise and the whole world was conspiring against them. Except the rare few......... an intelligent discussion is out of the question.

Fixed your post.

[SounderMan]

Fixed your post.

I don't hear/see people from Seattle whining................... we waited until MLS was happy.

[PopsKrock]

I don't hear/see people from Seattle whining................... we waited until MLS was happy.

Pulling your leg a little. The only thing I hear from Seattle people is that they deserve a team for having Qwest. There were some complaints after Seattle was passed over despite building the Seahawk's a stadium.

[Hierarchyfive]

PLEASE don't turn another Portland thread into a Seattle vs. The world bitchfest.

[SounderMan]

Pulling your leg a little. The only thing I hear from Seattle people is that they deserve a team for having Qwest. There were some complaints after Seattle was passed over despite building the Seahawk's a stadium.

I know..... you are one of the reasonable ones. There was disappointment after RSL was announced because the league had promised a franchise if Qwest was built. They finally saw that all the pieces came together. THe key is..... Qwest was built and isn't waiting to be built pending MLS approval.

[jasontoon]

Don't get too worried Marquis.............. it's just the manifestation of the "Dey took our jobs" syndrome. In some people's mind, St. Louis has, and always will have, a divine right to an MLS franchise and the whole world is conspiring against them. Except the rare few......... an intelligent discussion is out of the question.

Whatever. Nothing I said above has anything to do with any nonsense about a "divine right" to anything or "dey took our" anything or anybody "conspiring" against anybody.

I even included Seattle and Philadelphia as cities where the MLS bids have also received front-page newspaper attention. That was my point: there's nothing that unusual about having an MLS bid covered on the front page of a newspaper. Seems like a reasonable point to me. Keep fighting those straw men, though.

[jasontoon]

Man, and here I was rooting for St. Louis to get a team.

Don't blame St. Louis for my comments. I don't speak for anybody but myself. And I'm careful to express myself clearly when I do it, even on the ****** Internet. Try it sometime. You'll find you get into far fewer of these little spats with "the rest".

I'd also support putting an MLS team in Portland, but waving around a free-paper column as evidence of Portland's superiority is ridiculous.

[PopsKrock]

PLEASE don't turn another Portland thread into a Seattle vs. The world bitchfest.
Could we turn it into Portland Vs. Seattle. That would seem more natural.