This article is from the 01/17/2003 Portland Tribune

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Too blasé, too small for the big time? Nah


There isn't enough space in this newspaper to effectively debunk all of the myths about the possibility of major league baseball in Portland. But today let's take a shot at a few of them.

"Portland can't support minor league baseball, so how is it going to support the big leagues?""

That's like saying Portland didn't support the Portland Fire, so how can it support the Blazers? Or saying that because the Arena League didn't make it in Portland, the NFL wouldn't work. It's a remark made by people too lazy to find out the facts. They are different products. There isn't much correlation.

And the truth is, Portland has supported the minor league Beavers. The last two years, more people watched them play than in any other season in the team's history, which dates to the beginning of the 20th century. The Beavers couldn't turn a profit because they were saddled with unrealistic payments on the stadium renovation. If you want to know the truth, the team has taken in millions of dollars over the last two seasons.

"Even if we get a team, it will always be relegated to mediocrity because market size has so much impact on success in baseball.""

First of all, anyone living in Portland ought to know better. The Blazers have taught you better than that, haven't they? If you look at payroll, there are only two major markets in the NBA: New York and Portland. If you get an owner obsessed enough to spend like a drunken sailor on a two-day leave, you are no longer a small market. It all depends on how much money he wants to spend. Or in Paul Allen's case, how much he's willing to lose.

Second, in all sports "” not just baseball "” it comes down to how smart your front office is. Ted Turner, with all his dough, lost for years in Atlanta before he found bright people to run the Braves. The Yankees went through some down years, too. Look at the Blazers: Any team that outspends the rest of the league 2-to-1 should be in the finals every season.

Here are the real, up-to-date facts in baseball:
Last season, the four teams in the American League West finished in reverse order of team payroll. The dead-last Rangers outspent the first-place Oakland A's by $65 million.

Postseason playoff teams Minnesota and Oakland had lower payrolls than the 2002 Tigers, Brewers and Royals (who lost a combined 312 games).
Only three of the eight most expensive teams made it to the postseason. And the top-dollar Yankees and Diamondbacks were out in the first round.

"Vera Katz is a longtime major league baseball fan.""

Doubt it. Can't prove that she isn't, but I doubt it. But I think we're going to find out.

Dwight Jaynes' sports talk show airs from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays on KPAM (860 AM). Contact him at djaynes@portlandtribune.com