This article is from the 02/09/2003 edition of the Seattle Times

Larry Stone / Baseball reporter

Inside pitch: Portland efforts hit M's close to home


RYAN REMIORZ / AP

Nicolas Landry makes clear his feelings for keeping the Expos in Montreal at a rally at Olympic Stadium last summer. Portland is in the market for the franchise.

A healthy dose of skepticism still exists around baseball about Portland's ability to lure a major-league team, specifically the orphaned Expos, whom they are madly courting.
But Portland's grassroots efforts have already far exceeded most expectations, as witnessed by a distinct change in the Mariners' reaction to their potential rival.

In 2001, when major-league baseball seemed like little more than a pipe dream, Mariners President Chuck Armstrong told The Seattle Times, "Our view is that we'd love to have a true rival."

But now that Portland has ascended to a position of finalist for the Expos (along with the heavy favorites to land them, Washington, D.C., or Northern Virginia), the Mariners seem to be changing their tune.

In a recent Washington Post article, Mariners spokeswoman Rebecca Hale said that while the Mariners haven't taken a position on the possibility of a major-league franchise in Portland, the Mariners control broadcasting rights in Oregon, Idaho, Montana and Alaska, as well as Washington.

"We consider Oregon to be our territory," Hale said.

That position was reiterated by Mariners Chairman Howard Lincoln last week at the Mariners' spring-training luncheon.

"Major League Baseball defines our territory to include Oregon, and we broadcast in the Portland area and other parts of Oregon," Lincoln said. "Our view is this really is a decision Major League Baseball has to make, and not something we're going to get involved in, but certainly we have a lot of fans down in the Oregon area."

One estimate, in fact, is that 30 percent of their fan base comes from there. Portland officials would be naïve to expect the Mariners to acquiesce to a franchise there, at least without some financial inducement from major-league baseball "” even though Portlanders believe Armstrong's original comments were on the mark.

"My view is that a rivalry between healthy, well-run franchises in Seattle and Portland would be healthy for both," said Stephen Kanter, a Lewis and Clark College law professor and president of the Portland Baseball Group. "In the short term, it might mean a little loss (of fans), but I think a neighborhood rivalry would really help sustain interest in years that are a little less magical than the last few have been (for the Mariners)."

The strength of the rivalry, of course, would also depend on what league a potential Portland team would play in. Some form of realignment is a distinct possibility if and when Montreal is relocated. If Seattle and Portland wound up in different leagues, it is logical to expect they would meet each year in interleague play.

The question of territorial rights is a murky one, but at the heart of baseball's dilemma regarding the Expos. Washington, D.C., would probably be a slam-dunk to receive the Expos if not for the litigation threats of Baltimore Orioles owner Peter Angelos, who claims the Expos would be infringing on his territory.

Baseball officials appear sensitive to the concerns of the Mariners. One high-ranking official said, "Always remember, we're always protective of existing franchises. We're very mindful that moving Oakland to the Bay Area hurt both teams. In 33 years, they've suffered hundreds of millions of dollars in losses. I know how the Mariners feel, and our abiding concern is not hurting existing franchises."

However, another major-league official said that Mariners concerns almost certainly couldn't stop relocation to Portland if baseball decided that the city best met all its criteria involving attendance projections, stadium financing, an interim ballpark and the like.

Portland officials, while expressing sympathy for potential Mariners objections, believe they're not a major obstacle. And this issue isn't likely to go away even if the Expos move elsewhere. Portland believes that another team "” possibly the A's, Marlins or even Devil Rays "” will eventually relocate, and they plan to keep working to be in position to nab it.

"As we understand it "” and it's really an issue for baseball "” there's no territorial right (by the Mariners)," Kanter said. "Baseball doesn't operate that way. Certainly, there's a 150-, 160-mile difference, and there are clubs well within that range around the country.

"One could understand they would have a little anxiety, but if baseball concludes Portland is the right market to relocate, I have absolutely no doubt this issue wouldn't be an impediment. I'm sure the Mariners will operate in their self-interest, as they should. But I would hope, at the end of the day, they would see a benefit to a team in Portland."