Breaking News


June 1, 2001
Baseball Commissioner considers PGE Park for Montreal Expos
Kristina Brenneman
Fans of bringing a major league baseball team to Portland, Ore., held a rally last night at The Kingston Bar and Grill, timing it around a visit to PGE Park by a major league baseball representative.

Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig sent his representative Corey Busch to the Portland Beavers game, and to meet with key state and local leaders about the possibility of PGE Park as an interim MLB ballpark for the Montreal Expos. The Beavers are a minor league team affiliated with the San Diego Padres Major League team.

"There's lots of options," said Lynn Lashbrook, head of the Oregon Baseball Campaign, who was meeting with Busch yesterday. "What's good for Portland is this is a window of opportunity and we want to be a solution for baseball. People see the campaign is catching on."

The ball reached home two weeks ago when a Montreal Gazette columnist Jack Todd reported that the Expos were looking at PGE Park as a temporary location until a new facility is constructed.

"Maybe we should start thinking of the Expos as the Portland Duxpos," he wrote three days ago. "In the never-ending speculation as to the destiny of the team now playing major-league ball for the benefit of 40,000 empty seats out at Drapeau's Folly, the city of Portland (Oregon, not Maine) comes up roughly as often as kind words for Claude Brochu. But the Oregon city, a dark horse in the franchise sweepstakes until recently, has swept to the fore to become the city most likely."

Reports of Busch's visit has generated feverish discussion on the web site for the campaign to bring major league baseball to Oregon, http://www.oregonbaseballcampaign.com. Legislation that would provide $150 million for ballpark construction is now being considered by lawmakers. Alternative methods for financing the remaining construction costs are being weighed by the city of Portland and private sources.

Portland architect John Vosmek has drawn some mock designs for a 42,000-square foot design.

"If we get funding, I'd bet 99 percent on us getting major league baseball," Lashbrook said.

Contact Kristina Brenneman at 503-219-3413 or by email at kbrenneman@bizjournals.com.



From the 06/01/01 Portland Business Journal