Baseball fans are going to have to step up if you're going to see the Beavers, or any baseball, anywhere within the city limits of Portland. Stepping up means a letter-writing campaign to Dan Saltzman and other elected city officials, The Oregonian, Willamette Week, etc.

It may happen at Lents. Judging from a comparison between the outcry over the Memorial Coliseum proposal and that over Lents (for which there was a contentious meeting last Wednesday night), the city council could decide that Lents is the path of least resistance.... and that's under the hope Merritt Paulson has a little bit to give to the effort, whether by reducing an apparent proposal to dedicate the entire $42 million available to the Lents URA to the ballpark proposal or perhaps proposing another investment to represent redevelopment that Lents leaders are looking for.

Paulson, through Anna Griffin and other channels, has mentioned Hillsboro and Vancouver as alternates. That's all but a threat to leave Portland in my book... something that may lose Randy Leonard's support, but gain the approval of Nick Fish.

I've moved within shouting distance of PGE Park... and I know that baseball attendance numbers are fudged. To be honest, I was slipped official drop counts from 2005 a long time ago, and nothing has really changed.

Timbers Army is organized enough and strong enough to have persuaded MLS not to risk an underfunded owner in St. Louis with a funded stadium proposal in the Illinois suburbs. Asking the Army to support a baseball proposal is pretty much what I'd expect if I asked you to support building a $500 million 50,000-seater for the Timbers from the general fund... the bulk of our group has its passion for the Timbers. It's not helping baseball.