Two leaders of a so-far failed move to lure a major league baseball franchise to Portland had differing views of what the action would mean to any future efforts. That and this report from The Oregonian's Ken Wheeler

If Major League Baseball does drop two teams, "it would reduce chances for relocation cities," said Steve Kanter, a professor at Lewis & Clark law school and president of the Baseball Group, which fought a losing battle to get a stadium financing package through the last session of the state legislature.

"Every indication we had from them," Kanter said, "was that they believed Portland could be a viable market, assuming we could put together the political will and stadium financing plan."

Contraction, he said, "does not help us. It just presents one more impediment. It just means that it is less likely an enormous opportunity for Oregon will come to pass."

Had the legislature approved a partial stadium financing plan, he said, "it would have been no guarantee that a team would relocate here, but it would have been a significant step" toward that goal.

Lynn Lashbrook, a sports agent who also was active in the drive to get legislative approval for state involvement in a stadium financing plan, was more optimistic.

In fact, he called it, "a very good day for Portland." That, despite his belief that had the legislature approved its portion of a stadium financing plan, "today's announcement would have included the move of a team to Portland."

Lashbrook enumerated his reasons for optimism.

"First, putting on my sports agent's hat, I do not believe there will be contraction. I believe it is a bargaining ploy with the players. Another positive thing is that baseball is beginning to address the economic problems it has."

Both Lashbrook and the Baseball Group, who worked in conjunction and shared a common goal in attempting to get a stadium financing plan through the legislature, had said their pursuit of a major league team was predicated on baseball solving its economic problems. That and this report from The Oregonian's Ken Wheeler