Portland and the MLB Dream

The Portland Oregon Sports Authority is pleased to announce a new ticket plan for the Triple A Portland Beavers that will provide ticket/suite holders with priority access to season tickets/suites for a future Portland Major League Baseball franchise. The new plan was developed as a partnership of the Portland Oregon Sports Authority, Portland Family Entertainment and Oregon Baseball Campaign. New purchasers of Beavers suites, season and mini ticket packages will be placed on the list for choosing seat/suite locations for a future Portland Major League Baseball franchise ahead of the general public.

"We are delighted to provide Oregon baseball fans with the opportunity to secure their place in line for MLB season tickets," said Drew Mahalic, CEO of the Portland Oregon Sports Authority. "We believe this will have a dramatic effect on attendance at Portland Beavers games at PGE Park and it will enable Oregonians to make a meaningful statement to Major League Baseball."

"This is one more great reason for baseball fans to come out and enjoy renovated PGE Park and the Beavers," said Mark Schuster of Portland Family Entertainment. New Beavers ticket/suite holders will be placed on the MLB priority list with all current season and mini-ticket holders. Those with Beavers season tickets will receive a higher ranking on the list than those with mini-packages. PGE Park suite holders and corporate sponsors will be placed on a priority list for choosing suites and preferred seats.

Sam Adams, Chief of Staff for Portland Mayor Vera Katz, added, "we are pleased to support the MLB ticket plan to increase attendance at PGE Park and document that Portlanders will support a Major League Baseball franchise."

Major League Baseball's recent vote to contract two teams has highlighted Portland's opportunity to become a relocation solution for Major League Baseball. Even with the vote to contract, MLB Commissioner Bud Selig declared, "relocation may serve as a very practical solution down the road... it might even in the fairly near future."

"This is an important step in the process of demonstrating Portland's worthiness for a major league team," said Dr. Lynn Lashbrook, President of the Oregon Baseball Campaign. The Beavers and the Oregon Baseball Campaign will recruit many interns to execute the new MLB ticket plan. "We are looking for energetic people to help make this successful."

The Portland Oregon Sports Authority (POSA) is a private, non-profit organization composed of a board of directors representing the public and corporate leaders of the state of Oregon. POSA strives to define the state of Oregon as the preferred location for select amateur and professional sports events and related activities "” enhancing Oregonians' quality of life and stimulating the economy. In its eight-year history of serving as Oregon's sports-marketing arm, the organization has successfully secured five professional sports franchises and more than sixty events for Oregon, resulting in an economic impact of more than $90 million. For more information about POSA, the public can visit www.portlandsports.org.