Vera Wants Portland Baseball

Mayor Vera Katz "vowed" to have a plan for getting a baseball team in Portland before she leaves office. I doubt it will be the Expos. In addition to Portland, Washington, D.C.; Northern Virginia; Norfolk, Va.; Las Vegas; Monterrey, Mexico; and San Juan, Puerto Rico are all vying for the team. Is Portland a better home for baseball than these places? Plus Las Vegas is said to be "aggressive" in their pursuit.

Oh if only Gov. Kulongoski would have been more interested in trading a downtown casino for stadium financing. Then we'd have baseball and gambling! Katz is framing the deal so even if we don't get the Expos she won't look like a loser, "The point that we're trying to make," Katz said, "is that we're going to put a plan together that will be sustainable. If it's not the Expos, we will be there for the next possible team." [Oregonian]