Today's Poll - The Timbers Just Got Official
by Ben Golliver on Mar 20, 2009 12:22 PM PDT
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Left to right: City Commissioner Randy Leonard, MLS Commissioner Don Garber, Timbers Owner Merritt Paulson, Mayor Sam Adams ... picture courtesy: BE Director of Soccer Photography Yu Miyagawa
Can't say I had much faith that I would ever see this day. But it happened. Portland has been awarded its second professional team: the Portland Timbers are slated to begin play in Major League Soccer in 2011. Now that it's here, I'll admit that I'm geeking out a little bit. Big, big, big day for Portland.
How the Blazers and the Timbers (and their respective fanbases) coexist will be interesting to follow.
Look no further than this interview on LoadedOrygun with City Commissioner Randy Leonard, who was instrumental in putting together the MLS deal, to feel the friction between the Vulcans and the Timbers ownership group.
-- Ben (benjamin.golliver@gmail.com)
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Second
I will go to at least game with my son, to see what the experience is like. But my plate is pretty full following the Blazers, Mariners, OSU football/basketball/baseball, Seahawks, etc.
And they better put the games on TV for everyone, not just Comcast subscribers. I would hope that the Timbers learn from the Comcast/Directv fiasco and make their product available to everybody.
by unblindloyalty on Mar 20, 2009 12:26 PM PDT reply actions
doesn’t mls have a deal with ESPN? i’m guessing that’s the only way they are televised or is comcast really getting their tentacles on this team too…
by Ben Golliver on Mar 20, 2009 12:28 PM PDT up reply actions
the 411
“hey ben. regarding your inquiry as to timbers mls television rights, espn and fsc have national broadcast rights along with some spanish language channels. the regional rights (kong in seattle, MSG in NY, etc) are sold by the team to whoever they want, so comcast could get into this. hopefully they won’t tho”
by Ben Golliver on Mar 20, 2009 1:33 PM PDT up reply actions
I'm excited to go to the games
I hope Portlanders get as into the game as Europeans do. Lets light some fires in the stands!!
I Blazersedge daily, nightly and ever so rightly.
I played Soccer for 20 years
and for years I wanted to have Professional Soccer in Portland.
That being said I feel this is an EGREGIOUS misuse of public funds by the city of Portland and am outraged that during a time when we desperately need to be reinforcing our safety net and helping our local economy (Pro-sports when publicly financed are virtually always a net loser for the community) we are wasting millions of dollars that could be much better spent.
Being a huge fan of Soccer this is NOT the time to do this sort of thing the right time was 1996 or some future date when the economy stabilizes. I’m horrified that the son of Hank “rob em blind” Paulson set this deal up.
Why?
by Idog1976 on Mar 20, 2009 12:31 PM PDT reply actions 1 recs
I was going to start an economic debate,
but then I realized it probably wouldn’t help. But I have one point anyways: public projects are great to jump start the economy. The jobs that the retrofit of PGE Park and the construction of the new minor league park will help the economy. We might be spending hundreds of millions of dollars on this project, but that money doesn’t just disapppear.
Sorry. Just my opinion. And Go Blazers!
"It's not who jumps the highest -- it's who wants it the most" Buck Williams
"and if EVERYONE confronted with a tough, disgusting situation pulled out, I don't think I would have been born." Mortimer
by Fund A Mental on Mar 20, 2009 1:11 PM PDT up reply actions
read up on the deal more
this deal has nothing to do with any “safety net;” the bonds being sold are not available for general fund use, but exactly for this purpose—economic development and recovering costs through surcharges on ticket sales.
The sum total of risk being put up by the City is $2.5 million, for any overruns. Anything over that—and ALL of the bond repayment money—is the personal responsibility of the Paulsons. Not a company of theirs, their own personal funds.
It’s only true that financed stadiums are a net loser when a) the sports owner is the owner of the stadium, and b) the city has to pay some kind of non-repaid cash for it. Neither is the case here (except for the potential $2.5mil). And the studies are almost all concerning deals of hundreds of millions or more in financing. The sum total for TWO like-new stadia is just $49mil, from the city’s end (and again, the repayment hook is on Paulson).
This is an EXCELLENT time for this project. Six hundred well paying construction jobs over the next two years is exactly what we need.
by torridjoe on Mar 20, 2009 2:06 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
I agree with you as well.
Time will tell if I actually get into the new Timbers, but this is a great opportunity for the city of PDX.
Man standing on toilet is high on pot.
I realize this is a rabid sports crowd
and I too have sports related case of rabies. My point about a safety net is that as a social worker who sees the front lines of the depression at my job I can tell you that the safety net is stretched to the maximum. We could have used that money for things that would help to deal with the thousands upon thousands of devastated families that cannot afford to eat, let alone buy a ticket to a Timbers game. A year from now my contention that this is a colossal waste of public funds won’t be debatable. That money and the 600 jobs it will create could have been better spent in any number of ways. All I know is my workload has tripled in the past 3 months yes tripled and my pay will be cut signifigantly in the coming months. Many safety net like programs in the Portland area have disappeared due to lack of matching funds from state, county and city sources. There is a great anger rising in the poor of this country and the poor of this country are an ever widening group. I’ve seen people with Masters Degrees and and six digit incomes as of a few months ago who now need Food Stamps. But what I have seen from all of my clients is a rising anger at rich people and the way that public funds are being spent whether on bank bailouts or stadiums for a shrinking middle class and rich. When I say this is a huge mistake I mean it in a way that only someone who is on the front lines of this recession/depression can understand. Don’t worry torridjoe this summer or next you will understand my point as you see riots in the larger cities, you can count on it. If we spent those millions on developing empty lots in portland into community gardens by employing people at low wages you could create thousands of jobs and thousands of tons of food as just one example. The stadium jobs are not renewable and when this project is done the jobs will end. Enjoy your soccer and continue to ignore the increasing numbers of homeless people it worked for the french in 1780’s france to ignore the ever larger amounts of poor until it didn’t. I don’t think most people who don’t understand the source of this downturn – CDO’s, CDS and other exotic OTC derivatives with notional values in the 100’s of trillions (Source Bank of International Settlements) that become real value when a party like Lehman brothers becomes bankrupt – can possibly understand how deep this will get. You might want to start learning because if you think a Soccer Stadium is going to fix things you are dreaming. Enjoy your dreams.
Why?
not true
“We could have used that money for things that would help to deal with the thousands upon thousands of devastated families that cannot afford to eat, let alone buy a ticket to a Timbers game”
This just isn’t true, and confuses general funds with bonds. There are also not sufficient spaces in Portland, beyond the community gardens that already exist, to employ “thousands” of Portlanders. And frankly, most of those jobs would go begging. Ask the fruit growers around the state how easy it is to get people to pick them anymore.
No one says a soccer stadium is going to “fix things.” What’s being said is that is’ an enormously good deal for the City, and stands a high chance of bringing revenue to EVERYONE at a small risk to the City.
Your condescension isn’t appreciated, especially given how misplaced it is.
You're wrong
look up digable city. The city is sitting upon hundreds of acres of empty lots that could be turned into community gardens. Not to mention there are tons of other ways that money could be spent such as matching funds for private aid organizations that are in a severe budget crunch many of them have already folded taking dozens of jobs that once seemed permanent with them.
Why?
I mispelled their name sorry
Here is the link to the Diggable City Project a masters thesis program at PSU detailing over 800 individual sites owned by the city of Porland currently sitting fallow and unused. There are sites as large as 20 acres amongst that 800. Read the PDF alot of jobs could be made and the city could even charge a modest amount for the crop yield or “rent” the sites to communities for a modest sum bringing in revenue with very little cost. The city could even pay farmers/gardeners and then sell the crops at local farmers markets or even give it to Oregon Food Banks. Any of these would be money better spent.
Why?
I completely disagree with you about this being bad for the economy. 600 immedate jobs will bring tax dollars for the city and state RIGHT NOW
This deal is actually very safe for the taxpayers when compared to other cities expansion teams. The owner has committed to picking up a lot of the tab. This is a long term investment, one that will bring the city revenue for a long time. It is NEVER a bad time to make a smart long term investment.
by dario argento on Mar 20, 2009 4:12 PM PDT up reply actions
The Be of Timbers
I am a die hard PTFC fan in the Timbers army and I co-exist perfectly, the hard part is watching football in europe becasue it has the same season and you have to wake up at 8am. The MLS and NBA season are pretty sepreate so thats nice. But if you want to check their real fan site go here
They have football
in Europe? I thought they were into soccer?
Man standing on toilet is high on pot.
Is Timber Jim still around?
Still trying to figure out the C value paradox...
by Sexual Tyrannosaurus on Mar 20, 2009 12:51 PM PDT reply actions
retired this season... shame.
Maybe he’ll make a celebrity appearance at the opening game.
by Croatian_Sensation on Mar 20, 2009 1:24 PM PDT up reply actions
Thx for the info
I’ve got a couple of memories from back then and with the Timbers it’s usually Timber Jim.
Still trying to figure out the C value paradox...
by Sexual Tyrannosaurus on Mar 20, 2009 1:51 PM PDT up reply actions
Maybe there will be a new Timber Jim.
Blazers win BDL 2 on 2 tournament!
Skeets: i’ll close it down now … congrats. you bastards
Only if there's a new Blazer Bill
Still trying to figure out the C value paradox...
by Sexual Tyrannosaurus on Mar 20, 2009 3:24 PM PDT up reply actions
There IS a new Timber Jim, his name is Timber Joey, at least as of last year he was
Welcome to the Terror Dome
by BlazermaniacAndy on Mar 21, 2009 12:45 AM PDT up reply actions
a few questions
I’ve read things in the paper and heard what’s been said on the radio. How is this going to help Portland? Is there another city that we can compare ourselves to, that has been successful bringing in a MLS team? Do the Timbers currently do well in Portland, from a financial standpoint?
I guess I don’t really see Portland as a soccer city.
Hello, my name is J Mo
Portland was "Soccer City" back in the day
I was still a little kid back then but I can recall a little of those times
Still trying to figure out the C value paradox...
by Sexual Tyrannosaurus on Mar 20, 2009 1:01 PM PDT up reply actions
Univ of Portland has one of the best NCAA soccer programs...i guess the same can be said about a lot of US Cities regarding soccer...
slow evolution…
i dont’ know though
Yes on Proposition #9 (RLEC must go!!!!)
maybe these new Timbers should load up on U of P alumni.
Blazers win BDL 2 on 2 tournament!
Skeets: i’ll close it down now … congrats. you bastards
Alumni
Former OSU Beaver Alan Gordon played for the Timbers in 2004, before being signed by the LA Galaxy. UP alum with ties to the Timbers include Brian Winters and Andrew Gregor. US National team member Steve Cherundolo also played at UP, and Timbers fans would be pleased as punch if we were able to get him.
Check the Sounders the first Northwest Expansion team
Sold out for the entire season already.
The Timbers had the highest average attendance by a huge margin in the USL. The largest crowds ever at PGE have been for US soccer. So large that they in fact had to build extra stands, filled those up, then had a standing room area up right next to the stands, and filled that up too. That is how big soccer is in Portland.
From the back of Travis Outlaw's Franz card: Travis leads the team in monstrous thunder dunks, wins awards for post game interviews, and often gets extra points for degree of difficulty.
From the back of Greg Oden's Franz card: Nickname: Jaws. Has an insatiable desire to tear rims apart while cruising the open court, and was once interested in using head-gear for his profession.
sorry the standing room was up above the stands...
From the back of Travis Outlaw's Franz card: Travis leads the team in monstrous thunder dunks, wins awards for post game interviews, and often gets extra points for degree of difficulty.
From the back of Greg Oden's Franz card: Nickname: Jaws. Has an insatiable desire to tear rims apart while cruising the open court, and was once interested in using head-gear for his profession.
Pele
Probably the biggest footballer of all time finished his career at the piggy…. PGE. Portland is known as Soccer City Usa for that reason. Also Timber Jim Retired last year.
Another side note: The sounders(seattle) and Timbers have a very viscous and violent past.
Go to a game sit in 107 all it is is chanting and yelling, we need that in the garden…
-your resident Timber Fan
Will any of the current Timbers be on the new team?
Is there a expansion draft? How do we fill the roster?
Karma
by Sabonis4Ever on Mar 20, 2009 1:22 PM PDT up reply actions
Expansion draft
Free agents signed, buy or loan players from other teams, college draft, and various trial camps. The Seattle Sounders retained 5, I think, players from their USL team to this year’s MLS team.
When i root i root for the timbers!
clap clapclap clap clap clap clapclap clap
by Croatian_Sensation on Mar 20, 2009 1:26 PM PDT reply actions
BURN, DESTROY, WRECK AND KILL!!!!
Whooooaaaa, Whooooaaaa!
BURN, DESTROY, WRECK AND KILL!
Whooooaaaa, Whooooaaaa!
BURN, DESTROY, WRECK AND KILL!
PORTLAND TIMBERS F…… umm…… I mean, uh, PT! FC! PT! FC!
The Juice almost got caught up in the moment, and in turn, banned. When I root, I root for the TIMBERS!!!
I want Greg Oden to tuck me in at night and tell me stories about the old times
Will they be any good?
I only follow winners. Would this be like a D League team being bumped to the NBA? Instead of losing 2-1, will they lose 3-1? How long will they suck? They should suck right?
sounders are an explansion this year
and they knocked the socks off of New York City (last year’s finalists), so who knows?
From the back of Travis Outlaw's Franz card: Travis leads the team in monstrous thunder dunks, wins awards for post game interviews, and often gets extra points for degree of difficulty.
From the back of Greg Oden's Franz card: Nickname: Jaws. Has an insatiable desire to tear rims apart while cruising the open court, and was once interested in using head-gear for his profession.
Sam Adams on Blazersedge?
This is a low point for sure. Let’s never speak of this again……
2-4 the who
if i was merritt paulson i maybe wouldn’t have sam adams in the picture… but what do i know…
by Ben Golliver on Mar 20, 2009 1:59 PM PDT up reply actions
Every time you say Merritt Paulson's name
there should be the sound of a cash register in the background.
Merritt Paulson! Ch-ching – Elgin
Blazers win BDL 2 on 2 tournament!
Skeets: i’ll close it down now … congrats. you bastards
Can we have a caption contest for "What is Sam Adams thinking?"
I will go first
“This scarf would look great on Beau!”
I hope I can get a bunch of championships, like 15. " - Greg Oden
prefers the high school locker rooms
Blazers win BDL 2 on 2 tournament!
Skeets: i’ll close it down now … congrats. you bastards
he's thinking
this is a complete sweetheart deal for the city; the opposite of the usual. This one is socialization of reward (city owns the properties); privatization of risk (Paulson personally on the hook, even if the team or the league folds.)
New I-5 Rivalry revived in the MLS
Portland Timbers (‘11), Seattle Sounders (’09), Vancouver (whatever team name they decide upon) (’10).
Sweet.
"There are a few teams you have to watch out for in the fourth quarter."
"Yeah, but Portland definitely is not one of them."
-New Orleans Hornets broadcasters at the end of the third quarter with the Hornets leading 74-59. Portland later ends up winning 97-89.
"They don't mind him shooting that shot at all. Rudy Fernandez is not that great of a 3pt shooter."
-New Orleans Hornets broadcasters right after a Rudy Fernandez missed 3pter. Rudy Fernandez finished the game with three 3pters on six attempts.
whitecaps
isn’t it going to be whitecaps?
That’s the best part of the whole thing—an instant Cascade rivalry!
I'm psyched about the rivalry
It would have sucked to lose the derby. Now it’s revived within two years!
Why would the Blazers care about the MLS?
MLS is only considered major because its the highest level of soccer in the US, but comparing it to the NBA it is only a minor sports league. It is no more of a competition then the Triple A Beavers baseball team.
redevelopment plans in the rose quarter (talk of a new baseball stadium next to the RG), sponsorship dollars, etc.
by Ben Golliver on Mar 20, 2009 3:07 PM PDT up reply actions
I'll tell ya what they need to do
get a Dave and Busters in there
Still trying to figure out the C value paradox...
by Sexual Tyrannosaurus on Mar 20, 2009 3:26 PM PDT up reply actions
They need ANYTHING in the area. that is such a dead area right now. There is so much wasted space over there.
I hope I can get a bunch of championships, like 15. " - Greg Oden
They need a Dave and Busters
Still trying to figure out the C value paradox...
by Sexual Tyrannosaurus on Mar 20, 2009 3:43 PM PDT up reply actions
I was hoping for a Fuddruckers
I’d take a Dave and Busters though.
mxpx is right. That place is a whole bunch of wasted space with lots of parking. It’s very “old school” arena style: Busy on event nights, ghost town otherwise.
Denver as a Model
I think Portland should take a look at what Denver has done with the areas around Coors Field, it is a great area and has tons of shops and entertainment around.
I hope I can get a bunch of championships, like 15. " - Greg Oden
What difference does it make?
I guess Rudy should have stopped playing in Spain since it wasn’t the NBA. I expect this kind of logic from non-sports fans, but not from savvy people who have grown accustomed to the NBA being an increasingly global game.
Any sport where you don't use . . .
your hands is bogus to me ! I’m sure it takes
tremendous endurance, quickness and foot -eye
coordination, but please ???
Sorry Euros, but no-hands dosen’t work for me !
It's GO time !
It's official
I was planning on moving back to Portland, but this just pushed me over the edge. I’ll be there.
Yeah but they are losing all of the existing players right?
I hope I can get a bunch of championships, like 15. " - Greg Oden
that's what I'm curious about.
I looked around and it seems like the same owner got the rights to the MLS franchise.
by OneTrickPony on Mar 20, 2009 4:03 PM PDT up reply actions
Essentially
It’s like re-interviewing for your old job. Ultimately, the best of the current players will be retained.
Futbol is a lot like
Baseball or longboarding,a fun thing to do but boring to watch.I wish the team and their fans well and will keep track of it in a homer sort of way
by southern oregon on Mar 20, 2009 3:53 PM PDT reply actions
I am so stoked for this!!!!!! This will be great for the city. All naysayers will be watching games soon enough.
Once you get past the tired, popular assumptions that “soccer is gay, only wussies play soccer, there’s not enough scoring in soccer, if it was a real sport they’d play like men” you naysayers will be enjoying some awesome entertainment. There’s a reason soccer is by far and large the most popular sport in the world. No other sport even comes close to rivaling it in popularity. We americans are finally catching on that soccer can be breathtaking to watch. MLS is moving up quicker that most expected. It will be a premier major sports league soon enough, and Portland will have helped it to get there. Go Timbers!!!!
I thought I'd
give soccer a chance last year seeing as I moved in across the street. I went to my first game. It was mildly entertaining, small crowd, but the Timbers Army was riled up. I was starting to get into it as the match was almost over. The whistle went off at the end on a 0-0 score. I was thinking sweet, now they’ll have a shoot out or something to decide who wins. But when the players started walking off the field, i was like, “What’s going on? Are they giving up?” I couldnt believe they went through all that just to cal lit quits. Long story short, it ended in a 0-0 tie and was a huge let down for me. Haven’t been back since. 0-0 games are boring.
Man standing on toilet is high on pot.
ties are a big part of soccer.
They’re very different from traditional american sports for sure, but actually give worse teams a chance to stand up to the better teams, and evens the playing field a little bit. Also, the talent disparity between the league the timbers are in now and MLS is quite big. MLS games are wayyyy crisper and faster, still no where near the talent in English Premier League or a few other leagues overseas, but very competive nonetheless. The product we will see in 2011 will be a whole different animal than today’s timbers.
by dario argento on Mar 20, 2009 7:02 PM PDT up reply actions
Hard enough as it is to follow the blazers from the Bay Area
its going to be hard as hell to catch any live action from here on a small market MLS team. i guess blogs it is, lets hope someone as good as Dave and Ben are running it.
Rip City Baby...People have no idea what is coming.
Follow my twitter www.twitter.com/PDXBlazersFTW, @PDXBlazersFTW. Lots of random Blazer Posts from links I find around the blogosphere.
This should be excellent
They averaged about 9,000 for USL games, so you know that’s gonna jump for these. The fact that their season doesn’t conflict with the Blazers’ is a nice bonus. I’ll be at the opener, and definitely a few more games during the season. Not looking to be a season ticket holder yet or anything, but I’m very excited.
Yes! Yes! In the face!
for what it is worth
i took a minute to call into John Strong’s show today to say.
I am Blazers season ticket holder.
I love the Blazers
but I like the experience of a Timbers more than I like the Blazers game.
no canned enthusiasm (the Blazers fans are great by a league standard)
but being out side watching a fascinating game with Rabid fans is amazing.
And I love PGE park. It is comfort food for me.
The joy of a goal is same as Nic Batum hitting that clutch 3 against the Nets.
Its all part of living in Portland about a team that has unparalleled fan base.
For those who have not seen a game give it a try. I found about the Timbers while meeting some fans leaving the game while I was on a run…
I have been hooked since.
I LOVE THE TIMBERS! And now I can have my cake and eat it too
Someone made the point that both our Teams seasons don’t really coincide to that give all you maniacs something to do during the long days of summer. And as far as the Timbers go, they are more fun to attend than a Blazer game, and this is coming from a Me, Andy. The atmosphere at a soccer game in Portland rivals nothing I have ever seen before, and no, I haven’t been to a European match, but the Chants go on for hours, they are more creative and they Timbers Army is by far the greatest group of devout fans I have ever met. At the rose garden we have 3 chants, DE-FENSE, Lets Go Blazers Lets Go, and when Roy is shooting free throws, M V P – M V P. The timbers have literally new chants every week, and there is just so much energy at the games its amazing. I hope we can have BEdge Soccer night and all go a game, I will make sure to get myself in most all of your photos!
Welcome to the Terror Dome
by BlazermaniacAndy on Mar 21, 2009 12:49 AM PDT reply actions
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