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--> --> Major League representative takes in Portland ball game By The Associated Press PORTLAND - A representative from Major League Baseball visited Portland to see if the city would be a good place to relocate a struggling franchise. Some baseball fans think that Portland is ready for a major league team. They also think the timing is right because the Montreal Expos and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays are suffering financial losses and might want to move. "We have a long-term strategy to bring major league baseball to Portland, and we're right on course," said Steve Kanter, president of the Oregon Baseball Coalition, who helped arrange Corey Busch's visit. On Thursday, Busch met business and community leaders and watched the Portland Beavers play at PGE Park. At the game, he was accompanied by lawmakers, baseball advocates and members of Kitzhaber's staff. He checked out the refurbished PGE Park to see whether it might suit a major league team while a new stadium is built. "Certainly, he's going to take a good, hard look at PGE Park as a possible interim park," Kanter said. "And I want to emphasize: interim." Busch told reporters at the game that PGE Park seems a bit small to host a major league team. The park holds 22,000 spectators, half the size of most big league ballparks. Baseball supporters and the media encouraged fans to flood PGE Park, to show Major League Baseball that Portland is ready for a team. But fewer than 7,000 came to see the Beavers play the Edmonton Trappers. That total, however, doubled Wednesday's attendance. The next few days could prove important to the prospects of bringing a team to Oregon. A proposal before the Legislature would authorize state funding for $150 million of an estimated $336 million baseball stadium. The remainder would be paid by the city of Portland and by the owners of whatever team opted to move to the city. The plan made it through the House, but stalled in the Senate. It was declared dead during a floor speech by Ways and Means co-chairman Sen. Lenn Hannon, R-Ashland. Email your... Technical questions & comments to: WebMaster Daily Tidings editorial comments & questions to: Editor Visit our other Oregon Newspapers... | Albany Democrat-Herald | Ashland Daily Tidings | Corvallis Gazette-Times | | Lebanon Express | Newport News-Times | Springfield News | Cottage Grove Sentinel | Ashland Daily Tidings 1661 Siskiyou Blvd. Ashland, OR 97520 Telephone 541-482-3456 © Copyright 2001 Lee Northwest Publishing