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SUNNY Temp: 54 °F Wind: CLM at 0 mph Tuesday, August 12, 2003 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend July 12, 2003 Stadium group says baseball would be boon to tourism By TIM TROWER Mail Tribune GRANTS PASS — With a popular tourist attraction as the backdrop, representatives of the Oregon Stadium Campaign visited Southern Oregon Friday to extol the benefits of having a Major League Baseball team call Portland home. "A quarter of a million people will come to the state of Oregon just for baseball," said Art Sasse, a spokesperson for OSC, "and history shows that when you get people to come to Oregon, they are going to spend some time here." Their presence, he said, would increase spending and tax revenue for the state and put the visitors within driving distance of Southern Oregon tourist destinations. It’s this message Sasse and his counterparts will circulate in the state’s rural areas that otherwise might not feel a connection to a professional franchise in Portland. Advertisement Oregon’s largest city is in contention with two other areas — Washington D.C. and Northern Virginia — as a relocation destination for the Montreal Expos. Sasse and several community leaders gave brief talks in a low-key ceremony at the Hellgate Jetboat docks on the Rogue River. As a way of indicating baseball’s commitment to community affairs, Sasse also presented to Jeff Sigel a $1,000 donation from Oregon Sports Authority for development of softball complexes at Morrison Park, a new athletic facility in Grants Pass. Sigel is vice chairman of the Rogue River Duck Derby, a fund-raising effort for the park. The visit by OSC representatives came during the dog days of the stadium financing process and coincided with an announcement by baseball officials that the timetable for finding a home for the Expos has been pushed back. Whether Portland will be in the running for the team depends in large part on the Oregon Legislature. House Bill 3606, which would provide a financing mechanism for the stadium, sits in the State Senate Rules Committee while the legislators handle more pressing matters. Sasse described it as a "wait-and-see mode." "In a sense, we’re being held victim by the budget process," he said, "and that’s how it should be. We want the state to get its house in order, then take this on." In the meantime, OSC has time to stump for its cause. The proposed ballpark financing plan calls for $150 million in bonds that would be repaid from state income tax taken from players and management from the new team. The state’s financial commitment would be contingent on a team relocating to Portland, according to OSC. If Portland doesn’t get a team, the state’s commitment would terminate and the bonding capacity would be made available for other projects. The OSC representatives didn’t come to Grants Pass Friday by accident. "We make no secret of the fact we came to an area where we had some state senators who are still in the middle of this issue," Sasse said, referring specifically to Sen. Jason Atkinson, R-Jacksonville. "Jason Atkinson is someone who has said, ‘Hey, I haven’t made up my mind yet,’" said Sasse. It was believed baseball would choose a new home for the Expos by the All-Star break. But Rich Levin, baseball’s senior vice president of public relations, told The Oregonian Thursday the decision has been pushed back indefinitely. Regardless, Sasse is optimistic of Portland’s chances should the stadium proposal survive. After the Expos, three other teams are said to be ripe for relocation — the Oakland Athletics, Florida Marlins and Tampa Bay Devil Rays. "I’m confident that if it’s not the Expos, there are two or three franchises that will be available in the next two or three years," Sasse said. "We’re close. We’re so close you can taste it." Portland is the largest metropolitan area in the United States without a major league team, and there are a number of indicators that baseball could thrive there. The Expos are owned by Major League Baseball, meaning the owners of other teams are covering the team’s bills. "There are 30 big-league owners who are losing money on them," said Sasse. "They’re anxious to get in a viable market and recoup their money." Reach sports editor Tim Trower at 776-4479, or e-mail [email protected] Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Rogue Valley Auto Finder Rogue Valley Job Finder --> Rogue Valley Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Real Estate Showcase Food for Thought Hike of the Week Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Openings Prime Times