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Baseball notebook

Compiled from Times wires
© St. Petersburg Times
published September 27, 2002

Portland readies push to bring Expos to town

PORTLAND, Ore. -- For six years, Lynn Lashbrook has been on a crusade to bring major-league baseball to Oregon. In the Montreal Expos, he sees his best chance yet.

"Nobody really believes it can happen," Lashbrook said. "But you and I both know the Expos have to go somewhere."

Major League Baseball, which operates the Expos, isn't sure whether the team will remain in Montreal after this season.

A move is an option, with Washington, D.C., the leading candidate. Charlotte, N.C.; Las Vegas and Portland also are possibilities, and an investor group said this week it wants to buy the franchise and move it Puerto Rico.

"I'm embarrassed that we're bigger than Kansas City and we don't have a major-league team," said Lashbrook, president of the Oregon Baseball Campaign, which hopes to lure the Expos to Portland.

Commissioner Bud Selig said in January that Washington was a "prime candidate" for relocation. But Baltimore Orioles owner Peter Angelos doesn't want another team in his area.

The Portland Oregon Sports Authority has submitted a proposal and is poised to do whatever necessary to formally bid for the Expos. That includes hosting them temporarily to demonstrate that Portland can support a team.

"They need to answer first that philosophical question whether it's best for the Expos to exist in Montreal, or flourish somewhere like Portland," said Drew Mahalic, chief executive officer of the sports authority.

Portland supporters cite the availability of an interim stadium: PGE Park, the commuter-friendly downtown home of the Triple-A Beavers. It seats more than 25,000 and features 38 luxury boxes.

The metropolitan area has 2.3-million people, the largest metro area with just one pro sports franchise, the NBA's Trail Blazers.

ANGELS: Walt Disney Co. hired Lehman Brothers Inc. to find potential buyers for the team, as well as the NHL's Mighty Ducks

BREWERS: On the brink of tying the major-league record for strikeouts in a season, Jose Hernandez was held out of the starting lineup and might not play the rest of the season. Manager Jerry Royster said the media attention surrounding the record "is kind of making a mockery of it."

D'BACKS: Outfielder Danny Bautista, sidelined since May 24 while recovering from shoulder surgery, took batting practice and might be activated during the playoffs.

WHITE SOX: The team will not address Frank Thomas' future until after the season. Thomas, whose strong September has helped bring up his numbers after a disappointing season, could become a free agent if the team invokes a diminished skills clause in his contract. That clause would reduce his base pay to $250,000 and defer most of his $10-million salary.

OBITUARY: Ray Hayworth, the oldest surviving major-leaguer, died Wednesday in High Point, N.C. He was 98. Mr. Hayworth, who worked in baseball for more than 50 years, spent 15 seasons in the majors as a catcher, almost all with the Tigers.

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