Sports

Portland MLB Backers Could Have Oregon State Money To Help Build A Ballpark

Published

2 weeks ago

May 1, 2025

Austin Reed

Artist drawing of Portland’s proposed baseball stadium

MLB is not expanding anytime soon.

If Major League Baseball decides to expand at some point in the future and ends up with a franchise in Portland, Oregon players on that Portland team could be paying a “jock tax” to help pay for a Portland Major League Baseball venue. Oregon could pay up to $800 million over a 30-year period to help fund the facility. There is no guarantee that the Oregon money will land a Major League Baseball franchise. The Oregon legislature previously had allocated $150 million for stadium costs. There is an arms race of a sort now taking place in states to fund proposed baseball venues. In Utah, the state would kick in $800 million to go to funding the construction of a Salt Lake City baseball park. Oregon officials think there is some sort of MLB expansion team race and they have to get in the game to compete against Salt Lake City, Nashville and other American markets including Raleigh, North Carolina, Charlotte, Austin, Texas, Orlando and perhaps international markets such as Mexico City and Montréal.

Meanwhile, there has been a site picked out in Portland for a Major League Baseball team to play and city elected officials are all for it. Now there are drawings of the proposed stadium. The Portland City Council agreed to formally support the Portland Diamond Project’s plans to bring a Major League Baseball team to the city and to build a stadium along the city’s south waterfront. Mayor Ted Wheeler brought the agenda item to the council a few months ago with the intention of sending a signal to Major League Baseball and to the rest of the country that the City of Portland is “very serious” about landing an MLB team. Putting aside $800 million in public funds sends out a signal but it may not be enough public money.

Evan Weiner’s books are available at iTunes – https://books.apple.com/us/author/evan-weiner/id595575191

Evan can be reached at evan_weiner@hotmail.com

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PSG or Inter? De Zerbi picks Netflix over UCL final

Published

4 hours ago

May 16, 2025

Austin Reed

Marseille manager Roberto De Zerbi has said he will be watching a movie on Netflix when Paris Saint-Germain take one Inter Milan in the UEFA Champions League final on May 31.

Marseille and PSG are arch rivals in French football with the former still the only French club to lift the prestigious European title since 1993.

This time, PSG are chasing a treble after claiming the Ligue 1 title with the French Cup and Champions League finals scheduled in the next two weekends.

On the other hand, Inter Milan are city rivals of De Zerbi’s boyhood club AC Milan where he started his professional career.

During a press conference attended by Sports Talk Florida on Friday, De Zerbi clearly stated that he would get a good movie to watch instead of following the game that will take place in Munich on May 31.

When asked if he would be watch this year’s Champions League final, the Italian said: “I will watch a movie on Netflix.”

De Zerbi impressed with debut season in Marseille

Marseille secured their qualification for Champions League a week ago but they still need to finish strong against Rennes on Saturday to cement their second position behind PSG.

De Zerbi further assessed his team’s overall performance and he stated his desire to continue as the club manager even as he await evaluation with the club management.

He said: “It’s been a long, difficult season. I want to stay here. Staying as long as Rudi Garcia is a great goal.

“We need to talk to the club about what went wrong. Qualifying for the Champions League is a starting point. It should be normal, we should qualify every year, but the other clubs aren’t sleeping.

“We need to get organised and improve year on year.”

Should PSG win next week’s French Cup final against Reims, Luis Enrique’s men will face second-placed team in the Ligue 1, either Marseille or AS Monaco for the Champions’ Trophy – an equivalent of the Super Cup.

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Josh Lowe homers in 1st game back since opening day and helps Rays beat Blue Jays 8-3

Published

19 hours ago

May 16, 2025

Austin Reed

Tampa Bay Rays’ Brandon Lowe, center, is greeted in the dugout after hitting a two-run home run in the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Toronto Blue Jays in Toronto, Thursday, May 15, 2025. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP)

TORONTO (AP) — Josh Lowe had a homer among his three hits in his first game since getting injured on opening day, Brandon Lowe homered twice and the Tampa Bay Rays defeated the Toronto Blue Jays 8-3 Thursday.

Josh Lowe, recovered from an oblique strain, scored on Brandon Lowe’s sixth and seventh homers of the season and hit his first of the season in the fifth inning. Brandon Lowe finished 3 for 5 with four RBIs.

Kameron Misner hit his fourth homer. José Caballero had two hits, as did Danny Jansen, including an RBI single against his former team.

Zack Littell (3-5) worked 7 1/3 innings, allowing three runs on eight hits with a walk and two strikeouts. The Rays have won Littell’s last four starts, a span in which he has posted a 3.23 ERA over 25 1/3 innings.

Kevin Gausman (3-4) pitched 5 2/3 innings, giving up six runs on 10 hits, including three homers. The 34-year-old right-hander didn’t walk a batter and struck out six.

Addison Barger hit his second homer, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. added his fifth and Nathan Lukes his third, all off Littell. Bo Bichette had three hits.

Josh Lowe was activated after Travis Jankowski was put on the injury list with a groin strain.

Key moment

After Lukes homered and Bichette doubled, Manuel Rodríguez came on in relief with one out in the eighth and the Rays leading 6-3. He walked Guerrero before getting the final two outs, the last on George Springer’s deep fly ball to center.

Key stat

The Blue Jays played with the Rogers Centre roof open for the first time this season.

Up next

The Rays’ Taj Bradley (3-2, 4.24 ERA) pitches against Miami’s Max Meyer (2-4, 4.37), and Toronto’s Bowden Francis (2-5, 5.40) faces Detroit’s Jack Flaherty (1-5, 4.61) on Friday.

___

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

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Let’em Run: Capital Sports Network a Preview of the 150th Preakness plus Gulfstream.

Published

20 hours ago

May 16, 2025

Austin Reed

By: Fred York and Jim Williams

Let’em Run will take a trip on Saturday to Old Hill Top in Baltimore for the second leg of the Triple Crown, marking the 150th and final Preakness race to be held at Pimlico. The absence of Kentucky Derby winner Sovereignty has left a very strong field to consider, with the early favorite being Journalism at 8-5. This three-year-old colt finished as the runner-up in the Kentucky Derby and has demonstrated impressive speed and stamina. Other strong contenders include Sandman at 4-1, Clever Again at 5-1, and River Thames at 9-2.

Join us at 12:30 p.m. on Capital Sports Network as we will give you the best information on the Preakness as well as our “One Horse Wonders,” plus everything you need to know about the race. We will also offer extra credit coverage of Gulfstream Park Races 7 thru 11

After the race the old Pimlico Track will be demolished to make way for a new state-of-the-art racetrack complex, which is expected to cost over a billion dollars.

The Preakness Stakes will move to nearby Laurel Park in 2026 while construction of the new Pimlico takes place, with the aim of the second jewel of horse racing returning Triple Crown returning to its historic home in Baltimore in 2027.

“I’m going to really miss it,” 89-year-old Hall of Famer D. Wayne Lukas said. “It’s always been one of my favorites, and I speak for the other trainers, too. I have never talked to a trainer that worked through the Preakness that didn’t enjoy this the most.”