Baseball Guru
08-22-2003, 06:27 PM
By PETER PRENGAMAN, Associated Press Writer
August 22, 2003
SALEM, Ore. (AP) -- Oregon could be out of the hunt to lure the Montreal Expos as the state Senate voted down a measure to finance a major league baseball stadium on Friday.
Senate approval has been the largest hurdle throughout the legislative session. The House passed the financing bill Wednesday, and Gov. Ted Kulongoski said he would sign it if it got past the Senate.
After the Senate voted down the proposal 12-18, backers gave notice they might make a motion to reconsider the measure later.
Kulongoski, a key backer of the baseball bill, said he remains hopeful it can be brought back up for another vote before the 2003 session adjourns.
``We haven't reached the ninth inning yet,'' he said. ``It's not over until it's over.''
Oregon is competing with Washington, D.C. and northern Virginia to lure the Expos. Neither of the other two suitors has a stadium bill in place, but Oregon baseball supporters said the state's chance of getting the Expos would fail with the bill.
Sen. Lenn Hannon, a Republican who vowed to defeat the proposal, said the state shouldn't help build a stadium, particularly for a team that is losing money.
Major league baseball ``is trying to dump a poor asset to the highest bidder,'' Hannon said. ``Anyone who has the money to pay a player $10 million a year has the money to build their own stadium.''
August 22, 2003
SALEM, Ore. (AP) -- Oregon could be out of the hunt to lure the Montreal Expos as the state Senate voted down a measure to finance a major league baseball stadium on Friday.
Senate approval has been the largest hurdle throughout the legislative session. The House passed the financing bill Wednesday, and Gov. Ted Kulongoski said he would sign it if it got past the Senate.
After the Senate voted down the proposal 12-18, backers gave notice they might make a motion to reconsider the measure later.
Kulongoski, a key backer of the baseball bill, said he remains hopeful it can be brought back up for another vote before the 2003 session adjourns.
``We haven't reached the ninth inning yet,'' he said. ``It's not over until it's over.''
Oregon is competing with Washington, D.C. and northern Virginia to lure the Expos. Neither of the other two suitors has a stadium bill in place, but Oregon baseball supporters said the state's chance of getting the Expos would fail with the bill.
Sen. Lenn Hannon, a Republican who vowed to defeat the proposal, said the state shouldn't help build a stadium, particularly for a team that is losing money.
Major league baseball ``is trying to dump a poor asset to the highest bidder,'' Hannon said. ``Anyone who has the money to pay a player $10 million a year has the money to build their own stadium.''