Wednesday
Best Bet
Soccer, World Cup Qualifier:
Mexico vs. U.S. Men’s National Team
4:30 p.m., ESPN2
SPORTS EDITOR: JEFF SMITH Smittside@aol.com
Pro baseball in
Oregon? That’s
worth the work
fOUT IN
LEFT FIELD
ADAM JUDE
On a beautiful day like today, don’t you wish
you could strap on the old glove, buy some
peanuts or sunflower seeds and head over to
the ballpark?
Yeah, the Oregon softball team is holding practices at
Howe Field, but that’s not what I’m talking about.
The Eugene Emeralds, the San Diego Padres’ Single-A
minor league squad, doesn’t start until June, and even
then, it’s not the real deal.
Safeco Field may be one of the greatest places on
earth, but the 300-mile trek to see the Mariners makes
frequent trips unreasonable.
What I seek is not much to ask: just a mere Major
League Baseball team. Nothing more. Well, maybe one
more thing: a baseball stadium — and they only run for
about $300 million these days.
Lucky for me and the thousands of die-hard Oregon
ian baseball fans, Santa may grant this wish next Christ
mas.
As of Monday, a proposal to help solidify Portland as
a main player in the bid to get a major-league team was
sent through the state Legislature. The Oregon Baseball
Campaign is one of several groups that went to Salem
Monday to lobby House Bill 2941, which would author
ize the use of $150 million of Oregon lottery bonds to fi
nance a new baseball stadium in Portland.
“Houston’s new ballpark has a retractable roofs, it’s
downtown, and it has all the modern amenities, yet it
cost just $250 million,” said Lynn Lashbrook, president
of the Oregon Baseball Campaign in a released state
ment. ‘That’s half the cost of the Safeco Field aberration
in Seattle.”
The idea of getting a franchise in Portland — the
largest city in the country with only one professional
sports team — is not a new one, but the opportunity has
never been as tangible as it is now.
With professional baseball in financial turmoil (espe
cially after our pal Alex Rodriguez became the greediest
man alive), something is going to have to change. And
the most likely possibility is that a franchise will move.
With teams such as the Montreal Expos, Minnesota
Twins and Oakland Athletics struggling to keep afloat fi
nancially, a move may come as early as the end of the
2001 season.
A new team would likely bring in more than $7 mil
lion in state revenues, Lashbrook said.
But it will probably take a little more to convince the
Legislature. While more than 50 of the 90 legislators
have supported the baseball bill, when it comes time to
decide between funding for baseball and several other
state needs, baseball may go down swinging.
Gov. John Kitzhaber, for example, has proposed that
the lottery money be used for rural water systems, sewer
lines and new roads.
As an avid baseball man, I wholeheartedly disagree
with the politician. But I’m not responsible for the tax
payers’ money, either.
To try to gain support, the Oregon Baseball Campaign
will tour the state to promote this “once-in-a-lifetime
opportunity.”
If you would like to voice your desire to bring the
great American pastime to this lovely state, sign the pe
tition at www.oregonbaseballcampaign.com.
If you’re apathetic about an Oregon franchise or don’t
want one, just keep your opinions to yourself.
Adam Jude is a sports reporter for the Emerald. He can be reached at
ajude34@yahoo.com.
Ducks ponder value of WNIT
Chrystal McConnell Emerald
Junior guard Jamie Craighead said she’d play in the WNIT, but only if the seniors want to.
■Oregon seems unsure about
playing in the WNITas its NCAA
chances dwindle
By Scott Pesznecker
Oregon Daily Emerald
Now that an invitation to the Big
Dance is almost out of sight, the Oregon
women’s basketball team could soon be
faced with a big question:
To WNIT, or not
to WNIT?
After losing on
the road to Stanford
and California earli
er this month, head
coach Jody Runge
said that she would
n’t accept an invita
tion to the Women’s National Invitation
al Tournament.
But Runge softened her stance when
Oregon beat Washington at McArthur
Court on Feb. 17. She said that while
she’s still not interested in the WNIT, the
decision to participate in the consola
tion tournament rests with the players.
Those players showed mixed emo
tions before Tuesday’s practice when
talking about the WNIT.
“The consensus for the team, I think,
is to not go,” junior guard Jamie Craig
head said. “I’m just going to speak for
myself though — we haven’t really
talked about it — but I don’t want to go. I
feel like if you don’t get to the tourna
ment, I don’t really know what postsea
Turn to Women, page 12
Time is winding down for Oregon men
■The Ducks will make one last
push toward the NIT when they
play their final three games on
the road
By Peter Hockaday
Oregon Daily Emerald
If the Oregon men’s basketball season
is a giant game of Pictionary, then the
Ducks are trying to draw an NIT bracket
with “McArthur Court” written on it.
And the sand timer is close to run
ning out.
Oregon backed itself into a major hole
by losing to UCLA
and Southern Cali
fornia last weekend
in Eugene. The
Ducks have three
games remaining, all
on the road and one
against a top-10 op
ponent. Oregon will
most likely need to win two games to
reach the NIT.
“Our goal is simple: We need two
wins,” Oregon head coach Ernie Kent
said. “So we need to win a game this
weekend.”
Of course, even the non-ranked foes
will be tough matchups for the Ducks.
Arizona State, Oregon’s Thursday op
ponent, defeated the Ducks by 27 points
earlier this season.
Meanwhile, No. 9 Arizona has won
six straight home games and, since los
ing to Stanford Jan. 6, has won 11 of its
last 13. One of those losses came at the
hands of Oregon Feb. 1.
Oregon State, the Ducks’ final oppo
nent, has played tough recently, losing
by three points to UCLA in overtime
and defeating USC by 15 points last
weekend.
So Oregon clearly wasted a golden
Turn to Men, page 10
Adam Amato Emerald
Oregon junior guard Anthony Norwood hopes to help save the Ducks’ season this weekend when
he returns to his home state of Arizona to face the Sun Devils and Wildcats.