Driving by the zoo outside the Candidates Gone Wild show last night, I briefly flirted with a transvestite holding a Sam for Mayor sign. I didn’t have the heart to tell her I’m from The Couv. Hopefully my plates said it all.
Bill Clinton will be visiting Monmouth, McMinnville, Oregon City, and downtown Portland in the space of five hours tomorrow. On a good day with zero traffic, one could not accomplish that. And Bill has to give stump speeches in between! Looks like it’ll be a long day for WJC.
Memo to the Clinton campaign: You *do* know Oregon City High School moved a few years ago, right?
If the leaders of both major political parties in Oregon had their way, voters would have long ago cast their presidential primary ballots and the candidates would now be shifting their focus elsewhere. Instead, Oregon’s leaders did nothing and are about to reap the rewards. Get ready for a month-long ad blitz the likes of which this area hasn’t seen since the Wyden-Smith battle for Packwood’s senate seat in 1996.
Hillary’s already thrown down the gauntlet, challenging Obama to two debates. One she wants specifically focused on rural issues. No doubt she’d want that hosted in Medford or Ashland. The other probably in Portland. Like its senior senator, there’s nothing your typical Oregonian loves more than camera time for their state. And wouldn’t it be something for Tim Russert to cancel a few Scooter Libby power lunches and fly all the way out here to ask the candidates the proper pronunciation of Willamette? Just the thought of watching Obama and Hillary say Molalla or Siskiyou is enough to make our hearts flutter.
But to what end? We’ll have our three weeks and then we’ll be forgotten. Just like Ohio, California, and Delaware before us.
Here’s hoping Obama takes a pass on yet another debate. We’ve had over 20 of the dang things. There’s very little which remains to be covered. Instead, I hope we get a good look at both candidates without things getting too nasty.
There was some consternation yesterday about the use of the word “awesome” in Portland’s newest blog sensation. As one commenter put it, awesome is the balding son of cool. And it is. Portlandisawesome.com, though, is cool. And awesome.
I am shocked that Davis, arbiter of all things cool and awesome in this town, missed the fact “awesome” is no longer used by the young, hip set. His commenters whiffed too. If you’re under-30, awesome has been replaced by amazing, an equally lazy word. While it grates on me every time I hear amazing where awesome would work just as well, I don’t judge the kids for using it. It’s their world we’re living in now. We’re just paying the bills.
Baseball’s opening day is upon us. The big leagues have been at it since Sunday night. Well, last week if you count the trip the Red Sox and A’s made to Japan last week. But that’s a separate issue.
Locally, things get going tonight with the Beavers. What better way to start the season than on First Thursday and Thirsty Thursday. Two great Portland traditions.
I’m going to be hitting the Beavers pretty hard this season, checking out not only the top-level of San Diego’s farm system, but the top-level of the rest of the league as well. This weekend, for example, the Beavers welcome the Fresno Grizzlies, the Triple-A affiliate of your San Francisco Giants. The Grizz are led by top-Giants prospect Nate Schierholtz. The 24-year-old outfielder spent a little time with the big club last season and should be called up soon. Especially if the Giants are going to be as bad as advertised.
The Beavers will counter with second baseman Matt Antonelli and pitcher Wade LeBlanc. Both players figure significantly in the Padres’ future.
I don’t claim to be any sort of baseball expert, so I’m going to be learning on the job with this. I’ll have my camera and I’ll have my notebook for a little semi-live blogging. It should be fun.
Rumors out if the Hawk camp this afternoon suggest the front office was let go. If true, it’s a dark day in Hawk history. This does not bode well for the future of the franchise, either in Portland or elsewhere. It’s time for the league to step in and take over.
Update: Well, it’s true. The two J’s have cleaned house and slashed their payroll down to next to zero. The question now is what did the league office know and when? And what does the league office do now? There’s an outside audit of the books due to be conducted in the next several days, the purpose of which is unclear. There remain, as of this morning, dozens of unpaid bills and many upset vendors. League president Ron Robison has cast his lot with the two J’s. He may be in for a shock over the next several days as the depth of the Hawks’ leadership and finance crises is discovered.
The organization has spent the last few seasons trading on the names and reputations of its employees. From it’s inception, the Winter Hawks have always been a mom-and-pop operation where deals were more likely done via handshake than by contract. You can thank Dean Vrooman for the majority of that goodwill. He’s gone. And now so is the rest of their goodwill crew. Like Vrooman, I expect those let go today will take the high road, at least publicly. Fans all know those were decent, hardworking employees that were let go this morning.
Without their human capital, it’s difficult to see how the organization can continue. Apparently there’s a deal in place to move the franchise to Salem by 2010. All that stands in the way is about $2 million in improvements to the Expo Center on the state fairgrounds. Will they be able to make it that long? Or will they simply fold-up the tents and try and reconstitute themselves in two years? I’m guessing they’ll do their best to limp along.
They’ll be doing it without me. I love hockey and I love the Winter Hawks, but the combination of today’s firings and the impending move to Salem has me at the end of my rope. I don’t see how I can pour my heart out for an organization this poorly managed, and one planning to rip my heart out by moving 50 miles away from my home.
In Seattle, all heck broke loose for a couple of minutes.
It’s a matter of time, of course, before Portland hipsters decide to have a giant pillow fight in Pioneer Square. It’ll be just like that day a bunch of folks “froze” in front of Powell’s. Because, of course, that had never been done before either.
It was there just last week, but driving by on Tuesday the whole lot was empty. Just a few years after Dick Hannah bought the place, they’ve folded up the dealership. That loss isn’t nearly as tragic as the loss of St. Johns Honda, the best damn car dealership in Portland. Current owner Larry Miller moved the place clear out to Hillsboro. Ick.
I’ve about had it with the radio dial in Portland. My favorite stations have all become repetitive and bland. NRK, which I believe is the station targeting my particular demographic (too old for top-40, too poor for KINK), has devolved into an 80s pop station which will occasionally play something new, only to drive it into the ground. Eddie Vedder’s Hard Sun comes immediately to mind.
KNDD, one of my favorite reasons for visiting my friends in Seattle in the early-90s, is currently in its dying throes. It’s too bad. There is so much good stuff out there music wise right now, but for whatever reason big radio won’t hire anyone to go find it and play it for me. It’s bad times. Guess it’s time to invest $100 in a new car stereo that will play my iPod and find a couple of decent music podcasts.
