Although not Timbers related, sad news this morning that former Arsenal and England Midfielder David Rocastle lost his battle with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and died this morning aged 33.
posted by the timberlog at 9:35 AM
According to the Vancouver Whitecaps fan page one keeper who will be attending the Timbers camp next week is Johann Noetzel. Noetzel is a former Seattle Pacific University player and was signed briefly with the Dallas Burn before being waived in Nov 2000. He has been attending the official Whitecaps training camp in preparation for their game against Seattle on Sunday.
posted by the timberlog at 9:28 AMFriday, March 30, 2001
Information about the 2001 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup
Information from US Soccer about the Open Cup Format and Group 9 which the Timbers will be playing in with the Sounders and two D3 Pro-League teams, the Utah Blitzz and the Northern Nevada Aces.
posted by the timberlog at 9:21 AMInformation from US Soccer about the Open Cup Format and Group 9 which the Timbers will be playing in with the Sounders and two D3 Pro-League teams, the Utah Blitzz and the Northern Nevada Aces.
Thursday, March 29, 2001
Media Watch
A quarter page advert in the Sports section of the O this morning entitled Fab Four. A little bit from Bobby, a little bit about the first signings and a picture of the signings (minus Jeff Clarke). Somebody should add their names to the spell checker....Vadim's name is spelt "Tolstolusky" on the photo and "Tolstulusky" in the text, but nowhere "Tolstolutsky". Also Darren is doing a nice "he-man" pose showing off an interesting looking tattoo! From the blurred, newsprint it looks like the re-entry of the MIR spacestation.
It seems worrying that PFE seemingly have to pay to get Timbers news into the O while the Beavers get a front page article this morning focusing on their "retro" style uniforms. Can't say i'm surprised though.
posted by the timberlog at 8:12 AMA quarter page advert in the Sports section of the O this morning entitled Fab Four. A little bit from Bobby, a little bit about the first signings and a picture of the signings (minus Jeff Clarke). Somebody should add their names to the spell checker....Vadim's name is spelt "Tolstolusky" on the photo and "Tolstulusky" in the text, but nowhere "Tolstolutsky". Also Darren is doing a nice "he-man" pose showing off an interesting looking tattoo! From the blurred, newsprint it looks like the re-entry of the MIR spacestation.
It seems worrying that PFE seemingly have to pay to get Timbers news into the O while the Beavers get a front page article this morning focusing on their "retro" style uniforms. Can't say i'm surprised though.
Tuesday, March 27, 2001
Greg Howes in race for NPSL Rookie of the Year
An article about Greg's season playing indoor for the Milwaukee Wave
posted by the timberlog at 6:34 PMAn article about Greg's season playing indoor for the Milwaukee Wave
Kilkenny boss Joe Mc Grath resigns
After Kilkenny's 7-2 loss against Bohemians in the FAI Cup quarter final on Sunday Joe Mc Grath announced his resignation. Kilkenny have won only twice since McGrath took over in September. His assistant Billy Walsh has taken over untill the end of the season.
posted by the timberlog at 8:06 AMAfter Kilkenny's 7-2 loss against Bohemians in the FAI Cup quarter final on Sunday Joe Mc Grath announced his resignation. Kilkenny have won only twice since McGrath took over in September. His assistant Billy Walsh has taken over untill the end of the season.
Sunday, March 25, 2001
Kilkenny City hope to sign Jeff Clarke on loan from the Timbers next season.
Kilkenny boss Joe McGrath is looking to sign Jeff Clarke in what looks like the first Timbers to Kilkenny deal as part of the teams partnership.
Jeff played 6 games for St Patrick's Atheltic but became a local hero when he scored the goal which won them the league title in 1999. After trials with a number of teams he signed a one-year contract with Longford Town last summer, but decided not to return to Ireland when Canadian manager Holger Osieck said it would jeopardise his international place. Clarke has not featured in any of Canada's last four games and the move to Ireland now looks more likely.
posted by the timberlog at 11:06 PMKilkenny boss Joe McGrath is looking to sign Jeff Clarke in what looks like the first Timbers to Kilkenny deal as part of the teams partnership.
"I would love to have Jeff at Kilkenny," McGrath told the Irish Sun. "He is a lovely lad and a good pro."
Jeff played 6 games for St Patrick's Atheltic but became a local hero when he scored the goal which won them the league title in 1999. After trials with a number of teams he signed a one-year contract with Longford Town last summer, but decided not to return to Ireland when Canadian manager Holger Osieck said it would jeopardise his international place. Clarke has not featured in any of Canada's last four games and the move to Ireland now looks more likely.
Be sure to check out some great pictures and magazine cover scans from Timber's history on Peter Bellerby's page. It's so good that people like Peter and Allison who have been Timber's fans since the beginning take the time to educate us latecomers.
posted by the timberlog at 10:45 PMposted by the timberlog at 10:12 PM
Friday, March 23, 2001
A picture of the front page of The Oregonian's Metro section this morning shows Darren Sawatzky, Mark Baena, Brian Winters and Bobby Howe playing a game of keep-up on a section of NexTurf. Each is wearing a hard hat so i'm assuming no heading practice!
There is also a small piece about the signing of Mark Baena in the sports section. Bobby Howe is quoted...
Darren Sawatzky adds, Baena is a...
posted by the timberlog at 7:37 AMThere is also a small piece about the signing of Mark Baena in the sports section. Bobby Howe is quoted...
"Now we have Mr Insurance."
Darren Sawatzky adds, Baena is a...
leathal goal scorer, ruthless, one of those kind of guys that will do anything to score a goal. But you need that on any team you play for."
Thursday, March 22, 2001
Timbers officially announce signing of Mark Baena
The Timbers have signed 2000 A-League MVP Mark Baena from the San Diego Flash. Mark passed a fitness test on an ankle injury suffered halfway through last season. He has previously played with the Seattle Sounders and is a graduate of California State University.
posted by the timberlog at 8:04 PMThe Timbers have signed 2000 A-League MVP Mark Baena from the San Diego Flash. Mark passed a fitness test on an ankle injury suffered halfway through last season. He has previously played with the Seattle Sounders and is a graduate of California State University.
"PGE Park is incredible. I can’t wait to pack the place,” said Baena. “We already have an extraordinary team with Darren Sawatzky, Brian Winters, Jeff Clarke, Greg Howes and Vadim Tolstulusky. I have a really good feeling that we are going to make Portland fall in love with soccer all over again,”
The BBC is reporting that the first case of Foot and Mouth has been reported in the Irish Republic. No news on how this will affect the Eircom League yet, with games supposed to start again this weekend. Latest news from the Eircom League can be found at the Football Association of Ireland.
posted by the timberlog at 7:02 AMTuesday, March 20, 2001
More on that Tribune story...
It reports that Bobby Howe has invited 2 teenage players from Mexico (presumably Chivas) to try out at the training camp which is being held at Delta Park on April 2nd. Jimmy Conway is in Florida this week scouting possible MLS roster cuts. The latest signings would bring the Timbers player total to 10(?) before their opening pre-season game on April 8th (A-League teams are allowed 5 foreign players each).
Howe plans to open the training camp with 6-7 keepers, all American, one of them will probably be Matt Nelson. Two will make the team.
Some local players, including Joey Leonetti will also have a chance to make the 18-man roster.
Other pre-season games include:
April 13th v Vancouver Whitecaps
April 14th v U of Washington
both @ U of W
April 21st v Sounders at Tri-Cities, WA
April 22nd v Sounders at Interlake H.S. in Bellevue, WA
posted by the timberlog at 1:18 PMIt reports that Bobby Howe has invited 2 teenage players from Mexico (presumably Chivas) to try out at the training camp which is being held at Delta Park on April 2nd. Jimmy Conway is in Florida this week scouting possible MLS roster cuts. The latest signings would bring the Timbers player total to 10(?) before their opening pre-season game on April 8th (A-League teams are allowed 5 foreign players each).
Howe plans to open the training camp with 6-7 keepers, all American, one of them will probably be Matt Nelson. Two will make the team.
Some local players, including Joey Leonetti will also have a chance to make the 18-man roster.
Other pre-season games include:
April 13th v Vancouver Whitecaps
April 14th v U of Washington
both @ U of W
April 21st v Sounders at Tri-Cities, WA
April 22nd v Sounders at Interlake H.S. in Bellevue, WA
The Portland Tribune is reporting that the Timbers are on the verge of signing Mark Baena, Michael O'Neill, Gavin Wilkinson and Matt Nelson. The Mark Baena signing saga has been running on the USL Discussion Board for a while, mostly based on what local beer can be offered to him! Gavin and Matt are currently playing for Kilkenny as reported previously. Michael O'Neill is a former Ireland international who is playing for St Johnstone in Scotland. He renewed a contract there in January but it was reported then that he would be moving to the US in the summer. Michael is a 31 year old midfielder who has played for Newcastle, Dundee U, Hibs, Coventry, Aberdeen, Reading and Wigan.
posted by the timberlog at 11:10 AM
There is a rumble (no not another earthquake) that the Timbers are set to announce another signing this week. What with the MLS pre-season training camp going on in Florida at the moment and the English Leagues transfer deadline on Thursday it's going to be an interesting week!
posted by the timberlog at 9:10 AMThursday, March 15, 2001
PFE have entered into a radio broadcast agreement with Infinity Broadcasting. All Timbers games will be live on KUPL-AM unless they conflict with Beavers games.
posted by the timberlog at 10:46 PMWednesday, March 14, 2001
A couple of the pre-season games against the Sounders have been announced:
Sunday April 8th @ French Field in Kent WA
Sunday April 22nd @ Interlake High School in Bellevue WA
both ko 5pm.
posted by the timberlog at 7:49 PMSunday April 8th @ French Field in Kent WA
Sunday April 22nd @ Interlake High School in Bellevue WA
both ko 5pm.
Friday, March 09, 2001
With most MLS teams playing pre-season games and spring training in Florida close at hand a lot of speculation is going on as to team roster cuts. Read a current guide to MLS teams.
posted by the timberlog at 4:04 PMMonday, March 05, 2001
Keep an eye on MLB Campaign
Portland’s campaign to bring a Major League Baseball team to the city could have an effect on PGE Park and the Timbers. What started as a personal crusade by Craig Byrd and Lynn Lashbrook has turned into a full-scale political battle in Portland and Salem both in front of and behind the scenes.
The Oregon Baseball Campaign hired top Salem lobbyists including former house speaker Larry Campbell’s Victory Group, Dave Barrows, Alan Tressider and Marshall Coba. They set in motion a bill that would set aside $150 million in state lottery money to build a new stadium and found two lawmakers, Sen. Ryan Deckart, D-Beaverton and Rep. Bill Witt, R-Cedar Mill who agreed to carry the bill.. If that happens then the city’s investment in PGE Park and it’s future may be in question.
The battle over MLB goes back to the competition for control of the Civic Stadium. The Civic Stadium Group’s plan (supported by Bring Major League Baseball to Portland group) was to bring MLB sooner rather than later and had a plan to increase the seating to 42,000 (46,000 soccer) in 2 stages. PFE’s plan, the eventual winner, was for Triple A baseball, MLB a more distant prospect, less seating and concerts and other events.
Back in 1999 the view was that Portland should have had a MLB team and not another Minor league team. MLB supporters opposed Marshall Glickman’s plan and were convinced that MLB should come to a renovated PGE Park. Portland was in the running to be a potential relocation for the Oakland Athletics, Minnesota Twins or the Montreal Expos.
It was then that the Portland Baseball Group began it’s campaign. Back in October, Glickman and his partner, Mark Gardiner, PFE's chief financial officer, let Barrows know that they didn't approve of his plans and tried to derail the lobbying effort before it got started. The stakes for Glickman and Gardiner are high. The key to PFE's financial success lies in the 36 corporate suites it is adding to PGE Park. Convincing corporate customers to pay up to $52,000 a year for five years' worth of minor-league baseball, soccer and PSU/high-school football is a hard sell made tougher by every mention of major-league baseball. Then just before Christmas Marshall Glickman met with the leaders of the MLB campaign to pursued them to withdraw their campaign.
The city also has a vested interest in PGE Park’s success. The City of Portland is contracted to invest $35 million in PGE Park but if MLB comes to Portland and a stadium is built in the suburbs then PFE profits, which would pay back the city, would fall and the city would be left with the debt payments.
PGE now seems to have changed tack, with lobbyists for PGE meeting with Deckart and Witt to ask them to amend the proposal to specify the new stadium be built in Portland. It appears that if MLB comes to Portland PFE want to be in control. Deckart and Witt say that Portland will be the “negotiating agent” if one-third of the money comes from private sources and the team payroll is in Oregon providing income taxes to pay back the state money. Mayor Vera Katz was meeting this week with city officials and city attorney Steve Janik to discuss the bill.
Earl Santee of HOK Sports Facilities has made an estimate of $300 million for a 42.000 seat open-air stadium ready for 2005. Local government would have to find $50 million. Santee has advised against a suburban stadium because of the need for good mass transit links and opportunities for activities before and after the game and concluded that 7 sites could work:
PGE Park, Rose Qt, next to Union Station, Portland Public Schools admin. HQ at 501 N Dixon, Main Post Office site at NW Hoyt, Central Eastside Ind. District, I-405 freeway cap at W Burnside.
Mark Gardiner, chief financial officer at PFE, said that it was unlikely to work at PGE since it can’t expand beyond 20,000 seats and also neighborhood groups would oppose expansion. PFE also isn’t interested in bringing MLB to Portland until the financial situation improves.
Meanwhile PFE has hired it’s own set of lobbyists led by Tom Gallagher whose clients include BP and Schnitzer Industries. In a series of amendments to the lottery bill the possibility of reimbursing the city of Portland for “the cost to demolish the PGE Park property and prepare the site for redevelopment” has been added if the new stadium causes the old one to fail financially.
According to Rep. Ben Westlund R-Bend co-chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, if the bill gets past Ways and Means it will pass. His view is if the $150 million is seen as a grant rather than a loan to be repaid to the state, the bill will fail.
posted by the timberlog at 9:09 AMPortland’s campaign to bring a Major League Baseball team to the city could have an effect on PGE Park and the Timbers. What started as a personal crusade by Craig Byrd and Lynn Lashbrook has turned into a full-scale political battle in Portland and Salem both in front of and behind the scenes.
The Oregon Baseball Campaign hired top Salem lobbyists including former house speaker Larry Campbell’s Victory Group, Dave Barrows, Alan Tressider and Marshall Coba. They set in motion a bill that would set aside $150 million in state lottery money to build a new stadium and found two lawmakers, Sen. Ryan Deckart, D-Beaverton and Rep. Bill Witt, R-Cedar Mill who agreed to carry the bill.. If that happens then the city’s investment in PGE Park and it’s future may be in question.
The battle over MLB goes back to the competition for control of the Civic Stadium. The Civic Stadium Group’s plan (supported by Bring Major League Baseball to Portland group) was to bring MLB sooner rather than later and had a plan to increase the seating to 42,000 (46,000 soccer) in 2 stages. PFE’s plan, the eventual winner, was for Triple A baseball, MLB a more distant prospect, less seating and concerts and other events.
Back in 1999 the view was that Portland should have had a MLB team and not another Minor league team. MLB supporters opposed Marshall Glickman’s plan and were convinced that MLB should come to a renovated PGE Park. Portland was in the running to be a potential relocation for the Oakland Athletics, Minnesota Twins or the Montreal Expos.
It was then that the Portland Baseball Group began it’s campaign. Back in October, Glickman and his partner, Mark Gardiner, PFE's chief financial officer, let Barrows know that they didn't approve of his plans and tried to derail the lobbying effort before it got started. The stakes for Glickman and Gardiner are high. The key to PFE's financial success lies in the 36 corporate suites it is adding to PGE Park. Convincing corporate customers to pay up to $52,000 a year for five years' worth of minor-league baseball, soccer and PSU/high-school football is a hard sell made tougher by every mention of major-league baseball. Then just before Christmas Marshall Glickman met with the leaders of the MLB campaign to pursued them to withdraw their campaign.
The city also has a vested interest in PGE Park’s success. The City of Portland is contracted to invest $35 million in PGE Park but if MLB comes to Portland and a stadium is built in the suburbs then PFE profits, which would pay back the city, would fall and the city would be left with the debt payments.
PGE now seems to have changed tack, with lobbyists for PGE meeting with Deckart and Witt to ask them to amend the proposal to specify the new stadium be built in Portland. It appears that if MLB comes to Portland PFE want to be in control. Deckart and Witt say that Portland will be the “negotiating agent” if one-third of the money comes from private sources and the team payroll is in Oregon providing income taxes to pay back the state money. Mayor Vera Katz was meeting this week with city officials and city attorney Steve Janik to discuss the bill.
Earl Santee of HOK Sports Facilities has made an estimate of $300 million for a 42.000 seat open-air stadium ready for 2005. Local government would have to find $50 million. Santee has advised against a suburban stadium because of the need for good mass transit links and opportunities for activities before and after the game and concluded that 7 sites could work:
PGE Park, Rose Qt, next to Union Station, Portland Public Schools admin. HQ at 501 N Dixon, Main Post Office site at NW Hoyt, Central Eastside Ind. District, I-405 freeway cap at W Burnside.
Mark Gardiner, chief financial officer at PFE, said that it was unlikely to work at PGE since it can’t expand beyond 20,000 seats and also neighborhood groups would oppose expansion. PFE also isn’t interested in bringing MLB to Portland until the financial situation improves.
Meanwhile PFE has hired it’s own set of lobbyists led by Tom Gallagher whose clients include BP and Schnitzer Industries. In a series of amendments to the lottery bill the possibility of reimbursing the city of Portland for “the cost to demolish the PGE Park property and prepare the site for redevelopment” has been added if the new stadium causes the old one to fail financially.
According to Rep. Ben Westlund R-Bend co-chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, if the bill gets past Ways and Means it will pass. His view is if the $150 million is seen as a grant rather than a loan to be repaid to the state, the bill will fail.