The Portland Timbers don’t know the name of the stadium they will open their inaugural MLS season in, but they know it won’t be ready to roll when they are.

According to the Daily Journal of Commerce, the PGE Park renovations are scheduled to be completed in early April, a few weeks after start of the 2011 MLS season.

Complete details of the $31 million renovations are available at the official MLS Portland Timbers site, and Beyond the Beat will have more as the story develops.

The Timbers also said today they will make an annoucement Thursday morning at Portland International Airport about a major corporate partnership. This likely involves the team’s jersey sponsorship, which has been expected over the past few weeks to be with Alaska Airlines. 

photo: ifc.com

In some shocking news out of Eugene on Tuesday, Oregon Duck power forward Michael Dunigan is reportedly leaving Oregon to sign a three-year contract with Hapoel Jerusalem, ending his college career. Head coach Dana Altman said he was aware of the report but wouldn’t comment on the situation. Dunigan is the fifth player to leave the Ducks since Altman took over.

The NCAA has ruled that former Oregon Duck quarterback Jeremiah Masoli cannot play for Ole Miss until the 2011 season because, among other reasons, he would have been ineligible at his previous institution. He said he was “very shocked and disappointed” by the decision, which the school will appeal. Where does he go from here?

The same question could be asked about Rudy Fernandez, who opened up, albeit minimally, about his situation with the Portland Trail Blazers. In response to General Manager Rich Cho’s statement that the team will not release his rights, he told El Periodico, as translated by Hoopshype, “Well, if he has said that, then it's true. I'm still a Blazer. Right now I'm not worried about what they say there [in Portland].”

Fernandez also said he relishes in his time spent with his countrymen and is enjoying his role on Spain’s team. He would enjoy it even more if he knew he could play in Europe for the near and distant future.”

While he wishes to be set free, former Oregon Duck guard Malik Hairston was disappointedly cut loose by Montepaschi Siena, an Italian club that signed him just a month ago, because of a disc problem in his back. Hairston previously asked the San Antonio Spurs to release him, a decision that has since backfired. 

Yet, he will continue his rehabilitation in Siena and, if all goes well, the team could consider re-signing him to a contract with new conditions.  

Now to an alumnus of Hairston’s rival. The New Orleans Saints released former Oregon State Beaver quarterback Sean Canfield. Canfield was a seventh-round pick and, according to The Times Picayune, was “the clear odd man out in a backup battle between Chase Daniel and Patrick Ramsey.” Could the United Football League be in his future?

Darwin Barney, former Oregon State Beaver and current middle infielder for the Chicago Cubs, is struggling in his cup of coffee with the big club but managed to record his first major-league rbi, doing so with a pinch-hit double off Baltimore Orioles pitcher Brian Burress, a fellow Oregon native who graduated from Barlow High in Gresham, in a 14-2 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates.

As Barney is making the transition from shortstop to second base, Portland State Vikings receiver Julius Thomas is trying out football in his final year of eligibility after excelling for the school’s basketball team. Twenty-two years old and 6’5” inches tall, the gifted athlete hopes to be as good in the slot as he was in the post.

PSU quarterback Connor Kavanaugh said he could put his basketball skills to use on the gridiron, while head coach Nigel Burton, who can’t wait to incorporate him into their offense, believes he has “big-play potential.”

photo: seattletimes.com

While Paul Allen has been busy suing YouTube and the rest of the internet the last few days, Nicolas Batum has been tearing it up in Turkey as part of the FIBA World Championships. This morning in a win against Canada, Batum finished with 24 points on 57% shooting, 7 rebounds, and 3 steals.

It’s been a big week for women’s sports at Portland State.  The Vikings have been dominating games and have been awarded two Big Sky conference Player of the Week awards, as a result. 

The first was awarded to senior volleyball player Whitney Phillips. Her highlight of the week came in the team’s season-opener on Friday versus Seattle University, where Phillips had 32 kills and 13 digs, the most kills by a Viking since 2006. 

The second award was given to junior soccer player Melissa Trammell, who scored two crucial goals during the course of a pair of matches over the weekend.  The Vikings scored three goals in each contest, setting a record for three or more goals in consecutive games, a feat that hadn’t been accomplished since 1999. 

The No. 22 ranked OSU Beavers have a tough Saturday looming ahead, matching up against the No. 7 ranked team in the country, the TCU Horned Frogs. This marks the first time since 2001 that the Beavers have started the season ranked in the Associated Press top 25 and the first time since 1961 that the team has opened the season against a team also ranked in the top 25. 

Sophomore Ryan Katz is preparing for his first collegiate start ever and he’s drawn the luck of playing against the team that led the nation in total defense last year.  Coach Riley’s not concerned, though.  He mentioned that Katz is as calm as anyone else on the team right now and that he knows what he’s doing, a product of preparation.

Former OSU Beavers standout wide receiver Mike Hass has found a new home after being cut by the Seattle Seahawks last week.  He’s signed to play with the Omaha Nighthawks of the United Football League, a team that already has many other past NFL players, including quarterback Jeff Garcia, defensive tackle Dusty Dvoracek running back Ahman Green, and also recently signed former Ohio State running back Maurice Clarett, who practiced yesterday with Omaha yesterday.

The Timbers have continued their hot streak, defeating the Crystal Palace Baltimore 3-nil to extend their number of consecutive wins on Sunday to five games.  Here are some video highlights of the win. 

The regular season home finale is on September 2nd, but the team will have to play it without one of their star defenders, as Mamadou Danso has just been called up by the Gambia National Team to participate in a qualification match for the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations.  Danso is only the second Timbers player this season to be called into a national team camp. 

photo: washingtonstatefan.com

Preliminary competition for the FIBA World Championships started this last weekend in Turkey, where Nicolas Batum and Rudy Fernandez put in work.

The game on Saturday between Spain and France gave many a glimpse into what the future has in store for Batum and Fernandez.

France - with the help of Batum - beat Fernandez and Span in a huge upset 72-66, but even with the defeat, Spain appears safe to be the second favorites after Team USA to win the World Championships. Spain rebounded nicely with a win over New Zealand yesterday which Fernandez was an important part of scoring 12 points and racking up 12 rebounds.

Go inside this week with the Portland Timbers, who have been cruising through USL competition recently thanks to Bright Dike and are already discussion how they'll approach the expansion draft.

So, how does Kevin Love - who is fitting in nicely with Team USA -  come out after his cameo on Entourage....he messed around and got a double-double against Slovenia.

Oregon Duck head football coach Chip Kelly announced Friday that leading the Ducks against the New Mexico Lobos this coming Saturday would be Sophomore Quarterback Darren Thomas. It will be interesting to see how quickly Thomas gets accustomed to being a full time Pac-10 quarterback, and to see just how different the Oregon offense is this year with Thomas at the helm and not Jeremiah Masoli. There's a chance the offense will not run as smoothly to begin the season. Then again, the Ducks will be focusing most of their attention on running backs, LaMichael James and Kenyon Barner. The one positive for the Ducks is that their first four games are relatively easy. After opening with New Mexico, Oregon travels to Rocky Top in Tennessee and will round out their first third of the season with Portland State, and Arizona State.

Beyond the Beat has been tracking the Paul Allen patent lawsuit since news broke Friday, leaving some to wonder what this means for the Blazers and even Internet icons like YouTube - one of many named in the lawsuit. As we continue to track the story, one thing is clear: Allen has a legit case on his hands and his planning to cash in.

Jesuit High School standout Kyle Wiltjer committed to the Kentucky Wildcats over the weekend. Wiltjer was rated the 21st best player for the class of 2011 by Scout.com. Wiltjer had narrowed his choices to Wake Forest, California, Gonzaga and Texas before choosing Kentucky.

photo: daylife