| 07 September 2010
The Portland Beavers were able to close out their final game of the year and of the franchise with a 6-5 victory over the Las Vegas 51s on Labor Day. For the 15,639 fans in attendance, it was the perfect finale, as the back and forth game featured four lead changes and a game-winning home run in the eighth inning.
Along with the highs of the close win come the lows of the realization that Portland no longer has a professional baseball team in town. PGE Park is being renovated into a soccer stadium for the Timbers, and owner Merritt Paulson plans to sell the team to a buyer who will move the franchise to a new city.
Monday’s game marked only the third sellout since 2001 for the Beavers, proof that Portland was never an ideal city for a minor league team. Can it host a major league team, though? That’s another question.
With four games remaining and the USSF Division-2 Pro League playoffs still another month away, the Timbers have already secured one of eight open spots, currently sitting at third in the conference with 41 points. This will be Portland’s seventh postseason berth since 2001 and its third playoff appearance in the last four seasons.
A bright spot in Portland State’s 54-9 football season opener loss to Arizona State was the stellar play of kicker Zach Brown. Kicking field goals of 42, 53, and 47 yards earned him the title Big Sky Conference Special Teams Player of the Week.
The Vikings hope to rebound in their next game at UC Davis. However, based on history, the likelihood of a win isn’t promising, as the Aggies have emerged victorious in each of their last three meetings and the Vikings are caught in the midst of a six-game losing streak that dates back to last season.
The University of Portland men’s soccer team claimed the Nike Invitational tournament title over the weekend by defeating the Evansville Purple Aces 2-1. Senior Ryan Luke was given the award of most outstanding offensive player for scoring both of the team’s goals in the match.
NFL opening weekend is just around the corner, and three quarterbacks with UO/OSU ties will be starting for their respective teams. Derek Anderson and Matt Moore will represent the Beavers in Arizona and Carolina, and Dennis Dixon will represent the Ducks as he fills in for the suspended Ben Roethlisberger in Pittsburgh.
In other NFL news, former Beavers wide receiver TJ Houshmandzadeh was picked up by the Baltimore Ravens on Monday, signing a one year deal for $855,000. The Ravens confirmed that he’ll play in the season opener versus the Jets.
photo: ap
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