There has been a "renewed drive" in the last year by Portland-based Sports Management World Wide President Lynn Lashbrook to bring an MLB team to the city, according to Kerry Eggers of the PORTLAND TRIBUNE. Lashbrook's team also includes a "pair of cohorts" in architect/real estate broker Barry Smith and former MLB scout Larry D’Amato. The trio has been "working behind the scenes to keep alive their dream of landing major league baseball," either "through expansion or relocation." Over the past year, the group said that it has "been in contact with major league officials, though they say they can’t name names." Lashbrook: "We have put ourselves on the radar on a level we’ve not had in the past. We’re respected more in baseball on this campaign than we’ve been in the past." Smith added, "Portland is better-positioned than any of the cities that have been mentioned. I'm worried about who the second city is, because I don't think anybody else has its act together. Montreal is not a serious candidate. Until the Quebec separatist issue (a provincial sovereignty movement) is settled, you’re not going to receive the infrastructure investments in Montreal. Nobody knows where to spend the money because you don’t know where the population is going.” Smith said that his group is "spending 20 hours a week" on attracting an MLB team (PORTLAND TRIBUNE, 8/27).
