An Open Letter To Major League Baseball And The Portland Diamond Project
Today on either side of watching the Red Sox play the Sultanes de Monterrey, I checked out an Oregon legislative hearing about amending and updating the old SB 110 allowing for financing a major league ballpark, and I just have a few things I’d like to communicate to all the players (no pun) involved about baseball in Portland.
Before I get into it, let me say up front that I hope MLB is looking at bringing a National League team to Portland. For one thing, as a born and raised Red Sox fan I already have an American League team. For another, the Pacific Northwest already has an American League team in Seattle.
That out of the way, let’s get to it. I’ve got very specific thoughts about two areas: the ballpark, and the broadcasts.
The ballpark
I’ve said it before: because Portland on a coin flip was almost Boston, our ballpark should incorporate some kind of reference to Fenway Park. Baseball being a much more narrative sport than most, largely because it isn’t constructed as a variant of capture the flag, this seems like a no-brainer thing to do. I’m not sure what this should be.
Prior to the renderings showing the outfield largely open to the Willamette, I’d thought about having a sort of small rendition of the Green Monster. Maybe something like a Li’l Monster.
My other request is the same request I’ve made of Oregon Zoo: the ballpark should have at least two sensory/quiet/calming rooms available for autistic and otherwise sensory-sensitive fans, or for anyone who might in some way be fatigued and need a break from the clamor of the crowd and the public address system.
I’d love it if we also had maybe one game a month where the volume on everything will just be generally turned down, but I don’t hold out much hope for that. At least one Minor League team has done this, although I don’t know if it became a regular thing or was just a bit of performative inclusivity window dressing.
The broadcasts
Here’s where I air my complaints about NESN and WEEI in the hopes that avoid the pitfalls of the modern approach to coverage on television and the radio: stop the podcasting during the games.
Live sports coverage is meant to have a play-by-play person and a color commentary person, not two color commentary people. This is not merely about the play-by-play, although that should be a non-negotiable minimum. The rules for becoming a broadcast partner should include requiring that the games be called using an audio description model. Tell me about the base runner on first dancing back and forth figuring out his lead. Tell me where a pitch crossed the plate. Tell me about the outfielder shifting his position as the state of the inning changes.
Anyone privileged with the opportunity to be the voice of a baseball franchise likely also has many other venues in which to rant and rave about the game. In fact, they probably have an actual podcast. Let them rant and rave in those other venues. The priority during the game is the game and context for the game. Play-by-play and color.
Contrary to the assumptions of some, this is as true for television as it is for radio. Since games are not in fact broadcast with an audio description track, visually impaired fans deserve to be able to follow the game in either medium. Conveniently, this also benefits people trying to follow the game while making dinner, washing the dishes, or doing the laundry.
In addition, I’d love to see the broadcast partners not put nothing but white men in the booth. If baseball wants to continue viewing itself as America’s pastime, our broadcast booths should look and sound like America.
There’s some coverage of today’s hearing over at OPB and from KGW if you don’t feel like taking the hour to watch the thing.
(Also, I fully support the call by Steve Kanter, Dean and Professor of Law Emeritus at Lewis and Clark Law School for the longterm pipe dream of a “Baseball Express” high-speed rail line stretching from Seattle to Portland to San Francisco to Los Angeles to San Diego.)
What I realized today while listening to the public testimony is that I’m glad that all the prior attempts to make this happen here failed because this particular Portland Diamond Project plan really seems to be firing on all cylinders and it just seems like the stars are aligning.
If it’s true that for all intents and purposes our only real competition is Salt Lake City, Utah, it’d be farcical in the extreme should MLB not choose this potential jewel of a ballpark along the banks of the Willamette River. I hope the testified timetable is correct, and that come 2027 we will be the next western city to land a Major League Baseball team.