https://kval.com/news/local/portlan...ad-love-for-baseball-across-oregon-07-23-2019 Portland Diamond Project looks to spread love for baseball across Oregon EUGENE, Ore. - Oregon is currently home to three minor league baseball teams, but the state never has been able to secure a franchise from Major League Baseball. The Portland Diamond Project wants to change that, and is spreading their message across Oregon this summer, educating Oregonians on their efforts to make Major League Baseball in Portland a reality. The Portland Diamond Project celebrated their two year anniversary in April. Founder and President Craig Cheek says he's amazed at the progress the coalition has made. "It's part of the plan, we know there's skepticism,” said Cheek. “It's been tried before, why is this different? So we're trying to answer all that with just going about it the right way, but it's been really overwhelming the fan support from around the state." By traveling to ballparks across Oregon, Managing Director Mike Barrett wants folks to know just because the team would be based in Portland, the project wants to make this "Oregon's team.” "This is special to me to bring this project that otherwise can get lost by the rest of the state as just seen as a Portland project and let people know this is a region wide effort,” said Mike Barrett, the Managing Director of the project. “That's been our effort from the get-go." "Oregon is such a sport crazed state, and to be able to now kind of move beyond the Portland city limits and get out into Eugene and Corvallis and Medford and Bend, it's just very cool to get out here,” said Cheek. Basketball fans will remember Barrett as the long-time TV play-by-play voice of the Trail Blazers. After the team decided to move in a new direction in 2016, Barrett views the Diamond Project as one door closing, and another opening. "That was a great 17 years for me to be with the Blazers and all those years but this has been so fun to be a part of,” he said. “To have this opportunity I'm blessed to be a part of this project. I just can't wait until it actually happens, and again, we're gonna push till it does happen." MLB to PDX, a quest to bring the boys of summer to the rose city.
I used to listen to Bob Blackburn announce the Portland, Beavers AAA baseball team. The year he left Portland, 1970, to announce for the Seattle baseball team and we got Bill Schonely the same year from Seattle. I've always joked about it as a trade. We lost a great Bob Blackburn and gained a greater Bill Schonely. I've been to a bunch of AAA Portland Beavers games and one Seattle Pilots game when I was in the Army stationed at Ft. Lewis. I use to love baseball and called it America's sport but now I'm a die hard Blazer fan.
I won 3 eastern conference Taiwan baseball championships starting at first base...batted 3rd in the order....best shape of my life...I'm right handed but bat southpaw....did you hit your homer right or left handed?
Awesome as Taiwan takes their baseball very seriously. I hit the homerun from the right side. I was decent hitting from the left side but was never confident enough to be a switch hitter. Our shortstop came in his junior year and he turned himself into a switch hitter and did pretty well with it. What made my hit at Seattle Pilot stadium special to me was that we were playing Seattle University and my infield mate from Grant high school was playing second base for them and I bet him during the game that my next at bat I would hit a homerun and to my surprise, I did. Many many moons ago though. Did you play high school ball their or did you play in Oregon?
https://www.nbcsports.com/northwest...arrett-opens-about-being-let-go-trail-blazers Mike Barrett opens up about being let go by the Trail Blazers Managing Director of the Portland Diamond Project, Mike Barrett, talks on camera for the first time about being let go by the Portland Trail Blazers. This video is the first of a special series of videos we'll have with Barrett including a look back at his story about Kenny Wheaton's pick and the future of the Portland Diamond Project trying to bring MLB to Portland. You can listen to the entire sitdown in this week's episode of The Bridge podcast with Justin Myers. [LISTEN: Mike Barrett All Access Podcast] The television play-by-play man for the Portland Trail Blazers from 2003-2016, spoke candidly about the day he found out he would no longer be working for the Trail Blazers. Barrett and his partner, Mike Rice, were both let go from their positions by the Blazers after the 2015-2016 season. Barrett admitted he did not know that phone call was coming. “I had no clue,” Barrett said. “I’m somebody who expects that stuff and I shouldn’t be, but I often operate that way, it kind of motivates me. So that was a definite shocker and I know it was a shocker to the guys that had to ultimately tell me too, even though they had to kind of own that.” It was Trail Blazers President Chris McGowan who had to make the call to Barrett. “Chris McGowan is a great guy and to see him as beaten up like he was and it really wasn’t him and that made me feel bad. I wanted to say something at the time, but I think people know. And you know, it’s okay and I said at the time, and I still feel this way there was never bitterness about it. I was honored to have done it,” Barrett said. National television broadcasters and NBA teams around the league called Barrett the day the news came out. Teams were trying to find out if Barrett was interested in re-locating and taking a position with them. At the time, Barrett could only think, “My heart is broken because that's been my team since I was 5 years old.” “That was my team, I can’t do another team.” Watch the full clip above of Mike Barrett finally sharing his thoughts on camera.
I played Little League baseball as a kid in the then cities of Oswego and our big rival Lake Grove (now both are parts of Lake Oswego). Was never good because I was too small. My fingers were always hurt.
