Florida Marlins Executives Visit Portland
The Oregon Sports Authority hosted an introductory site visit last week by Florida Marlins' President David Samson, Vice Chairman Joel Mael and Vice President of Stadium Development Claude Delorme. The visit followed the Marlins' recent announcement that they will explore relocation options outside of Florida, and included meetings with Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski and Portland Mayor Tom Potter.

The Oregon Sports Authority will continue to work closely with the Marlins, City of Portland, Governor Kulongoski and the Portland Baseball Group to further explore the possibility of the Major League Baseball club's relocation to Portland. Learn more and view Drew Mahalic's statement in response to Mayor Potter's comments at oregonstadiumcampaign.com.

Bid Submitted to Host NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament
In partnership with the University of Oregon, Rose Quarter and Portland Oregon Visitors Association, the Oregon Sports Authority today submitted an official bid to host the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at the Rose Garden in either 2009 or 2010.

This bid follows last year's successful passage of legislation to eliminate Oregon's sports lottery games, which has previously prevented Oregon from hosting one of the nation's most exciting, and economically impactful, sports events.

Finalists for the 2009/2010 NCAA Tournaments will be named next month and the ultimate site selections will be determined later this summer. The Oregon Sports Authority is thrilled to be pursuing the opportunity to bring March Madness back to Oregon for the first time since 1983, when Jim Valvano's North Carolina State team played in Corvallis during their storybook run to the NCAA title. Read more about the bid from Saturday's Oregonian and look for more updates in future editions of this newsletter.