HOLT SHIY! Check this out! The Stranger cover from November 2004

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/4/7743941_d…

Why am I not even tempted to chalk that up to anything more high-concept than laziness?

I hope that when people contact the city council they don't shittalk MLS, and only shittalk the methods employed by Paulson/Adams/Leonard. I have come to greatly despite Merritt Paulson. Also, the Timbers Army does not represent the soccer fan constituents. They are a tiny minority among us. I for one do not support tearing down Memorial Coliseum. I believe there are many other options worth pursuing that will bring MLS to Portland, but I have little faith that Merritt Paulson really cares about bringing soccer here anyways. He just wants to be a real estate and entertainment mogul on our tab.

I'm just wondering on what basis do a handful of people think Merrit Paulson is the antichrist and survives off of regular ingestion of babies intestines?

Henry Paulson? Yeah, I get that he was mixed up in some shady shit, but what has Merritt ever done that has has caused any strife or pain in Portland?

There are a niche group of wildly speculating and borderline committable conspiracy theorists that will claim that he wants to bankrupt you - yes you specifically - the person reading this, because Merritt has hated you since birth.

But based on the way he has approached this since he bought the teams, I don't see anything but a sincere and nice guy who is also a business man.

Why are a few people so insanely fearful of an otherwise skinny goofy dude who is clearly relatively powerless (based on the fact that his detractors are still talking shit about him as opposed to being victims of a professional hit)?

Seriously, Merritt is as squeaky clean and well intentioned as any professional - If you are honest with yourself, you'll find there is no real reason to think otherwise.

And that's when he sneaks up behind you and stabs you in the neck. Kidding. The dude is harmless, and he likes Portland.

" I for one do not support tearing down Memorial Coliseum"

Then you better be using it. How many Hawks games did you go to in 08/09?

I don't wanna pay for any goddamn soccer team. And fuck that Coliseum demolition shit, yo!

The comment about the diarrhea eating old man made me laugh so goddamn hard. That cover is sooooo awful!

Portland Lover, I love you. I too love soccer and the Timbers, but man, the MLS/Baseball stadium proposal and NOW the tearing down of Memorial Coliseum proposal stinks and is a horrible idea for the City.
Thanks for showing Portland that not all MLS fans are trolling bullies with the IQs of small rodents.

And who thinks Paulson is the Antichrist? That's silly. I just think Paulson a businessman in the "sports stadium/public financing" razzle dazzle game who isn't very savvy about Portland's well informed and highly involved citizens and public processes. Paulson seems to be doing the normal formula of seducing, cajolling, and putting down ultimatums to get the public financing for a sports that make make a majority of money for the private sector. Some might call that being a good businessman. Paulson is simply trying to put his needs first and foremost before the overall needs and priorities of the city as a whole. I don't blame him.

I blame Leonard and Adams for running a sham of a process - for spending too much tax payer time on the follies of one rich business owner instead of listening to their constituents, for not thinking through the details nor providing them, and for focusing on shiny objects (like sports stadiums) rather than other more pressing needs in the City (such as our giant budget deficit).

Good for Zusman for calling BS, good for the Mercury for backing Zusman up.

Anyway, I think this week's merc cover is great!