Talking Points 5/5

1

This is the time of year when it’s tough to be a market with one major league team. In most sports markets, a team fades to the back pages upon elimination from the playoffs.

In Portland, though, sports talk radio and bloggers can’t turn their attention to a major league baseball team, or NFL franchise. Sure, some of you consider the Mariners and Seahawks home teams. But they’re not, so their fan bases here don’t come close to matching the Blazers.

The result?

Fans who call radio shows to suggest Nate McMillan should be replaced aren’t laughed off the air.

2

Steve Consalvi, the young Phillies fan who was tased after running onto the field during Monday’s game, got what he deserved. Too harsh?

We think not.

By entering the field of play, Consalvi was trespassing. At the very least, he was delaying play. How was security to know the young fan wasn’t out there to harm a player or umpire?

Even his mother was quoted as saying it was stupid of the teen to run onto the field. We heartily agree.

And we find tasers a better deterrent than moats and barbed-wire fences.