SHE'S GOT BALLS

[June 1st, 2005] Last month, Portlanders learned that a new professional sports franchise would soon be moving into town. Sorry, baseball fans, it's not what you think. The new boys handling balls in the Rose City won't be playing on a diamond; they'll be cradling, checking, slashing and cutting in the cold confines of the Rose Garden. That's right, we're joining the National Lacrosse League, thanks to the efforts of former Los Angeles resident and majority team shareholder Angela Batinovich. We caught up with Batinovich last week as the 24-year-old investor, who also runs the fashion line Bat's Daughter, was moving into her new ranch-style house in Beaverton and asked her a few questions about the team that will kick off the 2006 season in January.

WW: Why did you decide to start this team?

Batinovich: Well, I went to a Colorado Mammoth game with my friend on New Year's Day this year. I was just amazed at how many people were there and from there just started running numbers in my head. I gave [NLL Commissioner] Jim Jennings a call and asked about more information on investing in a league and looked at financial statements and all that stuff and saw that it was a pretty decent opportunity to at least be involved in.

So you have no background with the sport at all?

No background with the actual sport, no. I have a business degree in marketing and business law, and I actually did my thesis on arena football.

I watched the Lacrosse National Championships a couple of weeks ago on TV, and it struck me as an extremely boring sport to watch.

Really?

Yeah, I couldn't see the ball.

Oh, yeah, that's the big thing with TV. They're carrying the ball, so you don't know who has it.

What do you say to someone like me? Do you make more visible balls?

You know, that's been going back and forth for a long time, I mean, the league has been around for 15, 16 years. The white ball is as bright as it's going to get.

How will you get Portlanders to come out to these games?

I think it's just going [to be] enough to say, "Come Friday and Saturday nights, drink some beer, watch the game, people getting into fights...."

Are there a lot of fights?

Oh yeah, it's like hockey.

Do they let 'em fight? Do they let 'em-

Yeah, oh yeah. You see 'em, you know, spin around each other, ripping helmets off and throwing them into the grass and, oh yeah, it's pretty brutal, so it's fun.

Do you have a team name yet?

Right now at www.nllportland.com, we have a "name the team" contest.

What kind of names are you getting?

Portland Pioneers, Portland Mountaineers, Portland Lumberjacks, Portland Power, Portland Predators.

Those are all pretty boring. What about the Portland Meth Heads?

To go with the news right now?

Exactly.

To get the teenage girls to come?

Exactly.

That's really funny.