Portland Timbers Grab Bag 04.14.08

By: Bob Kellett | April 14th, 2008

Four more days of squirming in your seat waiting for the 2008 Portland Timbers season to start. Here are a few things I’ve across while we wait for the club to officially announce all the players we already know about….

When last we saw Ray Burse he was being helped off the pitch at Merlo Field. Apparently he wasn’t too injured to miss his flight to Dallas where he sat on the bench for FC Dallas’ 2-0 victory over Red Bull New York. You can expect Burse to make a similar journey following Thursday’s match against Puerto Rico. From the Dallas Morning News:

Burse will start his season with Portland on Thursday and will fly back and forth between cities to sit on the bench until FC Dallas’ Josh Lambo, 17, recovers from jaw surgery.

We’ve been anxiously waiting the arrival of the unspecified player from New Zealand and if that player is indeed Bryan Little our wait might not be too much longer. Little’s Auckland City FC side was eliminated in the semifinals against Wellington, which means he should be free to make that pleasant 14-hour commute any day now. One thing I am always worried about with players coming to the Timbers after completing a season elsewhere is whether their bodies will hold up during the short, intense USL First Division season. That didn’t turn out to be an issue for Justin Thompson last year. Hopefully Little will have the stamina and health to contribute through September.

Now here is an idea for a honeymoon! Head to Sunderland to support your other favorite team. The Sunderland Echo has a neat story about a pair of Timbers supporters.

One of the real pleasures in life is hearing The 107 Report and there is a buttload of new pleasure there now. Check out the interviews with players like Takayuki Suzuki and Chris Brown, as well as the always entertaining preseason round table discussion featuring the many characters that support the Timbers.

Finally, this is a week that Timbers fans are celebrating our legendary mascot, Timber Jim. Here are just a few things that have been written:

Timber Jim Memories - May 11, 2001
Attention All Sports Fans in Oregon
The Ballad of Timber Jim
Tim-berrr!
To a man whose legacy will never be forgotten