One or two more Timber mascot candidates may get a look

Owner Merritt Paulson says a decision on the team's new "lumberjack" is not far off

By Steve Brandon

The Portland Tribune, May 16, 2008, Updated Oct 30, 2009

There’s probably still time to get your hat – make that chain saw – in the ring, if you want to be the Portland Timbers’ next mascot.

The club has yet to settle on a successor to retired mascot Timber Jim Serrill.

Joey Webber has received mostly good reviews for his performance in three home games, but team owner Merritt Paulson would like to give at least one or two other trialists a chance to see what they can do.

One candidate was set to work the last home game, May 8 versus Rochester, but he fractured a foot just before the match – playing soccer.

Paulson says that wanna-be mascot may or may not be able to try out.

Once that person's ability to participate is determined, "we may do a third trialist, or we may make a decision," Paulson says.

"The owner says he has a third “possible candidate,” also male.

“Would I like a female to try out? Yes,” Paulson says, “but whoever it is, we don’t want to give up cutting the slabs of wood (for each Portland goal). So we want an authentic lumberjack who comes from a timber background and is really comfortable with a chain saw.”

Paulson insists that the organization is “not trying to replicate Jim.” Instead, “we’re looking at some other things, potentially, that (the new mascot) would be able to do that would really be their own deal.”

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