07:56 PM PST on Sunday, February 19, 2006

By kgw.com and AP Staff

The Portland LumberJax had a big win over the weekend in Philadelphia, 15-12. Three LumberJax players scored three times each in the victory: Ted Dowling, Ryan Sharp, and Mike Hominuck.

KGW graphic

The win brings the Jax record to 3-3 for the season as they return home to Portland for their next game against Buffalo on March 4 in the Rose Garden Arena.

For LumberJax owner Angela Batinovich, she has already heard she's just a rich kid whose daddy bought her a professional lacrosse team, and that she's only in it for the publicity.

She has already been slammed because of her age and her gender.

So it's a good thing the 25-year-old, believed to be the youngest female owner of a professional sports franchise, has thick skin.

"It doesn't bother me because if that was the way it really was, and everything were run by my dad, and I just did whatever, then it would probably bother me more," she said.

"If anything goes wrong, it's always `Well, she's young, she doesn't know what she's doing.' But if it's a success, `Well, really her dad's the brains.' So I'm never going to get the credit, which is not what I'm really after, anyway."

The LumberJax, in their inaugural season, are part of the 11-team men's National Lacrosse League, now in its 20th season. Batinovich bought the expansion team last May for some $1.5 million.

After working endless 16-hour days, Batinovich has calluses on her fingers. She's not wearing any makeup, and her blonde hair is pulled back into an askew ponytail.

Batinovich is annoyed. She's already scolded the LumberJax dancers for being too risque, now it's a stories-high billboard of a blonde dressed in a LumberJax jersey (and apparently nothing else) with the team's slogan "Who Wants Some?"

While Batinovich is fretting she'll turn away families, the LumberJax, for the most part, are doing things right.

The Jax, as they're called, had a Web site, chat boards and merchandise for sale long before the team took the field. The dancers sport flannel shirts and chainsaws in a promotional poster.

Television spots highlighted the more rough-and-tumble aspects of the sport — basically men beating their opponents with sticks. And there's that provocative slogan.

The edgy approach has worked.

The home opener at the Rose Garden — also home of the Portland Trail Blazers — drew nearly 10,000 fans. Lines at the box office for game-day tickets stretched more than 30 fans deep.

The least expensive tickets, for $10, quickly ran out. The no-nonsense Batinovich heard afterward and fumed, and for the next game the upper bowl of the Rose Garden was opened so that additional seats could be sold.

AP photo

Portland LumberJax owner Angela Batinovich.

Batinovich is the daughter of Northern California real estate baron Robert "Bat" Batinovich. She has already gotten her feet wet in the business world in fashion, as the founder of "Bat's Daughter," a high-end clothing line.

But Batinovich found that high fashion did not mean big profits. After coming to the realization that she didn't have enough capital on hand to last until she broke even, Batinovich began to look around for something new.

She found it when she accompanied a friend to a lacrosse game.

"They had a packed house, it was completely sold out. I saw they had sponsors, I saw they were broadcasting, I'd seen their advertising. The day after, I saw the write-up in the newspaper," she said.

"I thought, 18,000 fans? $20 a ticket? How many home games? What are their salaries? I started asking questions. That's where it came from, it was more of a business investment than anything."

Batinovich first set about buying the now-defunct Anaheim NLL franchise, but too many last-minute conditions were put on the sale, she said. Instead, she decided to purchase an expansion team.

On her father's advice, Batinovich decided Portland would be a good fit for the team. Besides the Blazers, the city was host to Triple-A baseball's Beavers and soccer's Timbers, both of which had traditionally drawn well.

"All of a sudden it was, `Oh my gosh, the youngest owner in professional sports, and she's a girl and, and this and that. Honestly, that didn't cross my mind when I was doing it. I just thought it would be fun to be a young, driven personality to drive one of these teams," she said.

In addition to the merchandising and the Internet presence, Batinovich secured both radio and TV deals (eight LumberJax games this season will air on local cable). Among her sponsors are Wells Fargo and Comcast.

They brought in experienced players to put a competitive team on the floor, including respected veteran goalie Dallas Eliuk and high-scoring forward Ryan Powell.

"The market was ripe, the product was fresh and entertaining," said Paul Swangard, director of the University of Oregon's Warsaw Sports Management Center. "Angela has brought a lot of enthusiasm to the market."

While lacrosse is a growing sport in the Pacific Northwest — the University of Oregon added varsity women's lacrosse last year — it remains to be seen if the excitement can be sustained, he said.

"That's going to be the long-term challenge. How many people will come back? " he said. "There's going to be a honeymoon effect."

Batinovich predicts the LumberJax will have to draw about 6,000 fans a game to be a success. The league is averaging just over 10,000 fans per game. The Edmonton Rush, also an expansion team this season, drew some 12,000 fans to its opener earlier this month.

Batinovich said she's prepared to lose money for three years, but hopes to break even next year. She's willing to keep up the 16-hour days, if for no other reason than to disprove her naysayers.

"I've always had to earn respect. Going into this I knew I'd have to do my best and gain respect," she said. "You do the best you can, and hopefully people see that it's not just a joke, or it's not just for a unique story."