Portland Commissioner Steve Novick is going down swinging.

Novick, with only a month left on the City Council following his re-election loss, has decided to ask for an unusual show of support next week.

A big fan of the former Montreal Expos, Novick now wants the City Council to declare support for retired Expo Tim Raines' induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

The resolution is expected to take up 7 minutes of city business Wednesday. It was prepared by Novick himself, listing Raines' various accomplishment.

"As Peter Gammons once said: 'When it's Raines, he scores,'" Novick quipped in a text message.

In his nearly four years on City Council, Novick has frequently cited music lyrics or played songs from the dais. But his wit and humor sometimes got him in trouble. This month, voters picked political novice Chloe Eudaly to replace him, ousting Portland's first incumbent in 24 years.

He's clearly undeterred.

"All Portlanders who are students of sabermetrics and / or were Montreal Expos fans between 1979 and 1990 will be very pleased," Novick wrote in City Council documents explaining the community impact in Portland.

Asked if this might be labeled self indulgent, Novick responded that U.S. Sen. Everett Dirksen once gave a lengthy speech in support of making the marigold the national flower.

In other words: So what?

Raines making the hall of fame "would be a blow for truth, justice and fairness that all Americans (and Canadians) should appreciate," Novick said via text.

And as to whether this was a parting shot before leaving office?

Channeling Bachman-Turner Overdrive, he responded: "You ain't seen nothin' yet."

This article has been amended to correct the spelling of U.S. Sen. Everett Dirksen of Illinois.

-- Brad Schmidt

bschmidt@oregonian.com

503-294-7628

@cityhallwatch