The Goat, of course, is the nickname at southern California golfers have bestowed upon the Center City Golf Course at Goat Hill, a popular but money-losing municipal facility owned by the city of Oceanside, Calif. And for a while this week, it looked like the Goat might be put out to pasture. The city was considering a proposal by Real Salt Lake, a Major League Soccer team owned by Oceanside resident Dell Roy Hansen, who wanted to convert much of the 76-acre golf facility into what he called a "soccer mecca." His plan called for the course to be reduced to nine holes, with the remainder of the land to host a soccer academy and a 5,000-seat stadium that he hoped would attract a minor league pro team and perhaps even a women's pro team. Most of the golfers in attendance supported an alternative plan by John Ashworth -- the local clothing designer who founded the Ashworth golf apparel company. More...