After Thoughts from Yesterday's Open Cup Match

As we got home from the match last night, our cats wouldn't leave us alone, even after the initial greetings at the door. They hung around the entire night, staying close enough to see what was going on. Unlike most cats, ours tend to be more visible, but last night, they were more present that most times. As I got up early to feed them, they followed me around the house, which isn't usual either. Granted, I have seven cats that live with us, so it's hard to go anywhere that doesn't have a cat around, but it reminded me of their incredible sense of knowing when the people around them aren't feeling like themselves. As I puttered around to get ready to go to work this morning, I kept trying to sing, "Always look on the bright side of life" and see the sun coming up, realizing it was a new day, but even with the cats' influence, I'm still in a bit of a fog about last night.

Girl, myself and girl's mom left our house at 2:30 yesterday to make it down to the park by 3 pm, and there was already people lining up to get into the park, and purchase whatever tickets were remaining to the match. As we left, we'd heard it was a sellout of 16,000 plus for Timbers - Flounders, but they had opened up a few remaining seats game day. Girl's mom decided to stay in line, while girl and I headed to the pub for some food and relaxation, and it was already packed in. We saw some Flounders fans walking about, and there was some good natured ribbing going back and forth. We left to get back in line about 5:30 PM, and the lines were already stretched to SW Morrison and all along SW 18th to get in. I hadn't seen anything like this since the Sunderland match in 2005. As the gates opened at 6 and I went through the ticket area, I'm usually one of about 4 or 5 fans that hit section 107 right at 6 pm, and girl is right behind me. When I got into the section, there were people coming from all directions to get seats. Within 10 minutes, the section was entirely full, and many regulars had been displaced by unfamiliar faces. We had managed to save just enough seats for our crew, although we were two deep at points, and girl and I brought some old friends to the park, the whale and monkey. For those new, the whale and monkey appeared back in 2006 during a Timbers - Flounders match, and every time we scored, the whale would move up and down with the monkey on its back. The whale was one of the centerpieces at our wedding, too, turned upside down, so it was nice to see them back for the special night that it was.

By 7 pm, the game was still 20 minutes from kicking off, and sections 104 through 111 were filled. The old regulars of 111 were moved to 105 because of smoke bomb issue, but they were surrounded by fans. Even the Flounders' contingency was strong, sending 7 buses and over 400 fans down south, although there were plenty of puke green kits littering the west end outside of their section. As I looked about, I saw a lot of new faces intertwined with many old friends, and I got a very good sense of what MLS would be like with both the Timbers and Flounders in it. Granted, this was a special occasion, but regular season matches would be this crazy full and intense. Much like being in Sunderland during their derby with Newcastle, two cities that really don't like each other at all. I also was witness to some of the gamesmanship prior to the match. The Flounders were originally going to wear all blue, but apparently forgot to bring other kits down, so they wore their lime green kits and the Timbers wore their black alternates. They'd wore them in previous matches for the Open Cup, but it's a rare occurrence to see the Timbers on their home pitch not in green while the other side is wearing green.

By the time the anthem got completed and the massive TIFO project of Timber Jim destroying the Space Needle was done, the crowd was in a frenzy all the way through the kickoff. Until the first minute and a blue flare hit the pitch, and then the Flounders struck with a rebound goal and it was 1 - nil fishheads. The collective air of the stadium was sucked out, and there was a quiet still except for the southwest end, where Flounder fans were celebrating. The Timbers got a couple of nice chances early, but couldn't capitalize, and then in the 27th minute, a crazy scrum of players let to another Flounder rebound goal, and it was 2 - nil fishheads. I didn't quite recognize the Timbers in the first 30 minutes, as they played very tentatively, passing was not crisp, and Hayes was a very marked man, which really crippled our offense. We played back on our heels, and the Flounders aggressively took the game to us. We got our feet about minute 32, and passes that were falling off started finding players, and Keita knocked in one at minute 43 giving the Timbers fans hopes of a comeback. It seemed like the Timbers were finding space, and they were starting to get back the passion and swagger that I've seen from them at home. At the half, there was cautious optimism.

The second half, I thought the Timbers were the better team, making good passes and stringing together some nice runs, but it seemed like the final pass was just off, which led to a hurried shot or Flounders clearance. A strange occurrence happened when Flounder Nate Jaqua was called offsides while netting a goal, but honestly, I think he might have been on-sides, it was that close. George Josten made a couple of nice runs, and got knocked down right at the box, without any call, yet seconds later, a similar call went for the Flounders. Around the 77th minute, Flounder Sanna Nyassi goes down in the corner without any contact, and rolls around on the turf for what seems like forever, and a well-aimed water bottle launches from the crowd and comes within millimeters of his groin in disgust. Even Timbers GK Steve Cronin was yelling at Nyassi to get up or get off the pitch. Honestly, I don't get the fascination of throwing things on the pitch, and while I smiled at the water bottle and target, it was a stupid move. As the match went on, the Timbers attacked and attacked, but couldn't get anything past Flounders GK Kasey Keller, and after 5 extra minutes, the whistle sounded and the game ends 2 to 1 fishheads.

The look of frustration was evident by the team as they walked by during their post game parade, while the Flounder green supporters celebrated their win. Girl and I started taking down our TIFO, and we both said how much we really wanted to send the Flounder supporters home, knowing what it's like to drive 3 hours after a loss. It's not a fun feeling at all, but it's what you do for your team. And mind you, I'm impressed with their level of support, and their team does play well together. But I seriously can't call them a rival, and here's my reasoning as such.

Rivals may hate each other when their teams are playing, but they at least show the other side a certain level of respect before and after the match. I've traveled to Vancouver, BC multiple times and have been verbally taunted and such, but the fans there are respectful, and we always have a good time there. They treat the visitors with some disdain during the match, but it's earned respect and during the match, you know both sides are going after each other with everything they have. But in the case of Shittle, I've witnessed plenty of questionable things done to our players and fans that get laughed off or dismissed because of a rivalry. I watched as one of my good friends chased a Flounders supporter onto their bus after the Flounder fan struck my friend unexpectedly, took his Timbers scarf and then hid on the away bus. As I tried to intervene between my friend and getting on the away supporters bus, I saw the Flounders fans acting in a rather dismissive, aloof way, wondering what the big deal was. I will give credit to a couple of them that actually were trying to help, but the vast majority couldn't care less, and apparently, one of them posted word of the accomplishment in Flounder land how a TA scarf was heading up north. There were rumours of other incidents after the match, but overall, I thought that most people were mostly behaved, outside of a few morons that were pulled from the Beer Garden for trying to start a fight, and two supposed TA that fought with each other in section 106. But the attitiude struck with me.

I've witnessed the MLS efforts here in Portland very first hand and it's frustrating to me to see the hurdles and obstacles, which only make me want it more, and last night had some beacons of good things, with a big crowd and a competitive match. But the Flounders' path in MLS has been filled with anything but peril, as they were added to MLS with absolutely laughable support of their former club, including even marketing their team as "finally, the world's game comes to S***tle". I can imagine most Flounders supporters have no idea about the former club, but some of them act like they've invented being a fan. Once their club was added to MLS, the money came to the club, it was decided that Qwirst Field would be a suitable MLS park even though it was a football stadium, and they even got the Seachickens owner to become part owner of MLS to help with that, plus the Seachickens marketing and sales staff help with MLS. The entire plan came together apparently so simply, so effortlessly, but I really was left wondering if they deserved it. And they've shown up for this honeymoon period with big crowds, a band, and buzz. But when you get so much easily and so quickly, it can foster resentment from those that have had to battle to get the same things.

If you want to call it jealousy, I think you bleed more lime green than anything, but what I've failed to understand is how easily this has fallen together for a sports market that doesn't deserve it. The people attending games there aren't fans, they are customers, not knowing anything about the team prior or caring about anything more than being part of the new fashionable trend. And while I can admire the crowds and a buzz for a moment, I cringe at the fact that this has fallen into their lap, and I'm frustrated and tired of it. I'd really like for once for them to learn what it's like to see the other side. You can't have respect for a "rival" that doesn't understand what it's like to suffer for your team, deal with frustration, or virtually be ignored in your own city. I can't respect anything about that club, and last night's event did nothing to change that perception. You may be winning on the pitch, but at least with many of us, and markets around the country, the Flounders aren't gaining any respect or love at all. And while they might say it's because they are winning, it's really the way that you're winning that bugs a lot of us. If you are supposedly better than us, show it by using your talent, not grade school tauting, intimidation, and bullying. I can only think about what they might be afraid of to just leave things as they are and taking a chance on a level playing field, but seriously, the Flounders played their top team for the most part, and barely walked out of here with a win. While I'm disappointed in the loss, the silver linings are starting to appear.

And tonight, I'll be back in PGE Park, watching the Timbers battle Bayern Munich II at 7 PM. It probably won't have the same intensity or TIFO as last night, but I'll be back supporting the lads, because that's what you do. When a tough loss happens, you get back up and keep singing and chanting. And at some point, I'm trying to figure out how to teach the cats to meow to Monty Python songs, it might be a good post match decompression.

Other thoughts from the web about the match:

Soccer By Ives recap

USA Today - Yes, the paper with charts and other things reported on it.

the Oregonian's take

Ginge Talks the Footy has some pictures and video to share.

MatchFitUSA was impressed with the crowd support and atmosphere.

The Third Degree, a blog from Dallas has some thoughts about the match.

The Offsides weighs in with support for Portland as well, and loved the TIFO.

The official MLS match report. Not a bad write up, even if they did get a few things wrong.

I had some issues with the batteries on my camera (thank you, Panasonic), so I have only still pictures that I will load sometime this weekend, along with shots from tonight. Hope to see some of you there tonight, and go Timbers!!!

More Gamesmanship Relating to Kits for Tomorrow's Open Cup Match

So, as we reported yesterday, FC Flounders was reported to be debuting an all blue kit that they haven't had to wear yet, but now according to the Flounders blog, they are bringing their Flounder blues and the puke green jobs, and are being very coy as to what they might wear. Apparently, it's a game of chicken to see which club will get to wear their green, and it's a tactic that we've seen in Flounder land for many years.

They've shown up in Portland with their green kits only, making us play in white at home when it wasn't our primary color (I don't even want to touch the decision in 2006 to switch to white at home by the former coach who shall remain nameless), and we've had to change our kit choice a few times playing up there, so I'm not surprised about this tactic at all. Teams try to earn an advantage anyway they can, even in the headgames category, and this just falls into that realm. But unlike previous Timbers squads, I think this is one of our strongest teams physically and mentally, and I don't expect them to be bothered by this in the least.

Only 1700 tickets left per the ticket office, so if you don't have a ticket, do yourself a favor and get it now. If you have an expectation to try and get a match ticket on game day, expect that it will take a bit more time to navigate the crowd, or you might get shut out. Just avoid it, and get down to PGE Park to get a ticket. The ticket office is open from 10 AM to 5 PM at 2000 SW Morrison, and they would be happy to help you out. Do it now, or you might regret it, I'd even expect a full fence full of people on the SW 18th side of PGE Park.

Odd Tidbits Before Wednesday's Match

I'll post all sorts of links about Wednesday for some light reading, especially things from up north.

Apparently, FC Puke Green will be known as FC Flounder Blue on Wednesday, as they are wearing all blue for Wednesday. Still no word on starters or key players making their way down, though, but apparently there are 400 confirmed Podites coming down. PGE Park is capping attendance at 16,000, so as of right now per Merritt Paulson, there are just over 2,000 tickets left. Paulson appeared on Strong at Night to pitch the game. It's good to see that many folks coming down for the fun.

But apparently, some of the members of FC Flounder Blue can't understand why they are so reviled in Portland. I suppose it's everything to do with Timbers Army fans being mistreated by the park security for many years, watching the players push the boundaries of fair play all the time with cheap shots, fake injuries, grabbing themselves in plain sight, and stepping on a Timber player's neck while he laid on the turf. Many of these things I've seen personally, and while they may not understand it, I understand it's what rivals do to their rival opponents to intimidate and try to gain a reaction. I can't tell you how many times they have come to PGE Park and made us wear different colors than our traditional green because they didn't have alternate kits available. It's gamesmanship, and while I wouldn't expect anything less from a rival, it makes me want our boys to destroy them Wednesday night. and Roger LeDouche may be a nice guy to his teammates, but he's classless to his opponents.

Even the MLS folks have picked up on the scale of this match. Seriously, if you are any type of sports fan and want to come see a rivalry game at its best, get to PGE Park and check out Wednesday's match. It will be epic, in a good or bad way. My instincts tell me it will be a good way for the Green and White...

Stadium Updates for June 29, Match Preview for Timbers - FC Flounders

There's been more talk of trying to revive the Memorial Coliseum as the site for the triple AAA baseball stadium here in Portland. The Oregonian did some more research into baseball sites in the Portland area, and the most popular sites were all listed with pros and cons. At least on the surface, the Portland Meadows site seems to have some advantages, having parking there and it's relatively close to transit, while Delta Park seems like the worst possible option. So you aren't going to allow park land to be taken for baseball, yet people in this town would advocate taking a popular amateur sports complex and putting a stadium there?

A guest opinion in the O talked about the situation in Baltimore with their Memorial Stadium, that soon lead to them building Camden Yards and the Ravens stadium in the area once the NFL returned. This led to some pointed comments from various sources, including Brian Libby, who has been the most vocal of the architectural preservationists. I get the significance of the Memorial Coliseum, but as I put in a response to comments that he made, I'd feel differently if there was a better site for baseball then there, I'd feel differently if the Trail Blazers had kept up on their promise to maintain the building, I'd feel differently if the MLS said the teams could share for a few years while we figured out a good site. But since none of those statements are true, and we've looked at all the reasons why PGE Park can't be shared by soccer and baseball and the cost of putting up a triple AAA ballpark is less than building a soccer stadium to MLS specifications, the course of action that is best for the city is to find a new home for baseball. But then again, logic hasn't been a big part of this stadium discussion, so why should I expect the facts to be considered otherwise.

Since I'm going to be very busy preparing for Wednesday, I thought I'd do the match preview for Timbers - FC Puke Green now.

Game Time: Timbers vs. FC Puke Green in the 3rd round of the US Open Cup, the premier American open soccer competition. It pits teams from various levels of US Soccer in a single elimination tournament. Portland beat the Kitsap Pumas and Sonoma County Sol to earn the right to face the Flounders, who are playing their first Open Cup match. The Timbers bid to host the match, and so it's here on Wednesday at PGE Park at 7 PM.

Broadcast: You can listen to the match at www.portlandtimbers.com, on the Game 95.5 (http://www.955thegame/) or watch the Timbers Senior match on Fox Sports Northwest (channel 34 in the Portland area) around the northwest.

Special Events: It's renewing a rivalry that has been around for years, but had it's final game in the USL last season when the Flounders visited the Timbers in August 2008. The Timbers and Flounders will meet again in 2011 when both teams will be part of MLS, unless they met in the Open Cup.

Overall History: The Timbers have 11 wins, 16 losses and 5 draws in their USL history against the Flounders. The Timbers are 7 - 7 - 3 at PGE Park against them, while sporting a 4 - 9 - 3 record in the Emerald City for various matches. The last meeting was August 2008, with the Flounders winning 1 to nil here, although the Timbers Army had a grand time, bringing a coffin with a whale into the park to mark the death of the USL Flounders.

Timbers Form: Still unbeaten in 12 league matches, a friendly and 2 Open Cup matches since losing their opener in Vancouver. They sit with 26 points at 7 - 1 - 5, and most recently, they beat Montreal at home 4 to nil on Sunday June 29th. The Timbers have a busy week with 4 matches this week (Wednesday, Thursday at home and Saturday in Minnesota).

Timber Player Updates: Ryan Pore, Tony McManus and Takuro Nishimura and Automann Jallow have been injured over the past few weeks, but they are all healthy and available for selection on Wednesday.

Timber Key Players: Mandjou Keita continues his hot streak, as he takes over the goal lead for the team with 6 goals, followed by Ryan Pore and Brian Farber with 3 goals, and then George Josten with 2. Josten leads the team with 4 assists, followed by David Hayes and Ryan Pore with 3 each. The forwards are now finding their shot, and putting shots on goal, which is great to see, but really the midfield is the engine for this team. Brian Farber, Johan Claesson and Keith Savage really held their form last night, and with Taka Suzuki, they have learned how to control the middle very well. The defense is doing well, with 6 goals given up, and only two real chances last night versus Montreal and the only Impact goal was waived off due to a player being offsides. We are certainly playing well right now, and after these home matches, we have our longest road stretch of the season in July before having the schedule balance out a bit.

Upcoming Timbers Matches: The Timbers play 7/2 in a friendly against Bayern Munich II and then head to the road to play Minnesota on 7/4, and then they have a bit of a break before heading to Austin to play there on July 11th, and then a long road trip to Miami to face the Blues for 2 matches on the 17th and 19th.

Flounder Form: They beat the Colorado Rapids 3 to nil this weekend, preceded by draws against DC United and FC Energy Drink the preceding weeks, and then the Flounders get a break until July 11th when Houston comes to visit Qwirst Field.

Impact Player Updates: Backup keeper Chris Eyelander has been struggling with a knee problem, so the team signed former FC Energy Drink keeper Terry Boss. At this point, we don't know if Keller or Boss will start for

Impact Key Players: I spent a few minutes on their site to get some stats, and trying to get the smell out. Fredy Montero leads the Flounders with 8 goals, followed by former Portland Pilot Nate Jaqua with 6 goals, while Montero has 6 assists and Jaqua has 5 assists, while former USL mid guy Sebastian Le Douche has 3 assists. Kasey Keller, another former Pilot and EPL keeper, has started 15 games in the pipes, and played really well for them in stretches. The FC Flounder defense has played well at times with Tyrone Marshall, Jhon Kennedy Hurtado, James Riley and Patrick Ianni really holding the fort well, as the Flounders don't give up a lot of goals. In most of their games, though, the question seems to be are they going to score enough to hold up the lead.

Key Notes: The Timbers have another long stretch of games coming up, so depth is the key, and as much as I love the chance to advance in the Open Cup, there is a key stretch of league matches coming up. However, most recently, Montreal rested some players in a competition against Toronto to prepare for a league match versus Vancouver, and they lost the competition match but got the league win anyway. There's plenty of new players on both squads that have never played in a Timbers - Flounders derby, but there are some holdovers that know what the game is like, so I would expect both sides to be charging up their troops.

Prediction: The Flounders have something to lose here, being the MLS side and the expectation is that they should win down here if they play their top players. But they are being coy about who is making the trip down, and who will be starting, so I would expect that they would have a side with many reserves and some starters sprinkled in. Portland, meanwhile, is going to use their depth and play their top side on Wednesday, knowing they have a match on Thursday that while should be a good test, has no meaning so they can play some reserves while they get ready for a tough road match on Saturday in Minnesota. The fans are keyed up, so I expect a big showing from both sides, and my hope is that there's no problems between supporters. I predict that it will be a hard fought match, and the Timbers magic at home remains with a tough, but well earned 2 to 1 victory. We always win 2 to 1!!

Bring On the Flounders, Stadium Vote Coming Soon?

Flash back to a fine August evening back in PGE Park during the 2008 season, and the Seattle Sounders and Portland Timbers met for the last time as rivals within the USL during the regular season. With the Sounders moving up to MLS for the 2009, this would be the last time the two teams were slated to meet each other officially, although there was an outside chance the teams could have met in the playoffs. After that, the only time they would meet again would be if there was a US Open Cup match, an agreed upon exhibition game or if the Timbers were moved up to MLS at some future point.

We now know that the Timbers will be joining FC XBox in MLS in 2011 after Portland was awarded an expansion team, so the once bitter rivals have a two year hiatus from meeting each other until that point unless the US Open Cup put the rivals in the same bracket. And sure enough, it was learned that after the bracket was announced in June of this year that the Timbers were in the same bracket, but had to win twice versus Kitsap and Sonoma County to set up this match, and a few days ago, it was announced that if Portland won in Sonoma, they would host FC Puke Green here.

The Timbers took care of business last night, beating Sonoma County 3 to nil in California, as Mandjou Keita notched two goals and an assist in leading the team to the win. Keita has been on fire lately, notching a goal late in the Charleston match to draw that game level, and he gets two more last night while keeper Steve Cronin and the defense kept the Sol attack at bay. The Flounders - Timbers match will be at PGE Park on Wednesday, July 1st at 7 PM and the winner advances to the next round. So, the old USL rivals meet in the Open Cup as a tuneup for the eventually matchup that will be forthcoming in 2011. It should be an epic night, and I'd advise anyone that is remotely interested in getting tickets to get them know through the PGE Park box office, Portland Timbers ticket sales, or through Ticketmaster. After talking with my ticket rep today, the great Dan Zusman, sales have been really brisk already and the tickets aren't officially on sale to the general public yet. Also, knowing the rivalry between the supporter groups, the Timbers Army and the ECS (I call them the POD), there will be some crazy TIFO displays and some bantering on message boards between these groups. I hope there is no significant trouble between the groups, but at the same point, some good natured ribbing is anticipated. The Timbers next home match is Friday versus Minnesota at 8 PM at PGE Park, which should be a good time, and I'll have a match preview and recap for you later this week.

The Offsides has a good match preview and recap for your perusal:

http://timbers.theoffside.com/team-news/portland-timbers-face-sonoma-county-sol-in-us-open-cup.html - a great match preview, including some history of the Sonoma County Sol, and the fact that both teams came into the match on very hot win streaks.

http://timbers.theoffside.com/match-reports/us-open-cup-portland-timbers-defeat-sonoma-county-sol-advance-to-face-seattle.html - Match recap from the Offsides.

http://portlandtimbers.com/newsroom/headlines/index.html?article_id=1250 - Official Match recap, courtesy of the Portland Timbers

Stadium Updates - Apparently, the Lents URAC (the Urban Renewal Action Committee) will be holding an open house on Thursday to hear discussion of the plan to put a triple AAA baseball stadium in the north corner of Lents Park, so that the Portland Beavers could move out there to make way for PGE Park to be refurbished for MLS. The plan is to hear from both sides, give groups the chance to talk about the plan, and it is anticipated that the URAC might actually vote on the proposal that night. Two of Portland's city commissioners, Dan Saltzman and Randy Leonard, have indicated that their support for the park is conditional based on their vote, so if they approve the idea, they'll vote for the proposal.

The Oregonian has continued to be busy on the topic, providing a front page article about the residents of the area and what they are thinking about the ballpark, and they are as divided as some other groups about the idea:

http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2009/06/residents_will_get_a_say_in_le.html

Some folks see the ballpark as a benefit, and could spur other development or draw people in that wouldn't otherwise visit the area, while others have concerns about the amount of money being used for the stadium or giving up part of a somewhat popular Portland park for a professional baseball team. A few other folks have weighed in on the idea, including John Mulvey, who lives in the area, and Tracy Francis, who was part of the Goose Hollow neighborhood association when PGE Park was being refurbished:

http://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2009/06/lents_the_false_choice_between.html - Mulvey isn't convinced the stadium is such a good idea, presenting it as a false choice. And while I see some of his concerns, my issue is that it's really something that we have to make a decision on, because the future of the Timbers and Beavers does hang in the balance. If we do nothing, we risk losing the teams to other cities or in the case of the Timbers, risk having the costs go skyrocketing because of no regional rivalries.

http://blog.oregonlive.com/myoregon/2009/06/lents_park_stadium_project.html - Lematlents is concerned about a lack of public process in the whole stadium situation, and honestly, I don't know what else the city could do about getting people involved. There have been public meetings, presentations, studies done, mailings sent, and discussions in various media sites, and yet there are some that still think this is an idea that is just being thrown at us without any discourse. I love that Portland wants to have their process honored, and I think there's something to having people talk about options and not make rash decisions. The problem is that at some point, you have to make a decision and stick with it, rather than just keep talking until the decision becomes obvious or the opportunity passes you by. That trait is called leadership, and right now, I'm frustrated at some of the leadership in this process who really are struggling to make a decision and stick with it.

http://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2009/06/what_goose_hollow_would_advise.html - Tracy's post, which talks from the voice of experience, and as being a resident of the area when PGE Park was being built, I would agree with her that PGE Park has been a very good tenant to the area, and they've done a lot to help the area. However, I do take some offense to her assessment of Steve Janik's comments (the MLS commissioner has said the teams can't share PGE Park, so that's all you need to know) and the only part of the process that has been like a runaway train is the seemingly non stop opinions that are relying on limited information to try and prove a point against this idea.

http://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2009/06/bridges_vs_the_stadiums_a_port.html - Steve Novick weighs in and talks about the difference of the Columbia Bridge process versus the stadiums, and why they are being treated differently. It's actually an intelligent question, even if I don't agree with his conclusion. Building a newer bridge between Washington and Oregon makes sense, and I wouldn't mind it being artistically pleasing, but for my money, I'm a sports fan and to me, building a stadium for the Beavers is a good investment in my mind. I'm troubled that some people that call themselves progressives are still struggling with that concept.

Finally, in an unrelated topic about baseball, we found out today that Sammy Sosa cheated. Wow, what a big surprise that the two main guys in the home run derby were both juiced up on some form of drugs, and that the results might have been chemically enhanced. I'm not surprised at all, and honestly, I find myself caring less and less about baseball because of it. Instead of being honest about the issues of drugs, baseball has played a game of deceit and deception about how rampant drugs are in their sport. I agree that baseball shouldn't be on an island in that respect, but it's hard not to point blame at them when even some of the big stars of baseball's current generation have been caught with drugs.

I get that most of the drugs weren't actually against the rules at that point, but at this point, it's just become boring and tiresome, and this discussion only gets amplified when we start talking about Hall of Fame players and statistics comparisons, things that happen in baseball all the time. Until the baseball world can come to a conclusion about how to deal with the situation, this problem just won't go away. My solution to the problem is simply this, if you broke the rules of the game to either influence the outcome of the games, be it gambling, drugs or whatever, you shouldn't be in the Hall of Fame and I can't seriously consider that person as a true great baseball player. But I'm just one opinion, and right now, I would just like baseball to step up and make a decision rather than this stupidly slow piece meal process of dealing with things as they come along.

It's Been A Year Already

I'm officially 3 days away from my first anniversary, and I've spent a bit of time the last few weeks thinking back to what I was doing last year when I wasn't obsessed with dealing with some of my own interpersonal crap. The problem with baggage sometimes is that in trying to move it about, it becomes cumbersome and lord help you unpacking it. You might be able to find a place for it, but most of the time, the baggage is just unnecessary clutter, even if you aren't 100 percent aware of it. Well, I can say that now, but part of my struggle has been trying to find that happy place. And for me, it was relating to many of the events from last year's wedding.

I know girl and I didn't want to have a extremely religious ceremony, nor did we want to have it in a church. We both knew that we were marrying the person that completes us best, and there were no commitment issues, but at the same point, we wanted to share our love and good fortune with many people that had been along for the ride. My family, albeit small, was represented rather well with my dad, aunt and uncle, while Girl's family, as big as it is, was there as well. We also had dozens of my friends from all over that dropped in, from my bank days to days in Spokane and Boise, and plenty of our Timbers Army counterparts there. There were some notable no-shows, but at the same time, I understand that some things come up and what mattered was that people were there to support us, either in person or in spirit.

But the days leading up to the ceremony were crazy, with all of the last minute details, phone calls, planning sessions, picking up people, running errands, and just putting together all of the stuff needed to pull this off. We had a great bunch of friends step up and provide us a lot of help, with putting decorations together, taking pictures, cleaning up, and generally being great people. But hey, my friends are amazing, so I wouldn't have expected anything less.

And as far as being married, it's been the most amazing roller coaster ride. I've never been so happy at times, it makes my face hurt. I've never been so challenged to the point that I wanted to break down. I've never cried so much about things, or have loved someone as much as I do girl. The amount of work it takes to get two people to suddenly become a single working unit while maintaining a level of independence is quite simply daunting, and I am amazed at the people that can stay married for 30, 40, even 50 years and still love each other as much now as they did back on their wedding day. I love girl as much now as I did then, as we've gone through the challenges, triumphs, and pure mayhem that comes from being married. I've never been pushed so much in doing anything in my life, but then again, I've never wanted anything so much in my life, either.

So for us, we are heading out for a quiet weekend on the Oregon Coast, and we'll be back next week, and things will return to normal, or as close to normal as it can get for a married couple, living with their mother in law and 7 crazy cats. To those that have provided kind words, support, a shoulder to cry on, a beer to drink down or anything in support of our first year, I say thank you for being there when we needed it. It's been a crazy ride, but one that I believe has more fun, more twists and turns, and more happiness on the way.

POST SCRIPTS - You can't be serious. Apparently the town up north wants to corner the market on sports colors that make the eyes hurt and the sensibilities quiver. Couldn't happen to a better place, really.

The Trail Blazers have a magic number of 2 to qualify for this year's playoffs, ending their streak of 6 years without post season play. And I was beginning to like going to draft parties and talk about the possibilities. Seriously, it's about time for this team, and while we may not win a title this year, we have the foundation for something truly wonderful. And we are going to look good doing it, even if the uniforms are slightly changing. They've grown on me a bit, although at first glance, I have to say they weren't my favorite.

Save the Made in Oregon sign. As much as I like the Ducks, they don't need to mess with a Portland landmark, simply because they are renting the building that the sign is on. Icons are meant to be preserved.