Match Preview Vs. Montreal, and Recap of NBA Draft, Blazer Style

A very big week is shaping up in Timbers land, with matches on Sunday, Wednesday and Thursday. Since this is a long weekend, I'll put out my match preview today for Sunday.

The Offsides puts together a good preview, while the resurrected Oregon Live Timbers blog provides some updates about this weekend, courtesy of our good friend, Rick. I lamented when this blog went away, but our friend Bob went on to do other great things, and now he's back with Offsides, and the rest of us can provide our voice.

Game Time: There is a footy double header this weekend, with US versus Canada in both matches. The Timbers U-23 team play at 1 pm at PGE Park versus the Vancouver Whitecaps Residency, which is a fancy name for a development team. The senior Timbers take over at PGE Park with an early 5 pm kickoff versus the Montreal Impact.

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

Special Events: The double header is a unique touch, but there is also a Timbers tailgate after the U-23 match in the parking lot behind the Cheerful Bullpen, and many of the U-23 players will be stopping by. The US Men's National Team also play earlier in the day in the finals of the Confederations Cup versus Brazil, marking the first time in a very long time that the USA is in the finals of a FIFA competition, so you could really be watching a lot of footy all day Sunday.

Overall History: The Timbers have a winning record against the Impact, winning 6 matches, losing 3 and drawing 2. Ironically, 2 of the losses are at home, with the Timbers having a 3 - 2 - 1 record here at PGE versus a 3 - 1 - 1 at Saputo Stadium. Montreal and Portland met on June 4th at PGE Park in a day where Portland was hit with major thunderstorms, and then Keith Savage hit with his own brand of thunder in getting the winning goal late in the match, as the Timbers won 1 to nil.

Timbers Form: Still unbeaten in 11 league matches, a friendly and 2 Open Cup matches since losing their opener in Vancouver. They sit with 23 points at 6 - 1 - 5, and most recently, they beat Minnesota at home 5 to 1 on Friday June 19th. The Timbers have had a bit of a break since their 4 matches in 12 days, and they start another tough stretch with 4 matches next week (Sunday, Wednesday, Thursday at home and Saturday in Minnesota).

Timber Player Updates: Ryan Pore, Tony McManus and Takuro Nishimura are still dealing with injuries, but we would expect them back very soon. McManus and Pore have targeted this week for a return, while Nishimura has been practicing with the team, so I would expect him to be available for Sunday.

Timber Key Players: Mandjou Keita continues his hot streak, as he takes over the goal lead for the team with 4 goals, followed by Pore's 3 goals, and then George Josten and Brian Farber with 2 each. Farber leads the team with 3 assists, followed by David Hayes and Josten with 2 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 have extremely well in the middle by keeping thing stable and providing support in the front or back as needed, and Taka Suzuki has really found a home in the middle. The defense is doing well, with 6 goals given up, and really, the one goal they gave up against Minnesota was an odd bounce off a free kick, but one that Steve Cronin saves more than he would miss. 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 7/1 versus FC Puke Green in a US Open Cup match, 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.

Impact Form: Montreal got off to a very slow start, but have picked up their play rather nicely. They sit at 17 points in 11 games, with 5 wins, 4 losses and 2 draws, 14 goals scored and 10 given up. They played Toronto last Thursday in the Canadian Ultralite Cup, and lost 6 to 1, as the coaching staff played a few reserves and held players out for a league match versus Vancouver later in the week, thus giving Toronto the Cup win and a berth in other tournaments and eliminated Vancouver. There was some bad blood between the squads, but Montreal got the win over Vancovuer 2 to 1 on the 20th, and then beat Miami FC at home on Tuesday 1 to nil.

Impact Player Updates: No major injuries that I could find.

Impact Key Players: Roberto Brown Perea still leads the team with 3 goals, while Rocco Placentino has 5 assists to his credit. The Impact are scoring goals, something they struggled with early in the season, but now they seem to have found a form. Joey Gjertsen and Eduardo Sebrango are key players for the Impact, as Gjertsen is a wily midfield veteran, while Sebrango is usually the key striker for the squad, but he's been rather quiet so far. Matt Jordan returns in goal for the Thunder, although they have Srdjan Djekanovic as the backup, who is a crowd favorite for the Timbers Army.

Key Notes: The Timbers have another long stretch of games coming up, so depth is the key. Montreal probably feels like they let one get away the last time they were in PGE Park, as they played very well against the Timbers and gave up the late goal for the loss, but at points, they controlled the tempo and generated better offense. The only thing that kept the Timbers in the match in the first half was some great defense, Cronin's great work in goal, and a few really badly missed chances.

Prediction: The Timbers want to put this one away early, and I would expect 2 goals from them, while Montreal is held in check, so the Timbers win 2 to nil. While the Impact has been scoring, the Timbers defense has really been playing well, and the only Minnesota goal was off a set piece. Granted, Montreal is usually good with those, so there is slight cause for concern, but we will extend our streak to 12, and get ready for Wednesday.

Trail Blazer Draft Night: Granted, over the past few years, the Trail Blazers have really looked forward to this night because it meant something. From the record 6 trades that netted us Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge to getting Greg Oden, we've made the draft night sort of a coming out party, so going into last night's draft, many fans were expecting something similar. But this is also a Trail Blazer team that is coming off a playoff berth and 4th seed in the West with one of the younger cores of players around, and so right now, you don't need to pull it apart, but rather tinker and compliment certain positions.

We went into the draft picking 24th in the first round, and with 4 second round picks, but a late trade to Dallas allowed us to move up to 22 and give up one of the second round picks. We pick Victor Claver, a young forward from Spain with 22, then got Jeff Pendergraph from Arizona State at 31, Dante Cunningham at 33 from Villanova and Patrick Mills at 55 from St. Mary's College. We did swap second round picks with Sacramento in a trade that sent disgruntled PG Sergio Rodriguez to the Kings, and got us Cunningham for us picking Jon Brockman from Washington.

I'm sad to see Sergio go, but I also know that he struggled to find a place in Portland, even with having his good friend Rudy Fernandez on the roster. Sergio wanted to play more up and down pace with flashy passes, while Nate McMillan prefers a more controlled approach. I wish him well, but in the draft picks, we get a very young forward who will play in Europe for 2 years at least, 2 young forwards who will battle to back up Aldridge, and a PG that really is the fastest guard I've seen that can shoot lights out with a very late pick. Mills is certainly shoot first as a PG, but that's what was asked of him by his college team. I can expect him to take a more disciplined approach in Portland, and if anyone can corrall this guy, it's Nate, plus you get to learn from a very good PG, Steve Blake. Plus, the Trail Blazers will retain the rights to Joel Freeland and Petri Kopponen, who will continue to play in Europe, while I expect that Channing Frye, Michael Ruffin, and Shavlik Randolph to be gone. That leaves you with:

PG - Steve Blake, Jarryd Bayless, Patrick Mills, Brandon Roy.

SG - Roy, Rudy Fernandez, Bayless

SF - Nick Batum, Martell Webster, Travis Outlaw

PF - LaMarcus Aldridge, Jeff Pendergraph, Dante Cunningham, Outlaw

C - Greg Oden, Joel Pryzbilla

The rumours of free agency persist, as we look at help for the PG situation, and I would expect the team to find another experience forward/center type. The Oregon Live team did a good job of recapping the draft, while their columnist, John Canzano, says this was a big move to do very little and keep the long term focus to save some money. And that's really what we saw in this draft, picks that are great value and save the team money from the salary cap, so they can be a player in free agency on July 1st. Granted, it's not flashy like what we have seen in previous drafts from the Trail Blazers, but it was what we needed this year.

Lessons In Politics

I've been excited and frustrated by the entire MLS - Triple AAA stadium process, and nothing emphasized that more that my morning yesterday. Girl and I went to her father's house for a breakfast gathering, and he asked us about the whole effort because he wasn't quite up to date with things, and so we talked about it with him for almost an hour. It was amazing to hear the assumptions he'd reached through some of the incomplete information that had been shared in the media, but he also had some thoughts about how people were thinking that I hadn't necessarily considered.

I get that people might be scared about putting so much money into one project, and since my last post, things have gotten even more interesting in the world of Lents. Merritt Paulson has walked away from Lents, stating he doesn't want to build a stadium in an area that doesn't want it there. However, Randy Leonard, one of the city commissioners wants Paulson to wait and allow the Lents URAC (Urban Renewal Advisory Committee) to meet and vote on the idea, otherwise he is not willing to support soccer, while Dan Saltzman and Sam Adams are comfortable with the process and still want to discuss the stadium issue on Wednesday. Since the decoupling has occurred last week, soccer and baseball plans are being talked about separately, but we do know that plans for MLS must be in place by September 1st to secure the expansion team, which includes stadium plans to renovate PGE Park and other team specifics. Rumours have been floating about that Montreal is trying to secure the bid for the team if the Portland bid implodes, although I'm not convinced that's a very likely if.

Politics today is a rather nasty business, as you have to navigate some rather choppy waters to get anything done and try to remain sane in the process. Nothing seems tougher than trying to build a consensus amongst people that often times don't see eye to eye, and don't see the point of yielding in any way from their idea. I've watched passively on the debate to rename a street for Cesar Chavez, which makes the MLS situation seem tame in comparison. You have a group that wants this so badly because they feel Chavez needs to be honored, and they don't want to compromise by having a bridge or park named after him, while many of us, myself included, just can't understand why there isn't a way to compromise on the issue. I respect Chavez quite a bit, and understand his legacy, but I fail to understand his contribution to Portland so that a street should be named for him. Granted, it doesn't help things when the last renamed streets, Rosa Parks, MLK and Naito Parkway, were renamed without following the letter of the law when it comes to the process.

It's tough to build consensus with inconsistency, but at the same time, interests and topics change quite often, and I admire anyone that wants to get into public service and try to navigate this mess. You have to gage things as much as possible while hearing from a constituency that often times isn't informed or only sees one side of an issue and can't see the long term side of an idea. You have the anti-tax zealots, people who hate development, people who love development and can't understand why we can't just let business do what they want, the environmentalists who want everything protected, people who want kids protected under any costs, and sports fans that want the city to help them secure funds for stadiums or teams. Voters don't often spend time learning about issues as much as they should, but in all fairness, it's hard to find a nugget of truth in a saturated media that often times doesn't care about reporting truth but what will bring ratings or notoriety to their channel.

But at the same time, anyone in politics has to understand the game, and as Oregon Live's columnist Anna Griffin points out, we expect them to make the tough choices and represent our needs, no matter how fractured they might be. It's how things work around here, and that's why strong leadership is important, especially in a town like we have here where power is split between five commissioners that run various bureaus around town. Portland is unique in the sense that during the rally at Lents on Thursday, Commissioner Nick Fish was there to support the opponents as the commissioner of parks while Leonard was there in support of the plan, putting commissioners on both sides of the debate. And both sides of the argument can point to the fact that their side was represented by elected officials, which while it might be frustrating to someone like me who wants the stadium, I appreciate the fact that all sides can feel like their voice is being heard by someone with influence.

But where I get frustrated in this situation is simply that as someone who watches processes, I expect that our leaders will be strong in their conviction yet have an ability to find consensus and make tough decisions, even in the face of criticism. And that's the failing that I'm seeing of our city council right now. I appreciate the job they do, and understand that they need to follow their voice, but at the same time, it's important to work together and find ways to make the city work as smoothly as possible. Instead of bending to small interest groups or a vocal minority, it's important to stick with a plan if it makes sense for the city, and honestly, the original stadium plan to put the baseball park in the Memorial Coliseum site was the best idea out there, and it's frustrating to me to see that abandoned by a small group of architects and the Trail Blazers' influence. While I'm confident that things will find a way to work out, what I fear is that this process has exposed the dysfunction and chaos that often happen in city government. I find that I'm much more engaged in local issues, which is a good by-product if we are really looking for positives here.

I wish that politics wasn't such a messy game and that discussions could be done in a much more above board manner, and that decisions could be made quickly and efficiently. But like many good things, it makes the end result that much more satisfying, and after talking with girl's father, he seemed to understand what we were doing, and didn't seem to object nearly as much. I wished I could do this with many of the opponents of the stadium, but I suppose it's just one step or one person at a time, because that's how the city that works really works.

Timbers Season Starts, Blazers Season Ends

The Portland Trail Blazers are done with the 2008 - 2009 season, after losing on Thursday night in Houston. They lost their first round series 4 to 2 to the Rockets, and now the off season begins, but it's much different than past seasons for this team. Instead of planning draft lottery parties and wondering what young player will end up in Trail Blazer colors, the team is looking towards the future as a key player and title threat. The second youngest team in the NBA won 54 games this year, was the 4th seed in the Western Conference, had one All-Star in Brandon Roy, a budding All-Star candidate in LaMarcus Aldridge, up and coming players Rudy Fernandez, Travis Outlaw, and Greg Oden, and seasoned vets Steve Blake and Joel Pryzbilla. The mix is very good on this team, and I expect the front office will make some moves to not only thin the roster of positions where we have lots of players (small forward, where we have 5 guys that can play there) to help areas where we need depth (point guard). But bask in the glory, Trail Blazer fans, this is the beginning of something special indeed.

The Timbers, meanwhile, started their season last Saturday in Burnaby, BC, against their rivals from the North, Vancouver Whitecaps. I've got some pictures from the trip, and some other observations from the road:

• Apparently, we hit every patch of bad traffic between here and Vancouver, including phantom traffic in Shittle. I swear for a city that big, they never seem to open their express lanes, and when they do, it's always in the opposite direction I'd expect them to. I think they enjoy trapping people there just trying to get through town.
• I'm going to be happy once passports are required at border crossings, because there is no excuse for almost a 1 hour wait going up, and over an hour and a half coming back, and we we weren't at Peace Arch. While I admit our secret crossing spot may not be much of a secret anymore, it still bugs me that we wait that long for essentially a 30 second conversation about your trip. I'm honest with the border guys and don't mess around, and I appreciate the hard job they do, but I think having universal ID would speed up those processes quite a bit. I'm just sorry I never got around to getting a passport until a few years ago.
• I love Vancouver as a city, and the downtown buzzes quite a bit, but the construction for the Olympics makes it tough to get around. Everything is being ripped up on Granville street, which makes it hard to get about. I can't wait to see it once it's done, but after not being in downtown for a few years, I can imagine driving about is just a pain.
• Swangard is a nice stadium, and a good road trip experience. Girl and I were walking from the SkyTrain, and heard our fellow TA chanting almost a half a mile away in the park, and that made me feel like I was home. I also got asked if I had tickets to sell a couple of times, but the park wasn't full at all, so I'm wondering if people stayed away for whatever reason. We had a big group, and we were loud.
• I like our team a lot, they haven't been this creative in the midfield in years. Now, if we can only get people to put the ball in the net afterwards...
• Thanks to the Chateau Granville for a great stay, the Morrissey Irish Pub for some great food and drink, and the G Sport Pub for giving us a back area to watch the Trail Blazers - Rockets game 4 and for providing good food and drink.

We also had our home opener versus Carolina on Thursday, April 30th, and I have more pictures and some videos of a couple of great shots, and the end march, which is one of my favorite parts of Timbers matches. We played fairly well on Thursday, and with our match on Saturday, we dominated the second half of the game but couldn't put the ball in the goal. But I'm optimistic that our team will do better, because we have depth at most positions and we have skill and creativity that we haven't had in a while. The goals will come in time, I'm sure.

I also enjoyed seeing a lot of folks in the shed that I hadn't seen in a while, and it was great to see the Cheerful Bullpen and Bitter End pubs full of Timbers Army. The sea of green is always a site to see, and we get to do it again today with another match versus Carolina.

Thursday was also special because Girl's birthday was Wednesday, and our Row N crew took care of her with drinks and attention all night. We have some of the most amazing friends, and it was great to see them honor her and she appreciated it a lot. Birthdays can be a stressful time, but it's nice to see friends do nice things because they care. I got her a collection of tulips on Wednesday with a special card, but she also got a neat flower to put in her hair from Sele, and the remaining Row N folks poured on the suds. She's doing pretty well now, and we even have evidence of our picture with her happy face. We are the famous Row N Infantry.....

I'll have more to post this weekend, but for now, that's all I have. Peace out, and enjoy the spring time weather.

Playing a Little Catchup

It's been a bit, so I'm providing a condensed recap of my last few events, and a few thoughts about topics about town:

Anniversary Trip - The trip was truly amazing, and I'm glad that girl and I were able to get out of town and see the sights on the Oregon Coast. I love vacation time, but being able to spend quality time together without interruption was just great. We did have a nice house rental, we had nice amenities with a TV and killer view, and there was no Internet available, so we couldn't even work or check email if we even wanted to, so it was a matter of really relaxing and just doing whatever. Which it was we needed, because our schedule is pretty packed otherwise, with sporting events, social obligations, me playing soccer again, plus the things around the house to deal with. But it was nice to get out of town, enjoy a sunny weekend on the coast as it was 75 and sunny Saturday, Sunday and Monday, and we took advantage. We wandered into Rockaway Beach for a day taking in the sights, we went to Lincoln City to shop a bit and visit the casino and while we were there, we found anniversary pie to eat, and we drank a lot of really good wine. Ok, six bottles worth, but it wasn't all at the same time. There was a lot of cooking as well, as I got to barbecue on a charcoal grill, while girl made a very good sirloin dinner on our last night there. I am so happy to have her in my life, and it was great to be able to celebrate it. I really didn't want to come back, but at the same time, income is needed to pay for trips. If you want to see pictures, click on this link and you'll see our fun time.

Portland Timbers - We are just 12 days away from the start of the 2009 season, and I can safely say that it's going to take a while to get to know this bunch, as the roster is almost a complete turnover from last year. In some respects, that isn't a bad thing as the Timbers were the last place team from 2008 after being in second place the previous year with essentially a similar roster in place. While last year's team had some decent defense at times, we lacked stability in the keeper spot, as we played 4 different players there, and our offense up front wasn't very creative unless Bryan Jordan was back with us on loan from the Galaxy. We don't have the luxury of relying on him this year, as he's finally stuck on the team there. But at least from what I've seen in two exhibition games here in town during the first part of the season, we already have a different mentality.

The offense is willing to take more chances, with Antou Jallow and Manjou Keita providing some speed up top, and new additions Johan Claesson and Alex Nimo providing some speed and energy in the middle. And our keeper situation is solidified with having Steve Cronin and Brian Visser with us all year, and not on loan. It was tough to get any sort of solid attack and defense when you didn't know who was playing in the pipes. And I like Stephen Keel and Takuro Nishimura in defense, as they showed a lot of smarts and energy in the two games I saw. At least from what I've seen, we have a lot more energy on the pitch, and we tried a few things with passes and plays that we wouldn't have even tried last year, and while some of them didn't work, it was nice to see them trying something new besides trying to get the ball in the box and then trying to draw a penalty. It will also be good to watch the new Under 23 team that is starting this year, which will give us a chance to develop some younger talent, with the intent of moving them up to the first team or possibly the MLS team in 2011. We've not done much with player development, so it's nice to see the team finally looking at creating a foundation with guys that have a shot of doing something special. I'll be up in Vancouver, BC for our opener, and I can't wait for the 2009 season to get going.

Portland Trail Blazers - The playoff drought is over, and we are finally living up to some of the potential that everyone has been expecting. We could finish anywhere from 3rd seed to 5th seed, but for us to advance far, we need to secure the home court advantage in as many matchups as we can. Simply put, we have a dominant advantage playing games in the Rose Garden, and we can't count on that being there for any road games, especially in places like Houston, Dallas and Denver, places that we tend not to play very well at. I'm actually glad that Utah isn't a possible opponent, because of all of the places that we struggle with, Utah is like a Bermuda Triangle of offense for us, as we just don't play well there. I think it might be different in the playoffs, but I don't want to chance it. It's just nice not having to plan a lottery draft party this year to celebrate another top pick in the draft to add to our collection of young talent. It's great to have a collection of players that have skills, but it's better when those guys start to put it together and show their talent and start winning.

This team isn't just Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge either, as each member of the team brings a specific skill that fits the overall puzzle. Nicolas Batum plays great defense and shoots from the outside well, Steve Blake runs the offense with precision, Joel Pryzbilla and Greg Oden provide blocked shots, toughness and rebounds, Travis Outlaw provides the offense off the bench, Rudy Fernandez provides more offense and long range shooting, while Sergio Rodriguez understands his role in running the team, making others better while on the floor. Even guys that don't play much like Channing Frye understand their role, and do what they can when they get their minutes. It's a great collection of talent, and I'm looking forward to seeing what they can do in the playoffs.

And as far as opening round matchups, I think we would do very well in a matchup with New Orleans or San Antonio, as we play great defense versus the Bugs, and San Antonio is reeling with major injuries around their roster. Houston just drives us nuts, and I'm hoping that if we have to face them, it's later than sooner. Even the Lakers don't provide as much of a challenge, because they just can't win up in Portland regardless of what they do, even if their top guys are on target.

MLS to PDX update - The plan for the baseball stadium is starting to take a bit more shape, and it looks like the Rose Quarter is the final destination. While some might not like the idea, I think it's great to consolidate these stadiums in a destination area with other shops and restaurants that will attract people to the area. It's not just firming up the actual numbers for the financing, and that magic number is $15 million dollars. There's lots of other news floating about with different figures, but essentially, with the removal of the urban renewal district around PGE Park, this amount needs to be secured before the deal can be finalized. The next few weeks, the city council will be firming up their commitment to the plan, and then coming up with final renderings of the stadium and more firm financial numbers.

This plan makes sense for the city, as we get two great stadiums that will help solidify our position as a major sports player, and we'll get the attention of the soccer world in 2011 going up to MLS. I do love a lot of the "Internet whack a moles" who quote a lot of their fears or issues with this plan, which falls into the "we need to think of the potholes or kids" or "why not when we're in crisis" thing. And there's just as much deception with some specific members of the media, like Beth Slovik from Willamette Week and Matt Davis from the Mercury, who think that good reporting is done with minimal facts and maximum conjecture. I don't mind people being against the plan as long as their reasons are valid or at least well thought out, because I realize that not everyone is going to be a fan of this. But at least be factual in your presentation, which is seeming to be hit and miss with some media.

Ok, that's it for now, talk to you all this weekend!!

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.

Quick Post for a Monday

Here is another nice account of Friday's events, courtesy of El Diablo from the SCUSA universe. It's nice to have another perspective of things, and I wanted to share it with everyone.

Not much to report from this end for now, the Trail Blazers lost to the 76ers tonight at home, but still are very much in the playoff race with only 11 games left. We'll chat more about them later in the week.

Have a great Monday all, and be safe.

One Crazy Ride, But We Always Win 3 to 2.

3:37 pm, March 11th. History was made in Portland, and it was a long, crazy ass ride.

I have been through emotional rides before, like when I lost my mom or on days at work where the shit is proverbially hitting the fan, but Wednesday was such a different experience. I won't ever forget what happened. But before I get to that, let's start at the beginning of the day.

I had asked for the day off from my job to make sure that I could attend the City Council meeting where the council discussed the proposal to bring MLS to Portland, in addition to discussing a new triple AAA ball park for the Portland Beavers. Talks had problems on the preceding Friday, but apparently, a deal had been struck over the weekend between Sam Adams (current mayor of Portland), Randy Leonard (city commissioner), and Merritt Paulson (current owner of the Timbers and Beavers). The deal was announced on Tuesday, and so the council was going to discuss the plan during their regular Wednesday meeting, starting at 9:30 AM. I went to bed that night after scrambling about to get caught up on work stuff, TV stuff, and helping girl so that she could come to the hearing as well. We went to bed rather late, and as usual, I fell asleep almost immediately after my head hit the pillow, but she had some nervous energy, because it was going to be a big day.

I woke up just before 7 AM, as girl had dropped her mom off at work, because her car was in the shop. She had gotten back, and was going to check email before eating and getting ready to head downtown. I logged onto the board (soccercityusa.com), and was checking on the headlines and topics. The board has been crazy, as members of the Timbers Army were preparing for today, posting links to various media outlets, sharing letters that they'd written to various people, and posted comments from people who either supported or hated the idea of MLS. As I sat down, girl had mentioned that they were asking for someone to read a letter from our friend Gary from Seaham. He had written a wonderful story about his first trip to Portland, the hospitality that he was shown, and how much he enjoyed the passion that the Timbers Army showed during matches. I originally wasn't going to testify, but when the opportunity presented itself, I didn't hesitate to say I would read it. Gary is a wonderful friend of mine, and he's done a lot for me personally after two trips across the pond, so I felt honored that it would be me sharing his words. After putting out the trash, showering and eating, we left the house at 8 AM. We wanted to be in the chambers by 8:45 AM so that we could sign me up to talk.

The traffic wasn't terrible for a Wednesday morning, but the drive into downtown didn't make me miss commuting into the core of Portland one bit. I love the people that jump lane to lane, or are doing other things while driving, but it's what you see in the morning, so it is what it is. We pulled into 4th street about 8:40 AM, and found a parking garage near City Hall, the site of the hearing. I figured we would be in and out within a few hours, as the council meeting was supposed to start at 9:30 AM with the vote happening around 11 AM. But I also remember my days of being in student senate at Gonzaga, and meetings almost invariably never followed the right schedule, as they often went long or ended way early. While I hoped that it would end early, I wasn't that optimistic about that happening. As we pulled into the garage, I took the ticket and pulled into the first floor and got ready to park, when girl said, "No, wrong spot, it's 106. Go one more over!", and sure enough spot 107 was open, so we parked there. I firmly believe in karma, so hey, anything I could do to help the cause, let's do it. I even pulled out my match day scarf to wear with my green shirt, so that I followed the color scheme of the TA. As we walked down to City Hall, we saw the Tri-Met number 10 to Sunderland, letting people off. Again, perhaps another sign, as I was ready to read a letter from a Sunderland AFC supporter to our city council in support of MLS.

We passed through security at 8:50 AM, and walked upstairs to see the semi-large group of Timbers Army already waiting to get into the council chambers. There was at least 50 people gathered outside, waiting for the 9 AM time to sign up and I ran into many of my friends, and a few Army members that I hadn't met yet but knew me and girl by face. Finn, our main TA organizer for MLS to PDX, made sure I was Ok to read the speech, and Obi even offered me a SAFC scarf to wear while reading Gary's letter, but I decided to stick with my match day TA scarf. It made me feel comfortable, and so as I wandered up to sign up, I felt ready and calm to go. I'd already been talking with various city council members by email to provide input about the decision, answer any questions they might have about MLS, and do what I could to provide information about Paulson's idea. The chambers opened up soon after 9 AM, and we saw Merritt walking in, and he stood outside, shook a few hands and thanked us for being there. After the bonding moment, many of us started to head in. There was already a half dozen news cameras there, following us in and taking pictures before things got rolling. The lower floor of the chambers was filled with TA, so many that they had to open the balcony for more seating. I don't think anyone expected this many people, as evident by many of the council meeting regulars who were used to getting close up seating. Today would be a little different.

At 9:35ish the Councilors and Mayor Adams wandered in, and things officially got going. The first hour was going through the agenda items before soccer, including two calls for Adams to resign, a prayer from a pastor, and the Palau foundation giving the city money. It was rather interesting to hear the discussion about various things, and the business was handled rather respectfully. I did find it funny that most of the people asking for Adams to resign didn't appear to be Portland residents, but at any event, around 10:30, the topic of MLS started up. Being a former college senator, I was used to the parlimentary rules of procedure, so following along was pretty easy. First, the task force chairman talked....and talked...and talked...and got grilled with some questions. I noticed a few people typing into their computers, and apparently, Oregon Live sent one of their columnists to follow along. Ryan White did a great job of following along, and honestly, I'm not sure I could have done such a good job keeping up and making it sound interesting.

The city attorneys came up, and talked more about the nuts and bolts, and got questioned more, as Commissioners Fish and Fritz were asking most of the questions. The deal had been brokered by Commissioner Leonard and Mayor Adams, who fielded and clarified things, but the attorneys and PDC guys talked for nearly another hour, until Merritt took the stand around noon time. By now, my stomach was still in knots as I'd expected to have been gone by now, but at the rate we were going, it looked to be a very long day. I even got my picture taken by the Oregonian with girl sitting next to me, I believe it was taken about 11 AM or so, about the point that I had wished I had eaten more than a bowl of cereal. The discussion continued, and there were many questions thrown out, some good and some not so good. Fritz indicated she hadn't seen the documentation until today, although if that was truly the case, she grasped some of the text pretty well. There was plenty of talk about seating, the ballpark, transportation credits, urban renewal districts, zero coupon bonds, and more finance talk than I'd heard since my college days. Needless to say, lots of details were discussed at great length.

Around 11:55 AM after Merritt left the microphone, Multnomah County Commissioner Ted Wheeler took the stand, and the next 45 minutes or so was punctuated as "the Leonard - Wheeler" bitch fest. I'd never seen anything like it, as Wheeler and Leonard took shots at each other verbally about urban renewal districts. Wheeler didn't want one formed because it would affect the county budget adversely, although Leonard pointed out that not only does the county have many now that they earn from, but that he'd mentioned to Wheeler 3 months ago this was part of the plan. Apparently, that fact didn't register until the thing became a back and forth trading of barbs, with a final "oh, snap" moment where Leonard basically said Wheeler didn't know what he was talking about, followed by Wheeler's "uh, your mom" retort. It was truly a spectacle to follow, but the events here did have an affect on things later. Wheeler was joined by someone from the Portland Public Schools, who said this proposal would hurt their budget, too, so please don't do it.

It's not that I have anything against schools mind you, but it seems like the PPS always has their hand out if they can get more money, and sure enough, it appeared they were upset that an urban renewal district would be put in around PGE Park that could adversely affect them. URDs allow an area to set up a taxable district, in which bonds can be issued. However, these bonds can affect the amount available for other public entities, such as schools, if they wish to either set up bonds, and they can impact the taxable values of properties in the area, which affects the amount they collect from the states and counties. In most cases, the bonds and other public financing work in conjunction with each other, but apparently, the county and PPS felt otherwise, and so it was their time to say their peace. Once this was done, more task force dudes came up and said their peace. It was interesting that the task force had unanimously agreed on the recommendation, and one of the guys admitted he was a no until that final meeting.

The public testimony finally got rolling just before 1 PM. Short statements good, but you have 3 minutes to talk and then you get cut off anyway. Most of the other council business has been pushed to other days and meetings, so at this point, we're in for the long haul. Most of the speakers have good things to say about MLS, including the president of the Oregon Sports Authority, some veterans who were happy at the prospect of getting a new memorial, and lots of Timbers Army, while many spoke against it, including a guy that felt the Coliseum made more money with cat shows than baseball, and a city employee that thought it was a waste of time. There was another veteran who said they were supposed to get use of the Memorial Coliseum, but apparently no one remembered this fact. He didn't seem to mind it possibly being torn down, especially at getting a new memorial.

At 1:25 pm, my name gets called, and I'm up there with two other TA, Kari Sue and Obi. It's Obi's fault that I joined the TA, so it was fitting that we were up there to testify at the same time. My part went rather well, I didn't butcher the letter too bad, and by 1:33 PM, I was done. The letter was from the heart, and while I missed some of the words, it was an honor to read it. Even the mayor liked the story, and within a few more minutes, I was back at my seat. I never felt such a thrill as actually standing up for something I believed in.

But my optimism was short lived as at 2:13 pm, the Portland Trail Blazers testified, and said the MLS deal, specifically the baseball part, harms them. Up until now, they'd been a willing participant, realizing that another tenant might bring more folks to the Rose Garden, an area that has really struggled to pull people there on non-game nights. While the Blazers had been supportive, they suddenly said that their idea for an entertainment district near there would be harmed by the baseball park, and it would cause them economic harm. I'm not sure what loud sound I heard first, Merritt's jaw dropping at the change of heart, or Adams and Leonard sitting dumbfounded at the situation. Even the local sports columnist, John Canzano, was disheartened at the conduct, and wrote about it at great length today. It's one thing if you were disrupting an already established area, but in the 15 years since the RG was built, it's still what it is, two arenas, some random office buildings and a restaurant. While baseball would fill in crowds on non-basketball nights, I think the problem here is as simple as asking this - Do the Blazers want competition in their market? Or Do the Blazers want competition in their market for revenue streams that they currently have a monopoly on? The Trail Blazers guy leaves hurriedly, and the room is still stunned at what just happened.

The testimony continues, Merritt goes back up to talk more, more legal stuff gets talked about, and around 3 Pm, they decide to see if they even want to vote today. When suddenly, Commissioner Saltzman proposes an amendment to remove the URD part of the financing, and the piece that the county was complaining about is discussed and gone. The amount of the financing is $15 million and so it will need to come from somewhere, either another source or a URD that the county and schools can agree upon, but either way, it needs to be in place by September 1st, when this agreement officially becomes binding after a vote. It appears that with this one change, perhaps we might get a vote and it will finally pass. It appears that Fish is leaning towards a yes, Saltzman and Fritz are no's, while Leonard and Adams are already committed yes votes. We hit 3:20 and then it's time for final remarks.

Fritz pulls out some soccer scarves, talking about being a huge soccer fan, and loving the game. She continues on about soccer, when her tone changes about not wanting to hurt the city or the Trail Blazers, and after a rambling roundabout speech, she said she can't support it, and so the first no vote is on the book. Fish steps up, saying he'd be the first in line to buy MLS season tickets, but he can't support the idea of harming county services, and so he's a no. I'm shocked by this one, because I thought he was a yes. The Army sits huddled in their chairs, realizing that our fate hangs by one final vote. If it's a yes, we are in, if not, the MLS dream is done. Saltzman starts to talk about financial terms, and not harming the city, but soon says "This seems like a good stadium deal for us and I look forward to discussing it more, so I'll vote yes"

The room explodes into a crazed celebration of cheers and tears. Girl cried in her seat, I sat there stunned and humbled while tearing up, and there was plenty of noise. Leonard and Adams soon cast their yes votes with short discussion, and soon enough, the deal is passed 3 to 2. There's still the 15 million dollar question, but we can go to MLS with the deal and go from there. It's now a matter of MLS saying yes to Portland. I shook Merritt's hand later, got to speak with Sam Adams a bit, and generally hugged and celebrated with the TA around there. It was a truly great moment, and one of historic proportions. I had truly seen the city at work, and while we got what we wanted, it wasn't without challenges.

We live in a society that doesn't believe in sharing truth anymore, but rather placing doubt on ideas as much as possible because information can be skewed in many different ways. I don't want schools to be harmed, or the Trail Blazers to suffer monetarily, but at the same point, if schools can't find ways to more efficiently use their funds, why should they get more. And seriously, as much as I love the Trail Blazers, they seriously upset a lot of fans with their antics on Wednesday, and while I'll support the team, I have issues with the business end. But as we ended up at the Bitter End celebrating, none of that mattered. We all celebrated because for one night, we convinced a city that soccer was a good thing, and we got three powerful people to believe in it's future in Portland. And when Merritt came into the pub later to celebrate and buy drinks for everyone, it showed exactly what kind of a guy he is - one that loves Portland and wants to see this happen.

I did send thank you notes to the council, to Ryan for his humour, and to the Trail Blazers, and while I was cordial in every one of them, I won't forget the lessons learned on this journey. There's a lot more work to be done, but at least for now, we have achieved something that just a few months ago seemed like a pipe dream. And I will remember this day when I'm sitting in PGE Park in 2011 as the Timbers open up their MLS campaign, and realize just how far this city has come in such a short time.

The Most Unusual Trail Blazers Game Ever

I've been attending Trail Blazer games since I moved here in 1989, and I've seen some rather unusual stuff: game winning shots, Rasheed trying to kill a referee, playoff games, the 2001 collapse in LA from the Rose Garden, retirement ceremonies, and lots of great games. But nothing I had seen prepared me for what I saw last night.

The Oklahoma City Thunder came to town last night, but you might remember them as the former Seattle Supersonics. The team was unceremoniously moved to Oklahoma last year by their owner, Clay Bennett, who bought the team in 2006 from Howard Schultz. Schultz was frustrated at the lack of movement on a new arena in Seattle, despite the fact that Key Arena was refurbished back in 1995 with help from the city. Schultz wanted Bennett to keep the team in Seattle, and he promised he would make an effort to keep them there. Schultz had asked for a $200 million capital infusion to fix Key Arena, so Bennett, after buying the team, promptly asked for $500 million for a brand new area. I love businessmen when they use new math. Bennett finally applied to move the team last year after failed attempts to get money, and so the city of Seattle sued to keep the team there. Despite having a pretty good case, the city finally settled for $45 million dollars with the promise to keep the team history and colors, and also receive extra funds if the city could secure additional financing from the state of Washington by the end of 2009. The legislature will be taking up that task sometime in the next few months while they are in session, so the fate of the money should be known by the time the Thunder make their second appearance in the Rose Garden on April 13th.

But while there's plenty of blame to throw about amongst the players above, you can add the state government, who thought the whole idea of paying for an arena was stupid, the city council, who didn't seem to have an idea of what they wanted to do, and David Stern, the NBA commissioner, who let the whole thing happen. Stern might have felt some obligation to Bennett, who worked with the New Orleans Hornets when they played in OK City when their city was devastated by Hurricane Katrina, so he wanted to get a team there. But really, the fact that you could just allow a team with over 40 years of history to just walk away like that was a joke, and I blame all of the parties involved here. It's not that I lose any sleep over the issue, but I'm mad that not only did the NBA allow our closest rival to walk away, but now we lost the only team in our division that plays in the same time zone, which no other team has to deal with. Every other division has at least 2 teams that play in the same time zone, except for the Northwest division. Denver and Utah are in the mountain zone, OK City and Minnesota are in the Central. Gee, you'd think there was a conspiracy here.

But add to this little mix of stuff was the fact that Portland had visited OK City last Friday, and got thumped. The Thunder ran them all over the court, and it was only a good fourth quarter that made the result respectable. So, there was a bit of revenge on the Trail Blazer's mind for Wednesday's game. And then, as I noted in my blog on Tuesday, various Seattle fans were coming down to Portland to cheer for the game, and show support for Nate McMillan and try to bring the NBA back to Seattle, even asking for the fans to cheer for the Sonics at points. I didn't support the idea one bit, because while I respect rivals, I don't cheer for them under any circumstances, but if you could pull this off, why not give it a try? Portland is by far one of the more polite NBA cities, often clapping for specific players or teams.

When girl and I got to the arena, the place was full of green and gold Sonics gear. The Oregonian did a good job of documenting the fans and displays during the game, while even Yahoo Sports did a nice article about the displaced fans, and what they plan on doing the next time the Thunder come to town. Seriously, I can imagine being very upset if my team was taken away like it was, and then they travel to the nearest city and acted like nothing happened. These players were guys they had cheered on for many years, and suddenly, they are wearing strange uniforms and answering to a different team name. It would be a bit disconcerting, but at the same point, the NBA proved one thing in letting the Sonics move - it's about the money. And as much as Trail Blazer fans may not want to admit it, we came very close to losing our team before the recent emergence when Paul Allen said our market was "broken" and he put the team up for sale after declaring bankruptcy to try and get a better deal on his arena debt. We could have been in the same boat as Sonics fans, but along came the better days, and now we are selling out like crazy.

The place was loud and crazy, much like a playoff atmosphere, and I saw a lot of pockets of green and gold that weren't Ducks. As we settled into our seats, the Thunder was booed when they came out for warmups, and got more boos during player introductions. I would have thought we were playing a fierce rival, but then I remembered that really we are, since many of these players were in Seattle just last year. Before the introductions, though, there was some comedy with the ball relay, a marketing tool that the Trail Blazers do before the game to pass the game ball from the top of the arena to the floor, and then a kid presents the ball to the referee before the tip. Well, the sections 307, 207, and 104 took it upon themselves to pass the ball in all sorts of directions but in the right one, as the ball went left, right, back up, one person down, and so on. It even paused for pictures with some fans, and it only made it to the floor about a minute before the anthem because a Trail Blazers stunt girl stole it from a fan to bring it down. The kids walked up to hand the ball over, they had their pictures taken, but then the official, realizing it was a compressed time, said a few things to the kids and then helped the Stunt Team get the kids over to the sidelines as the arena lights dimmed. Look, I like the ball relay, but seriously, it's up to the fans to keep it moving and not cause delays, plus you are depriving a kid of the moment to be on the floor with the ball. Seriously, I felt bad for the kids, but it was nice to see the official take a moment to help out.

The game itself was pretty uneventful in the first half, as the Sonics chant never really got going as expected, and the Thunder matched the Trail Blazers in hustle and rebounds. While we shot the ball better from the floor, the Thunder shot near perfect from the free throw line, so the score was close at the half. Brandon Roy had some nice plays, and Greg Oden had a few key moves, but really, we couldn't match their intensity. One of the biggest cheers was at the half for a junior basketball game, where an 8th grader put up a serious NBA length 3 point shot and drilled it. And as the third quarter went on, the game was still close until about midway, when Oden finally started controlling the boards, and we started stringing made shots together. The end sequence of the third quarter went from us having a 4 point lead to almost 10 points in about 30 seconds, and we stretched the lead to nearly 20 in the 4th quarter, and won by 14 1o6 to 92.

I know some people are concerned that we still have our best players on the court at the end of a game that we apparently had under control with 4 minutes left, but I saw OK City put four guards in the game and they were really playing with quickness and started hitting some shots that weren't falling in the second and third quarters for them. They never got closer than 12 points in the fourth, but I felt that OK City was only a small run away from getting back in the game, and with our offensive struggles, I think it's important to have our key guys out there keeping things flowing. When we don't have Roy and Aldridge on the court, the offense really becomes watching Travis try and create things, which does work sometimes but other times not so much. We're still a young team, and we're getting better, by really winning games that we should.

And as I left the arena, I watched the Sonics fans as they help up signs and tried to cheer. You heard them at points, but the game operations went out of their way to avoid showing any Sonics signs that used their team name directly. It was almost as if the NBA and the Trail Blazers wanted everyone to forget the Sonics ever existed. But there were plenty of green and gold reminders throughout the arena, reminding folks of what used to be, and what they hope might be again. It would be nice for them to have a team, especially to give us a close rival again. But I also think that bringing back a team would validate what many fans in the arena knew - Seattle is a fabulous NBA market and the fans had their team stolen from them in broad daylight. Here's hoping that karma works to get them back in the NBA and restore the Pacific Northwest rivalry to the NBA.

Baseball's Train Wreck

I got a text message from my friend TJB on Monday after Alex Rodriguez's admission that he had indeed taken performance enhancing drugs while with Texas in 2001 through 2003, despite his previous statements to the contrary. Apparently, he was responding to a leaked test result that indicated he was one of 104 players that tested positive for a banned substance. We don't know who else has tested positive, but reactions around the sports world have ranged from yawns to calls for suspensions to statements that his career legacy is now tainted. TJB was proud of herself, saying "I told you so, and now I'm proven right."

Mind you, there's a lot of bitter feelings in the Pacific Northwest when A-Rod talked about wanting to play for a winning team and get into the playoffs with a team that had a great legacy, then he bolted the Mariners for the Rangers for a $252 million dollar contract, by far the biggest amount ever shelled out for a player. Never mind that in his 3 or so years in Texas, they didn't come close to winning a title, and only marginally competing in the AL West, while the Mariners did pretty well until they imploded the past few years. A-Rod's playoff record is strictly from appearances with the Mariners and Yankees, and some of the Yankee teams have done well enough to advance to the ALCS, but for supposedly the game's best overall player, he's never played in a World Series. Granted, not winning a World Series or even appearing in one doesn't mean a player can't be great, but championships are what many careers are measured on, and some players have cemented a stellar career with a great playoff performance.

I won't have so much of a problem with A-Rod had he been honest in 2000 and said I want to go where I can be paid the most money, rather that his lame attempt to talk about team chemistry and playoff potential. His contract essentially prevented the Rangers from fielding a competitive team, and they suffered for it immensely. But instead of being honest about things, it was always about wanting to win and be competitive. Some of his language about steroid use mirrors terms he used then, saying he felt pressure to succeed and I only wanted the best for myself and my team. While his statements did have some candor to them, it was only after being faced with the accusations he was that he came clean. Up until then, he was living a lie, much like a lot of other players from that era.

And instead of being able to determine the cheaters, it's become a cat and mouse game of who's going to get caught and for what. As the drug tests and evidence are put out in the media, it appears that Jose Canseco was really on when he wrote his tell all book about who was doing what. He was dismissed as a crackpot when the book first hit the shelves, but now, he's been the most truthful one of all. And if that's what you have to hang your hat on, that's not saying a whole lot. Instead, the situation is leaked drug tests, admissions of wrong doing written in vaguely cryptic terms to not admit too much, and the drug rules get bigger and longer each year. The MLB Players Association and MLB have worked out a test plan that has seemed to work to a point, but apparently the need to enhance stats is much more of a need than the associated risks of taking drugs and possibly being caught or doing damage to your future for many players. It's a cat and mouse game, and the stakes are getting higher and higher as time goes on, and discussions about records and history .

Baseball is an unusual sport when it comes to protecting history and legacy. Many old time sports fans and writers protect the history at all costs, saying that anyone convicted of a drug issue should have any records removed from baseball's annuls. Younger fans don't seem to have as much of an associated concern, instead saying that nobody is really being harmed by this, so why can't we just look past it all and let bygones be bygones. And the debate rages on, as your current home run king is prosecuted for drugs and tax problems, while the legacy of some great players hangs in the balance as their legacy is tied to drug use. Hell, baseball's all time hit leader isn't even in the Hall of Fame for his betting on baseball, which really was a near 15 year cycle of lies about betting which then coincided with a confession and tell all book with an admission. The same baseball guys that talk about history also mention the integrity of the game, and needing to protect it at all costs, and people that cheat shouldn't be part of the Hall.

But then again, many of the members of the Hall have issues of character that in our current days may have prevented them from being considered. They didn't live in a 24 hour news era, with breaking sports happening all the time and blogs talking about sports all over the world, playing in front of thousands in person and even more on television, with all the pressures and traps of wealth right there. I can't imagine how some of them handle the temptations at points, because you have a lot of time and money on your hands, and with the pressures of competing and winning, personal ethics and convictions get tested all the time. Seriously, how many people would consider cheating if you knew that it would be a while before you got caught, and you might be able to win championships and earn money in the meantime? The temptation is high, which is why people still do it to this day. Integrity may be something that some fans worry about, but you have as many players and fans that couldn't care less, if it meant wins and titles. It's all about winning, and the costs don't matter.

I'm tired of the integrity argument when it comes to steroids, because during the golden age of drugs, nobody seemed to care what was going on. Fans were tired after the baseball strike, and needed a great story, and got a home run race. Teams were making money hand over fist, as fans returned in droves, and ratings were skyrocketing on television. The executives were being paid well, and everyone was happy, even with evidence that things may not exactly be alright. It didn't matter, because the blind eye was turned. And now, over 10 years later, it's a big case of shame on them and how could they? They did it because they could, because the rules didn't say they couldn't until most recently. They did it, knowing the risks, but instead focusing on the long term rewards of fame and fortune. And they did it because they knew that the fans and teams wouldn't catch on until later on, and it was worth the chance.

If you really want to bring integrity into this question, I think it's really a simple solution. If integrity and personal ethics matters, then you expunge the records and statistics of everyone that is deemed to have character issues, and I mean everyone. Why just turn a eye to steroids, but why not excessive drinking, drugs, affairs, the whole gamut of character issues, and then let the chips fall wherever. If the Hall is really all about integrity, then make the people that get in live up to this high standard and don't put the grey areas of human experience into question. Make it very strict and don't allow exceptions. Or your alternative is to strictly focus on the numbers, and use that as your argument. Numbers are universal, and while drugs may have inflated some, if you take that out of the equation, it's simply numbers versus numbers. The best ones get in, and we celebrate the greatness of numbers.

Neither solution really is pretty, but the alternative is this grey area back and forth witch hunt that forces MLB to continue to try and keep ahead of the cheats, and list any possible substance that could affect performance, and they are playing a catchup game in a big way. And even with a fairly strict drug testing plan, players will continue to risk it because the penalties aren't enough to deter it, especially if now we deem a simple apology enough to wipe away the actions of someone trying to one up their competition. For me, I'm done with baseball until this issue is resolved, because while it's important to be able to make mistakes and be able to apologize for them and atone for actions, I'd rather players be honest about things rather that think they need to hide from what they do. I'd rather teams treat character as something that matters rather than thinking winning means everything, and it only matters how many trophies you have. I'd rather have the leadership of baseball stand up for what is the right thing to do, and not get caught in semantics games back and forth, preaching integrity for the game yet showing none of it in the decisions they make. You want my respect, play within the rules as they are put out, and give something back for the gifts that you've earned, and if you choose to do it your own way, live up to the consequences if it comes back to bite you. I wish nothing but that, because the grey area is getting really, really old.

So I'm going to the Trail Blazers - Thunder game tomorrow night with girl, and there's been a plea shared with the newspaper in town from former Sonics fans, who are coming down to watch the team they used to have. They are asking for our help to start a cheer for the former Sonics to show support for their bid to regain the NBA in Seattle. So after all of the years of having the Seachickens and Mariners shoved down our throats every weekend on the TV, we're supposed to feel sorry for you that your team is gone. Ok, I realize the irony of talking baseball in my story, but it's also topical baseball wide, but I'm not going to apologize for talking baseball here, either. That being said, I don't think they would be willing to do such a thing if the tables were reversed, and I'm sorry the team is gone because they had no reason to move. It was a slight of hand by the NBA, perpetuated by the league and the guy that purchased the team, and the fans deserve better. But, do you really think a cheer for the former Sonics means anything to anyone? I have better things to do with my cheering to be honest, and I'm sure there will be a lot of Sonics jokes or comments during the game that will be shouted. They used to be a rival, and while I respect them just fine, I'm not going out of my way to cheer for them in our house.

Super Bowl Tomorrow

If this doesn't get you in the mood for the Super Bowl, nothing will.

And the legend of Shamwow speaks. And it's as funny as his infomercials.

Finally, congrats to Rudy, Greg and Brandon for their All-Star berths. Brandon is playing in the big game, Rudy is in the slam dunk contest, and Rudy and Greg are playing in the Rookie - Sophomore game. It's a great day to be a Trail Blazer fan, and a big weekend on February 13th through the 15th in Phoenix.

Darius Miles will be with an NBA team for the rest of the year. Sucks for our bottom line, but perhaps he's learned something and he really wants to work hard. He's got talent, but talent alone doesn't make an NBA career. We'll see how this goes, and who knows, I might be surprised.

I don't care who wins the Super Bowl, just simply that the game is entertaining. Otherwise, it could make for a long Sunday. Go Bud Dry!! Wait, what do you mean they aren't playing?!#$? Ok, got to go get ready for the game. Only 26 hours to go!!

Karma's a Bitch

I'm not exactly sure what God is, or if there is a God out there, but I do believe there is a higher spirit that keeps things in order. Things happen for a reason, and sometimes, it's not very apparent, but the reasons always become known at some point. Granted, it's a simplistic point of view based on my own experiences, but I also believe that there are lessons that we all need to learn, and there's some greater force that is out there keeping track of it.

Saturday night, Girl and I were driving to the Trail Blazer game, and we'd left the house a touch later than usual because we were busy moving furniture and computers about the house. Our new office location is rather nice, and our cats spend a lot of time sleeping in here, keeping an eye on us when they aren't getting into trouble, plus girl's computer and my computer aren't right next to each other in a corner, so we basically sit back to back to each other in a cramped L shape. But, we got the move done, and then it was off to watch the Trail Blazers versus the Wizards.

Our normal parking spot for the games is in the Lloyd Center Cinemas parking lot. I know, it's supposed to be for the mall and the theatre, but it's very well known that the place is packed full of Trail Blazer fans who don't want to pay $20 for parking, and so they park here for free and then catch the MAX to the game. We pulled into the lot at about 6:35 pm on Saturday, which is a bit later than our usual early arrival, so I knew the competition for spots would be tough. And it was so tough, we never found one there. Seriously, going up and down the rows, it was jam packed, and so it was time to move to another parking lot and see if we could still make the game on time.

It was then that I turned from the cinemas parking to get onto Wiedler and then I turned into the regular mall parking lot. I'm not entirely sure why I just didn't go up to NE 15th, but I ended up going into the mall. I was so focused on trying to think of parking spots and where to park that I didn't even realize that as I sped along, I was passing through a crosswalk near Sears with people to my left as I was traveling north. There are parking spots on both sides of the crosswalk, so really it's a pathway between cars but it's marked as a crosswalk. I went rather slow, but I never stopped for a moment, and I heard the thunk from the back of our car as I sped by without stopping. Apparently, I had gotten too close to them, and they let me know they were there by smacking the back of our car.

Girl told me that I really needed to pay more attention about what was going on, and then I realized my mistake. I never intended on blowing through the crosswalk, but I did and it wasn't pretty. I didn't have a chance to really stop and apologize, but I felt bad for my mistake. I tend to get a little stressed with a compressed time frame because I hate to be late to things. I picked up a very bad habit from my mom, who was 30 minutes late to everything she did, and for years, I was always 10 to 15 minutes late for everything I did. When my friends finally started commenting, I did a 180 and became preoccupied with being early at any cost. Not a smart thing to be, but hey, we all have our hangups.

We continued on to eventually find parking at the Convention Center for $6 and we made it to the game right as the National Anthem was being sung, and by the time we hit our seats, it was only a few minutes into the game. Not bad for leaving so late, but my earlier driving mistake was still bugging me. I don't like to do things wrong, even if I do a few things wrong each day. We all like to be perfect, but being human, we make mistakes because that's part of being human. We learn from our errors so that we don't do them again, but for some of us, that doesn't stop our obsession in being perfect. But I have a feeling that the guys and gals upstairs keep track of things like this, and bring them up as lessons for us. I don't know if you could call it fate, but it's certainly something with a higher power than you or me.

For today, I went to Fred Meyer Wood Village to get the new Franz Ferdinand album, which just went on sale. The weather around here today was a bit snowy and cold, then it turned to rain by the afternoon, so it ended up being a rather typical winter day in Portland. I had an incident on Sunday trying to get to soccer practice on time, and I was late again and running around like a crazy person, so I'm already a bit aware of my most recent actions about time and paying attention. As I left the store with my purchase, I walked from Fred Meyer to my car when I encountered the service road that runs in front of the store. I stopped at the crosswalk, looked both ways, and proceeded to enter because it was safe. I saw on my right a gold SUV that was coming, but I assumed they would slow down as I waved at them that I was walking.

But apparently, the driver's phone call was entirely more important than seeing where they were on the road, because she blew through the crosswalk with me still in the middle. I had stopped walking as soon as I realized that she wasn't stopping, and I just stood there in amazement at her actions. I even saw the color of her eyes as she drove by, and I'm sure she saw me waving at her, but she kept driving by without stopping. I was floored by her actions, and muttered to myself how could someone be that callous about pedestrian safety until I recalled my driving mistake on Saturday.

The feeling of being taught a lesson in a practical but abrupt way stuck with me as I got into my car. Yes, it was a rather dramatic example and one that had a bit of danger associated with it, but it definitely proved a point to me in no uncertain terms. It's important to pay attention to where you are going at all times, because you don't know if the other guys are even paying attention or not. I'm sorry that I scared the shoppers at Sears with my driving, it certainly wasn't intentional, and I don't even have an excuse of being on the phone, I was simply trying to find a place to park and wasn't paying as close of attention as I should have been. And karma or fate or whatever was smacking me on the head today to remind me to pay more attention to what's going on.

And it's a lesson that I can appreciate, because it validates that someone or something is really looking out for us, and trying to make sure we don't do things we shouldn't or trying to ensure that we learn lessons about life that we should. I'm not sure if it was God or Jeebus or whatever making their point today, but they made it very well. So just remember that karma is indeed a bitch, and you should be careful about what you do because things have a way of evening out.

Monday, Monday

Filling in some gaps from yesterday's post and talking about a few other things.

MLS Update - The St. Louis story is attached here, and paints the picture of their economics. The stadium site is tied together with some other development, such as retail and restaurant, which means there's more potential to make money but there's more things that have to fall into place in order to make it happen, unlike stadium only. St. Louis would be a great market to add to MLS, being centrally located in the US and it's the birthplace of US Soccer. But I think that there are other cities that are as good of a bid or better.

Atlanta is looking at other possibilities for teams, but not at soccer. Seems like a decent enough market, but I also know that competition for sports dollars is tough when you have the NFL, NBA, NHL and MLB all within town, and the Braves are really a top draw there regardless of their record. Miami's bid includes the Barca name, a big club from Europe along with other big footy names possibly coming to town. It's not so much that I think the team will do badly in Miami, but seriously, you've had two chances to make MLS work there and they've failed for various reasons, including attendance and ownership. And your USL entry has had the worst attendance the past two years in a row, so by all means, give them another team and see how well it goes. You have to wonder about how many chances you get until it's raising the red flag. Philly's stadium issue is still up in the air, despite them being on tap to join MLS in 2010, and so right now, this leaves Vancouver and Portland.

Vancouver BC would be a great market for MLS, they have great fans, a beautiful city, and a history of great support. The instant rivalry with the fish guys from the Emerald City makes it a win, and if you were able to include Portland with that, it makes it that much better because you have a built in Pacific Coast rivalry. The only thing that Portland needs to do is get the money figured out.

The following thread on my home away from home on the interwebs has all sorts of MLS news, including information about the task force meetings that are occuring here for Sam Adams' stadium committee. This is the group tasked to recommend stadium options for not only the MLS Timbers should that occur, but a home for the current PCL Portland Beavers. It's important to consider the future of both teams, and while MLS would be great here, you can't ignore baseball because there is a market here and people like to watch the game. But it must be in the right spot. The task force meetings are open to the public, so anyone can drop in and learn more.

Super Bowl - Ok, admittedly, I knew Pittsburgh was going to be a good team, and they were going to make the playoffs. I didn't have them picked for the Super Bowl, but I figured they'd be in the hunt to get there. And they did, providing a most brutal win versus Baltimore. The game was physical, bruising, and defensive, exactly what you would expect from two divisional rivals. Players said they are happy getting an extra week off to recover from their playoff game, and they weren't kidding.

But Arizona? Seriously, I had them as the third best team in their own division behind the Seahawks and the 49ers, who I thought would have figured things out enough to be competitive. And all Arizona did was win while the Hawks imploded badly and the 49ers digressed enough so that their coach, Mike Nolan, was fired and is now in Seattle coaching the defense. So they won the division, but then after not winning a playoff game in 40 some years, they not only win their first game vs. Atlanta, but they beat Carolina and Philadelphia to get to a Super Bowl. I would have never guessed it, which is a great thing for the NFL getting fresh teams in there.

But just because Arizona is a surprise doesn't mean the Steelers will win this game easily. The NFC is loaded, and Arizona beat some very balanced teams to get to this point by having a great offense and a defense that made plays when needed. Should be a fun matchup, even if it wasn't completely expected.

Trail Blazers News - The guy that shoots three pointers really well is going to the dunk contest. Rudy Fernandez will participate in this year's Slam Dunk contest. If he dunks like he shoots from the outside, this could be a load of fun to watch him. Either way, it's great that a Trail Blazer will be at All-Star Weekend, especially after so many years of being snubbed until Brandon Roy broke that streak last year. I expect Rudy and Greg Oden will be in the Rookie game, and Roy will be selected as a reserve, which will be very deserved honors.

Timbers News - There are rumours the 2009 season schedule is coming out on Wednesday, January 21st. I'll believe it when I see it, but the source is someone I believe, so look here for more information. We know at this point, our home opener is April 30th versus Carolina, which is a Thursday night. Apparently, the hipsters need a place to go.

Local News - According to recent studies, Portland and Wonder white bread have something in common. Uh, really. The study proves what anyone that hangs out around town knows, young people are flocking here in droves because of the art, music, culture and vibe of the town. Seriously, what's not to love about a town that loves its strip clubs, pubs, and sports teams? Well, the fact that many of the people coming here are caucasians.

But really, while race may be lacking in some areas, I challenge the fact that we aren't diverse here. If you think of sexual orientation, this place is amazingly diverse in places where gays and lesbians congregate. Plus this town has various conventions and gatherings for geeks, comic book folks, gamers, beer guys, and sports fans. I've never lived in a town where there were so many festivals in celebration of different things.

Admittedly though, the housing issue means gentrification, and the areas where African Americans traditionally lived have now been changed into areas where young people, mostly white, are buying houses. It's tough when you have the demand here like there has been, and people are priced out of the area and pushed out into the suburbs. My area is incredibly diverse with Mexican Americans, African Americans, Asian Americans, and caucasians melding together, and I see lots of different folks about town. Mind you, when I lived in NW Portland, I didn't see much diversity but then again, it was a trendy part of town. But seriously, if you are going to talk about diversity here, I think it's better to talk about interests and about who people are rather that what they look like, and in that case, Portland is an incredibly diverse, almost quirky paradise.

Ok, off to go watch the Trail Blazers tonight. Be good and don't get blown away!!

It's Sunday Afternoon and I'm Being Blown Into Tuesday

Girl had told me the wind blows around here. But nothings has prepared me for the gusts over the past few days. And yes, it's blown. They say gusts about 50 miles an hour, and I don't think they are kidding here at all. It blew so badly yesterday driving to the store, it felt like I was being blown off the road. As they say, the east wind coming through the Gorge makes for some great wind surfing but it also chills things a bit eastside. Today was an usual day in the sense that it was nicely sunny outside without a cloud in the sky, and then add in the brisk winds, and it felt about 20 degrees colder than it probably was. I could see many people taking off outside, thinking it was sunny but then realizing it's freaking cold. I've heard trash cans blowing about, there's debris all over our yard, and the sun makes you think it's nice outside, but then the wind gets you and wow. I walked to the store to get a news paper, and felt the chill. I was supposed to go to footy practice today, but ended up having too much to do around here for my own good, and now, I'm taking a break to blog a bit.

The world didn't come to an end on Friday, but it was a momentous day for the Trail Blazers as their salary cap went down $9 million dollars for a player they don't even have on their team. Darius Miles played in his 10th game, and so his salary is back on our books. As much as I'm angry about the circumstances, I realize that things could be a lot worse, like our effort last night at the free throw line versus Charlotte. We should have won the game, but in shooting just over 50 percent from the line, we ended up losing the game in overtime. Things happen over an 82 game schedule, and last night was evidence of a team that did everything to give another team a victory. You could blame the loss on the FT shooting, but our defense in the first half was terrible, letting too many easy layups happen. We'll be just fine, because we tend to not let bad efforts phase us much in the next game, but it does feel like we miss Steve Blake a lot, and we need to get back to what wins us games, mostly effort and rebounding.

I've focused a lot on the Trail Blazers lately because the news from soccer here is kind of slow, being our offseason. But the Timbers did sign seven players this week, well one was with us last year, Cameron Dunn. He played very well late in the season, giving us a spark from the bench that we had been missing through our tough part of the schedule. McLoughlin I remember from his days up north as part of the Craps, and he's a good player and will fit in well down here. The funny thing with this year is that there is no Seattle in the USL and no reserve division in the MLS, so there's plenty of talent to be had if you look right. We'll probably be a better team than we were last year, but then again, I thought our team last year was good to go for 12 wins and we didn't even get half that number.

In soccer, defense gives you so much, and if you can't stop goals, you can't win most games. And really, last year's Timbers had two problems going on - they either couldn't score at all and we would lose by a goal or we couldn't stop the other team at all and we'd lose by a big score. My hope is that this year, there's a better plan in place. I already feel that talent wise we'll be better but it's a matter of actually showing it on the pitch. This week, there were tryouts for the team, and my own friend Firestarter did his level best to give it a go. I commend him for even stepping on the pitch with some of these guys, but he's good and it would be cool to see him on the team, even though that would mean he wouldn't be up with us in the stands. It could be one of those "I knew him when" things.

The MLS bid is also still going on, but it's a waiting game as the Stadium Task Force in town is talking about stadium bids, while the other prospective cities are falling off the wayside. No Las Vegas, No Atlanta, Philly is struggling with money issues, and St. Louis has a plan but major backers to help fund it. Essentially, the competition is Vancouver and Miami right now, and both of their bids have the capital in place and a plan of sorts out there. Vancouver wants to refurbish a stadium that is getting a facelift for the Olympics, while Miami wants to use the Barca investment monies to spread the word of soccer in Miami. The MLS wants strong money in their league, which is why both bids are still on the table and present the strongest challenge to us. We have the passion and crowds, but so far, the money is still being worked on and our stadium committee is still meeting. I feel like MLS is ours for the taking if we can get the money figured out. But considering that two cities are struggling to make ends meet, including Philly which is a team that's already been accepted for expansion, I know that's the tough part of the equation. How do you fund money for a sports team in a tough market where businesses are closing, people are losing jobs, and things are tough?

The answer is that you find a way that won't adversely affect these other services, which Portland has with their bond plan. The money is borrowed off the city's credit record, but none of the general fund is touched so money still pays for cops, services and other things. And building a stadium will bring jobs to town, although some temporarily, but still some folks will make money from a stadium. It's a matter of finding a site and thinking of the future. If you want to learn more about the status of things, visit www.mlstopdx.com or www.mlstoportland.com and you'll get caught up on things. Just remember to stay warm.

One More Game

So here it is Tuesday night in Portland, and things around Darius Miles just keep getting stranger. It was learned today that Portland had actually attempted to pick him up on waivers after Memphis waived him. Whether it was their intention to stash him on the bench for the rest of the year, or on our injured list, the NBA denied the waivers claim and Miles resigned with Memphis. This now puts him 2 games from the magic figure where the insurance claim the team filed to offset his salary is voided because he played in the required number of games after being declared medically retired. Whew, and I try to avoid run on sentences when I can, but there was a lot to cover there.

ESPN also reported today that the NBA won't fine or discipline the team after the email that went around threatening legal action against other teams that signed him for the intent of messing with the salary cap space for next year. And Darius put up 13 points in 14 minutes for the Grizzlies versus the Cavaliers tonight. It would appear that even the Players Association won't file action yet, because Miles has signed and is now playing, so apparently the end result of all of this is that on Friday, Miles plays in his 10th game effectively putting his salary on Portland's books for the next two years, pushing us over the cap and having to pay luxury tax.

The situation stinks to high heaven, but apparently you can trade players for the purpose of seeing them waived and then resign them. This happened most recently with Antonio McDyess, who was with Detroit, but traded to Denver with Chancey Billups as part of the Allen Iverson trade. McDyess was waived because Denver was over the salary cap and didn't have room on the roster. Approximately one month later, McDyess resigned with Detroit and all is well. Dallas did this with a player they traded a few years ago, resigning him right before the playoffs. So I wonder what is different here that what Portland tried to do? The premise for each move is the same, allowing teams to pick up players without adversely affecting their salary situation.

The problem is that Portland has always had a bit of an odd relationship with the NBA. I think our team is well liked enough, but we haven't hosted an All Star game here ever. There was squawking when the first overall pick from the 2007 draft came here and we took Greg Oden, which then led to an season of rehab watch when he hurt his knee before the season. We have one of the richest men in the world as our owner, and he's not afraid to use his resources to help our team where he can. Paul Allen cares enough to spend the money, and he's got people in the organization that make sure it's spent right. The team has everything going in the right direction, and there might be some resentment. Apparently, our GM, Kevin Pritchard, isn't well liked by some GMs because of his brash attitude about success and using new technology for scouting and evaluating talent. Face it, there's plenty of ways to manage a team, and right now, Pritchard is doing things right. But that doesn't stop fans in other cities from saying "Trail Blazer fans are whiners about this" or "I'm tired of hearing about the Blazers."

To all of them, I say tough. You haven't had to endure the pure embarrassment of watching the Jail Blazers from the early 2000's literally destroy every good piece of will that most fans had towards the team. The group may have had basketball talent, but you couldn't turn on the TV or read a newspaper without hearing about something one of the players had done. The list goes through drugs, dog fighting, drag racing, marijuana found at an airport wrapped in tin foil by a metal detector, fighting amongst the players, player insubordination, bad attitudes, surliness with fans and media, getting arrested and showing a trading card as identification. It was a tough time to be a fan of this team, and that wasn't always the case. Yes, we got a little spoiled with success in 1977 and then runs in the 90s with our great teams. But we had good guys and always seemed to be a basket short or a run away from pulling off a title. And then Bob Whitsitt came into town, and changed the philosophy of the team. They became paranoid and insular, and the chemistry of a team was thrown away for quick wins. When things are good and the team is winning, all is well. But, shake it up with some drama, and then watch the fireworks.

It was the hardest time ever to be a fan, watching other NBA fans make fun of us because of our legal issues and trouble. I wore my Trail Blazers gear but more conspicuously than in the past, and going to games was more of a chore than actual enjoyment. I kept waiting for the other shoe to fall, but the more things happened, the more distant I kept getting from the team. I couldn't be proud of a team that didn't care about themselves, their city, or the legacy of the players that played before them.

Darius Miles represents that legacy of those teams, playing only for themselves and their paycheck, selfishly avoiding the responsibilities of being a professional athlete. I understand people make mistakes, but that team repeatedly took any good will built up and destroyed it. Allen even considered selling the team because attendance was so bad and people were abandoning ship in droves. And so we now have a new era of success and doing things the right way, and then, a reminder of the past comes cropping up. The legacy of the Jail Blazers crops up, and won't quickly go away.

I'm ready to move beyond all of that, but there seems to be things that keep pulling us back to rekindle those days. And I resent it, I resent having this situation affect us when we followed the rules, and Miles decided now was the time to rehab and work hard, ignoring the medical advice to retire. It will be nice when all of this is past us, and we can finally put some distance between that dark chapter in Trail Blazer history. We should never forget the lessons of what that team taught us. It's important to win, but it's more important to win doing it the right way.