It was late in the game on Sunday afternoon, our team clinging to a one goal lead and I had just wandered in for my third shift on defense. The game itself had been a crazy mix of weather alternating between drizzle, showers, sun breaks and a bit of wind, but it started on time despite the conditions. Our opponents only fielded 7 guys at kickoff, and we were at a list of 20 guys ready to go, so we had the number stacked in our favor. But our opponents, whom we'd played before and lost to 7 to 1, had some skill and had played together for years, so even being short players, they were able to break us down and our offense wasn't as organized as it has been. But here it was, us with a late lead and we were hoping to escape with points.
But our opponents had another breakaway on the left side opposite me, as I was playing on the right as a 3 person defense. Our middle defender, Pete, and left defender, Eric, went for the ball on the breakaway and I tracked back on the right. Up until this point, I'd been marking guys well, knocked out a couple of passes out of bounds, and generally played a strong game. One of the opposing strikers got a little past Pete and fired the ball in towards our keeper, who committed to block the shot, and the ball sailed to the right and glanced off the right post and it shot out toward the field. I immediately ran over to knock it out of bounds, but suddenly the other striker had pounced on the ball and knocked it in for the tying goal. I was absolutely devastated, as a guy that I should have marked I lost track of and he notched a goal. The game ended a few minutes later after a couple of furious runs for us towards goal, but in the end, it was a draw. Mind you, our team is win less and had been beaten pretty handily in the first three weeks, so a draw is a bit of a victory in that respect.
But I can't help but think about what might have happened if I'd have marked my man when the shot was taken. Granted, I could have knocked the ball away and it would have gotten rid of that threat, but there could have been more coming. I could have also knocked the guy down and given up a penalty to the other side, which I didn't do. It was a matter of a lesson learned, that marking guys is vital and I know that better for next time. My footy experience has mostly been on the pick up games in college and during P.E. back in school, but I've watched enough games to understand basic rules and strategy. It's putting it into practice that is important.
And it's also important to get back out and play and keep trying hard.
What I want to avoid is an effort like the Oregon Ducks this weekend, who folded up in the second quarter versus USC and gave them the win without too much effort, as USC took it to Oregon and they never responded. This team showed a lot of grit in beating Purdue on the road in two overtimes, but yet thought they could beat a Boise State team on talent alone, and BSU took them to the house. Oregon got the early lead, but when USC started pouring it on, Oregon made mistakes and the rest is a blowout. Plenty of Oregon players even said they felt they were the better team, despite the score, but the score is what people remember regardless. That might not be fair, but it's part of the game and part of why they keep score. You have to show up each week, ready to play, and if you make mistakes, that's part of the game. And it's OK to be confident of your talents, but you also need to be humble in victory and respectful in defeat. It's a matter of learning from the lessons, and my hope is that Oregon learns from the mistakes on Saturday and gets the ship righted.
If anything, they should take heart from the Oregon State Beavers, who played a very good game versus Utah to only see the Utes clip them with a late field goal. The Beavers had the game won, but they struggled late with some defense and came out on the short end of a pass interference call on the first two point conversion try Utah attempted to tie the score. The Beavers had upset USC the previous week, and had been basking in the glory of knocking off the number 1 ranked Trojans, and now were in a dogfight with the Utes in Salt Lake. The Utes have a lot of talent, and made some plays despite what the Beavers tried to do. It ended up a loss, but shouldn't be the end of their season. The Beavers show up to play hard every week, even outclassed like in Penn State earlier this year, but their coaches get them fired up to play each and every week, and let the chips fall where they make. Because as we've often seen, sometimes the chips fall in the right way to cause special things to happen.
You are only as good as your last week's performance. That's not meant to be overly critical, but what it shows is that it matters what you do now on the field at the point in time. Wins are great, but losses are part of the game as well, and you can't get too high from one or down on the other and expect to be able to snap back each week. It's human nature to glorify good performances, but sports has a humbling quality that pops up now and again, and it can put you in your place from time to time.
And it's also important to be there to support your friends and family when they are out there playing. It really helped me a lot to see girl on the sidelines, getting wet from the rain, but there providing support and distraction as needed. I spent a lot of time playing sports in high school, and I would have loved seeing my family there to cheer me on, win or lose. But there were other things to do, supposedly, and the one meet they did watch me, I came in dead last and heard about it all the way home. Moral victories and effort may not show up in the scoreboard, but it's important to acknowledge getting out there and trying, even in the sense of teamwork. It's a fine line here, though, as I don't advocate things like "trophy day for everyone" in sports, because I think it's important to learn the lesson that sports, like life, isn't fair. But if you work hard, try your best every week, learn from your mistakes, and don't beat yourself up or slap your back too much, sports can be a rewarding experience just the same.
So for me, it's time to get back to practice this week, and we have another game next Sunday. And I'm looking forward to it, because I've learned some valuable lessons. Hopefully Mother Nature won't make the whole experience happen under water...
Monday, October 6, 2008
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Everyone Needs to Take a Chill Pill...Except for Our Friends Up North
I have rather been enjoying the new sports station in town, 95.5 The Game. It's nice to have sports on the FM dial, and they've actually started to talk about more interesting stuff than 9 straight days of "What would you do if you were the Trail Blazers GM?" as the main topic. I get that we have a rather tough sports market, with one major sports team (NBA's Trail Blazers), a professional team in a lower division (USL's Timbers), two minor league teams (WHL's Winterhawks and PCL's Beavers), two state schools within two hours of Portland (U of O, OSU) and two colleges within town that draw some attention (Portland State, Univ of Portland) as your choices of teams to follow and talk about. The Trail Blazers dominate the airwaves and talk, simply because they are the big game in town. And the team is actually expected to do well this year, with new players coming on board, so the expectations are higher than they've been for a while.
But it's these expectations that are really becoming a source of frustation for myself. I get that this town loves this team, and we have some great new players coming in (Oden, Fernandez, Bayliss) to the mix of guys that finished 41 and 41 last year, and everyone at this point is relatively healthy with only a few minor injuries that are keeping some players from camp. Greg Oden has the potential to be a dominating center in the NBA for years to come, but so far, he's trying to recover from his micro fracture knee surgery and he's dealing with a tender ankle from an injury the past few days. When he rolled his ankle in practice, Coach McMillan, Oden and Kevin Pritchard, the GM of the team, all said, "He's fine, stop worrying", but yet we all are wondering what's going on and will this guy stay healthy. When you're the top game in town, everything about you becomes that much more exaggerated, and even things like a simple rolled ankle become the topic of conversation for hours and hours.
I get the team is important, and we all want them to do well. It's easy to sit here and think the team is still a bit snake bit, especially after getting the number one pick in 2007 only to see Oden get injured, but really the situation is what it is. Guys get banged up all the time, and the surgery that Oden has takes about a year just to get back to playing and moving more fluidly. I understand the team wanting to be cautious, but I think that the Trail Blazer fans need to exercise the same caution as well. It's not the end of the world if Oden is slow in rejoining the team, we still have a talented core that will get better with more experience and a deeper bench. We'll be in the hunt for the playoffs, and Oden just makes us that much more dangerous, but right now, it's the preseason and last time I checked, noboby wins a title simply because of what they did in the preseason.
The other recent topic is the problems that the Seattle sports market have been having, with the NBA Sonics leaving town for Oklahoma, the Mariners having the second worst record in MLB, the Seahawks struggling early, the Huskies and Cougars being collectively terrible, and MLS still a year away from town. There's nothing really positive of note, with the exception of the WNBA Storm that recently made a playoff run, and so there's the question of what happens to a town's sport reputation when the teams there collectively are terrible? I have looked back on my most recent notes and I can't recall any city experiencing anything like this, where you have no real distraction in sports. And let's face it, in our world of sound bite politics, economic woes, wars in the world, global warming about, and bad things happening around, sports can provide a true diversion from the real problems of the world.
The question is really should we in Portland care about these problems, especially since the Pacific Northwest is thought of as a region and the problems there might make folks think sports here is collectively bad. It doesn't help matters when two Seattle teams aggressively market their teams down here due to no close competition (Mariners, Seahawks), and television spends lots of time feeding their games here all the time, so they are thought of as regional teams. The new MLS team is also trying this approach to persuade soccer fans to travel up north. The thought from sports radio is that we should be concerned because of association and reputation of the Pacific Northwest matters, so we should worry.
Honestly, I couldn't disagree more with that thought. While the Trail Blazers were the laughing stock of the NBA, I didn't see a lot of Sonics fans worried about association, but rather glad their team wasn't this embarrassing. I get frustrated at sports fans from other areas assuming that just because I live near Seattle, I follow their teams out of loyalty. I have a different love for my NFL fix, and it's because of my grandmother that I follow the Broncos to this day. I follow the Mariners out of my general interest of baseball, but I'm more inclined to follow the Padres or Giants because of their farm teams around. People in Seattle don't think twice about whether their town's reputation reflects on Portland or any of their neighbors, as a matter of fact, many NBA fans that are sad at losing the Sonics have purposely said they won't follow the Trail Blazers even though the team is close by out of principle because the team is in Portland.
I get that sports fans out of the region tend to lump our cities together, and don't realize there has been quite a bit of rivalry between Seattle and Portland over the years, which carries over to matches with Winterhawks - Thunderbird, Timbers - Sounders, Ducks - Huskies, Beavers - Huskies, etc. Fans may be cordial to each other in some respects, but there is some dislike between cities. Seattle thinks of themselves as the grand jewel of the Northwest, center of commerce, trade and a large focal point, and because of it's somewhat trendy nature, Seattlites tend to think highly of their town. And of course, Portland wants to copy us in every way, because secretly they want to be just like us. Portland, on the other hand, wants so badly to be taken seriously on it's own, we try to do weird and quirky things to stand out, yet secretly we want to be accepted as a big city with things to be proud of in as normal of a way as possible. Portland wants to be hip and trendy, but do it on its own terms. And some of the trendiness might filter down from up north.
I think it's great that we have a bit of a rivalry between our cities, and quite frankly because of that rivalry, I don't really care what happens up north. I didn't want to see the Sonics leave, but honestly, none of the key players in the situation really tried hard to keep them there. If anything, I'm more upset that my Trail Blazers have to travel more because of not having a close rival anymore because of the situation, but we'll make the best of this situation and of any situation where we compare ourselves to Seattle. Because as much as Seattle wants to be trendy and hip and cosmopolitan, they want to be those things plus friendly and engaging, which is what Portland has already. I've never been in such a welcoming and friendly city, vibrant and full of energy, and willing to do things here on our own terms. I think our reputation will continue to grow and prosper, and whatever problems are happening up north will eventually cycle out or people will just stop caring about it and it won't be one of the great diversions. Just keep doing what you do, Portland, we're just fine the way we are.
But it's these expectations that are really becoming a source of frustation for myself. I get that this town loves this team, and we have some great new players coming in (Oden, Fernandez, Bayliss) to the mix of guys that finished 41 and 41 last year, and everyone at this point is relatively healthy with only a few minor injuries that are keeping some players from camp. Greg Oden has the potential to be a dominating center in the NBA for years to come, but so far, he's trying to recover from his micro fracture knee surgery and he's dealing with a tender ankle from an injury the past few days. When he rolled his ankle in practice, Coach McMillan, Oden and Kevin Pritchard, the GM of the team, all said, "He's fine, stop worrying", but yet we all are wondering what's going on and will this guy stay healthy. When you're the top game in town, everything about you becomes that much more exaggerated, and even things like a simple rolled ankle become the topic of conversation for hours and hours.
I get the team is important, and we all want them to do well. It's easy to sit here and think the team is still a bit snake bit, especially after getting the number one pick in 2007 only to see Oden get injured, but really the situation is what it is. Guys get banged up all the time, and the surgery that Oden has takes about a year just to get back to playing and moving more fluidly. I understand the team wanting to be cautious, but I think that the Trail Blazer fans need to exercise the same caution as well. It's not the end of the world if Oden is slow in rejoining the team, we still have a talented core that will get better with more experience and a deeper bench. We'll be in the hunt for the playoffs, and Oden just makes us that much more dangerous, but right now, it's the preseason and last time I checked, noboby wins a title simply because of what they did in the preseason.
The other recent topic is the problems that the Seattle sports market have been having, with the NBA Sonics leaving town for Oklahoma, the Mariners having the second worst record in MLB, the Seahawks struggling early, the Huskies and Cougars being collectively terrible, and MLS still a year away from town. There's nothing really positive of note, with the exception of the WNBA Storm that recently made a playoff run, and so there's the question of what happens to a town's sport reputation when the teams there collectively are terrible? I have looked back on my most recent notes and I can't recall any city experiencing anything like this, where you have no real distraction in sports. And let's face it, in our world of sound bite politics, economic woes, wars in the world, global warming about, and bad things happening around, sports can provide a true diversion from the real problems of the world.
The question is really should we in Portland care about these problems, especially since the Pacific Northwest is thought of as a region and the problems there might make folks think sports here is collectively bad. It doesn't help matters when two Seattle teams aggressively market their teams down here due to no close competition (Mariners, Seahawks), and television spends lots of time feeding their games here all the time, so they are thought of as regional teams. The new MLS team is also trying this approach to persuade soccer fans to travel up north. The thought from sports radio is that we should be concerned because of association and reputation of the Pacific Northwest matters, so we should worry.
Honestly, I couldn't disagree more with that thought. While the Trail Blazers were the laughing stock of the NBA, I didn't see a lot of Sonics fans worried about association, but rather glad their team wasn't this embarrassing. I get frustrated at sports fans from other areas assuming that just because I live near Seattle, I follow their teams out of loyalty. I have a different love for my NFL fix, and it's because of my grandmother that I follow the Broncos to this day. I follow the Mariners out of my general interest of baseball, but I'm more inclined to follow the Padres or Giants because of their farm teams around. People in Seattle don't think twice about whether their town's reputation reflects on Portland or any of their neighbors, as a matter of fact, many NBA fans that are sad at losing the Sonics have purposely said they won't follow the Trail Blazers even though the team is close by out of principle because the team is in Portland.
I get that sports fans out of the region tend to lump our cities together, and don't realize there has been quite a bit of rivalry between Seattle and Portland over the years, which carries over to matches with Winterhawks - Thunderbird, Timbers - Sounders, Ducks - Huskies, Beavers - Huskies, etc. Fans may be cordial to each other in some respects, but there is some dislike between cities. Seattle thinks of themselves as the grand jewel of the Northwest, center of commerce, trade and a large focal point, and because of it's somewhat trendy nature, Seattlites tend to think highly of their town. And of course, Portland wants to copy us in every way, because secretly they want to be just like us. Portland, on the other hand, wants so badly to be taken seriously on it's own, we try to do weird and quirky things to stand out, yet secretly we want to be accepted as a big city with things to be proud of in as normal of a way as possible. Portland wants to be hip and trendy, but do it on its own terms. And some of the trendiness might filter down from up north.
I think it's great that we have a bit of a rivalry between our cities, and quite frankly because of that rivalry, I don't really care what happens up north. I didn't want to see the Sonics leave, but honestly, none of the key players in the situation really tried hard to keep them there. If anything, I'm more upset that my Trail Blazers have to travel more because of not having a close rival anymore because of the situation, but we'll make the best of this situation and of any situation where we compare ourselves to Seattle. Because as much as Seattle wants to be trendy and hip and cosmopolitan, they want to be those things plus friendly and engaging, which is what Portland has already. I've never been in such a welcoming and friendly city, vibrant and full of energy, and willing to do things here on our own terms. I think our reputation will continue to grow and prosper, and whatever problems are happening up north will eventually cycle out or people will just stop caring about it and it won't be one of the great diversions. Just keep doing what you do, Portland, we're just fine the way we are.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
I'm F&(^*ing Tired...
It's been a long weekend, and I'm fucking tired. All the way down to my core, I'm exhausted, but tomorrow the work week starts and I'll be at my desk ready to face the day. Seriously, I don't call in sick to work ever, instead working from home on days when I'm not 100 percent. It's not like my jobs are ones that make life or death decisions or deal with millions of dollars, as the only stress that is associated with most things I deal with is the personalities of my fellow workers. For me, I just go in because I'm committed to my job and feel I need to be there because it's important. Call it a work ethic, call it insanity, but it is what it is. I've been told that I should try and slow down a bit, but seriously, I work to allow me the things I want to live for, not live to work so when I'm not there, I tend to be rather busy.
Friday night, girl and I came home after her first day of teaching, and she was exhausted. She doesn't sleep much before her first school day simply because of excitement, but she also wasn't feeling 100 percent and so our plans on Friday of going to the gym and eating healthy were replaced with watching the presidential debate and eating massive amount of Italian food. The debate didn't change my mind about anything, expect to reinforce my choice of candidate. Traditional debates usually have some structure and decorum to them, Friday's discussion was fast, angry and rather chippy, which is really what politics nowadays is all about. If you can't convince someone to vote for your guy, then at least throw enough mud on the other person to make your guy look good by comparison. Between single issue interest and special interest concerns, a lot of people are cynical about politics, but my thoughts are read up and make a decision based on your own research. I read multiple sites before determining anything to vote on, simply because this allows me to see all sides on an issue. And voting is important, because that is your voice about how things are going in your neighborhood, state, and country. It's important to show up...because if not, I don't think complaining will change much of anything...OR...
You miss history, which is what happened on Thursday night in Corvallis. The Oregon State Beavers, given about as much chance to win their game versus Southern California as Ralph Nader has of becoming the 44th president of the United States, shocked the world with a complete effort and knocked off the previously unbeaten and number one ranked Trojans. There were some complaints before the game, as there were seats available right up until near kickoff. I know it's a Thursday and work is there, but this is the number one team in the land, and if you are a true fan, you show up to support your side no matter what. Because things like Thursday happen, and I found myself sucked in to this even with premiers of the Office and My Name is Earl on television that night. The fun thing about sports is that sometimes you see the amazing, the unexpected, the crazy, and Thursday was a front row seat to all things crazy. The Trojans may have more talent and more players with expensive pedigrees on their team, but the Beavers simply took it to them. And we aren't talking about a fluke win with a last second play, but the Beavers simply ran over them and outplayed them in every way. Not a bad way to start the weekend.
Saturday, girl and I watched our beloved Hammers win again, and then we continued our painting escapade upstairs. We are almost done with painting a room upstairs in our favorite teams' colors, and it will be the envy of all rooms, but for now, it's just a brightly painted room that has furniture under drop clothes. I also got a haircut from girl so my hair is now rather short, not quite a buzz cut but close. I'm losing my hair and getting more forehead than I've had, and during a recent trip, a couple of folks pointed out that I might like shaving my hair shorter. Well, girl took it on last night, and she did a great job and so far I like it. It's a bit different in the sense that I scratch my head and there's not a lot of hair in the way, plus in playing footy today, my head felt a bit warmer without cover. But the change seems to be OK, and so we'll stick with it.
Sunday, our outdoor team played and lost again, while I left at halftime to go to a first birthday party for some friends' child. He was a fussy, funny baby, who was more fascinated with smashing Doritos than eating cake, but the fact that I could be there for his first birthday was touching, and I'm glad to have been there. Yeah, it was a nice day and I might have enjoyed running about more playing footy, but I was where I needed to be, at the party. I think sometimes with my schedule, it's busy but then again it's simply being where I need to be for the people that I care about. It takes discipline and great time management skills to be everywhere that we need to be, but simply put, I'd rather be living out in the world than sitting at home wondering or getting prepared for work the next day. I'll take doing things over that any day...
Friday night, girl and I came home after her first day of teaching, and she was exhausted. She doesn't sleep much before her first school day simply because of excitement, but she also wasn't feeling 100 percent and so our plans on Friday of going to the gym and eating healthy were replaced with watching the presidential debate and eating massive amount of Italian food. The debate didn't change my mind about anything, expect to reinforce my choice of candidate. Traditional debates usually have some structure and decorum to them, Friday's discussion was fast, angry and rather chippy, which is really what politics nowadays is all about. If you can't convince someone to vote for your guy, then at least throw enough mud on the other person to make your guy look good by comparison. Between single issue interest and special interest concerns, a lot of people are cynical about politics, but my thoughts are read up and make a decision based on your own research. I read multiple sites before determining anything to vote on, simply because this allows me to see all sides on an issue. And voting is important, because that is your voice about how things are going in your neighborhood, state, and country. It's important to show up...because if not, I don't think complaining will change much of anything...OR...
You miss history, which is what happened on Thursday night in Corvallis. The Oregon State Beavers, given about as much chance to win their game versus Southern California as Ralph Nader has of becoming the 44th president of the United States, shocked the world with a complete effort and knocked off the previously unbeaten and number one ranked Trojans. There were some complaints before the game, as there were seats available right up until near kickoff. I know it's a Thursday and work is there, but this is the number one team in the land, and if you are a true fan, you show up to support your side no matter what. Because things like Thursday happen, and I found myself sucked in to this even with premiers of the Office and My Name is Earl on television that night. The fun thing about sports is that sometimes you see the amazing, the unexpected, the crazy, and Thursday was a front row seat to all things crazy. The Trojans may have more talent and more players with expensive pedigrees on their team, but the Beavers simply took it to them. And we aren't talking about a fluke win with a last second play, but the Beavers simply ran over them and outplayed them in every way. Not a bad way to start the weekend.
Saturday, girl and I watched our beloved Hammers win again, and then we continued our painting escapade upstairs. We are almost done with painting a room upstairs in our favorite teams' colors, and it will be the envy of all rooms, but for now, it's just a brightly painted room that has furniture under drop clothes. I also got a haircut from girl so my hair is now rather short, not quite a buzz cut but close. I'm losing my hair and getting more forehead than I've had, and during a recent trip, a couple of folks pointed out that I might like shaving my hair shorter. Well, girl took it on last night, and she did a great job and so far I like it. It's a bit different in the sense that I scratch my head and there's not a lot of hair in the way, plus in playing footy today, my head felt a bit warmer without cover. But the change seems to be OK, and so we'll stick with it.
Sunday, our outdoor team played and lost again, while I left at halftime to go to a first birthday party for some friends' child. He was a fussy, funny baby, who was more fascinated with smashing Doritos than eating cake, but the fact that I could be there for his first birthday was touching, and I'm glad to have been there. Yeah, it was a nice day and I might have enjoyed running about more playing footy, but I was where I needed to be, at the party. I think sometimes with my schedule, it's busy but then again it's simply being where I need to be for the people that I care about. It takes discipline and great time management skills to be everywhere that we need to be, but simply put, I'd rather be living out in the world than sitting at home wondering or getting prepared for work the next day. I'll take doing things over that any day...
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
We Live in a Very Strange World...But There's Hope for Us Yet
I tend not to pay attention when other guys are doing their business in the restroom. Seriously, I know some guys that chat up a storm, look around at everything or everyone else, and generally treat the restroom as a social experience. Me, I'm simply there to do my business and get out while remembering to wash my hands, although sometimes it might take a bit. I can't tell you how many times I see people leave the restroom and not wash their hands, it really bugs me especially when people around my office start to catch colds and such. Washing your hands is a great way to not spread icky germs, and it's just common courtesy. But I'm willing to not be such a stickler about that, as I witnessed the most insane thing at a urinal today at my office.
Look, I know guys sometimes will grab reading materials to read while doing their thing, I've done it more than a few times myself, but today, I saw someone sending text message while doing their business at a stand up urinal. The guy had both his hands texting away while he was urinating. I had to do a double and triple take to make sure I was seeing this right, because I was shocked as much as anything that someone feels that texting is so important, they need to interrupt bodily functions. I know people send texts when they sit down, but this was the first time I saw it done standing. And while part of it was a bit funny, I just hope that I'm never in that situation where texting rules my life.
I already have enough issues remembering to turn on my phone when I leave the house, which then leads to girl leaving me crazy messages about "gee, I'd love to give you a ride home from work but your phone isn't on so I guess you can just walk home." And I really like my phone from Motorola, it's got a camera and a few other bells and whistles that are rather interesting. But I don't view my phone as a necessary accessory. I spend a lot of my day on long conference calls, and so I really don't like to talk on the phone in general unless necessary. I tend to text only when I'm running late to meet someone or I'm wanting to confirm plans about something and it's easier to send a text to someone rather than calling. One of my cousins bragged that she'd sent over 5000 text messages last month, and while that's an impressive number, I'm sure people have sent more.
I understand texting and being on cell phones, because they do make conversations convenient when needed and help in emergencies, but I also think that in some respects, they make some conversations impersonal and less important. I can't tell you how many times I am on MAX and people are blathering on about whatever they feel like on their phone as loud as they can, privacy be damned. Maybe they get a thrill talking about their conquest last night, but seriously, I've got better things to do than unintentionally eavesdrop. I also hate people driving while talking or texting and they aren't using a hands free set. I already get a little freaked out driving with aggressive folks on the road, and now you add people that are driving while talking and so they are barely paying attention to either task. I've seen numerous near accidents from drivers and pedestrians just walking while talking on their phone, and nearly missing cars. I think my phone is a nice feature, but I'm not willing to die for the privilege to talk on it.
Mind you, some people may say that I'm just older and I don't get what it means. Seriously, I get it, and whatever conversation you are having on your phone isn't as important as paying attention to the road and being courteous to other people wherever you are. The only exceptions I could see are in emergencies, and unless you are a doctor, fireman, police man or some other important official type person, I can't imagine any conversation that is so important that it can't wait until you arrive at your destination in one piece. But that's the world we live in...
But there are things that give me a little bit of hope. Portland is buzzing about Rudy Fernandez, the newest member of the Portland Trail Blazers. He arrived from Spain on Tuesday to start training camp, and was met by approximately 200 Trail Blazer fans at the airport. He signed autographs, posed for pictures, and heard the crowd chant his name, including interrupting one television interview because of the noise level. Rudy even admitted that he was overwhelmed by the reaction, and was ready to get to work as soon as possible. It's just amazing to think that we're only a few weeks away from the start of the season, and the town is buzzing about Trail Blazer basketball.
And why not? The youngest team in the NBA finished at .500 last year with 41 wins and 41 losses, and added the number one pick from last year's draft, Greg Oden, the MVP of the Vegas Summer League, Jarryd Bayliss, and an MVP from European basketball, Rudy Fernandez to a formidable lineup. The team is loaded, and will make some noise this year as long as injuries don't ravage the team and expectations and minutes can be dealt with. I believe we have an extremely competitive team, and give it a few months, they could be a force to deal with. While practice is good, there's something about the regular season that puts things in perspective and I want to see our guys deal with some of the road trips, tough matchup and things to see what we've got going on. But the attitudes and comments are all positive..
And Rudy is at the center of all of that. He did an interview with 95.5 The Game on Wednesday afternoon, and was funny, engaging, and happy to be here. He was a true professional, even though his English was a bit rugged at points, but he got through the interview and said in two months, I will be fluent and I want to come back and talk to you more. He mentioned his family, who will be coming over to live with him, being influenced by his mother, father and sister who all played basketball, and his successful resume from playing overseas. But he's ready for a new challenge, and that all starts here in Portland. He even indicated that my role on this team is whatever my coach says I need to do, because it's important for me to fit in here. You keep hearing that from all of the guys coming up, top to bottom, and you can't help but be encouraged especially after the most recent dark days of Trail Blazer history. My hope is that these guys remained focused and committed to their plan, and if they do that, there's no telling where they might end up at the end of the year. Let's just hope they're more careful with their cell phones..
Look, I know guys sometimes will grab reading materials to read while doing their thing, I've done it more than a few times myself, but today, I saw someone sending text message while doing their business at a stand up urinal. The guy had both his hands texting away while he was urinating. I had to do a double and triple take to make sure I was seeing this right, because I was shocked as much as anything that someone feels that texting is so important, they need to interrupt bodily functions. I know people send texts when they sit down, but this was the first time I saw it done standing. And while part of it was a bit funny, I just hope that I'm never in that situation where texting rules my life.
I already have enough issues remembering to turn on my phone when I leave the house, which then leads to girl leaving me crazy messages about "gee, I'd love to give you a ride home from work but your phone isn't on so I guess you can just walk home." And I really like my phone from Motorola, it's got a camera and a few other bells and whistles that are rather interesting. But I don't view my phone as a necessary accessory. I spend a lot of my day on long conference calls, and so I really don't like to talk on the phone in general unless necessary. I tend to text only when I'm running late to meet someone or I'm wanting to confirm plans about something and it's easier to send a text to someone rather than calling. One of my cousins bragged that she'd sent over 5000 text messages last month, and while that's an impressive number, I'm sure people have sent more.
I understand texting and being on cell phones, because they do make conversations convenient when needed and help in emergencies, but I also think that in some respects, they make some conversations impersonal and less important. I can't tell you how many times I am on MAX and people are blathering on about whatever they feel like on their phone as loud as they can, privacy be damned. Maybe they get a thrill talking about their conquest last night, but seriously, I've got better things to do than unintentionally eavesdrop. I also hate people driving while talking or texting and they aren't using a hands free set. I already get a little freaked out driving with aggressive folks on the road, and now you add people that are driving while talking and so they are barely paying attention to either task. I've seen numerous near accidents from drivers and pedestrians just walking while talking on their phone, and nearly missing cars. I think my phone is a nice feature, but I'm not willing to die for the privilege to talk on it.
Mind you, some people may say that I'm just older and I don't get what it means. Seriously, I get it, and whatever conversation you are having on your phone isn't as important as paying attention to the road and being courteous to other people wherever you are. The only exceptions I could see are in emergencies, and unless you are a doctor, fireman, police man or some other important official type person, I can't imagine any conversation that is so important that it can't wait until you arrive at your destination in one piece. But that's the world we live in...
But there are things that give me a little bit of hope. Portland is buzzing about Rudy Fernandez, the newest member of the Portland Trail Blazers. He arrived from Spain on Tuesday to start training camp, and was met by approximately 200 Trail Blazer fans at the airport. He signed autographs, posed for pictures, and heard the crowd chant his name, including interrupting one television interview because of the noise level. Rudy even admitted that he was overwhelmed by the reaction, and was ready to get to work as soon as possible. It's just amazing to think that we're only a few weeks away from the start of the season, and the town is buzzing about Trail Blazer basketball.
And why not? The youngest team in the NBA finished at .500 last year with 41 wins and 41 losses, and added the number one pick from last year's draft, Greg Oden, the MVP of the Vegas Summer League, Jarryd Bayliss, and an MVP from European basketball, Rudy Fernandez to a formidable lineup. The team is loaded, and will make some noise this year as long as injuries don't ravage the team and expectations and minutes can be dealt with. I believe we have an extremely competitive team, and give it a few months, they could be a force to deal with. While practice is good, there's something about the regular season that puts things in perspective and I want to see our guys deal with some of the road trips, tough matchup and things to see what we've got going on. But the attitudes and comments are all positive..
And Rudy is at the center of all of that. He did an interview with 95.5 The Game on Wednesday afternoon, and was funny, engaging, and happy to be here. He was a true professional, even though his English was a bit rugged at points, but he got through the interview and said in two months, I will be fluent and I want to come back and talk to you more. He mentioned his family, who will be coming over to live with him, being influenced by his mother, father and sister who all played basketball, and his successful resume from playing overseas. But he's ready for a new challenge, and that all starts here in Portland. He even indicated that my role on this team is whatever my coach says I need to do, because it's important for me to fit in here. You keep hearing that from all of the guys coming up, top to bottom, and you can't help but be encouraged especially after the most recent dark days of Trail Blazer history. My hope is that these guys remained focused and committed to their plan, and if they do that, there's no telling where they might end up at the end of the year. Let's just hope they're more careful with their cell phones..
Monday, September 22, 2008
Timbers Season Finally Done, What To Do in the Offseason
The Timbers season came to an end on Saturday night on the road versus Carolina, and like many of the matches this year, the team played well in stretches but gave up a late goal and took the loss. We won't be making the playoffs this year, actually as of Sunday's matches, we are last on the First Division table by a whole three points. While there was a lot of parity this year in the USL, the Timbers simply were too inconsistent for their own good. They'd look amazing one night in a match, then come out completely clueless the next night. I realize that it's tough to keep mentally focused for a long season, heck, I have trouble remembering where the grocery list is, but being mentally tough is what separates the professionals from the amateurs. And no, it's not that I can't remember what's on the list, its actually where I put the damn thing.
The offseason for Timbers fans can be a bit tough, especially since our message board becomes a harbor for crazy rumors, thoughts about strategy, the things the front office should do, and so on. Some of the ideas make sense, others are wildly crazy, but the offseason isn't boring around the Timbers message board. Some people actually fill their offseason with distractions, like watching footy from other parts of the world or watching a different sport (GASP!!). I spend my offseason watching West Ham in the English Premier League and our own hometown Portland Trail Blazers of the NBA.
I've always been a basketball fan, and so following the hometown team is an easy choice, especially after moving here in 1989 and there was a championship run that very year. This town gets nuts for their team, and I got a full on taste of what Rip City is like around here. There are signs everywhere, the games are talked about all over the news and about town, and the town cheers each win and tries to shake off each loss. The town loves its team, and there is a sense that the community is really part of the team. It's something really special, and I'm glad to see that it's coming back a bit. We certainly have a solid team base, with the rookie of the year from 2006 - 2007 (Brandon Roy), the first overall pick from the 2007 -2008 draft (Greg Oden), and a solid nucleus of players, including one of the better players from Europe coming over this year (Rudy Fernandez) to join the club. I bought an 11 game pack to watch games, and so girl and I will be going to games throughout the season. When we aren't at the game, the television is usually on the games. We are a true Trail Blazer house, and I'm glad I married such a sports fan.
West Ham is my choice to follow in English Soccer, mostly for my allegiance to a former Timber and prominent member of the Portland soccer community, Clive Charles. He played for the Hammers, as well as one of the Timbers' former coaches, Bobby Howe. Plus, one of my favorite memories of my honeymoon is watching a full stadium in Upton Park as the Hammers met Newcastle, and it was the loudest, most intense footy experience I've had. Girl supports them because of her teaching experience in Basildon, UK, and using the kids' love of football to bond with them, and the Hammers were the local team to support. I do have a lot of fondness for Sunderland, another EPL team, mostly because of the fans there. I took a trip over there in 2006 with 32 other members of the Timbers Army, and was treated to one of the most amazing experiences while there, plus another return trip in 2008 as part of my honeymoon, where they took care of myself and girl for 5 wonderful days. I respect the Black Cats a lot, and they're great folk, but the Hammers was a slightly more intense footy experience. Plus, we got to stay a night on the West Ham grounds as guests of our friends here as a wedding present.
I think the offseason is a great time to also get caught up on other pursuits, like reading or doing odd jobs around the home. While I love my Timbers a great deal, it does tend to fill our social calendar with matches, gatherings and such, and so every once in a while, it's nice to take a bit of a break. However, we still see many members as I'm playing outdoor soccer on a TA team, and girl and I bowl with some TA as part of Underdog Bowling Portland. Besides, the rains will come soon and keep most of the folks inside for the remainder of the year, which is too bad because I like the rains and the fall around here. It's actually some of the best weather here in Portland, when the mornings are crisp and the afternoons are still a bit warm and sunny. I will miss the sun when the winter comes around and the work day pretty much covers getting up and coming home in the dark, but it's a small price to pay for the coolness that is here. And besides, I already have my 2009 Timbers tickets, so bring on next year already!
For more information about the Timbers and offseason stuff, visit www.soccercityusa.com or www.talktimbers.com to learn more.
The offseason for Timbers fans can be a bit tough, especially since our message board becomes a harbor for crazy rumors, thoughts about strategy, the things the front office should do, and so on. Some of the ideas make sense, others are wildly crazy, but the offseason isn't boring around the Timbers message board. Some people actually fill their offseason with distractions, like watching footy from other parts of the world or watching a different sport (GASP!!). I spend my offseason watching West Ham in the English Premier League and our own hometown Portland Trail Blazers of the NBA.
I've always been a basketball fan, and so following the hometown team is an easy choice, especially after moving here in 1989 and there was a championship run that very year. This town gets nuts for their team, and I got a full on taste of what Rip City is like around here. There are signs everywhere, the games are talked about all over the news and about town, and the town cheers each win and tries to shake off each loss. The town loves its team, and there is a sense that the community is really part of the team. It's something really special, and I'm glad to see that it's coming back a bit. We certainly have a solid team base, with the rookie of the year from 2006 - 2007 (Brandon Roy), the first overall pick from the 2007 -2008 draft (Greg Oden), and a solid nucleus of players, including one of the better players from Europe coming over this year (Rudy Fernandez) to join the club. I bought an 11 game pack to watch games, and so girl and I will be going to games throughout the season. When we aren't at the game, the television is usually on the games. We are a true Trail Blazer house, and I'm glad I married such a sports fan.
West Ham is my choice to follow in English Soccer, mostly for my allegiance to a former Timber and prominent member of the Portland soccer community, Clive Charles. He played for the Hammers, as well as one of the Timbers' former coaches, Bobby Howe. Plus, one of my favorite memories of my honeymoon is watching a full stadium in Upton Park as the Hammers met Newcastle, and it was the loudest, most intense footy experience I've had. Girl supports them because of her teaching experience in Basildon, UK, and using the kids' love of football to bond with them, and the Hammers were the local team to support. I do have a lot of fondness for Sunderland, another EPL team, mostly because of the fans there. I took a trip over there in 2006 with 32 other members of the Timbers Army, and was treated to one of the most amazing experiences while there, plus another return trip in 2008 as part of my honeymoon, where they took care of myself and girl for 5 wonderful days. I respect the Black Cats a lot, and they're great folk, but the Hammers was a slightly more intense footy experience. Plus, we got to stay a night on the West Ham grounds as guests of our friends here as a wedding present.
I think the offseason is a great time to also get caught up on other pursuits, like reading or doing odd jobs around the home. While I love my Timbers a great deal, it does tend to fill our social calendar with matches, gatherings and such, and so every once in a while, it's nice to take a bit of a break. However, we still see many members as I'm playing outdoor soccer on a TA team, and girl and I bowl with some TA as part of Underdog Bowling Portland. Besides, the rains will come soon and keep most of the folks inside for the remainder of the year, which is too bad because I like the rains and the fall around here. It's actually some of the best weather here in Portland, when the mornings are crisp and the afternoons are still a bit warm and sunny. I will miss the sun when the winter comes around and the work day pretty much covers getting up and coming home in the dark, but it's a small price to pay for the coolness that is here. And besides, I already have my 2009 Timbers tickets, so bring on next year already!
For more information about the Timbers and offseason stuff, visit www.soccercityusa.com or www.talktimbers.com to learn more.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)