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NBA CHAMPION CROWNED, AGAIN

Becoming an NBA champion is a lifelong goal for every basketball player in the world. The best want to play the best, beat the best, to tell themselves they’re good enough. It’s that along with contracts and money and fame. All of that goes along the wayside when you stop playing in ninth grade like […]

OPENING NIGHT AT THE ROSE GARDEN

I watched the Rose Garden, home to your Portland Trail Blazers, rise up on the Northeast bank of the mighty Willamette River. From opening night until now it’s been . . . thirty-one years? As long as the Memorial Coliseum stands, the Rose Garden will always be the new kid on the block. And now […]

THE ART AND CRAFT OF DODGING RESPONSIBILITIES

Dodging responsibilities for a picture is not what my pal Bill Shonley and I do. He’s met a ton of people so getting a shot was no big deal. To him; it was a big deal to me. It’s one of my favorites. We’re both Blazers fans, though I’ve cooled off since Big Red took […]

DAME TIME DONE IN PORTLAND

Dame time ran on a fast clock in Portland. This was a player the Trail Blazers couldn’t figure out. Even when he got paid, they couldn’t figure out what to do with the team. They had a leader who did what leaders do. Now what? Find a way to honor Dame Time.

QUITTING LOSERS FOR BAD PLAYOFF MOOD

Quitting Losers is the worst show on television. Last night’s episode was the Phoenix Suns quitting on the Denver Nuggets. I’m not a fan of either team, but I am an NBA fan. Why is it especially hurtful to watch professional players quit on a game?

MATCH MAKER: BEST EFFORT vs GOOD ENOUGH

Being a match maker in 2023 means finding new matches. If you’ve been trying to introduce people because ‘they’d be perfect together,’ it’s time to adjust expectations for the new year. 2022: Why aren’t you married? 2023: Marriage isn’t for everyone.

LOSE BETTER FOR THE NEXT WIN

“Lose better” Oregon Ducks and Blazers. At least don’t lose on the same day. In the same time window. One is enough, and if I had to pick one loser on Saturday it would have been ‘your Portland Trail Blazers.’ This is where I start crying about the Ducks. Again. Waaaaaa.

SPORTS LITERACY FOR BOOMERS: KNOW WHEN ENOUGH IS ENOUGH

Sports literacy runs through all sports, not just your favorite team, or my favorite team, though that would make things so much easier. It’s more than the Yankees, the Cowboys, or the Celtics; more than the Mariners, Seahawks, and your Portland Trail Blazers. On Friday nights it’s more than the high school football playoffs, more […]

BLAZER SEASON WRAP FOR DAME TIME

Another Blazer season, another year, and another view of Damian Lillard. The best teammate award and a first round exit. Who doesn’t get caught up in the whirlwind of the NBA Playoffs without noticing Lillard? I’m not asking who thinks they know what he should do next. It’s been another year, a primetime season, but […]

MICHAEL JORDAN WORKED PORTLAND ONE LAST TIME

Michael Jordan and the Portland Trail Blazers will always be linked. Every sports fan knows the story of Jordan in the ’84 NBA Draft. But no crying over spilled milk here. No, I’m crying over the time I saw him play in Portland toward the end of his time with the Bulls. Where’s my hankie?