« From the mouths of babes.... | Main | Dinner Conversation »
February 25, 2005
Portland Trailblazers
The NBA trade deadline passed and my Blazers did absolutely nothing. We're 21-31, and apparently Paul Allen (the owner) has decided it's time to cut salary (but not enough to fall beneath the cap) and "rebuild". Whatever that means. Last year's trade of one of the top 25 players in the NBA (fine, top 50) now amounts to a trade for an expiring contract and an oft-injured, over-the-hill center (and to think how excited I was to get his jersey at Christmas...).
All of which raises the question, what's left to cheer for? The optimistic boilerplate answer is, "look to the future and the young guys and the draft" and so forth, but I think there's a more philosophic lesson here. Being a fan is about more than cheering for your team to win, it's also about supporting them when they're down. One need not be rabidly, unrealistically optimistic about things, but there are players and stories on the team to be happy and excited about.
And that, of course, points to one of the things that's so compelling about sports. Because living your life is also not always about how much you win or lose. Being a fan of yourself is the same as being a fan of your sports team (a relationship more often expressed in reverse). Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose; sometimes you play hard, sometimes you don't. But you always have to stay behind your own team.
Posted by David Richmond at February 25, 2005 11:46 AM EST
Trackback Pings
TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://symphonicman.com/moveabletype/mt-tb.cgi/33
Comments
I just saw in Anna's blog that she recommended your blog - the highest honor imaginable for writing via the internet. Rivaled only, perhaps, by the fact that I just read what you wrote about sports, and I barely even know where the Blazers are from.
Love
C (aka MVPTD)
Posted by: C at February 25, 2005 4:25 PM
Yes. This from the girl who asked when March Madness would be taking place.
Posted by: DR at February 25, 2005 8:05 PM
thanks for the inspirational speech, d.r.
however
the blazers have sucked for awhile now and its going to be about 3 years until they will be competitive again. its basically impossible for them to maneuver their cap down to a manageable figure in the short-term. the "rebuilding" will take a LONG time.
also, as damon mentioned in the oregonian today, any rebuilding efforts will be hampered by the fact that no quality free agents want to come to the blazers anymore (my #1 explanation of this phenomenon: the portland police department! ... they have nothing better to do than harass the blazers, and while the current team IS a bunch of criminals, so too is a good portion of the rest of the league, if you take into account the mandatory posses each player posesses. and i'm pro-hip-hop and therefore pro-posse, im just saying no rich black man wants to deal with a bunch of white cops in a white city, point blank... especially given the recent charges of police abuse in northeast portland, etc.) damon just blames it on the team's losing. either way, its a shitty situation.
so... get comfortable with cheering for a loser. sell your ratliff jersey on ebay for anything anyone will give you. that was a terrible investment (sorry). he is soft and always has been soft. a few block shots does not equal a quality center. and CERTAINLY does not equal LONG TERM GUARENTEED CONTRACT WHEN HE'S ON HIS LAST LEGS!!
on the bright side,
sebastian telfair = the truth
he smiles like he gives a shit about basketball; he plays like he is still hungry (despite his 8 figure endorsement deals, etc.). hopefully his teammates don't rub off on him.
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/cowbell/050225
read the sports guy's column today if you haven't already. he blasts the blazers management (again): and i quote, "They should have to pay reparations to Blazers fans for everything that's happened over the past five years."
so, if you must stand by this this band of losers, maybe the blazers will take Simmons' advice and pay you to do so. for now, tickets are VERY, VERY cheap. in fact, i'm headed to the bulls game coming up a week from wednesday. since nobody else goes to the rose garden anymore, i plan on paying for a nosebleed and sitting courtside. i'll be cheering for the bulls. kirk hinrich is the best player in the nba, besides lebron james (maybe).
lastly, the blazers are the number one reason portland should have tried harder to get a baseball team. how awesome would it be if this uninsprired Blazers' homestretch was merely a prelude to MLB opening day in the rose city?
gotta go, damon is throwing a party at his crib and im supposed to bring a pound of weed for the celebrations. hope all is well in cambridge, good fellow. peace.
Posted by: ben at February 25, 2005 11:36 PM