Zach Off!

by sotis on Oct 10, 2007 1:13 PM PDT

As some of you certainly have seen, today's (10/10/07) issue of the Willamette Week (pg. 37) includes a fun proposition. Submit a letter and your Z-Bo memorabilia to WWeek and they'll ship it off to New York sports bars, as a way of thanking them for taking him off our hands. For your added satisfaction, they'll also have a reporter in New York documenting the hand-off and reactions. Send submissions to:

Zach-Off!
c/o Willamette Week
2220 NW Quimby St.
Portland, 97210

Sounds like fun to me!

Tweet Comment 14 comments | 0 recs |

Do you like this story?

Comments

Who owns Z-Bo merchandise?

I can't imagine Z-Bo merchandise being that hot of a ticket. I've never seen a poster, jersey, not even a bells palsy awareness pamphlet with Z-Bo on it.

Maybe a Rip City magazine from 4 years ago?

This has to be underwhelming in the end. I don't think such memorabilia exists in Portland. All Willy Week is gonna hand over is team programs from 3 seasons ago.

Or did someone out there love Z-Bo enough to rock his jersey? Maybe it's just me, and I don't even hate the guy, but he was never popular enough to sell anything with him on it. Did he even have a bobblehead?

Mortimer

by Mortimer on Oct 10, 2007 1:26 PM PDT reply actions

Randolph Jersey Spotted In NM

I saw a guy wearing a Randolph jersey in Las Cruces, NM. I struck up conversation and found out two interesting things.

1-He had it because he bought it for 5 bucks.
2-He was really a Laker fan.

by fatwansaboni on Oct 10, 2007 2:16 PM PDT up reply actions

Cold Torso

Well ya gotta do what ya gotta do to keep your torso warm. If it takes wearing a jersey from a team that you don't like and a player you don't care about, then so be it. We all make sacrifices in life, and that was his.

That New Mexican was a brave man.

The only Blazers jersey I've seen outside of Portland is old Rasheed Wallace jerseys. People love the anti-hero...

Z-Bo isn't fun enough to be a Sheed type anti-hero, so even though both could be knuckleheads, only one is loveable (to some).

Mortimer

by Mortimer on Oct 10, 2007 2:40 PM PDT up reply actions

I guess you could wrap yourself

in those fancy terry cloth towels from the Vintage Plaza Hotel - that would keep you warm...

Ball Don't Lie

by bothteamsplayedhard on Oct 10, 2007 2:56 PM PDT up reply actions

Wearing the wrong shirt

OK, I have a dark secret. I was given a free Nike Kobe shirt while on a road trip. I didn't simply toss it because I have a friend who's a Kobe fan (hey, I have Republican friends, too). I figured I'd give the shirt to the friend when I got back to Portland.

However, on the last day of my trip I discovered that I was all out of clean shirts to wear on the flight home. So in consideration of my seat-mate, I swallowed my disgust and donned the Kobe shirt.

Later, as I was going thru security, a female TSA agent expressed her disdain that I would wear a shirt with the picture of a rapist on it! I started to defend myself, but what could I say? Clearly, wearing a smelly shirt would have been the lesser of two evils. Ughh--I feel queasy just thinking about having worn the Kobe likeness.

by hurryup09 on Oct 10, 2007 5:19 PM PDT up reply actions

That's a tough decision

That's a funny and tough choice to make... to wear a stinky t-shirt or a t-shirt of a stinker. To me, no matter which choice I woulda' made, I'd cover up with a thin jacket of some sort.

Your sacrifice was much worse than the New Mexican with the cold torso up above.

by Mortimer on Oct 10, 2007 5:39 PM PDT up reply actions

There

were loads of Randolph jerseys in the Rose Garden on draft day. More Roy than anything, but Randolph's probably 2nd or 3rd in popularity. But then we didn't have much choice last year either...

by jorga on Oct 10, 2007 3:10 PM PDT up reply actions

Ain't been home in a while

I haven't been back home to Portland in a while, and haven't been to a Blazer game in person since the season before last, and because I didn't remember many Randolph jerseys I assumed it wouldn't have gotten better.

I just wasn't observant enough it sounds like... I am surprised people actually went out with American currency and exchanged it for the jersey of an unpopular player, but like you said, before Roy and Aldridge the pickings were slim.

Were the Z-Bo jersey wearers bummed when he got traded on draft day? If I actually went to a sports wear store and picked out a jersey of my favoritest player ever and then the jerk got traded by other stupid jerks, I might cry. How sad were people in the Rose Garden?

Another problem I might be having is that I've never bought a jersey, and if I did it'd have to be someone I wanted to marry like Roy or Aldridge or Oden or Josh Howard. While I know there are lots of people who get a jersey just to have a jersey, I didn't think Z-Bo would be the chosen jersey.

But what do I know. NOTHING, that's what I know.

Mortimer

by Mortimer on Oct 10, 2007 3:41 PM PDT up reply actions

That's all they were selling

At the summer league.

Hard work beats talent when talent fails to work hard.

by ratbastird on Oct 10, 2007 3:11 PM PDT up reply actions

Z-bo

You know, I find that amusing but I wouldn't join.

first off I don't have anything and secondly Zach did everything I wanted him to do last year. he improved, he made attempts at sharing more, and he mostly played hard.

He didn't exceed any expectation I had, but he did what I wanted him to do within the realm of what I expected him to be able to do and that's all I could really ask.

So, I'm glad Zach's gone, but I felt he tried and cared and because of that I'll stay off the Zach bashing boat.

You may point out the strip bar, but that's a legal activity. I could go into more, but bottom line is that it was legal.

So, i'll just be amused

Hard work beats talent when talent fails to work hard.

by ratbastird on Oct 10, 2007 3:15 PM PDT reply actions

Ugh

Willamette Week may have their finger on the pulse of Portland's irritating hipster scene, but this shows that they're totally off the mark with Blazer fans.
All it would take is a mere glance at the diaries posted here to realize that Blazer fans are much more interested in the guys we have now, and our bright future with them, then looking back (and taking shots at) guys no longer playing here and the dark ages of Blazermania.
And besides, this isn't like when Bonzi or Rasheed was shipped out. Randolph may never have totally won over Blazer fans, but I'd say he was never hated either.
If anything we should have shipped a case of Portland's best microbrews to Brian Skinner after he was traded to the piss beer capital of the world and had the audacity to badmouth Portland.
Zach put in some good years here. This is just silly and uncalled for.

by Praisebecrom on Oct 10, 2007 4:31 PM PDT reply actions

well said

and i agree.

Hard work beats talent when talent fails to work hard.

by ratbastird on Oct 10, 2007 5:11 PM PDT up reply actions

I have a sighned shoe from randolph

and im keeping it! i like randolph and wish him the best

by JWise on Oct 10, 2007 4:53 PM PDT reply actions

TrueHoop Too

I forwarded the article link to Henry Abbott. He posted it on TrueHoop. And apologies for not posting it here. I couldn't find it online initially. Here it is: http://www.wweek.com/editorial/3348/9683/

by sotis on Oct 10, 2007 5:03 PM PDT reply actions