Anticipating the Season

As enjoyable as the site has been during the "dog days" of the off-season, I'm really looking forward to what lies ahead.  I'll be attending the opening exhibition game on Wednesday, and it'll be fun to compare notes afterwards.  

Hope that helps.

I'm not yet convinced that he's the starting PG of "the future", but at worst he would be a valuable asset off the bench, or in a trade to help address our deficiencies at other positions.

Defense, running the break, and outside shooting will be the key to his future with Portland.

I'm not a huge fan of PayPal, but as someone that enjoys this site so thoroughly, I wouldn't mind giving back.

Dave, where can we send donations for contests, or just to make your job easier?  I'd hate to see this thing die by lack of funding.  Maybe you could post a link on the sidebar for those interested...

I had complete access during Summer League...talked to players and coaches...sat next to all the media folks from papers, TV, and radio and worked alongside them...Kevin Pritchard was even gracious enough to put an arm around my shoulder and say hello.  That was a really, really nice bonus for me.  But I also found out that, fun for me aside, we really don't need an eighth person in the locker room getting the same player quotes on tape and repeating them.  What's really needed is someone to:

--gather and synthesize all of that information
--bring some perspective and fill in the gaps when needed
--talk with, relate to, and very occasionally be a voice for the fans
--do all of that while being completely free from the constraints of professional journalism or debts to the team (beyond the usual ones a fan owes his club)

In many ways this is a much, much cooler role even than being a professional media person.  They can only report what is told them or what they observe.  They're not free to conjecture, reminisce, or anticipate.  Occasionally they'll be able to say things between the lines but we here can observe that same data and just flat out say it!  If you think about the major themes running through Blazer Nation the last few years--something is wrong with Martell, Zach is going to get traded, Brandon Roy is providing the cultural foundation of this team, right down to this year's "Lamarcus is going to blow everyone away"--you heard most of them here on the main page and in the diaries well before they hit the papers.

If nobody were filling the professional media role we would be completely lost and Blazersedge would not exist.  We owe an enormous thanks to the people who cover the team.  But since that role is being filled so well by so many people it's much more fun to be able to speculate, to try and keep ahead of the curve, to think outside the box, and of course to root for the team like there's no tomorrow.

--Dave

--Dave

--Dave