superstition

I don't really have any required rituals that I go through with regards to fate, etc... I can't say that I've been happy with the results when I talk through games on the phone, but I think that has more to do with our winning percentage over the last few years.

Though the following isn't because of superstition I do tend to prefer a certain method of attack to watching games.  I do prefer to DVR games and stay away from all media watching at the end of the night when I'm not at a game in person (and then I still wish I had my fast forward button for the lulls).  I do tend to watch a bit of the half time recap.  I skip through some of the opposing teams foul shots, though usually not ours (and sometimes none if there is enough tension in the game... like to draw it out then).  I have had a good time bringing my laptop by the TV and posting on BE during game time chats, so occasionally if it's a home game that I've given the tickets away on or if it's an away game on TV I'll watch in real time, but that's probably under 30% of the time.  Also, with regards to DVRing the game I usually try to start somewhere around 30 to 40 minutes late, so by the end of the game I'm in real time for the last 15 minutes or so.  Oh, and if I'm at home I like to make food during the half time recap and eat while watching the second half on a fairly regular basis.

I'm saving that third time until, like, a Game 7 in a playoff series or something.

--Dave

Last Year the Blazers were something like 5-10 when I watched on TV, 5-10 when I listened on the radio, 15-16 when I constantly refreshed gametracker and BlazeresEdge, 2-0 when I actually went to the game and 5-15 when I wasn't able to follow the game at all.

I went home to Portland for a family thing right before the lottery, and when going through my closet I found a red Trailblazer shirt I don't remember ever seeing before (I know I never bought it).  I deemed it a lucky shirt, and wore it on lottery day, all day, along with my lucky old school Blazer headband.  I like to think the results speak for themself.

Eating during a game IS tempting fate... but I do it when I gotta.  I think I can trace that superstition directly back to game 7 2000 WCF, when I was at a bar-b-que and eating while watching the game.  The results speak for themself :-(

(Also, some of the people I watched that game with were extremely negative, as in every missed shot they start screaming how we're gonna lose and why bother even trying and whatnot, even in the 1st quarter.  It is EXTREMELY BAD LUCK to watch a game with that sort of person... and annoying)

Games in person and big games watched at home call for my Blazers headband, Nate's ban be damned!

I am fully aware that my relatively mild superstitions don't really affect the game, but they give me ease of mind and let me feel I am controlling the outcome of the game.  Which I am.  My positive thoughts got us the #1 pick and will ultimately deliver our decade of dominance.

Mortimer

Around the turn of the millenia there was a new energy drink called 'Whoop-ass'.  I and all those watching the game with me would wait for the Blazers to begin to falter and break out the literal (and hopefully metaphorical) can of Whoop-ass in hopes of inspiring the team to victory.  After the L*ker game 7 debacle there was never again a can of Whoop-ass in the fridge come game day.......Never.

I also start the games late and watch via the DVR.  Once in awhile I'll start live on the radio just to see how the game progresses and if it sounds like a good one I'll switch to TiVo.  But I fast forward a lot at the end of games if we're not doing well (but I also end up rewinding often

I fast forward through commercials too, though one night my cat saw the bank one with the dog playing ball in the kitchen ("someday a backyard") so whenever that was on and she was watching with me I'd have to replay it for her over and over.  :-)   Hmm, she's a black cat - I don't know what her "record" is, but considering the Blazer record last year I doubt she is good luck...  (And she never stays for the whole game anyway.)

Drink once whenever Rice says something senile or borderline sexual.

Drink twice if he says whack, whacked, or any other form of the word (our personal favorite is "He really whacked him off his postion right there.")

Drink once when Mike Barrett complains about the officials.

Drink twice when he complains about Roy not getting calls.

Drink once whenever Ime hits from the corner, but we're gonna have to switch that out for something else next year. Maybe whenever Oden get's a block.

Drink whenever something spectacular happens but that's a given.

Finally if we're at a crucial moment in the game and the team needs that extra boost of good mojo coming their way we shotgun a beer.

The best thing about it was that only one of my roomates was a big Blazer fan already so we would watch every game and slowly but surely my other two roomates and some of our buddies started playing the game and watching with us. Of course after watching the young guys play they started to fall in love with the team too. So really by playing the drinking game we were ambassadors for the team spreading Blazermania into the community... I'm still waiting for my paycheck from the P.R. department.