A Fan Report From MN: Chat With Pritchard & Przybilla

Taken froma  thread at RealGM: http://www.realgm.com/boards/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=852799

 I just arrived back in town from Minnesota and I had to share this amazing experience.

I was in Wisconsin for my grandmother's 80th. The return flight took me through Minneapolis on the way back to school in LA. When I realized that the Blazers were in town that night, I naturally changed my tickets, planned on sleeping on the airport floor, and got seats for the game.

The stadium was more than half empty, so I naturally sneaked down into the fifth row for most of the first quarter. I noticed that Pritchard was 15 or so rows up in the stands with several seats all by himself. He looked really lonely so naturally I decided to go and give him a little company :D

I introduced myself and told him I was a huge Blazer fan from Ashland, and that I was in town on circumstance to see the game. We chatted a little bit about whether I made it up to Portland anymore, and I thanked him for building a team and organization I was proud to be a fan of. He went down with the team at half time.

So then I turned to the person who was sitting next to Pritchard and, noticing the Trail Blazer logo on their shirts, asked them if they were fans. The gentlemen replied that yes they were. They asked me where I was from, and I replied from Ashland in southern Oregon. I asked the same question of him and he replied he was from Minnesota. I asked him why he was a Blazer fan, and he responded that number 10 on the Blazers was his son. I was sitting with the entire Pryzbilla family.

So I spent the second half of the game talking basketball with Joel's dad. He talked about Joel playing in high school, and his reaction when Oden was drafted (Joel didn't really percieve it as a big deal) He said Joel's favorite player growing up was David Robinson, and that he still had huge stacks of basketball cards in his house from when he was a kid. It was also fun to talk strategy, and dynamics. Funny side note, Joel's mom can't stand to watch him shoot free throws. Every time he does she closes her eyes :-? They were really nice people, very down to earth midwestern folk, and made me respect Joel even more.

The game itself was great, but this experience was once in a lifetime. I thought I should share it with everyone.