Open City

by Ben Golliver on Dec 13, 2008 11:40 AM PST

Good morning, guys. Just a quick note before I head over to practice.

I was blessed with the opportunity to have one of my stories selected for inclusion in Open City. [Here's Open City's wiki] Open City is a very cool outfit -- it is a literary magazine based in NYC edited by Thomas Beller, who happens to be both very patient and nuts about basketball. Two things that played very well in my favor. He spent hours helping me refine my Summer League story that ran on Hardwood Paroxysm in August and I am very happy with the new version, which goes a little bit deeper into Monty Williams and Jerryd Bayless.

It would be cool if you purchased a copy of Open City #26. I do not profit from your purchase but I would really appreciate the support and hearing your thoughts on the new story. It's only $10 and I'm sure you'll find the stories, poems and images in Open City to be well worth it. Thanks guys.

-- Ben (benjamin.golliver@gmail.com)

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UPDATE, 12:39PM: There was no practice today, instead, according to the Blazers' Jim Taylor, today was a "maintenance day." I'm not 100% sure if maintenance refers to the facility, the players' bodies, the players' psyche, or all of the above.

In any case, while driving home I saw a REALLY tall man in a grey hoodie walking by himself along Boones Ferry in the direction of an empty construction site. Guess who?

Shavlik Randolph.

Hilarious. Let's Blaze, it's your mission to find out where the heck he was going and why he was going there in freezing cold weather. Is it wrong of me to suspect that Jerryd Bayless was testing the fences again?

Another FYI: I did see a few players' cars in the parking lot but nobody was on the court... so at least 2 guys were on site either working out or receiving treatment.

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Comments

Golly (and his writing) is like butter...

he’s on a roll.

by Bust a Bucket on Dec 13, 2008 11:46 AM PST reply actions 1 recs

Cudos Ben

by LetsBlaze on Dec 13, 2008 11:51 AM PST reply actions

Congrats Ben! You deserve to be published! :-0 nm

by Lu on Dec 13, 2008 12:00 PM PST reply actions

The plot thickens!!!

What was Shav doing… hmmm.

honor rasheed wallace

by Cablinasian on Dec 13, 2008 12:45 PM PST reply actions

Shav

was looking for somewhere to build a snowman

There is probably no more terrible instance of enlightenment than the one in which you discover your father is a man — with human flesh.
Paul Muad'Dib - Dune (Frank Herbert)

My Translation: My Dad is a dude just like me, and my sons are dudes like me also. I love that.
Season Tix: Section 315, with my sons

by johnv59 on Dec 13, 2008 12:51 PM PST reply actions

With a backhoe

"Brandon Roy, that man is unstoppable, it's like he's playing NBA Live." - Anthony Johnson

by jamon51 on Dec 14, 2008 5:11 PM PST up reply actions

Shav is Bruce Banner

by tominhawaii on Dec 13, 2008 1:05 PM PST reply actions

or Bruce Jenner

by Bust a Bucket on Dec 13, 2008 1:08 PM PST up reply actions

Google it.

Maybe he was looking for David Hodo???

by ofred on Dec 13, 2008 1:24 PM PST reply actions

Good Job on the article

I love you Ben.

by tominhawaii on Dec 13, 2008 1:40 PM PST reply actions

Jerk!!

Why do you offer him a ride? That’s rude dude.

Travis please save us

by Sabonis4Ever on Dec 2, 2008 5:14 PM PST Gameday Open Thread: Blazers vs. Knicks on Blazer's Edge

by maid tu rek on Dec 13, 2008 2:26 PM PST reply actions

lol he was on a mission. not sure what that was.

Draft Kyle Singler.

by Ben Golliver on Dec 13, 2008 2:41 PM PST up reply actions

Probably rookie hazing

"Brandon Roy, that man is unstoppable, it's like he's playing NBA Live." - Anthony Johnson

by jamon51 on Dec 14, 2008 5:11 PM PST up reply actions

Wait

he’s not a rookie, right?

"Brandon Roy, that man is unstoppable, it's like he's playing NBA Live." - Anthony Johnson

by jamon51 on Dec 14, 2008 5:12 PM PST up reply actions

nope 4th yr

by LetsBlaze on Dec 14, 2008 5:17 PM PST up reply actions

Hey, Let's Blaze

Do you think Shavelick would be willing to come on the BEdge and chat once every week or two?

We could start a thread and just talk to him about life and basketball (in no particular order).

That would be pretty sweet.

by Bust a Bucket on Dec 13, 2008 2:35 PM PST reply actions

I haven't spoken to him yet today.but will find out

My Google maps work seems to show Boones Ferry runs all the way down to Tualatin…was he down that far? My guess is he was just checking the area out — might have been down at the practice sight and not had much to do…he doesn’t really even know another soul in the state of OR outside the team, so if they have time off, so does he…

I don’t know if he would come out here “live” or not, but I will ask — he is not a big computer guy — in general, I think he would enjoy being a bridge between the fans and the team — he is already in a way thorough me..funny cause yesterday after reading that Ben was on his way to practice I texted the bat phone for him to say hi to Shav for me…in a way cause I think it would be good for he psyche to know that people remember that he is even here.

I’m pretty positive he would have fun sitting and chatting with Ben for the site here, but the live on-line thing I’m not so sure….maybe we can do a semi-live thing where I ask him what you ask me while I got him on the phone…

Either way, I’ll catch up with him and find out whats what…thx for the update

by LetsBlaze on Dec 14, 2008 9:46 AM PST up reply actions

got this bat phone message… which made the situation double-funny for me… he was no more than 1/4 mile down from the practice facility…. heading north (?) in the direction of bridgeport mall… but like i said, not too far from the facility… there’s really not a heck of a lot out there… maybe he knows a shortcut through the construction to go get some food? there’s a little strip mall a little bit further down the road from where he was….

Draft Kyle Singler.

by Ben Golliver on Dec 14, 2008 11:48 AM PST up reply actions

How close is Jiggles?

Or is that the next exit down?

Just sayin’.

by Bust a Bucket on Dec 14, 2008 2:42 PM PST up reply actions

Yeah, coming on live might be pretty hard

If there are like a hundred people answering questions all at once…

by Bust a Bucket on Dec 14, 2008 2:43 PM PST up reply actions

It would already be interesting to read some of his thoughts about life with the team if he would be willing to do an interview with Ben

Viva la Rudylucion

by Norsktroll on Dec 14, 2008 3:13 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs

Wow

Congrats Ben, and oddly enough I am reading a Daniel Pinchbeck book right now, and I just read a paragraph where he mentions this publication, pretty uncanny.

"Phooey Michael, P-H-O-O-E-Y, phooey", said Tony Luftman.

by Outlaw is Rejector on Dec 13, 2008 3:08 PM PST reply actions