Thoughts on being a fan
by jcuw94 on Dec 20, 2009 1:28 PM PST
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PrintBeing a fan of this team and a couple others in various sports, I find it interesting reading many posts on this board and other boards from, in my opinion, some of the best fans around. I wondered what all of you thought of my observations.
First, the "superfan" found on boards like this are very, very reactive. A couple bad games and the sky is falling or a couple great games and the team is great again. It makes it difficult at times to come to the board after losses or rough games because there will be many sky is falling posts to sort through to get to the constructive comments!
Second, wild inferences are made that drive me crazy! The big one on this board has been the "Brandon is selfish and won't play with Andre Miller" accusations. Brandon is one of the flagship "people" in the NBA. He is a great kid and very unselfish on the floor as evidenced by his 5 apg from the 2 guard spot. If this team had a complimentary point guard who could shoot wide open 3's and a better shooting 3, Brandon would average a couple more apg.
Maybe he could make more spectacular defensive plays like LBJ and Kobe and Wade but frankly, he is not the same athlete as those guys. He won't make the spectacular block from behind that gets on ESPN. If one or two of those plays each game is what is making Brandon less of a player in the minds of our superfans than he will never be that guy for our superfans. And make no mistake, those ESPN defensive highlights are what make the "experts" proclaim a player a great defensive player. I don't watch every game and noone else does either so who is really to say that any of those 3 guys are tuly expending more energy on defense than BRoy? The coaches in this league love defense and they seem to keep putting BRoy on the all-star team. Would they really do that if they believed he was a lazy defensive player? Somehow I don't think so.
Finally, the fact this team is struggling is really simple. They are missing 4 of their top 6 talents. The fact they are still able to beat most non-elite teams is a testament to how good Brandon is and how hard this team works. It really is that simple to me.
My take is let's just wait until Rudy and Batum get back and see if things get better. If they can hover around the 8 seed until then, I believe they can get back to the 4-6 slot before the playoffs start.
What are your thoughts?
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I agree
A decent summation: People tend to sacrifice long-term perspective for short-term reaction (gratification?) in all of the above-mentioned cases.
—Dave
It takes awhile....
but after ghosting here for a year before joining… I finally figured a couple things out. There are some fantastic writers with truly unique and positive perspectives on here. Once you find someone you like, look for their stuff and as you have already noted, beware the chicken-littles after a loss or a couple setbacks.
I truly love this site, but like you I get terribly weary of the negativity sometimes. As some more senior members have said to me… " why are you reading all the negative stuff." Seems so simple now.
IMHO, if you want a more positive experience, contribute positively with your comments and Recs. Oh..and BTW…. stay out of the game threads they can be brutal, particularly if you have any respective for Steve Blake’s game and Nate’s coaching ability.
Glad you posted this.
RoadBlazer
by Roadblazer on Dec 20, 2009 8:05 PM PST reply actions 7 recs
rec'd. I agree. But of course sometimes it's hard to stay away from those game threads. :)
I think of being a fan as something like being on the team. It’s good if we can support one another.
-jayfisher
Everyone has a right to their opinion
and yours seems to go right along with what the team/media puts out for the fans to digest. My viewpoint is that there have been some serious questions raised about the team this year that are part of them actually becoming a championship contender. All criticisms are not merely emotional reactions—some questions are warranted and beneficial. Go Blazers!
#52
It's not the message at times
but how it’s delivered.
“BLAKE SUCKS”
instead of
“I love Blake, but he has some holes in his game and until he can hit that three point shot again, he’s a serious liabablity. Bayless is showing some nice signs of improvement and we might want to consider giving him more burn and investing in his future because. It would also be nice to try out Miller as the starting guard. He’s a better player and what he gives up to blake on defense he can make up for on offense.”
"Fernandez, to my eyes, is the Blazer who walks that walk most comfortably. A lot of Portland's fans (egged on, dare I say, by their local broadcasters) lament things like how Ron Artest or Yao Ming get to hit Brandon Roy's arms.
But I suspect Fernandez sees all that and thinks: We get to hit arms! Cool!"
http://myespn.go.com/blogs/truehoop/0-39-135/On-Playoff-Experience.html
"I told Pau the Lakers never win here in Portland; I think it's great." -- Rudy Fernandez
by ratbastird on Dec 21, 2009 8:42 AM PST up reply actions 2 recs
Agreed
Sort of like the all or nothing thinking and the assertions without qualifiers that we talked about below.
#52
by KINGofMACct on Dec 21, 2009 11:07 AM PST up reply actions
You are absolutely correct.
Sports fans are often highly reactionary even to the point of volatile. We often act like our lives our ruined if our team isn’t winning and looking great while doing it. Heaven forbid they should “win ugly” or worse lose, even to a good team. Many are ready to kill something or someone when their team loses.
I was witness to a disgraceful example of this over at The Daily Norseman during the second half of a rather pathetic game between the Minnesota Vikings and the Carolina Panthers. You would have thought that the Vikings season had just ended abruptly and that they would not be going to the playoffs. Quite the opposite is true, they have in fact clinched the NFC North Title.
But if you were to read the game day threads of the 3rd and 4th quarter you would see that more than half of the comments are quite negative toward the team that they claim to be fans of. Now I am not saying that they are not in fact fans of the Vikings, I am quite sure that they are fans, but they are fans that are caught up in the moment, and are not enjoying that moment, and feel the need to vent about it. It is just a shame that many of us fans cannot seem to manage our reactions a little better.
Blazer's Edge Ambassador to The Dream Shake Blog
LMA Rocks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I <3 LMA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
26:49 Mins, 7-8 FGs, 10-12 FTs, +7, 6 Off, 12 Rebs, 1 Ast, 2 Blks, 24 Points!!!! ODEN vs Bulls 11-23-09
GOOOOODEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
What is the role of the fan?
You raise a legitimate question in calling out fans who react with intensity over each up and down for the team. What purpose does that play? What is the role of the fan?
- We can say it gives an opportunity to vent emotions – especially disappointment over expectations not met.
- We can say it raises awareness of potential problems.
- We can also say it does change the tone of the site and the opportunity for more subdued reflections by others (perhaps the central point you are making) – especially changes the reliance upon supporting with facts and analysis each point made.
- We can also propose that it likely will not change anything basketball-wise from the team’s perspective. This would be based upon the immense data available to the team which we do not have and the training and professional experience they collectively employ which we (at least most of us) lack.
- We can also note that the holding of team personnel accountable for maintaining the city and the region’s behavior standards is certainly a legitimate role.
- We can further note that all teams have good days and bad days (and years). We can say that the team needs the fans more in the bad days than in the good days. Emotionally the players can draw from the support and be encouraged or they can be turned off to the fans by a constant negative from them. Perhaps no team’s fans deserve more credit on this point than the LA Clippers. So the role of the fan might best be used to encourage them when things are going badly.
- We can also say that the game is sport for entertainment purposes. The role of the fan is to enjoy watching and studying the game. Whatever contributes to our enjoyment should be cherished and nurtured and whatever detracts from that enjoyment might best be released.
So what are your thoughts on the role of the fan? Do you resonate with any of the above points? Feel free to disagree and please tell me why?
Good thoughts everyone.
"I could almost fall asleep when he's got the ball," Demopoulos said of Roy. "That's how comfortable I feel with him. He always comes through."
by lee3022 on Dec 20, 2009 10:34 PM PST reply actions 2 recs
My thoughts:
1. Venting emotions is a good thing. They’re often easier to deal with when they’re out in the open. That said, reading a gameday thread where nothing but emotion-venting happens (hyperbolically speaking) is not particularly engaging. Either good or bad emotions. Perhaps that raises the question of why there are gameday threads?
2. I do learn a lot from hearing other people talk about the weaknesses our team has. It makes me a smarter conversationalist when the subject of NBA Basketball is broached. Though sometimes, those who use this point to defend themselves forget about point 4 which you make. Some tend to see it as their personal responsibility to inform everyone of the Blazers’ weaknesses, as if knowledge was enough to solve the issue. So, thank you for point 4.
3. Emotions just aren’t logical. But we live in both an emotional and a logical world. These two human conditions paradoxically coexists, but a proper balance needs to be maintained, because it sounds good when people say things like that. :) I’m pretty much okay letting people fall where the may on that continuum.
4. covered in point 2
5. I think this only works if it is a major issue. If only a few people care, then nothing is going to happen. When the majority of people care, then something can finally be done. This is the same with politics as well as sports. Apathy is the biggest problem in our country today, but I don’t care enough to do anything about it.
6. I like what you’re thinking here. This is why I’m a blind homer. Too bad I’m not in the area to go to the games. :(
7. Another solid point. Similar to the point I made below, except you did it with much more brevity and clarity.
πεντήκοντα δύο
Maybe this should be a new fanpost, but it fits well here.
I find it interesting how fans look at their teams. It’s a quirky exercise in philosophy and human behavior. And there have been a few fanposts lately on this subject. And the one thing I’ve gathered is that everybody generally likes the Blazers. Everyone wants then to win and do good. However, how this happens varies greatly. This creates a few different genres of fans. All of them are passionate. All of them love their team. And all of them are here on Blazers’ Edge.
Self-Proclaimed Realist
The first type of fan roots for the team to such a degree, that the players are superfluous to the process. Any player or coach can be either idolized or sacrificed for the greater good. There are positives to this approach. It fits the American ideals of Capitalism quite well. Efficiency is important. Reliability is important. Winning is important. If the pieces can be brought together, then let’s get it done and start winning like we’re supposed to. Losses are like running in the red. Where the analogy falls flat is in that this type of fan is passionate and emotional about players and coaches. Sometimes, when a player or coach does well, they hold them in very high regard. Other times, when a player or coach does badly, they are passionate about replacing them. Because the team cannot bear the mistakes of an individual.
General positive statement: "I’m glad Player X did well last night, maybe he’ll play more and win the team some games."
General negative statement: "I’m glad we lost this game, because now maybe this will get rid of Player X, and that will make us better."
Statistician
The second type of fan is closely related to the first, but warrants a category all of their own. This fan pours over statistics in order to see which player is the most efficient and productive. Criticizing where warrants, but giving credit where warranted. However, instead of showing a lot of passion either way, they tend to be more clinical in their analysis. It’s not as though they don’t love the team as much, rather they tend to value reason over emotion. Perhaps this type of fan would make a better capitalist in the long run because of this trait.
General positive statement: "Player X ranks 3rd in Advanced Statistic of Choice in the whole league. We should get him more minutes so we can win more games."
General negative statement: "Player X ranks 910th out of 870 players in the NBA at Advanced Statistic of Choice. Why does he get the minutes he does?"
Groupie
The third type of fan likes players more than the team they play on. For the reason of their choosing, they like Brandon Roy or Greg Oden. That they play for the Blazers is nice, but rather incidental to the process. Though being a fan in general of the team can directly lead to this type of fandom. It is fairly rare for it not to end up in this fashion. Still, that does nothing to negate the passion with which one engages in conversation. In fact, this type of fan tends to be the most vocal of all. Anyone who has been around for the Jack v. Telfair or Jack v. Sergio or Sergio v. Bayless debates knows exactly how this works.
General positive statement: "Player X is good, therefore Player Y is not as good."
General negative statement: "Player Y is not good, therefore Player X is better."
Blind Homer
The fourth type of fan is always excited about the possibilities. This fan will cheer for the team in all circumstances. Down by 30? Cheer louder. Up by 30? Cheer louder. Cheering louder solves everything. Loves each member of the team, just because they’re on the team. They become family to them. Losses are sad, but the start of each game brings a renewed optimism.
No fan is more reviled than the Blind Homer. Is often accused of being an unthinking moron. The realist hates their inefficiency. The statistician hates their disregard for what the numbers say. The groupie is upset that Player Y isn’t hated. In the face of the blind homer, the game of basketball is made to be a cosmic injustice that must be righted by other fans. Weaknesses must be pointed out. Errors must be brought to light. "Bad" players are caustically vilified because the blind homer likes them. All this is done in the name of freeing the team. Because only knowledge of the fans can force the team to make the "right" decision.
But much to the chagrin of the other types of fans, the blind homer doesn’t care. They just want to enjoy the games. And they wonder why everyone is so negative.
General positive statement: "Until proven otherwise, I believe the Blazers will go 98-0 this season."
General negative statement: "There’s always next year."
Realistic Homer
Is just a blind homer who knows enough tricks to stay out of everyone else’s complaining through pandering to their foibles, because they are more affected by the rantings of the other fan types.
General positive statement: "There’s no credible reason not to believe that it is possible that the Blazers could win it all this year."
General negative statement: "I will grant that Player X is not doing as well as expected. However, it is still a long season, and he has the skills to come out of his slump."
Conclusion
Sports is entertainment. Take that statement the right way. Entertainment does not equal Staged (as conspiracy theorists like to hold). It’s entertainment, because it keeps our attention on something that isn’t particularly productive. That doesn’t make it bad. By no means. Entertainment can be part of a healthy life. And if sports is part of that entertainment, then that is wonderful. And Blazer Basketball is part of that entertainment package.
But every fan is different. Every fan enjoys the Portland Trailblazers in different ways. Just because someone else does not fall into your definition of a fan does not mean that their ideas are inferior, nor that they aren’t as smart, nor that you are a better fan. We don’t tend to let fans who enjoy the game differently express that enjoyment in their own way. Self-Proclaimed Realists "have to stop being so negative." Statisticians "need to stop playing video games or playing fantasy basketball." Groupies "must look at things from a wider perspective." Blind homers "need to stop being blind homers." We take the one thing that unites us, and we use it to create further divisions. How very like human nature.
Still, it makes a fun philosophy experiment. I am quite certain that I fit into the Blind Homer type, since I vilified every other position and defended that one. If you have any other categories that you see which I may have missed, please include them below.
πεντήκοντα δύο
by T Darkstar on Dec 20, 2009 10:46 PM PST reply actions 19 recs
You should really copy and paste this out as a new FanPost.
"A bizarre and extremely rare hybrid Blazer/Laker fan, Timbo has always struggled to contain the Beast Within, like Dr. Jekyll, Bruce Banner, or Ted Kennedy." — Miled Animal
I might, but I'm going to wait until the morning to decide.
It’s right along the same lines as this post though, and I don’t want to steal Jcuw94’s thunder unless it really does make sense to make a new post.
πεντήκοντα δύο
I actually like it
when people compose longer responses to other people’s posts instead of starting new ones. Respect.
—Dave
A brief comment on the content.
Nice division.
Realists (what I call “grouchy fans”) and stat boys are pretty much of one general religious sect, to borrow a term, and the Blind homers and Realistic homers (what I call “happy fans”) are of another.
The personality-dedicated fans are members of a third sect you don’t mention, together with “casual fans” who follow the Blazers a little because they’re from Portland and their on TV.
"A bizarre and extremely rare hybrid Blazer/Laker fan, Timbo has always struggled to contain the Beast Within, like Dr. Jekyll, Bruce Banner, or Ted Kennedy." — Miled Animal
And I want an editable board. ...THEY'RE...
"A bizarre and extremely rare hybrid Blazer/Laker fan, Timbo has always struggled to contain the Beast Within, like Dr. Jekyll, Bruce Banner, or Ted Kennedy." — Miled Animal
Once again...
My timeshare for an edit button!
I know less than half of you half as well as I should like, and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve.
by haildablazer on Dec 21, 2009 11:11 AM PST up reply actions
I am definately a relisitc homer
And I embrace it.
"Good evening Blazer fans, wherever you may be!"-Bill Schonely
I wasn't sure I was buying into your pigeonholing
until you had me dead pegged as a realistic homer right down to the general quotes.
Rec for that alone.
It wasn't the first time I'd been kicked in the cherries and called a rat by a woman, but it was the first time I didn't mind.
You should figure out how to make this into a song
also Advanced Statistic of Choice should be made into an acronym ASC or maybe just referred to as AdStat.
(I think this is a type of fan too…the one that says "Hey I know we won…but we should still tweek just a couple of things)
" Welcome to the Bedge....where good, is never good enough"…Rudiculous
by 92wastheyear on Dec 21, 2009 10:19 AM PST up reply actions
I didn't see that post
because I had my AdStat blocker set to On. – Elgin
Travis Outlaw, the Funnel Cake of the Blazers
You got to add the self appointed prophet to this list
You know, the guy that see’s exactly what the team needs to become a champion and relates everything positive and negative to the golden path of becoming their ideal team.
by hellablazed on Dec 21, 2009 10:52 AM PST up reply actions
Made me laugh
Yes, I can think of a couple of folks who think they should be the GM. You know who I’m talking about!
by upper left corner on Dec 21, 2009 3:44 PM PST up reply actions
Blind Homer
That’s me. I’m a blind homer. “What do you mean we gave up in the last few minutes of the Orlando game? Brandon loves me and he wouldn’t do that to me!!!!”
Then the entire arena froze as a primal, bloodthirsty shriek echoed through the seats and rafters. Beer vendors dropped their glasses, fans cowered, whistles fell out of refs' mouths, Coach Nate fell backwards into his seat, Monty Williams grew hair, watched it turn grey, and then sobbed as it fell out again all in an instant, and the Suns' blue and orange road uniforms suddenly included a conspicuous amount of yellow. B-Rex had arrived. And he was angry.
by musicdaniel on Dec 21, 2009 12:04 PM PST up reply actions
And the passionate fan who knows that this is a game to be enjoyed
for what it is.
I love watching the team, and during games I live and die with them, I cheer and moan and complain. But when the game is over, win or lose, nothing really important in the world has changed. My life isn’t better or worse, my children aren’t healthier or happier, the hungry are still hungry and the successful are still successful.
I love the diversion and escape that sports fandom provides. It’s not a reason to hate on anyone or feel superior to anyone. It’s not a reason to shout at a decent human being “you suck” just because he isn’t playing as well as you’d like.
by raoulduke on Dec 21, 2009 2:02 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs
The wild inferences drive me crazy, too
So does the reactive nature of many comments.
Of course, many negative comments are well thought out and expressed well. I don’t mind those at all, and often have at least some measure of agreement with them.
However, there is more to this problem than injuries. We weren’t playing well before Travis, Greg, and Rudy got hurt, either. We never really got in synch at the start of the season.
#52
Some additional considerations:
1) Short term emotional reactions vs. long term considered opinions. (Often better to ignore the former.)
2) Keeping the lines of communication open even when we disagree—fighting the tendency to shut people down—i.e. playing fair, even with the poor of mind and negative among us.
3) An accurate definition of the dreaded wild inference—one person’s wild inference may be another person’s Holy Grail.
4) Not allowing ourselves to be brainwashed by slick marketing or any individual’s powers of debate.
5) Relaxing and having a good time—not getting too serious.
#52
Good comment
except for the wild inferences. :)
#52
Oh, your point #3
was very sound.
It’s the wild inferences you drew that were horrible.
How do we define wild inferences? Good question. I would say inferences that are either A) not logical or B) logical, but not consistent with other known facts. The most common are inferences that reflect negatively on Nate’s or (to a lesser extent) Brandon’s motivations.
Of course, we have very little real evidence of motivations. All we see are actions, and we hear words that are very limited in their context, relative to the various interpersonal dynamics going on. So when we wander into motivational inferences, we are most often not deducing, but inferring — and we’re very much at risk of going wild in those inferences as a result.
We do know some things about the character of the people involved, as well. Now, will people do things that are inconsistent with their general character, at times? Of course. But we should be cautious about drawing inferences that are inconsistent with what we generally know of a person.
#52
This response was very much on point (not just complaining) and very much what I was looking for:
Of course, we have very little real evidence of motivations. All we see are actions, and we hear words that are very limited in their context, relative to the various interpersonal dynamics going on. So when we wander into motivational inferences, we are most often not deducing, but inferring — and we’re very much at risk of going wild in those inferences as a result.
We do know some things about the character of the people involved, as well. Now, will people do things that are inconsistent with their general character, at times? Of course. But we should be cautious about drawing inferences that are inconsistent with what we generally know of a person.
I would love to hear more along these lines. Is speculation (I might say prediction) about a player or the team automatically invalid due to our necessarily limited information—if we had all the information we would not need to speculate. What are some of the social science types to do with their insights if they cannot have input unless they have hard data? And as for known charactor—are we really so secure in what the media feeds us?
We all enjoy being talent evaluators, predictors of future success or failure, and most of all being smarter than the crowd, the hoards, and the media. We each have our own inside scoop and wait with bated breath to be proven correct as the events unfold. It’s part of the fun of being a fan.
I see your point though as well. Some people take their feelings to the extreme and refuse to come back down to earth. No amount of information will get them to check themselves and it can be very frustrating to attempt to communicate with them.
To the stat geeks being predominantly psychoanalytic is an odd way to be a fan. But the question I have is, “Are these social science oriented fan’s observations completely invalid? And should it therefore be against the rules to be a fan of that sort?” Is the balancing point to this madness, a line in the sand that we may all be able to agree on?
#52
by KINGofMACct on Dec 21, 2009 10:13 AM PST up reply actions
"Are these social science oriented fan’s observations completely invalid? And should it therefore be against the rules to be a fan of that sort?"
Yes….and you can’t convince me otherwise
" Welcome to the Bedge....where good, is never good enough"…Rudiculous
by 92wastheyear on Dec 21, 2009 10:25 AM PST up reply actions
Should the social sciences also be banned from our colleges and universities?
#52
by KINGofMACct on Dec 21, 2009 10:33 AM PST up reply actions
only the publicly funded ones
" Welcome to the Bedge....where good, is never good enough"…Rudiculous
by 92wastheyear on Dec 21, 2009 10:46 AM PST up reply actions
You are leaving a loop hole here?
And what does this do for the future ruler of the world?
#52
by KINGofMACct on Dec 21, 2009 11:15 AM PST up reply actions
He will have to pay his own way
" Welcome to the Bedge....where good, is never good enough"…Rudiculous
by 92wastheyear on Dec 21, 2009 11:17 AM PST up reply actions
Are you going after the liberals now too?
#52
by KINGofMACct on Dec 21, 2009 11:19 AM PST up reply actions
lol ...of course ...til i get tired of it
then I’ll switch
" Welcome to the Bedge....where good, is never good enough"…Rudiculous
by 92wastheyear on Dec 21, 2009 11:21 AM PST up reply actions
No banning - perhaps they should just be classified as "recreational",
but no class credits, volunteer instructors only, kind of like religious clubs.. they could pass the bucket for funds. Focus more on hard sciences, rather than pseudoscience philosophies.
But then, I would hate to lose philosophy altogether… maybe we could just throw all the social “sciences” into the philosophy department, nice economical, efficiency adjustment.
"Travis went all wang-dang diddly wubba SPROING wow-wow on everybody " Dave's recap, season opener
Speculation is legitimate, I think
when phrased as such.
“I wonder if Nate is doing this because…” or “What if the reason were because…” or “I’m starting to suspect it might be because….”
But when someone says, “Nate is doing that because…” without any evidence, and when there are logical problems with it, AND it’s rather accusatory, we’ve drifted into inappropriate words, IMO.
And I’m not really talking about social science oriented fans. I’m talking about fans who are angry about someone’s actions/decisions, and attribute negative motives to the person as a result. They don’t like it, and they don’t understand it, so therefore the person must have evil motives, etc. This kind of approach has pervaded politics (on all sides), and is now running wild in sports, too.
We like to accuse politicians with whom we disagree of having evil intents. In all likelihood, they actually believe that what they advocate is for the good of their country, in the overwhelming majority of cases. It’s a waste of energy, and most often simply untrue, to accuse them otherwise. They may be dead wrong, but you are much better off discussing the merits of the position rather than alleged motives.
Similarly with basketball, everyone involved wants the team to win, and is pursuing what they believe will best help that. They may be wrong as to what will best accomplish that goal, but they generally all have the same goal. There may be a few exceptions, but not many.
#52
"Similarly with basketball, everyone involved wants the team to win......."
Serious response here…..on many of my pessimistic days I don’t believe this to be true. I come onto the site some days after a win and am amazed by how many folks seem genuinely displeased when the team wins…but not in a manner they approve of. It is almost as if they prefer being right (in whatever assertion they have made in the past) than actually winning the games.
" Welcome to the Bedge....where good, is never good enough"…Rudiculous
by 92wastheyear on Dec 21, 2009 10:54 AM PST up reply actions
I believe you are correct about this:
It is almost as if they prefer being right (in whatever assertion they have made in the past) than actually winning the games.
They want to have their cake and eat it too. Win and be correct.
#52
by KINGofMACct on Dec 21, 2009 11:02 AM PST up reply actions
And if they don't get both
they get PO’d
" Welcome to the Bedge....where good, is never good enough"…Rudiculous
by 92wastheyear on Dec 21, 2009 11:19 AM PST up reply actions
Yup
There was some dude in the pregame thread saying he wanted the Blazers to lose to prove him right.
"Playing for the Trail Blazers is kind of like being the drummer for Spinal Tap" - Sexual Tyrannosaurus on Dec 20, 2009 10:59 AM HST
You're talking about fans
I’m talking about players/coaches/GMs. Some fans say things that suggest these people don’t actually want to win as much as the fans do, that they have other motives.
Which is silly. They may have other motives in addition, but mostly they want to win.
#52
Ah...gottcha
Of course the people associated with the team wants to win…I always felt that was a given
" Welcome to the Bedge....where good, is never good enough"…Rudiculous
by 92wastheyear on Dec 21, 2009 11:29 AM PST up reply actions
I really like the idea of qualifiers.
Cultic method—either you are (point by point) wrong and going to hell or right (point by point) and going to heaven.
Middle ground logically exists, it is often a question of whether people are willing to be reasonable. We often become emotional, defensive, and finally hostile. Pretty much a waste of time.
#52
by KINGofMACct on Dec 21, 2009 10:55 AM PST up reply actions
I'm not even talking about middle ground, necessarily
Though that is part of the picture, too.
But mainly the recognition that there are other points of view, that there could be more than one right answer to a question (this isn’t math, after all), that there may be no right answer to a question (we probably were going to lose to Orlando no matter what — too short-handed and no one could shoot), or that there is at least a theoretical possibility that I am flat out wrong.
I suppose you could boil all of that down to being a little bit humble in our assertions, which will then engender respect towards others in the way we communicate. Which we all fail in, of course, some of us more than others. But it is the lack of humility in the way we express ourselves that usually ruffles feathers, more than actual disagreement. Of course, there will always be people who will never be content with anything but 100% agreement, but most often, if we treat others with respect in our disagreements, we can usually disagree well.
#52
by jscot on Dec 21, 2009 11:29 AM PST up reply actions 2 recs
Over in the Junk Drawer, Corvid coined a great term
Bedge Facts…..these are are things that start out as speculations, but quickly become excepted “facts” for the discussion. ie Roy is selfish or we coulda had Gerald Wallace for Batum.
" Welcome to the Bedge....where good, is never good enough"…Rudiculous
by 92wastheyear on Dec 21, 2009 10:24 AM PST up reply actions
Brilliant
I like that term.
Other Bedge Facts
1. We could have had Devin Harris for Outlaw.
2. We could have had Hinrich for RLEC.
3. We could have had Richard Jefferson or Vince Carter for RLEC.
4. Nate insisted on starting Blake because he is still mad about Gary Payton being given the starting job over him.
5. Roy insists on having his Blakey.
Etc, etc, etc.
#52
Precisely
There are many
" Welcome to the Bedge....where good, is never good enough"…Rudiculous
by 92wastheyear on Dec 21, 2009 10:48 AM PST up reply actions
This is the one that came to mind for me.
1. We could have had Devin Harris for Outlaw.
Must be fact because it hurts.
#52
by KINGofMACct on Dec 21, 2009 10:42 AM PST up reply actions
"Must be fact because it hurts."
Wild inference. :)
#52
Nah....inference yes
wild…..no
" Welcome to the Bedge....where good, is never good enough"…Rudiculous
by 92wastheyear on Dec 21, 2009 10:55 AM PST up reply actions
Are you saying we really could of had him?
I’ll believe you, but then you will be responsible for me slipping further into depression.
#52
by KINGofMACct on Dec 21, 2009 10:58 AM PST up reply actions
Bedge Fact, ny friend
Bedge.Fact
(this is my new response to everything)
" Welcome to the Bedge....where good, is never good enough"…Rudiculous
by 92wastheyear on Dec 21, 2009 11:20 AM PST up reply actions
I just knew it
Now I am going to have to start a campaign to fire KP.
#52
by KINGofMACct on Dec 21, 2009 11:22 AM PST up reply actions
I think we should all come on message forums after the game and say "wow that was a good game" and nothing else
then all the people who whine about people critiquing the team would be happy. Of course this would be the most boring site in the universe, but small price to pay…
Blazer Fan
You are the Ebenezer Scrooge of Blazer Sedge
"Playing for the Trail Blazers is kind of like being the drummer for Spinal Tap" - Sexual Tyrannosaurus on Dec 20, 2009 10:59 AM HST
are you jealous ?
:-)
"Travis went all wang-dang diddly wubba SPROING wow-wow on everybody " Dave's recap, season opener
Nope
I’m in instigator, not a curmudgeon. I’m that one guy from that one lord of the rings movie that made that king do bad stuff.
"Playing for the Trail Blazers is kind of like being the drummer for Spinal Tap" - Sexual Tyrannosaurus on Dec 20, 2009 10:59 AM HST
Grima Wormtongue!
"A bizarre and extremely rare hybrid Blazer/Laker fan, Timbo has always struggled to contain the Beast Within, like Dr. Jekyll, Bruce Banner, or Ted Kennedy." — Miled Animal
That's him
"Playing for the Trail Blazers is kind of like being the drummer for Spinal Tap" - Sexual Tyrannosaurus on Dec 20, 2009 10:59 AM HST
The sky is not only falling after every loss but also after every win.
There are days like last Thursday (Phoenix game) and Sunday (Miami game) when I’m feeling particularly proud of the Blazers’ performance. Thank God that BEdge exists so I can learn how awful the team really is and have my good spirits squashed like a bug.
Humpty Dumpty?
I apologize for my immaturity in advance, but I could not resist the nursery rhyme angle.
#52
by KINGofMACct on Dec 21, 2009 11:39 AM PST up reply actions
Maybe we could ....
Just ONE DAY mind you… come on after a game a say something nice that perhaps happened in the game… I know.. crazy idea. Besides since Blake sucks and Nate is an idiot and Brandon doesn’t care now that he got his contract, seeing things to like about them or their game would be counterproductive to proving Bedge facts.
RoadBlazer
by Roadblazer on Dec 21, 2009 4:28 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs
rec
too many turds to swim around in this pool. – Elgin
Travis Outlaw, the Funnel Cake of the Blazers
a rec from you is
like a pair of size 22 sneakers.. to big to believe.
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