The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Blazer Fan
by Dave on Apr 13, 2009 12:50 AM PDT
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PrintAs the final game of the year versus the Thunder comes around, it seems an appropriate time to check in with one of the more prominent Sonics backers who attempted to make a transition to Blazer fandom this year. The highly-magnanimous Sherman Alexie was good enough to share his story with us.
Six times this season, as a professional basketball orphan, as a teamless vagabond, I made the drive from Seattle to Portland to watch the Blazers. It was fun the first time. It was difficult the second time. The third, fourth, and fifth trips were torturous. I drove through a horrendous fog the sixth time and decided that, were I to die in a car crash, I would come back and haunt every owner of the Oklahoma City Thunder. I didn't even make the trip for the seventh, eighth, and ninth games of my ten-game package. I gave those tickets to friends who live in Portland. And just now, I gave away my tickets to the Blazers-Lakers game on Friday. Yes, I gave away a chance to see Brandon Roy versus Kobe Bryant. I don't even want to watch the game on television. This season, our local cable company has broadcast most of the Blazers games, and I watched the first twenty or twenty-five games in their entirety, but I only caught parts of the next thirty or so games. And I don't think I've seen even a second of the last ten or twelve games. It's over. There is just no way I can become a Trailblazer fan.
Oh, I like the team. I think Brandon Roy has a chance to be the best player in the league. Rudy Fernandez is a joy to watch. And LaMarcus Aldridge will be an all-star if he develops two more post moves and ends his torrid love affair with his jumper. But they aren't my team. They will never be my team. I thought that I could fall in love with them. I did some research on arraigned marriages and discovered that, percentage-wise, they are slightly more successful than traditional marriages. I thought, "Okay, they're not my guys, but I can make them my guys. I can make myself fall in love." Nope, not true at all. I'm a Sonics fan. Moreover, I'm a monogamous Sonics fan. You want to know how loyal I am? I would rather have Earl Watson back in my city, making his stupid passes and hoisting up his ill-fated jumpers and causing random defensive havoc, than travel a few hours to watch a Blazers team that will likely win an NBA championship in the next few years. You want to know how addicted I am? I've been secretly watching Thunder games on my computer and I'm distraught that Watson has been sent to the bench and hasn't played a minute in the last few weeks. I feel like a recovering drug addict falling off his wagon when I'm watching the Thunder. I feel sick and sad. I feel like I'm betraying my city and all Sonics fans. But I can't help myself. I miss my team. I miss my players.
You want to know how devastated I am? I just turned down an offer to buy Blazers playoff tickets. I'm just not interested enough. But even worse, I find that I'm not all that interested in NBA basketball in general. This season, I didn't make a point of watching the eleven o'clock SportsCenter to catch the day's NBA highlights. I haven't watched NBA Coast to Coast once this season. I glance at the box scores in my morning paper but I don't study them. And I've only played the ESPN Draft Machine a few times, usually hoping that the Thunder end up with yet another lame-ass postman, but sometimes dreaming of Durant, Green, and Westbrook teamed up with Blake Griffin. Oh, I still pay close attention to Truehoop but it gets me so jealous to read about other cities and their teams. I read only a few pages of the various Oklahoma City Thunder blogs, but could only scoff at how little they knew about pro basketball. My grief has turned me into a basketball snob. Jesus, I haven't logged onto a Blazers blog in months because I don't have the passion or familiarity with the team to even argue with my fellow fans.
But there's something worse about my inertia. I didn't even have the energy to defend pro basketball during this year's March Madness. As the guys in my health club went crazy for college basketball, as they do every year, I didn't even have the energy to give them crap. I didn't remind them that the Sacramento friggin' Kings would beat North Carolina by sixty points. I didn't remind them that LeBron James would score 123 points against Michigan St.
When one of my friends, a college basketball cultist, said, "I don't think I've watched even a minute of pro basketball in the last six years," I just shrugged my shoulders. In previous years, I would have good-naturedly stuffed him into a dumpster.
It's not that I've become one of those losers who think that college basketball is "more real" than pro basketball. I've just realized that pro basketball is not worth defending. At least, I don't feel like defending it in my present condition.
Of course, I still love all basketball. I love college basketball, too. But this year, I found that my Sonics grief extended into all of my basketball interests. This year, I only watched a handful of tournament games and less than ten regular season college games. I didn't watch any college game in person.
But here is the most personal and shocking aspect of my grief. For the first time in adulthood, I didn't play in any recreational or health club basketball leagues. Oh, I still played rat ball once a week with my friends, but I didn't feel the hunger to put on a uniform and compete against strangers.
I'm sure I'll recover. I'm sure my grief will fade. But right now, I can only quote from the poet Gerard Manley Hopkins, "No worst there is none. Pitched past pitch of grief,/ More pangs will, schooled at forepangs, wilder wring./Comforter, where, where is your comforting?/Mary, mother of us, where is your relief?"
So, yes, I'm waiting for comfort. I'm waiting for relief. And as I end this sad little essay, I realize there is only one thing that can make me feel better about professional basketball. I will find much comfort and relief if Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers lose to the Hornets, Rockets, Cavaliers, Magic, Celtics, or anybody else in this year's playoffs.
Many thanks go to Mr. Alexie for sharing his heart with us. It may not be everything Blazer fans (or the organization, for that matter) wanted to hear, but it's the truth. Honestly speaking, I'm almost certain I'd feel similarly were the situations reversed.
If you haven't checked out absolutely everything that Sherman has ever written you are selling yourself way short. Go out and pick up one of each at Powell's and tell them Blazersedge sent you.
--Dave (blazersub@yahoo.com)
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Great stuff
I had no idea Alexie was into the NBA. Well, at least he was. I’ve always enjoyed his writing, even though I’ve only read a small handful of his works (mostly stuff I’ve been required to read in college). This essay is great and I honestly feel bad for all of the Sonics fans up in Seattle who have last their team. I’m pretty sure many of them are going through what Alexie is going through, and that really has to suck. Hopefully Seattle will get another team soon, that way the Blazers will have a team back in the Great Northwest that they can beat up on every year and start a new rivalry with.
Oh, and I really dig the L*ker hatred at the end. That really sold it for me.
"When I played, if you punched someone in the face, it only cost you 50 bucks" -- Maurice Lucas
Sherman
tough place to be in but much love and most of all
much
From Blazerland
Boyakasha!!
"Damn the Blazers. Damn them to hell. They are working the rest of the league like a speed bag." - Bill Simmons 6/26/08
He will inevitably tune into the NBA finals this year
and that is when he will fall in love with the blaze.
I <3 Sherman, but definitely a tough spot for him and his fellow diehard sonic fans.
Frye-lock and I'm on top rock you like a cop
how about they move memphis to seattle?now there
is a young team you can throw some love around. or send the clippers up to seattle, but not tell z-bo or dunleavy the plane is leaving.
The only reason i shoot 3's is cuz there ain't no such thing as 4's.
by cpt.morgan.ahoy! on Apr 13, 2009 1:22 AM PDT reply actions
It is still sickening to think about generations of Seattle fans losing their team.
Far as I’m concerned he is welcome here to give the Blazers another try when his heart allows it.
The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven
Had to read that one in high school.
Warms my heart to see him talking about my favorite team, but oh! The grief! Lamentable, horrible grief. Sherman needs a hug.
A beard on a blind man! Too much, I say.
Ah man, I'm sorry.
A few years back when rumor had it that the Blazers (that awful bunch they were) were to be sold and maybe moved, my heart broke. I lost all interest in everything (almost).
The Sonics will return someday, in some form. I know they will.
Chin up, Sherman. Chin up.
Rudyculize: The act of Rudy making others look slow, dim and generally oafish.
http://www.myspace.com/y5k
understandable
but then again, Alexie could be talking about toaster ovens and I would be enthralled. The man has a way with words…
I have my P.h.D in unreliable hyperbole.
by Eat Politicians on Apr 13, 2009 2:01 AM PDT reply actions
Oh well
If he doesn’t want to be a Blazer fan, he doesn’t want to be a Blazer fan. His loss.
http://saboner.mybrute.com
Kind of sad
At first I was thinking that if I hated the Sonic or their fans that I would have laughed about that essay, and then when he said he’s been checking out the Thunder, it really was sad. It felt like I was reading about a person giving someone from an abusive relationship a second chance.
by tominhawaii on Apr 13, 2009 4:53 AM PDT reply actions 1 recs
Is all of his stuff this depressing?
My poet friend, Anthony Robinson, in Eugene is always depressed and writes sad stuff. I first heard of Mr. Alexie here at the start of the season.
by tominhawaii on Apr 13, 2009 10:06 AM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
It's pretty sad..
How Stern and Thunder owner has deflated Seattle basketball fans with this stupid move. I hope the city of Seattle and some wealthy people can get something going soon. I don’t care who you root for, a basketball fan becoming disinterested in basketball is just plain wrong.
Set course for NBA Playoffs......Engage! -Captain McMillan USS Trailblazer
"man, Rudy can ball" - roner77
"his bbiq is at jedi-level" - prezofdeath
Flight is very good and uplifting.
Rudyculize: The act of Rudy making others look slow, dim and generally oafish.
http://www.myspace.com/y5k
It's days like these I'm glad to be an adept observer of NBA basketball rather than a one-dimensional ...
fan of a single team, since it’s allowed me to quickly transition from losing from lifetime hometown team (i.e., the Seattle SuperSonics) and subsequently become a relatively serious follower of another ballclub (i.e., the Portland Trail Blazers).
For at least once, my seemingly bizarre, half-baked personality traits are fortunately of a distinct advantage to me. This same characteristic of mine applies to bigger things, too, as I’m one of those individuals who deals with personal setbacks (e.g., long-term unemployment) and tragic events (e.g., death in the family) in my life with relative ease compared to most folks. I, by the way, find my stoic, detached nature to be a useful quality.
I’m a different breed of human, though, so my quick adjustment from being a long-time SuperSonic fan to a Trail Blazer supporter makes me one of the minority. So, while it’s mighty unfortunate that y’all couldn’t drag an acclaimed writer like Sherman Alexie into your camp, you guys still managed to hook a dumbass like me.
You're not the only one AK.
While I’m sorry that Alexie has such a problem with his feelings about the NBA in general, I had a hard time reading that essay. No, really I had to force myself to finish it.
So many things in life are vastly more important than the loss of a team to another city. Yeah, I would be disgusted and really peeved if this were to happen to Portland, but I’d adjust and hope the team I lost would hit Cleveland in the Finals and have their butts handed to them by my new favorite team.
My advice – be happy you’re healthy and move on.
"She turned me into a newt!
A newt?
...I got better."
wow.
near-speechless here. he has got the basketball jones. that is almost as bad as when Ewing, Barkley, and all them lost their powers in Space Jam and didn’t know what the heck to do with their lives after that.
(From this summer) Q: Is Greg favoring his knee?
Frye: He favors dunking on your head, that's what he favors.
Thanks for this
I know I fought off similar feelings during the nadir of Jailblazerness, when it felt like we’d lost a franchise.
I was explaining to a friend the other day that my feelings toward the lakers were so strong that sometimes the games were not fun to watch. In contrast, I remembered the rivalry with the sonics: hated their team, but enjoyed the rivalry. Similar age of the franchises, similar playoff history.
I REALLY want us to stomp OKC tonight.
This is such a shame.
"its tough to play with one eye, unless you're a pirate." Delonte West
"una canasta a Pau en la cara" Rudy
Yes.
Gawd I’m glad the blazer org did a 180…bball and the blazers have been a huge part of my life since I was 6 years old….minus 3 years in the wilderness 2003-2006….I get it
"The match in Los Angeles is a good opportunity to begin to demonstrate that we want to make war." Rudy Fernández (translated)
Sounds like a personal problem.
However, I’ll give him the benefit of it still being the first year. If he’s still “pining for the fiords” (or the Soncis) a couple of years from now, I’ll lose all sympathy. Teams move away and people move on.
And how anyone who loves basketball can’t enjoy the Blazers is beyond me.
hakkaa päälle !
Blazers Edge: we are all partly to blame
A good home town sports team has its own language, its own code, its own nomenclature. We can mutter things like “pit bull” and “yellow hummer” and “red bearded giant” and instantly be understood and known across the Blazers faithful.
My point: it’s a lot to expect new fans to absorb. It’s not unlike learning a new language.
That’s where BE can be truly daunting. One of the things that makes this site great is the awareness and cognitive ability of the fans. The content here is better than the Oregonian precisely because the expectations on the part of the readership is so much higher. Every post here already assumes a great deal of knowledge on the part of the reader.
There is an analogue. Anyone who has played volleyball even remotely seriously understands that new players on the court are not welcome. Where basketball is a team game that can carry a poor player or two, volleyball absolutely requires that every player be skilled to compete successfully. You have to know where to stand, what to do, what to say, etc.
Volleyball players are great snobs: they refuse to allow new people easily into their circle and they refuse to play in recreational games. The gap is too large.
Now imagine Blazers Edge. How many times have you seen a fairly innocent poster ask a fairly mundane question… to what? A vast number of complaints about how many times this has been answered before; links to posts from nine months ago; recriminations about various edicts and unspoken agreements about topics that are off limits; or—at worst—told how naive such an issue is.
I get it: that’s what makes this blog good. It automatically filters commentary that no one wants to read. It’s like the all-star of blog postings.
But the down-side is that it’s very, very difficult to bring in initiates. They have this whole language to learn. They have this whole volleyball-elitism to overcome. They have to prove themselves. And we don’t exactly make it easy for them. Ever noticed how different the people who post are on OTHER team’s blogs than those who post here? That’s part of the elitist phenomenon. It’s safer for them to post there than here.
It would do well for us and all Balzermania to try and figure out this rather vexing problem. We need to figure out a way to make it easy for the Sherman Alexie’s of the world to become initiates into our world without compromising site quality.
Because it makes me want to cry that the poor guy doesn’t even want to play local ball any more.
Buck Williams for the hall of fame
It's a double edged sword
For every person who joins and posts a question that’s been rehashed a million times before and gets shouted down, there’s another person who joins because of the large degree of participation and constant supply of content at the site.
Imagine you were a TWolves fan with an internet connection, and you wanted to go connect with some Wolves fans, so you go to CanisHoopus to see what the community is like, and you find that the most recent fan post is from like 2 weeks ago. Chances are you won’t go back because there’s just not that much there to offer you. Or maybe you’ll lurk for a week or two, and then realize that there’s no content there and just call it quits, and resign yourself to either not having an internet outlet for your fandom or join the Minny equivalent of the O-Live forum (which would pain me if that cesspool of trolling were the only place to talk Blazers).
I lurked at BE for a while before signing up for an account, which I ended up doing not only because of Dave’s excellent work, but because there’s consistently excellent user created content (jscot, Norsk off the top of my head). Without those things, I wouldn’t be a member (in addition to the superb trolling moderation).
I know there may be a couple people who get scared away by a negative response to their first “Durant v. Oden: did we make the right choice?” post, but I’d say they’re vastly outnumbered by posters like me, who were drawn in by the high degree of user involvement.
Interesting comments by Phizbin and Royster-
I signed up in February after lurking for awhile, but this blog has such a high level of intelligent discourse, that I don’t foresee creating a FanPost for…perhaps another 6 months? I will continue with the occasional sharp, not-so-sharp, and downright stupid commenting in other Posts and Threads.
If I were a Minnesota fan, I would probably be posting on Canis Hoopus once a week, but that is like peewee football compared to the superbowl of Blazers Edge.
I am not afraid of shoutdowns, or negative comments, I am just sure that any questions or theories I want to promote in a Post have already been thoroughly discussed, dissected and beaten to the point of being a banned topic. In fact, multiple regulars on this site probably have every mathematical Post possibility already mapped, flow-charted and hanging on their basement wall waiting for the right moment to “publish.”
This is not bad; this is what makes Bedge so addictive—vast, amazing volumes of information and clearly thought out opinion, tempered with appropriate moderation, makes me review this site daily.
I just need to study some more before I am ready to play with the big boys.
It's spelled "PRZYBILLA."
vanillathrillagorillaprzybilla
by RenoBlazerFan on Apr 13, 2009 10:13 AM PDT up reply actions
I doubt
that this is an issue for Mr. Alexie who, should he choose, could probably write the pants off of anyone at this site and then tie them in knots with them.
“Look! Poster X has his own britches around his neck. What happened?”
“Tangled with Alexie.”
“Oh.”
However your point is well-taken in general. We’ll be developing a few things next season. What do you think of a designated “Noob Patrol” (for the lack of a better term right now)? Folks who would be on the lookout for new posts and respond to them with kindness and information. I don’t want to hijack this thread with this issue, but we’ll talk more about it in the off-season.
—Dave
you mean instead of
THIS SHOULD BE A FANSHOT?
and
THIS WAS ALREADY POSTED NOOB!
yes thats not a bad idea. as the site grows so does its need for more organization
Other than death and taxes, only 4 things in this world are indisputable:
Brandon Roy is the BEST player in the NBA in the clutch.
Montana to Rice were the greatest to ever play the game.
The Four Horsemen of Maddux, Smoltz, Glavine and Avery were unstoppable.
No one protects the pipes like Luongo.
by GreatOden'sRaven on Apr 13, 2009 12:01 PM PDT up reply actions
fine idea
"its tough to play with one eye, unless you're a pirate." Delonte West
"una canasta a Pau en la cara" Rudy
by Honka Playboy on Apr 13, 2009 2:12 PM PDT up reply actions
I like and support the idea....
And it is a hard line to walk. Very hard.
Buck Williams for the hall of fame
The easiest..
way to address that situation would be adding a badge to someone’s comments if they’ve only commented X times or they’ve only been around for X days.
That way, we wouldn’t need hall monitors telling people what to do – everyone would be held accountable because everyone would have access to the information.
The badge would act just like a “Caution: Student Driver” sign.
Also, re: the seed comment, you’re going to have a very tough time convincing me BlazersEdge is turning away any would-be Blazers fans. I’m sure many Sonics ex-pats aren’t even aware of this site, let alone intimidated by it.
"Well, Travis just showed us that we can go to Travis Outlaw." - Nate McMillan
I think that "badge" idea has real promise...
How about the badge being: sign up date and number of "rec"s the poster has received ?
I chose "rec"s over nuimber of comments, as a lot of “wow” comments should not be represented as greater than a single, extended, well thought out post received with exceptional appreciation. Recs would be a more relevant valid statistical evaluation. Also, just the number of posts could readily motivate a lot of trivial posts just to jack up the counter.
So, for example, just next to name:
by RabbleRowser (04-15-09, 5 recs) on Apr 16, 2009 11:03
Easy. Number of recs should be added in data base for each fan, if not already there, for efficiency.
Finally, for the really nice touch (in my personal opinion) you could add COLOR coding of the poster name…. really makes it stand out… however many colors you want for however many periods of membership you want to highlight. So for example: member less than a week, name is in green, one week to one month – name is in orange, one month to one year – red (like it is now), more than one year – blue. Moderator – purple …
Then, be nice to the “green” people…..
Don't worry Sherman
Chris Paul’s Hornets are in trouble in New Orleans. I have a feeling that an arena will end up being built and Seattle will be rooting for the best point guard in the league.
draft dejuan blair
For a NBA franchise, Anaheim, Kansas City, San Jose, and St. Louis are each ahead of Seattle in line.
The Honda Center, the Sprint Center, the HP Pavilion, and the Scottrade Center are multi-purpose arenas that are capable of housing a NBA team as one of its primary tenants. While only the Sprint Center is truly a state-of-the-art facility among the group, each building is functional enough to take on a relocated team like the Los Angeles Clippers, New Orleans Hornets, the Sacramento Kings, or the Memphis Grizzlies.
I always have a hard time imagining Anaheim or San Jose with teams
because of the proximity of other franchises. Unless the Clips move to Anaheim which would be welcome and at least partially alleviate the nonsense of the lakers playing road games against the Clips. How would the GSW and Sac Kings franchises react to a team in San Jose? KC and and STL are different stories
"its tough to play with one eye, unless you're a pirate." Delonte West
"una canasta a Pau en la cara" Rudy
by Honka Playboy on Apr 13, 2009 9:17 AM PDT up reply actions
Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling should relocate to Anaheim; also, Joe and Gavin ...
Maloff should sell the Sacramento Kings to Oracle CEO Larry Ellison, who’d in turn ship the team off to San Jose.
Sacramento is scheduled to get a new arena with money from the Cal Expo
It even might be too big for them. No real reason to move at the moment for the Kings, since the economy in Vegas which would be a natural tie-in for the brothers is also not the best at the moment.
http://www.sactownroyalty.com/2009/2/27/774810/nba-unveils-a-massive-king
Memphis and New Orleans look like teams that would move if they could get out of their leasing contracts.
Greg Oden = Robert Parish (HOF, 4x NBA champion, 9x NBA All-Star). The only other rookie with more than 500 points, 400 rebounds, and 65 blocks in under 1400 minutes played. Since 1946.
Anaheim could do it, but not San Jose
Anaheim isn’t really that close to L.A. and has a better arena. And it’s part of a bigger pop base. Sterling will never move there, however; the possibility is raised constantly but Sterling is an L.A. product.
Honda Center is tiny for one
and yes the clippers should move but I cant really see having 3 teams within 80 miles
Other than death and taxes, only 4 things in this world are indisputable:
Brandon Roy is the BEST player in the NBA in the clutch.
Montana to Rice were the greatest to ever play the game.
The Four Horsemen of Maddux, Smoltz, Glavine and Avery were unstoppable.
No one protects the pipes like Luongo.
by GreatOden'sRaven on Apr 13, 2009 12:03 PM PDT up reply actions
lakers playing road games against the Clips
Do the Lakers make the Clips dress in the visiting lockerroom?
Wouldn’t surprise me
there is a Clips locker room and a Lxkers locker room
For Clippers’ home games, visitors dress in the Lakers locker room, and vice versa. – Elgin
Blazers win BDL 2 on 2 tournament!
Skeets: i’ll close it down now … congrats. you bastards
I enjoyed reading his piece and feel his pain.
I feel the same way about the Mariners as he does about the Blazers. I don’t buy any of this “they’re the NW’s team” junk. I’ve been going to Seattle at least once a year to go to ball games, but it’s only because the Yankees are my team and I love to go with friends from Seattle and watch them whack the Mariners-which they usually do. I even went to watch the Mariners play the Red Sox and couple of years ago in hopes that the Mariners would actually be able to beat them and thereby helps the Yanks’ cause. Cheering for the Mariners at those games was a totally hollow experience, and, of course, they lost to the Sox. At least if you’re cheering for the Blazers there’s a good chance they’ll win!
...... and I feel the same way about the Seahawks.
Brandon Roy just destroyed everything in his path. There's your rational analysis -- Dave
Also: COMCAST SUCKS!
Exactly
How can a lifelong Portlander root for any Seattle team? It’s like rooting for the IRS or a SoCal team
We can feel bad for their fans. But they have to “want” to join the Blazer bandwagon. I don’t see any point in reaching out to them…after all, they’re still probably H*sky fans who are gonna root against the Ducks, etc
Amen to that!
The Seawhawks are crammed down our throats!! I am sick of the feathers :)
by blazersrock on Apr 13, 2009 12:03 PM PDT up reply actions
Well, bummer that he couldn't make the switch...
……………. but it’s never to late to get familiar with the Memphis Grizzlies, since they’ll be wearing green-and-gold and calling themselves the Sonics in two or three years…
Pontiff of the Pryz for Prez Posse...
they'll be a nice rivalry team
young and talented. If Hollins and Nate stick around, an interesting juxtaposition of a former Blazer coaching the Seattle team and former Sonic with the Blazers. And with Gasol, they have already replaced Squatch
"its tough to play with one eye, unless you're a pirate." Delonte West
"una canasta a Pau en la cara" Rudy
by Honka Playboy on Apr 13, 2009 9:10 AM PDT up reply actions
Again, there's at least four cities that are ahead of Seattle in line for a NBA franchise.
Despite being a native Washingtonian, I’m nevertheless realistic when viewing this matter.
WIthin the next five years, I can forsee the possibility of the Los Angeles Clippers, the Memphis Grizzlies, the New Orleans Hornets, and the Sacramento Kings relocating to Anaheim, St. Louis, Kansas City, and San Jose, respectively.
While those teams all have nice arenas,
do they all have owners willing to go there?
Other than death and taxes, only 4 things in this world are indisputable:
Brandon Roy is the BEST player in the NBA in the clutch.
Montana to Rice were the greatest to ever play the game.
The Four Horsemen of Maddux, Smoltz, Glavine and Avery were unstoppable.
No one protects the pipes like Luongo.
by GreatOden'sRaven on Apr 13, 2009 12:04 PM PDT up reply actions
Well said, but the melancholy may pass
I believe that I would feel like the author of this essay. Although we have never really lost a major sports team, this is one reason I can never love the Seahawks. They are not my team. I believe I am force fed with the expectations that I should love the Seahawks because they are the regional team. I can’t muster the love…
I expect with time Sheltie coudl learn to love the Balzers, but maybe start more gradually. A new relationaship so soon after a break-up isn’t always the best. Then again, given enough time, I believe there will be another Super Sonic team. Who knows how long Washington will have to wait though.
This isn't the Lakers,...
"It's not Show time. It's GO time!"
"War is Hell. Go to War!"
I remember the Niners being the regional team...
And they sucked then, but they were, and still are, my team.
"The match in Los Angeles is a good opportunity to begin to demonstrate that we want to make war." Rudy Fernández (translated)
I wonder if it dates from the LA days
with so many Pacific Islanders in the LA area. Plus the colors are cool.
I’ve always been a Raiders fan
"its tough to play with one eye, unless you're a pirate." Delonte West
"una canasta a Pau en la cara" Rudy
by Honka Playboy on Apr 13, 2009 9:12 AM PDT up reply actions
Don't know
I heard it used to be the 49ers and I know a lot of folks here go to USC and UCLA. We even get the local (Oakland) Raiders TV show.
by tominhawaii on Apr 13, 2009 10:04 AM PDT up reply actions
I picked the Vikings back in the early '70s
Even though I’ve only been to Minn once (briefly in the summer, the humidity was unbearable) and the only time I’ve seen the Purple play live was in the Kingdome
Same thing for baseball, the Reds have been my team for the same time period, and the only time I’ve watched a MLB game at Safeco was for the Cincy series a few years back
(I have in-laws in Tacoma, BTW)
One interesting thing to note
I thought it was interesting how Alexie likened his attempt at Blazer fandom to an arranged marriage when really supporting one’s hometown team seems to be more like the arranged marriage to me.
In my case, I have often likened being a Cubs fan to being in a bad arranged marriage having grown up in Chicago. It seems as though Alexie’s failed attempt at Blazer fandom is more like after having you arranged spouse leave you trying to force a relationship with your neighbor just because its the most convenient thing.
Time will heal it
The pain for Sonics fans is too raw to begin healing…..and it’s far too soon to develop any real sense of affection and devotion to another team. To declare allegiance to another team this year is like a relationship on the rebound….it never lasts. Sherman and all other dedicated Sonics fans need to work their way through this and come to terms with what happened to them.
Only then wilol they be able to forge enduring bonds with the by-them NBA champion Portland Trail Blazers.
It is tough
I´ve have been to a similar ( but also very different situation). My soccer team went from being in the first division to the 4th division in Brazil in just 3 years.
I gave up on it. I got tired of spending money, time and being invested emotionally on a team that gave me nothing in return. The fact is that I still love the team and can´t root for any other, specially the other teams from my home town ( I still truly hate them). So since last year I don´t care about soccer at all, not even the national team ( that also let me down after being humiliated at the world cup).
Thank god I have the blazers.
Hard luck in futbol
with basketball you have chosen wisely. – Elgin
Blazers win BDL 2 on 2 tournament!
Skeets: i’ll close it down now … congrats. you bastards
David Stern should be forced to read this
With the game Saturday in LA, I couldn’t help but wonder how many cities deserve that unwanted franchise. Seattle is obvious (if for no other reason than I’ll never be convinced that Seattle resident Paul Allen isn’t secretly looking for a way to make his commute shorter.) But Pittsburgh is sports-crazy. Baltimore and KC have both had their teams stolen. St. Louis would happily support a team.
And some cow-poke hillbilly strikes it rich on oil and Oklahoma freaking City gets a team? It’s a travesty. And Rich Bucher and David Starn getting kick backs is just building up some massive negative karma for those guys. Here’s hoping they get theirs.
Stern will be on with Gavin/Chad tomorrow morning
Maybe someone should pass Alexie’s comments along to the MSP boys
When you break up with someone you love...
its hard for a while—even if the next one who comes around is hotter than a flamethrower.
Blazerdom will always welcome Sherman with open arms if and when he is ready to come around. And if not, we understand.
I have not yet begun to defile myself.
by EngineerScotty on Apr 13, 2009 10:09 AM PDT reply actions
Seems like Californian's complain about rain, and Washingtonian's about fog. Welcome to Oregon.
Greg Oden = Robert Parish (HOF, 4x NBA champion, 9x NBA All-Star). The only other rookie with more than 500 points, 400 rebounds, and 65 blocks in under 1400 minutes played. Since 1946.
Oops, grammar failure.
Greg Oden = Robert Parish (HOF, 4x NBA champion, 9x NBA All-Star). The only other rookie with more than 500 points, 400 rebounds, and 65 blocks in under 1400 minutes played. Since 1946.
I feel for Mr Alexie
I can promise you I would have the same reaction if (god forbid) the Blazers ever left.
Other than death and taxes, only 4 things in this world are indisputable:
Brandon Roy is the BEST player in the NBA in the clutch.
Montana to Rice were the greatest to ever play the game.
The Four Horsemen of Maddux, Smoltz, Glavine and Avery were unstoppable.
No one protects the pipes like Luongo.
by GreatOden'sRaven on Apr 13, 2009 12:05 PM PDT reply actions
Fascinating real case history of being "betrayed" by "your" team...
I had a professor in grad school who lists one of his specializations the psychology of “sports fandom”. There obviously can be a significant emotional investment of a fan into his/her team, the team winning or loosing having a significant on their overall subjective experience of well being, at least on a superficial level.
His story reminded me of was my own allegiance to major league baseball. I grew in the SF bay area in the days of Mays/McCovey, and followed the development of the 3 time world champions Oakland As. (Some time I may write a article looking to the similarity between our current Blazers and those young, unknown, disrespected players who went all the way to winning the world series THREE TIMES STRAIGHT…. YEAH !!! ) Used to love to have my radio tuned in to the game whenever it was on. Looked forward to baseball season every year. I was a fan. Then it happened…. the MLB STRIKE !! What ! Games OFF !!! My players don’t want to play, even though paid a fortune by everyday fans standards. We are paying just for the pleasure of WATCHING them get to actually play the way we WISH we were gifted enough to do ……. SNAP !!! Something went right there. Never again did I have that fascination or allegiance to MLB again. I was betrayed, the relatinship never returned… SF vs Oalkand fantasy world series…… Oh really, thats nice, guess I misseed it…. it was OVER.
Game 6 of the 2002 WC finals almost killed my love for the NBA.
It was like the steroid issue in baseball. It felt like a betrayal. I felt at that moment I could no longer trust that the games were being called fairly. I felt that I had been played, and that all the conspiracy theorists had been proven correct.
In the meantime, the Jail Blazers were making my hometown and team the butt of everyone’s joke. Funny that it was the Kings losing that series, not the Blazers losing the 2000 WC finals, that hit me so hard.
It took a while for me to get over those things. I was very close to walking away from the NBA. I think what kept me going was the thought that the Kings would get another shot the next year, or the year after that. They never did, and that’s a shame. But that team at least gave me someone to root for while I was following the train wreck up in Portland and longing for Paul Allen to wake up, which he finally did.
It's times like this
that i’m really happy i spent 4 years at Lewis and Clark.
Living in portland softened me up to the blazers enough to make a one year transition of my homerism possible. Also this season has been just about the MOST ideal situation any fan could hope to come into.
Thank you Sherman for sharing your thoughts!
I have to admit, this stirred up a lot of the feelings I’ve been having, as a Seattle fan turned southward. I have to say my interest in the Blazers has only grown. It’s fueled by a re-ignited respect for Nate McMillan, who never should have been allowed to leave Seattle (second greatest tragedy of the Sonics?); admiration for a local owner; and Husky pride and joy in watching the continued evolution of Brandon Roy.
But even so, my view of all pro sports has become deeply cynical. I no longer reel at accusastions of band-waggoning or fair-weathering. What loyalty do I owe to franchises that have none for me? And every time the Blazers are on local television only, it’s a cold reminder that this really is not my team. Finally, I worry about getting too into them, as there is always hope that our city grabs another franchise – could I handle yet another transition?
Some of my fellow Seattlelites are vehemently against supporting any other team. Most are decidedly against following the Thunder. To each his own. Sherman, if you get an ounce of enjoyment watching the Thunder, good for you. I hope you roll with it, and I hope you find your passion for the sport again.
In any case, please keep writing about it!
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