It was the early eighties and the Blazers were going to play an exhibition game in Coos Bay at Marshfield High School the next year. We were all very excited as we were still just on the waiting list to get season tickets. My son Chris was maybe 10 or 11. He immediately wanted to know if they were going to have ball boys. He was a huge Blazer fan of course as he was programmed through his fanatic dad. 
              Chris wanted me to somehow find out right now. We decided if he wanted to know something for sure in his life he needs to make contact with the Blazers. Chris walked over, got paper and pen and with a combo of printing and cursive wrote to Harry Glickman Trail Blazer legend. Harry wrote back and said to contact him a few months later. Of course Chris wrote him again and BINGO! You Chris Swanson are going to be a Portland TrailBlazer ball boy. Uh, mondo bragging rights at school big time with a lot of kids not believing even after seeing the letter from Harry. Chris was in heaven and his passion for OUR team was over the top.  
            It's fall and if I remember this right we were to meet Harry and some Blazers at the Courtel Thunderbird  in Coos Bay. It's a day or two before the game. Chris has an itchy back-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------yeah, Chicken Pox. We are beside ourselves with the pain this has caused our child. The crying by all was a first result. But Chris couldn't stop crying and as you can feel now, this was devistating to this little boy.  

          The game starts and we are there. Chris is with his Grandma and although I have no way to contact any Blazers to see if I could get an autograph or two , I was going to try. Game over and it was so cool to see our guys up close. We have the radio to our ear as we watched of course because the Shonz was wheeling and dealing across the "cyclops".  And then it happens, on the radio, voiced by the Shonz for all to hear including those non believers at school. "We want to say hello to Chris Swanson who was going to be our ball boy but who was a little under the weather. We are going to autograph a ball for him and wish him luck". In stone. There it is forever in history. They gave us a ball after the game and it had all of the players except Jim Paxon, but also included Fernando Martin and the Shonz. The Blazers and Harry of course were most wonderful to help make a sad situation into a wonderful ending. A huge life lesson for Chris.Thanks Blazers. Michael Swanson