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Aaron Sass has some ... strong feelings ... about fans of the Portland Trail Blazers and the team's broadcasters in a Portland Tribune column about Miami Heat center Greg Oden.
I'm not sure if Blazers fans are the best in the NBA, but they definitely are the most obsessed. I do look at them with disdain because most of them are illogical or they're gullible and buy into the ridiculous hype provided to them by the team's announcers.
For many years I used to be one of those fans I just described. I remember getting angry that the Blazers' preseason games weren't being televised, I would tune in to Trail Blazers Courtside every Monday night and listen to two hours of nothing, and I'd watch every summer league game.
But one of the most ridiculous things I did was sitting down to watch a team scrimmage that was shot on a camera phone and actually taking it seriously. Another ridiculous thing was debating the importance of the signing of Michael Ruffin when they signed him a few years back.
Don't get confused, I still love the team, but over the past three years I've become disgusted with those types of fans and nearly the entire organization. It's embarrassing to listen to a Blazer broadcast, whether it's on television or on the radio.
Michael "Stud" Ruffin averaged 0.5 points and 1 rebound in 11 appearances for the Blazers during the 2008-09 season. He was best known for being the only player in NBA history to drive a minivan to and from games.
-- Ben Golliver | benjamin.golliver@gmail.com | Twitter