IAN1080

Portland.... Thank you and goodbye!

2006-09-08T16:02:00.000-07:00

It has been fun. Almost four years in Portland/Vancouver have come to an end. In our business, it isn't often you get to leave on your own, without a box waiting at your cubicle and security escorting you out of the building, and maybe in the end that is what I am most thankful for. I not only walked out on my own, but I did so to go to a great opportunity in my hometown at 950 KJR in Seattle.

But what about Portland? It has been exciting, frustrating, entertaining, enlightening, and more than anything.... fun. Sports are all about fun. Sports ARE entertainment. Someone in upper management told me once that sports radio needs to have more "entertainment" which was management code for "act like an FM ass" on the air. I like to have fun, I like to throw a few back, talk like a guy, act like a guy, and make idiotic comments about the hot woman driving the beverage cart at the golf course, just like anyone else. But I always felt as if that type of "entertainment" was not what the Portland sports fan wanted from their only all-sports station's only local show. I may have been right, or maybe I was wrong. It really doesn't matter now. I just want you to know that everyday I worked my ass off to make sure you, as a true sports fan, knew what was going in the world of sports, especially locally. As the so-called "lead host" for the station, it was my responsibility. There are many other staff members at the Fan who are also commited to doing the same. You may have liked what I did, you may not have. But do know this: I spent a lot of nights at the Rose Garden or driving to Eugene or Corvallis because I felt that to talk about something, you have to be AT the games or practices, as much as possible. You have to talk to the coaches, the players, and the front office staff to really understand what is going on. I did that, and hopefully it showed in what I did on the air everyday.

There are many who say Portland is a bad sports town. I am not sure about that label. It is a great Blazer town, even when things aren't going well, people are still in love with their one major league franchise. It is also a great college football town, even though the two state schools are at least 90 minutes away. The problem is Portland is a one sport town in regards to major league teams. Does that make it a bad sports city? Not really. It just means there are fewer options for the sports fan, and as a result, there isn't a lot to keep the fringe fan interested in sports.

What is important is the community itself. There are some incredible people here who I had a chance to meet during my time. People who invest in the community you live in, people who I had the chance to work with to make this a better place. People like Harvey Platt of Platt Electric Supply, Mike Scanlon from the Rose Garden, John Canzano, Justin Marquardt and Ryan Duchene from Caddies 4 Cure, Gary Schuler from Dick Hannah, the Maletis family who donate millions to local charities through the LPGA tourney, Gregg Leblanc and Tori Harms of McCormick and Schmick's who stepped up everytime we needed something to make a fundraising effort just a little more appealing. These are all great people who I am proud to have had a chance to meet, and will miss dearly.

Believe it or not, I will also miss the Blazer front office. Guys like "The Henchman" (aka Art Sasse from the Blazers) and the conversations and e-mails we had. I like The Henchman because he knew how to play the game, and he does it very, very well. I will also miss Blazer PR guy Mike Hanson who is the poster boy for corporate stress. I will miss seeing the hotline ring or my cell phone buzz when Hanson called to point out an "error in what I said, not because I am mad or anything, but because I just want to make sure you have all the information to be accurate on your show." I will say this, and I can only speak for myself and my experiences, Mike Hanson NEVER lied to me in my four years here, and for that, I will always be thankful. Of course, the same can't be said for some of the people who rank higher than him in that organization, but their record speaks for itself.

Lets do the Playmate thing, since my favorite guest in studio, not including Rowdy Roddy Piper who is in a league all his own, was Playboy Playmate Sarah Jean Underwood.

LIKES: The Hot Seat Bar and Grill, Langdon Farms, Camas Meadows, any McCormick and Schmick's, the Vancouver School District and the best principal in the history of elementary schools Joe Lapidis, Columbian sports writer Nich Dashel's afro and his Pac-10 coverage, Kerry Eggers old school attitude, Dwight Jaynes, Jason Quick's bulldog reporting, Maurice Cheeks, the Nike employee store, W+K ad agency, Mike Williamson and the Winter Hawks, John Cunningham and the PGE Park crew, Marv Albert doing tailgater traffic, a certain KGW sports reporters pretty eyebrows, Blazer dance team members Ione and Melissa, callers like Buddy Jay, Ozone, Angry Kevin, Joel P. Fan Club sudden death guy, and MIR. Finally many of the people I met here.

DISLIKES: Listeners who still don't understand that we are paid to give an opinion, the "can't do" attitude that exists in Portland, "rack me" or Rome and his "clones," Oregonians who don't understand that life exists across the river and that those sports fans in Clark County are as apathetic about the Ducks and Beavers as the Oregon fan is about the Dawgs and Cougs, candy asses who hide behind e-mails and forget that we are a TALK show format where you SPEAK verbally via the phone, and the rest of the people I met here.

Thanks to my good friend and former host of the show John Lund who helped open the KFXX door for me. Canadian PD and the guy who hired me Alan Davis. My first co-host Marc Amazon. My first three producers, the Jasons----Puckett, Parrish and Peterson. Swag and his willingness to take beating so we could laugh. Former Herd producer Ryan Lindsay who made me a better host, even though we didn't work together on a regular basis. Big thanks also to Suke, my co-host the last two years. Really, it is hard to thank everyone who I worked with, since in four years, I had three different show combinations, plus the now-cancelled BLOG (formerly 2-3 on Friday's with John Canzano). Canzano has been great to work with, and side by side as we chased down stories and entertained each other along the way.

One other thing. Since Entercom management is saying that there will be a rotating crew of hosts coming in to work with Suke, if you want in, send your resume to Dennis Glasgow at dglasgow@entercom.com or show producer Jason Swygard at jswygard@entercom.com

Seriously, they SAY they are searching for my replacement, although rumor has it that since Canzano turned the job down, the guy is in the building already and has a nickname that sounds like "ropp" or "mop." But you never know. They are looking for guests hosts, so drop an e-mail and resume to the above addresses. They will appreciate it. After all, I recived a lot of e-mails from guys who said they could do a better job than me. OK, prove it!

For everyone else....

THANK YOU AND GOODBYE!
Ian

It has been awhile....

2006-08-23T20:18:00.000-07:00

I know, no posts lately.

Why? I really don't care about Zach's latest "boys night out" unless there really was a sexual assault, and the Little League World Series... well see the post below.

But I just found this nugget from Fox Sports.com. The top five coaches on the hot seat includes both Mike Riley and Bill Doba.

http://msn.foxsports.com/cfb/story/5886280

These are two of my favorite people in sports. But consider the source. Some dude named ERIC MONEYPENNY? Who are you?

First to Riley. They can't afford to fire him at OSU, even if they wanted to.

Now to Doba. See above. The Cougs signed him to a long term deal as well.

When you are trying to raise money to begin renovating your stadium (WSU) or continue the renovation (OSU) you probably are not ina financial position to fire your head coach when he has years remaining on his contract.

More importantly, neither coach deserves to be on the hot seat. Doba went through a personal crisis last season with his wife literally fighting for her life, a fight she lost at the end of spring practice, and yet he never brought it up or used it as an excuse. Both Doba and Riley had some incredible losses to grades (OSU) and injuries (both schools with names like Joe Newton, Will Derting, Jason Hill and Michael Bumpus) and the one thing we know about those two programs is they will only be as good as their luck with injuries and grades. Lets see what happens this year, and remember what the expectations are for the two NW Land Grant schools. Get us to a bowl game here and there, two or three times every five years, and things will be just fine.

Sure I want more from WSU, but I am somewhat realistic. We have two Pac-10 titles and three straight 10 win seasons in the last decade, and last I checked, Doba and some of his key staff members were big parts of those teams. Riley will be a better coach this year with Jay Locey and a senior in Matt Moore. GO COUGS!

Thank you and goodbye.
Ian

Why I don't watch the Little League World Series

2006-08-14T12:06:00.000-07:00

The great thing about this job, and the fact that my "work" is basically watching sports and giving an opinion on those events, is that I love being a sports fan. I have been a sports fan since I was a kid. A love of sports, both playing and watching, is something that many of us are just born with. To make a living at it is an added bonus, especially when you don't have the gift of exceptional athletic skill, which is why I am a broadcaster!

But when I say I love watching sports, I draw a line with youth sports. Yes, it is my yearly rant about the Little League World Series!

Look, I get it. The raw emotion, a once in a lifetime opportunity for these kids, probably the pinnacle of their athletic "careers." But why do YOU care if your kid isn’t playing? Why do we get excited about watching a 12 year old hit a 200 foot home run? Yes, there is tradition, and the name Williamsport is synonymous with this big global event. But to me, the Little League World Series is a culmination of everything that is wrong with youth sports. Before there was the psycho soccer mom, basketball dad, or softball parent we had the biggest, baddest and most dangerous of all parental species: the Little League Parent. The LLP has actually taken a back seat in recent years to the monsters mentioned above. The soccer mom who is convinced her seven year old daughter is the next Christine Sinclair. Watch her on the sidelines at the game, barking at the 14 year old referee and pissed off at the volunteer coach who won’t let her kid play forward the entire game of a blowout so she can score three more goals in a 15-2 blowout.
The softball mom/dad is equally as dangerous. That parent convinces the other parents on the team that every kid needs to have a matching bat bag, with a $100 bat inside. The softball parent keeps score and goes home to input the numbers into a spread sheet so they have updated batting averages and stats by the next morning.

How irrelevant is this event? Think about this. Murrayhill is the first Oregon team to advance to Williamsport since 1958. I think the baseball played in this state at the youth level must be pretty good though. Didn’t the most recent College World Series winner feature mostly Oregon-born players? But yet, none of them played in the Little League World Series, BEFORE they reached puberty.

I don’t know any of the parents from Murrayhill, and even though it is Oregon, I have no emotional tie to the team. It is much the same as I couldn’t care less when Oregon and SW Washington select soccer teams or AAU basketball teams play for a championship. If it were my kids, I would care. If not, point me to the part of the sports section that gives me more on the Oregon and Oregon State football scrimmages and the latest Blazer trade rumor. Heck, give me more information on who will replace Sinclair at Portland instead of LLWS recaps.

My point is simple. Let the kids play. Let your kids play. Let them play as many sports as they want, if they want, and they will enjoy sports so much more, both as participants and as spectators. There is a time and a place for elevated competition and select and premier teams. But that time should be after puberty, as they become young men and women and they are old enough to decide how serious they want to take their respective sports, and if they want to specialize in one sport. I may be in the minority in this area, but I will not be watching the so-called action from Williamsport, the 65 mile and hour fastballs, the 12 year old ruining his arm by throwing breaking balls, and the mammoth 200 foot home runs. Tonight I am going to PGE Park to watch the next stars of major league baseball, the guy who is one phone call away from San Diego or Seattle. I will watch the same up and comers with the Portland WinterHawks next season, or the best basketball has to offer with the NBA.

I will watch youth sports, my kids games, but not your kids games. That is something you should enjoy.

We will talk about this today on the show, 3-7 on 1080 The Fan and at www.1080thefan.com

What will this week bring?

2006-08-06T20:41:00.000-07:00

That is the question I have. Think about what we had going on last week.

Monday: Jamaal Magloire is officially traded to Portland
Wednesday: Westview High School's Andy Poling, as reported by www.oregonpreps.com, announces he will follow the lead of Love and Singler, and leave Oregon to play his college basketball at Gonzaga.
Wednesday: Blazers announce their 2006-07 schedule.
Thursday AM: The Oregonian reports that PAM and Vulcan are reviewing multiple offers to purchase the Rose Garden and the NBA team.
Thursday at Noon: Paul Allen announces he will not be selling the team.
Thursday: Oregon State Football Media Day-Beavs show up with a chip on their shoulders, and in the case of most, those shoulders have become bigger and stronger in the offseason!

Lets take a look back and ahead. I have not commented on this blog about the Blazers' sale or lack thereof, because really I have spent the past few days trying to talk to people inside the situation, and some who are around the NBA on the business side, and find out what is REALLY going on.

Paul Allen doesn't want to sell the Blazers
Really, it is that simple. Based on what I have been told by people both inside the Blazers front office, and those around the NBA, PA has made the decision that he wants to keep HIS team for now.
Why? Again, it is simple. To steal a phrase from the great philosopher Dale "Taser" Davis, at the end of the day, Paul Allen is a fan. Simple, easy, and really nothing more.
I look at PA as being exactly like Mark Cuban and Larry Miller. Owners who are fans first, and in terms of the teams they own, businessmen second. While I was always considered to be "anti-Jazz" while in Utah, I really liked Larry Miller. I loved his style. Yeah, I mocked him for crying at every press conference, but he showed real emotion for his team which is refreshing.
Think about it the difference between Seattle's new owners and PA, Cuban and Miller. The Oklahoma City contingent stated they bought the team because it was a "good investment, and we are investing in the league." PA, Cuban, and Miller own teams because they are fans who have the money to own their own team.
I have always stated on the radio show that I thought Paul Allen is a great owner. But I think Vulcan is a bad partner. They don't mix. Despite what many think, Vulcan is a group of smart businessmen who are hired to tell Paul Allen what he SHOULD do with his money. But Paul Allen is going to make the final decision, and he has obviously decided to not sell the team, despite the "broken financial model." It doesn't mean he won't sell it down the road, maybe even as it improves and becomes more appealing.
Why is Paul Allen a great owner? The same reason Mark Cuban and Larry Miller are great owners. They love watching their team play, like any die-hard fan would. Because of that, they never want to see their team turn into a loser. They will push the management to make moves to improve.
How do you explain the last three years? One guess is Vulcan told Paul Allen he had to get his financial house in order, trim payroll and cut back the business expenses. He did that, and watched his team, the team he loves watching and rooting for, become the worst franchise not named the Knicks in the NBA. Now it is obvious he has decided to become a fan again, at the expense of the business, and try to make this team better.
Really, he started last year when he spent a lot of money to hire Nate McMillan. Then he invested about $20 million dollars in picks and the salaries for those picks, on draft day. We SHOULD have known on June 28th that he wasn't interested in selling the team.
The Blazers appear to be a better basketball team today than they were at the end of the season.
The next move out of town won't be Paul Allen selling, it will probably be Darius Miles. The financial model is still broken, but at the end of the day one of the richest men in the world probably doesn't care.

Global Spectrum
The worst thing that could come out of this mess is PA buying the building back and Global Spectrum, the group that manages the Rose Garden, going away. Mike Scanlon and his staff have done a remarkable job booking events and turning a profit. They are far more involved in charitable events in the community than Oregon Arena Management was at the end of their reign of terror. Best case would be PA getting the building back, but retaining Scanlon and his staff. Of course I still believe in Santa too!

We will be in Eugene for Oregon Football Media Day on Monday, and we urge you to take a listen on the radio at 1080 The Fan (AM 1080) or via the web at www.1080thefan.com from
3-6.

Thank you and goodbye.

Done Deal

2006-07-31T16:13:00.000-07:00

As reported first both on Sports Radio 1080 The Fan (streaming now available at www.1080thefan.com) and here on this blog last Thursday, the Bucks and Blazers did the deal: Blake/Skinner/Ha for Magloire. Great deal for Portland. Some bashing and bitterness from Milwaukee and others, trashing Magloire's game. Stuff like "can't finish," "limited offensively," "slow feet" etc. Who cares. He is a better player than the three they gave up.

The bottom line is the Blazers traded two backups, one of whom (Ha) is a borderline NBA player at best anyway, and what should be a backup point guard, for a player who started 82 games for a playoff team and is a former All-Star. That alone makes it a good deal. Add in the fact Magloire is only 28 years old and his contract expires, which gives you options, it is now a great deal.

Magloire averaged 10 and 10 before the All-Star break last year, slightly below that when terminally overmatched coach Terry Stotts determined Magloire didn't fit into his style of play. Portland was the worst rebounding team in the NBA last year, and the worst defensive rebounding team as well. With Magloire, Randolph, Przybilla and LaFrentz they are

The downside is the Blazers point guard is now Jarrett Jack, coming off surgery and with only four starts last year, two of which were at the shooting guard position. But he was going to be the guy anyway, with Dan Dickau (also coming off surgery) a solid backup. Brandon Roy can and will play the point, so you are ok at that position assuming the injuries are all healed.

The bigger thing is you have to love what the Blazers are doing in terms of making moves, trying to get better. My biggest criticism of this team is they were treading water and not making any real progress. That is no longer the case. For the first time in three years, since Bonzi, Sheed and McInnis were dealt, I see progress and a plan. And all indications are the dealing isn't done, there could be a minor deal (Dixon or Outlaw) or a major one (Miles or Randolph).

Are the Blazers a playoff team? No. But they are closer to contending for a playoff spot than the team that finished last season. This season has been about symbolism, and the signing of Przybilla was a positive move. This deal is the same.

Good offseason, good moves, and finally some real progress.

Who was first with the story?
We were, or more specifically I was. Really I know most fans don't care who was "first" with a story, but I do find it interesting that so many people in this media market like to take credit for "breaking" stories in this city. Apparently the Blazer flagship radio station has been promoting they were "first" with news on the trade today. Last night on KGW, they said the story was first reported in a Wisconsin newspaper. Once again, I first "reported" the story at 5:30 Thursday afternoon. Gavin Dawson went with it all day on Friday during our 20/20 Updates. Real GM and other national web sites picked up our story on Thursday. I am far from perfect, but I can make you one promise-you will never hear me take credit for something I or the station didn't do. Why do I bring this up again? When you work hard, build relationships, and get solid information for your listeners/readers first, it is easy to take offense at those who try to sneak in and take credit for your work. Nobody is first all the time and getting the story right is the most important thing. When other media members get a story first, I always give credit. In our little world of sports radio, where we have far fewer resources than television stations or newspapers, we usually are in the role of reacting to a story, so hopefully you can understand on those few occasions when we do break a story, and get something first, we will pound our chests, run promos and pat ourselves on the back.

Thank you and goodbye.
Ian

Weekend Update

2006-07-29T11:10:00.000-07:00

There has obviously been a lot of feedback from both Portland and Milwaukee in regards to a potential trade between the Bucks and Blazers, as I first spoke about on 1080 The Fan Thursday afternoon (now available via streaming at www.1080thefan.com). Here is one thought from Wisconsin in regards to the potential trade:
http://www.journaltimes.com/nucleus/index.php?itemid=7092

Speaking to some other media members in Milwaukee yesterday, the word there is the deal is indeed in Portland's court, pardon the pun. Those in the land of beer in cheese also told me that the Bucks may have wanted to delay the announcement because of the Brewer's activity (Carlos Lee trade) as we get close to the MLB trade deadline. In other words, get the biggest bang you can during a slow time of the offseason. Public Relations 101 says never share the headlines if you can avoid it.

We can relate to that here where the Blazers are now making every news conference a made for t.v. special with unique locations and themes. Those news conferences, as opposed to the traditional ones at a practice facility, take time to plan and organize. Think about it. You can't expect "The Henchman" and his minions to plan award winning events like "Przybilla on the River" or "Raef's Street of Dreams" overnight.

Seriously, one thing we do know with Kevin Pritchard is he is not afraid to make a deal. If, as is being speculated in Milwaukee, the trade is in the hands of the Blazers, you would think that the only thing they are waiting on is for the news conference to be organized by BOTH teams.

Or..... as is often the case by the time these things get out, the deal is dead. Stay tuned.

Kevin Love Loses a Recruit
Sort of. Nate McMillan's son, who was thinking about moving to the Portland area for his senior season, will stay at O'Dea in Seattle. YEAH! (note: I am an O'Dea alum and somewhat biased).
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/sports/2003160060_massey29.html
Of course the real recruit for the UCLA-bound Love is Kyle Singler who has to decide between the Bruins and Duke.

Have a great weekend, thank you and goodbye!

Blazer trade winds blowing??

2006-07-27T21:18:00.000-07:00

As the tag line says, "FIRST ON THE FAN" and many of you heard it this afternoon either on 1080 The Fan or via the web since as of this afternoon we are now streaming via www.1080thefan.com.

I vowed no Blazer talk for awhile, but when the people you trust around the NBA tell you something, and these people have been bang on right in the past (for example the trade deadline deal when we were the first on 1080 The Fan to tell you the Kings were involved and it was a four team deal) you have to pass it along, so here goes.

Potential trade being discussed: Portland sends Steve Blake, Brian Skinner, and Ha Seung-Jin to Milwaukee for Jamaal Magloire.

Will it happen? Maybe. Hard to say but I do know the discussions between the two teams have taken place. If it doesn't, there will be denials and spinning coming from One Center Court, but I will stand by this, the Bucks and Blazers have discussed this deal.

What does it mean? A lot. This is where it gets interesting. It could mean Paul Allen is back in the game so to speak, and will continue to own the team because one guess is they would try to re-sign Magloire, which PA needs to ok. Also, Blake is a "Nash guy" brought in by the former GM, and easy to get rid of since there is a logjam at the PG position. All of a sudden the Blazers are not as overwhelmed at the point guard position, and and have some quality depth in the frontcourt. That frontcourt depth is also very flexible with multiple players who can play the four or the five.

Stay tuned.......

Pac-10 Media Poll
It is out and USC is the pick again. I was one of the seven votes for Cal. The rest of my ballot will be here this weekend, complete with why I think each team will finish where predicted. But you should know, this is the fourth media poll ballot I have filled out, and easily the one I struggled over the most, top to bottom. That means I expect it to be the most competitive season in a long, long time. The rest of the country will hammer us because some real good teams will have two or three conference losses. But let them criticize. I will just sit back and enjoy the football.

Thank you and goodbye.
Ian

I need a hero....

2006-07-26T13:27:00.000-07:00

The news yesterday regarding Harold Reynolds, and the fact that he was fired by ESPN, reportedly because of sexual harassment, saddened me. I should be sad for Harold, for a potential victim, and even for his family. But in a selfish way, I am feeling sorry for myself instead.

As I discussed briefly yesterday on the show, I covered the Mariners from 1987-1994 for KOMO Television and then KVI Radio in Seattle. A little history is in order here.... Especially at KOMO, I was at the bottom of the sports office totem pole, working as a producer for the 11:00 sportscast in a sports department that included three on-air anchors, and really two of the true sports media icons in Seattle with Bruce King and Bob Rondeau. One of my roles was to chase down interviews daily at the Kingdome, and to set up live interviews in the early newscasts with Mariner players. As a young person new in the media business, it seemed great, until you dealt with those Mariner teams. To say they were difficult doesn't even begin to describe what I dealt with. But there was one guy who was incredible, Harold Reynolds. While other players had no problem blowing me off daily, Harold always came up to say hi, talk, and actually see if we needed help. He even helped set up interviews with guys, urging them to "go talk to KOMO" when I had problems. My dad isn't a big sports fan, but he always liked the Mariners. When he turned 60, I had Harold cut a video "mock interview" taking some shots at my father's age which turned out to be an incredible gift for his birthday. His work in the community was well documented and as most know, he received multiple awards for that charitable work. None of that will ever change. Later, at KOMO, Harold got his start in television working with us (Bruce and I) nightly during the baseball playoffs and World Series games-basically his first analyst role and the first step to ESPN.

But how Harold is perceived and his legacy in the Northwest, his home, has changed. I have heard from numerous people that Reynolds had this reputation which ended up with the sexual harassment allegations and reports. They may be true. They may not be. Obviously there was enough evidence for ESPN to fire a high-profile employee yesterday, which makes you believe there is some truth to the reports.

What I know is the Harold Reynolds who I covered and worked side by side with at KOMO was never anything but a gentlemen, and a class act. He made my job easier and treated a young person who wasn't a big name anchor with the same respect he treated anyone else. In addition, guys like Harold Reynolds, my dad when he was a news anchor in Seattle, Bruce King, and others taught me another lesson. They showed that if you are in the public eye, whether you are a big name like Harold or a small time sports talk show host, you have an opportunity and an avenue to help others that the general public doesn't have. It is something I think about often when getting involved with Caddies4Cure, the March of Dimes, the Oregon Food Bank and other charities I work with.

The Harold Reynolds I knew did take that responsiblity seriously, he did make a difference, he did treat me and many others with respect and it is that Harold Reynolds, not the one who may have been involved in sexual harassment, that I want people to know. At times he was a sports "hero" to me.

Monday, Monday.....

2006-07-24T11:39:00.000-07:00

First-Yes, the comment section was disabled for the weekend. I found myself having to go in and delete a number of them everyday because of the language. Most posts, good or BAD, I left up.
I don't care of you disagree, or don't "like" me, but when I have to go through and read each of them multiple times a day to make sure there aren't a bunch of R rated posts, it becomes too much of a hassle. I have always left up the negative posts, or the ones that don't agree with me, but in the end, I decided to make the call to disable the page. It will return, soon, maybe later today.

Heisman Trophy Campaigns Underway
At least for Marshawn Lynch and Cal. Check out this impressive web site from the Bear's sports informationa department.
http://calbears.cstv.com/sports/marshawn/
It brings up a whole different set of questions though. In a day and age when a coach can't buy a kid a pizza, the school can put considerable time and resources into a project like a Heisman Trophy campaign. For the record, I think Division 1 players should be paid and shouldn't have to live a life of poverty. That pay scale should be the same for each sport, much like scholarships. In other words, basketball and football players would make more than the non-revenue sports. Simple.
Now to Lynch's campaign. He had an impressive year, no doubt. But will he get enough work in the Cal offense if one or both of these things happen:
1) Cal finds a QB to get the ball to an incredible group of receivers like DeSean Jackson, Robert Jordan and TE Craig Stevens?
2) Justin Forsett (999 yards, 7.6 yards per carry last year) continues to develop.

TV Follow Up
Something I mentioned last night on Fox 12's Oregon Sports Final, and believe to be true. The Blazers just need to be done with it, and name Kevin Pritchard the GM. Why the wait? There is no possible way he isn't the guy for the job. The ownership situation continues to be in flux, but why wait on making what is already happening official? The only thing that makes sense is the team is waiting for another "media opportunity" to have a big splash news conference somewhere other than the Rose Garden or Practice Facility.
One other note on Pritchard. I was blown away with his commitment to a local event that I am passionate about this weekend. He said he was going to play in the Caddies4Cure (www.caddies4cure.com) golf tourney at Langdon Farms, and even though he was involved in a camp in Colorado, he flew back for the tourney then had to quickly return to the camp. Most guys would just call the tourney organizers and say "scheduling conflict" and not think twice about it. Nice job Kevin.

Thank you and goodbye

Sonics Sale-What does it mean here?

2006-07-19T11:43:00.001-07:00

Really, it is hard to tell. The first thing that jumps out, and if nothing else a small reason for local concern here, would be:

Look how easy, quick and quiet an out of town buyer purchased the Sonics.
The Sonics were purchased by a man who has NBA ties, belives in the product and the league, and as he said "was making an investment in the league" itself. No matter what you may hear, even those inside the Sonics organization only knew about the sale in the last few days. It was a "stealth-like" sale that happened, and literally was announced a very, very short time later. Think about it: One morning, any day now, we could get notice that there is a news conference to announce the Blazers sale, and like Seattle, in the course of three or four hours, we could see an ownership group or owner from another city who buys "our" team. Scary. Yes, there is a lease, yes the Rose Garden and Blazers are being packaged together, but who is to say one or the other, given their poor relationship, couldn't be sold without the other. Think it couldn't happen? Think about this: Owner of an NHL team approaches the bondholders of the Rose Garden, wants to buy the arena and bring an NHL team here, the Blazers are left high and dry.

Wake Up
Yesterday was a wake up call in regards to the power of the NBA product. When I hear about San Jose, Kansas City, Anaheim, and of course Oklahoma City all being in the market for an NBA team, there is major leverage for the owners of NBA franchises. Think about this: Howard Schultz and company got $350 million dollars for a franchise without a viable NBA building. So what are the Blazers worth? You would think at least that much, and like the Sonics, that is not market dependent. They may be worth more to a San Jose, Oklahoma City, Kansas City, Anaheim, or even SEATTLE!

Portland vs. Seattle vs. Sacramento vs. Kansas City.....etc.
One market is a top 15 television market, the other is market top 25. Which market do you think the NBA values more? There are a lot of NBA franchises who are in a tough situation with revenue streaks, arenas and leases: Seattle, Portland, Sacramento, Minnesota to name a few. The landscape of the NBA COULD change dramatically the next three years in terms of franchise movement.

Paul Allen
Loves the role of being the man who save the Seahawks. Would probably like to be the guy who saves the Sonics too. How? Build a building on the Eastside (Bellvue, Kirkland, etc.) and put an NBA team there.

Finally
I never thought the Blazers were in danger of leaving. I still don't. Except I never thought the Sonics would really leave Seattle. But it looks like they will. Does the NBA value the Northwest market? We will know in the next few years, maybe sooner.

Caddies 4 Cure Raffle
Here is the link for the great raffle items for an excellent cause. Ryan Longwell and Dan Dickau were on the show today discussing:
https://www.caddies4cure.com/raffle.php

Today's "News" Conference

2006-07-17T10:40:00.000-07:00

Who will attend today's news conference/celebration for Joel Przybilla? That is the big question I have in regards to today's made for....... well I am not really sure who it is for, event. If nothing else, why have it at 10:45 AM? If it needs to happen in the AM, do it at noon, maybe one of the local television affiliates will run a live interview during the noon newscast.

As stated in a prior post here in this blog, re-signing big Joel is a good move. Good, not spectacular, not franchise turning, not even an impact move in terms of wins or losses. (more in the July 4th post in this blog below). It is not a move worthy of having a celebration and news conference similar to last year when you did make a major move forward with the franchise by hiring Nate McMillan.

Instead, today's news conference is rather embarassing. I said as much on the show Thursday, the Columbian stated almost exactly the same thing on the front page of the sports section today, and the Oregonian also expressed the same thoughts by having NOTHING in their sports section regarding today's signing. It will be another over the top excessive news conference along the lines of the Zach Randolph/Apollo Creed "coming to America" most improved player news conference of a couple of years ago, or the all-time great "Trenton Hassell news conference."

Big Joel averages less than double figures in points and rebounds, is a complimentary piece at best, and has always seemed to be a down to earth, simple guy who will probably be embarassed by today's "celebration." If he isn't the Blazers should be.

Let me know when the real news conference is-when Paul Allen either sells the team or buys back the building. Until then, I am thinking it is football season. When you have to "celebrate" the signing of a role player, however positive the symbolism of Przybilla coming back is, the organization looks desperate and it makes us look even more minor league as a city.

One less Blazer buyer???

2006-07-11T10:01:00.000-07:00

From the Sports Business Daily
The PGA Tour today announced a six-year sponsorship deal with Jeld-Wen making the company a partner of The Players Championship beginning in ’07. In addition to TV advertising on The Golf Channel and NBC, Jeld-Wen will gain online, print and on-site recognition, the naming of a new clubhouse room at TPC Sawgrass and on-course hospitality privileges
Jeld-Wen, sponsor of the Champions Tour Jeld-Wen Tradition the last six years, joins UBS and PricewaterhouseCoopers as The Players’ only sponsors. Terms were not released, but Tournament Dir Brian Goin said that the cost should “‘easily’ reach into eight figures through the term of the contract” (www.sportsbusinessdaily.com SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, 7/10 issue).

Jeld-Wen was thought to be a potential investor in the Blazers, and maybe the company still is, but the fact that they are spending eight figures on a PGA sponsorship, in addition to their commitment to the local Champions Tour event, could mean Jeld-Wen isn't too interested in a substantial financial stake in the NBA team.

Back from vacation...

2006-07-10T11:24:00.000-07:00

Refreshed? Not really. I think many of you would agree, that often times it seems like we need a vacation after our "vacation." I found myself feeling the same way. Why? Lines, lines and more lines. Also, I was disturbed by the fact that I kept thinking of the boys back home. For example:

Day One: Land in San Diego, take a short shuttle from the airport to the rental car pickup area. The shuttle bus literally turned left, then right, then left again and in the process I saw the other rental car office where Suke and I both waited for 30 minutes for Canzano (aka BFT) to pick us up the day of the Holiday Bowl. This caused me to cuss out The BFT for making us wait back in December.
Upon arrival at the rental car agency, the "superstar in renal cars" was anything but that as far as customer service. The murder trial of their former Heisman Trophy-winning spokesman took far less time that it did for me, along with two young kids and lots of luggage, to finally speak to an agent. During that time, I estimated it would have taken 34 Big Suke head butts to get to the front of the line. I miss Big Suke.
After a wait of MORE THAN AN HOUR for our car, we left, took two turns, and passed by the other rental car agency, the one Canzano couldn't find when Suke and I waited, and we were finally one our way. DAMN BFT!

Day Two: San Diego Zoo. Standing in line for tickets: 15 minutes. Standing in line to take the double decker tour bus around the entire zoo: 55 minutes. Wishing I had my producer Swag to do all of this standing in line-priceless.
One thing that isn't priceless is the cost of ANYTHING at the "world famous San Diego Zoo." $3.25 for a bottle of water, $4.50 for frozen lemonade, lunch for four (hot dogs, small cheese pizza, bottled water, etc.) comes to $47.0o. At least it "only" cost us $130 to get into the zoo!

Day Three: Seaworld. Where is Suke when I need him? Our tickets for Seaworld were part of the vacation package. That is the good news. The bad news? There are three windows to redeem the vouchers. Five people are ahead of me. Simple math tells me that it will be a short wait. WRONG! Two of the three windows are taken up by the same people for 25 minutes. English isn't second language for many-it isn't even an option. My estimate: Seven Big Suke head butts and it would have been a five minute wait.
Now....we did think ahead, after the zoo debacle, and bring our own bottled water. But...... BIG Signs, Shamu the whale big, saying NO FOOD OR DRINK allowed in Seaworld. Nice. But the guy checking our bags is blind. Asks if we have anything that is prohibited in the park, I say no, he pokes a stick in my wife's bag, and we are in! I congrtulate my wife on picking the line with the blind guy checking bags, she feels guilty for taking advantage, I feel nothing except my wallet getting lighter by the second.

Anyway, you get the idea. Watching your kids enjoy things like animals and sealife is "priceless" although as we all know, not much in life is really free. Good to be back though.

Ian

Before vacation can begin.... some thoughts on Przybilla

2006-07-04T17:02:00.000-07:00

Today's news from the Oregonian's (and 1080 The Fan Insider) Jason Quick that Joel Przybilla has agreed to a five year, $32 million contract is suprising, interesting, and hopefully a good thing all rolled into one. It is also a big risk, for BOTH the team and the player. And is Kevin Pritchard really Mark Cuban?

Suprise! He is staying.
Despite what he said in December to Quick, there seemd to be a thought among many that Przybilla would take some bigger guaranteed money and go to a team under the cap who could offer him more money. But when you look at it closely, the only appealing team that could do that was Chicago, and Ben Wallace ended that shot yesterday. So then Przybilla was left to either take the mid-level in Portland, or take that same money elsewhere with a better chance to win or challenge for a title. He chose to stay here which is good for Portland, and probably good for Przybilla since he has enjoyed far and away his two best seasons here where he has averaged 6.3 ppg, 7.4 rpg, and 2.2 blocked shots per game in his two seasons. San Antonio was reportedly an option, but if you are a center and you like playing quality minutes, San Antonio probably isn't for you since the centers there seem to be used for the opening tip, and that is about it. Duncan is a power forward since he starts at the four, but for all intents and purposes, he is a five.

The Risk
By agreeing to the long term deal, both the player and the team take a chance. For the team, you are locked into a player for the next five years to the tune of $32 million who has played in 70 or more games just twice in six years. His overall numbers of 4 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.7 blocks and 19.5 minutes per game are not something you get too excited about. But Przybilla has had significantly better success here in Portland, as stated with the numbers above. But his presence in the locker room, his personality, and the fact he is an adequate center in the league certainly justify the contract in today's NBA. While Blazer fans don't want to admit it, it is similar to Zach Randolph. The Blazers paid him market value for a player in his early 20's who was coming off a 20-10 year. Centers get paid in the NBA, whether the numbers are there or not. But Przybilla was 26th in scoring and 17th in rebounding among players who are considered centers in the NBA (according the the NBA.com statistical data base). Worthy of a long term deal?

For the player, the risk is simple. Przybilla has agreed to a long term deal and the security that goes with it, but in return he gave up a chance to play a full, healthy season, and get an even bigger contract next offseason-with whoever would have had his Bird rights. Imagine if Przybilla was healthy all season and didn't have to share time with a proven player like Theo Ratliff. Assume he averaged 8 or 9 points and 10 rebounds. In today's NBA, that is worth a HUGE deal. With that assumption, he left money on the table. Of course if he had another Greg Ostertag-like 6ppg, 7rpg, 2bs season, he did ok for himself.

In the end, this is a good deal for everyone, despite the risks. Przybilla isn't as good offensively as say Okur, Mihm or Miller, but he is better overall than many of the guys who play the same position. His ability to block and alter shots is also very important. One other thing comes into play: the charade that Lamarcus Aldridge was a center can be laid to rest. According to three different NBA basketball people I have spoken to, LA is a power forward today, and will be in the future. Now he can develop at the four without getting beat up at the five.

Another good day for Portland, and probably Kevin Pritchard. The "mini-mullett" from Kansas still reminds me a lot of the GM version of Mark Cuban-he always seems like he is going a thousand-miles an hour and willing to make a move or a change at the drop of a hat. But like Cuban, he has sold everyone on his "plan" and he probably sold Przybilla. I always thought Cuban was the best owner in the NBA, even though his strengths are his weaknesses. Maybe the same is true for Pritchard. His greatest strength is his enthusiasm and willingness to do ANYTHING, which also seemed to be a weakness on draft night when he did do EVERYTHING including paying Phoenix three million for a pick, trading up to number two when he didn't have to, and taking the contract of Lafrentz back from Boston.

But Pritchard's agressive philosophy sure beats what happened two years ago when Patterson/Nash backed off the Vince Carter deal!

Vacation the rest of the week-so thank you and goodbye!
Ian

Deep breath.... breathe.... relax.... ok. WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?

2006-06-29T10:50:00.000-07:00

Help me, Blazer fans, why is it that SOME (i.e. not all) of you can't understand the concept of opinion-based sports radio. Let me explain.
This is how our shows have gone the last two days:

Ian: The Blazers picked up LaMarcus Aldridge and Brandon Roy.
Suke: I love the pick of Roy. I wish they would have taken Morrison instead of Aldridge, but good picks.
Ian: I agree. I think (that is called an opinion) that Morrison would have been a better fit, but love the Roy pick. Lets take some phone calls...
Caller 1: You two are idiots and too negative. Why do you hate the picks of Roy and Aldridge.
Ian: I like the pick of Roy, but I think Morrison would have been a better fit.
Suke: I agree, Roy good, Aldridge could be good, would have liked Morrison.
Caller 1: See.... you guys are too negative.
Ian: goodbye. Caller number 2 you are on The Fan.
Caller 2: You guys are stupid. Why do you hate Brandon Roy?
Ian: We don't
Suke: I love Roy, wanted him over Morrison.
Caller 2: I hate you guys. You hate the Blazers
Ian: We don't hate the Blazers. We have a different OPINION than you. But we don't hate the Blazers.
Caller 2: Yes you do.

You get the idea. Some days I love this job!

The Draft Recap
Like most, we are all trying to wrap our arms around what exactly happened yesterday during the NBA Draft.
First.....a little history.

Leading up to the draft, I had been saying all along that no matter what the Blazers did yesterday, there would be an emotional response. There was emotion, no doubt, from fans and media (me included) alike. So in that sense, the Blazers were the talk of the town, which is always a good thing.

Now, to the actual picks. One thing is certain-NOBDOY knows if these picks will prove to be successful or not. To say the team hit a "home run" is good copy, but the same team President who said that last night was selling all of you on Sebastian Telfair being a good pick at #13 two years ago. This organization has had a horrible track record in recent years with personnel decsions. Hopefully that is about to change. But keep in mind the Blazers have watched Qyntel Woods, Sergei Monia, Viktor Khryapa, and Sebastian Telfair all come and go after being selected in the first round (some of course by other teams for Portland). We were told great things about all of the above, sold on their talents and skill and thought THEY were the future of the franchise. They weren't.

So the pessimist in me says why was yesterday any different? It may be. It also may not be different. Only time will tell. But the optimist says the team made a bunch of moves, was very aggressive, and is trying to get better. But the pessimist says they have also done that before with the Bonzi, Rasheed, and other trades.

So when will they actually get better? There is no reason for fans to accept constant rebuilding efforts and the rhetoric that goes along with it. They should expect this team to be better and start winning NOW. They have started many rebuilding projects, but they have never finished the project. While most are saying the Blazers had a good draft, and they did in terms of getting two players they wanted, the word from other NBA teams is that the Blazers looked like a bunch of inexperienced fantasy league players who made moves just for the sake of making moves. The one move that didn't happen, and HAS to before next season, is trading Darius Miles. When that happens, my grade changes from a B to an A+.

Draft Day

2006-06-28T09:38:00.000-07:00

Rumors, Rumors, Rumors....
As stated below, until something actually happens, it is hard to know what to believe. But.....and here I go....."multiple league sources" told me this morning that the Boston-Portland-Telfair-#7 Pick-Dickau deal is close to being a reality. Just an FYI on the "sources." They are the same ones who I got the information regarding the trade deadline deal from-you know, when everyone else was reporting it was a three team deal, and I went on the air and told you it was a four player deal. In other words, these sources have been bang on before, and so I don't have a reason NOT to believe them. They didn't say the deal is done, just that it is close, and the rumors we have been hearing about a possible deal between Boston and Portland are true. Believe it if you like, but lets start discussing what this means.

1) A package of the #4, #7 and even #30 and/or #31 picks could really help a team move up to the top overall pick in the draft. In other words, lets assume the Blazers don't have their eyes on someone (Roy, Carney or Brewer) at the number seven spot but instead would be using Telfair to get the extra lottery pick to move up in the draft.
2) They do have their eyes on someone at both #4 and #7. Maybe they know they can't get Morrison at #4, and they can't move up. A great way to take the sting away from not getting the guy everyone in town wants is to make a splash with two high lottery picks.
3) They end up taking a guy they really like who is rated lower, much higher in the draft. Can you say Alexander Johnson? We know one thing from the Telfair pick from two years ago, they aren't afraid to pick a guy much higher than anyone else has him rated.

Stay tuned.... and hope to see a lot of you at The Hot Seat Bar and Grill (www.hotseatbarandgrill) in Tualatin for the Draft Party brought to you by Miller Genuine Draft. We will be on the air at 3:00, but the party starts earlier than that! The Hot Seat is about a half mile from the Blazers Practice Facility, on Martinazzi Ave, and is a real sports bar with fantastic food, more than 20 televisions and big screens, and we will have our interactive "knockout" draft game with some incredible prizes. In other words, you make the call in the draft, and win some prizes including some stuff from Nike Golf, and Caddies 4 Cure (www.caddies4cure.com) brought to you by Stimson Lumber.

2006 NBA Draft-Wednesday

2006-06-27T22:31:00.000-07:00

Coming Wednesday...... it should be fun, eventful, and full of suprises. One thing we do know is WE DON'T KNOW!
In other words, there are all kinds of rumors out there, and the Blazers are involved in their share, but watch and listen to what is going on with an open mind. "Sources tell me" will be said and written a lot, and yes I will be guilty as anyone.

Here is what you need to know for Wednesday.

1) The First pick will take place no later than 4:37. Toronto is officially on the clock at 4:32 PDT.
2) If they keep the pick, Portland will select no later than 4:52 PDT.
3) Jason Quick will have broken at least two or three stories on 1080 The Fan by the time that pick is made.
4) We will have pick by pick first round coverage from the podium, via ESPN Radio. (first shameless plug).
5) The "magic" of radio will mean that you will HEAR the picks on 1080 The Fan at least 10 seconds before you see and hear them on television.
6) The Hot Seat will feature Gavin Dawson and his "Draft the Stache" crew, John Canzano and his sssmedium black shirt, Fan Hall of Fame listeners such as Mike From Ridgefield, Buddy Jay, Greg from The Couve/Camas/Beaverton or wherever he happens to be that day, and many others.

We will have at ton of prizes (thanks Nike Golf and www.caddies4cure.com ) to give away, the food is great, and we will have a microphone there for the SOBER people to make comments after the Blazers pick. See you at The Hot Seat www.hotseatbarandgrill.com

OSU Beaver Baseball

2006-06-26T14:10:00.000-07:00

Wow! Beaver baseball "fans" continue to come out of the woodwork. I received a long, passionate and angry voice mail from "Dan in Portland" at 9:30 this morning because Suke and I "don't get it" as far as the importance and significance of the Oregon State Baseball team's accomplishments. For those who haven't, please read the previous post below so I don't have to pound my chest again and tell everyone what a good job we have done, especially compared to the rest of the sports media in this town, for the past TWO seasons. YOU CAN HEAR THE GAME ON 1080 THE FAN TONIGHT AT 4:00.

But despite what "angry" Dan from Portland thinks, I do appreciate what this team is doing, and if they win tonight, it will be remarkable. But what I find the best part of the story to be is:

These guys play for the true "love of the game"
The NCAA allows for 11.7 (yes, 11 POINT seven) scholarships per Division 1 baseball team. The Beavers list 42 players on their roster. Do the math. According to OSU, the scholarship money is given to some in the form of books, some for housing, etc. In other words, it is spread out among many players, in many different forms. These guys are playing for the "love of the game" which you have to appreciate when watching them tonight.

Comparing UP Women's Soccer to Beaver Baseball
They ARE similar in how they are perceived by the majority of the sports fans in the Portland area. We care about the sports during tournament time. We don't the other 48 weeks of the year. We were upset that University of Portland had to go on the road for the first two postseason games. And when I say we, I mean most media here in town. Did we see front page articles in the Oregonian and highlights on the late local news when the Beavs were beating Sacramento State, Pepperdine and New Mexico in February and March? Of course not. That is the major difference between college baseball (and soccer for that matter) and college football and basketball. Do we care the rest of the year?
When comparing the two programs, the major difference is that only eight of the 22 players from the Pilots are from Oregon or Washington, while nine of the 42 players on the Beaver roster are not from the Northwest. Who cares? Lets enjoy both teams for what they have accomplished. Go Beavs.

Beaver Baseball "FAN"

2006-06-23T11:07:00.000-07:00

Wow! The vocal minority has spoken! To all of you who have sent e-mails criticizing us for not doing "more" with the OSU Baseball team on our show, here is what I have told most of you in the return e-mails.

I said it on the air, and let me repeat this again. OSU Baseball is a nice story, a novelty so to speak, and is similar to the University of Portland Women's Soccer team. When they win or even play for a championship, we all get real excited. And we should.

But the other 48 weeks of the year, the majority of the people out there couldn't care less. You don't follow baseball recruiting, you don't check scores when they are playing on the road during February and March, and you really don't begin to pay attention until the regionals or super regionals.

Some history..... On our afternoon show, we try to be as local as possible for our 3-4 hours a day, but we can't be all things to all people. When we first changed from Ian and Amazon to Ian and Big Suke (and Dennis for awhile), I re-built the show to be as "local" as possible, since after nine previous hours of national sports radio, we needed a heavy local flavor. But... we can't be all things to all people. The masses here still would rather we talk Blazers, Ducks/Beavers FB, NFL, and then it trickles down from there. That doesn't mean we don't care about Beaver Baseball, we do. In fact, I think compared to most sports media around here, we were way ahead of the curve.
We had Pat Casey on our show, during Pac-10 Today segments, even before they advanced to the Super Regionals in 2005! We have had tons of Beaver baseball players on in the last year and a half. I actually wanted more this week, but unlike their football and basketball SID's, their baseball guy at OSU has not been very good at helping us getting interiews this week. We will try again today. I think our show and our station has done a pretty good job of covering the OSU Baseball story. We had reporters down at a lot of regular season games in Corvallis, and both the regionals and super regionals. We don't have someone at the CWS, but that is a management and budget decision not made by thos of us who are actually on the air. (go to www.1080thefan.com and click on "yell at Dennis" to vent about that if you like). But keep in mind, the fact that Dennis has gone to the trouble of airing the games this weekend (and it is a pain to juggle a weekend schedule that is for the most part computer driven) proves we all understand the importance of this.

But while we get criticized, I have to ask the question: "where is KEX in this whole thing?"
Beaver Nation, YOUR station wanted no part of airing any Beaver baseball games this season, even after last year's success. I gurantee you this: if 1080 The Fan were the Beaver flagship in Portland for Football and Baseball, you could be damn sure we would be carrying all of the big baseball games and doing a lot more than KEX is NOT doing. We wouldn't farm out the local broadcasts in Portland to a station that 85% of Beaver Nation in Portland can't hear.

Finally, the harsh reality. Beavers baseball is a great local sports story, but not on the same level of importance to the masses here as college football or even the Blazers. If they win, it will be very, very cool for OSU and the state as a whole. Same as UP Women's Soccer. If they don't, it was a great run, and people will be looking ahead to football season.

Have a great weekend, and don't forget the NBA Draft Party next Wednesday, June 28th, at The Hot Seat Bar and Grille (http://www.hotseatbarandgrill.com/index.html)

I HATE JOHN CANZANO... amd the Ducks unveil yet another uniform design....

2006-06-21T11:52:00.000-07:00

MORE ON THE NEW DUCK UNIFORMS BELOW......
No, the "Henchman" or Vulcan didn't take over this blog, and hate is a really strong word and I don't hate the above mentioned columnist from the Oregonian who I consider a friend. But I do HATE the fact that I have to buy him lunch as payment for a friendly wager we made on the NBA Finals. I am not much of a gambler, mostly because all too often I let my heart dictate who I pick, but a "friendly" wager for lunch or beers with a buddy makes a real good series or event that much better, unless you lose to Canzano! I wish we had a Game 7 on Thursday, because if nothing else, we could have had one more chance to watch Dwayne Wade play this season. I was wrong, he is the best player in the NBA right now. Dirk was his equal for three quarters last night, hitting 10 shots from the field, but was non-existent in the fourth quarter, and the inability to finish was Dallas' fatal flaw.

I Still Hate Lists
But this one is interesting. EA Sports ranked the top 25 NFL Coaches of all time. Don Shula is number one, followed by Tom Landry, Paul Brown, George Halas and Chuck Noll. Current coaches on the list include: Joe Gibbs (#6), Mike Holmgren (#11), Bill Cowher (#13), Mike Shanahan (#15), and Marty Shottenheimer (#19).
Most notable exception has to be the "Tuna" himself, Bill Parcells. I guess winning a pair of Super Bowls isn't enough. Or how about Bill Belichick who is the only one to win three Super Bowls in four years? Personally, I think when guys are listed as "the best" when the game was so different (weight training, film/video study, free agency, etc.) it is apples and oranges. Another reason to hate lists!

I Still Hate Lists #2
College Football News, one of the best sites on the planet, has a list of the top 50 coaches who you would hire to run a program for "a few years." In other words, build a program and sustain it over time. Interesting. More interesting is who made the list from the Pac-10, and who did not.
Who made it?
1. Pete Carroll-USC: No brainer.
9. Jeff Tedford-Cal: ok, except someone let me know when he wins his first Pac-10 Championship.
23. Mike Bellotti-Oregon: no complaint here. Probably the third best coach in the conference, although a few years ago he was "thee" man in the Pac-10.
34. Dirk Koetter-ASU: chronic underachiever for a team that teases each year, then fails to deliver.
42. "Coach Willingham"-UW: number one in the category of third person references is the 42nd best coach? Come on.

Other notables: Mike Price-UTEP is #20 and Hurricane Dennis Erickson is #40.
Of course I think Bill Doba, the Pac-10 Coach of the Year in 2003 should be on the list, and I think Karl Dorrell has built a nice program at UCLA, and his teams seem to get better each year. But "Coach Willingham?".....

Speaking of College Football....
Pictured above are the "new" University of Oregon Football Uniforms. Love em, hate em, doesn't matter. What you, Suke, me or anyone else over the age of 25 thinks probably doesn't matter. The players all reportedly love them and past and present players helped design them. They are reportedly lighter and more durable, and if nothing else, people talk about them. When was the last time people talked about the Stanford or University of Arizona uniform?

Finally, Love him or hate him, Ozzie Guillen is entertaining
Speaking to reporters yesterday, the White Sox manager said of Chicago Sun-Times columnist Jay Marriotti "What a piece of [expletive] he is, [expletive] fag."
Guillen defended his use of the term "fag" by saying this about homosexuals and the use of the word in question: "I don't have anything against those people. In my country, you call someone something like that and it is not the same as it is in this country.''
The best part is, according to wire reports, Guillen, who apparently is new to the United States and it's slang, said the following:

Guillen said that in his native Venezuela, that word is not a reference to a person's sexuality, but to his courage. He said he was saying that Mariotti is "not man enough to meet me and talk about [things before writing].''

And of course, he also went on to say he had gay friends, went to WNBA games, and supports gay marriage in Multnomah County, or something of the like.

Have a good day.
Thank you and goodbye,
Ian

Breaking News

2006-06-19T10:02:00.000-07:00

I have just learned that Tyrus Thomas WILL NOT be coming to Portland for a workout with the Blazers tomorrow. More details to come, but the indication is that he was promised something by Toronto, Chicago or Charlotte, and thus decided he didn't need to come here for a workout.

BIg Thursday is in the books!

2006-06-15T14:55:00.000-07:00

The Blazers had what amounts to easily the biggest day in their history of draft workouts, with three of the four players who were in representing at worst, three of the top six picks in the June 28th NBA Draft.

Adam Morrison, Brandon Roy, Rudy Gay and Hassan Adams were all on display at the team's practice facility. Morrison, Roy and Gay will all go very early in the first round, with many now saying Morrison is the number one guy, Roy rising quickly and Gay still very tempting to take with any of the first three or four selections. Quick thought, from what I saw, there is no reason to dispute any of those thoughts.

Impressions
The first thing that comes to mind is all three (Adams is a second round pick) are very polished, finished products, especially compared to what we have seen here in the past. Other things you should know:
1) The media was in for the final 40 or 45 minutes, which only included individual shooting drills. 2) In those drills, Morrison stood out. His lateral movement, intensity, and just pure shooting skills were the best.
3) Roy and Gay were good too, better than anyone I have seen work out there in the last few years, but keep in mind, with the exception of Jarrett Jack, they have picked high school players and Europeans the last few years.
4) Gay will tease you. When it is all said and done, the NBA is still about athletes, and Gay was the best in that regard. But watching Morrison move around in the shooting drills, he is better than the "white boy" he gets stereotyped to be.
5) Paul Allen was there. When I asked him about it after the workout, he said not to read too much into it. In other words, I may be here, but it doesn't mean I still don't want to sell the team. Of course, when pressed, he also wouldn't come out and say that he WILL sell the team either. This is where I insert my Steve Patterson-like heavy sigh.............

BOTTOM LINE: STEVE PATTERSON CALL TORONTO, NOW! I remember falling in love with Martell Webster after watching him workout last year. Now I am a believer in "the Stache."

Draft the Stache-Credit Blazer PR Guy Mike Hanson
Our own Gavin Dawson's grass roots campaign, DRAFT THE STACHE complete with website (www.draftthestache.com) had a group of 40-60 people out there today, and they received a treat for their time. I asked Blazers Media Relations Director Mike Hanson if he could bring Morrison out the front door to wave to the group before he left for the airport, and not only did he do so, but Morrison himself asked Hanson if he could go over the group chanting "Draft the stache." Hanson brought the former Gonzaga star over, and not only did he say hi, he also signed t-shirts, balls and whatever else was thrown in front of him, posed for pictures, and just did more good pr for the team than any of the players on the current roster have ever done. It was real, genuine, spontaneous, and the fact that he actually showed his appreciation for the fans was refreshing. Another reason to DRAFT THE STACHE!

Rate the Stadium....

2006-06-14T12:02:00.000-07:00

Today's topic on the Pac-10 Today is The Best Pac-10 Stadium. There are a lot of different ways to look at this, but in my mind, you have to include all of the essentials:

1) Sight Lines/view of the action.
2) Atmosphere
3) Tailgating/Pre-functioning

With all of those things in mind, here is my list of the top Pac-10 Stadiums.

9) Arizona-it could be better, but this is the only Pac-10 Stadium I have not been to, so I have to put it here.
8) Stanford-may be improved with the renovations, but in the past, there was zero atmosphere inside the stadium. Outside, good tailgating areas, solid in that regard, although there is such a lack of a college football feel, it just feels like you are hanging out in the neighborhood before a high school game.
7) UCLA-For UCLA games, the Rose Bowl is a too big stadium in a nice setting, with nice weather. Obviously, this ranking changes for a certain bowl game.
6) Husky Stadium-Easily the most overrated of all the stadiums in the country. The people who rank it so high are media members who don't have to- 1) Park 2)sit in the West end zone wich is about 75 yards from the end of the actual end zone. 3) sit in the first 15 rows of seats anywhere in the stadium. Husky Stadium looks great on t.v., and back in the day, there really wasn't a louder open air, non-bowl shaped stadium in the country. But the crappy weather, poor sight lines, and horrific parking and traffic plus almost always a 12:30 kickoff time make this a great stadium on t.v., but not great for visiting fans.
5) Cal-While it has been 15 years since I was last there, the good thing about Berekley is that it never changes. Fantastic bars all around campus, and while parking sucks, the setting and atmosphere more than makes up for it.
4) OSU-Makes a huge leap now that at least half Reser looks like a real college stadium. The parking lots surrounding the stadium are filled with some of the best tailgating in the world, but what would you expect when your stadium was built with proceeds from salsa and potato salad? Underrated by many, outside of the fact my team has lost a heartbreaker and had it's ass kicked there the last two trips, I have had a great time as a fan there because most Beaver fans are cool-they know what college football is all about: sharing a beer, hating the Huskies, and having a good time.
3) Arizona State-weird place. I have been there for the worst atmosphere in the NFL while covering the Seahawks, and one of the best atmospheres in college football when it was full for an ASU game. It isn't always full-but the weather, coeds, pre-functioning, and the fact it is Tempe, Arizona put this place near the top of the list. Plus, the added bonus of knowing your team always has a chance to kick the crap out of yet another underachieving ASU team helps make the case for Sun Devil Stadium.
2) USC-Should have taken a huge step back with the new alcohol policy (which isn't a policy, just banning beer sales in the stadium) but it is hard to beat the atmosphere, tradition, and history of this place. The downside is your team is likely to get whacked, you may get killed if you wander too far away from the stadium and into Watts, and USC fan is an idito-largely because he/she is like Husky/Duck fan: they probably never actually attended the school but are fans of SC because they win. As they say, never trust a Trojan, but if you get a chance to go there, do it.
1) Oregon-Pains me to rank the quack quack's stadium number one, but it is the best in the conference. Always full, loud as hell, and weather permitting the best tailgating in the conference. When you have people arriving at the Masonic Temple at 6:00 AM to get it going, you know it is a good time. My last time there as a fan, I was handed a margarita at 9:00 AM despite wearing WSU gear head to toe! YOU WIN! Plus, "the mustache" will always blow one or two winnable games a year at home so your team has a chance to win there. Most Duck fans are cool, and although many didn't go there, those "fans" don't usually go to the home games (they are smoking, drinking and playing video poker in sports bars back in Portland).

Links, links, and Tiger's thoughts from the links....

2006-06-13T12:52:00.000-07:00

First, the important business. On the show, I have mentioned a few important links in regards to things we have talked about lately.

1) Caddies 4 Cure Golf: This annual fundraiser has grown from two young professionals living in the Portland area who wanted to do something good for the community into one of the best celebrity fundraising events in the area. Paul Gaustad from the Buffalo Sabres was in studio yesterday to talk about this and other itmes. Check out the official site for more information on the story of Justin and Ryan and you will see why I feel so strongly about this event and why these two guys are so special: www.caddies4cure.com

2) Draft the Stache: Our own "buddy" Gavin Dawson is leading this grassroots effort and the web site alone is worth checking out. I think he is holding a rally outside the Blazers practice facility on Thursday to show the local NBA team that the people want Morrison. His website is www.draftthestache.com

3) Victoria Roberts and family will be in studio today where we will present them the check from the radiothon we held a couple of weeks ago. The family is still short some funding though. For more information, check out www.victoriaroberts7.com

Why do it Big Ben?
Why ride without a helmet? Why ride at all? I asked that question yesterday on the program, and someone actually asked Tiger Woods that same question today, in regards to his own thrill seeking (recent bungee jump, driving a race car, etc.) and he had the response that probably sums it up best: "I go for the par 5's in two" or in other words, the mentality of the athlete, and even the non-athlete, is to go after the adrenaline rush. "I go for the Par 5's in two" seems to sum up the reason that people take the risks they do.

Blazers Sale and the Draft
First, interesting comments from ESPN's Ric Bucher on Sunday night before Game 2 on ESPN Radio. He "reported" that his sources were telling him that Bob Whitsitt is putting a group together, perhaps with some Microsoft money (not associated with Paul Allen's) to make a move to purchase the Blazers. The Microsoft money part of it is new, but the other half of the story, the Whitsitt part, is something I have talked about here in the blog, on 1080 The Fan, and on Fox 12's Oregon Sports Final. What I don't know is if this is really "new" information, or is Bucher coming to the part a little late. Stay tuned. I also think Dave Checketts is a name you should remember with this potential sale.
One other thing-if the team and building are sold together, lets hope Global Spectrum is retained to manage the Rose Quarter. They have become such a huge part of the community, an important part of the community which has given back a lot in terms of charitable donations. OAC wasn't nearly as giving and certainly not nearly as successful running the building when they were in charge. Losing Global would be a huge loss.
Now to Orlando....
Here are some of the items that I was able to get out of the Orlando camp from both team officials and media down there:
1) Kevin Pritchard IS the general manager. He was the Blazers representative in the competition/rules committee meeting where the team's are represented by the top person in their respective basketball operations department.
2) They are still shopping the 30th and 31st picks with great intensity. If they do make either pick, and that pick is NOT a European or foreign player they can leave alone for a year, you can assume that pick won't be a Blazer pick, it will be for someone else.

Other than that, it was rather quiet down there.

Thank you and goodbye...
Ian

Good Job Theo....and the stat of the day.....

2006-06-06T12:19:00.000-07:00

A lot is being made of today's date and the Book of Revelations..... Despite 12 years of Catholic schooling, I am nowhere near an expert on the Bible, but here is an "interesting" stat as it relates to sports:

From The Sports Business Daily
66.6% -- Our “omen” -- today’s date is 6/6/06 and MLB's percent of attendance capacity filled to date this season, through last night's games, is 66.6% (THE DAILY).

Pre-Draft Camp Starts Tonight
Fan Insider Jason Quick from the Oregonian will join us live at 3:25, during the first session of this camp. Don't get too excited about what is going on down there though. Anyone who the Blazers would pick with the #4 selection WON'T be working out. If they end up keeping the final pick in the first round (#30) and/or the first pick in the second round (#31) then the guys they may look to select may be in Orlando. But expect one or both of those picks to be traded, or at the very least be used on a European who is at least one year away from coming over to the NBA.

Good Work Theo...
Just received this release from the NBA....
In recognition of Theo Ratliff’s outstanding efforts in the community, and for his on-going philanthropic work, the NBA announced today it has honored the Trail Blazers center with the Community Assist Award for the month of May.

After meeting 7-year-old Victoria Roberts at a Children’s Cancer
Association event in 2005, a special bond was formed between Theo Ratliff
and the little girl. Victoria is now suffering from a plastic anemia and in
need of a $350,000 procedure that her family is currently fundraising for
after finding a marrow donor match. Upon hearing of the Roberts family’s
plight, Ratliff hosted them at one of the final Trail Blazers games of the
season. The photos of Theo and Victoria were posted to the Trail Blazers
website along with a link to the Roberts family’s fundraising website to
provide support in their goal to raise the $350,000 needed for the
procedure.

On May 6, the Ratliff family arranged to meet the Roberts for lunch where
Ratliff presented Victoria’s father with a check for $30,000 to aid in
their fundraising efforts. His family then reached out to current and
former Trail Blazer teammates, soliciting additional funds. Currently,
Victoria is just $40,000 away from the $350,000 mark,
thanks in no small part to Ratliff’s generous support.

Ratliff is a native of Demopolis, Alabama. With a tremendous dedication to
raising the quality of life for at risk children and low and
moderate-income families of Demopolis, Ratliff continues to invest in his
hometown. The 10,000 square foot Theo Ratliff Activity Center, located in
Demopolis, provides job skills training, health care assistance and other
essential service to the residents of in addition to providing the youth of
Demopolis a safe place to learn and grow.

“Providing every opportunity for kids to have an even playing field when it
comes to education and career opportunities is extremely important to me
and my family,” said Ratliff.

This spring, Ratliff also donated $20,000 in scholarships to high school
students who met the Demopolis City School District and Marengo County
School District requirements for graduation. In continued support of the
youth in his hometown, Ratliff will host a free two-day basketball camp
June 13 and 14 at the Theo Ratliff Activity Center with a little help from
Marcus Campbell and members of the Rome Gladiators, the WBA team owned by
Ratliff.

As the recipient of the NBA Community Assist Award, Ratliff will receive
the David Robinson Plaque with the inscription, “Following the standard set
by NBA Legend David Robinson who improved the community piece by piece.” In
addition to the plaque, a $5,000 gift will be given to the Ratliff’s
charity of choice.

The league presents the NBA Community Assist Award monthly to recognize
players for their charitable efforts. The award honors the NBA player who
reflects the passion the league and its players have for their communities.

Say What?

2006-06-01T09:22:00.000-07:00

"Kevin's done a great job for us since he came here" is THE quote that jumps out from yesterday's made for KXL news conference (more on that below).

Lets be perfectly clear on something. NOBODY has done a great job on the basketball operations side for the Blazers. When you are the worst team in the NBA, and have won just 26 games since March 2nd 2005, it is hard to say you have done a great or even decent job. What has Pritchard done? Draft Webster or Jack? I thought that was Nash. Did Pritchard make the draft day deal to rid the team of Ruben Patterson? Great move? Not really.

Kevin Pritchard has been here less than two years. Right now it looks like he will be entrusted to run the Blazers draft day activities. That will be his first chance to shine, and maybe even do something that can be judged to be good or great. But to throw out compliments like "Kevin's done a great job" yesterday is an insult to Blazer fans. There has been nothing great about the last two seasons.

Made for Radio Event
Weird happenings yesterday. I can't remember ever seeing a news conference at 10:30 AM, anywhere, for any sport. Starting a news conference at the bottom of the hour is strange enough, but 10:30? Just an odd time. Then I realized why. It fit perfectly into the programming schedule of the team's flagship station. That is the final half hour of the syndicated show by Bill O'Reilly, and right before Lars Larson. But.... good for us at 1080 The Fan. It also fit perfect for us since the Mariners' game began at 11:00, so perfect timing on our end as well, although for us, it doesn't matter-we will always go live and bring you the breakng sports stories as they happen, no matter what time of the day.
Still, it obviously didn't fit into the schedule of Steve Patterson who started the news conference off with his heavy sigh, followed by a disclaimer about how he had to be brief because he had big shooter meetings back at the Rose Garden. What could be more important than the announcement of a change at the top of the basketball operations staff?

Crazy Day-Nash Out

2006-05-31T19:15:00.000-07:00

It has been a crazy day, to say the least, but the bottom line, is John Nash is out as the Blazers GM. Since I have not had a chance to put an actual blog entry up, I have, below, copied the script from the look back at the Nash tenure which we wrote and we ran on the show at 3:05 and 6:05 today.... more later, but hopefully this gives you the ability to remember what happened here with the Blazers the last three years......

FILLED WITH ENTHUSIASM, JOHN NASH BECAME THE PORTLAND TRAILBLAZERS SIXTH GENERAL MANAGER ON JULY 19TH, 2003….

BUT RIGHT AWAY, THERE WERE QUESTIONS ABOUT THE HIRING OF THE FORMER NEW JERSEY NETS AND WASHINGTON WIZARDS G.M…

NASH WAS, AT BEST, THE FOURTH OR FIFTH CHOICE BEHIND NAMES LIKE CHRIS WALLCE, JOHN HAMMOND, WAYNE COOPER AND PERHAPS EVEN KIKI VANDEWEIGH…

BUT DESPITE THAT, NASH WASN’T WORRIED ABOUT NOT BEING THE TOP PICK FOR THE JOB….

IN THE END, THOSE COMMENTS SAID ON THE DAY HE WAS HIRED PROVED SOMEWHAT OMINOUS BECAUSE EACH YEAR, THE JOB NASH DID WAS LOOKED AT IN VERY DIFFERENT TERMS…

CASE IN POINT, IN YEAR ONE, AND SPECIFICALLY THE FIRST SEVEN AND A HALF MONTHS WERE FULL OF ACTIVITY…

ON DECEMBER 3RD, 2003, NASH MADE HIS FIRST BIG MOVE….

BONZI WELLS TROUBLED TENURE CAME TO AN END MUCH TO THE DELIGHT OF THE FANS… IN RETURN, THE BLAZERS RECEIVED WESLEY PERSON AND A FIRST ROUND PICK WHICH LATER TURNED INTO SERGEI MONIA…

THE TRADE WINDS KEPT BLOWING AS NASH THEN SENT JEFF MCINNIS TO CLEVELAND FOR DARIUS MILES ON JANUARY 21ST… THAT DEAL LOOKED GREAT AT THE TIME, SO MUCH SO THAT THE BLAZERS MADE DARIUS THE CENTERPIECE OF THEIR MARKETING CAMPAIGN, HE BECAME A VERY POPULAR PLAYER WITH THE FANS, AND UNFORTUNATELY FOR THE ORGANIZATION, WITH OWNER PAUL ALLEN AS WELL BECAUSE IT IS THAT VERSION OF DARIUS MILES WHO WAS SIGNED TO A SIX YEAR, 48 MILLION DOLLAR CONTRACT IN THE OFFSEASON, A DEAL THAT PROBABLY IS ONE OF THE BIGGEST STRIKES AGAINST NASH’S TENURE….

THE BIGGEST DEAL THOUGH CAME ON FEBUARY NINTH OF 2004 WHEN RASHEED WALLACE, THE ANGRY FACE OF THE FRANCHISE WHO WAS GOING TO BE AN UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENT, WAS SENT TO ATLANTA ALONG WITH PERSON FOR THEO RATLIFF, SHAREEF ABDUR RAHIM AND DAN DICKAU…

THAT DEAL WAS WIDELY PRAISED BY FANS AND MEDIA ALIKE, AND THE NASH REGIME SEEMED TO BE HEADED IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION WHEN THE BLAZERS, LED BY A 20-10 ZACH RANDOLPH, THE SHOT BLCOKING OF RATLIFF, THE HIGH FLYING PLAY OF MILES, AND THE STEADY PRESENCE OF ABDUR-RAHIM WENT ON A LATE RUN AND JUST MISSED MAKING THE PLAYOFFS….

BUT AFTER WHAT SEEMED LIKE A GREAT START AS THE TEAM’S SIXT G.M,, THE 2004 OFFSEASON IS WHEN THE EARLY SHINE STARTED TO WEAR OFF… DESPITE SAYING THAT HE HAD, QUOTE “CHIPS” TO USE IN SOME OFFSEASON DEALS, SPECIFICALLY ABDUR-RAHIM, NASH DIDN’T GET A MAJOR DEAL DONE AND HE ENDED UP STARTING THE SEASON WITH TWO STARTING POWER FORWARDS, BOTH RANDOPLH, WHO SIGNED A MAX CONTRACT IN THE OFFSEASON, AND ABDUR RAHIM, AND THE TEAM ITSELF STARTED TO TURN ON NASH…

FIRST, NASH WAS QUOTED AS SAYING RUBEN PATTERSON WOULDN’T GET MUCH PLAYING TIME, THEN THE FEELING AMONG THE PLAYERS LIKE DERRICK ANDERSON THAT ABDUR-RAHIM WAS BEING FORCED INTO THE STARTING LINEUP AT THE EXPENSE OF MILES DEVELOPMENT, SOMETHING THAT DERRICK ANDERSON AMONG OTHERS WAS CRITICAL OF NASH FOR…

NASH DID MAKE A MOVE TO HELP EASE PAYROLL BEFORE THE SEASON, SEDING DALE DAVIS AND DAN DICKAU TO GOLDEN STATE FOR VETERAN POINT GUARD NICK VAN EXEL, A MOVE THAT BACKFIRED IN MANY WAYS, INCLUDING THE FACT VAN EXEL QUIT ON THE TEAM SOON AFTER MARCH 2ND, THE DAY MAURICE CHEEKS WAS FIRED AND REPLACED ON AN INTERIM BASIS BY KEVIN PRITCHARD…

WHAT MADE THINGS WORSE, IS TWO WEEKS PRIOR TO THAT FIRING, AT THE TRADE DEADLINE, THE BLAZERS WERE STILL LEFT WITH ABDUR-RAHIM AND VAN EXEL AND THEIR BIG, EXPIRING, AND VALUABLE CONTRACTS.. IN OTHER WORDS, THE BIGGEST FAILURE IN NASH’S TENURE WAS HIS INABILITY TO IMPROVE THE TEAM WITH THE SO-CALLED “CHIPS” HE SPOKE OF SO OFTEN… BUT THE BIG QUESTION THERE WAS DID NASH EVEN HAVE THE POWER TO MAKE THOSE MOVES???? IN THE END, PROBABLY NOT, ALTHOUGH TODAY STEVE PATTERSON WOULDN’T GO AS FAR AS TO CALL NASH THE SCAPEGOAT…

GENERAL MANAGERS ARE OFTEN JUDGED ON THEIR DRAFT PICKS, ANF THE RESULTS SO FAR IN THAT REGARD, ARE MIXED AT BEST…
NASH’S FIRST BLAZER DRAFT DAY, THE 2004 DRAFT, RESULTED IN THE MOST CONTROVERSIAL SELECTION IN RECENT MEMORY….

IN ADDITION TO THE PICK OF SEBASTIAN TELFAIR, SERGEI MONIA WAS SELECTED AT NUMBER 23, AND NASH TRADED EDDIE GILL TO NEW JERSEY FOR VIKTOR KHRYAPA AND PICKED HA-SEUNG-JIN IN THE SECOND ROUND…

HIS SECOND, AND NOW FINAL DRAFT, WAS FULL OF ACTIVITY… LAST YEAR NASH MADE TWO DRAFT DAY TRADES, INCLUDING MOVING DOWN FROM #3, AND ENDED UP WITH MARTELL WEBSTER, JARRETT JACK AND DETROIT’S PICK THIS YEAR, THE FINAL SELECTION IN THE FIRST ROUND….. OF COURSE HE MISSED ON PICKING CHRIS PAUL, A MOVE THAT CAUSED CONSTANT, AND MAYBE EVEN UNFAIR CRITCISM SINCE THE VERDICT IS STILL OUT ON WEBSTER AND JACK…..

BUT WHILE IT IS STILL TOO EARLY TO TELL WHAT THE FINAL RESULTS FROM THE TWO NASH DRAFTS WILL BE, THE BLAZERS DID HAVE FIVE FIRST ROUND PICKS IN TWO YEARS, AND NONE OF THOSE PICKS WERE NAMED TO THE NBA ALL-ROOKIE TEAMS OR EVEN PLAYED IN THE NBA ALL-STAR WEEKEND ROOKIE CHALLENGE….

THE JUST COMPLETED SEASON DID SEE NASH MAKE HIS FINAL BIG SPLASH, A FOUR TEAM, MULTIPLE PLAYER DEAL AT THE TRADE DEADLINE THAT SENT RUBEN PATTERSON, SERGEI MONIA AND CHARLES SMITH OUT OF TOWN IN EXCHANGE FOR VASHON LEONARD AND BRIAN SKINNER… THAT PROVED TO BE THE FINAL MOVES FOR NASH AS THE BLAZES GENERAL MANAGER…

THERE WERE MANY OTHER THINGS THAT HAPPENED OF NOTE THAT MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE BEEN NASH’S DOING, OR EVEN HIS UNDOING---INCLUDING A NEWS CONFERECNE TO INTRODUCE A PLAYER WHO NEVER ENDED UP PLAYING HERE IN TRENTON HASSELL, THE APPARENT LACK OF SUPPORT FOR MAURICE CHEEKS WHEN DARIUS MILES HAD A CONFRONTATION WITH THE FORMER COACH, AND OF COURSE THE CONTROVERSIAL SIGNINGS OF MILES, RATLIFF AND RANDOLPH TO EXPENSIVE LONG TERM DEALS---BUT THE REAL QUESTION AFTER NASH LEFT WAS, HOW MANY OF THE DECISIONS AND MOVES THAT WERE MADE WERE ACTUALLY JOHN NASH’S, AND HOW MANY WERE BY COMMITTEE OR EVEN VULCAN? ONLY JOHN NASH AND STEVE PATTERSON WILL EVER NOW WHAT THE ANSWER, AND THUS THE REAL LEGACY OF JOHN NASH

I need your help

2006-05-30T14:53:00.000-07:00

This must be a Midwest thing.... someone, anyone, help me out. I believe this is real, so what is a "Cornhole" the game?

http://www.bengals.com/community/palmer_cornhole06.asp

I think those of us in the liberal cities on the West Coast have a different definition of "cornhole" than those folks in America's Heartland.

Have a great day.
Thank you and goodbye,
Ian

Big Day on 1080 The Fan

2006-05-24T11:44:00.000-07:00

Today we host a radiothon for Victoria Roberts. Hopefully most of you know the story by now, but here is a bit from John Canzano's blog on www.oregonlive.com

This is an important few days for Victoria Roberts, 7, who has aplastic anemia. She has a confirmed bone-marrow match. The family is closing in on the $350,000 it needed to get the procedure. I'm told they're roughly $100,000 short now.You can make a tax-deductible donation at www.victoriaroberts7.comI've been amazed at how people have come together to help Victoria, who has been sick so long that she probably doesn't remember what it feels like to be well.

Check out our station's web site, www.1080thefan.com for more information on the incredible items donated by the good people who run the Rose Garden, Mike Scanlon and Global Spectrum. The bidding is already underway, and you can bid online via the website above, or via the phones at 503-250-1080.

Victoria and her dad will be with us in studio at 3:00 today, and if you can't listen then, we will replay the interview at 6:00.

Thanks for the support,
Ian

Is Nash Officially Out?

2006-05-23T10:03:00.000-07:00

Not yet, but here is a great little note, passed along from a listener, in regards to how the front office is "selling" the team. In the interest of the "new" policy for media, where the Blazers want to have everything recorded and available to see/hear, I have included the entire e-mail from the ticket account executive, with the exception of his/her name, and the client/listener's name. But pay careful attention to the fourth paragraph.

Hi (Customer),
Thank you for your quick and honest feedback. I understand the last couple of years have been difficult to get excited about, but I ensure you that we will be more competitive and exciting for years to come.

Have you thought about possibly moving to a half season package? This would allow you to keep all of the benefits of a Season Ticket Holder (i.e. Loyalty Reward Discount of 10%, Right of First Request on events at the Rose Garden, premium seat location, Guaranteed Giveaways) and attend only 22 of the 44 home games.

If you could see yourself coming back as a season ticket holder in the near future, when the team is more competitive I would recommend going with a half season. By going to a half season you would be able to keep your Loyalty Reward Discount of 10% and keep you current low priority number so you have a better chance at moving into a prime seat location.

I understand that you don't agree with everything John Nash has done in terms of trades and player personnel decisions, but I wanted to remind you that John Nash's contract expires the end of June so we may have a new GM going in to the draft and off-season.

Let me know if you would would be interested in a half season package, or if you still decide that you are not going to renew your season tickets. I understand that it has been a difficult time to be a Trail Blazers fan, but trust me we will be getting more competitive and become the pride of Portland again real soon.

Now that is something! Hey, keep your tickets because Nash is on his way out! And I thought the radio and media business was brutal!

Nice campaign, and I wonder how difficult it is for Nash to keep pulling the knives in his back out?

One other tidbit-the word is that Paul Allen has left the decision on whether or not to re-hire John Nash in the hands of only one person-Steve Patterson. It will be Patterson's, and only Patterson's decision.

Big Monday

2006-05-22T12:08:00.000-07:00

Well, sort of. Big Suke returns from his broken "crown" and there is a lot to talk about starting at 3:00 today. Before that, check out www.1080thefan.com for info on our Radiothon on Wednesday where we are teaming with Global Spectrum (the good people who run the Rose Garden) as we raise money for a young girl who needs a bone marrow transplant. YOU CAN BID ONLINE STARTING TOMORROW. For more info on the cause, check out John Canzano's blog http://www.oregonlive.com/canzano/

WHO KNEW?
I am in the minority because I am one of the few guys on the radio who won't kill the WNBA, but I don't really follow the news of the league either. Still, I was shocked to find out that Portland was being considered for a WNBA franchise, again.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/sports/2003010554_stormglance22.html
Now it does look like we won't get the team, but the only thing I thought was HUH? Our NBA team is a disaster, so why would the NBA/WNBA look here? As the story says, attendance here was strong, there was a fan base, and as the lacrosse team and WinterHawks have proven, people here will support sports, if you give them a product worth watching. The WNBA interest also has a strong "Global" feel to it-in other words the aggressive nature of the people who run the RG are looking to continue to keep that building busy.
The real interesting thing here would have been if the WNBA came here, and actually competed with the NBA team for sponsors and tickets. I don't think that is the spirit of what the two leagues are all about, but the Blazers have really never been "team" players anyway.

Back from the Dead!

2006-05-19T11:45:00.000-07:00

Big shout out and thanks to my in-laws for bringing down a bad case of SARS with them this past week. I needed the stomack flu BEFORE the LA Weight Loss started, not after. Nevertheless, back at it today, and hey, TGIF.

First for Suke
A soldier, a monkey, and a punch.
http://video.msn.com/v/us/v.htm?g=680f9d56-93fe-4479-b915-b830fd1ea904&t=s5&f=06/64&p=hotvideo_viralvideos

Another reason why the LLWS are bad
Danny Almonte is still in the news. Shocking, he is now following the path of Vili Fualaau and his "sweetheart" Mary Kay Letourneau. Check out this great story.
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/gossip/story/419069p-353913c.html
We made this kid a hero because we THOUGHT he was a great 12 year old little league pitcher, now he is still newsworthy because of the importance we place on baseball for 11 and 12 year olds.

Draft Lottery
It will be either 1,2,3, or 4. That is where the Blazers will pick in this year's draft. Tune in to 1080 The Fan for live coverage and your first place to react with who the Blazers should pick will be with us on Tuesday, sometime between 5 and 6 pm.

Have a great weekend,
thanks and goodbye!

Friday's Final Thoughts.... Blazers behind the schedule on Draft?

2006-05-12T11:36:00.000-07:00

Before we get to the important stuff below, check out Canzano and his possible twin:
On this Friday afternoon, lets lighten things up and make a decision. Are John Canzano and UFC President Dana White twins? Related? Were they somehow seperated at birth? White is on the left, Canzano on the right. You decide. Scary stuff though. They say everyone has a twin somewhere in the world, and for Canzano, that guy is in Las Vegas, Nevada. On thing is for sure: these two may be the only white guys I have ever seen who can pull off the shaved head look without the help of some facial hair. Nicely done fellas.

What is going on with the Blazers and lack of draft workouts?
The Blazers have two first round picks (either 1,2,3, or 4 and #30), and the first pick of the second round (#31). So why are they behind the curve working out players? Other NBA teams have already started to work players out, but a Blazer spokesman told me today they probably won't start bringing in players until the week of the 22nd. Originally they planned on doing so starting this coming Monday, but now they are waiting. That makes sense IF you only are worried about a top four pick. But the Blazers don't just have one of the top four picks, but two others which are big as well.
So why not start brining guys who aren't high lottery picks? Why wait? One reason could be they don't plan on using the 30th pick. Is a deal in the works? Is something already done? If not, why wait on bringing in all of the "tweener" guys-the players who aren't guranteed to be first rounders. Last year they brought in a ton of those guys the first couple of weeks (Jason Maxiel, etc.). The first pick of the second round is a popular one, easily traded and valued around the league because you can take a chance on a guy without the contract being guranteed.

Help Victoria
On a much more serious note, John is helping with an important event this weekend to raise money for the little girl, Victoria. From John's blog:
http://www.oregonlive.com/canzano/
Victoria Roberts, the seven-year old girl with aplastic anemia, needs a bone-marrow transplant and her family is trying to raise the additional $150,000 it needs through her website www.VictoriaRoberts7.comGlobal Spectrum's parent company Comcast will contribute $5,000 from their foundation to Victoria's fund. Also, Portland Arena Management client, Melvin Mark, pitched in another $500. Theo Ratliff and Darius Miles have also made contributions. And I'm told the Trail Blazers have also donated $5,000.There is a free bone-marrow drive Saturday (1-5 p.m.) at St. Theresa School (1260 NE 132nd Ave., Portland). The simple test consists of a small, painless swab of the inside cheek to find out your tissue type.Portland Arena Management is offering a free shuttle service to and from the location. Donors can park at Rose Garden free starting at 12:30pm on Saturday or take Tri-Met to the Rose Garden to catch the shuttle.

Coming Monday on 1080 The Fan.com....
Monday & Tuesday there will be an auction and your chance to golf with Ian/Suke or Bill Schonley/Steve Blake a the Lakeside Lumber/Toys for Kids Celebrity Golf Tournament on Thursday, June 1st at Langdon Farms Golf Club ... included in the package will be three spots in the tourney, plus a week's stay at a beach house on the Oregon Coast. Check out www.1080thefan.com for more info. Toys for Kids is a great charity that makes toys for kids who are very sick, often times terminally ill.

Terry Porter Update
News Release just received from Rob Kremer:

Terry Porter not talking with Kings about coaching position
In light of the recent rumors that have circulated regarding the possibility that Terry Porter is being considered for the head coaching position in Sacramento, we would like to release the following statement:
Terry Porter has not been contacted by the Sacramento Kings organization or any representative of the team concerning the head coaching position or any other position. Any speculation to the contrary is precisely that - speculation and rumor. Terry remains committed to his effort to lead an investor group to purchase the Trail Blazers.
Porter, who spent ten years with Portland, announced three weeks ago that he was working with a local group to identify investors to join him in an attempt to purchase the Blazers and the Rose Garden Arena. "My heart is still in Portland," said Porter. "The team and the city gave me a chance when nobody else would, and I feel a tremendous debt of gratitude to the people of Portland. My dream is to be a part of a solution that brings the Blazers back to the success we all had together."

Why the Sonics PXP Job Matters Here

2006-05-11T11:24:00.000-07:00

The answer to the headline statement is simple: because there is a chance one of the few good things with the Blazers could be heading North.
According to oregonlive's Blazers Blog, and the Seattle P-I, the Sonics radio play by play job is down to three people:
1) FSN's and former Seahawk PXP voice Brian Davis
2) KJR's David Locke
3) Brian Wheeler.
http://www.oregonlive.com/weblogs/blazersblog/
Jim Moore in the Seattle P-I did his own "odds" for who he thinks will get the gig. My thoughts are simple: I hope Wheels doesn't go. He is very, very good, and despite being surrounded by below average talent through the rest of the Blazers' radio broadcast crew, when you listen you are interested and even at times forget that the team he works for is in the process of a second straight sub-30 win season. Wheels is good at his craft, works at it, is well prepared, and outside of the fantastic BOOM CHUCK AH LUCK AH (not sure if it is spelled correctly) doesn't rely on cute cliches and other tricks of the trade. Wheels was able to overcome the move of the outstanding work from color man Mike Rice to television and another horrible season with a great year of work.

David Locke is a good play by play voice but an even better talk show host. Simply put, he is the best I have heard doing a local show. FULL DISCLOSURE: I am biased because we are close friends, but if you listen, you will hear a great talk show talent. Seattle Sports Talk would be worse off without him behind the mike five days a week, but the Sonics would gain a great addition.

Brian Davis is the "Adam Morrison" of this group-the safe pick. He doesn't work for a competing radio group, already does work with the Sonics on FSN, and is a better than average pxp voice.

So why do we care down here? Because the potential loss of Brian Wheeler would be another step back for the Blazers. It doesn't affect wins and losses, but the enjoyment of the product would be impacted.

For the record, I also think the move to Seattle would be a step down. Here in Portland, Wheels is "the man" for Blazers play by play on the radio. Up there, whoever gets the gig, is still playing second fiddle to Kevin Calabro doing 72 games in the regular season, and then sitting out the postseason.

If Wheels really wants the gig, I will be the first to congratulate him if he gets it. But as stated above, down here in Portland we would be worse off.

Thank you and goodbye.
Ian

Too good to be true.....

2006-05-09T14:47:00.000-07:00

This is fantastic. Mary Liss/Stade, former "owner" and operator of the Portland Reign, is in some big trouble. Courtesy of the Portland Tribune and The Tacoma News Tribune.
http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/crime/v-printer/story/5718847p-5120598c.html

The best part about Mary is she spent so much time and energy denying she was a crook and fraud. I received multiple phone calls from her denying any wrongdoing, yet it is my understanding she completely cleaned out anyone who had anything to do financially with the Reign, including at least one former NBA player.

More amazing may be the fact that the IBL, a league that is struggling to be legitimate, would allow her to be a part of this league not just once, but twice with teams in Portland and now Tacoma. Someone tell me what is the purpose of "minor league basketball?" that isn't named the NBDL? If you are good enough, and want to work your way up, there are two ways not named the NCAA
1) NBDL
2) European Leagues
If you can't cut it in one of those leagues, then give up the dream, get a real job, and move on with your life.

Thank you and goodbye,
Ian

Happy Monday-Thank God Cinco de Mayo is Over!

2006-05-08T11:22:00.000-07:00

Telfair vs. Nash vs. Isiah vs. Stockton.... Cinco de Drinko/Mayo Report below... but first something much more important:

ALS Dinner
Contrary to popular belief and what I am sure will be a topic of discussion on the show today, the biggest thing to happen to me this weekend wasn't the tour of stupidity and frat boy antics that I was able to "enjoy" during Friday's Cinco de Mayo celebration, instead it was the ALS Dinner and Auction that Suke, Dennis Glasgow and I attended on Saturday night. I hate to start on such a serious note today, but it has been awhile since I have been touched as much as Saturday night. This disease is devastating, and it is something that can come quickly-every 90 minutes someone is diagnosed with ALS, or Lou Gehrig's disease, a devastating neuromuscular condition for which there is no known cause or cure. We heard some inspirational stories of hope and courage, but the bottom line is when it strikes, it kills. There is no cure. Most of us think of Lou Gehrig standing in Yankee Stadium thanking the fans-what we don't see is how the illness affects families. We don't see the respirators, wheelchairs, and emotional and financial struggles that go along with this disease. Thanks to the entire group at the ALS Association of Oregon and SW Washington for letting us at The Fan be involved this year. For more information, check out
http://www.alsa-or.org/about.html
In the end, it was an inspiration. We spent some $$$ in the silent auction, had some nice wine, a good dinner, and now know a lot more about this devastating disease. You should learn more about it too. Check out the web site link above.

Nash vs. Stockton vs. Thomas and where does Telfair fit in?
It seems there isn't a sport that is more guilty of playing the COMPARISON GAME than basketball and the NBA. An athlete can't just sinply win an individual award or accomplish something without being compared to other greats at his position or in his sport. Is Kobe the next MJ? Is Lebron the next MJ? Lebron isn't as good as Kobe because he doesn't have the "killer instinct" that Kobe has (or is it had after not closing out the Suns up 3-1?). Who cares? They are all great players in their own right, and in their own different ways.
The latest case in point is Steve Nash. Second straight MVP-only point guard other than Magic to accomplish that feat. Keep in mind though, Magic won it three out of four years. But right away, the comparisons are being made in regards to Nash and Isiah Thomas and even to a lesser extent John Stockton.
I will be now guilty of playing the "comparison game" too and will try to prove how stupid these comparisons really are.
Thomas: came into the league at a different level than any of the others mentioned above. Isiah was an a great college player on a great team, the second overall pick in the draft and the MVP of the 1981 NCAA Tourney when Indiana won the national championship. Right away was a score-first point guard who averaged 17 ppg his first year, and more than 20 the next five years in a row. He averaged more than 10 assists a game only four times in his 13 years, and led the league in assists just one time in his career. But.... he was the MVP in the NBA Finals, a two-time NBA Champion, and three-time all NBA First Team selection.
Stockton: Similar size to Isiah, and two inches shorter than the 6'3 Nash. Came into the league as a mid-first round pick, not as much hype, and didn't make an immediate impact. Averaged less than 10 points and 10 assists a game his first three seasons, but then exploded in his fourth year averaging 14.7 ppg and 13.8 apg. That started a string of nine straight seasons when he led the NBA in assists, and 10 straight seasons averaging a double-double. Stockton never won an MVP award but was a two-time All NBA First Team selection and is the league's career leader in assists and steals.
Nash: the two-time MVP has averaged a double-double each of the last two seasons, but never before that while playing with Dirk in Dallas. Nash, like Stockton, didn't make an immediate impact averaging just 3.3 ppg and 2.1 apg his first season. He averaged less than 10 ppg and 10 apg in each of his first three seasons, and his best scoring season was this year at 18.8 per game. As for his team, he has never won an NBA Championship or even advanced past the conference finals into the NBA Finals. Thomas' Pistons won two titles and Stockton led the Jazz to the NBA Finals twice, losing to Jordan's Bulls both times.
Telfair: One of these things does not go together, one of these guys just doesn't belong.....yet. But lets compare the numbers from the first two years. I will take Thomas out because that isn't a fair fight!

Telfair Year One: 6.8 ppg, 3.3 apg
Telfair Year Two: 9.5 ppg, 3.6 apg

Stockton Year One: 5.6 ppg, 5.1 apg
Stockton Year Two: 7.7 ppg, 7.4 apg

Nash Year One: 3.3 ppg, 2.1 apg
Nash Year Two: 9.1 ppg, 3.4 apg

Look at the numbers in Nash's second year, and Telfair's. Scary similar. But.... here are some other numbers: Nash shot .459 from the field, and .415 from outside the arc. Telfair shot .394 and .352. Both averaged less than two turnovers per game. So can Telfair develop? Who knows? But the numbers tell us point guards can take three to four years to develop. One year from now, we may know if Telfair will be Nash/Stockton or will he be Eric Snow/Anthony Johnson.

Hot Seat and Cino de Mayo
Simply put, "The Seat" is the best place to be on May 5th. But as is the case in Vegas, what goes on at The Seat, stays at The Seat. Be there next year, or just be there for the NBA Draft Party we are hosting on June 28th!

Thank you and goodbye.
Ian

Wednesday's Wind Sprint-Bonzi, Raja and more...

2006-05-03T14:48:00.000-07:00

Another one hour show, some things we may or may not get to this afternoon:

Raja Bell vs. Kobe Bryant: Raja is a knucklehead-same guy who two years ago threatened to "beat up" Derek Anderson-when he actually had a beef with Ruben Patterson. My thoughts are simple:
*The NBA has suspended Artest and Posey for similar offenses against an opponent, which would say if they are being CONSISTENT he should be suspended. But the NBA isn’t consistent, because if it were, then Reggie Evans would have been suspended.
*You can’t worry about the fact it is potential close out game, it doesn’t matter.

Earl Woods-I always thought he was the ultimate "little league" syndrome parent, and maybe in a way he is, but there is no doubt that he had a relationship with his father that all of us could be envious of in terms of how close they were, and what they meant to each other.
I was also impressed by the fact he did two tours of duty in the Vietnam War, whether you agree with the war or not, he served this country in a way most of us can’t relate to, and in the process sacraficed his own potential professional career.

Jersey Sales: What does one guy mean to a franchise? In the case of Reggie Bush, a lot: There have been 15,000 orders for Bush’s Saints jersey, and we don’t even know if he can wear the number 5 yet. (Vince Young is close behind at 14,500 Titans jerseys).

Bonzi, Bonzi, Bonzi: Ok, he had another great game, statistically. But he missed a key free throw in the final seconds which would have made it a two point game, and the Kings were outscored by –9 when Wells was on the floor in the second half. In other words, he still can’t play defense. Death, Taxes, and Bonzi melting down-it will happen, count on it. Maybe not today, tomorrow, or even this playoff-but he will wear out his welcome in Sacramento. Memphis anyone? Remember when he made his debut in December of 2003 and they loved him? How did it end?

What a weekend in sports!

2006-05-01T12:21:00.000-07:00

We have a wind sprint one hour show today, a lot to get in, and so little time, but I will attempt to fill in the blanks here instead:

NFL Draft
How do we really know right now today that there were winners and losers? I spent the better portion of the two hours driving back from Eugene Saturday listening to Robert Smith and the other host sing the praises of the Arizona Cardinals who were THE WINNERS in Saturday's first three rounds. They had all but crowned the Cardinals the NFC West Champs, something we have heard for the last two years since former ESPN employee Dennis Green went there. How do we know that the Cardinals had such an incredible draft?
Check these numbers out, courtesy of my pal John Lund (WXYT in Detroit)
*17 mock drafts
*The only consensus pick was Reggie Bush #1 to Texans...all missed.
*On average the "expert" was 4 for 32 in right team / right player picks.
*On average the "expert" picked 26 of the 32 players picked in the first round regardless of team.
*Every mock had Winston Justice in first round. He went 39th to Philly in 2nd round. Jarrett Bell of USA Today and Don Banks of SI.com had him 8th to Buffalo.
*Every mock had Chad Jackson, WR Florida in the first round. He went to the Patriots in the 2nd round, pick 36th overall. Most had him going to Denver at # 15.
*Only 3 of the 17 "experts" did not have LenDale White going in the first round: Pat Kirwan NFL.com, Chris Colston USA Today and Matt Pitzer USA Today. Jim Corbett from USA Today had White going # 13 to the Ravens. White went #45 overall, 13th pick in round 2, to the Titans.
*The ESPN combo mock of John Clayton and Len Pasquarelli picked the most team and player picks correctly with 9. Rob Rang of NFL draftscout.com picked 8 correctly, Don Banks of SI.com and Nate Davis of USA Today picked 7 correctly.
*Frank Croyle of Dratfinsiders.com (Ha!) and Chris Colston of USA Today picked 1 player/team combos correctly. Croyle picked Nick Mangold to the Jets at #29. He was the only expert to go 0 for the first 10 picks. He went 0 for the first 28 picks. Colston picked Vernon Davis to the 49ers at #6 and missed 26 straight. Ourlads (D.Ferguson and K. Wimbley) and Jarrett Bell of USA Today (V. Young and V. Davis) guessed two picks correctly. Two other "experts" went 3 for 32.
*The draft God, Mel Kiper picked 5 correctly and had 26 of the 32 players in the first round in his mock.

Our Mock draft had 25 of the 32 picks from the first round, but only 2-3 correct (depending on how you judge the Ngata pick/trade.

NBA Playoffs
*Kobe Bryant averages 27 shots a game in the regular season. His shots are way down in the postseason, and yesterday he had just 14 field goal attempts, two fewer than Lamar Odom. But they won, and are up 3-1 in the series with the rest of the team more involved. Amazing. Is it Jackson's coaching or Kobe finally trusting his teamates. No matter, they are playing great. And one other thing that hasn't been discussed too much-Odom's abilty to switch and defend Steve Nash, which has taken the Suns out of their preferred offensive sets.
*Bonzi, Bonzi, Bonzi. He stepped up, has stepped up, and as a result his team is tied 2-2 with Spurs. But the question with Bonzi has always been "can he do it consistently?" I will believe it when I see it, but it can't be argued, he has been great. I just don't know if I would want Wells taking key shots with a series on the line in a Game 7 situation. Remember Blazers vs. Dallas Game 7 and his first half disappearing act? And if you are looking for the "real" Bonzi to show up, look at the free throw numbers: 60% which is just 2% better than he is shooting from the field. He will implode. It has to happen. It MUST HAPPEN!

Oregon Spring Game
There has been a lot of talk about the play of the two QBs in Saturday's Spring Game, but there are some things to remember.
1) The spring game is just one element of the spring drills. Different coaches put different amounts of emphasis on the game itself, and judging by Brady Leaf kicking and swearing at the turf after the late game safety, his frustration level indicated that he felt the heat of the game, was was very disappointed. It also showed when he left the field immediately after the game, while Dennis Dixon was on the field for about 45 minutes signing autographs. One guy was the unquestioned number 1, the other was just questioning himself.
2) Two new names to remember who could be making plays this fall: Matthew Harper and Jairus Byrd. Both are DBs who will probably see time in the nickel and dime, with Byrd expected to play behind Patrick Chung at the rover position. During the course of the scrimmage, I made multiple notes about Byrd's physical play-he stood out.
3) Bellotti was nothing short of pissed about the play of his receivers. Multiple dropped balls, guys not finishing routes, he stated that it was the most disappointing thing about the spring drills.

Updated Primetime's Mock NFL Draft Results

2006-04-27T09:48:00.000-07:00

The third annual Primetime NFL Mock Draft is in the books, and the results are in (below).
To recap, two years ago we had 18 of 32 correct, a score that was better than most of the "experts" mock drafts.
Last year, we were just 8 of 32, which of course was much worse than most of the experts. We thought that since Big Suke picked #1, and he went with Reggie Bush, that we would be back on track for a good showing. We were wrong.

1080 The Fan Mock Draft

1. Texas-Big Suke-Reggie Bush-RB-USC
(actual pick: Mario Williams)
2. New Oreleans-Doug Burris-D'Brickashaw Ferguson-T-Virginia
(actual pick: Reggie Bush)
3.Tennessee-Todd Anderson-Matt Leinart-QB-USC
(actual pick: Vince Young)
4. New York Jets-Jonathon Farley-Mario Williams-DE-NC State
(actual pick: D'Brickashaw Ferguson)
5. Green Bay-Chris Berg-Vernon Davis-TE-Maryland
(actual pick: AJ Hawk)
6. San Francisco-David Palmer-AJ Hawk-LB-Ohio State
(actual pick: Vernon Davis)
7. Oakland-Jeff Gallagher-Vincent Young-QB-Texas
(actual pick: Michael Huff)
8. Buffalo-Jesse Lehman-Broderick Bunkley-DT-Florida State
(actual pick: Donte Whitner)
9. Detroit-Jason Schmuck-Michael Huff-DB-Ohio State
(actual pick: Ernie Sims)
10. Arizona-Rick Minich-Jay Cutler-QB-Vanderbilt
(actual pick: Matt Leinart)
11. St. Louis Rams-Mark Gabrielson-Jimmy Williams-CB-Va Tech
(actual pick: Denver-Jay Cutler)
12. Cleveland Browns-Jeff Stover-Ernie Sims-OLB-FSU
(actual pick: Baltimore-Haloti Ngata)
13. Baltimore-Kevin Grant-Haloti Ngata-DT-Oregon
(actual pick: Cleveland-Kamerion Wimbley)
14. Philadelphia-Kerry Davis-Chad Jackson-WR-Florida
(actual pick:Brodrick Bunkley)
15. Denver-Paul Roshak-Leonard Pope-TE-Georgia
(actual pick: St. Louis-Tye Hill)
16. Miami-Lester Sparks-Manny Lawson-DE/LB-NC State
(actual pick-Jason Allen)
17.Minnesota-Matt McCally-Bobby Carpenter-LB-Ohio State
(actual pick: Chad Greenway)
18. Dallas-Scott Mahoney-Jason Allen-S-Tennessee
(actual pick: Bobby Carpenter)
19. San Diego-Al Critchett-Antonio Cromartie-CB-FSU
(actual pick: Cromartie)
20. Kansas City-Bob Hansen-Mathias Kiwanuka-DE-Boston College
(actual pick: Tama Hali)
21-New England-Chris Johnson-Deangelo Williams-RB-Memphis
(actual pick: Laurence Maroney)
22-San Franciso-Robert Roisum-Jonathon Joseph-CB-South Carolina
(actual pick: Manny Lawson)
23-Tampa Bay-Doug Coughlin-Ashton Youboty-CB-Ohio State
(actual pick: Davin Joseph)
24-Cincinnati-Paul Stricker-Kamerion Wimbley-DE-FSU
(actual pick: Jonathan Joseph)
25-New York Giants-Scott Meyer-Donte Whitner-S-Ohio State
(actual pick: Pittsburgh-Santonio Holmes)
26-Chicago-Jamie Olson-Dominique Byrd*-TE-USC (Suke picked Mercedes Lewis-TE-UCLA using his veto power)
(actual pick: Buffalo-John McCargo)
27-Carolina-Scott Johnson-Laurence Maroney-RB-Minnesota
(actual pick: Deangelo Williams)
28-Jacksonville-Ben Hitchcock-Darnell Bing-DB-USC* (DeMeco Ryans-OLB-Alabama *Vetoed by Suke)
(actual pick: Marcedes Lewis)
29-New York Jets-Kevin Olson-Nick Mangold-C-Ohio State
(actual pick: Mangold)
30-Indianapolis-Chris Simpson-LenDale White-RB-USC
(actual pick: Joseph Addai)
31-Seattle-Barry Organ-Tye Hill-CB-Clemson
(actual pick: Kelly Jennings)
32-Pittsburgh-Bill Lasseter-Richard Marshall-DB-Fresno State
(actual pick: Pittsburgh-Mathias Kiwanuka)

Wednesday's Bugs....Marquardo busted, McDonald's, and more...

2006-04-26T11:21:00.000-07:00

It is the weekly "What Bugs You Wednesday" starting at 4:25 on the show today, but I have a couple to start with before we talk white wide receivers and Canzano's column.

Bugs
1) McDonalds: This company ranks 109th in the Fortune 500, the profits are up more than 14% from last year, and yet Anna Svidersky's friends and family feel the financial need to hold fundraisers to raise money to help the family with funeral and other costs. Yes, McDonald's corporate office is matching the sales raised tomorrow at the restaurant where the 17 year old was murdered, but this comes after Burgerville and the community made the first moves. The FIRST move should have been McDonald's making a statement that the company would take care of ALL expenses involved with the funeral, burial and other items associated with this tradgedy for a family that came to this country from Russia. Maybe some of these events are theraputic for her loved ones, but money worries in the time of a crisis are never positive. Good for McDonald's making their donation tomorrow, but when a 17 year old employee of yours is killed, you should do more, and do it quicker. But I for one will enjoy my first Big Mac (or two) in months tomorrow since it will help the family.
2) Brett Favre: He is coming back. Fantastic. Lead story, breaking news, the NFL can now rest easy because the "gun slinger" is coming back. You can't dispute his career in terms of durability, all-time statistics, and what he meant to the Green Bay Packers. But that was then, what we have now is a quarterback who threw 12 more interceptions than any other qb last year, had a rating lower than Joey Harrington, Chris Simms, Michael Vick and Josh McCown, and yet everyone was on pins and needles waiting to hear his decision. The people who should be cheering are those who are fans of teams the Packers will be playing this year. Great career Brett, but know when to say when.

The White Receiver
Canzano's column in the Oregonian talked about Mike Hass and whether or not race plays a factor in where he will be drafted.
http://www.oregonlive.com/sports/oregonian/john_canzano/index.ssf?/base/sports/114602943914750.xml&coll=7
Canzano wrote about the question I asked Hass on the show yesterday during the Pac-10 Today (weekday's 4:00 on 1080 The Fan) when I questioned the former Beaver about a possible stereotype of the "white receiver" and is that hurting him. Hass, was politically correct but when pressed, he did agree with me that it was interesting that he is only compared to white receivers. One of those you hear comparisions too is St. Louis Ram Kevin Curtis. The ONLY thing they have in common is skin color. Curtis is a burner who had a hand-timed 40 of 4.21 and then ran 4.32 in his campus testing. I think we all will agree that straight ahead speed is not a strong point of Hass. The knock on Curtis coming into the league was he didn't get his hands up quick enough and sometimes dropped catchable balls. Again, not what you think of with Hass. The question I have is can you sterotype a person based on skin color, and not make it a racial issue? Probably not.

The race issue goes for other sports as well, and think of it this way. Who should LeBron James really be compared to? Michael Jordan? No. One is a natural two guard (MJ) the other is more of a point forward on the wing and perimeter who can distribute and handle the ball, as well as make his own shots. Larry Bird anyone? Yet you never hear Lebron compared to Bird, just Jordan. The same goes for Hass. Is he Kevin Curtis? No. Is he more like Bobby Engram? Probably.

We would all like to live in the ideal world where racism and sterotyping don't exist. But it does, and when you think about it, racism is probably a byproduct of what many consider to be a less harmful thing, stereotyping.

Truth or Marquardo?
That is the question Marc Amazon and I used to ask in a short-lived segment called Truth or Marquardo and also a question asked by the people in Hood River. Thanks to the obviously long-time listener who e-mailed me this story:
http://www.hoodrivernews.com/News%20stories/031_news_3.htm
So the guy who told the Oregon Legislature that he had the financing in place to fund a major league baseball stadium, and who we on our show and the Oregonian, Tribune and others proved to have falsified much of his information, is now under fire in Hood River as well. Nice.

Have a good one...
Thank you and goodbye,
Ian

Monday, Monday, Michael Michaels, and on and on.....

2006-04-24T12:05:00.000-07:00

Reggie Bush was just on ESPN News saying he is "absolutely 100 percent not concerned" about any wrongdoings with the house his parents had been living in. He also went on to say there is
"nothing to hide" and the truth will come out and show there was nothing wrong or illegal about the situation.

Ok, so we can hold off in engraving the Pac-10 Championship rings for the 2005 Oregon Ducks, at least for now.

Bring Back Trader Bob
So how about that Bob Whitsitt? More and more I am getting word from various sources around the NBA that Bob Whitsitt either has a group ready to go, or is real close, to make a serious bid to buy the Blazers and the Rose Garden. What would Blazer fans think of that situation? For one, the team may be one step closer to winning again.
Some things to keep in mind when you begin bashing "Trader Bob:"

1) 17 Years as GM/President in the NBA-his teams made the playoffs 16 times, and the other season the team was 41-41. Looks pretty good right now after 27 and 21 win seasons.
2) The team already had trouble before he got to Portland-remember Salt Lake City-rape allegations and the young girls?
3) Before he came to Portland, the Blazers already had the second highest payroll in the NBA. Since leaving, the new group of management has spent (some say wasted) huge dollars on Theo Ratliff, Darius Miles and Zach Randolph. In other words, Whitsitt isn't the only guy spending big money today or yesterday in the NBA. The current team is 12th in payroll, not too good for the worst team in the league on the floor.

Whitsitt told Sports Illustrated's Ian Thomsen earlier this year, in regards to trying to own an NBA team someday, "That's something I've always had a strong desire to do before my career is over. That would be the natural next step for me, and I think I could bring a lot to the table from an ownership level.
"Have I talked to people about that? Yes, I have. Would I be very open to something like that? Yes, I would.
"I know enough people that we could put something together at the right time. But it has to be the right team, the right sport and the finances have to make sense because of the economics of some of these teams and how much they lose."

The downside is the 20 or so legal issues the team had during his tenure. But wouldn't you trade a couple of legal woes for a trip back to the postseason?
Bring back Trader Bob I say!

Finally.....from the different strokes for different folks file: SI.com's Kelly Dwyer gives grades to the NBA's local television teams, and Mike Barrett and Mike Rice were in the bottom third of the league with a C+. Ok, his opinion, which I disagree with. But then when I saw he preferred Hot Rod Hundley over Craig Bolerjack, and gave Steve Jones an A, I realized this guy's opinion is really different than mine. He also gave some praise to Craig Ehlo. WHAT??!!!???! The thing about broadcasting is everyone's taste differs, but in the case of Barrett, I have said it before and will say it again-he is a real pro, his delivery is mellow and on an even keel (especially compared to Brian Wheeler) but a real easy listen. Rice is great. I listened to Ron Boone for years in Salt Lake, and I know what a bad commentator sounds like (by the way, Dwyer likes Boone-shocking!). Rice sees things you and I don't, he is well prepared, and both he and Rice do a good job overall. Are they schills for the team? YES! But they get paid by the team, so what do you expect. To read more, here you go...

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/writers/kelly_dwyer/04/11/announcers.grades3/index.html

Have a good day, thank you and goodbye!

Time of Death-9:23 PM!

2006-04-19T23:09:00.000-07:00

It is over, without much fight or fanfare, only a brief bit of excitement at the end of the game with the young Blazers still playing were making one hell of an effort to reward the fans still in the building with a free taco (they didn't succeed). Steve Nash had a triple double in about 30 minutes of playing time, and the Blazers clinched the worst record in the league in style-with another loss.

One media member standing in the hallway said it best-they could play 10 more games and still not win 22 games this season. Interesting since 22 was the number of wins the team had when Mo was fired last year. No, I am not saying I would rather see Mo coaching as opposed to Nate. But the number is interesting anyway.

Some final game final thoughts:

1) Why did Lenard play 20 minutes?
2) Why does the the Blazers game night promotions staff make every game seem like your kids elementary school talent show? More on that tomorrow. At least Blaze made his big "death" dunk.
3) I counted at least three signs begging the team to pick Adam Morrison. The guys who did so with the bags over their head were a nice touch.

If you missed Gavin Dawson's Fan Insider Postgame show, tune in Thursday between 3-6 to hear Darius Miles sound like a moron, again. Also, Theo Ratliff and Sebastian Telfair have their own comments about what went wrong.

We will also play the Nash and Nate news conference in it's entirety.

WHY YOU SHOULD LOVE NATE and.....Welcome back to the UPDATED Blog!

2006-04-18T13:38:00.000-07:00

I'll start with the random thought of the day....
Tuesday's Blow! I don't know why, but they do. Am I alone in that thought? It just seems that way, at least for me. Some say Monday's suck, or Wednesday "hump day" is the bad day of the week, but for me, it always seems to be Tuesday's. Wednesday you are closer to the weekend, Monday's you should be refreshed from the weekend, but Tuesday's just are BLAHH!!..... comments on this are welcome.

Now to the topics of the day.....

Why should Blazer fans be somewhat optimistic:
Two words: Nate McMillan. 1080 The Fan's Jason Swygard was at practice today, and notes that McMillan had his team running "suicide" sprints after practice. I love that. McMillan's hard ass attitude and the probable sale of the team should be reason for optimism, however slight.

What about J-Mac?
While the debate rages on in regards to Darius Miles, it should be noted that the other "half" of that trade isn't fairing so well either: check out what Jeff McInnis is up to...(note: not much!).
http://www.nypost.com/sports/nets/64631.htm

What could have been? Random Stat of the Day
I know this isn't totally fair, or even the most accurate way to judge, but I believe that the day Bonzi Wells was traded was the beginning of the "restructuring/rebuilding/downsizing/downgrading" of the Blazers as we knew them. How did we know them? A sketchy group of bad apples who despite all of their issues, won games and put butts in the seats. So here is where we are today:
Since December 3rd 2003 (bye bye Bonzi Day), the Blazers are 81-142 for a .363 winning percentage.

Finally... thanks to Oregon State Head Football Coach Mike Riley, SID Steve Fenk, and the rest of the crew in Corvallis.
In case you missed it, we did our show from 3-7 yesterday at the Valley Football Center during spring practice. What a treat it was for us, and hopefully the listeners, to have Riley come out of his way and spend 20 minutes with us at 3:00. Funny part of the story-people always wonder if he is really as nice as he seems. Yes. At one point he put his feet up on a chair, sat back and continued our conversation. Of course guys are more relaxed in the spring, but still...this is a Division One football coach who has to plan his days and practices to the second. We promised him a few weeks ago that we would do a show from Spring drills, and when we followed through, he made a point of not only doing the interview, but Riley also came by later to thank us again for coming down. I said on the show yesterday there was a different feel down there-and there was. They have a little swagger, an air of confidence, and rightly so. With five offensive linemen, a 1,380 yard rusher, one of the best tight ends in the country and a solid secondary all returning, the Beavs should be real good.

Thank you and goodbye....

Ian

Blazers-something to get excited about and "the philosophy" of Sports Radio

2006-04-12T10:36:00.000-07:00

As we get ready for a week filled with Mariners baseball on the Fan, I stumbled across an interesting tid bit regarding the battle to continue to be the flagship for a big time team on a sports radio station. While it is not the same situation as we have here, it does bring up some interesting points about being a sports radio station that also doubles as a flagship station for a team. More on that in a moment.

First, an interesting piece in yesterday's Portland Tribune from Kerry Eggers regarding the future of Blazer G.M. John Nash.
http://www.portlandtribune.com/archview.cgi?id=34722
Some things jump out from that story, and really the situation as a whole:

1) My how times have changed. One year ago this was the talk of the local media. I can remember during the final few regular season home games a group of us always gathered around Nash to ask about his future. That isn't happening this year. Why? I think all of us feel deep down that he will be gone before the start of the next season. Last year it was THE story. This year, it is a non-issue.

2) Why is the above true? Has Nash ever really been the GM? Not right now, and really in title only for about a year and a half. I like to give him credit and say yes when he first came here, when Steve Patterson was running the Rose Garden as the President of the OAC, and prior to Kevin Pritchard coming here. I believe that it was Nash who pulled off the deals for Bonzi, McInnis, and Sheed and I disagree with Kerry when he says Nash has traded Rasheed Wallace, Bonzi Wells and Ruben Patterson over the last two years, getting less than market value in return. He actually did a remarkable job of getting "chips" as he said in return for those three knuckleheads, but instead of turning around and getting something in return for Shareef Abdur-Rahim (and more than a late first round pick in the ill-fated New Jersey sign and trade), Damon's expiring contract and the Nick Van Exel non-guaranteed deal which was picked up later, those all walked with no compensation. Was that Nash's fault? Or was the directive from above coming from Vulcan to cut dollars at all costs-including the possibility of winning? I think the latter as opposed to the former. You can't blame Nash for doing what he was told. It appears, in his defense, that his hands have been tied.

3) Nate as a GM. He won't be. But he told us on our show ("Primetime with Ian and Big Suke," on KFXX 1080 The Fan 3-7 PM Weekdays) two weeks ago that he will have more say in personnel decisions and what direction the franchise is going in. If Nate squeezes into that decision making picture, there are now a lot of differing opinions including the "real" GM Steve Patterson, the probable new GM-at least in terms of title-Kevin Pritchard, and Nate. McMillan will want to win right away. He was very direct on our show talking about that (you can hear the long version of the interview on www.1080thefan.com on the Podcast section).

All I know is that while the final five games mean nothing, the first couple of weeks of the offseason could be telling with Nash's status-and then the NBA Draft Lottery on May 23rd. If Portland gets the first pick, they run the entire show. Packaging the pick with a current player (Darius, Theo or Zach) and picking up major value in return would seem to be the best way to get better sooner.

But whatever they do, the boring and worthless regular season will soon be over and a very compelling offseason will finally get us excited about the basketball activities of this team!

Sports Radio Independence vs. The Flagship
One of the most interesting things about our business is how many misconceptions there are. At the top of the list is the one that we are supposed to be objective. No. We are supposed to be giving you opinions. Since my background is grounded in five years working in a television newsroom at the ABC affiliate in Seattle, I do like to think of myself as a journalist who then takes what he knows and gives an opinion. Not everyone in our business subscribes to that theory, but it was what I strive for. But today, more and more teams are looking to get their hands around the neck of the stations that form the opinion of the sports media and fans-i.e. the stations themselves.
That is where the Boston Red Sox come in. Check out the middle part of this article.
http://thetrack.bostonherald.com/moreTrack/view.bg?articleid=134718&format=text
You need to know that WEEI is part of my station's company, Entercom. WEEI is also considered to be one of the best stations on the country, at least in terms of ratings and sales numbers. But how many of those sales and how much of the ratings success is based on the fact they have the Red Sox? Personally, I think a lot. They also have hosts who have equity in the market (something we haven't had here with five different PM Drive shows in five and a half years) and Boston is one of the best sports towns in the country. But now the Red Sox are looking to move their broadcasts from THE sports station to what effectively would be their own station. First, WEEI will take a hit. That is guranteed. But more importantly is the whole philosophy behind being a flagship and not being a flagship.

I have worked on both sides, and there is something to be said about both. But I believe the independence you have without the station controlling content is beneficial to the fan. Here in Portland, KXL and it's staff can't afford to criticize the hand that feeds it. That isn't a shot at the folks at 750, it is a fact. There is a reason the Red Sox want to have their own station, the Dallas Cowboys partnered up with The Ticket in Dallas, and other teams want to be on the all-sports station or just their own station. That reason is simple-controlling content!

Truth be told, part of me would love it if PA sold the team and we got the radio rights to the team-but there is another part that knows from working at the flagship for the Utah Jazz being a "part" of the team means not being entirely honest with your audience and having the freedom to express your opinion. I like the independence, and hopefully the sports fan here does to. One thing you won't hear on our independent station is "Telfair's shot is looking more and more like Ray Allen's" as I heard from one Blazer broadcaster last week. There is such a thing as trying to "sell" the team and there is such a thing as saying something that takes away any and all credibility and makes you a complete schill for the organization.

Have a good week-we'll talk on Friday for an hour (3-4) from the Beer Festival!

Thank you and goodbye,
Ian

Six to go... Now is the time to follow Darius and just quit!

2006-04-09T20:48:00.000-07:00

That should be the theme for this team the remaining six games. Why win? You have already avoided the long 20 game end of the season losing streak, so you have saved face in that regard. Darius basically quit on this organization and community the second he and Maurice Cheeks had their tiff, so now is the time to follow the example set by one of your "best" players. Roll over, play dead, and pack it in for the remaining six games. I know it is the age-old cliche in this league that is often debated, but really, there is no debate. So why lose? Well, for one you are really good at it. That has been proven. But more importantly, it actually means something to lose out.

Here is what I mean.

Probability of Draft Pick based on finish (based on 2005 NBA Draft):
Last Place overall- 25.00% of getting the #1 pick, 21.46% chance of getting the #2 pick, and 17.74% of getting the third overall pick.
Second to last overall-17.8% for the #1 pick, 17.3% for #2, and 16.4% for #3.
Third worst record-17.27% for the #1 pick.

Now the bad news which shoots this theory of play to lose down: The last place team overall has the best chance to land the #4 pick (35.8%).

So why play to win? As an organization you made the choice last year to throw away the final 27 games in the name of "looking under the hood" and evaluating. Why waste the final six games by NOT having Telfair, Jack, and Webster play a ton of minutes? If you lose, who cares? This has basically been the Las Vegas Summer League for a good chunk of the season, your big men have pretty much packed it in with their variety of ailments and bumps and bruises, so lets make if official.

Oh, there is one reason why not. Denver can clinch the NW Division title with a win tomorrow. Why is that a big deal? The guys clinching it for Denver would include Ruben Patterson, former assistant coach Tim Grgurich, and former player Assistant GM Mark Warkentien. Not sure if Warkentien will be here to celebrate, but you have to feel like Ruben and Grgurich would love nothing more than to have the opportunity to win a division title here in Portland.

Monday, Monday.....

2006-04-03T15:54:00.000-07:00

How bad will it get? That is the question for the Blazers. One media friend in Seattle said after watching the debacle last night that he "hadn't seen a NBA team in this much trouble since Isiah ran the Raptors." My only thought is-what about the Knicks with Isiah in charge? I guess it could get worse!

As you get ready for the NCAA title game tonight, here is something to look forward to:

Stop the Madness!
From the Sports Business Daily.....In a front-page piece in the N.Y. TIMES, Corey Kilgannon wrote ESPN “has declared dominoes the next big spectator sport and is promoting it as both a colorful cultural touchstone and a highly competitive game.” ESPN Deportes shows hour-long domino shows on Tuesdays at 10:00pm ET, with a similar show planned for ESPN2 starting in June. ESPN Deportes GM Lino Garcia: “We think it will be the next cool thing” (N.Y. TIMES, 4/2). Also in N.Y., Julie Bick reported ESPN has signed a deal to produce a televised celebrity chess tournament this spring featuring Woody Harrelson, Wesley Snipes and others.

Congrats to P-1 listener Bill who is number on in our Cingular Fan Frenzy at www.1080thefan.com and also is #2 in the national competition too! He has UCLA tonight so go Bruins and hopefully the local guy does good against the rest of the country!

Thank you and goodbye,
Ian

My worst fears realized, and Harold warns against turning over "the rock"

2006-03-30T13:26:00.000-08:00

Some breaking news from the NBA Office in New York:

NBA STATEMENT REGARDING THE PORTLAND ARENA SITUATION

NEW YORK, March 30, 2006 – NBA Commissioner David Stern released the following statement today:

"Over the past six weeks the NBA has attempted to broker an agreement between the Trail Blazers and the owners of the Rose Garden to sell the team and the arena to one of several prospective purchasers that we had identified. Unfortunately, the arena owners have not offered any constructive response to these efforts and recently advised us that they are satisfied with the status quo. Accordingly, we have advised both parties that we have withdrawn from the process."

What does this all mean? To be honest, I don't know. The Blazers are not involved in the commenting process, since all of this is done through Vulcan, and as such they couldn't comment on this release from the NBA. But this is interesting, because it COULD mean, not that it does, but it COULD mean one of two things:
1) The owners of the building like the fact they have a tenant paying a large chunk of change for it's lease, a lease they can't get out of, and that money will continue to flow in.
2) The owners of the building don't want to sell the arena to a new NBA owner who would come in and run the building and the team because they would rather sell it themselves outside of the NBA, to someone who would buy the arena AND an NHL team.

In a situation that has made NO sense, that seems to, but really, what makes sense? Nothing with this situation. One thing that it does do, is probably put Paul Allen one step closer to declaring the team for bankruptcy, which may open a whole new set of issues and uncertainties...

I am going to try to resist posting "The Henchman's" e-mail yesterday where the word evil was used, although it could still come at a later date. How about a change of pace, some actual Blazer on the court talk!

The Nightmare that came true
Last night's loss sent the Blazers to a 4-24 record since the "big" win in Seattle where the team rallied behind their coach and played a truly inspired game. That win came January 30th, and it hasn't gone well since. During the current losing streak, 7 of the 9 games have been by 10 points or more. To take it a step further, 11 of 13 losses and 15 of 21 have been by double digits. In other words, the exact thing I debated with many at the station and on the air is happening: This team is not competetive. Nate said as much to us in the interview Tuesday, and reiterated it again last night by saying "for us to win, Zach has to play a great game." He didn't, they didn't, and the losses continue. Aren't you glad I talked actual hoops instead of The Henchman?

Harold says it best
ESPN Baseball Analyst Harold Reynolds, moments ago via the phone on ESPN News, said "the rock they (baseball's investigators) are going to overturn will show some things you won't want to see" and "you (fans and media) will look at the game a lot different" than you have before. This is a dire prediction from an ex--player, not too far removed from the clubhouse, who is effectively saying I know far more players did steroids and performance enhancing drugs than Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire, and do you really want to know the names of those other players?

That to me is the big question, not do you care about performance enhancing drugs in baseball, but for the average fan: DO YOU REALLY WANT TO KNOW WHO IS USING AND HAS USED THESE DRUGS?

Suke and I will talk about it on Primetime, 3-7 today on 1080 The Fan

The Spin Doctors are at it again......

2006-03-29T10:50:00.000-08:00

I have been told by two people, including one person inside the Rose Garden and one media member who was at the interview session, that the Paul Allen interview posted on Blazers.com has been edited to take out some of the more pointed questions. I have not had a chance to listen yet, and won't for a couple of hours until early afternoon, so I will withold judgement until I listen. But...... well, lets wait and see.

Bigger news was Nate McMillan on the show yesterday. He told us point blank that he will be back next season. Listen to the entire interview on www.1080thefan.com and when you do, I think you will be able to tell that if he has any say, this upcoming offseason will be filled with player movement.

More later on the Spinning at One Center Court. I think "The Henchman" as Canzano calls him may be up to his old bag of tricks!

The return of Denny Crane! Or Paul Allen-I can't tell the difference

2006-03-26T21:38:00.000-08:00

Some updated numbers from the NCAA Tourney down below. Amazing how despite the fact that we hype "March Madness" all the time, it really isn't all that crazy in terms of upsets and low seeded teams actually playing for a title, until this year. More on that below...

But first... "our" team here in Portland:

The Blazers were shooting below 20% after one quarter, and about 25% through three quarters on the way to getting blown out at home again. Don't let the 34 point fourth quarter fool you, they were horrible again tonight, outside of the inspired second half play of Travis Outlaw, last seen diving for a ball with just seconds to go in the fourth (which drew Nate off the bench who applauded the effort). Matell Webster and Jarrett Jack also seemed to give it their best, but that wasn't the story tonight.

The real story is Paul Allen returned to the Rose Garden.

Multiple Blazer employees stated that it was the buzz of the building and they were suprised to hear prior to the game he was coming back. No one expected to see him sitting in his baseline seats for the remainder of the season, but back he was Sunday night.

But the real fun began outside the Blazer locker room when a half dozen or so media members, me included, had a chance to finally speak to the owner of this team who, in case you haven't heard, needs "a better lease" and is working with "a broken financial model."

The following is a little taste of the conversation. The answers are not direct and complete quotes, check the Trib and Oregonian for more specific quotes, but I believe all of the questions that were answered came from Kerry Eggers (Portland Tribune), Dwight Jaynes (Portland Tribune), Jason Quick (Oregonian) and (third person here) Ian Furness (1080 The Fan).

Q: (J. Quick) Do you see yourself owning the team next year?
A: That is uncertain/undecided.

Q (mine, so obviously a solid question): Is there a any possibility the team could be moved or relocate at some point?
A: Everything is a possibility, but as I have said before, I think that would be real sad for the people here, but the reality is the financial model is broken, it is maybe the worst lease and financial model in sports, but I really don't know (if the team can or would move).

Q: from Dwight Jaynes.... "but Paul, you signed the lease, why don't you know?
A: Ahh..... There are three sides here, it isn't just us or me, and uh... (the following is the exact quotes, but it went something like this...... "bad lease, bad lease, and uhhh, bad lease.. broken financial model, broken financial model...." (*then Steve Patterson says something under his breath-which he did consistently when most questions were asked during the interview-Dwight to his credit says "Steve I am asking Paul" and Patterson replies with the statement "it is a free country" when Dwight asks to hear what Allen has to say. Solid, entertaining stuff, and a reason I have a ton of respect for Dwight Jaynes-the way he handled the situation was that of a true pro. The way the other guy handled it was immature and petty.)

Q: (again, from Ian Furness, 1080 The FAN): Is the only way to fix the situation with a new lease?
A: I don't know, but whoever owns the team has to have a better lease situation. The financial model is broken. (really? But do you need a better lease and is the financial model broken?).

There is more, but you get the idea. Much like the characted that William Shatner plays in Boston Legal-Denny Crane-anytime Denny gets lost, he fires off a strong "Denny Crane." Whenever Paul Allen is at a loss, he just fires off the standard "Bad lease, broken financial model" and then moves on.

So where to go from here? That was asked as well. Allen tried to throw the Bondholders/Noteholders under the bus by saying "have you guys heard from them?" but the reality is he took that group to bankruptcy court, which cost them millions of dollars, the lease was signed by Paul Allen, and really, why WOULD they have anything to say? They own the building, the lease doesn't allow the team to move, so what are they supposed to say or do? Maybe come back and say "Hey Paul, you tried to re-work your deal by taking us to court, and it cost us a ton of money, but yeah, what the heck, lets give you a better deal." Ahh.... NO!

More on this situation on Primetime Monday 3-7.

It truly is March Madness this year
For those of you who like a little "juice" with your games...
*All four underdogs in the Elite Eight won their games outright.*Since the NCAA Tournament began seeding teams in 1979, this will be only the second time none of the four No. 1 seeds reached the Final Four.
*This year's Final Four seeds are 2nd (UCLA), 3rd (Florida), 4th (LSU) and 11th (George Mason). The other time there wasn’t a number one seed in the Final Four was in 1980- the Final Four seeds that year were 2nd, 5th, 6th and 8th.
*Through the elite eight, higher seeds are 30-20 outright and 27-30-3 against the Las Vegas point spread. Las Vegas favorites are 43-18 outright and 27-31-3 against the spread (including the play-in game).
*What does all of this mean? Simple: the guy who is winning your office pool probably doesn’t know the difference between Lamar Butler and Mitchell Butler, or a Big Daddy or Big Baby.
What does the regular season in college basketball really mean?
*Apparently, not much, as the Big East with two number one seeds, and a record eight bids, is out.
*The Big Ten couldn’t get a team past the second round.
*And if the voters had their way, and the tourney invites were based on the Top 25, George Mason wouldn’t be there.
*Even more mind boggling is the fact that of the 31 head coaches in Division One basketball who vote in the Top 25, not one voted for George Mason in the Top 25. The same is true for the AP Poll-in fact some teams who did get Top 25 votes include: Montana, Cincinnati (NIT), Missouri State and Winthrop.

Friday.... bad day to be in the WCC, or my buddy Colin!

2006-03-24T16:30:00.000-08:00

While Gonzaga fans lament the loss to UCLA last night, at least they got there. That must be the feeling from The Bluff where University of Portland Michael Holton was fired today. Technically, he "departed." Here is the release:

PORTLAND, Ore. -- The University of Portland announced Friday the
departure of head men's basketball coach Michael Holton.
University athletics director Larry Williams said that he had expressed
to Holton the University's gratitude for the leadership that Holton
brought to the team during the past five seasons.
"Coach Holton is a man of great character and integrity and it has been
my pleasure to work with him," Williams said. "He is an extremely
talented human being and it is hard for me to see him go. We all offer
him our sincere best wishes for the future."
Holton's record at the University was 54-91 in five seasons, including
20-50 in the West Coast Conference.

We had Larry Williams on today. I have a tremendous amount of respect for him, and part of me loves the fact that the school wants to get better. But this has to be one of the worst jobs in the WCC. It is a small conference, with small private schools, that mostly play in gymnasiums as opposed to real arenas, one team dominates, and you are number three in your own state, and really, probably fifth in your main recruiting area of Oregon and SW Washington. It is a tough job. My point-what do you expect? Admission standards are tough, the JC route doesn't really fit into what the administration wants, and if Pepperdine can't win consistently while recruiting kids to go to school in Malibu, how do you expect a coach in Portland to bring kids to the rain?

Women's soccer wins, is great, and has tradition. But that came from a great soccer coach and legend in Clive Charles, in a city where soccer is very popular. It is different in basketball, for whatever reason.

I am not objective because I like Michael. I think he did OK, but after our interview with Larry Williams I was told by someone close to Holton that he had a 100% graduation rate. If that is true, now was not the time to fire one of our class acts in this city.

Colin isn't popular in the blogger world, but more importantly Michael Wilbon is a hypocrite:
First, Colin Cowherd is the most talented person I have ever met in this business. You can decide what side to take in the battle of the bloggers vs. Colin. But Check this out from the Burnt Orange Nation.
http://www.burntorangenation.com/story/2006/3/24/04442/2142

I love that Wilbon goes after Sports Radio. Yeah we are negative, cynical, and outright intolerable at times. But we are also used to being beaten down by the "traditional" sports media. Actually, it is mostly just the print media who go down this road. Most of the time, it is the print guy who doesn't do anything else except write because he doesn't have the talent, voice or abilty to go on television or radio. But of course Wilbon does much more. Specifically he does "radio on tv" with the PTI show. Without sports radio, shows like that would never have been developed for television. The PTI show IS sports radio-it just happens to be on television.

Have a great weekend, thank you and goodbye.
Ian

Thursday March 23rd

2006-03-23T14:21:00.000-08:00

First, and most important, thanks to the folks at The March of Dimes. For the third year, I was honored to be their MC for the annual luncheon to kickoff the Walk America fundraiser. One in 10 kids is born premature. For more info, contact www.walkamerica.org

Colin's battle vs. Michigan Bloggers.
Here is what the e-mail we received was referring to: www.michiganzone.blogspot.com

Short show today, if you missed it yesterday, we debated whether or not Gonzaga, and even Washington, are "elite" teams in college basketball. Whatever side of the fence you are on, I think in the end, the question is "Why does it matter?"

One word: RECRUITING.

If you are that "elite" team, then you are able to at least get a second look, or even have the phone answered, by the top recruits in the country. According to recruiting web site Rivals.com, the top recruiting classes for the early signing period are:

1. North Carolina
2. Ohio State -
3. Connecticut -
4. Oklahoma -
5. Texas -
6. Louisville -
7. Georgia Tech-
8. Washington -
9. Stanford -
10. Georgetown -
11. Kentucky -

Duke is 13, and suprisingly, UCLA is not in the top 25. Of course it is a partial list, and features the early signees, but no sign of Gonzaga. Their top recruit, Matt Bouldin, is #45 in the country.

Finally, I thought this guy was a moron last year when I hosted the Clark County Cougar Club fundraiser, and I may have been right: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/sports/2002883250_marbut23.html

2006-03-20T23:15:00.000-08:00

Ok, I am bad about the updates. To be honest, it needs to be a priority, it isn't compared to other tasks of the day such as preparing for a four hour show, and even though the blog can be a part of the process to prepare for a show, it isn't always possible. I do appreciate those who check it out, especially in conjunction with listening to the show, and like anything else, it will get better.... so enough! As the midnight hour approaches, some thoughts:

Back from The Rose Garden-Obvious statement of the night: Darius must go....
The only numbers you need to know 25-8. That is the run at one point in the fourth quarter the Blazers made without Darius Miles in the lineup. I was wrong. I didn't think you could be a "better" basketball team without a player who was at one time your leading scorer and really is your most talented player. That isn't true. Nate McMillan said it best tonight when he stated "There is too much drama" here with this team. In other words, Darius is a puss-a complete distraction, and is tearing this team apart. Without him tonight, they made a run, pulled to within one, and had a chance to actually win. Shockingly, missed free throws (2 by Zach), a couple of non-calls by the "Heat Miser" himself Jess Kersey, and the Blazers lose again.

But really.... what does it really mean?
We had our "Fan Reporter for a Night" Dominic at the game with us tonight, and he made a great point while we waited for 20 minutes until Nate was ready to address the media. He said, as we all bitched and complained about having to wait about 10 minutes longer than the league requires, that "the media is really synical." We are, he is right. But why? Truth be told, we as a collective group are tired of this same old routine. Blazers lose when key players have zero to no effort, coach gets mad, coach has no consistent rotation because he is a) still evaluating or b) not sure what kind of effort he will get from his key players.
The problem?
THIS IS EXACTLY THE SAME SITUATION AS ONE YEAR AGO. Nothing has changed except a few players and the coach. The Kevin Pritchard era was to evaluate and "look under the hood" of the car as he stated. What the hell did he see? What was actually accomplished in that 5-22 stretch? Nothing. Most of us see a dysfunctional team that is no better off today than one year ago, and the evaluation process continues. Evaluation is code for "we are trying to buy more time." The time is now for the owner to sell, the management to leave with him (I like Nash and Pritchard but they are PA guys), and the only piece of the basketball operations staff that should be left standing is the only valuable piece in this organization and that is the Head Coach.

More coming Tuesday afternoon on March Madness (Buddy Jay is right- we all suck at picking the brackets), Hutch leaves the Hawks, and a different look at the dunks in women's basketball.

Thank you and goodbye.

Monday, Monday......

2006-03-13T13:09:00.000-08:00

Fun week ahead-March Madness is here, the NFL free agency period is in full swing, and maybe we are one day closer to Paul Allen becoming the former owner of the Blazers. More on the latest Blazer/Vulcan PR mess below.
But first, make sure you sign up for our Cingular 1080 The Fan Fan Frenzy-free of charge, and you can win some great prizes. It is easy and you can do it in conjunction with your office pool brakets. Check it out: www.1080thefan.com

March Madness and the Day the East Coast Bias Died!
Once again, there is no perfect system in college athletics. Anti-BCS fans always point to the NCAA Basketball Tourney and say that is the way to do it. Well, ask Cincinnati, Maryland, Florida State, Missouri State and Maryland among others how well the system works. Personally, as a West Coast guy, the fact the major division 1-A conferences (i.e. I don't count the 1-AA types such as the Big Sky, WCC, and Big West) West of the Mississippi got multiple bids was a great day. Did Air Force deserve to get in over Maryland? Gary Williams thinks not, but the committee did so the Falcons are in. Two years ago Utah State was ranked 25th in the AP Top 25 but got upset in it's conference tourney and was not invited. This year, they lose to Nevada in the WAC title game, and still get in. Good for the Aggies. Tough SH&% Cincy! At some point, even though the Big East is the greatest conference ever known to man, you can't take the bottom feeders from that conference. Win more games and you get in. Cincy lost in the first round of the Big East tourney. Stop Syracuse from starting it's roll and you are in. Instead, the NIT is calling. Enjoy. If Utah State missed out from the WAC, or Arizona or Cal from the Pac-10 didn't get in, would the East-Coast based media be calling out the committee? Probably not.

A Conversation???? Who did PA speak to and what was this all about?
I have been trying to wrap my arms the "Conversation with Paul Allen" from Friday night since, well Friday night. In case you missed it, and many did since he put out a statement or as Vulcan called it "A Conversation with Paul Allen," on FRIDAY NIGHT via Blazers.com, in effect, the Blazers owner called out the noteholders and ownership group, many of them by company name, and in effect was groveling to the public to side with him in his battle to get a better lease. How did it work? Not well.
Once again, the Deathstar known as Vulcan was involved in a PR blunder. If you really wanted to get your message out, then do it via a news conference, with cameras and tape recorders rolling. State your case to the people who have supported the team in the past, present and who will continue to do so in the future. But instead of doing that, Paul Allen and Vulcan hid behind the keyboard and computer screen. Nameless, faceless, and once again lacking in accountability. The noteholders of the Rose Garden have been taken to court and spent far too much money to work with Vulcan and Allen to create a new lease agreement. The city of Portland, as much as I would like to blame them, can’t take responsibility for this mess. There is now, and really has been only one solution: HE MUST SELL THE TEAM.
Of course this only works if a new owner also has the opportunity to also buy the building or get a better deal in place as the main tenant. It is my understanding that both of the above would be possible, but only for someone not named Paul Allen.
Would it be a good investment? Sure. As one Blazer executive told me last night, "you can’t kill the brand." In other words, despite everything, there was a great crowd last night and at least for two and a half hours, they fell in love with the team again. There was no reason to go unless you were a Phoenix Suns’ fan, and unlike games against the Lakers, Cavs and Heat, the majority of the crowd last night was cheering for the home team. It is a true testament to the quality of the Blazer fans. Everyone says they have "the best fans in the league" but last night proved to me that they are as good as it gets here in Portland.
The franchise has broken the hearts of the fans in this community many times on and off the floor, but never more so than lately with the hidden agendas and veiled threats of bankruptcy, a move or folding the franchise. Despite all of that, this community still loves it’s only major league sports franchise. Paul Allen and his nameless, faceless empty suits at Vulcan have tried to kill that love affair, but it won’t die. Now is the time for Paul Allen to be a real man-step up to the podium, answer the tough questions from the local media here (as opposed to a scripted web site release), take responsibility for a bad lease, and if you can’t make it work, realize that it is time to do the right thing and get out.

Back to a computer..... then back to Eugene.

2006-03-10T11:40:00.000-08:00

Been gone all week, back in town for a day, then to Eugene, back at 2:00 AM, then back down to Eugene today. Thus, no updates until now.
Some general thoughts.....

The NO SH&% Comment of the week-Spring Training is awesome: But.... If you haven't ever been, and you are even a casual baseball fan, GO! The mindset down there is so relaxed, the weather is perfect for this time of the year when we are all in that depression that comes with a long winter, and the tickets and concessions are all affordable. We didn't have a chance to play any golf, but maybe next year.....

HS Playoffs and PXP: I am amazed at the feedback we get from doing high school sports on our station. I don't know if it is a reflection on the small-town attitude that exists here (Not a bad thing) or the community pride many feel for their local schools, but people really seem to appreciate the fact we did a bunch of HS Football games this fall and now the 4A tourney. That makes the long trips to Eugene worthwhile. I hope everyone enjoys the games tonight as well. For me, it has been fun to do some actual play by play again. I did mostly hockey, but also some college and high school football and basketball along with a lot of AAA and single-A baseball during a 10 year period, but since I started working here in Portland, I haven't been doing much at all outside of the Nike and ESPN commericals which are obviously scripted. So it was fun to do some football this year with Suke, and I had a blast doing the games yesterday. My broadcasting background was entirely play by play and anchoring updates before I evolved into a talk show host in 1998, so it has been refershing to get back into the play by play mode if only briefly. A couple of other thoughts:
1) No I am not a Lake Oswego "homer" but I do appreciate watching top level players-and Kevin Love is just that. I wasn't impressed last year when he appeared to be out of shape coming back from the knee injury. This year... wow!
2) I get excited for great plays. Radio play by play is so different than television. Paint a picture as opposed to commenting on the pictures. Three pointers in high school hoops are always big, thus the excitement.
3) South Medford's Kyle Singler is a complete ass on the floor-in an Adam Morrison kind of way. He plays hard, gets in your face, and is scary good too. He is high school's version of the anti-Darius Miles.

OSU and Oregon help raise standards at WSU:
I think all of us WSU fans should thank Oregon AD Phil Knight, Assistant AD Bill Moos, and OSU AD Bob DeCarolis for helping the Cougs get their stadium improvements rolling.
Bill Doba told hundreds of fans in attendance at the Night With Cougar Football celebration at Emerald Downs near Seattle on Feb. 17 that an improved stadium is vital if WSU is going to continue to recruit successfully. He talked about the competitive edge Oregon and Oregon State have as the result of their improved football facilities.
“You walk into that Oregon State stadium and you look up at that one side and you think you’re in the Seahawks’ stadium,’’ Doba said. “It is beautiful.’’
A renovated Martin Stadium “will help us in recruiting,’’ he added. “And it also tells the parents that this university is willing to make a commitment to athletics."The total cost of the four-phase project has been estimated at $73 million. Phase One of the renovation is scheduled to begin following the 2006 football season.

More this weekend....
Thank you and goodbye,
Ian

Quote of the week....

2006-03-03T11:53:00.000-08:00

Philadelphia Flyers tough guy Donald Brashear following last night's game with the New York Rangers, in describing the "new" NHL...

"This game is gay now," he observed. "You can't even do anything anymore. ... They changed the game to favor the superstars. You can't do anything anymore to set some respect out there."

THAT is why we love hockey. It was a politically incorrect, insensitive remark that is wrong on a lot of accounts, but he spoke from the heart. That is why hockey players are fantastic. Not "we have to take it a game at a time" or "we can't look ahead." Instead, he is pissed, frustrated, and lets us all know about it. Again, wrong-yes, but at least he was honest. Plus, he was going after a player (Darius Kasparaitis) who injured one of Brashear's teammates during the Olympics. Hockey's eye for an eye code is one of the best things about the sport. It brings accountability and passion to the game, two things missing from a number of other sports.

Have a great weekend.

One year ago today....

2006-03-02T10:16:00.000-08:00

Mo was fired.
Simple as that. Or as the release said "The Portland Trail Blazers have 'relieved' Maurice Cheeks of his coaching duties."
Such a nice, gentle way to put it.
One other comment jumps out from that official news release one year ago. This from John Nash:
"We made this change in order to evaluate the entire roster and to put the franchise in the best position as we head towards the draft and free agency."

One year later, the franchise has a .285 winning percentage since the move was made. The evaluation process brought us Steve Blake, Juan Dixon and Charles Smith through free agency. We saw Sebastian Telfair could be effective when Kevin Pritchard was the team's coach as he averaged 11.1 ppg, 6.6 apg in 34 mpg. This season, in 28 starts, the team's "point guard of the future" is has very similar numbers: 10 ppg, 4 apg, in 29 mpg. Funny thing is, the impression I have, and judging by the numbers maybe a wrong impression, is that Telfair isn't effective under Nate. But one thing we have found out about McMillan-the box score isn't what he looks at to evaluate. Telfair's poor defensive play and inability to make his teammates better probably lead to the conclusion that he hasn't really improved in the past 12 months.

Wednesday March 1st

2006-03-01T12:51:00.000-08:00

This time of year sucks-we are a month away from baseball that matters, March Madness doesn't actually begin until the third week of March (at least for this part of the country where conference tourneys don't matter), the NBA Playoffs are a month and a half away and Spring football is also about a month away. So..... what do we do for fun? Well, we could place a wager one something that normally we wouldn't care about. That is what makes sports fun ALL year long. Check out the following:

According to the 2006 Office Betting Pools Survey by career publisher Vault Inc., 67% of employees admit to taking part in office betting pools, up from 61% last year, as reported by BUSINESS WIRE.
The Super Bowl and the NFL regular season remain the most popular events for workplace pools, with 65% and 61% of employees who actively take part in office betting pools participating. Other popular pools? March Madness (57%); pregnancy pools (19%); the Oscars (13%); and reality shows (12%).
Some of the more unusual or creative pools named: a bet on when an underperforming employee will be fired; when the first day of snow will occur; and the morbid celebrity death pool, wherein participants pick the next likely celebrities to pass.
Productivity is generally not suffering because of betting pools, as most employees, 73.5%, spend only 5-10 minutes at the office making their picks and save further research to do at home. A majority of respondents, 80.5%, said that people do not take the possible illegality of pools seriously at all, and most offices (86%) do not have any company policy against betting pools that survey respondents are aware of.
Vault's 2006 Office Betting Pools Survey was conducted in mid-February and is comprised of 328 responses from employees across the U.S.
CBS Sports' decision to offer free online viewing of the men's National Collegiate Athletic Association's college basketball championships
Outplacement consulting firm Challenger, Gray and Christmas estimates that every 13.5 minutes March Madness fans spend on the Internet watching games costs employers $237 million in lost wages. Over the tournament's 16 days, the cost could reach $3.8 billion. The drop in productivity actually begins March 13, the day after the NCAA selection committee announces the tournament's 65 teams.

Monday, Monday....

2006-02-27T14:55:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the all-caps---in a rush this afternoon....
It is all about The Death Star-Vulcan and the Blazers
first check out David Stern's thoughts via Kerry Eggers and the Portland Tribune--web only! www.portlandtribune.com

Ok here is where we are:

*we have all had a weekend to sit back and try to digest what is going on with our only major league sports franchise, and here is what I came up with:
We still don’t know what the teams wants.
Vulcan, the Death Star parent company of the teamthat brought you the massive layoffs three years ago, has done an incredible job of pushing a further wedge between the community that has overall supported the franchise without fail since 1970 at a time when the team has never been in a worse situation on the floor.
There is absolutely no accountability from Vulcan-they are unwilling and unavailable to answer questions and actually EXPLAIN to the ticket buying public what it is they need. It also proves that Vulcan doesn’t subscribe to the same 25 point pledge which the franchise un-veiled a couple of years ago.
You as a fan are still being asked to spend big money to support an inferior product while not really knowing what the future holds for your team that you have supported for all of these years.
*It is insulting to the fans, a true slap in the face, that some empty suit executive from Vulcan throws out some vague threats about the future of the franchise, then goes back and hides in the Death Star.
**If it is all about private-public partnership, then what is "the silver bullet" that you actually need from the community. Tell us. Full disclosure. Don’t hide behind the city council doors.
HOW IMPORTANT IS THIS TEAM TO THE COMMUNITY? WHAT KIND OF LOSS WOULD IT BE IF THE TEAM LEFT?
I THINK IT WOULD BE SIGNIFICANT-INTANGIBLES WOULD BE THE IDENTITY OF THE CITY, THE COMMUNITY PRIDE YOUR ONE MAJOR LEAGUE FRANCHISE CAN BRING (DOESN’T NOW BUT CAN),
THE TANGIBLE: 127 MILLION IN TAXES AND OTHER DIRECT REVENUE SINCE 1971, 2 BILLION IN DIRECT SPENDING AND 3.9 BILLION IN INDIRECT SPENDING THROUGHOUT THE LOCAL COMMUNITY, AND THE 1.6 BILLION DOLLARS IN THE JOBS THAT HAVE BEEN CREATED-DIRECTLY AND INDIRECTLY TO THE COMMUNITY SINCE 1971.
THOSE NUMBERS ALMOST SOUND LIKE ENOUGH FOR THE PUBLIC TO HELP FINANCE THE TEAM? OR DOES IT?

The Olympics are over:
BC’s two-hour "Dancing With The Stars" finale last night averaged 27.1 million viewers, "setting a new series ratings high while finishing as the night’s most-watched program." The show drew 83% more viewers than NBC’s 14.8 million-viewer average for the Turin Games Closing Ceremony in the 8:00-10:00pm ET time slot. (Not the end of the world as far as the real Olympics-the closing ceremonies are not sports, not athletic competition, and they aren’t even the OPENING ceremonies)

Sign of the times-Tivo has it’s own ratings
Meanwhile, TiVo released a list of the top ten recorded moments of the Turin Games, based on data from 20,000 TiVo HHs. The top three are Canadian ice dancer’s Marie-France Dubreuil’s fall, U.S. figure skater Sasha Cohen’s short program performance and U.S. speedskater Apolo Anton Ohno winning the Gold Medal in the 500-meter event (TiVo).

At the other end of the "spectrum"…. Oregon Arena Corporation couldn’t get it done, but Global continues to have success-here and elsewhere!
Global Spectrum will enter into negotiations with the city of Cincinnati for a three-year contract to manage the Cinergy Center, which is scheduled to re-open from renovations in June (Global Spectrum).

Long Week.... enjoy the weekend with The Fan Girls....

2006-02-25T12:35:00.000-08:00

More pics at www.1080thefan.com.... but it has been a long week, the local NBA team, it's President and owner specifically, have caused the local sports fan far too much stress. So enjoy the weekend, enjoy Martell's career-high night last night, remember Spring Football is only a few weeks away, March Madness is less than three weeks away, and Opening Day is just over a month out!

Friday Fallout

2006-02-24T12:06:00.000-08:00

What the HELL? The Blazers trade the team lightning rod, a sexual , and get ready to move on. But that same day, a story from the Associated Press and Los Angeles Times says the Blazers' future "is in doubt."

The story is below, but the big questions here are WHAT IS THE AGENDA? WHY NOW? WHY DID VULCAN PRESENT THIS STORY TO MULITPLE PRINT MEDIA SOURCES (with no takers until AP and LA Times) WITH STIPULATIONS THAT INCLUDED NOT HAVING COMMENTS FROM GLOBAL SPECTRUM AND THE STORY NEEDED TO BE PRINTED ON A SPECIFIC DAY?

My Theory
Ok.... My theory is as follows: As simplistic as it gets: The Sonics also need a new arena deal. Paul Allen lives in the Seattle area. He is a hero in that city because of the Seahawks success and he AND Bob Whitsitt built the football stadium, and PA still loves the NBA. Some have said the Sonics will leave, and Allen will attempt to move the Blazers to Seattle. HUH?!?!?
No. Too difficult. How about the easier solution. PA finds an owner for the Blazers, then buys the Sonics. Do you think he could get a new basketball arena built in the city where he is beloved? Do you think the city of Seattle or King County would help him? Yes and yes.
IF, he can find a new owner for the Blazers, with their inflated payroll, horrible lease, and brutal revenue streams (See below) then it opens up the possibility to buy the Sonics, build a new arena in time to open when the Key Arena lease runs out, the NBA keeps a team in a top 15 media market, and everyone is happy, right? Or... if you are a Blazer fan, would you really want to see a guy who will spend what it takes, even without success, to try and build a winner because HE himself is a fan.

The Lease
As many have pointed out, the Blazers and Paul Allen signed the horrible lease. At that time they were taking money from one pocket to another, bonds not included, and it probably didn't seem to matter.
Then Steve Patterson comes to town and sees the dire financial straits the building is in, the lease conditions, an inflated payroll, and he is told to do something about it. So, he starts to cut payroll and tries to re-work the lease by declaring bankruptcy. The decision is then made to go with the party line of "we will lose less money by not controling the building" even though everyone also knows that limits your potential revenue streams to standard ticket sales (not high priced premium seats), team sponsorships which don't include permanent signage in the building or luxury suites, and television and radio. Nobody buys it, and it doesn't make sense, and in the end, if the attempt was to get a better interest rate (remember he told us on the air that it was similar to when the average person tries to re-finance their house) it didn't work because the bond holders called the bluff, kept the building, and the Blazers were left muttering "we are better off and lose less money without the building." They obviously are not.
Consider the following:

1) According to one NBA Executive from elsewhere in the league I spoke to today, the average percentage of local revenue a team can expect from luxury suites, premium seating, and other items related to the revenue the Blazers no longer have access to is minimum 18% (that is for the lowest team in the league) of their annual local revenue. The Blazers gave that up with the building.
2) The NBA "will not allow a team with equity in it's market to move." I would say almost 40 years qualifies here.
3) Part of the NBA's marketing model has two big criteria for success: the first major league team in a city, and the only major league franchise in a city. Portland fits both ends. Because of this, the league office, according to my executive, feels that Portland should and will survive.
4) To move, something that is a longshot because of the lease, it would take just 11 owners to vote against the move. Do you think that David Stern has 11 votes? It won't happen.

So where are we? I have a simple solution to at least get started. The Blazers, Steve Patterson and Paul Allen in particular, have to both take some responsibility and say "We screwed up, made some financial mistakes, and now we need help." That isn't the same as saying the lease is bad, Whitsitt is to blame. This is to say show some humility for once. Patterson in particular has to stop talking down to the media and the public as a whole and admit it is HE who has failed. Under his watch, the Blazers have gone from a #5 seed losing in a seventh game, to a team that has failed to make the postseason and has lost control of the building it once operated. And one other thing, under J.E. Isaac, Steve Patterson and others, the Rose Garden lost money. Under Global Spectrum and Mike Scanlon, the building is operating in the black.

The Blazers are important to this community. Losing your only major league franchise is not a good way to get another like baseball or hockey. Losing your only major league franchise, which I don't think will happen, is a good way to not get another one to think this is a viable market.

AP-Billionaire Paul Allen's spokesman said Thursday the future of the Portland Trail Blazers is in doubt after Allen's investment managers estimated the team stands to lose more than $100 million over the next three years.
Lance Conn, who heads Vulcan Capital, Allen's investment firm, told The Associated Press in an interview that "all options are on the table" because "the economic model is broken."
Allen has lost more than $12 billion on various investments in the past decade, and his NBA team has been hemorrhaging money for much of that time.
Conn told AP that Allen has decided it is time to cut his losses with the Trail Blazers — or find a new way to finance the team.
"No business person could justify these kinds of losses continuing," Conn said.
He noted that Vulcan has invested $600 million in the team and the arena since 1988 but has yet to see a profit.
Conn also said the arena lease "is recognized as one of the worst in the NBA."
In a comparison with the Key Arena lease for the Seattle SuperSonics, Conn said the Trail Blazers receive no revenue for suites, clubs, courtside seats, game concessions or parking.
The Sonics, by comparison, receive 40 percent of the revenue for suites, 60 percent for clubs, and 100 percent for courtside seats, game concessions and parking.
NBA Commissioner recently told AP that he considered the Seattle lease "the least competitive lease in the league, which is a decided economic disadvantage."
But Conn said the Blazers' lease is "far worse" than the Sonics' lease.

The Trade of Ruben

2006-02-23T13:54:00.000-08:00

As the radio promos say..... "you heard it first on The Fan" and that was the case again today. It is official. Despite what you may have read on the various web sites, as we first told you on Sports Radio 1080 The Fan just after 11:00 AM today, the Blazers, Sacramento Kings, Denver Nuggets and Seattle Sonics have completed a four team trade. The greatest thing about radio is it is immediate. We get something, you hear it right away. That was the case today, that was the case the night Nate was hired, and that is the case anytime something breaks in the world of sports that you want to hear more about or discuss. Also, check out my friend David Locke's blog at www.lockedonsports.blogspot.com. He and I worked hard to get this story first for our listeners, and we did. Now, what really matters.....

Here is the official release from Blazers.com:
Portland Trail Blazers General Manager John Nash announced today that the club has acquired G Voshon Lenard from the Denver Nuggets and C Brian Skinner from the Sacramento Kings.The Nuggets received F Ruben Patterson and G Charles Smith in a four-team deal that includes the Trail Blazers sending G Sergei Monia to the Kings. In addition to Patterson and Smith, the Nuggets obtained F Reggie Evans from Seattle. The Sonics also acquired G Earl Watson, G Bryon Russell and Denver’s second round draft pick in 2008 while sending F/C Vitaly Potapenko to Sacramento.“These moves provide our organization some salary cap flexibility,” said Nash. “While helping balance the roster, today’s trade adds another big man and gives us a player who is a proven shooter in this league.” Lenard, in his 11th NBA season, has played in 12 games this season with six starts for the Nuggets, averaging 8.3 ppg and 2.3 rpg with a season-high 17 points versus the Trail Blazers on November 4. For his career, the 32-year-old Lenard has averaged 12.1 ppg and shot 39% from three-point range. Skinner has played in 38 games this season with the Kings and has averaged 2.3 ppg and 2.7 rpg in 11.3 minutes. During his career the 29-year old Skinner has played in 340 games, averaging 5.7 points and 5.2 rebounds. His best NBA season was 2003-04 with Milwaukee when the 6-9, 265-pounder averaged 10.5 ppg and 7.3 rpg. Patterson played in 44 games this season for Portland, averaging 11.2 ppg and 3.0 rpg. Signed by the Trail Blazers as a free agent on August 2, 2001, Patterson has career averages of 10.2 ppg and 4.0 rpg over eight seasons with the Lakers, Seattle and Portland. Smith was signed by the Trail Blazers on August 5, 2005, his second stint with the club – he was traded to Portland from San Antonio along with Antonio Daniels and Amir McCaskill on August 5, 2002 in exchange for Erick Barkley and Steve Kerr. Smith, a Ft. Worth, Texas, native, played in 22 games this season with four starts, averaging 3.8 ppg.Monia played in 23 games for Portland this season with 15 starts, averaging 3.3 ppg, and 2.2 rpg. Originally drafted by the Trail Blazers with the 23rd pick of the 2004 draft, the 22- year-old Monia is in his first NBA season. Before joining Portland, the Russian native played for CSKA Moscow the past three seasons.

What does it mean? The company line.
This is pretty simple. As the quote from Nash in the release says, it helps balance the roster with another big man who can play the power forward or center position. Skinner gives them depth there with a proven backup which they were desperate for.
Lenard gives them a proven outside threat, a better than average shooter in a half court offense. The concerns are his health and the fact he hasn't played this year. Those should not be concerns here though. The Nuggets have been at or around the league lead throughout the year in fast break points, that isn't his game, he isn't a George Karl kind of guy, and his success came under the previous coaching staff. Those things don't mean he can't play. The concern should come from the fact that he will probably take minutes from Martell Webster, who has been mich improved lately. But Lenard is in the last year of his deal, and probably won't be re-signed, so he is more than likley a guy who will be here for the next two months and that is it anyway. In my opinion, the Blazers are slightly better today than they were yesterday. If nothing else, Lenard shoots 79% in his career from the free throw line, which makes him an instant upgrade for the team in an area they needed it badly. It does balance out though, since Skinner is a horrible free throw shooter, although maybe not any worse than Ruben.

What does it mean-What the Blazers won't say publicly:
Steve Patterson and John Nash have wanted to rid themselves of Ruben since the summer of 2003, when they both first arrived in Portland. The fact he received a 1.3 million dollar raise in his contract if he were to be traded, and he is Ruben, made it difficult. But the new CBA, with more room to work around matching salary dollars, made it easier this year. But they HAD to move him, he was a horrible influence in the locker room on the young guys, an "Eyore" sort for you parents who are familiar with Winnie the Pooh, who was always negative. Those of us in the media loved him because he was a good quote. But he has had multiple clashes with the organization, and moving him was a priority. Addition by subtraction? That is used far too often in sports, but in this case, it probably is true.

The Downside
The end result of Bonzi Wells being traded to Memphis ends up being Brian Skinner. So Bonzi was traded for the pick that ended up being Monia who ended up being your backup power forward. Not good enough for your starting two guard at the time.

Trade Deadline Week....and what could have been!

2006-02-20T21:51:00.000-08:00

Some food for thought this week with the trade deadline looming......

1) The rumored deal with Denver is bogus. There is NOTHING to it.
2) If the Blazers do make a deal with the Knicks, it doesn't appear that it will be done today, which is contrary to various rumors going on right now. In other words, as of 2:00m PM, nothing is expected to be announced in the next few hours. But you never know......
3) The Blazers told me today that the Massachusetts authorities have actually closed the investigation. This is contrary to what was written in the paper today-just some miscommunication which led the paper to believe there could still be charges filed. The Blazers say that is NOT true.
4) John Nash has never made a major move (Bonzi, McInnis, Sheed) when the rumors have preceeded the deal. Doesn't mean it won't happen with New York, just that it would be his first big trade that was in the press before it happened.
5) If he does make a deal, is John Nash making moves to give HIM room to work under the cap in the 2007 offseason, or is he doing it for the "next" GM? And how involved is Steve Patterson in this process?

WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN
And how could we forget.... about 13 months ago, the much rumored deal with the Toronto Raptors which in theory, could have given us this team:

SG-Vince Carter (averaging almost 24 ppg in 46 games as New Jersey's starting shooting guard)
PG-*Chris Paul (with Carter, lets assume you would not have gone down the Webster road...but see below because this pick of Paul probably wouldn't have happened)
PF-Zach Randolph
SF-Darius Miles
C-Joel Pryzbilla

Bench rotation: Jalen Rose, Ruben Patterson, Steve Blake, Juan Dixon, Theo Ratliff, Viktor Khryapa, and Sebastian Telfair.

What would you have been missing to obtain that lineup? Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Vladimir Stepania, and Derek Anderson. Ask yourself, where are all three now?

*Now to be fair, if the Blazers could have made this deal work, and keep in mind it WAS out there (John Nash said as much on our show last spring when he stated that he "was suprised at what Toronto took back since our offer was better"), Portland probably wouldn't have been in a position to select third overall, so Paul is really a stretch. So.... replace Paul with Blake in the starting lineup. I still think if they loved Jarrett Jack enough last summer with Telfair already here, they would have still taken him even if the Toronto trade went down. Since he is getting better and better each week, imagine if the rookie from Georgia Tech had a player like Carter in the backcourt with him, as opposed to being the two guard with Telfair, or if Rose was there to take some defensive pressure off him since he is the only decent on the ball defender among the current Blazer guards.

What will happen????? My guess is even John Nash and Steve Patterson don't even know the real answer.

Weekend Fun-Blazers, Ducks and more....

2006-02-19T11:12:00.000-08:00

Love this billboard from a radio station in Seattle! I know, I know, let it go, but still this is clever marketing.

And.... not to be out done, check out this link from our ace Program Director Dennis Glasgow who was hard at work looking for new ways to promote the station this weekend.

http://host-d.oddcast.com/php/espn/id=3798274&AID=63

By the way.... his e-mail is: dglasgow@entercom.com for your thoughts and concerns regarding everything about the radio station with the exception of Primetime with Big Suke and I-since he LOVES the show and thinks we can do no wrong!

http://host-d.oddcast.com/php/espn/id=3798274&AID=63

Response to Blazer comments: There seems to be this great misconception that the Blazers played "better" without Darius Miles.
Ok, lets look at it. With Miles in the lineup, the Blazers are 6-11 overall, a .352 winning percentage. From December 4th through February 12th when Miles was out for his surgery, the Blazers were 12-22. That is a .352 winning percentage. Better? By what standards? Overall this season they are at 18-33, .3529 or round it up to .353. So how are they "better?"Are they better because he is a bad practice player? How does anyone know that is really true? We in the media can only watch the final few minutes of practice, fans can't watch any of practice, so only Nate and his staff can really judge Miles affect in practice. The "rumors" are that Nate doesn't like Darius-he isn't a "Nate kind of player." OK, probably true. But there are also the same rumors regarding his 5'10 "star of the future" point guard who is now #3 on the depth chart and his "star" power forward. OK, lets assume that is all true. What are you left with? Trade them all? You can not bank on re-building through cap space that allows you to sign free agents. ATLANTA anyone? They still have cap space following the offseason-and they have ZERO! Ok, they aren't done trading if they move Theo and Darius to New York. That is because they will automatically move Ruben, right? Just like they have been able to move him the past three years when they have wanted to, right?
Really, I hope they make some moves, I really do. I don't want them to stand pat, I want to see an effort to get better through something other than the draft (which so far they haven't had success with) and by signing second tier free agents (Blake and Dixon). I just don't think by moving Theo and Darius helps them, until the 2007 offseason, as I stated below. By the way Blazer fans-under that plan, you are looking at a minimum of a four year playoff drought-and maybe more. Is that what you really want? CONTRARY TO POPULAR BELIEF, THIS RE-BUILDING PROJECT IS NOW IN IT'S THIRD SEASON. And does anyone really think Nate was told that he wouldn't have a playoff caliber team until his third or fourth year of a five year deal?
Note to Buddy Jay: yes the number you are looking at is around $50 million, give or take a million.

Mac Court Musings....Since Monday is an off-day for many, including me but not including my wife so I will be busy with Mr. Mom duties, here are some thoughts and things to keep us going for a couple of days...

*I went to Mac Court yesterday to see what could be Ernie Kent's final home game, although I really get the feeling from being down there that he will be given one more year with Brooks a senior, and Malik, Champ Oguchi, Luenen and Taylor coming back for their junior years. It is a group that has talent, but will they ever been as good as exepected under Ernie?

*Ivan Johnson and Ernie Kent will never get along. The Big Man sat the entire game, with his homemade warm up shirt paying tribute to the two seniors never coming off. None of us know what kind of teammate he is, but judging from the crude, yet creative shirt he had one with the pictures and names of Lincoln and Short, I think this guy can't be all bad like he is made out to be by the head coach.

*How can a Division One college team makeonly three field goals in an entire half, as WSU did in the first half yesterday? Ernie said it was great defense. It was, partly. They stayed away from the zone and went man for the most part, and WSU couldn't handle the athleticism at the defensive end. But the Cougs also missed at least six shots in tight that MOST college players make about 75% of the time.

*Malik took 17 shots and had a quality touch in 5 of the first 6 Oregon offensive possessions. Even though he was 0-2 and had two turnovers then, he was involved in the offensive early, and that set the tone for his game the rest of the way.

*Dick Bennett basically said he was going to step down at the end of the season. He made parting comment about "this game is for young men so I think it is time for some younger men to take over" in reference to his son, Tony, the team's Associate Head Coach.

*Finally, the BEST thing about the old basketball building in Eugene has to be below:

Trade Theo??? WHY??

2006-02-16T12:39:00.000-08:00

There are more reports out of New York that the Blazers want to move Theo, and the NBA people I have spoken to around the league say whether it is New York or somewhere else, the Blazers are actively shopping the backup center. But the question is, WHY? You have to ask, what good will it do? I'll explain:

*If they move just Theo and another "minor" contract (read 1-2 million per year) they do nothing in terms of cap room. The Blazers would be around 3 million below the 2006-07 cap. By doing this, they could actually hurt their position for the 2006 offseason. How? Simply put, to have a full mid-level exception available, which you would think the Blazers would use on Joel P., they need to either be over the salary cap, or under by around 5-6 six million. So you are better off being OVER instead of 3-4 million under.

*So to improve upon this financial situation, the Blazers would then need to move another substantial contract such as Ruben Patterson or Darius Miles. Then you put yourself around 6-7 million under the cap for 06-07. But by doing so, assuming all the while you are getting an expiring contract in return (Penny Hardaway), you have made the worst team in the Western Conference even worse, and probably only given yourself a better chance to sign one player, in this case Przybilla. While he would probably be happy to sign for slightly more than the mid-level (and no, the Blazers would not have the mid-level AND the 6-7 million under the cap to sign another player) which would effectively give you this current team, minus a legitimate, yet overpaid backup center, and either Darius-your leading scorer, or Patterson-your most versatile option off the bench, would be gone. Part of that cap space would also have to be used up to sign the first round pick, and assuming it is a high slot, that would take another 2-3 million off of your cap space.

*So.... why do it?

*Or.... another option to save more cap room for next year, assuming the Blazers trade Theo and another contract. They could trade their upcoming first round pick, which will be high, and get one back for the 2007 Draft. While that means you would be without a first round pick for this year, and the remainder of this season, and next, would also be lame-duck seasons, they could stockpile draft picks for the 2007 Draft, which one NBA Scout told me today will be "outstanding." That is compared to the 2006 Draft, which is said to be below average, and heavy on perimeter players. Why is that significant? Because the team has drafted five (Outlaw, Monia, Telfair, Webster, Jack) true perimeter players in the last three first rounds. Do they need more?

*Going back to the Draft, which we all get excited about when a team has a lottery pick, how about the fact that the Blazers have had five first round picks in the last two drafts, yet not one of those players has been selected to play in the All-Star Weekend Rookie Challenge? Are you still excited about the Draft?

Finally, keep in mind that both John Nash and Steve Patterson told about 10 media members, including me, before the start of the season that in the next few years "they will never have true cap room to work with." So why make the trade?

06-07 Cap: so to recap....If the Blazers trade Theo and Darius for an expiring contract, they will have approximately 41.9 million on the cap for next year (it is my understanding from people who know about the CBA that DA's contract counts against the cap, but not for luxury tax purposes). But.... if you have to add in a high first round pick (approximately 2 million) that brings you close to 44 million, and then if you also take back David Lee from the Knicks, there is almost one million more. So you are left, best case, with about 5-7 million, much of which would be spent on Joel P. And you lose your depth at center, your leading scorer, and you take the worst team in the Western Conference and suddenly it may not be able to even compete night in and night out.

Back from vacation today.... and I find the following: "Blazer player with gun on airplane."

2006-02-15T14:15:00.000-08:00

I love mid-winter vacations-breaks up the long, boring, and mostly damp winters. So fresh from a ski holiday I get back and start thinking I will talk some Olympics today, and then BANG (pardon the pun) I see the following headline from OregonLive.com

Brith gun BREAKING NEWS-TELFAIR CAUGHT WITH GUN

This will be a hot topic today, to be sure. Steve Patterson will be on at 3:25 on 1080 The Fan. So here goes.....

Sebastian Telfair: Not the WORST thing ever, just another dumb move for a franchise that is known for it’s players doing dumb things, making poor and sometimes criminal decisions, and despite the many changes to the roster, the stench lingers-this team still has one of the worst reputations in professional sports-not just the NBA, but all of sports..
*The big problem here comes from the fact that no matter who the player is, bringing a loaded gun on an airplane is against the law, and it is a story-but when it is a BLAZER, the stakes are different. This team is now and probably will always be held to a different standard because of the past mistakes by the Isaiah Riders, Damon Stoudamires, Rasheed Wallaces, Shawn Kemps, Qyntel Woods, and Bonzi Wells of the glory days gone by.

The thing that I find most stunning is not the fact that Telfair did this, maybe it was just an "honest" mistake. But what is most appalling to me is the team didn’t suspend him for the "mistake" immediately. WHY? Because he is a Trail Blazer. He must pay the price for the idiots of the past. And the "talk tough" stance and 25 point pledge means NOTHING unless they follow through. Charges weren’t filed, and won’t be, but I think the fact they played him that night is wrong.

For pure comedy is a serious situation, how about the excuse? He took the gun by mistake after grabbing his girlfriends bag? When did he discover this "mistake?" Did he do so During one of the first two flights they took? The flight from Portland to Indianapolis? Or the flight from Indianapolis to Boston? He must have since the gun was found in a pillow case. He knew he had it and he must have known it was wrong to bring a loaded gun on a plane or he would not have hid the weapon in a pillow case. The Blazers should have suspended him immediately, for stupidity if nothing else.

So what is the real issue here? Is is the fact Telfair hid a loaded gun in a pillow case and brought it on an airplane? Or is it the fact that after he did so and was caught by federal aviation officials, that the team didn’t immediately suspend him? I think both, but the team has to be held accountable here and while the spin doctors at One Center Court have been hunkered down today getting ready to take the offensive, the fans have to ask themselves the simple question: Would this story have ever been made public, and thus would Telfair ever have been punished, if not for the fact that someone leaked the information to The Oregonian’s Jason Quick today? The answer is probably no! That to be is the most disturbing thing about this story.

At least the chili was good! Super Bowl Memories and more!

2006-02-06T14:13:00.000-08:00

The Drop Tops were cold, nobody had to drive home, the homemade chili and buffalo wings were outstanding, and thus, the day wasn't a total loss, at least for me. But what about the game?????

SUPER BOWL XL
Everyone else is firing off today, so here are my thoughts:

To be honest, almost everything has been said already. To me there are really three schools of thought:

1) Pittsburgh made the plays, Seattle didn’t, and the best team won.
2) Seattle lost the game because of poor officiating.
3) The officials didn’t actually win or lose the game for anyone, but they did dictate how the game was played, became involved in too many plays, and because they are the main focus today, they ruined the biggest football game of the year.

Number three is an easy way out, and the least offensive, but the one I, as a media member AND Seahawk fan who will never be completely objective, believe to be true. While we can argue until we are blue in the face and yell and scream about good call, bad call, officials don’t decide games, Seattle didn’t make the offensive plays, come up with the defensive stop, the Steelers were the better team because they were more disciplined, and on and on and on, the bottom line is the game itself was BORING!

That is amazing that I of all people would think that a game involving my favorite NFL team, and one of only three teams I actually care about, would think that, but it ended up being true.

Like I said above, there aren’t any new or innovative ways to look at the game and the outcome. In the end, the outcome that many wanted came to pass. Bettis got his Super Bowl ring and rode off into the sunset. The little team from the Northwest will go back to their homeland which is located somehwere North of Alaska, and life will go on with Ben Roethlisberger the “new” Tom Brady.

Now....... the crazy thing is that the game is being talked about more today than most Super Bowls because of the officiating. If it would have been a 24-14 game, just your average game, there wouldn't be nearly the water cooler talk. So Super Bowl XL's legacy will be it ended up being one of the most talked about games ever, yet in terms of the actual game itself, it wasn't all that compelling. Strange, ironic, and really just plain sad that the football season ends this way.

All of the above is another reason I still enjoy college football more than the NFL.
The college football season ended up with one of the best games in memory. The National Championship in college football exceeded the hype and expectations.

9-21 Means Big Bucks for Ben
The PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE reports the Super Bowl win for the Steelers’ QB could mean up to 20 million dollars in endorsements for Big Ben. Not bad for a guy who not only wasn’t the MVP but you could say wasn’t even the SECOND best quarterback on the field. Randle-El anyone? I had an opportunity to interview him a few years ago, when he was a senior at Indiana, and to this day he has to be one of the best, most articulate, insightful athletes I have ever had the chance to interview. This is the guy who should be getting a lot more attention.

Super Bowl ads:
This was the first time in about five years I was able to watch and listen to the Super Bowl, and thus the commercials that everyone talks about all the time. Here is USA

The top five ads and each one's rating:
1. Anheuser-Busch -- Secret refrigerator stocked with Bud Light -- 8.39
2. Anheuser-Busch -- Young Clydesdale dreams big -- 8.18
3. FedEx -- Cave man uses prehistoric overnight delivery -- 7.95
4. PepsiCo -- Sierra Mist can't clear airport security -- 7.86
5. Anheuser-Busch -- Men pretend to work on rooftops, but relax instead -- 7.82

Anheuser-Busch grabbed the top spot in USA TODAY's Super Bowl Ad Meter for a record eighth year in a row. Anheuser-Busch's ad featuring a secret refrigerator stocked with Bud Light was the most popular, according to USA TODAY's Ad Meter. Volunteers gave the ad a score of 8.39 (on a scale of 0 to 10).

Most of the time I would ignore such stuff, especially since I couldn’t care less about the Rolling Stones at halftime or who sang before the “super big game.” But since I watched a Super Bowl with my wife and others who seem to care about the commercials, I will weigh in on my favorite. The following made all of us laugh out loud, something hard to do since the majority of us were Seahawk fans:

http://www.uselessjunk.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=2999&mode=nested&order=0&thold=-1

Monday, Monday.... Nate returns to Seattle? But will anyone care?

2006-01-29T22:07:00.000-08:00

I will be at Key Arena in Seattle Monday night for Nate McMillan's first game back in Seattle as a member of the opposing team. It should be interesting to see the reaction, or if there is any for this game, since I will assume everything in Seattle will be about the Seahawks. Amazing how things change. When the schedule first came out, this was a game that was circled on the calendar. But now, I wonder if there are any columnists or sports talk hosts in town to even write a story on Nate's homecoming. We will find out Monday. Tune in from 3-7 on 1080 The Fan.

Behind the Curtain at the OSA Green Room
Great job by the Portland Tribune, Sports One, Nike and KATU on the 2005 Oregon Sports Awards. Steve Lyons added quite a bit to the program, and the cast of presenters and guests was impressive. From Terry Porter, The Oregon Football Coaches named Mike (Bellotti/Riley), Richie Sexson, Jim Paxson, Tiffeny Milbrett, Justin Gatlin, Marla Runyan, Dave Johnson, Tim Walsh, Bill Swancutt, Tinker Hatfield and others, it was great to do a special show from 5-6:30 there and also a tremendous honor to be able to be an awards presenter for the second year. Some thoughts "behind the curtain in the Green Room":
Richie Sexson: cool guy, funny and genuine. He was the Green Room "captain" or in other words the guy in charge of the tv remotes. Seriously, a real good guy who unlike the two Blazer players who were there last year bitching and moaning about being there on a Sunday night, he was happy to be there and was taking the time to talk to some of the OSU baseball players which was a nice touch.
Tiffeney Milbrett: Not only one of the best women soccer players EVER, she is a class act and a lot of fun. She may have been the most decorated athlete in the room, but she was the one meeting everyone and starting the conversations. For example, she was picking Mike Bellotti's brain about spring football practice and offseason workouts. I thought she was class act.
Mike Riley: All you need to know about who he is as a person is that he was so proud to be able to bring his daughter with him to the event. He told me how excited he was to be able to drive to the OSA with her and get to actually spend some quality time with her during this busy recruiting time, even if it was in the car. The more I talk to him, the more I understand why he is able to recruit so effectively. (*note: Some of Coach Bellotti's kids were there too).

More on Monday's show and you can also hear our interviews from Sunday night on www.1080thefan.com

Lets lighten things up today... Question-Hingis: Hot or Not Hot?

2006-01-26T11:14:00.000-08:00

That is the question the crew on the show was debating during some commerical breaks yesterday. So today, in light of drive-by shootings, complaints about "not getting respect" by teams in and and out of the Super Bowl, Ron Artest being.... Ron Artest, and all of the other stuff in sports that seems to be negative, we ask the simple question today, is the Swiss Miss "hot" in your eyes?

I have to say, based solely on the pictures, no. But I look deeper than that, because that is who I am, a deep thinker (at least when it comes to hot or potentially hot) women.

What makes a woman attractive? Looks, sure. But something else must come into play-the almighty "intangible" if you want to look at it that way. For many of us, we look at our wives and the attraction goes further than the fact she was a good looking woman when we first met her. Now, she is a success in business, or a great mother-things that maker her more attractive today than when you first met. (*side not: if you don't think the above of your spouse, in my unprofessional opinion, that is a BAD sign).

In the case of Ms. Hingis, she was the best in the world at what she does at one time. Forced to step away because of injuries, she was able to come back after a long layoff, and display the enormous talent, drive, and skills that made her the best in the world at one time. That my friends is the INTANGIBLE that makes her HOT.

Rodney Woods Part II

2006-01-24T11:15:00.000-08:00

Read the story below, then sit back, think, and wonder out loud what to do if you are Mike Bellotti and the Ducks.

http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/local/states/california/northern_california/13699132.htm

The big difference between Rodney Woods and this situation, is there are charges pending, not a conviction. Maybe Jurray Casey was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Maybe he actually pulled the trigger. Maybe the charges will be dropped. But..... if the authorities felt as if there was enough evidence to at least charge, and then keep him locked up, the involvement must be substantial.

So what do you do? Is it worth it?

Monday's thoughts.....Hawks, D-League and more.

2006-01-23T11:45:00.000-08:00

Damn, I need a laptop in the worse way? Any suggestions from you computer-wise folks, please pass them along for where to go. I am anti-Dell, so any other thoughts would be appreciated.

Now, HOW ABOUT THEM SEAHAWKS!?!?!?

Say it with me..... TRUE-FONT! From??? Washington State University! Little Steve Smith, partially pictured here, knows who he is. He also knows Kevin Bentley-a linebacker who also shadowed the all-everything receiver who disappeared yesterday.

One thing I do know is that everyone in the Portland area will have true rooting interest in Super Bowl 40. It seems from Friday's show, and the e-mails, that people have one of two thoughts about the Hawks-
1) They love them
2) They can't stand them and thus will be big Steeler fans for at least one day if it means seeing Seattle lose.

Hawk Thoughts
Don't ever question Paul Allen as an owner. He is the biggest fan, and loves to win. That was evident yesterday before, during, and after the game. He isn't in sports to make more money, he is in as a fan who loves to see his team win. People who have in the past, or currently work for him, always say that he will spend whatever it takes to be successful.

Key stat: 74.8%. That is the completion percentage for Matt Hasselbeck in the last six games, and yesterday he started the game by going 8-8 in the first quarter.

In the Super Bowl, the Hawks will see a quarterback who is putting up similar numbers: In three playoff games, Ben Roethlisberger has completed 49 of 72 passes for 680 yards, seven touchdowns and one interception. He has had passer ratings of 148.7, 95.3 and 124.9.

We all heard about how great the Panthers defense was. Ok, not so good now. Pittsburgh you ask? The Steelers have 11 sacks in the postseason and held Denver 62 yards below its season rushing average (158.7).

WHEN the Hawks get Alexander re-signed, which you KNOW they will now, they could be a very consistent presence in the playoffs for the next few years. The defense has incredible speed at the linebacker position (remember how bad the organization got killed on Draft Day 2005 with the pick of Tatupu?) which is also very young. And the offense is, well, the best in the NFL.

D-League Update
On first look, the numbers don't look great for Martell Webster. He is shooting 40.7% from the field and scoring just over 10 points per game in 21 minutes per outing in his three games down. But..... his first two games he made 9-19 from the field (47%) including 3-4 from outside the arc. Last night he was just 2-8 which obviously brings his overall average down. So how is he playing? I am going to talk to Kevin Pritchard later today for a better feel as to the reports he has received.

Sergei Monia wasn't good last night either-going 1-4 from the field with a couple of rebounds and just two points. In his three games, Monia 8-22 from the field (36%) and just 1-5 from outside the arc.

Again, more later.

The Burbs....NBDL and more!

2006-01-17T21:37:00.000-08:00

Sometimes you just can't agree-so you agree to disagree. What started as a discussion about Fort Worth being a suburb of Dallas, escalated into a debat about whether Vancouver (and Beaverton, Tigard, and other "places" not named Portland are actually suburbs of Portland).

Here are a couple of definitions:
1) suburbs The usually residential region around a major city;
2) The outlying districts of a city thought of collectively.
Example: lives in the suburbs
Form: the suburbs

I don't know the answer: All I know is this-many of us think of the surrounding areas of Portland including Beaverton, Tigard, Oregon City and yes even The Couve as "burbs" of Portland.

Now the the real reason for the debate on The Burbs!

Martell Webster and Sergei Monia to Fort Worth of the NBDL is a good thing!
One of the biggest problems with the NBA is the inability to truly develop young players. The "new" NBDL or at least the 2005 version allows teams to send young guys down to play against good competition, and since the NBA oversees the league, you would assume they are receiving competent coaching. Since midway through his first year in the league, Darko Milicic has been called a bust.
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060117/SPORTS0102/601170384/1004/SPORTS
Is he really a bust? Or just a 20 year old big man who has not been able to develop because he can't breakthrough the deepest lineup in the NBA? He is in his third year in the NBA, so the rules do not allow Detroit to send him down, which is too bad. He needs to play, quality minutes, every night. One of the most common complaints from NBA coaches is the lack of practice time teams get once the season begins. Even during non-game days, when you would expect practice to be an option, it is hard to work guys hard enough to get true development and improvement.

It takes big stones for Nash to send Webster down. Monia is easier because if push comes to shove, JN can always blame that pick on the scouting regime that was let go after the 2004 Draft. He wasn't THEIR guy. They never saw Monia play in person until last summer. But Webster is THEIR guy, and by THEIR I mean Patterson, Nash, Pritchard and luckily for the Big Three, even Big Man in Seattle was in love with Webster at #6. So what is the best thing for him to do? Play. Unlike in the past, they have an option in the NBDL so let him go down, play a lot, play the point as Nash told us on the show he will do, and develop.

The NBDL won't be quite as good as the Vegas Summer League, so you have to believe Webster will go there and gain confidence. In Vegas, against a ton of current NBA players, Webster averaged 12 ppg, 4.3 rpg, and shot 6-16 from 3 pt. range. He started out like a man looking every bit the part of a number six overall pick with a 9-15 shooting day and 21 points before tailing off in the last game where he went just 1-8.

Lets see not what Webster and Monia do down in the NBDL, but what they do when they get back.

Thank you and goodbye,
Ian

TGIF-Friday's Final Thoughts

2006-01-13T11:26:00.000-08:00

E-Mail of the Week: This one from Mike caused me to really look closely at the numbers, and wonder if MLB here is a good thing. I didn't change my mind, but read this, it is very, very good:
I heard your interview with the government official. I thought it was great you asked about the Math and he admited they only had $112 million.

Being the excel geek I am, I had a spreadsheet from 2001 when the MLB released there financials to Congress. Based on those number (granted inflation over 4 years) I did the following quick math on how much Revenue and Debt would be with a $150 million dollar stadium.

The result: With the Marlins payroll at a estimated $50 million and the MLB average being $71 million, the tax at 9% would generate $5.5 Million and the debt service on a $150 million lona at 6% is $10.8 million per year. A loss of $5.3 million. (see attachment)

Again this is just quick math, but it doesn add up. After the PGE Stadium Budget mess that cost the city $40 million the risk is too great.

Good topic.
From his first e-mail to us:
My friend and I have had this debate for weeks. He is a huge baseball fan and I am the "conservative idiot" as he calls me.

The points you made during the 3PM hour on 1/10/05 are all his (Steve Kanter) points. They are good points, but I have some issues with it.

1) Education vs. Baseball. You asked does every current MLB city hate education. I think you have to look at this in a different way. Other MLB cities already have the teams. Portland is looking to attract a team and needs to build a stadium. Recently, Washington DC would be the model for this. The city has made the commitment to pay half the costs for a stadium that has ballooned up to $700 million dollars. That's $350 million needed from government to build the stadium. In a city with educational issues, PERS pension issues, and the worst road conditions (I swear I hit 10 potholes each morning on my way to work) why do we need to raise another $350 million for a baseball stadium?

2) Tax players salaries. The comment has been made that we can tax Players Salaries in order to pay for $150 million of the Stadium. Sounds like a good idea, but when I look at it the math doesn't add up. Another talk show host (Lars Larson, sorry but he askes a good question) did the math. If you taxed the NY Yankees Salary, the highest in baseball for a season, it would not cover the debt service of a $150 million dollar loan for 30 years. I'm not sure of the specifics of the tax rate he used, but it was not even close. How do you answer this? Id love to see how the Math works, but I think these are tough questions that need to be answered ahead of time. Then on top of that, where does the city come up with the other $200 million to raise its half of a reasonable stadium cost.

3) Baseball Stadium increases taxes, tourism, and city development. Your example of Denver's Coors Field in the LODO district was great. I 100% agree. It helped Denver and was a win/win. However, in Portland I don't see it being the same. Granted it will help, but will it be worth the $350 million dollar investment for the stadium? People come to Portland for the environment. Mt. Hood, hiking, boating, etc... How many ADDITIONAL people will come to Portland for baseball? I just don't see it. Plus Portland has already developed the Pearl District and the area below OHSU Hospital and those are hot areas WITHOUT baseball. My point is we have hot districts without baseball. Is a $350 million dollar investment going to increase that much revenue? In addition, the city already has given so many property tax breaks for those districts, can it afford to give more $$$ for a stadium.

4) Private Investment. I do want baseball in Portland and would love it. But my feelings are that if we are going to get it we need private money to invest. If the numbers are good, and its a good investment for the city, then it should be a good investment for a private group too. Sure, we are not going to get a Paul Allen to pay for all of it like the Rose Garden. But my point is if this was as good a deal as some make it sound why doesn't Phil Knight or other large investors ante up and push for the deal. I have not heard of any private investors willing to back this. That tells me the risk is to high. I will admit that Spirit Mt. wanted to build a stadium, (which I thought was a great idea) but I have a friend who works with the tribe and they knew the offer would be rejected. The motive behind the offer was to have the State government veto tribes going outside there land to build casinos. As another Indian tribe is trying to build a casino along the Colombia Gorge.

I know this is a long email and some maybe rambling, but my point is this. The risk as it looks now is just too high. I hear a lot of "what if's" and "could be's", but not alot of solid numbers and financial data. I'm assuming if there was a solid business plan behind this more private investors would appear. Looking at what Washington DC is going thru, I am thankful we didn't get the Expo's/Nationals. I think city government has much more necessary issues then building a stadium. In the coming years other MLB teams will look to move and I think we should be active and wait. MLB is not as hot as it was and I think we need to wait till the cards are in our favor.

Just the thoughts from a "Conservative idiot".

Mike in Milwaukie

Mike, you are not an idiot, just someone who took the time to break down the numbers. The way the bill in the state is written, there is no financial risk to the state, and from what Steve Kanter has told me on and off the air, the local financing packages will have no risk associated with them either. I am not a spreadsheet geek so I freely admit not totally understanding all of this, but from what the Portland Baseball Group people say, there really is no risk involved for government officials. I think you could actually look at it from the standpoint of there are more risks involved when states make financial concessions for large companies-what if those companies have a down year and end up laying off employees? That costs everyone money-risky.

Some other random notes from the week:

What is the real gig they are looking at for Big Stan? Porn Star or Basketball Analyst? Former Heat coach Stan Van Gundy said he was contacted by two talent agents but has no interest in broadcasting.

This will make Big Suke happy…from the Detroit News: ESPN2 is moving "Quite Frankly with Stephen A. Smith " to an 11 p.m. time slot starting Jan. 30. Smith's show is hard to watch, thanks to his shouting-speaking style and the program's stilted pacing. The ratings haven't been good, hovering around a .2 rating and 192,000 households in the 6:30-7:30 p.m. slot.

Vegas is Hurting: Las Vegas sports books lost money on NFL games this season, The Denver Post reported, because betting favorites covered the line more than half the time — 63 percent, to be exact — for only the third time since 1989.
"It wasn't one of our better seasons," Jay Kornegay, executive director of the Las Vegas Hilton sports book, told the newspaper. "I guess we'll have to raise the price of our grilled-cheese sandwiches and turn down the lights a little bit."

Potter rains on the Marlins Parade....Hawkey Talk and more....

2006-01-10T11:59:00.000-08:00

In a suprise to everyone, Suke and I are out of the studio again today. But..... it is by our choice. We will be at the Memorial Coliseum prior to the Portland WinterHawks game vs. Vancouver tonight. I am filling in on the PA again for the great Dan Fowlick who is unavailable, so since we are both hockey fans, why not hang out at the rink for the afternoon.

It is a strange setting for what we will be talking about though. We will be at the old sports venue in Portland, talking about building a new one to bring baseball here. Yes, we will be hitting the Major League Baseball to Portland topic hard again today, with Steve Kanter from the Portland Baseball Group.(http://www.portlandbaseballgroup.org/faq_01.cfm#4

If you saw the comments yesterday from Portland Mayor Tom Potter, it has to be maddening. When a mayor of a city effectively says I'm pro-education and so I don't want baseball here that is idiotic. Does that mean that cities with Major League Baseball teams are not PRO-EDUCATION? I would venture to say many of those cities have better education situations than we do here with the Portland School District. What did he accomplish by his comments yesterday? How about this gem from the Oregonian: Asked whether most Portlanders couldn't care less about a baseball team, Potter said: "That's my very strong sense."
Someone needs to give him the following information: Portland consistently ranks in the Top 10 in the country each season in television ratings for the World Series, including this season when only three markets outside of Chicago or Texas had better Nielsen numbers than Portland. On local cable, the Mariners, SEATTLE'S team, consistently beat about 2/3 of the other major league cities in terms of cable ratings for a team three hours North. In other words, the team up there gets better cable ratings than teams in their own market like the Royals, the A's, etc. So nobody cares?

Economic Development
This from the Portland Baseball Group web site: A new stadium would raise surrounding property values and spark economic development. The precedent has been set elsewhere. Property in the surrounding area of Coors Field in Denver has jumped from $10/foot to $80/foot since the opening of the stadium. In the first year of its operation, Baltimore's Camden Yards pumped more than $52.8 million into that city's economy. Jacob's Field in Cleveland created more than 6,500 new jobs to the surrounding neighborhood.

So what is the real concern?
I spoke to a couple of people who work for other sports franchises in the market (keep in mind we have an NBA team, a PCL baseball team, a WHL hockey team and now a lacrosse team) who both say the exact same thing: There is not enough corporate support for major league baseball.
WHAT???
Here is what they said:

"There is not enough corporations based here. By corporate standards, at the 23rd media market, we are considered to be a small market."

As such he continued.....
"The dollars invested here from corporate hospitality are not enough to support another team, at least a major league baseball team" although he also says, given the right situation, "I think hockey could survive here."
"There aren't enough companies in the market who have headquarters in this area or are specifically focused on this market (as opposed to other West Coast cities) to make the corporate support of another major league franchise viable."

I though of other cities who seem in a similar situation, i.e. being in the shadow of a larger market, and asked, for example, why are we different than San Diego?
"San Diego has a lot of corporations who are based there. We don't. Companies relocate to San Diego." In other words, what he is saying is places like San Diego, Phoenix, Denver and others have had corporate or regional headquarters go there and set up shop as opposed to Portland.

Next question: What about those who are based here, like Intel?

"Intel doesn't do sports marketing. It has 15,000 employees but they don't make a significant sports marketing investment, even in their own community."

So what do you think? Who is right? Under Mayor Tom Potter, we may never know. But to make the comment that you can't have MLB AND top flight education is irresponsible.

Wednesday-Back to work, sort of.. 3-5 at New Phoenix Casino

2006-01-04T11:54:00.000-08:00

Some hoops talk below regarding Sebastian Telfair movie....just what he needs! But first, it is National Championship day today!

THE Game with Texas and USC
I talk sports for a living, but too much talk. Who is getting respect, who is getting disrespected, what team shows a lack of respect for the other, historical implications, how would USC do against the other "great" past national champions? Damn. Who really knows? Who really cares.
Bottom line-tonight it WILL be decided. Everyone wants a playoff, it won't happen. But think about this. These two teams are the consensus picks to be 1 and 2 from the start of the season. It is the matchup everyone wanted to see, yet, if we DID have a playoff, this much anticipated playoff may not have actually happened. One or the other could have been upset in a playoff game. Instead, we get the game that the nation is wanting to see. So sit back, enjoy it, and know this-it is made even more special because it is being played in a true National Championship setting-the Rose Bowl. Not the Nokia/Tostitos/Pepsi/Budweiser or any other sponsor named first Rose Bowl. But it is the Rose Bowl. Simple as that. There won't be any garbage during halftime-just the bands going toe to toe much like the teams. The Rose Bowl does have a presenting sponsor, but that is it. It is the one game that is at least somewhat removed from the corportate nonsense that surrounds other bowl games and even other major events. Who will win?
I don't know. But I THINK USC will win, and as a Pac-10 fan, I HOPE USC wins as well. Enjoy.

I thought "nobody cared" about the other BCS games not named the Rose Bowl
Check out these numbers. Impessive to say the least:
ABC earned a 9.3 overnight Nielsen rating for the Sugar Bowl last night, featuring West Virginia-Georgia, up 9.4% from an 8.5 for the comparable Fiesta Bowl featuring Utah-Pittsburgh last year. The network drew a 13.6 overnight for the Fiesta Bowl, featuring Ohio State-Notre Dame, from 5:00-8:30pm ET yesterday, up 4.6% from a 13.0 for the comparable Rose Bowl featuring Texas-Michigan last year. ABC earned a 5.4 overnight for the Wisconsin-Auburn Capital One Bowl from 1:00-4:30pm, down 1.8% from a 5.5 for the comparable Iowa-LSU Capital One Bowl last year
The other thing there is the number for Notre Dame vs. Ohio State. Big name programs with a lot of history draw big time television numbers.

RATINGS: The Rose Bowl has drawn the highest average Nielsen ratings over the past 17 years for any post-season college football game with a 14.3, earning a 14.0 when the game does not have national title implications. The FedEx Orange Bowl is the next highest bowl during that span, earning a 12.6 average. The ratings for the Orange and Nokia Sugar bowls both fall below a 10.0 when the games do not involve the national championship, while the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl averages an 8.1 rating.

But can he play??????? The Sebastian Telfair story hits the big screen.
The following is from the Sports Business Daily-more exposure for the Blazers point guard. I guess the key here is someone thinks there is an audience for this type of project, but from a basketball standpoint, there are still a lot of questions. Never has a sub-six foot point guard had consistent success to the level of being an all-star or even an above average NBA starter with the same team that drafted him. Will Telfair be the first, or just another Arthur Agee or William Gates and the books, movie and television exposure be just the 90's version of "Hoop Dreams?"
ESPN for the first time has “landed a theatrical release for one of its properties” — “Through the Fire,” which documents the prep basketball career of Trail Blazers G Sebastian Telfair -– “in advance of its TV premiere on the network,” according to John Dempsey of DAILY VARIETY. Cinema Libre will distribute the movie beginning in N.Y. on February 10, “rolling it out to selective urban markets.” EOE Senior VP/Development Ron Wechsler said that if the film “captures an audience,” it “could stay in these theaters beyond March 12, when it will premiere on the net.” Dempsey notes that on March 14, ESPN sister company Buena Vista Home Entertainment will release “Through the Fire” on DVD and video. N.Y. is the first city on Cinema Libre’s distribution list “because the movie focuses on Brooklyn-born Telfair during his final year of high school.” “Through the Fire” Dir Jonathan Hock, who did Imax’ “Michael Jordan to the Max,” has worked for ESPN on such shows as “Streetball”

Back to work on Wednesday..... Stay tuned....

2006-01-03T19:53:00.000-08:00

Thanks to all who posted the comments during the past couple of weeks. While on "vacation" I actually tried to take a few days away from sports radio, and sports in general. Thus, no updates on the blog. Vacation should mean vacation, although like many of you, I still found myself checking e-mails everyday, answering calls from the office, talking to people around the world of sports and sports media, but I drew the line with updating the blog. I did do another freelance project that you may have seen on ESPN-the "without sports" animated spot where the Bills "win" and then the Bills "lose" at the end.
But why no blog updates? When I do update it, I usually spend quite a bit of time, and frankly, I was burned out with sports and sports radio at the end of the year. So end result-no updates. Thanks to Buddy Jay for keeping the conversation going. You and I don't usually agree, but you "get it" in terms of what sports radio is all about. Opinions, thoughts, passion, and entertainment.

To be honest, when I did actually want to post, I was on the road with the Ducks in San Diego, and I haven't made the big investment in a laptop computer. This was only our second real road trip, the first with the actual show-see today's Tribune:
http://www.portlandtribune.com/archview.cgi?id=33284
1080 AM the Fan is finally acting like a real all-sports station. Sending Ian and Big Suke to San Diego was a smart move, as was pre-empting national programming and putting Gavin Dawson on the air Friday morning for a wrap-up show.

I should thank Dwight because he is right-it is the first time since I have been at this station that there was a solid commitment to travel. It has been embarassing in the past to stay home during Blazer playoff games (remember those?) or OSU and UO bowl games, but program director Glasgow understands how important it is for the flagship show of the only all-sports station to be at the big events so off we went. The Holiday Bowl news conference with Stoops and Bellotti was the largest ever in terms of media turnout, and I am glad we were there-despite the long trip-arriving at a very average Holiday Inn (think Rockford Files: circa 1977 Southern Cal and you will know where we stayed) at 3:30 AM, and having tons of technical issues. But in the end, after meeting so many Duck fans in San Diego, being there was worthwhile. Thoughts on the game, and all of the negative comments regarding the Ducks performance, coming tomorrow here and on the show. We will be live at the New Phoenix Casino in LaCenter from 3PM through the BCS Championship Game-and someone will win a trip to the "super big game in Detroit" which is code for the NFL game in Detroit the first Sunday in February that determines who is the champion of the National Football League. Hopefully all of that keeps the station, casino and me off the NFL's hit list. But come on by, check it out, and we will see you tomorrow in LaCenter.

Thank you and goodbye.
Ian

Monday, Monday.... Blazers vs. The Oregonian-Part Deux

2005-12-19T11:57:00.000-08:00

This is a story about an ongoing battle, with another strange and unorthodox response, followed by some misconceptions, and finally a refershing twist in which a company strongly stands behind it's employees. I have been in sports media since 1988, worked on both sides of the "fence" (team employee and media member) and have never, ever seen anything like the battle between the Oregonian and Portland Trail Blazers.

The Battle Resumes
Once again the only major league professional sports franchise and the newspaper of record, the only daily paper in Portland and by far the most important media outlet in Oregon and Southwest Washington, are at odds. At the core of the issue is a story written by Blazers lead beat writer Jason Quick last week in which Nate McMillan was critical of his team in a variety of ways. Here is part of the article:
McMillan said the team's "attitude" -- not pressing roster concerns or the team's 6-14 record -- was the most relevant topic. Certain players on the team are too selfish, not committed to the professional game, and don't play hard enough during games, he said.
"You've got to have the attitude that you want to be here, and if you don't, then when you are here, you work while you are here to make this club a better team," McMillan said. "So, do the things you are supposed to. Be where you are supposed to be, when you are supposed to be there. And when you are out on the floor, give 100 percent, and when things aren't going right, look at yourself first."

Then Quick took the next step, the obvious assumption by ANYONE who follows, covers, or yes even works for the team:

The topics point directly at (Zach) Randolph, who at least three times this season has been tardy to team functions, at times gone through the motions on the court, and recently, expressed indifference -- at best -- about his desire to play in Portland any longer.

One Center Court Responds by Pushing "the red button"
The story ran on Wednesday. By noon on that day, the following came from One Center Court:

STATEMENT FROM TRAIL BLAZERS HEAD COACH NATE McMILLAN
CLARIFYING OREGONIAN ARTICLE
“I need to clarify some recent remarks that I made to the Oregonian’s Jason Quick that appeared in today’s newspaper.
The vast majority of the comments I made were in reference to the entire team and the their need to step up their attitude and provide leadership.
I did not single out any particular player. It is unfortunate that the Oregonian twisted my remarks to single out Zach Randolph. That was never my intent.”

While it may not have been Nate's "intent" it was obvious to everyone who he was referring to.
By calling out the writer by name, along with the newspaper, the Blazers took the unheard of public relations move of responding to a negative story. Poor move, bad decision, and not the "norm" you would find elsewhere in the country or from other organizations. But this is one of those things that make the Blazers......well the Blazers.

Of course, the story doesn't end there.

Quick and Canzano Anti-Blazers? Come on, how paranoid can we be?
This animosity between the team and the newspaper (specifically Jason Quick and Columnist John Canzano) continues to fester. But the strange thing is, knowing both sides, it was an acrimonious relationship on one side only: the Blazers. Contrary to what many fans and employees at One Center Court may think, neither Quick nor Canzano has an anti-Blazers agenda or are "anti-Blazers." In fact, truth be told, most of us in the local media would rather cover a winner, a playoff team that the town fully supports and is a part of the community that brings with it a sense of pride. You know, the way the team WAS years ago. It is good for everyone if the team does well.

The Oregonian takes a stand
If you have not read this story from Sunday's Oregonian sports section, do so now.
http://www.oregonlive.com/sports/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/sports/1134887104265280.xml&coll=7
The fact that the newspaper's management stood up and backed Quick in a such a public way is refreshing in today's corporate climate. The Blazers spend money on advertising and do have a lot of "juice" in this city, and many media outlets would have caved to whatever pressure was put on by the Blazers. Not the Oregonian. I applaud and admire Sports Editor Mark Hester for coming out and being so open in discussing the meeting and the paper's stance on the subject.

Some final thoughts on this issue.....at least until the NEXT battle commences.
First, the way it has been handled from the Blazers standpoint could not have been worse. To issue a statement from Nate McMillan, on the day of a game, and go on the offensive against the writer and newspaper was a move that makes no sense.
What good does a statement like that do? The old saying, something along the lines of "don't pick a fight with he who buys ink by the barrel" would have been a better path. Unlike the Darius Miles document fiasco from last year, one story that portrayed the new coach being unhappy with the star player would be read, digested, and go away the next day. This is not the kind of story that would fester. But when the decision to issue a statement was made, the story grew. It was also a gross error in judgement by the team to attack the writer personally. The main issue Nate McMillan had with the story was the headline, which the writer does not write. Why would they not just let Nate deal with it personally with Jason Quick? There is one media member who travels on a regular basis with the team, Jason Quick, and it would have been a simple solution for the two to iron things out like adults on their own. It appears that the team made the decision not to allow that to happen.
For my money, Jason Quick is one of the better beat writers I have been around in the NBA. His contacts, relationships, and knowledge along with the fact he has the stones to go after the story make him better than most.
I also believe that the Executive Director of Communications for the team, who is in his fourth season here, does a good job. He knows the market, the media, the climate, and how to deal with the issues that arise here. That only comes as a result of years of experience with yellow hummers, dog fighting, and trading cards being used for id. But I also know the people above him, and the large turnover of people on the communications staff below him, may hinder the process of effective media relations, and that must be what happened here.

As I look at it, the only agenda seems to be from upper management who would love nothing more than to see Jason Quick removed from the beat. In their world, life would be much easier, accountability next to nothing, and they could continue down the path of destroying this once proud franchise with only the little old PM Drive show on Portland's only all-sports station
there to hold them accountable. If Quick were not there, and the Oregonian put a lesser writer on that beat, then people would begin to buy tickets again, the corporate advertising dollars would be better than ever, and the town would love the team again-even with a 20-62 season staring them in the face.

Your thoughts welcome in the comments below.... otherwise, a week off, a little vacation time coming, and don't forget to join us for our two special shows live from the Holiday Bowl in San Diego next week.

Thank you and goodbye
Ian

Friday "food for thought"-and "The LeBrons" commericals

2005-12-16T10:47:00.000-08:00

Blazers and Mariners-Together or Not in their Personnel Philosophy
Earlier this week I wrote about Ron Artest and we did a few segments of Monday's show in regards to the troubled Pacer. While most fans here in Portland seem to want the "good guy" in the Blazers roster makeup, the numbers still show the team doesn't draw well with good guys who don't win. Not to say all so-called "good guys" can't win, but there is an interesting dynamic going on here in the Northwest.

While the Blazers have tried to change their "image" by purging their roster of the "bad" element (gone are Rider, Sheed, Bonzi, etc.) the MLB team three hours North was more than happy to go the opposite direction. Check out this comment from Mariners GM Bill Bavasi from the Seattle Times: The Mariners' clubhouse, Bavasi acknowledged, "probably just got a little more hectic. Which is good."

That is code for Carl Everett's signing will add a little piss and vinegar to the mix. Bad guy, YES. Bad guy to have on your team, from a public relations standpoint-YES. But this Mariner team has been known as being the "good guys" in baseball, and when winning, fine. But they haven't been winning, and attendance has been dropping, so desperate times make for.......the signing of Carl Everett. The Blazers meanwhile were winning with "bad guys" but the fans and media (me included) were complaining-so the purge began. Now both NW teams are going through tough times, but one, the Mariners, is pulling out all the stops to get better. The Blazers? Well, they signed a "bad guy" last year in Nick Van Exel who turned out to be, shockingly, a "bad guy" when he quite after Mo was fired. They signed "good guys" Juan Dixon and Steve Blake this year, and they are not good. Again, not all perceived "good guys" are bad players-see the guy wearing #34 for Seattle in the Rose Garden tonight. Just interesting how some teams (the Mariners in this case) are willing to take a chance on a guy with a bad reputation to possibly make the team better.

Remember Blazer fans, you wanted a team full of good guys, lower salaries (even though none of you had to foot the bill for those contracts-and ticket prices don't go down with a lower payroll) and said you would support that team in good times, or bad. Well the times are bad, the team is full of "good guys," and the support.....well it is not there. Maybe Bavasi, Whitsitt and others had the right idea after all.

Sonics-Is it coaching?
Must be. This team has it's top three scorers, and eight of it's top nine offensive leaders from last year's division-winning team, yet the record isn't good. I guess, despite what many wanted to say in the Emerald City, Nate was a difference maker on the bench. More on this later during the show from Mr. Stats himself, David Locke from 950 KJR in Seattle.

The Lebrons
Ever since my producer and Suke brought it up a few times on the air, I have received some e-mails questions regarding the new commericals with LeBron James. The answer is yes, it is my voice doing the play by play for the basketball highlights on the new series of Nike ads featuring LeBron James. To say it was a big honor and a thrill to make it through the audition process and be selected is an understatement. It is the second ad campagin for Nike and Wieden+Kennedy that I have been a part of, and I am amazed at the incredible creative process behind the scenes of such a project. The WK people are really the best in the business, and although I am very biased, I thought LeBron was funny as hell and very, very good in these spots. With these types of spots, it is as much about selling LeBron the personality as it is the shoes, and he did a great job of taking that next step in terms of being "the next big thing" in the NBA. Nobody will ever be Jordan again, but being LeBron isn't too bad either.

Thank you and goodbye.

Wednesday-Oregon Food Bank food drive-Live at Lake Oswego GI Joe's 3-7 PM

2005-12-14T10:23:00.000-08:00

Join us today as we celebrate the final day of our 10 Days of Christmas promotion. We are asking our listeners to stop by, bring a small donation (three or more items) for the Oregon Food Bank, and you can be entered to win our grand prize in the 10 Days of Christmas (www.1080thefan.com). The prize includes a Tivo for Dad with three months of service included, Salon Nyla treatment for mom, Playstation2 for the kids, and a luxury suite for a Blazers game. Last year we overflowed two big Oregon Food Bank bins. We want to double that this year. To make it even better, the Blazers and WinterHawks have donated tickets to giveaway, and Blaze will be there from 5-6 to meet the kids. Stop by, say hi, make a donation and while supplies last (we will have some each hour to giveaway) we will have some tickets to give you.

Now, to the hot topic of the day.....

Zach Randolph-Nash says no to trade talk and The "another way to look at Z-Bo's struggles"....
First of all, great story and related column by Jason Quick and John Canzano in today's Oregonian regarding Zach Randolph. Once again Quick is all over the Blazers beat, better than most beat writers in the country are with their teams. But isn't it a little too soon to go down the "Zach must go" road again? Yes, he is not the best at telling time and at times appears to be selfish. The story Quick wrote about though was based on Nate not being a fan of Randolph. If your new coach in the first year of his contract isn't happy with the cornerstone of the franchise, the player will probably be gone before the coach. But while they can't describle the intangibles, the actual hard numbers surrounding Randolph are staggering.....

First, this is a guy who came into the year averaging 19.5 ppg and 10.05 rebounds per game as a starter in the NBA. He was also shooting .471 from the field during those two years.
This year, Randolph is averaging 17.3 ppg, 8.8 rpg, and is shooting .440 from the field. But a closer look at the numbers, by splitting them up in two simple categories, reveals more. Those categories are called WITH MILES and WITHOUT MILES.

WITH MILES: 18.2ppg, 9.26 rpg, 49.5 FG%.
WITHOUT MILES: 14.4 ppg, 7.4 rpg, and 37% FG%

The Blazers are 29th in 3pt field goal percentage and 21st in overall field goal percentage. They have one true legitimate low post scorer, Zach, and really nobody who has an ability to stretch a defense with perimeter offense, or without Miles, nobody who can break down a defense and slash to the basket. The end result, teams can double team Randolph and pack it in defensively against Portland more than ever before.

Final numbers to "geek out" with: Without Miles on the floor, the Blazers are getting outscored by an average of more than 17 points per 48 minutes. The second most important player for the Blazers in that statistic is Randolph- the Blazers re -14.8 without him.

Finally, I contacted John Nash as well today and he said, "We are not trying to trade Zach." He said to clarify what Canzano had in his blog, what he meant to say, but was too brief in his response, is "IF" they were trying to trade Randolph, which again (see above) they are not, they would want a high level player in return.

Hurrican Dennis heading to San Diego State?
This story will not make all of the members of Beaver Nation who want Dennis back in Corvallis happy.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20051214/news_1s14azfoot.html
But keep in mind Erickson coming back to Oregon State wasn't going to happen. There is no way OSU could afford to buy out Mike Riley's contract. Oh, and that other little thing about how Riley may not be as bad as many frustrated Beaver fans believe. Remember Beaver Nation, you are still Oregon State! Contrary to popular belief among thosw wearing orange and black every day of the year, not just Halloween, Oregon State is not USC, Miami, or Texas.

Tuesday December 13th

2005-12-13T11:30:00.000-08:00

TOMORROW- FOOD DRIVE AT LAKE OSWEGO GI JOES: We are asking our listeners to stop by, bring a small donation (three or more items) for the Oregon Food Bank, and you can be entered to win our grand prize in the 10 Days of Christmas (www.1080thefan.com). The prize includes a Tivo for Dad with three months of service included, Salon Nyla treatment for mom, Playstation2 for the kids, and a luxury suite for a Blazers game. Last year we overflowed two big Oregon Food Bank bins. We want to double that this year. To make it even better, the Blazers and WinterHawks have donated tickets to giveaway, and Blaze will be there from 5-6 to meet the kids.

Is ESPN Evil? Or is it really trying to take over the world?
Good question, one that many ask. Unlike some, I think ESPN has been the best thing to ever happen for the sports fan. But....sometimes they do go too far. This will drve my co-host, the president of both the Joel Pryzbilla fan club and the "I hate Stuart Scott Fan Club" totally crazy.
http://www.newsday.com/sports/printedition/ny-spbest134550280dec13,0,2897604,print.column?coll=ny-sports-print

In regards to one of the things I asked yesterday, and something we will talk about today, are the Seahawks also "Portland's NFL team?"
You can vote online at www.1080thefan.com
But check out these television numbers: The New York Giants drew between a 16.5 and 19.2 rating for their last three games in New York. The Seahawks had just over a 16 rating for their Monday Night Football game with Philadelphia. The Hawks games against both Arizona and San Francisco, both horrible teams, received almost 10 ratings here in Portland. Those are very, very good numbers. So the television viewer says the Hawks, much like the Mariners, could indeed be Portland's team.

Fortson is right.....Crazy, but right!
You may have seen or heard some of these comments from the Sonics center, but here is a little taste again:
"There are a lot of old referees that they should probably re-evaluate," he said. "Everyone sees the same thing that I see. I'm not as crazy as everyone makes me out to be. Clearly, things are set against me, as simple as that. It's hard to come out here and play every day and you've got some old man that's bitter about something who wants to take it out on you. I don't know if he had a bad day during the day, whatever it is, they're just all bitter."
Nate McMillan has said on multiple occasions this year that his young team gets no respect from the officials. This is a league that at one time was rocked by a scandal involving many of it's top referees who were charged with, and some convicted of, tax evasion. One thing that jumped out there is most of those guys, many who are still working, were not fired. Fortson is correct in his criticism, although he too is bitter, but with cause. There are too many old, short, undersized, bitter guys blowing the whistle. Nate has complained, Zach Randolph in his hown pouting, piss-poor body language complains every night too.

Comments from Monday: Some good ones-let me respond to Chris who wrote- quoting the blog...."Well, one thing has been established: You don’t do it with so-called "good guys."These good guys that you started to bring aboard on December 3rd 2003 when you traded Bonzi Wells are putting less than 10,000 butts in the seats every night.<

I think Chris missed my point, or I didn't express it in a way that cam across to him correctly. My point is not "good guys" can't win, they can. But here in Portland, during the last two years of the Bonzi/Sheed era we took a ton of phone calls from fans who said they would support a team with good guys who didn't win more than the team that did win but was full of jerks. Well, the verdict is in. More people went to watch the "Bad Blazers" who were winning 49-50 games a year than are willing to watch a better group of human beings that doesn't win.

Mondays BLOW! But here goes anyway......

2005-12-12T14:15:00.000-08:00

Artest to Portland?
Ron Artest wants out of Indiana. Ruben Patterson wants out of Portland. A trade with their contracts works financially. Would you want to see the Blazers do it? Artest is not a good guy, and may be emotionally unstable. But Ruben? "Come on man." Why Not?
Ruben says he is a lock-down defender. Artest actually is. And the bi-polar one from the Pacers is a former NBA Defensive Player of the Year. He is also a former NBA All-Star. Of course he is a former POY and former All-Star because he only played in 7 games last year.
Here is why you may want to do it. The Blazers are more dependent on selling tickets than most other NBA teams. They aren’t selling a lot of tickets. How do you sell tickets? Well, one thing has been established: You don’t do it with so-called "good guys."These good guys that you started to bring aboard on December 3rd 2003 when you traded Bonzi Wells are putting less than 10,000 butts in the seats every night.
More importantly, how do you get better if you are the Blazers? You can’t sign big-name free agents. So there are two ways:
You hope your young players develop.
Acquire better players through trades.
What happens if Joel Przybilla decides to go where the money is at the end of this season. Say, Chicago where the Bulls will have money to spend. Say Chicago where it is close to home for his wife. Does it really make sense to sign a mid-level exception for a center who could get twice that amount on the open market? In other words, the Blazers could actually be WORSE next year.
So really, what are the reasons for not making a trade to bring Artest here and send Ruben packing?

Portland's Seahawks?
The Seahawks are 11-2, on the verge of clinching home field advantage throughout the playoffs, and the question here in Portland is: ARE THEY YOUR TEAM?
*The Mariners claim about 10-12% of their fans come from the Portland/Vancouver/SW Washington area. The television and radio numbers for the Mariners here are great.
But that is baseball….. What about football? In the past, when they have not been good, people here complained when a Seahawk game was on television.
What about now? Do you consider yourself a fan of the Seahawks?

Blazers-How bad will it get?

2005-12-07T09:32:00.000-08:00

That is the question I asked before the season, before the brief glimmer of hope when they reached .500 and were in first place. Here is all you need to know:

They are last in the league in point differential: -10.53. There are only three teams with a point differential of more than 5 ppg, and the next lowest to Portland is Atlanta at 9.00. What does this mean? In a league where the majority of the games are decided by single digits, the Blazers are getting blown out more often that not.

Right now, without Darius Miles, they are not a competitive team. They will continue to not be competitive until he comes back. Even then, they won't be good enough to compete on a nightly basis with the majority of the league, not just the upper echelon, but the majority of the league. The winning formula in the NBA is simple: your elite players must carry the offensive load. The problem Portland has is they only have one semi-elite player, Zach Randolph. Darius could be one, if healthy, and if he wants to be, but he isn't healthy and has never appeared to be that guy.

Bottom line: it will get far worse before it gets better. Better doesn't come until.......well I would say next year, but how will they get better? They will not have salary cap room next year, or really ever. That is exactly what John Nash told a small group of us media members before training camp during a Collective Bargaining Agreement information session. So to get better, the young players must improve and that is a long and slow process.

More later.....
Thank you and goodbye...

BCS Bowling or not...... the decision is-----

2005-12-04T14:03:00.000-08:00

Not good for Oregon. What was expected to happen did after Virginia Tech and LSU got upset in their Conference Championship games. Ohio State is #4 in the BCS Poll and in: This from the official BCS web site:
After application of the previous provisions, if any at-large slots remain unfilled and the team ranked either three or four is from the Atlantic Coast, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, Pacific-10, or Southeastern Conference but is not its representative, that team shall automatically fill one at-large slot and shall be selected to play in one of the BCS bowls.

*one other note, Notre Dame is also automatically in because of the clause that allows independent teams and teams from non-BCS conferences to guranteed a berth as long as they are in the top six of the final BCS standings. So Oregon had no chance.

So many problems with this system, where to start. How about a place nobody has spoken about just yet. The automatic qualification standards set up by the BCS in regards to conference championship games. This is where the Pac-10 will ALWAYS be at a disadvantage. Because in this conference, along with the Big 10, you get ONE chance, and only one to win your conference title. You can't back in like teams such as Florida State did with four losses, and without the other requirement that at-large teams face: nine wins. FSU wasn't even ranked in the Top 25 before their win on Saturday night, over a reeling Virginia Tech team. Now they play in the BCS against a very, very good Penn State team. We have the same situation as last year in the Fiesta when an undeserving Pittsburgh team got whacked by a Utah team who should have had the chance to play someone much, much better. How good is Penn State? Who knows? Certainly we the college football fans won't get to find out because Paterno's boys will play a four loss team in a BCS Bowl game.

Who to blame? Not Tom Hansen the Pac-10 Commissioner. Not Bill Moos or even the Fiesta Bowl people. Who do you blame? Simple, the Pac-10 Presidents. These academic snobs will NEVER allow a conference championship game or the expansion needed for the conference to be split into two divisions.

As to those who say JUST GO OUT AND BEAT USC? Well, nobody else has done it in the last two and a half seasons. The last two teams to beat the Trojans are both from the Pac-10, in conference games, in a league that is supposed to be below average compared to the other BCS conferences. The only team from a BCS conference other than the Pac-10 to beat the Trojans since Pete Carroll arrived in Los Angeles is Kansas State. Notre Dame also beat the Trojans Carroll's first year, but hasn't won since.

How do you fix the problem? You can't. But some rough ideas off the top of my head to help could be:
1) Nine wins should be a minimum requirement for a BCS Bowl. That way even if there is an upset in a conference championship game, it would not matter. That would open the door for more deserving teams.
2) Minimum requirement of a Top 10 BCS Standings finish to participate in a BCS Bowl for ALL teams, not just top 12 for at-large teams. West Virginia and Florida State would be out. Oregon, Auburn, and Miami would have a chance to be in.
3) Eleminate the gurantee for a top four finish in the final BCS poll. That way the bowls themselves have to decide who is worthy, and who isn't.

E-mails are welcome at ifurness@entercom.com
Former Oregon and current ABC analyst Dan Fouts will be among our guests tomorrow to discuss this on Primetime, 3-6 before the Seahawks Monday Night game. Join us at Jo's Saloon in Milwaukie for a viewing party as well.

Weekend Bender, courtesy of Bret Boone...And Bill Moos on PT Yesterday...

2005-12-03T11:35:00.000-08:00

E-Mail of the week from 1080 The Fan listener Kirk Miller.....
(sent to ifurness@entercom.com)
Blow outs have been the norm at the Fiesta Bowl this decade.. just ask NotreDame how their Beaver game went : I'm not myopic about the Ducks chances or Notre Dame's lack of. But haven't we been here before? This wouldn't be the first time the Irish backed into a big bowl, only to get blown out. All I'm saying is that in the churn of the Fiesta Bowl committee's decision making about which team(s)to bring, a competitive game is certainly a factor. Ian, nice job with your spirited defense of the Pac. You're carrying the load, but it needs to be done if it's ever going to change. One more thing Suke (and others) marginalize ASU's close loss to LSU by stating that,"there not the same team as they were earlier in the year". That is true, but begs the point- the fact that other Pac-10 teams are responsible forASU's demise only strengthens the conference's case. They handled themselves well against their non-conference opponents (including a decent Northwestern). But the fact they only rise to 5th speaks volumes about the depth found in the conference. As long as a mid-conference team like ASU is laying 500+ yards on the best team in the SEC, only to get relegated to second-class citizen by other, more worthy Pac-10 teams, this conference deserves respect.

Bill Moos Recap
In the event you missed it, Oregon AD Bill Moos was our guest yesterday during the show, and he stated the case he has made to the Fiesta Bowl officials, which included an added twist. He pointed out the reasons Penn State should get the Fiesta Bowl's first invite, the first overall tomorrow. If that happens, Oregon would be in the Fiesta and BCS because Notre Dame would get picked up quickly by the Orange Bowl, and when the Fiesta Bowl makes it's second pick, they would not go with a rematch of PSU and Ohio State. The fact that Moos is not only selling his team, but Penn State too is a reminder why he is one of the most respected ADs in the country. Lets see if it works tomorrow. Moos also pointed out that Tennessee and Oregon have agreed on a home and home in football for 2010 and 2011.

Boone goes on a Bender
Former All-Star second baseman Bret Boone might have worn out his welcome at Wynn Las Vegas, according to the LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL.
According to the newspaper, Boone rolled his golf cart Monday while playing on the Wynn's $500-a-round high-roller golf course. Later, he created a scene in the bar at the Wynn's Country Club Grill.
Security was called when Boone, 36, got testy with Wynn staffers after they asked him to remove his feet from the bar in an area where patrons were dining.
"Make me!" replied Boone, among other choice words. When Boone fell off his bar stool and hit the floor, friends removed him from the bar before security arrived.
Once the most prolific second baseman in the game, the three-time All-Star had big seasons at Seattle before a disastrous 2005. He hit .170 in 14 games with the Minnesota Twins.
He showed up at the General Managers' meeting last month with his hair dyed platinum, hoping to catch some attention.

Help for OLN?
....Sports Business News (www.sportsbusinessdaily.com) the NFL is talking to the networks about an eight-game package that would air during the second half of the season on Thursdays and Saturdays, beginning in 2006. The league has no shortage of suitors, including Comcast-owned Outdoor Life Network. Already airing NHL games, OLN is looking to become a major player as a sports network.
This is something OLN AND the NHL need in a big way. I am a hockey fan, bigger than most, and the only hockey I watch is via the NHL Center Ice package. I couldn't tell you when the OLN games even air or if they are still on. OLN needs something to help it get noticed, but the NHL isn't that something. The only thing harder to find than OLN is ESPN U.

Thank you and goodbye.

Why Oregon and Ruben is a no-win situation.

2005-12-01T13:11:00.000-08:00

I have a couple of quick thoughts to share before the show today...

BCS Talk continues: Why is Notre Dame so important to the BCS? Maybe because they don't go on a regular basis. The Irish have only played in one BCS Bowl since the series was put in place in 1998. Remember the game? OSU 41, Notre Dame 9. That year, by the way, was one of only two years in the seven there have been BCS games that the Pac-10 has had two teams play in BCS Bowl games. The other year was 2002 when WSU lost in the Rose Bowl to Oklahoma and USC hammered Iowa in the Orange Bowl 38-17. So why does Oregon belong in a BCS game? We will take e-mails (ifurness@entercom.com) and phone calls on that very subject today.

Ruben-What to do? Good question. This is a bad situation that will never be resolved to the point where both sides are content, unless Nash waves a magic wand and makes a trade that brings back equal value as a player. Bottom line-when he is playing, and happy, Ruben Patterson makes Portland better. When he isn't happy, and when he is out of the lineup, they are not as good as a team, and he can be very, very disruptive to a locker room. Blazer fans, one question: What do you want the team to do with Patterson? If they work out an agreement to release him, with Ruben waiving some money of the remaining 13 million, the Blazers still have his contract working against them on the cap. And remember, they are within a couple of million of the luxury tax threshold, something that Paul Allen has said he doesn't want to pay unless they are a playoff team. If they keep him, inactive, it could turn into the NBA's version of TO, except Ruben, despite what he thinks of himself, is not an impact player like Owens is in the NFL. But is cutting Patterson, despite the financial implications, something you as fans want to see happen? Or do you want a guy who has worked hard to improve his image, and a guy who does bring it every night on the floor, to stay here in Portland? Addition by subtraction (i.e. Sheed) or work through the issues (i.e. Damon).

Tuesday's Notes-Primetime 3-7 on 1080 The Fan

2005-11-29T12:20:00.000-08:00

All of the bad news and BS that happens out there, how about something good to start the day... Check this out....
Randle El visits policeman: (From Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
Steelers wide receiver Antwaan Randle El met with wounded Indianapolis police officer Michael Antonelli Sunday after the team arrived in town. Antonelli, 25, a Mt. Lebanon native and Steelers fan, lost his right eye when he was shot Nov. 20 trying to arrest a man in Indianapolis.
Randle El, who played at Indiana University, visited Antonelli at his home and told The Indianapolis Star he wanted to show his appreciation to him.
"God spared his life," Randle El told the Star. "[Antonelli and other officers] don't get enough credit."
I had the chance to have Randle El on my show a couple of times when I was covering the University of Utah and the Utes played Indiana, and he was truly one of the most refreshing and interesting interviews I have ever done with an athlete.

Lost in all of the Mo Cheeks vs. The Blazers stuff of tonight's game is the fact there are three other former Blazer coaches on the Philly staff. John Loyer, Bernie Smith and our favorite in The Fan Jim Lynam. Coach Lynam became a grandpa again recently as well courtesy of his famous daughter.
Congrats to Comcast SportsNet's Dei Lynam and husband Tim Riviere, who welcomed their first child, a son, Max Lynam Riviere, yesterday afternoon. He weighed 7 pounds, 11 ounces. Max makes grandchild No. 8 for Sixers assistant coach Jim Lynam.

HOW TO PAY FOR A BASEBALL STADIUM: I will have to check with Steve Kanter of the Portland Baseball Group, but this note from Indianapolis got me thinking about how Oregon could come up with more funding for a baseball stadium.
The Colts today begin an online auction of team license plates “to raise nearly $500,000 a year to pay for the construction” of the team’s new stadium. In addition to QB Peyton Manning’s number 18 and 28 other numbers of past and present Colts players, “400 other combinations of numbers and prefixes” will be auctioned, with minimum first bids of $25
My thought, why not have license plates with Portland MLB on them, much like the OSU, UO, WSU and UW plates you see in this area? Those who want baseball can support in their own way. It would be very grass roots, but at least it would continue to help circulate the word.

Messages: from Buddy Jay.....Hockey plays it's season in direct competition to basketball. I realize hockey fans are vasting different than NBA fans, but still it doesn't make sense for two sports franchises to compete head to head in this market.I am starting to come around on the idea of baseball to Portland. Mainly because of the great mass transit options that the city has built. Also, the idea of the Seattle franchise fighting a team to Portland always hung in the background, but it seems with the new frnchise in DC, and the battle lost by the Orioles, the prospect of a Seattle snuff seems less likely. But one thing Portland has going for it nobody seems to mention in respect to Las Vegas vs Portland and baseball is the weather. YES, Portland weather is significantly better than Las Vegas in the summer. You wanna leave the air conditioned casino to go melt in 115 degree heat?
Ian's response: Yes on almost everything you say. One thing to remember though, is competition is good! A good example is how much better most fans claim the service is from the Rose Garden and Global since they took over from Paul Allen's group. Hockey coming here has the built in advantage that there is an arena in place. Stadium financing isn't needed. But hockey has it's issues-horrible t.v. deal with OLN, fourth of the four team sports, etc. I love hockey, baseball as well. One will come, the question is, which one will it be?

Thank you and goodbye,
Ian

Monday's Rose City Ramblings... more to come on 1080 The Fan from 3-6 PM

2005-11-28T09:46:00.000-08:00

Tune in for Sean Salisbury and Maurice Cheeks today on Primetime 3-6 PM.

Ducks and the BCS, here we go again: The best thing about the ongoing saga that is Oregon and the BCS, which should be dashed officially next Sunday during the selection show, is that it will be all over in six days. Once again, let me try to rid everyone of some of the misconceptions that are out there:
1) THE BCS ISN' T FAIR: correct, like life, it wasn't set up to be "fair." That is why there is one independent school involved, and the system is set up where that school, if it gets to nine wins, will ALWAYS be selected.
2) THE DUCKS SHOULD BE IN, NOTRE DAME SHOULD NOT: Yes, based on the "on-field" accomplishments this year, a team from a BCS Conference (except anyone from the Little East) with one loss compared to a BCS school with two losses, including a home loss to a 5-6 Michigan State team, should be in. But again, see above. The system isn't fair from a football standpoint. It is about national reputation, television ratings, national appeal, etc. The Ducks lose on all of the above to Notre Dame. The Irish mean television ratings and revenue to a degree the Ducks can't even compete with. Notre Dame's overall national television numbers have been up between 30 and 48% this season.
3) NOTRE DAME IS THE REASON OREGON ISN'T GOING TO THE BCS: WRONG. The Irish are just part of the reason. The other is Ohio State. In fact, truth be told, once Notre Dame makes itself eligible for the BCS, they will always be included. Then it is down to the other at-large schools including Ohio State, UCLA, Oregon and the runner-ups in the title games of those conferences who have such a game this weekend. Realistically, it is down to Ohio State and Oregon.
4) BEST MATCHUP FOR A BCS BOWL: As much as I want to see Oregon in a BCS Bowl, and hopefully it will somehow, someway, still happen, a Notre Dame vs. Oregon game in the Fiesta Bowl doesn't have the same national juice as Notre Dame vs. Ohio State. The Buckeyes and Irish are two of the most storied programs in college football, and despite their long history, they have met just four times.

SIX DEGREES OF.... or.. STOP, PLEASE STOP, COMPARING RESULTS: This is the dumbest thing in sports. Notre Dame is good because they pushed USC to the limit, and so is Fresno State. But.... did anyone notice who Fresno State lost to this past weekend? NEVADA! The Wolfpack, with their scary Pistol offense, lost 55-21 to WSU this year, a 4-7 Cougar team that got beat 55-13 by USC, and the only reason the Cougs only gave up 55 is Pete Carroll likes Bil Doba. Michigan State beat Notre Dame. The Spartans also lost to Northwestern, which lost to Arizona State, which lost to USC, which proves again that USC is superior to Notre Dame. Or does it? It doesn't. All it proves is you can wrap around almost any comparable scores in the nation, and make an argument that means nothing.

Local College Hoops-It could be a long, long year unless you are a Duck fan: So far, not so good for the locals in college basketball. The University of Portland, expected to be a factor for those not named Gonzaga in the WCC this year, are off to a 1-4 start, with a game at Charlotte tonight. The Beavers, fresh of a postseason NIT berth last year, are a less than impressive 1-2 with an embarassing 90-62 loss to Tennessee Tech. The defending Big Sky regular season champs from Portland State sit at 2-3. So combined, the teams not named Oregon are 4-9, and nobody is over .500 during a time of the year where the good teams in the country build up a decent record before they start to battle in conference play. The Ducks, meanwhile, are one of three Pac-10 teams still unbeaten along with Washington and ASU. The Sun Devils are just 2-0 with their first real test tonight against UC Santa Barbara, although keep in mind ASU was picked dead last, by a bunch, in the preseason media poll.

Rose Quarter Looking Good, Sort of: Something I noticed this weekend while spending way too much time at the Rose Quarter for hockey and Nemo. The look of the Rose Quarter has been enhanced quite a bit by the small "flags" for the Blazers, WinterHawks and the lacrosse team that now adorn the area. It is those small things that help.
Now.... if they could find something to put in the old Cucina Cucina that would be the next step. This area of town still is an overall embarassment. You could just as well have the arena in Gresham, Beaverton, or even Camas because there is NOTHING in the area except the low income shelter that used to house the Ramada. In fact, if the Rose Quarter was in one of those above areas there would at least be some options for a pregame meal or adult beverage. One other note, having more than one concession stand open for every six sections of the arena for an event like Nemo would be a good move.

Harder than it looks: I have been fairly lucky in my broadcasting and voice over career, doing a lot of fun things and being in some situations where there is pressure to either audition for a voice over or "perform" during a live broadcast. It makes a daily radio show seem easy at times. But I have to say, doing the PA announcing for the WinterHawks on Saturday night was not only much more difficult than I ever thought, but I actually felt some pressure to get it right. Thanks to Kris and Scruggs for not only asking me to fill in for a guy who is very, very good in Dan Fowlick, but for hanging in there with a rookie behind the big mike. I am one who has been very critical of some PA guys over the 10 years I did hockey play by play, but no more. Payback was Saturday and I was really amazed at home much there is in the pure game night production of a game here in Portland. When I worked for the teams in Seattle and Tri-Cities, I always knew the Hawks were the best at their game night production, now I know why. They have every game stoppage, pregame and intermission scripted to the second. One final shot-the local NBA team could learn something from their hockey counterparts!

Comments welcome, and after seeing some from my favorite P-1 listener Buddy Jay, I will start to respond to the more intelligent and thought provoking comments I see.

Thank you and goodbye.
Ian

Wednesday November 23, 2005

2005-11-23T14:44:00.000-08:00

NHL or MLB?
I heard a lot of feedback regarding the conversations we had yesterday, and my opinion that the NHL or MLB will be here within a few years. Common thoughts were:
"We hate hockey, why hockey?" or "We suck as a sports town and would never support baseball."
Well, some may hate hockey, and some may doubt the ability to support a second major league sport. But here are a couple of things to keep in mind:

1) As John Hunt pointed out in the Oregonian today, not many towns in this country watch baseball as much as Portland, as was proven in the World Series this year. On top of that, the television and radio numbers for the Mariners are always good. In fact, even with the horrible season they had this year, the numbers were up on the radio compared to one year ago.
2) The team that does come here, whether it be hockey or baseball, will have revenue streams not available in it's current situation. If it is baseball, the stadium will provide those. If it is hockey, the only way a team comes is if the luxury suite and premium seating revenue streams that the Blazers gave up with the building are available.

I think it really is a race. The market is too big for one team, and the only question is what sport will it be? My bet is hockey, but we will see.

TO
Three words: Outside of Philly, WHO REALLY CARES? Why does the rest of the country care? Why do I care? Actually, I don't. And he didn't really lose. Not when he collects 1 million dollars for NOT playing.

BCS Breakdown and Ruben breaks down and is now out! Monday Primetime

2005-11-21T13:39:00.000-08:00

The new BCS poll is out, and Oregon is now 7th, up three spots, and for all of you who hate the computers, the software must like the new uniforms because the computers have the Ducks 6th. There seems to be a million ways to actually say who belongs in the BCS, and who deserves to be on the outside looking in. If you go head to head statistically, as objective as you can be, the two match up pretty well. And just for "fun" I threw Notre Dame's numbers in there as well.

Stat Oregon OSU ND
Total Offense 15 38 10
Scoring Offense 10 26 7
Total defense 46 5 67
Scoring Defense 44 7 37
Rushing Offense 70 28 58
Passing Offense 6 69 4
Rushing Defense 41 1 39
Pass Defense 70 37 92
Pass Efficiency Def. 30 36 37
Turnover Margin 12 93 13

Based on all of the above, OSU is better, statistically speaking, in five categories, while the Ducks rank higher in five categories. My WSU math tells me it is a push.
If you include the three key special teams’ stats, Net Punting along with Kickoff and Punt Returns, then Oregon has the edge (2-1). But keep one thing in mind, when the BCS was set up in 1998, the goal was allow the "haves" greater opportunity to make more money, and one of those "haves" is Notre Dame. Notre Dame makes money, and lots of it, for both bowl games and television.
One other note, if and when Oregon is NOT chosen, it is not a 14-15 million dollar payday they are missing. The second team from a conference receiving a BCS bid receives $4.5 million.
But I think, as a Pac-10 apologist, that the conference where the two-time defending national champion comes from, that has a one loss team to that defending national champion, does derserve to go BCS bowling. For every point that says Ohio State deserves to be there over Oregon, there is a counterpoint. So it will come down to who the bowl committee decides they want more. Maybe this is one time where the final intangible will be the NIKE connection.

Ruben sent home: It was only a matter of time, but it finally happened. Following a confrontation with Nate McMillan during the game in New York yesterday, Ruben Patterson was the subject of some swift action by the Blazers. Here is the official statement:
STATEMENT FROM TRAIL BLAZERS GENERAL MANAGER JOHN NASH
REGARDING FORWARD RUBEN PATTERSON

"Ruben Patterson has been placed on the inactive list and sent home to
Portland for the rest of this road trip for his behavior both on and off
the court.
We will not tolerate this type of behavior from any player. We will
continue to demand a higher level of professionalism and personal
responsibility from all of our players or we will continue to take
appropriate action."

Do remember this, when everyone is calling for the Blazers to trade Patterson, who has been downright negative this season, beginning in the preseason, he is a hard guy to trade. He has an "escalator" clause in his contract which means his deal goes up significantly if he were to be traded. He is about a $7 million dollar a year guy right now. If he is traded, that number goes up even higher. The point being he is a very, very hard guy to trade, although the new collective bargaining agreement allows trades to be within a higher percentage than in the past.

Weekend Edition-Blazers, E-Mails and more...

2005-11-18T22:55:00.000-08:00

My apologies about the lack of updates on the blog. Lots of excuses, none of which you care about if you are reading-so it will get better, OR ELSE! The one thing that would help is if I make the big laptop investment so when we are on the road, which is a lot lately, I can get it updated, but like I said, you don't care so lets move on.

Rivlary thoughts below but first, Blazers and exclusive thoughts from Nate
I was witness to a couple of very different games this week. Wednesday, well played, well executed, and A WIN. Friday, just pathetic. 24 turnovers, which in the NBA means about 25% fewer scoring chances than the opposition during the course of the game. 24 turnovers against a pretty good Golden State team at home will result in a double digit loss-if they do that on this upcoming road trip against some of the top teams (Miami, San Antonio) then you could see some record-setting losses.
Some things you won't read ANYWHERE ELSE because I spoke to Nate after the beat writers left:
1) I asked him who is best perimeter defender is and he said Jarrett Jack, at least among his guards. He said he isn't sure what he will do with that issue of lack of defense at the point of the attack, but he may have to keep using Ruben back at the two in addition to being his backup power forward.
2) Suke asked him if Darius is hurting the team because he appears to be hurt and Nate said no, that Darius and the team's medical staff insist he is fine, so he has to believe that he is.
3) He also told the two of us that he was real disappointed with the team's lack of response to Ruben diving after a ball, getting shaken up, and yet nobody responded. He said if he was still playing, he would have run over and helped him up, and "it sure would have got me to wake up and start playing harder if I was a player." But it didn't and he said that was a huge disappointment.

Stay tuned because it is going to be "that kind of season" where one day people are talking playoff contender, and the next it looks like a CBA team going through the motions.

Rivalry Week-Civil War and E-mails
I thought it might be fun to see some of the better e-mails I received the last couple of days before the games are played.

So here we go:

From Dean: Brett Elliott is better than Ryan Gunderson. Go Ducks!

From Jim Olsen: Oregon is the most over-rated team in NCAA history... They are a legitimate top 25 team, probably 22nd.
No one could honestly believe that they would be favored at home (let alone win) against any of the nine teams in front of them. Worse yet, they might be 2-8 (at best) against the 10 teams behind them. They did prove that they could beat Fresno St at home by a field goal (That’s when they had Kellen at QB). The ducks are an average team with a cream puff schedule. Put UCLA on their schedule and play CAL on the road and they wouldn’t be in the top 25.

From Andy: Hey, happy friday to ya.....I think the Huskies will make it two straight tomorrow in a tough fought TOILET CUP, er Apple Cup!!! I think though in the near future this game will have some more meaning to it, as far as bowls.....I still think the Apple Cup is waaayyy better of a rivalry than the Civil War, any day!....You stop and think about it....you got all the yuppies and spoiled rich kids at the U, and east of the Cascades you got the Farm boys so to speak in the Palouse......Later, Andy

Scott V. writes about the rivalry: I think the rivalry is bigger for the fans than the players. Besides the fact that most of the players are from out of state, the athletes usually look at these games pretty much the same as any other game. As a former athlete at Oregon, I enjoyed the competition with OSU and still have good friendships with several of the athletes I competed against.
As a fan, however, I've never been treated as poorly as I was in Corvallis last year. I was spit on and someone dumped a coke on me as I was leaving the game. As a result, I have no use for OSU fans and probably never will.

I am heading to Eugene so tune in Monday and we will have some things to talk about, one way or another.

Thank you and goodbye.
Ian

Tuesday Primetime 3-7 PM

2005-11-15T13:42:00.000-08:00

Say a prayer for Big Suke who is "big time" sick. Out again today. He is still listed as day to day.

Too bad he isn't here because there are a lot of things to talk about.....and some compelling guests including:
OSU's new starting QB Ryan Gunderson
Arizona D'Backs closer and Warrenton resident Brian Bruney to talk Steroids
New York Jets Offensive Lineman Scott Gragg...... and a late add: Ruben Patterson at 5:25.

Later this week, some more Civil War guests including alums of both teams who are in the NFL.

Civil War/Rivalry Week
Yeterday we had a number of good phone calls and somewhat suprisingly even some good
e-mails regarding the Civil War and is it a "civil" and friendly rivalry. I think in the end, it is not as bitter as most across the country, there isn't the same hatred for the opponent as some other rivalries, but it is still a big game.

Baseball's New Steroid Policy:
Four words describe this: WHAT TOOK SO LONG? Actually, the answer is simple. It didn't get done before because despite what amounts to a very tough new policy, MLB didn't believe it was an issue. It became an issue when Sen. John McCain and others decided it was time to force the issue. Now you get great quotes like this from Bud Selig: "This is an important step to reaching our goal of ridding our sport of performance-enhancing substances and should restore the integrity of and public confidence in our great game," commissioner Bud Selig said in a statement. "I appreciate the effort put forward by the players' association and our players in reaching this new agreement."
So now we have the second drug policy in 10 months, and one that is, to say the least, harsh. But do the fans really care? As a fan of the game, I do. Baseball, more so than any other team sport, is judged by statistical numbers. Those are the benchmarks for the game just as times are the benchmarks in Olympic Track events. I don't want my Olympic sprinting champion to be juiced and chemically enhanced, and I don't want the all-time leader in Home Runs to be a steroid abuser.
So I applaud the efforts of baseball, even though they were forced into it. But will this make it a better game? Do fans even care? Maybe not now, but if some of your favorite players or players on your favorite team are banned for 50-100 games, you will more than likely have an opinion then.
Is baseball better today than it was yesterday? Does it have more integrity? My answer is yes on both accounts.

Thursday Primetime 3-7 PM

2005-11-10T13:46:00.000-08:00

I will throw out a topic today, which
In light of the recent controversy surrounding the Sacramento Kings insulting the city of Detroit during pregame introductions a couple of nights ago, I think this is another classic case of overreaction and going overboard with political correctness.

Consider the following:

1) The video was a general stereotype of a CITY, not an idividual, not a race or ethnic group, not even the team itself.
2) The message that Detroit is a bad place is actually accurate. Detroit ranks #1 in a recent listing of the 32 most dangerous cities in the country, based on crime rates. Don't believe me?
http://www.morganquitno.com/cit05pop.htm#METRO
3) Detroit also has a crime level that is higher than the national average in the eight major crime categories, with the only exception being Larceny/Thefts.

The biggest mistake here is that it was the team itself doing so---the actual organization. They should not have, and it was inappropriate. But it wasn't the BIG DEAL that everyone is making it out to be.

Here in Portland, we should know better than most cities, what it is like to be stereotyped. But when people refer to our city as the home of the "Jailblazers" we don't demand that whoever did so take out a full page ads in newspapers, even though the current roster isn't the same one that actually EARNED the nickname a few years ago.

But the quesiton is, what is crossing the line? My opinion is that line is far more blurred when you are talking about an individual as opposed to a city. If the Kings would have had a picture of a yellow Hummer getting pulled over by the police, would that have been crossing a line with a certain power forward on that team?

In my mind, the rules are different for professional athletes versus guys in college. I don't think a personal attack on a college kid is every appropriate. Criticism and opinion, without cheap shots is a fine line to be sure. If you accept the scholarship as a college athlete, you are in the public eye and there are some burdens you will carry.

But for a professional athlete, the rules are different. And for a city, I think all bets are off. Dirk Nowitzki took some major shots at "the city of Utah" a couple of years ago. I don't remember Mark Cuban making any apologies.

Detroit is a hell hole. Live with it. The crime rates tell the whole story. What Sacramento did wasn't really appropriate, but it certainly isn't deserving of the constant criticism that the Kings are receiving. And more important, consider the source! We are talking about Sacramento, a place where the Cow Bell is considered a musical instrument.

Primetime Monday, November 7th, 3-6 PM

2005-11-07T14:01:00.000-08:00

BCS and Oregon explained below-and it isn't good news for the Ducks. Also some Blazer thoughts too..... as UFC Super Ref Big John McCarthy says "lets get it on".......

*NEW* At 6:00-Some thoughts on U of P Soccer getting screwed and why the NCAA continues to be a disgrace are added below.....I know Women's soccer isn't always a hot topic for many of you, but check this out because for those who think a playoff system is always the best way to go, even when there is a national championship, there isn't any reason to believe the NCAA will do it right.

Lots of things to discuss today, on and off the air. Join us for our weekly visit with Sean Salisbury talking all things football, including some very strong opinions regarding T.O. We spoke to Sean earlier in the day, before the Owens' suspension was officially announced, but you will hear his thoughts which are, to say the very least, full of passion and opinion. Pac-10 Today has two guests-one talking Arizona's shellacking of UCLA and the other a voter in the Harris Poll from the Big 12.

QB Controversy at Oregon? Not on my watch: One thing that should never be mentioned with the Ducks under Mike Bellotti is a true QB controversy. He just plays two guys, this year, last year, and just about every other year he has been the head coach. Who is the best guy? Maybe it is just a situational thing. He thought (for whatever reason) that Jason Fife was a better fit than Kellen Clemens during some parts of the game a couple of years ago. Last year and this, he played Dixon at times when Kellen was healthy. As was the case on Saturday, the cliche of it doesn't matter who starts but who finishes was never more true than when Leaf led them to the win in the overtime.

BCS and the Ducks: Oregon moved up and into the top 10 of the one poll that matters most, the BCS. But will that be enough to get into a BCS Bowl as an at-large team? Consider this: For the 2005-06 season, Notre Dame gets an automatic qualification if it is ranked six or better with nine wins. The Irish are eligible for BCS bowl selection if ranked 12th or better with nine wins. The Irish receive a $4.5 million payout if they make a BCS bowl.
The Irish have three games left against Navy, Syracuse and at Stanford. If they were upset, they are out of BCS consideration-but that seems unlikely. I bring Notre Dame up because Oregon needs help if it has any hope of getting in as an at-large team. The Fiesta Bowl is the most likely place to go because that bowl's host conference, The Big 12 Conference, will more than likely play for the national title (Texas) which leaves that Bowl with two at-large bids. The other two BCS Bowls already have one slot taken with a host school (Orange is hosted by the ACC and the Sugar is hosted by the SEC-in other words the conference champions for those conferences go to those bowls automatically) . That leaves the Big 10 and Big East Champions to be slotted into a BCS bowl as well, which leaves just two spots for at-large teams. Translation: it is nearly impossible. See how it breaks down:

Rose-National Championship Game: USC vs. Texas
Fiesta- Big 10 Champ vs. at large
Orange- ACC Champ vs. at large
Sugar- SEC Champ vs. at large.

One at large will go to the Big East (West Virginia) Champion, which is guranteed a spot in a BCS Bowl. If Notre Dame ends up winning out, they will more than likely get the nod either because they are automatic (top six) or they are selected by a bowl because they have nine wins and are in the BCS top 12. So effectively Oregon (Pac-10 #2) would be competing against the losers of the title games in the SEC and Big 12 title games, along with the Big 10 #2. Even the most optimistic of Duck supporters know this is not even a longshot.

TO: Enough. I thought that all along, and now maybe after today he will go away. But this guy is everything wrong with sports. Selfish, self-absorbed, confrontational, egotistical, and on and on and on...... Why even bother-should he go away? Yes. And now it looks as if he will.

Blazer Thoughts: Three games into the 82 game schedule, here are some very uneducated and random thoughts.....
1) Sebastian Telfair played his best game since last season using the Damon Stoudamire point guard philosophy-SHOOT FIRST, PASS AS A LAST RESORT. Not only did he score 18, he only had two turnovers.
2) The most effective lineup of the night included Jack, Telfair, Randolph, Patterson and Ratliff-the Blazers. They were a +6 in a key six minute stretch of the fourth quarter. What does this tell you? If you give Telfair a solid ball-handler to work with in the backcourt he is far more effective.
3) Monia got rave reviews-and rightly so in his first career game and start. But he was nearly invisible in the second half, scoring just two points and taking just two shots. He did play 11:34 in the second half, so it wasn't like he didn't have a chance to be more agressive. Is he the answer? Lets wait and see.
4) Why is Webster playing the majority of his minutes at the three position? If he is your shooting guard of the future, play him there.
5) Salim Stoudamire still hasn't found a shot he doesn't like. He was 4-11 in 24 minutes.

Final thought is the crowd was great, enthusiastic, and fun. The downside is when will we have that atmosphere in the building again.

Number One Seed and Sent Packing-THE NCAA BLOWS! This is another reason why the NCAA should get blown up, and member school presidents need to make some changes. It is in regards to the NCAA Women's Soccer Championships.
Despite being one of two unbeaten teams in the country and ranked No. 1 in the final Soccer America regular season poll, the Pilots (18-0-1) will travel to Nebraska for the first and second round matches.
Portland was sent packing as a result of the NCAA's attempts to minimize travel costs for preliminary round games. Sites for first and second round action are determined to create the least number of flights, as a
result, only 10 of the 16 seeded teams will host opening round matches. With Iowa State and Creighton within driving distance of the Nebraska campus, Portland is the only team forced to fly. All other top seeds
will benefit from home-field advantage.
Gonzaga is the nearest school to Portland to earn a bid in the 2005 playoffs, but by being more than 300 miles from the UP campus, Gonzaga would also be forced into air travel if Portland were to host. So, the
Pilots will take their show on the road despite averaging 3,106 fans per game in 10 regular season home matches - unofficially second in the nation to Texas A&M's 3,797 average. Nebraska averaged 435 fans in 11
home contests this season for a total of 4,785. Portland drew a total of 31,060 during the regular season, including a 5,119 turnout against Santa Clara.

So to recap, the Pilots are a number one seed, top ranked and undefeated in the country, and average the second best crowds in the country. But..... they have to travel to Nebraska and if both teams win, the Pilots will end up playing the host school, and an unranked, at-large team on it's home field. At least the Huskers won't enjoy home field advantage in terms of a crowd-since they only average about 435 fans per game.

I don't know what the recourse is, but at it's own level of play, this is just as bad as undefeated SEC teams not getting a chance to play for a national title, EXCEPT nothing can be done about the BCS system since it is endorsed by the Presidents. This IS a playoff system and it still screws the small school from the Northwest.

Thank you and goodbye,
Ian

Thursday Update

2005-11-03T12:27:00.000-08:00

Lots to discuss in our four hours today, including Blazers, HIV and Sexual Assault in the CFL, Pac-10 Insider Ted Miller and more.

Blazers Opener: There really isn't much more to say than "I told you so." In this blog and on the show, I have stated many times that the biggest thing to be concerned about was the backcourt and that group's tendency to turn the ball over. I also spoke of what should be a better than average frontcourt. Last night, Darius and Zach played great but the game was lost with inability of the guards to be effective, especially defensively. RICHIE FRAHM????!!!!! Are you kidding me? This guy made just 31 three pointers all of last season. But how did he do it? Simple, the Blazers have the same old problem in the backcourt-size on the defensive end. Travis Outlaw anyone? Nate went with a limited rotation, and it may have cost them.

HIV in the CFL: Check out this story, and get ready to discuss.
http://www.canada.com/sports/football/cfl/story.html?id=01099a30-269d-4d34-80e3-b7cf22f2b1b1
Finding the actual policies of sports leagues is tough, but from what I could gather from the story and from some research after, the NFL policy the CFL cites says HIV testing is voluntary and "continued participation in the NFL of HIV-infected players should remain a private decision between the player and his physician."
Imagine that..... you could be an NFL player lining up across from another player who has HIV. The scary thing is that we just don't know who has it, and who doesn't. In other words, is Magic Johnson the only big name athlete to ever contract the virus while playing a professional sport? There is a chance that other athletes may have it other than just Trevis Smith. Bigger names in bigger leagues. Maybe not, but while there is great concern here, there has to be a realization that he may be the first in a true contact sport (sorry Nate-basketball doesn't qualify here) to have his situation go public, but he won't be the last.

Should athletes be concerned? At the very least, there should be testing. I think the answer is simple for ALL sports-the decision regarding participation should be up to the Player's Associations. Majority rules. Let the athletes decide.

Primetime-Back to Work

2005-11-01T14:23:00.000-08:00

Mental health day done and over with, back to work today... Join us this afternoon for a great group of guests and interviews talking about what people here are passionate about: Pac-10 Football and the NBA.

Maurice Cheeks will join Suke and I at 3:25 before his first game as the new 76ers Head Coach. Whether you liked him or not as a coach, one thing is certain: this guy was the one consistent piece of class that an organization otherwise missing that had for the past few years. Nate should continue that trend, but if you care about the community, Mo is owed a debt of gratitude for being a his positive role here.

Nate McMillan I caught up with him after a long and intense (see below) practice late Sunday afternoon and had a chance to speak to him about the upcoming season. He drops what I consider a major criticism of the roster and what happened in the offseason at the end of the interview. We will run that at 5:30.

Tim Legler ESPN NBA studio host at 5:10 today, right after the Top Five at Five. I spoke to him earlier today and he has a lot to say about Mo's situation in Philly, Nate coming here, and Nick Van Excel going to San Antonio.

Pac-10 Notebook: Mike Bellotti, Mike Riley, Tyrone Willingham, Jeff Tedford and Pete Carroll today. A lot of QB talk in the mix, including the question of who will start at UW against OSU, will Brady Leaf play, and will the Big Four at Cal (Mebane, Jordan, Jackson and O'Callaghan) play on Saturday.

NBA Tips Off: A 2-12 November seems to be a distinct possibility, with maybe two more wins possible, but what difference does it make? Not much. Some observations while watching the final 30 minutes of a very intense practice on Sunday afternoon:
1) Assistant Coach Dean Demopoulos is far more vocal, hands on, and involved in practices than any assistant I have seen. He went on a couple of tirades Sunday, one which was a profanity laced one in which he said at one point "I have never seen a team that cared less about taking care of the f&%ing basketball than you guys." Well, he was right. But a couple of us thought it looked more as if he was putting on a show for the four media members there.
2) Ruben Patterson is easily the most vocal player and the one guy who takes charge during a practice.
3) It is really hard to see much of a difference in the level of play between Jack and Telfair. I think Jack may be better in the half court, which despite the people who think otherwise, is what a Nate McMillan team is. "SCORE EARLY, SCORE LATE" is what they were working on Sunday. Push the ball quickly, look for a quick score, and if it isn't there, pull out and work a motion offens with a lot of screens.

More Later...
Thank you and goodbye,
Ian

Primetime Thursday 3-7 PM

2005-10-27T10:00:00.000-07:00

Join us this afternoon as we debate and discuss a couple of different issues in sports that have nothing to do with x's and o's. Author Jon Entine will join us at 3:25 to talk about Fisher DeBerry's comments. Entine wrote the controversial book "Taboo, Why Black Athletes Dominate Sports and Why We're Afraid To Talk about It." Whatever your thoughts are on DeBerry, don't miss the interview because I gurantee it will make you think. Some of Etine's thoughts are below, check it out and tune in this afternoon.
We will also talk more about Sheryl Swoopes and her decision to announce she is a Lesbian, and ask the question WHY WILL THIS NEVER HAPPEN IN A MALE TEAM SPORT? We will also check in with Ted Miller Pac-10 Insider from the Seattle P-I on during the Pac-10 Today segment at 4:05.
Also, see below for some quick thoughts on the Blazers game last night, the disaster that was Preseason NBA Game #7 for Portland.

My Opinion......The World Series was Horrible
In my mind a sweep, unless you are a fan of that particular team, does not make for a compelling series. There has to be drama and this Series, with the possible exception of Game 2, had zero drama. Yes the games were close, but the complete and total offensive incompetence of the Astros made this series tough to watch. How bad was Houston and how inept were they in those few situations where they could have actually made a game exciting and interesting? Everyone knows the Astros went the final 15 innings of the Series without scoring run. Here are two other examples of how they didn't get it done:

1) The White Sox's starting pitchers went seven innings in all four games. In the last 50 years, only three other teams got at least seven innings from their starters in each of the first four games of the World Series

In other words, the Astros never forced the issue offensively.

2) The Astros went hitless in their final 29 at-bats with runners on base in this series, since Jason's Lane's 8th-inning double in Game 3. The only team to have a longer drought with men on base in one World Series was the 1966 Dodgers, who had a 31 at-bat skid against the Orioles.

The television ratings for Game 4 were as follows: Fox earned a 14.8/24 overnight Nielsen rating for its coverage of Game Four of the White Sox-Astros World Series last night, down 24.9% from a 19.7/29 for Red Sox-Cardinals Game Four last season.

Those who complain about the late start and the games going well into the evening may not include those at Fox. Check out these numbers: The primetime portion of the 14-inning game earned an 11.3/17, while the post-11:00pm ET portion of the game drew a 10.8/26. The highest-rated portion of the game was a 13.3/28 from 12:00-12:15am, which included the bottom of the ninth inning. The broadcast earned a 9.1/28 from 1:00-2:20am.

Swoopes is a Lesbian
The reigning WNBA MVP, Sheryl Swoopes, announces she is a lesbian. Shocking news it is not, although at one time the attractive Swoopes was married and her pregnancy was celebrated by the league. But good, she shows courage and honesty and in the end, why should we care?

From ESPN The Magazine:
"Do I think I was born this way? No," Swoopes reportedly told the magazine. "And that's probably confusing to some, because I know a lot of people believe that you are.
"It's not something that I want to throw in people's faces. I'm just at a point in my life where I'm tired of having to pretend to be somebody I'm not," Swoopes said. "I'm tired of having to hide my feelings about the person I care about. About the person I love."

So really, why now? Well the almighty buck might be one reason. According to The Sports Business Daily, Swoopes is set to become a spokesperson for Olivia cruise and Resorts, a company that, according to it's web site, specializes in travel for gay and lesbians.
http://www.olivia.com/index.cfm
Maybe for Swoopes it is financially rewarding to "come out" and reveal her sexualality.

I will take it one step further. The WNBA (whether you enjoy the quality of women's basketball or not) has one big stigma hanging over it-a perception that 80-90% of the players are lesbian. There are some who probably don't support women's sports as a whole because they believe most female athletes are "gay."

Think about how stupid that really is. Does that mean all girls, from elementary school through high school, college, and the most elite levels, who play team sports are "gay" or going to be "gay" at some point? Or is it just the very best athletes who get to the highest levels that are gay. Is it just a problem in women's basketball? Is it a problem at all?
The second answer is no, so the first is obviously not.

I have a number of friends in the broadcasting business who work in the WNBA and all say the same thing, the landscape of the league in terms of the sexuality of the players has changed. It is a league that is far less "gay" than it was when the league first began. Why is that?

I think for one, the female athlete has changed. The female athlete in school is looked at in a different way. Jenny Finch, Brandi Chastain, Heather Mitts, Mia Hamm, Sue Bird, Lauren Jackson and others have all helped change the perception of the female who played team sports. I say team sports because individuals sports like figure skating, tennis, and golf have never had the same stigma hanging over, even though we knew many of those athletes were indeed gay.

What will come of this? Probably nothing. One thing that could come of it is other WNBA players who are lesbian should be less likely to feel as if they need to hide their sexual preferences. The same should be the case with other athletes in other sports, INCLUDING MEN!

Fisher DeBerry's Comments
From The USA Today: Air Force football coach Fisher DeBerry, expressing frustration Tuesday with the Falcons' slumping performance, attributed the latest loss in part to No. 20 TCU's having more African-American players who "can run very, very well."
He first mentioned the lack of minority players at Air Force compared with other schools while talking to reporters Monday, The Gazette of Colorado Springs newspaper reported.
When questioned about the remarks during his weekly luncheon Tuesday, the coach didn't hesitate to elaborate.
"It just seems to be that way, that Afro-American kids can run very, very well," DeBerry said.

DeBerry apologized today, but the uproar continues. He said something directly, that many of us think privately, or say in other ways.

I'll give you an example: "Mike Hass is a great receiver... he will be like Kevin Curtis, or Steve Largent in the NFL....."
Of course he will, because he is a WHITE receiver which means you can't compare him to Bobby Engram or Keyshawn Johnson because they are BLACK receivers, even though they probably play a game more closely resembling Hass than Largent ever did.

The perception and at times it seems the reality is that only black players can play the skill positions in the NFL or major college football. Well, the majority of the players at those positions are indeed African-American. But it goes far deeper. There has been a great deal of research on this topic done, and a terrific book called TABOO. One thing that is wrong with what Fisher DeBerry said is it really isn't as simple as black vs. white-it is more a question of white, black and black again.
From an article entitled "Born to Run" by author Jon Entine:
In other words, notions that lump all blacks or whites or Asians together into monolithic racial groups are ignorant of both history and genetics. Genetically, and as a result physically, populations from East and West Africa are very different. Although theyÂre all "black," they may in fact show more genetic variation than any two randomly selected whites.
Distance running requires a relatively specific body type, which is not very common in whites and is nearly non-existent in those with roots in West Africa, where most Africans enslaved in America came from. Many black Americans do tend to have exceptional biomechanical packaging for sprinting Â small and efficient lungs, muscular "mesomorphic" bodies and a high proportion of fast-twitch muscle fibers, which contribute to explosive speed. But those qualities make for lousy distance runners. In other words, all the hard work in the world cannot turn 100-meter champ Maurice Greene into a first-rate marathoner Â or marathon world record holder Catherine Ndereba of Kenya into a world-class sprinter.
Many East and North Africans, who share a genetic and evolutionary history, have slim, short ectomorphic bodies with large capacity lungs and an abundance of slow-twitch muscle fibers Â an ideal profile for endurance sports. But East Africans are also among the worldÂs slowest sprinters. So, while Kenyans and other East Africans hold more than 60 percent of the worldÂs top distance times, the best Kenyan 100 meter run is 10.28 seconds, a lowly 5,000 on the all-time list. In contrast, in sprinting, blacks of West African ancestry, including African Americans, hold the top 220 times in the 100 meters and 494 of the top 500 times.

Our poll question on www.1080thefan.com is in regards to Fisher DeBerry.

END IT NOW! NBA PRESEASON IS UNWATCHABLE!
Especially when you watch the guard play of the Blazers. We thought it was bad last seaso, with the top four "true" guards in the rotation shot a combined 39.2% (834-2126). I HATE preseason stats, because the rotations aren't set, teams are not really playing to win, and most players have a difficult time getting into any kind of groove. But, compare that 39.2% from last regular season to the combined 29% (51-175) for what we believe to be the top four in the guard rotation this season (Smith, Telfair, Jack and Dixon) and it is a little scary. When you add in the assists to turnover ratio for those four which is 82-53, and a team that is already offensively challenged becomes downright pathetic. If you add in Steve Blake and Martell Webster, one or both who should be on the active roster, the shooting numbers only go up slightly to 31%
(72-232). But I, like most, should reserve judgement until the regular season actually begins. Remember Seattle went to LA last year and got blown away by the Clippers and people up in the Emerald City were saying that would be the worst Sonics team EVER! Ok, bad analogy since the Blazers don't have Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis, but still, preseason and regular season games one and even two shouldn't mean much. I see the Blazers having a chance to be 2-2 when Sheed rolls into town on November 11th.

From Wednesday... The World Series is TOO Long
Our buddy John Canzano is one of many columnists who wrote on the length and late ending times of the World Series games, especially Game 3. One big reason is Fox adds :30 to each break for an extra commercial. Once you add :30 to each of the 28 half inning breaks, that is obviously an additional half hour of time.
My question is what is the solution? I don't think the start time can ever be perfect. If you go earlier, you lose most of the West Coast's ability to watch any of the first three or so innings. A 7:00 Eastern Start time, with the average commute begin 30 minutes for most cities, means that those baseball fans who live in the Western half of the country will miss almost half of the game.
The solution? Major League Baseball needs to tell Fox, or whoever the television partner is, that they can sell the available inventory as is for a normal game-and if you don't generate enough revenue, raise your rates!

Thank you and goodbye,
Ian

Primetime Tuesday-NBA GM Survey, Radio Wars, Tonya, Pac-10 Notebook and More!

2005-10-25T14:34:00.000-07:00

Pac-10 Notebook aired at 4:05. I had a chance to talk to Mike Bellotti about his QB depth, or lack thereof, and Kyle Bennett is indeed #3 on the depth chart. He also said that Brady Leaf will probably get snaps in the next three games, much like Dixon did when Clemens was healthy. Also from that segment, ASU Head Coach Dirk Koetter said Sam Keller will be back as the starter at QB this week vs. Washington, despite his sore thumb.

John Canzano will joined us from the World Series at 4:30 today. He said despite what some are telling you, there is major excitement in Houston for the World Series, even though many national hosts are saying otherwise.

RADIO WARS:
We had the final word on "radio wars 2005" at 4:45.
http://www.oregonlive.com/sports/oregonian/jason_quick/index.ssf?/base/sports/1130235956157511.xml&coll=7
Coming soon: Pictures of me holding my Washington Press Association awards, my Northwest Emmy, and my Utah Sportscaster of the Year award. Why haven't you heard about this before? Simple, because nobody outside of our intimate little business cares. Here is the bottom line:
The "other" station ran something that we produced, they run statio promos that take a direct shot at us (KFXX), and when it comes right down to it, they ARE NOT a sports station. Just because you have a host with two first names who carries a handgun, that doesn't mean the rest of you should act tough and call people out (i.e. "you want some, come get some" or whatever the line was from the Program Director at the "other" station). There are some good people over there, guys like Todd Mansfield. The rest??? The word SCHILL comes to mind.

Tonya's New Trouble
This can't be happening again. The Clark County law enforcement team making their way to Ms. Harding's house.
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/Olympics/winter/2005-10-25-harding-tussle_x.htm

Here is a question for you: What is a bigger embarrassment for this community-Tonya Harding or the Blazers?

NBA GM Survey: It is out, and the only Blazer mentioned in it, outside of "others receiving votes" was Travis Outlaw.

4. Which player is most likely to have a breakout season in 2005-06?
Dwight Howard 46%
Travis Outlaw 9%
Others receiving votes: Chris Bosh, Primoz Brezec, Tyson Chandler, Mike Dunleavy Jr., Kirk Hinrich, Andre Iguodala, Joe Johnson, Wally Szczerbiak, Sebastian Telfair, Dwyane Wade

At least Outlaw us in the proposed rotation that the Oregonian reported today, although he is only averaging 11 minutes per game in the preseason. Keep in mind, only two players are averaging less MPG than Outlaw, and only one, Ha, is still with the team. The other is Sam Clancy.
The other interesting tidbits from it include:

The 25 NBA general managers who responded predicted the San Antonio
Spurs will win their second consecutive NBA title, and fourth in eight
years, led by 2005-06 MVP Tim Duncan.
One other note, the division that the GM's expect to be the most compelling is the Northwest where thre teams received at least 12% of the vote (Utah and Portland shockingly didn't get any votes).

MNF at the Hot Seat

2005-10-24T13:54:00.000-07:00

Join us out at the Hot Seat tonight for Monday Night Football and a number of things to discuss, including:

Kellen Clemens Injury: Oregon Sports Network play by play man Joe Giansante, who called Saturday's game on a tape delay basis, will join us at 4:00 for The Pac-10 Today segment. Kellen is out for the year, and the depth at the QB position, especially with Dixon showing he has a knack for getting banged up, is to me more of a concern than anything else. Right now it is Dennis Dixon, Brady Leaf, and then Kyle Bennett a true freshman from David Douglas High School who I believe is a non-scholarship walk-on. The Ducks were warming up Garren Strong Saturday, but despite the fact he played "some" quarterback in high school, he must not have played a ton at that position since he 33 catches in his last 13 high school games. The season isn't over though, not with the number of skill players the Ducks have and the remaining schedule of home vs. Cal, @WSU, and the Civil War. The Holiday Bowl and some pressure on the BCS to get into a bigger game are still realistic.

DID USC LOSE??!! The BCS is interesting, to say the least. Sean Salisbury will join us today to talk about how is Trojans, the winners of 29 in a row, are now #2 in the BCS. He was at the Texas-Texas Tech game as well. So USC has beaten BCS #11 in Oregon, BCS #15, and drops to #2. The biggest complaint has to come with the Colley Computer poll which had the Trojans 35 in the country.

OSU Thumped: What happened to the Beavs? Drew Olson looked like a Heisman candidate with six TD tosses, Maurice Jones-Drew looked a lot like Maurice Drew, and UCLA had it's most impressive win since Oklahoma.

Much more live from 3-6 at The Hot Seat.

Weekend Pac-10 Picks

2005-10-22T10:05:00.000-07:00

First, thanks to Lake Oswego High School for their hospitality yesterday. We heard that it would be a big-time high school football atmosphere for their game with top ranked Clackamas, and it was that and more. Great game, and it was fun for Suke, Jason Swygard and I to work together doing the game.

Now.... on to the Pac-10 picks for the weekend.

Season to date: Suke and I are both 34-8.

Quickly here are the picks for the week:

OSU at UCLA: As much as I really want the Halloween nation to win, and I do, I called UCLA by 10 earlier in the week, and have to stick to it. One thing that comes to mind is the much-hyped revenge factor for Matt Moore. What hasn't been discussed is the fact Drew Olson and Karl Dorrell also want to prove something. Ted Miller from the Seattle P-I and ESPN.com who joins us every Thursday, made a great point this week. He said the people close to the program, and media who cover the team on a daily basis, say Moore was not the most popular of guys and hammering him and the Beavs is a priority. Suke is calling for the OSU upset.

USC at UW: Come on.... Suke though says UW covers the 30 point spread. I say no way. Trojans in a romp.

ASU at Stanford: Stanford is winless and home and we both think that will continue.

Oregon at Arizona: We both say Ducks for fun, and Stoops ends the day 1-6 and burns the redshirt of Tuitama.

WSU at Cal: I am following the big man's lead and going with WSU, against my better judgement. Wishful thinking, and really the only way to win the game for the Cougs is if it goes three quarters.

Have a great weekend and hope to see you at The Hot Seat on Monday.
Thank you and goodbye,

Ian

IAN1080

Portland.... Thank you and goodbye!

It has been awhile....

Why I don't watch the Little League World Series

What will this week bring?

Done Deal

Weekend Update

Blazer trade winds blowing??

I need a hero....

Monday, Monday.....

Sonics Sale-What does it mean here?

Today's "News" Conference

One less Blazer buyer???

Back from vacation...

Before vacation can begin.... some thoughts on Przybilla

Deep breath.... breathe.... relax.... ok. WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?

Draft Day

2006 NBA Draft-Wednesday

OSU Beaver Baseball

Beaver Baseball "FAN"

I HATE JOHN CANZANO... amd the Ducks unveil yet another uniform design....

Breaking News

BIg Thursday is in the books!

Rate the Stadium....

Links, links, and Tiger's thoughts from the links....

Good Job Theo....and the stat of the day.....

Say What?

Crazy Day-Nash Out

I need your help

Big Day on 1080 The Fan

Is Nash Officially Out?

Big Monday

Back from the Dead!

Friday's Final Thoughts.... Blazers behind the schedule on Draft?

Why the Sonics PXP Job Matters Here

Too good to be true.....

Happy Monday-Thank God Cinco de Mayo is Over!

Wednesday's Wind Sprint-Bonzi, Raja and more...

What a weekend in sports!

*Updated* Primetime's Mock NFL Draft Results

Wednesday's Bugs....Marquardo busted, McDonald's, and more...

Monday, Monday, Michael Michaels, and on and on.....

Time of Death-9:23 PM!

WHY YOU SHOULD LOVE NATE and.....Welcome back to the UPDATED Blog!

Blazers-something to get excited about and "the philosophy" of Sports Radio

Six to go... Now is the time to follow Darius and just quit!

Monday, Monday.....

My worst fears realized, and Harold warns against turning over "the rock"

The Spin Doctors are at it again......

The return of Denny Crane! Or Paul Allen-I can't tell the difference

Friday.... bad day to be in the WCC, or my buddy Colin!

Thursday March 23rd

Monday, Monday......

Back to a computer..... then back to Eugene.

Quote of the week....

One year ago today....

Wednesday March 1st

Monday, Monday....

Long Week.... enjoy the weekend with The Fan Girls....

Friday Fallout

The Trade of Ruben

Trade Deadline Week....and what could have been!

Weekend Fun-Blazers, Ducks and more....

Trade Theo??? WHY??

Back from vacation today.... and I find the following: "Blazer player with gun on airplane."

At least the chili was good! Super Bowl Memories and more!

Monday, Monday.... Nate returns to Seattle? But will anyone care?

Lets lighten things up today... Question-Hingis: Hot or Not Hot?

Rodney Woods Part II

Monday's thoughts.....Hawks, D-League and more.

The Burbs....NBDL and more!

TGIF-Friday's Final Thoughts

Potter rains on the Marlins Parade....Hawkey Talk and more....

Wednesday-Back to work, sort of.. 3-5 at New Phoenix Casino

Back to work on Wednesday..... Stay tuned....

Monday, Monday.... Blazers vs. The Oregonian-Part Deux

Friday "food for thought"-and "The LeBrons" commericals

Wednesday-Oregon Food Bank food drive-Live at Lake Oswego GI Joe's 3-7 PM

Tuesday December 13th

Mondays BLOW! But here goes anyway......

Updated Primetime's Mock NFL Draft Results