The alarm blasts away telling me to get out of bed and get it started. My brain reminds me of the 9 beers I gleefully chugged watching the Blazers comeback to beat the Pacers the night before. Ok, ok I'm up! This is after all the day I lose my virginity.

I roll out of bed and go through the usual motions. Coffee, news, shower and brush. All seems routine until I get in the car. My wife and I smile at each other, saying little as we drive to the Garden. Its cold out, but we don't care. The skies are grey and have decided to release a light sprinkling, but we don't care. The market was down 4% early, but we don't care. Today is the day.

We've been to quite a few games this year, most of the tickets purchased off the re-sell site or given to us by friends. Our infatuation started out as fun night out. We'd catch a game, have some beers and food and Max it back to the pad feeling good. Sometime in January that ordinary interest morphed into a full on obsession. I couldn't stop thinking about B-Roy, LA and the gang. I'd watch every game religiously. It was my drug. I started tracking their stats and even started spending time at work reading posts and comments on an on-line Blazer fan site! I know, I know. I had it bad. I had a major case of Blazeritis. There was only one thing I could do to cure the disease. I had to get season tickets for next year!

As the wife and I waited in line this morning, we met some similarly infected people. They had great stories about seasons past and a true love for the game. I felt like I was part of a big family.

We got inside around 9am. The warmth and smell of the Rose Garden enveloped us as we took our seats and listened to a staff member review the process. After the debriefing we were turned loose to explore the available seats. Each seat that was open had a white piece of paper taped to its back. We knew the general area we wanted and headed there immediately. We found a group of 4-5 people already there.

There were quite a few other options open, but these seats were the cure for my plight. They were close enough to see, but not so close that I would have to get a second job. They had great sight lines and easy access in and out. I showed the staff member my golden ticket. The little number on the bottom corner of my form that indicated my place in line. Those perfect little numbers, a one and a zero that my waiting in line in the cold and rain for over an hour had gotten me.  The seats were mine.

After filling out the proper forms, my wife and I sat in our seats in a near empty Rose Garden with smiles on our faces. There were Blazer highlights playing on the big screen, but no noise. It was calm, peaceful, and almost tranquil. I could have stayed there all day. I knew then that my passion for the team would never die. My passion wasn’t a parasite; it was a part of me just like my leg or hand. What a great day. I had finally lost my virginity! I was a season ticket holder.

The Bright Side of the Sun wants to know who to vote for during this years playoffs since the Suns are pretty much out.

Here's the link. Make sure and vote for the Blazers and let the peeps over at The Bright Side of the Sun know why they should be rooting for the Blazers during the playoffs this year.

http://www.brightsideofthesun.com/2009/4/7/825808/suns-fans-looking-for-a-new#comments

Go Blazers!