http://gothamist.com/2009/08/19/allegedly_skanky_model_calls_accuse.php

Saw this on ABC this morning.  Has potential ramifications on all people who use internet aliases.  More than anything this should scare Ben from writing any more pieces about Steve Blake, and quite possibly endangers Adrian Wojnarokowlakadakasteinbowkowski's career altogether.

PS., Tried to make this a fanshot but was unable to post one for failure to retrieve an image.  Is an image always necessary for a fanshot?  Can anyone help me on finding a library of images that are easily retrievable?  I tried Google and had no luck.

Alas, it's over.  All the debating and hysteria can be put aside, trades will be made to round out our roster, and we will officially have an army to go to war with for the next 5 years.

It's time to embrace our newest Blazer and show him just how supportive our fanbase can be.  This is not a post intended to debate whether or not he's a good fit because that is a moot point.  We must now move forward with enthusiasm and a positive outlook for our future, one that will help shape us into a formidable title contender for years to come (rest assured, our fans are a huge reason why the youngest active roster in the league won 54 games last year).

Paul Allen showed him the money, now it's time for us to show him the love and what Blazermania is all about.  Allow me to begin:

Mr. Turkoglu, welcome to Portland to you and your family.  You have come to the right place.  You will be admired, respected, and loved thoroughly for all your tenure here and beyond.  Once a Blazer, always a Blazer.  You have the unique opportunity to finish your remaining playing days in a breathtakingly gorgeous state that desperately wants to quench its thirst for an NBA championship contender.  Get to know the town, the culture, and our fans and we won't let you down.  Thank you for choosing us; you will not be disappointed.

OK, BEdge, it's your turn! 

************************************

Ok, so as oregonlive.com and nba.com have confirmed, Mr. Turkey became unglued from the prospect of becoming a Blazer and has flown the coup to Toronto (?).

As disappointing or elating as this may be for some, feel free to use this thread to vent or to express whether or not you think this was an epic fail for the Blazers.

Personally, I think it's disgraceful that Hedo has apparently wasted a crucial period of our free agency window to turn his back on what seemed at one point like nothing other than a done deal.  I realize that things like this happen, but sheesh, if you really didn't think you'd be comfortable in Portland, then why bother?  Perhaps to drive up the price of Toronto's offer?  Let her rip, and take the poll if so inclined.

Poll

I _______ Hedo Turkoglu

3%

Still Heart

22 votes

18%

Loathe

115 votes

27%

am very, very, disappointed in

174 votes

51%

could care less about

326 votes

637 votes | Poll has closed

Having Seen The Hook

 

I heard the news today, oh boy

About a Trail Blazer who passed away

And though the news was rather sad

It helped to see him laugh

Even in a photograph

 

But beneath his smile there was a frown

A sad and lonely man though loved by all

He ate so much to flee the pain

But the rain just came and came

It took his breath away

 

His heart stopped beating on the coast

He didn't notice he was loved the most

And adored by children near and far

But for those from yesterday

The ones that saw him play

 

It marked beginning of an end

To an era that's now gone away

But lives on vibrant in our minds

How could he leave us here?

A man of barely 40 years…

 

Big man, tall man, gather near

For fans that once tortured your ear

Now sing your praises over guilty fear

And though they know not what they do

Some of us stuck with you through and through

 

We ran down a dream not once but twice

It never did come to us

In death..

We pray..

It comes to you

 

--broggerboy19

 

NOTE:  This fanpost is reserved for poetic tributes to Kevin Duckworth only.  Give it all you got.

BE,

I finally got a chance to read the comments to my last diary.  Yes, the one where I seemingly wet my pants because my favorite player didn't stay up into the wee hours to "play Nintendo" with me (nicely done, Mortimer).

First of all, thanks for the comments, especially the ones that weren't overly harsh or judgmental.

I really debated opening up about that evening in a public forum, but I'm glad now that I did.  All of the more positive rationalizations that I had for Martell's behavior were echoed by some of you and that definitely makes me feel better and more forgiving of the whole affair.

Second, I'd like to clarify that I never booed the team (though I did express frustration with our lack of rebounding...), and that I resent any implications that I'm a "bandwaggoner".

I'm not a GOOF or a WSOFer.  I've been a die-hard Blazermaniac for almost 20 years, save the Jailblazer era, where I spent my years outside of Oregon unaware of the wonders of Blazersedge and the power of the internet in sports fandom in general.  Even though I couldn't stand the things I was hearing at the time ("They're just the fans" by Bonzi comes to mind), I still rooted for the team and watched them whenever they were televised nationally.  I hope that settles that.

Neither have I stopped pulling for the team.  No matter how hard I tried after Martell unintentionally broke my heart (does anyone have a tissue?), I still find myself wrestling with the Blazermaniac within and even yelped every time LMA dunked the ball or when Chaz said that Roy was the best player on the floor in the Rook-Soph game.

What can I say?  Old habits die hard, no pun intended.

Though I will admit, my enthusiasm has been tempered and, sadly, I wonder if I'll continue to be THAT GUY who gets his entire section buzzing with the energy of Rock and Roll Part II after a clutch play or BEFORE a big defensive stop.

I enter Blazer games tired and I leave EXHAUSTED.  I take my job as a 6th man very seriously and I utilize the gifts that God gave me to lead and inspire people to raise the roof in favor of the team I love.  I consider Blazer games to be a physical and psychological challenge and I usually break a serious sweat when I attend one.  I'm one of the nut jobs that actually believes we can influence play on the court with the very belief, thought, and force of will of the crowd.  When that energy manifests itself as boundless fervor, it eclipses even the loudest sound effect that Paul Allen's NASA surround sound system could dream of blaring.

Are you starting to get the picture of why I would feel so offended that a player would treat me as less than equal?  I understand now that it seems silly, but that's where I'm coming from.  I forgive Martell, if he actually did anything wrong in the first place.  By the way, I left out the context of the encounter, which made my reaction seem far more ridiculous than it was.  I was lucky enough to be selected for a formal "Meet & Greet", where we were encouraged to ask Martell questions and engage in a conversation for up to 5 minutes.  Trust me, I would have never expected him to reciprocate otherwise.  I would have been ecstatic with the opportunity to shake his hand, get an autograph, and go on my merry way.  Just as I did with Buck & Clyde back in the day.  But the organization hyped the encounter and my expectations, so they are probably more to blame for my disappointment than anything Martell did.

But the biggest factor was that the night we lost the Denver game, I was in the beginning stages of withdrawal from a very serious addiction to a substance that will go unnamed, which made me particularly sensitive and probably caused a major over-reaction to the event.

Like the late great John Lennon said, "Cold Turkey...has got me...on the run".

I'm still suffering from withdrawal, but at least I've got my family and my health to look forward to, and the great people here in BlazersEdge, and the chance to watch my favorite player blossom into the All-Star I know he'll be someday.

If you've made it this far, thanks for listening.

And if you're ever thinking about doing drugs, I can't advise you what to do with your life or your body.  All I can tell you is that if you go down that road, eventually you will feel the incredible pain that I'm going through right now, and know that it's just not worth it.

Poll

Blaze The Cat

27%

Rocks

10 votes

19%

Stinks

7 votes

52%

Eh, he's okay

19 votes

36 votes | Poll has closed

Not having Jones is a huge factor in the current funk.

But in my opinion, the turning point was the last-second loss to the Cavaliers on our floor.

Up to that point we were still one of the elite home-court teams in the league.

No matter how often we lost on the road, we could always count on a successful homestand to lift us up in the standings and bring us within sniffing range of the playoffs.

But after Lebron single-handedly put Brandon Roy, and the rest of the team, in its place on national television, we have:

lost a home game we should have won in the last second (Denver)

barely beaten vastly inferior or heavily injured teams at home (NY, Chi)

lost four games in a row in convincing and embarrassing fashion on the road (Det, Ind, Hou, Dal)

The net result?  We have lost a lot of confidence and, more importantly, some of the trust and support of this season's TRUE MVP:  the fans.

I, for one, can be counted among the ranks of the disappointed and dejected.  Not because the team has lost games, or because they are simply falling back down to the original and more realistic expectations most of us had at the beginning of the year, but because this team has lost HEART.

They are young, and yet they cannot muster energy to box out, dive for loose balls, play defense, or run the floor.

For people that get paid millions of dollars to play a stinking game, for Pete's sake, they OWE it to us to at least hustle.

I don't care if they lose.  But at least ACT like you care.  During the Drexler era I never once booed or criticized my team at a home game.

But since the Denver loss, I found myself actually SCREAMING sarcastic remarks at our players, tired and frustrated with the complete lack of commitment and energy when called upon to get a stop or pull down a board.

Martell Webster was my favorite player on the team.  I met him after AI beat us at the last second.  It was cool of him to come out in a tired and frustrated state.  But in speaking with him and, subsequently being cut off by him mid-sentence with a handshake, I realized that I had more in common with fatty than I ever wanted to admit.

Despite what you read on the internet or in the newspapers, our players, for the most part, don't care about us.  With the exception of Brandon Roy, who is a gift from above, and perhaps Outlaw or a few others, our players are no different than your average over-paid, over-coddled, over-hyped pro athlete.  The current crop of Blazers are just younger and more naive, giving off a false aura of innocence that I regretfully and admittedly bought into.  Yes they are head and shoulders above the likes of JR Rider or Bonzi Wells.  But is that really something to hang our hat on?

Ungratefulness not only rears its ugly head in unpleasant encounters such as the one I had with Martell, but in a team's lack of effort on the floor.

Until that changes, the Blazers get a piece of my heart & soul no more.

fatty, consider this an apology and an acknowledgement.  this is soldier boy.

you were right, and I look forward to your return.

yeah, making my peace with fatty.  i guess every cloud does have a silver lining.

PEACE OUT

Poll

The Blazers

2%

on average treat fans with less respect than most teams

1 votes

85%

on average treat fans with more respect than most teams

34 votes

12%

on average treat fans with the same level of respect as most teams

5 votes

40 votes | Poll has closed

Wow.  Tough loss to swallow.

At least it was a great game.

No matter how much we beat up Nate for this loss, you really have to hand it to Lebron for an amazing 4th quarter and to the Cavs as a whole for some gritty East Coast D.  We looked just plain lost out there on offense several times, including the last possession.  It's become clear by now that Lebron can defend Roy, but Roy has no business defending Lebron.  We tried Martell on him too and that didn't go too well.  Outlaw has the best body for him, and Pryz did a sensational job with help defense.

Just a bummer that we were in control of this game for four quarters and let it slip away on national television.  We really seem to have difficulty on the big stage against the biggest stars, whether it be Magic or MJ or Kobe or Lebron.

Oy vay.  What do you guys think?  

PS., My wife thinks Nate hates Pryz.  Pretty cute.

Poll

Who or what won this game, more than any other factor, for the Caviliers?

14%

Nate MacMillan's poor coaching

14 votes

0%

Blake inbounding?

0 votes

58%

LeBron James, Lebron James, Lebron James

56 votes

7%

We were due

7 votes

4%

Cavs D

4 votes

10%

Lack of Pryz?

10 votes

4%

Roy guarding Lebron?

4 votes

95 votes | Poll has closed

Guys,

If you are as disgusted as I am that The Blazers are selling naming rights to The Rose Garden for a few million dollars a year, then you'll wish you could do something about it.

Well, thanks to fellow blogger 'thestrombomb' from Mike Barrett's blog, now you can:

http://savetherosegarden.com/

Please take a minute to go to his site and sign the petition to keep The Rose Garden named by its original and rightful name, a name that actually MEANS something to the community and to the mystique of Rip City's newest era.

The site also contains a comments section if you have more ideas or wish to contribute further.

Feel free to discuss the issue here as well.

Poll

The Blazers want to rename The Rose Garden for a few million $/yr:

41%

This is abominable. The Blazers must reconsider and find extra revenue elsewhere!

40 votes

27%

Dude, this is no big deal. Everyone else is doing it--why can't the Blazers?

27 votes

14%

I don't care one way or another

14 votes

16%

This is a great idea. The team needs revenue and I support their decision to rename The Rose Garden. I also rock out to Barry Manilow.

16 votes

97 votes | Poll has closed

It is now a few hours since the game ended and I've calmed down a lot.

But my conviction remains firm:  Steve Javie's personal vendetta against The Trailblazers must be addressed by David Stern.

I'm not blaming our loss to the Mavericks on anyone but the Blazers.  The Blazers turned the ball over, shot free throws like they would get second chances at them, and failed to shut down the Mavs in the closing minutes.

We lost the game because we didn't play well enough to win.

But Steve Javie, and perhaps his entire officiating crew, did everything in their power to disrupt the flow of this game and affect its outcome in Dallas' favor in the last few minutes.

This game has the stench of Tim Donaghy all over it.  Perhaps not as it relates to the manipulation of point spreads for the benefit of organized crime, but certainly as it relates to the phenomenon of corrupt officiating itself and its immeasurable impact on the outcome of games.

If anyone continues to deny Steve Javie's consistent bias against The Trailblazers, stretching at least as far back as the acquisition of Buck Williams, then that is their choice.

My eyes are wide open.

I am not accusing the man of incompetence.  He knows what he's doing when he carries out his personal agendas, and is actually a terrific referee when he is not swayed by emotion.  Nonetheless, his flagrant abuse of power must be countered with stiff resistance by all those who are sick and tired of it.  We are right on the heels of the Tim Donaghy scandal and NOW is the time to voice our displeasure with the status quo.

I am willing, in my free time, to compose an open letter or petition to David Stern regarding the inappropriate and unprofessional conduct of one Steve Javie.  I will demand, at minimum, a formal reprimand of said person to include a mandatory apology to the entire Trailblazers organization and its supporters for unconscionably prejudiced behavior by a seasoned and ranking referee.  It is of my opinion that more severe disciplinary measures may be necessary.

Laugh at this if you want.  If you're not with me, then please disregard the diary and move on.  I don't need critique or opinions on this subject unless they serve my ultimate goal:  a formal reprimand of Steve Javie.  Those who are with me are free to contribute to my petition in any way they can; I will appreciate your help.  

I will NOT sit helplessly while Steve Javie continues to rob my Blazers of a fair chance to win.  His bias on the court versus Buck Williams alone was so flagrant that he should have been disciplined long ago.  It is simply not acceptable to carry personal vendettas towards players or teams as a professional basketball referee.

I need backing, I need energy, and I need more evidence that confirms my "radical" viewpoint.

As stated previously, if you have evidence or energy to the contrary, then please just take the poll and post elsewhere or perhaps start your own diary on why Steve Javie has no consistent bias against The Trailblazers as a franchise.  

I'll be more than happy to take a gander, but I've got a letter to write.

Who's with me?

PS., I am fully aware that Ralph Nader wrote an open letter to David Stern after the atrociously officiated WCF between Sacramento and LA and received no response from the Commish.  I don't care what David Stern does.  I'm doing what I feel I should do, even if no one cares or agrees with me.

Poll

Steve Javie's officiating

31%

has a slight or inconsistent bias AGAINST The Trailblazers

15 votes

10%

has no bias for or against The Trailblazers as a whole but may have bias for or against specific individuals

5 votes

2%

has a slight or inconsistent bias FOR The Trailblazers

1 votes

0%

has a strong & consistent bias FOR The Trailblazers

0 votes

52%

has a strong & consistent bias AGAINST The Trailblazers

25 votes

4%

has no discernible bias for or against any team or any individual

2 votes

48 votes | Poll has closed

Hot off the presses, from Jason Quick (who else?):

http://blog.oregonlive.com/behindblazersbeat/2007/10/jack_named_starting_point_guar.html

This sets our starting lineup as:

PG:  Jack
SG:  Roy
SF:  Web (woohoo!)
PF:  LMA
C :  Pryz

Frye, Outlaw, Blake, and Jones will round out a 9-man rotation.

Here's a poll regarding our bench:

Poll

Who will get more burn this year?

32%

Green

30 votes

67%

Sergio

62 votes

92 votes | Poll has closed

Guys,

I can hardly contain my excitement, but never have I felt more proud and elated at being right about my gut feelings towards a player.

I knew that Martell was, offensively, an ideal prototype at SF for a team that will command double teams in the backcourt (Roy) and on the block (LMA).

According to Jason Quick, Martell will start on Friday night vs. Sacramento and--more importantly--is welcomed by NateMac to take the starting role:

http://blog.oregonlive.com/behindblazersbeat/2007/10/has_martell_won_the_starting_j.html

I sincerely hope that this works out for the best for Martell, Outlaw, and the team.

If so, I may see one of my fave players on the team start in the home opener.

I just posted a poll in my last diary that dealt with this subject, but I wish to ask the question once more in a more simplified and direct manner, just as in the headline on Quick's blog.

If you believe Martell has all but won the job, feel free to explain why and how you think this will impact the team, positively or negatively.

If you believe it is still Outlaw or Jones, please do the same.

Lastly, if you think it is Martell, what factors do you think will play into him KEEPING the starting job for all 82 games.  Specifically, how will this impact team dynamics with the starting and second units.

MY TAKE:  If Nate believes it is a good thing, then I don't think Martell is gonna screw this up.  He's arrived, in my opinion, and we're likely to see more of the same from him, although perhaps in a less "electric" fashion, as Quick so eloquently put it.  I didn't feel that Martell was best in the starting unit because of his relatively poor track record on defense, and because I thought that the second unit would benefit most from his firepower.  But if Nate feels otherwise, I'm more than willing to see how it plays out and hope for the best.

Poll

Has Martell Webster won the starting job for opening night?

1%

1: No way in heck will he start

2 votes

7%

5: Absolutely--without a doubt

14 votes

48%

4: Yes, with at least 75% certainty

86 votes

39%

3: His chances are about even

71 votes

2%

2: No, with at least 75% certainty

5 votes

178 votes | Poll has closed