SB Nation User Blog: mschofer

The Trail Blazers Enigma

mschofer — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 07:43:06 -0000

The Trail Blazers Enigma

This team always surprises me and I root for them more than any team I have ever rooted for. But Houston and McKenzie River we have a problem. It works like this.

We are getting married next week.
Weddings are expensive.
We have tickets to all the games.
The tickets are expensive.
The second round of the playoffs will mostly be during wedding week where we will be away in McKenzie River and the Beach.
It would be easier on our hectic lives if we did not have to deal with the second round of the playoffs.
Like Pavlov's Dog the trumpet calls.
We want the Blazers to win it anyway.
With all our hearts.
We will deal with it then.

And then there is this series. One of the fruits of being a season ticket holder is you get to go to the game. That is if your schedule can afford it. I took an assignment to teach at night this month. I love teaching. It pays the bills. Well it actually only pays for Blazers tickets. Its known in some circles as disposable income.

But

Our beloved Blazers seem to be playing on nights I teach.
And teach I must.
Game 2 I left the class out early so that they would not get stuck in "post game traffic".
Meaning I could watch the rest of the game on television.

We play again next Tuesday the night I once again have to teach.

I need to hatch a plan.

Why other teams Shoot Free throws so well against us.

mschofer — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 21:41:26 -0000

One would think what can we really do about that. But there is a a true cause and effect.The reason is

The reason is really quite simple and I have to blame it on the 95 pound starlits who hand out those crazy things behind the basket.

Thunder Sticks I think they call them.

Every team has them, every team has 95 pound leggy girls handing them out. Players come to expect both girls in short dresses and those silly thunder sticks. Something tells me ballers practice free throws with lovely ladies and thunder sticks in the back ground. I certanly learned to shoot foul shots like this.

Blazers management needs to keep the other teams guessing. How about japanese fans or hula hoops and instead of cheer leaders in short dresses lets throw some sun dresses at them or rain coats. keep them guessing.

And don't get me started on playing "Who Are You" during opposing player introductions.

Canned enthusiasm

mschofer — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 21:08:55 -0000

I watch teams from out of town and they have the same pomp and circumstance we have in our place...

I believe Golden State even used one of the same intro songs that we do to get the team and fans fired up during introductions. The Blazers announcers where ducking the same T-shirts we hurl at our games.

I don't think crowd noise is as much a factor as one might think. When a team needs a stop the chant is Dee-fense and the opponents know its coming and its easy to as adjust and get into the flow...

It would be kind of neat to see the crowd do some spur of the moment cheering. The closest thing I came to seeing that is when Martell went crazy and started blowing kisses to the fans...Its really fun when the players acknowledge the crowd...This is why Martell has always been my favourite player...

Thats what I love about Timbers games. Not quite the masses but the spontaneous cheers and over all chaos is tough to adjust to...And the players acknowledge the fans after the game and shun the fans when they are out of line...

And I am not even commenting on tricycle races during time outs...