She knows EVERYthing

So the family is driving in the mini-van and somehow the topic of job interviews comes up with our 7-year old. She asks what an interview is - we tell her it's when a boss asks you questions to see if you will be good at the job. She gets a funny look on her face and says:

"Why? They don't need to ask me questions. I already know everything. If they ask me questions I will just tell them I already know everything, so they don't need to ask me anything. I already know it."

SEVEN YEARS OLD.

Book: Red Hot and Rollin

I recently finished a book entitled “Red Hot and Rollin’: A Retrospection of the Portland Trail Blazers’ 1976-77 Championship Season.” The book featured contributions by some of Oregon’s finest writers and included a mind-blowing documentary DVD about the ’77 Blazers called “Fast Break.” I highly recommend the book to any Blazer fan. However, the views of the author regarding the current team are, shall we say, unfair. Read the book yourself and in the last few pages you’ll wee what I mean. Furthermore, the author published an article in the Portland Tribune this week that reinforced my thoughts. The opinion article is titled “It sure isn’t ‘77 anymore - SOAPBOX • Blazers’ championship days feel long gone”

Book author Matt Love’s opinion article can be found here:
http://www.portlandtribune.com/opinion/story.php?story_id=119843182830620500

Blazers are streaking

Wow. We’re now 11 wins into this unlikely win streak. I predict it continues at least until 13 before Monday’s New Year’s Eve game at Utah gives the team fits. They certainly can win, but if this thing ends before the next game I attend (Jan 5th v. Utah – which would be win #17 if the streak continues), that’s the game to be most concerned about. Anything can happen in this league, but man, this streak sure has been fun. I was at last Friday night’s game against Denver and man was the Rose Garden a giant party that night. I was there with family members (blazermania runs in the blood) who made the trip from the Seattle area to hit the game. Who wouldn't for Seriog bobblehead night? (that's what we're all holding in the pic above).

Here's a little video I shot - 21 seconds of Rose Garden bliss: http://www.youtube.com/v/Q6VyRQindD0

I have one image from that memorable game that I just can’t get out of my head.

Blazers are up one, a few seconds left in the game and Carmello Anthony has the ball – bullying and backing down Brandon Roy. I was thinking about Mello’s size advantage against Roy and all I could think was “uh, oh – mismatch…mismatch!” Mello turns around and puts up his best shot attempt.



Roy is right there with him and blocks the game winning shot. Crowd goes wild! Man, what a moment that was. What a moment.

Thumpalicious Dunks

I almost titled this entry “jukin’ & pukin’” – but this is a family show. No need for shock in the title, right? Well, Brandon Roy put on a show last night while he had the flu and played his guts out anyway (literally and figuratively). I took our 5-year old (a.k.a. MoMo) to the game sportin’ her new #12 LaMarcus Aldridge jersey. We had a great time. Most impressive moment? It’s a toss-up. First, I witnessed the greatest dunk I’ve ever seen live. A LaMarcus Aldridge back door pass to Martell Webster for the emphatic flush. Man, that was fun to see. I have a soft spot in my heart for athletic, acrobatic basketball. But possibly more impressive was the play of B-Roy – who had to leave the game during the 3rd quarter to throw-up. Yikes. Still, he came back and played sensational down the stretch. His slice and slash down the lane then up with the right hand, only to switch to the left - was amazing. Wow. When I saw that, I about hacked up the lemonade I was downing. Fun stuff, man. It was a move that McMillan compared to Michael Jordan's layup in the 1991 NBA Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers - a shot that became Jordan's signature highlight.

"It was a pretty lucky shot," Roy said. "Playing in a park, I've made that shot before. But not in front of this many people."

The great part about the 9-game win streak they are currently experiencing is that it’s not just one thing they’re doing right. Defense is excellent. Coaching (tactics,etc) is great. Players are being unselfish. Guys aren’t getting down on themselves or others when things aren't going right. Lots of things. It’s amazing how a few wins really change the perspective on ‘how’ things are going. Lots of analogies for life here. Good and bad.

Said Roy after the game (in reference to his recent back-to-back player of the week honors):
"At first I didn't want to jinx it," Roy said. "And then I thought, 'This isn't a jinx. I think I really am this good.' "

BLAZERS: Jazz and Jack

PORTLAND BEATS UTAH IN SALT LAKE CITY. Finally. Got that 6-game SLC-losing-streak monkey off our back. Have I told you my reasons for disliking the Jazz so much? Suffice to say, I have legitimate reasons and the Blazers/Jazz matchup is now my favorite rivalry...even if it is just in my own head. Last night they did it without injured LaMarcus Aldridge. So what did it? Defense, defense, defense. The zone worked...and they worked the zone. Now if they could perform like this consistently. But I'm liking the 4-game winning streak right now.

My favorite part of the win? Jarrett Jack's dunk, baby! I didn't know he had it in him. But I did some digging, and the picture you see here is actually from Jarrett's high school days - seen here playing at the 2002 Capital Classic. Apparently the guy has had some hops for years now and he's been holding out on us. What else you got, Jarrett?

Vancouver BC

I visited Vancouver, British Columbia this past weekend. I hadn't been in Vancouver BC in over a decade and was reminded what a cool place it is. I hope to visit there more often.

We were there for the memorial service of my father's uncle, a beloved family member. Some time ago, his son asked him what he would like on his tombstone. His reply: “How ‘bout this:

‘See, I told you I was sick!’”

He also decided to have the last word himself, so he recorded an audio tape to be played at his funeral. His son said he was worried his dad would poke fun at the situation and say something like “You all may believe I died of natural causes. I did not. And the murderer is probably in this room!” (That's not what he actually said on the tape).

What a fun-loving family. They are great and so much fun to hang out with. It was a wonderful opportunity to get together to honor a loved family member and celebrate life at the same time.

I uploaded a short video clip of his 5 sons performing a tribute song they wrote for their father's memorial here: http://www.youtube.com/v/g50XJLvXtCY

BLAZERS: Free-throws and Elbows

I was at the game against the Kings Friday night. My father-in-law went with me. Glad he was able to come. It was great to see Portland win, but I was disappointed in a number of glaring problems with the team. Most importantly, it looked as though they never practice their free-throws. C’mon, professionals shooting 50% as a team? That’s grounds for a loss alone. Practice your free-throws, fellas. At least 100 a day. At least. It’s painful to watch so many missed opportunities. UPDATE: Vindication - They shot 54% from the line again tonight against the Orlando Magic. The missed free throws along with poor outside shooting killed the W.

NOTE: I was glad LaMarcus Aldridge threw that elbow at Brad Miller. Miller’s a punk and it was a silly lapse in judgement by Aldridge, also revealing that Miller was getting in his head. But the fact that he’s not just going to roll over when someone chumps him is encouraging.

DUCKS: Deflation and Closure

The past two weeks have been painful as a Duck fan. Dixon’s injury and the subsequent monumental fall-apart has been difficult to be a part of. The team has been running an offense built for specific skilled players. When enough of those skilled players (and particularly the most crucial one) get injured, the offense becomes impotent and even detrimental to the remaining team members. They were held scoreless this week against a UCLA team that is really not very good. When UCLA finally scored a touchdown during the last few minutes of the game, I regrettably cheered that I was able to see an actual touchdown that day. The UO goose egg, in some strange way, allows me to have some closure. They simply are not the same team without Dennis. Unfortunately, Brady Leaf, who I really believe could have led the team to the Rose Bowl anyway, gets both ankles injured in as many games. Ouch, in so many more ways than one.

So, now we’re left to predict the Civil War game. With both teams as banged up as they are, we’ll be lucky to see a touchdown from either offense. I still have to believe there’s some heart left in the Oregon tank. All things considered and knowing it’s going to be a defensive battle, I say Oregon 14, OSU 10.

It's a girl!

Baby was born last night! Clara Evelyn was born Monday, November 19th at 5:41 p.m. after a long day of labor. She is 7 lbs, 1 oz and 19 inches long. It is hilarious - she has a full head of hair. Unfortunatley, it's just like daddy's, complete with receding hairline and bald spot. But she has way more hair than any of our babies. Mom is doing well and the big sisters are REALLY excited for their new baby sister.

BLAZERS: Rasheed Wallace + Weights = Maturity

Wow. I'm amazed. Rasheed Wallace, professional basketball player, is actually willing to lift weights. Who knew? A few years ago, when he was a member of the Trail Blazers, he had a reputation that refused to lift, citing that it would throw his shot off. From the Oregonian (regarding his summer):

He said he cut back on fried foods and fattening beverages, and spent more time in the weight room. For Wallace, who has blown off weight training in the past, lifting during the summer represents a major shift.
"Now that I'm getting older -- during the summertime -- I have to work out a little bit more. When I was younger, I would go the whole summer without working out and not watching what I eat," Wallace said. "I'm just getting older . . . and you never know how long you have left in this game."

Now he's lifting? What gives? Yeah, he's getting older and feeling the end drawing nigh. Age will definitely do that to a guy. But is that really it? Well, I did a little research and it turns out (I'm educated-guessing here) that it was likely former teammate Ben Wallace that did the trick. Ben Wallace was the Detroit Piston's team captain when Rasheed joined the crew in 2004 and actually required his teammates to lift. Said Ben Wallace:
"Well, my teammates--they don't have a choice," he says. "Once I got the role as team captain in Detroit, that was my biggest thing. I made sure everybody hit the weight room. Even if it's 15, 20 minutes before practice, we had a routine where everybody would come in and hit the weights." So, wait ... you make your teammates lift weights? "Yeah," Wallace says, as though you're asking him if he can dunk. "Twice a week. Mandatory."

Way to be, Big Ben. Apparently peaople CAN change. Possibly even a defiant guy named 'Sheed.

BLAZERS: Home Boys

I attended the first two home games of the season this last week at the Rose Garden. Apparently there is truly no place like home for this team right now.

The Trail Blazers were off to a disappointing start with 3 straight road losses, but have followed that up with an impressive 3-win streak this week. The team beat New Orleans, Memphis and Dallas. They seem to really play well with the home crowd behind them. That could mean a number of things. Man, I have to say – seeing games in person is an absolute blast. I’ve been very impressed with the upgraded fan experience this year. The wins certainly make a huge difference as well. Overall, there is energy in that building I haven’t felt recently. Another big thing for me is watching my daughters become Blazer fans. Emery was with me for the Memphis game Friday night and she really watched the game closely. She is watching who is ahead and jumping up and down at appropriate times. I’m really excited for her development as a fan. Her little sisters are coming right along as well. I’m impressed with how much they are absorbing about the game.

Key to the game lately: Steve Blake’s insertion into the starting line-up. 27 assists and only 2 turnovers in the last three games. The guy is just cool. He knows how to distribute the ball and when.

Props to the Blazers/Rose Garden brainstorming marketers: The Lexus Club Level wristbands are pure genius. Let me stuff my face during the game with anything I want with no financial punishment whatsoever. Genius. Friday night was the one time in my life I’ll likely experience that, so I had to throw that in there. I presume it’s the handy work of Global Spectrum, as the Club Level and other new promotions have surfaced since the 2004 bankruptcy of Oregon Arena Corp. GS has really done a great job running the show at the Garden.

BLAZERS: A tough start

After three tough road games to start the season, Portland begins with a 0-3 record. It’s a little discouraging for the team, I’m sure. The San Antonio game was close enough to give us hope, but the New Orleans and Houston games both felt out of reach throughout the duration of the contests. Our boys were just getting outworked more often than not. Today’s Oregonian piece suggests making changes in the point guard and center positions. Personally, I think Steve Blake is a better choice for the starting unit. But I’m not 100% sold on the idea that Joel will be more valuable with the second unit. However, we really only have one true center. If Channing Frye is our other option at the 5, we’re in for some tough times if Joel somehow does not stay healthy. Yikes. Amd the way games have started lately, I’m glad to hear they are thinking of ways that will help the team come out of the gate firing – and firing hard and well. Digging ourselves a hole in the first quarter is not working right now.

BRANDON ROY: "I know from every game from here on out, I'm going to come out with a chip on my shoulder, from the opening tip,"

UPDATE: Furthermore, I like what Roy said after today’s practice:
"It was one of those practices where, we weren't getting ready to fight, but everybody was on the edge," Roy said. "You like to see that after losing three games in a row. You don't want to come in after losing three games in a row and see everyone smiling and having fun with each other.
"We were getting after it. I was mad. Jarrett was mad. Guys were getting after it. And we need that type of practice because we need to play that way. We think we started playing that way in the second half of the Houston game, but what this team hasn't had in the past, in the year's since I've been here, is carry over. We practiced this way, now we need to practice this way tomorrow and we have to play that way on Wednesday."

DUCKS: A-S-who?

Oregon 35, ASU 23. My pregame prediction was Oregon 34, ASU 24. Luck or excellent perception? I’ll leave that up to you. I was lucky enough to attend the Ducks-Sun Devils game this week. Autzen was rockin’ - what a great atmosphere for a college football game. And the Ducks put on a show. Particularly in the first quarter. Even when Dennis Dixon was injured, Brady Leaf came in and the team seemed to flow just fine. It’s worth noting that even though ASU made some runs, it never really felt that the victory was being threatened. More importantly, it was another indication to me that Oregon’s defense really is firing on all cylinders and deserves a little more respect than it’s been getting. With regard to Dixon’s injury, fortunately it is considered minor and he is expected to practice this week. He is now viewed nationally to be in the driver’s seat for the Heisman trophy. I am also confident this team is not going to lose sights on the task at hand: beating the next opponent convincingly. Everything else will work itself out.

BCS Implications: UO is now 3rd in the BCS and fans are left to hope that LSU’s remaining opponents (Lousinana Tech, Mississippi State, Arkansas) or Ohio State’s remaining opponents (Illinois & Michigan) can find a way to upset them. Oregon must take care of business with upcoming games at Arizona, at UCLA and home against Oregon State, but without a loss for Ohio State or LSU, Duck fans are left as close as close can be to the national title game, but without hope of actually entering. More than ever, I say: Go Michigan Wolverines!

BLAZERS: Opening Night

The team hang in there with the Spurs, but ultimately they fell. An encouraging sign is how sincerely they were disappointed. No "moral victory" necessarily, but truly believed they were the better prepared team and should have won that game. That's what I like to see. Brandon Roy had a terrible game, and even says his heel felt great - which in and of itself is enough for me to celebrate. He's gonna have off nights...but a healthy talus bone, that's more than encouraging. The rest of the team executed well offensively (stayed under the dreaded 20 turnovers), but defensively they still need to get some things ironed out in the zone. Too many easy pickins' for the Spurs. Most impressive: Martell Webster. Money from 3-point land and poised and confident in his game. Wait 20 games before we say he's arrived, but this is a good sign. LaMarcus Aldridge looked great offensively as well, but only had 3 rebounds. He was disappointed in his rebounding game and is determined to be more effective there. Przybilla (13 pts, 10 rbs) also reminded us why he was such a great second line of defense. Encouraging game all around.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Halloween was a blast tonight. I was scheduled to go to class this evening but skipped out so I could go trick-or-treating with my little ladies. They are so much fun to watch. There I was, a proud dad grinning from ear to ear the entire time we were out trick-or-treating. They are so full of energy. Running from house to house, amazed at the candy they’re getting. Just on our street alone, they got WAAAY too much candy. Just how it was for me, and doggonit, just how it ought to be. One friend had a pumpkin with a patch over one eye, when you ask for candy, a candy eyeball plops out from under the patch. Funny stuff.

Brooke: “Four Eyeballs I got!”

Costumes this year:
Emery: Veterinarian
Moriah: Arial
Brooke: Tinkerbell

DUCKS: USC goes down

Oregon: 24, USC 17. Well, my prediction of 34-27 got it a decade off, but just about right. Oregon won by a touchdown. Oregon earned this win to the core. More impressively, yours truly got the crucial gameline right, but let's allow the coaches to sum it all up:

Oregon head coach Mike Bellotti: "This was a defensive victory, Coach (Nick) Aliotti put together a tremendous game plan, and the kids executed it. I am very pleased with our secondary."

USC coach Pete Carroll: "Defensively they were a lot better than I anticipated."

In my opinion, one enigmatic play said it all - close to the end of the first half. With a yard to go for a first down at the Oregon 42 and about two minutes left in the half, USC punted. Afraid they can't make a yard on this cupcake Oregon defense?

As for me, it's rough always being right.

DUCKS: Oregon vs. U-S-we'll-C

It's a top-10 showdown at Autzen this Saturday, the first in Autzen history. Oregon (5) vs. USC (9). So many predictions. Oregon is predicted as the 3 point favorite. The Portland Tribune put it well:

"It’ll be best offense versus best defense when Oregon meets USC at noon Saturday at Autzen Stadium. Oregon’s offense averages 550.9 yards and USC’s defense gives up 252.1, each leading the Pac-10. The Ducks average 6.9 yards per play and the Trojans give up 3.7, Pac-10 leaders both. The UO offense has generated 195 first downs and the USC defense has held opponents to 111, again, tops in the league."

I say it'll be a defensive show-down. All things considered, Oregon’s offense is better than USC’s offense. USC’s defense is better than Oregon’s defense. This is the making of a special game. My pick: Oregon 34, USC 27.

BLAZERS: Heal the Heel!

Brandon Roy’s talus bone in his heel is giving Trail Blazer faithful something to fret about. So, I propose a “Heal the Heel” campaign in his honor. I wore my Roy gear at hoops this morning, in an effort to conjure positive vibes and stave off any looming, pestiferous foot demons. I encourage you to do the same. Bust out the red and black #7’s wherever and whenever appropriate.
I’m disappointed, but not discouraged. It’s interesting that initially he thought it was an ankle roll. Kevin Pritchard says the MRI looks better now than it did months ago. Hhhmm, hasn’t he been resting this summer, so it wasn’t aggravated? Now they’ve been playing pick-up ball for a month and it comes back. Sound familiar (2006)? Should he have surgery? We’ll leave that to the experts. I’m most disappointed for B-Roy. He wanted to play summer league, but no. He had nothing to prove and advisors wanted him to rest. Now it’s resurfacing. Surprise! The single non-X-factor, 'sure thing' this year, poof. Gone. (Clapton singing in the distance – “Lately I been runnin’ on Faith”)

UPDATE: A friend of mine is a foot surgeon who performs these surgeries. He was not familiar with Roy's case, but offered this information:
"I looked him up on SI.com and they mentioned heel impingement which is not a term I have heard before and I'm sure is laymens language. Now this is just speculation, but the 2 most common impingments involving the talus are either spurring on the front of the ankle or on the back of the ankle. If it is the back of the ankle. The front of the ankle impinges the ankle from moving up towardsthe nose, the back the opposite way. The recovery from either end would be relatively equal. He may be out from anywhere from 6-8 weeks. Now, thats the general population. He may be back sooner because of his athleticism and some aggressive PT. These should notbe long standing issues that would hinder his career. If it is the heel as it pertains to the achillestendon attachment, that is a different ball game andcan kiss alot of the season goodbye."

Brooke Pregnant?

Brooke has been saying some pretty funny things lately. In fact, as I type this, she just approached me (climbing out of bed and coming downstairs when she's supposed to be sleeping) saying "Daddy, I cannot sleep with my eyes open." - and yes, that's a direct quote, she says the word Cannot." She has realized certain things get a lot of attention and special perks. Particularly saying she's sick. She tells me she's sick all the time now. Especially when she knows she may get in trouble for something, etc. But this was a good one. She has also noticed mommy gets perks for being pregnant. So what does she say to me when I tell her mommy gets a certain treat "because she's pregnant and has a baby in her tummy."? Brooke's response: "Daddy, I'm pregnant." Woa. Not hoping to hear that for at least a couple more decades. Yikes. Cracking me up. Now she's offering me a peanut butter cookie. I better get this one off to bed...again - for the third time tonight. How many times we gonna brush those teeth, sweetie?

BLAZERS: D-Miles on the return?

Interesting story on Darius Miles by the Oregonian's Joe Freeman today. Do we believe he can come back from potential career-ending knee surgery? Do we want him to? Tough call. Here's what he said: "I've got three more years left on my contract and it motivates me. Before those three years are up, I want to make the playoffs. I've never made the playoffs a day in my life in the NBA. That's something I want to do and I'm going to give the time and effort to do it."

There are a lot of haters out there for sure. I stand squarely in the middle. I believe if Miles shows the maturity and drive to come back, maybe he truly is a changed man. If he does so to the point that McMillan is willing to give him some PT, I'm down with it. Worth shaking up this roster to bring him back? No way. I believe the Miles ship has sailed P-Town. He's soft spoken and I really do believe he's misunderstood. If he comes back, I wish him well. But his knees are extremely questionable. Will he play this season? Probably 'some' - but I presume we won't see any meaningful contributions from Miles in the coming years. If we do, I believe it's just to build some possible trade value.

DUCKS: Heartbreaker

Cal 31, Oregon 24. Oregon beat Oregon. Cal will tell you differently, but neither team came out punching. Even once the butterflies were out and the game was flowing, it wasn't 'til the 2nd half that we saw the offense of either team come to play. (Note: This was the first sporting event in some time that I was so invested in that had literal knots in my stomach. I had to shake it off.) Unfortunately, Dennis Dixon had two crucial interceptions late in the game that cost Oregon the game. Cal capitalized. It's that simple. The Cameron Colvin end-zone fumble (pictured here) was an enigmatic play for this team. This could have tied the game and changed the course of this season. 16 seconds left and INCHES away from tying the game. AAAWWWW! But it was a great showdown. A great game to watch regardless. Now, we find out what this team is really made of. Toughest part: they don't play for 2 weeks now. I still believe they are still a 9 or 10 win team this year. Show me.

DUCKS: Cal Game Prediction

Big game at Autzen Stadium tomorrow. I'm all amped up for it. Oregon is currently ranked 11th in the country, Cal is ranked 6th. Lots of variables. Both teams want it. My prediction: Oregon 43, Cal 35.

DUCKS: Bullying the Bulldogs

Oregon had another solid showing this weekend. Fresno State, while not a BCS team, always plays Oregon tough. The 5 most recent games have all come down to the wire. Enter 2007. The Ducks put them away early and never allowed breathing room.

Oregon outgained Fresno State 307 to 60 on the ground, and Ducks running back Jonathan Stewart gained more yards on one play -- an 88-yard touchdown run -- than the Bulldogs had all game long. That run, the longest in Autzen Stadium history, came early in the second quarter and put the Ducks up 35-6. Saturday was the third time in the first three games that the Ducks have rushed for at least 300 yards. Center Max Unger, who admits to being a spectator on the play -- "I didn't even hit anybody" -- recalls Stewart's long touchdown run. "We had been running those sweeps for a while, then we kind of came back -- those guys were flowing pretty hard, and we just kind of cut it right up the back side," Unger said. "Oh, it was awesome -- untouched, it was great."

It was enough to move Oregon’s national ranking up to 13th in the AP polls.

BLAZERS: Knee-fights

Yikes. OK, so the sky descended a few feet with today’s news, but not a full-on plunge. A minor drop, really. Oden underwent exploratory surgery turned microfracture surgery this morning. Let me say that again: MICROFRACTURE surgery. (yup, that thud was the sound of my stomach dropping to the floor) This entire NBA season is out for the big fella. I reiterate my previous entry: the sky is not falling. I figure this sets his development back at least 2 years. If we’re blessed enough to have him out on the court again next year, it won’t be like it 'would' have been this year. Or should I say ‘should’ have been? I don’t know. As a fan, this is like getting the wind knocked out of me. But it really only took 30 minutes or so for me to get over the shock, commence cognition, gain perspective and move on. It is what it is. Unfortunately, it’s more frustrating for G.O. than anyone else. What a tough blow. Previous to today’s surgery, Oden blogged the following: “I would like for me to be playing and not seem like I’m a high maintenance player but things just keep popping up." He can bounce back, but it’s going to take tremendous will.

Durant v. Oden again? Given what we know now, I still take Oden. The actual outcome of all this is at least 5 years (and further) down the line. Then we can start making outrageous statements.

A strange twist to this is that, setting back his introduction 1 year, then another year to get him back to rookie form, he’ll be ‘actual’ NBA rookie age in my book. Don’t get me wrong, this is not good, just an observation. I got much love for Oden and simply hope this doesn’t kill his basketball drive. Like Irvin said at his HOF induction this summer: “Look up… Get up… but don’t ever Give up.” We got your back, Mister Oden. All this Bowie talk is garbage. Small brains only see the small picture. Sam Bowie still lives in Kentucky. We’re not witnessing his ghost or any form of offspring. Disappointing? Yes. Devastating? Temporarily. Recoverable? Absolutely. Adequate time to do so? It’s on our side, baby.

Let us not forget, this team still has a great core to work with this year. I believe they’ll still be over 35 wins. More? I hope so. I’ve already heard the “another lottery year, what can we get?” talk out there. We’ve had enough of that around here. 4 or 5 lottery years in a row? I’m good. Get that out of the mentality. Move on. Again, I believe the next two years are going to be LaMarcus’ rise to star-dom. My biggest question this year is whether Joel ‘the Thrilla’ will be able to bounce back from his dismal season last year. I think he will. That still gives us a question mark. Joel offers zero offense, but is an excellent 2nd line of defense. That’s no small asset. Overall, without any games under their belt together, I believe I still prefer Frye and Aldridge as the primary 4 & 5. Raef might even have something more to show us this year. My point: even without Oden, we are still able to be versatile. A fast, offensively minded squad when appropriate, and Joel is around when we’re playing a team that requires some banging in the middle.

Amazing, I look up and the sky is still there.

(PS: For those who don’t get it, that’s subliminal LDS humor in the subject line.)

BLAZERS: Oden surgery - the sky is not falling

Greg Oden will have surgery (exploratory arthroscopic) on his right knee this week. Apparently Oden complained of unusual knee pain last week and an MRI showed some cartilage irregularities (inconclusive). The local and national media have made many predictions about this. Plenty of disappointment and “the sky is falling” sentiments as well as lots of “wait and see”. Many take the Blazers’ silence on the issue as a bad sign. Bottom line is that we don’t know until the surgeon(s) get in there. There are a few points that I've concluded which I haven’t seen in any media coverage:

1) TIMING: Oden was participating in the voluntary team pick-up games and unofficial players-only practices. It’s unprecedented that the entire team is together and scrimmaging against each other so long before training camp. If Oden were not participating in this, we might not have learned about this until 3 weeks from now. As it stands, we get a 3 or 4 week jump on the problem. Surgeons say, if the exploratory procedure turns up nothing serious, it could be a 3-5 week recovery scenario. That puts us just past training camp and into the preseason. Bummer, no doubt, but descent timing. Without the team scrimmages, we may be way behind in getting this thing taken care of.

2) REASONABLE EXPECTATIONS: While ticket sales jumped significantly and TV scheduling have been significantly boosted by Oden’s coming to Portland (Note: we bought our tix before the draft lottery), this year is not expected to be a stellar W’s year. I think it’s stretching the limits of reason to believe we’d get to 40 W’s this year. Don’t get me wrong, I’d love that and hope for it, but too much development needs to take place before we’ll be taking that next step. If a season-threatening surgery were going to take place on GO, this would be an OK time for it to happen (never a good time, mind you).

3) LAMARCUS’ YEAR: I believe this year and next year, the star of this team will be LaMarcus. Brandon is the leader, LaMarcus is the star. As much as we’d like to have a dominant big man immediately, Oden has shown that he is a project this year. I’d love to be wrong, but reality is that he’s a project this year. 3 years down the line, when his rookie contract is up and it’s time for him to make a decision about his future, that’s when the rubber meets the road. When excellence and dominance is the outcome, I can be patient. Can you?

4) PSYCHOLOGICAL IMPLICATIONS: Oden has been so hyped up in the media, etc, I have a strong suspicion this is taking a major toll on him. Let us not forget how young this kid is. This is such a major step in his life – entering the NBA – a stalled start could be catastrophic to his confidence if not handled correctly and his perspective is not right. I recall the first phone call broadcast after his selection in the draft this year. Oden said he can’t wait to get out to Portland the next day and join the family. Mike Barrett and Kevin Pritchard were on the line and assured him he was already a part of the Portland family. Then he comes to town with a packed city square chanting his name. Warm and fuzzy, right? Well, now people are calling him “Mr. Bowie”. Nice, people. Real nice. Lay off the guy. The kid had a broken wrist last season and a tonsillectomy in July, for goodness sake. He hasn’t been able to show the world what he’s got. Now, his entrance onto the big stage and his knee gives him trouble. I got a feeling he’s the most torn up about this of anyone involved. He’s family, and I got his back.

Wait and see. The sky is not falling.

DUCKS: Oregon 39, Michigan 7

The Ducks had an inspiring win this week. Pre-season, Michigan was touted as a top program and dropped from being ranked 5th in the nation all the way to an unprecedented unranked last week due to a loss to a D-1-AA school. Now the Ducks enter Michigan Stadium (aka The Big House) and most of the country expects the Ducks to be unleashed upon by the top-tier talented Wolverines. What really happended: the Ducks took care of business.

Oregon not only whipped Michigan, 39-7, but Ducks quarterback Dennis Dixon combined for 368 yards of offense and a career-high four touchdowns Saturday. Dixon led the way with his arm and feet, throwing for 292 yards and tying a career high with three passing touchdowns -- to three receivers -- and running for 76 yards and a score. He connected perfectly on 85-, 61- and 46-yard touchdown passes. UO executed well, albeit easy to forget missed field goals, etc with a win like this. Forgive and forget, I say. Dixon played confident and in total control. He executed an offensive assault that rivaled some of the best college games of late. He even busted out two excellent ‘statue of liberty’ plays, just for good measure, I'm sure.

My favorite play? So many to choose from...tough call. The Jeremiah Johnson Stiffarm…no, wait, double (or possibly triple) Stiffarm – in one play. He said get outta my face. The image here gives an idea, but you have to see it in motion to appreciate the full magnitude of the disrespect. Fun to watch. Fun to watch.

Moriah is 5!

Moriah’s Birthday party last week was so much fun. Little kids squeeling and having a glorious time at a water party in our back yard. Wading pool, slip and slide, piñata, etc. Mom put together as many fun things as possible for the back yard party. Bless her heart. And they definitely had fun. The best part? Seeing that giant smile on my little girl's face. It was Moriah’s day. And she knew it. I’m so glad she could have so much fun. I can’t believe she’s 5. It’s a bit of a wake up call for me. Wow. Time is flying. My little ladies are growing up right before my eyes.

BLAZERS: Early Practices & Remarkable Dunks

The team is already congregating and practicing together - a month prior to camp officially beginning. This can only mean good things. Greg Oden is showing signs of promise. Channing Frye, who spent the previous weeks guarding Amare Stoudemire and Dwight Howard at USA select team practices in Las Vegas, said of Oden: "That kid is a monster, just a monster. He is so strong. He has no idea how strong he is. He doesn't even realize it. He was just throwing me around."

Martell Webster had a monster throw down Monday. With LaMarcus Aldridge playing tight D, he crossed over and threw it down. One on-looker called it "The most remarkable dunk this practice facility has ever seen." With a comment like that, I imagine it was a nasty one-handed Tomahawk thump. Martell is usually mentioned as a shooter, but let us not forget he has mad hops and, when his confidence allows him, can be pretty impressive inside the paint. He still has LOTS to prove, but he is still showing that he has potential to hang with the big boys one day.

Enduring to the end

“…we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things.” - 13th Article of Faith

I spoke in our ward sacrament meeting this week. The topic was "enduring to the end". I shared an example that I thought was very interesting. The story is of Donald Crowhurst, who in 1968 entered a sailing endurance race - to circumnavigate the world in a sailboat all by himself. The route was to leave England heading south in the Atlantic ocean, hang a left at the Cape of Good Hope (tip of Africa) and sail through the "roaring 40's" and "furious fifties" at the bottom of the globe - thousands of miles of endless storms and dangers, then hang another left at Cape Horn (South America) and back up to England. It takes more than 8-months to make the journey. No stopping.

To make a long story short, while the other racers were going through their trials in the roaring 40's and furious 50's, Crowhurst was reporting his coordinates as record pace, and would likely win the race. In actuality, he hung out in the Atlantic ocean, stopped in South America for repairs (stopping was against the rules) and appeard to plan to return to England 'posing' as the winner of the race. His boat was eventually found, but not Crowhurst. His logs suggest that he eventually went mad as he had a hopless decision:

1) Turn back, and risking humiliation and financial ruin.

2) Go forward, assuming he will not survive the challenge.

3) Fake winning the race, and live the rest of his life knowing he faked it and wondering if his deception would eventually be found out.

My analogous point is this: Do we act this way sometimes? We know where we SHOULD be. We may even 'fake' like we're there. But is our heart really there? Are we enduring (as we promised Father before we came to this earth) as we know we should? Or just hangning out, fretting about the journey and actually making things harder on ourselves in the long-run.

I wrote this poem to cap my thoughts:

When in life, hard times we face,
In this we trust: Eternal Grace.
We fight the fight, and try our best,
‘til we find one day, we’ve passed the test.
So work the work, you’re here to achieve.
This above all, always believe.

A letter from Mormon to his son Moroni at the end of the Book of Mormon:

"And may the grace of God the Father, whose throne is high in the heavens, and our Lord Jesus Christ, who sitteth on the right hand of his power, until all things shall become subject unto him, be, and abide with you forever. Amen. " (Moroni 9:26)

Quaker Oats - gender specific?

We had a heart-felt debate Sunday morning during breakfast before church. Topic: Gender of the person on the Quaker Oats package. What do you think?

Emery is firmly in the "it's a female" camp. I had never thought of it that way before. Moriah says it's a guy. Kids make you laugh sometimes...figuring this crazy world out.

BLAZERS: Fred Jones trade addressed

So many developments in Blazers basketball this summer. #1 draft pick Greg Oden will be fun to watch develop. I was also extremely excited to see the team move top scorer, Zach Randolph for 3 primary reasons: 1) He is a knucklehead and an embarrassment to the team off the court. 2) He is not a #1 option on a NBA contender. 3) LaMarcus Aldridge needs his minutes. Aldridge is going to straight blowuptuate this year.

However, as part of the transaction on draft day, I was disappointed that Fred Jones was to be part of the collateral. We picked up a solid player in Channing Frye - and additional space allowed the James Jones acquisition, but Fred was one of my favorite players. I was glad to see someone in the media finally address the issue. Mike Barrett took the issue straight on in the comment section of his blog. Well thought-out analysis:

"No one wanted to see Fred traded, and it was unfortunate. I talked to Dan Dickau after the trade, and he was surprised because he was told, by his agent, he and Freddie weren't even part of the original deal that had Zach going to New York. Things changed, and when the Knicks changed their demands, Dan and Freddie had to be moved to make the deal work. If you were the GM would you have let a demand that Fred being involved in the trade be a deal breaker in something potentially as big as this? I'm not saying you're wrong if that's the case. But, that's what it came down to. There are tough choices that have to be made in this business, and that wasn't an easy one. And, as much as I like Freddie, and I got to know him personally, to get Zach moved, and get Channing Frye, and James Jones here, I still make that trade. At the end of the day, Pritchard's job is to put this team in the best possible position to win a championship. Second guess the moves if you want, but the goal can't be questioned. The true value of that deal is what it will mean financially for the Blazers summer after next, when they're going to be way under the salary cap and in a position to go after some big-time free agents. That's why this deal was so important. I know how much Fred did for the Ducks, but should that outweigh the goals for this Blazer franchise in the future? Really, one has nothing to do with the other. As badly as Freddie wanted to be here, I'm confident he understands this business. It's not like Pritchard and his staff went out of their way to ruin Freddie. They helped him get out of a situation in Toronto he wanted to be out of. When the Blazers won the lottery it changed everything, and that's what it boils down to. Oden's acquisition gave them opportunity and flexibility, and certainly changed the direction of this team for the better. When an opportunity came to move Zach and bring in the people they did, it was too much to pass up, even if it meant trading a guy like Freddie, who they were not looking to move."

Melissa's BYU Graduation

"...learn wisdom in thy youth.” – King Benjamin (Alma 37:35)

We traveled to Utah last weekend to attend graduation ceremonies and celebrate Melissa earning her Bachelor’s degree from BYU. Her parents even made the trip from Washington to attend as well. I am so proud of her. Not only is she beautiful, kind, caring, smart and sophisticated…she has the BYU degree to back it up. She left college shortly after we married due tp pregnancy and so I could pursue my career in the Northwest. She subsequently (and amazingly) supported me while I worked full-time and struggled through a grueling 2-yr MBA program as well. I am so glad she decided to go back to school and finish her degree. Education is one of the few things we get to take with us out of this life. Not only that, but I believe it’s vital in a family setting. A great thing about the timing of her graduation this year is that our kids got to attend mommy’s graduation. How many children get to experience that? What a great example she is. Melissa has worked so hard to do this. Many long nights and meeting at the library after work while daddy takes the kids. Hard work pays off.

“...they had been taught by their mothers.” (Alma 56:47)

Congratulations, Melissa! We love you.

Daddy-Daughter Campout

We had a great weekend at the coast this weekend. It was the Daddy-Daughter campout for our ward. I got to take my 3 lovely little girls, set up our tent and have a blast at the coast with some good friends. Life is great. Around Pacific City, Oregon we can take our cars out on the beach. How cool. We took our mini-van in some spots we probably shouldn't have and got awefully lucky to only get stuck once. Some fine souls in a Jeep 4x4 were kind enough to pull us out...then we couldn't get the strap un-hooked from the chassis. I cut it with a knife, and the remainder is still dangling under the car. I'm not quite sure how I'll eventually get that out. War-wound, I say.

So, looking at the photo collage here, you see the loveley ladies we were blessed to spend the weekend with. My little ones, Brooke, Moriah and Emery. Lilly and Isabella Gentile along with their cool dad were crazy enough to ride in the same car with us. Not sure that was wise on their part, but we sure loved it!!!

The middle-right picture is Moriah and Brooke being "Mermaids", burying their legs in the sand. Bottom-left cracks me up. They found a dead sea-gull on the beach, so they buried it and the picture is when they insisted that they have a graveside memorial complete with prayer. Bottom-middle is the huge sand-dune on the North side of this beach. Those specs on the hill are people. If your resolution was good enough (click on image for larger), you'd see Moriah in the middle of that hill with sand in her eye. Michael Gentile was kind enough to sit there with her for a good 15 minutes or more while trying to help get sand out of the eye while she screamed like a...well, like a little girl. She got sand stuck in her eye at least 3 main times on this trip. Poor kid. Apparently her eyes are sand magnets. The hill's a pretty tough climb, but the view from the top (bottom-right picture) is well worth it. I highly recommend Pacific City. Great weather like we had is a key element as well. I recommend that, too. :-)

Montana Reunion

Yup. That's me - the lucky guy on the right. With three of my five beautiful sisters. We met in Montana last week for the Kelly family reunion. This reunion happens every other year and is consistently blazing hot when we are there. It probably has something to do with the fact that it's always in the MIDDLE OF JULY! Travelling in the car with small children has it's challenges, but man is it worth it. We had a lot of fun. Swam in the river. Jumped the bridge (Iris has the bruises to prove it). The Clark Fork river is ideal for summer swimming. Just before leaving, a local recommended to me that we drop in our inner-tubes at Paradise (about 8 miles upstream) and "float" the river. Takes about 4 hours. I think I know what I'll be doing next trip! What a beautiful place. We also attended church at the local LDS branch. It's always great to be reminded that great people are everywhere and of course, the Church is true everywhere we go!

After the Plains reunion, the Elton crew went on to Polson to spend a couple days. Belinda and company met us there as well. We hung out at the KOA. Went golfing. Went boating. The whole deal. Always worth the effort. Iris was even gracious enough to hook up some haircuts. Emery got a short haircut (which we never thought she'd agree to) and man is she a happy little girl. I love getting together to see family. So important. It would have been nice if all my siblings could have been there. I really want all the siblings, cousins and spouses to know eachother better. In fact, when it's all said and done...'eachother' is what it's all about. Occassions like this are ideal to have some fun and re-group. I was reminded that I have some extraordinary parents, siblings, nieces and nephews. Cool people, man. Very cool. I'm so blessed.