Blazers 101 - Clippers 99

Emery and I went to the Blazers-Clippers game last night. She is 9 now and is becoming more and more fun to enjoy a game with. I really love taking the kids to games. Especially the 1-on-1 time talking about the game…and whatever. It’s a fun tradition we’ve been enjoying each year.

Portland keeps coming up with scrappy wins. The team is now tied for leading the Pacific Division. Considering injuries and roster depletion, this is shocking. It may have something to do with teams coming in to games thinking they are dealing with an inexperienced team with no true big man in the middle. However, the Blazers are also showing that they have resolve and chemistry previously unknown. I mean, sheesh. We even lost LaMarcus Aldridge in the 1st quarter last night. Yet the team still found a way to confuse the opposition just enough to win. Defensive switching (zone, trapping, man and intensity) proved to be effective against the Clips. Is it enough against elite teams? Probably not. But even with all the frustration of this challenging season, the remaining guys are giving us reasons to be engaged and interested anyway. Go Blazers/

PS: Odd moment: So, now that the girls are growing up, what am I supposed to do when it’s time for me to hit the bathroom? I can’t leave her out there in the concourse with thousands of fans milling around. Seriously, what’s the solution? In this case, she was a trooper and went along with standing in the sink/mirror area while I ventured into the depths of the men’s room. She said she was really embarrassed. But I also recognize it’s awkward for all involved. I think she’ll be fine out in the concourse in a few years from now…but there are definitely a few years of gray area here. One of the many dilemmas of a father.

12/27/2008 – Mormon Tabernacle Choir

Today, Melissa was smitten. Not with another guy, of course, but by a choir. She was able to attend the weekly broadcast of “Music and the Spoken Word” in Salt Lake City. She admits it. She is smitten. The broadcast was so impressive and the choir sounded perfect. Our bro-in-law directed the choir for the final song - an awesome arrangement of “Hark the Herald Angels Sing”. The whole experience was particularly impressive to her. And yes, she has re-kindled the notion that, someday, just maybe, she would like to audition for the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Just...maybe... I fully support her ambitions there and think it's awesome she wants to be a part of something so special. Of course, we’d probably have to move back to Utah before she can do so….so, we dunno. The "MTC" is awesome. And a lofty goal for her to dream about, too. Someday, right? Someday.

12/25/2009 – Christmas in the Wasatch mountains

We had an amazing Christmas experience in the Utah mountains this year. Melissa’s brother has recently built a cabin there (just outside of Heber, UT). The family gathering there was really fun. The cabin can only be accessed with 4WD or snow chains. It felt like a perfect winter Christmas location. So cool. A few of us enjoyed a day of skiing/boarding at “The Canyons” in Park City (reminded me how bad I am). One bro-in-law and I tackled a tough black diamond run. I am not ashamed to admit I had a few moments thinking “What am I doing here? I can’t do this!” Pure terror. But we muscled through it. Good stuff, man. Of course, Christmas morning was fun with the kids. All the cousins were so pumped to check out what Santa had brought them. On Christmas day I also tried my hand at snowmobiling. First time in my life. We even got to check out a bit of the “back country” in the national forest area. Man, throttling that thing and getting up over 50 MPH is a rush!

12/22/2009 – Przybilla out? No, seriously?

We made the long trip to Utah for Christmas, so I had limited access to check out the Las Vegas bowl featuring BYU vs. Oregon State. My father-in-law went with me to a sports grill to check out the game, which ended up being unentertaining because BYU totally dominated the Beavs. So, while watching the bowl game, I was intently watching the ESPN ticker at the bottom of the screen. As it scrolled through NBA scores, I was getting excited to see that the Blazers were hanging in there – at Dallas – and eventually saw that they won the game. I was stoked. As my father-in-law and I drove home, I explained to him all of the injuries plaguing (cursing, really) the team right now. So I was excited that, based on the score periodically flashing on the bottom of the screen, that the team probably played a good game. I was honestly most excited that they were likely “injury free” that night. Then, the next morning I check online and find out Joel is out for the season. Seriously!?! Better update this chart:

12/19/2009 – Portland Mormon Choir Christmas Concert

Melissa is singing with the Portland Mormon Choir (www.portlandmormon.org). I am so proud of her – being a part of such a great group and working hard to produce a great show. The way they started it was so cool. The orchestra was on stage and played a couple songs, then the lights went out and two soloists were spotlighted on each side of the stage - a male and a female. They sang lines back and forth (in a beautiful chanting tone), then the audience begins to hear singing from behind. The choir members were entering the hall (approx. 2,000 audience members) from the rear doors, each holding a lit candle. As they walked down the side aisles, it created a unique surround sound. I tell you what, I felt the Spirit strong as they entered the concert hall. And the candles in each of their hands…wow. What a cool show. I thought it was a great mix of spiritual, Christ-centered material along with some fun, upbeat holiday favorites. Great job, Melissa…and all involved.

Chinese Doctors

So we’re sitting at breakfast talking about the upcoming day. Emery informs us that one of her classmates was born in China. I thought that was cool so I asked her to elaborate. After doing so, it became apparent to her that the kid was not born in China after all. Then, to save her friend’s reputation, she says: “Well, when she was born there were probably Chinese doctors in the hospital.” Kids say the funniest things.

12/5/2009 – Oden Injury

It is hard to put into words how tough the injuries have been on the blazers this year. Pendergraph (hip), Mills (foot), Batum (Shoulder), Outlaw (foot), Fernandez (back), and now the biggest setback of the year: Greg Oden’s (other) knee. The situation speaks for itself, but man is it a tough pill to swallow. Greg is a key component to a deep playoff run, and now we’re pedaling backwards again. Tough. Again… it’s tough to put into words.

12/3/2009 – CIVIL WAR GAME

I’m not sure I’ll ever see another Civil War game with this much riding on it again. It also turned out to be a Thursday night game on ESPN. A few friends came over to our place to watch the game together and the game truly lived up to the hype. We often caught ourselves turning to each other saying “Wow, what a game!” Both teams came to play.

Now, off to enjoy the Roses on New Year’s Day!

11/26/2009 – Happy Thanksgiving

We had a “non-traditional” thanksgiving this year. 3 other families came over to our place and we enjoyed the holidaym, not with the traditional extended-family group, but this time with friends. It was a fun twist. A cool holiday with cool folks.

11/23/2009 – Blazers vs. Bulls

Moriah and Brooke accompanied me to the Bulls game on Monday, 11/23. A friend also brought his son and sat near us. Blazers blew them out 122-98.

11/21/2009 – Ducks win at Arizona

Man, that was one intense battle in Tucson. I was watching on TV at home and found myself standing up in anxious anticipation. That was the most nervous I’ve been during a sporting event in a long time. And man did it pay off. Double-overtime thriller with a ducks touchdown to seal the deal. Whew! Now a civil war to decide the fate of the Pac-10 championship and a trip to the Rose Bowl. I was jumping up and down, literally freaking out when that final touchdown finished the game. Dickson’s celebration (photo above) was perfect for the emotions we fans were feeling right then. Wow.