My letter to the Blazer Organization

[Redbull]

Since it's so crappy outside and I choose not to fish today, I thought I'd take care of a couple other things that have been on my mind lately.

I'm sure they won't respond, but enjoyed writing it.


Dear Blazers,


I am tired of it!

I sit here tonight thinking of the glory days of the past. I dream of watching a local winner.

Scratch that, it’s crap. I’ve now willingly swallowed the bitter pill and lowered the bar. I would now like to watch a competitive team that has some good character and community guys. When the media (oh, that devilish media -it’s all their fault) has more reports about Blazers Behaving Badly than game scores, I think there is a problem.

Scratch that, it’s crap. I’ve now fully given up. I don’t attend, watch or listen to games. Please listen to me – I DON’T CARE ANYMORE after I finish this. The white towel is as high above my head as I can reach.

Earlier this year, I thought there was a ray of light. With Whitsit (and Jabba the Hutt – what a complete jack a r s e) gone, I have been pleased with the accessibility of the new management team. I listen to 910 The Fan, and Patterson’s willingness to come on has been great. I almost felt like the Blazers cared about the fans. But then, it started to happen. The company cool-aid slowly started to take a hold of management’s ability to see clearly and meet the now public mission statement.

The classic response started to freely flow from their lips, ‘After we learn what the facts are, we will take appropriate actions.’ You can’t! All the players are under huge and irresponsibly written contracts. You might call it the power of the Player’s Association, but you probably call it the fans fault. If we’d stop showing up, you could stop signing these ridiculous contracts. I’m sorry. I’ll stop.

In a recent interview with Patterson, he did NOTHING short of blaming the low home game attendance on the economy. I agree the last few years have been exceptionally tough on the Pacific Northwest, but please, don’t insult me. Patterson’s comments implied that with an up-tick in the economy, we will have better attendance and that people’s discretionary dollars are presently diminished. Steve, you are correct. So with fewer dollars to entertain myself, I am going to make even better choices that have a significantly higher score on the cost-to-entertainment continuum. Your attendance is dwindling – you’ve earned it.

Dear Blazer Organization, please study this – rigorous honesty. This will serve you well. Please study with respect to your fans, your employees, your market place, you industry, your management team, your players, etc. At first, it’s and overwhelming amount of work, and then it becomes fun and wonderfully liberating. I challenge you.

Rasheed’s latest comments actually make me mad, and frankly there are so many racial hot points to respond to even the media didn’t touch it. Despite how risky it may be for some people to honestly share their thoughts, I often admire them for knowingly taking and accepting the risks. Not Rasheed. He is an idiot. How sad for Paul Allen. I know Paul to be an active philanthropist. Rasheed doesn’t need Paul’s help anymore. What an embarrassment. Do you guys get a kick-back from the Best Damn Sports Show Period? You sure write great material for them.

In closing, there are many losing organizations in pro sports, but I’m just talking about the win/loss record.


Merry Christmas.



Sincerely,



Joby Easton

First Horizon Home Loans
5100 SW Macadam Ave., Suite 400
Portland, OR 97239
Direct 503-516-5629
Office 503-916-0065 x 223
Fax 503-916-0575
On the web at www.joby.biz

[ 12-13-2003, 09:38 AM: Message edited by: Redbull ]

[Kruechief]

It sucks that "our only game in town" has came down to this [img]graemlins/berry.gif[/img]

Krue

[HeavyMetal BankFisherman]

I sent the Blazers this a short time back

"I am completely done with the Portland Trailblazers. I am a Portland Native but I will be rooting for the other team regardless because of the disgust I feel for the Portland Trailblazers.

Your attendance is declining so obviously I am not the only one that is totally disgusted with the Portland Trailblazers. You have Bonzi Wells flipping a fan the bird and making comments that the fans don't matter.

And now the arrest of Zach Randolph for DUII. The odor of marijuana in his car. It does not matter that he has the money to hire a fancy lawyer to beat the charges he is still just an overpayed pothead like half the team.

Damon Soudamire caught trying to smuggle weed through the airport. He puts his weed in aluminum foil and then tries to go through the metal detector with a strange metallic object. Not to smart. And now he's got a fancy lawyer to beat the charge. Everyone knows he's guilty. Why can't he do the right thing and plead guilty and pay the fine? He's not only overpayed but he's going to waste taxpayer money. Oh and what about the pound of marijuana found at his house. Regardless of the fact that he got a fancy lawyer to beat the charge, he still had the pot. Thats a whole bunch of pot to be having.

I have seen these guys speak at news conferences. Rhodes Scholars they are not. They are just a bunch of thugs that can play basketball. Not the kind of people that I care to support. Besides they always choke when it matters. This current team will never get past the first round of the playoffs.

I know many people that feel the same way I do. What about your 25 point pledge? Are you guys gonna pick up on the clues? Portlanders are sick of hearing about the Blazers. We don't care if you win or lose. We just want you to go away.

So when I think of the Portland Trailblazers I think:

Drugs Drugs Drugs
Thugs Thugs Thugs

an Ex Fan"

I never did get a reply and I even used my real e-mail address.

[Private-Aye-Fish]

Do you think any of these lowclass druggies can read the letter? :whazzup: Maybe you should have submitted it in comic book format.


What a shame that all Paul Allen's money can't buy an ounce of class!

[Silver Hilton]

Originally posted by HeavyMetal BankFisherman:
... It does not matter that he has the money to hire a fancy lawyer to beat the charges he is still just an overpayed (sic) pothead like half the team.
...

<font size="2" face="verdana,arial,helvetica">Hey, c'mon, you're going to give potheads a bad name.

[GutshotApe]

The worst thing about the JailBlazers is that they're carried on KXL-AM radio...which is also the only station I receive that airs Michael Savage's Savage Nation (ever since the UofO libs threatened a boycott of Eugene's KUGN unless they dumped Savage...which KUGN promptly and disgracefully did). KXL mgmt apparently thinks more people would rather listen to an hour of pre-game jocktalk then 3 hours of professional dribbling than would listen to Savage...who is reviled by the [img]graemlins/berry.gif[/img] left. Savage's talk show is regularily pre-empted in favor of the JailBlazers.

[ 12-16-2003, 03:19 PM: Message edited by: GutshotApe ]

[crabbait]

What do you know............the Jailblazers are good for something.

[GutshotApe]

Yeah Crabby, I bet you're just like my brother-in-law...his lip curls up when he says the name "Michael Savage". But, in fact, he has never listened to the guy's show. IMO, the Savage Nation is the one of funniest talk radio shows on the air...and most of what Savage says is the absolute truth.

[jokester]

Redbull,

I'm POSITIVE that you're not the only one that feels this way. I have a few friends that feel the same way, and i'm getting there myself! It's really not funny, but in my head i'm always playing the game of "try and guess which Jail-Blazer will be in trouble next!"

First off, those guys make more money per year than some of us will see in our LIFETIME!! You'd think they'd just play the game and quit their whining. Then, you've got the drug thing, the wife beating thing, flipping off fans and spitting on them...that's a WHOOOOOOOLE other story in itself!

It's almost like the organization doesn't care who they have playing for them nor do they care about what the fans think. Not to mention, they can't get rid of some of these people because of their screwed up and poorly written contracts. I still watch and support the blazers, but I can see where it would be very easy in the near future to just drop them like a bad habit if things don't improve!!

-jokester

[Tanner]

They should just get rid of the losers (the whole organization, lay some turf in the Rose Garden and bring in a real professional sport. NFL FOOTBALL :grin:

[ 12-17-2003, 09:02 AM: Message edited by: Tanner ]

[HOGGEMIN]

bring on the NHL at least they don't get paid way too much and they don't complain about it. the pay in pro sports is way too much. You can take the player out of the hood but you can't take the hood out of the player.

[Kentucky Hog Hunter]

Did someone say "Baseball in Portland."

Nice thought but it is never going to happen...

Who cares about the Blazers and the NBA in general...I love sports as much as anyone but honostly, the NBA sucks these days...

Love the NCAA...at least March Madness is still fun to watch...

[CATCH AND EAT]

While at my Son's piano lessons Tuesday night I picked up a copy of the Oregon Journal newspaper and read Dwight Janes article regarding Rasheed. Boy did he hit the nail on the head.

Rasheed is just plain dumb. How dare he blame "the man" for his problems. What a racist pile of trash! Interesting "the man" is paying $17 million a year to a mediocere dope smoking punk that should be wearing diapers and have a binki in his mouth to shut him the heck up. [img]graemlins/berry.gif[/img] Paul baby trade the fool, don't pitty the fool. Quit defending irresponsible behavior. I'd rather have a loosing team of good citizens than a winning team a whinning drug thugs.

Thanks

[WheresMyBobber]

C&E - Did you mean to type the Oregonian or Portland Tribune instead of the Oregon Journal? (just wondering if they started printing the Journal again and I missed it)

[lost_sailor]

[img]graemlins/applause.gif[/img] Excellent letter, Redbull. [img]graemlins/applause.gif[/img]