Bruins VsWinter Hawks 11/24/7

Oh man, hockey is so terrible on the television; the NHL playoffs coincide with the NBA' post season and since those hockey games are on satellite channels sports bar are the only place to actually see them. This past spring I'm trying to watch a basketball conference semi-final at the bar but a freakin hockey game is on the big-big screen and to make matters worse during the breaks the NHL plays Time Life record commercials, no joke. However, seeing hockey live is cool, the Portland Winter Hawks have been around for over 30 years and I've been going to games for jeez 15 years. Hawkey is great; seats are cheap, food isn't overpriced, the fans are talkative and these kids play their hearts out. Every year there is a night when after the Hawks score their 1st goal fans throw teddy bears onto the ice, which are then donated to charity. This year over 20k teddys got tossed, hmm.

The 1st goal got called back, it took over 20 minutes for the bears to be cleared off the ice. I was in the 3rd row by the Hawk's bench and was getting lit up by stuffed animals, dude behind me had a plate of nachos and he got cheese and chili all over himself, his date and my flippin chair thanks to an evil teddy bear landing in his dish. So I moved to the only real place to watch a Hawkey game, mid way up behind the goalie(pictured below). From there you can see the plays open up and got a quick exit if the fans get a little to rowdy, joking? So the picture below, dude on the left with the puck shot it then the guy in the middle (can you get a rebound in hockey?) scored off the miss.


Hawk goalie Kurtis Mucha (pictured below, sorta) had a club record 65 stops, saves or whatever. Hawks win 4-3.

Bears Vs Hawks 11/18/7

Come the 4th quarter Chicago Bear QB Rex Grossman must of been thinking about his Thanksgiving plans; dinner with the family, get a buzz, watch TV then get to bed and wake up early Friday for some shopping. With 5 and 1/2 minutes left in the game and his team behind a touchdown Grossman fumbled the ball giving the Hawks a win to stay a game ahead in their division. Matt Hasselbeck (pictured below) passed for 300+ yards for the 3rd time this season.


Fans got a free neon green foam thing that wasn't worth taking home, I spent time all over the stadium and can say with ZERO doubt Autzen Stadium in Eugene is MUCH louder than Qwest field. Seattle has a lot to be proud of; the game day atmosphere is electric, the fans wear goofy crap, people get creative with it which is awesome. You can tell there's am overall high football IQ by the chants and the talk in the stands plus the stadium is gorgeous. But you can be ordering a hotdog on the concourse and not know a football game is happening because you dont hear anything. Qwest has some crazy acoustics going, it's a loud stadium, just don't buy into the hype.

DEE-TROIT V Supes; 11/11/7

Thank you Detroit; in 2004 you prevented Shaq & Kobe from winning another title, made sure Karl Maone never got a ring and scared Gary Payton into thinking he'd never get his. See the difference maker for that team (pictured below), Rasheed Wallace. Sheed joined the '04 Pistons after an illustrious career with the Atlanta Hawks and a pair of All-Star Games and Conference Finals apperances after 8 seasons with Portland.

Pre-Game, Kevin Durant Meet Roscoe; but no eye contact for you.


1st Quarter, The Battle of the Long Arms; Tayshaun Prince goes for the finger roll against Durant, the shot fell making it 14-2, DEE-TROIT BASKETBALL!

1st Quarter, Delonte West; (pictured below) checked in with 4 and 1/2 mintues left in the 1st quarter, the 3rd year guard from St. Joe had a flat night; 19 mins 4pts 5 rebs 4 ast.

1/2 Time, Trying to Work Those Demons Out; Sheed (picture below) must of been having a flashback to the year 2000 circa WCF. Portland could have used one of these bucket in the 4th quarter. Hey, I got the right, that was the last year Mom and I had our share of season tixs and we were supposed to see Portland beat the Knicks in the Finals.

3rd Quarter, The Supes stand in line to get Dunked on by McDyess.

3rd Quarter, former M's hurler and 1 time All-Star Jeff Nelson (pictured below) hopefully with his daughter. Followed by a picture of the Sonic Boom Squad, a break dance group and a crowd favorite. Even if you're not into it you have to respect by the athleticism and the young man in the Durant jersey doing splits.

The Pistons held off Seattle's 4th quarter run and kept them winless on the season. Rip Hamilton had a serious game, 32 pts on 11-21 fgs while McDyess and Sheed put in 15pts each. Durant scored 19 but shot 7-20, trying to get the 1st win PJ did some tweaking to the lineup; Luke Ridnour got the start and you could see the difference right away. The offense got down the floor a lot quicker minus Robert Swift. Fans got a free tin lunch box at the door feauturing Watson (a fat DNP CD), Wilcox (15pts 9 reb), Ridnour (4 pts 7 ast) and Jeff Green (17 pts 8 reb). Random chants of, 'DEE-TROIT BASKETBALL' were heard throughout the game emphasizing the random part like after a missed free throw or a couple Seattle buckets. I did see a dude wearing an Isiah Thomas jersey, which is funny. Zeke was a clown before he screwed the Knicks because MJ hated the dude in the 80s, what more can I say? I saw Minus the Bear at Showbox Saturday, they opened the doors 1 hr. late, not worth the $ but good venue!

Jazz V Supes; 11/9/7

I went to Sport before Friday's game, the place was packed so I had to hover around the bar for a few minutes before I could get a seat. I recommend this place; good service, jambalaya was hearty and Widmer's Hef is on tap. The 4 hi-def TVs overhead weren't managed very well (a game would end and the station wouldn't change) but I was having to good of a time to care or ask to have it changed. In contrast Fox Sports downtown does a really good job of keeping tabs of what's going on their TVs. I left a few minutes before tipoff, realized beer is $7 a cup at Key so my buddy and I stepped into a decent place (for it's location) called Michelangelo's Bistro & Bar, we told the bartender to serve up his favorite shot so he started pouring Kahlua. Me and my friend instantly jump all over the guy but shut up when we figured out he was making us Duck Farts. After we caught ourselves watching the game on TV, we went into Key and I stole a seat down low. During halftime I ordered from the kiddo cart where everything is a buck (hot dog, diet Pepsi and popcorn), tried to take pics all hammered and then watched Carlos Boozer beat the Supes with the lay in pictured below. #2 Delonte West looked real good in the 4th on the defensive end, between him and Jeff Green I like what the Supes got for Ray Allen.

Grizz V Supes; 11/7/7

This was the type of game (see empty seats above) NBA commissioner David Stern hates; a midweek match up in a city where the home team's fans don't give a shit and the visitor's are an irrelevant franchise. The game did have a slight touch of intrigue due to a story I had read earlier in the week quoting Spur's Coach Greg Pop calling the Grizz a playoff team. Then I remembered Damon (Pictured below) still plays for Memphis which led me to think of the last game I saw at the Rose Garden; 2 years ago against Memphis where Damon blew out his knee finishing his season. While I was walking up 3rd Ave to the Seattle Center I hoped I wouldn't be some type of curse on the Wilson High alum, gotta respect Damon in spite of his inability to play D and to light up without getting busted.

Add the free schedule magnet handed out at the door and I felt ok about the cost of my ticket but the snacks in my bag (seeds, Odwalla bar and Gatorade) got me through this dismal game. Turns out the Grizz roll white guys like they play in Utah; Gasol, Miller(20 pts. and 8 reb.), Brian 'The Janitor' Cardinal, Casey Jacobsen and Darko (15 and 10). When I got home I did have to read up on their coach, Marc Iavaroni, I was impressed with his bio and what he did with this team's funky set of talent. The Grizzlies moved the ball well, at times making the extra pass and also had exciting glimpses from stud Rudy Gay (25 and 10).


I did miss the start of the game, saw Rid actually get off the pine and during halftime paid $75 for an 18 year olds autograph (At the team store I bought a Durant mini ball, it's going to go nicely with my Slick Watts mini ball). Walking back to my seat I heard a kid saying Jeff Green gave him an autograph at halftime, now I'm lazy/old and just pay for mine, besides I have no right to get in the way of some kid trying to get an autograph. Speaking of kids one sitting behind me would not shut up, 'Give the ball to KEVIN DURANT!!' (pictured above 3 -17 fgs but 10-10 fts) before I got annoyed I realized that was me how ever many years ago. Old ladies also behind me call Chris Wilcox (21 and 8) weezy, which is not funny and uhh before the game started in the bathroom while trying to wash my hands and finding for the 2nd straight game no soap the dude at the sink next to me realized not only was the soap dispenser empty but it didn't even have a bag of soap in it. I turned to him and said, 'Shit, at least they're leaving' then after he left I took a picture to prove the Sonics have given up and are indeed leaving Seattle;

Suns V Supes; 11/1/7

Kevin Durant; I think he's going to be pretty good and Steve Nash is already good. In his city of Seattle debut Durant, the NBA's youngest player, scored 27 points taking 23 shots and Nash true to form took a couple charges and posted 18 pts 7 rebs and 12 ast. Durant's rookie counterpart Jeff Green (pictured above) scored only 8 points despite hustling on both ends of the floors. The first 10k fans got a free yellow t-shirt that said, 'The Supes are Back' available in 1 size, XL. Everyone else had to wrap the Supe's kitchen ware in newspaper and carefully put the plates and glasses in the free cardboard boxes found behind area liquor stores.

Kid Rock (pictured below) was courtside, for some reason he got a free jersey, I mean come on he's a Pistons fan.


Going into the 4th quarter the Supes led 79-82, the last 2 minutes of the game, Nash (pictured below) scored 6 points and from my cheap seat I could hear the 2 time MVP sing, 'Oh Canada'.

Indians Vs M's: 9/27 and UCLA Vs OSU 9/29/7

As I watched the end of Cleveland's game 3 win in the ALCS last night I remembered I never wrote this post.. For some reason the Mariners decided to finish the season on a 5 game win streak including, 2 wins against the Indians. I went to the 4-2 victory on Thursday the 27th and since I entered the stadium with no hope of October baseball an usher gave me and everyone else a Raul Ibanez magnet. A good friend went to the game with me, actually took me to the game. My buddy had a couple thoughts on the M's; 1) They need more pitching 2) They have no confidence in themselves therefore don't win and 3) Shit, what else did he say? That game happened a while ago..


My first football game at Oregon State was seen from the comfort of a suite which had nice seats, free food, useless promo gadgets and TVs. One of the two TVs was placed at the head of the suite so I could look out the glass window to the field and watch the Ducks lose to Cal. Oregon State's new 1/2 of Reser looks alright but mostly reminded me OSU is the definition of a tweener program. The Beavs aren't relevant on the national scene yet they still aren't nameless, see Chad Johnson. See Chad Johnson run and catch. See Chad score 6 then waltz with a cheerleader. Wait, that's not waltzing.. The Beavers gave up some silly amount of points in the 4th quarter and the Bruins won, who then lost to Notre Dame, in LA. Like I said OSU Football=tweener program.It took 3 hours to get back to Portland, I should have stayed in town.

Angels Vs M's: 8/27/7

My Hef at Sluggers was served warm so it went down a little slow causing me to miss the 1st inning and the game's high point: Lopez/Betancourt double play and the crucial moment: Ichiro's bum strikeout. Don't ask me about the 9th, I left early and got a cab, so from what I did see between the 2nd and 8th Batista and the Mariners didn't make a case for 1st place. Safeco Field felt cautiously optimistic throughout the game, rallying behind the team at key moments but not very rowdy. I didn't leave without having some fun: 1)The guy in front of me who wore a cheap braided gold chain, a Boeing 787 cap and a black Ted Nugent shirt provided PLENTY of entertainment trying to score the bar fly a seat away. 2)Garret Anderson's (Pictured above, near side) 2nd inning HR was tossed back onto the field. 3) Hat trick on the jumbotron was a special Xtreme edition, I got smoked bad. People need to observe Hat Trick time and not walk in the damn aisle, pretending it's not happening and making it even harder for me to guess the right hat.

Pacific Island Band: 8/17/7

Their was something more then the Pacific Island band's lazy vocals and cords that reminded me I was on the Mainland in downtown Seattle and very far from the Waikiki. Island music is a lot like it's poi, I have to be in the right mood to enjoy it. Maybe it was the Pidgin or the hula but by the time I left downtownsummer.com's Union Station concert I had daydreams of cheap airfare, a cheaper hostel and a few days on the beach.

LeRoy Bell and His Only Friends: 8/14/7

DowntownSummer.com is a an easy way for any Seattle urbanite to click their way to a summer of sun (maybe) and culture (music and art). I went to the site in an attempt to avoid my office's break room and the local restaurant's counters during the noon hour. I found the Out to Lunch Summer Concert Series, clocked out, left my Ipod in my desk then dodged and weaved between the city's slow moving wide eyed tourist to Pike Place Market. The stage was set at 1st and Pike, the entrance to the Market and its 100 years of unique sights, sounds and smells, lots of smells. Amongst the hustle and bustle LeRoy Bell and His Only Friends held an audience of a couple hundred, many were seated in black folding chairs and others were stacked on the sidewalks.

By the 3rd song I heard LeRoy picked up the tempo and started to make me forget about the hot sun and the office all together. I would pay up to $15 to see LeRoy which was the price I paid for his latest album, 'LeRoy Bell Live in 3D' recorded at The Triple Door. I haven't gotten the chance to listen but it'll probably be good, LeRoy has been making quality music for years; In 1979 LeRoy co-authored Elton John's Grammy nominated Top 10 hit, 'Mamma Can't Buy You Love'.

Seahawks Scrimmage: 8/4/7

The beloved Seachickens ran some drills and scrimmaged at the Seattle Center last weekend in front of thousands of fans; the price to get in was $12 and the profit went to charity. Finding parking was hard, my car wound up perched on Queen Anne's ridiculous incline. The post-game 30 minute autograph session lasted 45 minutes leaving many disappointed but Coach Holmgren had to go call Brett Favre to reminisce about their glory of yesteryear. The Hawks play at the Tomlinsons Sunday.

Boston's 5 Partisans

This very moment in a large sunlit room Bill Walton is sitting cross legged on a pillow with a pen in his hand and a pad in his lap. The ex-Celtic and current ESPN broadcaster is feverishly writing rants for this season's nationally televised Celtic games. Televised and Celtics you say? Queue Walton, 'After the deal for the Warrior named Kevin Garnett Boston hasn't been this excited about basketball since the days of Larry Bird whose talent was much like that of Barbad the Great the famous court musician of the Sassanid Empire of Persia! The Sassanid empire was the fourth imperial dynasty of Iran..' It goes on from there and it only gets better, thanks Bill. On Tuesday July the 31st Timberwolve fans everywhere had to part with the only significant thing to ever happen in 'Sota. GM Kevin Mchale hooked up his old team by giving away KG for a fistful of draft picks and Sebastian Telfair? Well, maybe other players were involved but whatever. This trade is great for the game of basketball because we will know if (Below, middle 3 from left) Ray Allen, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett are for real or just dudes that put up fat regular season numbers.

The picture above is a sculpture in Boston called 'The Partisans' which honors WW2 era Polish guerrilla soldiers. Formerly in the Boston Commons the statue has been given a new home, while on a tour in Boston years ago a native told me it was the Celtic's starting five, hanging their heads low because they didn't make the playoffs. Danny Ainge (Above, far left) has given a whole city hope with 2 blockbuster trades, Coach Doc Rivers (Above, far right) is already feeling the pressure.

Capitol Hill Block Party 7/27/7

Picture above, Blue Scholars Block Party 07

Thursday I bought a beer (Miller Low Life) and a ticket (Capitol Hill's 10th annual Block Party) at Neumos. It was about time I supported the local music scene, KEXP I gotta stop dodging the pledge drives because you are the only reason I love my Ipod and knew about the 2 bands that I wanted to see on Friday's Main Stage; Blue Scholars and Silversun Pickups. The NW's Blue Scholars are made up of singer Geologic and Deejay Sabzi who delivered a sharp and socially conscious set that rocked the thousands of spectators under Seattle's setting sun. While watching the audience during the duo's show I saw many people singing along to lyrics that were about politics and social justice. This was an encouraging site considering the politically apathetic young people and the fluff music industry in our society today. Before I got to righteous or whatever I opened a new tab and bought their latest album, Bayani, for $15.16 with shipping. Now I just need to register to vote in King County.. Blue Scholars; fat beats and tight rhymes that earned my support.


SSPU Block Party 07

Silversun Pickups played a great show with an electrifying presence on stage, to be honest I missed their first 2 songs because I was in KFC. From what I did see singer Brian Aubert was cool to watch, he understands that 'showmanship' isn't a bad thing and lead the band in a long encore session. Bassist Nikki Monninger was, for lack of a better term, 'cute as hell' passing out picks after songs and flashing all types of smiles. This band is touring all over the world and it was a pleasure to get to see them, thanks for coming to Seattle!!

Pictured below, Skaters on Broadway during the Block Party

Road Trip! Dodger Stadium 7/20/7

I came for the infamous Dodger Dog, the opportunity to see a prime National League match up and left Dodger stadium with a rare find; a Californian team you (a Pacific Northwesterner) and I can actually like. I'll be honest, multiple intangibles panned out for this rare positive SoCal experience. 1) I drove to Dodger stadium all the way from San Bernardino county without seeing any congestion or getting lost 2) Thanks to a friendly tailgater bought 2 box seats for under face value. After those 2 miracles the LA Dodgers took care of the rest..

Pre Game:

I payed a slim $15 to park right next to the park, I saw flashes of tailgater's open beers and wide smiles. Then came the trip's second amazing stroke of luck , buying box seats for under face value (the 1st being traffic). From there I went to the pro shop and bought the Dodger's on field proback. I don't want to complain that official hats now cost $30+ because I get a lot of use out of hats, I'm just hoping they stay at this price point for a few years.

I poked around the ballpark, went all the way up to the upper deck after waiting in a cue for the elevator and was surprised by 2 things. 1) The sheer incline of the top level, reminded me of the Staples Center. The LA franchises have a flair for the steep angles 2) The parking lot outside of the stadium was hazy due to smog! This wasn't even a half mile away! (See below)

Game Recap, Sorta:

The season ticket holder next to me groaned at the introduction of the Dodger's starter, Brett Tomko. The righty from Placentia's El Dorado High managed a no decision and no boos from the Dodger faithful. Tomko is alright, he went to the same HS as Green Day's Jason Freese and married a playmate. Nomar Garciaparra hit a jack in the 2nd inning for his club's only score. Luis Gonzalez struggled on offense going 0-4 and on defense and was responsible for Tomko's only run after colliding with Juan Pierre going after a pop fly. After hitting a single in the 1st inning Pierre stole 2nd and 3rd and proceeded to look lame in Center Field. The Mets won.

Wrap Up:

This park has charectar, not like Fenway but isn't sterile like say the Kingdome was or like, what's the A's park called? The organ player, a cute little old lady named Nancy Bea plays tunes which contributes to Dodger stadium's old school, 'good time at the ballpark' feel and the chant's from the center field bleachers should make any baseball fan feel good. The food selection sucks but also adding to the old school feel which is cool. The Dodger dog does come boiled or grilled and shouldn't be passed upon. The teamshops are tiny, bathrooms clean and the ushers were friendly enough. People were allowed to hang out by the Dodger's dugout in the frontrow to ooh and ahh at Nomar's windsprints before the game. A number of players signed autographs right up until the National Anthem, which was sung by a soldier with an amazing voice. If the Dodgers are playing the next time you're in the HelLa area check 'em out.

Blazers Vs Durants: 7/15/7

1st Quarter:

No LMA or Oden for Pdx tonight?! Here is what the Blazers are missing: Aldridge averaged 21 pts 11 rebs and 3 blks in 2 games. Oden shot .600 for 9 pts and swatted away 3 per also in 2 games. Those 2 guys already have food money, Zendon Hamilton got bills to pay so here's to his final shot in Vegas.

Zendon Hamilton (below) looks hungry, no I mean really hungry. After drawing his first 2 shooting fouls he was robbing front row folks of their nachos between free throws. Dude has played for 7 NBA teams, this guy wants to be in the NBA.

Jeff Green (below) misses 3 straight FTs, I guess Georgetown's famed Princeton offense doesn't bother with the charity stripe.



Frenchy Johan Petro (below) looks real active for Seattle. Good thing, he was a first round draft choice 2 years ago.




Some guy named Kevin Durant (below) is playing too. He misses his first 2 shots. Then hits a 3, draws a shooting foul and then hits a jumper. Hmmm, maybe this guy CAN score the ball.


Sergio Rodriguez (below) has good court vision and knows how to keep the dribble alive, just like Steve N__ whoa, never mind. He awards teammates hustle plays by passing them the ball and last year ranked #3 in the NBA in assists per 48 mins.



Man these fouls are ticky tacky. Are the refs trying to get the players to adapt to NBA calls?

2nd Quarter:

Blazer GM Kevin Pritchard does an interview from his seat and sounds very sharp. Do you remember the, 'Trade Whitsitt' sign in the Rose Garden a few years ago? Everyone remember to appreciate the new 'old Blazers'.

Dale Ellis's son Chris Ellis gets a silly and 1 dunk. Makes many babies cry in the greater Vegas area.

Not to be topped: 2006 Blazer draft pick, Brit Joel Freeland (right) throws down a sick 2 handed alley-oop from a baseline inbounds pass with 2:24 left in the 2nd quarter. Every child 10 and under in England cries.

3rd Quarter:

Sergio Rodriguez draws an illegal defense T all on his own by keeping his dribble. Not a single young American basketball players notice because they're all too busy watching And 1 mixtapes, the US is doomed to lose the next 45 Olympic games.

Gary Payton's turn to be interviewed. Says Durant shoots well and should be on the post more so he can pass out of the double teams. Lost count on how many times GP said Durant needs to get stronger. GP says JeffGreen needs to improve his shot. Payton closes the interview by saying he wants to work in the Sonics front office.

So how many mismatches will Durant 6-9 and Green 6-9 create this year because of their ballhandling? Jeff Green is sporting the new white and blue Lebrons.

Joel Freeland looks tired but he hasn't quit.

One of the announcers says Pdx needs to combine Rodriguez's penetration, Steve Blake's ability to run a team and hit the 3 and Jarret Jack's physicality to form Jason Kidd. Paul Allen picks up his phone to call to a Cuban doctor that specializes in such procedures.

4th Quarter:

The Sonics new GM Sam Presti (below) flashes on the screen. That guy is going to be carded at bars for the next 10 years. I guess he looked younger on TV, must have been the polo.



I write down Mouhamed Sene (below) is a non-factor, announcers then rant on this.

Durant already is getting superstar calls?? Petteri Koponen called for blocking on a Durant charge. Announcers express similar feelings yet again taking away the originality of my observation.

So the Sonics are playing in the Salt Lake, Rocky Mountain Revue summer league too. Wonder how often teams play in both?

Sergio Rodriguez gets his own superstar call. Maybeline!! (makeup, mofo)

How unfair is Steve Francis's buyout when guys like Zendon Hamilton don't have pro contracts?

Someone missed their tea time: I caught a glimpse of Joel Freeland pouting on the bench, at least he wants to play, I guess.

LMA's antifreeze green shirt is disgusting. Why not wear a Blazer throwback?

Oh yeah, Blazers win.