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The Clackamas Print
April 16, 2003
Blazers deserve media's respect
Nie Delzell
Staff Writer
Recent reports have attacked the
character of some of the players for
the Portland Trail Blazers. It needs
to stop.
Because they are one of the
smallest NBA markets, the Blazers
make easy targets. Due to the fact
that certain media members dwell on
all the “unfortunate incidents” that
have taken place during this Blazer
z
season, people are rarely exposed to
the good side of the team.
Think of what Pete Rose is
accused of doing to baseball, or for
mer Dallas Cowboy Nate Newton
and his consecutive (pending) drug
trafficking charges. Compared to
Rose and Newton the Blazer’s mis
takes are petty.
Ignorance is fueling uninformed
journalists. Urey hear of certain
players, who did this and that, and
form ideas about the entire team with
out knowing the whole truth.
Some members of the media are
starting to get the picture. It’s about
time someone stepped up to point
out that hearsay is involved in nega
tive Blazer reports.
The Oregonian’s Katy Muldoon
did so in a recent article.
“ESPN, Fox Sports, myriad
sports talk radio programs, internet
sites, magazines and newspapers
devour the details and jaw away,
masticating the facts and the
hearsay,” Muldoon wrote, “until the
next incident- there always is one-
gives them something new upon
which to chew.”
Rasheed Wallace and Damon
Stoudamire are constant media tar
gets. Marijuana charges have not
affected either of the players on the
court, so leave them alone off the
court.
Wallace wears his emotions on
his sleeve. He represents a new gen
eration of NBA players. Wallace is a
passionate and highly skilled basket
ball player, and the Blazers would
not be the same with out his MVP
type numbers.
In his book “A Coach’s Life”
Dean Smith, former University
North Carolina head coach,
describes his former player Wallace
as “A wonderful young man...intel
ligent and respectful.”
All of this negative hearsay
reporting about the Blazers is inac
curate and twisted. Only the players
or people involved really know what
happened during these “unfortunate
incidents.”
At Golden State, Bonzi Wells
was involved in a scuffle with the
Warriors’ Chris Mills.
Not even
local media focused on the fact that
Mills provoked the attack, during
and after the contest.
No one ever looks at the positive
aspects of this team. Wallace’s
efforts with the needy in Portland
and his hometown Philadelphia are
never
mentioned.
Damon
Stoudamire donated thousands of
dollars this past winter to Portland
Public schools spring sports effort.
Reserve center Chris Dudley runs
The Dudley foundation, which has
been doing great things around
Portland and the rest of the league
since 1994. Scottie Pippen was
voted one of the NBA’s 50 greatest
players. Arvydas Sabonis is a bas
ketball god in Europe. Reserve
guard Charles Smith has fought his
way back into the NBA, after brief
stardom in the early 90’s, with a
work ethic that is uncommon in bas
ketball these days.
What about 20 plus consecutive
trips to the NBA playoffs?
Respect is a two way street. If the
media would respect the Blazers on
and off the court, things would
change. Do your homework before
you blast Portland’s team. Start to
point out the positive things the
Blazers have done for Portland bas
ketball, and the community.
Hate is hate no matter its face
Jared Eschweiler
Staff Writer
A war in a far off land has the
attention of the world. Many are in
support of it; others are adamantly
opposed to it. Its proponents bill it as
a war against evil. Its detractors
claim that to wage this war is evil in
itself. Whatever one’s views are,
what is happening is real. People are
fighting and dying.
Unbeknownst to most people an
evil within our own land, on
American soil, has been revived. Its
evil and influence are subtle; most
people are blissfully unaware that it
is even happening. This beast, this
evil, or plague if you will, is hate. It
is intolerance, it is discrimination, it
is persecution, it is the beast called
racism.
The current war has caused a rise
in racism that is noticeable to the
watchful. It is seen within humor,
news media, television, radio; & lit
erature. Although it may seem enter
taining, it is not right to laugh at
another’s race, nationality, or cul
ture.
In essence everyone is guilty of
this crime, whether they are telling
these jokes and stories, or standing
by in silence while they are told. It
needs to be stressed to the people of
Have some fun now,
groceries can wait
Shadra Beesley
Editor-in-Chief/
Copy Editor
The world of higher education is
unlike any other; no where else does
such a large group of people live on
less time, less money, less sleep, and
yet have more fun.
As a third year college student, I
feel I have finally begun to under
stand a thing or two about living the
college life. Budgeting, scheduling,
socializing: these are all things I
have mastered. I’m lying, of course.
Just the other day I was faced
with a difficult budgeting decision. I
discovered that Guster, one of my
favorite bands, was coming to the
Crystal Ballroom. I carefully ana
lyzed my financial situation, and
concluded that I could either buy
groceries of two tickets to the show.
After painstakingly weighing the
pros and cons of both situations and
coming up with a strategic game plan
I left Ringler’s Pub proudly carrying
two tickets and figuring I could live
on the stale chips and- macaroni and
cheese from last month’s trip to the
grocery store for at least another
week.
This type of mind-bending puzzle
is the sort of problem that we college
students have to deal with every day.
It’s a wonder the majority of the pop
ulation makes it out of college alive.
But rest assured that I, your dedicat
ed columnist and reliable source of
sage advice, will not starve to death
from lack of entertainment.
For the next eight weeks I will
help guide you to. a successful col
lege career. With each issue of The
Print I will trickle the important
issues that face college students
including car trouble, relationships
and those paper things they put on
coffee cups to keep them from burn
ing your hands and prevent them
from actually fitting in the cup hold
er in your car. I will share stories that
will impart wisdom, invoke sympa
thy, and change lives. Or at least give
the reader a good hearty laugh at my
expense,
this nation that racism is wrong in all
its forms. Hate is hate no matter its
face. Racist jokes, though they may
be entertaining, are not funny to
everyone, and many may find your
words offensive.
“Nothing brings people together
more than mutual hatred,” said
Henry Rollins.
Intolerance towards Arab or
Islamic people is not new, just ampli
fied because of current circum
stances. Rollins’ words can be
applied throughout history as well.
Racism has reared its ugly head in
the case of the African people, the
Native Americans, the Jewish peo
ple, Japanese, Irish, etc. Bigotry
towards these and other ethnicities
still exist, but it is not amplified by
present circumstances.
Without perfect equality amongst
all nations, kindred, tongues, and
people we are doomed to continue
on the path of humanity’s destruc
tion. Until that great day, we can
look to those who offer sound coun
sel. Religious and secular leaders
alike have spoken out in warning to
the world.
Booker T. Washington, while suf
fering the slings and arrows of
racism himself, remained strong in
his refusal to return hatred. “I will
permit no man to narrow and
degrade my soul by making me hate
him,” he said.
Gordon B. Hinckley, president of
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-
day Saints, in a recent worldwide
address, reminded members, “We
have no quarrel with the Muslim
people or with those of any other
faith. We recognize and teach that all
the people of the Earth are of the
family of God, and he is our Father,
so we are brothers and sisters with
family obligations one to another.
“Let us never become a party to
words or works of evil concerning
our brothers and sisters of the church
in various nations on one side or the
other. Political differences never jus
tify hatred or ill will,” Hinckley said.
Peace cannot be attained or main
tained by force. The golden rule, “do
unto others as you would have them
do unto you,” is of great worth. If we
can all follow this simple counsel,
hatred and intolerance will have no
place in our minds, hearts, or actions,
and we will truly be a civilized peo
ple.
COMPLETE Î0BH COLLEGE DB61EÉ
from Georgs E&x University
* Bachelor of arts degree in management and organizational
leadership (MOL)
* Bachelor of arts degree in social and behavioral studies (SBS)
*' Bach elor of science degree in management a nd
business information systems (MBIS)
Call 503-554-616S
dps.geargefox.edu
INFORMATION MEETINGS AT 6:30 P.M-
Portland center (12753 S.W.68th Ave.) Tuesday, April 22, Thursday,
May 1 and Monday, May 14
George Fox University Salem Center (2600 Pringle Road S.E.)
Thursday, May 22