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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (June 29, 1978)
Page 6 Portland Observer Thursday, June 29, 1978 Blazer ticket cost ¡aerease: Is it justified? Sports Talk by Ron Syke« What is the word on Bill Walton? Depends, these days, on w ho’ s asking the question and who’ s an swering. D r. Robert Cook team physician says all is well as can be expected. Jack Scott, B ill’ s friend and confident, says not. B ill, says nothing. For the past several months now Mr. Walton has been “ simply out” to the working press. There has been rumor upon rumor about the future playing status o f M r. Bill . . . the question remains. ’ ’ W ill he play again?” I f the NBA season was two months away, then the answer would be “ n o .” A t present Bill is somewhere in Oregon soaking his sore fo o t, and s till unable, supposedly, to put any pressure on the foot. Blazer brass aren’ t giving up on Bill Walton, for surely he is the franchise, but Rookie center-forward, Mychal Thompson’ s stock is really soaring due to the un certainty o f W alton’ s sore foot. It is this w riter’ s belief that the controversial article w ritten about B ill’ s rare bone disease by a local paper, just wasn't too far o ff. The paper subsequently published an apology and admitted that the writer really had nothing to substantiate his accusations. Maybe not but there’ s some reason why the foot is so slow in healing. And that’s not just this injury, but almost every injury that Bill suffers takes a long, long time to heal. At 26, Bill Walton is on the downside o f the h ill, not chronological, but physical. Last year W alton played by Bill Schaefer fewer minutes o f any starting center in the NBA. In an e ffo rt to cut down on Walton's injuries Ramsay employed Bill fewer minutes then any starting center in the N BA . . . but it ob viously d id n 't w ork, and now the question is, what w ill work? Should be one interesting season and. again, it w ill be successful. Look fo r three new faces on this years rooster. Thompson, Brewer and possibly V illa n o va ’ s M ike Herron. Herron would be a long shot and if so would have to show more promise than the veteran Larry Steel. Ex-G rant H i ace D arryl Motley boarded a plane Monday morning for Sarasota, Florida, and will begin play in the G u lf Coast Rookie league. Darryl w ill begin as an outfielder, but the young man really can play any position. Now I ’ ve witnessed many a ball game in my lifetim e and have seen quite a few ball players, and can truthfully say that Mr. Motley is the only player that I ’ ve seen that could play all nine positions on the field, and play them all superbly. I f this young man doesn’ t play m ajor league baseball . . . then mother goose “ ain’t no” nursery rhyme. A nd, then, there's Keith Rice, 6’ 5” , basketball player out o f Port land’ s Washington High, who has become the first Black player to finish a season at BY L. M r. Rice is happy . . . so be it. But, B Y U !!! The Portland T ra il Blazers’ treasury w ill be enriched by almost one-half m illion dollars during the 1978-79 N ational Basketball Association season because o f a recently announced 50 cents across- the-board increase in the cost o f a ticket. But is the increase justified? Probably not. Businesses that boost prices fo r their products or services usually ju s tify the increases because o f dim inishing p ro fits in the tace o f higher costs for labor and material. They show, or try to show, the ab sence o f a “ reasonable p ro fit" due to cost factors. But the T ra il Blazers are hard pressed to poormouth their financial picture, particularly after last season’ s outstanding box office per formance. The team enjoyed a sellout for all 41 home games, an un precedented achievement in the NBA. George Rickies, the Blazers’ business manager, refused to disclose any in fo rm a tio n about the team’ s balance sheet. “ Those figures are our own,” he said testily. “ That’ s something th a t’ s an internal com pany matter.” The two major cost items for the Blazers are player and administrative salaries and per diem air transpor tation, Rickies said. The Blazers travel first class but at the standard rate, a club spokeswoman said, with no special discount. First class fares on domestic airlines increased about two percent last year, according to one travel agency. But by hiking the price o f a $4 standing room only ticket to $4.50, the Trail Blazers w ill realize a 12.5 percent profit on those tickets alone. The newest increase in the cost of Blazer tickets follows increases the previous two years. Increases varied from seat to seat during the 1977-78 season but in some instances the boosts went as high as $1.50 a ticket. Also, some ticket prices went up for the 1976-77 season, Rickies said. But Rickies said the increases were justified. “ Maybe we’re going to hire some new guys, I don’ t know,” he said. “ But whatever is being paid, we’ re giving them (the fans) a finer, more interesting basketball team to sup port.” Rickies did not deny that the Trail Blazers made a “ reasonable p ro fit” last season and added that the team had “ reasonable assurances” that it would operate in the black again during the 1978-79 campaign. But he refused to rule out another price in crease next year. “ Maybe we might run into a bum year,” he said. He said he had “ no idea” about ticket prices for the 1979-80 season. “ We hold meetings each season to establish what our prices w ill be for the coming season,” he said. “ We have projections but we've got to see the final figures firs t." Students enjoy summer program (Continued from Page 1 Column 3) to make and throw away. It was significant cu ltu ra lly, in that the youngsters were guided in producing an ancient African game that would be entertaining for a long time. Also, the volunteer craft director, Donna G a ith e r, had showed them th a t games do not need to be plastic gadgets bought in shiny boxes. These games were made w ith decorated egg cartons and cherry stones. The lunch tables were crowded with over fifty kids being served. The staff was maintaining an at mosphere of order and friendliness, while a parent volunteer, Ms. Hazel Polk, was giving motherly assistance to some o f the younger participants. Outside, after lunch and films, some o f the children scattered to their favorite games: four-square, Get high interest with just $10(1 tether-ball, half-court basketball; while others simply enjoyed watch ing. Many were using the swings and other play equipment in the play yard which is part o f the Berean C h ild Care program . One little pretending m other was in the playhouse, serving a plateful o f grass to her "fa m ily ” . Rather than stand ing around ju st supervising, the teenage staff were involved playing with the children. Am ong other locations where d is tin c tiv e summer recreation programs also exist, are: M allory Avenue C h ristia n C hurch, King Neighborhood Facility, Urban 4-H, Peninsula Park, and the Reading Tree at Irving Park. Portland fans gat their first look at the Blazer’s rookies Thursday night in an ticipation of another exciting and winning season. South African Ambassador representative to give the rationale for their policies towards Jews; when America was fighting in Viet Nam objectivity did not demand that Ho C hi M in h be invited to send a representative to address the United States Congress about his perspective o f the war in Viet Nam. It is felt that in the case o f '.he South African Am bassador objectivity is being used to justify the unjustifiable. (Continued from Page 1 Column 6) Black Community feels it is an insult to all Black people in the city for the W o rld A ffa irs C ouncil and ¿he Chamber o f Commerce to invite an “ o fficia l” o f such a government to our city. As a result, a number o f very prominent organizations have w rit ten a letter to the W orld A ffairs C o u n cil protesting the vis it. Signatures to the letter were: the NAACP (Portland branch); United M inority Workers; Herb Cawthorne, Director o f the Educational Oppor tunity Program o f Portland State University; Center for Community M ental H e a lth ; Reverend Edsel Goldson, St. Andrews Community C hurch; N ick Barnett; P ortland A ssociation o f Black Social Workers; Black Educational Center; N ortheast C o a litio n o f N eigh borhood Associations and Fungai Kumbula. The W orld A ffa irs Council un doubtedly feels this invitation has been extended in the name o f objec tivity. When America fought Ger many, objectivity did not demand that H itle r be invited to send a It is very encouraging to see such a wide variety o f Black organizations and individuals uniting around the treatm ent o f their Brothers and Sisters in Africa. It is hoped that this unity can be maintained to address local issues that affect Black people. AU these groups feel that until South Africa recognizes all its people as equal citizens, deserving o f equal treatment and protection under the law, it (South A frica) should be ostracized from the international community. That’s the only way to bring about peaceful change. These organizations strongly deplore the high-handed actions o f the Chamber o f Commerce and the W orld Affairs Council in persisting with this visit over aU their objections. 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W h a t’s y o u r size? There's a Sock Certificate to fit all different sizes. Find the one that's right for you. Then slip into high interest today. (By the way. Sock Certificates come in a real sock, while supply lasts.) Stop by any branch of U. S. Bank. And put a U. S. Bank Sock Certificate to work for you. A M O U N T OF C E R TIFIC A TE >100 thru $99 999 99 >•'»00 thru 1999 99 >1.000 thru >Wo,0G0 SI IMI thru SlOO/MXi SI iMHC.ri SK»,M l SlO.ilUithru Svu.ixe w >100.000 A «»ver LEN GTH OF C EK TIEK ATE 30 days thru w9 tiays 9 0 days, twit leap than 1 yr 1 vr , hut teas t han 2% y n 2H yrs hut ban than 4 j n . 4 ynt tn Gym 4 VTR tri nyn Y IELD IN T E R E «! RATE 5 0694* .V» .76941*» 6.2ZW» 132 days 30 day* up tn 1 yr Be a winner in the Sock Market at b BANK G7MT» 6 7MT» 7.AMM 7%* 7.6042*» h yrs thru MUN» All interest rates quoted are based on those effective June 15,1978 at United States National Bank of Oregon, and are subject to change at any time. 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