Page 6 The Portland Observer March 27, 1991 New Michael Jordan Spot Set to Take Off dow ned V/ Superstar Michael Jordan is known for his remarkable moves on the bas­ ketball court which seem to defy grav­ ity, but his latest effort in a new televi­ sion commercial for Coca-Cola classic is simply “ out of this world.” The imaginative 30-second spot, titled “ The Moon,” opens with a count­ down, the sound of a rocket launch and sight of Mr. Jordan moving upward through space at full thrust. Silhouetted against a large full moon, the agile player next is shown gracefully reach­ ing for a Coca-Cola classic, making contact and then, in the final scene, going into orbit as he drinks “ the real thing.” The commercial follows last year’s popular commercial for Coca-Cola classic in which Jordan makes an unor­ thodox delivery of a six-pack to a group of children in a treehouse. “ Michael Jordan is not just an- p o w e r lin e s don 1 com e olher celebrity. H e's young and excit­ ing, and he also is someone people are interested in and care about,” said Theodore J. Host, senior vice presi­ dent, Marketing, Coca-Cola USA. “ To us, he is the embodiment of ‘the real thing,’” “ Rather than showing Mr. Jordan in a typical basketball court setting, wc have certainly expanded the horizon to showcase his talents in a very different way,” Mr. Host said. The upcoming “ Jordan launch” will mark the return of The Coca-Cola company to space. The Coca-Cola Space Can, first flown aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger July 29, 1985, was devel­ oped by Company scientists to enable astronauts to consume carbonated bev­ erages in the microgravity environment of space for the first time. BY ULLYSSES TUCKER, JR. jgr For Babies Souqht “ Future Blazers” Photo Contest graph of the five Future Blazers Starting Line-up winners. Contestentry forms are available at Pepsi displays at your local Sentry Supermarkets, or by writing to Sentry/ Pepsi Future Blazers, P.O. Box 19089, Portland, OR 97219-0089. Photos and completed entry forms must be received by mail by April 22. Winners will be announced April 30 phone or registered. Sentry Supermarkets is an official radio sponsor of the Portland Trail Blaz­ ers. There are 68 independently owned Sentry Supermarkets serving Oregon, southwest Washington and northern Cali­ fornia. Sentry Supermarkets advertise collectively and utilize the buying and distribution power of United Grocers, one of the Northwest’s largest whole­ sale grocery cooperatives. Sentry Supermarkets is conducting a “ Future Blazers Starting Line-up” baby photo contest. Five $500 U.S. Savings Bonds will be awarded as grand prizes. Parents and guardians can submit photos of their children ages 24 months and under to the contest. Judges will be looking for creativity and display of Trail Blazer team spirit in choosing the five wining photographs. “ Blazer Mania Strikes even the youngest of us. W e’re looking for fun photos. The kids might be posing with a basketball or wearing blazer team colors of cheering for the team,” says David Sorensen, president of Sentry Supermarkets. The five grand prize winners will also receive a Trail ‘Blazers children’s T-shirt and a special “ team” photo­ Willy T. Ribbs Racing For Toyota Li t E Robert Parish: a Second Wind 3É» 1c The intense look on his face would suggest to the novice basketball fan that Robert Parish is a mean individ­ ual, who hates how he earns a living for the Boston Celtics. Au contraire, Par­ ish is a gentle man with a rich deep bass voice and he loves his job. At 37, Parish is one of the oldtimers in a league of quick first steps, no look passes and, multi-million dollar contracts. Moses Malone, Walter Davis, Wayne Cooper, James Edwards, and Alex English are the others. Combined, they are 215 years old and highly respected by their peers. Before the start of the season, some hoop experts predicted New York and Philadelphia as the teams to beat in the Atlantic Division, but it’s been the Celtics leading the pack. Others called the Celtics old, slow, and in transition with new coach Chris Ford. Yes, they are old at several positions and in transition, yet they still own one of the best records in the NBA. Robert Parish is at the heart of that success. “ He’s the motor that keeps us running” , said teammate Derek Smith. Currently, Parish is third in the league in field goal percentage (.582) and seventh in (10.4) rebounding. Though he is not scoring at his career average (16.6), Parish is contributing a respectable 14.1 per contest and ranks third in assists behind Larry Bird and Brian Shaw. Not bad for an oldtimer. Parish is quick to note that the “ Young guns” Kevin Gamble, 15.7 ppg,Reggie Lewis, 18.6 ppg, Brian Shaw, 14.7 ppg, and rookie Dee Brown, 1.6 ppg) on his team has made the job much easier for Larry Bird (19.3 ppg), Kevin McHale (19.6 ppg) and himself. “ It cuts down on the minutes that I have to play dur­ ing the middle part of the game” , said Parish. “ I can now play quality min­ utes down the stretch.” A product of Centenary College (Shreveport, La.) and the 8th pick by Golden State in the 1976 Draft, Parish feels fortunate to be playing at his age. He’s seen some great players come and go. The stories are many. A few players that Parish plays says his energy should be marketed and sold in a bottle for young players to use. Parish is a worker. “ I’m not doing anything differ­ ently,’ ’ he said. “ I attribute my longev­ ity to good health, a good diet, and taking care of myself. Plus, I haven’t been hurt that serious. That helps a lot too. with the way I’m going now, I feel as though I still have a few good years left in me. As far as the actual length of lime I will play, I don’t know. I’ll just take them one at a time. “ The c h ie f’, as he is called around the league, says that his scowl is not to be confused with the disposition out­ side of basketball. Parish describes House Majority Whip Hosts Talented Teens In Nation’s Capitol himself as fun to be around in private. At that point, Larry Bird broke into laughter and said, “ You spend 8-9 months around him. Then you will leant the real truth. Seriously though, ‘C hief is a great guy on and off the court. I’ve learned a good deal through him and I’m glad he’s on my team.” Parish went on to say that his seriousness works to his advantage on the court. “ Eighty - percent of the game is mental. Mental toughness and confi­ dence. I’m not out there to make friends. My job is to win games. Mental tough­ ness has carried me a long ways. It's business. ’ ’ Business that will hopefully carry the 8 time NBA All-Star to his fourth NBA Title. Michael Jordan on what helped him to develop mental toughness and inner strength. The Bills star reflected on what made him reach deeper than ever before. “ Being cut (from his high school team) had a big effect on me. It was embarrassing not making the team. They posted the list in the lockerroom, and it was there for a long time without my name on it. I was down about not making it for a while, and I thought about not playing anymore. Of course, I did keep on playing, and whenever I was working out and got tired or fig­ ured I ought to stop. I’d close my eyes and see that in the lockerroom without my name on it, and that usually got me going again...” Local Woman Excells ▼ Ih . •5 «■5 built-i in sy stem . v ‘‘UA it's impossible to tell if a lowncd powerline is hot, )r not If you see one, lorit touch But do call >11 and ask for assistance. Portland General Electric I.“JK*»^** ♦