Page 6...The Portland Observer...January 15, 1992
Everybody Has A Blazer Story
BY BILL BARBER
It seems like everybody you talk to
has a story about the time they met one
of the Portland Trail Blazers. Maybe it
was in a restaurant, at the movies or at
a talk they were giving ata local school.
The wonderful thing about a city the
size of Portland, is that sooner or later
you are bound to see everybody who is
anybody. The mayor, the governor, the
TV pitchman, but especially the play­
ers on the hometown NBA team. The
Blazer players all seem to be anxious to
tell the sports writers that they’re nor­
mal, “just folks” kinds of people. They
live well, but none of them have a
house full of servants. They go to the
grocery and the dry cleaners just like
everyone else. They go to restaurants,
night clubs, and church like a lot of
people; so it is not unlikely that some­
day you will have your own Trail Blazer
story to tell. If you’re like most people,
it will come when you least expect i t
Just for fun let’s pretend you saw
one of the Trail Blazers in a restaurant.
He is having one of those rare dine-out
opportunities with his family between
road trips. What would you do? You
have seen him on TV. He seems as if he
would be a pretty likeable guy. Being
this close to what might be a long-time
hero can be pretty exciting. What would
you do? You have too much class to
embarrass yourself and him by stand­
ing on your chair and yelling “ Yo,
come on over here to my table and let
me talk to you.” However, the tempta­
tion to get him to just say “ Hi” is hard
for any fan to resist
The best way to handle the situ­
ation might be to mentally trade shoes
with him before you make your next
move. If you charge across the room
with a napkin (you don’t usually carry
an autograph pad, an NBA action photo
or a trading card with you) you ’ll proba­
bly catch him just as he takes a bit of
food. Besides, when everyone else in
the restaurant sees you have disturbed
the man who was try ing to eat, they will
flood the table. That is probably not
how you want to be remembered. A
good thing might be to wait until he
finishes the meal. Better yet you might
be able to catch him as he is headed out
of the place. If you have the opportu­
nity to talk to any of the Blazers when
there are not a lot of people around, the
odds of striking up a conversation are
really on your side. Not that it will turn
out to be a long-winded discussion on
world events or the state of the nation.
What do you say, now that you finally
have the chance. When you first meet
him, introduce yourself. Why? Re­
member everyone knows him and it is
likely that he would like to know who
he is talking to. Kevin Duckworth was
once asked what was the worst mistake
a fan can make when he meets a player?
“ Calling him by the wrong name” was
his reply.
The easiest thing to do is just say
what comes naturally ...If you are a big
fan, just say so. Everyone likes to have
people tell them that they are doing a
nice job where they work. On the other
hand, most of us do not usually start a
conversation by saying, “ Let’s talk about
my job. “ Most of the players will admit
that a large number of fans in Portland
have a better handle on the Blazers
stats than they do. Like most people,
what Blazer players do for a living is
only a part of what makes them inter­
esting to talk to. Many Trail Blazer fans
know where each of the players went to
college. Some long-time fans even know
about some of the things the hoopsters
do off the court. Duckworth would rather
talk to you about fishing poles than All-
Star Polls. Did you know Duck is also a
master woodworker? Maybe you have
seen Terry Porter or Jerome Kersey
speakattheBoysandGirlsClub. Clyde
Drexler may have spoken to one of your
children at school as part of the Blazer/
Avia BASIC program. Speaking of
children, the reason your kids might be
wearing their safety belts in the car
lately, is that they heard Mark Bryant
talking about it at one of his “ Buckle-
up” seminars. It is Bryant’s personal
way of honoring his good friend Ramon
Ramos. Ramos was injured in a career
halting car accident last season. You
don ’t always hear about Danny Ainge’ s
work with the Children’s Miracle Net­
work at the Dombecker Hospital, but it
means a lot to him. Danny is always the
best one to ask : “ What is the hottest
Blazer T-shirt? Buck Williams is al­
ways glad to talk about his work with
March of Dimes. Maybe you know
someone who benefited by the * ‘Toy &
Joy” project that Wayne Cooper works
with. Ask Rick Adelman about Project
Graduation.
What about autographs? Most of
the players interviewed mirrored the
sentiments of Alaa Abdelnaby and Kevin
Duckworth who said, “ If I had my
choice I ’d rather talk to a person for a
few minutes and get to know a little
about them, than have them run up to
me with a pen and a piece of paper and
run right away.” Danny Ainge spoke
for many others on the team when he
offered, “ I hope the fans understand if
we don’t sign before the game. Like
them (fans) it’s time to start our work
day.”
“ We have to focus on our game
(during the pre-game practice). We want
to do our best. We are there to enter­
tain, and make it an enjoyable night for
all the fans.” said Alaa Abdelnaby
The Portland Observer's secret tip
for the best place and time to meet a
Blazer: After Practice (1:00 p.m.) out­
side the Lewis & Clark College Ath­
letic Building. Shhhh...It will be our
secret. Good Luck.
0%, 3% & 6%
Home Improvement Loans
Join Other Portland Homeowners With
Neighborhood Pride!
Home improvement loans are available at 0%, 3% or 6°6 interest, depending on your
income — probably the best rates in town. ) ou may qualify to borrow up to S 12,500 from
the Portland Development Commission (PDC) and show your neighborhood pride by
making your home and neighborhood an even better place to live.
Olympics Force
Change In Trail Blazers
Television Schedule
BBS’s coverage of the 1992 Win­
ter Olympics has necessitated a change
in the Trail Blazers television sched­
ule. Blazer Broadcasting will now air
Portland’s game at Dallas on Thursday,
February 6, in place of Portland at
Phoenix on Wednesday, February 12.
The game will be carried live on the
Trail Blazer Television Network be­
ginning at 5:30 p.m. Portland time.
These changes do not affect the Trail
Blazer Satellite Radio Network.
1992 Spring Training
Schedule Begins
March 5
The 1992 exhibition season begins
Thursday, March 5 with three games
scheduled for Florida, Major League
Baseball announced January 7.
To begin the spring schedule, the
Los Angeles Dodgers and Atlanta Braves
will face off at West Palm Beach, the
Pittsburgh Pirates will travel to Sara­
sota to meet the Chicago White Sox
and the Kansas City Royals play host to
Central Florida University. The sched­
ule goes into full swing the following
day.
The Baltimore Orioles will train at
Twin Lakes Park in Sarasota and play
their home games at A1 Lang Stadium
in St. Petersburg.
Blazer guard Clyde Drexler is averaging about 25 points per game this
season and is one of the leading vote getters in this years balloting for the
NBA All-Star game held in February. The Blazers will host the Charlotte
Hornets Friday at the Memorial Coliseum
KPTV 12 Launches Yearlong’Celebrate America’ Campaign
1992 promises to be a year of ex­
traordinary rejoicing and rededication.
It is a year that not only carries the
excitement of both the summer and
winter Olympics, but also showcases
the drama of the democratic process as
a candidate is elected to office of Presi­
dent of The United States.
With this in mind, KPTV has
proudly announced the most compre­
hensive station promotion in their his­
tory, CELEBRATE AMERICA. This
multi-faceted campaign is based upon
thecelebrationoflifc in this great coun­
try, its history, its achievements and its
potential. KPTV will conduct the year­
long campaign in the tradition of their
two previously successful community
service campaigns, FOR KIDS’ SAKE
(1986-87) and TIME TO CARE (1988-
90). KPTV will CELEBRATE AMER­
ICA with five prime time specials; daily
spots promoting patriotism through
sports, democracy and the American
people; a unique school program that
involves teachers and students in the
cammpaign; special community proj­
ects; news features; a family vacation
sweepstakes and more.
Watch for announcements in 1992
as KPTV keeps you informed of the
CELEBRATE AMERICA projects both
on the air and in our community.
PO R TLAN D O BSERVER
’ The Eyes and Ears of the Community
O ffic e : (503)288 -0 033
F a x # : (503)288 -0 015
For one week only,
laugh all the way to the bank.
And all the way home, too.
Your chances of qualifying for one of these City loans are good if:
I You own the home you are now living in
I Your home needs city-approved repairs or improvements
I Your household's annual income falls below a certain level
You 11 see “Neighborhood Pride" signs in neighborhoods where the loans are available:
Piedmont, Woodlawn, Concordia, Sabin, Eliot, Boise, Humboldt, King and Vernon.
L e t ’s face it. Until now, going to the hank for a loan hasn’t
exactly been a laughing matter. Rut we’re changing all that. Because
we’re offering the best loan deal in the state?
Say you’re interested in buying a car, boat or RV.
..................................<
Just have your loan payments automatically deducted
n U fy u
C
from a Security Pacific checking account, and you’ll receive
8.79% APR when you qualify.
You can also get 9.36% APR when you get a home equity loan
with automatic deductions from your checking account.
Before and after photos of a successful home repair loan project— one morefarnilv showing
neighborhood pride.
And to top it off, you’ll pay absolutely no loan fees or
closing costs.** Just a $50 initial application fee
••G reat Program! A golden opportunity for those of us who qualify.
So don't miss out. This deal is good from January
I could not have afforded the work without your help. Thanks! * *
11th through January 18th only. Just stop by any branch.
—A N.E. Homeowner
To find out if von qualify for one of these loans or if you’d like a Neighborhood Pride sign,
please call PDCs Eastside Neigliborhtxxl Housing Preservation Office at 823-3400
Monday through Friday, S a m to5:00p.m. We ’ll answer yourquestions. Remember, City
funds are limited for this program, so call today to begin enjoying the benefits of your
home repairs.
In Portland call 222-FAST or 1-800-551 -FAST.
PDC
PORTLAND
DEVELOPMENT
COMMISSION
However you do it, do it by the 18th. Because he who laughs
first, laughs last.
PDC is the City 's agencyJirr urban renewal, housing and economic development. The
home repair loan program is hauled through a,fi-deral Community'Development Block
Grant administered by the Bureau o f Com m unity Development.
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