Rip City United: Behind the Pinwheel, a tour on Saturday, July 27, 2013

My two favorite photos that I took on the tour.



Spontaneous laughter, photo no. 1



Spontaneous laughter, photo no. 2

Let me tell you the story.

As part of this season-ticket-holder event, Player Development Director Hersey Hawkins welcomed our small group into a room by thanking us for coming inside the Rose Garden Arena on a beautiful Portland Saturday afternoon.

One of us, a retired lady who evidently has been a season ticket holder for years and whom he recognized as having been to other events where he explained what he does for players, replied, "It was this or weed."

"Weed?" he asked, confusion all over his face. In a split second, the entire room erupted in loud guffaws and belly laughs, tears in numerous eyes as we continued to laugh for what seemed like a very long time as we realized she meant weed the flower beds and he thought she meant the colloquial, slang definition of the word which, obviously, he had great difficulty connecting with her persona.

So, I say a gigantic thank you to a couple of basketball-loving-Portlanders--Hersey and the lady--for the chance to take these photos of blissfully spontaneous laughter. Look at Hersey and see our laughter. He soon got down to business and explained his job is to help players deal with the nitty-gritty, down-to-earth realities of an NBA career.

The description of the event: Rip City United is excited to host you and a guest on Saturday, July 27th for a special look Behind the Pinwheel. Learn from the team behind the players; our Trail Blazers staff! Featuring an interactive tour of the team locker room, the broadcast and production studios and the exclusive Sphere Lounge, you’ll hear all about what goes on behind the scenes here at the Rose Garden Arena, home of the Portland Trail Blazers. We look forward to honoring you, our loyal Season Ticket Holders, with this unique experience. Here are a few other photos from the tour. Enjoy!
 

The sign that greeted us at the arena door.
 

My photo of a photo often seen by us fans, up on the Jumbo-tron before our Portland Trail Blazers left the locker room area and ran through the tunnel onto the court.
 

On-air play-by-play TV announcers, Mike Rice, yours truly, Mike Barrett in the broadcast studio. Well, I'm not an on-air play-by-play TV announcer, but you knew that already.



In the players' locker room, Todd Bosma, Director of Game Operations, regaled us with details about each home game and all that it takes to get it done, from when we're greeted by PA announcer Mark Mason until there is no time left on the game clock. He's a really nice guy whom I've visited with for a few moments at other Trail Blazers' events. If I remember right, he said that each game has a 39-page script!
 

While listening to Todd, I sat in #88's chair!
 

Locker room ceiling--the Pinwheel, a graphic representation of five-on-five, the nitty-gritty of basketball, no matter the venue.
 

We walked past the shower room. Look at the height of those nozzles!
 

During the season, one is filled with warm water, one with cool water. I don't know the temperatures, though, just those single word descriptions.
 

The weight room. My dream, to go there while they're working out! I know, I'm crazy.
 

Former Trail Blazers' locker room name plates fill the left side of the door. Do you see a former favorite? I do, more than one, truth be told.
 

Sweet. We're welcome here!



The production studio. Looks like something else, right? Well, it is, but it's not the game-broadcast studio. That's always done from a remote truck, even at home games, which is outside the arena in the loading dock, filled with much, much more equipment and a whole lotta people. Some of the this team travels with the players and coaches and uses a rental truck to broadcast away games. So cool.
 

It was such a treat to hear this man explain the broadcast process. I think his name is Chris, but I cannot remember for sure, doggone it. Before we left the studio, I got to say thanks to him in person for all of the great home and away games that Mama and I got to watch on our TV in our top-floor apartment in NW Portland, before she died in January, 2011. Then I showed him my "I heart Mom" button and said, "I bring her to every game!" We both smiled.
 

On our way to our last stop, I paused to take a photo of the quiet arena. First pre-season game, sometime in October, here I come!
 

Sphere, our last stop. An area exclusive to Trail Blazers' sponsors, it's where we got to partake of food items from the new food and beverage company for the Rose Garden Arena and the Rose Quarter, Levy Restaurants.A quote about this event: "We are thrilled to dive into the eclectic local culinary scene to capture the spirit and flavors of this truly trail-blazing region," Levy President and CEO Andy Lansing said in a statement.
 

My delicious food items. As best I understood it, these won't be for sale on the concourse at the vendors, but the vendors will be offering more locally influenced food choices, as well as healthier ones. I'm very interested in checking that out, just as soon as the preseason begins.

Damian Lillard, Rookie of the Year, Portland Trail Blazers' point guard. Congratulations, Damian!

Click here for a trip to City Daily Photo, transporting you around the world every day.



October 21, 2012--my first chance to take photos of Portland Trail Blazer rookie point guard Damian Lillard--Wells Fargo Fan Fest. The young man impressed me with his ability at the microphone when he and Meyers Leonard and Will Barton took questions from eager season ticket holders. Afterwards, I eagerly awaited my first chance to see him on the court. Now, all these months later, he's been named the Rookie of the Year! He won Rookie of the Month for our part of the NBA, every single month of the season! I will soon go through my loads of action shots and find some of those to share with you.

April 7-8, the movement was me, out and about and/or at work, so no post. April 9, the movement is a young Trail Blazers' fan on the court to greet the players!

Click here for a trip to City Daily Photo, transporting you around the world every day. 

I HOPE YOU ENJOY ALL 10 OF THESE PHOTOS!




No. 1





No. 2





No. 3




No. 4 




No. 5




No. 6



No. 7 




No. 8





No. 9

  

No. 10

April 6, the movement of the Portland Trail Blazers' mascot, Blaze

Click here for a trip to City Daily Photo, transporting you around the world every day.



Blaze runs out onto the court and circles center court several times, all the while with this huge flag flying out behind him. At the April 5 game against the Houston Rockets, I took this photo, which I particularly like because both of Blaze's feet are off the court for just the split second that it took for the Nikon D50 to take the photo. Cool, if you ask me.

Seen on the street, February 16, 2013, No. 5

Click here for a trip to City Daily Photo, transporting you around the world every day.



On this particular Saturday, it rained off and on, the sun came out now and then. I liked how the darker sky in the background of this photo and the lack of leaves on the trees make the buildings pop. Those tree limbs speak to me of summer-time-shade. The buildings are on the north side of West Burnside. The trees are on the south side of West Burnside. I'm at this intersection most every workday, on my way home on the bus. On Portland Trail Blazers' game days, I catch the MAX Yellow Line to the right of this photo and head for the Rose Garden Arena. If you look closely, near the No Parking sign on the left, you'll see two male skateboarders. One is on a bench; the other is standing at the end of the bench and is mostly hidden by the sign. 

The large structure just to the right of center is one of the many fountains in Portland. I found on the city's Web site that it is officially untitled, that it has become known as the Kelly Fountain. It runs spring through fall, 8 a.m.-10 p.m. daily. Also online, this description: Oregon artist Lee Kelly won an international competition to design this sculpture. Kelly has designed several other sculptures in Portland and throughout the Pacific Northwest. In this work, water flows over several 20-foot-tall steel structures. In conjunction with the Regional Arts and Culture Council, the Water Bureau helped to restore Kelly's fountain to its original beauty in the spring of 2004. The fountain had become run-down over the years. 

Thanks for your indulgence

Click here for a trip to City Daily Photo, transporting you around the world every day.





Oh, look! Oh, look! The mountain's out!

I shall have to change my walking route.
A photo or two I must stop and take
Then meet Lamont for our date
At Paddy's Bar & Grill and big-screen TV

On which the Blazers defeating the Spurs I plan to see. 

Good nachos, and despite Blazer injuries and a so-so well-margarita,
While we watched we talked music, basketball, and his cooking at Provvista.
By the final horn, the Blazers had built a thirty-point lead and won!
Lamont & I agreed we'd had a whole lotta fun!

We hugged outside on the corner.
I headed for a bus one way,
He headed for a bus the other.
Bye, love you, we always say.

I walked off thinking on
This city and living near
My two sons
Who are so dear.

Asked if my life is blessed,
I answer a resounding, "Yes!"

Feb. 27, Meyers Leonard celebrates turning 21 with a big ol' dunk, on former Trail Blazer Andre Miller

Click here for a trip to City Daily Photo, transporting you around the world every day.



Leonard got a pass from Nicholas Batum. He headed for the goal with dunking on his mind.
 

I took these photos from the opposite end of the arena, with a 300 zoom, and I've cropped and sharpened so that you can get a look at the action.
 

I'm always amazed how quickly the ball goes through the net.
 

If I'm not mistaken, I saw this action on a video highlight after I got home from the game. Andre's grinning at Meyers' reaction.

Here you go,  a view from out of bounds, so that you can get a look at Meyers’ face. See that strip of light with the red letters on it? I sit up that high, on that front row, but behind the Trail Blazers' bench, like I said, at the opposite end of the arena. We lost the ball game, 111-109.

Rob Free-Throw Guy, February 2, 2013

Click here for a trip to City Daily Photo, transporting you around the world every day.



Mama and I were introduced to Rob Free-Throw Guy back when we lived over in NW Portland and watched the Trail Blazers on TV, being broadcast by Mike Rice and Mike Barrett. Since I became season ticket holder, I've witnessed him in action. Last season I sat at the north end of the arena, this season at the south end, directly in line with where he sits behind the goal. Here are a few photos I took of him distracting a Utah Jazz player at the free throw line. Follow his success from the big photo over the to top right corner, down that side of the collage and then left across the bottom. In the corner photo, he's holding up one finger which means he, Rob Free-Throw Guy, got one! 

Here's an article I read about him online, dated April 3, 2011:

Robert Ems, Portland Trail Blazers ‘Free Throw Guy,’ Statistically Impacting Opponent Shooting at Rose Garden 

We’ve seen them hundreds of times. In just about every college basketball arena — and a fair number of NBA buildings — there’s always some ridiculous looking guy trying to distract opposing shooters at the free throw line. 

Sometimes, they wear costumes. Sometimes, they wear next to nothing. Sometimes, they hold up giant “hypnosis twirlers.” The one universal trait, however, is that they pretty much always gesture frantically right as the shooter is about to put up his attempt.

But, it doesn’t actually work, right?

Well, according to the Columbian, Robert Ems, the Portland Trailblazers “Free Throw Guy,” has made a statistically significant effect on games.

Ems, a 27-year-old stock trader, holds season tickets behind the basket that the opposing team faces in the second half. Generally, teams shoot 0.1 percent better from the line in the second half than in the first half, but that’s not the case at the Rose Garden.

When facing Ems — which visitors do in the second half — opponents are shooting just 72 percent from the line, as opposed to 78 percent when not facing the “Free Throw Guy.” Last season, the trend was the same. Opponents shot 75.8 percent when not facing Ems, but just 71.5 percent when under his spell.

If you go back to 2005-06 at the Rose Garden — before Ems had his tickets — the numbers were the expected 76 percent for the first half and 76.1 percent for the second half. Given that the Blazers give up 23 opponent free throw attempts per game, one could estimate that 11.5 are occurring in the second half.

Given that six percent difference in shooting rates that can be attributed to Ems, he’s contributing about 0.6 points of defense per game to Portland. 

Perhaps your team needs a “Free Throw Guy” too.  

Time-out activity at the Trail Blazers' game, Feb. 2, 2013

Click here for a trip to City Daily Photo, transporting you around the world every day.



Sometimes during time-outs at the Blazers' games, fans get involved in various activities, always hosted by Todd Bosma--the man with the microphone, standing beside the second contestant who has not been released by Blaze, the mascot. Todd's official title is Events Presentation Manager. He certainly has a great time with these events, which makes it easy for the fans to have a great time, too. 

Here we see human-bowling. Actually, I cannot remember the announced name of this activity, nor can I remember the prize for winning. Also, I cannot imagine being agile enough to sit on that disc-on-wheels, much less being let go to fly across the basketball court, headed for the foam bowling pins and the crash pads. Here we've got two men--one guy in the largest photo and the ones down the right side, the other guy in the three across the bottom of the largest photo. 

We all know how important it is for players to have a proper pre-game meal, right? I knew If I were to have any fun at the Blazers' Player Palooza that I had to have a proper pre-event meal myownself.

Click here for a trip to City Daily Photo, transporting you around the world every day.



I knew before I set foot in the Rose Garden Arena on Tuesday, February 20, that I would be on my feet, walking on concrete all over the arena which, I just read online, encloses over 785,000 square feet on eight levels, five of which are open to the public. I knew that I didn't want to be rushed. Ha, to tell you the truth, I knew that I couldn't rush myself. So, I planned ahead and took two hours of vacation, left work at 3 p.m., caught the Portland Streetcar north on SE Grand Avenue from my building, at East Burnside caught the 12 bus east to home, walked into the apartment and put only what I wanted to have with me in my backpack, changed one of my layers from a light sweater to a warm sweatshirt to wear beneath my raincoat, put on my never-been-worn-before-checkered-flag-design visor (A present to my little Mama from our friends Milton and Kay--they picked up two of them for her one year at NASCAR's Talladega Superspeedway--I wear the other one all the time to keep rain off my glasses and my hood outta my face, which has made it worn and stained, couldn't have that in case I got a picture taken of myself, now could I?), pulled up my raincoat hood against the sprinkling rain, locked the door, and walked back outside and headed for the bus stop.

I got off the bus at NE 47th and Sandy Blvd., walked into the Killer Burger and felt at peace with my plan for a proper pre-event meal. Greeting me at the counter, a nice young woman who's helped me plenty of times before, smiling and saying, "I haven't seen you in a hot minute!" She remembered by last name, too, for my order! Which tickled me, just as the nice young man making burgers and who's helped me plenty of times before saw me, grinned and said, "Hi!" Before I knew it, I had the burger and fries you see in the photo sitting on the table in front of me, along with a small cup of Barq's Root Beer. I knew that I had time to eat but not to dilly-dally, so I got going. I didn't eat every single bit of the burger and fries, but I ate enough to hold me for hours--more than three since Player Palooza was scheduled from 5-8 p.m. and I'd also spend some time getting back home afterwards.

Outside, I sat at the bus stop, waiting 10 minutes for the 12 bus. Downtown at SW 5th and Pine, I got off the bus and walked a block west to catch the 4 bus north to the Rose Garden. Then I walked from the south end of the building to the north end which is where we season ticket holders who had RSVPed were instructed to enter. Fun ensued. My energy held out. Happy Trail Blazer season ticket holder here.

Me, and Rob Free-Throw Guy

Click here for a trip to City Daily Photo, transporting you around the world every day.



At the Trail Blazers' Player Palooza, I found Rob Free-Throw Guy standing beside the Mechanical Bull Riding activity, talking with a group of people. A kind stranger from that group offered to take  this photo of the two of us after I explained to him who I am, his Facebook friend up in Section 333, front row. Cool to meet him. Soon I'll have some photos that I took of him in action when an opposing player approaches the free throw line. He and a teeming horde of ThunderStix wielding Blazers' fans have the same goal--distract the player into missing those shots. 

Let me explain the two buttons I'm wearing. The small, round, golden-colored one reminds me of an exploding firework. That's for what I want to happen after every game--fireworks for a job well done by the Trail Blazers. The other one, the I Heart Mom one is how I take my little Mama to the games with me. Ever since we moved to Portland in June, 2006, the two of us had watched a whole lotta Blazers' games on TV. After she died in January, 2011, I decided to take advantage of a special on being a season-ticket-holder that I heard about one night in April while I watched  another game on TV, broadcast by Mike Rice and Mike Barrett--see yesterday's post for a photo of me with the two of them, so sweet! Anyway, after I got myself set up for the 2011-2012 season (the one with the strike, doggone it), I found this button for sale on Etsy, at a extremely good price, so I bought it with the intention of wearing it on special occasions. Nothing's more special than having Mama with me at the games--I wear both buttons all day if the game day is a work day. On weekends I put them on right before I head out to catch the bus. At the arena, it's great to tap that button now and then during the game and to think about her and how much she enjoyed watching the Blazers play. I miss her less, even if it just for a few seconds at a time.

Me, on TV

Click here for a trip to City Daily Photo, transporting you around the world every day.



Yep, that's me and my grinning face sitting in between Mike and Mike in the Portland Trail Blazers' Rose Garden Arena broadcast area down in the lower level of the arena. Me! Mike Rice on the left of the photo, Mike Barrett on the right. Wednesday, February 20, from 5-8 p.m. the annual Player Palooza event took place for season ticket holders who RSVPed. I tell you what, I stood in line here and I stood in line there, I took pictures every where! This right here is one of two photos that kind strangers took of me with my Nikon D50. I really like these two guys and their broadcasts of the Blazers. I just had to pat Rice on the back, couldn't help myself! Besides taking photos, I hugged other members of the media, Blazers' coaches and Blazers' players! Basketball heaven! 

Oh, and I ended up on the KGW Sports last night--I saw it at 10 p.m. when they broadcast on Channel 3. Just me and JJ Hickson in the same story about Player Palooza--so fine! I had run into Joe Becker, KGW sportscaster, in the Blazers' weight room. I recognized him, but my mind went completely blank, so I said, "Oh, oh. I know who you are but, help me out, I can't remember your name!" "Joe, Joe Becker," he replied. I said, "Your pause before you say the last thing!" "Right!" he said! We got to talking about what a treat it was to be there, that he'd never even been in the weight room, and how much we were enjoying the event. Before I knew it, he asked if he could interview me about Player Palooza when the Brian/Bryan, the cameraman, came back to that area. I asked, "Is that Ace Sports Photographer?" He grinned really big and said, "Yes!" So we talked while Brian/Bryan recorded, shook hands and I continued on the tour. When I got home, I found his e-mail at KGW and sent him one, saying how neat it was to have met him and Brian/Bryan, that I was headed for the recliner and the heating pad with my iPhone set to go off for the 10 p.m. news. He e-mailed back and said that he enjoyed meeting me, too, that there had been a short piece about Player Palooza on at 6:30 p.m., that they used a comment from JJ and a comment from me and that it was going to on again at 10 and 11 p.m. Thank goodness I had the timer set on the phone so that I could see it at 10 p.m. because I fell asleep after that and didn't wake up until 12:25 p.m. 

Seen at the Blazers' game, Feb. 2, 2013, No. 5

Click here for a trip to City Daily Photo, transporting you around the world every day.



Before every Portland Trail Blazers' home game at the Rose Garden Arena, the Game Ball Delivery takes place. Members of the Blazers' Stunt Team head for the selected seating section, basketball in hand. Once it's been announced to one and all where the lucky fans sit, the spotlight brightens their faces, and the ball is handed to someone in the top row of that section, and the passing of the ball begins, from fan to fan, row to row, on its way from the top of the arena to the basketball court.

Since the Game Ball Delivery starts in the upper bowl, a member of the stunt team follows an aiming ritual before carefully dropping the ball to another member of the team waiting below. In that way the ball continues on until the last member of the stunt team involved in the delivery gets the ball and hands it off to a pre-selected youngster who is escorted to center court where the referee awaits.

I usually watch the delivery for a few minutes and then pay attention to the warm up activity down on the court. However on this night, since the section was right beside mine, I decided to take a few photos with my zoom lens. I particularly liked it when the man in the white shirt got the little boy involved. Imagine my surprise when I downloaded the photos and saw the expression on the woman's face there to the left of the top photo. Why she looked so shocked to see that little boy with the ball, I'll never understand. And how about her expression compared to that man holding the beer, the one who, to me, favors Hugh Jackman? Maybe she's saying, "Watch out! That little boy might toss the ball over here and knock your beer out of your hand!" And the man hasn't yet had time to react to what she's saying. We'll never know, but I do like the photo as part of this collage.

Seen at the Blazers' game, Feb. 2, 2013, No. 4

Click here for a trip to City Daily Photo, transporting you around the world every day.



Mike Rice talks with his hands during a pre-game update on the air at CSNNW, Channel 37.
 

Mike Barret talks with his hands during a pre-game update on the air at CSNNW, Channel 37. 

These two are the television play-by-play announcers for Blazers' games not broadcast on TNT. Once they finish this part of the broadcast, they move to their seats at a table parallel with the sideline, between center court and the Blazers' bench which is to their right. I like them as announcers--I image some don't, but I do.

Seen at the Blazers' game, Feb. 2, 2013, No. 3

Click here for a trip to City Daily Photo, transporting you around the world every day.



Cropped close so you could get a good look. I took this photo across the curve at the southwest end of the Rose Garden Arena. I usually look over there a few times before the game to watch DJ O.G.One doing his thing--he's the official DJ of the Portland Trail Blazers. When I saw this cute little lady standing there beside him, I just had to be a photo. I've never noticed her there. I wonder if it was his pre-game mix theme that drew her inside the arena to listen up close for a few moments--her uniform means she's an usher. You see, on this particular evening, he had posted on Facebook that his pre-game mix theme was Throwback Soul Classics. I commented on his post: Your Throwback Soul Classics are rocking the RGA for me, up here in 333, Row A, Seat 6. Thanks!

Seen at the Blazers' game, Feb. 2, 2013, No. 2

Click here for a trip to City Daily Photo, transporting you around the world every day.



Autograph seekers patiently wait--smiles and looks of surprise on their faces, items in hand--for the chance to get the signature of Damian Lillard, Portland's point guard. He's 22 years old and plays beautiful basketball during the minutes he's in the game, I'd say about 90-95% of the time. Sure, every once in a while he executes an errant pass or misses a shot or a free throw, plays we've already seen him make repeatedly in this, his rookie season. 

What I like about him is the fact that a missed shot or a turnover doesn't make him put his head down, doesn't make his shoulders slump, doesn't make him look sullenly at the refs. Not at all. He plays on. If you ask me, the young man's possible-rookie-of-the-year basketball sense is outshone by his drive, determination and desire. If I had given birth to any of these youngsters at the railing, I would be just fine with my child's seeking an autograph from Damian Lillard. I feel that strongly about the young man's integrity on the court which I believe is informed by his integrity in life.

About Damian's basketball playing, at home games I witness some of the quickest, smoothest shots that I've ever seen, from all around the court--shots that make me think of the quickness and surety of a hot knife in a cold-right-out-of-the-refrigerator stick of butter. I sit up high enough in the Rose Garden Arena and watch him see the court, where his teammates are headed, where the opposition is headed, what he knows to do so that he can make things happen for his teammates and himself.  I'm left dazed by his quickness and surety. 

Damian Lillard has been named Rookie of the Month for the Western Conference for October/November, December and January. In January's 16 games, he averaged 17.7 points, 6.8 assists, and 39.6 minutes. Here's a recent quote in The Oregonian, from Lillard about the January award: “I played a good month of basketball, and I’ve got to give credit to our team because if we weren’t winning games, I don’t think I would be able to be singled out as a rookie.” He will play in the NBA game between rookies and second-year players All Star weekend in Houston, Texas. The game is February 15, on TNT at 9 p.m. E.T. Way cool.

At an event for season ticket holders back in October, one of the activities was a meet-and-greet sort of thing with our three rookies--Damian, Meyers Leonard, and Will Barton. I sat listening to those three young men take questions like how did you feel when you were drafted, who do you want to play against the most, the sort of questions I figured that they had already been asked plenty of times. They answered with sincerity, like it was the first time they'd been asked that particular question. Then I raised my arm quickly enough to catch the attention of the moderator Adam Bjaranson and asked the three to tell us how they intended, as new Trail Blazers, to follow in the well-established footsteps of their teammates in their involvement in the city, outside the basketball court. While I cannot remember each individual answer, each young man conveyed the plans he had to be involved in more that basketball in Portland. What I do remember is the fact that my question caused no hemming and hawing, no uncertainty, no lost looks around the room. What I'm trying to convey is the poise of those three young men (Meyers is 20, Will is 22). After having taught high school English and having been a high school librarian for 15 years, let me tell you, I felt pretty good about these guys, their families and their teachers. At that point I had not seen them on the court, but I felt just as good about their basketball possibilities, too. 

Seen at the Blazers' game, Feb. 2, 2013, No. 1

Click here for a trip to City Daily Photo, transporting you around the world every day.



Before every game, this announcement is made. At first this season, various Blazers read the different lines. Lately, it seems to me, that the entire announcement is being read by Ice-T. I decided to photograph it on the Jumbotron with my zoom lens so that I could share it with you.

Blazer Bruce

Click here for a trip to City Daily Photo, transporting you around the world every day.



See the man with the giant blondish Mohawk? He's tapping two white, Blazer-logo, ThunderStix together near the center of this cropped photo. Between him and the television camera in the Blazers' jersey is Blazer Bruce, full name Bruce Jeremiah, who dances up a storm at home games, often during a 4th quarter time out when the crowd gets louder and louder, living up to our reputation as the best 6th man in the league. Everyone around Bruce looking up is watching the Jumbotron where, during the blasting of the music, he appears on screen and instigates even louder hollering--we fans love him! I noticed his seat mate on the night of January 29, 2013, while we played the Dallas Mavericks. We won at the buzzer, thanks to a basket by LaMarcus Aldridge!

About Blazer Bruce, from The Oregonian: Look better/feel better: New Year's motivation from Blazer Bruce Jeremiah
By Nick Budnick, Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Celebrity and necessity played equal parts in 71-year-old Bruce Jeremiah's loss of 32 pounds. Three years ago, the loyal Portland Trail Blazer fan was pictured on the Rose Garden Jumbotron screen, enthusiastically dancing during a timeout. Since then, among local fans, he's become well known as Blazer Bruce: the sturdy white-haired fellow who likes to show off his moves at every home game, and who's even joined the Blazer dancers to perform on court.

At the start of his onscreen exploits, he checked in at 265 pounds and a 46-inch waist. Diets in the past had never lasted. But frequent dancing made him lose weight to give a break to his bad right knee, and being up on the screen every other game was motivational, too: "You don't want to look like a fat guy all the time."

The longtime owner of a recreational vehicle rental business on Southeast 82nd Avenue, he gave up his bottle-a-day habit of drinking good wine and has developed new eating habits: fewer carbs, no sweets and lots of fruit. Now, even at fine restaurants, "I don't have the appetite I had before," he says.

When the NBA lockout cut into his onscreen dance workouts, Jeremiah stepped up the gym visits he started two years ago; now he goes five times a week to do aerobics, weight lifting and Zumba dance classes. The workouts pay off in other ways, too: He took a bad spill the other day and came out of it unharmed. "It's helped big time," he says.

As the delayed NBA season begins, Jeremiah is ready, at 233 pounds and a 42-inch waist. "I want to lose 20 more."

The MAX Yellow Line at SW 6th Avenue and SW Pine

Click here for a trip to City Daily Photo, transporting you around the world every day.



The MAX Yellow Line pulls in at the station beside the Big Pink, downtown Portland, on SW 6th Avenue and SW Pine. A couple of guys walk towards it as it slows and another one buys his ticket at the kiosk. On Saturday, January 19, I got on board before it pulled out. My plan, to ride to the Rose Garden Arena for the Portland Trail Blazers' basketball game against the Milwaukee Bucks. This is the train that I got off and then took the photo of the Rose Garden Arena in the fog, Monday's post. 

On ball game days during the week, I catch a ride to the Rose Garden Arena at the MAX Yellow Line station at Pioneer Courthouse Square, after eating cheap at McDonald's or Subway and walking the four blocks to the station. On game day Saturdays or Sundays or holidays, I catch the MAX Yellow Line here because it's closest to where I get off either the 12 or the 19 which I had caught a block and a half from my apartment. Mass transit works pretty doggone good, if you play it right. 

Seen outside the Rose Garden Arena, January 19, 2013

Click here for a trip to City Daily Photo, transporting you around the world every day.



Before the basketball game, I walked by the crowd lined up at various doors as the awaited the arrival of 6 p.m. These doors are the main ones at the south end of the arena. The door I use is just to the right of the right edge of this photo, maybe 12 feet away. I exit usually at the right-most of the doors in this photo where the person in the red and white jacket waits, unless I remember to go out another doorway which is usually devoid of a crowd and is also to the right of these. I don't go out the door I use as my entrance because it is a single door which opens onto a one-way ramp with a railing--a total bottleneck. 

The upper level circular area is where folks who have paid to eat at the pre-game buffet because their more expensive ticket includes the food go to sit with their food. I've been there a couple of times when the Blazers had special events for season ticket holders. The view is pretty good and would be better if the grain elevators were not right across from the arena. However, I'm sure that business-wise, for the Willamette River, the grain elevators are a good thing. Can't run an economy on the whim of professional basketball. 
 

Ah. The entry process--looking in your bag/purse after you set it on a narrow folding table, going through the metal detector, being wanded if you set off the metal detector, and having your ticket scanned--has begun. Tonight I'm on my way to a different entrance than the one I described above because I wanted to pick up my LaMarcus Aldridge NBA All-Star bobble head--the Rose Garden Arena season-ticket-holder help center is at the north end of the arena, so I decided to go get it before heading for my seat. 

You can see the folks at the tables in the eating area on the second level. I'm sure it has some sort of official name, but I can't remember for sure. The first time I went up there for a season ticket holder event, I ate juicy and tender roasted buffalo, carved from a huge hunk of meat and placed onto my plate by the server.   

By the way, the smoking balcony which I find troubling because of its proximity to my season ticket seat and the way the hall between me and the bathroom fills with cigarette smoke, especially at halftime, is beneath the pointed roof you see in the second photo. When it's time to renew my tickets next season, I'll be looking for somewhere else on the south end of the arena, somewhere affordable and away from that smoking balcony. I've complained several times when the smoke has come out into the arena so that I could smell it at my actual seat. The floor manager to whom I gave my info said to complain every single time I feel that the smoke is overwhelming. Well, if I didn't have to wait for him out in the smoke, I'd certainly be doing that!