Greg Oden: An epilogue

If nothing else, Greg Oden's career has been good at putting Blazer fans through the emotional wringer.

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When the Trail Blazers won the 2007 NBA Draft Lottery, and essentially the rights to draft the coveted big man, it was absolute, pure joy in Portland.

We cheered. We danced in our living rooms. We held rallies in downtown Portland to welcome our newest hero and to celebrate the return of Rip City.

It marked the start of a new era, the beginning of great things for the franchise after years of disappointment.

After all this time, Oden was the final piece of the championship puzzle. This was our time.

We all eagerly awaited the future success that seemed just over the horizon.

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When Oden went down with season-ending surgery before his career even began, we were shocked. How could this have happened? Why now? What does this mean? Fans were in complete disbelief, and angry that all of our optimism would now have to be put on hold as the Blazers try to recover from such a devastating blow.

I remember pounding my fists and cursing. This was supposed to be the beginning of our glory days! It isn't fair to us, the fans! Why do we have to continually suffer?

We just finished going through years of mediocrity. When will this disappointment end?

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When Oden finally did make his debut in the fall of 2008, our anger turned to frustration.

Briefly during training camp, when it was announced that Oden would finally see the court, we were excited. Finally, it begins now.

But it was our expectations that were to blame when we were so bewildered by the start of Oden's playing career. He could barely run or jump, let alone execute a low-post move. He often looked lost on defense and tried to force things on offense.

This was not the same guy we drafted. We've waited this long, and this is what we get?

Sportswriters called his performance "underwhelming." And fans were left scratching their heads. Was this just the immediate byproduct of his surgery? Does he just need time to recover?

Will we ever see the real Greg Oden?

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When the fall of 2009 rolled around, fans were ready for anything from Oden.

And suddenly, that joy from 2007 had returned.

Oden was delivering on the basketball court. His points, blocks, rebounds, assists and field goal percentage were all up. Finally healthy, Oden was anxious to show the world what he could do on the basketball court.

For fans, it was a wake up call. This is why the Blazers drafted him, for performances like this. Coming off several injuries and seeing him make this improvement was a sign that he was just starting to tap into his potential as a powerful basketball player. Fans knew that he was only going to get better from here.

But the best laid plans...

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When a freak injury broke Oden's kneecap and forced him to miss the rest of the season, it was the moment Blazer fans stopped feeling sorry for themselves, and felt sorry for Oden.

We saw what he was capable of. We saw the hard work he put into his return to the court. This latest injury was not this kid's fault, and he did not deserve another setback in the face of all he had done.

Fans started to put aside their petty notions that their fandom was cursed, and faced the realization that this was a young kid going through about a traumatic of a career as you could ever imagine.

Seeing the work of the past months and his inspired early season play derailed like this, it made Oden human in our eyes. This was real. This wasn't TV, or NBA 2k9. This was our brother who was in pain.

Throughout Oden's early career and the injuries and surgeries that accompanied it, Blazer fans always had a sense of "Why us?"

This was the moment were we finally asked "why him?"

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But when it was announced that Oden would need season-ending surgery again, even before he came back from his previous season-ending surgery, Blazer fans didn't feel sadness.

We don't feel anger, frustration, confused, or scared.

We feel numb.

It's almost as if we have been desensitized to the injuries, the surgeries, the rehabilitation, the apologies, the promises, all of it.

Oden's status has always been the cloud over the Blazers. Sometimes we've seen dashes of sunlight. Other times, when it's rained, it's poured. But Blazer fans don't want to keep looking at the clouds anymore wondering if we're going to get a good day.

Oden's career has given us the highest of highs. I'll never forget the optimism and enthusiasm that followed Draft Day 2007, the feeling of hope. We'll always hand on to that moment.

Oden's career has given us the lowest of lows. Injury after injury after injury, never allowing Greg to fully show what he was capable of.

Greg, the team, the management and the fans all deserve better. Maybe in time, the memories won't seem so bad.

But as of right now, we just don't want it all anymore.

ADAM MORRISON'S DECISION - Live Press Conference Transcript

-MODERATOR: It's been two years of speculation. Two years of waiting. Two years of making the necessary transactions and possibly mortgaging the future of your franchise, but it's all led up to this moment.

Tonight, the wait is over.

We have waited patiently, eagerly grabbing at every morsel thrown our way. Now, we will finally be blessed with the privilege to hear the answer we've all been waiting for. Even the eventual return of Jesus Christ pales in comparison to this highly anticipated moment:

Where will Adam Morrison play basketball next year?

That decision will be made tonight - LIVE on the only station with enough clout to handle such a huge, momentous event in television history - Gonzaga University Television, GUTV.

Now, without further ado, here is the man of the hour - Mr. Adam Morrison!!!

(camera pans to Morrison sitting in front of a backdrop of downtown Spokane)

-MORRISON: Hello, and thank you all for coming.

First off, I want to address a rumor that's been going around the Internet saying that my teammate Jordan Farmar was sleeping with my mom. That's not true. It was only dry-humping. Moving on...

Before we begin, I want to thank GUTV for helping to air this press conference. Thank you for the opportunity and for sacrificing a day's worth of real reporting just to make a cheap buck.

There has been a lot of speculation as to who I will sign with, and it's been a very difficult decision. I mean, some teams have offered to put my face on every billboard in town, others want to give me my own TV show, and one wanted to give me my own private locker room with mirrors on every wall so I can see my reflection every day. I mean, how am I supposed to choose?

But this day has been a long time coming. Sure, I was the one who was delaying it, but whatever, I'm Adam Morrison, damn it...

But in that time, teams have been scrambling to clear the necessary cap space for the Veteran's Minimum Salary to sign me. Teams have given up years of winning and spat on their fans just because of the promise of luring me in this summer. I can't even begin to tell you how it feels to the the subject of such adoration.

...(sniff)...Sorry, I told myself I wasn't going to cry.

Anyhoo, when the Lakers offered me an extension - which I assure you, they did - I hemmed and hawed, and said that I ultimately wanted to wait to make my decision. I am grateful to the Laker organization for giving me an opportunity when no one else would, and helping me become the superstar I am today. Out of that respect, I am making a mockery of their loyalty on national TV. Again, read the nametag.

There were rumors that I would return to Charlotte where I began my career. There were rumors that I would head to the bright lights of the Basketball Mecca of Salt Lake City to play with the Jazz. There have also been rumors that I have been secretly plotting with JJ Redick and Sheldon Williams to form a super-team in Toronto.

But I realize that no matter what decision I make, people will be upset. I either publicly break up with the city that loves me in Los Angeles, or I piss off the entire nation by stringing people along for two years. I lose any way I go in this situation.

But this is about ME. My happiness, my life, my ego.

It's time to put up for shut up.

Today, I, Adam Morrison, am officially announcing that I will be joining ... The Vermont Frost Heaves of the Premier Basketball League.

I will now hold for your applause, and the Twitter overload that is about to occur...

...

...

...

...thank you.

To milk this even further, I officially announce WHAT POSITION I WILL PLAY at a press conference in September. That will also air on GUTV, sponsored by Apple Jacks (takes bite of cereal).

-(Inaudible question from reporter)

-MORRISON: Does this make me a prostitute? Maybe. But you never told me to stop. If you didn't like how I was handling this, why didn't you speak up and tell me to stop? That's right, because I'm a 2-time NBA Champion. So you all can suck it.

That's right, 2-time NBA Champion. That's why you're here, right? Because of my accomplishments? To report on someone who has made a quantifiable impact on basketball?

See, I know there's one other press conference going on today, but I know you're watching my press conference instead. I'm the one you want.

Because I have 2 rings.

What does that other guy have?

Has he even won a game in the finals? TWO RINGS BABY. My towel-waving and high-fiving were more effective than his jump shot.

You just don't want to admit it, but being here, listening to me, actually makes more sense.

As crazy as it sounds, right now, based on everything I've done, I, Adam Morrison, am more deserving of worship and constant adulation than LeBron James.

So I'd like to conclude this press conference with a statement to everyone out there who followed my every move:

You're welcome.

Shock, but no loss for words: fans react to Pritchard firing

In the grand scheme of things, Kevin Pritchard was simply an NBA GM. There are 29 others in the NBA, and in the end, it's only a management position. If the guy puts a talented roster on the floor, then everything's gravy and the fans are focused on the on-court product. If the team is constantly awful, then the guy gets fired.

Kevin Pritchard helped rebuild the Blazers into a solid team on the rise during his tenure as GM, but the way he did it - through a unique sense of openness - endeared him to the fans unlike any other NBA General Manager.

At a rally in downtown Portland after the Blazers selected Greg Oden first overall in the 2007 NBA draft, fans responded to their GM with chants of "Pritchard! Pritchard! Pritchard!" It was a moment you would never expect for a member of the front office, but one that was deserving after the moves that Pritchard has made and the way he had done his job.

But three years later, on Draft Day 2010, Pritchard was given the axe; fired by owner Paul Allen for reasons that are still unclear.

And Blazer fans are, for lack of a better term, pissed.

I've never seen a fan base so taken aback by the dismissal of a front office executive. Tonight, friends of mine have been sharing their thoughts on Pritchard's firing, through Facebook, Twitter, text messages, and more.

The overriding feeling: why did this happen?

-Geoff Ziemer, the author of The 300 Level and my former mentor with the Franklin Post, responded to Facebook with the most disgusted (if slightly hyperbolic) reaction: "THE SKY IS FALLING. KP FIRED. You make me sick Mr. Allen. You better share with the media WHY this came about."

The last part I agree with wholeheartedly. The media cannot let this pass by without doing their job and continuing to ask the right questions.

-Anthony Mcfeters asked what we all have been asking throughout the duration of this mess: "I am so confused.... why is Pritchard fired?! He has without a doubt saved this franchise from a management standpoint."

-My brother Justin Sandberg had to come home from work to this ugly situation: "Leave it to Paul Allen to fuck things up for everyone." His night was probably completely ruined, especially with the trade of Martell Webster.

-Mark Nelson provided the only laugh tonight through this exchange on Twitter:
Me: The Portland media should camp outside Paul Allen's house until we get answers.
Mark Nelson: He'll sick the robotic Richard Simmons on them.

-Kevin O'Brien from Remember '51 gave me perspective on what other fans around the country probably think of the Blazer organization: "The fact that you guys fired a top-10 GM (perhaps even a top-5) shows how big of an ego Paul Allen has." Time will tell just how big of a negative impact this will have.

-Faris Tanyos predicted that Pritchard would be fired after the draft, but never imagined it would happen the day of): "Paul Allen is insane. I'm in complete shock."

-And Bill Christensen could only feel sympathy for the man who lost his job for reasons seemingly unknown: "I'm sorry Kevin Pritchard. I as a devout Blazer fan, I am extremely sad to see you go. THANK YOU for getting this franchise back on its feet and I am sorry that 'someone' lost their minds and let you go."


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Pritchard is gone, and judging on how fans in Portland respected him, I'm sure they won't stop talking about this for a very long time.

Meet Your Longshot NBA Draft Prospect: Matt Bouldin

Matt Bouldin was the unlikely superstar during the latter half of his career at Gonzaga.

During his time as a Zag, there were teammates who scored more, who were faster, who were more emotional, who were better ballhandlers, passers and shooters. Bouldin was not spectacular in any one area. But he was solid in every area.

And as it turned out, that made him the perfect type of player for Mark Few's system of college basketball. When Bouldin's senior season rolled around in 2009 and the more one-dimensional stars had left the Kennel, it allowed Bouldin to take the reigns and utilize his multiple talents as the star.

In the world of Gonzaga basketball, Bouldin was just about as perfect of a player as you could ask for.

Unfortunately, that may end up being his undoing in the NBA Draft.

Bouldin may end up becoming a victim of the same system that made him look great in college. Playing in the WCC, you need a player who has good court awareness, who can control the tempo of the game with the ball in his hands. Teams in the conference aren't overly athletic, but they make up for it with scrapiness and good decision-making. A player like Bouldin can see the openings in systems like that and use his skills to take advantage. He never had to overpower, outshoot, or run past a team on his own; only wait for the openings and operate with a surgeon's precision.

But the NBA is about raw athleticism, which makes up for any lapses and closes those openings quickly. Someone like Steve Nash can take advantage of situations because he is an excellent passer with incredible court vision. Someone like Brandon Roy isn't overly athletic, but he can control the tempo of a game simply because he is a great scorer.

Believe it or not, in the NBA, having one or two great skills can be more effective than having 3 or 4 good skills.

Bouldin is hoping to be the exception to that rule.

For more perspective on the Gonzaga guard's outlook, I've turned to former Gonzaga Bulletin colleague Ben Pearson, who now writes a blog called The Left Coast Bias:

The NBA Draft is all about raw players with potential rather than proven players with experience. In other words, Matt Bouldin gets the short end of the stick at a critical time in his career. After a successful four-year career at Gonzaga, there is a very good chance Bouldin will not hear his name called on June 24th.

There is not a college coach in the country that wouldn’t have wanted Mr. Bouldin on his team. He has a high basketball IQ, good work ethic, and is an unselfish player. He took the traditional path by staying in college all four years with his role increasing each year. He answered by raising his scoring average each season, but that’s not always enough in the eyes on NBA GMs.

Bouldin is an all-around player, but in a way that is his problem. He is skilled in so many areas, but he doesn’t do any one thing great. There are many players who exploit their one superior skill and end up having lengthy NBA careers because of it. Bouldin will need to carve out his niche to last.

Bouldin’s biggest asset to a NBA team would be his vision. He has the size to see over most point guards and has a great feel for the game, always knowing where his teammates are on the floor. Bouldin would play the point in the NBA, a position he never played at GU, but I don’t think the transition would be very difficult for him. He has always possessed the ball handling and passing skills of a point guard, but with Jeremy Pargo playing alongside him for three years, it never made sense to have the offense run through him.

There are people out there who claim that Bouldin can’t play against athletic teams. I was skeptical myself as well. I remember the Duke game in December in which he had more turnovers (5) than points (4) and I can’t forget that he ended his college career going 3-13 against Syracuse. I went back and did some research comparing his performance against BCS schools to how he did against small conference schools.

In 40 career games against BCS schools:
12.38 points, 43 FG %, 4.42 Rebounds, 3.25 assists 2.55 TOs

In 93 career games against non-BCS schools:
12.77 points, 48 FG %, 3.86 rebounds, 3.38 assists, 1.92 TOs

Those differences aren’t that alarming, but a five percent dip in field goal percentage is somewhat significant given the amount of games. Also his assist-turnover ratio is discouraging, especially since he would be handling the ball even more as a point in the NBA.

What doesn’t show up on the stat sheet is his defensive performance against these BCS schools. While Bouldin has some speed off the dribble, his lack of agility and lateral quickness is what will probably end up keeping him out of the draft. With Gonzaga match-up zone, Bouldin’s sub par one-on-one defense never was really exploited. But could you imagine Bouldin trying to stay in front of Derrick Rose or Rajon Rondo?

I think Bouldin could be a solid backup point guard in the right system. For example, I think he would be a great fit in Phil Jackson’s triangle offense (Jordan Farmar is a free agent). That being said, there are too many teams that would not have room on their roster for a player like Bouldin. His lack of athleticism, paired with the fact that he has never exclusively played the point, don’t bode well for him.

My thanks to Ben for helping me out. Go check out The Left Coast Bias, where Ben is doing some NBA Draft Previews of his own.

For Bouldin, it may have been the system at Gonzaga making him look like a superstar, but that's what you want for your team and star player - a perfect fit. While on the surface, Bouldin may not look like the ideal NBA player, under the right coach and the right system, he might just end up finding a place in the league after all.


For last season's installments of Meet Your Longshot NBA Draft Prospect, click here.

Paul Allen's fall from grace

Billionaire Paul Allen bought the Portland Trail Blazers in 1988, and it clicked right from the start.

The Blazers were a team with a strong nucleus of talent who had been on the verge of breaking out for several years. Clyde Drexler, Terry Porter and company were an exciting bunch coached by newcomer Rick Adelman, but they were a team that had been in the middle of the pack in the Western Conference. They just needed a little something extra to put them over the top.

Enter Mr. Allen.

He had the deep pockets to purchase the talent that the team needed. He had the business savvy to make the right moves on the basketball and management side of things. And he had the passion and the knowledge to continue to push the organization toward new heights beyond its tiny northwest borders.

And immediately it paid off. The Blazers went to the NBA finals twice, and were one of the NBA's elite teams.

And Paul Allen was there along for the wild ride. He was a billionaire software developer, but there he was in the front row, sporting a blazer sweatshirt and hat, cheering his head off for his team.

He was a fan who had the money and the means to make his favorite team better.

In other words, the most powerful man in the room.

Somewhere along the line, that turned out not to be the case anymore.

The Paul Allen that runs the Trail Blazers now is a different man than the Paul Allen from years past. He still has the money, still has the courtside seat, still has the power, but his actions - and inactions - have made him seem like a shadow of his former self. And what he has been apart of over the past few months is the bitter climax of his downfall from the man he once was.

His sudden and bizarre treatment of Kevin Pritchard over the past few months have surprised and confused many, while offering solid answers to no one. Pritchard may soon be out of a job, and no one really seems to know why.

I'm not even sure if Paul Allen does.

For the past few days, speculation has run rampant that Kevin Pritchard will be fired as Blazers GM - surprising, considering what he has done for the team over the past few years.

When he was hired on as GM, Pritchard spent the next several years molding the team and the organization into something the city could be proud of. Through a series of shrewd moves that GM's across the league still envy, Pritchard was able to piece together a solid young roster of budding stars, while jettisoning horrible contracts and players with bad character. Through it all, Pritchard did it with amazing charisma, and did it with a complete openness toward the fans and the media. Nothing was off limits. Pritchard wanted people to see how this organization was being turned around from the inside.

In the metamorphosis from Jail Blazers to the "Rip City Uprise," Pritchard was the one who built the organization's chrysalis.

Now Paul Allen wants to fire that man.

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This is not the same Paul Allen that Portland has known. Through the years, he has always tried to build up the organization.

Sometimes he would make moves that were unpopular, but they were always for the best. When the Clyde Drexler-led teams of the early 90s started to show their age and slip into mediocrity, Allen blew the team up, in order to get some slight return and begin anew.

He loved his team, and wanted what was best for them.

At some point, something changed. Maybe his multiple business ventures began to be too much for him. Maybe being the owner of a basketball team no longer excited him. Maybe the rise of Apple drove him insane. Regardless, he was a changed man.

In the mid-2000s, he began making moves like a man who didn't know his organization anymore.

He hired two men in Steve Patterson and John Nash to clean up the franchise. They only succeeded in driving it further into the ground.

He handed out monstrous contracts to Zach Randolph (a ball-hog only concerned with himself), Theo Ratliff (an aging center who blocked a few shots in a contract year) and Darius Miles (a lazy head-case who berated his own coach).

And after all this, he tried to convince the city of Portland that the Blazers were losing hundreds of millions of dollars and needed to be bailed out, or else.

His disinterest was costing him the team he used to love so much.

That's when whatever was left of Paul-Allen-The-Fan woke up inside. He saw the mess he had created with his own team, and vowed that this was not the way things should be done.

Paul Allen was going to save the Portland Trail Blazers. And everyone would realize just how much he cared, after all.

So he went about building the team back up again. He brought in his own company, Vulcan Sports & Entertainment, to help him run the organization, which would show that he was willing to be hands-on with the team. He personally bought the Rose Garden Arena in 2007 to prevent it from being sold and to protect the "long-term health of the franchise."

And after the debacle that Patterson and Nash caused, Allen promoted an upstart employee named Kevin Pritchard to General Manager. Pritchard had proven his talent at scouting and immediately built the Blazers into a young, promising team on the rise.

All was finally well with the Portland Trail Blazers. And as Paul Allen finally rested, he basked in how he had saved the franchise. The fans, he thought, would embrace him as a hero.

But as Paul Allen sat in his ivory tower reflecting on his own ingenuity, the fans found their own hero in Kevin Pritchard.

He was the golden boy, the face of the franchise. And why not? It was his moves that netted the Blazers Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge in the same draft. It was his call to draft Greg Oden with the number 1 pick. And it was his skill that landed the team veteran influence with Andre Miller and Marcus Camby. The fans idolized Pritchard, chanted his name at rallies, and left messages on his office voice mail (Author's note: Guilty). Pritchard sat courtside with his pink good-luck-tie, pumped his fist, and cheered his team on.

The way Paul Allen used to.

And as this was happening, Allen and his Vulcan flunkies sat and stewed. "After everything I've done, why should Pritchard get all the admiration?" Allen wondered.

The Vulcan yes-men, brought in to run the company, only compounded these thoughts of egocentrism and self-pity, showering Allen with false priase as he sat isolated in Seattle. "Boss, you're the best owner there is. That's why we work for you. If anyone deserves the credit, it's you." Like Wormtongue whispering into a powerless Theoden's ear, the Vulcans fed Allen's ego, telling him exactly what he wanted to hear.

Allen knew what he needed to do. He needed to take the reigns again. How dare Pritchard take credit for this? Allen was determined to do something.

He wanted to be the hero. Again.

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So shockingly, maddeningly, the rumors arose that Pritchard was on his way out. There were assistants fired. Rumors of massive egos and botched moves. Houses being sold. Headhunting organizations being hired.

Allen's jealousy is palpable. He doesn't just want Pritchard out, he wants to humiliate him. As the rumors continue to swirl, Allen will neither cut Pritchard lose, or give him his confidence.

And as he hangs his once-golden GM out to dry, Allen is putting his hands in his pockets and pretending his is innocent of the whole thing.

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We may never get a true answer from Allen as to why he is doing this.

Short of an Al Davis-like tirade about his fired employee, Allen looks like he wants to control the flow of information. Nothing will be allowed to come out that could be potentially damaging to Allen's image or ego.

But soon Pritchard will be gone, and everything he built along with it. And sometime in the future the team will begin another rebuilding effort aimed at convincing fans that the organization is committed to success.

And Allen will once again be at the top of it all, sitting at his desk with an empty smile, believing with all his heart that his actions have made him what he has always aspired to be.

A hero.

Starting anew with Gonzaga and the Tourney

When I watched my first NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament as a student at Gonzaga, I was in a freshman dorm, with hundreds of other freshman watching and rooting for the same outcome.

My friends Brian, Jake, Spencer, David and I gathered in Jake's room, catching the action on a 12-inch TV that was perched on a bed. We sat on the floor and on chairs, huddled around the TV while Papa John's pizza and "cheese sneets" fill the air with the aroma of greasy, flex dollars-purchased goodness.

It was through that experience that I first truly felt like a college basketball fan.

Sure, I would always follow the games and fill out a bracket, but this was the first time that I felt invested in it. Those Zags on TV were our Zags - we were bonded to them through our months of support, our Bulldog-emblazoned paraphernalia, our rickety dorm hall rattling with excitement with each big play.

It was our team, my team. We were connected.

That experience was in 2006, and over the next four years I and every other Gonzaga fan felt that connection.

Fast forward to 2010. I'm coming up on one year removed from being a student at Gonzaga. The Zags, of course, are in the tournament once again. Only this year, things feel different.

It's not that I'm supporting the team any less, it's just ... different. As an alumnus, all of the sudden my perspective on the Zags run through the NCAA tournament feels slightly off.

I'm not quite sure how to adjust.

For four years, college basketball fans are right there in the middle of the frenzy. We watch the games on TV with friends and pizza. We pack the arena, screaming our heads off for 40 minutes. We track our teams progress, predict the games' outcomes, try not to miss a single second of the excitement. After all, we were students fans, that's what we're supposed to do.

But as a student fan at Gonzaga, I really noticed two types of alumni that stood out because of how strange they seemed.

The first was the older generation who filled the rest of the seats not populated by the student section. They were quiet, they would clap occasionally, but more often than not they were seat-fillers wearing school colors. It seemed like they didn't really care one way or the other, and if they did, they rarely showed it.

But by contrast, the other type of the alumni was on the opposite end of the spectrum. This type would graduate, then show up at the student section the next year, acting like nothing had changed. They would be wearing a Kennel Club t-shirt, be slightly intoxicated, while screaming at the referees and chanting "Defense Bulldogs Defense!" While the older generation struck me as sad at how much they changed, this group was pathetic at how much they refused to change.

I didn't want to be either one of those types of alumni. And yet, here I am, hours away from Gonzaga tipping off their 2010 tourney run, struggling over the type of identity I want to take on.

Right now it's a struggle to find that middle ground. I want to cheer enough to tell myself I haven't turned my back on my alma mater, but I also don't want to feel like the guy who is still wishes he was a college student, nearly a year after the fact. I don't want to sit on my hands with a ho-hum attitude, but I don't want to punch a wall after a heartbreaking loss.

It's an adjustment many of us 2009 graduates are facing right now.

Some people will choose one path or the other.

But for others, I suspect that middle ground will be found at some point. And that moment will come after Gonzaga tips off tonight.

It's hard to no longer be fully a part of something after dedicating your heart and soul to it for so many years, and we all wish that things would always stay the same. But at some point, everyone realizes a way to cope.

It's like the end of a long relationship. You had great times, but at some point, circumstances force you to part ways. For a while you reminisce about how good things were, and struggle with the prospect of a life outside of the relationship. But down the road, you bump into that person, and you see that each of you are doing well on your own, and that encounter finally gives you the closure to move on in your next chapter. You have the good memories to indulge you, but you realize you don't need it the way you did when you were younger.

Tonight, Zags fans get to bump into Gonzaga, and we'll realize what parts are important to let go, and what parts are important to hang on to.

Looking back - Sandberg On Sports word for word

Based on my run from June to December 2009, here are the most commonly used words from each column. Some are more obvious ("team," "game," "Blazers," and "Gonzaga"), and others surprised even me (apparantly I like to use the words "one" and "something," and does anyone else find it odd that the word "fun" is used so infrequently?)