[Dougall5505]

I don't know about the rest of you guys but I am a HUGE sports fans. My fav teams are the portland trail blazers first and foremost, followed by the oregon football and basketball teams. What sports do you guys like? anyone in the timbers army or anything like that?

[Dougall5505]

Rose Garden Gets a High-Tech Facelift
http://www.nba.com/media/blazers/scoreboard_article.jpg
video: javascript:openpopup('http://www.nba.com//blazers/news/Arena_Video-238405-359.html');
New video scoreboard highlights $13 Million upgrade

Portland, Ore. – Some big changes are in store for fans attending Portland Trail Blazers games this season at the Rose Garden.

The Rose Garden is in the midst of three-year, $13 million capital improvements project, that when complete, will vastly improve the patron experience.

Highlighting the improvements is a new video scoreboard at the Rose Garden that will be among the largest video scoreboards in the NBA. The new Mitsubishi screens measure 15’ x 22.5’ and are powered by a new state-of-the-art high-definition video control room.

Complementing the video experience will be a new sound system that features a line array cluster system of JBL speakers. A total of six line array clusters, augmented by other speakers mounted to the scoreboard, will drive the Rose Garden’s new dynamic audio experience.

The Rose Garden’s main concourses are also undergoing a facelift, including the addition of a new 240-seat restaurant featuring two circular bars that open up to the 100-level concourse. Both the 100 and 300-level concourses will feature a new Trail Blazers-inspired paint and super graphics scheme.

“As we enter this new chapter of Trail Blazers basketball, we felt it was important for the Rose Garden and the fan experience to be redefined,” said Portland Trail Blazers president Larry Miller. “These improvements, specifically the spectacular scoreboard, will guarantee there is no better way to experience Trail Blazers basketball than live at the Rose Garden regardless of your seat location.”

Other improvements in the Rose Garden’s arena bowl include a refinished basketball floor with a new graphic design, as well as upgraded LED stats boards and auxiliary scoreboards.

Also new to the Rose Garden will be Party Suites on the Suite Level. The new modular Party Suites can function as one mega suite accommodating up to 88 guests or two Super Suites of up to 44 fans each. The Lexus Club Level is also being improved with the addition of new furniture.

Other hi-tech improvements making their way to the Rose Garden include designated Wi-Fi hotspots, print-at-home parking tickets, improved Point Of Sale (POS) functionality at concession stands, and handheld ordering devices for Courtside seating patrons.
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l177/dougall5505/Picture1-32.png?t=1191547790
very cool :tup:

[PacificNW]

:previous: :previous: I agree...very cool. The Blazers have always been my team...always will....I am looking forward to attending a few games @ the Rose Garden!!

[MarkDaMan]

Thankfully Allen is investing in the Rose Garden again. That old scoreboard was a piece of crap!

[Pearl_Steve]

Thanks a ton for the picture - I've known about the new scoreboard for months but was never able to find any pictures or info on it. Looking forward to seeing and the other improvements at games this year!

[pdxman]

I had heard about that new screen for months, its nice to finally see what it looks like. Lets hope the blazers surprise us with a few more wins this year :)

[Sioux612]

It's about time. The old Rose Garden scoreboard was probably the worst in all of the NBA.

I'm not too sure about the new court design. I liked the black/red combo in the paint area. Hopefully this new design will grow on me.

[Sioux612]

http://www.nba.com/media/blazers/outlaw_feature1.jpg

There was nothing wrong with this design!

[Dougall5505]

I had heard about that new screen for months, its nice to finally see what it looks like. Lets hope the blazers surprise us with a few more wins this year

i don't know looks like we have a couple injuries already. of course theres oden, but brandon roy, josh mcroberts, and james jones are all injured

[Dougall5505]

BAM!!!!! six in a row baby!!!
http://www.oregonlive.com/cgi-bin/prxy/photogalleries/nph-cache.cgi/cache=3000;/olive/images/7377/sp.blazers14_be_0221.jpg

[pdxman]

I was at the game last night. Great atmosphere. I predict rip city will be back at full force in a few years :)

[Dougall5505]

I went to the blazer game on sunday. we won(of course) they wouldn't let me bring in a dslr though so the pics aren't as good as they could be
we had some nice seats
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2342/2113492119_91ec5d892c.jpg?v=0

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2004/2113493523_84ec386615.jpg?v=0

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2034/2114270728_d4b444c0ec.jpg?v=0

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2416/2113492859_f05611f308.jpg?v=0

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http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2300/2114270360_d9c74c091a.jpg?v=0

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2263/2113491553_4e20a2aa5a.jpg?v=0
new scoreboard
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2212/2113490983_06be716222.jpg?v=0
if you look close enough you can see the tram to the left of mount hood
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2388/2114267756_349841ff61.jpg?v=0

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2251/2113490597_323cacfdee.jpg?v=0

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2299/2114269176_97606a324f.jpg?v=0

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2234/2113490157_0e53a72b41.jpg?v=0

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2296/2113489999_715b40c364.jpg?v=0

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2109/2114267708_41e1fcc4f6.jpg?v=0

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2388/2114267384_19e124f939.jpg?v=0

[pdxman]

7 IN A ROW!!! Go blazers!

[pdxman]

The streak continues! 8 and counting...

[MarkDaMan]

hell ya!!!

[Dougall5505]

8 is great, but 9 would be devine!

[MarkDaMan]

^we shall see this evening!!!

[joeplayer1989]

frick they are going to have to fight hard for this game, Its half time right now.

[PacificNW]

Blazers Win! 101-96!!!

[Dougall5505]

9 is divine but 10 would be terrific!!!!!!

[MarkDaMan]

^I'd love to see 10 too, hell, I'd like this to go on ALL season, but these guys have totally won me back!!! They are an awesome team to watch...at times they are even showing brilliant play like some teams of old...

[PacificNW]

We got 10!

[PacificNW]

11! We don't have Comcast down here in Florence so it was great to have the Blazer-Sonic game on ESPN HD! I hate DISH but I got my monies worth tonight! Seeing the game on HD was like being at the game....

[MarkDaMan]

lucky #13 yesterday!!!

14 tonight???

[PacificNW]

I hope they beat Utah tonight but it could be a tough game for the Blazers plus the game is being played in SLC.

[MarkDaMan]

Well we HAVE beat Utah twice now, once in their home...I'm confident it will be a good game!

[mudshark]

Bummer the streak is over. Utah played like cornered rats. They HAD to win this game. I'm not worried, we're still 4 games ahead of them, and they'll be in our house next week for the final game of the 4 game series. And we will hopefully take the series 3-1.

Our team is going to be beastly when a healthy Oden is back. And LaMarcus scored 36 tonight (new high for him). We have a STUDLY young young team. Kind of sucks that the Lakers always get good when we do. But we'll stomp them too.

Kobe.....take a hike

[MarkDaMan]

^damn...damn, but they played hella hard...oh well, happy NEW year!

[sirsimon]

No worries...now the pressure is off so they can start a new streak... :)

[PacificNW]

⇧ Right on!

[PacificNW]

Do I dare say the new streak begins?? 90-79 Blazers over the Wolves.. :awesome: :awesome:

[joeplayer1989]

blazers are on to something, definitely in the playoffs this year!:tup:

[MarkDaMan]

We'll see how they hold up against Chicago in a back to back tonight...

[PacificNW]

115-109! Blazers over da Bulls!! :cheers: :cheers:

[sirsimon]

^ :)

[joeplayer1989]

Crap sold out again tonight! I can never get tickets when i have money!

[MarkDaMan]

Blazers 103 - Jazz 89...awesome game to watch...only two games over the next 8 days, boooh!

[Dougall5505]

Martell!!!!!!

[mudshark]

What a team!!!!.....Have won 16 of 17 games...Martell was ON....No Roy....Someone different steps up EVERY game.....and next year....THIS BEAST!!!....digital illustration by Mudshark (aka Tom Mittemeyer)

http://img62.imageshack.us/img62/2694/godensc5.jpg

[MarkDaMan]

^nice...I was one of the first to bitch about this team, and even encouraged Pauly to take his team and shove it! But, this is getting close to the Rip City boyz I remember as a kid, and I'm glad the Blazers didn't move.

[mudshark]

below......my compter is acting funny...maybe it was this win tonight.

[mudshark]

RIP CITY BABY.....Golden State goes DOWN DOWN DOWN and our Blazers are rollin like they haven't since the early 90's.....17 wins their last 18 games...Once again, somebody else steps up (can you say Blake!)....this is getting redundant. But it's the kind of redundancy I like.

And as per usual, the national media doubts us(John Hollinger at ESPN is a complete moron...and probably a NIMBY too) ....I say RIP CITY BABY, which in other words means, "Right In Portland CITY Build And Build Yes!".....(i mean buildings of course).

yeah, i'm a dork.

[MarkDaMan]

^me toooo...I'm going nuts over this team.

I think Charles Barkley was so wrong when he said this on TNT, the same game when we kicked the bulls asses in double OT

Barkley on predicting that the Trail Blazers will not make the playoffs despite their 13-game winning streak: “I’m ruling them out because they don’t get any easy baskets, they are a team full of jump shooters. Kevin Pritchard and Nate McMillan are doing a fantastic job and they have a bright future, but you can’t get to the playoffs just shooting jumpers. They are going to be streaky because all jump shooters are streaky.”

'course I don't care for the guy anyway

[joeplayer1989]

^me toooo...I'm going nuts over this team.

I think Charles Barkley was so wrong when he said this on TNT, the same game when we kicked the bulls asses in double OT


'course I don't care for the guy anyway

i threw my foam finger at the tv when he said that!

BTWWW ODEN AND DURANT ROOKIE CARDS AT TARGET

[MarkDaMan]

the quote doesn't sound as bad as his delivery...he really is a jerk!

[MarkDaMan]

and we kicked ass again tonight. Looked like a completely different team on the floor. I have to remind myself, they are young and there will be off days...and that is fine because tonight they were a playoff team again!

[Dougall5505]

wow great game tonight. mudshark blamed the loss at toronto the other night on Nate's decision making but I think it had more to do with a certain bruised calf.

[MarkDaMan]

or the fact that Toronto's last 3-pointer before overtime was really a 2 point basket. With Roy's 3 at the buzzer, we would have won...

[mudshark]

great win in jersey. tommorow boston and "their" big 3. well, we whipped nj's "big 3" so let's see how tough our young squad is.

dougal, yeah, i agree not having blake in the game was a contributing factor in our loss to toronto, but still don't understand why nate didn't have joel in there when he's our "best" defender and bosh was making easy bucket one after another in the paint.

his numbers when joel was in were not even close to what they were when he was sitting (?)...i love nate, but have questioned his decision making at times.

but am i proud of this team? prouder than i think i've ever been of ANY blazers squad since i moved here in 1989.

go blazers. let's bake some beans and skewer some leprechaun!

[MarkDaMan]

Blazers didn't play great tonight, but I want to know which ref got paid off for those TERRIBLE calls, or lack of them too. This is probably the WORST reffing job I've seen this year...even when the Blazers were learning to play together earlier this season.

onto Miami!

[mudshark]

agreed Mark, ON TO MIAMI!...let's hope that they bounce back like they did in Joisy after Toronto. The only thing that scares me is that Miami has lost 11 straight...

it will be a tough game. let's keep our fingers crossed and hope that our team ball prevails. I USED to like the Celtics, and still do if and when they play the Lakers...but their championship window won't be open long at all. Classic case of a "bought" team, ala the 2003-04 Lakers ( w/ Kobe, Shaq, Karl Malone, Gary Payton) that got crushed in the finals by Detroit 4-1.

Then there's that window that those Portland Trailblazers are just UNLOCKING and getting ready to open. :tup:

[MarkDaMan]

KG is a bitch...I was disappointed in the Celtics. They reminded me of when Paulie Allen tried to buy a Blazers team. A bunch of bitches...

[pdxman]

^^^Yeah, i heard the refs were terrible. Didn't watch it but i was told there were some bullsh*t calls. Oh well, they've already exceeded my expectations so far. this road trip is gonna be rough for them.

[mudshark]

I think they'll finish it 4-3. Which I'd be perfectly happy with. At least were not getting clobbered on the road as we were the first 15 games or so.

They could still surprise us all though and win the rest of the trip. only 4 games to go.

Keep the faith oh blazer brothers! (and sisters too)

[mudshark]

Yay! Portland beats the Heat.....Go Blazers, 2-2 on the trip so far. Keep the fingers crossed oh fellow fans...4-3 would be great, 5-2 even better. Still, they've won 19 of their last 22 games.

Not too bad I'd say, not at all....

[PacificNW]

What a game! Blazers beat Hawks in overtime!

[downtownpdx]

Even though that was pretty nerve-wracking, like the double-overtime (a few games ago) -- it's great to watch the Blazers these days! :tup:

[joeplayer1989]

i love this team they are classy. Rest in pieces jail blazers:haha: :tup:

[Dougall5505]

nice article about the blazers visiting MLK's old rec center http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/columns/story?columnist=adande_ja&page=Blazers-080121

[Dougall5505]

big game tonight!

[PacificNW]

It will be great to see them beat a division leader....

[mudshark]

GO BLAZERS! Game about to begin! Beat NO Beat NO!! ; )

then DESTROY LA (when the time comes) : )
(the lakers that is!)

[MarkDaMan]

oh well...they are back home now. Should be a nice run...hopefully

[MarkDaMan]

Good PR or are they really THE team of the future...

There's no place like home for the Blazers
Friday, January 25, 2008
JASON QUICK
The Oregonian

LaMarcus Aldridge never thought he would feel this way about it. Channing Frye missed it so much he was sick. And it was the first thing on Brandon Roy's mind late Wednesday night: Getting back to Portland.

After spending 13 days on the road, a weary Trail Blazers team returns to the Rose Garden tonight in hopes of continuing the karma that has seen them win 12 in a row at home. The Blazers (25-17) play Houston (23-19), which has won four consecutive games on the road.

"This road trip made me appreciate home," Frye said Wednesday in New Orleans after the Blazers finished their seven-game trip 3-4. "It's a weird feeling; I got homesick. But that's a good feeling."

Four days earlier, in Orlando, Fla., Aldridge was already feeling the call of Portland.

"I never thought I would say it, but I miss Portland," Aldridge said. "I can't wait to get back."

It's no wonder the Blazers are so eager. Their 17-3 record in the Rose Garden is the best home mark in the NBA. Tonight's game is the start of a six-game homestand against Houston, Atlanta, Cleveland, New York, Denver and Chicago.

"We get the chance to go home," Roy said Wednesday unprompted, while trying to find a bright spot after the 96-81 loss to New Orleans. "We play some pretty good teams coming up at home, but hey, we've been playing pretty well there."
http://www.oregonlive.com/sports/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/sports/120123331537701.xml&coll=7

[mudshark]

Great comeback win today over the Hawks. Can anybody even believe Brandon Roy? Give him a cape!

[360Rich]

http://www.oregonlive.com/images/blazers/blazers-rise-with-us-360.jpg
Photo by Doug Beghtel / The Oregonian

Rise and fall of Blazers' slogan
Wednesday, January 30, 2008

The giant steel grain silo across the street from the Rose Garden has become the focus of attention among the good city workers charged with sign compliance.

The Trail Blazers' "Rise With Us" slogan hangs from that structure.

Turns out the Blazers could have painted their slogan on the silo. Or they could have glued it to the side. Or they could have curved the sign more snugly around the contour of the silo and still met city code.

But what the Blazers could not do was hang a 128-foot by 60-foot vinyl banner that cost their marketing department $15,000 from the silo. Attaching the banner in a way that no sign had been attached to the silo before is what city electrical inspectors term a "structural alteration," which is why the NBA franchise has been notified that it must remove the sign by Feb. 8 or pay a $100-per-day fine.

Understand, Blazers owner Paul Allen has attempted, unsuccessfully, on various occasions to purchase this silo. He owns the riverfront land adjacent to the structure, and the people who work for him are exploring uses for the land. But the Blazers' primary use for the grain silo, to date, is to carry the hopeful message of the franchise.

Now, it's carrying a broader question: Portland really is a strange place, isn't it?

City sign inspectors don't drive around looking for non-compliant signs, see. In fact, even if a sign doesn't meet regulations, the inspectors usually won't issue a directive to remove the sign unless a citizen complains about it by telephone, e-mail or fax.

Which means that some careful citizen, probably one driving on Interstate 5, looked over, saw the team's "Rise With Us" sign dangling from the silo and decided having the sign removed was a worthwhile cause.

Consider that, according to inspectors, someone once forced Providence Hospital to take down an "Emergency Room" sign because it was non-compliant. Also, if schools, or charities, flout the law, and someone complains, they receive a letter from the city, requiring them to move the sign or risk a fine.

Said John Hauck, a senior inspector: "We have what you'd call a few sign vigilantes who, if something doesn't appear to be within the law, call us and complain."

Hauck said citizens call to complain about having adult-entertainment signs within view of their homes. And he said citizens complain that the bright lights on certain billboards shine into their bedrooms, keeping them up at night. And he said citizens call to complain about piles of forgotten "Lost Dog" and "Garage Sale" signs that remain tacked to telephone poles, long after the dog is found and the sale is over.

Except the inspectors will tell you that the first amendment prohibits them from controlling content, even of the adult-entertainment variety. And that there's often nothing they can do about lights, unless the sign owner offers to change the bulbs. And that telephone poles are under the jurisdiction of the utility company, not the city, so there's nothing the inspectors can do about those.

Still, those kinds of issues can be a nuisance, so you understand why they'd cause a concerned party to issue a formal complaint.

But who exactly was "Rise With Us" bothering?

The Denver Nuggets?

As part of city policy, chief inspector Dave Roshak declined to identify the "Rise With Us" banner complainant. But Janice Doell, the city employee who fielded the call, said: "Let's just say, if you had put anything up there, this guy would have complained."

What we have here is a hobbyist. Probably someone who was aware that the silo previously had a perfectly legal painted sign, and that hanging a vinyl banner, even a harmless one with three words on it, violated code.

Psychologists say that people chronically complain as a habit, or because they believe it makes them look more intelligent and assertive, or because it gives them something to do. In this case, the complaint has given city employees, and inspectors, and Blazers marketing personnel and executives, and a sign company that will remove the banner, something to do as well.

You can't blame the city for asking the Blazers to remove what ends up a non-compliant sign. And you can't really blame the Blazers, who said they're going to comply and remove the banner. I suppose you can't even blame the whistleblower. Still, there's something about all this that feels bizarre, especially when you consider that the silo isn't in a residential area, and that the message hanging from that banner feels innocent.

I keep thinking, "Keep Portland Weird."

You know, the bumper sticker slogan. Except, today, I want to add a "?" at the end of it.

Just don't go hanging anything like that from a grain silo.

http://www.oregonlive.com/sports/oregonian/john_canzano/index.ssf?/base/sports/120166352127540.xml&coll=7

[360Rich]

"We have what you'd call a few sign vigilantes who, if something doesn't appear to be within the law, call us and complain."

We've all come across this type of person, but I will never for the life of me, understand them.

PA should just keep the sign up and pay the $100 daily fine.

[pdxf]

Lame.

I loved it when I saw the banner go up...anything to cover up the awful amazon painting below it, which didn't look good when they first painted it, and looks even worse now that it's a couple years old. I appreciate the architectural qualities of the structure, and painting a sign on it seemed disrespectful.

[joeplayer1989]

Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck The Cavs

[zilfondel]

bleep whoever called it in!

[pdxman]

Well, after last night's disheartening loss we're blessed with some good news-Roy made the All-Star team! Congrats B-Roy

[OutrageousJ]

Today the Oregonian had a blog posting about Blazer Channing Frye and how much he liked living in Portland: http://blog.oregonlive.com/behindblazersbeat/2008/02/why_channing_frye_cut_his_hair.html

Among other things, it links to his website where he has pictures of him at his condo in SoWa. So if there's any question what kind of view you get from a penthouse:

http://img122.imageshack.us/img122/2105/channing1py6.jpg

http://img88.imageshack.us/img88/2161/channing2wn9.jpg

[pdxman]

^^^Classy

[joeplayer1989]

Nice win tonight blazers!:notacrook: :banana:

[Dougall5505]

anybody know where oregon's arena thread went?
anyway demo is about to start: http://pmr.uoregon.edu/current-uo-news/archive/2008/april/deconstruction-starts-on-former-bakery-making-way-for-arena

[Okstate]

^ Is there more than just the 1 rendering on OU's website?

[PacificNW]

⇑ Dougal....here is the original thread..

http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=126357&highlight=Oregon+Arena

[pdxman]

^ Is there more than just the 1 rendering on OU's website?

TVA's website has more.
http://www.tvaarchitects.com/

[ethirtysex]

Yeah they definitely started demo this week because they closed every parking lot in that area and now there about 6 spots on the whole campus. I'll snap some pics of the demo soon and post them up.

[pdxman]

OK, so I lied. TVA only has 1 pic. I swear there were more...sorry!

[Dougall5505]

Yeah they definitely started demo this week because they closed every parking lot in that area and now there about 6 spots on the whole campus. I'll snap some pics of the demo soon and post them up.


cool i didn't know we have a forumer from eugene. i'm looking forward to pics!

[ethirtysex]

cool i didn't know we have a forumer from eugene. i'm looking forward to pics!

I'm actually from Portland, I just live here for school.

Unfortunately I went by there to get pictures this afternoon and the only thing going on was a few guys walking around on the roof. As soon as they start going at that building I'll be over there with my camera.

[pdxman]

Will they be starting on the baseball stadium anytime soon?

[ethirtysex]

Will they be starting on the baseball stadium anytime soon?

It should start before football season because they put out a notice that tailgating parking would be decreased for the next year. I don't think it will be anything special since Pat Kilkenny is planning on keeping the cost of baseball very low to stifle any criticizm about athletic spending. The first phase of the "stadium" will only cost about $3 milllion and seat less than 2,000 people.

[ethirtysex]

Neighborhood opposes new arena site
If an appeal filed by residents near the arena site is approved, construction could be delayed
By: Ryan Knutson/Oregon Daily Emerald
Posted: 4/23/08
Residents of the neighborhood where the University plans to build the new basketball arena are digging in their heels in hopes of having more say in the $200 million project, which they say will clog their streets with traffic, litter and noise.

Nearly 60 residents in the Fairmount Neighborhood Association voted Tuesday night to formally oppose the arena project because they say the University hasn't done enough to address their concerns.

The association is also appealing City Planning Director Lisa Gardner's decision that the University doesn't have to go through a more formal public approval process before beginning construction.

If the residents win their appeal, which will be determined after May 7, the arena project might be delayed, and price inflation could affect the project's scope or feasibility.

Get involved
How? The neighborhood's appeal will be heard on May 7th at 5 p.m. in the city council chambers on 7th Avenue and Pearl Street.
At issue is whether the University should complete a conditional use permit. Those permits allow the public to set certain specifications about how the arena is built and designed and how much parking is available, among other restrictions. The purpose is to allow neighbors of major developments to mitigate their concerns.

In March, Gardner ruled that the University doesn't have to complete a conditional use permit because it's not required for the construction of "university or college" buildings, according to city code.

The construction of indoor arenas requires a conditional use permit, but Gardner's interpretation of the code is that "it appears clear that an arena such as that proposed by the University of Oregon is a customary part of a university campus setting," according to a letter Gardner wrote to Fairmount neighbors explaining her decision.

Thus the arena doesn't need a conditional use permit because the arena falls under the umbrella of a university use.

The Fairmount neighbors disagree.

"I support their appeal," said Fairmount resident and Eugene City Council Alan Zelenka. "The impact of the arena is so big that to not put any conditions on placing that 12,500 seat capacity arena there without a conditional use permit is almost as if there is assumed to be no impact from it."

The association has fronted nearly $2,500 to pay for an attorney to review city code and represent the neighborhood in its appeal.

John Barofsky, chair of the neighborhood's subcommittee on the arena, expects it will cost between $6,000 and $8,000 and is asking neighbors to donate $200 each to help cover costs.

"One of the things we're concerned about this is not just because of the arena," Barofsky said. "If this precedent is set that all they have to do is say it's a university use, they will be able to do anything they want on that property."

The conditional use permit appeal will go before a hearings official on May 7. That official has 15 days to make a ruling.

"They're right in articulating the fact that it's pretty ambiguous," said Greg Rikhoff, University community and governmental relations officer. "But they have to understand that there is a university present and there are a lot of uses that go along with a university."

Rikhoff said it's too early to tell how the arena project would be impacted if the neighborhood won its appeal.

Either party can appeal the upcoming ruling to the state Land Use Board of Appeals.

The residents are one of the only groups left who can prevent or delay the arena's development. The only other barrier is Eugene City Councilors, who must approve the destruction of the Villard Street Alley and part of 13th Avenue to make way for the arena. The date of that vote, which is based on whether the new arena outweighs the public interest of having the streets, is not yet scheduled.

If the neighborhood's appeal is not won, Zelenka said, city councilors might only approve the destruction of the streets if the University meets certain requirements set by the community.

"Which (the University) could have avoided if they would have done most of this stuff up front," Zelenka said. "But they didn't engage the community early enough and sufficiently, I think."

University administrators established an arena liaison committee to help mitigate some of the issues affecting the Fairmount neighbors, such as the number of events, traffic, parking, people and noise.

Construction

Meanwhile, the University is moving at break-neck speed to get the arena open before the 2010-11 basketball season.

It recently filed permits to demolish the Williams' Bakery and the Villard Street Alley, as well as another code adjustment application that will allow it to have more freedom to design a more aesthetically pleasing facility.

Most buildings in Eugene are subject to codes that require them to be built within a certain distance from the street and to have windows at a certain height. The University is trying to circumvent those requirements, and is expected to have no trouble, said city planner Steve Ochs. It's common for builders to apply for adjustments to those rules, he said.

Destruction of the Williams' Bakery lot is expected to begin this week. The demolition contractor plans to recycle most of the bakery building, including the steel frame and concrete.

Arena designs are shifting as architects are learning more about the area.

Members of the University's liaison committee on the arena said that developers from JMI Sports, the arena's lead developer, informed them that initial plans of putting portions of the arena underground were altered because the water table was higher than they anticipated.

The discovery caused them to relocate the practice facility to ground level and possibly raise the arena's total height, members of the liaison committee said.

Athletic department spokesman Dave Williford told the Emerald that moving the practice facility had nothing to do with the water table but was because of budget constraints.

"To me (the water table) is immaterial, because it's not going to affect the rest of the building," Williford said.


I went by the site this morning and they're getting down to business. Pictures coming this afternoon.

[Okstate]

^good to hear... the pictures that is.

[Okstate]

ethirtysex, what will come of the Emeralds civic stadium when they transition to the new stadium shared with the ducks? Any progress reports?

[ethirtysex]

ethirtysex, what will come of the Emeralds civic stadium when they transition to the new stadium shared with the ducks? Any progress reports?

It's a historic structure so it won't be touched. They've wanted to upgrade it but cannot because of the rules governing such structures, so really it'll probably just be used by South Eugene HS.

I've tried to go take pictures of the new site several times but it's all tall green fence with no good way to get a shot. :(

[PacificNW]

⇑ Where did you read that? I have heard there is a movement to try and get "Historical" status for the stadium but haven't heard, or read, that this has happened.

The following is a dated column concerning the stadium and property:

http://www.registerguard.com/csp/cms/sites/dt.cms.support.viewStory.cls?cid=34997&sid=1&fid=1

[ethirtysex]

⇑ Where did you read that? I have heard there is a movement to try and get "Historical" status for the stadium but haven't heard, or read, that this has happened.

The following is a dated column concerning the stadium and property:

http://www.registerguard.com/csp/cms/sites/dt.cms.support.viewStory.cls?cid=34997&sid=1&fid=1

Back when the UO team was announced one of the local news stations did a few stories about the staduim choices and cited the historical status as a reason why they couldn't make the stadium work. :shrug:
That's unfortunate that intentions have changed according that article. That'd be a terrible place for a new sub-division, it wouldn't fit in at all.

[MarkDaMan]

Friday, July 18, 2008
Allen promotes Blazers' Golub to advise Vulcan
Portland Business Journal - by Andy Giegerich Business Journal staff writer

The Portland Trail Blazers began returning to the community's good graces around the time they hired Mike Golub.

Now Paul Allen, the team's owner, wants Golub to make the Blazers a regionally branded powerhouse.

Golub, the Blazers' chief operating officer, will move to Allen's Vulcan Sports & Entertainment arm as a senior adviser. In his new role, he'll work on business issues related to the Blazers, Seattle Seahawks and the Seattle Sounders, which will begin Major League Soccer play next year.

Specifically, Golub will help coordinate various operations among the three teams and other Allen holdings.

For instance, he could work to develop across-the-board sponsorship deals with the three organizations.

"There are a lot of joint partnership initiatives out there and we can apply the appropriate measures to make them happen," said Golub.

What's less clear is how Golub's departure will affect the Blazers. They won't fill Golub's position.

Golub has become popular both in the Portland business community and among team employees during his Blazers tenure. Many team staffers had lobbied for Golub to become president when Steve Patterson's contract wasn't renewed in 2007.

The job eventually went to former Nike executive Larry Miller, who's well-liked at the Rose Garden and who'll likely handle many of Golub's local business outreach duties.

Since Golub joined the team, attendance has soared. The team ranked last among the 30 NBA teams in 2005-2006, drawing 617,199 fans, or 15,053 per game. Last year, the team ranked seventh, attracting 801,566 fans, or 19,550 a game.

The team sold out 32 games last year after recording no sellouts in 2005-2006.

"When he came in, the state of the Trail Blazers business side wasn't very good," said Brian Berger, host of the nationally broadcast Sports Business Radio program. "For Mike to make this move speaks to the health of their business operations now."

Golub, who'll remain based in Portland, came to the team from the NBA's Memphis Grizzlies. He worked for the team when it was based in Vancouver and also held a top role with the National Hockey League's New York Rangers.

The Blazers have an opportunity to attract more Seattle-based fans after the SuperSonics' departure to Oklahoma City. Golub said he'll market the team to Seattle-area fans, as well as work to strongly brand the Seahawks as Portland's de facto NFL team.

"The Seahawks are popular throughout the region and they really don't have a strong presence here," Golub said. "So we'll look at finding more ways to do things with them."

"He's such a great teacher that we'll continue to use what we've learned from him," added Cheri Hanson, the team's vice president of communications. "We're really going to miss him."

agiegerich@bizjournals.com | 503-219-3419
http://portland.bizjournals.com/portland/stories/2008/07/21/story11.html?t=printable

[Dougall5505]

say hello to your summer league MVP portland!
http://bp3.blogger.com/_bt_AXr_u6rQ/SHwQkGyB66I/AAAAAAAAArg/5UoN-xcA-Ig/s1600/bayless.jpg
o ya and theres that crazy greg oden kid
http://cache2.asset-cache.net/xc/81958683.jpg?v=1&c=NewsMaker&k=2&d=17A4AD9FDB9CF1934B869679A269F9CC1F04BE04D7FFAD14E30A760B0D811297

[Dougall5505]

RIP Kevin Duckworth http://www.kgw.com/news-local/stories/kgw_082608_sports_kevin_duckworth_dies.13f195f3.html

[(Tim)]

Osu Rocked Last Night!

[PacificNW]

Great game!

[ethirtysex]

Here's a pretty good webcam showing the progress on PK park, the Duck's baseball staduim being built in the Autzen parking lot.

http://www.goducks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?&DB_OEM_ID=500&KEY=&ATCLID=1604510&SPID=11401&SPSID=109309

[Dougall5505]

^thanks for that

Official Countdown Until Blazers Opener:


THREE DAYS!!!!!

http://www.portlandmercury.com/imager/whats_red_and_black_and_hype_all_over_/b/original/924591/123b/feature2-570.jpg

[Joeplayer19]

Remember to go to www.nba.com (http://www.nba.com) and vote early and often for all the blazers u can 2 be in the all star game!

[MarkDaMan]

Fans forgive past antics, embrace new Blazer club
Portland Business Journal

The Portland Trail Blazers have the 13th-best brand in the NBA, according to a new study.

In releasing its second annual study of sports team brands, market research firm Turnkey Sports & Entertainment asked fans to rate teams on 21 distinct factors and 36 brand attributes, including how they perceive entertainment value, how much they like the players and the team’s commitment to winning.

All 122 teams in the National Football League, the National Basketball Association, the National Hockey League and Major League Baseball were measured.

“Fans perceive that the Blazers have turned the corner,” said Len Perna, president & CEO of Turnkey, which is based in Haddonfield, N.J.

The Blazers showed as much improvement as any of the teams in the study, shooting up 45 spots. They earned higher grades in every category, with the biggest gains coming in loyalty, pride and grade of ownership.

Portland fans said the two most important brand attributes were “professional” and “hard-working.”

A separate part of the study focused on the relationship between sponsors and fans. The Blazers shot up 74 spots out of all 122 teams — the third-highest jump among the 122 franchises.

Fans rated teams on five distinct factors, including which sponsor brands and products are enhanced as a result of sponsorship. Portland fans rated Subway as their most admired sponsor.

Among all 122 teams, the NFL’s Green Bay Packers have the strongest brand. The team with the largest out-of-market following is Major League Baseball’s New York Yankees.

The study is available Dec. 1 in book form at www.turnkeyse.com. The Sports Business Journal (www.sportsbusinessjournal.com) also plans extensive coverage in its Dec. 1 issue.

http://portland.bizjournals.com/portland/stories/2008/12/01/newscolumn2.html

[Okstate]

The Blazers have the 3rd highest attendance average in the NBA right now. Not bad.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/attendance

[MarkDaMan]

^I can't wait! My boss gave me tickets to Tuesday nights game for Christmas. First game I'm able to attend this season....am totally stoked!!!

[Okstate]

I got to experience the suites for the first time against the New Orleans Hornets. It was awesome & I can't imagine sitting with the "public" ever again. :) Funny thing is the only other NBA game i'd ever seen prior to that one was Portland Vs. the Oklahoma City Hornets the previous year.

[Dougall5505]

have fun at the game mark. this team is truly exciting to watch, especially live.

[MarkDaMan]

^WEEEE WON!!! YEAH!!!!!!

It was a great game to catch in person!

[Okstate]

Too bad Outlaw didn't get to have the chalupa shot though. :(

[urbanlife]

I just found out that Portland State just made some history with their basketball team by beating the crap out of #7 Gonzaga on their home court (which Gonzaga has only lost there 3 times).

If they keep this up, PSU is gonna need to build their basketball team a new home.

[Okstate]

Answered my own question which was (what time frame is the 3 losses at home) which is since 2004.

[Dougall5505]

Hey guys! I'm going to see my first-ever hockey game on New Years Eve at the Rose Garden. Should I be excited?

[MarkDaMan]

^yep!

Used to go to Coyote games in Phoenix (I know they are NHL) but the games are fun to watch, the guys beat on each other, and it's pretty fast paced. You will enjoy!!!

[urbanlife]

no, you should be grumpy and try to pick fights with people in the crowd. :P

[Dougall5505]

lol @ urbanlife. Sounds fun! I will let you guys know how it goes