Intermission

It seems like taking a break is contagious around here.

Some goings on in the world that is my world:

I’m heading to Bend this weekend for nephew’s birthday, friend’s birthday and some quality time with the family and with Heather. Heather’s met the folks and an aunt and uncle. Now she’ll meet Stu, Melissa, the boys and a zillion friends that I’ve known for a good long time. I know she’s up to the task as she’s such a sport, but it’s still a bit daunting.

I’m having surgery. Nothing major. In my weight gain of the last 8-10 years I developed an umbilical hernia. It’s been bothering me a lot lately so the Doctor’s and I have decided to get it fixed. The surgery takes only 30-45 minutes and I should be back on my functional feet in a few days and fully active within a 4-6 weeks. I’ve got to negotiate the scheduling of it, what with summer weddings, plans and all. Oh, and work. Can’t forget about work.

Tuesday, June 10 The Portland Timbers will play Hollywood United in the U.S. Open Cup. Hollywood United is a club team from Los Angeles that was founded by some actors and rock stars. They are a cut above your local pub team and word is that they are bringing some of their big names to PDX on the 10th. Anthona Lapaglia is the current owner of the squad. Pretty cool. What’s also pretty cool is that I will be in the broadcast booth for the match. I’ll be doing play-by-play on the USLLive broadcast. The match will only be available On Demand once it’s completed but it’s still a great opportunity for me to re-test my skills and continue to slowly re-engage myself in the broadcast biz.

What? Me Quit?

I am a quitter.

I really enjoyed doing Portland Men On Sports. I really did. But I had to quit. At least as a regular host. My reasons are many.

1) Cable TV. Ironically, the show is on westside cable only. I live on the eastside. Plus I don’t even have cable so I can’t watch the show.
2) But lack of cable led to something else. I was finding that I was less informed than my co-host. Way, less informed. And that led to sloppy opinions and bad TV. Sure the internet gives lots of information but you have to seek it out a bit more than a nightly broadcast of SportsCenter.
3) Time. The show did not require tremendous time to produce, but prep work and the blog that we were trying to produce stretched me more than I wanted.
4) Fairness. It just wasn’t fair to the producer and co-host to have me do the job halfway.

There’s a chance I’ll do a guest spot every now and then or maybe a Timbers minute but not the regular show on a regular basis.

I am not a quitter.

1) I am still blogging here. Sparser than before, but still here.
2) I hope to blog more on Oregonlive.
3) The 107 Report is still going strong, maybe better than ever.

In addition to these things, my social life is also ridiculously active. Between quality time with several vital groups of friends I’ve also been introduced to a great woman, Heather, who has quickly become a constant companion. I won’t blog too much about her or the relationship, as that’s not really a comfort zone, but those of you that have met her know how great she is; full of life and smiles and laughter. Plus she’s super smart and we sometimes hold hands.

B!

Triple Threat?

A few weeks ago I floated a tidbit about an opportunity for me to do some additional writing. Well, that opportunity is nigh.

Starting next week I will have a share of the OregonLive Timbers Blog. This blog was originally conceived by Bob Kellett several years ago. Bob also ran a group of blogs called The Offside, which is generally considered to be among the finest of football sites in the world. Bob's pulled back a bit and now just writes his own fantastic Timbers blog for The Offside. He left some big shoes to fill at O'Live. Big shoes.

In the past year Donald Bramlett has manned the station at O-Live. He's tireless in his pursuit of information and tidbits. I hope to be able to add some entertaining and insightful observations from time to time. Our styles are very different and it should lend to a good, regular dose of Timbers content for our readers.

This does not mean that I'll be leaving The 107 Report. Far from it. I will be getting some assistance from time to time on the show, but the goal is to do a regular weekly 30 minute program starting with a preview show the weekend of April 12 and our traditional annual roundtable discussion a few days later. I'll occasionally take a week off and also throw in an extra show from time to time. I hope that it's a banner season for the report.

But wait, there's more! You may also see me from time to time on The Timbers Webcast doing halftime interviews that also will be shown in stadium on the big screen. TV adds 10 pounds. I wonder how much weight a jumbotron adds?

So, I'm about to be very, very busy with Timbers media items. Unique opportunities, each of them. I hope to be able to keep contributing to this blog as well. Maybe not as many posts per week, but I'll still have quirky insights to share.

Wish me luck. And feel free to buy me a beer every now and then.

B!

Something's Gotta Give

Remember the episode of Seinfeld where Jerry, Elanie, Kramer and George enter the contest to see who can go the longest without, um, hmmm...taking care of their personal business?

Jerry delivers that classic line at the end, "Meanwhile, I'm in this Contest, I'm dating a virgin, somethings gotta give!"

I think I’m about to enter that territory. Between my work, this blog, the TV show, my podcast (which should start up again soon,) a possible writing opportunity, plus a slowly expanding social life (rising like yeast? Is that the worst simile in history?), I’m rapidly reaching saturation.

So, something’s gotta give.

I don’t expect it to be this blog, although it may suffer some collateral damage in the way of shorter or less frequent posts. More likely I will choose to scale back my role on the podcasts and may have to reconsider the TV show. This would normally make me really disappointed. But if things come to pass properly you’ll end up getting the very best of what I have to offer, just on another page and website.

We'll see. Stay tuned.

B!

A Salute To A Great Man: Spread The Love

I first met Timber Jim in 1978. Well, I didn’t actually meet him. But I went to almost every Timbers match as a kid and that was the year Jim started sawing logs, standing on poles, banging drums and leading us in support of our beloved Portland Timbers.

Today, Timber Jim announced his retirement as mascot of the Portland Timbers. His final match will be our home opener against Puerto Rico on Thursday, April 17.

I finally met Jim in 2004 when I started regularly attending Timbers Army gatherings and post-game celebrations. At first I was in awe of him; This larger than life figure of a man who gave of himself to bring joy to us all. As I got to know Jim on a more personal level my admiration, respect and love for him grew as well.

He is, without a doubt, one of the finest men I have ever had the pleasure of knowing.

I am privileged to have spent quality time with him, difficult time with him and take great pride to be able to consider him a friend.

We all are richer for knowing him.

Jim, my friend, I wish you the best. With a tear in my eye and a pint in my hand. You are one of a kind and it has been an honor.

RCTID

Bruce! (Obi)

What's On Tap

OK. I've found a few spare minutes in my increasingly busy schedule. Here are some tidbits as we enter this weekend:

1) As you can see from the updated pic to the right, I have lost my beard, got a very close haircut and got some new specs for the peepers. The new me, if you will. Comments?

2) Mall shopping is for other people. I just exhausted myself getting all sorts of Linens N' Things (mostly things, in fact, all things) and Target items in preparation for my father's pending 75th birthday bash. It's going to be a gas, but I'm ready for the preparation to be over. Bring on the party.

3) Timbers tryouts are this weekend. It's at an undisclosed location and not open to the public. Check out The SoccerCityUSA board for speculation on where to go Saturday or Sunday morning if you're trying to crash it. I'll probably spend some of the morning wandering the University of Portland campus. I hear it's lovely this time of year. I'll probably blend in if I wear purple.

4) Speaking of Sunday morning, I've got an interview for the 107 Report with Gavin Wilkinson scheduled for 8am. That's actually an improvement on last season's scheduling, if you can believe it. I won't have tons of time with him but if there are any burning questions that you have, post them in the comments section and if they fit in I'll try to use them.

5) Timbers Army gathering at 7pm Saturday at the Horse Brass. This should be much fun. I'll be toting a bunch of CulturePulp prints for sale and giveaway.

B!

Why Now?

Good question. Why a blog and why now?

Well, recently I discovered that I had some things to say. So that's reason number one.

I've also recently seen what a good blog can really be. It can be more than a collection of random thoughts or pictures. When done well it carries its focus to the reader and can often enlighten. So, in a way, it's something to strive for. A good blog. Good words. Reason number two.

It's also time for me to write more. I've often written just for my own guilty pleasure. The challenge to write something that others might read and might enjoy is something I need to take on. The words are inside me, they must be freed. Reason number three.

I've been publishing a podcast about Portland Timbers soccer, the 107 report, for two years now. I enjoy it. It's fun and fulfilling. But it's often fractured and rushed in its composition. It doesn't lend itself to quality production as the content is disposable; it's mostly interviews related to specific matches. I'll continue to do it, but my deep thoughts should be published here, not there.

Different thoughts. Different medium.

Regardless, I hope you'll enjoy both of them and provide me your comments as you see fit. I have a short list of topics that I hope to share with you over time. Look for them soon.

B!