I went to the Blazers/Jazz game last night with my husband, my best friend and her husband, who's like a big brother to me. And I've been to several Blazer games over the past couple of years - really since I've been with the man - but I've never experienced a game like that before. On the surface, it was supposed to be a really good game - at least the Trailblazers Corporation thought so. The Blazers were supposed to win against a good team, the Utah Jazz and the evening was a celebration of 40 years of TrailBlazer history. In celebration of 40 years, the company themed the evening "80's Night" and had all sorts of gimmicks to entertain the crowd. They had ex-Blazers and ex-management interviewed during half-time by legendary Blazers announcer Bill Schonley - whose banner we were seated under for the evening. They had heartwarming videos playing during different segments of the game. What they didn't count on was the Blazer fans being so outraged by a bad call that they booed the entire timeout and subsequent period transition. It was the loudest I've ever heard a sporting crowd. Ever. Including Autzen - they were that outraged.
You might think I'm exaggerating, but I have proof in the form of an excerpt from Blazer's Edge:
The already grumpy crowd (see also: scoreboard) went bonkers at the end of the first period when Nicolas Batum appeared to be fouled with a foul so foul-acious that it dwarfed many of the fouls that had been called in Utah's favor in the quarter. Batum converted the layup but no whistle blew. In short order Jerryd Bayless had earned a technical foul for protesting, which lit the fuse in the stands. In one of those "Only in Portland" moments a torrential flow of boos flooded the arena floor, reverberating so loudly that it hit the back walls of the building with force and redoubled. But these boos didn't stop after 10 seconds, or 30, or a minute. They sustained and grew through the long, long quarter break. It was like a weird, amoeba-like organism had formed out of 20,000 people which was now intent on sucking up the refs with a sticky, poisonous tongue of booing. About halfway through the break the arena staff put on film of Kiki Vandeweghe and Mychal Thompson talking about their Blazer experiences, this being 80's Remembrance Night and all. For a second the organism paused as if considering whether to take the bait and subside, lulled into submission by these fan-favorite players of yore. But the Boomoeba was angry and after that half-hesitating moment it doubled and tripled its efforts. Poor Mychal and Kiki couldn't be heard at all...and this is after the staff cranked the speaker volume way up. Anyone who's been anywhere near the Rose Garden knows those that sound system is LOUD. It was no more than a buzzing subtext rumbling impotently behind the Boomoeba's hunting call. It wanted blood and it would not be dissuaded from its target. The second quarter horn sounded and the booing was still as strong as ever. I have never heard anything like it.
I will go on record to say that a large part of that volume came from this man:
Sure he looks jolly, but he considers himself the designated heckler for whatever section he is seated in and I am positive they heard him all the way in the locker rooms, much less the floor. The man has some pipes and they just BOOM.
Oh, and look at how seriously my husband is watching a timeout...
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