Latest / The PNW Podcast / The Blazers Are in the Air… And So Is the Smoke

Transcript

The Blazers Are in the Air… And So Is the Smoke · The PNW Podcast

0:00
SPEAKER_00: And you know, we all know that the Blazers can't be moved without a vote from the owners, but if we don't have the arena, that's that's the kill shot.
0:10
SPEAKER_00: That's the golden gun.
0:11
SPEAKER_00: That's what happened to the Sonics.
0:13
SPEAKER_00: They weren't allowed to build a new building.
0:16
SPEAKER_00: And so then the guy was able to say, Help, I need out.
0:19
SPEAKER_00: And Oklahoma City has now got rings.
0:22
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
0:22
SPEAKER_01: They're not gonna play, they're not gonna play under the Burnside Bridge.
0:25
SPEAKER_01: That's that's the pure and simple fact here.
0:27
SPEAKER_01: You gotta have a place for them.
0:28
SPEAKER_01: And right now, that's what hangs in the balance.
0:31
SPEAKER_01: Um and listen, I'm all about the building being safer.
0:34
SPEAKER_01: If an earthquake hits when a Blazers game is going on, I don't want everybody in that stadium to be in a pile of rubble.
0:40
SPEAKER_01: Um, I get that.
0:41
SPEAKER_01: I I think that the the Moda Center has always been one of those kind of well-kept secrets, a lot like the Pacific Northwest.
1:00
SPEAKER_00: What's going on?
1:02
SPEAKER_00: It is a brand new thing right here, the Pacific Northwest Podcast, also known as the PNW podcast or the PNWP, PNW pod.
1:14
SPEAKER_00: We're working on it.
1:15
SPEAKER_00: There's a lot of options there.
1:16
SPEAKER_00: I am joined right now with a buddy of mine I did a lot of radio with, and a guy I know knows a lot about Northwest sports and just nature and everything that goes along with it, right here in the Pacific Northwest.
1:28
SPEAKER_00: Marcus Bridges is with me right now.
1:31
SPEAKER_00: What's up, buddy?
1:32
SPEAKER_01: Hell of an intro, man.
1:33
SPEAKER_01: I appreciate it.
1:34
SPEAKER_01: Uh yeah, really excited to be here.
1:36
SPEAKER_01: Uh, of course, just like you, uh, Oregon born and bred.
1:40
SPEAKER_01: And uh I feel like we have this really well-kept secret in our little area of the country up here.
1:46
SPEAKER_01: People don't know how awesome it is, and uh just super excited that you included me here.
1:51
SPEAKER_00: Well, I'm glad you're here.
1:52
SPEAKER_00: The really the idea behind it all is it's a show, because of course I also host another podcast, the Fit for Radio podcast, which is about showcasing people who do amazing things, people who overcome the odds.
2:04
SPEAKER_00: But this is an opportunity for us to chime in more often, touch on the things that really matter to people in the Pacific Northwest, and to do it, my goal is three times a week.
2:16
SPEAKER_00: I'd like to deliver episodes Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday on a regular basis.
2:21
SPEAKER_00: So when things are happening that affect us, whether it's the stuff around you in your community, whether it's your sports teams, ducks, blazers, beavers, timbers, the fire.
2:33
SPEAKER_00: I mean, there are so many things going on.
2:35
SPEAKER_00: The thorns, I don't want to leave out any of the major sports there because we really do have a good thing going, and there's a lot to talk about.
2:43
SPEAKER_00: And when you look at national news, Marcus, so much of it is, you know, we talk about LeBron, we talk about Tiger Woods.
2:50
SPEAKER_00: I mean, you don't even have to play golf anymore to still put Tiger Woods at the top of the thing.
2:55
SPEAKER_00: And, you know, I love a headline, but I also want to touch on something other than the same five storylines all the time.
3:02
SPEAKER_00: And that's what we got an opportunity to do here.
3:04
SPEAKER_01: So they forget about us out here on the West Coast, man.
3:08
SPEAKER_01: It, you know, I think about growing up in small rural northeastern Oregon, the closest local news that we had was out of Spokane, Washington.
3:17
SPEAKER_01: It would there was never a headline about anything that mattered to me.
3:21
SPEAKER_01: And that's why I think this is a really cool concept.
3:24
SPEAKER_00: And with that, it's gonna allow us to showcase the whole spectrum, whether it's out in nature, which we really puff the chest out and flex that here in the Northwest, as good as anywhere in the world, as far as I'm concerned.
3:37
SPEAKER_00: We're also gonna talk about the people and the businesses that keep us growing, keep us afloat, and the things we love, whether that's golf courses or restaurants or excursions and hiking trails and everything in between, you know, and even all the way down to the arts.
3:57
SPEAKER_00: You know, I was uh I was watching my kid perform today and I heard the guy in the robe ahead of me just being like, there's no way to get any information about anything anymore because people don't consume things the way they used to.
4:08
SPEAKER_00: They used to watch the same morning TV show or the same morning radio show, and really that's just fading out of being the case.
4:16
SPEAKER_00: So we want to be something that if something is happening here, you can come to us and we will chat with you about it.
4:24
SPEAKER_00: Now, there is so much to chew on, Marcus.
4:26
SPEAKER_00: And today we're gonna touch on a little bit of blazer stuff that's going on because they are making major headlines today and will be for the coming weeks.
4:36
SPEAKER_00: We're also gonna preview the Oregon Ducks season.
4:39
SPEAKER_00: With that being said, I will put a precursor that we are going to do the same thing for the Oregon State Beavers and try to map a path for them to some sort of a postseason because even though they were in a serious rebuild last year, they're in a position now where they've got a new coach and a lot of excitement there in Corvallis.
4:58
SPEAKER_00: So I'd like to uh to get to that as well.
5:01
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, look, I'm uh no allegiance here.
5:04
SPEAKER_01: Uh I'm happy to talk about the Beavers.
5:06
SPEAKER_01: I love what they've got going on.
5:08
SPEAKER_01: I love that coach's energy.
5:10
SPEAKER_01: Um, but of course, we're gonna make room for the ducks first.
5:12
SPEAKER_01: I mean, come on, who are we?
5:14
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and both of us have spent a lot of time there.
5:18
SPEAKER_00: And now, Marcus, for people who don't know, lives in Eugene, Oregon.
5:21
SPEAKER_00: He's our duck correspondent there.
5:23
SPEAKER_00: We've got you boots on the ground, even though I'm already planning to be at the first game against Boise State and then uh Portland State as well.
5:31
SPEAKER_00: So I will be going we'll go double boots for a couple of those games.
5:35
SPEAKER_00: Um, but let's just start at the top with the Trailblazers first and foremost.
5:39
SPEAKER_00: Uh, because when we're recording this, they just had a really important meeting um with the city of Portland regarding kind of the list of demands.
5:49
SPEAKER_00: The July 30th special was one of these um circled dates that they had here.
5:55
SPEAKER_00: So we had to find out what it is that the Blazers really want and whether the city's willing to participate in coming up with the$600 million that's required to get the job done.
6:08
SPEAKER_00: And that's across the state, the city, and Multnomah County.
6:13
SPEAKER_00: So that has to be checked off in three different places.
6:17
SPEAKER_00: It's not just one guy can come forward and say, and your cash barrel has been filled.
6:22
SPEAKER_00: Right.
6:23
SPEAKER_00: It's gonna take something more.
6:24
SPEAKER_00: But listen to this, and I'm I'm gonna go to your reaction first afterwards.
6:28
SPEAKER_00: Now, one of the most talked-about moments from the meeting came when Trailblazers president Dwayne Hankins brought in the conversation about the arena beyond the money when he argued that the long-term decision making isn't based solely on renovations, but also on what they consider challenges in the Portland market.
6:50
SPEAKER_00: All right, so listen to this.
6:51
SPEAKER_00: One of the first things they bring up, the slower downtown recovery since the pandemic, one of the slowest in the country.
7:00
SPEAKER_00: Um, now it it's a concern of everyone.
7:02
SPEAKER_00: I think that anywhere you lay on the spectrum and you know, keeping politics completely out of it, it's not where it needs to be.
7:11
SPEAKER_00: It's not the city that, you know, years ago I would come to Portland to visit when I didn't live here, even though I was born and raised here.
7:19
SPEAKER_00: I'd come from Eugene, and at one point it was voted the cleanest city in America.
7:24
SPEAKER_00: That's so far from it right now.
7:27
SPEAKER_00: So I get where they're going there.
7:29
SPEAKER_00: Um the other two things, and then I want you to chime in here business closures, reduced office occupancy, and I guess one more, a weaker economic climate compared to previous decades.
7:40
SPEAKER_00: Now, I'm concerned immediately hearing that.
7:43
SPEAKER_00: What's your thought?
7:44
SPEAKER_01: Well, I'll say this.
7:46
SPEAKER_01: Uh, over the past year, maybe 18 months, I've been to downtown Portland a few different times, uh, gone to some concerts.
7:53
SPEAKER_01: Of course, there's some great concert venues downtown.
7:56
SPEAKER_01: And uh 18 months ago, I would I would have said, man, I feel like this could be cleaned up a little bit.
8:03
SPEAKER_01: Six months ago, I felt like it had made a massive step in the right direction.
8:07
SPEAKER_01: It was a lot cleaner things have been picked up down there.
8:10
SPEAKER_01: But the one thing that I did notice was it was a bit of a ghost town, not necessarily for pedestrians, but businesses are shuddering.
8:19
SPEAKER_01: That is something that is happening.
8:20
SPEAKER_01: You can see it, you hear about it.
8:22
SPEAKER_01: When you do get the odd off-end Portland headline, um, you hear about, you know, businesses are leaving.
8:29
SPEAKER_01: Um, they don't like the way that uh security is, they don't feel like there's enough foot traffic.
8:34
SPEAKER_01: And look, you want to cause the death of a downtown.
8:37
SPEAKER_01: I don't know that there's a better playbook for it, Drew.
8:40
SPEAKER_01: Uh, you know, local business has always been the lifeblood of every downtown in the Pacific Northwest.
8:47
SPEAKER_01: Um, I think about downtown Eugene and all of the local business.
8:51
SPEAKER_01: You don't go down there to go to Starbucks.
8:53
SPEAKER_01: You go down there to eat at the local businesses and get a coffee at the local place and check out one of the local art galleries or whatever you do.
9:01
SPEAKER_01: Um, so that being said though, Drew, I don't know that I have a good playbook for reversing it at this point.
9:08
SPEAKER_01: Um, you know, and again, you want to keep politics out of it as much as you can, um, but something has to give.
9:15
SPEAKER_01: That's that's kind of where I am with it.
9:17
SPEAKER_01: And and especially if we want to keep the things that we have, because hey, uh, an NBA franchise really benefits from a robust downtown, right?
9:25
SPEAKER_01: I mean, let's be honest, go.
9:28
SPEAKER_00: They're not gonna give us another one.
9:31
SPEAKER_00: If we lose this one, we won't get another one.
9:33
SPEAKER_00: There's a laundry list of 20 cities bigger and stronger and more economically viable than us.
9:39
SPEAKER_00: And, you know, to piggyback what you're saying, I agree with you.
9:43
SPEAKER_00: It is cleaner.
9:44
SPEAKER_00: There's way less graffiti, there's way less tents.
9:47
SPEAKER_00: There is an effort to make it better.
9:50
SPEAKER_00: But what is not happening is there is not an effort to make it comfortable for me to come down there, not because I'm afraid so much.
9:59
SPEAKER_00: Have I run from a man chasing me off of the max before?
10:04
SPEAKER_00: 100%, holding my wife's hand, running like we're in a Tom Cruise movie away from the villain.
10:11
SPEAKER_00: I've done that, but we've been down many times since.
10:15
SPEAKER_00: What frustrates me is the the attempt to suck out the consumer at every turn.
10:22
SPEAKER_00: You go down there and oh, the parking kitty price has doubled.
10:27
SPEAKER_00: Oh, minimum hours for concerts and any live events.
10:32
SPEAKER_00: So the very things that the lifeblood of the city, the things that you're going to, you know, when it's like, okay, I'm gonna come to town or I'm gonna drive in from the suburbs, that's what they really need.
10:42
SPEAKER_00: They need the people from the burbs to feel comfortable coming down.
10:46
SPEAKER_00: And you've got some of the nicest restaurants around who, if you can get there and if you can afford to park, just to go there.
10:56
SPEAKER_00: And it's just we should make it more inviting for the people of the Portland metropolitan area and the state and southwest Washington to want to be there because there's great food, there is amazing food, and there's great venues and great live music all the time.
11:14
SPEAKER_00: But you know, you I don't feel like they're doing a lot to help that.
11:18
SPEAKER_00: And with what you said, it's a problem we've had since the pandemic.
11:23
SPEAKER_00: And so it's six years into it, and they show up at a city council meeting and want it fixed.
11:29
SPEAKER_00: We want it fixed.
11:30
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
11:31
SPEAKER_00: But what are we supposed to do?
11:32
SPEAKER_01: I think that's the hardest part about hearing the Blazers bring this up as an issue because you know, and I know that hey, we we've all wanted that to change forever since it it became like that.
11:46
SPEAKER_01: And really, baby steps, yeah, a little bit of progress, yeah.
11:50
SPEAKER_01: But they're the Blazers are talking about wholesale change.
11:53
SPEAKER_01: And typically, when you're talking about this amount of money, this isn't a change that they're willing to wait three to five years for.
11:59
SPEAKER_01: This is a change that they might be willing to wait three to six months for.
12:03
SPEAKER_01: And that as a lifelong Blazer fan, you know, I I've told you this before.
12:08
SPEAKER_01: Uh, it was New Year's Day.
12:10
SPEAKER_01: I got to go watch Clyde and Terry Porter and uh, you know, um uh Kevin Duckworth, Jerome Kersey, all of those guys from the heyday of Portland basketball play against Carl Malone and John Stockton at the Memorial Coliseum.
12:25
SPEAKER_01: That was my first ever live professional sporting experience.
12:29
SPEAKER_01: And it still sticks with me.
12:31
SPEAKER_01: I can still remember it like it was yesterday.
12:34
SPEAKER_01: If this team goes away, Drew, it's gonna be devastating for me.
12:37
SPEAKER_01: And I'm not half the dedicated Blazer fan that you are.
12:41
SPEAKER_01: So I want to ask you how you feel right now, uh, just about the whole situation.
12:46
SPEAKER_01: I mean, you're in it.
12:47
SPEAKER_01: You're hearing about the city council meetings, you see all the headlines that come out about Tom Dundan, and God, if I hear that guy's name again, I'm gonna tear my ears off.
12:56
SPEAKER_01: But what's what's your outlook?
12:58
SPEAKER_00: Well, I'm I'm frightened, first and foremost, because I, like I said, I don't think that we'll get one back.
13:05
SPEAKER_00: And I wouldn't want somebody else's.
13:08
SPEAKER_00: You know, be this is our team.
13:10
SPEAKER_00: This is the team that I used to listen to in the backseat of my dad's car and listen to the Sean's where we'd be going head to head with like the Phoenix Sons and Kevin Johnson and all this stuff, and like the most amazing memories that I have from just an audio box blaring in the car and everyone being on pins and needles for two hours trying to see if our mighty blazers can get the job done.
13:33
SPEAKER_00: And it's been really easy to villainize Dundan because of some of the cuts and some of what they're calling, you know, shaving the edges a little too thin.
13:45
SPEAKER_00: But some of these issues it's hard for me to argue against.
13:49
SPEAKER_00: You know, if I'm on the city council and he comes to me and says, okay, they have already pointed out political instability, that we can't find a way to get along on things, and which wouldn't seem like their problem, but if you sign a 20-year lease, you need to make sure that the place that you sign a lease is going to be moving smoothly.
14:11
SPEAKER_00: And there's no promise of that here.
14:14
SPEAKER_00: And what's even more important than that is the public safety part of it.
14:20
SPEAKER_00: Not just the actual public safety, which we'll touch on first, which is you have to make sure your patrons can get to and from the game without getting mugged or hurt.
14:29
SPEAKER_00: I mean, I think that's fair.
14:31
SPEAKER_00: And even if you can secure it, is there a perception amongst the people that you can?
14:37
SPEAKER_00: Is there a perception for you and me, like for you, who's got to travel?
14:41
SPEAKER_00: Like if I say I call you up, and this has happened multiple times, hey Marcus, I got tickets to a Blazer game.
14:48
SPEAKER_00: Do you want to roll up?
14:49
SPEAKER_00: Whether you roll up, part of the QA you ask yourself in your head is, is it safe?
14:54
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
14:55
SPEAKER_00: And if I'm like, hey, could you and your wife come?
14:58
SPEAKER_00: Now you have to ask yourself a step deeper.
15:00
SPEAKER_00: Is it safe enough for me to go and have a lady with me when there's a sketchy dude in a tent or there's uh Captain Needles McGriff like gliding behind me?
15:12
SPEAKER_01: Exactly.
15:12
SPEAKER_01: And and I could argue that listen, the the staff that I've always seen once I get to the rose garden is great.
15:20
SPEAKER_01: I feel like that when you're there on the property, the security's good.
15:24
SPEAKER_01: The people that are are wearing the red shirts are there to help you.
15:27
SPEAKER_01: They're not uh they don't act like they hate their job.
15:30
SPEAKER_01: And so I think, yeah, that's a that's a step in the right direction.
15:33
SPEAKER_01: That's what we want to see.
15:34
SPEAKER_01: But we're also seeing cuts made.
15:36
SPEAKER_01: How many of those people are no longer there?
15:38
SPEAKER_01: What does it look like on the face?
15:40
SPEAKER_01: It's a very good point that you bring up.
15:42
SPEAKER_01: If I walk down under the bridge there next to where the max comes through, it look, if there's people laying around on the street, whatever.
15:50
SPEAKER_01: I just I kind of keep to myself and you hope that they keep to themselves.
15:53
SPEAKER_01: And if somebody yells something at you, you just ignore it.
15:56
SPEAKER_01: But I would sometimes like a little bit of visible security.
16:00
SPEAKER_01: I would like some, you know, I haven't seen a cop down there.
16:03
SPEAKER_01: I've been to what three shows in the last 18 months at the Rose Garden.
16:06
SPEAKER_01: I haven't seen a police officer.
16:08
SPEAKER_01: And I'm not the type of guy that needs military state police protection around me all the time.
16:13
SPEAKER_01: But you want to know you want to know that if you yell help, someone's coming.
16:19
SPEAKER_01: Exactly.
16:19
SPEAKER_01: Exactly.
16:20
SPEAKER_01: And so I think that that's a great point that you bring up is is there the illusion of security?
16:26
SPEAKER_01: Is there a security that I can see?
16:29
SPEAKER_01: Does it feel safe to me maybe as opposed to 20 years ago going to downtown Portland?
16:36
SPEAKER_01: It how would you feel?
16:38
SPEAKER_01: We used to go run roughshod over downtown Portland and be out until two in the morning at bachelor parties and all sorts of stuff.
16:44
SPEAKER_01: I can tell you right now comfortably, if one of my friends booked a batcher party in downtown Portland and the idea was to stay out drinking until uh all hours in the morning.
16:53
SPEAKER_01: Big big second guess on my side, man.
16:56
SPEAKER_01: And I'm not, you know, I don't uh conflict doesn't find me out when I'm uh out at a party like that.
17:02
SPEAKER_01: I tend to keep things pretty low-key, but when things are not being uh secured on a daily basis, you really have to ask yourself, is this where I want to be with a with a few pops on board at two in the morning?
17:16
SPEAKER_01: And I don't think that downtown Portland is that place right now, unfortunately.
17:20
SPEAKER_01: Again, 100% moving in the right direction, but too slow for any real needle movement where the Blazers are concerned.
17:28
SPEAKER_00: And so you the next question would be okay, well, how did the Blazers or get a like what was the response from the city back to the Blazers?
17:37
SPEAKER_00: First thing they do is they deflect, they say this meeting is about the Moda Center renovations.
17:43
SPEAKER_00: So basically saying that this isn't what we're here to talk about, but it is because it it it's one big overarching thing.
17:51
SPEAKER_00: And let's point out they didn't even know if the Blazers were gonna show up to the city council meeting.
17:57
SPEAKER_00: They like they they thought that maybe they just might start ignoring them.
18:01
SPEAKER_00: So a good sign that we're at least have a dialogue going, but we're running into a thing, and you can't just say, you can't talk to us about that now.
18:12
SPEAKER_00: It's like my kid smacks the other kid in the ear, and I get upstairs and I realize that you've also shoved a bunch of food under your bed.
18:20
SPEAKER_00: I'm allowed to bring up the food under the bed and the slap.
18:24
SPEAKER_00: You don't get to say that, like just because you're not ready.
18:27
SPEAKER_00: Well, these are things that you should know are coming.
18:30
SPEAKER_00: And they continue pressing the Blazers for more details on renovation plans, financial information.
18:37
SPEAKER_00: Um, so the positive for them is they got the Blazers to the table.
18:41
SPEAKER_00: The negative is nothing came of it.
18:45
SPEAKER_00: And Marcus, there's some important dates that are coming up here, and you know, we all know that the Blazers can't be moved without a vote from the owners.
18:56
SPEAKER_00: But if we don't have the arena, that's that's the kill shot, that's the golden gun.
19:02
SPEAKER_00: That's what happened to the Sonics.
19:04
SPEAKER_00: They weren't allowed to build a new building, and so then the guy was able to say, Help, I need out.
19:10
SPEAKER_00: And Oklahoma City has now got rings.
19:13
unknown: Yeah.
19:14
SPEAKER_01: They're not gonna play, they're not gonna play under the Burnside Bridge.
19:16
SPEAKER_01: Uh that's that's the pure and simple fact here.
19:19
SPEAKER_01: You gotta have a place for them, and right now that's what hangs in the balance.
19:23
SPEAKER_01: Um, and and listen, I'm all about the building being safer.
19:26
SPEAKER_01: If an earthquake hits when a Blazers game is going on, I don't want everybody in that stadium to be in a pile of rubble.
19:32
SPEAKER_01: Um, I get that.
19:34
SPEAKER_01: I I think that the the Motus Center has always been one of those kind of well-kept secrets, a lot like the Pacific Northwest.
19:41
SPEAKER_01: You don't know how great that arena is until you get inside of it and you go, wow, not a bad seat in the house.
19:46
SPEAKER_01: Great acoustics, a warm feel that you don't get from every basketball arena.
19:51
SPEAKER_01: A lot of them are so bright and and just uh off-putting with the lighting and everything.
19:56
SPEAKER_01: I love that arena, whether I'm in the theater, the clouds watching a metal show, or whether I'm watching the Blazers.
20:03
SPEAKER_01: So I'm all about, you know, dress it up, whatever the case may be.
20:07
SPEAKER_01: But as far as the city's concerned, man, it you can't be, like you said, just saying you can't bring that up right now.
20:13
SPEAKER_01: That's not what we're here to talk about.
20:15
SPEAKER_01: No, that's that's a problem, and it matters.
20:19
SPEAKER_01: It doesn't only matter to the city, it matters to the team, it matters to the county, it matters to the state.
20:23
SPEAKER_01: It all matters, and it's all conversations we should be having.
20:27
SPEAKER_00: 100%.
20:28
SPEAKER_00: Now, uh, I'm just gonna give a couple before we move on to the ducks, I'm gonna give you a couple of big dates to mark on your calendar.
20:34
SPEAKER_00: August 12th is the biggest date as of yet.
20:38
SPEAKER_00: Portland City Council expected to vote on the proposal, uh, actually the proposed term sheet.
20:43
SPEAKER_00: So, what that means is approval would not formalize the agreement, but it would take it to the next level.
20:51
SPEAKER_00: If that does not happen, we're in a big issue.
20:55
SPEAKER_00: Um, that that would basically mean that on August 30th, a work session is scheduled to review the negotiations and discuss any remaining issues with the Blazers' participation and if talks are still ongoing.
21:09
SPEAKER_00: Um, but then at the end of this year, Marcus, December of 2026, state funding deadline, which is critical.
21:17
SPEAKER_00: If negotiations drag on beyond the end of the year, Oregon's proposed funding package could be jeopardized and put the entire renovation project at risk.
21:26
SPEAKER_00: So by the end of the year, we might know if they're leaving.
21:29
SPEAKER_01: Well, I'll tell you this, and I'll I'll make this short because I know we want to move on here.
21:33
SPEAKER_01: But if you're a city counselor in Portland and you're gonna come up on this vote on August 12th, I want you to think about one thing, and that's the fans.
21:40
SPEAKER_01: That's me and Drew.
21:41
SPEAKER_01: I am not I'm not trying to be selfish here, but Portland right now is is a little tough.
21:47
SPEAKER_01: Things are rough.
21:48
SPEAKER_01: And if you go taking away things like the Portland Trailblazers that have always brought the city together, have always brought the fans together, some of the best fans in the league for my money, um, it ain't gonna get easier.
22:00
SPEAKER_01: In in the short term or in the long term to clean things up and make it how you want it, man.
22:04
SPEAKER_01: Don't take our team away from us, please.
22:07
SPEAKER_00: And it's sad with all the excitement coming in, Ja Morant, the return of Damian Lillard, the core that got us to the playoffs last year, Denny Advio, who's one of the just most loved players in the league.
22:19
SPEAKER_00: We've got to get it done because October 11th of 2030, they will board a plane and never come back if we can't get it done.
22:27
SPEAKER_00: We are up a three-year, three-plus year bridge uh contract at this point, a lease on the property that will be up.
22:36
SPEAKER_00: So cross your fingers for Rib City.
22:38
SPEAKER_00: Um, take a quick break, and then we'll get into breaking down a little bit of the season preview of the Oregon Ducks.
22:45
SPEAKER_00: The very basis of the Pacific Northwest podcast, the PW pod, is to showcase everything that is great about the Pacific Northwest.
22:54
SPEAKER_00: And that includes great businesses and partnerships.
22:57
SPEAKER_00: And I've got some of the greatest, of course, brought to you by the Stafford Hills Club, where we record all episodes up here on the business suites where work meets play, but it really is the sense of community and the high quality establishment that this is that makes it the very best of the best voted, the best health and wellness facility in the Portland area.
23:19
SPEAKER_00: And those are big words right there.
23:21
SPEAKER_00: Check them out at staffordhills.com.
23:23
SPEAKER_00: Studio X is here.
23:25
SPEAKER_00: Great classes.
23:26
SPEAKER_00: My wife loves them.
23:27
SPEAKER_00: And of course, that saltwater pool on top of premium tennis.
23:31
SPEAKER_00: You just can't beat it.
23:32
SPEAKER_00: Tell them Drew sent you for half off your initiation.
23:35
SPEAKER_00: Another one of those partnerships that I absolutely love.
23:39
SPEAKER_00: That's Motorsport Hillsboro, the premier place to get everything you need when it comes to your off-road adventures or your electric mountain bikes, the gas-gas, electric mountain bikes right now, 60% off.
23:53
SPEAKER_00: Save yourself over$3,000 and be out cruising the trails while you still have some of the beautiful Pacific Northwest weather around.
24:02
SPEAKER_00: And my favorite part, it is the Northwest's best and easiest financing over there.
24:07
SPEAKER_00: They'll make sure that if it's possible, they'll get you on the toy that you love.
24:12
SPEAKER_00: And finally, of course, Axiom, plumbing, sewer, and septic, everything to do with water and waste, they've got you covered.
24:20
SPEAKER_00: And it is locally owned and operated by my good friend Bruce, who is a guy who takes care of his customers.
24:27
SPEAKER_00: And that's what this is all about.
24:29
SPEAKER_00: Axiompdx.com and 10% off your first service if you tell them that I sent you, whether it's a big job, small job, whatever, they got you covered at AxiumpDX.com.
24:43
SPEAKER_00: All right, we are back and we are changing gears from the Blazers and trying to stay in Portland.
24:49
SPEAKER_00: That just sounds gross.
24:50
SPEAKER_00: Um, but beyond that, it is an exciting time for football fans.
24:55
SPEAKER_00: Uh when Marcus, you and I were talking yesterday, and we realized that we have finally come to the end of the wait because um there won't be another Sunday without football until the new year.
25:10
SPEAKER_01: I love the way that sounds.
25:12
SPEAKER_01: You can keep saying that to me.
25:13
SPEAKER_01: We can just spend all of these minutes, you can say that over and over again.
25:16
SPEAKER_01: I'll never get sick of hearing it.
25:18
SPEAKER_00: And it's like the Men in Black pen has erased my wife's memory because by the time we get here, she's like excited for football and for me to like get the chance to be in my chair watching games.
25:31
SPEAKER_00: But by the end of it, you know, the marathon of many, many, many, many weeks, I feel like she's forgotten the joy that we enjoy it.
25:39
SPEAKER_00: Um so Marcus, um the ducks are coming up and they're playing against Boise State to open it up September 5th in Eugene.
25:50
SPEAKER_00: And for people who missed earlier, we will preview the Beavers in the next couple of episodes so you can get your breakdowns too.
25:57
SPEAKER_00: But uh Boise State is a ranked team again this year coming in at number 23.
26:03
SPEAKER_00: I always feel like they're sneaky too.
26:06
SPEAKER_00: Um, not only are their fans, their fans are passionate, so there's always a lot of blue leaking around town, um, but they find a way to stay in games.
26:15
SPEAKER_00: The last time I was in Eugene to watch Boise State, it was it came down to the just the bitter end.
26:22
SPEAKER_00: And, you know, like I I was so clinchy during all that.
26:26
SPEAKER_00: I I think I forgot to have fun for about a quarter.
26:28
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
26:29
SPEAKER_01: Uh that was uh that we were celebrating my 40th birthday at that tailgate.
26:33
SPEAKER_01: And that's right.
26:34
SPEAKER_01: I I remember sitting there late in the game thinking, if my 40th birthday, all these people came from all over the place to celebrate with me.
26:43
SPEAKER_01: And if these ducks don't pull off this victory, I am going to have to put an asterisk on this memory, and I do not want to do that.
26:50
SPEAKER_01: Uh, thankfully, special teams won that game for us, man.
26:53
SPEAKER_01: Uh, what an awesome experience that was.
26:55
SPEAKER_01: But yeah, Boise State, one of the possible uh, you know, group of six teams' favorites to make the playoffs this year, and I wouldn't be surprised at all if they found their way in.
27:06
SPEAKER_00: I really wouldn't either.
27:07
SPEAKER_00: Um, you know, and it's one of those deals where you don't really know what you're gonna get in the first game of the season.
27:13
SPEAKER_00: It's a chance for a team to punch you in the nose and to shock you.
27:17
SPEAKER_00: Um now I hope that doesn't happen to Oregon, who yet again comes in in a situation as the juggernaut.
27:24
SPEAKER_00: I feel like even at Media Day, it was just kind of like everyone was like looking at Oregon about what's going on.
27:30
SPEAKER_00: Now, don't get it twisted.
27:32
SPEAKER_00: You get yourself up against Ohio State, ranked number one in the country.
27:36
SPEAKER_00: Nobody will be talking about how much better we are than them.
27:40
SPEAKER_00: Um, and we are gonna do a full breakdown of the schedule where we kind of go week by week through it.
27:45
SPEAKER_00: But since this is the first taste, this is the jump off point, uh, we're kind of like looking through the schedule at, of course, everyone's waiting for opening day and getting down to the tailgates.
27:56
SPEAKER_00: And, you know, for those who don't know, Marcus throws a great tailgate um on the side of the stadium there, which I used to tailgate have my tailgate there when I lived in Eugene.
28:06
SPEAKER_00: So it's a a classic place to stop.
28:09
SPEAKER_00: You guys cook good food, uh nothing beats cold drinks, strangers, um, challenging my wife to a shotgun contest.
28:18
SPEAKER_00: Like these are core little things that are important to me.
28:21
SPEAKER_00: And it's funny because, you know, like I don't I don't like support binge drinking, but if somebody does challenge Amy, I'll be like, like grab my kids, I'm like, circle up and see the wonders of this lady who looks like she cannot do this.
28:35
SPEAKER_00: And um, we'll have to we'll have to do a viral video where she shows us just how fast she can gun.
28:40
SPEAKER_00: But she doesn't shotgun out of season.
28:43
SPEAKER_01: Just at Odson.
28:45
SPEAKER_01: You gotta reserve that for when it matters, man.
28:47
SPEAKER_01: And uh one of my favorite things is to watch you bring the ringer to the tailgate because nobody expects it out of Amy, and um she's a lot better at it than what anybody could ever imagine.
28:57
SPEAKER_01: I mean, it's it is it's a thing of beauty, really, especially when it's like I'm pretty sure my six foot seven friend challenged her one year.
29:05
SPEAKER_01: And to see to see little Amy take down a six foot seven guy in a shotgun contest, uh, it's uh it's just a thing of beauty.
29:12
SPEAKER_01: Chef's kiss, man, every time.
29:13
SPEAKER_00: The size of his leg.
29:15
SPEAKER_00: That is a that is one big dude.
29:17
SPEAKER_00: Um, so I wanted to ask you, Marcus, when you look at the schedule, what's the big one you've got circled?
29:24
SPEAKER_00: Because we've got multiple ranked games.
29:26
SPEAKER_00: It looks like six ranked opponents coming in.
29:29
SPEAKER_00: Now that that'll probably change along the way, but uh of those six, what are you seeing?
29:35
SPEAKER_01: Well, uh obviously, you know, I I've got my eye on a away game and my eye on a home game.
29:42
SPEAKER_01: And um the obvious one is the Ohio State game, right?
29:46
SPEAKER_01: We got to go in there, tough environment.
29:48
SPEAKER_01: Uh, we got to bring our show on the road.
29:50
SPEAKER_01: Last time we were at Ohio State, we won that game, all right?
29:53
SPEAKER_01: But that's a different team, different coach, different players.
29:56
SPEAKER_01: That's a hell of a roster over there in Columbus.
29:59
SPEAKER_01: Um I and it came to the wire, too.
30:01
SPEAKER_01: That was no easy peasy.
30:03
SPEAKER_01: Exactly.
30:04
SPEAKER_01: And uh, you know, everybody's got a bad taste in their mouth from the last time we saw Ohio State in the Rose Bowl when they blew our doors off as the number one seed.
30:12
SPEAKER_01: So got my eye on that one, of course, but I'll tell you the one.
30:15
SPEAKER_01: Um, it's look, I'm not gonna say Washington.
30:18
SPEAKER_01: I won't say hate week just because I don't want to give them any play here on the show, and that's just the Oregon fan in me.
30:24
SPEAKER_01: I'm looking at that Oregon, Michigan game, November 14th.
30:29
SPEAKER_01: Weather's gonna be a factor.
30:30
SPEAKER_01: That doesn't bother Michigan at all.
30:32
SPEAKER_01: They're used to it, they're gonna travel well.
30:35
SPEAKER_01: I love this kind of new Big Ten team that we still are.
30:39
SPEAKER_01: Even though we came in our first year and we ran rough shot over the conference, um, we're still the new guy on the block here.
30:46
SPEAKER_01: And not all of these teams have gotten to come to Audsen.
30:49
SPEAKER_01: The last time Michigan came to Audsen, we had a guy uh that uh nobody thought, nobody gave, was it Jason Fife a chance to beat Michigan?
30:59
SPEAKER_01: And we beat Michigan, and Lloyd Carr called it the loudest stadium he's ever been in.
31:04
SPEAKER_01: The rest is history.
31:05
SPEAKER_01: I'm I've got my eye on that Michigan game, Drew.
31:08
SPEAKER_00: I still remember because Jason Fife got himself on the cover of Sports Illustrated where he's dancing into the into the end zone, and that was the beginning, middle, and end of his story.
31:18
SPEAKER_00: Yep.
31:18
SPEAKER_00: Uh, because Fife was no more after I'm not sure he kept the starting job through the season.
31:24
SPEAKER_00: At some point Clymans took it over, and it was never to be seen again.
31:28
SPEAKER_00: Yep.
31:28
SPEAKER_00: Uh but I won't take it away from him.
31:30
SPEAKER_00: That's still one of the greatest days of my life.
31:33
SPEAKER_00: And I'm that's not an exaggeration.
31:35
SPEAKER_00: I remember um, and I'll just be honest, we were we had left the game, and we were in a car, and we were driving to this place called the O-Bar, and as we're driving there, there's like we're still in the parking lot, so take it with a grain of salt, but there's someone's drinking a 40 in the back seat.
31:54
SPEAKER_00: Uh and I think it's old English, it might be a Mickey's or something.
31:57
SPEAKER_00: It's a big old malt liquor, and the radio's on, and the radio call, we have this onside kick, which is questionable, and thank god there wasn't the instant replay there is now, but we get this onside kick, and the beer just starts swirling around.
32:14
SPEAKER_00: Like when you see soccer highlights of bars when World Cup goals happen, right?
32:19
SPEAKER_00: That's what happened in the car.
32:21
SPEAKER_00: I don't even remember whose car it was, but I remember swearing, not me, but the driver, completely upset.
32:27
SPEAKER_00: But it's that type of thing.
32:28
SPEAKER_00: And you know, I had that one too, but to piggyback another one that I think is important because Michigan is hard to step to at Odson.
32:37
SPEAKER_00: I want to know what USC is worth.
32:40
SPEAKER_00: I want to know, are they still a force to be reckoned with, or are we just using, are we just shining an old name?
32:48
SPEAKER_00: You know, because it's been a long time since they were a true powerhouse.
32:52
SPEAKER_01: Yep.
32:52
SPEAKER_01: And and they get talked about like they're a true powerhouse.
32:55
SPEAKER_01: And you know, maybe they are a historic blue blood.
32:58
SPEAKER_01: That's fine.
32:58
SPEAKER_01: Those Matt Leint, Reggie Bush teams were something amazing, but that's been 20 years ago at this point in time.
33:05
SPEAKER_01: And um, you know, you just hear so much about Lincoln Riley, Lincoln Riley, Lincoln Riley.
33:11
SPEAKER_01: Well, listen, if somebody could teach the guy how to play defense, he'd probably do a lot better with his uh historic blue blood.
33:18
SPEAKER_01: That's been uh the Achilles heel and pun intended of the USC Trojans here.
33:24
SPEAKER_01: And you that's if you look back to, you know, over the last five, six years, it's always a high-scoring game, and we're always about 10 to 15 points out in front of them when it matters.
33:36
SPEAKER_01: So I don't know.
33:37
SPEAKER_01: I'm I'm with you there.
33:38
SPEAKER_01: I feel like uh they get a lot of fluff for not having turned in very much hardware lately, Drew.
33:44
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I think you're right.
33:45
SPEAKER_00: Um, but the only thing that's got me a little bit of a pause is when I go to that stadium, they go out of their way to take the opposing fans out of the game.
33:55
SPEAKER_00: They, it's a it's a strange environment there.
33:58
SPEAKER_00: The away fans can't even see the scoreboard.
34:01
SPEAKER_00: I remember at one point I was screaming and yelling, you know, like being like, we got a huge third down, and everyone's like, dude, it's fourth down, we're punting.
34:09
SPEAKER_00: And I had no clue.
34:10
SPEAKER_00: And I'm paying attention to the game.
34:12
SPEAKER_00: Uh so I think there's a lot of extra factors there.
34:15
SPEAKER_00: Also, USC tends to play Oregon like it's a bowl game.
34:19
SPEAKER_00: They they want it so bad, they want to take back that West Coast power that we stripped from them.
34:26
SPEAKER_00: Um, but USC is what I got circled.
34:29
SPEAKER_00: You've got um Michigan circled, and I think we can both say that Washington will gain momentum and will make that a meaningful situation where maybe they can sneak into the playoff if they knock off Oregon at the end because they are ranked as well, coming in right now at 21 with no games yet.
34:46
SPEAKER_00: So they could be a top 10 team when it's all said and done.
34:50
SPEAKER_00: But for now, uh, I think the I think Oregon has a good chance of making the playoff, but I really just want to get to September 5th in Boise State.
34:58
SPEAKER_01: Me too, man.
34:58
SPEAKER_01: Me too.
34:59
SPEAKER_01: Can't wait to get you out there at the tailgate.
35:01
SPEAKER_01: Of course, we'll be flying the Step Brothers poster.
35:04
SPEAKER_01: Uh, that's how you can find us out there.
35:05
SPEAKER_01: If anybody's walking through, uh, you can come over and say hi to me.
35:09
SPEAKER_01: I'm I won't always have a bowl of chili for you, but I'll have a smile and a handshake and we can share a go ducks.
35:15
SPEAKER_01: But you know you guys are always welcome.
35:16
SPEAKER_01: So can't wait to get out there and uh and uh hit the bricks with you, man.
35:20
SPEAKER_01: It's gonna be fun.
35:21
SPEAKER_00: It is gonna be great, and that is it.
35:23
SPEAKER_00: That's the first episode of the Pacific Northwest Podcast, PW Podcast, or Pacific Northwest Podcast.com.
35:31
SPEAKER_00: Of course, it's brand new though, so I haven't even completely built those sites.
35:35
SPEAKER_00: Uh they are on the way.
35:36
SPEAKER_00: And also follow us on social media for clips, updates, and we'll be doing happy hours, all kinds of stuff, and showcasing great places to eat, to golf, to hike, all of the things.
35:48
SPEAKER_00: So make sure you're staying with us.
35:49
SPEAKER_00: We're gonna try and do Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday.
35:52
SPEAKER_00: And of course, I am inside Stafford Hills Club, the premier place to work out and to hang with friends.
35:59
SPEAKER_00: It's a community down here.
36:00
SPEAKER_00: Saltwater pool, great workout facilities, amazing classes, and now high rocks as well.
36:06
SPEAKER_00: In Studio X, check it all out at Staffordhills.com.
36:10
SPEAKER_00: Tell them Drew sent you for half off your initiation.
36:13
SPEAKER_00: It's the Pacific Northwest Podcast.