Second Thoughts

Blazer gets sentimental using email

Portland Trail Blazers forward LaMarcus Aldridge (left), who announced Saturday that he was signing with San Antonio, thanked Portland fans in an email sent to The Oregonian columnist John Canzano.
Portland Trail Blazers forward LaMarcus Aldridge (left), who announced Saturday that he was signing with San Antonio, thanked Portland fans in an email sent to The Oregonian columnist John Canzano.

LaMarcus Aldridge took time to thank the fans of the Portland Trail Blazers after he announced Saturday that he was going to sign with the San Antonio Spurs.

The power forward sent an e-mail to John Canzano, a columnist for The Oregonian in Portland, and Canzano posted it on The Oregonian's website, oregonlive.com:

"Dear Rip City, Thank you!" Aldridge wrote.

"Those two words on a page don't begin to express the gratitude I have for the opportunity the entire Trail Blazers organization, my teammates, the media, and you fans gave me. The past nine years have been a blessing, and I will take all of the valuable memories with me as I head back home.

"As I'm sure you can respect, my decision was a very personal one but not one I took lightly. Although I will be wearing a different uniform the next time I come back to Portland, please know that I will always hold my time in a Blazers uniform near and dear to my heart.

"Your friend, LA"

Aldridge is expected to sign for four years and $80 million with the Spurs, who have won five NBA championships. The former University of Texas star has made it out of the first round of the NBA playoffs once during his nine-year career the Trail Blazers.

Moving forward

The Oregonian columnist John Canzano weighed in on the departure of power forward LaMarcus Aldridge from the Portland Trail Blazers to the San Antonio Spurs and said he believes Portland is about to be in rebuilding mode.

"The Blazers spinning narrative now becomes -- We want players who want to be in Portland," Canzano wrote. "In its current state this is a team that is going to struggle to win games next season, and one that will ultimately scapegoat coach Terry Stotts when it misses the playoffs."

He said it

Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel wishes the name of NASCAR's annual Fourth of July race was still called the Firecracker 400 instead of what it's called now, the Coke Zero 400.

"As I've written many times, the Firecracker 400 was the most perfectly named event in sports," Bianchi wrote. "It evoked memories of the Fourth of July in Florida, of hot days and cold watermelon and Dad churning the homemade ice cream and Mom in a red-and-white checkered dress baking apple pie. And the real beauty of the name was that it had a double meaning because drivers such as Pearson and Petty and Yarborough and Earnhardt truly were firecrackers who scraped and rubbed and turned their cars into a full-scale fireworks display.

"Now the Firecracker is named after a diet soft drink and isn't even run on the Fourth of July anymore.

"Once again, let's cue the patriotic music.

" 'My Country 'Tis of Thee, sell your soul to network TV.' "

SPORTS QUIZ

Who is the Portland Trail Blazers' career leader in rebounds?

ANSWER

LaMarcus Aldridge (5,434).

Sports on 07/06/2015

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