tlongII
10-30-2014, 02:50 PM
http://www.oregonlive.com/blazers/index.ssf/2014/10/blazers_season_opener_the_night_the_blazers_seemin .html#incart_big-photo
http://imgick.oregonlive.com/home/olive-media/width620/img/blazers_impact/photo/16214508-mmmain.jpg
Trail Blazers star LaMarcus Aldridge couldn't help but chuckle when he didn't hear his name during the pregame introductions. "I'm just going to go out here on my own and freestyle this thing,'' Aldridge remembers thinking.
It was opening night 2014-2015, the season when the Trail Blazers hope to do everything right to keep star LaMarcus Aldridge happy, lest he spurn the franchise and test free agency this summer.
But right there, in front of a packed house brimming with anticipation and readying to shower Aldridge with appreciation, the Blazers seemingly forgot about their franchise cornerstone on Wednesday.
"It was weird,'' Aldridge said.
During the player introductions, complete with the video banners and red glow sticks, public address announcer Mark Mason went through the starting lineup: Damian Lillard. Wesley Matthews. Robin Lopez. And Nic Batum.
Then silence.
And panic.
"The microphone died on me,'' Mason said later.
Aldridge, whose history in Portland includes playing in the shadow of Brandon Roy and Greg Oden and being overlooked for the All-Star Game in favor of Kevin Love, figured it was just another in a long line of slights.
"I just thought he didn't want to say my name,'' Aldridge said.
Entering his 19th season behind the microphone at Blazers games, Mason was confronted with a first.
"There's nothing worse talking and not hearing anything come out,'' Mason said. "It was like leaving the station without the train ... the L-Train as it turned out.''
In the silence, Aldridge said he started to feel awkward, so he did what he has done his first eight seasons ... run into the huddle of his teammates.
"I'm just going to go out here on my own and just freestyle this thing right now,'' Aldridge remembered thinking. "And my teammates rolled with me. So just got through it.''
At the scorer's table, Mason was shuffling, trying to find a backup microphone kept on the scorer's table for such incidents.
"I didn't know how long it was, then out of the corner of my eye I saw him running onto the court,'' Mason said.
It was about the time Aldridge reached the rest of his teammates that Mason located the other mic and hurried out his familiar "The L-Train, La-Mar-Cus Allllllllllllllldridge!" introduction.
"Freaky,'' Mason said. "It fizzed on me in pregame, then I thought it was fine. Perfect timing.''
Mason felt so bad, he went into the Blazers locker room after the game and explained the snafu to Aldridge. The two shared a couple hearty laughs.
"I thought you were sending me a message or a sign or something,'' Aldridge chided Mason.
Nah. Just another way Portland keeps it weird.
http://imgick.oregonlive.com/home/olive-media/width620/img/blazers_impact/photo/16214508-mmmain.jpg
Trail Blazers star LaMarcus Aldridge couldn't help but chuckle when he didn't hear his name during the pregame introductions. "I'm just going to go out here on my own and freestyle this thing,'' Aldridge remembers thinking.
It was opening night 2014-2015, the season when the Trail Blazers hope to do everything right to keep star LaMarcus Aldridge happy, lest he spurn the franchise and test free agency this summer.
But right there, in front of a packed house brimming with anticipation and readying to shower Aldridge with appreciation, the Blazers seemingly forgot about their franchise cornerstone on Wednesday.
"It was weird,'' Aldridge said.
During the player introductions, complete with the video banners and red glow sticks, public address announcer Mark Mason went through the starting lineup: Damian Lillard. Wesley Matthews. Robin Lopez. And Nic Batum.
Then silence.
And panic.
"The microphone died on me,'' Mason said later.
Aldridge, whose history in Portland includes playing in the shadow of Brandon Roy and Greg Oden and being overlooked for the All-Star Game in favor of Kevin Love, figured it was just another in a long line of slights.
"I just thought he didn't want to say my name,'' Aldridge said.
Entering his 19th season behind the microphone at Blazers games, Mason was confronted with a first.
"There's nothing worse talking and not hearing anything come out,'' Mason said. "It was like leaving the station without the train ... the L-Train as it turned out.''
In the silence, Aldridge said he started to feel awkward, so he did what he has done his first eight seasons ... run into the huddle of his teammates.
"I'm just going to go out here on my own and just freestyle this thing right now,'' Aldridge remembered thinking. "And my teammates rolled with me. So just got through it.''
At the scorer's table, Mason was shuffling, trying to find a backup microphone kept on the scorer's table for such incidents.
"I didn't know how long it was, then out of the corner of my eye I saw him running onto the court,'' Mason said.
It was about the time Aldridge reached the rest of his teammates that Mason located the other mic and hurried out his familiar "The L-Train, La-Mar-Cus Allllllllllllllldridge!" introduction.
"Freaky,'' Mason said. "It fizzed on me in pregame, then I thought it was fine. Perfect timing.''
Mason felt so bad, he went into the Blazers locker room after the game and explained the snafu to Aldridge. The two shared a couple hearty laughs.
"I thought you were sending me a message or a sign or something,'' Aldridge chided Mason.
Nah. Just another way Portland keeps it weird.