Good Morning Rose City!
Not impressed with the #Portland #Blazers #NBA draft wisdom. Seems like we don't have a GM. Oh yea, We Don't :( We ....
We could have drafted the NBA's best rebounder the league has seen in decades in "KENNETH FARIED" this guy is relentless! He is a fearsome warrior a 'Big' at 6' 8" who averaged over 17 points a game. He was the toughest guy in the whole draft by a mile this year! So who was our tough-guy pick with the 21st overall selection? Another scrawny 185 pound 6' 2 1/2" guard not projected to be selected till somewhere in the middle of the 2nd round.
I haven't even mentioned the fact that the Blazers dumped the "Heart and Soul" of the team in ANDRE MILLER :( Dre was many people's favorite Blazer. Oh and the team told RUDY FERNANDEZ to hit the road and dumped the Rights to PETERIE KOPPONEN. For Who??????
Oh and guess who got the player the Blazers should have drafted? and yes it was the very next pick the 22nd overall selection. The Denver Nuggets bagged the consensus choice of the Portland Fans in "Kenneth Faried." He would have helped the Blazers reach the next level and bring a toughness that would have solidified the team as the NBA's "Never Say Die" team for years and years. ..... oh, what could have been.
GOroseCity
GO TIMBERS !!!
by MLSsoccer.com [Article] "Spencer: TIMBERS "Proved we're a bit of a Lion" #portland #rctid #mls
SEATTLE – Portland head coach John Spencer was energized by Saturday night’s 1-1 draw with Seattle Sounders FC in front of a record soccer crowd of 36,593 at Qwest Field. WATCH: FULL MATCH HIGHLIGHTS Not only did the Timbers answer the criticism that they are soft on the road, the team demonstrated that it is a fully capable combatant in MLS’ fiercest rivalry. And more than that, Spencer took a moment to appreciate what is happening in the Pacific Northwest corner of the country. “The atmosphere in the Pacific Northwest is electrifying,” Spencer said. “The Northwest is going to drag Major League Soccer right to the forefront of possibly being one of the best places in the world to play, right up there with the best leagues. This is going to be a major injection of adrenaline for Major League Soccer.” WATCH: Spencer speaks after the match Of course, earning a result on the road – their second point in five tries on the road – at Seattle lifted Spencer’s mood. The coach had read preview material that called the Timbers “lambs” when they play away from home. But without the security blanket of JELD-WEN Field, Portland went down a goal against Seattle and then fought back for an equalizer. “We showed a lot of character,” Spencer said. “We go down a goal and I bet there’s a lot of people sitting at home thinking, ‘Here we go. Portland’s going to lose [by] three or four.’” WATCH: Danso nods in Portland's equalizer Spencer said watching the first 12 minutes of the game calmed any jitters. He felt the Timbers – donning their Rose City FC kits for the first time – were in control of the action. “We’re building something special here,” Spencer said. “We’ve got a good team in the making. We need to keep our feet on the ground and we need to come in every day and never take it off mentally or physically.” Granted, Portland still don’t have a road victory yet – the Timbers are 0-3-2 away from home – but Spencer said the draw in Seattle will change perceptions. “Tonight, I think we proved we’re a bit of a lion,” he said.Spencer: Timbers "proved we're a bit of a lion"

#Portland #Timbers 4-0 at home in the #mls! Next game in #Seattle May 14th vs our Rivals the #Sounders. #rctid. Important Western Conf. game
Home crowd inspires Timbers to yet another win

PORTLAND, Ore. – John Spencer was so fired up after the Timbers beat the Philadelphia Union 1-0 on Friday night that he grabbed a flag and waved it in front of a celebrating Timbers Army.
WATCH: FULL MATCH HIGHLIGHTS
Over the past month, the Timbers coach has lauded the atmosphere at JELD-WEN Field but has stopped short of crediting the crowd with the team’s improved play.
But in the wake of the Timbers hard-fought victory, while the head coach upheld that “the players win the game,” he made it clear how much the hometown support means to him.
“I don’t want to give the wrong impression when I say the fans don’t win games,” Spencer said after the match. “Before pre-game, I sit in the office while the staff are [handling] warm-ups, and I hear the chanting. For me … Timbers Army is inspirational. They inspire me to become a better coach; they inspire the players to put on better performances.”
Portland truly are inspired at JELD-WEN Field. The win over Philadelphia moved the Timbers to a perfect to 4-0 at home, where they have now captured 12 of their 13 points this season.
The Timbers scored the game winner in the 71st minute off Mamadou “Futty” Danso’s header from an always dangerous Jack Jewsbury set piece.
“In previous games I’ve been close [to scoring],” Danso said. “The last two weeks, the coaches have been working with me, and I’ve just been trying to put the ball on target.”
“We’re getting such great service from Jack Jewsbury. I said to Futty and Eric [Brunner] at halftime, ‘You’re going to get another chance, you’ve got to hit the target with it, just make the goalkeeper make a save,’” Spencer said. “Luckily enough, we get one and Futty puts it in the back of the net. I thought it was a tremendous header.”
Danso, who was a part of Portland’s second-division Timbers last year, knows how Timbers Army operates and how much it has raised its volume for MLS.
“It’s a different class [this year compared to last],” he said. “They lift everybody up and they’ve been great for us at home. We’ve just got to go away and just feel like they’re behind us and do the job away from home.”
For the fiery Spencer, the relationship with the Portland fan base is evolving and his feelings are growing deeper.
“I couldn’t see myself coaching any other club in the world than the Portland Timbers,” Spencer said. “I love being here. The atmosphere is just – sometimes it makes you tear up seeing that much support for us.”




