Hey there lovely people! There's another MLS2PDX task force meeting on Tuesday the 6th, but there's enough Player news, MLS Expansion news and sundry items about the Timbers blogosphere for another roundup before the meeting.

So watch out Chris Berman, I'm going to run roughshod over your career of nonsensical gesticulations and catch phrases, after the jump:

Live from the Rose Garden as the Portland Trail Blazers take on the pesky insects from the Crescent City, the New Orleans Hornets.

As it was earlier this week, the big news is the bum leg tendon of Brandon Roy, who is "doubtful" for tonight's contest—damn you hamstring—but then again, that didn't really seem to matter on Tuesday when the Blazers rolled all over the world champs from Boston without Roy. God, that was fun. Can we do it again? Please?

Live from the Rose Garden as the Portland Trail Blazers meet the Boston Celtics in a preview of the 2010 NBA Finals moderately competitive basketball game. The last time these two teams met Kevin Garnett got on all-fours and barked like a puppy, Glen "Big Baby" Davis lived up to his name and cried like an infant, and the Blazers got whupped by the current NBA champs.

Will tonight be any different?

Hell no.

Brandon Roy is sitting out the game with a bad hamstring. So prepare yourself for lots of Rudy Fernandez, rookie Jerryd Bayless getting solid minutes, and a rare Shavlik Randolph sighting.

Oh dear god.

In anticipation of tomorrow's Blazers versus Celtics throwdown at the Rose Garden, here is a very surreal video from the pre-game introductions of Saturday's game against Toronto.

For some reason there was a large Sasquatch mascot (not this guy) on the court longing for a high-five from the Blazers as they came out of the locker room. Not surprisingly this frightening creature was ignored by the entire Blazers roster, except Joel Przybilla. Perhaps it was fellow ape-like bounding between the "Vanilla Gorilla" and the Sasquatch, or maybe Przybilla just felt bad for the guy.

Whatever it was, just watching this video has made me very happy.

Update: The Sasquatch has a Facebook page!

Live from the Rose Garden as the Portland Trail Blazers take on the Toronto Raptors. It seems like it was only a few weeks ago that Portland—thanks to the last second heroics of Steve Blake—beat the Raptors in their carnivorous lair (actually it's called the Air Canada Centre, which I believe they totally spelled wrong). Toronto is a frustrating team to decipher, since they are stacked, top-to-bottom, with skilled players at almost every position (and on the bench), yet are currently slumming it at the bottom of the Eastern Conference.

So what is to blame for the Raptors inability to win games? The poor Canadian work ethic? Round bacon? Degrassi Junior High? Who knows, but the Raptors' lone Portland appearance this year is one of those games that the Blazers need to win if they want to maintain any hope of playing in the playoffs.

Live from the Rose Garden as the Portland Trail Blazers take on the Dallas Mavericks. Oh, Merry Christmas and all that shit.

This time last year the Blazers celebrated Jesus' birthday by knocking off the Seattle Super Sonics—a team that does not even exist anymore (wow, my mind is blown)—and they are looking to do the same against Dallas tonight. The only thing standing in their way is a tall German man named Dirk Nowitzki. After the jump, USA vs. Germany. Good vs. Evil. Santa vs. the Germanic god Odin.

Live from the Rose Garden as the Portland Trail Blazers take on the Denver Nuggets. Despite our gloomy weather this game will not be played on ice, as previously suggested, but instead the NBA will implement a hardwood surface that is more forgiving to non-bladed footwear and less likely to crack your skull. Whatever.

On the heels of last week's Task Force meeting and a live blog where/when I tried my hand at actually being a reporter, got winked at by an important man in a nice suit, got called a homer and garnered the Mercury its first attention in the national soccer (blog) media (scroll down, it's there. I'm kind of a big deal), I thought an update about what's going on in the world of the Mighty Portland Timbers Football Club is in order.

Some would say not much has happened, since the city is paralyzed under a light sprinkling of this white stuff, but I am undaunted. Much news and happenings! What is this stuff anyway? it's not beer foam, it's not cocaine... I'm so confused.

Ruminations about the Oregonian Editorial board, arguments you can borrow to use on your nearby NIMBYs, news about Portland's competition for MLS expansion, the quietly growing proxy war between Nike and adidas, and news about the 2009 PTFC lineup, after the jump.

If you were at the Rose Garden last night, you witnessed something so amazing, so incredible, so shocking, that you absolutely cannot stop talking about what you saw.

No, I'm not talking about Brandon Roy's 52 points.

I am talking about the ridiculous shirtless dancing of a Blazers fan singled-out on the big screen. His shirtless gyrations spread so quickly that within a matter of minutes every fan in the vicinity was removing their shirt and joining him. I sort of assume this was what Woodstock was like.

Watch it here.

Link courtesy of True Hoop.

Live from the Rose Garden as the Portland Trail Blazers meet the Phoenix Suns. The Suns have won 11 consecutive against the red and black, a streak dating all the way back to the birth of baby Brandon Roy (fact!), who coincidentally was born in a manger (double fact!). Roy will need to be pretty Christ-like on the court tonight if Portland plans on waltzing away with the victory.

Back when the Blazers were the bane of the Portland sports world—like the Lumberjax, but in a more recognizable sport—they could always find a way to muster a win against the Western Conference elite at the Rose Garden. Not always, but when Kobe strutted into town, you knew the Blazers were going to at least give the Lakers a good game and keep it close.

But not Phoenix.

Oh no, the Suns have dominated the Blazers for quite some time now—five straight wins in Portland, two more already this year in Arizona—and, in fact, the last time the Blazers came out with the "W" was way way back on March 12th, 2006, when even Viktor "The Wolverine" Khryapa had a solid game for the team (11 points, 6 boards, a couple blocks). Hell, even their mascot is better.

But tonight is as good as chance as any for Portland to shake loose the death grip of Phoenix, considering that the Blazers are still brutal on their home court (granted, getting punked by the Clippers didn't really help things), and actually play more than 5-6 players on any given night. (The Suns should just eliminate their bench entirely, play five guys all the time, and then get more leg room on the charter plane). Of course, for this to happen Greg Oden will have to cease playing like a weak little Make-a-Wish kid visiting the court, especially when it comes to posting up against the mass of muscles (and poor tattoos) that is Amar'e Stoudemire and Big Daddy Shaq Diesel.

Tonight, 7:30pm (on TNT, and live-blogged on this here site) at the Rose Garden. Do it for Viktor Khryapa.

Live from the temperature controlled Rose Garden as the Portland Trail Blazers take on the Sacramento Kings. The Blazers have lost three in a row, so time for all of us to hop off the bandwagon and torch those "I Heart Rudy" shirts we just bought at Joe's. It was fun while it lasted.

But there is a silver lining to Portland's recent woes—Steve Blake, I blame you for everything—and that is playing at home against a lowly Sacramento team. The Kings recently fired head coach Reggie Theus, and replaced him with New York limo driver Eddie, the team's biggest fan. Will she take this the bunch of overpaid prima donnas and save the franchise? Oh sorry, that was the plot of Eddie. I often get that movie and reality confused. The Kings hired some guy named Kenny Natt, who is less interesting than a Whoopi Goldberg movie.

The "BOOOO's" are raining down on Zach Randolph, the new Los Angeles Clipper and former Trail Blazer, during introductions here at the Rose Garden. Ouch. Not even a split decision—just pure vitriol. A quick note on Zach: Whatever you think about his time in Portland, Zach was a nice guy. When I was a Blazer intern, Z-Bo was much more outgoing, open and nice, actually wanting to say hello, talk, and slap fives than the other, holier-than-thou, players of the time. Also, the boo's are going to fire Zach up to drop 30 on us. Whether he can, is another question.

We should be thankful this Friday night begins with a lousy opponent, for a change. It's always a rotten way to start the weekend, or any night for that matter, with a loss. Hanging your emotions on a team is always a gamble, but tonight shouldn't be. The Clip Joint are 4-17.

Speaking of gambling, the official Vegas line is Blazers -9.5. Good thing the last two losses haven't dampened the oddsmakers respect of the Blazers.

One other note, or, really, a question: Two consecutive losses and back-to-back 30+ point performances from Brandon Roy. Coincidence? Share your answer in the comments, and of course, follow the jump for the play-by-play.

Today was the first meeting of the MLS2PDX AAA Baseball Stadium/PGE Renovation Task Force (that Amy J. Ruiz introduced originally). She and I live blogged the whole meeting, and Amy posted her thoughts within her mammoth OMG TOO MUCH CITY HALL SOMEONE GIVE ME A SANDWICH post, and I'll be quoting that liveblog.

mark evans: someone just said 'doing my google'

I need to learn that dance to keep up with the cool kids.

Reflections on the significant and insignificant details from the first Task Force meeting, after the jump

Remember when finishing the calendar year with a winning record seemed like a responsible prediction for the Portland Trail Blazers? After all, the team was burdened with the toughest schedule in the NBA (that is true), were too young and inexperienced to hold their own against the NBA elite (true, again), and we all knew it would take some time before Greg Oden came into his own (that is definitely true).

And yet here we are in early December and the Blazers are in first place, have won six games in a row, and posess one of the best records in the game--a stat that is even more impressive when you consider that the team, which is undefeated at the Rose Garden, is tied for the least amount of games played at home (seven, while teams like Boston have nearly twice as many).

But if the Blazers want to claim their place as NBA royalty, tonight would be a good place to start, as Portland visits the legendary parquet floor of the Boston Celtics. Last year's dominating NBA champions, the Celtics are the type of team--very experienced, tough as nails, and full of hate towards wide-eyed, optimistic upstart basketball teams--that wants to destroy Portland. There isn't a long historic rivalry between the two franchises--although their star, Kevin Garnett, doesn't think too fondly of our Vanilla Gorilla, Joel Przybilla--but tonight would be a good night for Portland to make a statement. A big fat statement. Even if they lose, for Portland to keep this game competitive will be a small victory. And if they win... oh man, that just might change everything.

The Blazers face the Celtics tonight at 5pm. It's on ESPN (and KGW), so thankfully you don't have to deal with the horrors of trying to find someone with Comcast's CSN network.

Live from the Rose Garden as the Portland Trail Blazers take on the New Orleans Hornets in a 5-on-5 basketball contest--most points wins!

Portland is attempting to remain unbeaten for the season inside the 503, while New Orleans is trying to make their mark as the best sports franchise to ever wear those hideous teal uniforms. My apologies, San Jose Sharks. Could tonight's game mark Travis Outlaw's final game ever in the Rose Garden? What about Sergio Rodriguez, are his days as Rudy Fernandez's BFF numbered here in Portland? Since my illegal wiretap on Kevin Pritchard's cell was deemed "highly illegal," I have no clue.

Live from the Rose Garden as the Porland Trail Blazers meet the fiery flames of the Miami Heat. It's gonna be hot. Like Backdraft, but hotter. If that is even possible.

The Blazers looked terrible Monday night against Sacramento, but these days when the team looks terrible, they still find a way to win. Miami, meanwhile, is playing way below their expeditions, but as long as they have Dwayne "Crying in a Wheelchair" Wade, they are a threat.

Live from the Rose Garden as the Portland Trail Blazers take on the Sacramento Kings in a 5-on-5, NBA rules, basketball competition. The gentlemen with the most orbs through the cylinder shall win this sporting contest.

That team will most likely be Portland, seeing how they are one of three remaining undefeated teams at home (the other two rank high on the list of places you never want to visit in America--Utah and Cleveland), and last week, when these teams last tangled, the Blazers notched a 21-point win in Sacramento.

Oh, and also some kid named Oden will be starting tonight as well.

Since then, all kinds of MLS and USL news has broken. My, it's been a busy week.

Podcasting the MLS2PDX experience, tons of news about MLS expansion competition, and a submission to the american soccer FAILblog, after the jump.

No one said the Greg Oden era of Portland Trail Blazers basketball was going to be pretty. You can see the above image for proof of that. But, damn, if his home debut last night wasn't a game for the ages. The Blazers obliterated the Chicago Bulls by a dominating score of 116-74, and it wasn't even that close.

In addition to the comical stats you can extract from last night's national televised blowout--their bumbling mascot Blaze the Trail Cat missed more shots than Joel Przybilla, and Blaze used a trampoline--the real news is how quickly this team is coming together, and how Oden--glass bones and all--is improving his game at a freakish rate.

It was about three weeks ago that Oden unceremoniously limped off the court after playing just a handful of minutes, looking brittle and, well, old. But in the five games since his return, Oden has gone from meek to monster, and appears to be absolutely dominating any unlucky defender that gets in his way. Oden also looks clumsy and awkward, but it's difficult to focus on those things when you watch the man dunk a ball so viciously that it leaves the backboard dangerously swaying in his massive wake. Last night it took all of 21 seconds from the time he checked in to the game, to the time he was hanging on the rim following a monster dunk. That is ridiculous.

Of course, it doesn't hurt to have a surrounding cast of Brandon Roy, Rudy Fernandez, and a reinvigorated Przybilla, but as dominating as Oden looks right now, after just a few games, it seems like the best is yet to come.