farewell Rasheed

I wrote this to the Oregonian and hope to get it published.

Please pass this on. You will be missed. Mr. Personality. You're suave,
debonair, fun, exciting, and thunderous. You send chills, cause frenzy,
worry, fright, pain, and anguish. Mr. Animation. You show passion, anger,
dejection, and determination. Mr. Headline. You raise the roof, slam the
door, and curl eyebrows. You truly are one-of-a-kind. Never before has the
NBA seen such a plethoric personality.

Whether people realize it or not, you are the heart and soul that has kept
the beat alive in Portland. Whether that be fans anticipation of what's to
come next, or what the writers will have to say. You were the man. You are
the man.

Like him or hate him, our impression has been shaped. Shaped by eye witness
accounts displayed on the court, shaped by the media, shaped within our own
minds.

Through it all, one thing cannot be denied. You are a great player. You
will be missed by plenty and don't ever let anyone tell you otherwise. Your
time in Portland is most definitely appreciated. Through the bad times, you
endured. You are a character, you have friends, you're a family man, and
you're admired by your teammates and will be in Atlanta as well.

You are unique. Your road has been difficult in Portland and your services
have not been properly thanked. Understand that there are countless fans
that would have liked nothing less than to see your career end in Portland.
Believe me when I tell you there are thousands in Portland who read through
the tarnish. We know Rasheed Wallace is a great player and we know you made
Portland a better team.

Your splendor, grace, sweet touch, and overall contribution to this team
were monumental. It's only too bad your run in Portland could not have
ended on a better note. It's unfortunate you never got a ring in Portland.
Many fans do recognize you as one of the greatest Blazers to ever wear our
uniform. It's hard to believe nearly a decade in Portland has come to an
end. During that time, seldom was proper credit sent your way as the MVP
who carried this team. You were the center of this franchise. Without you,
there's no doubt the playoff streak would have tumbled long ago. With you,
Portland was always competitive.

You're one of the few players in the NBA who has the ability to effectively
play 3 positions effectively. Your willingness to play multiple positions
is a tribute to your interest in helping the team. A true team player.

People may point to technical fouls and shenanigans as a blemish, but fans
saw your maturity. Countless times we saw you turn the other cheek. We saw
the technical fouls decrease. You knew your importance to the team and it
was reflected. Fans know your persona is not defined by emotion displayed
on the court. We know that emotion comes from the heart of a true warrior;
the type of guy who is willing to sacrifice himself at whatever cost to help
the team. Your emotions are a reflection of a hunger to win, period.

I understand. I only wish the true story of Rasheed could have been told
earlier. Maybe you would still be with us today. The powers that be have
spoken and the fate of the Blazers is in their hands. Maybe Portland will
keep their playoff streak alive, and maybe one day we'll win a championship
again. It is too bad you won't be here for that. Regardless of what the
future holds for Portland, you need to understand Rasheed Wallace, that you
will be missed. You're one of a kind. Unique. You are passion. Heart.
Your time here has been appreciated by many and I for one am sorry to see
you go.

The end of an era has arrived.

I will conclude this farewell, albeit sullenly. No tears will be shed, but
your memories are forever implanted in Portland. We had some great times
and speaking on the behalf of your thousands of fans, I would like to extend
a rather large THANK YOU RASHEED WALLACE. Thank you for what you brought to
our franchise and thank you for being you.

If a person such as myself has any business lending advice, I would like to
say continue being yourself because that's what makes you great.

I hope the future brings good luck ... and a championship. Take care big
man.

Happy trails
©MJ2004

Well said, and well written.

Laurel



"toad" <papatoad.TakeThisOut@mrstoad.com> wrote in message
news:hGHWb.9394$1S1.571@nwrddc01.gnilink.net...
> I wrote this to the Oregonian and hope to get it published.
>
> Please pass this on. You will be missed. Mr. Personality. You're suave,
> debonair, fun, exciting, and thunderous. You send chills, cause frenzy,
> worry, fright, pain, and anguish. Mr. Animation. You show passion,
anger,
> dejection, and determination. Mr. Headline. You raise the roof, slam the
> door, and curl eyebrows. You truly are one-of-a-kind. Never before has
the
> NBA seen such a plethoric personality.
>
> Whether people realize it or not, you are the heart and soul that has kept
> the beat alive in Portland. Whether that be fans anticipation of what's
to
> come next, or what the writers will have to say. You were the man. You
are
> the man.
>
> Like him or hate him, our impression has been shaped. Shaped by eye
witness
> accounts displayed on the court, shaped by the media, shaped within our
own
> minds.
>
> Through it all, one thing cannot be denied. You are a great player. You
> will be missed by plenty and don't ever let anyone tell you otherwise.
Your
> time in Portland is most definitely appreciated. Through the bad times,
you
> endured. You are a character, you have friends, you're a family man, and
> you're admired by your teammates and will be in Atlanta as well.
>
> You are unique. Your road has been difficult in Portland and your
services
> have not been properly thanked. Understand that there are countless fans
> that would have liked nothing less than to see your career end in
Portland.
> Believe me when I tell you there are thousands in Portland who read
through
> the tarnish. We know Rasheed Wallace is a great player and we know you
made
> Portland a better team.
>
> Your splendor, grace, sweet touch, and overall contribution to this team
> were monumental. It's only too bad your run in Portland could not have
> ended on a better note. It's unfortunate you never got a ring in
Portland.
> Many fans do recognize you as one of the greatest Blazers to ever wear our
> uniform. It's hard to believe nearly a decade in Portland has come to an
> end. During that time, seldom was proper credit sent your way as the MVP
> who carried this team. You were the center of this franchise. Without
you,
> there's no doubt the playoff streak would have tumbled long ago. With
you,
> Portland was always competitive.
>
> You're one of the few players in the NBA who has the ability to
effectively
> play 3 positions effectively. Your willingness to play multiple positions
> is a tribute to your interest in helping the team. A true team player.
>
> People may point to technical fouls and shenanigans as a blemish, but fans
> saw your maturity. Countless times we saw you turn the other cheek. We
saw
> the technical fouls decrease. You knew your importance to the team and it
> was reflected. Fans know your persona is not defined by emotion displayed
> on the court. We know that emotion comes from the heart of a true
warrior;
> the type of guy who is willing to sacrifice himself at whatever cost to
help
> the team. Your emotions are a reflection of a hunger to win, period.
>
> I understand. I only wish the true story of Rasheed could have been told
> earlier. Maybe you would still be with us today. The powers that be have
> spoken and the fate of the Blazers is in their hands. Maybe Portland will
> keep their playoff streak alive, and maybe one day we'll win a
championship
> again. It is too bad you won't be here for that. Regardless of what the
> future holds for Portland, you need to understand Rasheed Wallace, that
you
> will be missed. You're one of a kind. Unique. You are passion. Heart.
> Your time here has been appreciated by many and I for one am sorry to see
> you go.
>
> The end of an era has arrived.
>
> I will conclude this farewell, albeit sullenly. No tears will be shed,
but
> your memories are forever implanted in Portland. We had some great times
> and speaking on the behalf of your thousands of fans, I would like to
extend
> a rather large THANK YOU RASHEED WALLACE. Thank you for what you brought
to
> our franchise and thank you for being you.
>
> If a person such as myself has any business lending advice, I would like
to
> say continue being yourself because that's what makes you great.
>
> I hope the future brings good luck ... and a championship. Take care big
> man.
>
> Happy trails
> ©MJ2004
>
>