I would way rather win as a player, although I can see the glory and success from a business perspective.

As co-captain and skater of the Guns n’ Rollers, one of Portland’s four league teams in our roller derby league, the Rose City Rollers, I am hoping we win a championship of our own in 2009.

I was reading the Willamette Week article about you, and we would love it if there was time in your schedule to come to a roller derby bout. We would love to put you and your wife on our VIP guest list. I am working on our community outreach this season as part of our ongoing move to include more of Portland in our sport.

While we don’t have the capacity or fan base to fill the Rose Garden (yet), we do have a good fan base of 2,000-3,500, full lights and sound and, of course, athletic and entertaining jams, blocks, passes, points and penalties. I don’t want to fill your blog with promotional lingo for RCR, so if you are at all interested, please email me for our schedule.

I am glad you love Portland so much.

Sincerely,

Kate Kaufman aka Viva Vendetta

Just read your article in the Weekly and want to say that as a Blazer fan, bball addict, but most importantly a fellow human being, it is beyond refreshing to get a general outline of your perspectives on basketball and life in general.

I can’t tell you how cool it is that current players (such as yourself) are willing to be yourselves in and out of the public eye. Jock stereotypes run amazingly deep in this culture, and in that light i take pride in seeing someone in my own state give a much needed counterbalance perspective, especially from a consummate professional. Thank you!

It is my experience as well that coaches often don’t know what to make of players who think for themselves (a.k.a. “outside the box”). As i believe we both know, that can lead to rough edges from both sides being exposed in situations that could be otherwise avoided. Again it helps me find peace to know that other athletes have encountered similar situations and dealt with them in a positive way. There is hope for the future! haha.

Anyway what really struck me about your article was the positive attitude with which you are regarding your situation. You’re stuck behind talent, while trying to perform at your highest level, and in that same situation your job is on the line.
Talk about a catch 22! This all said, you and the organization continue to act respectfully and responsibly toward each other. This is not a common example in this day and age. Again, thank you.

Please note that this is ALL based on my personal experience and opinions, and i don’t mean to pry at any issues or personal matters. However if any of what i’m saying rings true for you, i would love to start some kind of dialog so as to understand you perspectives with greater detail.

Hope the season brings good tidings, and that i hear back from you soon! Take care and be easy,

-V

MERRY CHRISTMAS from me and my friend se-un,
both fans of yours

and definitely voted player.

Merry Christmas. Just read the article in WW. My wife and I couldn’t help but laugh at all the similarities we, as native Portlanders share with you (my wife even grew up near the Buffalo Gap).

I wanted to take a second to invite you and your fiancee to our restaurant for a meal on us (I’m not about to try and plug our place on your site, so I didn’t write what our blog/website is, but you’ll be able to figure it out if you do a ’search’ using the email add. I submitted). We are also in our mid twenties, and self proclaimed foodies, and we opened up our little cafe just over a year ago. Would love to have y’all in for a meal on us, in celebration of your engagement (just got married ourselves this past summer). Then, upon realizing that we are not in fact psychotic fans, we would love to suggest some of our favorite Portland restaurants for you guys to try. I mentioned all this to my wife and she just rolled her eyes at me.

Regardless, we really enjoy your blog, and are proud to have a good person like yourself representing Portland.

Oh, and glad to read that you liked Leonardo’s. We were worried that specific location might be cursed given the struggles of the previous tenants. Being in the business ourselves, we hate to see anyone fail.

Peace.

IMHO, it’s the players who put in the blood, sweat and tears on the court, endure the injuries and rehab etc., and contribute to the entire team effort of achieving what must be a most difficult goal – winning the NBA Finals.

Cuz,

Have you made arrangements for the Dog-Sled to the Rose Garden for the game Christmas Night? Or will you take the Snow-Mobile?