Angi Says ...

Mar 28

   
This season has not been easy for the Blazers. The guys started the season as one of the teams a lot of people thought would make it to the playoffs and maybe win a series or two. Some even thought the Blazers would callenge to win the Western Conference. After an inconsistent season, many changes to the roster and the head coaching spot the playoffs are in question.  The Blazers are three and a half games out of the playoffs at the time I write this and it will be an uphill battle to even reach the post season.

Ever since the team traded Gerald Wallace away and gained New Jersey's first round draft pick many have been questioning whether the Blazers should even try for the playoffs. They seem to be chomping at the bit to lose out on the playoffs in the hopes that the team will have two picks in the first round of the lottery this year.

First of all: if New Jersey wins one of the top three picks in the lottery then we will not get their pick this summer. Second, and I think this is even more important: You never try to go out and lose games. I am going to repeat that line: You never try to go out and lose games. I cannot stress that enough. I cannot even imagine a real fan of any team suggesting this.

I understand the advantage of having a high draft pick. The higher the draft pick the better player you can get. That is logical. I also understand that just because the Blazers have a high draft pick doesn't mean they are not going to trade it away for something more attractive such as an important piece of the puzzle. We all know that the Blazers are going to attempt to be busy on draft day on deals. This year management will probably busier than on past draft days. There is also no guarantee that New Jersey won't get one of the top three draft picks which will force the Blazers to wait until at least year to get their pick. You can only hope for this or that and then deal with what you have. The one thing you never do in any sport on any level is try to lose or "tank" your games.

I am a freshman playing for my high school's junior varsity softball team. We do not have playoffs to reach for and there is no draft over the summer. There will be tryouts before next season starts but we are not even thinking about that. Our season is just beginning. Unfortunately, because of the recent weather, three of our five games so far have been cancelled and another one has been postponed. All of us are dying to get on the field and play. We plan to win every game. That is our goal. Each and every time we have the priviledge to step out on to the field we are going to fight as hard as we can to win. Play by play, inning by inning and game by game. All of us have made a commitment to each other. Like I said we plan to win every game.

See all of us hope to make varsity next year. Playing to win is the way we can attain that goal. We have to impress the coaches at the next level to give them faith and confidence in us as we try to earn a spot on the varsity roster. We are not thinking of next year yet but we know the best way to get what we want next year is to play as hard as we can this year. For my team and my teammates that is what is important to us.

I know that there's a big difference between junior varsity softball players and NBA players. I do think players in the NBA are trying to earn things for next year. They might be trying to earn a place on next year's Blazers team or earn a new contract with another team. They might be playing for something as simple as pride. They might be playing to make fans proud of the home team. Those are some personal reasons but to reach those goals it involves playing to win. So what if it is an uphill battle. Anything worth earning is worth the hard work.

It doesn't matter what level of sports a player is playing in. You play to win for your team, for yourself and for pride. I say you don't play to lose. You play to win. Always. No matter what.

Angi