We're Going To IHOP

When we moved from Fresno to Corvallis in 1988, we subscribed to cable television for the first time. One of the best perks was getting ESPN as a part of our basic cable package - our son Dan loved it. Since he could first read, he would look at the baseball box scores in the newspaper to track the progress of our favorite teams - the Giants and Athletics - so now we could see live-action sports reports from who became our favorite talking heads: Kenny Mayne, Steward Scott, Keith Olbermann, and others - always using colorful phrases and metaphors woven into their evening reports. "He is as cool as the other side of the pillow," Scott would report following a replay of a great basketball move resulting in a completed basket.

Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard (0) hits the game winner against Houston as the Portland Trail Blazers face the Houston Rockets in game 6 of the NBA playoffs at the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon. Bruce Ely / The Oregonian

We are in Oregon this weekend for our son Mike's 30th birthday. As it just happens to be, the Portland Trailblazers were up three-games-to-two over the Houston Rockets going into last night's first-round game. As has been the entire series, the game was going into the last few minutes with no assurance who was going to win. With 0.9 seconds left, inbound play to Damian Lillard for a long range shot, snap of the wrist, release, 10th-of-the-second clock in the background, all net, game over, Blazers win, advance to the second round of the Western Playoff's, Portland celebration mixed with Houston disbelief - plenty of fodder for the next-morning replays.

Our family is still spread out - newly distributed again, but at least all in the west-half of the county. The Blazers are still one of those family linkages we can all rally around. Happy Birthday Mike. More texting across the miles after this weekend as we together watch the second round of the playoff's. As we heard in his game recap this morning: "We're going to IHOP," Kenny Mayne said of the winning Lillard shot.