The Gladstone Blog

Headed to Madras this winter to watch a basketball game?

2011-09-23T08:46:00.000-07:00

Kathy Mather/The Oregonian

Better plan ahead for potty breaks! The facilities at Goverment Camp are closing Oct. 31. See the story in The Oregonian.

Shrine All-Stars

2011-07-23T20:20:00.000-07:00

GHS 2011 graduates Favian Sanchez (l) and Joe Baker (r) will be playing for the West squad this Saturday in the Oregon East-West Shrine All-Star game. Coach Jon Wolf is the head coach of the West team. See the game in Baker City or on Root Sports (ch. 34).

GHS Senior Grad Party Fundraiser: Texas Hold’em Tournament

2011-01-29T20:16:00.000-08:00

Saturday, March 12

Westmoreland’s Union Manor

6404 SE 23rd Avenue

Doors Open & Dinner - 5 p.m.

Tournament Start Time - 6 p.m.

Tickets $30.00

Tournament Limited to 100 Players

Price of ticket includes all-you-can eat burrito bar & a pop

(Beer and wine available for purchase)

Grand Prize: Toshiba 32” LCD HDTV

All proceeds from this event go directly to support the

GHS 2011 Senior Grad Party!

To purchase a ticket or make a donation please contact
Corey Hill, (Megan’s Dad) 503-318-0070, crhill@teleport.com

Doug Williams, (Shae’s Dad) 503-539-6357, doug@wum.us.com

Volunteer Schedule: Gladstone Holiday Classic

2010-12-30T21:51:00.000-08:00

GHS football play-by-play: The texting version

2010-11-21T15:18:00.000-08:00

Credit: S. Limbocker, www.limbodesigns.com

Friday's playoff game against Banks had a lot of late drama. It's funny to go back and recreate the action by reviewing a texting conversation I had with my brother. He's also a GHS alumnus and is interested in how his nephew is doing on the field, but he lives in the Seattle area, so it's tough to keep track.

Some hints and context: J is my son, Gladstone's quarterback. HFA is home-field advantage; Kerry's reference is a vestige of the days when we thought places like Banks were near the edge of the earth. White shirts are the visiting team, Banks. The 21-0 score is a typo, corrected in the succeeding entry. In fact, all live typos are included below, e.g., "ball on 1q1" means Gladstone had the ball on the 11-yard line. Military time; you'll figure it out. Finally, "See you next week" means that, because of the win, he's bringing his family down to Gladstone for Thanksgiving and to watch the upcoming semifinal game. So:

Fri 08:01, Kerry. What's your prediction for GHS tonight?
Fri 08:02, Mark. 50/50. If it's close at the half Glads should win.
Fri 08:03, K. HFA must be worth a TD, especially with distance Banks has to travel.
-----------------
Fri 19:47, M. J 7 yd td run ... 6-6 ... 4 min rem 2nd q
Fri 19:48, K. "Close at the half Glads should win".
Fri 19:57, M. J 23-yd td pass and run for 2. 37 sec 2nd q.
Fri 20:00, K. Nice momentum into half!
Fri 20:01, M. Plus recvd ko, now throwing into end zone
Fri 20:03, M. Half 14-6
-----------------
Fri 20:51, K. 3rd qtr over?
Fri 20:53, M. just now ... 14-14 driving but joe dinged ... trying 2 get back in
Fri 20:54, K. Put this game on the telly!
Fri 20:58, M. 21-0 ghs. guessing j will b in next series
Fri 20:58, M. 21 14
Fri 21:17, M. 21-21 ... 3 min to go. we recvg ko
Fri 21:20, K. Wow. You're crapping your pants.
Fri 21:22, M. Glads score ... J option to our stud TB 42 yds .... 28-21 w 1:14 rem.
Fri 21:23, M. White shirts r pooped
Fri 21:23, K. Dang!
Fri 21:24, K. Too cool!
Fri 21:26, M. Broke play td ... Xp crawled thru ... : 54 remain
Fri 21:26, K. Jeez.
Fri 21:29, M. Our ball on 1q1!
Fri 21:30, M. J to t5he 3 ... 18.6 to go
Fri 21:32, M. Bump ctr and go. J scores, we miss xp. 15.7 rem
Fri 21:33, K. Sneak!
Fri 21:33, M. 10 sec
Fri 21:33, K. Tick tick tick
Fri 21:33, M. 5.2 Banks on own 38
Fri 21:35, M. Hook-lateral. we pick off later. game over 34 28
Fri 21:36, K. See you next week.
Fri 22:30, M. See u then

Fall Gladiator Classic - "Texas Hold 'em"

2010-10-09T07:46:00.000-07:00

October 16, 2010 - 03:30 p.m.

Doors Open at 3:30
Dealing starts at 4:00 p.m.

Join in the fun at Watts Heating and Cooling: 580 Portland Ave., Gladstone

$30.00 Buy-in
$20.00 Re-Buys
50/50 Can - $1/ticket
Full House Can - $5/ticket

Purchase your tickets at Watts Heating and Cooling.

Snacks and water will be provided.
Bring your own beverage of choice.

Support the football GHS football program, meet new people, play cards and have fun!

For more information, call 503-780-1532.

Gladiators against ALS (KATU News)

2010-09-05T13:52:00.000-07:00

GHS seniors Drew Walters, Bryan Pope and Joe Baker visit Team Cure ALS founder Michael Lopez before charity football game against Yamhill-Carlton (Sept. 3, 2010).

GEF golf tourney

2010-04-24T11:56:00.000-07:00

The 5th Annual Gladstone Education Foundation Golf Tournament is scheduled for Monday, June 21, at Stone Creek Golf Club in Oregon City. This is a fun event, with good folks and lots of door prizes, all supporting a great cause: Gladstone schools.

To participate or to help sponsor this event, contact Tammy Tracy (503-650-2577) at the school district office.

2010-01-11T20:00:00.000-08:00

Sherie Hildreth, teacher

2009-12-28T20:51:00.000-08:00

I have two kids and a loving husband. They have been so supportive and so has the school and the students. I'm on a winning team.

Sherie Hildreth, former sixth grade teacher, Kraxberger Middle School

Hello Friends,

At sundown on Saturday, our beautiful and much loved Sherie left her cancer behind. She was at home with her most precious children and me resting comfortably in peace.

There will be a service for Sherie on Tuesday the 29th at 2:00pm, Temple Beth Israel (18th & NW Flanders). Please contact Holman's Funeral service if more details are needed.

She is already missed.............

Much love to all,

Bruce, Rich, Ashley

The family has asked that no flowers be sent. Contributions to the Sherie Hildreth Ovarian Cancer Foundation would be welcome.

Jan. 5, 2010: More from the Clackamas Review.

Local yule tunes are coming your way

2009-11-25T18:36:00.000-08:00

I'm already tired of Mariah Carey Christmas songs, not to mention that ridiculous Bing Crosby - David Bowie duet. Now, Johnny Mathis, that's good stuff. Andy Williams, even better. But live music is best anyway, and there are some good opportunities coming up to listen to live performances of seasonal songs in Gladstone.

At 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 4, and again Saturday, Dec. 5, the Festival Brass (pictured at left) will provide good cheer and lively atmosphere at Crossroads Coffee Cafe', located at the intersection of 82nd Drive and Oatfield Road. Gladstone High School's winter band concert is scheduled for 7 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 15; the winter choir concert is Thursday, Dec. 17. Both will be held in the newly refurbished high school auditorium. Support live music!

Gladiators win state girls soccer championship!

2009-11-21T21:39:00.000-08:00

Exciting details here: http://tinyurl.com/ycj5z4h

Great job, girls!

Big surprise at GHS

2009-11-21T12:49:00.000-08:00

Tuesday was a big day for Gladstone High School and science teacher Kevin Zerzan. Lowell Milken and Rosey Grier (yes, that Rosey Grier) were in town to join State Superintendent of Public Instruction Susan Castillo in presenting Mr. Zerzan with a $25,000 Milken Education Award, one of just two awarded in Oregon this year. It was a complete surprise to Kevin and to all but about three people in the room, as you can tell from watching this video on YouTube: http://tinyurl.com/y99u5tp

GHS has a fantastic crew of teachers in its science department, and Kevin is a very deserving recipient of this honor. The gym was packed with students and local dignitaries, and the event was covered by KGW-TV, the Clackamas Review and The Oregonian. It created a big buzz, and rightfully so. Having known Kevin for more than a decade, I can tell you he was shocked and very nearly overwhelmed by the award and the attention. Good guy, great day.

GHS open house and facility dedication

2009-09-30T21:28:00.000-07:00

The Gladstone School District invites the community to the grand opening of the newly remodeled and expanded Gladstone High School. The event will be held from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 25. Community members can tour the facility at their leisure. Several short presentations will be available for those who are interested. Most presentations will be repeated at least once. Architects, contractors, teachers and administrative staff will be available throughout the building to answer questions and provide information about the design, construction and instructional benefits of the renovation.

KATU features Gladstone football

2009-09-28T22:28:00.000-07:00

The Gladstone varsity football team surprised everyone but themselves last Friday when they defeated LaSalle on the Falcons' new home field. Overcoming a bad rash of injuries to nab the 20-17 victory is a big accomplishment for Coach Wolf and his charges, and it's probably something the kids will never forget.

An exciting byproduct of the win was that GHS got to host that evening's edition of "Friday Night Lights," the KATU high school football highlights show with sports reporter Craig Birnbach. The kids, including the band, put on a first-class show, with star turns by Taylor, Drew and the rally squad. Good stuff.

Rock and Roll!

2009-09-23T21:47:00.000-07:00

Okay, so this is kind of nerdy and pathetic, but as a card-carrying member of the KGON Ear Force, I think it's pretty cool. On Twitter, I post a daily (when I remember) Classic Rock Quote of the Day, a lyrical snippet from a '70s — or earlier — rock song along with the artist name. Today's #classicrock QOTD was from "(The System Of) Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether" by the Alan Parsons Project. When I got home from work this evening, I found in my e-mail a message indicating I'm now being followed on Twitter by Alan Parsons. Dude!

Maybe the expansion at Reser Stadium was optimistic

2009-09-07T01:40:00.000-07:00

Here's what we heard from Beaver Nation all week: So excited, can't wait to go down for the first game, going to be great to see Quizz, should be an awesome season, planning to do some tailgating, bought a new sweatshirt, joined the Mike Parker fan club, filled the Mercury with gasoline, ready to go, think I'll stop by Oak Lawn Memorial to pay my respects to Mr. Andros, been looking forward to this day for months!

Then Saturday morning came: Eh, it's damp, I don't think I'll go.

Photo: P. Buker, The Oregonian, Portland State at Oregon State, Sept. 5, 2009

Gladiators take talents overseas

2009-07-09T21:45:00.000-07:00

Three GHS students are currently touring Europe with the Oregon Ambassadors of Music, an invitation-only assemblage of some of the best high school musicians in the state. Below are a photos of the OAM band and choir. featuring Joe B. (trumpet), Delaney P. (clarinet) and Shae W. (voice) in London last weekend. Also see this brief concert clip posted by a local Londoner.

If you happen to be in France, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Austria, Italy or Germany in the next week or so and spot a kid who looks like Officer Poncherello with a crew cut, say hello to my son for me.

UPDATE (15 JULY 2009): Apparently, if you watch this Webcam in Rothenburg ob der Tauber Friday around 5:00 a.m. PDT, the kids will make an appearance. Like the site says, klicken Sie auf das Vorschaubild um die Originalansicht in einem neuen Fenster zu öffnen. Got it? (Simplified: Click on the little picture to open the big picture. C'mon, that's common um-zu sentence construction, easy stuff.)

Separated at birth?

2009-07-03T22:01:00.000-07:00

Sarah Jessica Parker,

Dee Snider

The world beyond Gladstone

2009-07-03T20:15:00.000-07:00

It's probably good, every so often, for a reality check, one that compares our relatively insular lives to the larger world. One such check occurred for me earlier today. An acquaintance of mine serving in the military responded as follows to a recommendation to take a look at a video posted on the Internet:

I will have to look at the video later, as I am currently in Luanda, Angola. The internet here is not quite fast enough to make video viewing worthwhile. I am in a suit and tie, getting ready to go to a 4th of July party at the US Embassy. I head back to Rabat, Morocco tomorrow, and I will watch the video then. By the way, Angola is much nicer than I thought it would be. The cost of living is outragous, and the traffic in Luanda (the capital) is beyond bad, but the country as a whole is working very hard to come back from over 15 years of war (actually back to 1974, if you don't include the short break around the early 90's).

RIFfed

2009-06-04T20:04:00.000-07:00

Quote of the Day: "Kivett is so much more than our band teacher."

Condolences to all the staff at GHS (and the kids they've influenced) who got the bad news today.

Dining on the coast

2008-09-17T16:49:00.000-07:00

Finding a worthwhile restaurant on the Oregon Coast often seems to be a crapshoot. So I was really pleased to stumble across the Newport Cafe last weekend when I was down there for the Gladstone-Newport football game. It looks like a former '60s-era drive-in. Inside, it appears to be family-run and very family-oriented. They offer a great variety of breakfast, lunch and dinner items ranging from $3 to $25. I had an albacore tuna fish-and-chips special. It included five good-size chunks of fish, a modest portion of really good home-style fries, lemon and tartar sauce, all for less than $9. To top it off, they had the Red Sox vs. the Blue Jays on the television. I'll definitely go back, and I'll take my family. You can find in on U.S. 101 at the corner of Northeast 6th.

Coming soon to a windshield near you

2008-04-13T22:15:00.000-07:00

Don't cars come with ash trays any longer? They all have them, don't they? So why does the knucklehead in front of me feel the need to send his burning cigarette butt airborne, in the direction of my car's grille? If you are a cigarette smoker, here's my message to you: Throwing burning material from your car is illegal, it's a fire hazard, and it could initiate a road rage incident. Face facts—your clothes and your car already smell, so just keep that stinky stub in there with you.

A thought about leadership

2008-03-06T22:46:00.000-08:00

Hillary Clinton claims that she is more prepared than Barack Obama to lead the country. That may be true. But my question is this: Which candidate is the country more prepared to follow?

Freshman basketball: Perfection

2008-03-02T23:34:00.000-08:00

I probably wouldn't be doing my job as a dad and a sports fan if I didn't mention the season just concluded by the GHS freshmen boys' basketball team. Under the tutelage of Mr. Ken Riggan, ably assisted by David Duong, these boys wrapped up their schedule with a win over LaSalle to finish with an amazing 20 wins against zero defeats.

Making this feat even more remarkable is the fact that Coach Riggan, while he certainly wants to win, is a firm believer that teaching trumps winning. So obviously, the boys listened and learned! Coach Riggan has been around GHS since, I believe, the fall of 1968 and cannot recall another undefeated squad. Beau, Blake, Drew, Erik, Hector, Jacob, Joe, Kenny, Mason, Sage and Ted: Great job!

Fishing fights cancer

2008-03-01T14:25:00.000-08:00

The Sherrie Hildreth Ovarian Cancer Foundation has scheduled its second annual Fish for Life salmon derby for Saturday, April 5, at Clackamette Park in Oregon City. (Sherrie, of course, teaches sixth graders at Kraxberger Middle School.) Registration for the derby is $50 per angler, $150 in the Pro Guide division. The event also includes a barbecue, raffle and silent auction. The raffle features a hand-crafted Willie drift boat. For more information, visit the SHOC Foundation Web site.

Catching up on the news

2008-03-01T14:02:00.001-08:00

It's been a long, long time since I've posted here, but I've got a backlog of topics. Let's see how far we can get. For now, let's talk about Darlene Hooley.

You've probably heard that our longtime congresswomen has decide to leave the House of Representatives at the conclusion of her current term. She's been a strong advocate for business, our armed forces and veterans, and the people of of the 5th District for six congressional terms (not to mention her service as a Clackamas County commissioner and in the Oregon state legislature). I'm disappointed to see her go, but I completely understand the grind and toll that bi-coastal living probably exacts, and I'm hopeful Kurt Schrader can pick up her torch and continue the thoughtful work Rep. Hooley has been doing in the trustworthy manner with which she has conducted herself.

A number of years ago, we (my family) had some difficulties with the INS. An aide of Ms. Hooley's (who now works in government relations for ODOT) looked into our situation and got things moving. I'll always be grateful.

Darlene, thank you for your service.

Gladstone to host state football playoffs

2007-11-20T21:05:00.000-08:00

The Oregon School Activities Association has asked permission to hold the 1A State Semi-finals for 8-man football at Gladstone High School. The games will be this Saturday, November 24. The OSAA will rent the facility from Gladstone School District, and the Booster Club will run the concession stands. Crane will play Mohawk at noon; South Wasco County faces Imbler at 4:00 p.m.

Gladstone already has a reputation for putting on great track meets. This is an excellent opportunity for us to further showcase the Gladstone community and our wonderful stadium. Volunteers are needed, in shifts, between 11:30 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. E-mail the Booster Club (president@gladstoneboosters.org) and let them know when you would be available to help out. By showing the OSAA that we can host games and provide a quality atmosphere, our district wll be in line for more events (and income) in the future.

Remember, snack shack volunteers get to specify a contribution from the profits in the amount of $10 to the GHS sport of their choice, and high school kids 15 and older can work and get community service credit hours.

Network television worth watching

2007-11-18T17:04:00.000-08:00

Despite the reported demise of network television, there are three primetime dramas I'm watching on a consistent basis. You might check them out, especially if you've liked the shows I used to like: Wise Guy, Murder One, Homicide: Life on the Street, The West Wing, Shark.

"Journeyman" (Monday 10 p.m., NBC) - Dan Vasser travels back in time, now and then, but doesn't know why. Complicating matters are his job as a newspaper columnist, his brother the police detective, his former love interest who supposedly had died some years earlier but turns out also to be a time traveler, his wife who was formerly his brother's love interest, his young son who once accidentally observed his dad's "magic"...it's a lot of balls to keep in the air at once. Set in San Francisco, it's a nice change of pace from the usual L.A., Chicago or Seattle. Reed Diamond is the only cast member I was familiar with previously, due to his work as Detective Mike Kellerman in "Homicide: Life on the Street." Interesting cultural and historical snippets are interspersed, such as Nixon's resignation, Neil Young playing the Winterland and the 1989 Bay Area earthquake.

"Life" (Wednesday 10 p.m., NBC) - I think this show is actually starting to generate a little buzz. It stars Damian Lewis, most familiar for playing paratrooper Dick Winters in the HBO drama series "Band of Brothers." He's been released from jail after serving a number of years for a crime he didn't commit. The resulting lawsuit has put this complex, Zen-like character back on the job &mdash as a police detective. It also made him rich, so he and his financial advisor, a former white-collar criminal he met in prison (played by Adam Arkin of "Northern Exposure," "Chicago Hope") live in a fabbo mansion. Not everyone on the force believes he was wrongly convicted, so much conflict ensues as he tries to both do his job and figure who framed him to start with.

"Numb3rs" (Friday 10 p.m., CBS) - Speaking of "Northern Exposure," this drama stars Rob Morrow as FBI agent Don Eppes, whose genius math-whiz brother helps him track down criminals and solve crimes. Math is everywhere, you know. Also features Judd Hirsch ("Taxi," "Dear John") and Peter McNichol, as well as a really cool bungalow in Pasadena.

The big plays

2007-11-17T10:19:00.000-08:00

Dennis Dixon going down early in Oregon's game against Arizona was, obviously, huge. Kwame Agyeman's fumble at the end of the fake punt was big, too. But I'm focused on three other key plays that I think were difference makers.

The pass dropped in the end zone. It hit the receiver right in the number and would have put Arizona down a quick 15-0.
Cason's punt return for touchdown. The back judge was so intent on where to drop his bean bag that he blew the obvious illegal block that sprung Cason. The play should have come back.
Grigsby's one-yard run. Late in the fourth quarter, trailing by only seven points, the Ducks intially stopped the Arizona running back well short of the first down. But a great second effort got Grigsby over the line to gain for a fourth-down conversion, and Arizona subsequently moved the ball into field goal position and put the game out of reach.

It wasn't the Ducks' night. It also wasn't ESPN's night. Fowler spent the entire first half mis-identifying the Duck who dropped the pass in the end zone (it wasn't Williams). According to one of Fowler's play calls, Stewart ran up the middle and fumbled but the fumble was recovered by Leaf; in actuality, Leaf had the ball the entire time. Later, WR Derrick Jones dropped (another) pass; when they put up a follow-up shot to get his reaction on the bench, they got the wrong number 6 and showed Walter Thurmond III. And they never did correctly pronounce the name of Oregon's kicker. Finally, maybe this is just me, but what the guys with the microphones interpreted as a lack of life, hope and enthusiasm on the Oregon sidelines after Dixon's injury I took to be a lack of panic. I think the Ducks were confident that Leaf and the rest of the team were going to find a way to win.

Missing passed classmates

2007-11-14T23:12:00.000-08:00

We haven't lost many classmates from the GHS Class of 1980, at least as far as I know. Russ Jones and Tim Gorman come quickly to mind. We lost another this past weekend. Caroline Meyer was a star of our High-Q team and, along with her brother, one of the smartest people I've ever met.

Here is her obituary from The Oregonian:

Caroline F. Meyer
A memorial service will be at 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 17, 2007, in Ross Hollywood Chapel for Caroline F. Meyer, who died Nov. 10 of cancer at age 44.

Caroline Meyer was born Dec. 9, 1962, in Wheelus Air Base, Libya. She graduated from Portland State University and was an underwriter for Standard Insurance.

Survivors include her father, John; sister, Catherine; brother, Patrick; and companion, Mark Fleming.

Remembrances to the Oregon Zoo. Arrangements by Ross Hollywood.

Not a valid reason

2007-10-20T15:30:00.000-07:00

The two ballot measures clogging the airwaves in the run-up to this November's election are generating no shortage of misleading arguments. The most ridiculous of them is the anti-50 message telling us we "shouldn't mess with our constitution." What is sometimes forgotten is that the Oregon constitution is not at all like the relatively pristine, high-minded United States constitution. As noted in a Corvallis Gazette-Times editorial earlier this week, our state constitution "is more of a legislature- and voter-approved dumping ground than the New Jersey salt marshes" and has been amended 24 times in the past eight years alone. If I'm not mistaken, something like 240 amendments have been tacked onto Oregon's constitution.

I also don't buy the argument that taxing a product seeing diminshing use—and that we all hope disappears—is unwise because then that funding also disappears. But do you realize how much healthcare money we will save by taxing cigarettes out of existence? And how many fewer kids will start smoking due to the expense?

Regardless, you might find a reason to vote against Measure 50. But the fact that it changes the Oregon constitution really shouldn't be one of them.

Another voice talks about one of the jewels of Gladstone

2007-10-18T21:42:00.000-07:00

West Linn writer Cornelia Becker Seigneur has discovered the Happy Rock Coffee Company on Portland Avenue in downtown (no giggling when you say that!) Gladstone. Read her very nice take on the local atmosphere here.

4A Football: Somebody's not paying attention

2007-10-16T20:28:00.000-07:00

Gladstone and Cascade have the same record and similar results on a game-by-game basis. But somehow, barely a week removed from defeating Cascade, the Gladiators are ranked behind the Cougars in the new poll. Fortunately, this isn't like the BCS; in the long run, the polls don't matter, only the playoffs.

A Night of Celebration

2007-10-14T21:36:00.000-07:00

Hey, Gladstoners. Just in case you’re interested, I have ~~eight~~ ~~four~~ two remaining raffle tickets at $25 each for one prize of $4,000 in travel vouchers. Only 600 tickets will be sold, and all proceeds support the Gladstone Education Foundation. The drawing will be this Saturday night—need not be present to win. Saturday is the GEF dinner auction fundraiser; if you aren’t already attending but are interested in doing so, give Tammy Tracy (some of you might remember her as Tammy Davis) a call at 503-650-2577 or visit this Web site: www.gladstone.k12.or.us/.

Some of you have already donated auction items for this event; thank you very much for doing that. Anyone who would like me to set aside one or more raffle tickets for them, just drop me a line with your address and phone number in the next couple days.

Also, this Friday night is the Homecoming football game. The boys are having a very good season, and the facility features a new track and synthetic playing surface that is fantastic, so come have a look. Those of you in the Class of 1980, following up on Ted’s idea, how about we gather near the snack shack in the northwest corner at the end of the first quarter? (Just so you know what you've been missing out on, Diane's niece was homecoming queen last year.)

Small-town barber shops are the best

2007-07-29T23:00:00.000-07:00

If you're a guy and you go somewhere other than a classic downtown storefront barber shop of between one and four chairs, you are missing an experience that will help complete your training as a male of the species. What's there? No "Cosmopolitan" or "Us Weekly" magazine. Maybe "Time" or "Newsweek," and almost always a couple years' worth of "Outdoor Life" and "Sports Illustrated." Sometimes there's a television, in case there's a ballgame on, or golf; if not, reruns of COPS will do. But best of all (besides a fine haircut at a reasonable price) is the local flavor. By that, of course, I mean the characters.

A couple days ago I visited a fine local example of this institution on Gladstone's Portland Avenue. On this particular day, Ton, the proprietor, didn't have much to say, but that was mainly because he could not get a word in edgewise. The leader of the day's discussion just preceded me in through the door, but he graciously offered to let me go ahead. I told him I was on vacation and not in a particular hurry, but he informed me that he was coming up on 87 years of age and had been on vacation 20 straight years. So I was next.

I think the guy just wrapping up in the chair knew what was coming, because when he was finished, he didn't leave; he just took a seat.

During the course of my haircut, we covered a lot of ground. Howard Hobson had refereed this gentleman's eighth-grade football game; I'm not sure I exactly followed the story that Mr. Hobson flattened a mouthy head coach with one post-game punch. (BTW, this would have been about six years before Hobby led the Tall Firs of the University of Oregon to the first NCAA basketball championship.) Did you know Tommy Prothro was played quarterback in the 1942 Rose Bowl game that was played in North Carolina due to onset of the war with Japan? (I knew it had been played there, didn't know Prothro was involved.) At Oregon State, I learned, Coach Prothro always had a couple cases of Coke handy; "The Pumpkin" (that's Dee Andros for any latecomers), on the other hand, kept a keg of beer nearby. And the Oregon State baseball squad defeated Oregon two out of three during my conversational partner's time on campus in Corvallis. I couldn't really figure out if he actually played ball for the Beavers, but he did tell me that Oregon's baseball coach was the legendary Len Casanova; "heckuva football coach, but he didn't know much about baseball."

Our conversation wasn't completely limited to sports. Too many countries have the A-bomb. Stay healthy by walking an hour and a half every day ("that's your job"). At some point, this world isn't going to be able to handle all the people on it. China and India now have as many people as the Earth's entire population in the '30s.

That was probably about half of what we went through. I don't know how long I was there, but it seemed like the fastest haircut I ever had. And before I left, it was pointed out to me that someday I'd be eligible to pay the same price he does; those age 65 and better pay $10 instead of $12. Well, I've got a few years to go yet. But if every visit to the barber shop is as interesting and entertaining as this one, there's no doubt about the value of that extra two dollars.

Baker History: College Football

2007-07-21T15:44:00.000-07:00

I'm initiating a page on Ralph "Moon" Baker, my great uncle and an All-American halfback at Northwestern University in the 1920s. The triple-threat halfback led the Wildcats to a tie for the Big Ten conference title in 1926. He was named to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1981. Only my uncle Gerald (Dad's older brother) rivals Ralph in gridiron accomplishments (a running back for Wesleyan University, he was pictured alongside the great Jim Brown of Syracuse in a Sports Illustrated college football preview issue). See link at left.

Observations on a late-night stroll

2007-07-05T23:32:00.000-07:00

Somebody remind me why we can't put an adequate public library on the property near the intersection of Webster and Oatfield.

If you live in the area of Stonehill, Barbary, Ridgegate and Stonewood (or pretty much anywhere else north of Kenmore or east of Oatfield, take the dog food and the cat food off your back porch. It's attracting racoons.

It seems like sprinklers on the baseball field at Kraxberger could be set so they don't make mud pits of first base and home plate every night. I can't imagine any benefits to watering dirt.

Baseball is a funny game

2007-06-28T20:25:00.000-07:00

I've always enjoyed those famous utterances and insights from days gone by, such as the famous "Ninety percent of baseball is half mental" from Yogi Berra. Or this gem from San Diego play-by-play man Jerry Coleman: "There's a deep fly ball... Winfield goes back, back... his head hits the wall ... it's rolling towards second base! This is a terrible thing for the Padres!"

There are a couple recent entries. Earlier this month I was watching the Mariners face the Pirates on television. The Pirates catcher, according to broadcaster Dave Sims, eased into second base "with his 11th triple of the year." And I spotted this in one of the Seattle newspapers: "As far as all that other stuff, it's bridge under the water for me," said Reds first baseman Scott Hatteberg.

Playing catch-up

2007-06-24T00:10:00.000-07:00

After a couple weeks of doing a really bad job coming up with a substantive topic to share, I find myself needing to bust out a series of random thoughts that have been bouncing around in my head. See if any ring true for you.

Are any other Ducks getting tired of being asked why Oregon doesn't have a baseball team? I've taken to saying it's for the same reason Oregon State doesn't have a track team.

Meanwhile, the Duck contingent at work got a good chuckle out of the photo of OSU fan in Omaha with the sign proudly proclaiming that she is a "BEAVER BELIVER." ("I wonder if she needs a liever transplant," says my friend David.) It reminds me of the giant banner that hung on the outfield fence at Goss Stadium last year, courtesy of Arbor Custom Homes: "GO BEAVER'S"

There are some really amazing people on the Gladstone Education Foundation board.

Have you ever been to the Wonders of Wildlife museum in Springfield, Missouri? It's an extraordinary place. But there's one thing that has always bothered me. I can deal with "Adopt a Whatever," but this outfit invites you to "Become a Parent." Well, hold on one second! Writing a check to "adopt a madagascar hissing cockroach" does not make anyone a parent. Calling these supporters "parents" really demeans and diminishes actual parents of human beings, adoptive or not. It just rankles me that things like nurturing, guidance, dedication, etc., are being ignored in a cheap effort to tug at heartstrings and wallets.

Shouldn't I be able to listen to a baseball game on the radio (the Mariners, in this case) on a Sunday afternoon and not have a promo for other station programming (I believe it was Jim Rome's show) spend its entire 60 seconds blabbing about sex and orgies and how much sex somebody in the NBA has had and lot of sex and orgies and, uh let's see...oh, yeah, sex—all with a 7-year-old and a 14-year-old in the car with me? C'mon, KFXX, you can do better. Baseball should be safe for families, even on the radio.

Next time you're in Lincoln City, give Momiji a try for some great Japanese food. I loved the udon in particular. They've been on Hwy 101 near SW 51st for awhile and have now opened an outpost up the road in the Tanger Outlet Center.

More baseball: I'm not a big fan of the Internet when it comes to athletes who aren't even out of high school. Too much toxicity, not enough responsibility. But the boys in the Class of 2011 have a lot going for them. They are currently 12-4 at the Junior Baseball "Senior Federal" level and have been bouncing around between second and fourth place all season, in a 12-team league populated almost entirely of 5A and 6A teams. They should be fun to watch in the years ahead.

Until next time...

A commercial word

2007-06-05T11:50:00.000-07:00

Part of my professional life involves working on behalf of a couple of Pacific Northwest brewing icons: Widmer Brothers Brewing and Redhook Ale Brewery. You may wish to direct your interest to a couple of fun interactive contest Web sites they each have recently launched.

www.lemonyourwidmer.com
Check out the amazing videos already posted here. I have it on good authority that the golf shot required no more than 10 takes.

www.defyordinary.com
We're all a bit odd, somehow. Immortalize your oddity in cardboard, or vote for others bold enough to want to.

Portland Ave.

2007-06-03T12:45:00.000-07:00

The city is in the middle of an evaluation process regarding business and traffic (or lack thereof) in downtown Gladstone. I appreciate being able to get a haircut in downtown Gladstone for half of what it would cost me in downtown Portland. But good ideas for viable businesses are hard to come by. I do recall, though, that when the center turn lane was added to Portland Avenue some years ago, it became more difficult for intersecting traffic to see oncoming vehicles. Unless that center lane is important as temporary parking for delivery trucks, I wouldn't mind seeing it go away.

Click for Google Maps image of downtown Gladstone

If you're personally interested in this topic, there's a community forum scheduled for 6:30 p.m. June 14 at the Senior Center.

News and (my) commentary

2007-05-24T09:38:00.000-07:00

Two items in last night's local television newscasts struck me as just plain wrong. Now, I'm not one of those "all media are bad, and biased, and stupid, and controlling the agenda" types. But there are definitely moments when you have to wonder what they're thinking.

Earlier this week, a man was shot and killed by Portland police officers after he screamed he was going to shoot someone and then pointed a loaded shotgun at the officers. The news last night on our CBS affiliate was that the "victim" had been identified. Victim? Victim of what? Certainly not the police, though that was the implication. Maybe of his own stupidity or mental instability. But calling him a victim in this story made it seem like he was wrongly shot by the police. And that struck me as wrong.

Meanwhile, on our NBC affiliate ran a story about a group of seniors at a area high school who dug up a lawn on campus and planted "SENIORS 07" and a giant peace sign in flowers. Only one student has admitted to participating. Among the ridiculous details:
(1) The news station calls this a "prank"; it's actually criminal vandalism.
(2) All those other students are letting Maggie twist in the wind on this; she may want to choose some new friends.
(3) Maggie doesn't want to "out the other kids" and her mother, amazingly, says she doesn't want to encourage her to do so. Mom, sorry to resort to name-calling, but you are an idiot. When a crime has been committed, you cooperate. You're fortunate the school has handled this themselves rather than calling the police.
(4) Maggie apparently has received calls and offers of monetary assistance to pay the fine that stems from this prank/vandalism (since, as the only identified perpetrator, she is on the hook for all the damages). I was astonished to hear the news anchor editorialize at the end of the report that it's "good to see that Maggie is getting some support." Are you kidding? Support for what? Damaging school property? Withholding information about the commission of a crime? For this she deserves "support" and we're supposed to be glad?

Facts and accountability

2007-05-21T18:41:00.000-07:00

On the morning of the election in our fair city last week, an anonymous (to me, anyway; I have no idea who sent it) e-mail was sent out to some Gladstone residents, ostensibly to support a particular school board candidate. Among the smears, half-truths, misleading statements and outright lies in this long, virtually unreadable missive entitled "vote for a change" from "werteachers4life@yahoo.com" was this gem:

"Neighbor Vicki Baker told candidate Janet Simmons her children were rude and weren't allowed to play with Vicki Bakers children anymore and went on to tell Janet that her neighbors all hated her and Vicki hoped Janet and her family moved out of Gladstone and Janet should have never thought about running against Leslie Everson with out telling her. What kind of behavior is this? Janet was so scared and intimidated by Vicki she thought about pulling her name from running for a Board position and that is why she isn't in the voters pamphlet. She was too intimidated and distraught to file."

If you were able to follow that, congratulations; it's like Vanessa Huxtable channeling William Faulkner. But more to the point, it's sadly lacking much basis in reality. Make no mistake, Vicki can handle her own fights, especially with people unwilling to own up to the words they write. So less to defend her honor and more in hopes that this writer (if I'm not being too generous) would see the error of his or her ways, I chose that day to respond as follows:

I have no idea who you are, but you've professed to be interested in facts and accountability [this was a significant theme of the e-mail], so you should probably reconsider at least this portion of the "vote for a change" e-mail you sent out this morning...

Point by point:

- "Vicki Baker told candidate Janet Simmons her children were rude and weren't allowed to play with Vicki Bakers children anymore..." Never happened. What actually happened was completely unrelated to the campaign and Janet's candidacy. My son had observed what he felt like was rude behavior by Janet's boys toward his sister. He's very protective of her and suggested to her that maybe she shouldn't play with them. That's it. Vicki never said any such thing to our kids nor to Janet.

- "...went on to tell Janet that her neighbors all hated her and Vicki hoped Janet and her family moved out of Gladstone" Never happened. What she actually said was that she'd discussed the matter with a couple neighbors who expressed surprise that Janet hadn't told Leslie she intended to run for the seat. She also said she'd heard from a third party that Janet (and family?) had considered moving out of the neighborhood, which might be a good idea if she doesn't like her neighbors.

- Told Janet she "should have never thought about running against Leslie Everson with out telling her." Yeah, that's true. [And rightly so.] Janet and Leslie live almost across the street from each other; directly telling someone who has been a good and helpful neighbor for a number of years that you intend to run against her for the school board would seem to be the courteous thing to do. But Janet didn't extend that courtesy, and, as you say, what kind of behavior is that?

So because most of these things never happened, I'm quite unclear as to what role Vicki had in making Janet so intimidated and distraught that she couldn't bring herself to file information for the voter's guide, and I really don't see what an e-mail supporting Joe has to do with Janet or Vicki. But I invite you to share the above facts with your original "vote for a change" distribution list.

Did you follow that? This e-mail message overall wasn't even about Janet, much less Vicki, who isn't running for anything except groceries. Why the writer (there's that word again) thought this paragraph bolstered the argument in favor of voting for Joe is a mystery. Anyway, that was last Tuesday. As of last night I hadn't heard back from werteachers4life@yahoo.com or otherwise heard that they had taken any corrective action. A reminder seemed to be in order:

Have you sent out the corrections...to your “vote for a change” distribution list? You’ll recall that you’ve come out (though anonymously, as far as I can tell) as strongly favoring accountability and publicizing the facts. The decent and accountable thing for you to do would be to share this factual information with your list in order to correct the misinformation—someone less charitable might call them lies—you disseminated last week. So that I know you’ve chosen to do the right thing, be sure to CC: me when you send it out.

It's 24 hours later, and werteachers4life@yahoo.com has not mustered the will to do the right thing. Mind you, whatever the nature and depth of their disagreement, Janet and Vicki have apparently both already set it aside and moved on. It's too bad this person has failed, even anonymously, to own up to the facts and correct his or her libelous message.

Hit-and-run genius

2007-05-20T17:39:00.000-07:00

My mother-in-law's brother and his wife were involved in a hit-and-run accident yesterday. Well, "involved" hardly seems like the right word; "victimized" is probably more accurate. But besides the welcome news that they weren't seriously injured, I'm pleased to report that the impact tore the front bumper off the perpetrator's van, and yes, the license plate was still on it. Plus, the van trailed liquid all the way home, where a drunk 20-year-old was located and invited to spend the night in jail. I predict his mom's insurance carrier is about to become more profitable.

While I'm on the topic of crime...I'm not a regular reader of the police blotter in our local daily newspaper. But I've noticed twice in recent months that a theft has been reported in the 500 block of Portland Avenue. Among the buildings located in the 500 block of Portland Avenue is our local police department. Now that's some bold thievin'!

All politics is local

2007-05-15T09:15:00.000-07:00

Today is Election Day in these parts. For us, that pretty much means just the school board. And in contrast to the often boring races, this year’s campaign has featured some intrigue. Most of the seats are contested, and there are some pretty clear choices if you look just below the surface of the typical political platitudes.

One candidate distributed a flier throughout town (I wonder if he got the required permit?) that was remarkable for the amount of misleading information it contained. For example, it claimed his opponent had failed to attend every budget committee meeting. I happened to see his opponent at a Little League softball game a couple days after the flier went out, so I asked her about it. There has been exactly ONE of these meetings, and yes she did miss it—at the time the meeting notice went out, Comcast had some sort of Microsoft-related glitch causing some e-mails to not get delivered and she never got the meeting notice. But I guess the flier is sort of accurate in that regard; as she has missed every meeting—all one of them.

It also mentioned that spending is up (well, yes, after a down period, the state did come through with some additional funding that allowed some class sizes to be reduced), then juxtaposed that against a lower test scores statistic. Maybe you’ve heard that you can make numbers say anything you want, and that’s pretty much what’s happened here. The flier’s author took last year’s 10th grade test scores, which were among the lowest since testing began at the beginning of the century, and compared them to one year when a class had some of the highest scores recorded. Two data points, of course, do not make a trend, and there will always be differing levels of achievement from class to class, especially in smaller districts. He didn’t show the complete scores trend from year to year, though, nor from other classes, because revealing all the relevant information would have caused his argument to fall apart.

There was also some baseless whining about bond money going to salaries (which is closely regulated by law and by the terms of the bond measure) and a technology center which is claimed to be on the “back burner” (it’s actually a key centerpiece of how the bond money is going to be used).

Oh, and the rumors! That’s been the fun part. According to the rumor mill, my wife “verbally attacked” a neighbor regarding a school board race. Mind you, this neighbor came over to our place to approach my wife, not the other way around. And another neighbor happened to be about 15 feet away when this supposedly occurred; all he saw (and all that really happened) was a conversation. That’s just one of the silly examples.

A lot of this apparently started because a small group of citizens can’t be persuaded that it might be worth spending $10,000 to investigate ways to make sure the $40 million bond is utilized to have the greatest possible positive impact on our kids. But that’s another story.

Vote, vote, vote!

Caring even less about the NBA

2007-05-14T08:41:00.000-07:00

Just when I was starting to get interested in rooting for the Golden State Warriors, Baron Davis and Jason Richardson proved themselves to be little more than two-bit thugs. Davis is trying to say his cheap shot "wasn't nothing," but to me it looked like Todd Bertuzzi taking out Steve Moore. (See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Todd_Bertuzzi) Both should be suspended for at least one game.

You never know who...

2006-10-11T12:24:00.001-07:00

So I'm in my supervisor's office earlier this week discussing a new project. "You need to call Bob Blackburn," she says. "In Seattle?" is my question, though I'm not sure why.

So I talk to Bob Blackburn, in Los Angeles, and it all comes back to me. Bob Sr. was the radio guy for the Sonics for years. His son, the target of my call, is in syndicated radio programming in L.A.

These things seem to happen to me a lot. Robert Kennedy Jr., Jay Leno, Dick Enberg, Eli Haydel (you probably have to hunt ducks to know that one), it's strange who I end up running into.

BTW, I'm now working for the "world's largest independent public relations firm" (plug that phrase into Google) in their Portland office. I hope to share here some useful or interesting information on the world of PR, so stay tuned.

Travel opinions

2006-02-14T12:12:00.000-08:00

Airports I like:

Portland
Pittsburgh
Detroit
St. Louis

Airports I hate:

LAX
DFW
Burbank (convenient, though)
Las Vegas
Phoenix
Kansas City

Eh...

O'Hare (difficult to get to)
Houston
Denver
Boston
Seattle

Wir machen eine Reise

2006-02-14T11:50:00.000-08:00

Vicki and I are headed to Leavenworth, Washington, for the weekend. It's a Bavarian-themed "tourist trap" (according to a friend in Moses Lake) nestled in the eastern slope of the Cascade mountains. I imagine there's probably a sleigh ride planned, along with cruising the downtown shopping amid sub-freezing temperatures. http://www.leavenworth.com/ With Germanic heritage in both our families (including names like Hesse, Lehrer and Zweifel), we sort of dig the bavarian thing. Will see if I can figure out how to put up a couple pictures when we return.

Cheney defends Bill of Rights

2006-02-13T14:37:00.000-08:00

"I'm honored to have played a role in Mr. Cheney's exercise of his second-amendment rights," said Whittington. "The pain and disfigurement is a small price to pay in defending the vision of our founding fathers. After all, if doddering old business tycoons shooting each other in the face isn't necessary to the maintenance of a well-regulated militia, I don't know what is."

(Joking! Stole some of this concept from an old "story" in The Onion.)