One of the joys of being a sports fan is pondering the endless series of “What if?” questions.
Well, maybe it’s not a joy. Maybe it’s a soul-crushing obsession. But we do it anyway, because sports fans have a masochistic streak.
The Blazers are a longtime NBA power when it comes to what-ifs. What if they had drafted Michael Jordan? What if they had kept a young Moses Malone? What if they had said, “We already have LaRue Martin, we don’t need no stinkin’ Bill Walton. We’ll draft Marvin Barnes with the No. 1 pick.”
Just kidding about that one, but hilarity would have ensued if it happened. In “Loose Balls,” Terry Pluto’s seminal history of the ABA, there’s a story about Barnes looking at his team’s itinerary and noticing a westbound flight leaving at 8 a.m. and arriving at 7:59 a.m. in another time zone.
“I ain’t goin’ on no time machine,” Marvin announced, refusing to board the plane. “I ain’t taking no flight that takes me back in time.”
Yes, Barnes would have provided comic relief. Then again, Portland wouldn’t have that lone NBA title.
We could write a book about the Blazers’ what-ifs. But since we only have room for a column, we’ll leave out the Blazers and ponder some other scenarios from Northwest sports:
• What if Mario Lemieux hadn’t saved the Pittsburgh Penguins?
At the time, Bob Whitsitt told me that Paul Allen was planning to buy the Penguins if they couldn’t be saved in Pittsburgh. Lemieux stepped in and rescued the franchise from bankruptcy.
Just think: The Rose Garden could be home to Sidney Crosby and the reigning Stanley Cup champions. And Crosby would end up becoming the most popular figure in the history of Portland-area sports.
• What if Randy Myers didn’t go out for baseball at Clark College?
Myers, a Clark County native, had a middling high school career. He tried out for the team at Clark on a whim and went on to an outstanding major-league career as a left-handed reliever.
The impact: The Reds win the 1990 World Series; Myers appears in five playoffs and four All-Star Games; and Clark College this year revives its baseball program with some financial help from Myers. None of that happens if he didn’t go out for baseball at Clark.
• What if Steve Prefontaine had worn a seat belt?
The Oregon icon was killed in May 1975 when his sports car rolled over and he was partially ejected and pinned underneath.
Prefontaine would have been a favorite for a medal in the 5,000 meters at the Montreal Olympics. Considering that no American has won a medal in the event since 1964, this is no small feat.
But Pre’s death probably had a bigger impact on the business side of the sport. He was an outspoken critic of his era’s amateurism rules, and was accepting clothes and shoes from an upstart company called Nike.
Pre’s death silenced his criticism and probably prolonged the shamateurism of the Olympics. It also, in a sad way, added to his mythical status.
• And finally, the Holy Grail of what-if questions in this region: What if Portland had built the Delta Dome?
In 1964, Portland voters rejected a proposal to finance a domed stadium at Delta Park. Reportedly, Al Davis was prepared to move the Raiders to the Northwest if the measure had passed, and Portland almost certainly would have landed a major league team.
Portland would have the NFL and Major League Baseball, and Seattle likely would not. The I-5 bridge would have been replaced 20 years ago; I-205 probably would have been built long before it was; and Portland would have shed its small-town mentality.
By rejecting the Delta Dome, Portland voters forever altered the dynamics of their city, Clark County, and Seattle.
Now that’s a big “what if?”
Greg Jayne is Sports editor of The Columbian. You can send him more “what if?” questions at 360-735-4531, or by e-mail at greg.jayne@columbian.com. To read his blog, go to columbian.com/weblogs/GregJayne
