On-line. Radio. TV. Commercials. Interviews. From dawn to the dusking, Media Day concerns itself with words, words, words. And just when I thought it was time to go, a stony-faced Blazers official guided me to a computer terminal.
“Tweet,” he commanded.
This is the tyranny of Media Day. (Below, my answerings to nearly audible queries.)
My chosen sport of endeavor is one filled with countless bumps, jostlings, pats, and hematomas. And that is only to list the injuries committed by my mates! 
Another interesting spectacle has taken place around the masculine stylings of players both European and North American. The question has been posed: When it comes to slicing the beefcake, who IS Mr. Eurobasket? My candidacy is mentioned in the same breathiness as Lithuania’s Robertas Javtokas, Turkey’s Engin Atsür, and Greece’s Nikos Zisis. 
And it seems that actress Elizabeth Banks gives me her vote, which is a matter of some encouragement, provided we never meet.
Sadly, there are other players who have tried to venture their way into my concupiscent domain.
It does not require an expert eye to see their lack of ease, in contrast to the relaxed elegance I wear so easily.
One player is capable of rivalling me. But as he has most unwisely forsworn his moustache, I can safely state: "There can be only one! (And I am he. And him.)"
Poland may be far from my home, yet it is now a locale of comfort. When I jump onto the court, I am noted by the many Spaniards and they shout my name. It is as if I were in Portland's hallowed Rose Garden. This inspires me to play minutes and to leave things on the court. (Sometimes these things are portions of my skin, which is admittedly somewhat painful.)
The claw and the spark return! Team España had an outing yesterday against the previously unbeaten French in the Eurobasket tournament. The match began on a high voltage, with both teams charged up to capacity. What would ensue?
Due to the due diligence of Juan Carlos Navarro’s 8 for 11 strikes on 3-pointing, Team España completed a Polish conquest yesterday. This concluded our recent spate of matches at 2-1: Respective victories over Poland and Lithuania, preceded by a most bitter loss to Turkey.
And now we Spaniards are destined for a collision with Nic Batum and Tony Parker's undefeated Team Francia on the morrow! They are a wily group, but also capable of spurts of speed and fantastic leaps of imagination. 
Remembering a memorable moment of Nic’s against the Lakers, I remind Pau not to allow a replay: “No permiten que el espigado jugador de encestar.”
Tension, excitement, nerves. No more, I beg of you! With a record of 2-1, Team España has twice salvaged victory with the most anorexic of leads. To review, our first three Eurobasket games were as follows: Serbia crushed us. Great Britain frightened us. And Slovenia proved expert at the coming-back and led us into overtime!
If need be, I am willing to be a pillar of certainty on which others can build. Otherwise, we will suffer a fate even worse than the one that awaited Rafael Nadal at the conclusion of his recent match!
One aspect of life in Poland is that we mates have time to take in the television programming of many countries in eastern Europe. Per ejemplo, Polish Basic Cable offered this piece on the difficulties facing field reporters:
And what impressions does one take away from this perplexing commercial? The influence of the Soviet Bloc still lingers eerily!
Great Britain?!
Desperation clouded out the latent gimpiness emanating from my isquiosural. (This injury precluded me from taking part in our shocking loss to Serbia the previous day.) And on our next defensive possession, I hit the accelerator in the passing lanes. I obtained a steal! Racing the court, I elevated— ¡Pum! ¡Esmaixada!
A multitude of Team España’s Eurobasket matches can be viewed on-line at espn360. Further, those of you with a curiousness regarding my basketball classes may have an interest in the tongued-cheek commercials for YoSport in which I star.
El primero is below:
The ingenioso Spanish writer Miguel de Cervantes (1547–1616) was the author of Don Quixote, his satire on romance and chivalry. Yet there is a warning within his success, for Cervantes could be viewed as a one-trick pony. That is, despite a lifetime of letters, he is remembered for his single masterpiece.My hoping is that Spain rides that pony of trickiness. In two of the last three Eurobasket championships, our team has advanced to the finals, only to lose to Lithuania (2003) and Russia (2007). On Monday, we, along with 16 other teams, commence altercations for anew, and many of the games will be visible worldwide due to Internet up-streaming. In the happy event that you see Team España, here are a few thoughts on differences between the American and European styles from one who has most intimate knowledge of both.
—The Tallying: It is an immutable algorithm: As the three-point line is closer in international play, one can make more of them. This provides a banquet for me!
—Game Time: A FIBA game is 40 minutes in length, not the NBA’s 48.
—Defensive Conspiracies: The purest zone defenses, as well as more creative schemings are allowed in Europe. Beware if weakside defenders occupying driving lanes and shadowing the key. To sidestep them, the offense will employ weakside cuts and passes down low and back out to the three-point line, where I will ideally be waiting with bated breath.
—Skill Settings: I cannot deny the trope that European players display superior dribbling, passing, and shooting skills. This is a reaction to the fact that few European coaches will enlist players with a 100 centimeter vertical leap but nascent team abilities. This is not necessarily the case in America! This focus on the most athletically gifted explains why many NBA players focus on one-on-one chances.
—Respect: In Europe, coaches have greater prestige and typically earn as much or more than even players with the finest pedigree. This is hardly true in the NBA. Further, while Nate McMillan is an exception, I have seen that the typical NBA coach may suffer from a faltado el respeto (a lack of respect). The management will make the coach fall upon his sword if the team performs poorly, and the players know this.
But enough of these gatherings of wool. Let my leg rehab continue apace, so that in the coming matches, Cervantes can nod his approval from some distant heavens!
While I have written extensively on ham in the past (here, here, and here, per ejemplo), the hamstring is not a body part I have dwelled upon. And yet, my recent injury means I must make a clearing up for misconceptions. So, in short, here is what happened.
One supposes this is an honorable, if not noble fashion for a basketball player to be impaired. (At least it is superior to cutting oneself while eating an apple.) But will I take the court in future Eurobasket matches? It is hard to say. That said, my isquiosural has never prevented me from meaningful action in the past! 
Adición, 3 de Septiembre, 2009: I expostulated prematurely. I failed to take part in today's match. Lithuania defeated our team by the unseemly margin of 94-72. We lost for the first time this summer! Make of this what you will; for my part, I blame the near-mystical influence of a Lithuanian giant (and former Trail Blazer): Arvydas Sabonis.
