By KGW reporter Katherine Cook

I love my job.

But when it cuts into big Blazers home games, like the one against the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday afternoon, well let’s just say it can be tough to punch in the ole time card.

So imagine my delight when my manager called me up Sunday morning and said, It’s Blazers Heritage Night, you’re covering the game!

I put on my red shirt.

The assignment could not have fallen on a more grateful reporter. I grew up in Portland and some of my favorite memories are of cheering for the Blazers, when their shorts were short, and their winning streaks long.

I sang Rip City Rhapsody with the best of them (and might be coaxed into rapping a few lines for the right Blazers ticket), but to me, the Blazers were more than the hottest franchise in the NBA. They were a group of great guys that brought my family and friends together. And they just happened to give us a reason to cheer and believe.

I believe in this team, too. and at most games I have been lucky enough to attend, I have believed from the 300 section. On Sunday, I believed from the floor underneath the Blazers basket, as they dunked all over the 76ers.

I was REALLY loving my job, then!

And this is just the beginning. There are still many months ahead to watch these guys dive for the ball, fight for every WIN and play with class.

But come June, I hope to be cheering for the Blazers at the Rose Garden, in much the same fashion my parents did at the Memorial Coliseum, June 5, 1977. The day the Blazers beat Philly for the NBA Title.

After all, this season is all about celebrating the Blazers Heritage-- let’s keep the theme going!

Oh, one more thing… and this is the ultimate complement here… I think this team is so cool, they should get their own set of Dairy Queen drinking glasses.

Enough said.