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**B_&_B** · 10-29-2007, 07:06 PM

PYRAMID TAPROOM AT SCHONELY’S PLACE PAYS TRIBUTE TO TRAIL BLAZERS BROADCAST LEGEND

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PORTLAND, Ore. – The Portland Trail Blazers will honor broadcasting legend Bill Schonely with the grand opening of the Rose Garden’s new Pyramid Taproom at Schonely’s Place at the NBA team’s home opener on Wednesday, November 7 vs. the New Orleans Hornets.

The new 240-seat brewpub, which will be open to all attendees for all Rose Garden events, features a sports bar style atmosphere complete with 22 flat screen HDTV’s and two giant circular bars that open out to the 100-level concourse. Gourmet burgers, sandwiches, salads and soups, along with the wide selection of Pyramid’s award-winning craft beers, including its flagship Hefeweizen, that are locally brewed in NW Portland, will highlight the brewpub’s diverse menu. In addition, the brewpub will feature an impressive collection of Trail Blazers and Pyramid memorabilia and an area solely dedicated to honoring “The Schonz.”

"This hospitality partnership with the Rose Garden was a slam dunk for us," said Scott Barnum, CEO/Chief Weizen Guy for Pyramid and MacTarnahan Breweries. "The Rose Garden is a historic institution in Portland that has provided a lot of great memories for many fans. The Pyramid Taproom at Schonley's Place was a way that we could both salute the Trail Blazers past and provide fans a cool place to celebrate and debate teams, individual players and entertainers over some good beer for years to come."

The addition of the Pyramid Taproom at Schonely’s Place is part of a three-year, $13 million capital improvements project that will vastly improve the fan experience at the Rose Garden. Other highlights of the Rose Garden upgrade include a new center hung high definition video scoreboard, a new sound system, a refinished and redesigned basketball floor, upgraded stats boards and auxiliary scoreboards, a new group party suite, and a new Trail Blazers inspired paint and super graphics scheme in the public concourses.

“We’re very excited to be partnering with Pyramid Breweries on this wonderful gathering spot that pays tribute to one of the cornerstones of our franchise in Bill Schonely,” said Trail Blazers president Larry Miller. “The Pyramid Taproom at Schonley's Place, along with all the other improvements that are being made to the Rose Garden, further demonstrates the Trail Blazers’ commitment to honoring our heritage and delivering one of the finest entertainment and sports venues in the world.”

Schonely, 78, joined the Trail Blazers in their inaugural 1970 season and called some 2,522 Trail Blazers games until his “semi-retirement” in 1998. During his three decades of radio play-by-play, “The Schonz” coined phrases that became synonymous with the “Blazermania” phenomenon in Oregon, including "Rip City", "Bingo Bango Bongo", "Climb the golden ladder", "Lickety brindle up the middle", and "You've got to make your free throws." His specialty was giving listeners a dynamic visual of where the players were on the court, saying things like, "Moving left to right on your radio dial", "through the Cyclops at center court", and "ocean to ocean.”

Schonely is still very much a part of the Trail Blazers family having served the past five years as NBA team’s founding broadcaster and community ambassador. He can also been seen on TV hosting “Memorable Moments” and heard on radio with “Blazers Flashbacks” looking back at the NBA team’s hallmark events. Schonely is also a member of the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame where he was inducted in 1999 for broadcasting.

“I’m overwhelmed, overjoyed and flabbergasted,” said Schonely. “I’m truly flattered and honored that the Trail Blazers and Pyramid would honor me in this way. Most importantly, I want to thank all the great Trail Blazers fans out there that have supported and listened to me over the years, for without them none of this would have been possible. Rip City, baby!”

About Pyramid Breweries Inc.
Pyramid Breweries Inc. is one of premier and original Northwest brewers of specialty, full-flavored beers produced under the Pyramid and MacTarnahan's brand names. Pyramid's family of unfiltered wheat beers and MacTarnahan's fine ales continue to be honored by beer drinkers and judges, earning the most craft beer medals in the last decade at the prestigious Great American Beer Festival (GABF). Since its beginning, Pyramid and MacTarnahan's beers have received a total of 34 medals at the GABF. The brewery has also received a total of 9 medals in international competition at the World Beer Cup. The Company operates three breweries located in Portland, Seattle and Berkeley, California. It also operates five alehouse restaurants in the Northwest and California, including the MacTarnahan's Taproom at 2730 NW 31st in Portland. More information about the company and its beers is available at www.pyramidbrew.com and www.macsbeers.com.

- trailblazers.com-

BlazerFanFoLife · 10-29-2007, 07:08 PM

Looks like the Rose Garden is getting more good food and drinks. Might be interesting to see if people come early and stay late just to be in the brewpub. I'm kind of interested where on the 100 level they could make a 240 person brew pub?

**B_&_B** · 10-29-2007, 07:10 PM

I beat ya to it by 2 minutes.

BlazerFanFoLife · 10-29-2007, 07:47 PM

Its because I wrote something other than just the press release. :-p

wastro · 10-29-2007, 07:53 PM

IIRC, they're putting it where the team store or information kiosk used to be, near the main entrance. Still, that's a pretty big brewpub!

barfo · 10-29-2007, 10:53 PM

I've got nothing against the Schonz, but Pyramid Taproom at Schonely’s Place is a horrible name.

barfo

RipCity9 · 10-29-2007, 11:07 PM

If you remember where the old Garden Club (and formerly the team store) was on the West side of the arena, that is where the pub is going.

ProudBFan · 10-30-2007, 01:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by barfo

I've got nothing against the Schonz, but Pyramid Taproom at Schonely’s Place is a horrible name.

barfo

Im guessing Pyramid Ale is the sponsoring partner there. Methinks this is a hint at bigger corporate sponsorships to come.

PBF

Samuel · 10-30-2007, 08:38 AM

"This hospitality partnership with the Rose Garden was a slam dunk for us," said Scott Barnum, CEO/Chief Weizen Guy for Pyramid and MacTarnahan Breweries."

I'm sure Barnum got the other people at the office chuckling when he brewed up that one.

Public Defender · 10-30-2007, 09:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ProudBFan

Im guessing Pyramid Ale is the sponsoring partner there. Methinks this is a hint at bigger corporate sponsorships to come.

PBF

You may be right. But with a name like "Pyramid Taproom at Shonely's Place," average fans like me will just call it "Shonely's Place." That's much preferred to unavoidable corporate monikers like "the Pepsi Center" or "United Airlines Arena". Hopefully, it won't get much worse than this...

chris_in_pdx · 10-30-2007, 09:46 AM

I would hope that the corporate partner that buys the naming rights to the RG would have similar sensitivities to community pride, naming it something like "The Home Depot Rose Garden" or "The Nike Rose Garden". A label that could be used on TV and advertisements, but locals would still just call it "The Rose Garden".

**Trader Ed** · 10-30-2007, 10:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by barfo

I've got nothing against the Schonz, but Pyramid Taproom at Schonely’s Place is a horrible name.

barfo

Just call it Schonely's place for crying out loud...

blakeback · 10-30-2007, 11:07 AM

Quote:

PYRAMID TAPROOM AT SCHONELY’S PLACE PAYS TRIBUTE TO TRAIL BLAZERS BROADCAST LEGEND

RIP Schonz

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I've got nothing against the Schonz, but Pyramid Taproom at Schonely’s Place is a horrible name.

the only better name i can think of is O'Schonely's. or maybe Let's Get Ripped City.

i'm sure "The Pyramid Taproom at Schonely's Place" will grow on me.

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