We Take a Walk Down Memory Lane with Broadcaster Ann Schatz

This episode starts with a quick round of “roses and thorns” about the Trail Blazers’ week that we’d like to forget.  Then we perk way up, because our idol, Portland-based broadcaster Ann Shatz, joined the W.H.A.T. podcast! We heard about the beginning of her career in Omaha, Nebraska and Portland, Oregon. We reminisce about the Portland Fire and talk about her time as the Trail Blazers’ sideline reporter. Cassidy shared some of the ways that Shatz had inspired her and we begged her to come back and tell us more stories from her incredible career.   1:00 Ice breaker. Who is an NBA player that the other players are cheering for?  2:30 What is going on with Kyrie?  4:00 Take a mental health day! 7:00 James Harden to the Nets is annoying.  8:00 Roses and Thorns we’re going to try not to talk about injuries but we probably will.  9:00 CJ Is more mature than either of us 10:00 Thorn: stop hitting Derrick Jones Jr in the face.  11:30 Rose: Derrick Jones Jr in general 13:30 Thorn: Stop making Derrick Jones Jr take so many 3s 14:45 Rose: When Derrick Jones Jr misses dunks they are still spectacular 17:00 Introducing Ann Schatz 18:00 Growing up in the midwest, learned sports from brothers and her dad. 21:00 Getting started as the first female sportscaster in Nebraska 24:00 Didn’t have anyone to bounce anything off of. Couldn’t get anything wrong, but had lots of supportive people around.  25:00 Moved to Portland in 1989 and it wasn’t a very warm reception. Was there a moment that she remembered that made her feel like she had been accepted in Portland?  30:30 Started working for the Blazers and the Fire in 1999 as sideline reporter.  33:45 The time Brian Grant need a hair-tie. 35:00 The time she made Mike Dunley mad 36:00 Daily routine as a sideline reporter. Shoot arounds, sound bites, pre-game hits, half-time, post game. There was a routine but every day was different.  37:40 Hosted in the studio while the team was on the road.  39:15 Working with Bill Schonley 41:15 Remembering when the Fire was coming to town, working with Mike Barrett.  44:00 How Ann influenced Cassidy’s love for women’s sports.  48:00 Hoping to be in inspiration to young girls and women to get into sportsl 49:30 Working with the Pac-12 Network, working with college kids.  51:30 What it was like learning how to call games as opposed to being the analyst.  55:00 Working for the Thorns. Never thought she’d see in her lifetime that kind of a crowd watching women’s sports.  58:30 Fantastic eclectic fanbase.  1:00:00 Thorn’s draft 1:02:00 Memorable interviews: Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, Nancy Lopez, Clyde Drexler, Terry Porter   @wehaveatake @tcbbiggs @CassidyGemmet @bluewirehustle Subscribe:  https://apple.co/2Vn9Hf9 https://spoti.fi/3lARIww Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices