Dudley Denied

Despite, as of 5:07 PM today, still being up in the total vote count, The Oregonian called the gubernatorial election against former Trail Blazers center Chris Dudley, in favor of former (and future?) governor Kitzhaber.

I have a very concrete view point on this subject, but I'm going to try to take the middle road, and suggest some of the good that came out of Dudley's run, regardless of your political leanings.

• Opened the door for other former Blazers to hold office in the state. Maybe it wasn't that a Blazers center couldn't run Oregon, it was that Dudley was the wrong center. Bill Walton could be the candidate the lefties yearn for, with a strong baby boomer connection. Perhaps Joel Przybilla could have a future as more of a folksy centrist candidate, known for his prudent financial mind (after all, he's the player that teaches his teammates about the NBA's 401(k) program). Most obviously, though, it's a portent of Arvydas' forthcoming campaign. The posters have been made. It's only a matter of time.
• No awkward moment on Thursday night. If Dudley were to win, he would probably make an appearance at the game on Thursday against the Thunder, prompting a round of boos from the mostly blue Portland crowd. In the RG (except on Civil War night), we're all on the same team. We need to focus our collective outrage on Clay Bennett, not a political candidate.
• The OLCC is in danger. I promised I wouldn't get political, but I don't think there's a single person in Oregon who thinks the OLCC is a good idea.

• This picture: 

Once again, if you're confused as to where the recaps are, I'm writing them on Bust a Bucket this week, so check them out there.