There's a great saying in sports; "act like you've been there before." It means show some class. Have some humility.
Being a loyal fan there is only one team I root for when it comes to playoff time: any team playing the Blunder.
So....GO SPURS! I don't hate the Blunder, I really don't. But as a Sonic loyalist, I cannot ever root for Clayton "The Douchbag" Bennett to win a trophy. Not after the garbage he pulled in Seattle. In a dream scenario, I want Bennett experience the heartbreak of a crushing game seven defeat - and then never making a serious run again. I want him to live to be 150 years old with that feeling in his fat gut. Then he'll know how Sonics fans feel.
Bennett tanked the team in Seattle to build a winner for OKC. Everyone knows it and the evidence is overwhelming. Blame Schultz all you want, he's certainly culpable as well. He made a huge profit while Bennett exploited a vulnerable situation to get a team to the dustbowl.
You always here the OKC ilk shouting "Seattle didn't support the team" which has been proven beyond any doubt to be completely false.
Then the OKC ilk shout "should've built an arena if you wanted them to stay." Well, Seattle did that too. A mere8 years prior to Bennett's purchase.
Then, once you've outmaneuvered them with reason and logic, they reach for the "get over it" routine. It's the same as "because I said so" or "just because." Anyone with an IQ greater than a tumbleweed knows you go there when you have no game, credibility or debating skills. Once you get to this point, any chance at reasonable banter is lost. Fine. OKC has the Zombies, so they've won that battle, but the hearts and minds of the public can still be won or lost. OKC may never win that battle - not with Sonicsgate out there. But they have the team.
So, why does Warpaint clothing of OKC print an inflammatory t-shirt aimed at a humiliating an already helpless fan base in Seattle? How is that cool or necessary? At first the printers defended the shirt. Eventually after enough justifiable outrage, the cowards backtracked quickly - taking the product off-line after receiving death threats...proof that Sonics fans are still a very passionate and dialed-in bunch.
Zombie Sonic fans dismiss any logical debate about the move of the team and always default to the demans tha we get over it - but then come right back begging for our attention. We argue, you want to stop; We stop, you want to argue. The Zombie's are in the playoffs, what do you want from the Seattle fans? Cheers? Acknowledgement? Not gonna happen. Not untilo you acknowledge that the team you're watching for was paid for by blood of the Sonics fanbase when Bennett tanked the team and tried to disguise it as 'rebuilding' when the benefits of rebuiilding would only be reaped in OKC while Seattle fans were left with the shell of a team and then no team at all.
Back to the shirt - why print inflammatory t-shirts? You have to know it's only going to paint Seattle in a sympathetic light while shining the spotlight on the injustice that was done to the City. Where's the common sense? This keeps the Sonics in the media and the further along the Zombies get, the more likely it is that the story of the Sonics move will gain more attention, and when all the facts are put on display, it'll look very bad for Bennett and Stern.
Should we print up a picture of Chesapeake Energy as a ship heading towards an iceberg? Nah. As much as Aubrey deserves that - it was his own professional shenanigans that destroyed the company. But, no thanks. We'll pass on making those t-shirts.
When your rooting for a team that's making a potential championship run, show some humility, show some class. Act like youv'e been there before.
Oh, wait....you haven't. But Seattle has.
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Friday, May 4, 2012
Does Seattle Need the NBA?
The Zombie Sonics.
The greatest nickname a team ever received, and it came straight from the media. I smile when I hear that because it shines the light on the wrong that Stern and Bennett did to Seattle and the unending support Seattle fans receive, and an acknowledgement of how they were jilted.
With the recent airing of Sonicsgate on CNBC and the drama unfolding in Sacramento with the Maloofs, Seattle is once again being targeted as a possible destination for an NBA’s Kings. Let’s face it, no one wants team relocation, a pain all too real for Sonics fans. With the Maloofs broke and the arena deal now allegedly dead, what’s next? Are the Kings Seattle bound?
Chris Hansen has offered up an arena plan for Seattle. Better yet, he owns the land for the proposed site, a major step forward when compared to Clay Bennett’s laughable, designed-to-fail plan. It’s reception has been warm by the city council and, even more so, by the Seattle media who are ravenously hungry for any sports news to report. If the arena plan pans out, and I believe the location is a perfect, this has all the potential for two new teams in Seattle; one from the NHL (Phoenix Coyotes?) and the return of the NBA, the Kings being offered as the most logical choice, given their vulnerability and tenuous situation in Sacramento. All of this suggests the stars are aligning for a return of the NBA to Seattle. Is this real? Is it another carrot-on-a-stick top leverage Sacramento into ‘playing ball?’ Who knows. If a team is truly destined for Seattle, I gotta ask the obvious question;
Is this really a good thing?
Having lost the Sonics, the NBA has faded in relevancy to me. I did not drift to the Blazers as Stern expected, I just...don’t really care anymore. The blame for that indifference falls squarely on David Stern and his ego. I miss the Sonics to this day, but somehow I am not at all excited about the prospect of a team relocating and then rebranding themselves as the Sonics. It rings hollow, like a bait-and-switch. “Hey, if we move a team and put ‘em in the green and gold, Sonic fans will be fooled into believing! And that leads to Seattleites, who were already burned once by the NBA, badly, handing more money over to the NBA.” I have a problem with that. Will we get used to it? Maybe. I am also used to $5 gas, the recession and never ending Tim Tebow drama. None of those are particularly enjoyable.
Will I feel bad for Sacramento? Sure, but the Kings relocating to Seattle is nothing like the blatant lying game Bennett played when he thugged Seattle’s beloved team of 41 years. With Sacramento, a buyer would buy them with the sole and publicly acknowledged intent to move them. No lies, no ruining the team and alienating the fan base to further the real agenda. No appalling deceit.
In a way, the NBA owes Seattle a team, and Clay Bennett, shamefully sitting on the relocation committee, should be doing everything in his power to right that wrong. The problem is that his involvement will immediately open those old wounds and shine the light back on his disgraceful actions with the Sonics. If he is like Stern, he’ll put his ego first. There will be no expansion teams. Not with the current state of the league. Some 18 teams are claiming to be losing money, adding another team to the league is not a practical reality.
If the Kings or any other team moves to Seattle, I am not sure I can embrace them. Not after what the league did to the City. Not after creating this void. Not after assuming the fans would just blindly return, like zombies.
I guess they’d have to be called the Zombie Sonics.
The greatest nickname a team ever received, and it came straight from the media. I smile when I hear that because it shines the light on the wrong that Stern and Bennett did to Seattle and the unending support Seattle fans receive, and an acknowledgement of how they were jilted.
With the recent airing of Sonicsgate on CNBC and the drama unfolding in Sacramento with the Maloofs, Seattle is once again being targeted as a possible destination for an NBA’s Kings. Let’s face it, no one wants team relocation, a pain all too real for Sonics fans. With the Maloofs broke and the arena deal now allegedly dead, what’s next? Are the Kings Seattle bound?
Chris Hansen has offered up an arena plan for Seattle. Better yet, he owns the land for the proposed site, a major step forward when compared to Clay Bennett’s laughable, designed-to-fail plan. It’s reception has been warm by the city council and, even more so, by the Seattle media who are ravenously hungry for any sports news to report. If the arena plan pans out, and I believe the location is a perfect, this has all the potential for two new teams in Seattle; one from the NHL (Phoenix Coyotes?) and the return of the NBA, the Kings being offered as the most logical choice, given their vulnerability and tenuous situation in Sacramento. All of this suggests the stars are aligning for a return of the NBA to Seattle. Is this real? Is it another carrot-on-a-stick top leverage Sacramento into ‘playing ball?’ Who knows. If a team is truly destined for Seattle, I gotta ask the obvious question;
Is this really a good thing?
Having lost the Sonics, the NBA has faded in relevancy to me. I did not drift to the Blazers as Stern expected, I just...don’t really care anymore. The blame for that indifference falls squarely on David Stern and his ego. I miss the Sonics to this day, but somehow I am not at all excited about the prospect of a team relocating and then rebranding themselves as the Sonics. It rings hollow, like a bait-and-switch. “Hey, if we move a team and put ‘em in the green and gold, Sonic fans will be fooled into believing! And that leads to Seattleites, who were already burned once by the NBA, badly, handing more money over to the NBA.” I have a problem with that. Will we get used to it? Maybe. I am also used to $5 gas, the recession and never ending Tim Tebow drama. None of those are particularly enjoyable.
Will I feel bad for Sacramento? Sure, but the Kings relocating to Seattle is nothing like the blatant lying game Bennett played when he thugged Seattle’s beloved team of 41 years. With Sacramento, a buyer would buy them with the sole and publicly acknowledged intent to move them. No lies, no ruining the team and alienating the fan base to further the real agenda. No appalling deceit.
In a way, the NBA owes Seattle a team, and Clay Bennett, shamefully sitting on the relocation committee, should be doing everything in his power to right that wrong. The problem is that his involvement will immediately open those old wounds and shine the light back on his disgraceful actions with the Sonics. If he is like Stern, he’ll put his ego first. There will be no expansion teams. Not with the current state of the league. Some 18 teams are claiming to be losing money, adding another team to the league is not a practical reality.
If the Kings or any other team moves to Seattle, I am not sure I can embrace them. Not after what the league did to the City. Not after creating this void. Not after assuming the fans would just blindly return, like zombies.
I guess they’d have to be called the Zombie Sonics.
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Seahawks Sign Matt Flynn: Still No Sign of the Sonics
While everyone was waiting to see who would win the Peyton Manning sweepstakes, the Seahawks made a big splash in free agency by signing free agent quarterback Matt Flynn away from the Green Bay Packers on Sunday night. Flynn's deal, with incentives, will pay him up to $26 million over three season, with $10 million guaranteed.
What's not guaranteed is the starting job. Seahawk coack Pete Carroll refused to name Flynn the starter over the much-maligned Tarvaris Jackson, saying the starting job will be won in training camp. Reading between the lines, Carroll is saying "get used to riding pine, Tarvaris." It's safe to speculate that Flynn will be the starter and Seattle will likely look for another quarterback in the draft to bolster that position, the teams most glaring weakness following a 7-9 finish to the 2011 season.
As the season progressed, the Seahawks showed great strides all over the field, except at the QB position, which consistantly hurt the team down the stretch. Of course, no one really expected Tarvaris "Stop Gap" Jackson to be the teams savior, but rather a utilitarian rental car until the real replacement could be found. Tarvaris likely will replace the departed Charlie "Clipboard Jesus" Whitehurst as the designated clipboard holder. No word from Tarvaris camp on the status of his beard.
Through all of this, there is still no sign of the Seattle Supersonics in Seattle.
What's not guaranteed is the starting job. Seahawk coack Pete Carroll refused to name Flynn the starter over the much-maligned Tarvaris Jackson, saying the starting job will be won in training camp. Reading between the lines, Carroll is saying "get used to riding pine, Tarvaris." It's safe to speculate that Flynn will be the starter and Seattle will likely look for another quarterback in the draft to bolster that position, the teams most glaring weakness following a 7-9 finish to the 2011 season.
As the season progressed, the Seahawks showed great strides all over the field, except at the QB position, which consistantly hurt the team down the stretch. Of course, no one really expected Tarvaris "Stop Gap" Jackson to be the teams savior, but rather a utilitarian rental car until the real replacement could be found. Tarvaris likely will replace the departed Charlie "Clipboard Jesus" Whitehurst as the designated clipboard holder. No word from Tarvaris camp on the status of his beard.
Through all of this, there is still no sign of the Seattle Supersonics in Seattle.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
No New Teams? No Problem.
It looks as though, at least for now, that Seattle will be without the NBA and the NHL for a bit longer. The Kings have allegedly figured out a way to stay in Sacramento by, among other things, giving up parking meter revenue for the next 50 years.
The Phoenix Coyotes have also apparently found a local buyer that wants to keep them in the area, even though they are floundering there and have been for some time. Last but not least, there are allegedly multiple buyers interested in buying the Hornets with designs on keeping them in New Orleans.
A couple of things to consider in these situations; first, no owner is going to come right out and say publicly that they want to move the franchise – something we learned from Clay Bennett who, with the help of David Stern, created the perfect blueprint for uprooting and removing of a franchise; say the right things publicly, but do the opposite privately. Stern will not publicly support or acknowledge the desire to move franchises. He will play them for all her can and then use the possible threat of relocation as the carrot on the stick to get what he wants.
Secondly, no smart exec is going to go public with their interest in selling or moving a local team to another market. That will only serve to piss off and alienate the local fan base and support will quickly erode. You can’t afford to do that if you want to maximize your current market’s resources. Do the Kings, Hornets or Coyotes really have interest in Seattle? Who knows. It appears not, but those that are really in the know aren’t going to go public with their intent while trying to close a deal close to home. Remember; Bennett pretended to go through the motions in Seattle, albeit clumsily. We all knew his intent was to move the team, so while commiserating about possible available franchises for the Seattle market – and even the reality of an arena deal – the real intentions will be known only by a very select few – not the general public.
So, in the meantime, sit back and let the chips fall where they may. Let Seattle’s opportunities arise organically. If cities like Sacramento want to keep a team by overpaying, leveraging their future, and over valuing the franchise – let them. That’s bad business. It certainly makes for feel-good headlines for Kevin Johnson in the short term. But the price will be paid for a long time after those feel good headlines are memories.
No teams? No problem. Wait for the right opportunity at the right price. This is not Seattle’s loss, it’s the NBA and the NHL’s loss. They need to earn their way into the marketplace, not be treated like they are a gift to the community. There are football, baseball and soccer to pin your hopes on.
The Phoenix Coyotes have also apparently found a local buyer that wants to keep them in the area, even though they are floundering there and have been for some time. Last but not least, there are allegedly multiple buyers interested in buying the Hornets with designs on keeping them in New Orleans.
A couple of things to consider in these situations; first, no owner is going to come right out and say publicly that they want to move the franchise – something we learned from Clay Bennett who, with the help of David Stern, created the perfect blueprint for uprooting and removing of a franchise; say the right things publicly, but do the opposite privately. Stern will not publicly support or acknowledge the desire to move franchises. He will play them for all her can and then use the possible threat of relocation as the carrot on the stick to get what he wants.
Secondly, no smart exec is going to go public with their interest in selling or moving a local team to another market. That will only serve to piss off and alienate the local fan base and support will quickly erode. You can’t afford to do that if you want to maximize your current market’s resources. Do the Kings, Hornets or Coyotes really have interest in Seattle? Who knows. It appears not, but those that are really in the know aren’t going to go public with their intent while trying to close a deal close to home. Remember; Bennett pretended to go through the motions in Seattle, albeit clumsily. We all knew his intent was to move the team, so while commiserating about possible available franchises for the Seattle market – and even the reality of an arena deal – the real intentions will be known only by a very select few – not the general public.
So, in the meantime, sit back and let the chips fall where they may. Let Seattle’s opportunities arise organically. If cities like Sacramento want to keep a team by overpaying, leveraging their future, and over valuing the franchise – let them. That’s bad business. It certainly makes for feel-good headlines for Kevin Johnson in the short term. But the price will be paid for a long time after those feel good headlines are memories.
No teams? No problem. Wait for the right opportunity at the right price. This is not Seattle’s loss, it’s the NBA and the NHL’s loss. They need to earn their way into the marketplace, not be treated like they are a gift to the community. There are football, baseball and soccer to pin your hopes on.
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Boycott Seattle Times' Steve Kelly
In the latest article by Seattle Times columnist Steve Kelly, "It's Time to Forgive David Stern", Kelly urges Seattle fans 'to forgive NBA Commissioner David Stern', who's involvement was paramount to the theft and relocation of our Supersonics. Stern is not the only villain, there's plenty of blame to go around, but his involvement and influence were key factors in making it happen.
It's one thing to ask the average fan to forgive Stern because of his many failings; the bumbling CBA debacle, the failed business models, the meddling in a legitimate trade between the Lakers and Hornets, the revolving door of franchises under his watch, etc.
But to ask Seattleites, who supported the Sonics for 40 years only to have it ripped away because of his influence, to forgive Stern, is simply unconscionable. Steve Kelly is out of touch with the wants and needs of the Seattle sports audience and has been for some time. This piece of shameful, self-serving propaganda is too much.
In the comments section of the article the overwhelming sentiment against his position is staggering; I would conservatively guess it is north of 95% against his point of view. Stern neither warrants nor deserves 'forgiveness.'
Kelly does not represent the fans in Seattle, at least not when it comes to basketball. It's time for him to go. It's time to bring in someone who is in touch with the pulse of Seattle's sports wants and needs, someone who reflects the consensus, not someone who wants to make friends with the villain, and that is exactly what Kelly is doing. It serves his needs well as it leads to NBA coverage and a holiday card from the Commissioner. Well, there's an old saying, Steve; "The enemy of my enemy is my friend." Stern is public enemy #1 in Seattle.
Where is Kelly's column calling out Howard Schultz to pitch in for an arena? Hmmm?
Seattle does not need to extend an olive branch to David Stern. It’s the other way around, Kelly. Figure it out on your way out the door.
PLEASE LEAVE YOUR THOUGHTS ON KELLY AND HIS COLUMN HERE! They will be forwarded to the Seattle Times.
It's one thing to ask the average fan to forgive Stern because of his many failings; the bumbling CBA debacle, the failed business models, the meddling in a legitimate trade between the Lakers and Hornets, the revolving door of franchises under his watch, etc.
But to ask Seattleites, who supported the Sonics for 40 years only to have it ripped away because of his influence, to forgive Stern, is simply unconscionable. Steve Kelly is out of touch with the wants and needs of the Seattle sports audience and has been for some time. This piece of shameful, self-serving propaganda is too much.
In the comments section of the article the overwhelming sentiment against his position is staggering; I would conservatively guess it is north of 95% against his point of view. Stern neither warrants nor deserves 'forgiveness.'
Kelly does not represent the fans in Seattle, at least not when it comes to basketball. It's time for him to go. It's time to bring in someone who is in touch with the pulse of Seattle's sports wants and needs, someone who reflects the consensus, not someone who wants to make friends with the villain, and that is exactly what Kelly is doing. It serves his needs well as it leads to NBA coverage and a holiday card from the Commissioner. Well, there's an old saying, Steve; "The enemy of my enemy is my friend." Stern is public enemy #1 in Seattle.
Where is Kelly's column calling out Howard Schultz to pitch in for an arena? Hmmm?
Seattle does not need to extend an olive branch to David Stern. It’s the other way around, Kelly. Figure it out on your way out the door.
PLEASE LEAVE YOUR THOUGHTS ON KELLY AND HIS COLUMN HERE! They will be forwarded to the Seattle Times.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
A Possible New Arena in Seattle, but Does Anyone Want the NBA Back?
It's been a while since I've posted. Since the Blunder are doing so well I can't goof on them anymore. But now there is movement in the Seattle arena situation and it's getting interesting.
There is a buzz around Seattle after confirmation that a new arena deal is being discussed, for real this time. Christopher Hanson, 44, a former Seattle native and current hedge fund manager, is behind the project. Hanson bought a piece of land in the SODO area (South of Downtown) and is targeting it for an arena location. This provides any proposed arena with a real location and gives this proposal a chance at success. Details of the financing are still being worked out, so there is a long way to go.
Hopefully, Hansen and his group will avoid asking for any public financing assistance, a topic that will roil the blood of Seattle residents, still bitter about the loss of the Sonics three years ago. In the grim economic reality of today, it's not a good time to be asking for public money for arenas that are used to lure professional sports franchises to town, especially the NBA, run by David Stern - public enemy number one to Sonics fans after his involvement in helping Clay Bennett take the team from it's home of 40 years.
Three years after our beloved Sonics were ripped from the city that supported them for 40 years, the NBA is now beginning the courting process. In Stern's arrogant fashion; he won't dare admit his huge mistake, nor will he acknowledge how the league desperately needs a city like Seattle back in the fold, not the other way around. No, instead he goes his usual route of arrogance by saying the league 'is open to discussions'.
What a douchebag.
Three years have gone by and I don't miss the NBA at all. I really don't. Without a team to root for I find myself seeing the league in a different light. It's really just a business. That's what they said as the team was leaving town. It's how they justified it. The message was loud and clear - don't get attached to your teams. Come and support them blindly, spend all your money to support them, but do not get emotionally attached.
Is there any other way to support them, other than emotionally? It's that exact passion that drives the fans - to connsume. The NBA wants it both ways; be passionate about spending your hard earned money, but don't complain when we want more and take your teams away. You can't have it both ways. This vaccuum the leagues (Mostly the NBA) are creating is alienating fans. Making the league's demand of 'come and spend more' expopnentially more obnoxious, is the perception that the NBA's product has become weak and uninteresting.
Supply and demand anyone?
Some fans may come back; many, like me, won't. Color me bitter, jaded and uninterested. I'm not the only one. If you read the fans' comments in the Seattle Times article, the vast majority had no interest in the NBA returning - and Seattle was a huge basketball town for many years. Could it ever return to it's glory days? It's possible, but it'll never be the same. We'll always be the city that lost the Sonics.
I get it. It's a business. But that business model took our team of 40 years away, alienating the fans, like me. I didn't look for another team to follow, or jump on the Heat bandwagon, or look for a way to get my basketball fix. I simply lost interest. Putting a team back in Seattle will make neat headlines, paint Stern as some kind of make-good icon and put Seattle back on the NBA map, as it should be. Sure it'd be nice, but it'd be false and hollow. The NBA needs Seattle, not the other way around.
Make no mistake, Seattle now becomes the threat and the leverage the NBA will use against other franchises that don't toe the NBA line by offering billion dollar palaces up to the commissioner. See Sacramanto as exhibit A. The only way Seattle gets a team is via location. There will be no expansion with the league already losing so much money.
Unfortunately, I don't have an NBA appetite anymore, and righting a wrong by bringing a league as messed up as the NBA to Seattle, won't erase the bitterness, create an appetite for the game, or heal the wounds it created. My interest in the league is long gone and I don't see it returning, even if it returns to Seattle. Too little, too late.
More to come.
There is a buzz around Seattle after confirmation that a new arena deal is being discussed, for real this time. Christopher Hanson, 44, a former Seattle native and current hedge fund manager, is behind the project. Hanson bought a piece of land in the SODO area (South of Downtown) and is targeting it for an arena location. This provides any proposed arena with a real location and gives this proposal a chance at success. Details of the financing are still being worked out, so there is a long way to go.
Hopefully, Hansen and his group will avoid asking for any public financing assistance, a topic that will roil the blood of Seattle residents, still bitter about the loss of the Sonics three years ago. In the grim economic reality of today, it's not a good time to be asking for public money for arenas that are used to lure professional sports franchises to town, especially the NBA, run by David Stern - public enemy number one to Sonics fans after his involvement in helping Clay Bennett take the team from it's home of 40 years.
Three years after our beloved Sonics were ripped from the city that supported them for 40 years, the NBA is now beginning the courting process. In Stern's arrogant fashion; he won't dare admit his huge mistake, nor will he acknowledge how the league desperately needs a city like Seattle back in the fold, not the other way around. No, instead he goes his usual route of arrogance by saying the league 'is open to discussions'.
What a douchebag.
Three years have gone by and I don't miss the NBA at all. I really don't. Without a team to root for I find myself seeing the league in a different light. It's really just a business. That's what they said as the team was leaving town. It's how they justified it. The message was loud and clear - don't get attached to your teams. Come and support them blindly, spend all your money to support them, but do not get emotionally attached.
Is there any other way to support them, other than emotionally? It's that exact passion that drives the fans - to connsume. The NBA wants it both ways; be passionate about spending your hard earned money, but don't complain when we want more and take your teams away. You can't have it both ways. This vaccuum the leagues (Mostly the NBA) are creating is alienating fans. Making the league's demand of 'come and spend more' expopnentially more obnoxious, is the perception that the NBA's product has become weak and uninteresting.
Supply and demand anyone?
Some fans may come back; many, like me, won't. Color me bitter, jaded and uninterested. I'm not the only one. If you read the fans' comments in the Seattle Times article, the vast majority had no interest in the NBA returning - and Seattle was a huge basketball town for many years. Could it ever return to it's glory days? It's possible, but it'll never be the same. We'll always be the city that lost the Sonics.
I get it. It's a business. But that business model took our team of 40 years away, alienating the fans, like me. I didn't look for another team to follow, or jump on the Heat bandwagon, or look for a way to get my basketball fix. I simply lost interest. Putting a team back in Seattle will make neat headlines, paint Stern as some kind of make-good icon and put Seattle back on the NBA map, as it should be. Sure it'd be nice, but it'd be false and hollow. The NBA needs Seattle, not the other way around.
Make no mistake, Seattle now becomes the threat and the leverage the NBA will use against other franchises that don't toe the NBA line by offering billion dollar palaces up to the commissioner. See Sacramanto as exhibit A. The only way Seattle gets a team is via location. There will be no expansion with the league already losing so much money.
Unfortunately, I don't have an NBA appetite anymore, and righting a wrong by bringing a league as messed up as the NBA to Seattle, won't erase the bitterness, create an appetite for the game, or heal the wounds it created. My interest in the league is long gone and I don't see it returning, even if it returns to Seattle. Too little, too late.
More to come.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
SonicsGate at the OKC/Memphis game - GENIUS!
Those who tuned in to game three of the Oklahoma City Thunder/Denver Nuggets NBA Playoff series on April 23 might have noticed a smattering of green behind the OKC bench, coupled with the sweet sound of cowbell. That would have been Jason Reid, Adam Brown, Colin White and Jeff Scoma, aka the Sonicsgate crew. And it's a scene that the league is only going to see more of, according to the rabble rousers.
Sonicsgate: Requiem for a Team--as every Pacific Northwest sports fan should know--is a film that chronicles how the Seattle SuperSonics ended up in Oklahoma City thanks to the shady dealings of ex-Sonics owner Howard Schultz, OKC-owner Clay Bennett, NBA Commissioner David Stern and a handful of other villains.
The folks behind the movie, however, have never been content with just telling people to watch their film or directing them to their website.
Sonicsgate producer Adam Brown most recently showed up at Howard Schultz's book signing event in Issaquah and captured another fan heckling him about selling the Sonics (before Brown himself was thrown out for simply wearing Soncis gear).
Anyhow, back to the playoff appearance. Here's the video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nd_BRsXpgJw&feature=player_embedded
Seattle Weekly spoke with Sonicsgate Director Jason Reid today. He says the crew's appearance at the game was part of their "No Team Is Safe" campaign, which aims to remind teams across the league that, at any time, their team might be snatched away just like the Soncis were.
"With the Thunder in the playoffs we thought it was necessary to make an appearance and show everyone that we won't be silenced until we get an NBA team back in Seattle," says Reid. "It's really about letting national media know Seattle deserves a franchise back."
Brown also says that he and his supporters plan on shifting their efforts toward convincing local leaders to build a new stadium or to renovate Key Arena.
"Look, we can make all these appearances, but the bottom line is we need to build new arena," says Reid. "And we want to start moving toward realizing that goal. The Sonics army is more fired up and angry then ever. Seeing the Thunder in the playoffs, that should be our team playing at Key Arena."
Sonicsgate: Requiem for a Team--as every Pacific Northwest sports fan should know--is a film that chronicles how the Seattle SuperSonics ended up in Oklahoma City thanks to the shady dealings of ex-Sonics owner Howard Schultz, OKC-owner Clay Bennett, NBA Commissioner David Stern and a handful of other villains.
The folks behind the movie, however, have never been content with just telling people to watch their film or directing them to their website.
Sonicsgate producer Adam Brown most recently showed up at Howard Schultz's book signing event in Issaquah and captured another fan heckling him about selling the Sonics (before Brown himself was thrown out for simply wearing Soncis gear).
Anyhow, back to the playoff appearance. Here's the video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nd_BRsXpgJw&feature=player_embedded
Seattle Weekly spoke with Sonicsgate Director Jason Reid today. He says the crew's appearance at the game was part of their "No Team Is Safe" campaign, which aims to remind teams across the league that, at any time, their team might be snatched away just like the Soncis were.
"With the Thunder in the playoffs we thought it was necessary to make an appearance and show everyone that we won't be silenced until we get an NBA team back in Seattle," says Reid. "It's really about letting national media know Seattle deserves a franchise back."
Brown also says that he and his supporters plan on shifting their efforts toward convincing local leaders to build a new stadium or to renovate Key Arena.
"Look, we can make all these appearances, but the bottom line is we need to build new arena," says Reid. "And we want to start moving toward realizing that goal. The Sonics army is more fired up and angry then ever. Seeing the Thunder in the playoffs, that should be our team playing at Key Arena."
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