I’ve been listening to a lot of Seattle sports-talk radio the last few days. I’ve watched some television and thumbed through the Post-Intelligencer newspaper’s take on the whole thing. It’s really strange to say that the Seattle SuperSonics ((or Sonics if you’re younger than I am)) are only a part of the history of the NBA.
They’re history. Really strange to say… 
But, for those of you who have listened on OSG Sports Radio’s “Count/Pointercount,” you knew a long time ago that Clay Bennett wasn’t long for the Emerald City. As soon as Oklahoma City treated the New Orleans Hornets the way they did, collectively, after the team relocated after Hurricane Katrina you knew Bennett was hungering and hankering to do it for real- and not having hotel guests in the Ford Center.
After lawsuits and settlements totaling $45-million now ((and, maybe, another $30-million later)), the Sonics gear is now on clearance at Key Arena.
There will be purchases made by some of us at OSG HQ. Trust me…
But the only ones happy about this are the folks who scream “Boomer Sooner.”
Bring On The Cavalry…
That’s my personal favorite. I like the idea of a pale rider on a dark horse. You can’t do “Outlaws” or anything like that because of the current anti-thugonomics vibe felt by Commissioner Stern. Probably some color scheme of maroon and black, one as athletic trim for the other.
There still is the idea of former owner Howard Schultz’s lawsuit against Bennett and his PBC group. Bennett addressed the idea at his Oklahoma City presser as “baseless.” I think Schultz needs to worry more about his 600 store closures and all the artists he’s releasing in to the work force than the idea of bringing a team back to a town and its antiquated arena. But, it seems, that Governor Christine Gregoire has completely lost touch with the situation;
“Now it's time for the state Legislature to get to work,” she said in a statement.
Now??? NOW??? “Now” is the time for the Legislature to go to work. A completely reactionary approach to saving a franchise lost. And that is part of the problem. No one wanted to do anything appropriate on a governmental level to retro-fit ((or raze and rebuild)) KeyArena when they knew the clock was ticking on survival. And if anyone thought that Clay Bennett’s end game was to keep the SuperSonics in a bad building, they were sadly mistaken and misunderstood the dynamic of big business.
And that’s what the idea of professional sports is… big business. There is a certain level of civic pride to the elements of ownership, but its percentages aren’t what they used to be. When Ford Center plays to over 100-percent capacity and someone sees the idea of instant dollar signs to be the only game in town. Aren’t you going to jump at that chance…???
Thought so…
The fans of Seattle view Bennett as a corporate raider and the basketball fans of OKC as toothless, wife-beater wearing fans of sport who drive in Conestoga wagons. Oklahoma City doesn’t care, but they don’t hate the folks of Seattle. They don’t need to feel that way. They won- in the short term, anyway.
I don’t think Bennett and his cadre at PBC give two tinker’s damns about “What happens when we still stink in a few years and no one shows up?” They’re looking more at the short-term gains of a full building and no competition. If you think the Blazers and RedHawks are going to impact the bottom line, you’re nuts and not thinking clearly.
Understandably, Sonics fans are now threatening protest outside the front doors of the office building and, irrationally, trying to think of any way to get back what they’ve lost. You lash out. That’s what you do.
Mayor Greg Nickels even admitted, which wasn’t a good idea, that as he signed the agreement over the lawsuit he had only attended two Sonics games in the last ten years. That’s not something your voting public wants to hear when part of their civic fiber is being torn asunder…
With the ink that’s leaving your hand…
If I were Mayor Nickels I would change my phone numbers, increase my security force, and make sure I had a dry cleaner that can get any stain or smell out of your suit jackets. Does your water hose work well enough to get all the toilet paper out of your trees for the foreseeable future…???
Hope so…
dot…dot…dot…
They’ve already unleashed a wagon-circling mentality at the Sonics offices… the ones in Seattle are the ones I’m talking about at the moment. No employee can be interviewed by the local media and all requests are normally headed off by their Media Relations Director. The city is “arguing” that the money they get from Bennett will pay off the debt service on KeyArena.
“We got some money from him, so everything’s now okay,” I can just hear city officials in Seattle say.
They point at a check with Clay Bennett’s John Hancock in the lower right-hand corner. It’s got a bunch of zeroes on it. To be perfectly honest, that’s how I view the legislators on the whole from the northwestern part of Washington state right now.
Am I happy for Oklahoma City…? Sure. It’s always nice to see a business go where it’s appreciated and could, very possibly, have some kind of long-term success.
Am I disappointed for Seattle…? Sure. The town’s supporters of professional basketball after 41 years get a shot in the eye with a hot poker- and a lot of their elected officials are responsible for the damage. I was also happy for Washington, DC when they got the Expos from Major League Baseball and felt disappointed for the city of Montreal.
But I do have a word of warning for both cities…
Seattle. You may be in good standing with the NBA if you rebuild or just “build” an arena. But you may be waiting a long time to resurrect a long-standing tradition. My best guess is when George Shinn tries to hold the city of New Orleans hostage in a few years that may be your best chance to rejoin the NBA. But don’t hold your breath.
Oklahoma City. Will you be willing to support your only big-boy-toy after years of mediocrity and Clay Bennett wants upgrades to the Ford Center…? And will you be willing to pay big-boy prices when the finance department calls wanting an astronomical season ticket deposit…?
Now that you’ve birthed the baby, just be prepared for the Terrible Twos and beyond…
You’ve both been warned…
Play it safe, everybody… I’ll talk to you soon…
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