Sonics fans in pain

While this post is specifically about the Seattle Sonics, and I'm trying to stay away from those, I think it also I think it also tells a wider story. So, indulge me.

When the Oilers left Houston, only 8 people showed up to that now infamous "Keep Our Oilers" rally. As the Sonics leave, there's a sense of desperation. But that isn't to say there is apathy, or a lack of action. Here, more than 8 people care, so to speak.

Today's Seattle Times has a piece by Danny Westneat in the wake of comments by new Sonics owner Clay Bennett. Bennett has been touring Kansas City, and listening to what that city is offering the team. As part of his visit, Bennett told the Starr newspaper that nobody in Seattle is helping him build an arena.

"(There has been) no hue and cry, no letters to the editor, nothing by the media or talk on the call-in shows, or no new ideas on how to get it done. No private ideas on the table," Bennett said.

That isn't at all true. Nevermind my personal position, there are plenty of things cooking. The cities of Bellevue and Renton have separate plans. A third plan is gestating in Tukwila. The governor has signed on to at least one stadium package. Multiple state senators have put their necks on the line. Sports radio is full of keep-the-Sonics talk. Etc. To suggest that the community doesn't care is disingenous.

But there's more. The story isn't just about Seattle caring or not caring. I think it's also about Bennett actively trying to leave. Read on.

In his article, Westneat spoke to the presidents of some fan organizations -- some of them with 5,000 members. On one of the organization Web sites, a president expanded on Westneat's column, and said a few things I had never heard before or understood.

My frustration comes from the fact that ownership has taken virtually no steps to address these issues before judging our community. Despite repeated pleas they have chosen not to reach out in any meaninful way to the media nor really engage the fans whatsoever.

For all the claims of money spent on the arena quest there has been no Advertising firm hired, no significant effort whatsoever to educate the public or release information. No real effort to pass a vision onto the community. In a real nutshell they have continued to have dialogue with the government without stopping for a second to talk with their customers.

The city of Renton along with our organization actually made more of a sales pitch than the team iteself. Furthermore all public commentary is, at this point indicating that he has given up 6 months into a 1 year due dilligence and without having taking any effort to adjust to the situation. He took one shot at legistlature and now is simply sitting back waiting to see what they bring to him.

This is not acceptable.

Isn't that crazy? The Sonics haven't even hired anybody to sell their message? I think that's whack.

When the Oilers left Houston, I had the definite sense that the community did not care. Right? Did everybody feel that way? If Clay Bennett can somehow convince the world that Seattle doesn't care about the Sonics, I'm going to be furious. We might not build him an arena, but to suggest that we haven't tried is absurd. Particularly if the community is trying harder than he is.

Screw you, Sonics.

Andruw Jones in Seattle? Wha'?

Buster Olney's column today had the following predictions for MLB's 2007-2008 centerfield carousel: First, he said that because the Mets/Yankees/Sox are pretty much set at centerfield, the CF market is already saturated. Teams will be looking for inexpensive solutions. With Andruw Jones, Torri Hunter, Ichiro and Mike Cameron on the market, though, players will be looking for massive contracts.

The situation could resolve itself like this, Olney said:

There will be very heavy bidding on Cameron, because he's going to be the cheapest option. In the end, he signs with Atlanta.

The Texas Rangers, looking for a long-term center field solution, will sign Hunter, a Texas guy.

That will leave Jones and Ichiro. I'm guessing that Ichiro winds up with the White Sox -- he fits a lot of what they do, with their running and hitting and hitting-and-running -- and that leaves Jones … in Seattle. We know the Mariners don't shy away from Scott Boras clients, like Jones; they offered a huge deal to Barry Zito last offseason.

Whack. I don't support it at all. I want no part of that one-hand-catching, always-makes-Paul-happy-to-see-him-struggle jerkface. No part.

Also, I don't really want to see Ichiro leave, either. He's a punk, and I'm not a big Ichiro supporter, but he's definitely a Mariner. He's in our big four: ARod, Randy, Griffey, Ichiro. If none of them finish in Seattle, that's bad news, I think.

(Felix isn't a big four member. Felix is in the one man category: Awesomest ever).

Kevin Durant, Oklahoma, etc

I'm thrilled that the (Seattle) Sonics got draft rights to Kevin Durant.

I was listening to the NBA lottery on my car radio Tuesday night, and as it became obvious that we were going to get a top three pick — the Celtics' misfortune ensured it — I started to pump my fists and honk my horn. I was ridiculously stoked. The Sonics, after all, were my first love. Without Shawn Kemp, etc, I never start to follow sports; nobody in my family ever has.

So, during the commercial break, I pull over into a grocery store parking lot. I'm wearing a massive grin, kinda creepy like, I imagine. Whatever. My phone is ringing off the hook, and so I'm picking up, shouting a few things to my friends, and hanging up again. The Sonics! Greg Oden! Kevin Durant!

I'll admit this: I was disappointed when I heard we got the second pick. Only Oden seems to guarentee a future NBA title. But that only lasted two seconds. I jumped out of my car, danced a little jig, answered some calls, shouted a ton, and then went to Jack in the Box for a congratulatory milkshake — large this time, and Oreo. Delicious.

There's no way the Sonics are staying in Seattle, by the way. I just cannot imagine how that would happen. The team pissed off the community, and the league pissed off the government. Even I — a honking and shouting and fist pumping fool — oppose a new stadium. I'm furious. There is a small chance that the Sonics could move to Renton, WA, which is about an hour south of my childhood home in Kenmore, but even that seems unlikely. Seattle is not going to happen; Renton maybe maybe maybe (maybe maybe maybe) could. Whatever.

Of course, the issue isn't going to come to a vote. That idea is 100 percent dead. The tax package which would pay for the stadium would simply extend hotel/motel taxes for about 20 years. Out-of-state visitors would pay, the team says. And, you know, screw out-of-state visitors, they imply.

Plans suggest the team needs a $500M facility. Even though we redid the stadium 10 years ago, the NBA is back for more. Even though we've nearly filled the stadium these past seven years to watch crappy, uninspired players, the NBA asks for more. I mean. What? What in the world is a city supposed to do? It's absurd. Screw the visitors? Screw the NBA.

But. Kevin Durant! Wow! Go Supes!

Soda and football: Like beer, only more carbonated

Today, the Seattle Seahawks announced that for the first time in NFL history, their official soda merchant — in the stadium, for team events, etc — will be neither Coke nor Pepsi.

Huge news!

They're going with Seattle-based Jones Soda. I'm not sure if you've had Jones Soda, or heard of it, but the company is kind of a specialty shop, and hasn't ever offered a "regular cola" or "diet cola" drink. Crazy, right? They're adding those lines as part of the deal with the Seahawks.

Interesting quote:

A key in getting the deal was a patent the company owns that allows Jones Soda to place individual photos on the labels of its bottles.

This will allow Jones Soda to put different players or fans on plastic bottles inside Qwest Field and on glass bottles in supermarkets that carry Jones Soda, he said.

Sweet! (Literally!)

Craziness

Some blog needed to link to this, and The Sports Sauna is the blog for the job. Le Mond is a really interesting character. He's the only American in cycling to publically suggest that Lance Armstrong was doping. Now this bizarre part in the Landis case. I'm not really sure what else to say, except it's quite crazy.

Hopkins to replace Boeheim

Andy Katz broke the story this afternoon. I'm in favor of it.

First, ask yourself this question: if you could have any coach at Syracuse right now, who would you choose? To me the answer is a no-brainer - Jim Boeheim. Yes, there are probably better game coaches out there. There are also probably better recruiters out there. But Boeheim is still a hall of famer when you combine those two categories. And in the most important category, is the coach a match for the school, Boeheim is perfect. He loves the area. He loves the school. He IS the basketball program. If you think that the SU program would be better with Coach K, Roy Williams, or whoever, you're crazy.

So I say, if it's not Boeheim, let's go with a guy most likely to be Jim Boeheim II. That's Mike Hopkins. He'll stick with the 2-3 zone, because that's the only thing he's ever known. And he's already a fantastic recruiter.

If Hop's a catastrophe, THEN you go in a different direction. I don't think Syracuse basketball will have trouble hiring a big name even if the program slips a bit after Boeheim leaves.

Of course, the question is how long will Hopkins have to wait? Boeheim is 63 right now. (I know, it's always crazy to read that, isn't it?) He hasn't said anything about retiring any time soon, but this will certainly increase the times he'll have to field the question. He's still reeling in the recruiting classes. I think he wants to make one more trip to the championship before he's done. But is he really going to keep going to 70? I'll put the over/under at 5 years. And yes, I think we'll go to the Final Four once in that time.
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After I wrote that, something else occurred to me. Boeheim and Jim Calhoun are currently tied for win total. What if they're waiting each other out so they can be ahead on the final list? Jim Calhoun just turned 65 on May 10. And honestly, I think Boeheim, after a rough start, is aging a little bit better than his counterpart...

Missing a Classic and a Question for Chris

Over the past couple years, my attention has been returned to the NBA after a long period of dis-interest that was triggered by MJ's retirement and enforced by the dominance of the unlikable Lakers and the likable but dull Spurs. Why am I following the pros? Quite simply, Bill Simmons's NBA articles get me excited about it. For instance, there is no annual media offering I look forward to more each year than his annual NBA Trade Value column, which has provided, for me, the definitive ranking of NBA players every year since 2000.

This article back in January keyed me into the Suns this year. I had been a Steve Nash fan for a little while, dating back to his Mavericks days. I was excited to see the guy win the MVPs. The Simmons column got me more excited about an NBA team than I had been since MJ left the Bulls. I immediately asked my dad to tape the next Phoenix game before he came to visit me in February. The taping failed, and as a result, I haven't seen one Suns game (or NBA game for that matter) all year. The North American Sports Network had NCAA rights, and now is delivering MLB plus PTI as a result ESPN's recent takeover (woohoo!), but someone else, probably my nemesis Sky, has the NBA. I didn't see a single Premiership game in its entirety this year because of Sky's monopoly. Not one! I hate them. But back to the NBA...

It seems to me that this Spurs-Suns series is turning into a classic, and I can't watch it. If it does go to 7 games, I'll have to take evasive action and either buy it online or go to a sports bar and watch it in the wee hours. I'm bummed to be missing it. Despite Simmons's assertion that the Suns will not win, I think it could go either way.

Anyway, that's a long foreword to a question I wanted to pose to Chris. Back when Nash was on the Mavericks, you were much less impressed with him than I was. I was wondering how you feel about him now, following two MVP seasons and a third season that might have been his best yet. I know you admitted he made the leap in the past few years, but how far has he leaped for you? Do you have anything to say about this or does the Seattle situation still preclude you from commenting on the NBA? Just wondering...

Bradley as US soccer coach

Looks like US soccer is going with Bob Bradley for the long haul. I think he's the right man for the job. Don't get me wrong, it would be really nice to get a big international name as our coach, like Gerard Houllier. It'd feel really good and make it look like US soccer is reaching the big time. But what are we trying to accomplish here? This isn't the MLS: international recognition isn't worth anything. We just need to win. In his four games at the helm, Bradley has done that. He's made a poor team into a winner at Chivas USA, and won a title with the Chicago Fire.

The MLS remains the key to our success. Most of our current international stars got their start in the MLS. And our future stars are almost all playing in the MLS now. Logically, a former MLS coach is the right man to tap that pipeline.

I still think Juergen Klinsmann would have been an outstanding selection as well. He's a winner, he lives in the US, and he believes in US soccer. But he's unique in that combination. After him, I think we were right to go with an American.

Is Bradley just another Arena? I hope so. US soccer got better under Arena. The reason it was time for him to go wasn't because he was the wrong man for the job. He was the right man for a long time, but his leadership had grown stale. I hope Bradley is like Arena, I just hope he doesn't use the same gameplans as Bruce (like Steve McClaren seems to be doing in England, following Sven Goran Erikson's tactics).

Most of all, I like Bradley's menacing bald look. He just looks like an son of a bitch, and all the best soccer coaches are sons of bitches: Sir Alex Fergusen, Jose Mourinho, Arsene Wenger, even Bruce Arena.

This post has nothing to do with sports

I haven't watched a full episode of the X-Files since it wrapped up in 2002, but this particular episode came on just now and caught my eye. Check out the two guest stars and you'll see why.

Jack Black's IMDB page is pretty unbelievable. Check out this list of stuff he appeared in pre-Saving Silverman:
Bob Roberts, Demolition Man, one episode of Northern Exposure, The Neverending Story III, Waterworld, Dead Man Walking, Bio-Dome (as Tenacious D), The Cable Guy, The Fan, Mars Attacks!, The Jackal (very memorably, in one of the worst movies I've ever seen), I Still Know What You Did Last Summer, Enemy of the State, and High Fidelity.

Oodles of blockbusters of varying degrees of quality! The man has gotten around. He's only 37.

Crazy insane or insane crazy?

Let me be clear: I don't hate Barry Bonds. But, if Barry Bonds were hanging by his fingertips over the side of a dangerous cliff, and next to him the New York Yankees were similarly hanging, and I was the only person who could save one of them from certain death, I'd forgive New York the 2001 ALCS and their decade plus of pure evil, and I'd save the Yankees.

So, there's my bias.

I thought it was a widely held one, but then I saw this survey. No doubt you did, too. About 48 percent of American baseball fans don't really care if Bonds breaks Aaron's career HR record? Fully 37 percent of them wish that he would? Wow. Crazy.

We are clearly in the steroids era. Trying to keep Bonds out of the Hall of Fame would be a mistake, I think. Even if he gets caught with steroids, I'm not sure you can ban him from the Hall completely. At this point, with the wide and varied list of cheaters, I think baseball fans should operate under the assumption that just about every player was dirty. And if that is true, it is hard to punish even those who are caught.

But, that doesn't mean that we cannot root against Bonds' 756th HR. He's the poster boy for an era that embarrasses me. I'm even afraid of ARod and Pujols, who might be poised to shatter whatever figure Bonds could post. Even those guys seem too closely connected to baseball's dirty present for me to feel comfortable with them in any serious baseball record book.

I'm OK with a record book dominated by hitters from the steroid era. Hell, dead ball era pitchers dominate that half of the ledger still. But, I don't want cheaters to establish records that aren't likely to ever be broken.

England Football

Last post today. I PROMISE.

Here's a name to remember in football: David Bentley. His profile on soccernet gives part 1 of the story. Highly touted...given a couple chances here and there...never really got going. Plus, he had a bit of an attitude problem. This year on Blackburn, he's been outstanding. Every time I've caught him on the ball on TV, I've been impressed. Plus, he was the first English player to score in the new Wembley stadium, when England's U-21's opened things up with a defeat against their Italian counterparts.

Expect to see him on the Euro Cup rosters next summer, if he keeps this form up next year. He'll challenge Aaron Lennon for playing time on the right wing. For Blackburn, he's kind of like Steven Gerrard, except he's playing on the wing not in the center. Like Gerrard, he balances his own scoring with plenty of setup for teammates. Exactly what England needs (and why I'm starting to agree with the voices that say Lampard shouldn't start, but that's a story for another day).

This Made My Day

ESPN.com's Top 10 college basketball programs of the last decade.

10th best program? I'll take it. After all, only half of that decade involves the current Glory Years of Syracuse University Basketball. I'm just saying, the Orange aren't going to drop out of the top 10 anytime soon.

cycling Stuff

Ivan Basso "widely acknowledged his responsibilities" in the Spanish cycling doping case and is cooperating with investigators, according to an AP report today. This is big. To put this in perspective, if Lance Armstrong is Barry Bonds, and Jan Ullrich is Mark McGwire, than Ivan Basso is Sammy Sosa.

Unlike Sosa, however, I've always liked Basso. Ullrich, on the other hand, was never that likable as his career wound down. He was icy with the press, and in his last few years on the Tour de France there were always one or two other guys on the T-Mobile team that seemed like they might challenge for the lead if Ullrich hadn't been standing in the way.

Basso was different. He was the one guy who went head to head with Lance and won a stage or two, which was nice, because Lance had everything under control anyway. I was pretty excited when Basso joined Team Discovery, even with all the doping allegations swirling. After all, everyone's doping in cycling.

And that's just it. If Basso was doping, that leaves three possibilities for Lance: A) He was doping better than Basso, B) He was doping the same as Basso, but he was a better cyclist. C) He wasn't doping. He was just that good. For the record, I'll begrudgingly admit that B is most likely, but I still think there is a chance that C is true, too. People really ARE out to get Lance, and nothing has really stuck on him for the long haul. The point is, chances are Lance really WAS that good.

Of course, that's no consolation to the (I'm totally, recklessly guessing) 10 or 20% of the riders who don't dope.

In the end, I like Basso for coming forward. He's the first big named cyclist to do it. Come to think of it, he might be the biggest name in sports to come clean. He's at least as big worldwide as Jose Canseco. I'm ready to forgive! Come on people! Admit it! You're on stuff! Go get 'em Ivan.

It's May 1. Time to think about College Basketball.

If you saw it, you knew I'd linke to it... Here's Andy Katz's pre-NBA draft NCAA top 25. The Orange come in at 18, and Katz's explanation basically reads my mind. That ranking is just about right, too. I think SU will be strong enough to beat anybody in the Big East, but not the best team in the Big East. I think the talent coming in is greater than the talent leaving, and the drop in experience will be compensated for by improvements from Devendorf, Harris, and Andy Rautins.