A little FAQ for you courtesy of the Lodge
Q: Will the Sonics play the 2006-07 season at KeyArena?Yes, and only because Mayor Nagin can't get his s*&t together and take his own team back. Isn't one year plenty of time to rebuild an entire city? The club has also looked into playing at the West Seattle Hiawatha Center, although the community center was balking at having to potentially spend $100 on extra benches.
Q: Did the ownership group offer the Sonics to local buyers?
Yes, but unfortunately Dude and I lost out the night before on a big stakes Hold 'Em table and we're a little strapped, but I've been working with my accountant to see about freeing up some old EarthLink stock.
Q: What happened to talk of a new arena in Bellevue or Renton?Bellevue's initial design required the team to attach a new shopping center w/ multi-plex, space for 500 new Condo's and a Java Juice. Rent'n worked on an aggressive fund-raising drive, but ultimately faced too much contest from the recent Girl Scout Cookie push.
Q: Could Paul Allen move the Trail Blazers to Seattle?
Yes, but no.
Q: Would Seattle be a candidate for an NBA expansion team or franchise relocation?
Yes, along with Fargo, Cheyene, Missoula, Reno and Tijuana.
Q: What becomes of the Seattle Storm?
Q: What kind of lawsuits are likely to result from the sale?
I have word that CTown is speaking with his attorney about filing a restraining order against every Starbucks/SBC store in the Greater Seattle Area. Personally, I will be filing a class-action suit to the beer vendors of the Key for keeping me away from the Arena with $7 Budweisers.
Q: What is the future of KeyArena?Kids skate free before 6.
Q: Does this announcement hurt the team's ability to re-sign Chris Wilcox?
Not anymore than the last 5 years of First Round draft picks.
Q: How will this news affect the players and the upcoming season?
I've been on the phone with Rashard Lewis's agent , and he's confirmed that he's already found a handful of quality drinking establishments in the Oklahoma City area. Ray Allen's is signing the paperwork on his 5th house on the 13th green of the Oklahoma City Club as I type this.
You wanted to talk about something other than Soccer, here you go.
posted by Jimbo at 9:12 AM
52 Comments:
Post of the Month, it flames the dispassion brewing in my morning coffee... starbucks bold drip... grrrr...
thanks Duke, I really just wanted to get all three of those photos in a post...especially Lenny holding the trophy...I might have to get that blown up for CTown as a wedding present...
It might take me some time before I can have a rational discussion on this topic. I'll give it the old college try....but right now I'm just pissed.
Say what you want about the NBA, and whether or not you are a fan.....it's too expensive to go to the games....blah, blah, blah.....bottom line is, when the Sonics are winning, the seats are filled. The problem with the current situation is that even when the seats are filled, all of the time, the Sonics are losing money because of the lease agreement with the city.
Does this mean that taxpayers have to step up to get a deal done to keep our team? Not necessarily, but the city council and the mayor have done NOTHING but try and call the now previous ownership groups bluff.....ha, and it turns out...that they weren't bluffing. So now who's the ass?
Truth be told, they are all asses. But back to my original thought.....whether or not you like the NBA or the Sonics.....you should be able to appreciate the fact that there are quite a few people that do. People shell out money for season tickets and to take their kids to games. Howard Shitz came forward five years ago and pledged to be the savior of the Sonics. The local ownership that we needed......and now, it doesn't matter what he or Starbucks has done for the community.....he will be the guy that made the loss of the Sonics possible. He says we have to blame the "elected officials". I say F*CK you Jobu....you are an ass. Get on the Art Modell train and get the hell out of my town now SUCKA....get out while you still can.
Sorry for the long comment.
Love the passion. LOVE IT SEATOWN!!!
Who caught the howie interview on Mitch this morning?
Ctown that was awesome...
I feel the pain. I hate to see the Lodge NBA fans hurting.
I missed the morning radio show. How was it?
Oh, I caught the interview too. C'mon Howie....we're not friggin' morons here. ASS.
He is really just going to throw Mayor Gridlock under the bus...and continues to pass the buck to the "elected officials". It's all THEIR fault.
Melissa said that Howie sent out a voicemail to all Starbucks employees yesterday about the sale, and telling them that it was a hard decision....and it didn't involve Starbucks....so the employees shouldn't feel obligated to defend old Howie. Nice...I'm sure they were all lining up to protect the guy.
you know the Green and White pom-poms will be flying on 1st Ave regardless of what decision Howie makes...I like that Mitch threw him a fastball at the end asking that despite the community and business accomplishments that Schultz's legacy will be the man who paved the way for Seattle to lose its oldest Professional Franchise...answer..."I'm not sure that's the case...blah blah...Elected Officials...blah blah...Mayor Nickels...blah blah...next question"....who knew the new Ivory Towers are built w/o windows...
2.0 so despondent right now, he can't speak or type...he's been walking around Green Lake sipping' Jack & Cokes for the last 22 hours...
I also liked that Mitch asked him if there was any dissent on the board of directors of the ownership group.....and he wouldn't answer. So one can only assume that there was......
I'll get to see Joe tomorrow night in P-town with access to an open bar....I can pretty much guarantee that there won't be any Howard Shultz love going around.....
Isnt that a normal day for 2.0?
Side note....
Sports Guy picked his EPL team..
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/060719
read up if you want...
Back the the Sonics talk
Okay, so here's the deal. Howie is extremely persuasive - look at what he has conviced the world to do: spend $5.00 on coffee. You have to give him some credit, for someone that persuasive to admit defeat, there must have been some significant "gridlock". In a city that's passion is south of Jackson, and that can't pass a mass transit bill, the last of the city's concerns is a sub-par basketball team full of attitude, ebonics and ignorance. The best thing that happened to the Sonics was Howie - hell he brought some intelligence to the table... Green, green, white, white, my colors shout! That one goes out to Garden, the hardest working girl in the big Ivory Tower.
I'm glad we could get an official comment from The Corporation...
She is certainly the hardest working lately.....and a the biggest cheerleader for Sbux. She is definitely a "lifer".
I didn't realize the Starbucks PR department read our blog.
The Ivory Tower is notified anytime that there is any kind of anti-howie talk going on.
It's an all hands on deck situation over there today.
Wow. I feel that someones opinion is a little biased due to the signature on the paycheck.
That being said.
Both sides are at fault here.
1) Howie should have never bought the team that was already under a lease that lost money. Its called reasearch Howie...loook into it.
2) The City of Seattle was told that this would happen. They were warned time and time again publicly. Releasing those "3 solutions that were brought to the table" was political "Covering of the Ass"
Sorry to say I for one do not support additional taxes to keep the Sonics. Im not going to pay takes for a team under a lease that they signed. If you want out of town taxes then thats fine, but that may affect tourism, which has a bigger influence to the economy than 41 Sonic Games.
Sorry to say but I have one thing to say....and it will be in song.
"Oklahoma, where the wind comes sweepin' down the plain
And the wavin' wheat can sure smell sweet
When the wind comes right behind the rain."
PS I got the lyrics off of google. I didnt actually know the words. Unlike 2.0 who has the Broadway Song Lyrics Encyclopedia
I like the fact that everyone is totally opposed to any kind of tax for "keeping" the Sonics.
Apparently everyone is REELING from the taxes incurred from "keeping" our other 2 professional sports franchises. "I used to have a nicer car until the damn Mariners tax kicked in....."
Goose, whould you have to pay the taxes? I thought it was just a city of Seattle tax? I don't know...
"I haven't seen this city up in arms since the Timbliska Blast of 1909...."
Seatown...do you own a house yet?
Taxes are a huge issue once you own a house.
I thought the Team wanted to extend the Tourist tax or cigs tax to pay for the new Arena? Man this is all conviluted. I guess I should read more then the PI or times on this... Jim does the Christian Science Monitor have a good right up on this major crisis?
CSM unfortunately is busy with something or other in the middle east and they don't have a sports section (which should raise red flags right away)...the best read of the day comes from the NW's very own version of what Woody Paige used to be: Art Theil,
i have served coffee to mr. schultz on several occassions when i was employed by the sonicskillers, he seems like a nice guy, even when i messed up his double short, two thirds full, non-fat, light foam, latte. it does not make up for his business tightness that has destroyed seattles civic life.
I have to chime in on this issue. Quite frankly...I have to be in a quarintine after hearing the press conference. I can see why Howie sold the team...but are you telling me Dale Ellis, X-man and the Shawn Kemp group couldn't get enough money together to buy the team. No...he had to sell to a guy that wants a team in his town. So...say what you want...but the new slogan for next year will be the Seattle SoonerSonics.
Howie and his group is to blame. They bought the team knowing the situation with the Key. If Howie was the business man he says he is...he should have been working on getting the old lease reworked, or work on getting the funding for a new arena or to rebuild the Key. He has been sitting on his hands for three and 1/2 years and now he started putting it in motion. I hope Howie goes into politics just to find out how slow things work in the political process. You can't expect to fix a problem like this in a small amount of time.
That leads me to the group of dummys known as the City Council and our insightful mayor. I love how they tried to play the good guys in the press conference. We gave the Sonics group a ton of options and they didn't respond...Howie and Mr. Mayor...check your feet because somebody stinks.
In closing I also want to say what a tool Wally Walker is. I have never liked him and that he got promoted and became a part owner makes me sick. The guy is a bigger snake than Howie...
I have more but chew on that lodge...the Dude is back!!!
well...we'll see if he's really back
And like a theif in the night, The Dude was gone......
Aren't we supposed to capitalize "Lodge"?
yes, and I'd suspend Dude, but is that really necessary ? we just got his monthly comment
So, did anyone read the sports guy?
I actually emailed him back to say that was his best article ever...and I believe I've read just about every single article he's ever written for ESPN...amazing...and a nice choice at the end...no more cred than being a Spurs fan...
Seattle SoonerSonics... good one, Dude. We'll see you next month. Have fun with the last 6 weeks of Summer vacation before you start to prepare for hibernation this winter.
I haven't been sucking down the Jack about this whole situation because I'm still in denial. But just as pissed as CTown, don't get me wrong. I do have faith that the city will throw something together, and if all else fails we have Paul Allen losing money in PTown to move the beloved Blazers up the 5.
NBA is my favorite league & my favorite sport. I'll be a Sonics fan for life, but this will hurt if they are moved. Next year I'll be attending games like every year and supporting the local team. I'm hoping others will follow suit and show their support. This city deserves an NBA team, despite our community leaders blunders of the situation during the past year.
I was really blown away at the in depth research he went into. I know he is good but this was top self. I couldn’t argue at all with the pick. I thought it would be Liverpool but hey I only missed it by one. The Spurs are top flight and just missed out on Champs League. The SG can still cut his teeth on UEFA CUP.
I envy the man as I know he will find his way to White Hart Lane for the Derby.
Jolly Good Show by the Sports Guy, Jolly Good
yeah I mentioned to him that we had him at 2:1 for the Dragons, but went with the best choice possible...
2.0...we're here for you bro...even though I've been highly critical of all things NBA (sans the NASHA/MAMBA and Suns run in the playoffs this year) I don't like seeing local community organizations/businesses leave town...it's part of the fabric of our community, and if we start peeling away those individual parts...what are we left with?...a sports scene as unispiring as LA...
I blame L.A. entirely. The influx of Cali-born peeps and their indifferent collective attitude spurned these events. Ya, I said it.
Thought for the group. Since the NBA is all but gone, would you support an NHL/MLS or Nascar instead?
FYI for the former elinkers. I was out to dinner last night and bumped into Earthlinks sharpest dressed, Mr Anthony Floyd and his wife Lisa.. He gave his best to all. If you want his contact information send me an email
Joe, they were amazed someone married you. Of course we all were
Tony RockyO'Hara? wow...that brings me back...
Anthony Floyd WOW... Never thought I would think of that guy again.. Blast from the past.
NHL- would never come here, same reasons the Soncis are leaving.
NASCAR - Wants to be in the NW but the voters keep shooting a track down. Plus I hear NASCAR wants to fund the majority of the money. I think it would thrive here.
MLS - Broken record here but I would love to see a team or just elevate the sounders. The team has a sold fan base already. I could see an all soccer complex being built in the 253 down by that huge empty lot next to the FW flea market.
or better yet...put them in West Seattle Memorial Stadium...I'll throw the post-match parties...
and shouldn't that parking lot next to the Flea Market be used for the NASCAR track?
WTF - that was one of my three bosses at elnk. my first boss was of course awesome, the infamous TOM! who later got replaced with older Tom. *sigh* memories.... best nights of my life laughing with Bob Voorhees about engrish for no reason.
i thought NASCAR was trying to book up shop in Snohomish/Marysville? That area is rife with Talladega fever.
the flea market you are speaking of is in midway and is now replaced by a Lowes Hardware Store
I thought there was a huge empty field just south of the flea Market?
So, you think we are going to sign Chris Wilcox?
I think it would be great to get a NHL team. We could start a good rival with Vancouver. As for Nascar...they want to be there...but it just hasn't happened yet.
As for Wilcox...I'd like to think they will resign him but who really knows now...I thought the sonics would stay here too...
this could all change...
The Lodge is up for sale...because the city hasn't done anything for us to remodel the Lodge.
HA - we need to have a press conference, that was a good one Dude....
just commenting so we can get to 50...yes, my life is that pathetic
YES!!!
51!!!! 51!!!! 51!!!!
52 for good measure
Post a Comment
<< Home