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Save Our Sonics

Hey everyone, I wrote this a few days ago, and I figured it would be best for everyone to read it. As big of a Blazer fan as I am, it is a total travesty what Stern and Co. are doing. Read on...

http://sandbergonsports.blogspot.com/2008/02/time-to-stand-together.html

Star-divide

Portlanders and fans of the Trail Blazers:

I want you to close your eyes for a moment.

Imagine your team, the Trail Blazers. Think of everything you've ever experienced with them, the highs, the lows, everything. Think about the Blazers' history with the city, think about the Blazers' history with yourself. Think about how you have stuck by the team, through thick and thin, simply because they are your team - your hometown Portland Trail Blazers.

I can see those smiles starting to emerge. Good, let that love for your team show.

But don't open your eyes just yet. Now imagine this: Imagine that all of the sudden, Paul Allen decides that the Rose Garden, being built in 1995, is too out-of-date and has too many deficiencies to house the Blazers. Imagine that he wants to build a new stadium, but instead of shelling out some of his Microsoft money, he wants the taxpayers of Portland to pick up the bill for him. Imagine cash-strapped Portland's rejection of that absurd idea, prompting Allen to proclaim that Portland no longer supports an NBA basketball team. Imagine Allen decided to move the Blazers away from Portland to his hometown. Imagine the cries of Blazer fans, shouting the history and impact of the franchise, falling on the deaf ears of NBA Comissioner David Stern, who not only is complicit in the move, but who also says that no other team will ever return to the city of roses.

Harry Glickman ... Bill Schonely ... Bill Walton ... Clyde Drexler ... Brandon Roy ...it would all be gone in the blink of an eye.

There! Let that anger and sadness flow through you. Imagine the heartache, the sorrow, the pain that you would feel as your favorite team was heartlessly ripped away from you, all thanks to rich people wanting to get richer.

Now, open your eyes. What do you see?

The Seattle SuperSonics.

All that pain you might have felt just imagining such a scenario is a terrible reality for Sonics fans, a reality where a greedy, carpetbagging owner and a corrupt NBA Commissioner are selfishly tearing the Sonics away from the city that they have supported for 41 years. Because of these two, the Sonics are on the verge of being shipped off to Oklahoma City.

But right now, it is time for all of us to do something about it. Right now it is time for Portland to stand up for Seattle and help prevent the Sonics from being taken away.

What Clay Bennett is doing is wrong. David Stern, in his failure to act, is just as responsible. But for the rest of the NBA community, from teams to owners to fans in other cities, their unwillingness to speak out against this travesty is only helping Seattle lose their team.

It's time to make up for our past silence.

There is an unspoken connection between the Trail Blazers and the Sonics. They were both founded within three years of each other. They both won their only championships within two years of the other. They both had near misses in the 90s, followed by trying years of rebuilding. And to cap it all off, they're the only two NBA teams in the Northwest, forever connecting them through their location, one that, to the rest of the country, must seem like the edge of the world.

Sure, there is rivalry between the two cities, but it is more of a rivalry between siblings. We grew up together, fought with each other, and saw each others' successes. Be honest, how many of you in Portland were secretly smiling when the Sonics squared off against the Bulls in the 1996 NBA Finals? How many of you pull for Seattle when they face off against other NBA powerhouses? Face it, these two franchises are more connected than anyone knows, and deep down, we know it and cherish that fact.

Therefore, as the brothers to Seattle, we cannot sit back and allow this to happen. We can't let Clay Bennett and his greed rip this team away from a fanbase so similar to ours. Standing as one, Portland needs to fight it.

Geographical differences be damned, it's the right thing to do.

This is a fight that Seattle cannot make alone. By themselves, they cannot stand up to the voracity and evil that Bennett and his accomplice Stern have levied upon them. But with Seattle and Portland working together, we can make a difference. Together, we can show that this is about more than just an arena, or a franchise, or a petty business. Together, we can show that the Sonics mean something, not just to the city of Seattle, but to the Northwest. The Northwest needs the Sonics, Seattle needs the Sonics, and quite frankly, Portland needs the Sonics. No amount of small sibling rivalry is worth standing by and letting our brother be torn away.

If the Sonics were stolen away, the Northwest would certainly be a lonely place without them.

The time to act, the time to come together, is now. The longer that we remain silent, we condemn the Sonics more and more.

Portland must show its support for a team that must remain as the Seattle SuperSonics. Speak out against this proposed theft. Write letters to Bennett, to Stern, to the media, to anyone that will listen. If it comes down to it, we will have people in Shawn Kemp and Clyde Drexler jerseys link arms and stand in front of those moving trucks.

This isn't just Seattle's problem anymore.

Portland, imagine if this happened to us, wouldn't you want to fight for it? If it all seemed lost, and it seemed like you were helpless to stop it, wouldn't you want someone, anyone, to speak up and stand beside you? If the commissioner of the NBA won't to anything to stop this tragedy from occurring, then let's have two cities stand together. There, in one voice, we can stand strong and say:

"Save our Sonics."

Seattle, Portland stands with you.

0 recs | Comment 34 comments

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What can we do?
Is there some petition we can sign or something?

by bfan on Mar 7, 2008 9:15 AM PST reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Washington residents...
...can call 1-800-562-6000 and tell their legislator to push through the KeyArena bill. The legislative session for the year ends next week, so this has to be pushed through ASAP.

by bocious on Mar 7, 2008 10:51 AM PST to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

very well written, mr. sandberg
good read.

bfan makes a good point: what's the next step in your eyes?

For more pictures and videos, check out the BlazersEdge Facebook group and www.youtube.com/blazersedgeben

by Ben. on Mar 7, 2008 9:38 AM PST reply reply actions actions   0 recs

I say let's make this public
The biggest problem is that no one in other cities are willing to stand up and publically say that this is wrong. The more that the rest of the NBA community says that this is wrong, the more that David Stern will want to avoid a PR nightmare and he'll do something to allow the sonics to stay
Any small measure that is shown in public will help. Write letters to the editor at the Oregonian, the Seattle Times, and the Seattle PI. At Blazer home games, carry signs that read "Save the Sonics" or start massive chant or something.

Or better yet, this Blazer front office seems to be pretty perceptive to the public, let's get them to say something about it. For the next Quick Chat, someone needs to get Pritchard or Paul Allen to comment on this situation. Get Nate McMillan to talk about this: after all, he was Mr. Sonic.

The overall point is, somewhere down the line, someone's going to need to stand up for Seattle and say that this is wrong. Someone just needs to take that first step, then more will come.

The inbound to McGinnis, drives, stops, pumps, shoots, short, no good...AND THE GAME IS OVER! ~ Bill Schonely

by SandbergOnSports on Mar 7, 2008 10:05 AM PST to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

i absolutely agree with you
but i don't think a team official would be willing to make that statement, just a guess but it could lead to a league-wide blackball and job security isn't the most common thing in this league

if i wasn't so in love with the blazers i'd suggest an all-around nba boycott...but i don't think I could even do that

agreed on the signs and chants though, we need to make ourselves heard...get it on espn and whatnot, more bad press for em...

I know myself I've stopped buying any non-blazer-related nba gear (I have a sizable jersey collection, around 45 or 50 at this point, so it is a relevant amount of money to me at least).

by DominicanAvenger on Mar 7, 2008 10:31 AM PST to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

nate
might indeed be a good place to start.

i will ask around next week and see if he has said anything on or off the record about the situation.

i don't think team officials will touch this one with a 10 foot pole, at least meaningfully. lots to lose, nothing to win... sad, isn't it?

For more pictures and videos, check out the BlazersEdge Facebook group and www.youtube.com/blazersedgeben

by Ben. on Mar 7, 2008 11:38 AM PST to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Ben ... our inside source!
a mark of a good journalist.
The inbound to McGinnis, drives, stops, pumps, shoots, short, no good...AND THE GAME IS OVER! ~ Bill Schonely

by SandbergOnSports on Mar 7, 2008 12:09 PM PST to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

What we should have done...

is everyone attending the Blazer game that Stern attended should have worn green. A sea of green would have had an impact, not just on Stern but on the Seattle and the rest of the NBA.

If he comes again, be ready.

Sea of Green.

If dinosaurs voted Ralph Nader would win the election... Unanimously.

by T REX on Mar 7, 2008 11:31 AM PST reply reply actions actions   0 recs

yeah that
would have made a big impact

damn too bad im in eugene and couldnt get to that game, coulda rocked my luke rid sonics jersey

which is not looking like the best use of my money otherwise hahaha

by DominicanAvenger on Mar 7, 2008 12:01 PM PST to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Seattle had their chance.
If they had wanted to keep the Sonics, they could have kept the Sonics.

by EnglandDan on Mar 7, 2008 12:01 PM PST reply reply actions actions   0 recs

they did and do
i don't know how much you've read about the situation, but all they did was turn down bennett's demand of a new 500 million dollar arena funded entirely by taxpayers(he won't listen to offers of a 100 million dollar remodel even though in OKC he's walking into a 92 million dollar remodel, and wouldn't compromise by going in half-and-half with the city) and many seattle based groups have been trying to buy the sonics back from him

as much as i despise bennett it's really howard schultz's fault for selling the sonics to him instead of someone based in seattle

by DominicanAvenger on Mar 7, 2008 12:04 PM PST to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

They turned down what it would take
to keep the Sonics and then the team was sold to someone who would take them out of town.  It was clear to me and most other people that this is what was going to happen.  It may have been unfair to Seattle as to what the price was to keep the Sonics, but it certainly wasn't hidden.  The people of Seattle decided the Sonics weren't worth the cost of keeping them.

by EnglandDan on Mar 7, 2008 1:44 PM PST to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

You can't blame Seattle for this
Their owner basically held the team hostage demanding a new arena. The Key Arena is still relatively new (Opened in 1995 I think). Why on earth should Seattle residents have to foot the bill for a $300 million arena when the current one is fine?
I give props for Seattle not giving in. Had they did, every owner in America would demand the public pay for a new arena every 13 years.
The inbound to McGinnis, drives, stops, pumps, shoots, short, no good...AND THE GAME IS OVER! ~ Bill Schonely

by SandbergOnSports on Mar 7, 2008 12:06 PM PST to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Have you been to Key Arena?
It's a nice venue, but it can't hold a candle to the Rose Garden.  More importantly, no corporate boxes.  At about 18,000 it also holds less than the RG.  I'd have to go on-line to search, but I'm guessing that most of the arenas built within the past 5 years seat 20+ thousand.

by timg56 on Mar 7, 2008 12:52 PM PST to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Of course I can,
it was made clear what it would take to keep the Sonics in Seattle, Oklahoma City is more than meeting the same level of committment, while Seattle is not.  It's a free market.

by EnglandDan on Mar 7, 2008 1:40 PM PST to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

How come Bennett doesn't pay for it himself...
or at least pay half the money? He's using that argument you are using in order to make himself look better than Seattle. His whole agument that Seattle doesn't want the Sonics is a fallacy. Seattle does want the Sonics to stay, they just don't have the resources to pay $500 million for a new arena.
Instead of building a new arena, just refurbish this one. That's $400 million less than what is needed to build a new one.
The inbound to McGinnis, drives, stops, pumps, shoots, short, no good...AND THE GAME IS OVER! ~ Bill Schonely

by SandbergOnSports on Mar 7, 2008 3:05 PM PST to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Because he wants to move the club.
He owns it.  He's allowed.  Everyone knew when he was going to buy it that he would move it.  Seattle had the opportunity to keep the Sonics, they just decided that they didn't want it at the price.  If the city wants an NBA franchize they need to take the necessary steps to obtain and keep one.

by EnglandDan on Mar 7, 2008 3:11 PM PST to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Actually
It's Howard Schultz fault they might move. He tried to jam  a last minute request through the Legislature for 350 million, they turned him down and said maybe next year if you come prepared. So he sold the team to the highest bidder instead of taking the proper steps to secure the funds he needed. Of course, Clay Clay bought the team to move them to the no horse town of Ok City. In the meantime the People of Seattle have brought 150 million of PRIVATE renovation donations and offered to buy the team back keep the team in Seattle. How is that Seattle's fault? Would you be this cold to the situation if it was Portland and your man crush Sergio leaving? I doubt it!

by Jack Burton on Mar 7, 2008 4:21 PM PST to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

I think I'd deal.
I think paying the for professional sports teams by cities is nuts.  It's only sports.

by EnglandDan on Mar 7, 2008 5:29 PM PST to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

minor quibble
"Paul Allen decides that the Rose Garden, being built in 1995, is too out-of-date and has too many deficiencies..."

Actually, the Key does have some major wiring problems, as evidenced by the numerous technical difficulties they've had during games over the years. So they do have a good reason to get an arena with a more modern plan.

However, I agree completely with your main point. The NW would be quite a different place without the Sonics. I don't think Oklahoma City would be a very good fit for the Sonics, either.

by royroty on Mar 7, 2008 12:17 PM PST reply reply actions actions   0 recs

I don't have to imagine
I grew up a Washington Senators fan.  Not only did I see a guy named Bob Short (the same guy who bought the Minneapolis Lakers, only to move them to LA and then sell them) come in and relocate my team to Texas.

Not only did I lose my team, I had to watch as every couple of years MLB would promise Washington a new team only to discover it was lip service.  I tell you there is only one form of lip service that has any value and this wasn't it.  It took almost 40 years for a team to be back in Washington.  (Of course I ended up becoming an Oriole fan.  Talk about pain and suffering.)

So I know about losing your team.  And for the life of me, I can't get too upset about Clay Bennett.  

If Seattle fans want to be angry, the guy to be angry at is Howard Schultz.  After all, he's the guy who sold the team to out of town buyers.  I don't care what they say, when you have an ownership group from out of town, relocation, while not a given, is a good possibility.  Everybody knew that the moment Bennett and company were announced as the new owners.

The second group the fans should be angry with are those wealthy Seattlites who did not step up to the plate when Schultz put the team up for sale.  The folks coming forward now are a day late and probably a few dollars short.

You might possibly have reason to blame Stern.  But in the end, his stance on this was predetermined.  There is no way the league's owners are going to want to restrict their ability to relocate their teams, or more importantly, limit the potential pool of buyers, should they ever want to sell their teams.  Simple market forces dictate that the more potential bidders for a team, the better the sale price.

If the owners won't stand against it, do you really think Stern is going to?  There is also the extra bonus of freeing up a large market for possible expansion.  Guess who gets the expansion fees?  The owners.

One party I don't think you can blame is the city.  As I've said many times, with all other issues they need to spend money on, there is no way allocating millions for refurbishing Key Arena or building a new facility should be anywhere near the top of their priority list.

As for Bennett and company.  You can hate him and dream about being at a stop light and seeing him crossing the street directly in front of you, but you really can't blame him.  He's from Oklahoma.  Oklahoma had a taste of being an NBA town for two years and loved it.  Bennett, being rich enough, went out and bought himself a team.  It's the American way.

What I think Seattle fans should be doing is pressing the league to keep the Sonic name with Seattle.  That's where the argument of 40 years of history can carry some wait.  But as for it meaning anything  with regard to keeping the team from moving?  Doesn't count for much.

by timg56 on Mar 7, 2008 12:35 PM PST reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Trust me...
  I feel sorry for all Seattle Sonic fans. As a Portlander and a Blazer fan I do have more insight to the emotions fans feel in situations like this one.

   Keep in mind that just 2 years back we had an owner that appeared to had lost interest, who was proclaiming a broken financial model and was at odds with Arena management and ownership. When there is no stability from ownership it's a nightmare for fans. Blazer fans did face the reality that the team could be sold or moved, or both.

  The problem is I feel sorry for Sonic fans. You are quite right with your nostalgic recollections. But I'm afraid there might not be much anyone, outside of Clay Bennett, can do. You'll be hard pressed to find other owners or officials of other teams that will say much more than it is "unfortunate".

  Owners with personal agendas, acting out of carpet bagging greed or any other motive, may not be likeable, may not be acting in the best interest of life long fans but they are not doing anything illegal.

  Looking for Stern to be a saviour doesn't work either and isn't probably fair to Stern. His interest is in the health of the league as a whole. I'm sure he doesn't want to promote mass movement and exodus of franchises. I'm sure that he is for stability. However, he's also going to be hard pressed to try and dictate to Owners when and "if" they can move a team.

   When The Blazers were having trouble Stern came as a "negotiator" between Allen and Rose Garden Ownership. It was less than affective.

  Again, I feel for true Sonic fans. But there is a danger in looking for others to solve your problems. There also just isn't much that can be done.

  The Blazers were lucky. Allen rekindled his passion for the team. Invested himself into re-obtaining The Rose Garden and then of course we got some luck (hard work as well) in obtaining some players that have got the local Basketball community excited about the team. We may never know how close to the brink Portland was to being sold, and maybe eventually moved.

  If we had been sold, and now we were being moved would I be as upset as Sonic fans? Yes. But what can you do? As long as an Owner is adhering to the law, and/or the protocal of the process you can't stop them from at least looking to do whatever they want with the teams.

  The sad fact is fans love their teams, but Owners Own the teams. When you get a difference or gap in what that means to the two parties then things can and do get ugly.

  I hope Seattle can save it's franchise. If only for the selfish reason that even though I think The Blazers are stable in Portland, as long as there is a big city with a Space Needle without a N.B.A. team, I could see never ending rumors about "The Blazers", I'd just as soon The Sonics stay. Good Luck, but I'm afraid regional fan support and random statement from a few people within Basketball won't be enough.  

"Mother Nature started this fight, I think it's about time we ended it!"

by Krang on Mar 7, 2008 1:09 PM PST reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Can someone read this to me?
I've had my eyes closes and I'm not sure when I'm supposed to reopen them.  The Sonics fans should just become L*kers fans.  That is what I'd do if the Blazers moved.  
You should not retain, copy or use this comment or any attachment for any purpose, nor disclose all or any part of the contents to any other person.

by tominhawaii on Mar 7, 2008 1:21 PM PST reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Very funny...
I caught that myself. How can someone with their eyes closed read something? Perhaps I should have just changed it to "imagine"
The inbound to McGinnis, drives, stops, pumps, shoots, short, no good...AND THE GAME IS OVER! ~ Bill Schonely

by SandbergOnSports on Mar 7, 2008 3:00 PM PST to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

I can't help it
This part, "But don't open your eyes just yet," kind of threw me off.  After that, I couldn't resist making a silly comment.
BlazerBandit, closet Duck fan since 1987.

by tominhawaii on Mar 7, 2008 3:21 PM PST to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Congress
         Congress wants to talk about Spygate and Roger Clemens, but what they really need to be investigating is these owners who rape, yes rape cities for new stadiums and then move at a whim. Clay Bennett is another in a long line of pricks like Art Modell and Bud Adams. They need to put the kibosh on these owners. I don't care what anyone says. Sports is not a normal business. These owners have too much control, and these commissioners work for the owners, not for the good of the game. If Congress wants to investigate something, that would be perfect. These owners need to be nipped in the bud. There are a lot more bad owners out there in pro sports than good ones, and they don't deserve their teams.

by PABlzrfn on Mar 7, 2008 1:34 PM PST reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Yeah, that's the answer. Get the government
involved.

With the exception of Major League Baseball, which has special anti-trust exemptions, Congress has no business interjecting itself into this issue.  The fact is that individuals need to be responsible.  If you don't like your city, county or state passing tax increases (or granting tax breaks) to fund new sporting venues, then write them.  Let them know how you feel.  They are after all elected officials.  More pertinantly, they are the elected officals responsible for making the decisions.  Not the US Congress.

Cities are not "extorted" or "blackmailed" into these decisions.  Owners don't "rape" communities.  These cities and communities do it to themselves.  You can always say "No thank you Mr team owner."  You might risk losing your team, but every decision has consequences.

The closest I recall a city being extorted was Washington DC.  There it wasn't the owner, but the league itself that was playing hardball over a new stadium for the Nationals.  But even then, the city could have said no thank you.  They didn't because they wanted a team and they knew that there were several other cities standing in line, ready to pay the piper to give the league what it wanted.  Just like OKC, where both the local government & community leaders and the general public have demonstrated their support in ways it matters.  

So please, let's not all sit around a circle, sing Kum Ba Ya and weep over the poor Sonics fans and castigate those nasty, mean owners.  And most certainly let's not get Congress involved.  What's the last theing they've been associated with that's been successful?

by timg56 on Mar 7, 2008 4:04 PM PST to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Hey isn't the guy who sold them owner of Starbucks

If so, then all we, and that's all those who live in the Pacific Northwest, have to do is boycott Starbucks. Loudly.

Their coffee is burnt anyway.

If dinosaurs voted, Ralph Nader would win the election... Unanimously.

by T REX on Mar 7, 2008 2:39 PM PST reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Essentially Starbucks
uses slave labor to harvest their beans. I've been boycotting them for years.

by annthefan on Mar 7, 2008 3:47 PM PST to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

There is one thing that leaves
me completely in the dark: Stern get's crucified for allowing this move to happen, but I've never read what it is he is expected to do?  Could someone enlighten me here?

by TwoDeep on Mar 7, 2008 4:16 PM PST reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Stern
He's pushing for the move and being arrogant and aloof with the Seattle Community, after 41 years of pushing his product. That is why is a punk! He's in bed with his boy Clay Clay.

by Jack Burton on Mar 7, 2008 4:23 PM PST to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

He needs one team to move...
......................... to scare 10 other cities into dumping public money into private pockets.

Just doing his job as Chief Flack for the multi-millionaire club.

"You don't live by the jumpshot, you die by the jumpshot." ---Charles Barkley, 2/7/08

by timbo on Mar 7, 2008 10:02 PM PST to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

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