OKC

by MavetheGreat on Jul 4, 2008 2:07 PM PDT

As with the rest of you, I'm disgusted by the Sonics moving to Oklahoma City, but muliply that by ten for who repulsive it is to see Clay Bennett proclaim "We made it" basically confirming that he had deceitful intentions the entire time.

How could you feel good about this if you live in Oklahoma City though? You have the guilt of every Save our Sonics poster and teary eyed fan flashing in your head every time you close your eyes. You have the nation's most hated man delivering tainted goods to your doorstep with a huge grin. You don't trust him, but you do want to see NBA games. You don't want to support these methods, but you also don't want to ruin the one chance your city has for a professional basketball team.

Has anyone heard from OKC?

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Good point mave

I’d like someone from OKC to come onto BE and explain what they’re feeling about the whole thing.
It’s not their fault, but I’m sure they feel terrible about how it went down.

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

by SandbergOnSports on Jul 4, 2008 2:42 PM PDT 0 recs

The Conundrum

There was this fictional city called Baltimore and they had a team called the Colts that they worshiped. One day… actually one middle of the night, someone came and stole their team away. And it was wrong.

Years later someone took a team from another fictional city called Cleveland. The Cleveland fans were every bit as worshipful of their teams as the Baltimore folks had been of theirs. But they took the team anyway and they moved it to Baltimore.

Now if you’re a Baltimore person who had had his/her heart ripped out years before do you A: feel for the other city and it’s fans and not support the team that has entered your city because you know how it feels and you know it’s wrong or B: Embrace the new team because screw you all, back at you—and. Now you know how it feels?

by Blazersaurus on Jul 4, 2008 2:46 PM PDT 0 recs

Both bad

But who stole a team from OKC? Or are you trying to say that people from Seattle won’t feel bad about ripping a team from other beloved fans

by MavetheGreat on Jul 4, 2008 2:53 PM PDT up 0 recs

I was in Baltimore for the Ravens arrival

Yeah, it was a little strange. There were a few people who felt bad for Cleveland, but for the most part people just thought it was part of the business and took to the Ravens. I think it helped that the name and history got left behind in Cleveland and that it felt like the Ravens started fresh. I think the same thing will happen in OKC.

by danielfarrell on Jul 4, 2008 3:30 PM PDT up 0 recs

OKC is probably too busy celebrating

like bank robbers after a successful heist

"Honor Terry Porter." Email me with your TP stories and memories.

by Ben. on Jul 4, 2008 2:46 PM PDT 0 recs

Screw Seattle

They have two pro teams already. The Sonics were the least favorite of the teams. I am happy for people in Oklahoma. Good for them.

President of the Petteri Koponen fan club.

by Sabonis4Ever on Jul 4, 2008 2:49 PM PDT 0 recs

I somewhat echo that thought,

if only for the reason that if we lost the Blazers, what do you think the Seattleites would do to us? They would probably look down their noses at us and not care that much, as they always seem to disdain us as some 3rd world city and franchise.

But at the same time, I like the NW and moving something to OK sucks so I feel bad. I suppose that is the difference between Portland and Seattle, we feel bad for them, but I don’t think they would feel bad for us.

by SpyderRyder on Jul 4, 2008 3:07 PM PDT up 0 recs

As much as the NW has to stick together.

Small market teams have to stick together. The only people I feel sorry for are Blazer fans in Seattle who cannot see their team now.

President of the Petteri Koponen fan club.

by Sabonis4Ever on Jul 4, 2008 3:13 PM PDT up 0 recs

no offense, but

I’m kinda tired of this “small market” crap. Portland is not a small market – we just have a small market mentality, from our leadership on down. Let’s look at some media markets smaller than ours (we are #24) who have more than one team in the 3 sports

25 Cleveland – 3 teams
26 Cincinatti – 2 teams
29 Kansas City – 2 teams
33 Milwaukie – 2 teams (3 if you count Green Bay)
37 Charlotte – 2 teams
41 Indianapolis – 2 teams
46 New Orleans – 2 teams

and throw in #23 Pittsburgh, who has 2 teams, plus NHL

In the NBA only, there are 18 teams in media markets larget than ours, and 11 in smaller ones. That puts us pretty much in the middle size wise.

It’s a good thing Portland got the Blazers when we did, because if not, we would never have had the leadership and willingness and vision to bring in a team in the 80s or beyond. If this town didn’t have such a small market mentality, we could have gotten a 2nd major team a long time ago.

by douglast on Jul 4, 2008 4:30 PM PDT up 0 recs

Market size is only part of it.

A big part of it is the presence of “old money” in town—multigazillionaires who are heavily invested in the community’s industry and philanthropy. Cleveland, for instance, has lots of old manufacturing operations and tycoons.

Portland has-what-Phil Knight? Outside of his lavish sponsorship of Ducks athletics, Knight purposely stays out of sports ventures that don’t involve selling shoes.

The “old money” Portland has is generally not rich enough to make a difference—the Schnitzers and the Naitos either oversee dying companies in dying industries, or things like real estate which don’t bring big bucks into the community from outside.

Seattle has a better chance of getting a new franchise than Portland does of replacing the Blazers should something happen to them, for this reason. There are guys like Ballmer willing to write checks to make things happen, even if the state and local governments are indifferent or hostile to sports. Oregon politics are much like Washington politics—anti-corporate liberals in City Hall, and a good-sized block of anti-tax yahoos in the state capitol; so any attempt to provide more than token government funding for pro sports is DOA. (I can’t say that I disagree with the position that taxpayers should subsidize a huge moneymaking business like pro sports; OTOH if that’s the price to have a team, that’s the price to have a team. We’ve given lots of tax breaks to Intel and other high-tech ventures over the years; is that any different?)

Say what you want about Oklahoma, but the citizens thereof were more than willing to open the government’s purse to buy themselves a basketball team.

by EngineerScotty on Jul 4, 2008 5:21 PM PDT up 0 recs

Intel Tax Breaks

People tend to view the Intel tax breaks differently because of the number of jobs that are created for people in the community. How many jobs have the Blazers created? My guess is that the Blazers as an organization employ less than 500 people, while Intel employs 10 times that many.

by tingeyga on Jul 4, 2008 6:27 PM PDT up 0 recs

Local ownership is irrelevant

The Blazers have never had local ownership, and many (I’d guess the majority) of teams in the big 4 sports do not have local ownership.

Just off the top of my head, along the West Coast – the Mariners are owned by a Japanese corporation; the Angels are owned by a guy from Phoenix; the A’s are owned by a SoCal guy; the Kings owners are from Vegas.

And, as far as Cleveland goes… the Cavs are owned by a guy from Michigan, and the family that owns the Browns hail from New York. On the flip side, Steinbrenner used the dough he earned as a shipbuilder in Cleveland to buy the Yankees.

In other words, I don’t see the apparent lack of local bidders for the Blazers (if and when Paul Allen sells the team) as being a big deal.

I agree with your take though about how local government view sports subsidies though, compared to other parts of the country.

MLB2PDX!!! (someday...)

by The Cactus Leaguer on Jul 4, 2008 6:34 PM PDT up 0 recs

But of those cities

only New Orleans has a life outside professional sports for people to spend their discretionary dollars on. In Portland – and this is one of the reasons I live here – if you don’t spend your money on pro sports the options are still basically unlimited.

I mean really, would you actually want to live in any of those places?

by raoulduke on Jul 5, 2008 4:17 PM PDT up 0 recs

raoulduke – I don’t mean this as a personal insult to you, and I don’t know if you are kidding or not, but I have to say, it is remarks like these that make people across the country think that Portlanders are a bunch of elitist, ignorant snobs.

I can’t speak for the other towns, but Cleveland actually has a zillion things to do outside of the NFL/MLB/NBA… a lot more than Portland, actually. Best Places Almanac rated Cleveland the #2 metro in the nation for recreation, and Cleveland Metroparks is consistent ranked as one of the best urban park systems in the US as well. Their options for fine arts (museums/orchestras/ballet/etc.), for restaurants (tons of ethnic neighborhoods including Little Italy), for kids/families (amusement parks, zoo, Great Lakes Science Center, Rock & Roll HOF, Pro Football HOF, etc.), and for farmer’s markets (West Side Market + others in every section of town), are all equal or superior to Portland.

Yes their skiing and surfing (ocean or windsurfing) options aren’t as good as ours, and yes they get a lot more snow than we do in the winter, and yes, if you’ve never been there you probably think of nothing but belching smokestacks (most of which are long gone) and the river catching fire 40 years ago. And yes, Portland is “trendy”, and growing faster than Cleveland and the other cities on that list. But to suggest that Portland is the only city with things to do outside of professional sports is just plain silly.

MLB2PDX!!! (someday...)

by The Cactus Leaguer on Jul 6, 2008 11:44 AM PDT up 0 recs

I wasn't kidding, nor will I take it as a personal insult.

Those cities are not totally bereft of amenities, but the fact is there is a reson why the rust belt is losing population and getting older. I grew up there, and I left for pretty much the same reason millions of other people left. It’’s just not as good a quality of life.

by raoulduke on Jul 6, 2008 10:24 PM PDT up 0 recs

There is a reason...

...but it’s not due to a lack of amenities. It’s due to a combination of terrible winter weather and an overemphasis on failing manufacturing industries.

MLB2PDX!!! (someday...)

by The Cactus Leaguer on Jul 7, 2008 6:06 PM PDT up 0 recs

People in Seattle

can act how they want. Meanwhile, I sympathize with them even if they wouldn’t sympathize with me.

by MavetheGreat on Jul 4, 2008 3:29 PM PDT up 1 recs

not anti-Portland

Even though I’ve been a lifelong fan of the Sonics, I never hated Portland or Oregon. I also loved watching the early 90’s Blazers led by Drexler and Porter, the best backcourt pairing in the League. And as much I’d like to take the "high road" and boycott Stern, I’m too much of a fan of pro ball to do that. So, count me in for the Blazer fanbase. Hopefully a TV agreement for the Seattle market can be struck soon, and in even a longer shot, more convenient travel, or it will have to be weekend games.

BTW, I think the hatred of all things from Oregon up in Seattle is a byproduct of UW and WSU alums that spread outside of college sports. Perhaps I don’t share that sentiment because I left the area for college (going to say out-of-state, but Washington already is :) )

by SeattleRefugee on Jul 4, 2008 9:21 PM PDT up 0 recs

Thanks, and Welcome

if that has not been expressed already. My friends, Wizard fans here in DC, and I, a PTB fan in exile, are planning some sort of direct action when OKC visits next year. I’ve written Michael Wilbon at the WA Post, and he responded saying he was in full sympathy with Seattle fans and would write about it in the near future

"its tough to play with one eye, unless you're a pirate." Delonte West

by Honka Playboy on Jul 5, 2008 12:10 AM PDT up 0 recs

Oklahoma's actually a pretty nice place to live.

It’s different than the northwest, yes, but it has a lot to recommend it.

If nothing else, taking Rose will at least piss off Pat Riley.

by wjb1492 on Jul 6, 2008 9:46 PM PDT up 0 recs

I think that once you get used to all of the tornado watches/warnings it might be, but every time I go there for work I question why people live there.

(and yes, i suppose that people say the same thing about Alaska as well)

by tingeyga on Jul 7, 2008 12:28 AM PDT up 0 recs

lol - to each his own, I suppose.

The only thing I object to about the Oklahoma weather is the humidity – I’ve really grown to like the wildness and rawness of storms out here. But I’ve also always thought it would be sweet to live in Alaska, so maybe I’m just into weather extremes?

I’ve lived in California through an earthquake and forrest fires, in Oregon through flooding, and in Washington through a volcanic eruption – and all of those caused more property damage and inconvenience than an entire 10 years worth of tornado warnings in OK. ;)

If nothing else, taking Rose will at least piss off Pat Riley.

by wjb1492 on Jul 7, 2008 10:58 AM PDT up 0 recs

Nonsense

I remember a time not too long ago before Roy and Oden came when the Blazers were less popular in Portland than the Timbers or the Beavers. Patterson and Allen were trying to shake down the city for more loot and threatening to move. We wouldn’t have deserved it then and the people of Seattle don’t deserve this now.

by Jumbo on Jul 4, 2008 3:50 PM PDT up 0 recs

The thought is disgusting

I hate it, and I’m pretty sure the nameless okie team is still in our division. The only good thing to come out of this is more Blazers fans out of the NW. But I don’t blame them if they hate the NBA and don’t care. My question is why did Clay Bennett buy this team instead of the wanderers in Memphis? Or even the Bucks or Hornets?

by ChadFord on Jul 4, 2008 5:00 PM PDT 0 recs

Because those teams

were not for sell

by blazerbill on Jul 5, 2008 5:36 PM PDT up 0 recs

$350 mil

And Senator Kohl will gift wrap the bucks

by ChadFord on Jul 5, 2008 9:38 PM PDT up 0 recs

Really? I'll take it!

That’s too good an opportunity to pass up. Time to call up good old WaMu and ask for a quick loan…

by MavetheGreat on Jul 7, 2008 9:49 AM PDT up 0 recs

The OKC fans commenting on the ESPN Sonics board didn't seem very guilty

Or embarrassed or sorry or whatever negative feeling you might think of. Rather they behaved like douches over several months. But maybe those were just the bad tip of some iceberg.

Coach, I promise I wasn't running hard ...

by Norsktroll on Jul 4, 2008 10:01 PM PDT 0 recs

Sonics fans are going to feel conflicted for a long time

Are they supposed to suffer having their heart ripped out after following their team for 41 years, become Blazer fans, then toss that loyalty aside when the NBA gives them a replacement team? Tough situation…

"I woke up this morning, Barbosa and eggs in my bed." --BlueBooYay

by MiledAnimal on Jul 4, 2008 10:45 PM PDT 0 recs

As some one in Olympia, WA, I would not support another team in Seattle. I hope that the Blazers are on TV up here and stay on TV.

If Seattle wanted a team, they had one and lost it…or let it be stolen.

41 years…how do you even let that happen?

by BK1 on Jul 5, 2008 4:54 PM PDT up 0 recs

The fans had nothing to do with it

It was a business decision of Schulz to sell to an out of state buyer who lied to him. Bennett bought the team on the condition he would try to keep the team in Seattle, but secretly had plans to move the team to OKC. after the sale was final, he quickly demanded a $500 million arena, more money than any arena in the country, knowing it would not pass. Thus, he had an excuse to leave. What a lyin, cheatin sob

by blazerbill on Jul 5, 2008 5:46 PM PDT up 0 recs

Oh, don't give Mr. Coffee the benefit of the doubt...

.......................... when a consortium of buyers from OKLAHOMA CITY buys a team, what do you think is on their mind?

Anybody with a middle-two-digit IQ could have figured that one out. Mr. Coffee wants deniability, but there is none—he basically took the top dollar, sans conscience. And now he’s, geez whiz, I never knew, they broke their promises to me, blah blah blah… That’s pure, nitrogen-rich GUANO. No frivolous 13th hour lawsuit to save face (and coffee sales volume) is gonna change that.

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

by timbo on Jul 6, 2008 10:16 AM PDT up 0 recs

TrueHoop has plenty of OKC comments...

plus a link to an article by a OK columnist telling Oklahomans to not be guilty, that it was Seattle’s fault and that this happens all the time. Let’s see, in the NBA, we’ve had two moves in last 20 years? From Vancouver and Charlotte, right? Two uninspired fan bases and two nefarious owners (Shinn and Heisley). Infuriating, except that OKC meets the second of those conditions already. As for the fanbase, let’s see after another lousy draft (Westbrook? That high?), and what might be a 20 win team.

“We made it” indeed.

"its tough to play with one eye, unless you're a pirate." Delonte West

by Honka Playboy on Jul 5, 2008 12:18 AM PDT 0 recs

Yeah, well…the Oklahoman is owned by the family Bennet married into. The OKC hands are bloddy…they supported it and will continue to support it.

Karma is a wonderful thing.

by BK1 on Jul 5, 2008 4:56 PM PDT up 0 recs

Well, the day after the settlement was announced, some of the OKC folks were on the SOS blogs telling the Sonics fans how they should be nice to OKC folks and such…the SOS bloggers simply asked them to leave them alone to mourn the loss…but they continued. The “blood” is on their hands.

There were even Cleveand Brown fans posting in support of saving the sonics. It seems the Raven fans still “tease” them about stealing their team. So no matter what, OKC will always have that on Seattle. It is something that will always be there…even if Seattle gets another team.

So I for one will never watch the OKC liars play any game…I do hope the Blazers beat them really bad….and everytime.

It bothers me in that I chose to move to Olympia, WA after living overseas for 13 years. It was the lure of the NFL, MLB, and NBA that aided my decision not to move to San Diego versus Oly. I am a pro sports fan and would love to see the Blazers picked up on TV here showing their season games. You are only 2 hours away…but I wil not make it down there for any OKC games.

It is not just those who live in Seattle that are in mourning over what happened…especially since I believe the city would have won the lease case and kept the sonics up here for 2 more years…it was Stern would made the threats of never letting Seattle have another team if that happened.

However, it is time to let that go and move on. Too many SOS bloggers have vowed to never watch the NBA again…I even did not watch any NBA playoff games because of the situation in Seattle. It is just time to move on…

by BK1 on Jul 5, 2008 4:50 PM PDT 0 recs

I feel for ya

One of my best friends was visiting from Olympia this week, and he isn’t a sports fan but even he was outraged that the Sonics are leaving. For OKC of all places.

by ChadFord on Jul 5, 2008 9:41 PM PDT up 0 recs

Poor players

I too want the Blazers to beat OKC everytime and badly, but not the team, the city. Its too bad the players, who as far as I can tell are completely victimized will have to face the bitter boos everywhere they go because they play for a two-faced donkey. As much as we’d rejoice if that team went 0-82 for the next five years, the players certainly don’t deserve that.

by MavetheGreat on Jul 7, 2008 9:55 AM PDT up 0 recs

sports fan in seattle

I’m a oregon boy that grew up in Portland. Lived in Portland when the Blazers won the Champioship in 76/77 and have been a Blazer fan for over thrity years now.I moved to Seattle about twenty years ago but still love and always followed My Blazers and every time they played Seattle I went to the games in Seattle. And thats just one of the reasons I’m bumd out . I love pro sports I go to seahawks games and Mariner games in fact the last game I went to I met some people from Portland and that always makes me feel good Just to talk to people from Portland. We talked a lot of Blazer talk even thou the seasons been over. We talk about the draft about Webster and Brandon Roy. And its only been a couple of years now that I could aford League pass so I could watch all the Blazers games and I love it.Now to see any of the games live I have to drive down to portland and thats if i can get tickets maybe one of my family members down in Portland can get me a couple of tickets to a couple games. But living in seattle the last twenty years I really hate to see the Sonics leave or get taken away like they did it just burn me up.And I would never want to see Portland lose the Blazers.The Blazers are like my first LOVE of any pro Sports team

by billyjoejack on Jul 5, 2008 11:57 PM PDT 0 recs