Q&A With Bethlehem Shoals of FreeDarko, a Recent Seattle Emigre
Some of the best sports writing anywhere is on FreeDarko, where a group of very smart, very funny people talk hoops in an utterly inimitable way.
One of FreeDarko's main contributors, Bethlehem Shoals, has been obliquely referencing a recent move to Seattle, so we thought we'd ask him about it. And about basketball.
What brings you to Seattle? Where did you come from? And when did you get here?
I followed my girlfriend—I mean, partner—here. She's getting another advanced degree. We came from Houston, which is as merciless as Seattle is benign. I've been here all this month, but we only moved into our own place this past Monday. God bless the friends who put us up for a week and a half.
Are you worried about moving to a city that might not have a basketball team soon?
LET SUE PLAY.
What do you think is a realistic win total for Sonics fans to hope for?
You shouldn't be thinking like that. You're not going to make the playoffs, and thirty wins would be a monumental achievement. Unless you're interested in going the Celtics rout and counting victories in the negative, I'd focus on Durant and what a tremendous event his first year could be. Even if it's his only year here, anyone who gives a spitting damn about basketball should want to experience that.
If I were from this region, I'd be rooting for Ray Allen to get a ring. It wasn't going to happen here, he's a great guy, and whatever Boston does these next few years will have NOTHING to do with the Celtics. It will be all about Allen, Garnett, and Pierce, and occur despite Danny Ainge, Doc Rivers, and all the drunk assholes who sleep in Larry Bird jerseys. Own it, so they can't.
If you were Presti, who would you trade--Luke Ridnour or Earl Watson?
I can at least imagine Ridnour as a solid NBA starter. Earl Watson should be sentenced to summer league duty for the rest of his career.
What neighborhood are you in, and how do you like it so far?
Somehow, we ended up on a cliff in Madrona. It's absurdly nice and almost makes me sick with joy. And I feel like someone's playing a vicious prank on me, one that ends with all my neighbors reminding me regularly that this is the most idyllic neighborhood I'll ever live in. Then again, God kind of owes me after my time in H-Town and Philadelphia.
Read Bethlehem Shoals at FreeDarko, McSweeneys, and AOL Fanhouse.
Pictured: another terrific basketball blogger, Gilbert Arenas, who is FreeDarko's marketing representative in the Far East.
