Results tagged “sonics”

Seattlest had barely dried our tears from last weekend’s Huskies and Seahawks losses when we learned Wednesday that The Sporting News ranked Seattle an abysmal 52nd place on its 2009 list of Best Sports Cities.

Rashard Lewis, now of the Orlando Magic, was suspended for ten games by the NBA for an elevated testosterone level. Turns out he took an over-the-counter supplement after the season ended. Lewis took the news of his suspension like a testosterone-laden He-Man should.

The PSBJ was just explaining "debtenfreude" to us--the delight you take in another's real estate misfortune. Now we have a word for how we feel after reading this headline: "Economy eats into funds for Thunder arena project." The AP says "the tax approved by voters as a way to lure the NBA's Seattle SuperSonics to town--where they were renamed the Thunder--has produced $4.2 million below projections." Seattle leadership has gotta be happy they're not knee-deep in a Key Arena renovation right now.

We've moved on: The Seattle sports love affair has changed teams, never to love professional basketball again, our hearts now belong to another (Go, Sounders!), as the bill to renovate KeyArena and fund additional projects--taxes and debts owed--failed to get any traction with state legislation. With the bill officially benched, the city stands to lose out on $30 million from Clay Bennett, the NBA owner of the Sonics Oklahoma City Thunder. Bennett contractually agreed to pay off the city's lease with KeyArena, but only on the condition that the state would first approve the KeyArena bill this year and not find a replacement NBA team over the course of the next five years.

According to Publicola, James Donaldson has officially entered the mayoral race alongside Dan Savage, Mike McGinn, and the incumbent, Greg Nickels. The former Sonics player's press release reads a little like a locker room halftime speech, or at least what we'd imagine a locker room speech would sound like if we ever have occasion to hear one, but it leaves us lukewarm. Gotta do better than that, Donaldson.

Since the only thing worse than being on the dole is being kicked off it, we're glad the feds are extending our unemployment benefits in this state. Even REI is cutting jobs. Guess that outdoorsy date scene from The Bachelor didn't help?

Oklahoma business man and Thunder co-owner Aubrey McClendon has lost close to two billion dollars since last summer. The one-time funder of Swift Boat Veterans for Truth is being forced to sell his prized wine collection to make money. He occasionally he writes for Seattlest on the subject of technology.

Kim is shooting from the hip this weekend (papow!). The only solid plan is her friend's weekly L Word watching party on Sunday. Between now and then, she'll probably go see Shenandoah Davis at 2020 Cycle with Your Heart Breaks and KHV. Maybe there'll be a delicious meal culled from our local farmers markets. Maybe she'll hop on a train and go to Portland. Anything could happen, people. Anything.

People calling themselves Seattleites fell primarily into two camps when finding alternatives for a Sonics replacement: the Sounders crowd and the folks who think our professional basketball void could be filled with hockey.

• We may have lost the Sonics, but we have gained a lingerie football team!
• The Green Lake branch of the Seattle Public Library is temporarily closed due to mold according to PhinneyWood. It used to be the algae and mold at the lake you had to worry about, but apparently the mold has spread across the street.
• The city has pushed back another deadline for residents of Nickelsville to vacate the encampment's latest location in Discovery Park. Nickel-odeons now have until Wednesday at noon to leave and find alternate housing--a task which, if it simply took a day of work, we are certain all the residents would have done long ago.

The Oklahoma City Bandits Thunder, sold out season tickets for the upcoming year with demand pushing well beyond. Clay Bennett’s success and relative ease in dominating the former Sonics franchise provides solid proof that any notion of karma existing in this universe is dead. On the plus side, WSU scheduled Division II Portland State for this coming weekend’s game so the chances of an adult football team from the state of Washington actually getting a win has increased a small fraction. Stay positive Seattle.

Like the large-scale divorce it is, Seattle and Oklahoma City have divvied up the personal artifacts and furniture once associated with the Seattle Supersonics. We get to keep the trophies, championship banners and retired jerseys--which will be kept and shown at the MOHAI. Oklahoma City and the Thunder (or whatever the team will be called) has been awarded some CDs, a flat screen TV, a basketball inflater, and a replay monitor. For once in this nasty divorce, it sounds like we actually got the better deal...we'll take small victories.

The two clever guys living in Oklahoma City stumbled upon some pretty good evidence which appears to confirm that your Sonics will be known as the Oklahoma City Thunder next season. Seems the NBA is using that name on its website, too. (h/t Deadspin)

Long-time voice of the Sonics Kevin Calabro has been named play-by-play voice of Seattle Sounders FC, which begins MLS play in March 2009. Calabro called Sonics games for 21 years, and also worked NBA games nationally with TNT, TBS, NBA TV and ESPN Radio. Calabro declined to move with the Sonics when the team relocated to Oklahoma City earlier this year. Sounders FC also announced KING-5 and KONG-6/16 will telecast all Sounders FC games, except those aired nationally. We can hear it now: "BOOM-shaka-laka! DAY-VID Beckham...with a nasty cross to the RACK!"

While still not official, rumors persist that the former Sonics franchise will be renamed the Oklahoma City Thunder. If true, there is a certain LA-area mom-and-pop greeting card maker who will be giggling all the way to the bank. It seems domain-squatting is also part of their business model. See oklahomacitythunder.com.

Oklahoma City media is reporting that the dearly-departed Sonics will be named the Oklahoma City Thunder. The only problem with that seems to be that there ALREADY is an Oklahoma City sports team with that name. Look out, minor league footballers...Clay Bennett might just ship you off to a place more God-forsaken than your own. And only someone with deep pockets like him could afford the cost associated with a seemingly impossible feat like that.

This old Sonics letterhead was appropriately posted by Seattle Municipal Archives in our Flickr Pool today. We've spent the past few weeks so angry at the Sonics ordeal and court battle, that the loss of the team and it's local history hadn't hit us until we saw this.

Seattle SuperSonics 1967-2008.

Various media reports have indicated the city and the Sonics have reached a settlement in the Key Arena lease case, just hours before Judge Marsha Pechman was due to announce her ruling in the matter. Press conferences for both parties have been announced for 5 p.m. PDT.

The justice system may buckle in Oklahoma City’s favor this afternoon with results of the Sonics trial set to be announced at 4 p.m., but the wrath of God is clearly on Seattle’s side.

Judge Marsha Pechman will preside over the City of Seattle v. Sonics trial, scheduled to begin Monday. Since the fate of our beloved pro basketball team rests in her hands, Seattlest wanted to take a closer look at the person standing at center court.

IMPORTANT: Workplace discretion advised---very NSFW. If you can't wait until you get home, we suggest headphones.

A week from today the NBA teamowners will meet in New York to, among other things, discuss and possibly vote on moving the Sonics from Lower Queen Anne to Oklahoma City.

Is it a felony to advocate semi-civil disobedience? If not, the few remaining souls tough enough to stomach the funeral that is the Sonics last home game this Sunday should consider storming the court or at the very least burn former owner Howard Schultz in effigy outside.

"I humbly recognize and share both your concern and your disappointment in how the company has performed and how that has affected your investment in Starbucks," Schultz told investors. "I promise you this will not stand."

Seattlest John pointed out earlier today that Dino Rossi is looking to use the Sonics impending departure as yet another wedge-issue in his re-match with Gov. Gregoire. We'll refrain from commenting on how awful we think Rossi is and won't say anything about how if Rossie were still in the State Senate, he'd be fuming mad at the idea of the state taxing citizens for a basketball team.

Today Seattlest welcomes our new sports correspondent to the fold. Drew Milam is a longtime Seattle resident who recently returned to the Emerald City after some time in the Bay Area, and claims to be super tight with fellow Santa Clara alum Steve Nash, Brandi Chastain and NFL referee Mike Carey. No word on if he got the gig because he is a Hillary supporter (pleasing Editor Kim) and a Garfield alum (pleasing Seattlest David).