The Oklahoma House passed the package of financial incentives needed to make Sonics owner clay Bennett a happy and wealthy man, but not without pissing off some legislators who have the gall to suggest that rich sports owners don't need public subsidies.
Emails surfaced revealing the shocking news that Clay Bennett intended to move the Sonics all along. Really?!?!? Commissioner Stern is not concerned.
Washington Governor Christine Gregoire asks the NBA Board of Governors to delay their vote on relocation. Because after two years of hand-wringing, now Seattle is super serious about keeping the Sonics! Bring on the lawyers!
In this case, however, there are several referees given the growing number of potential lawsuits. The judge in the class-action fan suit ruled Monday that at least part of the case is valid regardless of the outcome of the city's lease litigation and thus opened the door for further discovery.
The Sonics' lawyers had requested a stay pending the city's June trial, but Jones ruled that the fans have at least one claim -- that they would not have bought season tickets for this season but for the "false representation that the Sonics would remain in Seattle through 2009-10."
The judge noted that the fans said that even if the team is forced to stay in Seattle the next two years, they wouldn't have wanted to buy season tickets because to do so would be "analogous to spending Valentine's Day with a spouse who has filed for divorce and professed love for someone else."
Mike Myers, an attorney representing the fan group, said "the Sonics lied to the season ticket holders in a number of respects. Then they lied about making their best efforts to keep the team in Seattle."
The former owner of the Sonics who sold his team to Clay Bennett, now wants them back. He is shocked, SHOCKED, I tell you, that this fast-talking Oklahoman swindled him out of his team with the intention of moving the club to Oklahoma City. What's a naive billionaire to do? Hope he kept the receipt.
Nextround.net reveals the real reasons the Sonics are leaving Seattle.
And finally, because Seattle is the hot chick you work really hard to keep happy, while Oklahoma City is the fat girl who’s just ecstatic you’re sticking around. After years of trying to make things work in a relationship, there’s something to be said for waking up to BJs and blueberry waffles every morning
5 comments:
If you guys wanted to do something constructive, you'd get all the cities together that want a team, and sue the league on anti-trust grounds while at the same time lobbying Congress to take the bastards over. Why should the number of cities be limited? All you guys are doing is screwing other cities.
Can't believe David Stern will simply drop Seattle from the league. The market is simply too lucrative. Surely something can be worked out where a new arena can be built for both the Sonics and a potential NHL team. I'm not opposing OKC getting an NBA team, but Seattle not having a winter sports team is ridiculous.
I've always wondered why neither Seattle nor Portland had an NHL franchise. Seems like a better fit than Miami or Tampa.
The NHL didn't expand from its "Original 6" until 1967, then expanded too quickly on the east coast battling the WHA in the 70's. Too many weak franchises and related movement thru the early 80's. When the expansion of the 90's finally came, they decided to "grow the sport" to the south to create a nationwide "footprint" for a TV contract. Seattle is too close to Vancouver to help that goal.
Personally, I think Anaheim should move to Seattle. When the DEFENDING Stanley Cup Champs can't sell out a playoff game, something's wrong. Plus it would set up a great rivalry with Vancouver.
Of course, that would require a new arena :)
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