Be Looking For The 'SOS' Crowd Tonight

[ABM]

Those poor, sorry ol' souls.

From: Sporting News

"Save Our Sonics" supporters will return to Portland for the Trail Blazers' game against the Thunder on Monday to stage a rally to bring an NBA team back to Seattle, according to the Seattle Times.

"The message we want to continue sending is we still believe we are a viable NBA town even with the downturn of the economy," SOS co-founder Steven Pyeatt told the paper. "As we saw with soccer here, you bring something in and you develop some excitement around it, we're going to pack the house.

Sonics fans also attended the Thunder's first trip back to the Pacific Northwest on Feb. 11.

 

[MARIS61]

Is there a stronger word I can use, because simply calling these losers "pathetic" seems an understatement.

 

[TripTango]

Is there a stronger word I can use, because simply calling these losers "pathetic" seems an understatement.

Am I missing something here? What's so pathetic about some fans trying to get NBA basketball back to their city?

Unless you were referring to the respective stupidity/duplicity of the former Sonics management?

 

[MARIS61]

Am I missing something here? What's so pathetic about some fans trying to get NBA basketball back to their city?

Unless you were referring to the respective stupidity/duplicity of the former Sonics management?

They had a team, ignored it for years, now it's gone.

Too bad, so sad.

 

[Nikolokolus]

They had a team, ignored it for years, now it's gone.

Too bad, so sad.

What a load of horseshit. That team was as good as gone the day Clay Bennett purchased the team; he blew up the roster and turned them into an instant loser, and tried to extort a stadium deal out of a city that was already saddled with bond debt on Key Arena.

But hey, why settle for the facts when you have hyperbole.

 

[BoBoBREWSKI]

Move the Clippers to Seattle.

 

[andalusian]

Should have traded for Sergio, If he was on the roster the locals would vote for arena improvement taxes, the Mayor would buy season tickets, Cancer would have been eliminated from their city and Maris would have moved to Centralia.

Their loss.

 

[BrianFromWA]

locals may have voted for arena improvement taxes anyway, but never got the shot.

And they filled the Key Arena better than Blazer fans filled the Rose Garden during 2005-06 (1000 more fans per game and 20 points higher in capacity %$) for a team that won 35 games. In 2006-07, Portland had 400 more fans per game, but SEA had a 12% higher capacity % for a team that won 31 games. After announcing the team would definitely be moving, they STILL averaged almost 14k per game and filled 78% of the arena for a team that won 20 games. The team wasn't "ignored for years". The only time SEA ever finished outside of top 12 in arena capacity was the year they were told their 20-win team was definitely gone. Even then they were 20th in the League.

Please don't tell yourself that SEA fans deserved this any more than Portland fans did. It's just that Uncle Paul declared bankruptcy for the RG instead of selling a team to an out-of-towner who promised to attempt to keep the team in Seattle, but lied.

 

[maxiep]

What a load of horseshit. That team was as good as gone the day Clay Bennett purchased the team; he blew up the roster and turned them into an instant loser, and tried to extort a stadium deal out of a city that was already saddled with bond debt on Key Arena.

But hey, why settle for the facts when you have hyperbole.

Nick, your mistake is taking MARIS seriously. He's a posting caricature. Perhaps he realizes he's a joke, perhaps he doesn't.

 

[maxiep]

I'll continue to support the Save Our Sonics movement. I believe there should be a team in Seattle for my Blazers to beat on four times a year. Moreover, this is a comment on the Pacific Northwest in general. MLB, the NFL and the NHL had come to the conclusion that the entire PNW needs only one professional team. The NBA went against that notion by supplying us with THREE franchises. We've seen two of them go to smaller, poorer cities. Now, the Blazers are just like the M's, Seahawks and Canucks--all that's required for the suits in NY to satiate sports fans in our far corner of the country. I call bullshit.

 

[Nikolokolus]

Nick, your mistake is taking MARIS seriously. He's a posting caricature. Perhaps he realizes he's a joke, perhaps he doesn't.

Nah, I get it that he's a gimmick poster. The only thing that I take seriously is that bullshit deserves to be pushed back against ... well that, and I'm just a short tempered prick.

 

[hasoos]

I was reading an article the other day that the Grizzlies are considering playing at least part of next season in Seattle due to their poor attendance. The article said it would cost the Grizzlies 50 million to break their lease in Memphis, but they are considering it because of the poor attendance there.

 

[MrSelfDestruct]

locals may have voted for arena improvement taxes anyway, but never got the shot.

And they filled the Key Arena better than Blazer fans filled the Rose Garden during 2005-06 (1000 more fans per game and 20 points higher in capacity %$) for a team that won 35 games. In 2006-07, Portland had 400 more fans per game, but SEA had a 12% higher capacity % for a team that won 31 games. After announcing the team would definitely be moving, they STILL averaged almost 14k per game and filled 78% of the arena for a team that won 20 games. The team wasn't "ignored for years". The only time SEA ever finished outside of top 12 in arena capacity was the year they were told their 20-win team was definitely gone. Even then they were 20th in the League.

Please don't tell yourself that SEA fans deserved this any more than Portland fans did. It's just that Uncle Paul declared bankruptcy for the RG instead of selling a team to an out-of-towner who promised to attempt to keep the team in Seattle, but lied.

You said everything I was going to, although much more succinctly.

In addition, I remember hearing Microsoft big-wig Steve Ballmer, Costco CEO Jim Sinegal and a few others offer to put up over half of the cost of a new arena if there other half was publicly funded. They were essentially dismissed by the legislature in Olympia. My point being that it really isn't the public's fault the Sonics are gone.

The whole thing stunk from the beginning. Then the Bennet emails were released basically stating he would make it impossible for the city of Seattle to meet his "needs" which in turn would allow him to move the team.

 

[MrSelfDestruct]

I was reading an article the other day that the Grizzlies are considering playing at least part of next season in Seattle due to their poor attendance. The article said it would cost the Grizzlies 50 million to break their lease in Memphis, but they are considering it because of the poor attendance there.

I really hope that happens for completely selfish reasons. That's two additional Blazer games I will attend.

However, it's kind of a slap in the face to Sonics fans. "Forget your 40 years of history, we will share our team with you!"

 

[Nikolokolus]

I was reading an article the other day that the Grizzlies are considering playing at least part of next season in Seattle due to their poor attendance. The article said it would cost the Grizzlies 50 million to break their lease in Memphis, but they are considering it because of the poor attendance there.

Key Arena may only seat 14 thousand or so, but it sure would beat the hell out of the 5,000 a night the Grizz pull in.

If they were to move to Seattle (permanently) I wonder if they would realign the NW and SW divisions swapping OKC and Memphis? I would certainly feel a lot more antipathy toward the Grizz than I do the Soni ... er ... Thunder anymore, which would make for a better rivalry.

 

[number 10]

I was at the last "Thunder"-Blazers game and while I totally sympathize with them, SOS's attempts were pretty sad. There were only two small groups that you could barely hear and I didn't see anything outside the Rose Garden announcing their presence.
First off, they need to realize that "Save our Sonics" will never get chanted in the Rose Garden because they aren't our Sonics. If the message was something more along the lines of "The NW deserves two teams" then they would get the support of the Rose Garden.
Secondly, distribute something, anything, outside the Rose Garden before the game. Get Starbucks or someone to sponsor some signs supporting basketball in the NW to be given out before the game. Above all, do not use the SOS signs, that will turn it into a Seattle/Portland rivalry, when it's in their best interests to unify the region until they get a team back (after which may the rivalry flourish!)

 

[Sinobas]

Move the Clippers to Seattle.

Hey, now that's actually a good idea. LA doesn't need two sports teams, and the NBA is not diluted anymore. Sonic fans won't have to totally start from scratch, as the Clippers already have some talent. It may change the fortunes of that poor franchise to.

The Clippers have only had 2 winning seasons in 30 years!

 

[hasoos]

Hey, now that's actually a good idea. LA doesn't need two sports teams, and the NBA is not diluted anymore. Sonic fans won't have to totally start from scratch, as the Clippers already have some talent. It may change the fortunes of that poor franchise to.

The Clippers have only had 2 winning seasons in 30 years!

Hey that sounds like a great idea. I love the idea of the team that loses every year moving to Seattle, and being in our division again.....