Stern answers Sonics question

Crap, hope me mentioning this link earlier and having it blogged about doesn’t open up the “airwaves” to argumentative OK City folk.
Though it would be priceless to see a couple relocation-friendly questions pop up and the selections altered to include one of them. This after 1000+ anti-carpetbagging posts.
Here’s another link your industrious reporting can lend itself to propagating: http://www.wintrest.com/if-celebs-moved-to-oklahoma/
Hi Mr. Bennett!!!

(kdizzle, relax. Why are you so mad at all of Oklahoma City? I knew about the TIME piece before your post. I just happened to get an e-mail from the TIME’s folks with the answers to the questions so I thought people might be interested in seeing which one Stern answered. -DM-)

Alright, bad timing then. My bad.

I’ve met/heard from my fair share of OKC-area residents who are looking to boast ownership of this team at this point and want to take the high road toward the Sonic faithful. There are definitely some who are themselves skeptical of Bennett’s intentions and priorities for taxpayers’ money, but a great many are keen to pin the “whiner” label on us before we’ve even lost the team. Of course I’m a little biased but I’d have a hard time seeing myself so adamant and righteous toward Oklahomans were the roles reversed and a local businessman here were trying to relocate YOUR team. I’d never feel right about taking another city’s team.

That and I suppose I’m not sure as to how much of the opponents’ viewpoints were allowed to make it through the massive push to get the $121m funding for Ford Center approved, media-wise.

darnell, you really dont know why we are mad at okc? come on! your trying to steal a member of our family! you people will never get it. kdizzle that might be the funniest thing ive ever seen.

(Joey, I understand Seattle fans being mad at Clay Bennett. I understand them being mad at Howard Schultz. I understand them being mad at the city and state leaders who have let this thing drag out. I understand them being mad at David Stern. But the average Joe in Oklahoma has no power and couldn’t steal anything if they tried. So, no, I don’t understand why some Seattle fans are so mad at all of Oklahoma. -DM-)

kdizzle is not by any means a good example of a Seattle citizen, or a Washington state resident.

I apologize on his behalf.

And Joey,

You too — stop making this issue about the good people of Oklahoma. They aren’t stealing anything.

Clay Bennett and David Stern are the people doing the “stealing.”

And DM is right, Howard Schultz is the one who put us in this position.

Stop making Sonics look like raving lunatics.

….On another note, I still have full confidence that the Sonics will stay in Seattle.

darnell, i am furious with our legislature!! i am a proud liberal. but if they let the sonics go, for the first time in my life i will vote republican! yuck!! thats painful to say. i hate howard schultz, i hate clay bennett. the only thing i can say in regards to oklahoma. is if you do get our club, your in a vulnerable market and arena. so they probably wont be there long. so then you will begin to understand how we feel. even then you wont have 40 years of memories.

and i think pete has grounded me for the day.

I’m not mad at all of Oklahoma City, nor at Oklahoma for that matter. That link was a bad judgment call on my part…simply saw it posted by a question-asker at that Time blog site.

I’m just wary of a) a distinct segment of Oklahoma-area residents who are keen to receive an inch and take a mile with respect to getting an NBA team (and I certainly am not against them being successful toward this end, just not ours), even be it one from another city with a loyal fan base. Many of these people believe everything they’ve been fed by Bennett and his bedfellow David Stern and hold a tight grasp on the notion of taking our team regardless of how painful it is to us and logical it is from a marketing standpoint. If they wanted to be certain about our disinterest in the Sonics being here they’d research it for themselves. Which leads me to being wary of b) the media’s impact on this phenomenon and how much attention is devoted to the economic and civic benefits of an upgrade to Ford Center, as opposed to groups who are opposed to it (such as this group hopefully this is html-enabled?) Perhaps this group was given print or news time, I’m not saying I know they weren’t, but scouring the archives online I don’t see much of this popping up.

I certainly hope that the majority of those in Oklahoma who support bringing in an NBA franchise aren’t hell-bent on it being the Sonics at all costs (preferably an expansion team), and I would be curious to see how many are up in arms when/if Bennett decides to sell after losing the court case re: the KeyArena lease.

Perhaps one of your blogs could treat other locale-specific uses for the $121 million that’s going toward extending MAPS for another year+…or look at the possibilities of acquiring an expansion franchise.

As joey says, a lot of what appears to be impetus for moving the team, at this point, is simple, inexplicable inaction on the part of legislators too worried about “not losing” as opposed to winning.

yes this is an election year. a couple of days ago dino rossi came out in favor of this proposal. so to me, that means gregiore has an opening to go all in with this proposal. rossi cant throw it in her face come november.

I want to know what the hell TIME Magazine’s problem is. If they have over 1000 / 1090 responses about the Sonics, how could they not ask more than one question? Why not just do a whole article on it?

SeattleFan91, I hope someone does. That in itself is worthy of its own story.

why is time magazine interviewing that snake anyway! his over sized ego certainly doesent need it! he’s niether important nor interesting.

“Why are you so mad at all of Oklahoma City” you ask? Same reason I was mad at Germany for the mass murder of six million Jews…they all just stood by and knowingly let it happen. Oklahomans are complicit in this theft, not innocent bystanders. Although I’ve foregiven Germany, so I’m sure I’ll one day be able to foregive future generations of Oklahoma City.

ooooh. bad analogy.

I TO BLAME OKLAHOMANS. IF YOU GUYS HAD ANY HISTORY OF KEEPING ANYTHING VALUABLE, I WOULD BE A LIL FORGIVING, BUT, YOU DONT. GM IS GONE, ALONG WITH NUMEROUS OTHER BIG BUSINESS. YOUR MAYOR WHO REPRESENTS THE PEOPLE (CORRECT-OR JUST A COUPLE), BROUGHT OKLAHOMA INTO THE FIGHT WITH HIS CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. THEY WILL BE HERE IN OUR COURTROOMS (ALTHOUGH U.S. OWNED) ON JUNE 1ST, REPRESENTING YOUR CITY AND STATE. WE CANNOT HELP IT IF WE HAVE HARD FEELINGS TO YOU OKLAHOMANS, BUT, ASK KEN BEHRING WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU MESS WITH FAMILY. 4-0 AGAINST OTHER CITIES/OWNERSHIP GROUPS THAT HAVE WANTED TO CHANGE OUR PRECIOUS WAY OF LIFE. SEE YA IN JUNE OKC. DARNELL, ARE YOU COMING??
MIKEU.

(Mike, I think I will be there in June. Maybe we can grab a cup of coffee. -DM-)

ID WELCOME IT DARNELL. I GET ALL KINDS OF STARBUCKS GIFTCARDS FROM THE SALES REPS TRYING TO WIN MY BUSINESS, AND, IM ALWAYS LOOKING FOR PEOPLE TO GIVE THEM, TOO. SINCE WE WILL NEVER SET FOOT IN A STARBUCKS AGAIN. EVEN IF I DIDNT HAVE 1. I WOULD EXPENSE IT FOR YOU, BECAUSE, NO MATTER WHAT SIDE OF THE CONTROVERSY YOUR ON, NOONE CAN SAY WE UP IN S-TOWN DO NOT TAKE CARE OF OUR VISITORS LIKE ROYALTY. SHOOT, EVEN BUSHY GOT THE ROYAL TREATMENT OUT ON MERCER ISLAND WITH BILL GATES. YOU SEE, WE PUT OUR PRIDE TO THE SIDE TO BE GREAT AMBASSODORS OF THIS GREAT CITY. PLUS, I CAN GET YOU INTO A MARINERS GAME, AND YOU COULD VIEW ANOTHER GREAT TEAM WITH A TON OF TRADITION (30+ YEARS OF HISTORY), ON THE HOUSE OF COURSE. DROP ME A EMAIL WHEN YOU HIT TOWN.

MIKE U.

Can certainly understand the rational for Seattle fans being mad at OKC. After all it was the voters that are enabling Bennett et al attempt to “steal” the team. By the “Yes” vote, we are accessories to the “theft”.