Actually, good news is understating it a bit. Much to the delight of Sonic-lovers, the Seattle City Council appears ready to adopt the initiative that Brian Robinson and A Deal Is a Deal have championed - that is, to force the Sonic ownership to adhere to the remaining three years of their lease on Key Arena by not permitting the city of Seattle to accept a buyout.
Kudos to the Times for getting this story, as I don't see it anywhere else in the local media. Even more kudos to Brian for providing the kindling that lit this fire under the normally slow to ignite city bureaucracy. What comes next? The easy answer is to say everything is done, and that there is nothing left for we fans to do but to sit back and enjoy Clay Bennett's misery.
But that's not enough, honestly. I encourage every fan who comes to this site to write to the mayor's office, or their local councilman/woman, or both, and insist that they take up this cause. It's really a no-lose proposition for the politicians in that they get to bathe in the glow of standing up to the "outsiders," and I can't understand why any councillor would oppose it.
On the team's front, it is reported (also in the Times) that the Sonics are looking at adding Mark Bryant and Scott Brooks to the coaching staff. As you might recall, Bryant played for Carlesimo at Seton Hall (as well as in Portland), and has been rumored to be a candidate for the job since early July. Apparently, Alaa Abdelnaby, Terry Dehere, and Anthony Avent had prior obligations and were unable to join the staff.
This honestly just made my day. HEIL BRIAN ROBINSON!
ReplyDeleteUnenforceable initiative. It's only an attempt by city politicians to make themselves look more favorable to Sonic fans in Seattle without having to really do anything to keep the team in Seattle.
ReplyDeleteFrom an article in the Seattle PI:
ReplyDeleteThe mayor and the City Council are down to last-resort political stunts. Hatching this week is a plan from the council, tacitly endorsed by Nickels, to pass an ordinance that prohibits the city from allowing a pro sports team to buy its way out of town.
Um, I don't pretend to be an expert on urban policy or contract law, but I believe that device already exists.
It's called a lease.
Asked whether the ordinance adds anything to the lease, Ceis said, "I'm not sure it does." So it's just window dressing?
"I'm sure it is."
Which explains how this is the first bit of policy regarding the Sonics and KeyArena upon which the council and mayor have agreed: It is meaningless.
"It's a communication to fans, the league, the team," Ceis said, "that we're not interested in giving up and letting the team go."
Would that such unanimous courage were mustered 18 months ago, when the club was still in local hands and a tax-extension plan was created in the Legislature. But apparently our civic mind-set is to work from the bottom of the hole and dig our way up.