Wednesday, September 23

Misadventures in Maze Creation

If you hadn't heard already, a kindly family in Oklahoma decided to devote their horticultural efforts to creating a tribute to their favorite basketball team. To wit:


Sadly, the economy being what it is these days, the best intentions of even the most devoted fans of a cellar-dwelling team can be waylaid. There are bills to pay, and Cletis must prioritize (1. Sooner gear; 2. More Sooner gear; 3. Food). And, as a result, the grass starts to grow, the hedges get a little untidy, and well, this happens:

Amazing how nature can turn on you like that.

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

What is it like to live your entire existence based on jealousy and bitterness? You should get some help.

chunkstyle23 said...

What's it like to be so insecure you need to keep checking on what us haters are saying? What's it like to live in a world where a little blog post like this diminishes what you already have? What's it like to live your entire existence being a sore winner--it's not enough you got your team, your future All-Star, your lottery picks. It's not enough that you have your own blogs to participate in. No, you come here with your brilliant and scathing commentary. What's it like to live in a world where the internet isn't big enough for you and us to never cross paths?

nuss said...

What he said.

the_ouskull said...

Dear 7:21 p.m.

Your avoidal of the question, while mildly entertaining, did, and does, not answer the question.

If your town had supported their team, they wouldn't be our team. They didn't, we do, they are. If you'd like to discuss, in greater detail, the nature of insecurity, I'd be more than happy to oblige you. But, right now, considering the original post and the fact that it seems to represent much of the thinking of fanbase of the former Supersonics, I'd say that, as far as insecurity goes, you don't have a pot to p*ss in, or a window to throw it out of.

Aside from the fact that not enough people were good enough fans to attend enough games to keep the team there, we've also gotten a good glimpse into the "quality" of the fanbase of the former Supersonices through their behavior in the aftermath of losing their team.

Do you have to like Clay Bennett to like the players he pays? No, you don't, any more than you have to like the President to follow the laws of the country. But, it appears that most of you have chosen to abandon the team; acting as if they'd never been in Seattle at all, rather than continue to support, at least, the players; the team.

You made your own bed. It sucks that you can't sleep, but what do you want us to do? Lose sleep with you? F*ck that. We've got a basketball team to watch... and support wholly.

JAS said...

The team didn’t leave because of poor fan support. The local TV ratings for the last year in Seattle were actually a bit better than in the first year in Oklahoma. And most fans in most cities don’t continue to support a team after it leaves their city.
And as far as “insecurity” goes—well, listen to this and tell us who really has issues in that regard:
http://podcasting.fia.net/6779/3871196.mp3

You were addressing the wrong poster, by the way (Chunkstyle posted at 10:30 p.m.).

nuss said...

To paraphrase Ron Burgundy, can't we just agree to disagree?

the_ouskull said...

TV ratings, while a piece of the puzzle, are a very, very small one. TV money is paid out independently of other revenue streams. Ticket sales are what owners really concern themselves with more than ticket ratings. Season ticket sales, and overall ticket (and, on the larger scale, gameday) income.

Every fanbase has its idiots, to be sure. But, if you've given up on a team, simply because they moved, then what kind of fans were you to start with? I'm not saying that, at that point, you don't have the right to change loyalties if you so choose... but why would you?

Don't these players deserve to play in a gym full of fans who get into the game, and who support them, win or lose? New Orleans was having trouble selling tickets when they were good. They came here and sold out the Ford Center for two years. Seattle was having trouble selling tickets... maybe because everybody was at home watching it on TV... and they came here and are selling tickets.

The Sonics loved you, Seattle.. but you got content. You got content and stopped going to the gym, and started drinking more... and the Sonics suffered for it. Then, out of nowhere, they start working out, they get younger, and hotter, and then, suddenly, you realize that they're seeing somebody else, because while you were sitting at home, watching TV, getting fat and drinking coffee... Oklahoma City was wooing your new, young, hot girl.

Don't hate the players. Hate Clay Bennett. Don't hate the team. Hate yourselves not for losing them... but for justifably losing them. It was sh*tty the way it went down, sure, but what do you want? For us to say "No, we don't want a professional team, sorry." ????? Yeah, no.

Anonymous said...

Seriously, you guys are soooo bitter. Instead of hating on the OKC Thunder (yes, admit it, you are jealous an Oklahoma family created a tribute to their favorite team and this led you to edit the picture), you should hate on your fatty old fart mayor, the Barbie governor and that old man named Chopp or something like that.

What's next? A post against the new Nets owner? Probably you are jealous he purchased the Nets and not the Sonics. But what do I know?

PS: I'm not even a Thunder fan. Just found the link to this post on True Hoop. But I agree with the first poster: you are jealous and bitter.

Have a nice day, if that's possible at all considering your bitterness.

Anonymous said...

2:53 poster: and your point is.......what? I suppose you must have a favorite team. Share with the class how you would respond if it left town as shamelessly as the Sonics?

Ouskull;

Question: can you name the 1st President? Because, apparently, according to a recent survey, only 27% of the schoolchildren in Oklahoma possess that knowledge. So we have to assume the answer is no, unless proven otherwise.

Your 2:49 post? Incoherent. You have no idea what your talking about.

Quantavius Sturdivant said...

wow, these comments are pretty awful. okc fans are the new boyfriend sonics fans have to bump into at a bar and make veiled insult-based small talk with.

chunkstyle23 said...

QS - ...which could totally be avoided in the first place, if the new boyfriend would stop purposely visiting the bar by our house just to be a dick. Seriously, they don't have bars over there?

I maintain that our alcoholism and bitterness have no effect on their enjoyment of that team, so leave us to our wallowing and stay the fuck off our side of the internet.

Anonymous said...

If you guys can't handle the comments from the trolls, i'd suggest you ask Henry Abbott to stop linking to these posts.

I feel nothing but apathy towards the Blunder, Bennett & OKC. Howard Schultz on the other hand, I will hate with a passion - forever!

Anonymous said...

CLASSY GUY

Quantavius Sturdivant said...

chunkstyle - how, exactly, is a sonics blog "your side" of the internet?

chunks brother said...

And we still love the Sonics as the Sonics, not the Thunder. Schultz is an idiot for selling the team to Bennett who essentially lied to the city and it's fanbase that he would try to strike a deal to keep the team here when he really had no intention (see Aubrey McClendon).

The whole argument about us giving up on the Sonics and that why they left is complete BullShit.

Let's be honest ANY team that stinks is going to have trouble selling tickets.

For example, Bennett puts a crappy team on the court, treats season ticket holders poorly, alienates the rest of the fanbase and you expect us to go to the games? Get real. We still supported them but we knew what was going on, EVERY NBA Fan knew what was going (except, apparently you fine folks). Ask Bill Simmons w/ESPN. Sonics fans got shafted.

Then there's this: Bennett states a state-of-the-art BRAND NEW ARENA was the only way to keep the team here in Seattle and the Key Arena was not a viable option. Post-move: all of the sudden the Key Arena with a minor upgrade IS a viable option for an NBA team? So which was it Clay/Stern? Why was it that when this was proposed, you said it wouldn't fly but now all of the sudden you've changed your tune post-move?

My favorite team was bamboozled away by some carpetbagger Bennett and his butt buddy Stern. If you lost something you could relate to and was part of your childhood for say, 23 years, does the bitter feeling just go away once it's gone for you?

Really what it comes down to for those of that are true Sonics fans that supported them through thick and thin, is that those of you that think we're bitter, you're right, we are and So what? Until you lose something (for example, your beloved Sooners which would never happen), you can't relate, and you won't understand.

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