Ouch!

I don't know how I missed this hilarious Greg Oden story from The Onion last month.

Hypocrisy Hype

Whether this whole Seattle Super Hornets deal happens or not, one thing that won’t go away anytime soon are the folks shouting “HIPPO CRATEZ!” at Sonics fans anytime we pine for another city’s team. Given that the only way Seattle ever gets a new squad is via relocation and not expansion, those shouts are only going to get louder if and when some beleaguered franchise trucks itself up here.

Are those accusations on point? Are we any different from the Okies who came to our blogs in ‘08, drooling over our team and insulting our town? Are we hypocrites for wailing and crying in a valley of tears when our team was taken, but then circling like vultures two years later as soon as another team looks vulnerable?

...

In a word: yes. Yes, we are being hypocrites. And after some soul-searching, I realized: I’m okay with that label, because it turns out I was a hypocrite before I lost my team anyway. Heck, in a very “Let he who is without sin cast the first stone” kind of way, pretty much every sports fan is a hypocrite to some degree. And since I want back into their club, I gotta own up to it.

How do I figure? When the Hornets moved from Charlotte to New Orleans, did I declare a personal boycott of the league and its corporate partners? Mm, no. When the Grizzlies relocated to Memphis, did I write angry, profanity-laden emails to David Stern every day for 14 weeks? Nope. Or, bigger picture, how about when the Browns were taken from Cleveland, the Oilers from Houston, the Expos from Montreal and so on? Did I stand up and say anything, did I curse the leagues, did I turn my back on the sport in solidarity with their fanbases and never return?

No, I didn’t. And unless you lived in those towns, none of you a-holes did either. Like most people outside of those cities, I basically shrugged and said “Man, that sucks. Oh well, at least I still have my team. Now what channel is TNT again?”

Oh, but when it was my team? You bet I got fired up, posted on blogs, made posters, attended rallies. (Instantaneously I am reminded of the Tea Baggers who, all of a sudden, are scholars of the Constitution and the writings of Ayn Rand. Yes, I see the irony.) Yes, looking back, I shake my head at my naivete, thinking that the world would surely reward my loyalty and passion. Ha!

But then let’s look at it from the new cities’ perspectives. Did the folks in New Orleans and Memphis (and OKC) go, “No, we will not accept this team because you have wronged the good people of its original city! Be gone, interloper!” Did the fans in Baltimore say to Art Modell, “Mm, no thanks, we’re gonna wait until the Colts come to their senses and leave that no-good whore, Indianapolis.”

Look, if you are a sports fan devoted to “your” team, chances are, you got your team through some shady, long-forgotten deal that screwed over another town. And of course it sucked for that town and those folks hated you and cursed your ancestors, but only until they could turn around and screw over some other town. If this doesn’t apply to you, congratulations, you’re a Sheffield FC fan and what are you even doing here?

Basically, being a modern sports fan REQUIRES different degrees of hypocrisy. You get all sanctimonious and condemn college athletes for taking money from agents, but think it’s fine if the university makes millions showing his games on TV or selling his jersey at Champs. It’s awful if Barry Bonds breaks the home run record while juicing, but you wear five LIVESTRONG bracelets on each wrist because you love Lance Armstrong. It’s great when your city gets a franchise from some other town, but it’s terrible when your team gets jacked.

Admit it, and go on with your fandom. If you’d just own up to your double standards, you’d be no different from the boxing or NCAA football fan who acknowledges the corruption, condemns it, but holds their nose and goes on rooting. They’re doing okay, aren’t they?

So the question for the Sonics fan shouldn’t be, “Am I a hypocrite?” It should be, “To what degree am I a hypocrite, and can I live with that?” I know my colleague Pete’s answer.

Regardless of yours, please refrain from sharing any douchey, unsympathetic thoughts on Hornets, Kings or Grizzlies blogs and news stories. Hypocrisy is one thing, but assholery is never excusable. Let’s try to keep it classy, shall we? Thanks.

Fresh Prints

Thank you to all the folks that came out to the show last week. Great to see familiar faces and commiserate with other diehard Seattle sports fans.

You can now order prints on Throwbacks NW online store here. I'll be offering additional sizes and images next week as well so check back then.

Special note to Mr. Simmons: prints of your "man-crush" are available at custom large-output sizes, suitable for posting on say, a door or ceiling. Please inquire at: sonicsblog AT gmail dot com. Thank you.

Ballmer Bucks

"Developers! Developers! De . . . fibrillator?"

206 Hoops has some suggestions for Steve Ballmer on how he should spend that 1.3 billion he cashed out last week.

Supersonicsoul Art Show TONIGHT!

The Artist at work.

Hey you! The first annual Supersonicsoul Art Show, featuring our very own Chunkstyle,  is at 5pm tonight at Throwbacks NW. Read all about it here. 

R.I.P. Dave Niehaus

I think I can speak for everyone at Supersonicsoul when I say that a little piece of my childhood just died: R.I.P. Dave Niehaus.

Ballmer makes his move

"The 'Ballmer' is in MY court, now! Get it? BALLmer?"

So, Steve Ballmer just sold off about two billion in stocks this week. Let me repeat that: the man who tried to buy the Seattle Supersonics a couple of years ago and has supposedly been looking to buy an NBA team to bring back to the Northwest suddenly has TWO BILLION DOLLARS in cash on hand. I wonder what he's going to buy with all that money?

Sign of the Times?

From last night's Portland/Team That Must Not Be Named game (courtesy of the Sonicsgate Facebook page).

R.I.P. The Enforcer

Former Seattle Supersonic and all around bad-ass Maurice Lucas passed away over the weekend.  As much as I loved the Payton/Kemp/Karl era, the 1987 Supersonics team was probably my favorite team, and Lucas provided some much-needed muscle for his shoot first, play defense later teammates.

Casey Holdahl has a great article about Lucas at http://www.iamatrailblazersfan.com/, so be sure to check it out.

Supersonic-STOLEN!

Charles Caleb Colton once said "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery". Charles Caleb Colton was an idiot.

A friend sent us a link to this scumbag who is selling bootleg Supersonicsoul t-shirts on Ebay. If you get a chance (and especially if you're an Ebay member) please go and report this fool so he'll stop ripping off Chunkstyle's artwork.

If you want to see some legit Supersonicsoul art, be sure to check out Chunkstyle's Supersonicsoul Art Show November 11th!

How would you like to go to THIS basketball camp?

If only I lived in China (and weren't too old and fat to play basketball anymore).
Seated left to right: Sam Perkins, James Donaldson, Clyde Dexler, Otis Birdsong, Michael Ray Richardson and Darryl Dawkins.

(from James Donaldson's blog.)

SUPERSONICSOUL: The Art Show

Alt title: 206 and Heartsick

Chunkstyle here. Since a lot of what we do on this blog is relive the glory days, how appropriate that I've been asked to do an art show next month at Throwbacks NW—a dope retro jersey store on Capitol Hill.

I’m calling the show “SUPERSONICSOUL: Home Teams and Heartache.” It will naturally have a local sports flavor to it, featuring luscious giclée prints of the illustrations I did for this fine blog, and possibly some other new works. The opening is Thursday, November 11, with a reception from 5-10 pm.

You should come through--I’ll be selling prints, a DJ will be spinning, refreshments will be served (I think), you can buy some old-school Starter jackets or retro snapback hats. Don’t have to RSVP or nothing, just show up if you can, or come another day, the art will be up for a month. Thanks!

Seattle Supersonics return! (to video games)

(Double click to show full-screen)

Even though I've worked on a few basketball games in my time, I'll be the first to admit I haven't really been into them since the Sega Genesis days. Sure, the first NBA Street was fun (before they ruined it by making it all "hardcore"), but since then they really all seemed the same. And when they replaced the Sonics with The Team That Must Not Be Named, well, why bother, right?

Well, it appears the folks at 2K Sports are pulling me back in. Prepare to have your mind blown when you watch the clip from the new NBA2K11 (which drops in stores this week), as our beloved Seattle Supersonics have returned . . . in video game form at least. Sam, Gary, Det, Shawn and the rest of the mighty '96 roster appear in all their green and red glory.

I haven't played the game yet, so I have no idea if you actually get to play as the Sonics, or if they're just "bosses" you must defeat in the Jordan story mode. But still . . . THE SONICS ARE BACK!!!

Seattle Supersonics video of the day: Sonics vs. Rockets, 1987

I know I've mentioned this before, but this 1987 double overtime victory over the Rockets is one of my all-time favorite Sonics memories. If I remember correctly, Pete, Raf and I all begged our parents to stay up late that night (on a school night!) to watch the thrilling conclusion to this epic game.

Now, thanks to the magical tubes we call the internet, you can watch the entire game (as well as the pre and post-game) on YouTube.

It's hard to believe, but back in '87, I actually watched this game on a black and white TV, so this is the first time I've seen it in color. Yes, I am that old.

Shawn Kemp to open bar near Key Arena?

This is just too good to be true: according to the Queen Anne Review Shawn Kemp is opening a bar on lower Queen Anne:

Right now, there’s white paper covering the windows at 621 1/2 Queen Anne Avenue (across from the MarQueen Hotel) with the words “Watch 4 Us.” The applicants listed on the liquor paperwork are former Seattle Supersonic Shawn Kemp and his wife Marvena. They apparently plan to turn this space into a restaurant and lounge. Right now, the business is simply listed as “MTK Ventures.”

Read the rest here.

Sounds like they still need a name for the place. Kemp's Korner? Basketbooze? Dunk-n-Drunks?

Seattle Storm: World Champs 2.0!

Congrats Storm! Now go get your mascot drunk and let him hump some cars. Oh, I see you're way ahead of me. Nicely done. (Photo courtesy of Dopler's Facebook page)

Kings moving to Seattle?

Nope:

From the Seattle P.I. :

George Maloof, the owner of the Sacramento Kings, denied last week that the team is considering a move to Seattle. Sports Illustrated reported on its website that Maloof met with former Sonics minority owner Wally Walker and others recently.

Maloof told SI.com that the meeting in Seattle was to discuss the hurdles Sonics ownership faced in securing a new arena. Owner Clay Bennett moved the Sonics to Oklahoma City in 2008 after he was unable to secure an arena deal to his liking in Seattle.

"It had nothing to do with us moving the team," Maloof told SI.com. "It was more of a meeting to understand what their experience was as it relates to what we could do in Sacramento because it's very difficult to build arenas anywhere. That was basically the meeting."

If this were true, would you be interested in a second-hand team? Would your desperation to land a basketball team outweigh the guilt of stealing another team? After the way Stern treated this city, could you stifle your pride and play NBA musical chairs?

As much as I miss the Sonics, I'd sooner eat Jack Sikma's socks than screw over a community like Sacramento, that was once one of the best basketball towns in the country.  As much as I enjoyed watching the Sonics kick their asses in the playoffs a few years back, no city deserves to go through what we did.

Happy 4th of July!




PAUL MERRILL ALL-AMERICAN - watch more funny videos

The Seattle LeBrons?

Via Sonicsgate.

Gary Gets a Webby!

Okay, our friends at Sonicsgate technically got the Webby for their excellent film "Sonicsgate: Requiem for a Team", but they wisely let The Glove do the talking. And what was his five-word acceptance speech? Watch the video and find out!

Ray of Hope

I know I vowed never to watch another stinkin' NBA game after those bastards stole the Sonics, but last night's Lakers /Celtics game was a miracle.

My eight-year-old son has recently become a Celtics fan (one of the many tragic consequences of the Sonics leaving town) and being the noble, self-sacrificing father that I am, I agreed to watch the Finals with him.

I have to admit, it was pretty awesome.

For one night, at least, we got to see our beloved Ray-Ray (in a green jersey, no less!) lighting up Kobe for an NBA record eight three-pointers (seven in the first half alone). Sure, it wasn't as good as when the Sonics almost beat the Lakers that one time, but for a few glorious hours it almost seemed like old times.

There are a lot of terrible things going on in the world right now, but last night's drubbing of the Lakers renewed my faith in humanity. And, more importantly, in schadenfreude.

Thanks, Kid

Adios, Senor (Senior) Junior

Let us take a brief respite from our wall-to-wall coverage of the 1979 NBA Finals and bid a fond farewell to another Seattle sports legend, George Kenneth Griffey Jr.

Now, I'm the last person amongst the Supersonicsoul crew who should write anything (well, ever!), least of all about the impact Junior's had on our city and our generation of sports fans. Instead, I'll recycle this image I painted when he came back in '09 and just say: Thanks, Junior.

1979 Sonics Finals viewing/crying party

A group of Sonics fans are getting together for an all-day viewing party of the 1979 Finals today at Floyd's Place on Queen Anne. Check out the video for a preview.

KC meets KD this afternoon

Kevin Durant talks to  Kevin Calabro on his ESPN radio show (streaming live on the interwebs or on 710 AM in Seattle) at 3:30 pm today. Just like old times (sigh . . . ).

Sonics Talk on ESPN

Jason Reid, director and producer of Sonicsgate, appeared on ESPN last week for a segment on the Seattle Sonics debacle. If, like me, you're too cheap to get fancy cable, you can check it out online.

Steve Kelley, Chris Van Dyk, and Scott Soshnick of Bloomberg News also appeared on the show, but strangely enough, no one wanted to take the side of Clay Bennett.

Tease-Shirt

Just spotted at the Ballard Value Village. Sigh.

Hey Nerds!

We have a new RSS feed, if you're into that sort of thing.  Some nerd told me if you click on that link, you can subscribe to our website in your browser or favorite news reader and keep up to date with the latest whining news from Supersonicsoul. Or whatever.

Now if you nerds will excuse me, I have to get back to my Batman: The Brave and The Bold marathon.

Charles Garcia heading to the NBA

Seattle U forward Charles Garcia has announced his will skip his senior year and enter the NBA draft this spring, leaving Seattle with even less reason to watch basketball at the Key. Sigh. . .

Follow the Wheedle on Twitter!

Wondering what the Wheedle's been up to lately? Well now you can follow the Seattle Supersonics' favorite mascot on Twitter.

And while you're at it, be sure to follow Supersonicsoul on Twitter as well. Because we hear that's what the kids do nowadays! Now if you'll excuse me, my Metamucil is getting cold.

Bring Back the Sonics night at the Key

It's "Bring Back the Sonics" night at Key Arena tomorrow night. Bonus: there's also a basketball game!

Hockey Schmocky

After winning the gold in hockey, the Canadian fans go wild.

Congrats to our neighbors to the north, as Canada beat the U.S.A. for the gold medal in hockey today. Somewhere in Vancouver, Supersonicsoul writer Pete Nussbaum is overcome with indifference.

Supersonicsoul Hall of Fame

Ladies and gentlemen, we present the Supersonicsoul Hall of Fame:

(Artwork by Rafael Calonzo, Jr. / Words by Peter Nussbaum)

Jack Sikma
Lenny Wilkens
Gary Payton
Shawn Kemp
Blackburn / Calaboro
Xavier McDaniel
George Karl
Dennis Johnson
Spencer Haywood
Nate McMillan
Gus Williams

Happy Birthday, Chunkstyle!

Happy birthday to Supersonicsoul co-founder and co-creator of "Danny Fortson: Cyborg Smasher" Rafael Calonzo, Jr. (aka Chunkstyle).

BONUS: For the first time, the entire "Danny Fortson: Cyborg Smasher" mini-series is available in one place online. Read the entire epic here!

Saddest Ebay listing ever?

From Supersonicsoul reader Todd Frank:

Now for auction on Ebay:

"BLANK Seattle Sonics throwback NBA jersey Durant Zombie"

Don't miss out on this great auction for the incredibly rare blank Seattle Sonics uniform, with the alternative road jersey in deep red, green shorts with Sonics logo, and authentic sewed-on NBA logo on both. This is an awesome NBA throwback jersey and shorts set made by Champion that you could easily customize! Get some one to stitch on DURANT and 35 and you'll have quite the collector's item. Or put KEMP and a "40" to symbolize his number of children. Or put a Starbucks logo on it or perhaps use it to hang Clay Bennett in effigy. Put a 0 on it with ZOMBIES across the front. I don't care what you do with it. Sadly, there wasn't even a "Seattle Sonics" in the eBay drop-down box for NBA apparel.

Make your bid here!

Vote for Kemp!

The folks at ESPN are voting on the best "in-your-face" dunk of all-time, and of course, Shawn Kemp's infamous "Lister Blister" (see above) is one of the nominees. So go vote already!

UPDATE: Kemp is in the semi-finals . . . but is losing to Pippen (oh the irony!). So go vote NOW!

Tender Juicy Fans Rejoice!

Supersonicsoul's new favorite basketball team, the Tender Juicy Giants, now have their own official Facebook page. Sign up to become a fan of the squad that Alton Lister calls "the deepest team in the league". Plus, they're named after processed meat!

1979: Good year for Sonics, bad year for robot-related deaths

For most of us here at Supersonicsoul, 1979 will always be remembered for one thing: the year the greatest basketball team of all-time won Seattle's first championship.

For those with robot-phobia, however, this date back in 1979 marks a far different kind of anniversary:

January 25, 1979: A 25-year-old Ford Motor assembly line worker is killed on the job in a Flint, Michigan, casting plant. It’s the first recorded human death by robot.

Robert Williams’ death came on the 58th anniversary of the premiere of Karel Capek’s play about Rossum’s Universal Robots. R.U.R gave the world the first use of the word robot to describe an artificial person. Capek invented the term, basing it on the Czech word for “forced labor.” (Robot entered the English language in 1923.)

Williams died instantly in 1979 when the robot’s arm slammed him as he was gathering parts in a storage facility, where the robot also retrieved parts. Williams’ family was later awarded $10 million in damages. The jury agreed the robot struck him in the head because of a lack of safety measures, including one that would sound an alarm if the robot was near.

Read More http://www.wired.com/thisdayintech/2010/01/0125robot-kills-worker#ixzz0dfe3y6P3

So the next time you're watching those '79 highlight reels, be sure to raise a glass to the first victim of the Robot Apocalypse.

The Voice of the Sonics

R.I.P Bob.

Great White Dopes?

Ladies and Gentlemen, your 2010 Seattle Super Honkies!

Please let this be a joke.

According to the Augusta Chronicle, someone is starting an all-white basketball league:

Don "Moose" Lewis, the commissioner of the AABA, said the reasoning behind the league's roster restrictions is not racism.

"There's nothing hatred about what we're doing," he said. "I don't hate anyone of color. But people of white, American-born citizens are in the minority now. Here's a league for white players to play fundamental basketball, which they like."

Lewis said he wants to emphasize fundamental basketball instead of "street-ball" played by "people of color." He pointed out recent incidents in the NBA, including Gilbert Arenas' indefinite suspension after bringing guns into the Washington Wizards locker room, as examples of fans' dissatisfaction with the way current professional sports are run.

"Would you want to go to the game and worry about a player flipping you off or attacking you in the stands or grabbing their crotch?" he said. "That's the culture today, and in a free country we should have the right to move ourselves in a better direction."

(found via Huff Post).

White, American-born citizens are in the minority now? Really? I had no idea 75 percent was a minority. Then again, math was never my best subject.

Now if you'll excuse me, I've got to strap on my Chuck's and get down to the gym for my tryout with the Albuquerque All-Whites.

Nenad Now!

The folks behind the Sonicsgate documentary have come up with a great prank to play on The Team That Must Not Be Named.

EA is bringing back NBA Jam and letting the fans pick the rosters. Now, suppose instead of Durant, Green and Westbrook, the Sonix were represented by Thabo, Nenad and Harden?

If you'd like to help make this Dream Team a reality, just head over to the NBA Jam website. Voting ends January 18th, so make every click count!

R.I.P. Bob Blackburn

Bob Blackburn, the original voice of the Seattle Supersonics, passed away Friday at the age of 85.

For many of us, Blackburn's friendly voice welcomed us into the world of Sonics fandom. He was the voice of the '79 champs and along with Wayne Cody, Ivar Haglund and J.P. Patches, represented the best of Old Seattle, a town that was on the rise, but never took itself too seriously.

He will be missed, but never forgotten.

Danny Fortson: Cyborg Smasher!

In 2006, cartoonist extraordinaire Rafael Calonzo, Jr. and writer/comedian Paul Merrill created "Danny Fortson: Cyborg Smasher", a two-part comic series based on former Seattle Supersonics forward Danny Fortson.

(Originally published in 2006 on Supersonicsoul.com)

"Danny Fortson: Cyborg Smasher"
Issue #1

(Click on pictures for larger images.)

"Danny Fortson: Cyborg Smasher"
Issue #2