Oden Out for Year

Unbelievable. According to multiple sources (here's one of them), Greg Oden is out for the year after having exploratory surgery on his knee in Vancouver on Thursday. I'm not sure if they meant Vancouver, BC or Vancouver, WA, but I'm assuming it's the Washington one, since the line-up for health care in BC would mean that Oden would get his surgery sometime next March.

More to come later, but, wow, that sucks for Portland.

Thanks to Frank for the tip in the comments section.

Locked On Jazz

As previously mentioned in Gary Washburn's blog at the PI, David Locke has relocated to Salt Lake City, taking over the pre- and post-game Jazz shows as well as hosting a sports radio show on KJZZ (and, yes, I agree that KJZZ sounds like something you'd by at a sex shop for $7.99).

Here's Locke's take on returning to SLC, including paying homage to the wonderful Jazz franchise.

You know, if I was running the Sonics, I think my first two questions to potential broadcasters would be:

1. Do you now or have you ever before rooted for the Portland Trail Blazers?
2. Do you now or have you ever before rooted for the Utah Jazz?

A yes to either question would be grounds for a non-hire, at least to me.

Can Gorton save another Seattle team?

According to the Seattle Times, former senator Slade Gorton has been enlisted to help save the Sonics. Gorton (known as "Senator Skeletor" in my household) was instrumental in keeping the Mariners in town, which almost makes up for the years he spent trying to dump poison in the Cascades.

If the hard-nosed lobbyist can pull this off, perhaps he'll be remembered as "Gorton the Great" instead of "Cyanide Slade".