Question

How is it that Fred Brown and Dave Bean (the two B's in the B2 Inc. involved in the new arena proposal announced today) can so casually talk about raising $1 billion for their megaproject, and the city simultaneously have little or no success at raising $75 million to renovate KeyArena?

Since the two B's are so adept at raising cash, perhaps someone could persuade them to use their fundraising skills to raise the $75 million, inasmuch as that amount is a mere 7.5% of the figure they're tossing around.

To put it in perspective, $75 million is to $1 billion as 75 bucks is to a thousand dollars.

New Stadium Plan No Hoax

With former Sonic Fred Brown and NBA legend Bill Russell on hand, Wong Doody played host to a, well, interesting press conference on Tuesday morning in Seattle.

The stadium proposal - tenatively termed the Emerald City Arena - offered, among other items:

-100 % privately funded ("the era of public funded arenas - at least in this region - is over")
-A possible retractable roof
-Locating the facility on the waterfront so that it would become the face of Seattle a la Sydney's Opera House, or near SoDo, or at the existing Seattle Center location, or on Mars, whichever works best
-Integrating an NHL and/or Arena Football team
-Eliminating luxury suites and introducing something called "private common areas"
-Pacific Northwest Sports Hall of Fame
-Open 365 days of year with all sorts of non-sports incomes
-An unknown group of investors

I'll try to put up some more information in time, but thought I should throw out a rough sketch initially. This whole thing sounds a little too vague and fantasy-land on first impression, as if it belonged more at a World's Fair than a real proposal. For example, there was no talk about specific investors and the plan is for an expansion team - not the Sonics - which the NBA has already stated it is not interested in doing.

According to Fred Brown, "We're not in competition with anybody." Well, except for the Ballmer group and every Sonic fan in Seattle who wants to see the initial plan succeed, he's absolutely right. And reality, because this plan is definitely in competition with reality.

If you feel like wasting 20 minutes of your life, you can visit www.emeraldcitycenter.com for more information.

SHOCKER: Bennett and Stern get married

It was bound to happen.

Seattle Sonics owner Clay Bennett and NBA commissioner David Stern were married today in a private ceremony in Sweden.

"We've been in bed together over this whole Sonics deal, so I figured it was time to make an honest man out of Davey" Bennett joked.

"Plus, the sex is terrific," Stern added.

After the ceremony, the bridal bouquet was caught by the maid of honor, Aubrey McClendon.

"It was a beautiful wedding," said McClendon, dressed in a dazzling white evening gown. "There was nothing gay about it. This was an affirmation of two men's manly love for each other. You know, like pirates."

"Pirates who like to have sex with each other!" Stern shouted, giving McClendon a swift whack on the seat of his pants.

The newlyweds will be honeymooning at the posh "Steer's Rear" resort in scenic Oklahoma City. In lieu of gifts, the couple requests that donations be made in their names to the NBA civic demolition department.