In Our Dreams

We now join an episode of Judge Judy already in progress ...

JJ: So let me get this straight – according to an email from your friend Mr. Kneeland, you overpaid for your franchise, do I have that correct?

CB: Well, ma’am, it’s a bit more ...

JJ: Sir, you want to say something to me? Then say it. Did you overpay for your franchise or not?

CB: Yes, ma’am, that is correct. It was a rushed situation and that fella David kept pressuring me, and, well, I guess I just acted foolishly. But that shouldn’t ...

JJ: I didn’t ask for your cockamamie excuses why you acted like a fool. Remember, beauty fades, but dumb last forever. I just wanted to know if you, in fact, overpaid for your team. You answered yes. Now let’s move on. As I understand it, you’re telling me that the reason you couldn’t contribute any money to a new stadium is due to the fact you overpaid for the team. Is that correct?

CB: Yes, that would be correct.

JJ: So let me get this straight, because you acted like a teenage boy with too much allowance money, the taxpayers of Seattle are now responsible for paying hundreds of millions of dollars for a new arena?

CB: Well, it’s a bit more complicated than that, ma’am. You see, we’ve got plenty of other cities out there that want us to move in, and ...

JJ: Just what exactly does that have to do with the price of tea in China, sir? Are you telling me that you think you can extort Seattle taxpayers by using some other municipality? Is that what you are telling me?

CB: Well, you see, I really was a man possessed to get something done in Seattle, and ...

JJ: You mess around with me, young man, and I’ll wipe the floor with you. We already covered that “man possessed” bit before the last commercial, and I don’t think you want to take a drive down that road again, now do you?

CB: No, ma’am, I do not.

JJ: So, back to what I asking you before you tried to re-direct the conversation. The fact you wanted to pick this team up and move it to your backyard does not have anything to do with this case, do you understand that? What I am trying to ascertain here is if you are required to fulfill the obligations of the lease you signed with the city of Seattle. Now, according to testimony we heard earlier, you said that Oklahoma City would derive $180 million in benefits from the Sonics relocating there. Is that correct?

CB: Um, yes, yes, that is correct, I did say that.

JJ: And you told someone else that the city of Renton would receive an “economic turnaround” from having a new arena. Is that correct?

CB: Yes, ma’am, that is correct.

JJ: But you don’t feel that Seattle would receive any benefit from your presence? Is that what you want me to believe?

CB: Well, you see, Seattle is such a real big city, and I just don’t think they would miss the Sonics all that much.

JJ: Sir, don’t pee on my leg and tell me it’s raining. That’s a nonsense argument and you know it. I’m going to ask you again, and I’ll remind you that you’re under oath, are you telling me that Oklahoma City and Renton would derive hundreds of millions of dollars in benefits from the Sonics, but that Seattle would get zippo? And because of that it’s all right for you to pick up and move the Sonics in the midst of a lease that you signed?

CB: Um, well ... let me check my papers, here ...

JJ: Hey, I’m the boss, applesauce! You keep your eyes up here! You know what, I’m tired of this. I can’t believe you’re wasting my time and the time of all of the people gathered here with this ridiculous case. I’m not even going to bother reviewing the rest so let’s just put an end to this nonsense once and for all. I’m finding for the city, and that’s the end of it.

CB: Um, your honor, do I get my $100 for showing up? Your producer, I think her name’s Jenny?, she told me I’d get $100 for being on the show. You see, my wife told me if I lost this case that I might as well get a hotel room ‘cuz of all the money this is costing us, and well, I could really use that $100 ...

Rally Notes

Probably, oh, 1/4 of the crowd (?) waits for the guests of honor to arrive (photo: Ravenal "Chunk's Brother" Calonzo)

by Rafael "Chunkstyle" Calonzo
Staff Cartoonist/Unabashed Homer

I can't pretend to know how many people were in the courthouse plaza yesterday afternoon. After all, I was a short dude standing at probably the lowest elevation on the entire block, surrounded on all sides by a sea of green and gold.

If I had to guess, I'd say the crowd easily broke 4 digits; when I relocated the family from one side of the plaza to the other a little before 4:30, we had to squeeze through a solid mass of people that spanned the width and depth of the plaza. The OKC media estimates of "a few hundred" must have been observed at two in the afternoon.

However many people were there, they were making enough noise to rival a sold-out Key Arena crowd with the Supes holding "the lead and the leather." Chants of "Save Our Sonics! (clap-clap, clap-clap-clap-clap)" and "Super! Sonics!" were near-deafening. And when Gary and X stepped to the mike, the volume became nigh ear-splitting.

What our beloved ex-Sonics actually said was suitably thrilling and sentimental, but really, they didn't have to say anything to cast a spell on the crowd. Just the fact that they were there, perched gingerly on a newspaper box (well, GP was, X stayed on the ground), was enough to make the mob go bananas. It's also worth noting that Spencer Hawes was the only current pro who braved the League's wrath by appearing at the event. Gotta love it when the local boys stay true to their hometown.

I'm actually pretty amazed at how many people attended, and the passion that was on display. I've been asked by folks, "What's the point of going to this rally?," as if to say, "They're gone, you're not going to change anything by going." All my blind optimism aside, I disagree. Of course a rally does nothing (and really, should do nothing) to sway a judge's decision. But that wasn't the intent of the event. The rally is a symbol of unity, a gesture of affection. It's something you can point to and say, "People do still care, so stop with the 'no one cares about the Sonics' nonsense."

No matter the outcome of this whole ordeal, I firmly believe the fans have already changed the League's intended course for the franchise. Without the fans, the team would have left last year, no incriminating emails would have been revealed, there wouldn't even be the whisper of a possible replacement team, and there would be jeers from the rest of the country that we rolled over and let someone steal our history.

Finally, much respect is due to Brian Robinson, Steven Pyeatt and the feisty band of volunteers who made the rally happen. If they can put an event like this together for a court case, I can't wait to see what they do for a "Sonics Stay" party.

Rally Time

For those of us stuck in the hinterlands, we could only experience the Sonic rally at the Federal Courthouse in Seattle vicariously.

Judging by various reports, the crowd was upwards of 1,000 people [UPDATE: KOMO4 estimated the crowd at about 500, KJR quoted police officials as saying it was between 2,500 and 3,000 people; it appears that the city needs to hire an Official Crowd Estimator] and - when you add in Xavier McDaniel and Gary Payton's combined presence - made for some gripping video on the local news.

Hopefully, the rally will reach a national audience and let the rest of the country know that this situation is not a foregone conclusion by a long shot, and that Clay Bennett and David Stern are still in for one heckuva fight.