Commando Dave says "I'm throwin' a '79 SuperSonics Party!"

Jalisco's, Floyd's Place, The Spectator, Sport, choices, choices.
Click on SuperSonics30.com and make your choice of where and when!
Have some FUN!

From: Commando Dave
Date: May 28, 2009 12:28:51 PM PDT
To: Communicate.with.Mike (at) gmail.com
Subject: I'm throwin' a '79 SuperSonics Party!

"T-Mobile exec challenging Nickels for Seattle mayor", KING5.com

Candidate for Mayor, Joe Mallahan, says he supports a KeyArena remodel.

http://www.king5.com Joe Mallahan interview.

He is also not Jan Drago.

Have a great day,
Mike Baker
Sent from my iPhone
Visit me here:
http://ManyWordsForRain.blogspot.com

KTAR.com: Why the outcome of the Coyotes case is about more than hockey

What if a franchise in any professional sport could just move without the league rules stopping them?
Dan Weiss of KTAR asks the broader question of the bankruptcy proceedings involving the Phoenix Coyotes.

Tuesday, a bankruptcy judge in downtown Phoenix began listening to arguments that may ultimately determine the fate of the Phoenix Coyotes in the Valley of the Sun. As evidenced by the scant gathering at Saturday's "Save the Coyotes" rally (Winnipeg by the way had 36,000 people show up for their "Save the Jets" rally before they eventually moved to Phoenix!) and the general apathy expressed towards our local NHL entry over the last few years, it appears that few heads will turn whether the Coyotes stay or go.

This is an interesting point, but fan interest is such a minor component in owner interest in staying in a given market, but his point is well taken. Some markets are just not interested in a given business, to the degree that the business has failed.


Weiss goes on to the broader point facing major league sports:
But there's a bigger issue in play that transcends the Coyotes, Jerry Moyes, Jim Balsille, Phoenix, or Southern Ontario, and that's whether a bankruptcy court has the right to tell a professional sports league that its governing laws are flawed regarding the processes and procedures as to who can purchase a franchise and whether it can be relocated. Is there any wonder why the commissioners of the other three major leagues, the NFL, the NBA, and Major League Baseball, all came out in overwhelming support of the National Hockey League Monday? It's not because they like Gary Bettman or think he's doing a bang-up job of growing the game in the United States. It's because should Judge Redfield T. Baum eventually award the Coyotes to Mr. Balsille and allow him to circumvent the NHL's by-laws regarding ownership and franchise relocation and move them to Hamilton, he would essentially be granting a possible "get out of jail free" card to every professional sports owner in North America who is unhappy in their current situation. Ultimately, that could have the potential to create a virtual anarchy across the sporting landscape by individual ownership against their respective leagues.

Imagine being trapped in making a franchise work in a city where it clearly is not. Now you have two things stopping you, Bob Johnson, from relocating; your leases, and your league rules.
By-laws be damned, I'm moving to Southern Ontario (or Kansas City, Seattle, San Jose, Vancouver)?
Really?
Well, yes, that is a possible outcome. As Mr. Weiss points out, 15 NBA teams borrowed money for operations this year. How many of them would sell and move if they could?
What does the sudden lack of scarcity do to a product?

The fact is that no matter how this case pans out the NBA and the City of Seattle have both advised us that scarcity is not what it was. So, Bob Johnson putting his Bobcats up for sale in the worst economy in decades "wants between $325 million and $350 million".

$350 million? Not in a million years.
If any owner of a sports franchise can move without the league say-so then more teams are free to move. More teams being able to move increases the lack of scarcity, driving its price down. Sure, Clay Bennett had a point that there are only 30 NBA franchises, but being able to fold up your tent and move at any time your lease allows increases risk to the community, and lowers the value. Another team will show up in a couple years in a top 15 media market.

Read Dan Weiss' full story here!
Have a great day,
Mike Baker
Sent from my iPhone
Visit me here:
http://ManyWordsForRain.blogspot.com

SeattlePI.com: McGinn: Viaduct tunnel 'endangers' Seattle's future

Mayoral candidate Michael McGinn was interviewed by SeattlePI.com's Chris Grygiel.
Here is the short of it.

Tunnel bad, surface/I-5 expansion good (I agree).

High cost is bad (I agree).

Cars and oil are bad (a mass transit that does not completely run on oil and is sized appropriately for every use I call busses and electric cars, we have one and the other is coming in 2010, so fix the roads already).

Fence sitting on KeyArena and Seattle Center. He gave no solution to an anchor tenant if that is not the NBA. He did not say anything about the $540 million dollar master plan for Seattle Center that does not account for KeyArena or how to pay for it, or how to justify paying for it without an anchor tenant in . . . KeyArena.

He's green (I think he has a fixed idea of what that is, and his funding sources like him that way). He needs to tie tunnel spending to the sidewalks not being built anytime soon if I am ever going to think about voting for him.

He's a people person (I'm people).

Read the interviewright here!

Have a great day,
Mike Baker
Sent from my iPhone
Visit me here:
http://ManyWordsForRain.blogspot.com

Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles: Will push for stadium bill in special session

This story cross-posted from my new/old blog ManyWordsForRain.blogger.com, that's where I will transition to when this is all over. I will post different stories there, and post in both places depending on the story.

SEATTLE - It appears we have somebody beyond Sonics fans that actually cares about KeyArena and Seattle Center. Sure, Seattle Center is in Jeanne Kohl-Welles' State Senatorial district.

But let's not act as if it were not the responsibility of Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels, and the Seattle City Council, you know, people running for re-election.

She is being public about her role and responsibility, how refreshing. Let's hope, for this city's sake, she makes this work in September.


Read the story here: www.tvw.org sen-jeanne-kohl-welles-will-push-for-stadium-bill-in-special-session
Have a great day,
Mr Baker
Sent from my iPhone

Seattle Times: Lawmakers say no special legislative session

In the unlikely event they call a Special Session in June, I'll post
something about that activity (or non-activity).
I might stick around for the funeral the city will have.

The city has a problem, among many, and none will get any help from
the legislature.
Time for Seattle to just worry about Seattle.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2009190806_websession07m.html

Thank you Brian, Steve, Adam, Ed Murray, Jeanne Kohl-Welles, and Ross
Hunter for being somebody.

Thank you "Anonymous", Peter, DBF, posters and the unusually large
number of readers.

I have no idea what happens now, but I know what is not going to
happen. I am not letting a few people off the hook, that got us here,
the place we never should have been.

I like to write, I'll write about something else, sooner or later, and
I will leave a link here when I figure it out. I have a strange
feeling it will be politics.

This is not likely my last footprint here, I just wanted to catch a
few people before they headed to the exits.

Have a great day,
Mr Baker

Sent from my iPhone

Question on Real Change News story for Frank Chopp on affordable housing

From:Mr Baker

communicate.with.mike ( at ) gmail.com>
Date: May 3, 2009 8:11:27 PM PDT
To:
chopp.frank (at) leg.wa.gov
Subject: Question on Real Change News story, affordable housing

Mr. Chopp,
I had read in Real Change a story about getting creative about funding affordable housing, and arts in King County. Is it true that House Bill 2252 would have funded $8 million a year in affordable housing near transit centers?
Please consider this bill, or something like it in the special session. $8 million would be a big boost in a tough time.
I looked up the bill and it looks like it was replaced by a Senate bill, which died due to Husky Stadium latching on to local taxes. Could that Senate bill get revived?

http://www.realchangenews.org/index.php/site/archives/1717/


Have a great day,
Mike Baker
Seattle

Seattle Times: King County facing hard choices with social-service programs

King County's turn to make tough cuts. They were hoping for the state to pass legislation (see the story here) to help them out. Just how much help would SB6116 had given King County? Go ask Lisa Brown and Frank Chopp.

Have a great day,
Mr Baker
Sent from my iPhone

I want the other Lisa Brown

I want the Lisa Brown that signed this letter to re-appear, and be true to her word.

Here is the letter from Chris Gregoire, Frank Chopp, and Lisa Brown to David Stern and the NBA, asking them not to vote to relocate away from Seattle.

Have a great day,
Mr Baker

Sent from my iPhone

It's the booze talkin'

My beer cap has more common sense than sometimes even I display.

"Listen
Then
Discuss"

Indeed, my advise to others at this point is not any more complicated than that three word gift from my beer.