MetaMurph's Metasphere

Last year around now, Laker fans were sitting a bit concerned about the state of Kobe vs. Laker Management.  Favre can't trust management, sounds familiar.  Favre is disappointed because management hasn't gotten the readily available resources he needs to win a championship...again familiar.  Management isn't going the  direction needed by the face of the team who is not as young as he was before and sees time slipping away as the team tries to develop talent, talent that may take it beyond the life of the current star.  The debates raged back and forth who would Kobe play for last year, how can the relationship ever be repaired, shouldn't the Lakers just trade this bad blood away and move on.  Now a season later Zen rules again, they came up short but Kobe loves management, management loves Kobe and the young talent evolved. 

This story is different because the young talent that needs to grow is Favre's replacement and the Lakers were still looking for Shaq's replacement, not Kobe's but just as this was again damaging to Kobe's image, he recovered and hopefully a viable way forward can be found.  While most can understand the drive and desire to win and can relate to grumbling about management and our jobs.  But the publich "He said, She said." frankly we can all do without that.

As the notes come from the City of Seattle vs. Pro Basketball Club of OKC we get to hear a lot from Clay about having to endure more "lame duck" seasons in Seattle.  Now that Ray Allen has a ring (and though I hate the Celtics I am happy for the big 3) I think back to what if we hadn't traded there, what if the ownership decided we are building a strong future team but we are going to put the best product we can on floor what would happen with ticket sales, revenues, results (ie a spot in the play-offs?) and would that be the same lame duck season the it would appear we are going to suffer through should the team be forced to stay.  Chad Ford's mock draft has the following interesting comment:

With one caveat, that is: I spoke with a couple of teams that say the Sonics have called them and made the pick available.

This is after talking about the need we know exists for a solid point guard.  Will the Sonics hurt their ability to get stronger now if they are made to stay?  Force the lame duck nature?  There are other PGs available in the draft and the Sonics have other issues to solve like a real solution at 5 but it kills me when I see comments from the proceedings of "gee, no one is calling us for tickets for next year" what do you expect when they are not actively selling tickets, where there wasn't a lottery party, when the default at this point is the NBA said we approve the move.  Let's get Arlen Spector in here as part of his public funding of stadiums investigation. 

What a great tournament this has been.  Torrey Pines is great, the layout and adjustments for US Open has been fantastic and I always love watching this challenge of golf and seeing the great plays.  It really shows that in general landing in the bunker isn't something to fear, it is much better for instance than the rough. 

ESPN coverage on Thursday...ugh, Friday was better.  NBC and the Golf Channel just do a better job here.  I do really like the ball feed views for the greens and Trackman is always interesting to see from a shaping perspective and when there is a wind to see how this alters the flight but while I realize the prospect of Phil vs. Tiger was a big draw for the first two days, it was a bit too much show a shot, cut to announcers gabbing.  If you are going to follow one set, then I really want to watch the approach, the mental set, the pre-shot routine.  Bob Rotella talks about just shutting off the sound and watching with the eye to what are you thinking, how you approach the shot at hand, etc.  With the "drama" of golf on TV, this is hard to do.  If the only way you have seen a golf tournament (major or not) is on TV you are really missing out. 

But best of all is a play-off tomorrow which I hope will provide natural drama though a sudden death does drive that harder.  18 holes, only one pair to follow, it should be great.  I am really loving Rocco in this event.

1. nice guy with great attitude. 
2. not a picture perfect swing (I can relate).
3. almost my age
4. hits balls about same distance I do - none of that 220 yards to the flag, a little 5 iron

My new clubs get in this week and I am hoping that the weatherman is really wrong about the miserable weather hanging on through July this year in Seattle. 

It was a bit ugly down the end but the Lakers get it done tonight and that is a lot better than the heart wrenching that was game 4.  This team still needs a lot of work but for a young team this was showing some heart.  The Lakers basically lost in every stat in game 4 and while Lamar has been having flashes it just wasn't enough.  Tonight it was Lamar and Gasol playing a much better game, but the team is still lacking in the mesh and chemistry that they had earlier.   The Bench Mob is showing its youth and the Machine and Space Cadet are not cutting it right now.  I love that Chris Mihm got some minutes though he really didn't perform, just a nice kid who has had a rough time back from injury and he has played some solid minutes in the past. 

Now hopefully the youth of the Lakers will give them better recovery going into Boston and that may give them the ability to get in take game 6 and make it that glorious game 7 battle. 

The SOS organization is gearing up for the City of Seattle vs. Professional Basketball Club of OKC hearings which start next week.  This includes a event next Monday at the courthouse.  I unfortunately will be in Texas of all places on business but agree that with GP and X-Man and the attention these efforts have already won that this is a good shot to make the fans' voice heard in national media.  If you can make it and want to make sure that people understand that yes, Seattle cares about its team and wants a role in the NBA (even after being spit on) then get out there and make the crowd swell.  Here is the official announcement:

June 8, 2008 - SEATTLE, WA - Monday, June 16 marks the beginning of historic legal proceedings as the City of Seattle defends its lease to the Seattle SuperSonics in federal court hearings.
Save Our Sonics (SOS) encourages Sonics fans to express their support in a group gathering outside the courthouse (700 Stewart St., Seattle) throughout the day. Sonics legends "The Glove" Gary Payton and "X- Man" Xavier McDaniel are confirmed to attend and speak at 4:30 pm. Other Sonics Legends have been invited and are expected to appear.
Join us to show support for OUR team.
We want to thank everyone for all their support the last couple years. Whenever we have had an event it has been a huge success. But this event is different.
Clay Bennett has told the NBA and the Court that he needs to move the team in part because "no one in Seattle cares about the Sonics". There is no better way to send the message to the court, Oklahoma City, the NBA, and the national media than to pack the court house grounds with Sonics fans dressed in Green and Gold sending the message that we do care about OUR team.
The Main Event starts at 4:30 pm
Please don't assume someone else knows about this event, will show up, or make this happen. Tell your family, your friends, and co-workeds and even car pool to get them to come down.
Bring your kids to see these Sonics legends in person and so the next time we have a championship parade they can tell people they were there when the tide was turned to keep this team.

Steve Kelley of the Seattle Times wrote:
Why is this rally important?

Because people will be watching.

The league doesn't like getting embarrassed and if a huge crowd gathers at the courthouse, the rally will rate ESPN airtime and it will be a signal to the rest of the country that Seattle still cares.

If thousands, instead of hundreds, show up it will be another example that the NBA is dead wrong about this city.

After all the negative remarks from the commissioner's office and from the team's ownership, this will be the most profoundly, populist gesture Seattle fans can make that they believe the game belongs here.

This rally needs thousands of people to make it work. It really is important, because throughout this process, Bennett counted on a cave-in. He thought fans would quit. He figured the mayor and the City Council would capitulate.

He believed he could write a check and ride out of town. Thought he could bully his way out of this lease. He thought it all would be over by now. His team would be in Oklahoma City and he would be heroic.

His group will snicker if only 300 people show. You can imagine the scene, another cool, gray day, a little drizzle and a few hundred people huddled together. The ownership group, the commissioner, the entire NBA will question, once again, Seattle's commitment.

But if thousands gather, rain or shine, the message will be much different.

People will be watching.

And, if you still care about keeping basketball in town, you'll go to the rally next Monday and cheer Payton and McDaniel, the same way you cheered them when they used to thrill us on the floor, when there never was a doubt that the Sonics belonged to Seattle. From "Fans need to send message about Sonics" Seattle Times June 9th, 2008
Representatives of SOS will be in attendance and available to the media throughout the trial. Please direct any media inquiries to the co-founders of Save Our Sonics:
PLEASE JOIN US IN OUR SUPPORT OF THE SONICS! Next Monday at 4:30pm at the Federal Courthouse!
FORWARD THIS MESSAGE TO ANYONE YOU KNOW WHO CARES ABOUT KEEPING THE SONICS IN THE TOWN THEY HAVE BEEN FOR THE PAST 41 YEARS!!!!!!!
Thank you!

Brian and Steve
Save Our Sonics
email: info@saveoursonics.org

Web: http://saveoursonics.org

Too many years of sitting in the desk chair with too little time on the golf course has greatly damaged my already questionable golfing capabilities (at least in the real world).  This year I have begun rebuilding my swing a bit working with GolfTec and I have been starting the process of moving to a new set of clubs that better fits my aging needs and which takes a little advantage of technical advances (I just switched from Persimmon to Titanium last year).  While the selection of clubs available on the market has increased over the years, it is still frustrating as a left-hander to shop for golf gear.  Stores carry at most a couple club models, vendors limit options and generally it means you either buy off the rack or are very trusting of the fitting estimates and order with a restocking charge if you aren't happy.  In an age where there seems to be left handed golfers everywhere I go and we don't forcibly correct evil left-handers it would seem like we could get just a little more space on the rack.

Finally a new license has been granted to create an F1 game title.   Codemasters has some great racing games like the Clin McRae rally series and since the Microprose GP3 years, F1 fans have been missing out on driving the virtual season.  So it was great to see this announcement from the FIA today:

Codemasters expects the first game based on the FIA Formula One World Championship to launch in 2009.

The Official Formula 1 Website

It is a while to wait but we should end up with a great HD gaming experience.

I had my car in the shop for a little work this week and decided that since my yard is in bloom, I have played golf a few times, and it is almost April that it is time to remove the snow tires.  I brought it home today and tonight when I just took the dog out the snow is still falling, it is at least 6 inches deep and it is heavy...ie will pack and turn into a nice coating of ice for the next few days.  Fortunately I don't have to drive my car for a while but this better not cause trouble with our spring break trip to S. CA. or I will have to take mr. murphy's knee caps out. ;-)

What fun this new F1 season should be with new teams, lots of driver/team changes, Ross Brawn trying to take a 3rd team to the promise land...or at least from the bottom of the grid and cars with no traction control and other assorted drivers aids.  Qualifying and practice showed that no longer does it look like these guys are out for a Sunday afternoon drive in the park but that they really are working hard and it will be interesting to see what the increased physical requirements to not just mash the pedal to the floor and to correct for oversteer will have over the course of a race.  I think it will create a much higher opportunity for mistakes which should lead to more passing and it will really separate those that have extraordinary conditioning and mental focus.  And the race is just over 10 hours away, I am very psyched.

Well, the traditional WA Do Nothing Political Machine has ended another session and left those hoping for a solution to keeping the Sonics in Seattle high and dry.  In today's Seattle Times we do get a straight answer for once even though that answer makes me pull my hair out (and I am running out of hair to pull).

House Majority Leader Lynn Kessler states:

"If you take too many bold steps, you'll no longer be in the majority "

So we do nothing because we are afraid we will lose office and.....

"If we don't have the majority, we can get nothing done"

So again I do nothing because it keeps me in office....because if we weren't all in office we could never get anything done...that is the problem in Washington (and frankly in many states etc) we never get anything done because we don't have leaders we have politicians who are interested in "serving"....serving trite statements, ducking issues, not taking stands, making speeches, going to dinners and events, sitting in committee anything but taking action.  Why exactly do we elect these people.  They are elected to lead to get a job done, we need to be better at carrying out performance reviews and letting underperforming employees go.  The trouble is it is hard to find anyone better to replace them because the people that really want to get things done are busy getting it done in corporations and non-profits.  I guess the only good thing we can say in WA is at least they are only part time employees but it seems like we could save a lot of money but just letting all these employees go and letting the people do the job directly or moving everything to the local community. 

Fortunately in the case of the Sonics and Key Arena, it looks like just this may be happening as the PI reports today that a local developer, Matt Griffin is willing to step in with half the funding for the renovation project.  Just as long as no politician beyond maybe the mayor is there for the celebration and ribbon cutting ceremony.

There are many great sets of questions be posted on the TIME "ask a question" site right now but I really like this one because I doubt it will be answered and it points to a situation that I hope we can avoid and the way to avoid it is to get to the negotiation table:

Posted by Jim J. in seattle:

1. Are you looking forward to being under oath in June with Slade Gordan asking you all the questions you are now avoiding?

2. Are you looking forward to Seattle attorney’s displaying all the internal and finacial records of the NBA in court this June?

3. Are you glad that one of your owners decided he would sue the City that paid millions to renovate their arena just 12 years ago because he now wants to back out of the teams contract despite the fact that you consistently have called NBA teams “Public Trusts” that are a valuable parts of a cities culturale, social and economic life?

4. Are you comforatable with Clay Bennett’s documented position in his law suit that says if the Sonics left Seattle it would have no impact - economic or otherwise - on the city…

And this coming after arguing the opposite less than a year before while asking for 500 million dollars of public money from Washington taxpayers?

And this happening at the same time he was asking OKC for $100,000,000 and justifying this request by saying an NBA team adds economic and social value to a city?

5. Are you excited about having this court case happening during the NBA finals this June?

6. Are you really comforatable saying Clay Bennett has made a “Good faith” effort to keep the team in Seattle?

7. Are you looking forward to the litigation Hell you & your league will be in for if you make this move while lawyers dream of putting you & Clay under oath to talk about this “Good Faith” effort that was promised to Seattle and was included as a specific clause in the Sale of the Sonics to Clay 2 years ago?

8. Do you have a headache?

Every week TIME online has an ask a question opportunity where questions can be submitted by anyone and then from this 10 will be pulled and answered.  Mr. Stern is getting a good number of questions about the future of the Sonics and I am glad to see that this isn't just from people living in the Seattle area but from around the globe.  You can view the rapidly growing list here: http://time-blog.com/10questions/2008/02/28/david-stern/#comment-689

I want to add my voice to those asking that the state act now on the proposal to renovate Key Arena.  It is true that we "may" be able to wait another year but my feeling is that is the NBA doesn't have an option at this year's meeting not only will we not keep the current Sonics (seems a bit unlikely anyway) but we will also greatly diminish our chances to get another team.  We are at a point where a window has been opened and where bold leadership can create a positive drive to the future. 
I understand that there are many other needs and opportunities but I ask that rather than trying to build the perfect omnibus package of taxes and improvements that we tackle this problem that has a solution right now.  It is a solution that doesn't ask for more, just that we commit to operating as before.  A decision with 1/2 the input being private funding.  A decision that stands for keeping a vibrant Seattle Center and which would show that even in a year of economic downturn, Seattle is the right place a place with vision, a place with public/private partnership, a place that support a wide cultural diversity.  In a year, that private money may not be there.  The "smorgasbord of projects to the arts, education, youth sports, low-income housing, etc" I feel will end up like the never moving forward solutions to transportation problems because you can't solve everything at once, you can't bundle it all into one thing (it becomes an accounting nightmare and looses efficiency).  Focus and determination is what drives results.  Remember you eat an elephant a bite at a time and this proposal to renovate the Key looks like a very palatable bite.

I contacted all my representatives in Olympia about picking up their end of the stick for the Key Arena refurbishment.  Here is the letter I just received back.  It continues to look bleak in this long-shot attempt.

Thomas,

Thanks for the email. The Sonics basketball team is a tremendous asset to our area and helps make the Seattle area a great place to live, so I am hopeful a solution can still be found to keep them in Washington.

However, the vast majority of messages from my district are strongly opposed to any state revenue being spent on the Sonics, especially when you realize that the net worth of the 3 new owners is in fact larger than the state's entire operating budget of $33 billion. It would be an indefensible vote to send money to the Sonics when we have schools being closed on the eastside and per pupil spending for K-12 near the bottom in the country. It is also apparent to many that the city of Seattle has the revenue capability right now to issue the bonds needed to raise

$75 million, even as a stop gap funding source, until a long term arrangement can be worked out. And don't forget, the Seattle City Council works full time, so they do not have the same deadline the legislature does.

Our position in the House has been from the beginning that the legislature will deal with this issue next session when we are set to consider a possible extension of the current funding sources such as the hotel/motel tax, restaurant tax and rental car tax. These are funding sources given to King County to help pay for sports stadiums and art programs and generate revenue that could not be used for K-12 education.

Again, I hope a deal can be worked out soon, but I believe that depends on the willingness of new owners to negotiate a deal over time, some indication from the current owners to consider a sale, something about which I am very skeptical (how does Bennett go home and tell Oklahoma..."just kidding!" but I sure made some money), and Seattle's willingness to step up now.

Thanks again for your message, and please contact me again if you have further thoughts or questions.

Regards,

Larry

Larry Springer

45th District State Representative

Olympia Office: (360) 786-7822

Toll-Free Message Hotline: 1-800-562-6000