It's been awhile since I've posted an actual thing on here. I'm not trying to make excuses or anything, but my life is getting a little hectic.

I've been slipping at work because I would rather work on this thing and talk sports, my home life is going out the window...oh, and I almost got fired. Yeah...loads of fun. But you guys don't wanna hear about that. I do know something though...WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO ALL THE SEATTLE SPORTS TEAMS??? I mean, really?

The Mariners have gone from favorites to the basement in a hurry, the Sonics castoffs are mainly on teams that made it to at least the second round of the NBA Playoffs, and then the heart and soul of the Seahawks has been arrested on su####ion of DUI. It is not a good time to be a Seattle sports fan.

The M's are batting .249 as a team. .249!?!? Really? Add on to that a team ERA that is 12th in the AL 23rd in the majors, you've got all the signs that this team is just plain bad. We are talking Stephen A. Smith "TERRIBLE!" here.

Then there's all the former Sonics sniffing the ring. With Ray Allen in Boston, Kurt Thomas and Brent Barry [he counts] with the Spurs, and Delonte West [mumble grumble Presti...] and Wally Szczerbiak STARTING for the Cavaliers, I really do think it's ok for Seattle fans to be a TAD bitter. Not to mention Ira Newble and Vladamir Radmonavich with the Lakers and Rashard Lewis with the Magic, that is literally a whole ROSTER of former Supes that were more or less shown the door.

Then, there's Lofa Tatupu. Aside from having an awesome name, [seriously, say that name and tell me you don't love saying it!] he has become the motor of a defense that has become the backbone or a perennial power in the NFC. He's been in the Pro Bowl his first three seasons in the League, so this is more of a national story then if say, Porkchop Womack went through the same. Who's Porkchop? Thank you for proving my point.

What Lofa did was stupid, without a doubt, and he has come out and manned up for his mistake. I hope the NFL looks at that and his past and fine him and maybe put him the Substanse Abuse program at the maximum. This is a young guy that made a mistake. We're not talking about a Pacman Jones, Chris Henry, or even a Leonard Little type situation. This is the only blemish on this guy since coming in and becoming one of the faces of the franchise.

Now, before you get on me for my BLATANT homerism, especially with Lofa, now that I write what I know. And I know that we as Seattle sports fans are cheering on the UW Men's baseball team, who I believe is #1 in the Pac 10. We can't wait for the WNBA to come back, because if Stern and Clay get there way, that's all we'll have.

And as far as Lofa goes, yes, I would feel differently if someone was actually hurt. But, no one was. Does that make it right? No. That means that Lofa was extremly lucky. And that he's got a much easier road to travel to earn the trust of those outside the 12th Man faitful. I think he'll be just fine, take whatever Roger Goodell passes down to him, and then go out there and play like he always has before. This is a one time thing. If not, I'm sure someone will let me know about it.

More then likely, it'll be Kobe Bryant coming away with the hardware in this amazingly tight race. But, he doesn't deserve it. In fact, the other three guys have more claim to the award then Kobe can even imagine. At least for this year.

LeBron James is the first, second, third, and probably fifth (whoever is closer to LBJ at the time is #4) on his team. And yet, he has willed them back to the postseason this year. I like Delonte West and Boobie Gibson, but they aren't even close to what Kobe's got as far as cast goes.

Kevin Garnett came to Boston in the same offseason as Ray Allen, which really helped the Celtics. But it was KG's defensive intensity that put this team over the top. Without him buying into Doc Rivers' system, no one else would have and they'd be out of the playoffs again, but saddled with a roster full of aging pieces rather then potential young studs (read: Al Jefferson, Delonte, Jeff Green, maybe Gerald Green). But, they are arguablly the best team in the league and overwhelming favorites to face...you guessed it, Kobe and the Los Angeles Lakers.

Now, before I get to the guy who gets my vote, I'll touch on why Kobe doesn't.

First off, all offseason and for first month or so of the season, we weren't even sure if Kobe would be a Laker at this point. In fact, if the Bulls would've just given up Luol Deng, Kobe would be a Bull at this point.

Second, he blasted everyone of his young teammates as opposed to being a TRUE leader and building them up. No, that would be to much to ask from the guy who's been a "Me first!" kinda guy since he got into the NBA. But that's what an MVP and a leader should do.

Lastly, Pau Gasol. When Mitch Kupcheck stol the Spainard from Memphis, the Lakers got exponentially better. Yes, they were dealing with the lose of Andrew Bynum, who was having a monster season this year as he finally grow into his body. To me, Pau outshined Kobe for most of the gams that they played. Kobe had his highlights, but they would just lose like the last few years if it weren't for Gasol. That does not bode well for Kobe campaign.

Chris Paul SHOULD be the MVP. He willed a team that looked impressive but young to the #2 seed in the UBER West behind the Lakers. He, like LeBron, was the focal point of the Hornets and yet teams could not contain him for long. He constantly gutted teams during the season, unless of course the other point was Deron Williams, but we won't talk about that.

This just goes to show, if you missed the last few seasons, that the MVP is a joke. It doesn't go to the most valuable player, it goes to the biggest name on whatever team David Stern would like to see hoist the O'Brien Trophy. But, here's something for all the Lakers fans out there: Who was the last MVP to win a Championship? It was one of the guys you're going to have to go through to get there: Tim Duncan. What would you rather have?

41 years as a franchise. Players like Lenny Wilkins, Gus Johnson, Doug Johnson, Gary Payton, Rashard Lewis, Shawn Kemp, and countless others have worn SuperSonics green. But, they have just had a first. One of their players has won the NBA Rookie of the Year. And it appears as if no one cares.

Kevin Durant is the best thing to happen to the Sonics since the run in the 90's, but you'd never guess it if you asked the average person walking the streets. He is the kind of kid (he's only 19 for crying out loud!) that can bring a community together around a team that is horrible now, but has such a bright future. And yet, the media isn't allowed to talk to him. or anyone else with the team for that matter, outside of a 30 minute window.

This is what basketball has become in this city. The ownership group and Public Relations department has made it borderline impossible for local media to even talk to anyone on the team, let alone give them and the fans enough time to truely bond with and except Kevin, Jeff Green, or anyone else on this very young team.

And yet, there he was at the final home game, calling on the fans to cheer "Save Our Sonics" louder and prouder. There he was, crying at the end of what may have been his final game in front of the Seattle faithful. The fans that supported him the entire season while teariing down the people who signed his check.

He's known since day 1 that the team wasn't going to stay long, yet he still formed a bond with a group of children that come over to his house to play video games. He took this franchise, the fans, and the people of this community and let them in when all the brass wanted just the opposite.

I hate to keep harping on the Sonics situation, but it just shows how much people like David Stern and Clay Bennett don't care about the average fan. Stern is a money hungery elitest who will bow down to the highest bidder and Clay and his groups saw a golden oppurtunity to be just that.

I love the game, I always have and always will. Where ever KD, Jeff, Nick Collison, and the rest of these guys land, I will continue to follow them. I hope that either Howard Schultz wins the lawsuit he has to get the slae recinded, but I know that the burden of proof that he will have to present may be to difficult to even comprihend.

I hope that the city can win it's suit, but am also hopeful that if they get a deal presented to them that includes an expansion team in the next 5 years that they take it.

Either way, I am amazingly happy as a fan that Kevin Durant won the award and look forward to the Most Valueable Player award that will no doubt be in his future, even if the team doesn't want me to.

UPDATE: Hawks coach Mike Woodson has come out blasting the fact that Al Horford didn't at least a share of the award. Really? I like Al, I really do, but he was on the same team as Joe Johnson, Josh Smith, and Josh Childress, all established vets.

"It's a travesty and it's not right," Woodson moaned. "We haven't had a power forward/center come in our league and do what he's done [average 10.1 points and 9.7 boards] in I don't know how many years."

Um...

Dwight Howard 2004-05: 12 points, 10 boards, 1.7 blocks

Emeka Okafor 2004-05: 15.1 points, 10.9 boards, 1.7 blocks

Al Horford 2007-08: 10.1 points, 9.7 boards, 0.9 blocks

That's two other guys in his division to do just that...but I won't tell Mikey if you won't.

Well, two teams in the West have been sent on vactaion early again this year, their deadline deals turning out to be just that: dead.

With the Suns and Mavs getting bounced easily by the Spurs and Hornets respectivly, the fallout from the two trades that made the least sense around the deadline have exploded in the teams faces. Instead of either organization, the teams have reportedly taken it out on the coaches who where given two old pieces rather then go with what got them into the hunt in the first place.

Avery Johnson is out of Dallas two years after leading his team to the NBA Finals, a year after a 67 win season (but a horrible series against Golden State), and a 3rd staight year in the post season. While the last two years, with exits in the first round that most talking heads never saw coming, have mared his overall image, I believe that Avery is going to be a great coach. Remember, Dallas is only his first stop and there will be plenty of time for him to prove that he's more like the coach of 2005-2007 rather then the coach of the postseason last year and this year.

The Mavs brought in Jason Kidd, a guy who's never been high on defense, and gave up a great young point guard in Devin Harris and the wrong part of the two headed center (Desonga Diop) that Avery had going. Left with scraps down low and a slow point guard that couldn't keep a Laz-E-Boy in front of him, the early exit was destined to happen.

There are also reports (and at time of posting that's all I can find) that Mike D'Antoni is soon going to be following him to the Unemployment Office. This is the guy that with the help of Steve Nash, brought the Phoenix Suns out of mediocrity in the West to an automatic favorite.

New GM Steve Kerr unloaded an unhappy Shawn Marion and a point who never played (Marcus Banks) to get another aging hero that did more for tickets then the actual team: Shaquile O'Neal.

Now, I've never been a huge Shaq fan. He doesn't defend, doesn't rebound unless he's the focal point of an offense, and can't make a free throw to save his life. But, for some reason, Kerr brought him into sure up the defense that D'Antoni's Suns have been missing the entire time. Ask San Antonio how that worked out for them.

With both of theses trades blowing up in the respective teams faces, these coaches have been turned into the sacrafical lambs rather then the people who made the trades in the first place. I told you neither of them would work out, and I was correct. Now I just hope that these teams make some major moves in the offseason to make themselves better, not just flashier.

And part of me wants to see what Kidd can do now that Avery is gone. Bring back the trend of player/coaches Cuban! I beg you. I would DEFINITLY watch as Jason and the rest of the team fell flat on their faces because no one will play D. It'd be awesome!

I'll admit it: I had high hopes for the Charlotte Bobcats this season. The kept Gerald Wallace and his all out hustle approach to the game. The went out and got an offensive force in Jason Richardson, who may be on a down turn but is a perfect fit for this team.

Then Emeka Okafor turned down the contract. In a summer of guys turning down extensions, this is the only one that made sense to me. Ben Gordon and Luol Deng are good, but they had each other to lean on if one didn't produce. Each of them had an over inflated sense of worth because they thought that they alone were the reason why the Bulls were on the rise, and it'll cost them.

Okafor and Wallace have been the only bright spots since the NBA came back to Carolina. Emeka was the teams first #1 pick, the face of the franchise. I personally would've taken him over Dwight Howard at the time because of what I saw out at UConn. He was a solid, defensive minded big man that eats up space, boards, and blocks. A terrific cornerstone.

Then they drafted Sean May. Then Adam Morrison. Neither of them can stay healthy. This is a team that has been floundering in mediocrity it's entire existance.

First Nelly as an owner. Then Michael Jordon, the biggest name in NBA history and not exactly a slouch in North Carolina, comes into run the team. Now, Larry Brown is dropping his suitcases into a Charlotte motel room to see if he can work his magic on the 'Cats. But this is different then his last two stops. He won't have a big man to lean on.

In Detriot, he had Ben Wallace to police the paint. New York gave him Eddy Curry...wait...bad example, but Charlotte won't even have that.

Emeka has had some health (ankle/back) issues through his career, but the fact that he's had stiffs like May and Pimoz Brezec next to him does not help matters. While Nazr Muhammed was brought in this season to try to help, the damage has been done. The organization has shown that it does not value a cornerstone big man like Okafor.

So, with out that and a glut of wing players who ALL think that they should be the go to guy down the stretch, this stop is shaping up to be more like the Knicks then the Pistons. I wish I could feel bad for what few fans of the Bobcats there are out there for having to deal with such a pathetic product being put out on the court, but just take this little glimmer of hope to heart: At least you aren't have the team ripped away from you again. Maybe next time.

Today is a sad day for all Seattle fans. Expected yes, but sad none the less. The team is on the way out and the NBA is applying as much pressure as they possibly can to make the exit fast.

After a vote of 28 - 2 for relocation, there was a standard press confereance where the two major villians in this shame of a negotiation, Clayton Bennett and David Stern, squirmed and lied through their teeth to villify everyone else. They constantly tried to shift the blame away from them and on to anyone and everyone else. Just hearing the flat lies coming from those twos mouths nearly made me swerve off the road on my way to work.

They both said that they'd prefer to leave the team name, colors, and history in Seattle as well as leaving the door open for an expansion team in the near future because they know that's the only bits of leverage they have left. They want us to stop fighting and just let these guys go so that they won't have to listen to anymore of the questions that will come as long as this process is going and try to recover from this PR nightmare that will do nothing but leave a black eye bigger then those recieved by anyone facing Chuck Lidell. But this is just the beginning.

While local government has done nothing but drag their collective heels to this point, I believe that the tide has finally turned in our favor. I think that we, be it government, private investors, fans, or even blowhards such as myself who have more free time then disposable income, will continue to fight until tip off in OKC.

But, for right now, all we can do is wait and see what the courts decide and how things play out from there.

I'd like to thank a few people really quick, even though some of them won't read this or really even care who I am:

Mark Cuban, I've always been a fan of the way you handle yourself in all facets of life. Thank you for supporting Seattle in all of this, even though you didn't have much support amongst your "peers".

Paul Allen, the only other person to vote no. Since day one, you've been trying to keep Northwest sports alive by keeping the Hawks in town and turning around the Blazers. Even though the Sonics leaving means you'd have the entire area to yourself, you still voted no. That's big.

Kevin Calebro, the voice of OUR Seattle SuperSonics, for saying that if the team leaves, you're not going with them. When ever I think of Sonics basketball, I think of three people: the Glove, the Reign Man, and you.

Slade Gordon, the only politician that seems to have given a damn since day one.

Steve Balmer and his group for basically trying to be Paul Allen 2.0, even if it was a bit late.

Everybody at saveoursonics.org and 950 KJR AM for constantly keeping all of us fans afloat on all of the information coming out about this debacle.

Everybody at Fox Funhouse for giving me this forum to rant and rave about all of this. I promise to keep it coming, just wait until the NFL comes along. lol

Lastly, everyone who reads my stuff. Without the actual readers, I'm still just the guy with more free time then money. Whether you agree what I say or not makes no difference to me, as long as there is someone out there that reads my ramblings, I'm happy. Thank you for your continued readership and go Sonics!

Myself and thousands like me have been saying the same thing since July of 2006: Clay Bennett is a lying sack of ####! Now, that the emails detailing the plans by three members of the ownership group, Clay included, to move MY Seattle SuperSonics to Oklahoma and then blatantly lie to David Stern's face about have come out, the rest of you know it as well.

But Stern is still standing pat as he sinks into the pile of #### that he has backed himself into by supporting the outright theft of the franchise. Even with the evidence mounting that he's been led on, along with mostly everyone else outside of the Pacific Northwest, he still states that the move is a good idea.

Now, a slight beam of hope in the perpetual grey skys over Seattle...Howard Schultz, the inept owner who sold them in the first place, is calling ####, and it's about damn time someone did.

Schultz is suing Clay's group for your basic breach of contract because he didn't live up to the one year good faith clause that was there. Clay and Stern have got no legal leg to stand on. The news has gotten out, the support that they said didn't exist has been broadcasted load and clear, and there's even desention within the ranks with Mark Cuban and Larry Miller, owners of the Mavricks and Jazz respectively, coming out and saying that the move from Seattle is a dumb idea.

Clay tried to just take the team and then he resorted to bribing us with just taking the people but not the Sonics, leaving us the name, history, and colors. That won't fly. The Sonics are our team, we have a loyalty to them. Something you and your cronies, David Stern included, haven't got the slightest idea about.

Now, I wish there was a way to get people out there to aid our cause, but it may be to late with the Board of Goveners meeting coming this week. But, with Schultz stepping up the way he has and the continued media coverage, I hope this will be enough to finally show the NBA that while our team may suck and ownership has done everything imaginable to make fans stop caring, we are still here. Sonics Nation is alive and strong. Save Our Sonics!

(Sorry for the horrible pun, I just couldn't resist)

The Rockets are losing their premiere big man to a stress fracture in his left foot that will require surgery and put Yao Ming on the shelf for the rest of the year. With the Rockets soaring through this part of the schedule and climbing the ranks in the stacked West, this will definatly make things harder for them. Are they out of it? I don't think so, not yet anyway.

With the dearth of wings and playmaking guards on this team, I think they just need to find a body for the middle that can eat up space, fouls, and boards. If T-Mac can stay healthy for the stretch run, which is a MONSTER if, the outside shooting and pretty solid permiter defense (I don't care what anyone says, Shane Battier is as good, if not better at times, the Bruce Bowen), I honestly can say that they will be able to absorb the loss. Would I be surprised if McGrady and Houston folded it up for the year? No, but this is not like before.

Tracy and Yao have never been the most durible players on the hard wood. In the past, that has been the bain of the Rockets, not having enough depth behind their two stars. But now, with T-Mac playing the way he almost always seems to, Luis Scolia coming along fantastic, and the rest of the team's role players clicking around him, I think they'll be fine. Will it be enough for a playoff spot? Yes, but only just. No higher then 7th. Will they win a series? No, but they'll make it tough for whoever they've got. For the short term, this only helps the young talent that Houston has accrued to gain experiance and confidence for series in the future.

This shouldn't be the end of the Rockets run, as is. This is the just the start.

As is evident in the little blurb of to the right, I am a Sonics fan. And as such, I've been through my share of ups and downs. But normally there is an up to look forward to at some point. Realistically, there isn't one.

When Clay Bennett and he's group of lowly subhumans purchased my beloved NBA team, it was blatant what they were up to. They bought the Seattle SuperSonics to move them to Oklahoma City. Clay pretended to go through the motions of getting a new arena, but he was never serious. The Muckleshoot Indians offered to build him an arena, on thier own land no less, no money from him, and coldly refused. This man is trying, and doing a damn fine job of, tearing the heart out of one of the most loyal fan bases in America.

But, I always held hope. I had that glimmer that David Stern and the NBA would step in and tell Clay, "#### off with this OKC ####!" if only for the sheer economic ramafactions. But no. Stern is proving to be just what people have been branding him for years. Pompous and spineless. Look at how dreadfully the Memphis Grizzlies are doing, how poor attendance for the New Orleans Hornets is, and they're #1 in the West for God's sake! Imagine throwing another team into that wasteland. There is such a abundace of quality college atheletics in the area, who the hell cares about a bunch of whiney, overpaid primadonnas when you watch players throw their bodies on the line for the love of the game. Yes, they all have dreams of going pro, but not all of them will and they know it. Yet, there they are, busting their nuts because they love the game.

The Sonics will not thrive in Oklahoma. Period. They may be a laughing stock here, but they're OUR laughing stock. They are still the SEATTLE SuperSonics. The history of the franchise will still be tied to the Pacific Northwest. Oklahoma never won an NBA title, Seattle did. Lenny Wilkins, Shawn Kemp, Gary Payton, Dennis Johnson? Seattle. None of those guys would give OKC a second look. When Kevin Durant's contract is up, he's gone. He'll fly to the first major market team as soon as he has the chance, even if that means the Knicks or the Clippers. In Seattle, he'd be able to get his face out anywhere in the U.S., and given the M's success in Japan, maybe even join Yi, Yao, and the rest of the Rockets in popularity in Asia.

I hate to say it, but I'm savoring every single Sonics game as if it's the last, because they more or less are. And that #### disgusts me.

As you know, today was the NBAs trading deadline, and as a fan of the Sonics, the Kurt Thomas trade interested me. The Sonics traded Thomas to the San Antonio Spurs for Brent Barry, Fransico Elson, and a 1st rounder. Good trade for all. The Sonics got a size with Elson, another pick to add to the pile (Sam Presti now has 12 picks over the next 3 years, 6 of which are in the 1st. Not to shabby for a guy who thought he was too young for the job), and the sharpshooting abilitiy of Barry to go along with his expiring contract. The Spurs got a guy that can really help Timmy down low when times get rough, which they will. But then today, they took part in a trade that falls into the same spectrum has a lot of the moves that have gone down recently. These are the moves that make me go "The hell?"

I mean the Kidd deal, the Shaq trade, the Pau trade from Memphis' end. Now, my boys have taken part in a 3 way deal with the Cleveland LeBrons and the Chiago Bulls. The Cavs are getting Ben Wallace (really?), Joe Smith (REALLY?),  Wally Sczcerbiak (kinda glad to see him go), Delonte West (damn you Presti!), and a future 2nd rounder from Chicago. The Bulls are getting Larry Hughes, Drew Gooden, Cedric Simmions, and Shannon Brown. Wow...that sucks. And the Supes? They get Ira Newble, Donyell Marshall, and Adrian Griffin. Wait...so they give up an #### who thinks he's Kobe and very solid combo guard to get Donyell Marshall and dead weight? Really? Wow...

But, again, this is the nature of the deadline this year. It all started when the Grizzlies gave up Pau Gasol for Javaris Crittenton and a box of Oreo's. That made everyone else in the West panic. The Suns got Shaq, who's been in the twilight of his career since his last ring with the Lakers, the Mavs gave up WAY to much for a guy who QUIT ON HIS TEAM earlier this year, and the Hornets, who are leading the West mind you, trade for 2 total nutjobs in Bonzi Wells and Mike James. All these trades will end badly for the teams I mentioned, save the Grizzlies because they just wanted Pau off the books.

The Suns are still gonna lose in the Conference Finals, like they do EVERY year it seems like, until they can get a young, defensively minded center to put next to STAT.

The Mavericks aren't gonna go anywhere until they too get a legit big man.

Sooner or later, Mt. Bonzi is gonna explode and Mike James(WHAT?)MIKE JAMES is gonna start ####ing because he's not the starting PG.

And because of these reasons, I'm going to be watching the last leg of this season and the playoffs with a lot closer eye. It'll be fun to see these teams implode because of the need of the GMs to out do each other, to make the bigger splash, to get the longer time slot on SportsCenter. Stay tuned, and feel free to bash me if I'm wrong. I really doubt I will be though.