Tag Archives: seattle supersonics

News, Sports

Former Sonics Fans Pick: Nostalgia or Actual Basketball?

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Among people who used to attend Sonics games, there were two general groups: Fans of basketball, and fans of the Sonics. Both felt the sting of the team’s departure, but the former group of fans have continued to follow the NBA just as passionately. The latter group follows the NBA with about as much passion as they follow Major League Lacrosse.

Two events in the next ten days should be getting both groups of fans’ mesh shorts in a bunch. This Saturday is the Hoops 206 Charity Basketball Classic, an exhibition at KeyArena that will pit Seattle’s best against a roster of current NBA players.

Then, on July 29 (that’s a week from Friday), the Mariners will host Sonics Celebration Night at Safeco Field, with a pre-game ceremony featuring more than 20 former Sonics.

Both events have attracted big name participants. The charity game has Brandon Roy, Jamal Crawford, and Isaiah Thomas playing with the Seattle team, and Michael Beasley, Brandon Jennings, and Klay Thompson going for “The League.”

The Sonics Celebration will be MCed by former Supes play-by-play man Kevin Calabro, with appearances by stars from all eras of the Sonics’ existence, including Gary Payton, Dale Ellis, Gus Williams, and Spencer Haywood.

So which kind of fan are you? For those who just love basketball, seeing NBA players up close again at extremely reasonable prices ought to be the most appealing. For those diehard Sonics lovers, reveling in the team’s glory years (for around the same cost) is more of a draw.

I would probably choose the charity game, but I’ll be out of town this weekend. My basketball fix for the next 10 days will be cheering on the Storm this Thursday night against San Antonio (very reasonable tickets available for this event as well). The Storm went 0-3 on their recent road trip, they could use some home crowd love.

Among my own friends (mid-30s, raised in Seattle), seems like the Sonics Celebration Night is generating the most interest. One friend, a former Sonics season ticket holder, is organizing a group to go.

The Hoops 206 Charity Game FB page has 1,325 fans, none of whom are friends of mine. Possibly that crowd will be younger, or made up of transplants. Or people who want to donate to the nascent A Plus Youth Program headed by Seattle native and Lakeside High coach Tavio Hobson.

If none of this appeals to you, you might consider checking out the Jamal Crawford Summer Pro-Am League, where you can sometimes see incredible sights like UW recruit Tony Wroten breaking John Wall down off the dribble. The league plays most weekend days from now through August at Rainier Vista Boys & Girls club. Check the league’s Facebook page before you go for updated schedules.

Charity games, pro-ams, celebrations and the Storm. Seems like in Seattle, basketball is now a summer sport.

News, Sports

Seattle’s Best Sports Rivalry Ever Starts Saturday

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"The Timbers Army" courtesy of blackedoutfriction on Wikipedia

If you’re a 34-year-old Seattle sports fan like me, you’ve never been part of a pro sports rivalry. Seattle hasn’t experienced anything like Yankees/Red Sox, Packers/Bears, or Celtics/Lakers. Until–just maybe–now. Saturday is game one of a renewed soccer rivalry between the Seattle Sounders and Portland Timbers.

Our town’s rivalry shortfall is mainly Portland’s fault. While we Seattleites have supported three major league teams since the 1980s, the Patchouli City has lagged behind, hosting only the NBA’s Portland Trail Blazers. And while the Sonics and Blazers had some good battles in the late 1970s and early ’80s, the rivalry flagged by the time I was out of diapers. During most of the next three decades, the two franchises danced an unfortunate tango–when the Sonics were good, the Blazers were bad, and vice versa.

And the teams had an odd knack of missing each other in the playoffs. The Sonics played the Blazers in only one playoff series after 1983, a span in which they played the Lakers and Rockets four times, the Jazz three times, even Sacramento twice. NBA regular season games, probably the least thrilling of any of the five major sports, aren’t a place for rivalry to crop up. And, of course, with the Sonics now in Oklahoma City, any potential rivalry is kaput.

The Mariners have never had a natural rival. When Major League Baseball interleague play rolls around, and teams are attached to their “geographic rivals,” the Chicago Cubs play the Chicago White Sox, the Houston Astros play the Texas Rangers, the Kansas City Royals play the St. Louis Cardinals, and the Mariners play…the San Diego Padres. Is it even possible to hate San Diego? Seahawks had some good battles over the years with the Oakland/L.A./Oakland Raiders, Kansas City Chiefs and Denver Broncos of the AFC West, and more recently with the St. Louis Rams, but none of these blossomed into serious rivalries.

It all changes Saturday. Unlike regular-season basketball, which is played with the urgency of your average cricket match, soccer’s one-game-per-week format permits players to go all out in every game, and fans to build up anticipation for each match. And other than the Sounders’ first-ever game, Saturday’s match against Portland is the most anticipated in this franchise’s history.

This rivalry isn’t exactly new (it even has its own Wikipedia page), but was ignored by the average fan when the Timbers and Sounders were playing in U.S. Soccer’s second division. Now, with both teams in MLS, and both drawing sellout crowds, the excitement is back.

To edify yourself before Saturday’s 8 p.m. match at Qwest Field (which will also be televised on ESPN2) consider reading this slightly outdated but still relatively pertinent article: A Guide to Hating the Portland Timbers, which I wrote for Seattlest in 2007. The comments section, full of vitriolic and profane fan sniping, is really the best part.