rather than getting litigious, what about finding a compromise on both renewing the lease & remodeling the Key?

i know professional sports are killing our planet and all...

Yeah, why not remodel the Key Arena? I mean, it's been what, 10 years now since we did it?

Fuck em. Send them and their losing ways to Renton or OK City or Timbukfuckingto. I got way into the Sonics when I first got to Seattle 13 years ago, stuck with them for through my 10th year and am finally and fully disgusted with them and their antics (not to mention the antics of the NBA in particular).

We have bigger fish to fry in this city and better ways to earn money for the city with Key Arena/Seattle Center. Send 'em packing and good fucking riddance.

I'm all for making them stick to their lease, and would be thrilled to have the Storm at the Key for another season (or two). I'm against any new stadium deal, but I love the Storm, so there is no happy solution on the horizon as far as I'm concerned.

A (not) so great way to spend tax-payers money.

Here ya go Sonics...
1-800-GO-U-HAUL (1-800-468-4285)

Awesome news! That's made my day!

we should just make them stay and not remodel the arena. at the end of their lease they can go become the Oklahoma Flying Jesuses or whatever

Oklahoma Flying Jesuses!!!

Just let them leave already...let them go to a city that wants to spend a billion or two for a bunch of rich whiny owners making a profit off the public dime.

Key passage in the announcement:

"The City Attorney advised that under the City of Seattle the Mayor is ultimately responsible for enforcement of this lease and that his office would act as directed by the Mayor."

Does the Mayor have the balls to stand up to the Sonics? Generally, I doubt it. But it would look pretty bad in 09 if he didn't...

I say let them go so long as they pay their rent through the term of the lease. Maybe we can use the money to renovate Memorial Stadium into a proper soccer stadium. Long live professional sports so long as it's soccer!

#2 (so appropriate) way to rock the SLOG cliche response to anything Sonics related. The Sonics lease is until 2010 anyway, this is just a way to prevent Clay from trying to break the lease. Also, who the fuck told you that somehow getting rid of the Sonics/Storm would somehow educate every child, plant flowers, fix transit and give you a hand job?

Friends don't blackmail you for you billions.

Why would you want such a person to stay in your house?

Boot 'em out.

wanting them to stay in your house is not the same thing as wanting them to honour their lease.

So let's work to keep the lame ducks in KeyArena even longer so they can spend two more years playing in front of disinterested, half hearted crowds in a half empty arena?

SOS and the rest of the city need to have a conversation, as it's clear SOS doesn't go outside very often. Is that you, Percy Allen?

Also, yes, to correct a misconception, if the Sonics ditched their lease, they would simply pay off the balance right then and there before leaving. There would be little to no money lost for KeyArena.

In fact, by opening up all those home game dates, it gives them more opportunities to make money.

I suggest we trade. We let them leave early, provided the Storm stays until 2020.

Gomez: So if they were a playoff team, say like 2 yrs ago, it wouldn't bother you to have them play out the lease?

Also, the misconception is that Clay would actually pay the lease agreement in full and that you would somehow find a way to put 10-20,000 fans in the Key for those 41 nights. I doubt Linkin Park wants to play here that often, but hey whatever. I guess that's better than watching the 2nd pick in the draft turn into a superstar.

Will @ 17: As a Storm STH, I love you.

Their record, mf, is irrelevant. If they want to move, let them move, whether they're 60-22 or 30-52. Leases have buyout clauses and Clay, seeing we're not gonna throw money at him, clearly doesn't want to be here.

Also, if Clay doesn't want to pay, the city can sue him. But the amount to buyout the lease is probably comparitive chump change and I find it hard to believe that Bennett would have any issue with just paying it. Your remarks sound like simple one-sided inaccuracies fueled by pro-Sonic sentiment.

It's okay: Percy Allen doesn't want to lose his job either. I can undersdtand blatant falsehoods made under those circumstances, even if they're not right.

Awesome, let's kick them out and take the lease money!! Here's the line-up for the Key coming up, this will totally make up for it:

Josh Groban
8/18/2007 8:00:00 PM
Keith Urban
9/15/2007 8:00:00 PM
Andre Rieu and his Johann Strauss Orchestra
10/10/2007 8:00:00 PM

Sweet.

@18: No one wants the Linkin Park to play that often.

Ahem, mf.

I'm saying that the Sonics take up space at KeyArena least 40+ times a season that can't be used to book other acts. Also, the Sonics get the bulk of any money made during those 40+ dates.

KeyArena would be able to book those dates and bring in money from them should the Sonics go away, on top of the dates they already book.

No, they wouldn't book Linkin Park, but there's a bajillion bands, acts and events out there, and some of them are huge draws.

Yeah, please no Linkin P. I'm really not shilling for the owners here, despite my desperate sounding pleas. I just want my boys to keep playing and I get bummed with the Sonics hate on the SLOG sometimes. So I'm tainted by love. Tainted love.

I should have said boys AND girls, I have Storm love in my heart, too.

Just for fun, try visiting that blog link with a 'Referer' header of http://www.google.com . It's awesome.

Let them leave whenever they want, as long as they pay a penalty for breaking their lease and as long as they pay back every penny they owe the city for the earlier remodel.

Hey Mf,
Getting rid of the sonics wouldn't fix all of society's ills. Duh. I'm not a total idiot. But it would get all of us and our elected representatives to stop wasting any more fucking time on the goddam issue and start trying to find ways to fix those fucking problems.

And for the record, I can get my own handjobs thank you very much.

MF, you are confusing hate for the team with hate for the owners.

I'm indifferent to the Sonics. But then I'm not a basketball fan, nor much of a sports fan in general. But I get that a lot of people like sports and like the Sonics. I get that there is a certain amount of civic pride in having a big pro sports team in our city. I have no objection whatsoever to the Sonics, the Seagulls, or the Mariners.

What I object to is the entire business model of spending a half billion dollars of tax money for the stadiums (each). If Bennett wants a nicer stadium to play in, he is perfectly free to pay for one himself. If he wants me to buy him a shiny new stadium with my tax money, he can go fuck himself.

Love the Sonics/Storm. Hate the asswipe absentee owner.

Charlie: I was a little harsh this morning because...well it was morning. Apologies if I came off more a$$hole than intended.

As for love team/not owner, I totally agree. I guess in my apparently poor manner I was just trying to throw some love, it seems like when someone says "Sonics" on SLOG all you get is rage.