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Wednesday, July 2, 2008

Sonics Settlement...

posted by on July 2 at 5:37 PM

Bennett is paying $45 million now and is leaving now.

That covers outstanding rent and outstanding debt. The Sonics still owe $20 million in back revenues. To comply with the revenue-sharing agreement in the original lease, the Sonics would have had to pay a total of more than $50 million.

And now, exactly like last session in Olympia, the city is going back to the legislature to ask for $75 million in County taxing authority to renovate KeyArena to try and attract a team.... Ok.

Asked how this—going to the legislature to ask for more money—is any different than last year, Deputy Mayor Tim Ceis pointed to an aspect of the settlement that the city kept hyping at today's press conference: They've got the NBA on record in the settlement saying a renovated KeyArena would be up to specs for the NBA.

Whoop dee doo. NBA President David Stern is already on record saying just that. One of the big arguments the city made in court last week was that the NBA had signed off on a Key Renovation in '06 when the city tried to get a $200 million deal for Howard Schultz's Sonics. Stern came to Olympia at that time and testified that a renovated Key met NBA standards.

The city is also making a convoluted argument to spin its settlement: Part of the deal is that Bennett is on the hook for another $30 million if Seattle doesn't get a team by 2013. This supposedly invests the NBA board of voting owners (1 vote out of 30) in playing ball with Seattle. (The settlement says, yawn, that the NBA will keep Seattle in the loop about teams coming up for sale and any expansion possibilities. Dude, I can get that on the web.)

The $30 million also, supposedly, invests the legislature because the $30 million disappears if the legislature doesn't approve a funding plan next session. But the $30 million also disappears if we don't get a team by 2013... (indeed, at the press conference, Mayor Nickels kept stressing that he hoped we didn't get the $30 million because that'll mean we would have gotten a team.) Huh?

Let me explain that again: If the legislature approves a funding plan in next year's session, the city gets $30 million. If we get a team (the point of giving the city the funding plan approved by the legislature) the city loses the $30 million. And let me repeat again: Huh?

Bottom line: Bennett is giving the city $45 million and taking the team to Oklahoma City.

Oh, the city does get to keep the name.

Boys to the Yard

posted by on July 2 at 12:28 PM

Dodge ball at Cal Anderson Park.

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It’s old hat to hipsters, who have been doing this here for a few years. (They apparently invented dodge ball.) But it looks more fun than sweltering in your house on a summer night, and it’s not just a bunch of feckless unwashed hipsters, either.

Rose, who was watching from the fake grass last night at about 11 p.m., says a crowd of about 40 or 50 meet in the tennis court every Tuesday and Friday night in summer (they play kickball in fall). The rules are pretty simple: If you’re tagged by the other side’s team, you’re out; shots to the head don’t count, when you grab a ball from the middle you have to touch the fence before throwing it, and if you catch a ball, the thrower is out. Rose says she used to play last year, when there were more girls.


Monday, June 30, 2008

Speaking of Homosexuals and Sports

posted by on June 30 at 10:26 AM

Legalize gay marriage for the win:

[L]egalizing gay marriage is good for sports teams. Spain did it a few years back, and wham, they win the Euro for the first time since 1964. Canada did it just before the 2006 Winter Olympics, and bingo, they had their best-ever medal haul. South Africa legalized gay marriage in 2006, and won the Rugby World Cup the following year. Massachusetts gave same-sex couples the right to wed a few years ago—and ask Red Sox and Celtic fans about how nicely things have gone for their teams since. For all those folks who insist that God’s punishment for gay marriage will be obvious, so far the evidence is, um, lacking. The evidence for the opposite is growing.

If California upholds gay marriage at the ballot box in November, I predict championships for USC football, UCLA basketball, the Los Angeles Lakers and the Anaheim Angels — all within short order.

Via Sullivan.

"Homosexual Eases Into 100 Final at Olympic Trials"

posted by on June 30 at 10:16 AM

It seems the Christian news site OneNewsNow automatically changes the word "gay" into "homosexual" for its stories. So when sprinter Tyson Gay set a wind-aided record this weekend...well, something funny happened.

(Via Deadspin.)


Saturday, June 28, 2008

Just Now at Cal Anderson Park

posted by on June 28 at 5:40 PM

This is Joey. He learned to slackline three years ago after watching a guy do it in the woods. More on slacklining here. Photos are by Kelly O.

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(Hey, Circus Contraption--you gotta put Joey in your next show.)


Thursday, June 26, 2008

Live-Slogging the Barely Relevant NBA Draft

posted by on June 26 at 4:59 PM

5:00 - Sonics have five more picks. I can't feign enthusiasm for another half hour before the next pick, and it doesn't look like ESPN has any interest in talking about the Seattle lawsuit, so go to a sports site or blog for the rest.

4:58 - Durant's in NYC to make a comment on behalf of the team about Westbrook. "He's a great defender, a great guy to be around, I heard." Huh. I'd love to hear more personality guesses like that. "I hear he makes a mean-ass calzone."

4:55 - ESPN's post-pick highlights show a dude who can cut and spin through the lane, toss up nice floaters, and--hoo boy--slam the ball over dudes twice his size. And if he's as good a defender as ESPN says, that's a boost with immediate impact for the squad. But the Sonics' backcourt isn't as hungry as the front and post; I would've gone bigger.

4:53 - No trade. David Stern: "The Seattle Supersonics select Russell Westbrook from UCLA." No stutter in saying the city name out loud.

4:49 - OJ Mayo goes to the Timberwolves. You may best know him as the kid recently busted for accepting thousands of bucks from a pro sports agent before finishing college. As an ESPN commentator noted earlier, this means he's already prepared for an NBA player's typical challenges: accepting gobs of cash. SONICS R ON THE CLOK. Other sites say that rumored Sonics trade deals are bupkis. I hope not; nothing left on the table really says "Top Four Pick."

4:47 - The Times' Sonics blog mentions that Bennett had to race across town to head to the Sonics' war room, where they're working out their draft day moves. Maybe Bennett will poison the draft by accusing the team with the next pick, the Minnesota Timberwolves, of picking a better player than the Sonics will get due to "ulterior motives"?

4:43 - Sorry, Durant. Your old pal Michael Beasley is heading to Miami. Now the suspense begins, as the Timberwolves' pick will pretty much decide who our "best of the rest" pick is. Though then again, the Sonics' GM has been a trading freak the past few years; maybe we'll trade down to nab some much-needed veteran leadership?

4:41 - Unless, of course, the Sonics are dumb enough to take Beasley in a freak trade.

4:38 - "The Chicago Bulls select Yngwie Malm..." no, it's Derrick Rose. Miami is on the clock. Their coach, Pat Riley, invented suspense by suggesting obvious #2 pick Beasley is not fit for their team. Expect Yngwi--er, Beasley--to get drafted in the next few minutes while the analysts bore us to death pretending there's any other result coming.

4:35 - ESPN's analysts make up for the lack of suspense by babbling on and on about Derrick Rose, the presumed first pick for Chicago. Yawn.

4:32 - David Stern opens. When the NBA commish says, "Thank you for supporting us during one of our most successful and exciting seasons," I already feel sick and want to turn the television off. Yeah, way to reward the "support" of your Seattle fans, schmucko. But "Seattle" has the fourth pick for now, so here I am. Bulls are on the clock for pick #1.


Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Today I Learned How to...

posted by on June 25 at 3:45 PM

spell badminton.

I always thought it was badmiton. Or badmitton. Or badmitten, like a really rebellious mitten. I never would've guessed badminton. I've been ignoring that first N my entire life.

And now, something amazing:


Tuesday, June 24, 2008

The Summer Olympics Are Coming

posted by on June 24 at 4:15 PM

The newest sport:

(Thanks, Ariel!)


Monday, June 23, 2008

Dept. of Bright Spots in an Otherwise Dismal Season

posted by on June 23 at 4:38 PM

Felix Hernandez just hit a grand slam against the Mets -- in his first plate appearance of the year.

Depressing Update: Courtesy of "Mac" in the comments:

And the dismal season continues, as Felix gets taken out at home plate by Carlos Beltran and has to leave the game with an ankle injury.

Fuuuuuuuuuuuck.

The Gymnasts You May Not Leer At... Wait, Nastia's 18 Now?

posted by on June 23 at 1:14 PM

OK, I'll use Dan's Dominic's beefcake as my feeble excuse—yeah, I was a gymnast for nine years—to blab about last night's Olympic trials. First, I'd like to say, what the hell, NBC? Bela Karolyi deserves to be locked in a dark, airtight box for twenty-five years, not given a mic and a camera and allowed to cackle maniacally on network TV without providing even a scrap of analysis of anyone's performance.

I would also appreciate not being told that Kerri Strug's vault on a dislocated ankle (which turned out not to be necessary to the U.S. victory) in 1996 was an act of patriotic heroism every other commercial break. Strug only did it because she was more afraid of disappointing that sadist Bela Karolyi than causing serious and possibly permanent injury to herself. It's a sign of coercion when an athlete is reckless with her own safety, not bravery.

But on to the better stuff: Nastia Liukin is awesome. At 18 years old and 5'3", she's almost too old and definitely too leggy to have an easy time of it on every event. (If gymnastics can ever said to be easy, it's a pretty simple equation for Shawn Johnson, who's hitting the Olympics sweet spot at 16 years old, a 4'9" package of pure muscle.) But Liukin uses her legginess and flexibility to gorgeous artistic effect. You have to watch women's gymnastics this year. With gymnastics' emphasis on ever-escalating difficulty, it's not going to be this pretty again for a long while. Here she is at the 2008 Visa Championships. She wasn't quite so perfect yesterday, but she came close enough.

You want more Jonathan Horton?

posted by on June 23 at 12:27 PM

Who can blame you, Dom? (In this video: missing the bar, hitting his head, blood gushing.)


Let the Eagles Soar

posted by on June 23 at 11:23 AM

Here at Slog, we love sports. Josh is all over basketball. Dan is all into his baseball. Jonah, Brad, and Jonathan do football. Me? My love of sports is more, shall we say, primitive. Ladies and gentlemen of Slog, behold the freshly selected 2008 Olympics US men's gymnastics team.

Jonathan Horton:

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Justin Spring:

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Kevin Tan:

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Joseph Hagerty:

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Paul and Morgan Hamm:

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Go America!


Thursday, June 19, 2008

The Bloodbath Continues

posted by on June 19 at 10:09 AM

Mariners skipper John McLaren has been fired. Bench coach Jim Riggleman will be taking over.

Update: Here's the official press release.


Monday, June 16, 2008

Whose Streets?

posted by on June 16 at 3:16 PM

Bikers' streets. For three Saturdays, anyway, and for six hours each day, in New York City:

Emulating similar experiments in Paris, London, and Bogotá, Colombia, New York City will close off to traffic a 6.9-mile route from the Brooklyn Bridge to East 72nd Street on three consecutive Saturdays, giving New Yorkers to a chance to explore and enjoy “car-free recreation corridors.”

The Mariners are in the Market for a New General Manager

posted by on June 16 at 12:09 PM

Bill Bavasi has been fired. Official press release here.

How much longer does John McLaren have?


Tuesday, June 10, 2008

You Know What, Clay Bennett?

posted by on June 10 at 6:05 PM

After today's NBA game-fixing allegations, and the NBA's Scott McClellan-esque rebuttals, I think I finally understand your Oklahoma City motives. Doesn't matter whether or not today's allegations are true (and from the sound of it, former ref Tim Donaghy isn't saying anything too outlandish). The reputation for NBA iffiness is beginning to stick, and league commish David Stern is going for low blows on Donaghy to fight the charges. As if the whole affair isn't WWE enough? Stern might as well get in the middle of the wrestling ring and deliver those low blows via 10-minute Vince McMahon monologue.

Bennett, at this point, you're looking like a smart businessman. You're taking the initiative and moving your basketball team to a city that's too attention-starved to care about integrity in sports. Tip of the hat.


Monday, June 9, 2008

Press Release Subject Line of the Day

posted by on June 9 at 4:43 PM

MEDIA ALERT: Actor Anthony Edwards to Encourage Disabled Runners

Well, all right then. Good to know.

The First Casualty

posted by on June 9 at 11:50 AM

The Mariners have have fired hitting coach Jeff Pentland. Lee Elia--Mariners hitting coach under Lou Piniella--is the replacement. Here's hoping he can help get the team's average up from .248.


Friday, June 6, 2008

The Mariners and Gay Daze

posted by on June 6 at 12:21 PM

Michael Coleman lived in Atlanta and San Francisco before moving to Seattle two years ago. Coleman is a 42 year-old "sports nut and baseball fan," and in both of the previous cities in which he lived—at Braves and Giants games—Coleman attended official gay nights at their teams respective ballparks.

"In Atlanta, first time we had gone to one, they had three or four thousand people show up for their gay night and sit in one section," says Coleman. "It was a great time."

Coleman and his partner were shocked when they discovered that the Seattle Mariners didn't have a gay night.

"Seattle is such a liberal city," says Coleman. "I thought when I got here that the Mariners were really missing the boat here."

Coleman didn't wait for the Ms to launch an official gay night. He and his partner have hosted two DIY gay nights at Safeco. This year's "Unofficial Gay Night at Safeco Field" took place in mid-May, on J.J. Putz Bobble Head Night, when the Ms played—and lost to—the San Diego Padres. (The Padres do an official gay night every year in July.) Coleman didn't put up a website or work too hard to spread the word; he says he just emailed friends, who emailed friends. This years he attracted roughly 40 folks to his Unofficial Gay Night at Safeco Field, qualifying for a group-sales discount.

"We didn’t have a name when I placed our order with the ticket agent," Coleman told me. "When she asked, 'What’s the name of your group?' I just decided to call us the Seattle Gay Adventure Club.”

When the lesbian-kiss-at-Safeco scandal broke last week, Rebecca Hale, public information director for the Seattle Mariners, told me that she wasn't aware that all other MLB teams on the West Coast—and numerous others across the country, including the Boston Red Sox and the Chicago Cubs—host gay nights at their ballparks. She promised to discuss the idea with her marketing and promotions department and get back to me today. (I've got a call in to Hale.)

Okay, back to Coleman's unofficial gay night at Safeco...

During home games the Mariners flash the names of groups at the park that night and "Seattle Gay Adventure Club" appeared on the screen—along with Little League clubs and corporate workplaces—on Coleman's Unofficial Gay Night at Safeco Field.

"We cheered, and nobody booed or raised an eyebrow. I honestly don’t think anyone really thought anything about it," says Coleman. "Which makes it that much odder that the Ms don't just do this themselves.

"Basically, there's a large group of gay folks out there that enjoy sports," says Coleman, "and the Ms are missing an opportunity to fill the stands. The Ms aren’t doing well this year, I’m sure they could use more people at the games."


Thursday, June 5, 2008

Mariners Investigation Clears Mariners of Wrongdoing

posted by on June 5 at 4:32 PM

The PI got the email, but I'm apparently not on the Mariners' email list. I'm hurt, Rebecca Hale, I'm hurt.

That Lesbian Kiss at Safeco...

posted by on June 5 at 10:44 AM

...makes the AP, I'm quoted, and the email pours in:

Why are we protesting again? The M's management did and does everything right. The usher was responding to a complaint that may have been valid... we weren't there. There's nothing more obnoxious than a couple making out over the top... especially if I'm single at the time.

Maybe we should pinpoint the problem maker... the person that complained... and find out just what offended them. The Mariners are not to blame for this fiasco. We're overreacting like the princess' we are.

Savage, you arrogant, ignorant asshole!!!

I don't give a flying fuck what your sexual preference is......just don't flaunt it at PUBLIC events.

I have been to many Seattle Men's Choruses and enjoyed most of them...that is until two dumb fucks,(both male) sitting in front of me and MY KIDS, start trying to swallow each others tongue and tonsils. There is a time and place for that kind of shit...not at a public event.

Same thing with the two dumb fuck dykes at the Mariner's game. They could have given a shit less about the game. They were all over each other...fucking disgusting.
It seems that FAGGOT's think now that the "world" has to accept them, they can exploit that and do what ever they fucking well please. Guess what???? NOT in front of me or my family...especially at a public event with kids.

If you don't agree with that then you are worthless!!!!!

Gay or straight, I think sucking face in front of everyone is not cool. These chicks just went to a Mariner’s game NOT because they like baseball, but wished to make spectacles of themselves and crusade for their cause. If you can’t keep your mouth off of your partner, stay home and do whatever you want! I don’t care to watch a live porn movie whether the parties involved are gay or straight. Here’s one for ya: I was on a college campus once when I saw a mixed race couple sucking each others’ fillings out. I mentioned to another student “those two should get a room”. The ignoramus took that as a “racist” comment and broadcasted to every one he could, that I was a racist. CR Charlotte, NC

I wrote back to CR...

Dear CR,

I tend to agree with you: I'm generally against PDA. My boyfriend and I almost never kiss in public, and we're season ticket holders to the Ms, and we've certainly never kissed at the ballpark. The issue, though, is that straight couples engaged in the exact same behavior were not asked to stop kissing, or told to get a room, or threatened with expulsion from the ballpark. And that's discriminatory, and that's why this is an issue.

But, yeah—folks should get a room, gay and straight, if they really want to go at it. But if straight folks are allowed to go at it in public—or just kiss—then gay folks should be free to do the same.

All the best,

Dan

And I was pleased to learn, from the first note, that the Ms management is infallible. That's certainly news to anyone who's glanced at the standings. And how much are we paying Richie Sexson again?

When Does the NFL Return?

posted by on June 5 at 10:05 AM

Before the season began, I think it was Fnarf who predicted the Mariners wouldn't win 78 games this year. At the time I thought he was wrong -- now I wonder if he was being too optimistic.

But hey, at least the draft's today -- small comfort when your team's already 15.5 games back the first week of June. Ugh.


Friday, May 30, 2008

Officially Obsessed

posted by on May 30 at 1:28 PM

Okay, I floated the idea in the comments thread on an earlier post about the M's hosting a gay night at Safeco—like so many other baseball teams. A gay night would make a statement: The team recognizes its gay fans, welcomes their support, and is willing to make its appreciation for gay fans visible. And isn't visibility what it's all about?

And maybe that's a statement the team needs to make for its own sake. I'm thinking that maybe a curse settled over Safeco field after Rev. Ken Hutcherson staged his "Mayday for Marriage" rally there on May 1, 2004. It's possible that allowing Ken Hutcherson to stage his hate rally at Safeco did to the Ms what tossing that billy goat out of Wrigley Field did to the Cubs...

Could Mariners, like the Cubs, be cursed? This season would seem to point to "yes," as would last year's heartbreaking collapse... hm...

Does anyone out there have the time to do a chart that tracks the M's fortunes starting, say, five years before Ken Hutcherson's rally at Safeco and up to now? It would be interesting to see if Hutch's rally cursed the Mariner's.

"Mayday for Marriage" took place on May 1, 2004—and the Stranger rented a plane pulling a "Bigots Out of Our Ballpark!" banner that flew the field during Ken's rally, which he didn't appreciate. And how have the M's done since then?

Any stats-mad baseball nuts out there care to create a chart for us?

UPDATE: The numbers have been crunched and the results are in—take it away, Mac...

Hey, I'm a stat geek.

Before May 1st, 2004, the Seattle Mariners were 229-147 (.609) at Safeco Field since it opened on July 15th, 1999. Since May 1st, 2004, the M's are 179-164 (.522) at home.

Overall, the Mariners were 401-271 (.597) in all games between July 15th, 1999 and May 1st, 2004. Since then, they are 310-368 (.457).

Now, I would say this has more to do with Bill Bavasi, Howard Lincoln and the gradual departures of Alex Rodriguez, Ken Griffey, Edgar Martinez, Randy Johnson and Lou Piniella than Rev. Hutcherson, but the numbers don't lie. The M's were better before 5/1/04 than they've been since.

That proves it! Preachers lie but the numbers don't! The M's were cursed on May 1, 2004—Ken Hutcherson cursed the M's with his "Mayday for Marriage" rally! Only a "Gayday for Mariners" can lift the curse! Alert the M's!

Why Not a Gay Night at Safeco Field?

posted by on May 30 at 10:36 AM

The Mariners code of conduct for fans famously bans "displays of affection not appropriate in a public, family setting." Well, fans at the ballpark are banned from engaging in skeezy PDA anyway—at home I can watch the game in a sling, if I like. But since "family" is often right-wing code for "anti-gay" (see: "family values," "Family Research Council," "the traditional family"), while I had her on the phone I took the opportunity to ask Rebecca Hale, Director of Public Information for the Seattle Mariners, just how the Mariners organization defines the word "family."

"I don’t know," Hale replied after a short pause.

My boyfriend and I have season tickets and we take our 10 year-old son to the ballpark all the time. Do we qualify as a "family" at Safeco Field?

"We need all the fans we can get right now," said Hale. "So we’re not going to discriminate against anybody based on any classification at all—age, race, religion, sexual orientation. We are welcoming to all individuals and we want to create an atmosphere at the ballpark where everyone feels welcome and everyone can come and have a good time."

In the interests of making sure queer fans feel welcome, the Giants, Padres, Oakland As, Dodgers—basically every other MLB team on the West Coast—all have officially sponsored and recognized gay nights or pride nights at their ballparks. So do the Colorado Rockies ("Pride Night at Coors Field"), the Chicago Cubs ("Out at the Ballgame"), the Chicago White Sox ("Gay Games Night"), the Boston Red Sox ("Out at Fenway Park"), and lots of other teams. Since the Mariners want everyone to feel welcome, and seeing as Seattle has the largest gay community per-capita next to San Francisco, how come the Seattle Mariners don't have a gay night?

"I don’t know," said Hale. "I don’t think it’s a situation where we have made a decision that we are not going to do that. I honestly can’t tell you why it hasn’t happened."

Considering the uproar over this contested lesbian kiss, the murkiness surrounding just what the Ms mean by "family setting," and the Ms' stated desire to make sure everyone feels welcome at Safeco Field, maybe now would be a good time for the Ms to follow the lead of the Giants ("LGBT Night Out"), Dodgers ("Gay & Lesbian Night at Dodger Stadium"), Padres ("Pride Night at Petco Park"), et al, and launch a gay night at Safeco Field.

"I've got no issue with that," said Hale. "It works for me. I'd be happy to talk it over with marketing and promotions and the folks that usually work to create the events in the ballpark. I’m happy to do that."

Hale promised to talk with her marketing and promotions people next week, and get back to me by Friday.

So About Those Lesbians Kissing at Safeco Field...

posted by on May 30 at 10:05 AM

Apparently I got the attention of the Mariners organization when I floated the idea of a kiss-in at Safeco Field. A kiss-in, I suggested, might be an appropriate way to protest the treatment a lesbian couple received at a game on Wednesday night. Early in the evening yesterday an email arrived from Rebecca Hale, Director of Public Information for the Seattle Mariners, with this subject line: "Kiss In." The text of Hale's email: "Call me."

"We’re trying to find out what happened," Hale told me when we spoke. Earlier in the day Hale told the PI, according to Monica Guzman, that staff had received a complaint about two women not just kissing, but "groping." Hale also told me that the complaint wasn't just about lesbians kissing, but about "kissing and groping."

The addition of a groping to the kissing charges already leveled against her came as shock to Sirbrina Guerrero, the 23 year-old accused. “Oh, my God," said Guerrero when I got her on the phone, "that is so far from the truth, it’s ridiculous.”

Guerrero points out that when KOMO first talked to the Mariners about the incident, the organization didn’t say anything about groping.

"When did their story change?" asks Guerrero. "When they came up to us during the game we were were told to stop kissing, that a woman had complained about her kids seeing two women kissing. We were told to stop 'making out,' and now all of the sudden we’re making out and groping? Where did that come from?”

Jordin Silver, a friend who was at the game with Guerrero, also rejects the "groping" charge. "She was there with a girl she is dating," said Silver, "and they hadn’t seen each other in a while. So they were holding hands, a peck here and there. Nothing inappropriate for a setting with children."

Silver also points out that "there were tons of straight people kissing all over," and no one was bothering these opposite-sex couples. She took this picture of a straight couple a few rows in front of their group—a straight couple "making out" right in front of a child, no less.

Hale insists that the Mariners don't necessarily believe the women were kissing and groping, only that the complaint, as they understand it now, included both the "K" and "G" words.

"What we’re trying to do now is figure out exactly what happened," said Hale. "We need to talk to as many of the folks who were there as possible."

To that end The Ms are following up with the women who were told they would have to stop kissing or face ejection from the park and the "seating hosts" who were involved. If the seating hosts were in the wrong—if they applied a different standard to same-sex kissing than they were applying to opposite-sex kissing—then "appropriate actions will be taken," said Hale. "If we have an employee who is not interpreting our policy correctly, we’ll deal with that."

It's hard not to see how this dispute ends at anything besides a seat-host-says/lesbian-couple-says impasse. Guerrero and her friends say that she wasn't "making out" with her date, there were only a quick few kisses, and they're adamant that there was no groping going on. The woman that complained about them (who no one has talked to), and the seat host that told they would have to knock it off or risk being ejected (who only the Ms are talking to), may see things—the same things—very differently. Many heterosexuals regard any signs of same-sex affection as shove-it-down-our-throats assaults on all things good and decent. A straight kiss is cute, a lesbian kiss is lewd; a boy with arm around the shoulder of a girl is endearing, a boy with his arm around another boy is groping. So we may have too wildly different takes on the exact same dyke PDA here, and it's hard to see what action the Ms will be able to take after this investigation is over—besides, perhaps, a "we'll never know what really happened" shrug. Which is probably just what the Ms want.

Finally, while I had Guerrero on the phone I asked her about something that's been raised in comments, a fact about Guerrero, who works at Cowgirls Inc., that some of her friends think is the reason the Ms are suddenly floating the groping charge: Guerrero was a contestant on the latest installment of the VH1 dating show A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila.

"There's a difference between the way you act on a show like that and the way you act when you're in place like a ballpark," said Guerrero. "It's offensive to me to suggest that I don't know the difference, that I don't know the difference between a VH1 reality dating show and a Mariners' game."


Thursday, May 29, 2008

Looks Like We Need to Stage a Kiss-In at Safeco Field

posted by on May 29 at 11:56 AM

From KOMO:

A local lesbian couple says a peck on the lips nearly got the two of them tossed out of a Mariners game.... Sirbrina Guerrero says she only gave her date a peck, but a mother sitting with her son complained to security and, as a result, they were told to stop or leave.

"And he (the security guard) goes 'there's a lady whose son says he saw you guys making out, and I did, too. And you have to stop.' And I said 'well, we weren't making out, but we were kissing and I'm not going to stop,'" said Guerrero.... "(The security guard said) the mom doesn't want to explain to the kids why two girls are kissing. So I said 'well, I'm not going to stop, so you'll have to kick me out. So he said 'so I suggest you leave then,"' she said.

But Guerrero and her friends don't buy it. After Guerrero was flagged at the game, they took pictures of other couples who kissed but were not reprimanded. Those couples, they said, were heterosexual.

Sorry, mom, but if straight people can kiss on the lips at Safeco, so can we. Gay PDA is not, by definition, "lewd," anymore than straight PDA is lewd. There's a kiss and then there's making out—and there's a difference. And you're going to have to tell your kids about the existence of gays and lesbians sometime—and if you want to avoid that conversation for as long as possible, don't leave the house, turn off the TV, thrown out the radio, and close the blinds.

And, uh, Mariners? WTF? Other baseball teams have gay days (here's a list)—the local Gay Chorus sings the national anthem, gay groups buy blocks of tickets—but not the Mariners. Maybe it's time, Ms.


Wednesday, May 28, 2008

I Vote Master Chief for the Team's Mascot

posted by on May 28 at 1:33 PM

Today in completely unsurprising news:

The new Major League Soccer team in Seattle has found a naming sponsor: Microsoft.

The team announced Wednesday that the Seattle Sounders FC will be sponsored by Microsoft and Xbox Live 360. Microsoft will pay a reported $20 million over five years to be the Sounders' sponsor.

The club's official website has a pic of the lime green jersey.

The Case Against Sherman Alexie, by A. Birch Steen Attorney Paul Taylor

posted by on May 28 at 9:20 AM

I mentioned this briefly below, but the report in today's P-I about a lawyer for the Sonics trying to bar Stranger columnist Sherman Alexie from testifying about the basketball team is hilarious—and doubly so for anyone familiar with the writings of A. Birch Steen, who Sonics lawyer Paul Taylor seems to be channeling.

The motion to U.S. District Court Judge Marsha Pechman says neither Levy nor Alexie "has any relevant testimonial knowledge" and requests both be removed from the city's witness list...

Alexie, a Spokane/Coeur d'Alene Indian and Seattle resident, is scheduled to testify on the "Sonics' role in the Seattle metropolitan community from the perspective of a season ticket holder, the diverse nature of the Sonics' crowds, the impact of the Sonics on minority communities and the impact of sports on family relationships."

Tuesday's motion, filed by attorney Paul Taylor, identified Alexie as a "writer known for his profanity-laced columns about the Sonics" ...

"Other than being a season ticket holder, it is unclear what foundation or testimonial knowledge" he would bring. "What is clear are his biased, profanity-laden views about the PBC (Bennett's Professional Basketball Club)."

The motion then quotes from several colorful Alexie writings in which he expresses hostility toward Bennett, Howard Schultz, Nick Licata and anyone who feels happy about the Sonics' potential departure, punctuated with expressions not used in most family newspapers.

"The PBC will stipulate to Alexie's passion," the motion says. "But his passion proves nothing but an obvious bias and a lack of relevant testimonial knowledge.


Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Over There

posted by on May 27 at 3:17 PM

I don't know what it means that I had to read a gay blog written on the other end of the continent to find a YouTube video originally linked at a gay sports blog about a totally straight sports event that happened this weekend in Spokane, Washington. But here it is:

The Spokane Chiefs—never heard of 'em—of the Western Hockey League—never heard of it—won the championship this weekend, taking the 2008 Memorial Cup. They're the first American team to win the championship since 1998, according to OutSports.com, and it's the Chiefs first championship since 1991. And there was a tragic mishap during the presentation of the trophy...



Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Fallen Idol

posted by on May 14 at 9:36 AM

Hm. Maybe there's something to this role model crap after all. The kid came down for breakfast, saw the headlines on this morning's PI about the Seahawk Lofa Tatupu's DUI arrest yesterday, went back up to his bedroom, and took down a poster of Tatupu that he'd hung over his bed.


Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Maybe This Will Finally Put an End to All That Bring Barry Bonds to the Mariners Talk

posted by on May 13 at 5:19 PM

14 counts of perjury, one count of obstruction.


Friday, May 9, 2008

Re: Suspend Big Sexy

posted by on May 9 at 1:45 PM

Ask and you shall receive, Sam. From the Seattle Times:

Seattle slugger Richie Sexson was suspended for six games and fined Friday by Major League Baseball after charging the mound and throwing his helmet at a Texas pitcher the previous night.

Bob Watson, baseball's vice president in charge of discipline, cited Sexson for "violent and aggressive actions."

Sexson asked the players' association to appeal, and any suspension will be delayed until after a hearing.

Seattle's Felix Hernandez and Texas' Gerald Laird and Sidney Ponson also were fined.

Kason Gabbard...

posted by on May 9 at 9:44 AM

is not Nolan Ryan.

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Suspend Big Sexy

posted by on May 9 at 12:18 AM

Not because he rushed the mound in tonight's Mariners-Rangers game (which we lost 5-0 in absolutely pitiful fashion), but because he was such a chickenshit, he kicked the fight off by using his helmet as a weapon.

To recap: The Rangers had been hit by errant pitches twice in the early going of the game. After the second M's wild throw, one of the Rangers jawed a little with Johjima, then took his base. When the fourth inning began, I mentioned to my friend that this game was pretty interesting so far--the Rangers had been lighting up the scoreboard, and the tension was mounting to the point where "a fight's gonna break out any second." Sure enough, the next pitch to Mariners first baseman Richie Sexson was a little high, so he made a mad dash to the mound. Rangers' pitcher Kason Gabbard held his ground and lowered his body to brace for impact. Maybe by leaning forward, Gabbard revealed a bullseye on his forehead? Not sure, but Sexson decided his best tactic was taking his helmet off and chucking it full-blast at the bracing pitcher, nailing him square in the back (coincidentally, Gabbard had just been on the disabled list for lower back spasms, yeesh).

If Sexson had charged the mound wielding a bat, every news outlet in the nation would cream itself over the video. But from the look of it, nobody cares that he threw a helmet. News flash--a baseball helmet is heavy enough. Thick. Constructed to block and push back the force of a 100+ MPH fastball that might otherwise puree a batter's brains. Whether you want to call Sexson's decision cowardly or deliberately painful, it should be punished severely--particularly since replays proved that he was nowhere near getting hit by that pitch. Go ahead, watch it. What if that stupid helmet throw clocked the guy in the head and really did some damage over absolutely nothing? Being out for blood is fun and all, Sexson, but maybe you should worry more about your .209 batting average.

Not that I didn't get a kick out of seeing each bench and bullpen pour into the field--there's something kind of magical about watching both teams' bullpen staffs run the full length of a baseball outfield side-by-side, as if two warring bands of superheroes have to unite against a common enemy for one brief, beautiful, Saturday morning half-hour. The fight was also made better by my Nintendo DS, which I brought to, again, try out the Nintendo Fan Network. This is where its replay feature came in handy; about eight people gathered around post-fight to watch the errant pitch, initial mound rush, and bench-clearing fracas for a good five minutes. Another useful new feature--live traffic maps of the Seattle area that you can check before getting into the car. Seriously.

I have to wonder if there was catnip or something in the air, because in the eighth inning, the guy sitting next to me tried to pick a fight of his own. He made some weird comment about All-Star Game voting ballots that had been handed out earlier, so I tried handing him one, thinking he needed it. He called me "a funny guy" and asked if I could also give him 42 cents to mail the thing off. When I turned away to ignore him and watch the game, he yelled, "What's the matter? Cat got your tongue, Mr. Hilarious?"

What the hell do you say to something as stupid as that? Say nothing, and you come off like a wimp. Respond with a retort, and you come off like a total douchebag. I went with the meek route, but Paul Constant, you're coming with me next game to offer manly guidance.


Wednesday, May 7, 2008

The Seahawk Squawk Box

posted by on May 7 at 4:09 PM

September is a long ways off, but the Seahawks are going to have to start moving quick to figure out who the hell is going to be in our receiving corps this year.

The Hawks have a lot of x-factors on the offense next season. The brittle Deion Branch is on medical leave for at least the first month of the season, if not longer, and Bobby Engram, the Seahawks ONLY reliable receiver is holding out for more money. And then there's this breakdown of our receivers from the PI:

Courtney Taylor did not practice, so the show of available hands was down to Nate Burleson, Jordan Kent, Ben Obomanu, Logan Payne and just-signed Joel Filani. Remove Burleson from the group and the remaining foursome has combined for a total of 12 NFL receptions. All by Obomanu. All last season.

It might be the worst idea ever, but I think the Hawks should just say "fuck it" and go with a young and untested group of receivers. Sure, Burleson has all the catching ability of an amputee and just about everyone else on the receiver depth chart hasn't, y'know, done much other than warm the bench, but what else or we gonna do? Sure, we can—and should—give Engram more money, but I say we make Seneca Wallace a receiver. He's too small to ever be an effective quarterback, but he's fast as hell. And, if he can throw the ball, he's got to be able to catch it, right?

Finally, there's also a big question mark in our backfield next season. Julius Jones was never very impressive in Dallas, but click here for a good breakdown of why Jones MIGHT work out.

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Sports News

posted by on May 7 at 9:08 AM

There's an interesting story up at CNN right now about professional Spanish tennis players refusing to take part in any Spanish Tennis Federation events until the organization fires its "dictatorial" president, Pedro Munoz. Not interested in tennis? Well, you might want to check out Rafael Nadal's arms anyway.


Tuesday, May 6, 2008

No Apology Necessary

posted by on May 6 at 11:56 AM

The Austrian National Rugby Team strips and sings—"Singing in the Rain"—on a street corner in Vilnuis after a humiliating defeat at the hands of the Lithuanians.

The Austrian Rugby Union has issued an official apology.

Even though the persons involved were not drunk and no dangerous or harmful actions occurred, this behaviour is totally unacceptable and thus the ÖRV strictly distances itself from it.

The ÖRV apologizes to all persons who felt disturbed, offended or emotionally hurt by this behaviour. This was certainly not the intention of the players involved. The ÖRV will forward an official apology to the Lithuanian Rugby Union and after investigating all the details the ÖRV will decide about internal sanctions.

Hm... internal sanctions...


Wednesday, April 30, 2008

The Brazilian

posted by on April 30 at 10:01 AM

Poor Ronaldo...
ronaldo1.jpg

Having dropped off his girlfriend at her house in Rio de Janeiro on Monday night, the 2002 World Cup winner picked up three prostitutes.

When they all booked into a motel, the AC Milan striker discovered that the prostitutes were in fact men.

According to Rio police, he alleges that the transvestites then tried to extort money from him.

Local press reports quoted one of the prostitutes, Andreia Albertine - otherwise known as Andre Luiz Ribeiro Albertino - as saying that Ronaldo had threatened to hit him, on discovering that he was a transvestite.

This is Andreia Albertine (SFW). This is Ronaldo's girlfriend (NSFW).


Monday, April 28, 2008

Henry to Sounders FC?

posted by on April 28 at 2:23 PM

Via Yahoo Sports:

Thierry Henry’s potential move to Major League Soccer seems to be drawing closer by the week as the France striker’s stay at Barcelona appears to be grinding to an unsatisfactory halt.

Henry is unsettled in La Liga, and a report coming out of Spain this week further fueled intense speculation that the 30-year-old is bound for the United States.

Seattle Sounders FC, who will join the league in 2009, appear to be the franchise with the greatest interest in and best chance of securing Henry’s services in what would be a spectacular coup for MLS.

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(Thanks to Slog-tipper Mike of Renton.)


Thursday, April 24, 2008

Three Short Items About Skateboarding

posted by on April 24 at 12:27 PM

1) There are two Seask8 skatepark design meetings coming up next month:

Thursday, May 8, 6:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. Shaw Room in the Northwest Rooms, Seattle Center, Seattle, WA

Thursday, June 5, 6:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Shaw Room in the Northwest Rooms, Seattle Center, Seattle, WA

So add those to your calendars. There's also a lively discussion on the designer's message board
about the features skaters are looking for. Get in there if you've got any ideas.

2) The Woodland Park Skatepark is almost finished and the city will hold a grand opening for the park in mid-May. A final date hasn't been set yet, but it's likely to be the 14th or the 21.

3) Kids, "skitching" is a bad idea.