What readers are saying
Sonics & Storm
Bringing fathers and sons together
My father was a Franklin High kid with a transcript a mile long but no degree. He was the best father a boy could have. Ironically, because he wanted to give me the education and the life that he did not have, we ended up having almost nothing in common. The one thing that we did have in common was sports.
This week my father and I met on a common ground in KeyArena. We sat for a few hours and marveled at the poetry that a 19-year-old Kevin Durant showed on the court. We sat there two totally different people enjoying something beautiful.
Over the months ahead there will be politicians lobbying to keep the Sonics in Seattle. In my heart, I am hoping that they keep the Sonics in Seattle for a personal reason. The reason is that it will allow a 33-year-old to be able to hang out with his dad and talk as men do about things that keep them together, if only for a few hours.
- Dominic Ferrari, Mercer IslandFor the love of a team
It was the 1996 NBA Finals: Seattle vs Chicago. I was only 15 years old, sitting on the floor as close to the TV as I could possibly get. I could feel the electricity coming through the TV. It was a dream that had come true for the Sonics.
I can remember feeling those feelings of dreams come true and hard work paying off. That love of a game, so inspirational that I was crying for joy. I remember that day so vividly, falling in love with a team. That love has never left, like a relationship, up and down.
It’s something special when a boy falls for the Sonics - or a girl with the awesome Storm as well. It’s just that feeling, a rush of pure adrenaline. It excites you and makes you feel a part of something, something wonderful from your city.
I do not want to see that ripped away from me or anyone else. I do not feel that a relationship should be torn with greed and selfishness, for it was pure love when it began.
- Jordan L. Miller, SeattleJust desserts
Seattle hockey fans must have been smiling beneath their rough exteriors this week when the proposed move to Oklahoma City was announced.
I’ll be honest. I was. I remember the Vince Abbey lawsuit, which prevented the Seattle Totems from getting into the NHL in 1975. I remember the KeyArena deal, a $95 million refurbishing of the Coliseum, which left us with a second-tier basketball court and a fourth-tier hockey rink at best, which was what Barry Ackerley wanted.
Therefore, I believe Seattle and the Puget Sound are getting their just desserts. It has all come back to roost now!
- Lee Stevlingson, Rio Rancho, N.M.What an inspiration
I have lived in Seattle nearly my whole life. I am a fan of the Sonics, Seahawks and Mariners. I like Seattle being a “big city,” well-known internationally. Big cities have big-time teams in the major sports.
The Sonics, in particular, hold a soft spot in my heart because at the time they were winning a championship, I was a 10-year-old unfortunately watching my parents dissolve their marriage. At this difficult time I remember the celebrations and cheer when the Sonics won the championship; how tightly it bound the communities around Seattle. I genuinely felt hope and joy in the celebrations of the city afterward.
To me, this is the best of what sports can offer, the example of rising to be the best, even when you go through hard times.
- Matthew Reed, Edmonds
Neighborhood support
I’m a 20-year-old guy living in Vancouver, B.C., and I haven’t been a basketball fan since the Grizzlies left us in 2001. But in the last year I’ve fallen in love with the Sonics, and watching them leave as soon as I come in would be heartbreaking. Representing all Canadian basketball fans, I urge all readers to contact your elected officials. Know your stance: Do it for Canada!
- Jared Hamilton, Vancouver, B.C.A match made at the Key
I met my husband on a blind date three years ago. Within the first few minutes of our date, I knew we had at least two things in common: We were NBA fans, and we liked cats. He told me that he had a cat named Moochie. To keep the conversation rolling, I asked if he had named his cat after Moochie Norris, who played for the Sonics in the ’90s.
“Yes!” he exclaimed. “You like basketball, too?”
Needless to say, my obscure basketball knowledge won him over. We promptly made plans to go to our first Sonics game together, and have been Sonics season-ticket holders ever since.
We all have sports stories that conjure up fond memories. Let’s have this sports story bring out the best in all of us and create many more fond memories to come.
- Maggie Skinner, SeattleHow will it affect our kids?
I started taking my granddaughter to the Storm games when she was 10 years old. She started playing basketball when she was 7, and after seeing the professional players, she is very dedicated to playing ball with her future plans of playing in the WNBA.
It is very important that both teams stay in Seattle, but think about how it will affect our youth if they don’t. It gives them an incentive to stay in school, study hard and graduate with the hope that some day they may be able to play on one of the teams.
- Georgia Monjaraz, YakimaNo-confidence vote
If if this team walks, I will write down everyone’s name that holds an office and be sure to vote for whoever their opponent is anytime they ever appear on a ballot in my lifetime.
The bottom line is we need to get a new building or a complete rehaul of the Key to keep the Sonics. If we did lose these Sonics, we could never get a new team without a new building, so let’s just save some time and money and do it now!
- Wade A. Murphy, TacomaLeague doesn’t care
I just wanted to remind you that when the Grizzlies left Vancouver there was no hue and cry from the league. They were happy to get outta here, so don’t expect too much from the NBA. It’s all dollars and cents. Vancouver, I could understand in that we were an expansion team. But the Sonics have won an NBA championship and have tradition, so it would be a shame if they left. Just don’t expect the NBA to care one whit.
- Blair Poljer, New Westminster, B.C.Send us your backtalk: Letters bearing true names, addresses and telephone numbers for verification are considered for publication. Please limit letters to 125 words or less. They are subject to editing and become the property of The Times. Fax them to 206-464-3255, or mail to: Backtalk, Seattle Times Sports, P.O. Box 70, Seattle, WA 98111. Or e-mail to: sports@seattletimes.com.