Super Bowl Update

Below is a slightly-edited version of an email that I sent this afternoon to Broward County Administrator Bertha Henry, along with some other links that some of you may find of use if you are NOT already up-to-speed on the issue at hand, which, long story short, is a very unsuccessful professional sports franchise getting a multi-million dollar loan from a government entity who also happens to

By Kshell

Despite the great news of the arena deal being passed there are still those who are doing whatever they can to kill this plan last minute. Their voices don't matter as the NBA and NHL is coming to Seattle where they  like it or not. Chris Hansen bought the land in the SODO(south downtown Seattle for those who don't know) area with the intentions of building an arena there. The tax payers are getting the best deal in U.S. sports history and he will pay back all his debt. Hansen is doing whatever he can to get a team to Seattle even if it bankrupts himself. For that the city should praise this man instead he is met with some much difficulty. The port of Seattle continues to bring up useless points that aren't factual at all. The Seattle Times editorials are done by the same group of elderly people that nobody cares about what they say. Then lastly our Seattle Mariners led by dumb(Howard Lincoln) and dumber(Chuck Armstrong) are opposing the arena despite them bending the tax payers over with a highway robbery deal for Safeco Field in their favor.

I think all Sonics fans should never forget who is against this arena plan and do everything in their power legally to bring them down. The best way to hurt a man is in his pockets. The Seattle Mariners who have shit on their fans ever since 2004 with one last place finish after another are going out of their way to oppose this deal. Sure this arena could hurt their business but you don't see the Seattle Seahawks or Sounders openly protesting now do you? That is because both teams are committed to winning so they don't have to worry about lack of fan support unlike Chuck Armstrong and Howard Lincoln.

The Mariners appear to be building something special after they set a record for most wins by a minor league organization in baseball history. The Mariners should welcome this competition and realize this could help them. When the Sonics have a night game schedule a day game so you have a sports double header. The Mariners also caught a huge break that tax payers are still paying for Safeco Field. You would think a team who is going to finish last place for the third straight year and seventh time in the last nine years wouldn't be causing trouble. You would think a team who had the best stadium deal in their favor and worst for tax payers would keep their mouths shut. So I propose nobody go to their games anymore until these guys sell the team.

Now the port of Seattle people also need to shut up. They are just jealous because the port of Tacoma is killing their business due to better freeway access to their port unlike Seattle. The port of Seattle is also just trying to get some money out of Chris Hansen. It is sad that these greedy guys(who all make more money than most reading this post) are pretending to be upset only to extract money from Hansen.

The other villain in all this is the Seattle Times who has gone out of their way to not support this new arena. The Times who in the past did their best to destroy Husky football in 1993 with the backstabbing to the program. Then in 2007 the same Times who ran a piece focusing on some bad eggs on the 2000 Rose Bowl championship Husky team instead of the good guys on the team. If you haven't already I suggest quit reading the Times and never buy one of their newspapers again. All the editorials are from those who oppose the arena who never bring up any facts at all.

At the end of the day the arena is going to be built regardless of what these idiots say or do. Hansen will instantly become a million times more popular than Chuck and Howard ever were. The NHL will also be coming to Seattle for the first time ever which will give our fans another chance to experience a big time sport. I just hope fans remember this act of betrayal by these groups. I won't forget how big of babies the Mariners were in this situation since they haven't given us any reason to cheer since 2004. On the positive the NBA and NHL will be in Seattle soon which is a good thing. This city desperately needs good teams and the Mariners aren't providing that. I can't wait until the NBA and NHL are here as this arena is being built. For all those who fought for this arena a big thank you to you guys! Just remember if you are thinking about supporting the Mariners, Port of Seattle or the Seattle Times remember how they did their best to prevent the NBA and NHL coming here. For that those groups shouldn't receive any more money from our fans.

By Kshell

The city council  has come to an agreement with the Chris Hansen ownership group to build a new arena. That means our Seattle Supersonics are finally coming home.  Not only will the NBA return to Seattle but with this new arena for the  first time in Seattle history we should be getting a new NHL team. The news couldn't have came at a better time given that the Seahawks opened the season with a loss, Huskies were embarrassed in a big game once again the Seattle Mariners are headed towards their third straight last place finish. A piece of my childhood is returning when the Sonics are here. I wrote last year in April of 2011 how much I missed the Sonics as they were the first ever sporting event I ever attended. There is one man who should drink for free for the rest of his life in Seattle and that is Chris Hansen who made this all happen.

Chris Hansen is doing his civic duty much like Paul Allen did with the Seahawks back in 1996. Hansen is a rich guy who gets it. He is a fan and although the city of Seattle put him through the ringer he never gave up. Hansen should be a legend in this city if not already. The joy he is going to bring to so many in this community cannot be measured. I wish there would be more rich people in this world like Mr. Hansen is willing to risk millions of his own dollars so his childhood team that he loves can finally return home. The NBA did the original Sonics wrong but never once has Hansen been negative in his campaign to bring the team back. That is what I like most about Hansen he seems to connect with the fans which is the opposite of how the Mariners ownership is.

During this whole ordeal the fans of Seattle have shown over and over again our love for the Sonics. During game two of the NBA Finals there was a rally held to bring the Sonics back. The rally was clean too there was no name calling of Oklahoma City it was all pro Sonics which is what I enjoyed the most. Sonics fans like myself have moved on from the terrible thing that happened in 2008 as we realized dwelling on the past won't do any good. This movement which was started by the Sonicsgate guys when they made this this wonderful movie documenting the Sonics leaving. For many of us the Sonics were the only consistent thing in our lives sports wise. They have the most tradition among our pro teams. For my dad(born in 1961) he remembers the Sonics going to the Finals his junior year in 1978 and then winning the title in 1979. For me(born in 1985) I remember growing up in the 1990's when the Sonics were winning 55+ games six years in a row.

Growing up in the 1990's it was so great watching the talents of Gary Payton throwing lobs to Shawn Kemp as he threw them down. Watching George Karl win four Pacific Division titles in a four year span was something special as well. Watching the three point shooting of Detlef Schrempf, Hersey Hawkins and Sam Perkins was a joy as well. I used to always wear Sonics stuff to school and like I said the first game I ever went to was a Sonics game in the Tacoma Dome.

Watching Wally Walker destroy this team was one of the saddest things to watch. Then seeing this team flea town was a horrific experience that I hope to never experience again far as sports go. I'm glad in this whole process these former players from those teams were so active in this. Payton, Kemp and Schrempf have been big fixtures in this community the past decade in post retirement. When the NBA finally returns to Seattle look for #20 and #40 to be retired together in a ceremony in a game which will sell out quickly. For now it doesn't matter how good our team will be as we'll have a team once again. The next generation of kids can find their new NBA heroes like my dad always references "Downtown" Freddy Brown, Dennis Johnson or Jack Sikma. How I bring up Payton, Kemp and Schrempf these kids will have their own guys to idolize growing up.

Just like my father I also get to experience a new sport in this city as the NHL will most likely come to Seattle as well. The city of Seattle will have NFL, MLB, D-1 college sports, NBA, NHL, MLS and WNBA meaning they will officially become a major sports city in the United States. This is a huge day for the city of Seattle as they'll experience a huge economic boom in the SODO market as that area will finally get cleaned up with some big time restaurants and hotels. This is a beautiful day for those in Seattle who haven't had much to cheer about in the last couple of years. The Sonics are coming back and so today everyone wear your green and gold. I know today I'll be feeling pretty suuuuuuuuper as my childhood is returning as the Sonics will be coming back!

Nashville's club to split U.S. TV appearances between NBC Sports Network and NHL Network


COMCAST
NBC Sports Network - Ch. 57 (Tell City), Ch. 50 (Muhlenberg Co.), Ch. 448 (Leitchfield, in HD)
NHL Network - Ch. 739 (Tell City and Leitchfield)

DIRECTV
NBC Sports Network -  Ch. 603
NHL Network - Ch. 215

DISH NETWORK
NBC Sports Network - Ch. 159
NHL Network - Ch. 477

FAVE TV
NBC Sports Network - Ch. 213

HAMILTON CO. COMMUNICATIONS
NBC Sports Network - Ch. 216

INSIGHT
NBC Sports Network - Ch. 549 (Evansville/Henderson area only)

MEDIACOM
NBC Sports Network - Ch. 265 (Southern Illinois and Caneyville, Christian Co., Marion, Morgantown and Nortonville, Ky.), Ch. 278 (Cadiz, Princeton and Trigg Co. Ky.)

METRONET
NBC Sports Network - Ch. 32 and 832 (HD)

NEWWAVE
NBC Sports Network - Ch. 31 and 213 (Southern Illinois and SW Indiana except as noted), Ch. 67 (Bedford, Mitchell, Paoli, French Lick and West Baden, Ind.), Ch. 33 (Shoals, Ind.)

PSCtv
NBC Sports Network - Ch. 48

S+TV
NBC Sports Network - Ch. 57 and 657

SUDDENLINK
NBC Sports Network - Ch. 455 (Odon/Elnora, Ind.), Ch. 504 (Russellville, Ky.)

TIME WARNER CABLE
NBC Sports Network - Ch. 15 (Shawneetown/Junction, Ill., Rockport/Reo/Hatfield, Ind., Livermore/Calhoun, Ky.), Ch. 150 (Newburgh/Chandler, Ind.), Ch. 38 and 313 (Beaver Dam/Hartford, Hopkinsville and Madisonville, Ky.), Ch. 126 (Dixon/Clay/Wheatcroft, Ky.), Ch. 15 and 784 (Owensboro, Ky.)

WABASH INDEPENDENT NETWORKS
NBC Sports Network - Ch. 216 (Digital Video), Ch. 180 (Flora/Xenia, Ill. Cable)

WOW!
NBC Sports Network - Ch. 229 and 830

The must-see Bob Norman investigative video I have for you at the bottom of this post, from Thursday night's Channel 10 six o'clock newscast, is the perfect follow-up to my recent emails to some of you out there in the blogosphere on the never-ending subject of the NHL's Florida Panthers asking the Broward County Commissioners, their landlord at the Bank Atlantic Center, for a multi-million

By Kshell

The Vancouver Canucks lost game seven of the stanley cup finals 4-0 to the Boston Bruins. While the nation celebrates the Bruins winning their first stanley cup in 39 years the people of Vancouver who haven't ever won a title in 40 years are left with nothing. Then the aftermath of the loss turned ugly as the city started to riot acting like idiots. Most of those idiots aren't true Canucks fans and knew win or lose they were going to riot. I won't judge Vancouver on the rioting because odds are the people doing the rioting aren't from Vancouver. Instead what I'll focus this blog post on is how northwest teams counting the Canucks typically don't do well when blowing a missed opportunity. While some franchises can lose in the championship rounds and come back the following year to win a title that isn't the case up here. I'm not just talking about the following year there seems to be a cloud that hangs over these franchises. All the teams whether you are a Mariners fan, Seahawks fan, Blazers fan, Sonics fan, Huskies fan or Cougars fan have blown a huge opportunity and still haven't recovered from them. The goal for the Canucks will be to end this trend next season or else Vancouver fans be prepared to have a long decade coming up.


I'll start the most recent team who lost a championship game the Seattle Seahawks. The Seahawks as we all know lost Super Bowl XL to the Pittsburgh Steelers 21-10. That is a game due to the officiating the Seahawks still haven't got over it. The Seahawks who were a 13-3 team and had homefield throughout the playoffs were easily the best team in the NFC. Yet the following year they only went 9-7. Despite a core which featured Matt Hasselbeck, Shaun Alexander, Walter Jones, Lofa Tatupu and Marcus Trufant who were all in their prime or entering their prime they would never reach the promise land again. The Seahawks would lose to the Bears 27-24 in overtime the following year in the divisional round. The Seahawks haven't advanced past the divisional round since losing the Super Bowl. The Seahawks also lost guard Steve Hutchinson in his prime and the offensive line hasn't been the same. You'll notice a big reason why our teams never get back to that mountain top is often due to bad moves. The Seahawks are still searching for their first Super Bowl win in franchise history.


For the Washington Huskies their basketball program hasn't been to a Final Four since 1953. The closest they have ever been was in 2006 when they featured the best player in college basketball who was also a guard and a senior. That is a final four recipe right there as the Huskies rode Brandon Roy to the promise land. The fifth seeded Huskies were up seven points on the Connecticut Huskies with a little over a minute to go. UCONN had stunn the Huskies back in 1998 on a Rip Hamilton buzzer beater to deny the Huskies an elite 8 trip. This game was revenge for Washington instead it was the worst loss for basketball or football since I've been a fan. Washington self destructed allowed an UCONN three pointer at the buzzer to tie the game. Then Washington lost in overtime as Brandon Roy fouled out in overtime. The Huskies would miss the NCAA tournament the next two seasons and have only advanced to the sweet 16 just once in five years since that dreadful loss. The Washington Huskies are still searching for their first Final Four since 1953 as they blew the best opportunity in the Romar era.


The Seattle Mariners in 2001 were coming off a season in which they lost the ALCS in six games to the New York Yankees in 2000. In 2001 the Mariners ran away with the division by May as they won 116 games which tied the 1906 Chicago Cubs record. The Mariners were clearly the best team in baseball and the future appear bright for the franchise. The Mariners would lose to the Yankees in five games which including a swing game in game four in which the Mariners blew a 1-0 lead in the eighth inning. The Mariners that offseason would trade for Jeff Cirillo who was a huge bust and sign James Baldwin who was also a bust. The Mariners would also win just 93 games which was a 23 win decrease and miss the playoffs. Just three years after winning 116 games the Mariners would lose 99 games and be on their third different manager in a span of four seasons. The Mariners not only have never reached a World Series they have yet to even make the playoffs. Since 2004 they have had just two winning seasons. The Mariners missed their opportunity in 2000 and especially the 2001 season. The Mariners like the previous teams have yet to recover after missing their opportunity.


The Portland Trail Blazers who had finally overcame blowing their previous missed opportunity have yet to recover from the 2000 Western Conference Finals game seven. The Blazers in 1992 NBA Finals in game six against the Chicago Bulls had a 15 point lead that they blew to the Bulls to lose the Finals. The Blazers would lose in the first round in six consecutive seasons. The Blazers finally broke through in 1999 reaching the western conference finals before getting swept by the San Antonio Spurs. Well after a busy offseason the Blazers who had trailed 3-1 in the series to the Los Angeles Lakers battled back to force a game seven. Then the Blazers took a 15 point lead into the fourth quarter. That year the best two teams were in the West so while no fair to assume this series was for the championship. The Lakers would go on a 15-0 run to tie the score up and eventually win 89-84. For the Lakers they would go on to win the first of three straight championships. For the Blazers well they have yet to win a playoff series since. In 2001 and 2002 the Lakers eliminated them in the first round. Add it all up the Blazers have lost six consecutive first round series. The Blazers also traded away promising young star Jermaine O'Neal that offseason for Dale Davis. This loss still haunts Blazers fans as that franchise hasn't seemed to recover from that missed opportunity.


The Washington State Cougars had finally made the Rose Bowl for the first time in 67 years in 1997. The Cougars took on #1 ranked Michigan Wolverines trying to win their first Rose Bowl since 1916. The Cougars trailing 21-16 and going for the shocking comeback win. The type of defining win that the Huskies had in 1978 Rose Bowl that propelled the program to greater heights is what the Cougars were going towards. All-American quarterback Ryan Leaf spiked the ball but the officials said that spike took two seconds and the game suddenly ended. Although the Cougars had a great season they were denied to get their first national win. The type of win that can turn a bottom program into a contender. The Cougars would take last place in the Pac-10 the next two seasons then have a losing season for the third straight year. Although the Cougars would recover and make the Rose Bowl in the 2002 season they were blown out. The program hasn't been the same after the 2003 season. The Cougars missed out on their best chance to win a Rose Bowl which they haven't done in 95 years.


The Seattle Supersonics actually did the best job originally of recovering from a missed opportunity. In the 1978 NBA Finals they lost game seven at home only to beat the same Washington Bullets in five games for the championship in 1979. In 1994 the Sonics were the #1 seed in a year Michael Jordan wasn't in the league and they lost in the first round. The following season the Sonics again lost in the first round. Finally in 1996 the Sonics broke through and made the NBA Finals. Although the Chicago Bulls were the better team the opportunity to win a title was still there for the Sonics. Instead the Sonics lost in a respectable six games and had they won game two this could have been an interesting series. That following offseason the Sonics signed unknown center Jim McIlvaine to a lot of money. Eventually cause Shawn Kemp to demand to be traded after the following season. The year after that George Karl was fired and the Seattle Sonics never advanced past the second round after that 1996 NBA Finals. The Sonics after firing Karl had advanced past the first round just once(2005). The Sonics eventually left Seattle after the 2008 season having won just three postseason series after the NBA Finals. Safe to say the franchise never recovered from those heartbreaking playoff losses of the 1990's.


Now to the Canucks who themselves didn't recover well from their last missed opportunity. The Canucks in 1994 battled back from a 3-1 series deficit to force a game seven of the Stanley Cup Finals only to lose to the New York Rangers 3-2. The Canucks the following year were swept in the second round. Then were bounced in the first round in 1996 only to miss the playoffs four straight seasons after that. They didn't reach the western conference finals until 17 years later which was this season. Now you have to wonder how the Canucks will respond to such a devastating loss. The Canucks were by far and away the best team in the NHL by all the NHL experts. The Canucks had home ice throughout the entire playoffs and were up 2-0 in this series. The Canucks after being destroyed in Boston 12-1 combined came back home to win game five. Only to be outscored 9-2 including losing game seven at home 4-0. The Canucks in their four losses were outscored 21-3 so there was no specific game which hurt just the whole series. People in Vancouver will wonder all offseason why their team laid four eggs in this series. The Canucks are now 0-3 all-time in franchise history in games in which if they win they hoist the Stanley Cup. Hopefully history doesn't repeat itself like it always seems to do with teams in our region.

In conclusion, you can see why teams sometimes play to win for this year. Like I just pointed out even when the future seems so bright you never know if that is your one and only opportunity. So when you have those rare opportunities you have to win those games. All those teams I just mentioned are still recovering from such devastating losses and in the case of the Sonics they left town. The Mariners and Blazers are going on a decade of dissapointment after tasting a championship. The Seahawks have been nothing more than just average since the Super Bowl. While the Huskies and Cougars have tasted some success since then it was never as close as those losses. Hopefully for the fans of Vancouver the Canucks can reverse the trend. Just take a look at the team who beat the Canucks the Boston Bruins. The Bruins blew a 3-0 series lead last year then lost their first two home games this postseason only to rally to win the Stanley Cup. In sports sometimes the winner is the team who is mentally strongest and in the case of teams who lost the championship it's just about being mentally tough. Why I respect the Buffalo Bills who went to four straight super bowls so that was three straight offseasons they battled back from blowing a chance at the title. This region has had our fair share of opportunities and every time it feels like our teams let us down. Maybe the Canucks can reverse the trend of our teams falling apart after blowing a golden opportunity. For my Canucks friends hopefully for your sake they do.

By Kshell

One of the greatest events in sports is taking place at 5 p.m. this Wednesday which will draw in the casual fan such as myself. I'm talking about game seven of the Stanley Cup. This year features the Vancouver Canucks and the Boston Bruins. Even though the Bruins have outscored the Canucks 19-8 in this series the series is tied up due to the Canucks winning all three games at home which game seven will take place in. The Canucks who have never won the stanley cup in their 40 year history will try for the third time in franchise history to bring home the cup. The Bruins are trying to win their first stanley cup since 1972 so both teams have had quite the drought. Now I'll explain in this following post why the casual fan such as myself should be rooting for the Canucks. I'll explain why an NHL fan should be rooting for the Canucks as well. I'll lay out my reasoning on why most people who read this blog should be rooting for the Canucks.


The main reason to root for the Canucks is pretty simple the area of Boston has already enjoyed way too many titles. So what that the Bruins haven't won in almost 40 years? You think you'll get any sympathy from people in the northwest? That area since January of 2002 has seen three super bowl wins, four super bowls overall, two world series wins, one NBA finals wins and two NBA Finals overall. You know what this area has to show during that span? One Super Bowl and that was a loss. So it sucks that the Bruins haven't won a stanley cup in forever but complaining about that sounds like Cubs fans complaining. Yes the Cubs haven't won in over 100 years but the Chicago Bulls and Chicago Bears sure have. Same goes for Boston complaining about the Bruins when they have 17 NBA championships, three super bowls and a baseball team with two world series while being the favorites to win this year. Plus do you guys really want to hear Bill Simmons write another column on how Boston sports is awesome? I thought so I'd rather hear him bitch and complain making excuses. The city of Boston has enjoyed way too much success just like New York fans bitching about how the Yankees had nine years inbetween World Series. Get over it guys in Seattle we haven't won a title since 1979 and Portland since 1977. While Vancouver well try never. The city deserves a title over Boston that is for sure.


If you live in the state of Washington you can drive to Vancouver B.C. in o ne day. Although they are in a different country and it's debatable if they are northwest one thing is true is that Vancouver is more like Seattle/Portland than Boston is. The Canucks are the closest NHL team that we have up here in the Northwest. The only time I was in Vancouver I felt like I was in the United States and had a great time there. If you were going to get into the NHL best adopt the Canucks since they are a good team and you could attend a game in person by simply driving. Vancouver is like a sister city to Seattle and we have more in common with their people than we do with people from Boston. Most likely the people you interact with who are NHL fans are fans of the Canucks. In my case I'm not really into the NHL but I root for the Canucks because I know how much it will mean to my friends. Don't be the douchebag who wants everyone to be miserable and root for the Bruins. Don't be that guy instead be the person who roots on the Canucks and then make sure to personally congratulate your friends who are life long Canucks fans if they do win the stanley cup.


The last reason is the Canucks have already lost a game seven of the stanley cup finals to the New York Rangers. Yes the Canucks lost to the team that never wins ever. While the rest of the nation was so happy that hte Rangers ended their curse they forgot that the Canucks also had never won a stanley cup. The Canucks that year were the 7th seed and in the first round down 3-1 rallied to win three straight overtime games to upset the 2nd seeded Calgary Flames. Then in the second round the Canucks destroyed the 4th seeded Dallas Stars in five games. Then upset the third seeded Toronto Maple Leafs in five games as well. This was basically their 1995 Mariners season where they refused to lose. Then in the Stanley Cup finals against the #1 seeded New York Rangers the Canucks stole game one in New York 3-2 in overtime. The Canucks however would lose the next three games including two out home where they were outscored 9-3. Then in game five in New York they won 6-3 then returned home to win 4-l forcing a game seven. The Canucks had momentum which quickly disappeared as they fell behind 2-0 at the end of the first period. The Canucks would battle back to pull within 3-2 but couldn't get that one last goal ultimately losing the cup four games to three. Losing that game seven has haunted the Canucks and the city of Vancouver as they were so close.

Then when you add in the fact they finally got an NBA team the Vancouver Grizzlies which lasted only five seasons which included Steve Francis refusing to go there. Then the 2010 Olympics had some weather problems and you realize the city of Vancouver like Seattle has dealt with a ton of bullshit. They got their NBA team stolen by a bunch of hicks like us and know how losing a painful championship series/game feels. Unlike 1994 the Canucks have had the best record and will host this game seven. It's time to root on the Canucks for all the reasons above.

In conclusion, hopefully first of all you watch this game seven as it's going to be a terrific atmosphere. The city of Vancouver is starving for a title and hopefully the Canucks don't play tight at home because of it. This is going to be a great game between two great goaltenders when they are on their "A" game. Hopefully the reasons I listed is enough to convince you that rooting for the Canucks is the only option. The city of Boston has tasted enough success for one decade that should last them a lifetime. While the city of Vancouver and fans of this region in general haven't had any major success in the last 30 years. Although I'm not a Canucks fan or an NHL fan I know people who are. I hope for their sake the Canucks can finally bring home the cup. I hope for the city of Vancouver sake they finally win a championship. I'd rather see a city where I can drive to in one day win a title than some east coast city win yet another championship. The choice is pretty clear guys go root for the Canucks and if they win the Stanley Cup make sure to congratulate all the long suffering Canucks fans. I know if they win there will be a few people I'll get a hold of for sure.