Congratulations America. You've almost survived 2008. This year has been perhaps one of the worst for most of the country. The country has never been worse than it is right now.
Unemployment is UP.
Pay-rates are DOWN.
Gas prices are UP.
To top 2008 off, Washington has never experienced a worse sporting season in my lifetime.
The Seahawks are terrible, they were supposed to win the NFC West, yet can hardly beat themselves in a scrimmage. The Mariners were worse than terrible. The Huskies had the honor of becoming the worst team in the history of the PAC-10. The Cougars looked like a bad high school team every game. Eastern Washington University was supposed to contend for a FCS National Championship, instead their season was over by Week 6. Central Washington University (the only football team in the state with a winning record besides high school teams) headed into the D-2 playoffs as a huge favorite, only to loose in the first round to West Texas A & M.
Yeah, the state of Washington couldn't wait for the Fall Sporting season to get over with.
And then comes winter.
Winter means NBA. Winter meant rubbing salt in every Sonics fans wounds. The city would turn on their television only to see Clay Bennett, the man who stole the Sonics, spit in their face every night the Thunder played.
He told the city lies and broken promises. He bought the team, said he wanted to keep them here. But really, from day one, he was cheating on us with Oklahoma City. It was an affair that Seattle's marriage to the Sonics just couldn't survive. And everything ended in a bitter divorce, as Clay ran away late one night to the open arms of the midwest city. Leaving Seattle with an empty arena and a full glass of heartache.
The only gratification Sonics fans could get was that the new Oklahoma team is terrible. But that still doesn't help. It's kinda like when you get dumped by a girlfriend. You quickly pretend everything is alright because she went from you (who brought sexy back) to a tall, doofy looking, red haired kid.
You pretend everything is OK. You smile, you crack jokes about how funny looking he is. But deep inside your secretly dieing.
That's how every Sonics fan feels right now. They laugh at how bad the Thunder are. But deep down they secretly wish that it was the Sonics that were that bad. Because that would mean they never left.
And if that wasn't enough to make 2008 officially the Worst Year Ever. Oklahoma Today magazine made this move:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASECLAYTON I. BENNETT NAMED 2008 OKLAHOMAN OF THE YEAR
OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma Today, the magazine of Oklahoma since 1956, has named chairman of the Oklahoma City Thunder, Clayton I. Bennett, Oklahoman of the Year for 2008. The feature story on Bennett, written by senior editor Steffie Corcoran, appears in the January/February 2009 issue.
Bennett, founder of the private investment firm, Dorchester Capital, is touted as the man who brought the NBA to Oklahoma. He leads a group of eight investors, all from Oklahoma City, who form Professional Basketball Club, LLC. The team played its first Oklahoma City game on October 29, 2008, after relocating from Seattle. Today, the team plays at the Ford Center in downtown Oklahoma City and is considered one of the youngest team in the NBA.
“No one came close to Clay Bennett as we set about selecting this year’s Oklahoman of the Year,” says Louisa McCune-Elmore, Oklahoma Today editor in chief. “His accomplishment presents an extraordinary moment in the life of Oklahoma, probably among the most important achievements in our capital city’s history.”
Those who know him best describe Bennett as a man of action. “People respect Clay,” says former Oklahoma City mayor Ron Norick. “When Clay is involved, things are going to happen.” Bennett grew up in Oklahoma City, graduated from Casady School in 1978, and married his high-school sweetheart, Louise Gaylord, in 1981.
Bennett’s respect for hard work and his civic involvement have garnered this Oklahoman of the Year great regard from his peers, both locally and in the wider community of the NBA. “I feel confident about the good hands the [Thunder] is in,” says NBA commissioner David Stern, “because they’re in Clay’s hands and in the hands of his investor group.”
The NBA may be happy about the team’s move to Oklahoma, but no one is as thrilled as Oklahomans. The NBA is considered the largest global sports brand. “An NBA franchise is an obvious economic boom, but just as important is what it does for the momentum and morale of Oklahoma,” says Governor Brad Henry.
“What I like most about this article and accompanying photos is its thorough review of the Thunder relocation, but also its insights into Clay’s unwavering commitment to his hometown, state, and especially his family,” says Hardy Watkins, executive director of the Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department. “It’s a real portrait.”
Oklahoma Today publisher Joan Henderson says, “The year 2008 was an eventful year in Oklahoma, but nothing seemed as potentially transformative as the birth of the Thunder franchise in Oklahoma City.”
“Clay Bennett had the resourcefulness, tenacity, and acumen to make that dream a reality,” says Governor Henry.
The last quote in that story is what just kills me. That, "Clay Bennett had the resourcefulness, tenacity, and acumen to make that dream a reality."
Seriously?!?! You have got to be kidding me!
The only resourcefulness he used was his money to buy a team and then move it. His tenacity was only the fact that he made the Pacific Northwest despise his very name. (I had to write this blog because Brandon smashed his laptop in a fit of rage upon reading the headline in the magazine). So yes, it does take guts to tick off a whole region of the nation. And acumen? Seriously, smart do you have to be to "predict" that something a city has never had, will be successful?
Wait, I'm gonna do it right now. I'm thinking that the Sounders FC will be a huge hit in Seattle. Why? Because it's something new and exciting. DUH!
So you may think this is just another angry rant about Bennett, and that is fine. But the truth is, how could someone who lied repeatedly be honored?
You know it's a bad year, when a state gives their highest honor to a guy like Clay Bennett.
What's next? Drew Rosenhaus being named "Agent of the Year"?
Oh well. I'll just put on some Journey. Close my eyes. And hope 2009 is better.
Eastern Washington University's quest for a National Championship begins tomorrow as they host the Wagner College Seahawks in the second round of the FCS playoffs.
