At least the NBA gets one thing right

I don't like the NBA. I've never enjoyed basketball as much as baseball or football. And since the travesty of the Supersonics' "relocation" to OkayCity, I've pretty much ignored it. But there is one thing the NBA gets right - the NBA finals always match up the best team from the east and the west. So even if your team doesn't get in, at least you have some regional affinity toward one of the teams. You can have some ownership, some reason to root for a team from your area to cream those thugs from the East Coast.

This year, even the BCS got lucky enough to match up teams from opposite sides of the country, and in an inverse way, it made rooting for one team over the other an easy pick. Oregon is a hated rival, and it gave all of us out here great satisfaction to see them go down to Auburn.

But look at the final four teams in the NFL playoffs. They all reside far up there on America's right shoulder, where all the dandruff from Canada falls down. Green Bay, Chicago, New York, Pennsylvania. . .that entire region probably makes up, what, 15% of the county? Sure, Green Bay-Chicago is a storied rivalry, but it means as much out here as an Oakland-San Francisco World Series means to people in Florida. I'm sure at ESPN studios in New York this seems like Christmas came again, with all the action right in their backyard. But there's a huge country out here that no longer has any ownership in any of these teams, and therefore no longer really cares.

Get in the Bunker, Honey

Texas in the World Series? Oregon ranked #1 in the country?

Surely the apocalypse is upon us.

Random Thoughts on a Super Bowl

Was I the only one who thought Carrie Underwood went horribly out of tune at the end of the National Anthem?

I really thought the Colts would walk away with it, so the outcome was a pleasant surprise. Even being that close with only a couple minutes left, Manning driving for the tying score. . .that's the kind of drama a Super Bowl needs.

Unfortunately, other than that final drive, and a random play or two (onside kick, anyone?) the whole game seemed pretty bland. And not the best-played game, either. Can you say dropped passes?

Good job by the refs, though. Made the calls that needed to be made, but didn't change the outcome of the game.

Commercials? Were there any? I can't seem to remember any of them this morning.

What I do remember was the cringe-inducing half-time show. This is the curse of Janet Jackson - grandpas horribly singing songs from too-long ago. I know, I know. The Who is an important band in the history of rock-n-roll. But their voices are shot, their energy is gone. I'd have preferred Up With People - at least they have that certain air of spryness in their bodies.

I thought CBS did a good job, overall. Good, tight shots, not a lot of 'zap-pow' graphics or sound effects. Although they could have used a few more people sitting in their booth for the pre-, post-, and half-time, don't you think? Why stop at 5 guys shouting at each other?

While I found myself wondering whatever happened to smash-mouth football, I do have to admit that New Orleans put on a masterful display of ball-control offense. Poor Manning never had a chance to get in any rhythm. Must be a bitter taste in his mouth this morning.

Finally, I noted an ad near the end for the NFL Network, saying something about it 'always being football season.' Well, no. I think Spring Training is right around the corner. And the Mariners look like they might be contenders this season. So yesterday was nice and all, but I think I'm about ready for some baseball.

Tuesday Stuff

- A great video of a unique introduction to Jesus (h/t Nate)

- Roshni pointed me toward a new music label/collective/project made up of a few of the more 'fringey' artists in the Christian music scene (Danielson, Leigh Nash, Sufjan Stevens, and more!). Three songs off their first release are available on their myspace. It may take you a listen or two to 'get it,' but there really is some depth and artistry here.

- Add me to the list of "Fans Against Neon Green Football Jerseys."

- Flash mob protest at Whole Foods in Oakland. note: a tiny bit of language that some readers might find offensive, and a whole lot of politics that some people might find offensive. But in the end. . .it's still a lot of fun. This is what protests ought to look like, whether or not you agree with the underlying point. They make their statement, and at the same time give people something to laugh about.

- Looks like I got all that firewood chopped up just in time. The forecast high for today is a chilly 57 degrees. Personally, I love the fall, and look forward to all that it brings. It's just the winter on the other side of fall that gets me less-than-enthusiastic.

- A friend and occasional former mentor has created a new organization with the aim of supporting theological education in the developing world. Ron helped me out with some good counsel after I was ignominiously fired from my first church; years later, I sat in my backyard in Turlock, talking to him in Australia, picking his brain about a current logjam I faced, and again his wisdom helped push me forward. (Oh, and once, when I was still single, his youngest daughter came over and made me dinner, and even before that I took his oldest daughter out to dinner. . .). So I'm happy to point you to Synseis Alliance International.

- Upcoming Gigs
     The Down Home Band (with yours truly on lead trumpet) is playing this Saturday night at the Key Pen Cornucopia Dinner and fundraiser, following the KP Farm tour.

     I've been invited to participate in the 1st Annual Gig Harbor/KP Blessing of Law Enforcement, firefighters, EMTs and their families. The event is this Sunday from 1-4 at the Gig Harbor United Methodist Church, with the blessing taking place from 2:00-2:30.

Random Tuesday

- Some are forecasting that tomorrow will be the hottest day ever recorded in the Seattle area. I suppose it's too late to get my pool put in.

- While the temperature has been rising, the Mariners are in the midst of an uncontrollable plummet. Surely one of the nice surprises of this year's baseball season, they seem, sadly, to have returned back to earth.

- Tomorrow morning, around 10:00, Lakebay Community Church has our meeting with the Pierce County planning folks, as we continue the process of acquiring the conditional use permit on our KP Highway property.

- Yeah, I know. We're way behind the times. But Karina and I finally watched Slumdog Millionaire last night.

- In case you missed it, William Shatner reciting Sarah Palin's farewell speech.

- Speaking of politics. . .Remember back in the 90s, when a certain type of conservative spent way too much time and energy trying to uncover supposed hidden crimes of then-President Clinton? It all started with Whitewater, then went on to many supposed rapes, and ended up wasting how much money and time in a failed impeachment, all because he lied under oath about a sexual relationship with Monica Lewinsky? And so, rather than accomplishing anything positive, instead of moving ahead and setting out a worthwhile agenda, the Republicans spent their time acting out of spite and bitterness in an ill-fated attempt to besmirch Clinton. You know, the classic junior high game of "If I can't beat you, I'll call you names." Right. And now we're at it all over again, with this "birther" movement. Rather than actually doing something positive for this country, we're simply going to sling mud at the rightfully-elected president. Listen, folks. We have two options. We can be adults, and move forward on fixing this country, or we can behave like petulant children who would rather pout over in the corner, complaining about "how unfair it all is." And no, I'm not necessarily a fan of Obama; I'd just rather see us focusing on More Important Issues, and not becoming bogged down in mud-slinging.

- Finally, from the Covenant Website: "Annette Knofel, 59, wife of Evangelical Covenant Church Pastor Bruce Knofel, was killed Sunday evening in a traffic accident near Anchorage. . ." Lord, have mercy.

Just to be perfectly clear on something. . .

I have a brother named Michael. I often call him "Mike." Thus, Mike Whitmarsh is my brother. However, Mike Whitmarsh my brother is not the same as Mike Whitmarsh, the former olympic and professional beach volleyball player who was just found dead of an apparent suicide.

Back in the mid-90s, I enjoyed the name connection. There was a billboard in Upland that read "Whitmarsh Kills," playing off the "kill" that is a volleyball spike. One summer at camp our youth group kids spread the rumor that their youth pastor was "Mike Whitmarsh's brother - and he taught Mike everything he knows!" Random people started approaching me in awe - "Are you really Mike Whitmarsh's brother?" And I could answer "yes" without even lying.

It is certainly sad that that Mike felt life was no longer worth living, and that he has chosen to end it this way. But lest there be any confusion, my own brother is very much alive.

The great irony in all this is that today is my brother's birthday.

A brief word on discipleship vs. legalism

In further reflection on the Super Bowl, outreach, and popular culture.

This is one of the areas to which I've put a lot of thought over the last 10 years. As followers of Christ, we are called into a lifetime of discipleship, of walking in the way with Jesus, seeking righteousness, holiness, christ-likeness throughout our lifetime. We are to seek the things of God, the things of Life, the fruit of the Spirit, the attitude of Christ. The way of Christ is the way of Life, and thus we are to pursue the things that lead to life - holy living, confession when we sin, kindness and gentleness, hospitality, extravagant giving, treating others with respect and dignity; in short, loving God and loving our neighbor, or behaving justly, loving mercy, and walking humbly with God.

All too often, however, the Church takes these concepts and turns them into legalism. What begins as a proper discipleship question - for instance, is it appropriate for a follower of Christ to consume alcoholic beverages when these same beverages are the downfall and destruction of so many - turns into Law: Christians shouldn't drink beer. Or, is it appropriate for Christians to listen to rock music, when the culture of rock music is destructive and rebellious - turns into Law: Any music with a backbeat is necessarily satanic in origin. And soon, rather than pursuing righteousness, we're all back to living under the Law, building hedges and hiding from perceived sinfulness rather than pursuing Christ-likeness in our love of God and neighbor.

So I don't want the question about the Super Bowl to turn into a question of Law: should we pronounce it a sin to watch the Super Bowl in Church - but instead to frame it as a question of discipleship, a question of Christian ethic:

A) If we are called to pursue righteousness in all areas of life; and
B) If we are called to think on whatever is good, right, holy, etc.; and
C) If we are called to flee the evil desires of youth; and
D) If the greater culture surrounding the Super Bowl is one that leads to death, insomuch as it:
1) Promotes the image that women are objects to be enjoyed by virile young men
2) Is a bastion of wasteful spending when people around the world are starving to death
3) Promotes a culture of drinking, partying, spending, consuming, violence, gambling, etc.

Then. . .

E) Is it in the best interest of followers of Christ to spend the better part of an afternoon supporting this event? (One could also point out that it's a Sunday afternoon - iow, a Sabbath day. . .)

And even more so,

F) Is it harmful for the Church, the Body of Christ, to give approval to this event by publicly showing it and inviting the community in to watch it together?

And, finally,

G) If we sit with the young men and women of our community to share in this event together, in what ways are we forming their spirituality for good or bad? Are we causing our youth to stumble by essentially saying, "It's ok if it's sexualized and violent and if it is a massive waste of money that could be better spent on Kingdom work, just so long as it's entertaining, or if it gets your friends in the door"?

So the answer to the quesiont ought not to be "It's a sin to watch the Super Bowl." That's legalism at its finest. But could it be said "of the many options available to us, engaging in this activity is probably not the wisest choice for those who seek to honor Christ with their lives?"

And, just so you know, if our church decides to hold a Super Bowl party next year, I'm not going to go all judgmental on them. I'll probably show up and enjoy some pizza and soda and carrots and fellowship. I'm not trying to make any command decisions via this blog. Just trying to have a healthy conversation.

Two final thoughts:

- As was pointed out in the comments below, we had a group of young ladies take the afternoon of Super Bowl Sunday to travel to Seattle and hand out sandwiches to homeless people there. They chose to minister, to be counter-cultural and ignore the game in order to be the hands and feet of Jesus. Maybe we could learn something from them.

- Erin asked the question about going to the beach - Essentially, there's lots of girls in bikinis at the beach, so if we're going to avoid the Super Bowl, shouldn't we also avoid the beach? The pool? The world?

I'd respond that those are different issues. The commercials shown during the game made it obvious that flesh and sexuality went hand in hand. Wearing swimsuits at the beach is a different matter. Yes, some are there on the hunt, but others are there because they want a tan. There are a lot of different reasons for going to the beach, and most are good. To get some sunshine, to swim in the ocean, to enjoy being with friends, to enjoy the beauty of creation, to play frisbee or nerf football in the waves, to surf, to get out and have fun. One could make the argument that going to the beach has much to offer the follower of Christ - to rejoice in the wonders of this planet, to have long , uninterrupted conversations with friends, to clear the mind, to find health in all the sunshine and clean air, to minister to others we may run into, to relax, to get exercise.

Yes, I know for some it's a struggle to keep their mind in appropriate places when surrounded by young men and women in various states of undress, but that undress is natural in the location. You wear a swimsuit to the beach; it goes with the territory, and it isn't necessarily intended to be sexual. But I would argue it's not the same with something like the Super Bowl. Whereas the beach can be a positive experience but also has at its core the potential to be, shall we say, distracting?, I'm not so sure that there are many positives left about the Super Bowl. Does the good that can happen there outweigh all the harm it can and does do? I'm beginning to think the answer is no.

Between a rock and a hard place

For Seattle sports fans, tomorrow's Super Bowl is as painful a matchup as one could possibly imagine. The question of "who to cheer for" is well nigh impossible. It feels a little like asking "would you rather drink acid of have all your arteries pulled out?"

To put it bluntly, the choices stink.

Pittsburgh Stealers: The team that was handed Seattle's Lombardi Trophy by the worst refereeing hack job the world has seen. The fans who to this day flood Seattle message boards to gloat about their "victory" in SB XL, who mock the Seattle fans for holding grudges against the NFL, the referees, and the Stealers, who fail to recognize the shaft that was given to Seattle on that cold day in Detroit. To watch them walk off the field with another SB Ring would be like watching your arch-nemesis ride off into the sunset with the woman of your dreams. Bitter. Painful. Blech.

Arizona Cardinals: A hated division rival. A team who, up until three weeks ago, nobody cared about. Not even their own fans. They couldn't sell out home games, they couldn't sell out playoff games. And suddenly they may walk away with the trophy. Leaving Seattle as the sole team in the division without one. Seattle - the team with years of great history, with rabid fans, with a couple of deep playoff runs, but nothing to show for it, while Arizona, the Johnny-come-lately walks nonchalontly into the room, picks up the trophy, saying "Oh, this? Sure, I guess I'll take one."

I guess you could turn it around and ask not "who do I want to win?" but instead "who do I most want to lose?" but I don't think it makes it any easier. Is it too much to ask that Christ returns tonight and saves us from this mess?

As for me, I'll probably just boo everybody, eat a lot of pizza, maybe play some chess in the corner, watch the Boss at halftime, then promptly forget it all on Monday.

Isn't it almost time for spring training?

And now, over to the sports desk

This has got to be the most depressing sports' year in the history of Seattle.

By my count, since August 30, when both UW and WSU kicked off the college football season, there have been 12 weekends' worth of football played involving the Huskies, the Cougars, and the Seahawks. As of today, 10 of those weekends have ended with nary a win between the three teams. One weekend the Hawks and Cougars both won; another the Hawks pulled off a win. Other than that, 10 weekends where Washington's finest took the field and all left in defeat.

For most of those September weekends, the Mariners were also finishing the most odious season possible. And, as has been well documented, the NBA kicked off the 08-09 season last month, with Seattle's team playing down in OKC.

I'm glad I don't live and breathe sports; this would be a tough year to take.

At least everybody is picking the Husky men's basketball team to do well this year. . .oh, wait. They got creamed by Portland last night. Never mind.

Speaking of baseball

I don't know. . .it just doesn't seem fair that with only eight teams making it to into the baseball playoffs, Los Angeles and Chicago each get two teams in there. There ought to be a law that it gets spread around a little more or something.

One short Olympic Tidbit

American Brian Clay just won the gold medal in the decathlon, the first American to do so since 1996.

Brian Clay is an alumnus of Azusa Pacific University, my alma mater.

Nice to see a Coug represent.

Commentary on Two Items

1. Scot McKnight posted on 10 Reasons why Golf is better than soccer. If you ask me, that's like posting on 10 reasons why tofu makes for better dessert than does play-doh. In the end, neither one is satisfying. Or 10 reasons why a Honda SUV is better than a Chevy SUV. In the end, neither one is a Jeep. Or even 10 reasons why Country is better than Hip-Hop. In the end, they're still both irritating.

Because golf may be better than soccer, but in the end they're both still a waste of time. Want the "outdoor sporty experience" of golf, try going for a hike or bike ride. Want the team aspect of soccer? Baseball and football are much, much better, much more interesting to watch and/or play. There are a hundred things that would be a better use of your time than golf or soccer. So why does it matter which is better than the other?

And since that's my opinion, that makes it true.

2. On a more serious note, the Seattle papers were abuzz yesterday with the news that yet another Mars Hill campus opened this weekend - this time, across Lake Washington in Bellevue.

It's not really my goal in life to criticize Mars Hill Church - I know people whose lives have been dramatically turned around through the ministry of Mark Driscoll and Mars Hill. I know people who still attend Mars Hill, people who are faithful disciples of Jesus and seeking to serve him in the world.

And yet, every time I turn around, they seem to be making these statements that completely rub the wrong way (caveat: I guess there is always the possibility that the press is trying to present them in a poor light. . .).

So, for instance, the Seattle P-I interviewed Jesse Winkler, the 30-year-old pastor of the newest Mars Hill Campus. And I have to wonder, who is training these people?

Winkler: "As Christians, I think we tend to add churchy stuff to what Christianity is supposed to be like. We say Christians are supposed to look, talk, dress and eat and drink this way, and the Bible just doesn't have that stuff."

This argument has been around since, what, the 195os? At least since the early days of the Jesus Movement. Hasn't it already become somewhat stale? Who exactly is he talking about? What Christians (except for a very few) are actually telling others how to look, talk, dress and eat and drink certain ways? Who is he arguing against here? Or is there really no "who," and he's setting up a straw man in order to better market to young people who are always fighting against some supposed "the man" who's telling them how to behave?

(And, as a side note, the Bible actually DOES have a lot to say on how Christians ought to talk and dress and eat and drink.)

Winkler: "We (Mars Hill) keep a little bit of a raw edge to us. We keep it simple, without any human, man-made stuff. We're not the churchiest of folks. We're pretty big Bible people."

I have never, in my entire life, found a church that didn't have "any human, man-made stuff." If he were telling the truth, their women would wear coverings on their heads, their men would be greeting each other with holy kisses, they would encouraging all their people to seel everything so that poor people could eat, their worship songs would be nothing but Psalms. . .If they don't do all those things, then they are "theologizing" the biblical texts, which means they are adding "human stuff." We all add "human stuff." Because we're SUPPOSED to add "human stuff." God didn't give us a detailed playbook, he gave us a book that forces us to wrestle with it, with our "human stuff."

Winkler (when asked about Mars Hill's choice to limit leadership in the church to men): "We believe that's a role God has given to men. He's given roles for women in our church as well, but the office of "elder," we believe, is reserved for men -- for one reason or another. We'll find out (why) in eternity, I suppose."

I know, I know. It's tough to do deep theology when answering a reporter's questions. It's impossible to sum up the arguments for and against women in ministry in one pithy statement. But still. "We'll find out in eternity, I suppose?" That's supposed to convince people that our position is the correct one? It just sounds so. . .trite. It sounds so much like what Josh McDowell attacked in "Don't Check Your Brains At The Door."

It also goes back to that earler part, where Winkler said "We're pretty big Bible people." Because, if that were true, they'd be aware that even Paul commends women who are in leadership in the earliest church.

Now, to his credit, Winkler makes this comment, which is pretty powerful: "The thing that makes us successful is the power of God's word, which is the Bible. When we compromise on that, we do damage to what God wants us to do. The power of this church isn't us, it's God. We're really not driving this ship at all."

I'm saying "amen and amen." Right up to that last little sentence. I think I know what he means, but I'm also wary enough to recognize the possibility of a cop-out. It's too easy, when we're being challenged, to say "well, it's just God is all. Don't challenge me, I'm just doing what God says." Which, sometimes, really means "I have no good reason for doing what I'm doing, so blame God if you disagree." Which is a shallow answer, at best.

In the end, I want to see the Kingdom of God grow, and I want to see young leaders grow into mature leaders. I know people make mistakes and say silly things all the time, and it's not my place to sit over here and say "neener-neener" at them.

It's just that, there seems to be this trend over at Mars Hill of pastors who, while claiming to speak from a biblical point of view, instead seem to be clothing a worldly point-of-view in biblical language and calling it good. And that's not good.

Perhaps it's all just growing pains. It will be interesting to see what happens to a church that markets itself to 20-somethings ages, when all those 20-somethings are in their 40s and 50s. Will the language change? Will the "rebellious" passion remain? Or, 30 years from now, will they become the old fuddy duddies, being challenged by a "new" youth culture?

Seattle goes to war

The following public commentary is offered free-of-charge, with no endorsement by any entity other than my own wandering mind. . .

If you're paying attention, you know there's a court case going on over in Seattle at the moment, pitting the city of Seattle against the current owners of the Seattle Supersonics. These owners are trying to move the team to Oklahoma City; Seattle is trying to hold them to the final two years of their lease in Key Arena. I won't go into the particulars. . .you can read all the details on the Seattle P-I or Seattle Times websites.


What's unfortunate is that, in many ways, it's coming down to a Seattle vs. Oklahoma City brawl. Message boards are filling up with all sorts of vitriol against those "okie hicks from the dust bowl" and those "latte-sippin' hippies from the arctic." Of course, the mismanagement and general buffoonery of the Sonics ownership, made up of some of Oklahoma City's "finest business people," certainly has left many in the northwest wondering just how dumb these Sooners must be? And the high-stepping, seemingly self-serving behavior of former owner Howard Schultz, and the Washington politicians, has left a bad taste in the mouth of those down southeast. Still, it's unfortunate that two cities have to end up hating on each other so much, just because a few civic bigwigs can't get their act together.

Take Two.

Yesterday it was anounced that the General Accounting Office sided with Boeing in their protest of the Air Force decision to pay a European company billions of dollars to build airborne refueling tankers. Which means the Air Force most likely will go back and revisit the decision, opening it back up for bids and going through the whole process again (which, btw, is costing us taxpayers quite a bit of money).


Most of those tankers would have been built, or at least finished, in a yet-to-be-built plant in Mobile, Alabama. The citizens of Mobile were planning on this as a boon to their economy, an entrance into the big-boy world of the aerospace business. And I'm sure they're pretty miffed at the GAO decision. Here in Seattle, those that care are too busy celebrating to care much about the feelings of Alabamians, but I've checked a message board or two from the Mobile area, and sure enough - Seattlites are "rude," "have no manners," "cheat and steal and lie," Boeing is a "monopoly," etc. etc. etc.

And as the case continues to roll along, as new decisions are made, I'm sure more feelings will get hurt, more sparks will fly.

Really, Seattle used to be such a nice place. Live and let live, enjoy the geoducks and rain and don't worry about what others think. Now it seems Seattle is in a war of words with all these other cities and their (fine?) citizens.

And it's just too bad. I'm sure Oklahoma City is a nice enough place (I once took a nap through there); and Mobile is probably made up of some fine folks. But in the worlds of Professional Sports and International Business, the stakes become high, and it seems the commoners get crushed by the owners/politicians/CEOs.

Maybe that's why I'm a pastor and not a multi-millionaire business owner. I'm just too nice, wanting everybody to get along and treat each other nicely. I wouldn't have the heart to create this little wars, just to make a buck.

Although, and I guess this is the one positive thing out of all this; it's a lot more exciting than the ongoing slog that is the 2008 Presidential campaign.

Hmm.

For 45 minutes, I kept saying "this is the most boring Super Bowl ever. And even if the Patriots win, I'm not impressed."

That final quarter sure made up for the rest of the game, didn't it?

Oh, and this. It's always an odd moment when you are at a church football party and a Victoria's Secret commercial comes on. Robert and I had to take care of that with some quick body blocking.

The NBA is Fund-Tastic!

As any of our loyal readers would know, we bought a car a couple weeks ago. The Kia dealership has this deal going on - test drive a Kia, and get two free tickets to a home game of the Seattle Supersonics. So, since we drove the car (we were already going to buy) around the block, we asked about the tickets.

"How many do you want?" the guy asked.

"How many can we have?" we asked.

"10?" the guy suggested.

Turns out they've been finding it difficult to give these tickets away. Which probably says more about interest in the local NBA franchise than it does about interest in Kia automobiles. But, the Kia people realize it doesn't look good to have lots of empty seats where they had promised fans, so they were desperate to give these away to willing suckers. (Note to Kia - I have the feeling that nobody would really notice if your seats were empty. From what I hear, Key Arena is pretty empty these days, anyway.) So, we took 10 tickets to this Sunday's game against the Sacramento Kings.

If you've been paying attention, these are interesting times for the Sonics. Their Oklahoma-based ownership has been finagling to move them to Oklahoma-City. This is supposedly because the locals refuse to fund a $500 million dollar arena in which a bunch of rich guys can get richer. Many suspect, however, that said owners are using the arena as a ruse; that they bought the team to move them to Oklahoma City in the first place, thus taking Seattle's team in order to cement their status as heroes in Dustbowl Land.

In addition, the team is tanking this year. Just lost their franchise-record 12th game in a row last night. All reports are that they are just plain pathetic.

So there's this perfect storm brewing. Ownership wants to move, the locals refuse to pay for a new arena, the Seahawks have never been so popular, and the Mariners are a close #2. Interest in the Sonics is flagging quickly. And across the board, the NBA model appears to be broken. Most teams are losing money, viewership is down, even the ratings for the NBA Finals are plummeting year after year. Yet, many locals are angry that the NBA would allow this sort of thing to happen - new owner destroys team and city legacy in order to pad his own pockets. It's all this big, ugly mess.

But, we got free tickets, so why not? Olivia may never get to see professional basketball in Seattle again, so we'll go for it. Plus, it will be a good way to spend an evening with family and a few friends, and just maybe, perhaps, get to see some good basketball. They have to break that string sometime, right? And if Kevin Durant ever becomes a superstar, we can say we saw him his rookie year.

Oh, but this was the other thing. We went online to see what our tickets would cost. We're in the "end zone," behind the basket. About 21 rows back. Not the nosebleed, but certainly not prime seats (what do you expect for free?). And these tickets go for $90 a piece, plus a $9 service charge.

Are you kidding me? That's $1000 worth of tickets we got.

I'm not sure whether I should feel lucky that we got $1000 worth of tickets for free, or outraged that anybody would charge (or pay) that much for tickets to a Sonics' game. How does anybody afford these things on a regular basis? How does a working-class family scrape up enough to pay hundreds of dollars for a 2-hour game?

No wonder the NBA is broken.

I think, after this, we're switching to minor league baseball.

Sports Sideline

When you don't watch television, New Year's Day takes on a different tone. No Rose Parade, no endless supply of college football. It almost doesn't feel like New Years.

Well, the fact that I was groggy and funky from this cold probably added to that affect.

At least I had From the Earth to the Moon (a present from sister Susan) to get me through the day.

But the NFL playoffs are here, and the Seahawks are playing this Saturday at 1:30, here in Seattle, against everybody's suddenly-favorite team, the Redskins. The Seahawks have become a beacon of excellence in the Seattle sports world - 4 straight division championships, 5 straight playoff appearances, the 2005 Super Bowl run.

And yet I've learned over the years what a fickle mistress sports can be. She pulls you in and entices you with words of passion and excitement, then dashes your hopes to the ground beneath a flurry of bad calls and stupid mistakes. Maybe it's true everywhere; it certainly seems true here in Seattle. Way back when, the Sonics became the first #1 seed to lose in the first round to an 8 seed. The M's in 2001 had the best record ever seen in baseball, only to choke and wither away in the ALCS. The UW Huskies are currently mired in the biggest mud pit they've ever found themselves in. And the Seahawks, for all their swagger and talent, still find ways to lose to teams of no account - think the Cardinals and the Saints. Not to mention that one game where they did show up with all the talent and desire to win, only to have it taken away from them by the *ahem* officiating crew.

So some time ago I forced myself to stop caring so much. To be interested, yes. Intrigued? Of course. To cheer for the hometown team? Absolutely. To stay glued to the radio this coming Saturday? You bet. And I expect Seattle to win. They have the talent, the home-field advantage, the recent playoff history, and should handle the Redskins quite comfortably.

But, after all, this is Seattle, and the gods of Sport do not shine favorably very often our way. So my hopes aren't exactly all that high. And should we lose? Don't come taunting me, because I'll just say "Yep. You're right. That's sports for ya."

Putting on the Sports Commentator Hat

Was it just me, or was that the most boring World Series ever? No offense to the Red Sox - they showed up and played. But as far as the whole series goes? It was about as exciting as watching the leaves fall off the maple in my backyard. Where was the drama? Where was the nail-biter finish? Where was the other team?

They were saying on the radio that of the 7 playoff series this year (division championships, league championship) something like 5 were sweeps. This was the 2nd-lowest rated World Series, as far as TV-ratings go (second only to last year's).

I listened to the games off and on as I happened to be around, but it all seems like a big yawner to me. And, apparently, to most of America. (most of America outside of New England and Colorado, that would be)

End of sports commentary

Note to the family

Just a warning: It's only the preseason, but the Seahawks begin their football season today. And for the first time in years the Mariners are still in the playoff hunt this late in the summer. Sorry if I seem a little distracted over the next few months. . .

The Curse is Lifted, or , "I'd forgotten how good that felt"

I average 3-4 ballgames a year. When I lived in Ontario (California), we'd go catch the Mariners every time they came to play Anaheim, and if UW had a game at USC or UCLA, we'd be there. When we lived in Portland, we'd come up to Seattle a couple times a year to see the Mariners play. And when we lived in Turlock, we'd head over to Oakland, usually to see the M's play the A's, although I went to at least one A's vs. Rangers game. Last year, after moving to Seattle, we made it to Safeco near the end of the season for one game, and last Fall my brother got us tickets to see the Seahawks and the 49ers play at Qwest Field.

And why is all that important? Because, for over 10 years and all those games, EVERY SINGLE GAME I attended the team I was cheering for lost. I saw the M's when they had Griffey, when they won 116 games. I saw the Huskies when they had some good football teams. I saw the Seahawks one year after they went to the Super Bowl. And for over 10 years I ALWAYS went home disappointed.

Until yesterday. When Seattle beat the Red Sox 2-1 in the bottom of the 11th inning, when Jose Lopez hit a double that Manny Ramirez barely missed catching, sending Ichiro home from 1st. And for once I could leave feeling great about the game.

Add to that the 43,000 festive fans, a sunny afternoon at the park, a wonderful pitching gem, some tense moments of drama, some highlight-reel catches, spending a day with my dad and my oldest daughter, and the fact that it was the Red Sox and not some sucky team like the Rangers or Brewers. . .

It was a very good day, and a lovely way to lay that losing streak to rest.