Seattle

Welcome to Seattle, where it doesn't rain nearly as much as you think and the traffic reports are callous and cutthroat.

You read that correctly.

Formerly known as the Seattle Supersonics, the now-Oklahoma City Thunder fell to the Memphis Grizzlies in Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals.

It was a loss that ended the Thunder's season and any hope they had of capturing an NBA title. Oh, and it also provoked a snarky response from the Seattle area.

Less than 24 hours after Oklahoma City's loss, the official WSDOT Seattle area traffic Twitter account fired some social-media shots the Thunder's way.

Ouch. It's so true. But ouch. Talk about bitter.

To be honest, there's no way this was solely about the Thunder. They're five full seasons removed from their time in Seattle, and while the wounds haven't completely healed, they're not still hemorrhaging, either.

Well, that's not entirely true. They're now extremely fresh.

But that has more to do with the NBA rejecting the proposed sale of the Sacramento Kings that would have given Seattle their beloved Sonics back.

Clad with the knowledge that it was once again deprived of housing an NBA team, Seattle is projecting its anger onto Oklahoma City. Or rather, its local traffic provider is.

The traces of frustration not-so-subtly hidden within these 140 characters (126, to be exact) aren't difficult to understand. Of course Seattle is angry. How could it not be?

For quite some time, it appeared as if the Sonics were on the cusp of a revival. Now, that dream is dead. And visions of an expansion team won't have the opportunity to be actualized until 2016. So we get it. Seattle is angry.

To displace the blame onto the Thunder, even sarcastically, isn't fair. Oklahoma City is one of the most devout fanbases in the NBA. It wasn't the fans who personally stripped Seattle of the Sonics (damn you, Clay Bennett).

Nor was it Kevin Durant. He remains one of Seattle's greatest supporters. It just happened. These things sometimes do.

If Seattle needs to berate someone, Clay Bennett is still out there.

Better yet, take shots at the Maloof brothers. They're heartless soul-suckers who destroy everything they come into contact with the ones who helped create a false sense of hope.

But leave Oklahoma City alone. Your time will come (again), Seattle.

And when it does, I would hope Oklahoma City's traffic report doesn't opt to troll your inevitable playoff exit.

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There are times in life when the truth hurts, but with a little time and perspective things sometimes start to make sense. 

Case in point, earlier this week when the NBA voted unanimously to deny a group of Seattle investors the right to move the Sacramento Kings to Seattle, I was disappointed to say the least. 

How could the NBA, just five years removed from allowing a group from Oklahoma the right to move the Sonics, suddenly have a soul?

It seemed ridiculous to punish the fans of Seattle for the second time in five years, especially given all of the time, money and effort Chris Hansen and his fellow investors had made in recent years to put together what appeared to be a rock-solid proposal. 

Then over the course of this week after a good deal of reading and contemplation, I came to a simple conclusion: two wrongs don't make a right. 

Beyond the money, politics, and last-minute deals, the simple truth is that David Stern did not wish to make the same mistake twice. 

While I fully understand that David Stern is many things to many people, he's not stupid.  Over the course of this battle I'd imagine that Stern realized that he had to fight for Sacramento just as he did for New Orleans back in 2010. 

"But how can you choose Sacramento over Seattle?"

To answer a question with a question, why alienate yet another team's fanbase and, by extension, put the rest of the league on notice, if you can work out a deal that spares you the hassle and embarrassment?

While it would have been easy to take Hansen's money in the short-term, Stern and the voting owners considered the long-term in protecting their loyal markets while avoiding the potential of opening Pandora's box.

By rejecting the deal between Hansen and the Maloof brothers, Gavin and Joe, Stern essentially stops any carpetbagger from rolling into town and waving his checkbook while either hijacking the town for a new arena or moving the team to the destination of their choice. 

Meanwhile if there is one small positive to glean from this vote it's that hopefully other cities don't have to live in fear of ending up like Seattle, but, of course, this victory for the fans comes five years too late for the Sonics.

"That's just great, so now what?"

I'm not sure the battle is over and can see three potential scenarios moving forward:

1. Hansen accepts the vote and waits patiently to see if the Sacramento deal falls apart.

2. Hansen sets his sights elsewhere.

3. Hansen digs in and fights.

With the onus now on the Sacramento group to actually deliver tangible results, I'd imagine Stern will make sure to remind mayor Kevin Johnson that Hansen is still waiting in the wings.  Besides, option No. 1, while plausible, seems a bit too passive, especially with 50 percent of the money promised by the Sacramento group now in escrow as of Friday (via The News Tribune).

As for option No. 2, the idea of poaching the likes of the Milwaukee Bucks or Charlotte Bobcats is not only unappealing in more ways that I have the time or energy to describe here, but highly unlikely given the the fact that the Sacramento deal is not yet final. 

So basically that leaves us with option No. 3, which, based on Hansen's response (Sonicsarena.com) to Monday's vote, makes the most sense.  

What's funny is that up until now, everyone has maintained a fair level of civility in this process, yet after this week you get the feeling now that the real fight is about to begin. 

Oddly enough, though, I don't know who or what to root for anymore. 

Prior to this week, the Seattle bid made the most sense in my mind from a financial standpoint, but for selfish reasons as well.  Once upon a time I loved basketball and over the past few months I've been intrigued by the potential of resurrecting the Sonics.  At the same time I've also felt a bit conflicted in both debating and defending the ethics of the situation. 

This week for me though was the tipping point, though, not so much with the vote, but the response to it.  

Between the cries of hypocrisy (Tacoma News Tribune), to the suggestion of poaching the Bucks (seattlepi.com) and even questioning whether Seattle has been "too nice" in the process (Seattle Times), left me to question whether everyone had lost their minds.

Don't get me wrong, I'm still disappointed, but I also feel we look petty in having lost this round while perhaps losing sight that we still have a ways to go before this matter is resolved. 

Even worse is all the venom seen on message boards between both Sacramento fans or even among ourselves, not to mention the endless blame of David Stern for all of our troubles.

Fact is, it's not like anything is going to change suddenly the day after he retires next winter.  

Stern is and forever will be a hated man in Seattle, no matter how this deal turns out.  Deep down I'm almost certain he knows that and that nothing short of turning back the hands of time will change that. 

With that in mind, he did everything he could to make sure it didn't happen again, this time in Sacramento. 

"Ok, but did he do so in an honest and fair manner?"

Some day a judge and jury may get to decide that, but does it really matter for now?

Unfortunately, odds are only one of us will win, unless Hansen somehow manages to get an expansion team out of this mess either by suing or as a going away gift from Stern.

Regardless, everybody needs to hang tight, hopefully remain civil in the process and understand that Seattle and Sacramento are not at war with each other.  (I know I'm kidding myself here, but feel free to amuse me for just a minute or two.)  Having been on both sides of this debate now over the course of the past five years, I can safely say that we are merely pawns being played against each other in a game well beyond our control. 

Understanding that now has helped me accept that whatever the league decides, whether I like it or not.  For as much as I'd love to see the Sonics return to Seattle, I can appreciate the league's desire to maintain some form of continuity while hopefully keeping the fans' best interests in mind. 

It's a damn shame that it took them five years to figure that out and involved crushing our hopes and dreams, not once, but two times in the process. 

Don’t look now, but the 2013 Seattle Mariners can hit. I know, I know, you’re waiting for the punchline, right?

After all, we’re talking about the Mariners. This is a team that has redefined ineptitude at the plate over the last couple of seasons.

The team that would celebrate if it actually hit .240 for the year.

After beating the Baltimore Orioles on May 1st, Seattle finished an impressive 5-2 homestand where it scored 30 runs over seven games. These are obviously not massive numbers, but they are a good sign for Seattle fans.

After that game, the Mariners had a team average of .245, which ranked 18th in Major League Baseball. Eighteenth! Stop the presses!

But wait, there is more. The Mariners are 22nd in on-base percentage at .311 for the year. Not quite as impressive as 18th, but certainly better than past years.

I know what you are going to say. The power numbers aren’t any good, right? Wrong. Seattle has 30 home runs, which is 13th in Major League Baseball.

Who has led the way? Kyle Seager is leading this team offensively, with his .288 average to go along with three home runs and 13 RBI. Michael Saunders is back from injury and batting .286 in 2013. Mike Morse has a nice five-game hitting streak and leads the team with nine home runs. Kendrys Morales is heating up and is now hitting .267 for the year.

Even Justin Smoak (.240) and Dustin Ackley (.245) are starting to contribute consistently after starting very slow for the year. Suddenly, the Mariners are looking like a genuine, bona fide offensively-effective squad.

Obviously Jesus Montero (.212) still needs to get into a groove and shortstop has been a poor combination of Brendan Ryan (.149) and Robert Andino (.184). Is Nick Franklin ready to come up?

Now, granted, we need to temper excitement about the offense and remember that the Mariners are still trailing the Oakland A’s by 5.5 games. In addition, this offensive production has not been consistent throughout the season. The Mariners went through a stretch in April against the Tigers and Rangers where they scored three runs in four games.

The offense has played better at home, which is another good sign. However, we will see how this team does when it has to play 14 of its next 17 games on the road.

Still, this is what fans were hoping to see. As astutely tweeted by Geoff Baker of The Seattle Times:

Veterans like Mike Morse and Kendrys Morales blending with youngsters like Ackley, Seager and Jesus Montero to create a solid, if not spectacular offense.

At the moment, the Mariners are a decent, if not good, offensive team. Who would have thought?

Follow @tpheifer

Did you know that Saturday night at Safeco Field is Dustin Ackley Bat Night?

All kids 14 and under will receive a full-sized Dustin Ackley Louisville Slugger, complements of Jack Link's Beef Jerky. 

Seriously, I can't make this stuff up.

Don't believe me?

Feel free to check the official 2013 promotions and special events schedule at Mariners.com.

Honestly, sometimes you need to laugh to keep from crying with this team.

However, if you've already given up all hope, feel free to simply take the bat home to smash your "Smoakamotive" (eBay) from last year to pieces with it to vent your frustration. 

That's assuming you will make the journey to Safeco in the first place.   

If I had to venture a guess, I'd imagine that more people in the region probably watched the NFL draft the past two days to see who the Seahawks selected in their quest for a Super Bowl than any of the Mariners' games.

Making matters worse as we approach the month of May it appears we're already potentially on course for an expansion team performance this season, according to Larry Stone at the Seattle Times.

I suppose it didn't help that beyond Monday night's offensive outburst in support of Felix Hernandez's 100th career victory and Hisashi Iwakuma's 11-strikeout performance the next night, the trip to Texas was a complete disaster as the Mariners dropped five of six games.  

Things got so bad that manager Eric Wedge decided to bench one of his players (Seattlepi.com) and scold the team (Seattle Times).

Whether these moves have any meaningful impact remains to be seen, yet I suppose Wedge is simply trying to work with what he has at his disposal given that the list of potential reinforcements fail inspire much confidence, according to Stone in another report filed this week:

At Tacoma, there are several players with major-league experience who are off to decent starts. The problems is that in most cases, they are players who have already had struggles at the major-league level. Now, that doesn’t mean they are doomed to have their weaknesses exploited for perpetuity. But it gives you pause.

Perhaps then, I should pause in wondering whether the demotion of Brendan Ryan in favor of Robert Andino is really just the M's way of paving a path for Brad Miller to take over in the second half?

Regardless, it just doesn't make sense to get too far ahead of yourself this season with this crew, especially when you look at the upcoming Seattle Mariners 2013 Schedule" href="http://espn.go.com/mlb/team/schedule/_/name/sea/seattle-mariners" target="_blank">May schedule (ESPN). 

After finishing up this homestand against Los Angeles and Baltimore, the M's will head to Toronto and Pittsburgh, then come back to Seattle for a three-game set to face Oakland before swinging back east to play New York and Cleveland. They will finish off their road trip with two mid-week games against Los Angeles before having Texas show up at Safeco for a weekend series.

I'm feeling jet-lagged just typing that, I can only imagine how the M's will deal with it in real time.

Oddly enough though, that brutal stretch could set the tone for the remainder of the season.

Coming out of spring training, I had hoped the Mariners would avoid this level of desperation, assuming (more like, hoping) the veterans brought in this winter could help bridge the gap until the team's top prospects could be integrated into the lineup over the course of the season.

However, beyond the occasional solid pitching performance from Hernandez and Iwakuma, along with the recent hitting streak of Kyle Seager, the rest of the team has generally failed to show any sort of consistency. 

With no solid options to promote, does that mean Wedge and general manager Jack Zduriencik get to take the fall instead if things continue to spiral downward?

As always, Dave Cameron at USS Mariner, is one step ahead of us:

If it happens, I’m not going to be against the decision, and I don’t think having an interim manager or GM would lead to impending doom. But, I don’t know that it would really help anything either.

During a season, there’s only so much an organization can really do. The Mariners made this bed when they let the front office try and build a winning team around dingers and voodoo. It has blown up in their faces in a comical way, and it’s probably going to cost the people in charge their jobs. But, I don’t know that it needs to cost them their jobs in a RIGHT NOW THIS MINUTE I DEMAND CHANGE kind of way.

I can't argue with any of that, although part of me would like to see Cameron given a shot to see if he could turn things around.

Meanwhile, I can only imagine what will be going through Dustin Ackley's mind tonight at Safeco as his teammates likely joke with him about the fact it's his bat night.  Hopefully, in spite of their struggles, the players will still have a sense of humor. 

Truth be told, I almost pity this team.  As we saw in spring training, they seem to be a decent bunch, but bless their hearts, they can't quite get their act together.

For his sake, I hope Ackley can at least give Saturday night's crowd something to cheer about.  It may not be much, but at this point, any small gesture is welcome. 

To think that only two years earlier, Ackley was still struggling at Tacoma before catching fire prior to his arrival in Seattle.  I remember him continuing his impressive stretch after joining the M's in what looked like the beginning of a promising career. 

Deep down, I still think there's a solid ballplayer in Ackley searching to rediscover that spark, as evidenced by what we've seen the past week. 

Once again though, I'd like to avoid getting too far ahead of myself and take this one step at a time. 

Yet, if you're of the tender age to receive a bat on Saturday night, you may be left to wonder why the adult accompanying you struggles to find the joy that he or she once had for the game and this particular franchise. 

It's not that anyone should expect the Mariners to win, it's more that a ticket to the ballpark should afford you an experience worth savoring, regardless of whatever swag/trinket the team hands you at the turnstile.  

It doesn't necessarily have to be this way, but the "dingers and voodoo" approach that Cameron described, has struggled to generate wins or excitement; therefore fans are staying away.

Could things change?

Anything is possible, yet barring a minor miracle, I think this team will look very different by midsummer. 

Until then, the show must go on. Just don't expect anyone to show up to watch unless a bobblehead, key chain, hat or T-shirt is involved with bonus points on night's like tonight when King Felix is pitching.