Seattle deserves a Husky win on Saturday

For many Seattle sports fans, it is binge drinking time. Or excessive exercise time. Or whatever it is that gets your mind off a year in sports that has spiraled out of control. And to that end, I say:

Seattle deserves a Husky win on Saturday.

A Washington victory over Oklahoma on the shores of Lake Washington probably won’t help Huskies coach Tyrone Willingham keep his job. And it won’t rewrite the litany of miserable sports stories this past year.

But sticking it to Oklahoma, however fleeting a moment it may be, would give fans a little relief from a year that’s been a total mess.

If you’ve been buried in a hole somewhere or haven’t been paying attention to the trials (literally) and tribulations of the Seattle sports fan, let’s recap:

Sept. 10, 2007 – The Seattle City Council says no thanks to a lease buyout offer from Seattle SuperSonics owner and Oklahoma City big shot Clay Bennett. Bennett bought the team roughly a year before and gave the city and state a one-year window of opportunity to build him a half-billion dollar NBA palace or he’ll have to take his ball and go someplace else. Oh, like maybe Oklahoma City – just for example.

Sept. 24, 2007 – The city of Seattle “lawyers up” and files a lawsuit against the Clay Job to hold him to the team’s KeyArena lease through 2010.

Oct. 20, 2007 – The Husky football team loses at home to Oregon 55-34. It’s their fourth consecutive loss to the Ducks who rushed for a school-record 465 yards in the game.

Nov. 2, 2007 – ClayClay says he’s going to ask the NBA and his Best Friend Forever David Stern permission to move the Sonics to Oklahoma City.

Nov. 24, 2007 – The Huskies lose to instate rival Washington State 42-35. Alex Brink connected with Brandon Gibson with a 35-yard touchdown pass with 31 seconds left to give the Cougars the Apple Cup win.

Dec. 30 2007 – The Seattle Seahawks back into the playoffs with a 44-41 loss to the woefully bad Atlanta Falcons.

Jan. 12, 2008 – After going up 14-0 with two quick scores on the road in Green Bay, the Seattle Seahawks laid an egg in the divisional playoff game against the Packers. As the snow began to cover Lambeau Field, the Packers regrouped and outscored the Hawks 42-6 the rest of the game. Packers running back Ryan Grant ran for 201 yards and three touchdowns. Brett Favre threw for three touchdowns. It was an embarrassing ass kicking in front of a national TV audience.

March 4, 2008 – Oklahoma City residents agree to tax themselves in order to raise $120 million earmarked for improvements to the Ford Center arena. The tax dollars will also go towards the construction of a practice facility for the Sonics.

April 1, 2008 – The Seattle Mariners lose their first game of the season, 5-4 to Texas. Seattle fans are optimistic about the off season moves, including the addition of ace pitcher Erik Bedard. Little do they know that this is the first in quite possibly 100 losses for the M’s.

April 13, 2008 – The Sonics play what would ultimately be their last game in Seattle, a 99-95 win over the Dallas Mavericks. At the time, many people thought the team would be back next year and they could continue to watch the green and gold in Seattle.

April 16, 2008 – The Sonics beat the Golden State Warriors in their final game of the season, but still post the worst record in franchise history, 20-62.

April 18, 2008 – The corpse that is the Sonics 2007-08 season hasn’t even cooled and the NBA Board of Assholes approves the Sonics’ move to Oklahoma City.

May 7, 2008 – The Texas Rangers blank the M’s 2-0 and Seattle moves into last place in their division – where they will remain the rest of the season. The season is essentially over with four and a half months left to go.

June 9, 2008 – Mariners fire hitting coach Jeff Pentland.

June 16, 2008 – The Sonics lease trial begins. Never before have we seen so many liars, morons and profiteers gathered in one room. The revelations are stunning. The tales are tall. And the fans ultimately get the shaft.

On the same day, Mariners general manager Bill Bavasi is fired.

June 19, 2008 – M’s manager John McLaren is fired.

July 2, 2008 – The city of Seattle settles its lawsuit with Bennett and the Sonics are free to move to Oklahoma City. Bennett skips town with his team, but he has to pay $45 million to get out of the lease. He’ll have to pay an additional $30 million if the state legislature approves funding for a new arena in 2009 and the NBA doesn’t return by 2013.

Aug. 8, 2008 – Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck tweaks his back in the first preseason game and doesn’t take a snap in the remaining three exhibition games. Bobby Engram is injured in the same game and isn’t expected back until after the bye week in October. He joins injured receiver Deion Branch who has been rehabbing his knee for almost a year.

Aug. 29, 2008 – Former Sonics owner Howard Schultz drops his lawsuit against Bennett, officially killing any chance or remaining hopes of getting the Sonics back.

Aug. 31, 2008 – The Washington Huskies are thoroughly kicked around by the hated Oregon Ducks. Final score: 44-10. It’s the fifth consecutive loss to the no-class University of Nike.

Sept. 3, 2008 – Clay Bennett unveils the new team name and logo for the team formerly called the SuperSonics. The NBA now welcomes the Oklahoma City Thunder to the league. Everyone laughs except for Sonics fans who realize, yes, they are really gone. And they are really not coming back.

Sept. 6, 2008 – A Pac-10 officiating crew determines the outcome of yet another football game. With seconds left in the game against BYU, quarterback Locker scrambles from the BYU 3-yard line and into the end zone for the score. He’s flagged for excessive celebration and PAT is moved to a 35-yard try. BYU blocks the kick and the Huskies lose by 1.

Sept. 7, 2008 – Nate Burleson, the only remaining veteran Seahawks receiver, blows out his knee and is lost for the season. Starting running back Maurice Morris is also injured and will miss multiple games this season.

No fan deserves this much punishment. And we’ve still got more than three months left in the year.