I've been following the "smoking gun" E-mail story out of Seattle as it relates the potential move of the Sonics from Seattle to Okla. City. Clay Bennett is the second sports owner I've been wondering about in recent months in addition to our own Mr. Taylor--how did these guys ever become wealthy? Can't Mr. Bennett afford decent tech support, or at least salient advice on how to use e-mail effectively? More than likely it won't affect the exodus out of Seattle, but it's pretty damming evidence, and will probably end up with the city extracting even more settlement money for Bennett to break the lease and skate on out of town. However, one can never predict outcomes when lawyers are involved, and I would imagine Commissioner Stern doesn't like being embarrassed and lied to, so the final chapters of this story may not be as obvious as everyone thinks.

What does this have to do with our team? Maybe nothing, but...

We've already dodged our bullet, with Stern blocking the Wolves move to New Orleans in 1994, right? Well, Target Center is one of the slew of arenas built in the late 80's; and as Sid Hartman continually loves to point out, competition between TC and the Xcel in St. Paul seems to be a losing proposition for the Minneapolis folks. There's really no comparison between the two buildings--the "X" is clearly superior. How long can Glen Taylor hemorrhage money before he identifies the arena as no longer suitable for professional basketball? Given the new Twins and Gophers stadium are now just being built, and the Vikings are continuing their multi-year quest to replace the aging Metrodome, it would take quite awhile for either the city of Minneapolis or the state to get their heads around either building a new arena or totally renovating the existing building. If the economy doesn't turn around within the next few years, how could a politician justify another expenditure of public funds for a fourth new arena? If it were even in the realm of possibility or feasibility, would Minneapolis allow a move of the Wolves to St. Paul?

Or, if Seattle does lose the Sonics, and it's proven that Bennett never had any real plan to keep the team there in the first place, will that soften Stern's attitude toward the city, and look for the first opportunity to rectify the situation, as he did with Charlotte? These are dynamics to watch, especially as the Wolves organization continues to lose audience share and money. Hey, for Wednesday's game they called me up and offered me free lower level tickets because I was a partial season ticket owner; they're trying everything to rebuild their fan base as well as their roster. Of course, winning will solve some of these problems, but never underestimate the power money has over loyalty, not in these times.