TKO

The skies turned gray. The rolling thunder shook the ground. The lightening blasted through the clouds.

This was the scene hours after the city of Seattle caved in and traded 41 years of memories for $45 million. The skies haven't cleared up since. The basketball Gods are responding.

For anyone who's ever considered themselves a Supersonics fans, they probably feel like someone pinned them down on broken beer bottles and started laying haymakers to their heart.

As bad as it felt watching Dikembe Mutombo lay on the court, holding the ball above his face like he gave birth to electricity when the eighth seed Nuggets beat the top seed Sonics in the first round of the 1994 playoffs, this is infinitely worse.

Sure, the Sonics peacing out seemed like a distinct possibility, but few thought it would conclude like this. The city would have been better off losing the case then taking the greasy, oil stained cash from the Oklahoma City pirates.

What does Seattle plan to do with it's new found wealth? It surely won't go to the bar and restaurant owners around Key Arena who raked in a couple grand extra whenever the Sonics played a home game. What happens when those businesses go in the crapper because the whino throwing back Schlitz beer at the end of the bar is the only one showing up on a regular basis?

Seattle mayor Greg Nickels will probably use some of the loot on the following:

1) Pay off his son's legal bills
2) Daily Krispy Kreme office parties
3) Offer a bonus to newly appointed communications director, Robert Mak

And that doesn't even take into account the extra $30 million the city can net if the NBA doesn't return to Seattle in five years. Think that's happening?

There hasn't been an NFL team in L.A. in 13 years. It took D.C. 34 years to bring back baseball. NBA commish David Stern would rather go clubbing with Stephen Jackson before dealing with the inept politicians from Washington State.

Everyone seemed to make out pretty good on this deal. Former owner Howard Schultz made a tidy profit from the sale. Current owner Clayton Bennett lived out his wet dream and got an NBA team in a fly over state. The city of Seattle got a cool $45 mil.

Everyone made out pretty good except for the fans, the players and Sonics play-by-play man Kevin Calabro. They got screwed.

Newly drafted Russell Westbrook must be thrilled about playing in Oklahoma City. Hope he has a nice pair of shit kickers.

Grown men are fighting back tears on Seattle's sports talk radio station, KJR 950AM. If things seem depressing now, imagine how bleak it will be come November when NBA games start again and Key Arena becomes basketballs Tiger Stadium.

The Sonics provided Seattle with its only major professional sports championship. For the large majority of their 41 years in Seattle, they were the only pro franchise worth following.

And now it's all gone.