Open Court: Heartless in Seattle

Imagine you’re in your late-20s and you have yet to find that perfect, fulfilling relationship.

Sure, you’ve had a few people you’ve dated exclusively, but each time you got your hopes up, they found a way to let you down.

Put simply, these relationships were never quite as good as they seemed on the surface.

Now, you just recently went through a painful breakup where most of the decision was completely out of your control. You swore off dating, ultimately deciding that the heartache and confusion wasn’t worth it.

Suddenly, you meet the person of your dreams.

This individual is everything you have been looking for. After spending a few months in the most wonderful relationship of your life, you let your guard down and decide to give love another chance.

But in a cruel twist of fate, this person has a pair of meddlesome parents.

They have decided it is time for the person of your dreams to move to Oklahoma City, never to see you again. There is an outside chance that the move won’t happen, but all signs point to this person leaving your life forever.

Sounds gut wrenching, doesn’t it?

This is what life is like for a Seattle sports fan.

One of America’s most passionate sports cities is in danger of suffering yet another painful dose of heartache and confusion.

Through the 1990s, the fine people of Seattle watched Ken Griffey Jr., Randy Johnson and Alex Rodriguez fall short of the World Series, then flee the premesis.

They endured the endless run of 8-8 Seahawks seasons.

They watched Shawn Kemp waste his prime. They watched Seattle’s front office trade away Scottie Pippen for Olden Polynice.

They listened to Matt Hasselbeck shout, “We’ll take the ball, and we’re going to score,” just before throwing an interception at Lambeau Field.

Things finally took an optimistic turn early in 2006, when the Seahawks rode a 13-3 regular season record and a pair of strong playoff performances into Super Bowl XL.

Seattle fans let their guard down, only to see a sloppy Seahawks team and an inept officiating crew spoil their moment in the sun.

With morale at an all-time low, it would take a special player to turn things around.

Almost on cue, Kevin Durant arrived in the Pacific Northwest.

After a remarkable freshman season at the University of Texas, the 6-foot, 10-inch scoring machine is already one of the NBA’s must-see attractions.

The 18-year-old phenom is already 14th in the NBA with his 22.6 points per game average. There is nothing more satisfying as a sports fan than watching a potential superstar in the early stages of greatness.

But Seattle fans likely won’t have the chance to watch Durant’s development. Supersonics chairman Clay Bennet intends to move the team to Oklahoma City, with NBA commissioner David Stern stating that there will never be another team in Seattle if the Supersonics leave.

No region should have to deal with this much heartache.

Let’s hope this latest setback doesn’t cause Seattle to swear off sports for good.

nprevenas@gvnews.com | 547-9747