• SPORTS CRACKLE POP cycles up some good reasons to pay attention to this year’s Tour de France - all the lovely ladies lining the route.

• Meanwhile, EDDIEBEAR suggests this fellow try out for next year’s Tour, if only for the hilarity that will surely ensue.

• Kobe Bryant & Joey Gathright must be proud: THE 700 LEVEL jumps at the chance to show this Philadelphia Soul Arena Football player getting some elevation over the opposing kicker.

• The FORT WORTH STAR TELEGRAM fishes up news that golf stud Tony Romo took a tumble into a pond & had to be rescued by Jeremy Roenick.

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When Sonics ownership reached a settlement with the city of Seattle, it paved the way for the team to finally move to Oklahoma City. As a result, KeyArena now has a whole bunch of open dates to fill - 100, to be exact.

The SEATTLE TIMES explains that although the Sonics play(ed) a 41-game home schedule, the arena would reserve extra dates to accommodate some flexibility for the NBA to plan out its season schedule. And there was the factor of possible playoff games to occupy arena space - although that hadn’t been much of a problem in recent years.

But with the loss of its prime tenant, could the KeyArena also witness the loss of its name, and more importantly, its sponsorship money?

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The Supersonics can now move to Oklahoma Sooner than later, as a settlement has been reached with the city of Seattle.

The SEATTLE TIMES reports that city officials have reached an agreement with the NBA club over a lawsuit cocnering the team’s current lease with KeyArena. The city was suing the Sonics to force them to finish out the final two years of the lease, meaning the team would have to play two more years in Seattle. Read more…

Hey Seattle, it’s us, Oklahoma City. We’re getting your team and we couldn’t be happier. Maybe if you guys weren’t such sissy liberals, you’d have been able to keep your precious, precious Sonics.

(typical Seattle fan)

Nah, probably not. You’re all too busy drinking coffee and wearing flannel. Why don’t you go chase Sasquatch, you bunch of hippies? While you’re all living under a bridge, we’ll be enjoying the sweet, sweet sound of Kevin Durant’s jumpers hitting the bottom of the net. Read more…

Despite the best efforts of the blogosphere, the NBA owners have voted overwhelmingly to approve the Sonics’ move from Seattle to Oklahoma City. But it wasn’t a unanimous decision.

CBS SPORTS reports that Friday’s final tally was 28-2 in support of the move. The two owners casting the dissenting votes were Mark Cuban of the Dallas Mavericks and Paul Allen of the Portland Trail Blazers. Why wouldn’t these guys go along with the crowd?

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THE OKLAHOMAN tallies up the news that Oklahoma City voters have approved an arena tax, clearing one more hurdle that will help the Sooner State land the Seattle Supersonics.

Over 62% of the votes were in favor of extending a current 1-cent sales tax that was to expire at the end of the year. The new proposal would continue the tax into 2010, and is expect to raise more than $121 million for improvements to the Ford Center.

The Sonics appear one step closer to pulling out of the Pacific Northwest for the Great Plains. Even their website acknowledges the inevitable. Read more…