I just wanted to take a moment to let all the new people on this site know how much I appreciate your participation. In less than two weeks it seems as if the message boards have really taken off. Please SPREAD THE WORD! Let your friends know about the site so that we can continue to build a great forum for Sonics talk.
Since some of you haven't been reading long here is a brief history of the site and specifically my involvement in it:
SonicsCentral.com was originally formed by Kevin Pelton, who created it out of sheer passion while attending the University of Washington. He invited several people from internet message boards to participate, including myself. As the highlight of his SC.com career, Pelton was given the opportunity to attend media day by the team.
Click here for a sample of my very early brilliance.
When Kevin managed to parlay his passion for this site into a full time gig running the team's official website (he retains that position today), he unfortunately had to pass off management of the site and focus on his new job. I was one of several writers he asked to maintain the site in his absence. For a period of roughly two years I contributed nothing to this cause and I feel a little guilty about it today.
Then of course I discovered that there was something in it for me if I helped out. On the day before media day this season I had crazy notion to ask for permission to meet with the team at the Furtado Center. 24 hours later, a couple of longtime dreams came true as I not only got to meet with the team for a day, but recieved permission to attend practice and cover the team as a beatwriter for the site. Suddenly I was happy to pick up where Pelton left off.
SonicsCentral.com is currently operated by a group of passionate fans who have all participated in various forums over the last several years. While I was lucky enough get the team duties, the rest of the gang has set the tone for articles with our behind the scenes discussion for years. In many of our cases, the Sonics talk goes back to 1994 when it began on the UW List server. Other members met via the old ESPN forum or just through the grapevine. Since that time, we've gotten together for open practices, draft day, and various other events. Most of us have grown from college, gotten real careers, and had children of our own while staying in touch via E-mail (sadly, Steve has refused to grow up through all of this...).
I am not a professional writer on any level but have always dreamed of doing so. I currenly operate a real estate investment company and two cafes in the Ballard Area. I was born and raised in Seattle but have also lived in Oakland, CA and Manila, The Philippines for a very brief stint. I am 32 years old, married, have two children (ages 5 and 3), and not nearly enough time to participate in any of this. When you catch me slacking on the site please remember that I have a life in addition to basketball (not much) and am pretty dang lucky my wife allows this at all. It has taken a lot of time but is well worth it.
I realized last week that my perspective towards basketball had really changed when I caught myself looking for sympathy because I was so busy and "had to attend Sonics practice" that day. Like anyone should feel sorry for that.
At some point all the writers for the site should probably write bios just to introduce ourselves. In the meantime, thanks again to all the new participants. SonicsCentral.com is all about the fans, so please feel free to let us know any ideas, questions, or thoughts you may have about the site or the team. If you would like to participate via writing, management, or design input please feel free to e-mail me.
Thanks,
Brian Robinson
brian@sonicscentral.com