Jim Mora fired

[Jiggers]

Hiring Pete Carroll would be a grave mistake in my opinion. Do you like Paul Allen as the owner of the Seahawks? Personally, I wouldn’t shake his hand for any reason except one. He did save the team from Ken Behring moving it to California. But I don’t think he’s a very good a businessman. But what do I know.

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[JanS]

compare the money in his bank account to the money in your bank account…seems that he’s done pretty well so far in business :)

I don’t believe that they gave Jim Mora much of a chance, but they can’t fire all the players, so the coach has to go. Mr. Carroll has done a great job with USC…don’t know how that translates to the NFL…guess we’ll see, if he’s the pick.

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[Jiggers]

See Jan.. And you wonder why you get people on your case here. This thread is getting off on the wrong foot because of your snarkism again.

To add: You said Carroll has done a great job at USC, I guessing you don’t read the sportspage too much because he’s having major problems keeping his players in line and the football program is under a huge microscope regarding RB Joe McKinight, and the ever lingering probe of Reggie Bush. You can read it here. This is just the tip of the problems at USC. Carroll knows it and wants out.

click,

http://www.latimes.com/sports/college/usc/la-sp-joe-mckinght-nfl9-2010jan09,0,5513228.story

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[JoB]

Paul Allen earned the right to own the Seahawks the good old fashioned way… he was at the right place at the right time…and capitalized on his opportunities.

That may not make him a great team owner.. but it sure gives him the right to choose who he wants to head his team.

personally.. and i had not better say this in hearing range of either my sons or grandsons… i would have been just as happy if the team had gone to California. I think our public funds could have been much better spent.

But there you go… different strokes for different folks..

btw.. i have shaken Paul Allen’s hand.. and i didn’t get cooties… no gold either.. but no cooties.

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[beachdrivegirl]

Job-are you kidding me? Seahawks leave because of public funds??? Read up before you speak-seattles economy would suffer if we lost another sporting team. And on a side note I think anyone but mora is good for the hawks.

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[JanS]

jiggers…I wasn’t trying to be snarky. You read me wrong…but apologies, anyway. You’re right. I don’t read the sports page. I watch the Seahawks play…if they aren’t playing well, I turn it off and go do something else.

I’m a Husky fan, not a USC fan. USC seems to be doing OK. If some of the USC players are giving people a hard time, perhaps a loss of scholarship and a little humility are in order. Or maybe a trip out behind the woodshed would help.. Young, brash, cocky “I’m important” football players are what you get sometimes when you keep telling them how wonderful they are.

BDG..JoB’s was her opinion, and she has every right to it, just as you do yours. We all have them…opinions, I mean, and they’re worth..well, not much in the realm of things important, huh.

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[JoB]

beachdrivegirl..

i have heard that great myth.. that professional sports teams do so much for the economy that we should be tickled to support them… the problem is that those who pay don’t all benefit.

but as one of the people supporting them.. i would prefer to spend my dollars elsewhere.. on trivial things like roads and health care and public housing and …

Our libraries are shutting their doors for part of the week this year. Our Universities are raising tuition and closing programs. Our schools are struggling to fund basic education.

need i go on?

I am of that minority that thinks sports teams should support themselves.. and it may come as a surprise to everyone.. but they generate enough income to do so.

So, no, I am not kidding you.

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[celeste17]

JoB, I have been in that mind set for a long time. Why do professional sports players earn millions of dollars each year and our school teachers are struggling to pay their bills?

Why must the libraries shut down for a day? Why is a professional player or a coach worth more then a child’s eduction?

Why must you pay a hundred dollars to go to a football game?

I personally would rather go see an amateur game.

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[jamminj]

I don’t know if Mora was the right coach or not, but after making news by selecting him before even Holmgren was gone, seems premature to release him after one year, with a team filled with injuries to start the year.

.

As far as paying $$$ for a pro sports game… its supply and demand. And you don’t have to pay $100 dollars to a game. I was able to find tickets this year for $25. I frequently go to the mariners for less than $25. And I used to go to the sonics for $10 when they were in town. Compared to our trip to the Nutcracker, the sporting events were much cheaper than the professional arts. But we enjoyed them all, why we love living here in the city.

.

And concerning schools, libraries, etc and their funding… the process is there to pay them as much as we want… but last time I remember when teachers went on strike for more, people were upset about the strike more than providing teachers with what they needed.

.

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[velo_nut]

Pete Carroll will be a DISASTER for this team.

He must have naked pictures of somebody to pull off this move.

To not give Mora the chance at another year to rebuild is absolutely stupid.

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[Cait]

Sure they bring in money. But we’re still paying off those stadiums they didn’t earn. Shelling out tax money for these teams is like buying a kid with straight D’s ice cream on report card day. We haven’t seen a major sports championship win here since the Sonics in 1979. Seattle just needs to bring in someone who will win championships and bring in money that’s not coming from just people who live in Seattle.

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[Jiggers]

Cait..You have clearly made a good point. It all starts at the top. Look at George Steinbrenner and the Yankees. He goes out and get’s the best and wins. That’s why he is the most successful owner in any sport as owner period. He doesn’t care how much he spends because he knows if he wins, the money comes back regardless. Seattle doesn’t have that mentality. Seattle settles for mediocrity. You think small you get small.

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[beachdrivegirl]

JoB- Qwest field has already been approved. It is built. The public voted to approve this. It was just thrown into the budget and funds taken from other sources like health, education, etc.

If the team were to go away it could be detrimental to Seattle’s economy. Over the past six years events at Qwest Field have generated over $1.25 million in revenue for public schools? If there were no events there are public school system (the very system you speak so strongly about) would be out $1.25 million. The only future public dollars that could go towards repairs etc are going to come from taxes generated by the parking & admission tax. Besides schools losing money- we would be down jobs & revenue generated by out of town guests coming to support their team. Since it doesn’t like you go to the games you probably don’t have a clue how many people come from out of town for these games. I am a season ticket holder. I see the % of out town guests there. I also work in the SODO district and lunch @ the Silver Cloud Inn quite frequently. You would be shocked to learn that they are sold out @ nearly every game with out of town guests staying there. I could go on and on but I’ll stop now.

And on a side note- I don’t think it was too early to fire Mora. Mora has never been successful in the NFL arena.

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[lazybeard]

I’ve been on the fence about Mora being fired. You can’t blame the guy for trying, but you can tell he was at a loss for words by the season ended officially.

They fired him once Pete Carroll said he was interested on Wednesday or Thursday. You can tell by the fact Paul Allen was willing to fork out more than $10,000,000 to buy out Mora’s contract.

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[JoB]

beachdrivegirl

if Paul Allen hadn’t stepped in

and the team had gone south

there would be no stadium

at taxpayer expense

I agree that having the team and the stadium is a boon for stadium area businesses

but that doesn’t do much for the woman whose physical therapy was cut in the last round of budget cuts for health care and even though it was restored by court order.. it was too late for her and she can no longer walk…

hers is one story among thousands about public spending priorities gone wrong.

When you look at priorities…

a stadium and all of the associated costs

are not high on my list.

As a season ticket holder, you may care whether or not there is a team and who is hired to lead it.

I don’t.

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[lazybeard]

JoB,

The tax payer portion of the stadium(s) was funded by the following taxes:

* Additional taxes/fees on car rentals originating from SeaTac Interational Airport

* Hotel tax for stays that occur within the City of Seattle

* Restaurant tax for any purchases made at a restaurant within the City of Seattle

The taxes were written so that when the stadiums were paid off, that they taxes would go away. There had been talk previously about extending them after they are done paying for the stadiums and using the revenue for the Seattle Center, but nothing ever came to last session.

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[In2theknight]

“As a season ticket holder, you may care whether or not there is a team and who is hired to lead it.

I don’t.”

If you don’t care, then why in the world would you click on a thread that has to do directly with who is hired to lead a team?!?!? You come off as simply just looking for a fight.

And regarding “Mora has never been successful in the NFL arena”…”In 2004, Jim Mora was hired by the Atlanta Falcons as their head coach. He led the Falcons to a record of 11–5 and a first round bye in the playoffs. Atlanta hosted and defeated the St. Louis Rams 47–17 in the divisional round, and advanced to the NFC Championship Game.” In 2003 the Falcons were 5-11. The Falcons record did start to go back down after that 11-5 season but are you sure he was NEVER successful in the NFL? I am not a fan of his, but I do tend to give credit when it’s due.

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[Cait]

What taxes go toward paying off the Kingdome? Yeah… remember the KINGDOME?! We’re still paying THAT off.

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[JanS]

ok…again my 2 cents, which ain’t worth much…how many people would dig their heels in if it was decided that there would be a special tax to make sure that there were no cuts to social services this year? We’re perfectly willing to shell out the money for superfluous entertainment…you’re right…I don’t go to Seahawk games, can’t afford to ( I’m a fan, though albeit it sometimes a fairweather fan). But I see every day that people are drowning in debt because of medical bills, DSHS being cut again one more time…the school budget is suffering….we can’t afford to fix the roads we have, let alone improve any kind of transportation around here.

I guess I simply see priorities being very askew . I realize this has nothing to do with the original post, but then, I didn’t bring up the tax issue…just throwing out an opinion – and like I said, it ain’t worth much :)

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[lazybeard]

Cait — Yeah, I do recall going to the Kingdome. Last I recall, we were discussing the firing of Jim Mora Jr.

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[JanS]

lazybeard…the kingdome…I did go there a few times, mostly baseball. I had an in ( one of the umpires) who I go freebies from, the Mariner’s very first year, way back in 1977. Right behind home plate..that was fun…

And sorry for the diversion from the OP.

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[JoB]

intotheknight..

it may surprise you to know that there are a lot of people in West Seattle who don’t know who Jim Mora is…

i clicked on this link out of curiosity… because when a friend posted the same sentence on facebook.. i though she was talking about one of her bosses… i imagine she found my reply there a bit odd :))))

btw. that’s me laughing at myself.

i commented because of this big fallacy that the professional sports teams in our city are anything but businesses… and call me old fashioned.. but i think businesses should be owned by those who can afford to buy them and ought to pay their own way..

good gig Paul Allen has with the city of Seattle right now… wish i could get them to subsidize me too. I’d love to open a small clothing resale store for the average mid-sized woman… I’d even employ people since my health won’t let me commit to the hours a successful shop would entail… unfortunately.. women of a certain size don’t have the demographic to sell that one:(

lazybeard…

and who pays all for the associated costs of the new stadium?

things like traffic control and roadwork and increased policing and … not to mention the tax breaks built into the contracts for those stadiums…

nice story about the stadium paying for itself… it would be even nicer if it paid for itself before some other team demands a replacement and the public picks up the bill for demolishing this one and erecting another.

That said.. if we are going to have professional sports teams like the Seahawks.. i would really appreciate it if the owners.. like Paul Allen.. would dip into the piggy banks those businesses create and hire good help.

Everyone. likes a winner… even me.

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[HMC Rich]

With Ruskell gone, it seemed odd that the new GM or President would want a left over coach with a 5-11 season. Mora is a good guy but the timing stinks. If he would have made the playoffs he might have been asked to stay but he didn’t.

Plus, Mike Holmgren is going to go to Cleveland. He was turned down by the Seahawks as President and/or GM. This means he may have raided the staff of Mora. The Seahawks did not want him but he brought success to a mediocre franchise. Mora won’t get the chance here but probably somewhere else.

This is a new start. New people, new direction. Plus Carroll and Sarkisian can get together and relive the successes at USC since Sark used to work under him. Go Dawgs.

Pete Carroll’s football record is good. Better than a lot of coaches from the NFL and Two national championships with the Trojans. He resurrected that program and was dominant for almost a decade. Paul Allen is the kind of owner I would want if I were a coach. Not an intrusive jerk like some of the others.

USC can figure out there own oversight issues. I think we should welcome Pete and give him a fair chance.

As for social issues. Pete Carroll is part of a charitable institution called “A Better LA”. He was starting to get hammered by SC alums for possibly doing too much charity work. http://bleacherreport.com/articles/294777-is-pete-carrolls-charity-work-a-hinderence-for-the-usc-trojans

Here is a good article on his charity work and an interesting paragraph is at the bottom of the article. http://blog.abetterla.com/

Someone has a bit of a chip on his shoulder and will want to prove the NFL critics wrong. Seems to me this is a highly motivated individual.

Additionally, many sports entities or their players sometimes act like spoiled brats at times BUT they also are involved in numerous charities and help tons of people out.

You can complain about a lot of things but maybe you should acknowledge a lot of the good things these sports enterprises do too. Check out the Seahawks Community page on their website. http://www.seahawks.com/community/index.html?id=61858

SODO has been rejuvenated and you can point at two huge structures and the teams that play in them for a large amount of credit and the fans who support them. The people who attend those games are tax payers too.

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[maplesyrup]

Here’s some information on the financing of Qwest field. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qwest_Field

Note that the city’s contribution wasn’t just so the Seahawks have a place to play football- there’s also an events center that holds everything from dog shows to concerts to comic book conventions.

Given Allen’s contributions to the project and that the taxes to fund the rest mostly affect tourists, I don’t buy the argument that this money necessarily shorts schools or any other social services- and the venue provides entertainment in a variety of forms for lots of people. Not a bad deal for the city.

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[maplesyrup]

About Carroll: I am ambivalent about him as a coach but I can’t believe they gave him personnel control as well. Didn’t they learn their lesson with Holmgren?

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