Deadspin: a mighty wind

Oklahoma City Gets Set To Unveil Its New NBA Nickname. Oh, The Excitement!

Rick Chandler — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 09:15:59 EDT

The new nickname for the Oklahoma City NBA franchise will be officially announced simultaneously on its website and at a downtown event on Sept. 3, the team announced on Wednesday. I guess it's all supposed to be a big secret, but — forgive the pun — hasn't KOCO-TV in Oklahoma City already stolen their thunder by reporting in July that the name will indeed be Thunder?

My suggestion, the Oklahoma City Bricks — for the city's Bricktown District — was somehow rejected. Clay Bennett's ownership group, which moved the franchise from Seattle, has applied for trademarks for six names: Thunder, Energy, Wind, Marshalls, Barons and Bison.

Calls to team officials were unreturned Friday afternoon and evening. However, KOCO.com confirmed that the registrar for all of the NBA's Internet domain names reserved okcthunderbasketball.com and okcthunderbasketball.net on July 10.

Local fans of course are thrilled with the new name: In an online survey, 36 percent hated it, while 18 percent approved. As for the bulky okcthunderbasketball.com domain name, it seems that thunder.com is unavailable, having been taken by a Silicon Valley communications group. And they seem unwilling to part with it.

There had been reports in July — apparently bogus — that the name would be Barons. Anyway, they'll always be NOOCH to me.

Source Tells KOCO OKC NBA Team To Be Named Thunder [KOCO-TV]
Oklahoma City's NBA Team To Unveil Name Sept. 3 [USA Today]

Bert Blyleven Loves To Fart

Rick Chandler — Fri, 30 May 2008 15:00:16 EDT

OK, now I get it. I've always wondered why Bert Blyleven wasn't in the Hall of Fame, and now it's clear: Post-game flatulence. He's just simply farted on too many writers over his long career. It's all here in this rather surreal interview with Big League Stew.

My favorite exchange:

Q: Speaking of pride, what about this T-shirt you've been photographed wearing that says, "I [heart] to fart"?

BB: I LOVE to fart.

Q: What's wrong with you?

BB: I'm honest. Have you ever farted?

Q: One or two times.

BB: And did it feel good?

Q: Always.

BB: Probably so. That's why I wore it. I love to fart. I do. When the time is right, I do it. I'm not going to hide it.

Q: You're so blunt about your love for flatulence.

BB: Yeah. Well, someone gave me the shirt because of my history of farting, so I wear it. I LOVE to fart. I think I still have it.

Q: What gets you really gassy?

BB: Anything. The air we're breathing right now.

Q: Should I be ready for something?

BB: I have no trouble. It's not one thing that I eat, it's just passed down from my father. My father was a very good farter. I have a sister who's very good at it, too. Probably better than I am.

Q: Women aren't "supposed" to do that.

BB: Oh, I think times have changed — at least in the Blyleven family.

Also some great stuff in the interview about the infamous Twins-Yankees TV broadcast where he dropped two live F-bombs. Nice to hear from you again, Bert.

Bert Blyleven Talks The Hall, Swearing On Air [Big League Stew]