Moeller on Schulz

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John Harp                                 Ed De La Garza 
Jason Caesar Consolacion     Jim Parsons 

The Rockets' red glare

NBA commissioner David Stern made Houstonians gasp Sunday when an article in the Houston Chronicle quoted him as saying that if the city did not approve a new downtown sports arena for the Rockets, the team would likely move to another city.

Also, if the Rockets and three-time WNBA champion Houston Comets were to move, an expansion team would most likely not be rewarded to the Bayou City.

"The chances for a team ... returning to Houston are nonexistent," Stern said during his NBA All-Star Weekend press conference, "and the chance for relocation in the face of all the new arenas (around the league) seems to be highly problematic."

So here we are again, more than three months since voters voted against the downtown arena referendum, and the talk that dominates sports radio and the sports segment of the evening news is the possible relocation of the first professional sports team to win a championship in the city of Houston.

Honestly, Rockets and Comets fans are left to hope and pray that these two sports franchises (along with the arena football Thunderbears team) don't move. Owner Les Alexander is obviously ticked that the new arena was not approved -- especially since he was willing to pay more than half of what the new downtown building would have cost.

Yeah, big deal, right? "He was only willing to pay half," you say. Well, where does that leave the fans when as many as three other cities are willing to give Alexander a new arena for free?

Is there a better deal that the city of Houston could agree on? Sure there is. But it won't be better for Alexander, who most probably would not want to stay in Houston if he has to pay any more than the $100 million he would have paid for the arena, concessions and parking.

In a way, yes, we are being conned into giving in to something we don't want. "Pay for our house, or we'll leave." That's basically what the Rockets are trying to say -- in the kindest way possible.

No, it's not fair. Yes, we're being misled. However, it is likely that Alexander will move his team if the "right deal" is not reached. Alexander doesn't care about Houston. He doesn't even live in Clutch City.

Again, there's not much we can do. We're being held hostage by a sports team. It's hard to imagine we're even in this position again. First the Oilers, now the Rockets.

Enjoy them while you can. Their days in Houston are certainly numbered.