You may or may not know that recently, Oklahoma has had a hornet infestation. The New Orleans Hornets, that is. For this season, the New Orleans Hornets have relocated to Oklahoma City. In fact, in the NBA, they’ve been renamed the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets.
Oklahoma has no professional sports teams — no pro football, no pro baseball, no pro basketball, no pro hockey, no pro anything. We do have minor league teams: the RedHawks (baseball) and the Blazers (hockey). For a football fix, most Okies follow college football (OU and OSU are our two biggest teams).
Me? I’m a basketball fan, and the Hornets coming to Oklahoma City is just pretty darn cool. Despite the fact that the Hornet’s record last year was 18 wins and 64 losses, and the team has no stars, we are still glad to have them. Home games are being broadcast on our local cable channel for free, and tickets are being sold at unbelievably low rates to fill the stands (tickets start at $11). I plan on going to at least one game this season and hopefully more.
NBA commissioner David Stern has made it clear that the Hornet’s stay in Oklahoma City is temporary. Reports began circulating earlier this week that the Hornets might remain here in Oklahoma during the 2006 season as well, amid reports that New Orleans won’t be ready for their return, but those associated with the NBA and the city of New Orleans promise they’ll be ready. All we can do now is enjoy the team while they’re here, and hope that our enthusiasm shows the NBA that Oklahoma is ready for a team of their own!
The Hornets lost (barely) tonight to the Orlando Magic, taking their record to 2 wins, 2 losses.