Howard Schultz Tossing Latte In Ring?

News sources including the Seattle Times, have run stories about the possibility of Starbucks Howard Schultz entering the presidential race as a Democrat.  There is really no rhyme or reason for Schultz to consider this, while the Starbucks brand is nationally known, I don't believe that Schultz is.  
In the Seattle area where he is well known, Schultz is widely blamed for selling the Super Sonics to out of town interests, leading to the loss of NBA basketball in the area.  For the people who don't like sports, they may remember that Schultz wanted the legislature to approve funds to remodel the Key Arena, during a recession that was devastating to our state. 
Of course, Schultz had brought Starbucks back to life when he reassumed the CEO position, but good businessmen do not always make good politicians.

Pete Nordstrom Was Involved In Previous Sonic Ownership

One of the named partners in the attempt to bring an NBA team back has sports ownership experience, Pete Nordstom said in an interview with KJR morning man Mitch Levy, was in the ownership group led by Howard Schultz that sold the team to Clay Bennett.  Nordstrom said that although there were 58 investors in the Schultz group, a strong board of nine were able in assisting with team decisions.  A "perfect storm" situation took place that prompted the sale of the team to the Bennett group.  Nordstrom said that he voted against the sale, feeling that it would result in the teams relocation. Nordstrom said that the investors voting in favor of the sale thought that Bennett would want to and be able to keep the team in Seattle.
Erik and Pete Nordstrom, along with Microsoft CEO Steve Balmer are partners with Chis Hansen in an attempt to build an arena that would bring an NBA team back to Seattle.

Howard Schultz Sues Bennett--Wants Sonics Back

Seattle's Professional Sports teams sadly have one thing in common. No I'm not talking about their endless ability to not live up to expectations, it's that all have been on the brink of leaving town. The earliest team in my memory (actually Seattle's second major team), The Seattle Pilots skipped town after a year, becoming the Milwaukee Brewers. The subsequent lawsuit, brought about a new baseball team in 1977, the Seattle Mariners. The bitten Seattle fans were reluctant to support the baseball team more or less forced upon them, until sports radio and a likable group of stars and potential stars who seemed gel at just the right time to capture the hearts of the fans and cause Safeco Field to be built. Even the Seahawks were bought by out of town owners and put out to die, actually setting foot in what was to be there new town. Until software billionaire Paul Allen stepped up and bought the team after persuading the town to build Qwest Field.

The Sonics seemed to be safe, after all, the 1990s which were rough times for the 'Hawks and Mariners (although the Mariners saw their first post season action in '95), saw some of the better Sonics teams. When Howard Schultz bought the team several years ago, he assembled some of the best and the brightest in the area business world and the future for the team looked good in Seattle. Until July 18, 1996 when the Sonics were sold to a group from Oklahoma City. While the owners, lead by Clay Bennett, promised to put forth a "good faith effort" to keep the team in Seattle, Sonic fans where aware the city warmly greeted the New Orleans Hornets while Hurricane Katrina caused the team to temporarily relocate.

Now once again the city is suing to keep a franchise and suddenly Howard Schultz has is suing to take back the franchise. The lawsuit is in response to e-mails Bennett made to his partners insisting that he meant all along to move the franchise. Whether or not Schultz will be successful remains to be seen but after the beating that he has taken after his first go around owning a team, it is amazing that he would want anything to do with the franchise.