All fans are fickle; Seattle fans especially so. As the Mariners advance to the ALCS, they suddenly can't find enough seats. Yet I still remember all too well Opening Night '95. I attended -- along with about 40,000 of my closest friends, and about 10,000 or so people dressed as empty seats. Even by the end of that season, as the 'Miracle' Mariners were being born, there were empty seats as Doug Strange homered in the ninth to tie his old Texas team. Two weeks later, finally, Mariner tickets became like gold.

What does this have to do with the Sonics? In '95, as the M's took it on the chin from the Indians, the Sonics had little to worry about in terms of attendance. That following season would be the peak of the Sonics' mid-90's run, as they made the NBA Finals and lost to Chicago. They also had a brand new Key Arena to accomadate more screaming fans while bringing back the intimacy provided by the Seattle Center Colliseum for many years, but not the Tacoma Dome the previous year.

So, the Sonics sold out nearly every game in 1995-96.

It is not 1995-96 anymore.

Now, the Sonics are in the same down part of the cycle that the Mariners were in ... well, 1977-1994. More aptly, they find themselves in the same place the M's were in from '93 to early '95, where they were likely to finish over .500, but questionable to make the playoffs.

So we see empty seats.

For two straight years, the Sonics have slashed ticket prices in many sections.

Still we see empty seats.

What can the Sonics do to win back the fans? The answer is obvious within that sentence -- win. For all of Schultz's increased commitment to the fans these past six months or so, season ticket sales are still off. Why? Fans don't think the team can win, and all the character or open scrimmages in the world can't cover that fact.

Why are the fans going to Mariners games now? Because they're winning. Not because Stan Javier is a great guy or the M's owners are fan friendly. Just because they win.

But on the other hand, the Sonics -- and any pro sports franchise -- need the fans to help them win. It is a paradox of sports. Teams need fans to provide a home court advantage to help them win. Fans need teams to win to want to attend the games.

So, then, the onus falls on us, the fans (at least those of us in Seattle; there is clearly a large non-local contingent on this website) to help our team. Do you have season tickets? Why not? Did you get shut out on Mariner playoff tickets? Use the 35 or 50 dollars you would have spent on the M's, and buy tickets to several Sonic games.

Unless the city of Seattle steps up to support them, the Sonics have no chance of exerting the type of home court domination they utilized in their playoff run from 1992-98. The last two years, the city of Seattle has failed its basketball team, with apathy running rampant.

Don't let it happen again.