Burner update

We spoke with Redmond Fire Dept. Battalion Chief Tom Norton at the Burner property this morning.

The home is a total loss. Firefighters responded from Redmond, Woodinville and Eastside Fire.

While in a rural area on scenic Ames Lake, firefighters responded in less than 10 mins after the 911 call was received.

There were no injuries, although there are differing reports about a family cat being lost in the blaze.

State fire investigators were on the scene shortly after the fire was contained. The investigation is on-going.

Burner and her family had left the scene and were not available for comment.

WA-08: Darcy Burner's home burned down

Word has spread through the Ames Lake neighborhood here outside of Seattle that the home of Democratic candidate Darcy Burner has burned down this morning. Burner and her family were not injured in the fire, which destroyed the home.

TV helicopters and local media have circled the area this morning, soon after fire trucks raced to the scene in the early morning hours.

Photos to come.

NFL Network to Hand-off games to ESPN?

The Fast Money guys on CNBC reported Friday that Disney is in talks to buy the NFL Network. That really wouldn't make sense, since the NFL loves them some content.

Instead, Bloomberg is reporting that ESPN (the Disney mothership) and the NFL may be in talks to give ESPN the Thursday and Saturday games that the NFL has carried since 2006. Ratings for the NFL Network games have been dismal, plagued by poor on-air talent, and low ratings due to a protracted battle with the major telecom carriers.

``They banked on the nation's appetite for NFL programming being insatiable and that they could use that as leverage for the carriage they needed,'' Paul Swangard, managing director of the Warsaw Sports Marketing Center at the University of Oregon, said in an interview. ``Well, lesson learned.''

NFL Commish Roger Goodell and Disney CEO Bob Iger are involved in the discussions, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Do as I do.....

With rising gas prices, our local transit system is standing-room only. As pillars of the community, the Mariners are doing their part to relieve congestion by throwing as many people under the bus as possible. Before yesterday's 5-4 loss to the Anaheim Angels of Los Angeles (or whatever they are this year), M's president Chuck Armstrong pulled an Amy Winehouse, trashing the coaches office while generally bitching out the staff. After the game, M's manager John McLaren returned the favor by channeling Dick Cheney. "I'm tired of goddamned losing fucking every night, and we bust our ass. We need to change this fucking shit around." M's GM Bill Bavasi, always the peacemaker, sought to quell the controversy by adding ""I think people would have thought he was justified if he chain locked the doors to the clubhouse and set it on fire."

The M's return to home action next Friday (the 13th) vs the Nationals. Good seats still available. Bring the whole family.

Hot coffee

The other day all of Seattle was in a tizzy. No, it wasn't reaction to the latest emails in the City of Seattle v. Sonics case. Nor a complete flop of a road trip by the Mariners.

Instead, word had spread that a legal battle was brewing between two of our fair city's icons: Starbucks and the Rat City Roller Girls. (I'm supplying links in case you want to buy a T-shirt, mug, whatever. Starbucks can use all the help it can get these days.)

It's got the makings of an E! Entertainment Network special. Starbucks attorneys claiming trademark infringement. Hot RollerGirls throwing elbows. Starbucks PR people calling the RollerGirls "scary". The RollerGirls attorney, Quinn Heraty, throws her dog-eared copy of 'Moby Dick' at the Starbucks legal team. Heraty, as it turns out, was the subject of a New York Observer article a few years ago which detailed a day on the town with her then-boyfriend David Cross which included.... (wait for it).... a stop at Starbucks. (Is it getting hawt in here?)

So, as my ex-wife would say (often) "What the hell is your point?!"

Well fast-forward to the Red Wings/ Pens game tonight. I thought I saw a familiar Pens jersey, and then after a few Googles... I find this:
So it looks like we have the makings of a "concentric circles/two star" legal orgy with the participants being 60 pissed-off rollergirls, 40 hockey players, and a few thousand baristas. (Getting HOTTER!)

But then I dug a little deeper, and found this. While Starbucks was formed in the early 70s, the Pittsburgh Penguins original logo was in use in October 1967 (and was likely unveiled much earlier).

So who copied who? Maybe the RCRGs are negotiating with the wrong party.

(If any of you RCRGs have any pull, you could put in the good word with X-Khan for me. Just sayin.)


h/t to StarbucksGossip for the logos.