Page 10 Thursday, April 18, 2013
daily townsman / daily bulletin
Sports
Sacramento’s future uncertain as Kings fans rally for team to stay Antonio Gonz alez Associated Press
SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Is this the end? The chatter around Sleep Train Pavilion centred on that question Wednesday night. With NBA owners debating whether to approve the franchise’s sale and relocation to Seattle, the ever-faithful fans of the Sacramento Kings pushed the uncertainty aside and did what they have done for parts of four decades during the regular-season finale against the Los Angeles Clippers. They rallied. Maybe for the last time. Hope rang out in those trademark cowbells. Optimism showed through purple-painted faces and in the jerseys of players past and present worn throughout the crowd expected to sellout the 17,317seat arena. Stacey Petit-Williams, 32, held a handmade sign that read: “TAKE MY LIFE BUT
NOT MY KINGS.” Her husband, Kenneth Williams, 33, carried another that said: “BEST FANS IN THE NBA SINCE ‘85.” “The Kings are like our stepchild,” said Kenneth Williams, born and raised in Sacramento. “It’s like family. We’re here to cheer something we love.” Fans cheered at full throat during player introductions, often cheering “Sacramento!” while the game was played. Dozens more held up signs at any stoppage with phrases such as “NBA Please Don’t Take Our Team” and “This is NOT goodbye.” The scene was a stark contrast to the home finale two years ago, when the Maloof family that owns the Kings was making plans to move the franchise to Anaheim, Calif. Everybody from fans to arena workers - even the team’s broadcasters shed tears on the court long after the Kings lost
116-108 in overtime to the Los Angeles Lakers. With Sacramento once again standing on the ledge of its NBA future, this season’s finale felt more like a pep rally. “It’s still nervousness, but it’s a lot more confidence this time,” Petit-Williams said. “Our city, our mayor, our fans, we’ve been here before and won.” Former Kings guard Mitch Richmond sat in the first row behind the basket closest to the home team’s bench. Richmond looked up at his No. 2 jersey retired in the rafters just before the game, saying “I don’t even want to think about the possibility of that being taken down.” “It’s time to give this team back to the fans,” Richmond said. Brad Miller, who played for the Kings from 2003 to 2009, sat in the Maloofs’ courtside seats. He also came with his 6-year-old daughter, Aniston.
“Felt I had to be here,” Miller said. Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson, in full cheerleader-in-chief mode, sat down in a courtside seat. He fistbumped “Slamson,” the team’s lion mascot, as players took the court.
“It’s a tough situation for the players and for the fans who spend money to watch the games. It’s just a tough situation.” Jason Thompson Others couldn’t help but feel nostalgic. Gary Gerould has been Sacramento’s radio play-by-play announcer since the Kings moved from Kansas City in 1985. He hopes to continue for several more years, but only if the team stays because his family is in Northern California.
He sat down in the morning and did the math on games he has missed during his career. In his 28 seasons in Sacramento, the 72-year-old Gerould has called 2,198 games - including preseason and playoffs - by his count. Wednesday night might have been his last. “It’s a weird feeling,” Gerould said. “Two years ago, I was absolutely convinced this team was gone. There was not a doubt in my mind. Now there’s at least a ray of hope.” The Maloof family has had a signed agreement since January to a group that wants to buy the Kings, move them to Seattle and rebrand them the SuperSonics who left the Pacific Northwest for Oklahoma City in 2008. Led by Johnson, Sacramento has fought back over to make the sale and relocation of the Kings a real debate. Johnson streamlined
YOUR CITY WORKING FOR YOU! Thursday, April 18, 2013 PITCH IN CANADA WEEK APRIL 21 – 27, 2013 The City of Cranbrook’s annual Pitch-In campaign is under way for another year and runs from April 21st – 27th! All of the schools within the City of Cranbrook have been actively involved in cleaning up their school yards each year with loads of PitchIn bags being collected. Several local clubs, organizations, Chamber members, Downtown Business Association and other citizens have been supportive of this program. THE 20-MINUTE MAKEOVER: As part of Cranbrook’s Pitch-In Week Campaign, this activity is designed to increase participation by encouraging business owners and citizens to take 20-minutes and spruce up the area around their business or home. Twenty minutes can make a difference! A clean and litter-free community can attract tourism and promote economic activity, as well as encourage a sense of pride amongst citizens. Please help do your part by registering yourself, your business or organization with Leisure Services as a participant in this year’s Pitch-In campaign. Call 250489-0220 today and we will provide you with bags; as well you will be eligible for some great prizes!!
THE SOLAR FUTURE – A FREE PUBLIC PRESENTATION WITH GUY DAUNCEY MONDAY APRIL 22 @ 7PM (COLLEGE OF THE ROCKIES LECTURE THEATRE) Sponsored by the City of Cranbrook and SolarBC
Cranbrook receives the most sunshine in British Columbia: could it become BC’s leading solar community? Globally, the solar revolution is moving rapidly, but prices are still high. Come and learn about new initiatives and developments that are happening around the world. Guy Dauncey is founder of the BC Sustainable Energy Association, and Communications Director of SolarBC, a BCSEA Project. He is author of The Climate Challenge: 101 Solutions to Global Warming, and other titles. He lives in Victoria. For more information contact the City of Cranbrook at 250-489-0238.
TRASH 2 TREASURE - SATURDAY APRIL 20, 2013 8:00AM - 4:30PM. One person’s trash is another person’s treasure. Give your reusable, unwanted items a new home and keep them out of the landfill! It’s fun, it’s practical, and it’s FREE. Here’s how it works: Place items at the curb before 9:00am. E.g. books, household items, tools, furniture, etc. Place a Trash 2 Treasure sign on the items you are giving away. Signs can be downloaded at http://livablecranbrook.blogspot.com/ or picked up at City Hall. Take part in ‘Trash 2 Treasure’ by walking around the neighbourhood, visiting with your neighbours and finding useful treasures. At the end of the day, bring any uncollected gems back to your home or deliver to a charity of your choice. Respect other people’s property; don’t walk on people’s lawns and gardens. Don’t discard previously picked-up treasures on another person’s lawn or anywhere other than your own home. Let’s celebrate Earth Day by using our landfill responsibly.
an arena financing plan through the Sacramento City Council and assembled his own group, which submitted a written offer to the league Tuesday night. The NBA’s joint committee assigned to give a recommendation between the two offers convened again Wednesday in New York. The annual meeting of the league’s Board of Governors, consisting of all 30 owners, is Thursday and Friday. NBA Commissioner David Stern said a decision is unlikely until at least May, leading to all the uncertainty in Sacramento’s season finale for everybody involved again. “For the most part, it’s a shame that every year I’ve been here you get the same type of questions and it’s the same situation at the end of the season - is this going to be our last game here?” said Kings forward Jason Thompson, who was among the players who came
back on the court to thank fans two years ago in what felt like goodbye. “It’s a tough situation for the players and for the fans who spend money to watch games. It’s just a tough situation.” The arena parking lot was packed with TV trucks. Radio stations also set up booths along with sponsored business. The Maloofs were nowhere in sight. When Kings coach Keith Smart came out of the locker room before the game and saw a half-dozen TV cameras and another dozen reporters, he joked, “What is this the NBA Finals?” Carmichael Dave parked his purple RV outside the arena. He drove to New York and back over the last three weeks on his “Playing To Win Tour,” stopping at NBA cities to rally for Sacramento’s cause. He encouraged his fellow fans to treat this game as the “season finale, not the finale.”
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Mond ay Counc April 22, 2 0 il Mee ting @ 13 – Regula r City 6pm Wedn esday A Bag L unch pril 24, 20 13 – B @ 12p rown m Mond ay Ma y Counc il Mee 6, 2013 – R eg ting @ 6pm ular City
FREE COMMUNITY SPONSORED FAMILY SWIM – SATURDAY APRIL 20, 2013 The Cranbrook Aquatic Centre is hosting another community sponsored family swim on Saturday April 20, 2013 from 3:30 to 4:30pm. It will be free for families to swim at this event, compliments of Pepsi. This is a new initiative by the City of Cranbrook Leisure Services department. Are you or your business interested in sponsoring a family swim? Please contact our Aquatics Coordinator at 250-489-0224.
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Cranbrook City Council meeting when you want. Visit www.cranbrook.ca