What up Chris good to see you postin. You ready to lacktion it up, this year?

Yuuup. This is why teams are struggling to make money. Bad management, bad prices, bad teams.

James: Of course! It'll be a herculean task, but hey, I was able to track the entire playoffs, so a full season should be just a slight upswing, right? :P

I WILL try to watch that Grizzlies-Kings game in person though, in addition to other potentially terrible matchups in the following months.

Buck Nasty: And yet the Maloofs somehow claim that they "need" a new barn in order to get people out there, or else they will MOVE! TO! VEGAS!

Uh, people were filling Arco like it was the Ritz-Carlton back when the Kings were doing something they have not done since Ron-Ron: make the playoffs.

So every time Mayor KJ or the owners get all uppity about how "mediocre" our arena is, I think it's only fair to remind them that Auburn Hills is the same age. There was no reason to skimp on upgrades during the C-Webb era, only to beg for a new structure now.

(PNC Park in Pittsburgh proves that NO city's populace will simply attend a game just to see a nice venue, if a team continues to suck.)

This reminds me, IIRC, the Maloofs' ballot proposals for taxpayer funding failed around the same time they did a notorious Carl's Jr. ad flaunting their wealth. Whoops!

chris im really happy for you, and ima let you finish, but livin large was the best post on basketbawful of ALL TIME!

Holy Jesus, are they kidding?!? The only way I'd fork over that kind of money for one game is if I could somehow be in five places at once -- complete with catering, free booze, and oily rubdowns for all five of me. And the game in question featured the cyborg reincarnations of Russell and Chamberlain.
-BJ

Arco was rockin in the early 00's. I remember when coaches were complaining that they couldn't draw up plays during timeouts because of all the cowbells.

The difference between then and now is that team was actually fun to watch.

I looked into going to a Kings/Trailblazers PRESEASON game at Arco and it was ridiculously expensive. The prices were the same as last year's regular season prices. I was expecting a drop in prices this year, but it looks unlikely now. Sac County is at 12-13% unemployment and the Maloofs want people here to pay premium prices for a inferior product... They just want the numbers to swing in their favor to convince the other GMs that Sacramento is not a viable NBA city.

Go Trailblazers!!!

Matt: Brilliant! (Of course, in about a week, that will become the most played out meme of the decade...)

BJ: Trust me, I went to the ticketmaster.com site myself and couldn't believe my eyes at that price. I think we'd also require the cyborg reincarnation of Auerbach as coach, and Starbury's career, in order to make that worth $750 + $37.

And maybe a twelve trillion from Damon Jones.

Marc: I get the impression people here in Sactown care much more about a venue with team that's fun to watch, then a building that has the swankiest luxury boxes. (The Warriors down the road prove this point somewhat - the Oracle Arena is the same building that was tired and needed a facelift for what, forty years? Yet they do Nellieball, make the playoffs, and suddenly for a moment it's the best home court in the Association.)

@Chris, don't show this post to Grant Napear, he might bite your head off.

Other than that I completely agree. Even when the economy was doing good and the Kings were winning, the ticket prices were ridiculous.

Also I don't know what's wrong with Natomas. If you want to build a new arena fine, but don't build it at Cal Expo. The traffic would be crazy. Natomas is perfect because you have both I-80 and I-5 to the North and West of the building.

great job... i'm not very familiar w/that area so it's good to read your first hand account of the b.s. that surrounds the Kings

Are you going to do Footbawful this year?

Until then, Chris, I intend to milk it for all its' worth!




PS that picture is something else! Not sure what the white guy is doing (I wasn't even aware there was an NBA team in SacTown, let alone the names of the players. Except for some guy who goes by the name of Kevin Martin...), but it certainly doesn't look like playing baskeball!

Matt: Yep, I took that photo from my upper deck seat in February. Andreas Nocioni, the huge return from the Brad Miller trade, was attempting to maintain his balance...but it looked so freaking floptastic! It was one of many demonstrations of non-skill throughout that winter evening.

CassavaLeaf.com: You're welcome. It's strange, I moved to this area just as the team started to get sour...and then really collapse (coincidentally?) after the taxpayer referendum got slammed in the polls.

49er16: I can understand the desire for a downtown arena in the old Southern Pacific railyards, to get the nightlife down there a little more activity...but if that can't happen (and the Maloofs certainly are not interested in spending their own money to do anything), the facility isn't exactly in a bad spot at all, nor is it in the horrendous shape that the NCAA (and KJ) are claiming. Certainly they could improve the mass transit access to the area - the RT #11 bus line down Truxel Road doesn't even run at gametime - but the structure is sound. Who knows if it'll survive a levee break though, given Natomas's poor risk rating in that regard...though Cal Expo is much closer to the river.

http://realgm.com/src_wiretap_archives/61823/20090928/lebron_wants_to_play_more_inside/

did king crab just evolve into an elbowcrabking?

Good post, they should really look into all the BS that happen around the sport.

I like BJ's idea above, but with this Wilt instead.
http://www.theonion.com/content/from_print/zombie_wilt_chamberlain

Ruben: Any time. I have PLENTY more where that came from. :D

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Looks like malcontent is starting to be a common affliction amongst Kings fans, judging by the comments here:

http://www.sacbee.com/sports/story/2216478.html