SACRAMENTO, Calif. - A cluster of kiosks and small police envoys litter small pockets of one-way roads across the mid-town grid for one of the biggest announcements this year; we get to keep the Sacramento Kings. Thusday’s King’s rally at Cesar Chavez Plaza in Sacramento was part business and part concert for the citizens of Sacramento. “I’m still happy though for the city of Sacramento because, [you] know, this is all they got, they don’t have baseball team, they don’t have a foot ball team, [and] they don’t have a hockey team,” said Robert Bilbao, 25, employee of The Citizen Hotel across from Cesar Chavez Plaza. The enthusiastic spirit of new found hope was carried by old and new fans of

A few years back I met with the Marketing Department of the Sacramento Kings. We were pitching a comprehensive package which included social media coverage, advertising and even turning The Sacramento Press’ navigation bar purple for one day. After the introductions, somebody asked me – as a lifelong Sacramentan, a huge Kings fan and a founder of The Sacramento Press – what message I would send to get more butts in seats at what was then the ARCO Arena. The answer was glaringly simple. I told them: Get the Maloofs to commit to stay in Sacramento for a couple of decades. Do it publically. Have a celebration. You’ll sell out the building and you won’t need to pay us a dime. Incidentally, y

It’s official. The Kings are staying, the Maloofs are out and Vivek Ranadivé is in. The Sacramento Kings are inviting fans out to Cesar Chavez Park on Thursday, May 22 from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Mayor Kevin Johnson, current and former players, Slamson the mascot and prospective owner and TIBCO CEO Ranadive will be in attendance. The event will feature the Kings Dancers as well as live musical performers to celebrate the NBA’s decision to keep the Kings home. More information via Sacramento Bee available here. Are you excited about the Kings staying in town with new ownership and a downtown arena, or are you worried about the arena deal could mean for the city? Sound off below.   Editor’s no

One of Mexico's most iconic soccer players will soon be playing a match in Sacramento Sacramento Professional Soccer announced last week that Mexico’s Dorados de Sinaloa would be the opponents of English Premier League’s Norwich City Football Club for an exhibition game during Sacramento Soccer Day July 18 at Raley Field. Dorados de Sinaloa's star player is Cuauhtémoc Blanco, who U.S. soccer fans will know well from the many times he played against the U.S. NationalTteam and his stint in Major League Soccer with the Chicago Fire from 2007 to 2009. At 40 years old, Blanco doesn't have the legs he used to, but he has never been a physical player. Blanco moves intelligently on or off the b

  Cyclists, crew members, and hundreds of friends and supporters gathered at the State Capitol Sunday, May 19, to welcome home the members of the ninth annual NorCal AIDS Cycle, a 4-day, 330-mile HIV/AIDS cycling fundraiser. The 2013 event raised more than $327,000 for HIV/AIDS services in the Capital region and Northern California—up from $304,000 in 2012.Nearly 4,000 people are living with HIV or AIDS in the eight counties traversed during the four-day ride, with one in four new infections occurring in youth ages 13 to 24. In addition to raising funds to replace diminishing state and federal resources, NorCal AIDS Ride raises awareness of the importance of knowing one’s HIV status to av

Top rowers from around the United States will be competing in the Pac-12 Rowing Championships to be held at the Sac State Aquatic Center on Lake Natoma this Sunday, May 19th. The championship will host top student athletes from around the country, most of whom practice twice per day. Last year five Pac-12 teams made it to the NCAA championships, a number the conference is hoping to exceed this year. The men representing the Washington Huskies, ranked number one in a U.S. Rowing Coaches Association (USRC) poll, will be defending their title for the fourth consecutive year. Hot on their heels are the Stanford Cardinals and California Golden Bears, ranked four and and six, respectively. Fo

If you arrive early at the rink Saturday for the Sac City Rollers latest roller derby bout, you might catch the team's MVP and general manager Trinity Gleckler walking around the track, staring at it, in a kind of silent meditation.  Gleckler, better known by her derby name, "La Lucha ," doesn't study the flat track, but plays out, in her mind's eye, the contest that is about to happen. "I'm using that as a palette to look at different scenarios and play them out in my head – like, if I get stopped here, this is what's going to happen," she said. "That positive visualization is proven to build confidence. You visualize and set yourself up for success even before you put all eight wheels

Watching the Sacramento River Cats isn’t like going to a Giants or A’s game – and that’s a good thing. There’s nothing like the minor leagues, especially at the AAA level played by the hometown River Cats. Players in the Pacific Coast League (PCL) are as close to the Big Leagues and that big time money and fame as you can get. Fans in Sacramento waited more than 20 years for professional baseball to return before the Cats arrived in 2000, and were rewarded with being the top farm club for a franchise that’s a mere 100 miles away. That means you can watch a River Cats player at cozy Raley Field, then follow him to the highest level once he hits Oakland. Another local bonus is that Stockton

Sacramento's new USL-PRO soccer franchise announced an important hire yesterday, bringing on an experienced hand with deep connections at all levels of the game in both the United States and England. Former Chelsea executive Graham Smith was named as Technical Director, meaning he will be in charge of setting the direction of the club and hiring all other soccer personnel, including the head coach. Smith, 55, has had a long career, and, as could be important for a new franchise like Sacramento, has extensive experience in not only "on the field" matters, but also in longterm club and player development, as well as in the business, branding and marketing side of the game. He played profe

Mayor Kevin Johnson will be holding a press conference at 5 p.m. Follow along and join in the conversation here:

Ten thousand plus people came out to Cal Expo Saturday night to run, walk and have a good time in the glow of the fairgrounds. Put together to benefit “Best buddies.” A nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to helping people with developmental and intellectual disabilities." http://www.bestbuddiescalifornia.org/site/c.frKUI1PzEoE/b.6570009/k.5BDC/Best_Buddies_California.htm Electric Run makes its first run through Sacramento. But wait, Electric run is more than just a run to help spread awareness. Electric Run is more than just a timed run. Its way more than that. Electric Run is a theatrical masterpiece. A masterful blend of light and music. Together they help paint the distinct

Groups from across the region came to the Very Inspirational People (VIP) Games - Track & Field event on Sunday at Sacramento State. Individuals participated in competitions similar to those in the Summer Olympics: Run, Walk & Run, Shot Put, etc... The following groups competed in Sunday's event: Bella Vista / Del Campo (BVDC) Chargers (SC) Discovery All Stars (DA) El Dorado (ELD) Folsom Hills (FH) Independent Competitors Motherlode (ML) Orange Grove (OG) Western Placer (WP) VIP is an organization of both new and highly experienced volunteers from all walks of life working together to create rewarding and quality experiences for inspirational athletes with developmental d

None of the sell-out crowd which packed Sleep Train Arena on Wednesday night knew precisely what was ending. Was it simply the 2012-2013 season, which ended with a loss to the Los Angeles Clippers? Yes, but was it also the very existence of the Sacramento Kings? Possibly. We’ll find out next month when the NBA Board of Governors makes their decision on whether the Kings are sold to an investment group that intends to build a new arena and breathe life into the franchise, or whether the team is sold to a different group who intend to move the team to Seattle, Wash.; kill the franchise; and resurrect the Seattle SuperSonics. The loss itself, 112-108, was relatively easy to take. The game w

The cruel and convoluted tale of what will become of the Sacramento Kings is reaching the last leg of what has been a complicated three year odyssey. The NBA is meeting this week to critically analyze every detail of the formidable bids from both Sacramento and Seattle. NBA Commissioner David Stern has speculated that the decision on the future of the Kings could take several weeks to determine due to it's imperative and unprecedented nature. The saga of what city the Kings will call their long term home has been among the most intricate in professional sports history. This long and winding road began in the Spring of 2011, when it was leaked that the Kings owners, the Maloofs, had been s

O.P.P. Boxing returns to Sacramento for its second installment of the Bash and bike series. Local stars such as Local Star jhon Abella 4-0-1 with 2 Knock Outs, beat Salvador Cifuentes (1-5-1). "Avenging" a draw with Cifuentes last year.  http://www.maqdown.com/2013/04/results-from-sacramentos-bash-and-bike.html Sacramentan Velvet Malone lost to the momentum of San Francisco's Ricardo Pinell coming off a victory in Redwood city over Nathaniel Richardson. http://boxingbb.com/homepage/tag/opp-boxing/ Larry Ward (2-4-1KO) caught Scott Rosa with a wicked right cross in the first round that rendered his fight night over and declared Ward the victor. But all this does not go on with out

When Keith Smart earned the head coaching position for the Sacramento Kings, he said that his team would be a “running” team that would play at a quick pace. Smart’s philosophy has always been to have a quick pace offense that gets on the opponent’s defense quickly and doesn’t allow them to plant their feet. Smart believes that it is important for a team to get out quickly and keep an opponent running early in a game, especially when at home. In order to promote a quick offense from his team, Smart has shortened the shot clock at times during practice and the players are seeing results. “The emphasis in practice the last couple of days has been running: getting the ball up in 14 second

When the Memphis Grizzlies played the Sacramento Kings on Sunday afternoon, April 7, the game was meaningful, ugly, exciting and disappointing. Meaningful: Hopelessly out of the playoffs, the Kings are desperate to solidify their recently improved play. Since the All-Star break, they went from 16th to first place in scoring and from near-the-bottom 29th place to 13th place in assists. The game was even more important to Memphis, who are currently seeded fifth for the Western Conference playoffs, but are only one game out of third place. Ugly: At the half, the Kings were shooting 32 percent, had only one fewer turnovers than assists, and yet were leading the Grizzlies. Certainly, there we

Grant Little League began its season Saturday with a bang. The season began with a parade through Del Paso Heights, beginning at Grant High School and ending at Del Paso Heights Elementary School Park. Hundreds of kids marched to the park on foot, in trucks, and atop a boat, bringing residents out of their homes to watch and cheer. Sacramento City Coucilmember and former Grant Little League player Allen Warren participated in the march. Sacramento County Supervisor Phil Serna also participated in the march. Kids from Del Paso Heights, Strawberry Manor, North Sacramento, and Hagginwood participated in major, minor, and t-ball leagues. Grant Little League runs through the beginning

It’s frustrating when - 1. A player that averages 11.6 points per game scores 25 and has 12 boards. The big scorer - Shawn Marion, a guy past his prime that rarely puts up those types of numbers anymore. 2. Your team shoots horrible from beyond the arc. The big culprit - shooting 6-for-26 from three-point land, including Isaiah Thomas' 0-for-7.  Add it up and it’s not recipe for success - you probably lose that game nine times out of ten. That’s exactly what happened on Friday evening at Sleep Train Arena when the Dallas Mavericks came to town and beat the Sacramento Kings 117-108 in a game that the home team had under control at the end of the first quarter. “I knew we had to get a

When asked at the beginning of the season who I thought should start at the point for your Sacramento Kings, I said Aaron Brooks, no questions asked. For me, starting Isaiah Thomas was not even an option. Fast forward to the present and, not only have I softened my stance against “The Pizza Guy” starting, but am finally seeing the reasons Coach Keith Smart has stuck with him since inserting him into the starting lineup in the first week of the regular season. Let’s be honest here. After watching Tyreke Evans run the show for SacTown for nearly three years, I really struggled watching ‘Reke play the small forward late last year. I got the concept, but didn’t think it was the best way to