Before the Sacramento River Cats begin the 2012 season in defense of their 10th division title in 12 years, one of the most successful American professional sports franchises will host one of Major League Baseball's most storied champions. For the first time in half a decade Major League Baseball will be played in Sacramento as the River Cats host their parent affiliate Oakland Athletics on March 31, 2012. Following a successful 2011 season, in which Sacramento won its 10th Pacific Coast League South Division title, the River Cats kick off the 2012 season against some familiar faces who have found success at the Major League level. The River Cats will host the four-time World Series cham

It is February. The month of love. The month of loneliness. Pretty much everyone falls into one of those categories, but I want to remind you that single does not mean alone. Make a point to connect with a friend this Valentine's Day. After all, love is not just intimate, but a feeling we have for people who matter to us. Reach out and schedule coffee, dinner, or a fun night in. Forget gifts. They don't matter in the face of time spent together. Don't get depressed about being alone, but remember to be thankful for what you have, for who you have. Write a love letter to yourself. Remind yourself who you are and what makes you thrive. Make a list of things you have done and things you h

Since Keith Smart took over coaching duties last month, the Kings have had very little practice time and never had everyone on the roster available for a game. Things changed this week when the Kings were able to get more time in between games to work on their new game plans. Add that to a healthy Marcus Thornton returning to the lineup and, wham-o!, a team with real possibilities has emerged. After being down at the half by nine and being throttled by LaMarcus Aldridge the entire time (19 points on 9-of-11 shooting with five rebounds), Smart changed up his formula in guarding the Blazers standout forward which led to a terrific third quarter as the Kings held on the beat the pesky Portl

Want to check out some of Sacramento’s wonderful museums but have not yet had the time or budget to do so? Mark your calendars for this Saturday and head out to the 14th Annual Sacramento Museum Day. A record 28 museums are participating this year, including newcomers the Center for Contemporary Art and the Sacramento Children’s Museum. 26 participating museums are offering free admission all day (10am-5pm; last admission at 4pm), and the Sacramento Zoo and Fairytale Town are offering half-price admission in order to offset parking control and security costs. Sacramento has a wide variety of Museums featuring everything from art, science, and history to children’s exhibits, wildlife, and

Larry Ottoviani officially lost his job after seven years with the 7Up Bottling Company for doing the one thing that helped him counteract the anxiety in his personal life. That one thing was feeding hungry cats. “I love cats and don’t like to see them go hungry,” Ottoviania said. “When I’m feeding cats I can forget everything else for awhile.” Ottoviani had been warned several times by his supervisor not to feed the cats. The official termination notice dated Jan. 4, 2012, stated that Ottoviani violated his “last chance agreement not to feed the cats on company time and/or company property.” While Ottoviani does not deny feeding cats, he denied doing so during company time and on comp

Q: My mother is in the last stages of aggressive cancer, bedridden and nearly comatose from the pain medication. We haven't always had a good relationship (actually we have never had a good relationship), but the thought of losing her makes me realize how much I really do love her. I know she has sacrificed a lot for me in her life, and now I feel like I lost out on something special, a relationship with her. I am having a really hard time coping with her dying and us never having the chance to talk about this. My brother tells me that I just need to let it go and not bog her down with my feelings. I don't know what to do. A: I am really sorry to hear about your mom and the pain she is e

The fans weren’t the only ones leaving the old barn early on Wednesday evening. Quite honestly, they weren’t the only ones leaving embarrassed either. By the time the press got into the Kings locker room after losing 122-93 in a blowout to the visiting Denver Nuggets, most of Sacramento’s players had left the arena also. No Cousins, no Tyreke, not even Donte Greene hung out long enough to give their side of this ugly one-sided loss. Keith Smart, the new coach of the 6-13 Kings, was alone at the podium to explain. “Not what I expected,” Smart started his post-game press conference. “And I’m sure our fans didn’t expect that either. Kind of an embarrassing moment for our fans to watch us

Not everyone has this coming Monday off (alas!) but for those that do, Sacramento has a few options for using your day off to celebrate the man it honors—Martin Luther King, Jr. MLK365 is presenting the 31st Annual March for the Dream, which includes a peaceful march (choose to begin from the Oak Park Community Center, Grant High School, or Sacramento City College) that convenes on the Sacramento Convention Center for an afternoon of celebration. There will be something for all ages and interests—vendor booths, kids’ crafts & activities, entertainment, an art village featuring local artists, and more. The Crocker Art Museum is opening their doors for their free Holiday Monday program. Mo

The holiday’s are over — now what? How about starting January off right by sampling the best of Sacramento’s dining scene? Starting today, hungry foodies and food nerds can dine in some of downtown’s favorite hot spots, including the newly opened The Porch Restaurant and Bar, during the annual Dine Downtown Restaurant Week. Nearly 30 restaurants will offer $30 three-course meals throughout the grid during the next 10 days. “Dine Downtown gives patrons a chance to relax and treat themselves to a leisurely and delicious three-course meal, at a price that doesn’t break the bank,” said Megan Emmerling, Downtown Sacramento Partnership marketing manager. “Capitol Garage is known for brunch a

Unbelievable! Amazing! Jaw-dropping! Spectacular! In sports writing, superlatives are greatly overused. Heck, even The Court Jester abuses the Queen’s English occasionally! In this case, however, I think not! After being down 58-37 at the half, being outshot from the floor 60.5 percent to 31.8 perccent in the first half and only scoring 12 points in the second quarter, it looked like another lackluster Kings performance would etch another loss in the standings Thursday evening. Not so fast, my pretty! After a day of showing Coach Paul Westphal the door, elevating assistant Keith Smart to the position full-time and holding a players-only film study session before the game, the Kings ca

Travel back through time with Broadway Sacramento's Rain, a Beatles tribute show that began as an offshoot of the Broadway production of Beatlemania. Rain ran on Broadway for 300 shows and 8 preview performances at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre in New York City and has also been a hugely successful national tour for years. Together longer than the Beatles, Rain has mastered every song, gesture and nuance of the legendary foursome, delivering a totally live, note-for-note performance. This multi-media show begins by taking us away to a time when four young men stepped on stage at the Ed Sullivan show and changed music as we knew it. Rain chronicles the journey America took with the Beatles,

Twelve thousand plus in attendance for a preseason game told you that Kings head honcho Paul Westphal was right. “It’s nice to have basketball back in this building, isn’t it?,” Westphal started his post game press conference. It sure was! A good crowd for the only home preseason game this season saw the Sacramento Kings tighten up the defense in the final minutes of the game and hold on to beat the Golden State Warriors 95-91 at Power Balance Pavilion on Tuesday evening. Leading the way for the Kings was Marcus Thornton who had 21 points, seven boards and four assists and J.J. Hickson who scored 19 points and had nine rebounds. Tyreke Evans scored the first basket of the new season o

As always, Sacramento steps up to the plate with holiday events of all sorts. At Sacramento365.com, we see a lot of events come through the site every day. Though there are myriad options in our Holiday Event section, we've narrowed down the list to 10 to get help you pick your Christmas Eve & Christmas Day festivities. Christmas Eve Events: Sure, the night before Christmas should be spent snuggled in bed waiting for Santa Claus, but why not get out and about during the day. Here are some options to keep you entertained around town: 1. Free Admission at Fairytale Town & Sacramento Zoo: FTT 10am-2pm; Zoo 10am-1:30pm Treat the kiddies to a day out while both Fairytale Town & the Sacramento

It’s that time of the year again and the question remains the same, “What are you doing for the holidays?” While some people maintain the same traditions they were raised with, some have welcomed new traditions and some just plain don’t celebrate at all. The Sacramento Press asked locals what their holiday plans were for this year.Alley Katz cook, Felipe Olivares, 39, said he was born in California but his parents moved here from Mexico and while he has become accustomed to the new lifestyle, he has maintained the Spanish holiday tradition throughout the years. “When I grew up, I went to a school that was literally named ‘White School,’ I was one of two Mexicans in the school,” Olivares s

About 20 people performed in the two performances of the 2011 Holiday Show on Saturday at Iceland Skating Rink and raised over $1,000 to help repair the large roof, the next project to make the rink a year-round facility once again. This is the first ice show since the March 2010 fire. “The performers have been practicing twice a week since the ice rink opened in November,” said Terrie Kerth, daughter of one of the two co-owners. Janelle Cardoso is the director and choreographer of the show. “All the skaters are very technically sound,” said Cardoso. “Most of them have show skating experience.” Towards the end of the hour-long show Carmen Melissa, who was sitting next to the author, s

Skip the crowded malls this Saturday and bring your wish lists and your camera down to the MARRS Building to visit Santa’s Workshop! Santa and his elves have opened up their workshop for the past two Saturdays and this Saturday they are inviting the whole family, even the pets! Residents and visitors are invited to visit Santa’s Workshop at the MARRS Building from 11am-4pm. Pets are welcome to come down from 2pm-4pm. Grateful Dog Daycare will even be on hand to give the photogenic pooches a special treat. The MARRS Building is located in the heart of Midtown at 20th & J Streets. MARRS retailers invite all, big and small, to join them at this festive event. Retailers at MARRS include Pete

With the season fast approaching, the Sacramento Kings held their annual Media Day on Thursday, December 15 at Power Balance Pavilion. Every player had various duties on this busy day - multiple media obligations, shooting stand ups and bits for use in-game and even an open scrimmage, where fans across the valley will get their first chance at seeing this version of the new-look Kings. With the addition of J.J. Hickson (via trade from Cleveland for Omri Casspi), the signing of free agent Chuck Hayes away from Houston and acquiring John Salmons via draft day trade involving Beno Udrih plus the drafting of three rookies in Jimmer Fredette, Isaiah Thomas and Tyler Honeycutt added to the thr

Trust me, Keith Smart had options. It was just the way Kings Head Coach Paul Westphal struck him during Westphal’s visit to his Bay Area home. “Coach Paul was incredible as far as the process of trying to get me to come here,” said Smart after the first of two practices on Monday afternoon. “I mean, he came to my house and we sat in my living room for three hours talking about basketball philosophy. And he didn’t have to do that. When the decision came for them to come talk to me, I thought I would have had to come up to Sacramento. He said, ‘Hey, I’ll come visit with you.’ He came up and we sat and talked and I thought that was pretty good. This worked out perfect because it’s right dow

The long-awaited, lockout-shortened Kings’ season is finally underway as training camp has opened in Natomas at Sacramento’s training facility in the Power Balance Pavilion parking lot. Here are some observations from the second and third day of the two-week training camp. State of the Kings Address Each training camp, Geoff Petrie, the Kings’ President of Basketball Operations, addresses the media to discuss the offseason and his early training camp observations. This year was a lot different for Petrie as he and the staff are having to cram over a months worth of moves, discussions and preparation for the upcoming season in a two-week period. Here are Petrie’s comments regarding vari

The holiday season is typically full of fun and festivities: work parties, family get-togethers, nights out with friends, and don't forget all the shopping! It is during this time of year that I find myself busy, tired and lacking in a little personal time. Don't get me wrong — I love the holidays, the parties, the decorations and all of it, but sometimes I get tired. The scheduling, the invitations and the cleaning followed by the cooking, shopping and general daily life are a lot! I feel like I always get sick shortly after New Years because my body just says, "Enough already." The solution: There isn't one. However, don't forget about yourself in the midst of all the fun. No, I am not