The City of Kings

On February 28th, 1983 a little girl with big dreams and expectations was born, born to a city that she would hold so high, a city above any other... A city that she would one day have to leave. In 1985 two things very special to her would enter this city, her baby brother and The NOW Sacramento Kings.

In 1988, Her grandmother whom raised her would have to make the hard decision of moving out of the city to a smaller town so that her uncle (whom her grandmother took care of due to severe brain damage) could try and attempt having a normal life.

This little girl is me, as I grew up Basketball was something that excited me, as a little girl I still remember watching Michael Jordan, with every move I knew this game was MY game.
After Michael retired the game was just... well it just didn't feel like a game anymore, there was no excitement, almost no point...
I had always followed my home town team because I love everything there is about Sacramento, When Chris Webber came, I remember thinking... Could this be it for them? Could this really put them where the city deserves to be? Sure enough we didn't have to wait long for that question to be answered.

Chris Webber, and a line up of Vlade Divac, Peja Stojakovic, Doug Christie, and Mike Bibby stunned the NBA world when they took the Lakers to a 7 game series. As a fan that was not in the area for the series I remember being in Best Buy for Game 5... The game we all dread to remember. I was hoping to get in the store and get out before the game started but that didn't happen so instead I sat in front of the tv showing the game from beginning to end. Other fans sitting there with me, on edge waiting to see how this would turn out. That game, That Series changed my life.

I vowed to come back to Sacramento so that the only way I would experience this was in person standing on my feet screaming with the rest of the 17,000 other fans in person.
In 2003 I finally got my chance... A friend of mine and I waited up all night, calling ticketmaster, online with ticketmaster and at a ticketmaster all in the hopes of scoring playoff tickets against the Dallas Mavericks. SOLD OUT SOLD OUT SOLD OUT! So instead we decided well, lets just go and we'll drive around the city; He wasn't from anywhere in the area, so I showed him around, and that day we went into this store called "Sports Fever" in Arden Fair mall... and one man changed our lives and that dream came true. He mentioned that he had 2 tickets left for the game and if we wanted them... Framed is my ticket STO (Standing Room Only) and worth every single penny.

We drove back to Madera ( a town just north of Fresno -where I lived) that night and did not even sleep, got everything together and got right back in the car and drove right back to Arco Arena the very next morning. Nothing will ever change that moment for me. I know the Arco that is so envied, I know the fans that rang the cowbells, I know the team that shocked a nation,

I KNOW THE TEAM WHO BROUGHT EXCITEMENT BACK TO THE GAME!

BECAUSE THEY'RE MY TEAM!

After the demise or the crumbling of a Kingdom occurred, I refused to sit around like I was watching some awful movie. The announcement of the Trade of Doug Christie hit the airwaves, and my blood ran rampant... I called Maloof Sports and Ent. at the very least to leave a message of my absolute disgust, I wanted them to know that this was the WORST decision that could have possibly been made.
I STOOD AND LET THEM KNOW I AM A FAN AND WILL NOT STAND FOR THIS. This process repeated itself with the trades of Peja, Chris, and Bobby.

In 2005 the Buzz about the new arena started to make its way through the news papers, ESPN and so forth; In 2006 an official matter of a public funded arena would be put on the ballot for California's impromptu election, I knew I had to do everything I could to make sure I was a part of this.

In August of 2006 I moved back to Sacramento, in the midst of the downward spiral that we as fans had been facing, but to me I'm a fan and it doesn't matter if we're winning or losing, it doesn't matter how new or old our arena is, I'm a fan and nothing will ever change that.
I was a resident just long enough to ensure that I was able to register to vote, and vote I did.
The measure didn't pass and the fans still sat in limbo, waiting to hear anything positive. We've waited for the last 5 years to hear something positive, anything to ensure us that the Kings are here to stay, and now we here from the commissioner himself that the Maloofs are interviewing other city officials?

As a King's fan I've learned they are usually doing what we aren't hearing about so in usual fashion, normally I would push this off as a media stunt, but something about this time doesn't seem to fall in that same suit.

As a SACRAMENTO Kings Fan, this plea is to the Maloof's and the CITY of Sacramento...
We are the heart of your business, Franchise and the key factor that helps your organization and this City run, we were here before you and we will be here until there is nothing left to fight for!
Move to Southern California and you'll see that the decision in that will be nothing more than your last dump before filing for Chapter 11. YOU WILL NEVER FIND FANS LIKE US, Especially not on enemy ground.

To You this is a business but to us... the ones who generate your business, this is OUR LIFE.
WE ARE YOUR 6TH MAN and the way things have been we may be the ONLY man still putting in the effort every night. This has nothing to do with filling the stands, its an economic down turn, as business men you have to understand that lowering the upper lever last 2 rows of each section to 10.00 is not going to fill the seats. We all have to worry about feeding our families, as do you but lets all make a compromise here.

I am all for a publicly funded arena, if that's what it takes I'm all for it. Give the residents of Sacramento and Surrounding a discount on merchandise, and tickets since we're footing some of the bill... There is a way to make this happen, you guys used to be such great owners, and still can be, lets make something happen and keep the King's in the City they call home!

The In's and Out's

The last 3 years haven't been anything King's fans would have ever thought they'd see. A major dismantling of what people(including outsiders) called a "Dream TEAM" with the last piece being moved last season its hard to realize that the past is the past and its time to set into reality.

The economy down, which means attendance is down another hard concept for Sacramento to grasp seeing as how every season we had a record for consecutive sellouts. Truth be told its happening all around the league, 12 teams are going to get a bailout next year and it looks as if Sacramento is going to be one of them. Will the money come to the team or will it go towards the new arena?

Yes that's right, in case you've been under a rock the plan has passed to build a brand new arena at Cal Expo. With this now in place it sets a new tone for not only the city but the club as well. With 2010 fast approaching the Maloofs have made moves to position them selves to not only rebuild but at the very least attempt to shop in 2010. A new arena and rejuvenated city is always a nice appeal. However, the key problems remain;

Who will be the coach?

Do the Maloofs really care about what we have here?

Are they really willing to take a look at the game rather than just the business side?

Do they plan to show up to any game that isn't considered high profile?

It's kind of hard for fans and players to stick by when the owners aren't. But with that said, as fans we stick by, through the hard times as well as the good. We sit through the hard times because the privilege we have over ban wagon fans is that, when the wins start pouring in it means so much more to us because we shared the teams pain. We have that bond that the others can't even comprehend. True Loyalty, True dedication.

I heard and will quote a Laker fan who I spoke with just yesterday say to me " The refs not only took something away from the Kings but us as well in 2002. The fans don't deserve that asterisk." Necole Key - Lakernation.com

Even though people think that's what keeps us holding on as fans, as if we are living in the past as some like to say...
Well as I've said before, If you aren't a King's fan you wouldn't understand. We understand what goes in and the product that should come out. For some its the stats, for us its heart and teamwork because after all thats what the game is all about.

Captivated Within The Web That Is A King

What a Tangled Web we weave when first we practice to deceive...

Sacramento was only known for the fact that it was (is) the Capitol of California and possibly the Wine. As someone born in the City it was always more than that, but to the rest of the world the only things known about this city was what happened to be in the history books. It wouldn't be long before that changed....

He made his way in with a chip on his shoulder, and realizing it or not his heart on his sleeve.
Chris Webber made his debut and the Legacy of not only the Sacramento Kings but CWEBB himself would never be the same.

The infamous year of 2002 was the defining season of what would be, what should be the 2002 NBA Champions.

February 6th 2009, As Chris Webber's Jersey rose to the rafters he said,
" I may not have won a championship but I can guarantee less than 10% of athletes will ever experience what I experienced here in Sacramento"

With the 2002 season left with an asterisk next to it you wonder how much of that weighs on the minds of the men who served this city with everything they had.
Chris on the other hand has taken it with a grain of salt and celebrates the memories rather than the what if's.

Watching Webber's jersey rise was huge slap in the face. For Kings fans from the "Dream Team" (as Doug Christi calls it) Era, staring at his jersey flying high above Center Court was the revelation of ... It's truly and officially over... There's no going back, it is finally the time to move on....

Not a dry eye in the house, Vlade and Doug giving their speaches in honor of Chris really made the point clear....

Someone asked the question; How do you retire a jersey without ever winning a Championship?

The answer is this.....

Nobody outside of the Kingdom will ever understand this, but ITS NOT ALWAYS ABOUT THE RING. It's about the lessons you learn along the way, It's about the pride you take in what you love, It's the feeling you get when 12 teammates step on the floor, It's about the relationships built by not only the teammates but the realtionships that the athletes and organization makes with the fans....

And most importantly, it is about the unselfish actions in order to make everyone else better.
When you can come away from a team that made this franchise infamous and say, Its not about the championship, it was about the experience, you know the game was played the way it was meant to be played, heart and soul, blood, sweat and tears on the floor and all that was left was the person that experience built, you know you have something beyond special.

"Greatness begins with mistaken opportunities."