Catch the International Sportsmen's Exposition at CalExpo, starting Friday and running through Sunday. Tickets are $12, with 12 and under admitted free. Parking will be $7 per vehicle.

Numerous halls will be open showing various types of hunting and fishing activities. There will also be 15 sports boat dealers representing at least 25 lines of bass and sportfishing boats.

Also featured will be adventure travel destinations.

In addition, the Youth Outdoor Fair--begins Friday at 3:00 pm and runs all weekend and offers lots of hands-on experiences for kids 12 and younger.

Go get a head start on summer fun.

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 7:02 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it? | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Sacramento, Calif., will play host to the world's biggest track and field competition in 2011, the World Masters Association announced today in Riccione, Italy.

The WMA Championships are an international track and field competition for masters athletes, age 35 and over. The 2007 WMA Championships taking place in Italy this week have attracted more than 9,000 athletes from 90 countries.

Sacramento competed for the 2011 WMA Championships against Porto Alegre, Brazil. Following one-hour presentations from the two bid cities, the WMA Council voted 69-39 Tuesday morning to award its biennial event to Sacramento.

The tentative date of the Sacramento event is July 7-17, 2011. Contestants will compete over 11 days at Sacramento State (Hornet Stadium), Sacramento City College (Hughes Stadium) and Folsom High School.

The Sacramento Sports Commission previously bid for the 2005 WMA Championships but lost out to San Sebastian, Spain. Sports Commission executive director John McCasey said his group learned from that loss and focused its bid and presentation on the athletes' needs - good facilities, transportation and housing.

Joining McCasey in making Tuesday's presentation were masters competitors Bill Collins and Joy Upshaw-Margerum. Collins, a 56-year-old sprinter from Houston, Texas, was the World Male Masters Athlete of the Year in 2006. Upshaw-Margerum has won a pair of medals in the 45-49 age class in Riccione and serves as the masters chair for the Pacific Association of USA Track & Field.

The WMA Championships were last held in the United States in 1995, when Buffalo served as the host city. That was the year when Sacramento began its run of high-profile track meets. The 1995 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Hughes Stadium led to the 2000 U.S. Olympic Trials at Sacramento State. In addition to holding the 2004 U.S. Olympic Trials, Sacramento also hosted four NCAA Division I Championships and the 2002 Junior Olympics.

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 7:20 PM | Permalink | Can you digg it? | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

From Sactown Royalty :

The Cal Expo hammer has finally dropped, after months of unsubstantiated rumors. Well, a hammer in the form of anonymous sources talking to The Sacramento Bee's Mary Lyne Vellinga, anyway.

The NBA has settled on Cal Expo as the preferred location for a new Kings arena, according to sources familiar with the league's behind-the-scenes effort to build the team a new home in Sacramento.

Despite its location on one of Sacramento's worst freeway bottlenecks, Cal Expo appeals to the NBA because it offers a ready supply of vacant land and a name already recognized as an entertainment destination, said the sources, who asked not to be identified because the league hasn't yet unveiled its proposal.

Business 80 would need to be virtually rebuilt in that stretch if you put the arena at Cal Expo. A serious question will be how that cost compares to the cost of infrastructure needed for a downtown entertainment center.

Vellinga talks about Cal Expo's status and needs, and an interesting Senate bill which figures heavily in this whole thing. SB 282, sponsored by Sacramento Republican Sen. Dave Cox, would allow the leasing of Cal Expo land to private developers... something which could clearly help defray costs for an arena there. And as far as I can tell, it's a way to escape some portion of public/Maloof funding -- Cal Expo sells bonds (with authorization from the joint powers authority, which I'm assuming would include state, county, city, and Cal Expo representatives) to fund improvements at the location, which are then used to facilitate the building of an arena (and associated sundries). Every dollar of investor money spent on fixing Cal Expo is a dollar saved by us and the Maloofs.

Think about it. The Maloofs wouldn't have owned the downtown arena -- they were the (cash-minting) operators under that scenario. All events, parking, concessions, retail... the Maloofs made money on that and paid a (rather modest) payment to the city and county for it. Fast forward to Cal Expo: the state owns and would continue to own the property, the Maloofs become the operators of the new arena and take in money from concessions, all events at the arena, retail associated with the arena. There's just one problem; a problem which was reportedly the reason the downtown effort imploded so spectacularly.

Parking. That's how Cal Expo makes the bread. That's an important revenue source for the Maloofs. Plenty of parking already exists -- and it wouldn't likely sit on land leased to the Maloofs. Sticking point, anyone?

What would we do without the latest Where's Waldo (oh, that would be Where's the Next Proposed Arena Site?). And there goes the biggest reason that Sacramento was behind the downtown deal - the downtown location. What now for the railroads?

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 3:50 PM | Permalink | Can you digg it? | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Yesterday morning, Pierre and I loaded our bicycles and headed for a local bike trail. To keep this story in context, I must add that we have owned the bikes for several years, haven't ridden them in several years, and had to use two different cars to get to the lake, because we had no bike rack and couldn't fit both in one car. Additionally, before we left, I waited upstairs for Pierre's call for help on pumping up his flat tires. He, like I days before, had forgotten how to use the pump. And one more piece of context - we had bought the Honda CRV based almost entirely on the fact that it showed a picture of two bikes standing upright inside. Don't believe everything you see!

So, off we went to the bike path, which runs around the side of a beautiful lake. Clinging on for dear life, I began the trail. I had heard that it was 20 miles and I was sure that there was no way that I could possibly complete such a long ride. But as time progressed, and Pierre taught me that going up hills you use the lowest gear - I had been using the highest - completion looked more possible. Only a little farther, I thought and then I realized that I hadn't seen Pierre for a little while. I stopped my bike and waited, thinking that he must have run into some trouble because during the rest of the ride he had always been waiting ahead for me. No Pierre. So now I rode further up the trail thinking he might be waiting for me further ahead. No Pierre. Finally I decided he must have had a flat tire or an accident back in the parking lot we had ridden through - the last time I had seen him. So I turned around and drove back the mile or so and saw him standing in the parking lot. So, I was right - he probably has a flat tire.

"Where have you been?" he asked. Turns out when we had reached the parking lot where we had started, Pierre had stopped, loaded up his car and then come to my car to help me load mine. But no Gillian. I am going to blame this momentary disorientation on the fact that later we learned the bike path was 9.3 miles, not the 20 I had thought. Truth is that most of the time I have no sense of where I am. Same reason that I have lost my car many times in parking lots - one loss which required an overnight stay at a hotel until the car could be located!

But, let's change the subject and say we were very impressed with the numerous people exercising early on a Saturday morning - walking, jogging, bicycling, roller-blading. All ages, all races, all sizes and shapes. And even more impressive, they were excercising on the first 100 degree day in Texas.

Pierre wanted to go biking again today, but I thought we should take a break until next week until I can get myself better oriented! We are taking bets on the next time the bikes get used!

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Photo: Copyright JRCompton.com

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 8:25 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it? | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

For those who lived through those remarkable years when the Kings won games and titles (although never the ultimate title), watch this video from Utube and remember how much fun we had.

Thanks KingsWebber for the great memories.

We have just bought Dallas Mavericks tickets in exactly the same position as our Sacramento Kings seats. We are hoping for good karma and a return of those amazing couple of seasons. But frankly, maybe it was a one-time special privilege that we might never experience again. And wow, it was fabulous while it lasted and I wouldn't have missed it for the world.

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 11:27 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it? | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I have so much technology measuring me when I 'run' that I am pretty sure I won't even have to show up for my triathalon leg - I will just send the machines. Of course, that means that I have to get them figured out in the next few weeks.

Today I discovered I could do this:

Of course, it was the same day that I kept banging on every button on my Polar watch because it wasn't showing my heart rate. When that didn't work, I decided that the sensors on my heart monitor weren't getting a good contact. I reached up the front of my shirt and realized I left it at home. There goes that measurement for the day.

The fact that I still have a heart monitor, even though I left it at home today, is a miracle in itself. The other day, I found the actual monitor lying on the floor with no sign of the band that attaches it around my chest. I knew immediately what had happened - the dog ate it. OK, so the dog has never eaten my homework, but he has eaten my mouth guard, my toothbrush, lots of underwear and lots of other things to show how much he loves me...and yes, he's a lab.

I called the store where I bought the watch - $49.95 - what, I just need the strap. Finally, I found a place online and ordered one for $5.95 plus some horrid shipping fee only to find the missing strap minutes later where I had hidden it to make sure the dog didn't eat it. Which, by the way, is the reason I didn't have it on today - hidden so the dog wouldn't eat it!

The graph above comes from the sensor in my Nike sneakers that sends data to my iPod Nano. It's actually really a cool device - you can hear at any time the total time you have run, the current pace and the distance. I wish it would give you the overall pace because frankly when I am running, it's hard to do the math, But at the end, you get that data as well as number of calories consummed. 325 calories, it announces and I think - wow an extra glass of wine tonight. The data can then be transmitted to your personal account on the Nikeplus website. While running, you can also play whatever music, podcast, etc., you like and simply have the Nike info speak, by pushing a button, over your running music.

I am definitely still trying to figure out the Polar watch. I got the least complicated one - thank goodness, and it is still defying my brain capacity. My running coach, lovingly donated by a friend who doesn't want me to die(!), wants me to do lots of measurements of my heart rate and I spend so much time trying to make my watch cooperate than my heart rate never gets high enough to measure - well, maybe from frustration. I certainly have thought about taking it off and flinging on the ground many times in the last few weeks. But instead I have asked my neighbor, an avid biker, to give me Polar watch training!

So onward and upward - 2 months to the tri - and i am trying!

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

PS: Excuses - please note the workout above includes a 5 minute warmup walk!

I am still trying

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 8:32 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it? | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The Houston Rockets have hired Rick Adelman, former coach of the Sacramento Kings. Adelman is replacing Jeff Van Gundy who was let go after the Houston Rockets were eliminated in this year's first round of the playoffs. Adelman was left go by the Kings a year ago after the Kings were eliminated in that year's first round of the playoffs. The new coach of the Kings this year, Eric Musselman, couldn't even get the Kings into the first round of the playoffs. All of this musical chairs is making me dizzy. Plus, I heard that Dallas is looking at Bibby and maybe even Artest. Now that would be crazy.

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 1:40 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it? | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Dear Maloof Brothers:

Please stop selling us. When we didn't renew our King's season tickets we meant it. When you invited us to the season ticket holders meeting, we sent our representative to give you a good hearing, but the argument just wasn't persuasive. Fact was that we couldn't give our tickets away anymore compared to when we would have to carefully juggle who got what so as not to lose good friendships. Our decision was made, no renewal.

And then the barrage begins. Piece after piece arrives. A mailing piece about how much the Maloof Foundation has done for the community. That's great, but we still aren't renewing. A couple more letters. A certified letter notifying us that if we don't renew, our tickets would be given to the 'sizeable' waiting list. Great, and hope it's still sizeable. And then the last piece we received yesterday. Whoever came up with this one, needs to be fired. A plain box with no sender info nor return address (that was weird to start with - were the Maloofs worried we wouldn't open any more correspondence from the Kings?), and inside a plaque which had a piece of the Arco Arena Court affixed to it. It gave me the creeps. Are the Maloofs dismantling Arco Arena before a new arena is built? I have heard about giving away the kitchen sink, but the floor of your basketball arena..that's bizarre and seems pretty desperate.

Dear Maloof Brothers: We had some great years with you. And we made an investment right along with you. And sorry it didn't work out because it was a lot of fun for a while. But the product you are offering at premium prices doesn't work for us anymore. And we really, really, really don't want to renew our season tickets. And please, no more mailings. We have our own basketball problems to do deal with now - the Mavs.

Dear Mark Cuban: Check with the Maloofs on what not to do and please don't send us part of the American Airlines basketball court!

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 9:00 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it? | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

On Saturday, June, 23rd the Sacramento Monarchs and SAGE (Sacramento Advocates for Girls’ Empowerment) face off against the Detroit Shock in support of the Monarchs FIRST EVER Monarchs Women of Influence Networking Event. Please join SAGE and the Monarchs in building powerful connections and a love for basketball!

Tickets for the game are $25 and include the networking event, appetizers and a ticket to the game. Come support a very worthwhile organization in town that since its founding in 2001 has staffed more than 100 speaking engagements with powerful women from the Sacramento community.

To buy your tickets contact Greg Fleisher at 916-928-6936.

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 10:26 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it? | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Last Sunday evening, after a nice salmon dinner in my Boston hotel, I turned on the Cleveland –Denver NBA basketball game. Three superstars LaBron James, Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson – what a trio to watch!

I tuned in to the ESPN broadcast in the middle of an interview with Warren Buffett and Jim Grey. I don’t think of Warren Buffett as an NBA fan – but there he was at a game in Cleveland. Why would Warren travel to Cleveland for an NBA game? It turns out Warren was a guest of LaBron James.

Now what’s the connection with the world’s second richest person and a 22-year old NBA superstar? According to Buffett, LaBron called Warren for investment advice. Wow - a 22-year old calling the most successful stock investor of all time! How impressive!

LaBron James – you’re awesome baby! (a borrowed cliché from Dick Vitale).

Oh by the way, Gillian knows me better than I expected – I called her up in the middle of the interview and said, “You’re not going to believe who is LeBron James’ investment advisor.” She immediately replied, “Warren Buffett.” How did she know? She simply knows that Warren Buffett is my hero. And now, so is LeBron James.

Pierre Cutler
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 11:57 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it? | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

A few days ago, Pierre was making his selection for the NCAA tournament. I'm not quite sure why he suddenly suggested that I also make a selection. So I did. I picked based on exact and precise selection criteria - things like, "Wow, my kids graduated from U of Arizona." And as one of my ''upset' picks would defeat 'the favorite', Pierre would be very complimentary as if I knew what I had been doing. I didn't and I don't! But it's OK if he thinks I did and I do.

And now it is Sunday and I have 10 of the final 16 and all of my final four are still in and it's almost fun.

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 7:57 PM | Permalink | Can you digg it? | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Sacramento-based, local venture backed, MaxPreps Inc., a provider of high school sports information and media, has expanded its coverage into lacrosse. The company's initial focus will be on the five states in the Northeast, a stronghold for lacrosse.

Known as the fastest game on two feet, lacrosses is also one of the fastest-growing team sports in the country. An estimated 147,041 high school students play lacrosse nationally, while 204,394 youth age 15 and under play organized lacrosse in the United States.

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 4:14 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it? | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

This is the greatest fun. We have enjoyed each and every time that there has been a major track and field event at Sac State.

Tickets have just gone on sale for the Championships scheduled for June 6-9th. Make sure you grab yours. They will sell out fast.

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 5:57 PM | Permalink | Can you digg it? | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The Tour of California, an eight-day, seven-stage, 600-mile bicycle race, is coming through Sacramento on February 20th. Sacramento is the end of Stage 2. Racers will enter Sacramento across the Tower Bridge and head to the Capitol. They will circle the Capitol before racing to the finish line at 11th and I Streets.

Huge crowds are expected. Traffic will be affected as the race involves more than 80 intersections.

To enjoy the fun with a minimum of disruption, plan to assemble no later than 2PM.

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 6:04 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it? | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Local startup, XtremeSno, has spent the past two years improving their Personal Snow Vehicle and now needs money to close out a round to ramp up production.

CEO Jim Wade writes:

We have just finished our updated production XSR-125, PSV (Personal Snow Vehicle). After input from users and potential customers we have a much improved vehicle over our "proof of concept vehicle" you have all seen. It works and rides better than the first XSR - More power, nicer ride, great steering, better ergonomics....and at the same weight. So that now we have 30 HP on a 100 lb vehicle...wow!.....on top of that the XSR-125 has all the production details figured out and we have customers from around the world - US, Canada, England asking for vehicles. We need to round out the initial funding so that we can proceed with production. Now if it would just snow a little around here .......

Maybe showers of money would help. You can email Jim at jwade@xtremesno.com.

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 12:25 PM | Permalink | Can you digg it? | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

This headline on the BBC news website caught my attention this morning. With the lack of natural snow in the Sierras, could the local ski resorts be testing a new snowmaking procedure? Or was it just a publicity stunt to increase their number of visitors? It turns out that the headline actually read ‘Smelly orange snow hits Siberia’ and that our pristine slopes were safe for the time being.

But, it does show how desperate most of us are for any good news from the Sierras. Sure we just finished with the driest January on record here in the valley. But thanks to the marvels of modern snowmaking, most of the resorts surrounding Lake Tahoe still have a large percentage of their runs open. If you like the thought of perfectly groomed runs, like the fabled cruisers at Deer Valley, then this is your year to experience the best Tahoe has to offer. I ventured up to Northstar this past Wednesday with Alpine Adventures and had one of my best days skiing in years. At times it felt like the whole mountain was mine, with wide open runs and no one around to cut me off, or scream past me out of control. Talking to my friends over a glass or two of wine as we headed home on the bus, we all agreed to keep our magical day a secret from those who “aren’t in the know”.

Of course, there will still be plenty of people who won’t venture out until we get that next large snowfall. That’s fine by me, as I’ll be out there enjoying the uncrowded slopes and getting the best value for money from my lift ticket in years. If you’re stuck at home, there are still a few things you can do to get prepared. Local independent shops like Land Park Ski & Sports and The Ski Doctor are pretty quiet at the moment. If you’re thinking of buying some new skis or a snowboard or checking out the latest in boot technology, this is the time to get advice from the experts and get your equipment tuned up and ready for that first big snowfall. For something more active, a local outfit called Snozone uses a revolving deck to develop the skills and muscles you need on the slopes and can greatly reduce the amount of time you waste on the mountain.

So put down that remote control, skip the mall and get out there and enjoy the wonders in the Sierras. As for me, I’m heading back up there this weekend and making sure that Orange snow doesn’t mess up any of the fluffy white stuff covering the slopes.

Note from Gillian: Alpine Adventures is offering another fabulous ski prize at the next Sacramento Executive event on 2/21. Ed Ring still raves about the one he won. Check for details at the top of this page.

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 12:10 PM | Permalink | Can you digg it? | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The Caltech Beavers men's basketball team finally won a game on Saturday. The Beavers' logjam of losses burst the dam wide open against Bard College of New York in a butt kicking fashion - 81 -52.

The win ended a losing streak of 207 NCAA Divsion III games. The Beavers will attempt to break another logjam this month - 245 consecutive conference losses, dating back nearly 22 years.

Pierre Cutler
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Pierre Cutler at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it? | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Executives and entrepreneurs - take notice of what happened last night in Glendale, Arizona at the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl. The powerhouse football team, the Oklahoma Sooners, fell as the overwhelming heavy favorite to the Boise State Broncos. How did this happen? Through pure passion, energy, positive attitude and teamwork.

The Broncos jumped out to a 28 - 10 lead. But the tide turned and with just 1:26 to go in the fourth quarter, the Sooners, down by eight, quickly marched down the field and scored a touchdown and 2-point conversion to tie the score at 28.

After the ensuing kickoff, Boise State's quarterback, Jared Zabransky, made an apparent game-ending blunder by throwing an interception to Sooners' Marcus Walker who scampered untouched for 33 yards and a touchdown.

Just like that in a span of thirty seconds, undefeated Boise State went from leading by a touchdown to trailing by a touchdown. I was really down at this point. The clock had literally struck midnight (in Dallas) and the Cinderalla team's run was about to end. I was disheartened.

And then with seven seconds left, facing 4th down and 18 yards to go for a first down, with the ball at midfield, the unbelievable happened. On a razzle/dazzle play, ESPN called it a hook-and-ladder, Zabransky completed a pass to Drisan James at the 35, who then pitched the ball to Jerard Rabb who sprinted into the endzone. Amazingly, on the last possible play for Boise, against all odds, Zabransky and the Broncos tied the score.

Into overtime the game went tied at 35 - 35.

The Broncos won the coin toss and elected to start on defense. The Sooners scored a touchdown on the first play.

Again, against all odds, down to the last play, the Broncos faced a fourth down and five yards to go for the touchdown. With the quarterback Zabransky lined up wide to the left, the Sooners looked confused. I must admit, so was I. The center hiked to the running back Vinny Perretta, and on a bootleg to the right, Perretta threw a touchdown to Derek Schouman.

Trailing 42 - 41, Bronco's coach Chris Petersen decided to go for two in an attempt to win it all.

Zabransky lined up over the center, with three receivers set wide to the right. Zabransky faked a throw to the right. The Sooners bought the fake. Placing the ball on his left hip, Zabransky executed a perfect Statue of Liberty, handing off to Ian Johnson who went left into the endzone.

Boise State won 43 - 42 in the most exciting college football game I ever saw.

Zabransky's passion, energy, and don't quit attitude carried the team to victory.

The Boise State Broncos are THE national champions. A perfect season. 13 - 0.

A perfect ending. And a perfect lesson for executives and entrepreneurs.

Pierre Cutler
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Pierre Cutler at 12:34 PM | Permalink | Can you digg it? | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Lamar Odom, 26 years old, and a high achiever for the Los Angeles Lakers, has figured out the ingredient for success. According to Liz Robbins of the New York Times, Lamar's approach to basketball in the NBA is simple - "I understand about being passionate about what you do, how to give effort and energy every night".

Entrepreneurs and executives - heed Lamar Odom's lesson. Be passionate about what you do!

Lamar, well said. Perhaps coach Pat Riley of the reigning NBA champions - the Miami Heat - taught Lamar his lesson?

Pierre Cutler
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Pierre Cutler at 4:02 PM | Permalink | Can you digg it? | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Sacramento Kings - breaking news for this holiday season! The NBA plays with just one ball at a time. And it's a good thing! Can you imagine two balls at the same time and the top two scorers on the same team?

Allen Iverson and Carmello Anthony on the same team - why? The top two scorers. The top two ball hogs (outside of Kobe Bryant). Both players average 24 shots per game. Tops in the league. Even more than Kobe right now. Can you imagine being one of the other three players on the floor? Will they ever get the ball? What about team chemistry? Not just one ball hog. But two!

Ask Charles Barkley if he would like to play for Denver with these two shooters.

It's really simple. A regulation game has 48 minutes - 12 minutes a quarter, four quarters a game. Each team, by definition will have only so many possessions. Even if the game is sped up, it's just a finite number - the number doesn't change (unless you're playing with Steve Nash). There's just one ball and one shooter at a time.

And another thing, the NBA has proven multiple super stars on the same team just doesn't work. Look at Kobe and Shaq. Furthermore, look at our "dream teams" in international competitions. Super star filled rosters don't win. Why? Because basketball is a team sport.

Proof - 2002 World Champions - Yugoslavia. 2006 World Champions - Spain.

Basketball is a team sport. Teams win. They always have. And always will.

Oh. One more thing. I only know one instance of two players on the same NBA team ever to each average 30 points or more in the same season - The Lakers in the 1961/1962 season. The players? Elgin Baylor with 38.2 points per game; and Jerry West (the all-time Lakers scorer) with 30.8 points. The results? The Lakers were beaten in game 7 of the finals by the Boston Celtics, 110-107.

Need I say more about the Nuggets chances of winning it all this year?

Pierre Cutler
The Sacramento Executive.

Posted by Pierre Cutler at 7:38 PM | Permalink | Can you digg it? | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

From Ailene Voisin of the Sacramento Bee this morning in reference to the possibility of Allen Iverson joining the Kings and playing with Ron Artest:

The pairing of Iverson and Artest would be so volatile that smoking would be banned within the vicinity of Arco Arena. Underage fans would be asked to sign a disclaimer regarding personal safety. Media outlets would remain on 24-hour news alert. Additionally, the Kings' locker room would anchor the ESPN highlight show.

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 5:36 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it? | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Despite what everyone says, we say, Mark Cuban is a class act! Right now we are watching the Mavericks play Detroit at the American Airlines Center. Every front row seat in the arena is occupied by a US soldier wounded in Iraq and/or Afghanistan. Mark Cuban, owner of the Mavs, has paid to transport each of them to the game. The Mavericks season ticketholders donated their front row seats. Immediately after the game, the entire Mavs team will host a party for these 'celebrated' guests on the floor of the arena.

And, surprisingly, we can't find a thing reported anywhere on the web about this generous gesture on the part of Cuban and the Dallas ticketholders. Most noteworthy to us however is the visualization of what an immense toll this war is taking on our young people.

Way to go, Mark and Dallas. Class acts. And kudos to our war heroes - each and every one of them.

Gillian Parrillo
Pierre Cutler
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 5:40 PM | Permalink | Can you digg it? | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

It's the Kings versus the Mavs on Friday night at the American Airlines Center in Dallas. Pierre and I will be there to watch the action. I will even break out my Doug Christie jersey. That should confuse all and sundry as Doug played for the Mavs for a very short time. Of course, I better watch out for Jackie Christie!

The Mavs are on a roll - they have won 11 in a row. They even won last night against the Toronto Raptors without the help of superstar Dirk Nowitzski who left the game with blurred vision in the first quarter. Reports are that Dirk suffered a bruised retina in Monday's game and should be recovered enough to play in the Kings vs. Mavs meeting on Friday night.

Let's hope this is a spirited game. So far the Dallas fans are closer to Lakers fans than Kings fans. Lots of talking on cell phones, arriving late, floating in and out.

So, go Kings. Take your 3 in a row and make it 4. And Saturday, we will go back to supporting the Mavs!

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 2:15 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it? | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I have come to believe that the business model for sports arenas just doesn't work. I am not sure it ever has. It reminds me of the Walmart model. The owners promise revitalization, jobs, and other economic development pluses and extract huge tax incentives from local jurisdictions and then when the arena is declared not to be 'state of the art' and a replacement is needed, (and the tax incentives have run out), they threaten to pick up and decamp to the next 'desperate' locale.

Here is an extract from an article in the Arizona Republic, which makes this same point.

It wasn't supposed to turn out this way.

When team owners started agitating for new, taxpayer-financed facilities in the 1990s, they often couched it with projects meant to turn around struggling center cities.

There was a stick, too: the threat that the team would leave if its demands weren't met, a trend partly foreshadowed years before by the football Cardinals' angry departure from St. Louis.

It seemed to work in places such as Denver, where Coors Field became the centerpiece of the reclamation of what had been the city's skid row. Now, downtown Denver is booming, and all four of its big-league teams play downtown.

Phoenix's experience was quite different.

Although a new ballpark and basketball arena bring thousands downtown, the center city is still badly lagging behind its peers. The development enjoyed around Coors Field hasn't happened here. Many nights, the streets are devoid of people.

In Los Angeles, neighborhoods around Staples Center have only recently begun to hint at a major turnaround. And it is driven more by big development dollars in condo and office projects, combined with more demand for downtown living, than the arena itself.

The lesson seems to be that stadiums and arenas are wonderful assets, but they have a wider benefit only when other positive forces are at work. Alone, they can't solve deeply entrenched pathologies.

And the venues risk losing any appeal if the owners will go shopping for a new taxpayer deal at the first opportunity.

The old stadium game isn't entirely dead. Minneapolis is building a ballpark for baseball's Twins after years of resistance, and the NFL's Vikings may eventually get a new home, too.

But now there's a new game: As cities have wised up, the owners are seducing gullible suburbs.

Glendale may become a national template, as Bay area suburbs are wooing the San Francisco 49ers and the Oakland A's. A suburban county was courted and dumped, at least for now, by the Vikings. In all these cases, big suburban development projects are being promised along with the arenas.

Unfortunately, these stadiums only worsen sprawl and congestion. They're usually removed from mass transit. Quiet neighborhoods are quiet no longer.

The promise of stadiums didn't work out. That's what happens when feral greed wins.

And from reading today's Sacramento Bee, it appears that the railyards project is moving ahead with or without an arena.

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 9:49 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it? | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Things are definitely not looking good for a long-term partnership between Sacramento and the Kings. More fuel for the fire. Sports Illustrated has a story speculating on where the Kings will move to if the arena deal doesn't pass (a very likely scenario).

Top candidates:

Anaheim
Los Vegas
San Jose
Kansas City
Seattle

Read the whole article

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

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Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 12:57 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it? | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Before a sell-out crowd of 19.982 (of which at least half didn't show up!), the Kings began their hunt for the ever-illusive championship. And where better to start but against another strong contender, the Dallas Mavericks, who came oh so close to winning the whole ball of wax last season.

The Kings looked good, from our new season ticket seats.
Hey, you got to start somewhere! But we do miss good old Arco.
And we sure don't get the Maverick's Dancers - could they wear any less in this highly religious, conservative city?

But we do like the 300-400lb male dancers - the ManiAACs. Remember when the Kings tried this and they got booed off the floor and never returned?

All in all, we are going to have to grow into Mavs fans simply based on our living arrangements. But we still think the food, the crowd, the dancers, the giveaways, the press coverage and the general atmosphere is better at Arco. And for all the hype, you only notice it's a new (fairly new) arena because there are lots more private boxes - which pretty much only benefits the owners who can sell more corporate sponsorships.

Go Kings - and if you don't get it this year, go Mavs.

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive

Posted by Gillian Parrillo at 8:08 AM | Permalink | Can you digg it? | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Pierre and I had a chance to check out the Mavs last Sunday prior to the upcoming preseason game against the Kings on Thursday night. Sunday was Fans Day and the local radio station held a lottery to allow a certain number of fans to get into the arena an hour early and meet and greet the owner, coach, and players. I was one of the lucky winners - and, when we showed up, we discovered so were 1,000 others! Tables were set up all around the concourse with different players at each table giving autographs and allowing their photos to be taken.

Mark Cuban was looking very relaxed. The lines were pretty short at his table so I was able to remind him about his talk to the Sacramento Entrepreneurship Academy in 2005. "Yes," he said, "I really enjoyed that." Mark took a beating in the press during last year's playoffs for what some considered unsportsmanlike conduct. I think that Mark just displayed the kind of behavior that people who want to win do and Mark is all about winning. And this might just be the year for the Mavs.

Later, during the scrimmage, we saw him in his usual seat at the end of the arena, again looking pretty relaxed. Well, after all, those weren't real NBA refs and this wasn't the playoffs.

The line to Dirk's autograph table was long, long, long. He is definitely a superstar in the eyes of Mavs fans. He too seemed very relaxed, joking with the fans, enjoying his time in the sun. Dirk must live close to us because he is often reported dining in several of the neighborhood restaurants we go to.

Pierre caught this incident. "Ah," he said, "We must tell the Kings that if they want to stop Dirk, they should hold his jersey."