Long Live the Kings, again

Clearly I took too many pictures at the downtown rally for the Kings Thursday night..or at least too many for one blog. So...part 2

First off, I met this guy at the very long line into the Plaza. His shirt makes him look good and razzes the Maloofs for trying to move the Kings to several places. With the money they wasted..then lost due to bad investments, they would have been smarter building a new arena.



There was a really long banner, where fans got to sign their names and write their feelings about the team...and the fact that they're staying...



This is the other side of the banner, with the ultimate timeline for the team...



Some Kings players, past and present, were there like Isiah Thomas....



Tyreke Evans..



and Chris Webber, who led the team when they almost made the finals--if not for a suspicious ref, or free throws that went awry...



and the one and only voice of the Kings, Gary Gerrold



Here's a picture of Kevin Johnson with Vivek Ranadive. While their backs are to us, it still represents the future...



Thanks to his efforts of getting the Kings new owners and the prospect of a new arena, he's signing more autographs now than when he was with the Phoenix Suns...



and...this guy who was ringing a cowbell all through the rally...



True, Seattle would have had a big rally of its own if the NBA approved its proposal to move the Kings to Seattle. Still, it would not have as much excitement, optimism or love as what was generated at Cesar Chavez Plaza that Thursday night.
Seattle wanted the Kings because it didn't do enough to keep the SuperSonics in town. Sacramento wanted the Kings more, because their desire is real, their support is real, their love for the team is real, and it is forever.

Long Live the Sacramento Kings

Two years ago, thousands of Sacramento Kings fans gathered in Cesar Chavez Plaza, trying to gather support to stop the Kings from moving to Anaheim. That eventually worked, but it led to new concerns the team would move to Seattle.

This part Thursday, thousands of fans gathered at the Plaza, but this time they had no fears. They gathered to celebrate the future of the Sacramento Kings. This time, there are no fears the team will leave. This time...



This instant painting made in minutes by performance artist David Garibaldi, who made a splash during America's Got Talent last summer.

It was quite a carnival as people wore their finest Kings jerseys and caps, and even a foam finger, like this kid did...



and these two fans who had their own idea about what they should call the new downtown arena...



Calling an arena a castle may have a nice ring. For a few years, they called the arena in Anaheim a pond.

There were also these fans...





Then the crowd did a very popular dance, the KJ...



It's what Mayor Johnson did when he heard the deal came through

There was also Frank Hannon of Tesla playing "Love Song", with this woman singing lead..



They were later joined by Jeff Keith, also of Tesla...



So who is she? She is Anjili, daughter of....



Vivek Ranadive. He's currently co-owner of the Warriors, but he'll soon be part of the new Kings ownership group. He plans to turn around the Kings the way he did with Golden State in recent years. Here he is with Mayor Johnson, as they were talking to TV reporters...



And for you fans of Glee, Chord Overstreet....



His dad wrote "Forever and Ever Amen", familiar to Randy Travis fans.

To close this, let's have this kind have the last word...on his sign..



Long live the Sacramento Kings, but the day they break ground on the new arena next to Downtown Plaza really will be the first day of the rest of our lives...and the team

Here We'll Stay

Well, so much for my Sonic Kings idea....thank goodness.

So now the Kings have new owners with deep pockets and big dreams that will include a new arena next to the soon-to-be-resurrected Downtown Plaza. I can see a super Kings store in that shopping mall's future...and maybe the Hard Rock Café could come back.



Mayor Johnson held court at City Hall early Friday morning to make the announcement that the team will stay in Sacramento. Every TV reporter in town was there, plus about 50 fans. There were even city employees getting a very good view:



Johnson did thank the Seattle group for its efforts to get back in the NBA, and even the Maloofs for their years as owners.
Only one person from the new ownership was there: local businessman Mark Friedman, who was part of the creation of Arden Fair Mall. Making a downtown version of that would go a long way.



The biggest cheers went to this guy: Carmichael Dave, former KHTK employee and now the head of "#HereWeStay", the group who wants the Kings to stay in town. Anyone who traveled in an RV trying to convince every NBA owner to reject moving the team to Seattle is a man on a mission.



So, the next step is getting the ownership papers signed and notarized. Then, Mayor Johnson says a bigger rally will be held at Cesar Chavez Park Thursday at 5 PM. This link has some details, but how wild will it get? Well, here are some pictures from the last rally two years ago, when Anaheim tried to buy the team...







Oh, and they'll be a band you may have heard of: Cake! Expect "The Distance" to be played, along with "Never There" (in honor of the Maloofs and Seattle's attempt to take the Kings).