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http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/story/13919702p-14757837c.html
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I didnt see this article posted so I thought i would.
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Marcos Bretón: One person must take charge
By Marcos Bretón -- Bee Sports Columnist
Published 2:15 am PST Wednesday, November 30, 2005
Story appeared in Sports section, Page C1
Maybe because it's the holidays, or because middle age cannot be ignored any longer, or because children and mortality force one to assess life in more urgent ways.
But I'm feeling good will in my heart for the Maloofs, who if you believe rampant rumors, will one day initiate a royal departure from the Capital City.
That's right. A purple exodus of the most painful kind, all because a new arena deal for future Kings is - and has been - like Samuel L. Jackson said in "Pulp Fiction": As dead as fried chicken. OK. Let's make an admission right here, right now. The Maloofs likely read this column only to cut out the picture, draw horns on the head and blacken the teeth while adding a pitchfork and flames to complete the picture.
This because around Arco Arena and on the Kings' radio station, you're the Antichrist if you come hard against public financing for privately held sports facilities.
And a messy fight it was more than a year ago, when a normally united city with the most diverse neighborhoods in California warred with itself over building an arena - a fight played out in this paper, on the radio, at Arco Arena, around town, throughout Kings Nation.
For what? A lot of name-calling - for which I take my share of blame for sometimes getting too personal, too vehement while arguing sincere points.
There is nothing wrong with saying you're sorry, and I am for my share of the mess. But you know what? There were a lot of mistakes made by a lot of people - on the City Council, among the Maloofs, in the news media.
Poll them all, and you know what you get: a lot of people who do not want the Kings to leave Sacramento. Ever.
The trouble is, there hasn't been that one person to pull a deal together; that strong individual who could mediate an equitable deal that makes sense.
Don't take my word for it. This has been the contention for some time of Tony Giannoni, a downtown developer and civic leader who tried mightily and unsuccessfully to get an arena downtown last year.
"I am a firm believer that you need to have a disinterested third party saying you're out of line, or you're out of line," Giannoni said.
He's so right because an arena deal has been sliced to bits by divergent interests and there has seemingly been no one with the authority to reach the Maloofs.
Personally? I miss the late, great Mayor Joe Serna more than ever, with each passing day. Clearly, his interests were Sacramento, so he wouldn't have technically qualified as a third party.
But Serna had a vision for Sacramento that included sports.
He lobbied to bring the Raiders here, he wanted the A's here and he helped secure a highly controversial loan to keep the Kings in Sacramento.
That's why people like me used to get so angry when arena hawks would scream about Sacramento doing nothing for the Kings; it was insulting to Serna's memory.
Not long before he died of kidney cancer in 1999, Serna - and our city - did help save the Kings, floating a $73 million loan to keep the Kings afloat.
Serna accomplished that - and also helped overhaul Sacramento city schools, though he had no direct authority to do so - by using his office as a bully pulpit.
Who knows what Serna might have accomplished - he died mere months after the Maloofs assumed ownership of the Kings - but before he did, he laid down the law to them.
I remember vividly Joe Maloof saying that the first thing Serna said to him and his brother Gavin was, to paraphrase: "Don't you dare ever move this team."
"He scared the hell out of us," Joe Maloof said then.
That's Sacramento's problem today: we're still looking for someone to replace Serna. In his absence, others must step forward, including the Maloofs, who have been very reluctant to do so.
Restaurateur Randy Paragary, himself a skeptic of past arena deals but a supporter of keeping the Kings in Sacramento, said he is convinced the Maloofs want to stay in Sacramento.
"I think they are sincere," he said. So where does that leave this thing? Seemingly on the shoulders of developer Angelo Tsakopoulos, who has been working behind the scenes to craft an arena deal that would rely heavily on private money.
Is Tsakopoulos the man to fill Serna's shoes? Who knows, but it won't happen until the Maloofs do as Giannoni said: "Put their cards on the table."
"An honest and straightforward negotiation on the deal points. That's what's been missing," Giannoni said.
The time is now because big regrets could come later. Of course, the Maloofs can leave Sacramento if they wish, but why?
Why do you want to risk a sure thing while transforming a positive Maloof family reputation into something very negative? Why would you want to be mentioned in the same breath with the George Shinns and Art Modells of the world?
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http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/story/13919702p-14757837c.html
--------------------------
I didnt see this article posted so I thought i would.
==============================
Marcos Bretón: One person must take charge
By Marcos Bretón -- Bee Sports Columnist
Published 2:15 am PST Wednesday, November 30, 2005
Story appeared in Sports section, Page C1
Maybe because it's the holidays, or because middle age cannot be ignored any longer, or because children and mortality force one to assess life in more urgent ways.
But I'm feeling good will in my heart for the Maloofs, who if you believe rampant rumors, will one day initiate a royal departure from the Capital City.
That's right. A purple exodus of the most painful kind, all because a new arena deal for future Kings is - and has been - like Samuel L. Jackson said in "Pulp Fiction": As dead as fried chicken. OK. Let's make an admission right here, right now. The Maloofs likely read this column only to cut out the picture, draw horns on the head and blacken the teeth while adding a pitchfork and flames to complete the picture.
This because around Arco Arena and on the Kings' radio station, you're the Antichrist if you come hard against public financing for privately held sports facilities.
And a messy fight it was more than a year ago, when a normally united city with the most diverse neighborhoods in California warred with itself over building an arena - a fight played out in this paper, on the radio, at Arco Arena, around town, throughout Kings Nation.
For what? A lot of name-calling - for which I take my share of blame for sometimes getting too personal, too vehement while arguing sincere points.
There is nothing wrong with saying you're sorry, and I am for my share of the mess. But you know what? There were a lot of mistakes made by a lot of people - on the City Council, among the Maloofs, in the news media.
Poll them all, and you know what you get: a lot of people who do not want the Kings to leave Sacramento. Ever.
The trouble is, there hasn't been that one person to pull a deal together; that strong individual who could mediate an equitable deal that makes sense.
Don't take my word for it. This has been the contention for some time of Tony Giannoni, a downtown developer and civic leader who tried mightily and unsuccessfully to get an arena downtown last year.
"I am a firm believer that you need to have a disinterested third party saying you're out of line, or you're out of line," Giannoni said.
He's so right because an arena deal has been sliced to bits by divergent interests and there has seemingly been no one with the authority to reach the Maloofs.
Personally? I miss the late, great Mayor Joe Serna more than ever, with each passing day. Clearly, his interests were Sacramento, so he wouldn't have technically qualified as a third party.
But Serna had a vision for Sacramento that included sports.
He lobbied to bring the Raiders here, he wanted the A's here and he helped secure a highly controversial loan to keep the Kings in Sacramento.
That's why people like me used to get so angry when arena hawks would scream about Sacramento doing nothing for the Kings; it was insulting to Serna's memory.
Not long before he died of kidney cancer in 1999, Serna - and our city - did help save the Kings, floating a $73 million loan to keep the Kings afloat.
Serna accomplished that - and also helped overhaul Sacramento city schools, though he had no direct authority to do so - by using his office as a bully pulpit.
Who knows what Serna might have accomplished - he died mere months after the Maloofs assumed ownership of the Kings - but before he did, he laid down the law to them.
I remember vividly Joe Maloof saying that the first thing Serna said to him and his brother Gavin was, to paraphrase: "Don't you dare ever move this team."
"He scared the hell out of us," Joe Maloof said then.
That's Sacramento's problem today: we're still looking for someone to replace Serna. In his absence, others must step forward, including the Maloofs, who have been very reluctant to do so.
Restaurateur Randy Paragary, himself a skeptic of past arena deals but a supporter of keeping the Kings in Sacramento, said he is convinced the Maloofs want to stay in Sacramento.
"I think they are sincere," he said. So where does that leave this thing? Seemingly on the shoulders of developer Angelo Tsakopoulos, who has been working behind the scenes to craft an arena deal that would rely heavily on private money.
Is Tsakopoulos the man to fill Serna's shoes? Who knows, but it won't happen until the Maloofs do as Giannoni said: "Put their cards on the table."
"An honest and straightforward negotiation on the deal points. That's what's been missing," Giannoni said.
The time is now because big regrets could come later. Of course, the Maloofs can leave Sacramento if they wish, but why?
Why do you want to risk a sure thing while transforming a positive Maloof family reputation into something very negative? Why would you want to be mentioned in the same breath with the George Shinns and Art Modells of the world?
About the writer:
[/FONT]- Reach Marcos Bretón at (916) 321-1096 or mbreton@sacbee.com. Back columns, www.sacbee.com/breton.
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