Leading Off

With the Tour de France beginning overseas, Saturday seemed like a good day to get close to cycling at the Davis Criterium.

Whether or not he's wearing the yellow jersey July 26, the final day of the Tour de France, Lance Armstrong should pedal across the Champs Elysees in Paris while sipping a glass of champagne as he's done so many times before.

Arland Bruce is at it again. After scoring a touchdown Wednesday night in a Canadian Football League game, Bruce took off his helmet, shoulder pads and jersey. He then lay down in the end zone as if he were in a coffin.

I suddenly want to buy a ticket to Las Vegas. The Kings announced their roster and schedule Wednesday for the NBA Summer League later this month in Sin City. They also included an interesting tidbit: Pete Carril will coach the Kings' entry.

Who would have thought the best all-around NBA player available in this free agent market is Ron Artest?

As someone who has seen the majority of this country's pro football and baseball venues, there are still pieces of stadium life that catch me off guard.

Now that the Confederations Cup has given the U.S. men's soccer team 15 minutes of fame, let's get a reality check.

No, you are not seeing things. Three months into the season, believe it or not, the Giants are just off the lead in the National League wild-card race, a half game out after Saturday's loss to Milwaukee.

I spent my lunch hour Friday talking with a lot of you during a live chat on The Bee's Web site. A number of fans asked about the versatility of Kings first-round pick Tyreke Evans. How much will he play at point guard? Could he spell Kevin Martin at shooting guard or even play small forward?

My daughters live in Albuquerque, and I try to catch a game at Isotopes Park when I visit them. So I was interested as suspended Dodgers outfielder Manny Ramírez played in ABQ this week. It left me with a bad taste.

Ricky-mania took hold of the Sacramento region, and The Bee, this week.

The "one-and-done" rule should be over. The NBA should require at least two years of college or 20 years of age.

The economy is still sputtering. Attendance of sporting events is falling. Teams from preps to pros are tightening their belts.

News releases have become obsolete. Now, it has to be a "tweet."

Welcome to Father's Day, one of those rare days when Northern California has an embarrassment of sports riches.

Bee Sports Editor/Opinion

As NASCAR's Sprint Cup series rides into Sonoma this week, there's a feud brewing. Kyle Busch, the new bad boy of NASCAR, has created a rivalry with Dale Earnhardt Jr.

A friend sent a thought-provoking text during one of Jonathan Sánchez's starts: "Jonathan Sánchez is Ismael Valdéz. Discuss." That's perfect.

One of the saddest stories in Sacramento sports history had an ending Tuesday: Former Grant High School football star Donte' Stallworth was sentenced to 30 days in jail for killing a pedestrian while driving drunk.

We have a guideline in The Bee's sports section: We print attendance figures in game stories as an "announced crowd."

In the NBA, respect is often tied to paychecks.

As the Lakers get their first of three chances to end the NBA Finals tonight, ABC has been giving us insight that is surprisingly unnecessary.

It's early June, so it must be time for the college football preview magazines.

Tonight is hockey's big chance to shine. The NHL, which is often debated as America's fourth major pro league, gets its premier event, the Stanley Cup Finals, in a Game 7. On national broadcast television. With two popular teams.