It came a week ago Friday – the pop, then the crack and finally the scream.
The pop?
It was sound of an exercise ball bursting. The Kings' Francisco García was sitting upon it, lifting weights. As he fell, he cracked his wrist. Then came the scream.
It was a freak accident, but to Kings fans, it seemed like a harbinger of things to come. The beginning of another dismal Kings season? Let's hope not.
No matter where you stand on pro basketball, the Kings are the home team. The community's mood lifts noticeably when it is winning.
Last season, the team lost 65 times, and for Kings' fans, the humiliation settled over the region like a gloomy tule fog. Sports is supposed to be a diversion from real-life worries. Last year, the Kings' embarrassing play deepened the malaise of a collapsing housing market, layoffs and furloughs.
There is some good news to report. For the umpteenth time last week, Gavin Maloof insisted that his family, which owns the Kings, is here to stay.
Yes, San Jose, Las Vegas, San Diego and a half-dozen other cities have expressed interest and want to lure away the region's only major sports franchise. And yes, many of these other cities have fancy new arenas while the Kings must play hoops in old Arco.
Sacramento's new mayor hasn't delivered an arena, but he has positioned himself as the Kings' new cheerleader-in-chief. He's pledging to work with the business community to help sell out Arco for the Kings' first two regular-season home games.
It's a worthy goal.
Remember when Arco attracted full houses every game? Remember when the Kings came achingly close to winning the Western Conference final and a shot at the title? Remember when the fans adored the Kings and the players fed off the energy of the fans?
It was fun. It could be fun again.
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