Maloofs need to sell Kings to local investors

I'm totally disgusted with the Maloofs, the family that owns the Sacramento Kings. Simply put, they are screwing the NBA fans in Sacramento.

They want a downtown arena, but I lived in Sacramento for three years, and I think it would be a nightmare.

Granted the Sleep Train Arena (Arco Arena) is rundown, but why not tear Arco down and put a new arena up at the present location? The present location in the Natomas area is only 10-15 minutes out of downtown which gives workers plenty of time to get to a weeknight game.

Mayor Kevin Johnson, who played in the NBA himself for many years, has asked the NBA to give him a chance to make a counter-offer to find a group who will keep the team in town.

I hope it happens. I realize that the Kings aren't the draw they once were, but the Maloofs haven't exactly put a great team on the floor, either. Fans aren't stupid. The price of a ticket hasn't gone down in recent memory, and the economy sucks right now which makes it hard for families to go to games. I went to two Kings games in the three years that I lived in Sacramento and a lower bowl seat, and not a really good one, was $70.

I know the Maloofs would have loved to re-locate to Las Vegas where their casino is located, but it will be a long time before an NBA team is in Vegas because of the betting issue.

I hope Johnson can make this work. Either way. I hope the Maloofs sell because they are no longer good for the area.

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What's up with the Nevada Wolf Pack basketball team? The school stepped up in competition when it moved to the Mountain West Conference, but the team didn't step up its game.

Personally, I don't think Nevada can make it into the top tier of the MWC this season because the only player who can score the ball consistently is Deonte Burton.

Malik Story started strong, but he's been dismal the last few games.

Even if Story and Burton are scoring, Nevada really needs a third guy to step up regularly, and that hasn't happened.

I was disappointed to see a plethora of empty seats at last Saturday's game against Wyoming. Was it because it was an afternoon game or because the team isn't playing very well? Personally I like Saturday afternoon games. They work well at other venues across the country.

All I can say is that a few more losses and you probably won't be able to give away a tickets unless it's for the UNLV game.

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Anne Hansen, the crackerjack PR person at Western Nevada College, passed along that WNC is ranked eighth in the Collegiate Baseball preseason poll.

That's pretty surprising considering the Wildcats lost 15 players off last season's 47-18 squad. WNC reached the World Series for the third time last year.

"It's a byproduct of us being very successful in the last few years," coach DJ Whittemore said in a press release. "Our roster is very young, but it's nice to get recognition. We'll put that out of our minds and try to get better."

Salt Lake Community College was the only other Scenic West Conference team to be ranked among the top 20 teams. The Bruins are ranked 12th after winning the 2012 Scenic West Athletic Conference and NJCAA Region XVIII titles.

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And, before I sign off for the week, I'd like to congratulate Dayton senior lineman Josh Joyner and Carson punter Casey Wolfe for being named all-state by Nevada Prep, which is run by the Las Vegas Review Journal.