It’s a done deal
A number of websites are reporting the Kings have been sold to venture capitalist Chris Hansen and Steve Ballmer of Microsoft. The NBA is yet to confirm the sale but this time it appears to be a done deal. In all probability the Kings are headed to Seattle, additional details will follow over the next several days.

Maybe he needs to check out the sport he played
Jason Whitlock of Fox Sports has provided us a list of methods to “fix” the NBA. Among his proposals is to ban tattoos. Under his proposal a player would be given a bonus if he avoided tattoos. I don’t have any tattoos nor do I desire any, this generation of players love to decorate their bodies with tattoos. While Whitlock is addressing the issue of tattoos in the NBA he might outta check the sport he played in college---football. NFL players are as full of tats as many a NBA player. As the weather cools NFL players tend to wear long-sleeve shirts which cover their tats. It’s difficult note any tats on a football players body beneath the padding they wear. I would guess Whitlock hadn’t noticed but I did.

The Temple(s) of Doom
Temple of doom might be a little misleading headline however allow me a few minutes to explain. Last Friday’s edition of the Kansas City Star contained an article on Kemper Arena, what should be done with the lesser and less used arena. There was even an opinion poll on what to do. A little background for you, for years Municipal Auditorium in downtown Kansas City served as a basketball mecca. A number of NAIA and NCAA basketball tournaments were held in the building over the years. In fact at one point Municipal held the record for most NCAA Championships held until the dome stadiums became the norm. Municipal even served as home base for the Kings for a number of years, the arena could only accommodate a little over 11,000 so you see the need for a new building. Municipal (built in the 1930’s) with a refurbished arena is still in use today.

In 1972 ground was broken for Kemper Arena in the old stockyards area; it was officially opened in 1974. The building held 18,000 for basketball and was eventually expanded to 19,500 in 1997. The NBA Kings played at Kemper from 1974-1986 before departing for Sacramento. Kemper Arena played host to the 1976 Republican National Convention, in addition numerous entertainment headliners made Kemper a stop on their cross country tours. Kemper remained in usage over the years minus the 40 dates the Kings held. In 2007 change took place when Sprint Center was opened. Sprint was opened with the “promise” of an NHL or NBA which has never come to fruition but that’s another story. Since 2007 an increasing number of events once held at Kemper have re-located to the downtown and more accessible Sprint Center. Plans have been discussed on tearing the arena down.

Are these temples built to eventually become obsolete and demolished? Reunion Arena once home to the Dallas Mavericks no longer exists having been demolished several years ago. The Capital Centre once home to the Washington Bullets/Wizards closed in 1998 and was bulldozed in 2002. I would suppose the same fate will occur for Key Arena once the arena on the drawing board is completed. We build these sports temples to eventually be demolished. They are all doomed because all will become victim to the wrecking ball. I’ll keep you posted on the fate of Kemper Arena. (Dates; Wikipedia)

When is it okay to lose?
You can lose one game but not the other; to me a loss is a loss is a loss. I’m referring to the Mizzou Tigers and last weekend. They lost their game against Ole Miss, going into the game I hoped they would win however I had no preconceived ideas this was to be a game of little consequence. We play one game at a time; Mizzou did not play very good, stuck in sand literally all evening long. Ole Miss played an outstanding game, that’s why they won. Should I mention leading scorer Laurence Bowers was injured and didn’t play? Forget that I said that, sounds too much like an excuse. Several of the local media types think the sky is falling. Although Mizzou came back to the victory column in beating Georgia it wasn’t enough. Okay see if you can figure this one out, should Mizzou lose on Saturday to Florida that’s okay. Losing last week to Ole Miss was not okay, what am I missing here? My beginning sentence, a loss is a loss