And the problem with the arena for the Kings isn’t a California problem, it’s a Typical Sacramenten is Too Stupid for Their Own Good problem. Walk down K Street in Sac and you’ll see exactly what I’m getting at. The biggest hangup as I understand it is that the surrounding counties aren’t willing to chip in and help with the proposed arena. A conservative guess would be that approximately 20-30% of the fans at a Kings/Monarchs game aren’t living in Sacramento County and after the games folks are quick to drive back out to the safety of their posh bedroom communities.

The Maloofs haven’t done themselves any favors in trying to win some public support either. In fact, there’s some serious, “Screw them, they own stuff in Vegas and stuff” kinda thinking around here and it’s making myself and others that are for a new arena sick to our stomach.

The capper is that now that the NBA is involved and a possible site has been selected (The State Fairgrounds) things have gone from bad to worse. The infrastructure out there is already a nightmare (as can be seen during the State Fair or the holiday shopping season where the roads are clogged with congestion and there’s nowhere near enough parking to service the need) and things are further limited by the geography of the area and it’s proximity to the American River Parkway.

As for Raley field….you’re right, there is some room to expand the stadium itself, but there’s nowhere near the kind of supporting services around it to accommodate a MLB-type organization. Add to that the fact that by and large there isn’t the big corporate money floating around here like there is in the Bay Area and you’ll have some seriously hard problems leasing out those luxury and field boxes.

Raley’s kinda small for a big league park

I’d imagine that Portland would trump Sacramento/CA Central Valley as far as corporate involvement is concerned as well. Remember that the Mariners, Seahawks, and Trail Blazers are the only professional teams in the area and two of those are nearly 3 hours away from Portland. I haven’t lived in Oregon in the last 10 years (was born/raised up there) but from everything I’ve heard, the Pacific NW and the Carolinas are two parts of the country that are still doing great when it comes to growth.

As for Sacramento, it’s my understanding that many of the businesses that moved out here when affordable land was scarce in the Bay Area have been constricting their workforce and footprint now that the bubble has burst. (See examples like Hewlett Packard, etc.)

Weather in the Portland area is what it is…It couldn’t possibly be any worse that what Seattle endures though. You bring up an interesting point with regards to the recreational habits question and I again see this one tipping the scales towards Portland and away from Sac-town. Remember that Nike is based out of Beaverton (Portland suburb) and that it’s still one of those very “green” states that people flock to for outdoor sporting. Now measure that against the downright hellish summer evenings in Sacramento. I’ve been to a few Rivercats games where temp at a 7:05 first pitch was nearing 105+. Good luck in finding a crowd of 35,000+ to endure that kinda heat on a regular basis.

I don’t know what to tell you about the Sacramento arena issue that hasn’t already been mentioned. I believe the option of a new arena in Natomas has been brought up, but for some reason hasn’t had much traction behind it. Perhaps this is due to the floodplain issues that encompass much of that area. The findings of a joint study between the NBA and the Maloofs is where the idea for something out at the Fairgrounds came about. Perhaps they’re figuring on some cost savings because the state would have to kick in some funding and it’s their land to begin with? My personal choice would be something downtown by the rail-yard. Sadly, a vast majority of people in the area fail to see the benefits of having an arena downtown and it’s affect on the surrounding businesses, especially when that arena is in a downtrodden and oft-neglected part of town. Remember though that Sacramento is very much a “commuter” kind of city and people love their gas-guzzling SUVs too much to consider getting on some form of mass-transit. Maybe that’s why our current mass-transit situation here is sooooo crappy to begin with.

1. The bleachers should be near the field. The fact that they’re completely removed from the field of play is inexcusable.

B. I’d gladly pay top dollar for good seats, but they don’t exist. I’ve sat in my friend’s seats, which are a row in front of Billy Beane’s, and they’re still terrible. Nowhere near the field of play. It’s a shitty ballpark experience. I’d rather watch the game on TV.