SACRAMENTO — The Sacramento Kings rolled out the red carpet and treated the A’s like royalty as they soon welcome the region’s second major professional sports team to town.
Exactly 12 weeks after Monday night’s home opener at the Athletics. New temporary home at Sutter Health Parkthe Kings invited A’s players and staff to sit courtside when the team played the Miami Heat at Golden 1 Center.
“Welcome to the A’s. I hope they have a great time here,” one Kings fan told CBS13.
The Athletics were able to provide the perfect introduction to the Sacramento area fan base that both teams will now share. The fans brought playoff energy to Monday night’s game as the Kings earned an emotional double-overtime victory over the Heat.
“Sacramento is our home and will be home for the next three years, and we’re going to do everything we can to make it feel that way,” A’s manager Mark Kossay said. “Whenever change happens, you can accept it or reject it. I have learned to accept change.”
Support for the team’s move to West Sacramento was initially muted among many players. On Monday, Athletics star outfielder Brent Rooker told CBS News Sacramento he is fully committed.
“I think we’re looking forward to building on our existing fan base and in some ways establishing a new fan base in new cities,” Rooker said. “There’s always been a great relationship between sports teams and the communities they represent. To do it in a cool city like Sacramento with a fan base and community as passionate as theirs is… It’s exciting for us to be able to do that.”
it looks like this Local businesses are trying to cash out And West Sacramento City is currently preparing for the A-League.
The city’s police department announced it will increase its staffing by 20% ahead of the A’s inaugural season.
Newly built homes are increasing Close to Sutter Health Park and City of West Sacramento Increased parking fines and fees It will be implemented from January 4th in the bridge area surrounding the stadium.
It is also a construction area within the stadium, and renovation work is being expedited to prepare it for major league play.
“Renovation work is progressing very well,” Coetzee said. “The noticeable difference will be the lighting. They added four new poles and added a ton of LEDs. There are a lot of changes being made to bring it up to Major League standards, but I’m sure they’ll get it done.” I am sure.”
A’s staff and team members were scheduled to take a tour of the facility on Monday. Rooker says he likes what he’s seen so far.
“It’s going to be a unique experience at other major league parks. We got to go out there and see it today. We got to see the improvements being made. We feel really good about how we’re going to look at the amenities and facilities that are obviously important to us, like the clubhouse, the locker room, the dining room, the training room, the weight room. “I left the tour feeling better than before,” Rooker said. .
The Purple and Green are two teams looking to hit a home run in the Sacramento area with big moves a few months away.
Kings owner Vivek Ranadive also owns the Giants’ Triple-A affiliate, the Sacramento River Cats, which is and will continue to be based at Sutter Health Park. Both teams will share the stadium.
Starting this spring, the Athletics and River Cats will play a total of at least 156 games at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento. The Athletics will play 81 home games and the River Cats will play 75 games. Grass fields require almost constant maintenance.
“We want to embrace it in every way we can and give back to the community as much as we physically can. And we want to win,” Coetzee said.
