Mountain Lions Lurch into Sacramento!

Monday, August 16, 2010 by Brad Hillard

Sports in Sacramento Get a Boost with the new UFL Sacramento Mountain Lions I’m talkin’ about the newSacramento Mountain Lions of the United Football League.  They left San Francisco and their name The California Redwoods behind, and this time, I think they got it right coming here to the River City.  Professional Football will return to Sacramento starting Saturday, Sept. 25, when the Mountain Lions host the Florida Tuskers. The season will have four home games played at Sacramento State and a nine-game regular season starting Sept. 18 against the Hartford  (Conn.) Colonials and ending at home Nov. 14, against Omaha. Games will start at 8 pm and be televised on the Versus channel.

I had a chance to spend some time with Head Coach Dennis Green a few months ago when he was here setting up his team’s  accommodations and venue arrangements…what a blast! I can describe Green in two words: Class Act. Very serious about this team and very serious about this league, but he's having a lot of fun. Oh, and he's a real nice guy too. With his record of winning, Sacramento Mountain Lions fans have a lot to look forward to.

New Sacramento Mountain Lions QB Daunte Culpepper and Coach Dennis Green Bringing Excitement to the CapitalAs a season ticket holder I can hardly wait. The Mountain Lions add to the mix of things to do in Sacramento. We have the best coach in the league, combined with the best quarterback in the league (Daunte Culpepper).  Add in other top college players (many on the verge of getting into the NFL) and you have the makings of a very exciting football team. I’ve learned from talking to Mountain Lions staff that this league is comprised of great college players that simply did not quite make it to the NFL. They all still have the dream, and this league provides them with the stage to hone their skills. 

So get ready to save money on the cost of tickets. Save time vs. driving to the Bay Area.  Enjoy pro football action in a smaller more intimate setting. Get up close and personal with the team and the fans without paying an arm and a leg for the ticket. Don’t get me wrong I enjoy the crowds and the excitement that comes with cheering fans but you can keep the traffic snarls associated with it.  

If you would like ticket information and the entire season schedule visit www.ufl-football.com

Wouldn’t it be cool if one day the NFL simply acquired the UFL and made it the official minor leagues of the NFL? 

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Got Rowing Anyone?

Wednesday, May 19, 2010 by Brad Hillard

WE do. We’ve got the 14th Annual NCAA Women’s Rowing Championships May 28-30. I mentioned in my last  post that there will be plenty of sports in Sacramento this summer, and this is one of the best.  

Intercollegiate Rowing Championship in Sacramento
Did you know that Sacramento has one of the best rowing facilities in the U.S., arguably the world?   Well now you do. Allow me to introduce you to one of Sacramento’s best kept secrets - Sacramento State Aquatic Center at Lake Natoma. What makes Lake Natoma one of the fairest rowing courses in the US?  The consistent depth and being perfectly situated between Folsom Dam and Lake Natoma Dam  which minimizes currents.
The Canadian National Rowing Team comes here to train. The Intercollegiate Rowing Association (after 106 years on the east coast) brought their 107th national championship to Lake Natoma. 

This Memorial Day Weekend, our nation’s best women’s collegiate rowing athletes return to Lake Natoma to compete for the NCAA National Championship. Competition begins on Friday, May 28, and ends with the crowning of a Division 1, 2 & 3 National Champion on Sunday, May 30. This is one of the premier Sacramento weekend events taking place.

The sport is about as wholesome as milk. But it’s about as heartless as it gets when mere inches make the difference between becoming a champion or an also ran.   Such is life for a collegiate rower. Hours of gut wrenching work on legs, abs and arms, all channeled through the coordinated verbal cues of a coxswain. In the end one boat crosses the 2,000-meter-long course ahead of another and a National Champion is crowned.

Don’t miss your opportunity over the Memorial Day Weekend to see the nation’s finest women’s rowing teams in action, competing for a coveted NCAA National Championship. 

 


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Lance and Levi Ride Again

Tuesday, April 20, 2010 by Brad Hillard






In less than a month the streets of Sacramento will be alive with World Class Cycling when the Amgen Tour of California returns to downtown Sacramento.  Sunday May 16 to be exact.  This promises to be one of the best Sacramento weekend events you don't want to miss. You can also enter to win a free 2-night hotel stay on race weekend!

This year instead of a Time Trial with each individual rider competing against the clock, we will once again be able to cheer and enjoy the final three laps around the Capitol followed by the exciting sprint down L Street to close out the finish of the 104 mile Stage One. 
 
Don't get me wrong, last year was great, watching 3-time Tour of California winner Levi Leipheimer and 7-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong race against the course, the clock and the threat of rain.  But for me there is just something even cooler when 100+ World Class Pro International Cyclists go 104 miles from Nevada City, through Auburn, Cool, El Dorado Hills and then into downtown Sacramento and come blazing around our State Capitol circuit with that unforgettable sound of gears and chains.  

Think about it,  you've got Levi and Lance rolling out the new Radio Shack team, plus the usual cast of characters...Team HTC-Columbia with their unbelievable sprinter Mark Cavendish, Team Saxo Bank, the Rabobank team, Quick Step and many others.   Ultimately, one will be the fastest sprinting down L Street to become the winner of Stage One.
 
And for the price of admission (it's a free event), a Stage One finish would be more than enough.
 
This year, however, the Sacramento Sports Commission has outdone itself,  by providing a full day of great cycling, with the introduction of the Sacramento Grand Prix.  Featuring separate men’s and women’s races of category Pro/1/2 cyclists.  The women's race will include cyclists  from the US Women’s National Team and 2012 US Women’s Olympic Development Team.   These one-hour races will begin with the men's race around 11 am followed by the women's race at noon (schedules are still being finalized, check with www.sacsports.com).
 
You won't want to miss these new Grand Prix races.   They travel a 1.4 mile course circling the Capitol Building, duplicating portions of the Tour’s circuit just hours before Stage 1 is slated to finish in downtown Sacramento.   They compete against each other and the one-hour time frame.   Ultimately, they also have that fantastic sprint down L Street to the finish. 
 
This is a perfect weekend in Sacramento. Many Sacramento area hotels are offering special Tour of California hotel packages and if you request a Sacramento Gold Card when you check in, you get even more savings.

Two Pro Grand Prix races, followed by our own Mayor Kevin Johnson peddling the streets around the Capitol in the Mayor's Community Ride, and last but not least, the Amgen Tour of California Stage One finish.   It should be a very special day in May as Lance and Levi ride  again,  and Sacramento once again sets the stage for the first of eight days of the best cycling in America. 
 
 
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