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2B Daily News – Thursday, March 8, 2012 Sacramento approves arena plan to keep Kings SACRAMENTO (AP) — The only place the Sacramento Kings are mov- ing to is a new downtown home in Cal- ifornia's capital. A year after almost being wiped off the NBA map, Sacra- mento cleared the most critical political hurdle late Tuesday night when the City Council approved a plan to help finance an estimated $391 million arena, setting off cheers through the cramped chambers that spilled onto the streets of downtown with a message that echoed from Anaheim to Seattle and across the basketball world. ''Long live Sacramento, and long live the Kings!'' shouted Sacramento Mayor and former NBA All-Star Kevin Johnson to a sea of supporters that packed the grounds for the historic vote. The non-binding term sheet, signed off by the Kings and the NBA last week, will keep the team in Sacramen- to for at least another 30 years. Cheers rang out from supporters who cramped the council's chambers when the plan passed by a 7-2 vote — the last coming with Johnson scream- ing ''Yeeeees!'' — and pushed the city's portion of the agreement for- ward. Binding contracts from all sides, which are expected to be a formality, could be signed as soon as April. Asked what the biggest challenge remaining was, Johnson told the crowd: ''That everybody behind me is not hung over going into tomorrow.'' Under the agreement, the city will contribute $255.5 million to the pro- ject, mostly by leasing out parking garages around the facility. The city is also exploring an option to establish a parking authority instead. The Kings PEYTON (Continued from page 1B) offensive coordinator in Indi- anapolis, Tom Moore, worked for the Jets as a con- sultant last season. ''Nobody loves their job more than I do. Nobody loves playing quarterback more than I do. I still want to play. But there is no other team I wanted to play for,'' said Manning, who turns 36 this month. Still, he acknowledged: ''We all know that nothing lasts forever. Times change, circumstances change, and that's the reality of playing in the NFL.'' Another reality: Manning should command plenty of offers on the open market. It's not very often that teams get a crack at a QB who's thrown for more than 50,000 yards and nearly 400 touch- downs, been picked for 11 Pro Bowls, and been a Super Bowl MVP. Manning's importance to the Colts' suc- cess was never more appar- ent than last season, when their record plummeted to 2- 14 without him. ''I have no idea who wants me, what team wants me, how this process works,'' Manning told a group of reporters in South Florida, where he has a home and flew after the news con- ference. ''I don't know if it's like college recruiting where you go take visits. I mean, this is all so new to me.'' Reports of other clubs' interest began emerging a while back, and they'll only intensify now. Because he was released and went on the waiver wire Wednesday, Manning is allowed to nego- tiate and sign with any club immediately; he does not need to wait until the free- agent period that begins next Tuesday, and said his agent already was taking calls. ''I literally have not had one conversation with any- one about these teams. It's been so hard for me trying to figure out some closure with my situation with the Colts,'' Manning said. ''I haven't thought about teams, and I don't know who is interest- ed. I really don't.'' Reaction poured into Twitter feeds from all around the sports world — not mere- ly from NFL players pub- licly lobbying for their teams to sign Manning. Dwyane Wade of the NBA's Miami Heat urged Manning to head to that city's Dolphins, while tennis' Andy Roddick, the 2003 U.S. Open champion, observed: ''The colts cutting Peyton feels like the north pole kicking out Santa.'' That's about right. The stark first sentence of the official team statement read: have agreed to pay $73.25 million and arena operator AEG will contribute $58.75 million. The remaining gap will be covered by a ticket surcharge, adver- tising around the facility, the sale of public lands and a sponsorship cam- paign to sell bricks and plaques around the complex. Construction is expected to begin in the late spring or early sum- mer next year on the arena, which would open for the 2015-16 season in the downtown rail yards. ''I want to thank you on behalf of my family and our organization for tak- ing the next step forward,'' Kings co- owner Gavin Maloof told the council. ''We look forward in working with you throughout this process and we are excited about this. We appreciate your efforts. This is a great day for Sacra- mento.'' The meeting packed the council chambers to its capacity of about 500 and residents on both sides clogged downtown with signs, shirts and even songs. City Manager John Shirey told the council that the decision would be ''one of the toughest votes of your career'' and implored members to approve the plan for the economic ben- efit, job creation and immeasurable notoriety of remaining a major profes- sional sports city, saying ''there are only 30 of those (NBA) franchises in all the world and we happen to have one of them.'' ''The status quo is not really an option before you this evening,'' Shirey said. ''If we do nothing, the Kings will likely leave Sacramento.'' Maloof walked into the chamber just before the meeting to a light stand- ing ovation. He was later joined by rookie point guard Isaiah Thomas, who also drew light cheers. ''The Indianapolis Colts today released quarterback Peyton Manning.'' Even if the news first leaked out Tuesday — and had been anticipated for weeks, if not months — it was odd to see those words written about a player so syn- onymous with the horseshoe helmet that Irsay said Man- ning's No. 18 will never again be worn by a Colts player. Fans of various teams can start imagining what Man- ning might look like in their colors. Picture Joe Montana heading from the 49ers to the Chiefs or Emmitt Smith switching from the Cowboys to the Cardinals. ''For those of us who are so used to him being there day in and day out, it would be a little like (Yankees cap- tain) Derek Jeter changing teams. He really is that icon- ic guy that represents the franchise. It's a hackneyed phrase, but he truly is the face of the franchise, and has been,'' said former Colts vice chairman Bill Polian, who drafted Manning out of Ten- nessee with the No. 1 overall pick in the 1998 draft and was fired this January. ''It will be a little strange not having him there.'' That is why Wednesday provided such an awkward and unusual scene for Man- ning and Irsay. Their NFL lives have been so closely intertwined, yet they stood inches apart in jackets and ties while discussing their separation. Rarely do star athletes who are not retiring show up at a news confer- ence to let the world know they've been dumped. And while Manning and Irsay — indeed, all of the NFL — was aware this profitable partnership was due to end now, the emotions showed by both seemed raw and real. ''This has not been easy for Jim,'' Manning said, ''and this has certainly not been easy for me.'' Each paused frequently to try to compose himself while speaking during their appear- ance in a room at the Colts' complex normally reserved for celebratory news confer- ences, such as the hiring of a new coach or general man- ager — two other significant steps Irsay took recently as he essentially starts from scratch. The room is lined with banners honoring some of the team's greatest stars, including, of course, Man- ning himself, flanked by Pro Football Hall of Famers Eric Dickerson and John Mackey. Indianapolis needed to cut Manning this week to avoid paying him a bonus from the $90 million, five-year con- tract he signed in July, although both owner and player insisted the decision ''I'm glad I came down here. This is a historical time for the city,'' said Thomas, who was invited by the mayor to attend. A line of residents snaked around City Hall and seemingly every TV truck and radio station in the Central Valley was broadcasting outside. One fan wore Johnson's old Phoenix Suns jersey among the scores of Kings signs and jerseys in the crowd. A group of about 120 supporters of the plan wore white T-shirts with black letters that read ''5 Votes.'' ''This is bigger than basketball,'' said Michael Tavares, one of the lead- ers of the group called (hash)Fans, which stands for Fund Arena Now Sacramento. ''It's about making Sacra- mento a destination.'' Opponents and proponents of the plan were allowed to speak for 2 min- utes. Each side was granted 45 min- utes, and those who couldn't reach the lectern in the allotted time were allowed to stand in acknowledgement of their support afterward. The more than 4-hour meeting brought out some animated speakers, including a man who wore a hard hat and sang a song to start construction soon, a young woman who started to cry while arguing other public works such as schools and parks were being ignored, and others just raised their voices and pounded their fists. Most, however, remained civilized. Those against the plan argued it steers public money toward a private company, that sports arenas don't pro- duce enough — or any — economic benefit and that the project is being rushed. Some also asked for the plan to be put to a public vote. Proponents echoed the mayor and city manager's stances. was not really about money. The Colts are widely expect- ed to begin moving on by taking Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck with the No. 1 overall pick in April's draft. Irsay repeatedly used the word ''rebuilding'' and acknowledged: ''We're defi- nitely a few years away.'' Manning, Irsay said, ''is on the mend to try to resume his career.'' Manning hopes to be playing in the NFL at the start of next season. Still, he said Wednesday: ''I'll always be a Colt. I always will be. That'll never change.'' When the news confer- ence ended, Manning reached over to shake hands with Irsay, who instead tried to offer a hug, and they wound up settling for pats on the shoulder before walking off together and leaving the room. Clearly, this was not an easy adieu for Manning. Mentioning Colts employees he'll no longer be around, Manning paused to collect himself while noting: ''We've got the greatest equipment guys in the world.'' ''I think about those type of relationships — not neces- sarily always on the field, and the touchdown throw to win the game. It's the behind the scenes. The laughs. The stories. The times spent together. Those are the mem- ories. Those aren't going away,'' he said. ''Those will be with me for the rest of my life.'' Manning will forever be thought of around these parts as the QB who led the Colts to an NFL championship, barking out signals while waving his arms at the line of scrimmage to change a play after reading the defense — something he did as well as anyone. He'll be remem- bered, too, for turning a bas- ketball-loving city into a football hotbed that hosted the Super Bowl a month ago. During that Super Bowl week, the hottest topic of conversation was Peyton Manning, not his younger brother Eli, who wound up leading the New York Giants to the title. ''There will be no other Peyton Manning,'' Irsay said, adding that he hoped Wednesday's joint appear- ance would serve to ''honor incredible memories and incredible things that he's done for the franchise, for the city, for the state.'' Manning started every meaningful game for 13 sea- sons — 227 in a row, includ- ing the playoffs — and took Indianapolis from perennial also-ran to one of the NFL's model franchises and the 2007 Super Bowl title. In the two decades before he arrived in town, the Colts won 116 games, one division title and made the playoffs three times. With Manning taking snaps, the Colts won 150 games, eight division titles, two AFC championships and the franchise's first league championship since moving from Baltimore in 1984. Indianapolis broke the NFL record for most regular- season wins in a decade (115), and tied Dallas' mark for most consecutive playoff appearances (nine). Manning broke all of the franchise's major career passing records, previously held by Hall of Famer John Unitas. Unitas, of course, played 17 years for the Colts when they were in Baltimore, then finished his career with one season in San Diego at age 40. Now it's Manning's turn to move on. ''I want to get back out there and play. I don't feel like everybody will say, 'He has to do this' or 'He has to prove that.' I don't feel that way,'' he said. ''I know how much I love being a quarter- back and love football and I want to go play again.'' NHL WESTERN CONFERENCE Pacific Division WL OT Pts GF GA Dallas 36 26 5 77 179 180 Phoenix 33 25 9 75 173 170 SHARKS 33 24 8 74 181 166 Kings 31 23 12 74 147 143 Ducks 29 28 10 68 170 188 Central Division WL OT Pts GF GA St. Louis 42 18 7 91 174 132 Detroit 43 21 3 89 211 156 Nashville 38 21 7 83 188 171 Chicago 36 25 7 79 203 200 Columbus 21 38 7 49 156 216 Northwest Division WL OT Pts GF GA Vancouver 41 18 8 90 211 166 Colorado 35 29 4 74 178 181 Calgary 30 25 12 72 164 185 Minnesota 28 29 10 66 144 187 Edmonton 26 34 6 58 175 198 EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division WL OT Pts GF GA N.Y.Rangers 42 16 7 91 180 137 Pittsburgh 40 21 5 85 212 170 Philadelphia37 21 7 81 213 193 New Jersey 37 24 5 79 184 176 N.Y. Islanders28 29 9 65 155 195 Northeast Division WL OT Pts GF GA Boston 39 23 3 81 214 154 Ottawa 35 25 8 78 209 201 Buffalo 31 28 8 70 166 188 Toronto 30 30 7 67 200 209 Montreal 25 32 10 60 174 189 Southeast Division WL OT Pts GF GA Florida 31 22 12 74 163 184 Winnipeg 32 27 8 72 176 187 Washington 32 28 6 70 175 188 Tampa Bay 31 29 6 68 187 226 Carolina 25 27 15 65 177 203 NOTE: Two points for a win, one point for overtime loss. —————————————————— Wednesday's results Buffalo 3, Carolina 2, OT Pittsburgh 3, Toronto 2 Today's games San Jose at Dallas, 5:30 p.m. Buffalo at Boston, 4 p.m. Florida at Philadelphia, 4 p.m. Los Angeles at Columbus, 4 p.m. N.Y. Islanders at New Jersey, 4 p.m. Tampa Bay at Washington, 4 p.m. N.Y. Rangers at Ottawa, 4:30 p.m. Anaheim at St. Louis, 5 p.m. Colorado at Nashville, 5 p.m. Minnesota at Phoenix, 6 p.m. Montreal at Edmonton, 6:30 p.m. Winnipeg at Vancouver, 7 p.m. Friday's games Florida at Pittsburgh, 4 p.m. Los Angeles at Detroit, 4:30 p.m. N.Y. Rangers at Chicago, 5:30 p.m. Winnipeg at Calgary, 6 p.m. A's eager for resolution to territorial rights OAKLAND (AP) — The Oakland Athletics said Wednesday that their attempt to relocate some 40 miles away to San Jose is not ''a move that seeks to alter or in any manner dis- turb MLB territorial rights.'' The San Francisco Giants clearly see it the other way. They cherish their hold on technology-rich Silicon Valley, with Santa Clara County making up 43 per- cent of the club's territory and generating a significant number of fans, corporate sponsors and other support- ers. The A's released a state- ment Wednesday saying they hope Commissioner Bud Selig, his special com- mittee appointed to evaluate the Bay Area issue and a vote of baseball's owners will allow the club to leave its current venue in the aging Oakland Coliseum and build a new ballpark in San Jose. Oakland team officials insist that could help the low-budget club become a big spender that wouldn't have to be so heavily reliant on the rest of the major league organizations. ''We simply seek an approval to create a new venue that our organization and MLB fully recognizes is needed to eliminate our dependence on revenue GIANTS (Continued from page 1B) the former two-time Cy Young Award winner strug- gled with his command. The Giants ace gave up five runs on seven hits to the 13 batters he faced. In the first inning, he threw 29 pitches and yielded a lead- off homer to Charlie Black- mon and two-run triple to Michael Cuddyer. His struggles continued in the second as he gave up two-run single to Carlos Gonzalez. ''I felt fine, said Lince- cum. ''I felt like my times to the plate were good. Both innings were kind of rough, obviously. ''Just one of those things where you've got to elimi- nate the fact that you're try- ing to get super competitive out there and trying to get outs and really focus on what you're trying to work on,'' Lincecum said. ''I wanted to just keep throwing my fast- ball and hopefully pound the NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE Pacific Division Clippers Lakers Phoenix WL Pct GB 22 15 .595 — 23 16 .590 — 17 21 .447 5.5 WARRIORS 15 20 .429 6 KINGS 12 26 .316 10.5 Southwest Division WL Pct GB San Antonio 26 12 .684 — Memphis Dallas Houston 22 15 .595 3.5 23 17 .575 4 21 19 .525 6 New Orleans 9 29 .237 17 Northwest Division WL Pct GB Oklahoma City 31 8 .795 — Denver Portland Minnesota 21 19 .525 10.5 Utah 22 17 .564 9 19 19 .500 11.5 19 20 .487 12 EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division Philadelphia 23 17 .575 — Boston New York Toronto Miami WL Pct GB 20 18 .526 2 18 21 .462 4.5 13 26 .333 9.5 New Jersey 13 27 .325 10 Southeast Division WL Pct GB 30 9 .769 — 25 15 .625 5.5 23 16 .590 7 Orlando Atlanta Washington 9 29 .237 20.5 Charlotte Central Division Chicago Indiana 5 32 .135 24 WL Pct GB 33 8 .805 — 23 14 .622 8 Milwaukee 15 24 .385 17 Cleveland 13 23 .361 17.5 Detroit 13 26 .333 19 —————————————————— Wednesday's results New Orleans at Sacramento, late Memphis at Golden State, late Chicago 106, Milwaukee 104 Miami 89, Atlanta 86 Minnesota 106, Portland 94 New Jersey 101, L.A. Clippers 100 Oklahoma City 115, Phoenix 104 Philadelphia 103, Boston 71 San Antonio 118, New York 105 Toronto 116, Houston 98 Utah 99, Charlotte 93 Washington 106, L.A. Lakers 101 Cleveland at Denver, late Today's games Orlando at Chicago, 5 p.m. Dallas at Phoenix, 7:30 p.m. Friday's games Dallas at Sacramento, 7 p.m. New Jersey at Charlotte, 4 p.m. Utah at Philadelphia, 4 p.m. Atlanta at Detroit, 4:30 p.m. Portland at Boston, 4:30 p.m. Cleveland at Oklahoma City, 5 p.m. L.A. Lakers at Minnesota, 5 p.m. L.A. Clippers at San Antonio, 5:30 p.m. New York at Milwaukee, 5:30 p.m. New Orleans at Denver, 6 p.m. Boston Detroit Seattle Angels A's Baltimore Cleveland Minnesota Texas New York sharing, to offer our fans and players a modern ballpark, to move over 35 miles fur- ther away from the Giants' great venue and to establish an exciting competition between the Giants and A's,'' Oakland's release said, adding it would, ''enable us to join the fine array of mod- ern and fun baseball parks that are now commonplace in Major League Baseball.'' At the January owners meetings, Selig said the situ- ation was on the ''front burner.'' He appointed a committee in March 2009 to study the issues facing the teams, but there is no indica- tion a ruling is imminent. ''The committee is still at work,'' MLB spokesman Pat Courtney said Wednesday night. ''No decisions have been made.'' Selig, who was a fraterni- ty brother with Oakland managing partner Lew Wolff at Wisconsin, has repeatedly said the A's can't survive in their current ball- park. The City of Oakland still believes it has several suit- able locations to build a new ballpark for the A's. Yet Wolff has his sights on San Jose and has repeat- edly said his franchise has exhausted its options in Oakland after years of try- ing. zone with that. At times I thought I got changeup- happy.'' Jeremy Guthrie, making his first appearance of the spring, gave up two runs on five hits in three innings. ''I was able to throw my breaking ball for strikes,'' Guthrie said. ''However, I played into their hand when I threw fastballs.'' Guthrie, who lost 17 games last season with Ori- oles is pitching in the NL for the first time. ''So far, I've been able to fit right in,'' Guthrie said. ''It's a pretty easy group to fit into. Trailing 6-2 going into the bottom of the seventh, the Giants rallied for six runs in the next two innings. Tommy Joseph, a catcher, had two singles while Gre- gor Blanco, an outfielder had a single and double. New Giant Melky Cabr- era continued his torrid hit- ting raising his spring aver- age to .571 (8 for 14) by going 3 for 3. The outfielder had two homers on Tuesday against the Dodgers. MLB Spring Training AMERICAN LEAGUE WL Pct 3 0 1.000 5 0 1.000 5 1 .833 2 1 .667 42 .667 Kansas City 3 2 .600 Toronto 3 2 .600 2 2 .500 2 2 .500 3 3 .500 2 2 .500 2 3 .400 Tampa Bay 1 4 .200 Chicago 0 3 .000 NATIONAL LEAGUE WL Pct Houston Cincinnati Dodgers New York Milwaukee 2 1 .667 GIANTS Chicago 4 1 .800 32 .600 2 2 .500 2 2 .500 1 1 .500 2 2 .500 Washington 2 2 .500 Philadelphia 2 3 .400 Pittsburgh Colorado Miami Arizona Atlanta Padres St. Louis 2 3 .400 1 2 .333 1 2 .333 1 4 .200 1 4 .200 1 4 .200 0 2 .000 NOTE: Split-squad games count in the standings; games against non-major league teams do not. —————————————————— Wednesday's results Oakland 3, L.A. Dodgers 3, tie San Francisco 8, Colorado 6 Baltimore 6, Minnesota 0 Chicago Cubs 6, Kansas City 4 Cleveland 10, Arizona 2 Detroit 5, Atlanta 1 Houston 10, Philadelphia 3 Milwaukee 10, Chicago White Sox 6 N.Y. Mets 7, Miami 0 San Diego (ss) 5, Cincinnati 0 Seattle 6, L.A. Angels 4 Tampa Bay 4, N.Y.Yankees 0 Texas 6, San Diego (ss) 2 Toronto (ss) 3, Boston 3, tie Toronto (ss) 8, Pittsburgh 6 Washington 3, St. Louis 3, tie Today's Grapefruit League games Atlanta vs. Baltimore, 10:05 a.m. Boston vs. St. Louis, 10:05 a.m. Detroit vs. Tampa Bay (ss), 10:05 a.m. Houston vs.Washington, 10:05 a.m. N.Y.Yankees vs. Toronto, 10:05 a.m. Pittsburgh vs. Philadelphia, 10:05 a.m. Tampa Bay (ss) vs. Minnesota, 10:05 a.m. Miami vs. N.Y. Mets, 10:10 a.m. Today's Cactus League games Oakland vs. L.A. Dodgers, 12:05 p.m. San Francisco vs. San Diego, 12:05 p.m. Chicago White Sox vs. Texas, 12:05 p.m. Cincinnati vs. Milwaukee, 12:05 p.m. L.A. Angels vs. Cleveland, 12:05 p.m. Seattle vs. Chicago Cubs, 12:05 p.m. Kansas City vs. Colorado, 12:10 p.m.