In Sacramento, Ben van der Meer noted fans who have bought tickets in the past to NBA Kings games "began receiving emails this week touting tickets" for the '16-17 season at the new Golden 1 Center. Kings President Chris Granger said that the team also is "figuring out where renewing season-ticket holders will sit in the new arena." Capacity is "roughly the same." But team officials have said that there is a "greater emphasis on making more lower-bowl seats feel closer to the action" (BIZJOURNALS.com, 11/4).
FADE TO BLACK: On Long Island, Neil Best noted Islanders play-by-play man Howie Rose "took issue with the assertion" by Barclays Center officials that black and white -- the colors of the Nets -- "are Brooklyn's colors." The Islanders wore their black-and-white alternate uniform "for the first time against the Devils" on Tuesday. Rose said sarcastically before the telecast, "Gee, what a surprise: a black for black's sake jersey." He later "was critical of the uniforms during the telecast itself." Rose: "It's a money grab. We all know what third jerseys are, and I accept that. I want to make money, too, so I get the initiative. I just take it personally when they're so gratuitously removed from anything relating to the official colors of the team. Maybe I shouldn't, but that's just me" (NEWSDAY, 11/5).
RED OR BLACK? An OTTAWA SUN editorial stated the CFL RedBlacks are "a real success story." The team "has risen from the ashes (and lingering shadows) of the organizations that came and crumbled before it." The refurbishment of Lansdowne Park "set the stage for a return of pro football to this city and it's been a resounding success." The city "has benefited from not just the team, but from the reinvigorated venue." The success of the Lansdowne venture so far "can't help but prick at the imagination as to what would happen if the Senators are successful in their bid to get a new NHL rink at LeBreton Flats" (OTTAWA SUN, 11/4).
