Monday Mail Sac: Reporters, former player reaction, and how many games are you going to this year?

We kick off the week with a pair of questions from NewYorkKingsFan: "Do any of you have the sort of inside informants like Sam Amick, to get contact info for the players, etc.? As a sports blog, do you get access to the locker room after games?"

Currently we do not have credentials for games or practices, but that could always change. We had been offered an opportunity some time back, but all of the contributors to this site have other jobs that make covering the team in beat writer fashion virtually impossible. To attempt to cover the team on a part-time basis would be disrespectful to those that do it for a living, in my opinion.

I have a great deal of respect for those that take their jobs seriously and do it well. Aside from Amick, I also hold James Ham and Jon Santiago from Cowbell Kingdom in very high regard. Ham and Santiago are at the arena seemingly full time, and they are a great resource of knowledge. We link them often and recommend them always. I also have to hat tip Ailene Voisin, who has been coming on strong since the change of ownership.

One thing that has always deterred me from wanting to take on beat writer responsibilities is that you pretty much have to give up being a fan. That is, you are not permitted to root at the games or really show any emotion one way or the other if you are a member of the press corps. I've always written from the fan perspective (most of us at Sactown Royalty do, some subtly and some overtly). I've always had an interest in covering a game or two just so I could give the membership a tour "behind the purple curtain," but game-in and game-out I want to be a fan.

The end result is that we provide the best single location to see the works of Amick and Ham/Santiago and Voisin, as well as the best forum around for members to discuss those works. I'm not sure that we'd be better off if we had a full-time beat writer, as we would be more of a competitor of these writers instead of a sounding board for them.

And the next question from NYKF: "Have any of you heard from some of the former Kings, like Corliss Williamson, or Doug Christie, or even Jon Barry, to get their reaction to the Kings staying in Sac? I went to American River College in 1982-83 but haven't really lived there full time since, and being in upstate New York now, with crappy satellite internet, I don't get to listen to any radio shows that you locals do, which might carry interviews or whatever with those guys..."

I'll let the fellow members chip in via the thread as it pertains to what reactions they may have seen from former Kings players. I know that Mitch Richmond was obviously pleased, as he is invested in new Kings ownership. Chris Webber was fairly vocal in his support as well. Spencer Hawes, not so much...

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Pick & Droll #1: How many Kings games do you hope to attend this year? If you don't live in Sacramento but do live in another NBA city, will you be attending when the Kings come to town? And will you go out to a bar or restaurant with a group to take in some of the games, and if so, where?

My budget is tight, but I'm still hoping to catch about eight games this year, including potentially a couple of StR nights if we can get them pulled together. My favorite time to go to a bar or restaurant is when the Kings are on the road - Friday or Saturday games with a Pacific or Central starting time are the best.

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Send your questions and topic ideas to asksactownroyalty@gmail.com. Feel free to jack this thread, but only this thread.