Lance Briggs, NFL linebacker of the Chicago Bears and comic book writer, visited his hometown on Friday, March 2, to celebrate the life of a legend.  At 3:30 p.m. you would have found an army of toddlers, a sprinkle of teenagers, and parents promptly at the Elk Grove Library, listening to one of the most memorable books of our time—“Green Eggs and Ham.”  “Green Eggs and Ham” was one of 44 books that Theodor Seuss Geisel, more commonly known as Dr. Seuss, wrote and illustrated before he died in 1991.  Over his lifetime, his books have been purchased by around 200 million people worldwide and translated into 15 different languages, according to DrSeussArts.com.  As an acclaimed children’s b

When the Dallas Cowboys travel to play the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium on Sunday, a familiar face to the Sacramento Mountain Lions faithful will be seen. The 6-foot-1 225 lb Safety, Andrew Sendejo, will be suiting up for the Cowboys after signing a contract on November 29. In Sacramento, Sendejo, led his team with 48 tackles and ended up tying for second in the UFL. He made it known that he was thankful for his opportunity in Sacramento and appreciative of his time here. “I’m thankful that I had the opportunity to come play in the UFL, because if it wasn’t for the UFL I probably wouldn’t be where I’m at. I’ll always remember my time in Sacramento.” Going from the Californ

Football. It's what makes summer's end tolerable.  The spoonful of sugar that helps the medicine go down.  This year, at least here in Sacramento, the medicine is gonna go down especially easy. This year, Sacramento has a team to call it's own. On Monday, the Sacramento Mountain Lions of the United Football League opened training camp at the Harvard Corporate Center. Tuesday, UFL commissioner Michael Huyghue visited with the team, the first stop on a tour that will take him to each of the five cities that are currently home to UFL franchises. I attended both afternoon practices and was among the handful of media who got to speak with commissioner Huyghue.  As far as I'm concerned, s

On Friday August 20, the UFL's Sacramento Mountain Lions held a special Meet & Greet event for season ticket holders and fans at the team's facilities on the campus of the California State University, Sacramento. Information provided by the Mountain Lions Ticket Sales staff indicated the event was scheduled to take place from 6-9pm. Initial pictures and autographs for fans were followed by player introductions by Head Coach Dennis Green, and performances by the Mountain Lions cheer and dance squad. Thereafter, players and fans reconvened for more pictures and autographs. By about 7:30pm, a few players needed t leave in order to tend to other commitments. Wide receiver Fred Otis Amey, who

  The UFL's Sacramento Mountain Lions Wide Receiver Fred Otis Amey hosted an official signing party last night at the California State University, Sacramento Alumni Center. The event featured an appearance by members of the Mountain Lions cheer and dance squad, catered food, a video segment, the unveiling of a unique FOA logo, a raffle with prize giveaways, a benediction, and music - featuring a live performance by FOA himself. The Mountain Lions had staff on site, as did Team Dynamix - the event organizer. Representatives from My Athletic Resume, a local enterprise focused on building personal resume websites for athletes, were also present. Several members of the CSUS Athletic Departme

 After months of hard work and preparation, your Sacramento Mountain Lions took to the practice field for the first time Thursday morning.   The first day of Mini Camp, which takes place at Grant High School, started off with some stretching and calisthenics. They then broke off into smaller groups for position drills. They finished off with about 45 minutes of very high-energy seven-on-seven drills.     Some impressions from the first day:    Daunte still has a cannon. He completed a couple of really nice deep balls, including one along the sideline that was 50 yards in the air easy. He struggled a bit on the shorter routes, but that is to be expected.  The back-up QBs looked pret

  I'm officially pumped for the UFL. To be exact, I'm pumped for your Sacramento Mountain Lions.    The Mountain Lions introduced their most recent signee, Daunte Culpepper, at a press conference at the Hilton Hotel Wednesday morning.    They also unveiled the team's new logo, a ferocious-looking saber-toothed fellow forming a sleek and dynamic "S". The logo is solid, and will look good on UFL-licensed merchandise. The Mountain Lions will have sweet hats.   Of course, it doesn't matter how cool the logo is. If the team and the league aren't a success, the merchandise won't sell.   On that front, both the team and the league took a major step in the right direction by bringing in th

West Sacramento, CA - The River City Gators announced the signing and activation of Sacramento native and Arena Football League Free Agent defensive back, Mervin Brookins today. Brookins played for the AFL’s Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz in 2010, the AFL's Stockton Lightning and the River City Gators in 2009. Prior to his professional career, Brookins attended Kansas-based Bethel College and Sacramento City College. His agent, Chris Johnson said, “Our focus is to get him reaccelerated to outdoor football. We want to get him doing what he does best: shutting down receivers, intercepting passes, and returning kicks. We need to prove to scouts and general managers that he is every bit the real d

Sacramento, CA - Wednesday, June 2, 2010 - The United Football League 2010 Player Draft brought 12 new players to the roster of each of the league’s five teams. With the third selection of the 2010 UFL Draft, Sacramento Mountain Lions Head Coach Dennis Green selected Justin Goltz, quarterback from Occidental College. In the second round, Green added Tavita Thompson, offensive tackle from Oregon State University. In the third round, Green added Tim Clark, defensive back from Oregon State University. The Mountain Lions draft day continued in with the addition of Udeme Udofia, defensive end from Stanford University; Ryan McFoy, safety, converting from linebacker while at Arizona State Univ

The UFL Draft will be held on June 2. It will consist of 12 rounds. Each of the 5 UFL teams will have one pick in each round, thus adding 12 players to each roster. Each team also has 20 players returning from last season under protected status, and looks to add as many as 20 players through free agency. Many of those free agents will come from the NFL. A source close to the league says that as many as 52 players have already been invited to each team’s minicamp. That minicamp is scheduled to begin for all teams on June 8 in Arizona. At the Sacramento Mountain Lions open tryout at Natomas High School on May 15, Head Coach Dennis Green said that each team had 74 total spots on the roster

The Sacramento Mountain Lions are about to receive a large dose of credibility and star power.  According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the UFL's Sacramento franchise is in the process of finalizing a contract with former NFL quarterback Daunte Culpepper.  The erstwhile QB, who played in eight games last season for the Detroit Lions, will try to prove that he has still got something in the tank after spending the past five years as an NFL journeyman. A three-time Pro Bowler and one-time Madden NFL cover boy with the Minnesota Vikings, the 6-foot 4-inch, 260-pound quarterback put up huge numbers in 2004, throwing for 39 touchdowns and nearly 5,000 yards. He set a record for most combined yarda

West Sacramento, CA - The River City Gators announced the signing of Sacramento native, and former NFL wide receiver, Paris Warren today.  The actual signing took place on the Gators' practice field Wednesday night at 8:30pm.  Warren was drafted in the seventh round by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2005, and remained with the team until 2008.  Thereafter he spent time with the Dallas Cowboys (2008), again with Tampa Bay (2009), and the New Orleans Saints (2009).  He also played for the UFL's Orlando-based Florida Tuskers in 2009. Prior to his professional career, Paris Warren attended for the University of Oregon, where, as a freshman, he played football for the Ducks.  In accordance with

West Sacramento, CA - The River City Gators announced the signing former California State University - San Diego wide receiver, Wesley Williams today.  The signing officially took place on Wednesday night at 8:30pm on the Gators' practice field.  Born in Sacramento, Williams grew up in Fairfield, played at San Joaquin Delta College, before initially choosing to attend Purdue University.  Circumstances caused him to sign on and play for the San Diego State Aztecs; however, sources say he was recruited by the University of Louisville (Kentucky), the University of Colorado, and Auburn (Alabama). River City Gators Head Coach, Charlie Ruiz says, "From a position standpoint, Williams solidifie

The match is set, the field is prepared and history is ready to be made. Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts will face off against the high powered explosive offense of the New Orleans Saints in Super BowlXLIV in Miami on Sunday. Manning and the Colts will return to the site of their Super Bowl win in 2007. On that rainy Sunday, the world saw Prince play the electric guitar in high heels and Manning win the MVP title. The Colts return to Miami with a plan to follow the samegameplan from four years ago. They are staying at the same hotel and have the same team rule that players and family cant stay at the same hotel. The only difference is Jim Caldwell is now head coach, ex-head coac

The football season is over. Months of preparation, hours of research and 17 grueling Sundays later, fantasy football leagues all over the world have crowned their champions. Office hierarchies were temporarily skewed as employees beat bosses and won real Christmas bonus money. Bussers and dishwashers triumphed over the front-of-house in epic battles. This fantasy football season was mixed with trades and coaching changes, supermen Brees and Manning and late-season controversy. The off-season brought a flurry of trades and changes. Coaching changes in Denver and Kansas City brought quarterback changes as well. The new coach of the Denver Broncos, Josh McDaniels, tried unsuccessfully to t

A controversial draft? Check. An over-the-hill coach? check. Taking gambles witha possible bust? check. Time after time Oakland Raiders franchise owner Al Davis proves that he has lost his uncanny touch with the game of football. With his 17 hall-of-fame inductees, including himself as a franchise owner, and three super bowl titles, he has, or at one time, established himself as one of the all-time best to ever do it. But maybe its time to pass the baton to the next person. The No. 7 overall draft pick in the 2009 NFL draft may serve as perfect evidence. Passing on the two highest ranked wide outs in this year's draft, including one of the most explosive players to come out of college in

Sacramento has produced a number of world class athletes - Dusty Baker, Bill Cartwright, Debbie Meyer, and of course Mayor Kevin Johnson to name a few. But what's to be said about young athletes who have talent, but not the means to be successful? A group of seven successful Sacramento athletes, including former NFL players Gio Carmazzi and Alex Van Dyke are now back in Sacramento to help steward underprivileged high school athletes to succeed not only in sports but also in life. Their organization, Game Plan Academy (GPA), will be holding an eight-week camp on Sundays from March 15 through May 10 at Hiram Johnson High School. It will focus on recruiting from schools with low Academic Pe