MORE MORI … yes, we’ve all seen that massive building soaring toward the sky on the north side of rural Second Street as you head to or from Target, but without proper signage, one can only presume that it’s the new intergalactic headquarters for Mori Seiki, the Japanese manufacturing firm … however, after examining the site late one night, I discovered that it is actually the new home of the Sacramento Kings … yes, Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson finally realized that his dream of a new sports arena in Sacramento was falling on deaf ears, so he came across the Causeway to greener pastures … where once tumbleweeds freely roamed, the new Mori-Maloof Magicdome will be the largest arena in the NBA with a seating capacity of 50,111, and is also big enough to hold a regulation football field should the Aggies, the Blue Devils or the 49ers wish to play there … can a Major League Baseball franchise be far behind? …

SPEAKING OF SPORTS … my friend Dennis in North, North Davis (basically Woodland), wants to know if UC Davis brings back Ollie Mustang, could it also “bring back the old down marker with the balls rising out of the aluminum tube?” … going way back in Aggie football lore, Dennis, I believe that would be a decision for either Elmer Learn or Hubert Heitman … or maybe even Crip Toomey himself …

EVEN MORE AGGIE FOOTBALL … with the departure of head coach Bob Biggs from the Aggie sideline after next season, I’ve had no end of suggestions from the faithful as to who ought to be the next shepherd of the UC Davis football program … I’m still mulling over the candidates and will announce the new hire next week …

Kent at mindspring.com suggests Dan Hawkins or Paul Hackett, both Aggie alums with Division I coaching experience … Hawkins was head coach at Boise State and Colorado, but was fired by the latter late in the 2010 season … Hackett was head coach at USC and the University of Pittsburgh … both are used to making at least 10 times what the UCD job pays …

Another Aggie alum no longer coaching is Mike Bellotti, highly successful at the University of Oregon before a short stint as Duck athletic director and now as an ESPN football analyst … he, too, is out of our price range … even talented assistants, like Oregon defensive coordinator and Aggie alum Nick Aliotti, are used to a much higher pay grade … plus, with rare exception, most I-A coaches refuse to move down a step to I-AA, even if they’ve been fired at the higher level … then again, Weber State of the Big Sky – which plays the Aggies next year – just hired John L. Smith, formerly the head coach at Louisville and Michigan State … Smith, tellingly, is a Weber alum …

OCCUPY THIS … one secret source deep within Dutton Hall reports that “My colleagues and I are trying to provide academic support services – tutoring, appointments, workshops, exam reviews – in an occupied building.” … you are doing the Lord’s work, my friend … adds the top-secret communiqué, smuggled out of The Dutton by dark of night, “The students seeking our services have been intrepid and patient, and we hope we’ve been able to serve all who need our help. Meanwhile, no one wants to be the next misquote/awful video clip/touchpoint to go viral.” … just leave the pepper spray at home and you’ll be fine …

— Reach Bob Dunning at [email protected]

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