Grab some ice cream with a King

Hurry. If you’re reading this in print, get your hot fudge sundae money out and hustle over to Baskin-Robbins, 236 E St., now!

Popular Sacramento Kings rookie Isaiah Thomas will sign autographs Friday night and accommodate picture-takers (at least among the first 200 fans to queue up). Thomas will arrive just before 6 p.m. and stick around for an hour.

Picked last in the most recent NBA draft, the former Washington Huskies star has emerged.

On Monday night at New Orleans, Thomas had an eight-point fourth quarter in leading the Kings to a 100-92 come-from-behind victory. His 17 points that night — in a game that saw Sacramento climb out from an 18-point hole — helped move his scoring average to 7.1 ppg.

Just in case you’re wondering … no, Thomas is not the son of former Detroit Pistons drive shaft Isiah Thomas (note first-name spelling). However, the elder Thomas was instrumental in getting the Kings guard his name.

Our Thomas’ father, a Los Angeles Lakers fan, lost a 1989 NBA finals bet with a friend and dad was committed to the name. (But Mom chose to spell her son’s name as does the Kingdom of Judah’s Isaiah).

Imagine if the Lakers had won… Somewhere there might have been a little girl named Magic — or at least a dog called Kareem.

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OK, finished with your ice cream?

You’re not done scurrying around town. Get over to Davis High.

It’s Break the Record Night for the our local basketball teams.

At 6:30 p.m., the Lady Blue Devils take on visiting Monterey Trail. At 8 p.m., the boys try to move a bit closer to a Sac-Joaquin Section playoff berth against the same Mustangs.

While it’s probable the local girls (9-14, 2-5 in Delta Valley Conference) are going to watch The Big Dance, the boys (13-10, 4-3) are on a three-game winning streak and ranked 16th by CIF — good enough to make the postseason, if they keep things in the “W” column.

The all-time record is 1,117 fans in 2008. Something tells me that standard will fall Friday.

I’m  sure ticket-takers will look the other way if you try to smuggle that banana split into the gym.

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Clark Field will be a jumping place Saturday as Woodland Babe Ruth tryouts are being conducted for the 13-year-olds.

Group official Kerry Sachs says kids who haven’t signed up can do so at the time of the tryouts, which start at 10 a.m. and run through noon.

Woodland Babe Ruth is open to Davis players.

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When the U.S. Bicycling Hall of Fame presents its inaugural Legends Gran Fondo on May 6, there will be some wheel-spinning, helmet-turning names involved.

Three-time Tour de France champion Greg LeMond will head a cast that includes George Mount, Jacquie Phelan, Jeanne Golay, Stu Thomsen and Nelson Vails (among many others).

It’s a serious list of biking giants.

LeMond, a Reno native, in 1986 became the first American — and non-European — to win the Tour de France.

Despite being wounded in a hunting accident the following year, LeMond returned to racing in 1989 and, incredibly, put up back-to-back Tour de France victories. He is one of nine riders to win the world’s premiere race at least three times.

There actually are two fondos come May 6: One is a 90-mile jaunt through Yolo and Solano counties, the other covers 63 miles. Both leave from Davis and are open to amateur and professional riders alike.

If you’ve ever wanted to blaze around the countryside with visions of yellow jerseys dancing in your head, this is your cycling dream come true. Wheel-to-wheel with Greg LeMond? Who could ask for more?

Visit www.usbhof.org for registration information.

— Reach Bruce Gallaudet at bgallaudet@davisenterprise.net or (530) 747-8047.

Short URL: http://www.davisenterprise.com/?p=135892

Posted by Bruce Gallaudet on Feb 9 2012.
Last Login: Tue 22 May 2012 11:46:20 PM PDT
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