And now begins the hateful divorce.
It's getting ugly, sports fans. This is gonna end up worse than discovering Snooki at the opposite side of the table on a blind date.
On Monday afternoon, the city of Sacramento sent an email to the city of Anaheim. It was a last-ditch attempt to make sure the Kings didn't leave town without paying off their $77 million loan.
The Maloof boys got all angry when they read the letter.
But here's the bottom line: At this point, the Brothers Grim have nobody to blame but themselves.
They could have done this with skill and class. They could have been upfront. They could have made known their intention to make good on the loan to the city, whatever happened.
But no.
They were going to skulk out of town in a haze of confusing and bitter fog. And maybe, just maybe, they were going to leave Sacramento holding the bag.
Not a single news conference or interview to explain why Anaheim was the right destination for their franchise. Not a single word about how they were ready to stand tall and honor all their loan obligations.
Nope. Nothing.
And then, Joe Maloof finally decided to weigh in with Randy Youngman of the Orange County Register on Monday night. He sounded like a wiseguy from Jersey.
"You better be careful," he said. "Don't mess around and interfere with our business."
What's he going to do? Shoot Mayor Johnson with a t-shirt cannon?
The so-called masters of customer service have moved on to a new fan base. And they are treating the old fans like garbage. Not with honesty and respect. But with subterfuge.
The Maloofs are broke. Financially and spiritually.
They pillaged the franchise for the last five years, saving every ounce of cash while watching the team go down in flames.
They watched the arena empty, while begging pity about not getting a brand new building.
Gavin and Joe Maloof are middle-aged dweebs who got in over their head.
And now they're running.
It's a sad sight.
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