When the Sacramento Kings take the court inside Golden 1 Center for their home opener Thursday against the San Antonio Spurs, each player will be able to literally ring in the start of another NBA season.Thats because the Kings new arena features a 3-foot-tall cowbell hanging from a wall in the corridor between the locker room and the hardwood.Cowbells have been a proud tradition of Kings basketball since the turn of the century, when former Los Angeles Lakers coach Phil Jackson called Sacramento an old cow town. Fans responded by bringing cowbells to home games during the 2002 Western Conference finals between the two teams, and the idea stuck.Kings season-ticket holders received mini-cowbells that commemorate the inaugural season of the Golden 1 Center, a 17,500-seat arena that opened last month in downtown Sacramento.-- Nick Ostiller Avalanche Jerseys 2021 .com) - Yankee Stadium is the home of the Bronx Bombers, but on Sunday afternoon it will open its gates to host the latest addition of the Hudson River Rivalry. Colorado Avalanche Shirts . -- There were a lot of firsts for the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday night. https://www.cheapavalanche.com/ . Its an influence in football and a big part of the game. Avalanche Jerseys China . Vettel was 0.168 seconds faster than Red Bull teammate Mark Webber around the Suzuka circuit. Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg was two tenths of a second off Vettel. "The car balance is decent, but I think we can still improve," Vettel said. Colorado Avalanche Pro Shop .com) - Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray and Roger Federer were easy first-round winners Tuesday at the Australian Open. HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. -- Ashley Wagner comes off a strong season. Jason Brown comes off a wasted one.So both Americans are at much different junctures in their careers as they begin the Grand Prix season this weekend at Skate America in Hoffman Estates, Illinois.Wagner brought home the first U.S. womens medal in a decade at the world championships this year when she grabbed silver. The three-time U.S. champion and 2014 Olympic team bronze medalist believes she needs to build off of that silver medal, not gloat about it.This season is, I think, a very important season for me, because I got so much momentum coming off that world silver medal, the 25-year-old Wagner said. It was huge for my career. Something I kind of have to make sure is I keep my focus. I cant rely on going into competitions being a world silver medalist. Its something I have, but it is the past.My focus is getting to worlds and getting back on that podium.Skate America, which begins Friday, is a good place to start. Shell face current U.S. champion Gracie Gold (fourth at Sochi) and three-time world winner Mao Asada of Japan as the six-event series begins. For Wagner -- and Gold -- the goal is to perform well enough to get to the Grand Prix Final in Marseille in December. A win in suburban Chicago would nearly assure that.I would love to establish myself as the leading U.S. lady, Wagner says. In order to do that, I need to put out two solid programs.Brown didnt get the opportunity to do that last season. His quick rise through the figure skating ranks -- from the junior level in 2013 to Olympic team bronze medalist at Sochi to U.S. champ in 2015 -- took a detour.dddddddddddd.Brown barely competed last season because of lower back pain that began plaguing him at Skate America. The always bubbly skater tried to take a positive approach to being off the ice.I look at it as more experience, said the 21-year-old Brown. Whats it like missing out on part of a season, when you dont get to do as many consistent drills because your body is rehabbing? At the same time, youre having the confidence you can do it. So you are finding other places to get that confidence.I looked at it as gaining experience rather than missing out on more and more events. I never looked at it as a negative. ... This is another opportunity for me to grow and gain experience in a different way.He won the U.S. International Classic last month in Salt Lake City. The Skate America field is stronger, with Shoma Uno and Daisuke Murakami of Japan, Maxim Kovtun of Russia and Jin Boyang of China.Brown is from nearby Highland Park, and he has been doing work with Ronald McDonald House in the Chicago area. Not only is he thrilled to be back competing, but hes extra jacked-up -- hard to imagine with him -- that its a home game.Im excited to get to perform at home and head home, and get to perform in that hometown environment, said Brown, adding hell have definitely over 30, maybe like 50, including relatives and family friends in his rooting section.I think there could even be more. The family/friend/family tree goes on and on. The Browns are coming and they are ready to cheer. ' ' '