A Lot of Money for a Sign at a Freeway Interchange

An amazing thing happened Monday at the news conference called by the Kings. People talked about the Kings.

They also talked about the Lakers. But that was fine with the Kings because the Lakers will be the hockey team’s tenants in the new downtown arena.

That was the purpose of the news conference, to discuss the arena scheduled to open in the fall of 1999.

One of the Kings’ owners, Ed Roski, announced formally what The Times wrote a month or so ago, that naming rights have been sold for 20 years at $100 million-plus to Staples Inc. In return, the arena will be known as the Staples Center.

Other men in suits made speeches. The appropriate politicians were thanked. Lunch was served. It wasn’t from The Pantry.

Then began the serious discussion, about what a $300-million, 20,000-seat state-of-the-art arena means to sports in Los Angeles.

Officials from the L.A. Sports Council and Sports & Entertainment Commission, who have been handicapped in attempts to bring major events to the city because of outdated arenas, are players again.

Discussions already have begun to pursue such jewels as the Final Four, the NBA and NHL all-star games, the U.S. and World Figure Skating Championships and various Olympic trials.

But the most significant impact will be felt by the two home teams. With more seats to sell, including 160 luxury suites, the Kings and Lakers can squeeze more dollars out of the new arena than the Forum.

That will allow them to pay the players more, which, like it or not, is the cost of winning.

“This building is an absolute must for the Lakers,” Jerry West said.

He has put together a talented group of young players. It will be easier for him to keep them together with increased revenues.

King General Manager Dave Taylor said the team’s owners, Roski and Philip Anschutz, also believed a new arena was essential to winning.

Their commitment wasn’t clear to everyone in the NHL as recently as last summer, when Taylor was trying to recruit free agents. One, Brian Skrudland, told the Kings he chose the New York Rangers because they were closer to the Stanley Cup.

“I couldn’t argue at the time,” Taylor said. “At this point, I could.”

*

Staples’ corporate headquarters is outside Boston, an irony not lost on the company’s chairman, Thomas Stemberg. . . .

A longtime Celtic fan, he said during Monday’s news conference his love affair with the team began when Boston was routinely beating West’s Lakers for championships in the ‘60s. . . .

Stemberg graciously said he would like to see the Lakers and Celtics play for the championship when the new arena opens. . . .

“To hell with the Celtics,” said West, who has a long memory. . . .

Before Monday, I thought the only people who had figured out how to make money from a traffic jam were the vendors at the border in Tijuana. . . .

One reason Staples paid so dearly for the naming rights is that the arena will be at the interchange of the 10 and 110 freeways. . . .

Commuters caught in the daily gridlock will be a captive audience for the sign advertising Staples. . . .

After a 4-1 victory Saturday over New Jersey, King President Tim Leiweke turned to Rogie Vachon and announced that the team had finally turned the corner after four consecutive seasons out of the playoffs. . . .

King officials are trying to come up with a name for the surprisingly productive line of Yanic Perreault, Vladimir Tsyplakov and Glen Murray before Larry Robinson breaks it up. . . .

They could steal a page from the 1972 Miami Dolphins and call it the No-Name Line. . . .

Or the Staples Line. . . .

How many extra millions would the company pay for that? . . .

Tom Lasorda told the Chicago White Sox he wasn’t interested in managing again, but he didn’t leave them empty-handed. . . .

He recommended Joe Ferguson, who has emerged as a leading candidate. . . .

One of Hideo Nomo’s former teammates with the Kintetsu Buffaloes, Masato Yoshii, met with the Dodgers on Monday about a job on their pitching staff. . . .

His only English, he said, is “Thank you” and “Nice to meet you.” . . .

Considering he has made other stops in San Francisco, Oakland and New York, and also considering Fred Claire’s tight budget, that might be the extent of Yoshii’s conversation with the Dodgers.

*

While wondering what Mike Garrett is thinking, I was thinking: He’s not going to learn anything more in the next month about John Robinson than he knows now, Leon Lett is too little too late, Jelani McCoy is just in time.