by Brandon Call
Daily Lobo
Albuquerquens will get a taste of professional sports this weekend.
The Pit hosted an NBA preseason matchup between the Sacramento Kings and the Utah Jazz on Thursday. About 7,500 fans watched the Kings top the Jazz 105-91.
Ron Artest, Kevin Martin, former Lobo Kenny Thomas and ex-NMSU head coach Reggie Theus were among the dignitaries visiting Albuquerque.
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The Coleman Vision Tennis Championships, which wrapped up its 11th successful tournament Sept. 23, was held at the Tanoan Country Club. It is the longest-running professional sports event in Albuquerque.
Tracy Austin - a two-time U.S. Open champion and member of the tennis hall of fame - and up-and-coming tennis pros treated fans to eight days of matches.
The U.S. Women's National Team will take on Mexico on Saturday in a women's soccer friendly match at the UNM Soccer Stadium.
Fresh off their third place finish at the Women's World Cup in China, the U.S. women's team features soccer stars Abby Wambach, Shannon Boxx and Lori Chalupny.
That's not to forget Albuquerque's existing pro teams: The Isotopes, Triple-A minor league franchise of the Florida Marlins; the Scorpions, part of the Double-A Central Hockey League for the NHL; and the Thunderbirds, part of the NBA Development League.
Steve Hurlbert, director of media relations for the Isotopes, said people often forget these teams when discussing professional sports in Albuquerque.
"It's a misnomer to say that the Isotopes, Thunderbirds and Scorpions aren't professionals," he said. "The athletes are paid. So, by definition, they are not amateur athletes."
The Isotopes came to Albuquerque in 2003, replacing the Dukes that left following the 2000 season.
Hurlbert said the franchise moved from Calgary, Canada, to Albuquerque for a number of reasons.
"Albuquerque is a great baseball city," he said. "Baseball has a long tradition in the city, and it made sense from the fans standpoint. Also, the city made a huge investment in building Isotopes Park."
More than 575,000 fans attended Isotopes' home games during the 2003 opening season. Last year, the team hosted the Triple-A All-Star Game on July 11 for 12,367 onlookers.
With so much attention from professional sports recently, why is no one asking the obvious: When will Albuquerque become the home of a big professional sports team?
Hurlbert said there are pros and cons in bringing an NFL, NBA or MLB team to Albuquerque.
"Major league sports would thrive given the great fan base that is here," he said. "It is a city that is crazy about sports, but the major detractor is that Albuquerque is too small. The average size of cities that have major league sports teams range in the top 50, and I believe Albuquerque is in the top 70."
Thomas, drafted by the Houston Rockets as the 22nd pick in the 1999 draft, said Albuquerque needs a big-name sports team.
"The people of Albuquerque love basketball," he said. "The Pit is always jam-packed. The Lobos are the only thing that they have right now to cheer for, and they deserve more."
U.S. Women's National Team vs. Mexico
Saturday, 4:30 p.m.
University Stadium
