Sports & Recreation >>

• Best Royal
  Paul Byrd
  Paul Byrd is that rare professional athlete who understands adulation is best experienced when it is mutual. A group of Blue Valley students spent the summer in face paint and oversized beaks while holding up signs at Kauffman Stadium proclaiming their nosebleed seats "The Byrd Nest." Byrd not... More >>
• Best Place to Get Drunk Before the Game
  The Other Place
  The Other Place has more television sets than your local Brandsmart. What makes the Other Place's televisions unique is that they are positioned in a way that allows patrons to monitor multiple games from almost any seat in the place. This is a very important attribute if you've got a parlay... More >>
• Best Night of Beisbol
  Dominican Day at Kauffman Stadium, June 25
  June 25 had been a sweltering summer day -- perfect for the infusion of south-of-the-border exhilaration that took over at Kauffman Stadium that night. For the first time, two Major League teams managed by natives of the Dominican Republic -- our own Tony Peña and Detroit's Luis Pujols -- were... More >>
• Best Ball Kicker (2 Comments)
  Dino Delevski, forward -- Kansas City Comets
  Hailing from Skopje, Macedonia, Dino Delevski kicks some serious balls. In his first year in Kansas City, Delevski led the Major Indoor Soccer League with 210 points in 43 games on 86 goals and 31 assists. Six times he knocked the game-winning goal into the net. Delevski was the league's MVP.... More >>
• Best Wizard
  Tony Meola
  Tony Meola is well-respected on the world stage as a three-time member of the USA World Cup squad. His movie-star looks and his Jersey 'tude also make him one of the most popular athletes in Kansas City history. "I love Kansas City," says Meola. "This is where my wife and I want to stay." He is... More >>
• Best K-State Athlete
  Nicole Ohlde
  Nicole Ohlde grew up in cozy Clay Center, Kansas, about halfway between Lawrence and Manhattan. When it came time to pick what college she would attend and play basketball, her heart proved to be purple. "Nicole Ohlde truly represents all that is the best in and about the state of Kansas," says... More >>
• Best Mizzou Athlete
  Justin Gage
  When Justin Gage came out of Jefferson City High School in 1999, he was touted as a premier quarterback. He tossed two touchdown passes against Texas A&M as a freshman but moved to wide receiver the following year, when he was chosen the team's offensive MVP. As a junior, he was named to the All... More >>
• Best KU Defector
  Drew Gooden
  Drew Gooden was chosen MVP of the Great Alaskan Shootout in the first college basketball tournament he played in as a University of Kansas freshman. As a junior this past spring, he was a consensus All-American as he led the Jayhawks to the Final Four. In May, he was the fourth overall pick of... More >>
• Best Chief
  Priest Holmes
  Priest Holmes doesn't look like a football player. Even after he dons his helmet and pads, he is still dwarfed by most of his teammates. When he gets the ball in his hands, it becomes obvious that this Priest ain't no layperson. After leading the NFL in rushing in 2001, Holmes has started 2002... More >>
• Best Sports Surprise
  Raul Ibañez
  With all due respect to Royals stars Paul Byrd, Mike Sweeney and Carlos Beltran, the team knew what it had at the start of the season with these former and future All-Stars. Raul Ibañez, however, was pegged as a utility guy, a platoon player who would ride the bench against left-handed pitchers... More >>
• Best Vendor at the Sports Complex
  Chuy Gomez
  Although other vendors have begun to imitate his schtick, no one can sell lemonade like the hunky Latino guy in the yellow shirt. He flows up and down the steps at Kauffman Stadium, shouting "Leemon-ay! Lee-mon-ay! Leemon-ay! Oooooooooo!" That oooooooooo might be the sound of a beach ball, if a... More >>
• Best Sportscaster
  Dave Stewart, Metro Sports
  Dave Stewart has not disappeared after his departure from KMBC Channel 9 last year, as some non-Time Warner Cable subscribers might think. He can be seen nightly on Metro Sports and heard three times a week on Johnny Dare and Murphy's morning show on KQRC 98.9. Stewart combines sports acumen,... More >>
• Best Sports-Radio Talk-Show Host
  Bill Maas, WHB 810
  Bill Maas played nose tackle for the Chiefs when the Chiefs were lousy -- even lousier than they are now. He knows more about professional football in Kansas City than just about anybody in town. What makes Mass the best is that he's willing to share what he knows -- the good, the bad and the... More >>
• Best Play-by-Play Broadcaster
  Bob Davis
  Some people never discover why they were placed on earth. Bob Davis is not one of them. Born with a voice that was meant to scream, "Halftime is here!" Davis is the best sports broadcaster ever to work in our town. As KU's revered football and basketball voice, Davis paints game-day images in... More >>
• Best Reason to go to Arrowhead in the Middle of the Night
  World Cup Parties
  The Simpsons go to a soccer game, inspired by a Hank Williams Jr. lookalike on TV belting out a bastardized version of Monday Night Football's "Are You Ready for Some Football?" The bellower spears a flaming ball, thrusts it toward viewers and sing-yells, Open wide for some soccer! The announcer... More >>
• Best Road Race
  Amy Thompson Run to Daylight, Memorial Day
  The people behind the Amy Thompson Run are our friends, our neighbors and an integral part of Kansas City's very friendly running community. Amy survived a bullet to the head from the gun of an unmemorable punk in 1986, hanging on through a six-week coma before dying three years later. This race... More >>
• Best Comeback
  The Kansas City (Humana River Crown Plaza) Marathon
  In January 2001, this place ceased being a real city when Kansas City Power and Light pulled the plug on the Rib Run. For several months, this was the largest American town without a 26.2-mile running race. But by the end of that year, Humana had stepped forward to sponsor a revival: the Humana... More >>
• Best Network of Bike Paths
  Downtown Kansas City
  City Councilman Ed Ford voted down a plan to add bike lanes to Kansas City's streets because he worried that sharing the road with cars would be too dangerous. What cars? On evenings and weekends, downtown Kansas City completely car-free. It's safe as can be. And pretty. Riders can gawk up at... More >>
• Best Reason to Add Leawood to Your Running Route
  Jog bras
  The combination of America's two sexiest symbols -- taut, tawny soccer moms and jog bras -- has gotten a rise from an unnamed Leawood city councilman, who threatened this summer to introduce an ordinance that would ban women from wearing jog bras in public. The councilman calls the new fad... More >>
• Best Place to be Like Mike
  Midtown Sports and Activity Center
  Street basketball players don't ask for much -- just a flat rectangle of asphalt, two sturdy backboards and hoops 10 feet off the ground. It's an amazingly tough bill to fill. Enter Chris Harris, a 33-year-old who grew up on street ball in Kansas City, played college ball at Penn Valley... More >>
• Best Public Pool Slide
  Tomahawk Ridge Community Center
  The slide at the Tomahawk Ridge Community Center isn't just a slide; it's a minimountain, complete with vegetation. And it's not just one slide. The adventurers stay near the sheer western face of the mountain with its over-a-waterfall plunge into sensationally cool water. Nature lovers can try... More >>
• Best Midsummer Stress Release
  Wave pool at Oceans of Fun
  A rubble field of unfinished paperwork covers the desk ... that vein in boss' forehead is noticeably throbbing ... the boyfriend "accidentally" forgot to show up for the dinner that's been on his calendar for two months ... both cats have chronic urinary-tract infections ... the locksmith wants... More >>
• Best Place to Get Cued Up
  Racks Billiards
  Set in a strip mall, Racks Billiards is a down-home American pool hall. Games are just two bits, and more than a dozen tables await. The bar is packed with beer and every combination of hard liquor. The clientele is mostly local but friendly enough to welcome a stranger. Best of all, one of the... More >>
• Best Wholesome Fun
  Laser Storm Family Adventure Center
  The weather is crappy, the family is cooped up and the kids are bouncing off the walls. Take the little hellions to Laser Storm Family Adventure Center's 2,800-square-foot smoke-filled arena, where teams play electronic laser tag under black lights and strobes. In ten-minute matches,... More >>
• Best Training Ground for Ninja Wannabes
  Lee's Chinese Martial Arts Federation
  "Lee's Chinese Martial Arts Federation is not a black-belt factory," boasts its owner, Master Lee, adding that he has awarded only five black belts in 23 years of teaching kung fu. The federation's classes focus on the whole person -- Lee prescribes a diet devoid of red meat, fried foods or... More >>
• Best Picnic Spot
  Overland Park Botanical Gardens
  Many locals don't even know that Overland Park Botanical Gardens exists. Maybe that's why it's such a peaceful place for a picnic. The gardens are designed to resemble outdoor "rooms." The water garden features a gorgeous waterfall and uncommon aquatic and bog plants. The woodland garden... More >>
• Best Free Date
  Martha Lafite Thompson Nature Sanctuary's evening activities
  Romantic dates can be hard on the wallet. Drinks, a candlelit dinner at a fancy restaurant and cover charges for some jazz can all add up. But a special evening can be had absolutely free at the Martha Lafite Thompson Nature Sanctuary. The 100-acre nonprofit sanctuary is a nocturnal paradise. It... More >>
• Best Field Trip for Grownups
  Sierra Club's Wildflower and Native Plant Walks
  So you've never heard of hairy grama, goose grass or witch grass? You've never seen purple poppy mallow or a bitter sneeze weed? Couldn't identify pussy toes or round-head bush clover or dotted gay feather if your life depended on it? Well, it's time to take a field trip. From spring through... More >>
• Best Easy Hike
  Hidden Valley Natural Area
  Hikers in the Hidden Valley Natural Area can choose the sensible route: a leisurely one-hour stroll from a well-worn trailhead, through pretty woods, across tallgrass fields, to a platform overlooking a deep, wooded ravine -- a nice spot for a rest or a picnic. But hikers wanting more of an... More >>
• Best Kick-Your-Ass Hike
  Camp Naish Rimrock Trail
  The Rimrock Trail is a unique, challenging 12-mile jaunt through oak, hickory and dogwood forests and over rolling hills. It rewards the hardy with lovely views of the Kaw River valley. To use the Camp Naish trail, hikers must obtain permission a few weeks ahead of time from the local Boy Scouts... More >>
• Best Place to Get High
  Cliff Drive
  The reopening of Cliff Drive last fall made the commute that much easier for Kansas City climbing enthusiasts who see the cliff as a limestone treasure. On a typical weekend, the precipice along the Missouri River bluff draws as many as a dozen climbers. They loop colorful ropes at the top and... More >>
• Best Place to Camp Without Leaving the Metro
  Prairie Center
  The Prairie Center's 293 acres of pure tallgrass prairie, with trails curving through fields and woods, are a hiker's dream. The few designated campsites offer a peaceful and secluded experience for nature lovers who want to escape the city -- or suburbs -- without driving for hours. Visitors... More >>
• Best Missouri Version of Frontier House
  Rock Eddy Bluff Farm
  On PBS's 2002 reality show Frontier House, several lucky families lived for months on a contrived "American frontier," making straw beds, fattening and slaughtering hogs, sewing clothes and chopping wood for winter. Watching them, viewers longed for a return to the simpler times of homemade... More >>
• Best Romantic Getaway
  Dome Ridge B&B
  Rustic simplicity is rare in the bed-and-breakfast world of lacey curtains and Victorian architecture. Sitting on a 17-acre wood just north of Kansas City International airport, the Dome Ridge B&B is not a gingerbread house -- it's a geodesic dome. One suite has a private deck where guests can... More >>
• Best Off-Leash Area for Dogs (legal)
  Heritage Park
  Dog owners who congregate at Loose Park have a formal name -- the Kansas City SCOOP. The more responsible ones even carry extra plastic bags to pick up other dog owners' poop. But their vigilance doesn't stop humorless Brookside cops from doling out leash-law tickets. So until Kansas City... More >>