Small-Market Scribblings, Pitch

Chiefs say Tony Moeaki is now physically unable to perform

Peter Rugg — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 14:40:36 -0500

This feels like it came out of nowhere. The Chiefs announced today that they were putting tight end Tony Moeaki on the physically unable to perform list.…

Mario Chalmers and Darrell Arthur: Rookie Pot Smokers?

Eric Barton — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 15:18:43 -0500

By ERIC BARTON

Psst. Wanna get high?

According to ESPN, former Jayhawks Mario Chalmers and Darrell Arthur were booted from an NBA rookie program on Wednesday after allegedly being caught in their hotel rooms with marijuana.…

Come October, Royals Don't Need All Those Seats

Eric Barton — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 06:25:04 -0500

By JOSH ZIEGLER

I got word recently that my Royals season tickets are in a section closed off for construction of Kauffman Stadium. It seems the team assumed they would be out of the playoff run way back at the start of the season, figuring they wouldn't need my section by October.…

Katy's Open Letter to McGriddle Arrowhead Stadium

Eric Barton — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 14:31:37 -0500

By ERIC BARTON

Here I was about to write about the cheapening of the name of Arrowhead Stadium when I came across this well-put version of the same idea at the blog See Katy Write. The author, local magazine editor Katy Ryan, laments about the fact that the Chiefs want to "besmirch the name of the greatest football stadium in the nation" by naming it after a sponsor.…

Trey Hillman: Jerk

David Martin — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 06:05:35 -0500

By DAVID MARTIN

Royals manager Trey Hillman acts like a dick on occasion, and the media are starting to call him on it.

A few weeks ago, the Royals faced Boston knuckleballer Tim Wakefield.…

Chiefs Rumble with Obama — Tonight!

Eric Barton — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 15:17:24 -0500

By ERIC BARTON

If you're debating between watching Barack Obama accept the Democratic nomination or catching the Chiefs in the final preseason game, here's a primer.

Fans expected to watch Obama speak at Invesco Field at Mile High Stadium: 76,273

Fans expected at Arrowhead Stadium: 27 (estimate)

First lady credentials at Mile High: A seasoned lawyer and mother, Michelle is an impressive speaker in her own right.…

Have the Royals Gone Conservative with 'Hug Cam'?

Eric Barton — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 06:29:51 -0500

By ERIC BARTON

I got a text message last night at 8:58 from a friend with some pretty big breaking news. The Royals, he reported, have dropped the Kiss Cam for a more Disney-style version called the Hug Cam.…

KC = Sixth-Worst City to be a Sports Fan

Justin Kendall — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 06:26:12 -0500

By Justin Kendall

A young Chiefs fan expresses his opinion of the rankings.

Forbes ranks Kansas City as a the sixth worst city to be a sports fan. Forbes writer Tom Van Ripper reasons: "Ticket prices are reasonable, but the Royals just can't shake over a decade's worth of the doldrums.…

Draft Guides Mock Stinky Kicker Pick

David Martin — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 10:27:47 -0500

By DAVID MARTIN

Fantasy football guides are making it evident how badly the Chiefs screwed up the selection of a special-teams player in the 2007 draft. Nick Folk – bypassed by the Chiefs in favor of Justin Medlock – is the top-rated kicker in draft guides published by Sports Illustrated and USA Today.…

Cyclones, Wildcats play at Arrowhead in '09 and '10

Justin Kendall — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 16:55:45 -0500

By Justin Kendall

Just got back from the press conference announcing the 2009 and 2010 Iowa State and Kansas State neutral site games at Arrowhead.

Good to see the Cyclone beat writers -- both of them -- made the trip south on I-35.…

Author Claims the Babe Was Black

Eric Barton — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 06:01:37 -0500

By BEN PAYNTER

By acquiring Babe Ruth from the Boston Red Sox in the ’20s, the Yankees began what has become a time-honored tradition of buying their way into success.

Back then, the survival of a ball club depended on the one-dimensional business of putting butts in seats.…

Beijing Olypics: Entertaining and Guilt-Ridden

Eric Barton — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 14:48:37 -0500

By ERIC BARTON

I've been one of those people fairly hooked on the Beijing Olympics. Take last night's heartbreaking final in the women's 100-meter hurdles, when American LoLo Jones blew an early lead by tripping on one of the last hurdles.…

Cyclones Returning to Arrowhead?

Justin Kendall — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 14:39:28 -0500

By Justin Kendall

God of Iowa State athletics, Jamie Pollard, will be at Arrowhead Stadium tomorrow morning for a "major college football announcement." Kansas State Athletic Director Bob Krause will also be there.…

Posnanski to Join SI.com

David Martin — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 06:33:06 -0500

By DAVID MARTIN

In the midst of filing multiple columns a day from Beijing, Kansas City Star sports columnist Joe Posnanski announced on his blog that he's going to start writing a weekly column for SportsIllustrated.com. SI.com will also link to Posnanski's blog.…

How Bad Are the Chiefs? Yahoo Says: Really Bad

Eric Barton — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 08:01:49 -0500

By ERIC BARTON

Don't be sad, Huard. Yahoo says you're better than Brodie.

There's little doubt the Chiefs will stink this year.…

Sprint Center, Kansas City Used by Penguins

Eric Barton — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 15:56:57 -0500

By Justin Kendall

Hockey great Mario Lemieux confirmed at yesterday's arena groundbreaking in Pittsburgh what we already knew: The Pittsburgh Penguins used Kansas City like a cheap whore to get a new arena deal in Pittsburgh. KMBC has the video here.…

AEG Misses Yet Another Deadline

David Martin — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 07:35:54 -0500

By DAVID MARTIN

Team USA is cruising toward a medal in women's basketball in Beijing. And if AEG President Tim Leiweke kept his promises, Lisa Leslie, Candace Parker and other stars of the WNBA would roll through the Sprint Center once the season resumes on August 28.…

A Cyclone Optimist. C'mon, it's August

Justin Kendall — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 12:27:40 -0500

By Justin Kendall

Can they spell "optimism"?

I'm hopeful every August. This year cannot possibly be worse than last year, I ~~lie~~ tell to myself.…

Are You Ready For Some Pretend Football?

Chris Rasmussen — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 08:49:55 -0500

By CHRIS RASMUSSEN

Watching preseason football is, to borrow from Jerry Seinfeld, like rooting for laundry.

Football fans so eagerly await the season that we pay and watch the preseason, even when we know how inherently meaningless these games are.…

KC Fans Bid Boys In Blue Adieu

Chris Rasmussen — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 09:52:08 -0500

By CHRIS RASMUSSEN

Luckily it's a short walk.

Today is traditionally the last day of the Royals’ season for most local sports fans.

Sure, the Royals muddle through for another five weeks, but tomorrow begins Chiefs Pretend Football, and local fans need to obsess over assessing the relative qualities of players they won’t watch in September.…

NFL Hires Dissembler As Consultant

Chris Rasmussen — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 09:23:53 -0500

By CHRIS RASMUSSEN

Hang loose, Chiefs fans, Ari's on the job.

The NFL hired a genius as a consultant.

Ari Fleischer, the most infamous White House press secretary since Ron Ziegler, is bringing his special brand of verbal gymnastics to professional sports players, providing seminars as president of Ari Fleischer Sports Communications.…

Mike Sweeney vs. Carlos Beltran, Reconsidered

Chris Rasmussen — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 10:26:38 -0500

By CHRIS RASMUSSEN

Two events occurred that serve as a reminder concerning the most critical decision the Royals faced in the previous decade. First, Mike Sweeney’s left knee “locked up” this week, putting an end to his season and perhaps his major-league career.…

Heaven Can't Wait, Actually

Chris Rasmussen — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 13:59:22 -0500

By CHRIS RASMUSSEN

Why aren't there any Chiefs jerseys on the chosen?

The New York Times reported yesterday that Tyndale House Publishers, the publishers of Left Behind, are now publishing football books.

Left Behind, for those unfamiliar with the series of fifteen (!)…

Jose Guillen Asks Out, According to a Channel I Don't Receive

Chris Rasmussen — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 11:19:28 -0500

By CHRIS RASMUSSEN

I’m no journalist.

That said, when a reporter not well-known for in-depth Royals coverage quotes an anonymous source and both principals in the story deny it, should a local talk radio host devote hours of coverage assuming that it were true?

More to the point, as Sam Mellinger points out, if it were true that Jose Guillen wanted out, this would be the first time Guillen did not shout his wishes and thoughts to the first passing reporter.…

Countdown to Beijing Includes Pole Dancing Exposé

Chris Rasmussen — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 09:35:44 -0500

By CHRIS RASMUSSEN

Yes, that is bamboo.

Today brings me to a subject that I often wanted to explore in this space with the intellectual depth that the topic deserves.

In advance of the Beijing Olympics and in a human interest story unlikely to be covered by NBC during its coverage, The New York Times on Friday reported that Chinese youths are participating in a fitness craze occurring in the States: pole dancing.…