As expected, the Kansas City Chiefs announced the firing of Romeo Crennel on the NFL's "Black Monday."
Crennel lasted less than a year as the franchise's head coach, finishing this season with a 2-14 record.
"I have a tremendous amount of respect and admiration for Romeo, both personally and professionally," Chiefs chairman and CEO Clark Hunt said in a statement released by the franchise. "He is an accomplished coach, a man of great character and he helped guide our football team through some extremely challenging circumstances this season.
"However, I am embarrassed by the poor product we gave our fans this season, and I believe we have no choice but to move the franchise in a different direction. I will immediately begin the search for the next head coach of the Chiefs. The entire football operation will remain under review, and there may be additional changes to come. No final determination has been made at this point on the future of General Manager Scott Pioli.
"Finally, I want to personally apologize to our fans for our performance this season. We are blessed to play for some of the best and most passionate fans in the National Football League and they deserve better than what we gave them this season. I want our fans to know that I will do everything I can to provide them with a dramatically better team - both next season and in the seasons to come - and our entire organization appreciates their support."
Who's next, Chiefs fans?
William Marotta, the man whom Kansas is suing for child support, answered an advertisement that the couple had placed on Craigslist. Schreiner was inseminated at home, and a girl was born on December 7, 2009. When Schreiner filed for Medicaid coverage for her daughter, the Department of Children and Family Services learned of Marotta (only Schreiner's name had appeared on the birth certificate). And even though Marotta (who is married), signed a contract waiving his parental responsibilities, the state of Kansas doesn't agree. A hearing has been set for January 8 in Shawnee County District Court.
Highlights: "Successfully promoting the Swans and Xiu Xiu show at Beaumont Club on September 19. Kansas City proved to me that they have great taste and open minds and ears by attending one of the heaviest, loudest and most intense shows I've ever seen."
A show by the aptly named group Murder By Death (murder ballads are its forte) isn't what jumps to mind for a New Year's Eve celebration. But the Bloomington, Indiana, quintet has cultivated a nice, bubbly fanbase in Lawrence. And local indie acts Cowboy Indian Bear and Y(our) Fri(end) ought to add a little life to the evening.
Monday, December 31, at the Granada, doors at 9 p.m., $12 in advance or $15 at the door.
The Golden Republic
Five years after splitting, the Golden Republic reunited for a couple of one-offs in 2011. The glammy pop-punk quartet does it again here with friends in Thee Water MoccaSins, who don't often play together, owing to geographic constraints.
Monday, December 31, at RecordBar, doors at 9 p.m., $12.
Nug Life New Year's Eve
You'll have to ignore the unbelievably terrible name, if you can, but this party has a lot of potential. I saw the reggae dudes in the New Riddim move some serious asses one random Friday night at Harling's earlier this year. And the 1990s-R&B-themed Booty Jamz is on the rise as one of Westport's best dance parties, even though it is totally biting the style of my on-hiatus DJ duo Pussy Monster. (Just kidding - Pussy Monster played only two shows, and nobody paid any attention.) Also on hand: DJ Clockwerk and Pocket Change.
Monday, December 31, at Riot Room, 8 p.m., $5.
The Chicago-based sandwich chain's specialty is "A Wreck." That sub has roast beef, salami, turkey, hickory-smoked ham and Swiss cheese. The menu is standard: sandwiches, salads, soups (a daily selection and chili), and cookies. One novelty is that they offer shakes, malts and smoothies. At first glance, it looks to me like a hybrid of Planet Sub and Mr. Goodcents.
Anybody had a chance to eat at Potbelly, and should I be excited that they're bringing their sandwiches to Kansas City?
There are a lot of issues with the 2-14 team and a lot of uncertainties. ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that the Chiefs will fire head coach Romeo Crennel but keep general manager Scott Pioli. But one thing is certain. The Kansas City Chiefs have earned the number one overall draft pick. So who do you want?
"Two thousand twelve got intense for me personally, as I took over the booking for Club 906. There were a lot of naysayers spouting off about how live music wouldn't do well in the Northland. I think we proved them wrong with several amazing shows. At the top of the list is the COA/Mac Lethal Show on October 12."
"Another personal highlight for me wasThe Pitch Music Showcase. It was where I first saw Radkey. They're the best new band in KC. Hands down."
Gillespie, who has more pig tattoos than you do, has tasted bacon lip balm and devoured a lot of maple bacon creations in search of the pig pinnacle. But he has never eaten the porcine equivalent of a turducken. Bacon Explosion creator Jason Day walks Gillespie through making a bacon weave (think latticed pig meat), laying down 2 pounds of Italian sausage and then adding another pound of fried bacon. The end result is bacon inside sausage inside bacon in a video that will either make you hungry or make you a vegetarian.
"Also, the Kansas City beat scene is about to explode. I was living out in California for four years and I got to witness firsthand the rise of producer-focused club nights such as Low End Theory (Daddy Kev, Flying Lotus, Dibia$e, Samiyam, etc.) and Funkmosphere (Dam Funk) in L.A. It's nice to come back home and see showcases like Suckafree and Elegant Knock give underrated production masters from the KC-Lawrence area - Lenny D, DRPLUS2, Dan Matic, Osiris-1, Barbaric Merits, Morri$, Starjammr - a place to showcase their skills."
Soundgarden's sludgy sound, last night at The Midland (review)
Potbelly Sandwich Shop opens June 4 on the Plaza
KCPD will breathalyze patrons at Tanner's tonight
Kansas City is not a top-five beer city
Why you shouldn't eat the snow cones at Minute Maid Park
So is Kansas City International a convenient airport or not?
Kurt Vile headed to Lawrence in August
Voltaire - the saloon, not the philosopher - opens tonight