Small-Market Scribblings

Chiefs Rumble with Obama -- Tonight!

2008-08-28 15:17:24

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.
First lady credentials at Arrowhead: Kelli Croyle doesn't hurt the eyes.

Possible spoiler at Mile High: Hilary Clinton supporters continue to call for her nomination.
Possible spoiler at Arrowhead: The return of Trent Green, now playing for the Rams, overshadows the three backup-quality quarterbacks fielded this year by the Chiefs.

]]> Likely inappropriateness at Mile High: Joe Scarborough issues an inappropriate rant against one of his own guests.
Likely inappropriateness at Arrowhead: Larry Johnson.

Runningmate gaffe alert at Mile High: Joe Biden, Obama's running mate, says dumb things.
Runningmate gaffe alert at Arrowhead: Herm Edwards, Carl Peterson's running mate, says dumb things.

Highlight reel moment at Mile High: Obama accepts nomination on the 45th anniversary of the "I Have a Dream" speech.
Highlight reel moment at Arrowhead: Clock ticks down to zero in fourth quarter.

Have the Royals Gone Conservative with 'Hug Cam'?

2008-08-28 06:29:51

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. "Dunno for sure but if so that is too creepy conservative," he wrote.

Admittedly, I haven't been to the 'K in a couple months, so I called someone who had been to a recent game. Yep, on Monday night, he saw the Hug Cam but no Kiss Cam.

These sources did enjoy the beverage selections at the 'K. That, of course, leads to the need to visit the concourse facilities. So both of them could've missed the Kiss Cam while headed to the can. So I called the Royals to find out if they had, in fact, turned the Kiss Cam conservative.

]]>

The Chicago Bulls' Hug Cam.

Royals public relations guy David Holtzman was fairly sure they hadn't dropped the Kiss Cam. In fact, he said he saw both the Kiss Cam and Hug Cam at Tuesday night's game. To be sure, he referred me to Chris DeRuyscher. He heads the Royals game-day operations, which includes all things scoreboard.

DeRuyscher says he added the Hug Cam simply to change things up a bit. The Kiss Cam isn't going anywhere, he said, especially considering that it's sponsored by Hy-Vee. "We've got 81 games out here, so you have to try some things that are different," DeRuyscher said. "You get to the end of the year and you just want to try some new things."

So far, the Hug Cam has been only mildly successful. "You get people who aren't sure what to do," DeRuyscher says. "The camera goes on them and they look around like, should we hug or should we kiss?"

DeRuyscher says the Hug Cam won't be the last addition. In the next few weeks, he's thinking that we'll see a comeback of the Limbo Cam.

KC = Sixth-Worst City to be a Sports Fan

2008-08-27 06:26:12

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. The franchise has had just one winning season since 1995."

Forbes refuses to acknowledge soccer as a sport, denying the existence of the Kansas City Wizards. But neither does The Kansas City Star.

]]> Here's the top 10:

1. Miami

2. San Diego

3. Indianapolis

4. New York

5. Cincinnati

6. KC

7. Charlotte

8. Tampa

9. Cleveland

10. Pittsburgh

Draft Guides Mock Stinky Kicker Pick

2008-08-26 10:27:47

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.

The Chiefs took Medlock with the 160th pick in the ’07 draft. After a poor pre-season, the former UCLA Bruin failed to make the team.

The Dallas Cowboys, meanwhile, selected Folk, who kicked at the University of Arizona, with the 178th pick. In 2007, Folk made 26 of 31 field-goal attempts and went to the Pro Bowl.

]]> Folk’s fine rookie season and the potency of the Cowboys’ offense make him a fantasy prize.
He is the No. 2 kicker in draft guides produced by CBS Sports and ESPN.

Medlock, meanwhile, is just hoping to land a job. He is in camp with the St. Louis Rams. In a exhibition game on Sunday, Medlock sent a kickoff out of bounds – a quick way for a mismatched shoe guy to aggravate the coaches.

With results in hand, it’s easy to criticize front offices for selecting Player A in the draft when Player B proves to be a star. That said, Medlock’s school ties make the pick stand out. UCLA, after all, is the place Chiefs GM Carl Peterson obtained all his
degrees. It’s sad to think that fondness for alma mater may explain why one team sends out a Pro Bowler at critical junctures and another team just hired a kicker immortalized in a Saturday Night Live sketch.

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

2008-08-21 16:55:45

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. The pre-press conference jabber was whether the Cyclones had settled their quarterback conundrum. Of course not. The season opener is only SIX DAYS AWAY!

]]> Chiefs president Carl Peterson, who looks like a long-lost Soprano, talked about treating the game like a "mini bowl game." Peterson is certainly paying the schools like they're in a bowl game: each is guaranteed $1.8 million. They'll also share revenue from the gate.

The details: The Cyclones and Wildcats will play at Arrowhead Stadium on October 3, 2009, and October 9, 2010. Iowa State, Kansas State and Kansas City Chiefs season ticket holders will get first crack at tickets. Tickets go on sale to the general public in the spring.

On the stage, Iowa State Athletic Director Jamie Pollard looked like a giant next to Peterson and K-State AD Bob Krause. Pollard proved he's a helluva salesman.

"Kansas City is a home away from home for Iowa State fans," Pollard said. "We have great tradition of being down in this area, going back to the Big 8 basketball tournament. We won the last Big 8 basketball tournament."

I have a lot of memories of watching the Cyclones play in the Big 8 and Big 12 basketball tournaments in Kansas City, and the Cardiac Clones' great 2002 football game that nearly ended in an upset of No. 3 Florida State at Arrowhead.

Pollard said Cyclone coach Gene Chizik "lit up" at the possibility of playing at Arrowhead.

"Let's not underestimate what this will mean to the players," Pollard said. "We all know -- you cover 'em -- we have 125 kids in camp right now, and if you asked them, 125 of them think they're going to play in the NFL. We all know that if one or two of 'em play in the NFL, it's probably more of a reality. We're going to provide an opportunity for them to be in a historic NFL stadium and that's pretty special because those are things that those kids will take with them for their lifetime because the majority may never ever get to step on a field in the NFL."

I like the idea of the Cyclones playing in Kansas City. I'm biased because it's one less road trip for me. But the benefit is even better for the team, especially in 2010 when the Cyclones will play seven home games, four road games and the Arrowhead game. I asked Pollard if the 2010 scheduling had anything to do with Texas and Oklahoma coming back on the schedule -- and both are road games.

"Don't think we didn't think about that," Pollard said with a sly grin.

I asked Pollard about pushing back the Cyclones' Big 12 home opener in 2009. He didn't see a problem in waiting a month.

"It creates a lot of excitement about the beginning of the Big 12 season," he said. "We eliminated our bye week. ... Coach Chizik had just started, but he agreed to do it because he recognized that he'd rather give up the bye week than take the risk of playing in November when it's just not as exciting of an environment."

Another reporter asked Pollard about the possibility of the game hurting the Cyclones' chances of playing in a bowl game.

"I hope that we have that problem," Pollard said. "It would be one heck of a problem to have, wouldn't it?"

Pollard also spoke of creating a rivalry with the Wildcats.

"We even talked last night at dinner about having a traveling trophy," he said. "You can let your imaginations run wild about what ag product ..."

Maybe a silo?

Author Claims the Babe Was Black

2008-08-21 06:01:37

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. Fans turned out in droves to watch the player who could change games in the space of a single swing.

But like A-Rod and strippers, or Giambi and steroids, the hitter apparently had some skeletons — perhaps one even big enough to kill for. Such is the premise of J. Anderson Cross' upcoming novel, The Bambino Secret, which blends conspiracy theory and all-out fictional adventure à la The Da Vinci Code.

The book chases an Overland Park lawyer’s investigation into the mysterious death of a Negro Leagues ball player who stumbles upon evidence that the Babe was actually African American.

]]> Anderson claims he discovered his own evidence of Babe's racial heritage amid 19th century marriage records in Virginia. He'll be available for pundits to heckle or praise at a series of book signings this week, which kick off at 7 p.m. at the Barnes & Noble on the Plaza (400 West 47th Street, 816-753-1313).

Whether his theory is bullet-proof doesn't really matter; timing the book release with the demolition of Yankees Stadium is a marketing maneuver even Steinbrenner would be proud of.

Beijing Olypics: Entertaining and Guilt-Ridden

2008-08-20 14:48:37

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. Or how about Nastia Liukin scoring high enough to get the gold but then ending up with a silver medal because of some obscure tiebreaker rule? You couldn't script better sports drama.

But the more I hear about the regime in China and the more the news comes out about crackdowns on protesters, watching the Olympics is starting to feel like shopping at Wal-Mart. Or drinking from disposable water bottles. Or putting Huggies on your baby. There's something dirty, something guilt-inducing about watching the Beijing games.

This struck home last week when local members of the Falun Gong movement held a press conference in Overland Park to protest the reported 8,000 members of their group to be rounded up by Chinese cops.

At the press conference was Jin Pang, a student at Missouri State University. Pang says her parents were kidnapped by Chinese authorities on July 9. The only reason she can figure is that they're Falun Gong practitioners.

]]>

Pang and her parents.

Pang is in Los Angeles today. She held a press conference there yesterday in the hopes of getting more attention for her parents' cause. She didn't get much — the only article I could find on her California press conference was this piece from The Epoch Times.

Pang came to the United States last August to get her MBA from Missouri State. She figures she can't go back to China now, for fear she'd end up in a detention cell.

As for watching the Olympics, Pang says she's too concerned for friends and family to tune in. "When I tried to watch it, it hurt me actually," she told me by phone today. "There are a lot of people suffering because of the Olympics."

Tonight, Kerri Walsh and Misty May are in the finals for beach volleyball. But I'm starting to wonder if it's worth the guilt of watching an Olympics filmed in a place where people are persecuted for their religious beliefs, for badmouthing the regime or simply for writing a column like this. Perhaps those aren't games anybody should watch.

Cyclones Returning to Arrowhead?

2008-08-20 14:39:28

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. Rumor is the Cyclones and Wildcats will split a couple of football games in Kansas City, likely in 2009 and 2010. That's great news for Kansas City Cyclone fans. Not so great news for businesses in Ames (and Manhattan), with the possibility of losing a home game.

The last time the Cyclones played in Arrowhead -- a 38-31 loss to No. 3-ranked Florida State in the 2002 Eddie Robinson Classic -- was the most thrilling football game that I have ever witnessed.

Legendary Iowa State quarterback Seneca Wallace engineered what was almost the greatest comeback in Cyclone history, rallying from a 24 point deficit and nearly permanently retiring Bobby Bowden with a chest grabber.

]]> Down seven with four seconds left in the game, Wallace dove head-first for the end zone. The officials ruled Wallace out of bounds and the Cyclones lost (then Iowa State coach Dan McCarney later said the tape showed Wallace scoring).

I'm not so sure. I'd rather focus on the future, which includes whipping Ron "Grimace" Prince's Mildcats in Arrowhead.

Posnanski to Join SI.com

2008-08-20 06:33:06

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.

Showing his trademark humility, Posnanski says he is thrilled at the prospect of sharing the same pixilated banner as Frank Deford and Gary Smith. "Don’t even ask how that happened," Posnanski writes on his blog.

Posnanski says he will continue to write for The Star.

How Bad Are the Chiefs? Yahoo Says: Really Bad

2008-08-19 08:01:49

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. But further proof turned up yesterday when I joined a fantasy football league and discovered how poorly Chiefs players are ranked. Remember back just a few years ago when Dick Vermeil fielded an offense full of potential fantasy football stars? Yeah, Herm Edwards isn't that kind of coach.

Overall, the Chiefs have no players among the 10 best this year. Only three are listed in the top 100. A mere five rank among the top 200. And after that, no players crack the top 1,000.

If you haven't seen fantasy football rankings before, they're used to figure out how many points the players will score and how much yardage they will put up. Picking the top 10 players is always a gamble, but after that, Yahoo usually does fairly well figuring out where a player ranks.

And KC doesn't rank well.

]]>

Brodie Croyle: among the worst.

Running back Larry Johnson remains the Chiefs highest-ranked player in Yahoo's ranking system. But he dropped from first last year to No. 12. Tight end Tony Gonzalez comes in second at No. 60, followed by receiver Dwayne Bowe at No. 64.

After that, it gets pathetic.

Second- and third-string running backs Kolby Smith and Jamaal Charles come in at 179th and 196th. That's right: the fourth- and fifth-highest-ranked players are backups. It's like Yahoo is predicting L.J. won't finish the season.

And it gets worse from there.

Supposed starting QB Brodie Croyle? He is ranked as the 1,904th best player in the NFL. His two backups get higher rankings. Kansas City's kickers — nobody's sure who's starting yet — barely make it into the top 2,000.

And don't think things will get better on defense. Edwards, who's supposedly a defensive-minded coach, has fielded a defense that's ranked 1,397th.

Sprint Center, Kansas City Used by Penguins

2008-08-15 15:56:57

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. The highlight was Lemieux saying there was never a possibility of the Penguins moving to Kansas City.

"We had to do a few things to put pressure on the city and the state," he said. "Those trips to Kansas City and Las Vegas and other cities were just to go, have a nice dinner and come back."

I wonder if AEG president and CEO Tim Leiweke ever believed this November 2005 statement to The Kansas City Star:

"The Pittsburgh Penguins can be the Kansas City Penguins, no question about it."

And like a whore, the Sprint Center waits for the next team to promise her they'll call her after they screw her.

AEG Misses Yet Another Deadline

2008-08-15 07:35:54

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.

The failure of AEG, Sprint Center's part owner and programmer, to land an NBA or NHL tenant is well documented. What's received less attention is Leweike's big talk/no results in regards to women's hoops. In 2005, Leweike was quoted in The Kansas City Star as saying that progress was being made on bringing a WNBA franchise to KC in 2008.

]]> But "progress" AEG-style looks like a dark arena most nights. In addition to not delivering the NBA or NHL as promised, AEG has whiffed at the WNBA. Though WNBA Commissioner Donna Orender attended the groundbreaking of the Sprint Center, Kansas City does not appear be on the league's radar. A WNBA team in Charlotte disbanded after the 2006 season. Atlanta received an expansion team in 2007.

Sprint Center spokeswoman Shani Tate Ross says it is her understanding that there has been "no substantive movement recently" in bringing the WNBA to Kansas City.

The next opportunity to watch team sports at the Sprint Center is a hockey game between the L.A. Kings and St. Louis Blues. Alas, it's only an exhibition.

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

2008-08-13 12:27:40

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. A 3-9 season in a coach's first year is understandable, right? And we snatched defeat from the jaws of victory in a few of those. God does hate the Iowa State Cyclones.

But I'm an optimist (check back with me after week 4). So I renew my season tickets. I know there'll be "growing pains." It's only year two of the Gene Chizik era, and Chizik's still building up a basement dweller. Hell, the Cyclones have more holes to plug than a New Orleans levee.

]]>

Don't look sad, Chizik.

Who's the starting quarterback, Arnaud or Bates?

Who's going to replace Todd Blythe at wide receiver?

Who's going to fill the holes on the defensive line left by "Tuba" Rubin and Bryce Braaksma?

Who's going to replace Alvin "Ace" Bowen and Jon Banks at linebacker?

Can a freshmen kicker hit a field goal when it counts?

Yep. Lots of questions. But it's August. Coach Chizik is bringing a new attitude to Ames -- or at least new uniforms (no more red on red; cardinal and gold, baby!). There are a lot of newcomers to get excited about (receivers Jason Carlson, Sedrick Johnson and Darius Darks, defensive back Kennard Banks). The Cyclones finished strong (except for that ass whipping by the Jayhawks), beating Kansas State and Colorado. The Cy-Hawk Trophy is in Ames where it belongs (suck it, Herky). The Cyclones open the season with South Dakota State. The Jackrabbits aren't even on NCAA Football 09. Gotta be a good sign, right? And the schedule isn't nearly as brutal. Texas and Oklahoma are off (praise Lee Corso!). Baylor and Oklahoma State are on. Of course, Kansas and Missouri are both in the top 15. But those are home games this year. See, optimism.

It's been a couple of seasons since the Cyclones have played in a bowl game. But a few surprise wins this year, and I just might be spending New Years Eve in Houston or Shreveport. Again. The dream begins Thursday, August 28.

I'll be sitting in the second row of section G next to the guy in the seam-splitting "If God made anything better than pussy, money, beer and the Cyclones, he kept it for himself" shirt.

If you're a Kansas City area Cyclone fan who can't help pack the Jack, the Kansas City Cyclone Club is throwing a fall kickoff party at Kelly's in Westport. Happy hour starts at 5 and the game watch starts at 7.

If Kansas can do it ... yeah, I'm optimistic.

Are You Ready For Some Pretend Football?

2008-08-08 08:49:55

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.

If we're lucky, starters last less than a quarter before they're replaced by players
with unfamiliar names, numbers and backgrounds ("Pass caught by Oscar Jones from
Whatsamtta U with the uniform number signifying the elemental symbol of Hassium"). The announcers are also forgettable, even though Roger Twibell allegedly hosts a three-hour talk show in this town.

]]> Sure, hardcore fans pretend that these games are chance to evaluate talent, as if their background in high school football makes them able to assess the value of a third-string tight end or a backup defensive end. Sure, we can all pretend that Brodie Croyle gives signs that he can lead the offense, even though the opposing coaches are providing the most generic of defenses at this stage.

But we really won't learn anything four full weeks. And probably not even then.

To illustrate the point, the following are the NFL's leading passers from last year's
preseason: JT O’Sullivan and Kevin Kolb. One preseason, this town's talk radio lines were abuzz concerning the relative merits of Jesse Haynes.

The sample size is worse than too small to be meaningful. The sample size itself is meaningless.

We will, however, have the opportunity to curse out Carl Peterson and make jokes about Mike Cox's name for those four weeks, and to practice our DVR fast-forwarding techniques.

After all, we need practice, too.

KC Fans Bid Boys In Blue Adieu

2008-08-06 09:52:08

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.

What have we learned this Royals season?

]]> Well, we found out about our young players. Unfortunately, we have less to work with than we initially thought.

Dayton Moore can fix some of the offensive deficiencies. Although the organization might think Aviles is not the long-term solution at short, it is also clear that the historically bad Tony Peña will not, or at least, should not play next season for the Royals. Ditto for Ross Gload – although he provides competent defense at first, we need a player at first base who can hit and hit well.

Another more disturbing problem involves two players, both of whom have disappointed. First, Alex Gordon is a decent hitter at the big-league level. After logging 914 at bats in the majors, it is clear that at this point he is not that good of a hitter and certainly less than advertised. Yes, he might improve in coming years, but that’s a hope and not a plan. Second, we knew before the season that Billy Butler was indifferent on the basepaths and incompetent in the field. Nevertheless, he was supposed to offset that by being a terrific designated hitter – and he was not this year or last.

The long-term problem is Moore himself. I’m not going into the Jose Guillen drama again, but one thing is clear about Moore’s acquisition of Guillen, Pea and Miguel Olivo. Dayton Moore signed three tools-based players who do not draw walks. That’s fine, I guess, but if you guess wrong on a player (Peña) or a player somehow deteriorates (Guillen, in his low stretches), those players become incredibly unproductive. Drawing walks is an offensive skill, one as important as power or speed and not likely to be taught to an older player.

There were positive signs. Dayton Moore knows pitching. Gil Meche is still worth the money, to every other baseball executive’s surprise. Zach Greinke is a solid pitcher and Luke Hochevar appears to be a competent major league pitcher, if not one deserving of the No. 1 overall pick. Joakim Soria is awesome and Ron Mahay close to it.

An old cliché states that pitching is the commodity of baseball. Soon, the Royals might need to use that commodity to buy hitting.