Twitter Tuesday: Chiefs, Royals, Sporting KC, prostitutes, Bo, wings, and a haiku
The Kansas City Star
MY COUCH — Man, it’s good to be back. Don’t get me wrong, the Olympics was the best assignment I’ve ever had and I hope to do it again in Rio in four years but, man, it’s good to be back.
My smokeshow wife^ left Tank 7 in the fridge and cookies on the counter and I’m eating wings today and picking up my dog and going to the gym and woke up at 10:45 this morning and, man, it’s good to be back.
^ She is, of course, out of town a few days on a business trip of her own so shout-out to her boss. Good looking out, buddy.
The Olympics were great, and that’s a somewhat heavy topic today, but I’m also excited about getting into the regular flow of wondering about the Chiefs and shaking my head at the Royals and complimenting Sporting KC and trying to figure out what’s going to happen with college football.
So this week’s book recommendation is The New Jim Crow, a heavy book but absolutely worth your time for the perspective and information. Fascinating stuff that will change how you look at a lot of things, race-related and otherwise.
And this week’s food recommendation is wings at the Peanut. Sorry to be redundant, but it’s all I’ve been thinking about.
Anyway, as always, thanks for your help and let’s just get to it:
@Thuettenmueller What is your most memorable memory about London?
In order:
The 100 meters final. The coolest thing I’ve ever seen live, although the time I was smoking a cigar and drinking whiskey and cleaning up at the craps table on my bachelor party in Vegas is a strong contender.
There was a light day, in the middle of the trip, where I didn’t have to be anywhere until about 3. I woke up semi-early and went running through Hyde Park — it’s amazing how much more you can run when you’re in a beautiful park in London instead of a treadmill — and then walked over and saw Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, Westminster, all that old London-y stuff.
The basketball team. I mentioned on Twitter the other day that this my favorite team in sports, and I know that makes me a weirdo, but it’s true. I just love seeing how the pieces we’re all used to seeing compete against each other in the NBA fit together and bow to each other on this stage.
The gymnastics team win gold. I don’t know anything about gymnastics, of course, other than falling is bad. But seeing what those girls are capable of, essentially kamikaze missions that turn into scores like 16.3, is breathtaking up close.
There was a woman outside the St. Prancras International train station who brought a cooler full of water bottles and just gave them away — damn near every day. This might not sound like much, but I found myself standing and watching her a few times. She was in her 50s, I’d say, with the disposition of a kindergarten teacher and she’s handing out free water to anybody who asks, usually telling them, “The price is a smile.”
I don’t know that she was affiliated with the Olympics — I don’t think she was, actually — but I do think she was a pretty good embodiment of what the Olympics in London were. Kind, generous, selfless. Very cool experience.
@RealJEllis Which media member for the #royals deserves the combat pay the most? Perhaps @Royals_Report or maybe Denny? #twittertuesday
Dutton, and it’s not close. Takes less time off and works harder than anyone else who covers that team. He has, in my estimation, the hardest job in the sports department to do really well over a long period of time and he’s better at his job than any of the rest of us are at ours.
The one thing I’d point out, though: Dutton is not emotionally invested in whether the Royals win or lose. I know that’s an easy thing to miss when you think of a guy who’s covered as many losses as he has, but it’s a critical point. I’ve felt the same way about Mike DeArmond and Bob Ryan and others, but one of the best things about Dutton is he’s never lost the passion for his work. He is thrilled to be at the ballpark every day, to watch and write about baseball. We’d all do well to maintain that passion.
@canglem After the closing ceremonies do you want to see a team or The Who in the Sprint Center more?
You know, there’s (not) a rumor AEG is thinking of retrofitting the Sprint Center with a rolling roof. All they need is $300 million of taxpayer money and they’ll do it, promising that The Who and Garth Brooks will be our anchor tenants. I think we should totally do it. They’re such an honorable, straight-forward company.
@dannyboi965 you’re playing GM mode In Madden 13’ you have this exact team headed into FA, what position do you upgrade? #TT #Casselbaiting
Well, yeah. But failing the ability to put together a smart deal for an upgrade at starting quarterback, my video game GM-ing would’ve made a real effort to follow through on the public promise to my video game fanbase to upgrade the backup quarterback.
Said it before, but worth repeating: Scott Pioli put together a really nice offseason in every possible way — Eric Winston, Peyton Hillis, etc. — except the one that might be the most important.
@ksubmac thoughts on teams that play internationally during the offseason playing better come regular season? (ex: #KState in Brazil)
Well, barring injury, it can’t hurt. You get extra practice, extra games, extra time together to learn each other and play together and grow close. That can only help. But I don’t know that it’s the difference between a two seed and a six, anything like that.
It’s interesting, I suppose, that all three local teams are playing internationally this summer. And it’s also interesting to follow how that’s going. Sounded like Frank Haith regretted his decision to take his team off the floor the other day, saying he wishes he could’ve had them fight through the adversity. Bruce Weber got kicked out of a game with 70-some free throws, which sounds like either the most entertaining or most excruciating basketball game I could imagine.
And I loved what Self told the Journal-World after KU’s game the other day:
“If you think you’re an NBA guy, and you can’t handle a guy in France, then probably you’re not an NBA guy.”
…and…
“To be honest with you, I just thought that our main guys were so bad they didn’t deserve to play,” Self said. “I really thought that if we hadn’t have played some of those guys, we would have had a chance to have had a bigger lead at halftime. Obviously, we had to play them to have a chance to win the game, but I wasn’t happy with any of them. I didn’t think any of them played worth a flip.”
?@RoyalsFreeOut Ochocinco. That is all. #TT
Other than Jerry Sandusky’s heinous crimes against children, there isn’t anything less honorable than violence against a woman. Reports are surfacing that this isn’t Johnson’s first problem with domestic violence, and while it’s important to respect the legal process, it’s also worth noticing that the Dolphins walked away from Johnson — an indication that they likely had an existing agreement about what would and would not be tolerated, and/or know something about this that isn’t yet public.
@Evulm0nkey how many lady fun time for money invites did you get?
That’s funny. I did get one, actually, it was around 11:45 one night and I was starving and hustling toward one of the few restaurants in London that serves food that late^. This woman was straight out of prostitute central casting. Leopard-print mini skirt, ridiculous heels, leather jacket, huge hair and huge-er ear-rings.
“Hey baby,” she says, “you need company?”
I looked at her, laughed out very loud, and went to order my lamb curry and nan at the Indian place.
^ The weirdest thing about London is that it’s a place that, in the words of Brady McCollough, “gives precious few (F’s)” about most anything but becomes Salt Lake City circa 1981 when you want to eat after 10 or get a beer after 11. One night, we tried three different places before giving up and going home at 11:15. The places you can get a beer after 11 tend to be super-douchy European clubs where you need a 10-pound cover charge, skinny jeans, lots of hair gel and enormous sunglasses to get in.
@ojohnson1 Does knowing that someone doesn’t like the Z-Man make you sad inside?
Yes. It makes me sad for you, Johnson. Where did your life go so far off track? How did your heart grow so crusty and cold that not even the most magnificent combination of pulled pork, cheese, barbecue sauce and an onion ring can’t make you happy?
I weep for you.
I pray for you.
@ZCRUTCH who is the Chiefs leading receiver this year? Please support your answer in the form of a haiku.
The Chiefs need Dwayne Bowe,
Their best receiver wears dreads,
Makes plays even with Palko.
@AlanSwansonmed8 thoughts on Sporting KC winning Lamar Hunt Cup. I was there and it was awesome but what’s the true reaction from media?
I can’t speak for anyone else, but I had three primary reactions:
I wish I could’ve been there. Would’ve been a fun column to write, and, ya-know, I’m not exactly certain when the next chance to write about a Kansas City pro team winning a championship.
It’s one more brick in the foundation Sporting KC is building in this town. Those guys are doing absolutely everything right, and if the Royals and Chiefs were smart and ego-less and open to change, they’d take very serious looks at what the Cerner guys are doing and steal like hell.
It’s really goofy that MLS teams play so many other tournaments and exhibitions in the middle of their season.
Speaking of Sporting KC…
@ryanscotthall how awesome is @RobbHeineman? My man brought the Cup around the parking lot on Saturday night. #TT
Seriously. It’s an absolute clinic on how to run a sports team.
@jlmacn913 Kansas City gals > London gals?? #twittertuesdays
I’m basically high-jacking your question to say a few things about London. In the lead-up to the games, there was wild speculation and even some panic about how this whole thing would go off. A member of Parliament essentially browbeat the head of a security firm into admitting that his preparation for the games was “an embarrassing shambles.” There was incredible worry about how an already congested city would handle up to one million more visitors per day, and even about whether the Brits cared about having the games in London.
Each one of those concerns turned out to be as worthwhile as the Turner Gill era at KU.
As far as I could tell, there were no problems with security, though I will point out that I refuse to believe this was due to the “military personnel” brought in. There were snipers and men with big guns and all that, but the VAST majority of “military personnel” looked to be high school kids stolen from gym class and put into uniforms. It should tell you how essential to security these people were that they were used as seat-fillers for swimming and other events that didn’t fill up.
But transportation was a breeze. They must’ve brought in many more trains and buses than the city usually has, and you can’t imagine how easy the Tube is to use. It is essentially the cover and convenience of the New York subway system with the user-friendly ease of the Chicago L.
And the Brits lost their minds about the Games. Olympic Stadium roared when a Brit did as much as finish second in a semifinal race, and it went completely bonkers whenever Jessica Ennis or one of their stars did as much as wave. Very cool atmosphere. Think of how proud and intent on putting on a good show that Kansas City was for the All-Star game this summer, and multiply it by about 12.
@jdplantinga Best Chiefs FFL name? I am leaning away from Breaston Plants and towards 50ShadesOfCyrusGray. Any others? #TwitterTuesday
Your boy Arrowhead Pride mentions Over The Dwayne Bowe, and the Clarks. I’d also submit Jamaal That And A Bag Of Hillis, Come On Put Your Asamoah Into It, Daboll Y’all Better Recognize.
@Cole_Foss77 Is the Hosmer we saw last year or the Hosmer we are seeing this year the real Hosmer?
A disproportionate amount of the Royals’ future hangs on the answer, and all I can give you is a hunch. The list of players to OPS+ 118 or better at 21 years old or younger is largely star-filled, names like Willie Mays and Alex Rodriguez and Justin Upton (though there are some eventual duds, of course).
The list of players to OPS+ 77 or less at 22 years old is largely crap-filled, perhaps best exemplified by Corey Patterson.
But there are some interesting names on the crap list, too. Roberto Clemente. Robin Yount. Johnny Damon. Ron Santo, you might want to know, actually appears on both lists.
I do feel fairly strongly that Hosmer is more 2011 than 2012, but I also don’t think we should just ignore and write off this year as a learning experience. This is the kind of season we’ve been lead to believe just would not happen for Hosmer, that his talent is too great and his confidence too steady to allow for such an extended slump. The bad luck of the first month or so led into getting out of his swing and extending his approach and developing some bad habits.
He’s still too talented not to succeed in the long-term, but this season is too awful not to be concerned. The Royals need starting pitching, of course, that’s the most important thing and probably second and third, too. But they also need Hosmer to fill the middle of the lineup.
@MooreGregarious is there reason to believe Steve Balboni’s #Royals single-season HR record of 36 will be broken in the next few seasons? #TT
Well, sure. Billy Butler is on pace for 34. A hot stretch could mean he does it this year, and even if not — to borrow a phrase — his arrow is pointing up. Mike Moustakas is on pace for 26, and he’s 23 years old. If Hosmer gets his mojo back, he’s a threat. I wouldn’t have thought this before the season, but Sal Perez is a threat. Wil Myers is crushing the ball in Omaha.
I’m not sure I’d bet on it, but there are enough possibilities here to believe it can happen.
@caleboverman first place you had to eat at after returning from London? #TwitterTuesday
Jason King and I are going to do things to the Peanut tonight that border on illegal.
@thillsman Build your all-time Chiefs dream starting lineup. Do any current players make the cut? #tt
I can go through the entire lineup later this week if you want — gotta do some errands here soon, most notably pick up my badass dog — but I assume Tamba Hali would be opposite Derrick Thomas at outside linebacker and I think Dwayne Bowe might start at receiver opposite Otis Taylor.
The others I’d have to give more thought to. Eric Berry needs more time. Brandon Flowers might be a backup.
@RoyalsFreeOut It was preseason, right? A preseason football game against the Cardinals. Am I recalling correctly? Just making sure. #TT #Chiefs
Haha, yes. Preseason. Perspective is a good thing. But at the same time, there’s nothing else to evaluate at this point. I’ve got the game on DVR, will watch this afternoon, but if the takeaway is that Jamaal Charles seems to have his burst back and Brian Daboll made a good debut but that nothing important should be taken until the game against the Falcons, then that’s logical.
@rock_schaller when is the star print edition going to update your picture? #TT.
Well, I hope it’s not in the next day or so because I look absolutely ridiculous right now. I needed a haircut BEFORE London. Right now, I look a little like a homeless 19-year-old. A fat homeless 19-year-old.
But, besides, I keep telling you people: you have to keep the ladies guessing.
@TarH2O23 If you had Jose Canseco’s time machine, what sports result would you go back in time to try to change?
Bo Jackson’s hip injury. There is no other possible answer. If possible, I would pay enough money that it would start a huge fight with my wife if it meant I could see what his career(s) would’ve ended up like if he could somehow stay healthy playing professional sports 12 months a year.
I’ve written here and other places before, but Bo was the dominant athlete of my youth and my favorite athlete of all-time. He was doing things in football that had really never been done before (or, at least, only done by Jim Brown) and I’m convinced he was just starting to understand baseball. I really think he could’ve had a year where he rushed for 1,200 yards in 10 games and went 40-40 in baseball. I wonder if he could’ve been MVP in both leagues, Hall of Fame in both sports. With Bo, absolutely anything was possible.
Carl Goetz
10 months, 1 week agoLove the idea of “saving” Bo. I feel exactly the same.
But, Tamba and DT at outside linebacker? I know, I know; you threw that out without thinking it through. But forgetting Bobby Bell? You must have been in a real hurry.