0
Time to freak out about the Royals? Of course not. But…
The line of appropriate Royals reaction is thin and vague at the moment. The natural thing is to come down heavy, because all we have are two games, both losses, the Royals’ next lead will be their first of the season, Ervin Santana is continuing a dizzying pace of giving … Read More »
0
The Over-Under entries are in, and here’s what you think (me, too)
Three-hundred and fifty-one entries are in for the 2013 Totally Official DKTM Royals Over-Under Challenge, and before say anything more, a big thanks to Grant, the reader who set this whole thing up.
He is a saint, as far as I’m concerned.
As a reminder, the winner will get a … Read More »
0
Twitter Tuesday: Elijah, KU’s top 10 heartbreaks, Royals hope vs Chiefs hope, and Tony Danza
CHICAGO — Well, this is probably going to end up sounding more fantasyland than I want. No sports inspires as much overdone poetry as baseball. The green grass, the crack of the bat, the boys of summer, the yada and the yada and the yada.
My intent here is not … Read More »
0
On the greatest asset of the most promising Royals season since … well, since a long time
CHICAGO – You don’t need to twist your mind to come up with reasons to be optimistic about the Royals season^ that begins in the chilly air here this afternoon. This is a season with more hope than any since at least 2004, and if we’re thinking clearly, probably at … Read More »
0
A nerdy and possibly meaningless thought about Michigan-Kansas
Big 10 basketball is rough and tumble and not for the faint of heart. It is college basketball’s version of the Chris Berman line about frozen tundra. It is black eyes and bruised legs. It is Wisconsin taking a 19-17 lead into halftime.
At least that’s the reputation.
But think … Read More »
0
The hidden purpose of the gorgeous-est TV screen you’ve ever seen
ARLINGTON, Texas — Perhaps the biggest threat to the continuing rise of sports revenue is the decline of the value of the in-stadium experience. Teams generate millions on ticket sales and concessions and everything else, of course, but the value of TV contracts is also directly impacted by what the … Read More »
1
A quickie Royals checklist for 2013
We have a nice pause here between rounds of the NCAA Tournament, the first of the Sweet 16 games tomorrow and then Kansas-Michigan and others on Friday, so it’s a good chance for a few quick baseball thoughts, like, for instance, you realize the first real game is four days … Read More »
0
Twitter Tuesday: a homer and a hater, Ben McLemore, Bruce Weber, Frank Haith and the Royals
There was a moment on Sunday, the possibilities dissolving and the Sprint Center crowd roaring, that I couldn’t take my eyes off Roy Williams.
You probably saw the game, or maybe read about it, but his eighth-seeded Tar Heels had been giving the top-seeded Jayhawks all they could handle in … Read More »
0
Sweet 16 predictions to ignore
If I can leave you with one thought, it is to take these predictions with the proper context. I don’t know what I’m doing here.
The smokeshow wife’s bracket is running laps around mine — who picks Steve Alford to go to the Final Four??? — so really you should … Read More »
0
The Totally Official 2013 DKTM Royals Over-Under Challenge
SURPRISE, Ariz. — We’re all guessing, of course. That’s part of the fun of sports. This guy’s going to break out, that other guy will fade, and that third guy’s gonna get hurt. Throw it all together and we come up with a prediction.
You shouldn’t care, but my Royals’ … Read More »
0
Twitter Tuesday: this is important journalism
SURPRISE, Ariz. — If Major League Baseball didn’t create a marketing machine and call it the World Baseball Classic, this would be the point in spring training where we’d all be very excited. We’d be less than a week from real baseball, games that matter in big stadiums full of … Read More »
1
Brackets (and baseball)!
PHOENIX, Ariz. – I have come here for an updated look at the hopeful Royals, the returns of Eric Hosmer and Sal Perez from the WBC, the brilliance of Alcides Escobar, the overlooked impact of Alex Gordon, Billy Butler’s genius at the plate, a club finally good enough that it … Read More »
0
We are a fickle bunch, us sports fans, and good thing too.
(Note: I’m doing this blog post from my phone, so I ask even more leeway than usual on spelling and grammatical mistakes.)
A year ago … no, not even that long ago. Six months ago, Kansas City was a miserable sports place. Remember this?
The Chiefs were a runaway disaster, … Read More »
0
DKTM: quickies in a time of transition for the Royals and Chiefs
Loaded Kansas City sports time, so let’s skip the formalities…
You’re going to like Alex Smith. He has to play well, of course, or nothing else matters. But Kansas City is going to like this guy. He is borderline brilliant — not just “athlete smart,” either — without the insecurity … Read More »
0
An updated guide to downtown Kansas City for this week, and I’ll go ahead and say it: wish MU was still part of this
So, I was going to do one of those quickie guides to Kansas City for your Big 12 (and NAIA) Tournament viewing pleasure. It was going to be cool, too^.
^ Shameless and segue-less plug: here’s a column I wrote about KSU coach Bruce Weber, who has nothing to …
Read More »
My favorite Kansas City week of the year is here. Any Chiefs home game fills this city with energy, and Opening Day is always fun. But give me the specific passion, nervousness, aggressive energy and personal stakes on public display we get during the Big 12 basketball tournament. I’m curious …
Read More »
So, you may or may not have seen the weekend column on Kansas State’s historic achievement this year, winning league titles in both sports we care about — the kings of the one-year-old new Big 12. And you may or may have seen a few tweets I …
Read More »
SURPRISE, Ariz. — About an hour ago, George Brett said some of the most stunning words I’ve ever heard: David Howard was the best athlete I ever played with. Better than Bo Jackson. I’m a terrible poker player, so George saw the look of astonishment on my face. Later, I …
Read More »
SURPRISE, Ariz. — The Royals are an honest-to-goodness big league team, you guys. They have position players with good track records, others widely expected to soon create good track records, a shutdown bullpen, athleticism around the field and — this is the crazy part — good starting pitching. You can’t …
Read More »
Dwayne Bowe yesterday, Mizzou tonight, Royals spring training tomorrow and K-State on Saturday. Busy week, perfect way to start my favorite sports month of the year. Anyway, there is no smooth way to transition to this so you might’ve seen where Rupert Murdoch is trying to crowd ESPN’s …
Read More »
The Chiefs will have some big news today when they (presumably) use the franchise tag on either receiver Dwayne Bowe or left tackle Branden Albert. The tag will make either player richer (about $11.4 million for Bowe and a shade under $10 million for Albert). The guess is they’ll use …
Read More »
Bob Huggins can make a quick 25-large tomorrow. You might remember the news that Huggins’ new contract at West Virginia calls for a $25,000 payment every time he beats Kansas in the regular season. You have to figure Huggins’ chances are slim, both because the game is at Allen …
Read More »
Alex Smith is a difficult case. His first five seasons — that’s 50 of his 75 career starts — he stunk. Stunk to Quinn-ian levels. Actually, even now, if you go by the inherently flawed passer rating Matt Cassel (80.4) is slightly better than Smith (79.1). He’s only played two …
Read More »
Louise Smith just wanted to see. She’d never been to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. Her health was failing. She was 98. People around her saw this as her last wish. So they brought her in, this is two weeks ago, gave her a private tour. Her expressions didn’t change …
Read More »
Going on vacation is great, but what’s better is having a life you enjoy getting back to after vacation. No messing around this week, let’s just get to it. This week’s reading recommendation is Richard Ben Cramer’s The Hero’s Life — I know it came out more than a …
Read More »
0
Twitter Tuesday: so much college hoop, rivalry hatred, Chiefs, Royals, and where to eat/drink this week
0
An old rivalry heats back up, warms the heart
0
(Updated with Howard’s response) The one where George Brett argues David Howard was a better athlete than Bo Jackson
0
Click here to read some rambling thoughts on the Royals, the Chiefs quitting Eric Winston and Branden Albert quitting Twitter
0
Twitter Tuesday: Chiefs and Bowe, Royals and wins, KU, K-State, Mizzou, Sporting and Lunardi
0
Seventeen baseball players are unimpressed with Flacco’s big contract
0
Maybe Bob Huggins’ “beat KU” contract isn’t all that weird
0
“You could say the Chiefs ordered the best thing on the menu at Chili’s”
0
Its history is dying, so here’s the plan
0
Twitter Tuesday: snow, beer, NFL draft, Royals angst, Bruce Weber, Phil Pressey, KU and refs
Latest column
-
Royals should inspire as much hope as cynicism
The Royals should know why the city they play for is suspicious. Nothing personal, guys, but Alex Gordon and Sal Perez and especially James Shields and Jeremy Guthrie might want to know why a fan base starved to watch a winner is watching their best team in 20 years like ... Read more »
Hey, you
Have a story tip? Want to ask a question? Just giving directions to a good burger joint? Talk to Sam