“To watch Gil Meche just completely turn his back on the Royals’ organization for the final two-and-a-half years of a five-year contract to me is unacceptable.”Kevin Kietzman, after the Royals announced Tuesday that their former ace will retire from MLB immediately, 810 AM
GH: Kietzman began his rant on Meche by saying his comments were not personal. That is not how they came off to this listener. KK sounded bitter, jealous and flat angry that Meche would choose to end his career instead of struggling through another season or two. Almost no one else in the media whom I read or heard agreed with Kietzman. Read on.
“I respect that he did it at this time of year.”
Jeff Montgomery, former Royals’ reliever, 810 AM
Jeff Montgomery, former Royals’ reliever, 810 AM
“I’m not gonna knock Meche for this. I’m gonna give him credit for not just wanting the money. Kudos to him. He doesn’t think he can be an effective player so he’s moving on.”
Nick Wright, 610 AM
Nick Wright, 610 AM
“I don’t think he walked away cheap. I don’t think you’re owed $12.4 million and you’re three weeks away from spring training and you walk away with (only) a million.”
Kevin Kietzman, 810 AM
GH: This is where KK screwed up. He did no research or reporting on this topic. He simply went KK on it – which can be defined as passionately making a point that uses copious amounts of bitterness and untruths. It makes for good radio but it’s damn hard on your credibility. He was quickly corrected by members of his staff. Read on.
Kevin Kietzman, 810 AM
GH: This is where KK screwed up. He did no research or reporting on this topic. He simply went KK on it – which can be defined as passionately making a point that uses copious amounts of bitterness and untruths. It makes for good radio but it’s damn hard on your credibility. He was quickly corrected by members of his staff. Read on.
“Gil Meche says he is getting no money from the Royals in 2011. Says he wouldn’t have earned the $12 million (by coming back and being ineffective).”
Todd Leabo, Twitter
GH: Danny Clinkscale also tried to temper KK’s venom toward Meche but was not successful.
Todd Leabo, Twitter
GH: Danny Clinkscale also tried to temper KK’s venom toward Meche but was not successful.
“If he’s walking away for nothing, there is honor among thieves.”
Kevin Kietzman, 810 AM
GH: So once KK was found to be wrong, instead of apologizing or retracting his statements or simply owning up to his misstatements, he choice to group both Meche and the Royals together as thieves. This was not Kevin’s best day on radio.
Kevin Kietzman, 810 AM
GH: So once KK was found to be wrong, instead of apologizing or retracting his statements or simply owning up to his misstatements, he choice to group both Meche and the Royals together as thieves. This was not Kevin’s best day on radio.
“Gil Meche is walking away from $12 million. I’m blown away. It’s very noble. … Almost everybody out here if you would tell them to try to do something they used to be good at and just try, we’ll give you $12 million, I gotta believe 99.9% would do it.”
Soren Petro, 810 AM
GH: Here is where I differ from many who are stunned by Meche leaving $12.4 million on the table. We cannot understand what that means because all of us have a realistic concept as to what it takes to earn $12.4 million. Meche does not. Successful, well-paid professional athletes have no idea the effort, savings, jobs, sacrifices and planning it takes an employed American to squirrel away even $1 million into a 401K after 40 years of work. Meche is 32 years old. He has earned $51 million during his MLB career. Maybe now you can understand why there is no way we can understand.
Soren Petro, 810 AM
GH: Here is where I differ from many who are stunned by Meche leaving $12.4 million on the table. We cannot understand what that means because all of us have a realistic concept as to what it takes to earn $12.4 million. Meche does not. Successful, well-paid professional athletes have no idea the effort, savings, jobs, sacrifices and planning it takes an employed American to squirrel away even $1 million into a 401K after 40 years of work. Meche is 32 years old. He has earned $51 million during his MLB career. Maybe now you can understand why there is no way we can understand.
“As a pitcher, you go through an enormous amount of pressure and almost embarrassment trying to perform (to your former standards). I look at myself and I can tell you, it doesn’t matter how much money you’re leaving on the table.”
Jeff Montgomery, discussing how frustrated he was when he came to the realization that his body would no longer allow him to get MLB hitters out, 810 AM
GH: Monty gets it. He’s not even all that surprised. He’s been there. None of us have and never will. Damn it.
Jeff Montgomery, discussing how frustrated he was when he came to the realization that his body would no longer allow him to get MLB hitters out, 810 AM
GH: Monty gets it. He’s not even all that surprised. He’s been there. None of us have and never will. Damn it.
“My retirement came as the result of a hip injury. I was 37 at the time and I was totally breaking down. … My wife told me, ‘You don’t have to live through this any longer.’ ”
Jeff Montgomery, 810 AM
GH: None of our wives can relate either. Can you imagine your bride telling you it’s okay to retire at 37 and walk from guaranteed millions? Damn it twice.
Jeff Montgomery, 810 AM
GH: None of our wives can relate either. Can you imagine your bride telling you it’s okay to retire at 37 and walk from guaranteed millions? Damn it twice.
“In my opinion, (the 2011 Royals) feature one of if not the worst starting rotation in the history of Major League Baseball.”
Steven St. John, 810 AM
GH: I heard Bob Fescoe Wednesday interview Toby Cook, the Royals media guy, as they discussed this weekend’s Royalsfest at the Overland Park Convention Center. Cook mentioned how the Cardinals charge for player autographs at their fanfest. “You might have to pay $100 for Pujols’ autograph,” warned Cook. He proudly pointed out that all Royals’ players’ autographs would be free. What he didn’t mention is that there won’t be any facsimiles to Pujols wearing Royals blue.
Steven St. John, 810 AM
GH: I heard Bob Fescoe Wednesday interview Toby Cook, the Royals media guy, as they discussed this weekend’s Royalsfest at the Overland Park Convention Center. Cook mentioned how the Cardinals charge for player autographs at their fanfest. “You might have to pay $100 for Pujols’ autograph,” warned Cook. He proudly pointed out that all Royals’ players’ autographs would be free. What he didn’t mention is that there won’t be any facsimiles to Pujols wearing Royals blue.
“There is a 99.99% chance that most (Kansas City area) school districts will be closed tomorrow.”
Gary Lezak, KSHB TV41 meteorologist, during Wednesday’s morning drive where he predicted a 6- to 9-inch snowfall, 810 AM
GH: My kids have spent most of January watching YouTube videos on my 56-inch HD flat screen. But every day they miss now gets made up in May or taken from their remaining holidays. Nice to know that some schools have a built-in slacker consequences strategy.
Gary Lezak, KSHB TV41 meteorologist, during Wednesday’s morning drive where he predicted a 6- to 9-inch snowfall, 810 AM
GH: My kids have spent most of January watching YouTube videos on my 56-inch HD flat screen. But every day they miss now gets made up in May or taken from their remaining holidays. Nice to know that some schools have a built-in slacker consequences strategy.
“If I hadn’t dropped Meteorology after one day, yes one day, in college (textbook too complicated), I’d be a powerful meteorologist right now.”
Gary Bedore, KUSports writer, Twitter
GH: Ahhh the thought of dropped classes brings me back to my days on campus. Toughest class I ever took was Organic Chem. Struggled like a mofo in that one and I wasn’t Sherron Collins sitting in the back of the “Ain’t No Seats” classroom. I pulled B’s in HS Latin but I was working those translations inside out and turned in every extra-credit assignment to keep that grade from dipping. Post your toughest class below and make it entertaining.
Gary Bedore, KUSports writer, Twitter
GH: Ahhh the thought of dropped classes brings me back to my days on campus. Toughest class I ever took was Organic Chem. Struggled like a mofo in that one and I wasn’t Sherron Collins sitting in the back of the “Ain’t No Seats” classroom. I pulled B’s in HS Latin but I was working those translations inside out and turned in every extra-credit assignment to keep that grade from dipping. Post your toughest class below and make it entertaining.
GregHall24@yahoo.com and Twitter / greghall24
well…
It is noble of Gil Meche, until you realize that tickets won’t be any cheaper and this is basically $12 million that goes back to David Glass.
One would only hope they spend like gangbusters in the draft this summer.
classes
The easiest class I ever took was also the hardest. In my senior year at KU I took a class in human sexuality. The material was interesting, the professor gave lively lectures and the tests weren’t too difficult. Those things were why it was easy.
The class was also pretty rough, though, because a large part of the curriculum was watching films of people having sex. This wasn’t porn. It was just watching average people getting it on. Average people aren’t very appealing, which is part of the reason I’ve never wanted to make my own sex tape.
In that class I watched gay dudes, straight couples, lesbians, pregnant women, handicapped people and senior citizens having sex.
It was a great class. It was so popular that only seniors could take it because they enrolled first and there were never any spots available after the seniors were done. Still, I recall one heavyset lady, about sixty-five years old, and even now, nearly twenty-five years later, the memory of that film makes me want to flop around in a puddle of bleach.
Nice topic starter Greg….
Much like Linda Richman on ‘Coffee Talk’, when she gets veklempt, you’ve given us a topic worthy of discussion. Here’s mine, lumped into two different categories:
One of my early-college hard classes was statistics. I was never a math whiz, having been mainly average the further advanced you go into trig and calculus, but statistics was just so labor-intensive. I remember busting my ass off just to eek out a B-…and the instructor wasn’t a guy who’d let you off the hook easily.
Later, I had a semester at KU where I took Western Civ II and an English Lit course, taught by two of the most horriffic instructors I’d ever come across. The WC II chick seemed to have glazed over eyes every day, speak in monotone, recite entire passages on the book based on memory alone, and could never relate the material to her students. The English Lit prof (his last name was Springer) was a little more animated, but extrapolated meaning from even the smallest phrases from Emerson and Thoreau that he completely fucking lost me. Those books I never understood….to the point where it was impossible to even digest the words. I wondered if I needed to experiment getting high to understand it.
Needless to say, I was too stubborn to drop the courses, and ended up paying dearly for not doing so. Academically, the worst semester ever. Dean Wormer even put me on probation.
But the silver lining is that I retook WC II – had an awesome instructor who was relatable to the class (I believe his name was Kevin) – and scored a B , erasing the previous grade. But the damage had already been done with my experiences.
To this day, I still have the occasional bad dream where I learn that I didn’t get my degree…it’s a little less frequent now, but a couple of years after I graduated, I’d have that dream and wake up in a cold sweat.
As for Gil Meche, it takes a stand-up guy to confess that he can’t regain his form, and walks away from a guaranteed payout like that. But since the Royals are partly to blame for his arm troubles (extraordinarily high pitch counts, not shutting him down at the first sign of arm trouble, allowing him to postpone needed surgeries….thanks, Trey and Swartz), the organization owes him at least a little something.
Marketing Research
Literally had to stand out front of Wal Mart for weeks getting surveys filled out by the dregs of society to then compile the results into a 200 page monstrosity of a report, all on a 1st generation Pentium machine. And my professor was a dick.
Keitzman is nothing more than Howard Stern, minus being remotely cool. He’s not a reporter, he’s not a sports expert, he’s entertainment, that’s it. Unfortunately, he doesn’t realize this.
I was a finance major in college and I took, what was supposed to be, a pud class my senior year called….”Space, The envvironment, and You’. Took the midterm and nailed like a 32%, which ended up being a D on the curve so you know what every other student in that class was thinking coming in. Anyway, had to actually work a bit to get out of there with a C. Also took a Securities Analysis Finance class that had my head spinning with heavy Excel (c’mon, when I was in college, rarely did anyone have their own PC) usage and I busted ass to get out of that one with a D . A nice dent to an otherwise solid core GPA.
I also have the dream every now and then about coming up on the last week of school and realizing I haven’t attended but a handful of on of my classes and waking up in a cold sweat telling myself, it’s ok, you’ve got your undergrad and MBA already.
It was embarrassing radio
It was uncomfortable to listen to him accusing a person of being a fraud and a cheat, and those were his exact words, all the while getting it so obviously backwards. Danny tried to stand up to him a little but got overwhelmed.
Took an art class my freshman year …
and I’m no artist. We had to draw other classmates and my drawings looked like the work of a first grader. The instructor would look over my shoulder and just say, “Hmmmmm, interesting.” It was supposed to be an easy A and I got a C.
It takes self-confidence and integrity to admit you were wrong and KK possesses neither of those qualities. I listened to the entire program yesterday as I was on a long drive. KK was at his very worst. I think he was so desperate to keep from having to discuss KSU’s loss to Mizzou he tried to blow the Meche thing out of proportion and it blew up in his face.
Clify, cliffy, cliffy
You really think Kietzman would stoop to using an innocent like Gil Meche to distract from K-State’s abysmal showing against Mizzou? Why, it’s almost as if you think Kietzman is petty, disingenuous and borderline dishonest.
Meche & Koufax threw hard & stand tall
My reaction to KK’s comments was that he’s essentially calling Meche a liar, on a couple of counts: 1. That Meche is walking away from $12 million without seeking a settlement and 2.) That Meche needed corrective surgery on the shoulder in mid-2009 — which Meche claims was an “inflammation” due to coming back too quickly from his back injury — rather than early 2010, when he apparently had a rotator cuff problem which surgery was unlikely to fix. Meche isn’t a big talker, but he’s never been shown to be anything but honest during his days in Kansas City, so I give him the nod in credibility to Kevin “Mizzou to the Big 10!” Kietzman. I think what’s got KK bugged is that WHB, and particarly his program, didn’t get an exclusive.
Greg, you and I are old enough to recall a parallel case to Meche’s, when Sandy Koufax retired in 1966. It was a shock at the time, but Koufax — although he liked a buck (and held out, with Drysdale, in 1965 trying to get a better contract) — was about more than money. Hard to fathom in this day and age, but there are still some of us around with an understanding of words like “ethics” and “values” as something more than political catchphrases.
MoCrash
Royals
About a month ago a young man came into my office unsolicited in Knob Noster, MO. He worked for the Royals and was literally going door-to-door trying to sell Royals tickets. I actually felt sorry for him trying to peddle such a shitty product and working for such a miserable organization/boss. I did not buy because I have vowed not to set foot in Kaufman until Glass either sells or actually tries to win and that sure as hell is not going to happen this year. I have not been since a Royals/Expos double-header in 2004 in which the Royals put less effort in than a co-ed softball team that has been drinking all day gives. I’m sure nobody remembers this night but it was the Expos last year and fans were so pissed they were actually getting out of their seats, walking down to the railing and challenging Royals players to fights because their effort was so pathetic. Other people took off their Royals shirts on the spot, threw them on the ground and walked out of the stadium. Berroa missed a pop-up so bad that night so badly he was not given an error because the ball didn’t touch his glove. I could have done my taxes under this ball waiting for it to come down. Not a Royals player said a word or cared. I have a feeling I might never see a game there again.
he is going on about it today too
It is disgusting. Now he is blaming meche for sacrificing the 12 million instead of giving some of it to charity. This was a really stand up thing meche did — one that few people no matter how rich would have done — and this twerp is trying to poison it.
Re: afternoon sports talk. I can’t listen to it anymore. How is it possible that Kietzman and Wright are our two afternoon drive options? And how can someone not call Kietzman’s bitch ass out instead of offering a gentle correction? “NO, Kevin. You’re completely wrong. Not sorta wrong. Not a little mistaken. COMPLETELY WRONG.”
Re: worst class. Calc 2, hands down. The “regular” Calc 2 classes were taught by grad assistants, but the Honors class (yes, I was THAT guy) was taught by one of the tenured research professors.
He was a prick with a heavy Indian accent. I only mention that because I don’t think any American professor would ever have said, after a midterm:
“You sorry excuse for student should be embarrassed. If my own kids did this poorly on a test, I would beat them.”
Yeah. One guy literally said, “Fuck you” and walked out the door. About half the class ended up dropping.
You’re a mind reader, Gavin.
BTW, you take the prize in the college class contest so far. That is truly disgusting.
Tyrk–Jesus that was funny!! 🙂
Christmas early for David Glass. Wonder what he is gonna buy us?
College Algebra was a bitch for me, but the toughest class I ever had, was kinda like Doog’s.
Russian History, Prof Clardy, he of the 32 DB monotone and cunniform handwriting. I figured to breeze this baby, so it was a 7 AM class. I think there is a character in a Batman movie who enunciated with more personality than this guy. He was supposed to be a genius, brushed in Chinese for fun, it was brutal.
There was no technology to save anyone from this guy in 1975, so we all looked at the board, listened to him, and constantly whispered to each other, “What did he say? Can you read that? Did you hear that? What do you think that is?”
I got a C.
Russian history is not tough.
A fuckin C.
Sorry, meant to tell Turk his comment had me lol.
.
MY favorite classes at MU
Twighlight of the sioux indian: Was at the top of jessee hall. The teacher had died and the class was
all on video tape. My final paper : THE EFFECT OF THE WILD WEST CIRCUS SHOWS ON THE
SIOUX INDIANS….GOT AN A!
gERMAN cIVILIZATION: Taught by an ex nazi infantryman. Had to read 3 books with type so small you
needed a magnifying glass. Barely got a C
Art Appreciation: our fraternity took this class all at once. Got the final answers to the black football
players the night before the final and everyone got an A…
I baely made it thru mu. worked the door at Harpos….fell in love with a girl from stephens who’s dad
was worth 200 milllion dollars….dated her 3 years…..boy did i fuck up that one!
Reembmer…kk is an entertainer…not a sports enthusiast….so take what he says with a grain of
salt because he’s only trying to get ratings.
SHIT…JUST THINKING ABOUT ROYALS BASEBALL MAKES ME SMILE. ID ON’T CARE IF THEY
FIELD A 3 AND 2 TEAM THIS YEAR…IT SURE BEATS BEING HOMEBOUND WITH 10 INCHES OF
SNOW ON THE GROUND.
That was my all-time favorite Harley post
Harley got an A on a final paper @ MU? No wonder the Big 10 balked.
Harley is lying
His favorite class was also his toughest and most rewarding when he finally passed it. It was the third grade.
Newbaum turk is killing me
I have tears in my eyes I am laughing so hard at Turk’s post. That was a KC Con Hall of Fame post.
Pisspoor local broadcast media
Greg Hall provides me with a wonderful service of enduring these local sports broadcast entertainers, picking out what I’m sure are the most mildly inaccurate and insane things they say and presenting them for me to read. That means I don’t have to listen to these insufferable assholes.
I used to and found the quality of electronic media sports hacks in this town just so strikingly appalling and shameful. There’s absolutely no regard to factual information. It’s like these completely unintelligent hacks read the Star while sitting on the shitter in the morning, take the first wildly impulsive thought that comes to mind, keep it around in their head all day until some boss of theirs, who’s as incapable of evaluating talent as these broadcasters are of forming a coherent thought, pays for them to say all this stupid shit into a microphone. It’s totally unbelievable that any of these guys actually get to feed themselves from the money they make from what they put on air. These guys should have to live on government rations of Cream of Wheat until they do a better job. Their actual paychecks ought to be held in an escrow account where the interest drawn on it would go to charity.
These guys should somehow be accountable for what they say. There should be an organization like the bar association exists for lawyers where people like Greg Hall sit there and listen all day, fact check what they say, and if they do a poor job like they always do, these guys and their station should be sanctioned in some way. The public owns the airwaves, and the public deserves better than the monopoly Kansas City sports broadcasters hold on shittiness. They blithely hang up or screen out callers who want to correct them, so there has to be a better way of holding them accountable.
Worst class: College calculus. Was never a math guy and didn’t need calculus for my major, but wanted to take it to prove something to myself. Busted my ass for a B-, but what was horrible was this teacher we had who was from India. No problem with India or the people from it. Best cuisine in the world. But this guy would so badly mispronounce words I was often left wondering if the terms he threw out were some concept I should have known in high school algebra that I had somehow forgotten. For example, he kept saying “ress-eh-PROKK-uhl” during class in this thick accent. I was like, what the fuck is that. Kept scouring the textbook to see if anything resembling this word appeared in the glossary. Eventually, I figured out he was trying to say “reciprocal.” Brutal.
KK seems to have a psychologial problem
Barry Sanders retired just a few yards short of the NFL career rushing record for no apparent reason and was forced to pay back about the same amount of money. of course, he got his money in advance, but the end result was the same.
I don’t understand why KK believes David Glass should give the money back to the fans or a charity. Certainly, over the years Glass has paid out much more money than this to players who never played an inning to earn it. This time things went in his favor.
KK and the rest of the WHB staff (who probably feel obligated to support the boss) act like this money is theirs to divy up. Ever since WHB lost a bunch of money on the Royals’ broadcast rights KK has been a bitter, angry man when it comes to the David Glass and the Royals. It’s too bad there is not a sports talk station in town and that will just cover the Royals without all the hatred and acrimony. It’s no fun for the listeners, who just want to talk about Royals baseball. Both stations make baseball fans feel like second class citiziens. For those of us who have been around awhile, it’s not unusual for a baseball fans to love and root for a team that is a prennial loser. The Red Sox went more t han 100 years before winning the World Series. Sports talkers in KC are the ultimate bandwagon fans. If a team is losing, they pile on, instead of just enjoying the game. The discussion topics are virtually unlimited, but all WHB wants to do is hate on David Glass. It’s getting old.
Pujos
A Pujos scibble would have set you back $175. It all goes to charity, but still…
GREG 1 HARLEY 1
I LAUGHTED AT YOUR COMMENT ABOUT MY “a”…the rest of your writings
get an F! LOL