Yearly Archives: 2011
Donnelly: Roger Daltrey at the Midland, October 14, 2011
Let’s cut to the chase here people…
Can Roger Daltrey, legendary front man for The Who, still get the job done? Or is his latest tour a glorified Vegas lounge act looking to cash in on aging boomers desperate to re-live their glory days?
Friday night’s show at the Midland answered both questions.
Yes, Daltrey can still hit (practically) all the notes, can still command the stage with his energy and presence, and can still twirl the hell out of a microphone. And no, the show didn’t feel like a re-tread, perhaps due in part to the number of younger folks that ventured out to see the next best thing to The Who for the very first time.
As advertised, the first act of the show consisted of Daltrey’s band playing note for note the classic rock opera, Tommy. Included in the mix was Pete Townshend’s younger brother, Simon, who played well on guitar and even better on vocals for several songs.
Donnelly: Sporting KC Clinch Playoff Berth, Regain 1st in East With Win Over NY
The atmosphere at LIVESTRONG was electric…
Hours before the start of the mid-afternoon fixture against the visiting New York Red Bulls the weather was perfect, grills sizzled, and beer flowed. The anticipation for Sporting’s final regular season home game was palpable – from the parking lots to the locker rooms to the Cauldron – the stadium was filled with legions of singing fans.
Noit surprisingly, everyone seemed on edge prior to kick off for a game that might make or break KC’s season.
Win and they’re in. Lose and, well, Sporting could still make the playoffs, but they’d need some help.
Leftridge: An Arrowhead by any Other Name and This Weekend’s Winners and Losers
In light of Nick Wright’s report about Todd Haley’s impending termination, and Bob Gretz’s report about naming rights for Arrowhead Stadium, I think that there’s really only one indisputable truth: Pioli and Haley aren’t going to be taking in any corporate trust retreats together anytime soon. It’s been reported by many sources—the local sports talk radio media, the national media, even that barista at the Starbucks on Main with the chain that loops between her septum piercing and her lip-ring—that they’re on the outs.
There aren’t enough little Dutch boys in all of Holland to stop the holes forming in the Chiefs’ dike. Unless the organization finds their own “Little Hero of Haarlem,” all credibility and sanity held loosely behind that wall threatens to drown everyone in the village below.
On this morning’s Chiefs’ preview show on KCTV, Rich Baldinger got into the act, stating that he thinks that there’s only one way Haley keeps his job past this season: by winning a playoff game.
Glazer: Scribe Worries Chiefs May Play Themselves Out of Badly Needed Draft Pick
The Chiefs have had the worst good luck!
First they lose two of their best players to injury, then get smashed in the entire preseason and first three regular season games. They were ranked as the worst team in the NFL. Two games later, they beat a pair of 0-3 teams, now everyone thinks all is well.
"Boy, if we can beat Oakland and maybe upset San Diego on Monday Night, beat Miami and Denver – win one more – yeah we are 6-10.
Oh, JOY!
Unfortunately, with all the injuries in the league, the Chiefs have now become almost average compared to many teams. They’ve gone from an F team to maybe a D plus or C-. And suddenly fans are saying stuff like, ‘We need to see more from Jackie Battle, D-Bowe, and THE FRANCHISE, Matt Cassel.’ And with no really strong defenses in the league- save maybe Baltimore – the Chiefs could be O.K.
Today: The Rat Race That is Shopping at Trader Joe’s
What’s the matter with Trader Joe’s?
Obviously, not everything. It’s doubtful the company that owns and operates equally cult-like, cut rate grocer Aldi would expand into the Kansas City market if things weren’t going pretty well. Yet while much has been said about Trader Joe’s Two Buck Chuck wine ( still selling for $1.99 in Tucson but a buck more in KC) and its generous return policy, little has been written or reported about the actual Trader Joe’s shopping experience.
"It’s hell," says 30-something Topeka mom Kimberly Gerlach, recruited to check out KC’s twin TJ’s. "It’s just hard to shop there."
Put another way, the shopping experience at both Trader Joe’s here is a cluster fuck.
Gerlach’s bottom line after back-to-back visits:
"I’d go there again for wine and produce, but that’s about it. I hate it, I hate the shopping experience. And I hate that bell they’re constantly ringing at the checkouts up front because they add to the chaos."
The primary problem: the constant bustle and kinetic shopping pace that pervades both stores.
Glazer: Scribe Deals with Death and Moves On…
It’s hard to measure the value of simply being a good person in life…
Too often we give way too much weight in life for people who have a ton of money, fame or good fortune. This site is proof of that. I’ve made no secret of the fact that I’m person who wants to leave a mark in history. And that I also want to enjoy an exciting life.
However, I’ve never said this was the only way to go.
Two of the greatest men I know want none of that. They just want to be good husbands and fathers. And that’s not easy. My grandfather by marriage was the kind of man who truly would "give you the shirt off his back" if he cared about you. Ben Studna loved me and my brothers and gave us all he had to give. All that he could.
I was pleased but heartbroken to hold his hand and look into his eyes as the lights went out in his life.
Glazer: Scribe Braces for Week Six Picks & Midget Invasion of Westport
The football season’s more than a third over…
The top teams are now pretty apparent. No matter, upsets happen all the time. And the point spread makes the road ahead tougher and tougher. If you’ve followed the scribe’s advice, Christmas should be paid for by now. So you you can quit now, while you’re ahead or throw caution to the wind and boldly ride into Week Six.
College Picks:
Missouri is a pretty good team with pretty bad luck and a pretty bad record at 2-3. But MU’s at home with a decent Iowa State team. In the meantime, Oklahoma State has turned into a bully but is still being overlooked as a finalist for the top spot. Let’s insure our wins as best we can. Texas looks like its fading. Let’s tease these two plus 6 to win. Remember we must win them both to win.
Leftridge: Who Needs the Chiefs When You’ve Got a Game 6 if Necessary?
After improbably victories in two straight weeks, the Kansas City Chiefs’ bye-week could not have arrived at a more inopportune time. Instead of building off of an avalanche of momentum, players and coaches alike are left trying to fill the void that a Sunday conquest typically provides.
So, seeing as how idle hands are the devil’s playthings, how are young, rich, testosterone-laden men supposed to stay out of trouble?
I asked around (made stuff up), and was surprised by some of the answers I received.
Check it out.
Coach Todd Haley:
“I plan on doing some diving. You know, dumpster diving. Man, these Leawood cats throw away some pretty nice sh*t,” he said, wiping a dirt-caked hand across his sweaty brow. “Look!” he exclaimed, holding up a broken lava lamp, “this would be kickass in the basement.”
Glazer: Forget What You Read on Arrowhead Pride, Wright is Right & Pioli is Wrong
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So I’m driving home this afternoon, listening to my friend Nick Wright on 610 Sports….
And he’s explaining how a website called Arrowhead Pride interviewed Chiefs GM Scott Pioli about coach Todd Haley. The site had quoted Pioli as saying, "We never discussed firing Todd Haley after a loss to the Colts – never happened."
Pioli clearly was talking about Nick’s comments earlier this week when he’d said if the Chiefs had lost to the lowly Colts, Haley would have been gone. Inside information.
Well, the Chiefs won two games against horrible teams. Both games were close and the Chiefs trailed in each. It was a bit odd that they won them, but clearly you don’t fire Haley after he finally wins two in a row. Most players on the team like him and they’re playing their tails off for Todd to save his job and their’s. The team’s still a bottom feeder, but it’s playing with a purpose.
However, the truth is they have very little talent outside D-Bowe and Tamba Hali.
Do I believe Nick? YES!
Starbeams: Adios Skies, Peppercorn Duck & Hello Hasselhoff
In one of the biggest KC restaurant scene shake-ups ever, three longtime restaurants near Crown Center will close by year’s end. Benton’s Steakhouse, The Peppercorn Duck Club, and Skies will close when the Hyatt Regency Crown Center becomes a Sheraton. Skies will become a preferred customer lounge. It’s the city’s only revolving restaurant. Maybe it would have fared better if as the restaurant revolved, it went faster and faster and the floor dropped.
*******
A small plane with one person aboard made a belly landing Wednesday at Wheeler Downtown Airport. The pilot was unable to lower the landing gear, and rescue personnel were waiting and he walked away unharmed.
Even so, it was still more dramatic than the season finale of LOST.
Hearne: Massive Midget Convention to Descend on Westport This Weekend
Blame it on Darby O’Gill...
You know, from the movie Darby O’Gill and the Little People. Or was it Martin Luther King, Jr.? I forget but somewhere along the line, society decided that each and every splinter group should be granted however many exemptions from the English language – you know – as it is politely spoken.
In the name of political correctness.
In cases like the "N" word it was a capital idea. Less so in others. I mean, what’s wrong with referring to the characters in the new "Footloose" movie as crackers? They’re from Bomont, Georgia for goddsakes.
And so what if their great grandfathers ate hardtack during the Civil War? Let ’em burn a Confederate flag if they don’t like it.
Jack Goes Confidential: Get Ready to Cut ‘FOOTLOOSE,’ Y’all
Back in 1984 an unknown big city kid named Kevin Bacon moved to a small southern town where he confronted a dancing ban and a hellfire preacher…
It was in a pre-GLEE era that included dance flicks like FAME, DIRTY DANCING, FLASHDANCE and, of course, FOOTLOOSE.
Now 27 years later there’s a new FOOTLOOSE, and yes another dance restriction.
But this time not so much based on morals and religion but strictly in response to a deadly car crash that killed 4 high schoolers after a party.
Welcome to readin’, ridin’ and red-neckin’ in Bomont, Georgia!
Donnelly: Vermes’ Job Hangs In Balance As Sporting Battle For Their Playoff Lives
Sporting Kansas City has two regular season games remaining, the first at LIVESTRONG Saturday against the New York Red Bulls...
And yes, without a doubt it’s the biggest game of the season. Here’s why:
Depending on how the boys in blue fare, SKC could finish as No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference.
Or they could miss the playoffs altogether. Pressure, anyone?
Sounds Good: Buddy Guy@Knuckleheads, Roger Daltrey@Midland, Brett Dennen & Blind Pilot@Beaumont
After I sort of panned the Michael McDonald/ Boz Scaggs show last week, some commenters suggested I was perhaps an ageist.
But I like what I like. Which does include some old guy stuff like wide brimmed hats, bocce ball, and Buick LeSabres.
And as if that weren’t enough, look at this week’s lineup!
So stand down, good sirs, stand down…
Leftridge: Tales from the Tweet: Posnanski’s Pest, Bowe’s Beaus and Fielder’s Flagrant Fatness
Twitter was a bit dry over the past week and a half. Not dry like two British guys with monocles sitting in front of a fireplace with snifters full of brandy sharing bawdry limericks, but dry like two octogenarians making sweet, powdery love.
There were no fantastically inaccurate Nick Wright injury updates, Javier Arenas has been mum, and I’m guessing they cut off Jose Canseco’s internet service. I mean, come on, would you be surprised at all if you heard that he couldn’t pay his Comcast bill? I know I wouldn’t.
One thing that did manage to get a lot of Tweets was a renegade squirrel in St. Louis.
Brace yourself for the hilarity.
Glazer: Scribe Tires of Being an ATM, Ponders Fine Line Between Money, Friendship
It’s a sad but true, but "Neither a borrower nor a lender be…"
Like many of you good people – I know you’re out there – I’ve suffered from this lifestyle forever. Being the LENDER 99% of the time. I’ve been on the other end a couple times. Both have not been good, except with banks.
Hard to say why I’ve always been such a soft touch, as they say. Maybe I felt, ‘There but for the grace of God go I." Or, "Gee if I don’t help so and so out, one day nobody will help me when I’m in need."
Or maybe it’s a combination of both.
Hearne: Quinton’s Arrives in Waldo Bearing MU-KU Olive Branch
Think of it as the local equivalent of peace breaking out in the Middle East…
Quinton’s Bar & Deli, one of the most popular KU and MU college haunts has splashed down in the wilds of Waldo. That after 20 years of existance as a Lawrence legend specializing in – wait for it – "bread bowls and bomb ass waitresses."
The joint’s practically infamous for having a staff of 60 to 70 college grrrl hotties who party there when they’re off duty. Making it something of a dude magnet and actually difficult to get in at times..
But Quinton’s also been going strong for about 15 years in MU Tiger Country. Complete with a dance club and kickass rooftop patio.
Now its upscale game is afoot in Waldo in the former home of Hannibal’s Waldo Bar.
Today: Star Owner Goes from Golden Boy to ‘Baghdad Bob’ & Captain of Titanic
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Let’s take another look at Kansas City Star parent McClatchy head guy Gary Pruitt...
As my former colleagues at 18th and Grand hunker down and await another likely pre holiday bloodletting, yesterday’s column wondered aloud how Pruitt, having blundered so badly, has managed keep his job. He’s been doling out plank walks by the hundreds to journalists whose only crimes were working at a company he foolishly leveraged at the exact wrong time.
To be clear, layoffs would have come to the Star even if Knight-Ridder still owned the biz. But by Pruitt’s taking on such huge debt, the casualties have been far greater than they likely otherwise would have been. And piloting McClatchy’s stock from $63 to an all but worthless buck is no small feat.
Yet Pruitt still has his job. In what universe does that logic exist?
Glazer: Westport Claws Its Way Back from the Dead, Just in Time for Halloween
Even I was shoveling dirt on Westport just two years back…
However things have changed. Westport had its best summer in a decade, Bill Nigro tells me. And I believe him because I drive through it every week. I do radio there on Friday mornings and live just over the state line in Kansas, so I’m in and around Westport a lot.
How did Westport pull off the best summer in years in this economy?
Well, some of it’s hot new spots are doing great. The Union, which replaced Blayney’s is on fire. They play alternative rock nightly and are packed on weekends. And Aaron Confessori’s trendy Westport Cafe has also been busy. That and some oldies but goodies like McCoy’s, along with its new joint across the street, the Beer Kitchen, which is jammed weekend nights.
"Crime is way, way down," Nigro says. "And Kelly’s deck took off huge this summer and fall with the record warm temperatures. Kelly’s third generation granddaughter, barmaid and beauty queen, Colleen Kelly has taken charge. She’s brought the college kids back and does radio spots now for Kelly’s. She is the new star of Westport."
Starbeams: The Top 5 Demands of the Occupy KC Movement
Today is the 25th day of the Occupy Wall Street protests. And local members of the Occupy KC movement are still at Penn Valley Park.
THE TOP FIVE DEMANDS OF THE OCCUPY KC MOVEMENT:
#5. Allow all KC’s homeless stay at the Helzberg Mansion.
#4. The secret recipe for Oklahoma Joe’s BBQ sauce.
#3. When an ATM machine says "temporarily out of order" everyone in the metro gets $5.
#2. Proof that an alien baby isn’t growing inside KMBC 9 Meteorologist Erin Little.
And the No. 1 demand of Occupy KC is….
