Yearly Archives: 2011
OTC: Whitlock Calls Haley A Fraud & Exposes Himself
“(Todd) Haley — not his Kansas City Chiefs — is quite possibly the biggest fraud in football. I say that without malice or pleasure. Personally, I like Todd Haley. It’s true.”Jason Whitlock, FoxSports.com
GH: There are few things quite like the love Whitlock showers on his subjects. Who else can call an NFL head coach “quite possibly the biggest fraud in football” and yet state he personally likes the guy? You just know that personally, Haley appreciates the nod.
“Unfortunately, he’s a fatally flawed head football coach. He’s insecure, mean-spirited, emotional and irrational.”
Jason Whitlock, FoxSports.com
Hearne: Can Anyone Save Ward Parkway Center?
It’s not easy being the Ward Parkway Center…
Take it from the last however many owners that’ve tried.The allure of affluent Leawood housing to the west, the prestigious Ward Parkway corridor and nearby south Johnson County subburbs make it impossible to resist. So owner after owner has marched in with grand plans, plowed money and improvements into the mall attracting sexy tenants like Staples, only to see them wither and die or bail because of lackluster sales.
In the 1960s and ’70s and into the ’80s Ward Parkway was one of the city’s premier shopping centers.
That was then.
Glazer: The Rise & Fall of New Year’s Eve in Kansas City
Okay, so New Years Eve is not the big deal it used to be when you were in your teens and twenties.
Remember when all your friends would ask, "So where are you going for New Years?" Or maybe, "Who’s your New Years Eve date?" Not so much anymore.
Of course most people over 30 are married, divorced or both and the club scene is sorry at best.
Not so much going on out there, is there?
I opened both shows at Stanford and Sons Comedy Club at The Legends on New Year’s Eve. Nice crowds, but kinda subdued. There wasn’t a lot of energy for the big 2011.
In fact, around KC, there was almost none. I was headed to the Hyatt for the MIDNIGHT ball drop. My date Whitney, excited to a certain extent, admitted that most of her girlfriends were either not going out or headed to friends’ houses to party.
Not for fear of DUI checks because the cops know that nobody goes out on New Years Eve, so guess what? NO DUI CHECKS (because they can’t make any dough). Besides, it’s a big night for the police to scarf up that OFF DUTY money at private parties and hotels.
I don’t blame them.
Joe Miller: Thou Shalt Not Steal, Star Clings to Power at 18th & Grand
I was pleasantly surprised recently when I stopped by Midwest Voice’s, one of the Kansas CIty Star’s blogs, and read a post by Yael Abouhalkah about a story that ran in the Pitch…
Yael commended the story’s author, David Martin, which was wonderfully magnanimous. The fact that someone at the Star even mentioned David and the Pitch at all was a momentous occasion in itself.
I thought maybe the Star had finally changed its ways, that its reporters and editors had finally decided to stop pretending that they’re the only journalists in town and that they never get scooped.
But then I checked back at Midwest Voices the next day and found a Barb Shelly post commenting on an article by Matt Campbell about some med school students who got in trouble for playing with a placenta.
Joe Miller: Handicapping Upcoming KC Mayoral Slugfest
OK sports fans. We’ve got less than two months before the primary in the mayor’s race and things are about to get hot.
Here’s an angle you all might want to keep an eye on: The Mayor and City Council have to adopt a budget by late March. Between now and then there will be a lot of wrangling over it, both in public meetings and behind closed doors, and a few major events.
One aspect of the process that will make it interesting is that the budget will go through the Council’s Finance and Audit Committee, which is chaired by Deb Hermann, who is running for mayor against Mark Funkhouser, who also serves on the committee.
Tony: New Year’s Resolutions For This Town
Already this New Year I’ve broken all of my promises to myself so I guess it’s time to start making commitments for other people.
To wit, I’ve developed some New Year’s resolutions for all of this town so that we don’t keep repeating our failure.
Let’s take a look at my mandates for change and realize that the most accurate and biting criticism comes out of love:
Glazer: Chiefs Banged by Raiders, Go Out With Whimper
Yes it was sad and ugly..
This game had no good news. None. The Oakland Raiders walked all over our beloved Kansas City Chiefs Sunday. The loss, maybe the year’s worst, puts KC in the No. 4 spot instead of the 3 spot for the playoffs. That means we get the Baltimore Ravens instead of the New York Jets. And yes, the Ravens at 12-4 are a better team than the Jets.
They’re already a 3 point favorite against KC.
Why was this the Chiefs worst loss of the year? In the Denver game back in November,even though the Broncos ended the game fast – and we couldn’t stop anything they did – at least Matt Cassel got to work out with D-Bowe and get some touchdowns. Meaningless points, true. However letting THE FRANCHISE wing the ball so often seemed to give him confidence in the games he played after that one.
New Jack City: K.C. Critics Deliver 2010’s Best On Film!
It’s the social event of the movie season! (could be to some….)
Kansas City’s Film Critics’ Circle’s annual Best on Film awards ceremony!
This group represents Kansas City and regional critics who review on a regular basis for area radio, TV, newspaper and online outlets. It’s one of the oldest such critic’s groups in the country.
We came.
We dined.
We socialized.
We discussed.
We campaigned – and then we voted.
Here are the winners for 2010 in the top 11 catagories selected by our 24 attending KCFCC critics:
OTC: Raiders Dominate Chiefs / Weis Bolts To Florida
“Kansas City got humbled at home by the Oakland Raiders.”Dan Patrick, after the Raiders ended KC’s 7-game unbeaten streak at Arrowhead with a 31-10 thumping, NBC
“If even though we not in the playoffs we pulled the chiefs pants down and spanked they ass today.”
Michael Bush, Raiders’ running back, Twitter
Michael Bush, Raiders’ running back, Twitter
“Would the real AFC West champ please stand up….O yea we did!!!”
Quentin Groves, Oakland Linebacker, Twitter
Quentin Groves, Oakland Linebacker, Twitter
“Shoutouts to the REAL die hard Chiefs fans who support us no matter what,not just when we win.Y’all know who u are and I luv y’all for that.”
Glenn Dorsey, Twitter
GH: I am sure you do, Glenn. But don’t bag on the fair-weather Chiefs fans. Those are typically the only ones who can afford those cushy suite seats.
Glenn Dorsey, Twitter
GH: I am sure you do, Glenn. But don’t bag on the fair-weather Chiefs fans. Those are typically the only ones who can afford those cushy suite seats.
Hearne: The Media’s Manufacturing of Secret Santa
Time to lay the Secret Santa cards on the table…
Like the myth of Robin Hood – the dude who allegedly shot arrows and stole from the rich to give to the poor but in all likelihood never even existed – the story of businessman Larry Stewart as Secret Santa, was a carefully crafted PR concoction. By Stewart and editors and writers – not journalists mind you – at the Kansas City Star and later Channel 9. It was a holiday heartstring tug the newspaper trotted out every year around Christmas on its front page
In short the Star milked Secret Santa for everything he was worth.
Even this year – three years after Stewart’s death – hard news reporter, Tony Rizzo, still got stuck doing the Secret Santa schlock honors.
"Their smiles cut through the sharp chill of a drab December morning," Rizzo panted breathlessly. "And their tears of joy washed away – if only for the moment – the dire circumstances of their lives."
All that over a stranger handing someone a $100 bill? Please.
The fact is Secret Santa was one of Kansas City’s worst kept secrets.
