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Glazer: Add Royals’ Alex Gordon Signing to Long List of Failed Efforts by Small Market KC
The Royals Alex Gordon just signed his name to a contract that almost guarantees his post season failure…
For more than a decade the team’s only real star was Mike Sweeney. Yeah, we had Johnny Damon and Carlos Beltran, but they didn’t stick around long.
Sweeney was an excellent hitter – in fact he has the second best season batting average at .340 since Brett’s .390. Mike banged that out in 2002 near the end of his Royals’ career.
Mike has many other Royals records, but the one he doesn’t have is a post season anything.
Not even one game as a Royal.
Even in Kansas City, Sweeney is pretty much forgotten. Why? Nothing he did ended up mattering in the long run.
Jolly: The Easter Bunny Left Me a Really Bad Egg at Seventy Seven South
My Easter Sunday brunch nightmare started on Good Friday around 9 pm…
I’d planned earlier to join about 15 friends at the new Swagger in Martin City. I knew a couple of the people that were opening this new hot spot, but then they told me they might not have a brunch available on Easter. Dang.
So I told my friends we needed a new Easter plan.
Unfortunately, by that time it was way too late to make a reservation at Nick and Jake’s, the Bristol, or anywhere halfway impressive. But hey, I wanted to try a new brunch anyway.
So I made a reservation for four at Seventy Seven South for 11:00 am.
This is where.on the the day Christ rose from the grave, my day took a turn for the worst.
Hearne: Make Way for the New Oktoberfest – Live from Westport – Happy 420 Day!
Nobody apologizes for St. Patrick’s, Thanksgiving or Earth Day...
However, that’s hardly the case with 420 Day, at least around these parts.
Take Westport sparkplug Bill Nigro, the organizer of Westport’s First Annual 420 Day Celebration.
"Everyone around here is kind of bashful about the whole 420 thing," Nigro confesses. "They don’t want us to be making too big a deal out of it – this is the Bible Belt, buddy."
It’s also the year 2012 Anno Domini.
And since 420 Day (April 20th) is the longstanding day of celebration for all things pot, Kansas City’s party central has elected to launch a festival recognizing the holiday.
Hearne: Former Radio Bad Boy Randy Miller Alive & Kicking as a Marketing Maven
Did somebody slip something in my coffee?
Maybe it’s Radio Week. In any case, here’s an update on legendary Kansas City broadcasting badboy Randy Miller.
The DJ who made a name for himself by getting fired – and dramatically so – from every on-air job he ever had, inlcuding by at least four stations in Kansas City, including Q104, ZZ99 and The Planet & Hot Talk 1510 to name a few.
It’s been like nine years since Miller parted company with the latter, so what’s he been up to since?
For starters, he’s the brains behind local marketing firm Brainstorm Media, or BS Media, as he likes to call it.
Hearne: Former KMBZ Talk Show Host Tom Becka Weighs in from Fargo. You Betcha!
It could have been worse, like Siberia maybe…
But if many, you’ve been pining away for some halfway decent local talk radio and happen to be in either Omaha or North Dakota, be sure and pay your respects to former KC radio personality Tom Becka.
"I’m up here in Fargo now," Becka says. "I’m the program director of an AM/FM talk station, 101.9 Talk FM."
Becka in management? Wearing a suit to work? No way!
"I’m also doing the morning show here," he says. "And a week from Monday I’ll be doing afternoon drive in Omaha again on KKAR 1290 AM. So instead of playing golf, I’ll be doing talk radio."
The two towns are a five and a half hour drive apart but, "My home base is going to be Fargo right now," Becka says. "And Fargo is just booming. It has the lowest unemployment rate of any city in the country."
New Jack City: The Day I Kidnapped Dick Clark
The year was 1968…
The occasion was the release of one of several movies Dick Clark co-starred in and produced through his Dick Clark Productions.
I was the Marketing Director of Commonwealth Theatres, Inc. and Dick flew into Kansas City to promote his hillbilly moonshine exploitation film, "KILLERS THREE" which he co-starred with Robert Walker, Jr. and Merle Haggard. The movie was released by American-International Pictures.
My job was to take Clark around town to appear on several radio stations and plug the film. Naturally Top 40 stations were the target audience, which meant WHB (710 AM) and KUDL (AM) at that time.
Matter of fact it was home of a young, somewhat skinny DJ named Jeff Christie who we later got to know as Rush Limbaugh.
Donnelly: “They are the best team in MLS,” Vancouver Coach says After Scrappy Loss to KC
The debate about Sporting Kansas City‘s streak of not allowing a shot on goal was firmly put to bed Wednesday in Vancouver as the Whitecaps peppered Jimmy Nielsen and the KC defense…
“The big difference for us tonight was the play of Jimmy,” KC coach Peter Vermes said after the game. “His saves at the end were tremendous and I think at the end of the day that’s what saved us…”
The home side tallied 17 shots with 7 of them on target, while KC managed only 2 on target for the night.
Hearne: Phoning it in – The ‘Voice of Merrill’ – Live from San Diego
Talk about throwing one’s voice…
Listeners to "NewsRadio" KMBZ are a little confused re the whereabouts of midday talk show host Chris Merrill.
"I think he’s still on the air in Kansas City, but he was supposed to go to San Diego," says one. "Is he out there phoning it in?"
In a word, yes.
However many – if not most – KMBZ listeners don’t have a clue.
That’s because Merrill does such a good job of researching local and area topics online and constantly bantering with his board op / producer as if they’re about to go out for lunch beers after the show.
Glazer: Dick Clark’s Gone but Kansas City Still Has Johnny Dare, Rock Fest & Me
Dick Clark died yesterday…
He was 82. The ageless one is gone. Forever a teenager on American Bandstand, our DJ Hero Dick Clark has left the studio forever.
Kansas City has its own forever-young idol – his name is Johnny Dare. Dare has no equal in local radio. Nobody has held his popularity in the KC radio biz. Sure there were some great names who were popular here. Names like Mike Murphy and Randy Miller. Even Max Floyd and Tanna Guthrie had their time.
Yet nobody has captured this city like our man Johnny Dare. He is forever young.
Leftridge: Completely Effed-Out Chiefs’ Season Prediction Piece
Maybe it’s just my perception, but it seems like every year, NFL schedules are released earlier and earlier, and each year, that turns out to be more and more of a blessing for Kansas City sports fans.
Oh sure, Sporting KC looks totally legit, and they’re sure to provide countless hours of entertainment for thousands of fans over the summer, but the Royals are predictably turning into an abortion and that WNBA team I’ve been pining for is no closer to fruition than they were two years ago when I had that really weird sex dream about Lisa Leslie (let’s make it happen, baby… have your people [agents?] call my people [Hearne?]).
In St. Louis (or Detroit, or Texas, or Cincinnati, or Washington—or any other city where the baseball team could feasibly be better than the football team), they don’t CARE about the release of the NFL schedules. In BBQ country, however, it’s big news.
And like any self-respecting windbag with a Wang 2200 and a license to spout pointless drivel, I’ve made some predictions about the fate of the 2012 Kansas City Chiefs. Gather round and have a gander, won’t you?
The season kicks off at home on September 9th against the Atlanta Falcons.
Sounds Good: Win Evanescence Tickets @ Midland, JJ Grey & Mofro @ Knuckleheads, Fourth of July & Ghosty @ Replay & Jimmy Buffett @ Sprint
Don’t say I never gave you anything…
Evanescence took a break after their somewhat surprise Grammy winning debut album Fallen and subsequent sophomore slump The Open Door. But they put out a self titled album in late 2011 that was more warmly received, and they’re coming to the Midland next week on April 24th in support.
And…
KCC just so happens to have a couple tickets to pass along to a deserving KC Con.
All we ask is that at the show you don’t do anything Hearne wouldn’t do, and definitely don’t do anything Glazer would do. We have an image to protect.
So tell me in the comments section why you deserve the tickets and I’ll pick someone. I’ll email the winner with the lurid details… and requirements. Or buy your own here.
Hearne: Befuddling Departure of Mike Shanin from ‘KMBZ Empire’ Explained
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Let’s straighten out all of this confusion where Mike Shanin and Entercom are concerned, shall we?
First of all, forget pretty much most of what you may have read or heard about what was blogged locally about the aging radio veteran’s untimely departure from News Radio KMBZ earlier this year and more recently KMBZ’s new, weak sister business station at 1660 AM.
When Shanin refused to go on the air on 1660 on March 5th, hours before the station’s launch, the question was why?
And if you recall, one reason offered here was that according to sources he was upset that Entercom had not hired a producer to do the leg work and much of the heavy lifting in terms of booking guests and doing research for Shanin’s weekday business show on 1660.
A former Entercom manager who had hired Shanin to read business reports on KMBZ and 61 Country several years back noted that Shanin was not a business reporter per ser with a business background, describing him rather as a "rip and read " guy when it came to business news.
So quite obviously Shanin – who’d been demoted from his comfortable perch doing afternoons on KMBZ talking about news – would have been hard pressed to deal in complex business news and issues and foster intelligent discussions with local business leaders.
Hearne: Jardine’s Founder Fires Off Angry Email, Owner Raja Responds
There’s more than one meaning for the word jazz…
Don’t bother looking it up, I’ve got it right here; "insincere, exaggerated, or pretentious talk."
And where the neverending saga of fallen Plaza area jazz club Jardine’s is concerned there’s been plenty of that.
Let’s think briefly about the lies, tabloid TV, confusion and subterfuge that’s gone down at Jardine’s since last November when the you-know-what hit the fan. The interested parties that have come and seemingly gone. The catty behind-the-scenes dealings that went awry. Larger than life personalities reduced to cartoon-like, lowest common denominators. And lastly, of the endlessness of it all.
We good? Now here’s the latest.
A week or so ago Jardine’s founder and former owner Greg Halstead fired off an angry email to the leasing agent for Jardine’s space:
Jack Goes Confidential: Cinematic Soapster Puts Forth Efron As ‘THE LUCKY ONE’
Mention Nicholas Sparks‘ name and visions of popular romantic dramas come to mind…
Like MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE, DEAR JOHN, NIGHTS IN RODANTHE and, of course, THE NOTEBOOK.
Contrary to popular belief THE VOW wasn’t one of them.
So when I mentioned to friends that I would be going to a preview of Sparks’ latest best seller to screen adaptation THE LUCKY ONE earlier this week, they were giving me that "I feel your pain" look—as in I’m glad it’s you instead of me.
But these judges were guys. And THE LUCKY ONE is totally, 100% pure chick flick.
Starbeams: The Heartbreak of Royals Baseball x Three & Boston Marathon
The Royals are finally becoming the team we’ve been hoping for. The team that breaks our hearts in April instead of teasing us through May.
*******
Tornado watches were issued 48 hours before radar detected powerful rotation all over our region. Now if the Royals could just get Dave Eiland to spot a powerful rotation…
Whinery: Why Sporting Kansas City is the Best Team in Town
Had the privilege of attending Saturday’s Sporting KC game with one of the owners, Patrick Curran, and got some insight into why they are undefeated and the BEST professional team in Kansas City.
“Sporting starts and ends with the fans” Curran says.
And after touring the facility, I agree.
More money was spent per seat at Livestrong Sporting Park than Dallas’ Cowboys Stadium and it shows. This fan-centered philosophy of the ownership is what sets Livestrong apart from say, Arrowhead.
Glazer: It’s Wait til Next Year Time Again, Royals Fans
Nearly everyone was on this year’s Royals bandwagon, right? Even me…
And I’m the guy who for several years has called our two pro teams "no shows." Yep, this was to be THE YEAR THE ROYALS STEPPED UP. Yes sir, a year to remember.
The team had an O.K. start on the road with three wins and three losses. Starting pitching was very good with an ERA of just over 2.00. Hitting was decent, not great. Hell, Eric Hosmer had two homers. Nice start.
Then the Royals came home.
Friday home opener. Luke Hochaver, the Royals Ace gets the start. Sold out stadium. And before the Royals even get to the plate it’s 7-0 Cleveland Indians. Yep, seven runs in half an inning. The fans were stunned.
This is the home opener? This is our year? O.K. we had a bad game. We’ll come back.
Hearne: Old Age Reaches New Highs, Lows with 91 Year-Old Walt Bodine & 104 Year-Old Judge
A pair of stories making the rounds today has to make you wonder about the sanctity of youth…
That august Kansas City radio talk show host Walt Bodine of public radio station KCUR FM is retiring is one thing. Bodine’s 91 and the awful truth is management’s been counting the days, waiting for him to bail for probably 20 years. And as significant as Bodine’s contributions have been, his retirement is long overdue.
And that’s just the tip of today’s Really Old Dudes iceberg.
The story that gets me – really gets me – is about the slimy guy who helped his wife scam KU for all those basketball tickets ($2 million worth that they know of) appealing his 46-month sentence from a year ago.
That’s right, former KU athletic department consultant Thomas Blubaugh wants his sentence reduced to 33 months. He’s in the slammer in Oklahoma and thinks the sentencing judge relied too heavily on heresay.
Now the kicker…
Blubaugh’s sentencing judge was a 104 year-old Kansas man by the name of Wesley E. Brown.
Hearne: Four Months After the Fact, Anthony Bourdain (Finally) Does KC Tonight
They seek him here, they seek him there, those foodies seek him everywhere…Is he a chef or merely a drunk, that demmed abusive Bourdain punk.
The "unrepentant" drinker, smoker and cusser of bad words Anthony Bourdain hit KC last December, mixing business with hedonism – playing the Midland downtown (courtesy of former KU concert king turned theater bigshot Steve Traxler) – and working up a future show about what Kansas City that airs tonight at 8 p.m. on the Travel Channel.
Look for it to be part not-so-fine dining expereinces and part and drunken expedition. With The Black Keys tagging along for the ride. And as KCC reported last year he hit BB’s Lawnside BBQ and Stroud’s, to name two. He also reportedly polished off a a raucous post-Midland wilding at the Cigar Box downtown.
Donnelly: Sporting Passes Big Test, Stays Perfect With 1-0 Win Over Real Salt Lake
It’s official.
Sporting Kansas City is killing it. No, we don’t need to get into the whole "Sporting is the best pro team rght now in Kansas City" thing, because that undermines the legitmacy of MLS soccer.
Let’s just call it like it is. SKC are 6-0, have sold out 3 of 4 home games, and have allowed one goal this whole season- and that was off a set piece as a result of a horrible call from the ref.
This past Saturday’s game at LIVESTRONG against Real Salt Lake was one that most considered a likely preview of the MLS Cup Final. Fittingly, the atmosphere was electric, as everyone’s now come to expect.
When it was all said and done, Sporting Kansas City remained perfect at 6-0, though they did finally allow a shot on goal for the first time in 335 minutes. Allegedly.
