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Today: The Strange Ascension of George Toma into Even an Stranger Hall of Fame
Before this column spirals out of control. allow me to say a few kind words about George Toma...
Without question the longtime Kansas City A’s, Chiefs and Royals groundskeeper was the gold standard among groundskeepers in Major League Baseball and the National Football League. The 80-something Toma started as groundskeeper for major league baseball in Kansas City in 1957, when the Athletics were playing at Municipal Stadium at 22nd Street and Brooklyn Avenue.
Toma’s also renown for his decades of duty tending to Super Bowl fields and sporting events worldwide.
So it comes as little surprise that in a sports short in today’s Star we learn he’s been inducted into the Major League Baseball Groundskeeper Hall of Fame.
Hold it right there…
Glazer: New Hollywood Casino at Kansas Speedway Could be a Grand Slam
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With the coming opening of Hollywood Casino at Kansas Speedway next to Legends, what are we to think?
Will this be the perfect storm? A Casino that actually brings people to shop and be entertained in the surrounding area? The ones that opened in the early 90’s in Missouri did the exact opposite.
The casinos that opened here in the middle of nowhere took a toll on our entertainment districts, Westport and the Plaza. You don’t hear much about that anymore, but it’s true.
Hearne: Crawfish ‘Shortage’ – Real or Imagined – Grips Local Cajun Eatery Jazz
Don’t look now, but there’s an imaginary crawdaddy drought going down…
For three long weeks a crawfish shortage has gripped KC’s top cajun restaurant chain, Jazz a Louisiana Kitchen. That according to a server Monday at the eatery’s 39th and State Line location. Which, of course, flew in the face of the restaurant’s Mudbug Mondays special, "2 Pounds of Crawfish and 2 Pints Select Draft Beer" for $14.99.
There were none to be had my server said.
What? No crawdaddies at an eatery who’s very logo is – you guessed it – cartoon crawdaddies!
"I actually don’t know why we haven’t been able to get them," Jazz staffer Jane said in a followup call Tuesday. "I assume because they’re not in season or something. I’ll have to ask my manager, but he’s not here. We haven’t been able to get them for a while, but I have no idea why. Sorry."
Sounds Good: Jason & the Scorchers@Knuckleheads, A Lull@Replay, ACB’s@Jackpot, The Civil Wars@Liberty Hall
Let’s knock the holiday crust off our pasty, shriveled and malnourished bodies…
Gone are the pseudo-memories from another disgusting New Year’s Eve. Do you really want to know what you said to that girl at the bar? Or what you said about your sister’s douche boyfriend?
No, you do not.
Were couches peed on? Maybe they were, maybe they weren’t. Does it even matter anymore?
Packed away are the "great gifts" you received. And by "packed away" I mean either Goodwill or straight down the gullet. And by "great gifts" I basically mean booze.
Let’s put all that nonsense behind us and get back to our normal kick-ass lives – the ones where we pay a few bucks to get lost for a few hours…
Star Search: Month-Old Rehash of Report Masquerades as News in Star
Better late than never, I suppose…
That’s one way to look at yesterday’s front-page, upper right-hand story in the Star by Mike Hendricks.
"Drug of Choice For Kids Is Pot," reads the headline. "Use of alcohol and tobacco drops, but high school seniors’ daily marijuana use hits a 30-year peak."
However the story – masquerading as breaking news – was little more than a ginned up rehash of a month-old report widely covered by other news media around the country early last month.
Glazer: Scribe Screwed by Insurance Company in Brother’s Death
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As many of you may know, my younger brother Jack was killed in an car accident in late October…
Jack’s car went off the highway at 9:10 PM on his way home from work. The toxicology report was negative; no drugs or alcohol was found in his system.
Jack had no life insurance, but he did have insurance for health and auto. I know many of you have never experienced this kind of situation, but we all are forced to face a family death at some point. Jack’s insurance companies did have "death benefits and medical payments" in their other policies. That’s something we all should consider, because Jack’s funeral was a bit higher than most because we had to buy a plot and so forth.
We contacted all the insurance companies – none of them called us about any monies due. And as we investigated, we found that three would pay a few thousand each if we sent them several items like a death certificate, a county court clearance saying we were his immediate family and some other items that take weeks to get.
All of which really did little more than delay the payment to the family.
Stargazing: Skies to Become No Spin Zone, More Phat for KC & Reefer Madness
The Sheraton people are going to stop the spinning restaurant on top of the former Hyatt Regency downtown. It will be used for private parties and special events. They say the days of the spinning restaurant have come to an end. From now on, if you want to spin while having dinner, you’ll have to try your luck at a trailer park in April.
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The Chiefs officially named Romeo Crennel head coach of the team. Crennel will be wearing many hats as he will run the team, assist in drafting players, bolster the offense and occasionally sub for BELLY BOY.
Hearne: Round & Round They Go, But When Jardine’s Will Sell Nobody Knows
It’s a story that just won’t die…
One of the comments section dudes spent the better part of a week needling me for writing so frequently about Jardine’s. He had a point. On the other hand, when Kansas City’s top jazz club goes down ugly (not to mention weird), who am I to ignore it?
Especially given that for better and for worse, I’m in the unique position of having access to most of the players in this jazz soap. Lucky me.
Besides, what’s not to like about the local alt weekly and Fox news getting taken for a ride on the bogus sale story?
New Jack City: KC Film Critics Lay Down Pre Oscar Picks, Descendents Best Picture
Sunday made for a festive evening just seven weeks ahead of February 26’s Oscar Night 2012.
The Kansas City’s Film Critics Circle voted for and unveiled its choices for best on film for 2011.
Women critics in the latest Paris fashions and tuxedo clad gents waved to excited crowds as they graced the red carpet leading to the festive Screenland Theatre in downtown KC, the site of this year’s main event.
And to think, once again I was part of it all.
Come to think of it, it was all just a dream.
Glazer: ‘Full House’ Star Dave Coulier back in Town This Week at Stanford’s
Dave Coulier is back at Stanford’s this week…
It occured to me that Dave has been coming to our clubs here for well over a decade now. His long running TV show, Full House, was not only one of the biggest hits ever, but launched huge successes for all involved. The stars were Bob Saget,John Stamos, Coulier, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen and Candace Cameron.
All of these actors went on to make millions after the show ended.
That might be a first and only in this biz. Usually it’s, "Hey, whatever happened to what’s-his-name from
Miami Vice
? You know, the black guy." That kind of thing.
Hearne: The Awful Truth About Why Ink is Eating The Pitch’s Lunch
It’s no secret that news light as it is, Ink magazine is kicking the Pitch‘s butt…
That after only three years on the scene to the Pitch‘s 30-plus. Things had gotten so bad at the Pitch last year that after years of trying to dump it, its former out-of-town parent finally unloaded it on the publisher of the Nashville Scene alt weekly.
When I interviewed former Pitch publisher Hal Brody a few months later, he was shocked to learn his former pub was barely choking out 40-page issues. Meanwhile, Ink was knocking back 56-pagers – 40 percent larger than the now lowly Pitch.
So what does Ink have that the Pitch doesn’t?
Leftridge: The Playoffs Will Get Better Next Weekend, I Promise
This year’s round of NFL Wildcard playoffs is a little like watching Jeff Bridges eat an apple; it’s not apt to be the most entertaining thing you’ve ever seen, but goddamnit, THAT’S "THE DUDE" EATING AN APPLE. Anything that guy does is entertaining. I’d pay money to watch him trim his goatee and balance his checkbook. Similarly, you can’t not watch the NFL playoffs, even if it is the slightly wilted side-salad at the beginning of what promises to be an otherwise fantastic meal.
It seems a foregone conclusion at this juncture that the NFC will come down to the Packers and the Saints in the Conference Championship. Additionally, it’s likely that the Patriots will face either the Ravens or the Steelers in the Divisional round next weekend. In between, there doesn’t figure to be a whole lot of mystery.
The action kicks off Saturday, with a sexy-ass matchup between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Houston Texans.
Starbeams: Rolling Roof, Rolling Streetcars & Rolling with the Punches
More proof that soccer is taking over: Sporting KC will have seven nationally televised games in the upcoming season. The MLS wants to reward the team for a strong finish and the league also wants to show off the fancy Livestrong Sporting Park. Some fans were upset because weather became a bit of an issue toward the end of last season.
A lot of people don’t realize this, but Livestrong is situated by to Kansas Speedway and lines up perfectly for a giant rolling roof!
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The mayor was in D.C. to ask for $25 million in federal aid to build a new streetcar line downtown. Why don’t they just ask for $25 million less in parking meter change and maybe more local residents would go downtown?
Glazer: Scribe Lays His Money on the Line for NFL Playoffs
Boy, seems like just a few weeks ago the season started, doesn’t it?
And still no snow. No big suprises really; the top four teams are all there, the Packers, Ravens, Saints and Steelers. I said they’d be and they are. The other teams that we talked about, Houston and Detroit – the new kids on the block – are also there. Baby surprises are the Bengals and Denver. The New York Giants and Atlanta Falcons were expected to land with less force and they did.
I counted out favorites such as the Cowboys and Eagles and sure enough, they both failed. So here we are, and picking the Super Bowl winner will not be so easy.
Sounds Good: Making Movies@Jazzhaus, Fire in the Churchyard & La Guerre@Replay & Wakarusa
OK, so maybe I’m getting jaded… .jpg)
I’ve seen so many great shows over the past year, on an almost weekly basis, that I think I’ve gotten a little spoiled. Wilco, The Jayhawks, Bon Iver, Steely Dan, Muse, Bright Eyes, Roger Daltry, Zappa, Arcade Fire, St. Vincent, Mumford and Sons, Old 97’s, Ween, Willie Nelson, My Morning Jacket, the list goes on and on. Breakout local acts, too, like the ACBs, Fourth of July, and The Noise FM to name just a few.
I’ve gotten to the point where I simply demand to be entertained by interesting and talented performers night in and night out. So the last few weeks have been tough for me.
Some people blame their melancholy on the (normally) crappy, grey weather, the short days and long nights. I blame it on the doldrums – the period of time from the middle of December to the middle of January when it seems like the live music scene all but grinds to a halt.
Jack Goes Confidential: ‘TINKER, TAILOR, SOLDIER, SPY’ Makes For Inglorious Spy Thriller
We’ve seen a ton of TV spots of late for the screen adaptation of John le Carre’s best-selling, Cold War spy thriller, TINKER, TAILOR, SOLDIER, SPY.
The film is receiving a platform release pattern—meaning that it opened in major centers in mid-December then was gradually opened in additional markets in subsequent weeks.
It opens as a limited multiple in Kansas City today.
TV spots for the movie would have you believing that it’s a fast paced spy thriller along the line of James Bond.
Well, I’m here to tell you that it’s not!
Hearne: Missouri’s Offer to Play KU in Football a Hollow Gesture
Add sports politics to the circus going on in Washington, D.C….
When Missouri told the world late last year it was leaving the Big 12 for the SEC there was no shortage of pissed off Kansans. Starting with comments by KU basketball coach Bill Self and continuing on to the school’s official Facebook page with: "Missouri forfeits a century-old rivalry. We win."
So as the final Big 12 KU-MU basketball games draw near, do the KU faithful still harbor ill feelings towards the departing Tigers?
"You’re funny," laughs Lawrence promoter Brett Mosiman. "No. None at all."
Today: KU Fans Stoked Over New Football Phat Man Despite the Critics
This is a very unusual season in Lawrence…
And not just the weather. Basketball’s well underway but everywhere you go the scent of pigskin’s in the air. There’s a new phat dude in town and KU football fans are getting restless. They’ve all but put Missouri in the rearview mirror and out of their minds. However, instead of dreaming about going to the Big Dance, they’re buying KU football tickets.
Go figure.
To some in KC, hiring new KU head coach Charlie Weis was downright dumb. Star sports columnist Sam Mellinger labeled it desperate, calling Weis a failed head coach on his fourth job in four years with really bad health.
Mellinger didn’t quite have the guts to come right out and say it, but Weis isn’t just phat, he’s fat.
Donnelly: MLS SuperDraft Comes to KC Convention Center, Can Vermes Score Again?
Sporting Kansas City head coach and general manager Peter Vermes is gaining a reputation as a skilled talent evaluator after only a couple years on the job.
Last year in the MLS SuperDraft, he tapped a relatively unknown forward out of James Madison with the 10th overall pick. The selection was universally panned as a reach, with most observers noting that KC really needed a center defender more than another attacker.
Fast forward nine months and that unknown forward, CJ Sapong, was accepting the MLS Rookie of the Year trophy.
And look at some of his other recent high draft picks…
Today: Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it…Lezak Weigh in on (Possible) Record Setting Winter
Praise the lord and pass the suntan lotion…
The heat is on in Kansas City and elsewhere around the country in one of the warmest late December / early January cold spells ever. The question being, how long will it last?
"I think the second half of January will turn much colder," says KSHB weather wonk Gary Lezak. "There’ll be a couple of cold outbreaks, one of which will be an arctic outbreak which will be really cold."
The reason for the recent and current balmy climes?
