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Glazer: Chiefs Win, Now Kansas City is Out of Luck
Well, it finally happened…
The Chiefs pulled out a win over the 0-3 Vikings at home, 22-17. They played an inspired game. Todd Haley yelled at quarterback Matt Cassel on the sideline after Matt, threw one away. And Matt played much better after being bitch slapped by his coach.
A win is a win, however in this case that may not be a good thing.
There’s no doubt, the Chiefs are a very bad football team.
Even with this win, and maybe one or two more. If they finish 3-13 or 4-12, there will be no No. 1 pick, no Andrew Luck. In other words, Chiefs fans are in for more of the same. And they will continue to stink, with or without a new coach.
We must have a franchise quarterback – it’s not Matt.
Glazer: Weekend Pics; Humble Scribe Bets the Farm Because He’s That Kinda Guy
Well football fans, I’ve had a nice three week run..
Lets see if I can hold it together. My numbers have been so good, I’ll have trouble keeping them this high, but stick with me, maybe we’ll get lucky.
First let’s see how my season-long picks are going.
My number one pick for the season was Kansas City under 7 1/2 games and the Chiefs are 0-3, so that looks like a lock. Next I picked Detroit at over 7 games and that looks very good – they’re 3-0. Last I have Dallas at 9 with the under and they’re 2-1. That one’s still up in the air, but I still like the under. They seem to have issues, but they’re in a weak division, and the Eagles look to be in trouble as I predicted with Mr Vick. He will likely be out for the season soon.
In College Football the mighty are just that this year – way better than the rest.
Starbeams: Michael Jackson’s Security Head, Royals Trip on Road Trip & Bubba Starling & Brew
During the manslaughter trial of Dr. Conrad Murray, we learned a very sad fact: Michael Jackson’s eldest children, Prince and Paris, saw their father die. Michael’s head of security, Faheem Muhammad, testified Prince and Paris watched as Murray desperately tried to resuscitate their father. Once again, our top story, a guy in charge of security in America was named FAHEEM.
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The Royals played their last game losing 1-0 to Minnesota. The team finished the year at 71-91. We haven’t been anywhere near the playoffs since 1985. The Royals just announced the entire team has been using a performance enhancing drug. It’s called ACID.
Hearne: Midland by AMC to Resurrect Vaunted Sandstone Entertainment Auction
One of KC’s most iconic entertainment institutions is poised to re-rear its long absentee head…
The music and entertainment biz fandango known as the Sandstone Auction – an event put on by former concert powerhouse Contemporary – will return in spirit to AEG‘s Midland by AMC.
Year after year the auction offered an array of supercalifragilistic, superstar autographed tschotskes. Items signed by the top artists who’d visited Kansas City stages that year.
What was it like?
Return with me to the October 1999 Sandstone Auction for a few highlights from my column at the time.
“We don’t have any weird stuff this year,” organizer Candy Chorice told me then. “But Olivia Newton-John signed a `Grease’ poster. And at the Lilith Fair I got a guitar signed by all of the mainstage acts, Sarah McLachlan, Sheryl Crow, the Dixie Chicks, Indigo Girls and Deborah Cox."
Leftridge: Tales from the Tweet: Arenas Heads to Walmart, Kietz Gets Saucy & Wright Rants
In today’s modern media world, some of the greatest quotes come not from press conferences or radio interview soundbites, but directly from the horse’s mouth. And by ‘horse,’ I mean person. And by ‘mouth,’ I mean Twitter page.
Social media is a vast landscape of triumph and tragedy; ridiculousness and realism.
But who has the time for all of those Tweets? What lifeless loser has hours to spend looking up random athletes and sports media personalities, in search of gold but bogged down with a thousand unnecessary ‘lolz’ and a million punishing abuses of the English language?
I do, my friends. I do.
It is my pleasure to present to you, this installment of ‘Tales from the Tweet.’
Jack Goes Confidential: ’50/50′ Delivers Heartfelt Hilarity
Who would’ve thought it?
A cancer movie that works on many levels. Or as Seth Rogen tells best bud Joseph Gordon Levitt in ’50/50′: "If you were a casino game, you’d have the best odds."
’50/50′ is a bittersweet comedic approach to a pretty taboo subject.
Bottom line: A massive malignant tumor on his spine is what Rogen’s best friend and NPR producer Levitt is diagnosed with and doctors give him a 50/50 chance of survival. Something his girlfriend Bryce Dallas Howard has trouble dealing with in more than one way.
Donnelly: Sporting Rockets Into First Place, But Will Its Luck Hold?
Though still a bit out of sync, Sporting Kansas City vaulted into first place in the Eastern Conference Wednesday…
Sporting scored a 2-1 win over the Columbus Crew and is almost guaranteed now to see some playoff soccer in the next few weeks at LIVESTRONG. Prior to the match, KC and Columbus were tied for second in the division, so the three points from the win- combined with Columbus collecting zero from their loss- is huge with only three games left before the playoffs.
Was it pretty? No. Was it kind of lucky? Yes.
Is Sporting’s form over the last few games a bit troubling, even though they continue picking up points? You bet.
Sounds Good: Garage a Trois, American Royal BBQ, Sound Tribe Sector 9 & Bob Lockwood
Busy, busy weekend coming up – which is a good thing…
Yep, everything seems to be coming together. So long as you don’t mind not sleeping for a few days and existing solely off the nutritional value contained in beer and smoked meats.
I’m actually going to try and attend all the events I’m recommending this weekend. So if I go MIA for awhile, assume I ended up in some dirty van after the STS9 show and woke up somewhere in Colorado.
I’m also going to try and review the new Wilco album, "The Whole Love", (if I can find a solid 45 to listen to the whole thing) which dropped a day or two ago. On first listen, I like it, though you know how first listens can be.
On to the madness…
Leftridge: Historic Collapse of Boston and Atlanta & Handicapping the Playoffs
And when the dust settled, the historic collapse of two storied franchises
was complete.
By now, you know what happened. You’ve seen the highlights on ESPN and read lengthy, poetic diatribes by countless other sports writers. Perhaps you stayed up late to watch it happen live, to be a part of history.
And certainly, you’ve read all of the amazing statistics. The Boston Red Sox were 77-0 this year when leading after 8 innings. They were up nine games in the wild card standings at the beginning of the month. The Atlanta Braves,
virtually an identical story. But bullpen woes, and a pronounced lack of offensive punch, cost both teams their trip to the postseason.
Glazer: Forget the Death Wish, Time to Put the Pedal to the Metal
Nobody wants to die young…
However today, so many junior senior citizens seem to want to live forever. In their 60’s and 70’s many people talk about going on and on into their 90’s or even 100’s. Don’t get me wrong; stay in shape and have fun as long as you can.
But to aim your daily life at just hanging on forever may be a huge mistake.
There’s a big difference between enjoying life as we age and just putting on the brakes so you can live long enough to make it to the old folks home- the really old folks home. Trust me living in extended care housing isn’t going to be a very fun time.
Like many of you, I’ve had a parent, grandparent or friend live in these places until they go to Hospice. And none of them were thrilled about it. Who would be?
Hearne: Who’s Gonna Play Christmas Music Now That KUDL & Star 102 Are History?
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One of KC’s most fleeting, yet wildly profitable radio formats appears to have gone homeless…
For years adult contemporary stations Star 102 and KUDL FM duked it out for the hearts and ears of lovers of 24/7 Christmas music. Star led the way under former main man Jon Zellner. Entercom followed on KUDL, resulting in year after year of Christmas music warfare between the stations.
And while the day after Thanksgiving was good enough to start, competition between the stations resulted in earlier and earlier launch dates for the holiday music format. The idea being that whoever got there first would lock in more listeners.
Four years ago on Halloween day I bade readers both Trick or Treat and Happy Thanksgiving.
New Jack City: Why High School Reunions Totally Suck (Like Mine Just Did)
They say you can’t go back home…
Unfortunately, that’s exactly what I did this past weekend. I went to my millionth high school reunion in Grand Island, Nebraska. And let me just tell you up front, this three-day affair was two days too long.
The nightmare unfolded with a Friday, ‘Let’s Get Reacquainted ‘ cocktail bash and finger food fandango. Followed by a Saturday morning walkthrough of the old high school and either an optional golf game or sipping-of-the-grapes luncheon at a nearby Nebraska winery.
See what I mean?
Then came the big event, a Saturday night sitdown dinner and dance with an obligatory oldies band. And finally – blessedly – a Sunday morning see-you-next-lifetime breakfast.
Overkill? You bet! Like I said, one night would’ve been plenty.
Now allow me to count the many ways these sort of reunion rituals suck so badly.
Today: Businessman Uses Math to Unravel Bogus Kauffman Center Crowd Count
It’s time now for KC’s top crowd counter Gary Evert to weigh in on the Kauffman Center‘s haltingly high attendence figure…
That after people no less illustrious than one of the Star‘s most respected (now laid off) entertainment writers and the tech who helped produce the event scoffed at the notion of 55,000 bouncing in and out of the PAC’s rainy Sunday afternoon public opening.
To be fair, anonymous commenters have supported the PAC guesstimate, suggesting anecdotally that a count might have been made. However that flies in the face of the reported fact that the "estimate of 55,000 was based on the assumption that the building could only accommodate 5,000 at a time. If that number ‘turned over’ 10 times, then total attendance would be 50,000."
In other words, by the PAC’s own accounting of things, it was a guesstimate not an actual count.
Donnelly: REM Walks Away Like the Wasted Guy Who Passed Out on the Living Room Floor
REM announced a few days ago that it was calling it quits after 31 years.
"A wise man once said–‘the skill in attending a party is knowing when it’s time to leave,’" wrote singer Michael Stipe in the band’s official statement. "We built something extraordinary together. We did this thing. And now we’re going to walk away from it."
I understand the sentiment, but by Stipe’s rationale, REM is the wasted guy who spilled his drink thrice, knocked over a plant, and is now drooling on himself half passed out on the living room floor.
He’s already raided your Doritos stash and taken a few chunks out of your Velveeta with his claws. You don’t really know him because a friend invited him to tag along, and you don’t want to go to bed with this half stranger in your house.
Stipe’s classy move would have been better executed after 1996’s New Adventures in Hi-Fi, an album that, though not my favorite, is certainly solid. If they had just stopped there, no one would have had to listen to Around the Sun.
Starbeams: Chiefs Bloopers, Plaza Art Fair Mob & Where Not To Recycle Your Christmas Tree
They finally figured out where that space junk fell over the weekend. It crashed right in the middle of the Chiefs‘ playoff hopes. In fact, the only people sill cheering for the Chiefs are the people who made Marv Albert‘s blooper reel.
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We may have wrapped up the most successful Plaza Art Fair ever. Record crowds descended on the Plaza for "art," food, drinking and music. I was there Friday night and there were so many people, there wasn’t room for me to organize a flash mob on Facebook with my homies.
Glazer: Curse of Marty Ball Haunts Nick Wright & Chiefs ‘Suck for Luck’ Campaign
610 Sports host Nick Wright admits he thought the Chiefs could make the playoffs before the season started…
Nick also bought into his pal Todd Haley’s decision to go soft in the preseason in order to be ready for the regular season. Now Nick thinks the Chiefs should lose every game and draft number one to get college superstar Andrew Luck from Stanford.
I agree with Nick, but many don’t.
Yesterday Wright’s top-rated show was flooded with Haters. I know the feeling, Nick.
Leftridge: Making a Case for the Wizard of Hoz
“…and I’d like to thank my first major league hitting coach, Kevin Seitzer, who not only taught me about the importance of crushing a hanging curve, but also how to love.”
Alright, so I’m not sure why Eric Hosmer will be talking about Seitzer teaching him how to love in his Hall of Fame acceptance speech 25 years from now, but I know for a fact that he’ll be giving a Hall of Fame speech 25 years from now. He can’t not. This city needs him to blossom, to become the greatest thing since sliced Brett. No pressure.
But in a game that’s all about inches, it’s often prudent to move in baby steps. And the first tender footed movement can be made by Hosmer taking his rightful place as the AL’s 2011 Rookie of the Year.
If only my impassioned pleas were enough.
Glazer: Stanford’s Named Top Comedy Club, Hot New Stars on the Way
Out with the old, in with the new…
That’s been the Hollywood battle cry for ages. Comedy undergoes major changes about every 10 years. And that change is now underway. Stanford’s was just named one of the top comedy venues in the country for 2011/2012 (along with Caroline’s in New York).
Because both clubs have a great mix of current big name stars, as well as the new superstar comic up-and-comers.
Chelsea Handler is the "NEW" Johnny Carson.
That’s right, she’s way, way more important than Jay Leno and David Letterman to comics. Being on Chelsea’s show five times is better than being on those guy’s shows 20 times.
Leftridge: Despite What the Internet Told You, Big 12 is Still a Thing
On September 22nd, KU released a statement reading in part: "Tonight, nine members of the Big 12 Conference affirmed their solidarity and agreed to measures that will ensure the stability of the conference moving forward.”
So… this is official? Finally, officially official?
Because to be honest, I tuned out awhile ago. And I know that’s not something that an ‘in-touch‘ sports writer should say, but let’s be honest… this whole situation has been insufferable.
Glazer: Chiefs Coach Todd Haley Saves His Job…For now
Yes, the Chiefs are still 0-3…
Yes, they are still one of the NFL’S worst teams. Bottom three for sure – maybe the worst. They are officially rated last. However, they put on a better than expected effort against San Diego away. Both teams had a boat load of injuries. And now the Chiefs have lost Brandon Flowers. Although I’m not sure how bad it is yet.
So now they have just three weapons; Dwayne Bowe, Dexter McCluster and surprising new tight end Leonard Pope.
Together they may have saved coach Todd Haley’s job -at least for now. It’s still likely however that he will be fired before season’s end. However if Todd with his patch work defense and offense can win the next two games against the 0-3 Vikings and soon to be 0-3 Colts, Todd might make it through to the end of the season. But even with a couple of wins, the Chiefs have to fire him. The Chiefs will be in rebuild mode now for years to come.
