Concert Corner: Buzz Beach Ball @ Livestrong Sporting Park

Posted on June 5, 2012 by admin

I attended the Buzz Beach Ball on Saturday at Livestrong Sporting Park and the sound quality was vastly improved over last year.

The highlight of the show was the last act, Sublime with Rome.

Although the band’s original lead singer Bradley Nowell is “pushing up daisies” from a heroin overdose in 1996, the new guy Rome Ramirez did a great job.

The biggest audience participation moment came during Sublime’s song about the LA Riots- 20,000 people all screamed out “187 on a Mother F*&^#@g Cop” which is cop code for "Homicide.”

So it’s safe to say the revolutionary spirit is alive and well amongst Kansas City’s youth.

Foster the People rocked as did the Dirty Heads and overall it was much better lineup than last year’s Beach Ball.

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Whinery: The Death of Privacy Part III; The Utah Data Center

Posted on June 5, 2012 by admin

The National Security Agency (NSA)-  or as it commonly referred to by the Feds, "No Such Agency” – should have Orwell’s Police State online by September of 2013.

That’s right, the most ominous facility imaginable in terms of its powers to place the World’s ENTIRE network of electronic communications under surveillance, is now under construction in Bluffdale, Utah. Its massive computer servers and routers will be able to store and analyze an almost infinite amount of data, including the complete contents of emails, phone calls, Google searches and text messages.

Its capabilities will also include what THEY sarcastically refer to as “digital pocket litter” which include, but are not limited to, all  purchases made with credit or debit cards.

On top of this, The FBI is advancing a plan to wiretap the internet.

This Draconian measure will pressure Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to build “backdoors” for eavesdropping on all types of electronic communications that travel through the World Wide Web. A new “Web Surveillance Unit” has been formed within the FBI which will work hand-in-hand with the NSA to create this “backdoor” technology.

Not to be left out of this scheme, The Department of Homeland Security, is already scanning all forms of electronic communications for “keywords” which flag them for further dissemination. A “Freedom of Information Act” request by the Electronic Frontier Foundation got the list and it includes such innocuous words as: pork, sick, cloud, bridge, aid, flood… and many other common words.

And that’s where the “silver lining" comes into play.

In order to analyze all this data, it’s going to take an army of agents. More people than all these “Alphabet Agencies” can ever hope to employ- especially given that anyone sifting through this sea of information will need, at least, Top Secret Security Clearance.

The “Human Intelligence” is just not there.

However, If THEY want to target you- everything you’ve done electronically will be filed away in the “Information Retrieval” department ready to be used against you.

This is probably too big for even the Judges to save us.

Praying for a Class X solar flare that fries out the spy satellites may be our only salvation here.

Posted in News_and_Views | Tagged | 12 Comments

Glazer: Mencia at Stanford’s Two Nights Only, Starting Tonight!

Posted on June 5, 2012 by admin

Comedy superstar Carlos Mencia is stopping by Stanford’s to do two shows tonight and tomorrow at 8 P.M…

He’s a great guy. I called several big stars to see if they could fill in for early summer because we lost two big acts due to movie filming – Bryan Callen (Hangover 3) and T.J. Miller (Tom Cruise’ Rock of Ages). Both Callen and Miller will be back in late summer or early fall.

So we had some big shoes to fill.

Mencia was set to appear in Chicago this weekend, so he was kind enough to fill in and do a couple weeknights.

Carlos is a regular these days at Treasure Island in Vegas and does mostly casinos and theaters today. Those are much bigger paydays than at a comedy club, so it was very kind of him to help out on short notice.

Mencia has lost an incredible 70 pounds!

He’s down to 150, looks like he’s 35 years old, and is in top shape. We’re both clients of Matt Blake at Creative Artists in Los Angeles. Obviously Carlos is a much bigger client, but Matt originally got me Carlos, Pablo, Frank Caliendo, Katt Williams, Pauly Shore, and many more. And although Carlos became a huge star, he never forgot us.

So here’s your chance to see a true superstar up close and personal. Mencia, Tuesday and Wednesday. He’s a top talent. It’s also Hollywood Casino‘s first of four summer comedy concerts at Stanford’s. Later it’s Michael Winslow, Bobcat Goldthwait and Dante and Rebecca…

Posted in Craig_Glazer | Tagged | 13 Comments

Glazer: Tiger’s Win Time to Let Cheating Incident Go Like We Did With Tom Watson

Posted on June 4, 2012 by admin

The most PGA tour golf wins ever is 82 by Sam Snead…

And now Tiger Woods is far younger than any of the other golf greats after winning his 73rd tour victory at age 36. Jack Nicklaus was 46 for example when he won his 73rd at the Masters.

Maybe more important, and why I write about Woods, is he got overly jacked over his stepping out on his wife three years ago. Woods was treated like a criminal. Half or more of his fortune was taken away. He lost most of his endorsements and was looked down upon by almost everyone in golf including those who ALL DID THE SAME THING HE DID.

They just didn’t get caught, or weren’t famous enough for it to matter.

I didn’t like the way Tiger got picked on so much more than other superstar athletes that have done the same or worse. This was a case of a young man who was not worldly, even with his playing putting him on center stage.  I could tell that by some of his own words that we heard on the tapes of Tiger’s cell phone calls.

He was not experienced in being a "player." 

It all came to him too young and too fast. His pretty blonde wife is now worth over $100 million, is not upset to be free of Tiger and is doing more than just fine. Clearly it was not a happy household, cheating or not. Again it was wrong of Tiger, very wrong. However it was wrong of us to make him the poster boy for "wife abuse" in some way. Like he was a monster. He is NORMAL considering the circumstances.

Almost all celebs do what Tiger did at some point sadly.

Including Kansas City’s Tom Watson.

Cheating is the normal in marriages that don’t work where someone has the option to do so. Tiger is far from alone. So enough on that.

Many wrote Tiger off as he struggled to get his game back, but much of the problem was injury not divorce. The guy had a major hip operation as well.

Me, I made my point when it all happened. This was a personal issue not a national issue. Tiger didn’t beat anyone up. It was not our business to get so involved in his love life. Brett Favre did the same and was not put through the ringer nearly as much.

Tiger Woods will break Jack’s record of 18 majors one day and will in the end be America’s greatest golfer ever. Judge him for that. I feel he’s learned his lesson. Don’t you?

He’s paid enough for the lectures to come to an end.

Posted in Hearne_Christopher | Tagged | 56 Comments

Donnelly: More Ramblings – Saturday at Wakarusa

Posted on June 3, 2012 by admin

After a packed Friday at Wakarusa, Saturday was looking to be a tad less hectic.

The cool weather was perfect for us tent-dwellers who are normally driven out of our sweaty dens at the crack of dawn.  Not so this time around, and the additional rest sure came in handy. 

By the time Balkan Beat Box took the main stage I was rested, recharged, and ready for another 15 or so hours of music.  BBB got things going with their unique brand of hip hop infused with a Middle Eastern vibe created by dueling alto sax players, a DJ/drummer, and a bunch of other auxiliary percussion. 

Their front man jumped around the stage, running out and onto the speakers in front while throwing down quick rhymes.  BBB definitely gave off a more international vibe, which was a welcome change at the festival. 

Next up on the main stage was blues-folk-harmonica maestro G Love & Special Sauce.  The three piece created a very full sound for being as stripped down as they normally are.  G Love rolled through some favorites like Cold Beverage, I-76, and a cover of Biz Markee’s Just a Friend.  Late in their set a couple of horn players were added to infuse a little funk into the set.

Overall, G Love was a little predictable.  But his guitar playing was actually really impressive, more so than I remember.  He shifted easily from grungy swamp blues, to light acoustic reggae, to Chicago style slide guitar, all the while displaying his trademark Philly pride.  To finish out their set G Love played a cool version of Bootycall that morphed into Why Don’t We Do It in the Road?, the Beatles classic.

After that I wandered the festival grounds for a bit, tried some local wine that was being sold in water bottles (no glass allowed), and then made my way back to camp to recharge the batteries for a sec and fire up the grill.  As the sun was setting, hundreds of hot air lanterns were released into the sky, floating their way up and over the main stage into the black sky. 

It looked pretty sweet I must say.    

The first of the evening sets was Gary Clarke, Jr., a younger bluesman who plays smoking hot guitar, all finger style.  Clarke came out and absolutely torched the Revival Tent with his super confident persona and virtuoso plucking.  And he did double time with his spot on vocals that ranged from growly to falsetto smooth. 

I didn’t know much about Clarke before this show, but just like it always goes at festivals like this, I think I discovered a new favorite.

Not to be outdone, though, was an older gentleman who was all class in his white suit – Del McCoury.  He took the stage with several other musicians that were dressed equally as sharp.  OK, no one looked better than Del, let’s be honest. 

The elder statesman did his best to spread the love, letting each member of his band step forward and sing lead on a song as the others backed with multi-part harmonies.  And of course Del led the way plenty, too, his voice sounding strong as ever and his picking still top notch. 

Hmmm, what else?  Well, there were ferris wheel rides, hikes to waterfalls, air-conditioned porta johns in the artist’s lounge, and a few late night close encounters of the weird kind. 

You know, normal festival stuff…

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Star Search: Hell Week @ KC Confidential & Star Edits Out Controversial Photo

Posted on June 3, 2012 by admin

Talk about a whirlwind two weeks…

One minute I’m standing on a beach along the Pacific Ocean in Cabo saying, "I do" to a judge marrying me in Spanish while butchering my first name…a week later I’m masterminding the sale and a move from my home in Prairie Village to Lawrence via Topeka. That’s a lot to love, especially given it was squeezed into not much more than the space of a single week.

But you know they say about distance lending perspective.

So when I called the Kansas City Star on Friday afternoon at the height of my chaotic moving experience, the least of my worries was when and if I’d be able to transfer my newspaper subscription to T-Town. Not that the nice woman from South America or wherever the Star has outsourced such matters had a clue. All she knew was that the transfer would require someone at a higher pay grade to determine if I would be allowed to continue receiving the physical newspaper long distance. Or be relegated to reading the paper’s Web site free-of-charge like most of you – as Tony might say, dirtbags – probably do.

It would likely take two or three days to make that determination, she said. Meanwhile, for continuity’s sake, I should continue to have the newspaper delivered to my Prairie Village address to the four women who would be occupying my now-former residence.

Stay tuned; we’ll see what happens, I’ll get a call.

However when I stopped by the old hood to pick up my mail on Saturday, there was no Star in the driveway. And no phone call telling me if I’d qualified or not. Later that night though, after returning to the wilds of Topeka, I was startled to find Saturday’s paper in my driveway.

A little soggy but sweet.

They may not know exactly what they’re doing all of the time at 18th and Grand, but results matter and the bottom line is they totally got the job done on virtually no notice whatsoever. Overnight.

Which brings me to a long overdue Star Search column critiquing the paper through more-or-less out-of-town eyes. Or in this case, a front-page story by Eric Adler about a controversial statue at the Overland Park Arboretum & Botanical Gardens.

Here’s where things start to get more than a little lame.

Because how in the world can the Star deliver to its core readership – the paying customers mind you – a front page story about a public controversy over a lifesize, sexy, bronze statue of a topless chick without providing a photo of the artwork in question? A more than 50-column-inch in length story, no less.

I would say, I don’t get it except for the fact that I worked at the Star for 16 years and I know how small the thinking can get where s-e-x is concerned. "Be careful! Remember this is being read by people at their ‘breakfast tables.’ "

Not that it didn’t occur to the Star to send a photographer to the Arboretum to capture the image in question.

Which by the way, did find its way into the same story online for the nonpaying, lowlife readers who digest the newspaper’s news on the cheap and who obviously have far stronger stomachs for such frightful imagery.

Not that Adler didn’t do his part to dial in as much R-rated fun and controversy to the tale as he could.

Attendence at the park has been "far busier" since the sexy statue went in – at least "anectdotally" he "reports," while doing a bit of fuzzy, journalistic math.

"We had a group of middle aged men out there last Friday looking at it," Adler adds in a quote from the park’s PR dude Sean Reilly."

The implication being by the placement and inclusion of the quote, that the statue was somehow attracting the juice bar crowd.

Please.

With tens of thousands of visiors to the Arboretum every year – and during peak season – of course there would be groups of men "looking at it." Along with groups of women, children, grandparents, people from other countries and you name it. Who’s not going to tour the grounds and look at the artworks as they walk past?

See how the game is played?

Adler’s little word game strongly implies that people are flocking to the park to see the naked lady. Especially horny, older dudes with nothing better to do than drag ass out to some park to check out a pair of bronze boobs.

Sex sells and the middle aged, white reporters and editors at the Star know this as well as anyone.

Yet with political correctness being the name of their game, the object of said game is to fly as close to the fun facts as possible without getting their wing wax melted.

Now if the dudes were yucking it up, fondling the statue in question or trying to leave dollars bills, that’d be one thing. However those details – should they exist – went unreported.

Here’s my point.

Using journalistic artifice to pour gasoline on a tempest in a teapot controversy is silly and sophomoric.

If you really want to fan the flames of a controversy, man up and let the readers in on the joke by showing the photograph and supporting the anecdotal inferences with a few facts.

After all, it is art and it is mainstream journalism, right?

Posted in Hearne_Christopher | Tagged | 11 Comments

Whinery: Bilderberger’s 2012 Meeting & New Edition @ Sprint Center

Posted on June 2, 2012 by admin

Chantilly, Virginia…

Who will the Bilderbergers be choosing for President this year?

For those of you who may not know about the Bilderberg meetings, it’s a yearly gathering of “Elites” with around 150 attendees from primarily North America and Western Europe. The meetings are closed to the press and public. It’s rumored that they do “little things” like pick world leaders and strategize the “New World Order” during the confab.

Here are some “coincidences” concerning the Bilderberg involvement in choosing the President of the United States of America for you skeptics in the audience.

In the year before they were elected President, both Bill Clinton and George H.W. Bush attended the conference. Same goes for George W. Bush. And for those who remember how close the 2008 Democrat primaries were between Hillary Clinton & Barack Obama– a mere two days after they both attended the Bilderberg meeting that year- Hillary dropped out of the primaries and endorsed Obama.

They also like to interview Vice-Presidential Candidates.

In 2004, John Edwards– John Kerry’s VP pick – gave a speech to the Bilderbergs- just like Marco Rubio, the fine Republican Senator is giving this year. Mitch Daniels, the Republican Governor of Indiana is also listed as an official attendee- so don’t be surprised if one of those two gentlemen emerges as Mitt Romney’s running mate.

So will the Bilderbergs prefer Romney over Obama this year?

I sure hope so. I always vote for the “Capitalist Pig” over “Socialist Scum”.

And being a big supporter of Rubio, I hope he ends up at Veep, since my pick, Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, probably has no chance of being on the Republican ticket.

Although there’s an interesting conspiracy theory out there that Rand’s father Ron Paul cut a deal with Romney to throw his considerable support behind his candidacy for making Rand his running mate.  However, the Republicans don’t stand a chance of  winning the White House with Ron Paul supporters, so who knows?

It’s also interesting that in a nasty Republican primary battle to become the nominee- Ron Paul and Mitt Romney never attacked each other. Mitt and Rand would be AWESOME! Ron Paul’s biggest contributor is also attending Bilderberg- for all those out there who think Mr. Paul is not a member of the Establishment.

Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

Concert Review Time:

I saw New Edition at Sprint on Friday- not my choice- my girlfriend wanted to go… They ran through their hits and Bobby Brown did some of his solo work, as did Bel Biv Devoe.

It was OK… but not good enough to keep me in my seat and away from watching the Celtics dismantle the Heat in the NBA playoff game.

My girl said it was great- except that only Johnny Gill and Ralph Tresvant still sing after the 30 years since the group was founded.

Crack being the culprit that destroyed Mr. Brown’s voice in particular.

Posted in News_and_Views | Tagged | 13 Comments

Glazer: Stock Crash & Tough Times Could Cost Obama

Posted on June 2, 2012 by admin

Hey sports fans, looks like we’ve got some MORE PROBLEMS with the stock market…

Just what we didn’t need, right? Yeah, we’re looking at a possible CRASH. Oil is down to $83 a barrel, gold is up over $1,600 to $1,622.00 from a low in the $1,500’s just over a week ago. And now the DOW – oh boy – is down more than 1,000 points in just four weeks.

Trouble ahead?

Well, gold is looking very good, like it may be headed back to $1,800 or $1,900 an ounce by say the next three weeks. While the market may drop to 11,000 or even 10,000 in the coming weeks. Yikes. Another CRASH?

The nation can’t afford it – we are in STRESS CITY already. Another crash would be painful, very painful and important to our pocket books.

This could spell the end for President Barack Obama!

Yep, he looked unbeatable just two months ago, but with this possible CRASH TWO he could get jacked.

As of today, Obama wins fairly easily. Sorry, Republicans, just a fact. Mitt Romney is no genius and we all know it. He may in fact be George Bush Jr. part two. However Obama will take likely take the hit if there’s a crash.

My favorite observation is this: Oil is down to 83 bucks a barrel and falling.

That’s a little odd this time of year during the summer driving season, but with the world economy in a shambles and people everywhere are cutting back. So while this is usually a high buck gas period, with travel etc. less people going anywhere and less gas is being used.

I Love the airlines; they dump 1/3 of their flights, slow down the planes and now it takes nine years to go cross country. I also love the no food, no movies, no nothing on long flights. Thanks! All while prices keep going UP! WTF?

Better yet, gas is down 30% in four weeks.

In Kansas several weeks back I saw top level gas at $4 plus. Now it’s still around $3.50 or $3.60 but oil dropped 30%. So shouldn’t premium gas be down closer to three bucks? Crooks? You bet!

When will it ever be OUR TIME? Just ask the Royals.

Posted in Craig_Glazer | Tagged | 19 Comments

Starbeams: Kansas City Garners Yet Another ‘Fat’ Award & End of the World

Posted on June 2, 2012 by admin

How did Kansas City rank among the Worst Dressed Cities in the U.S?  Travel and Leisure magazine just named us the WORST-DRESSED people in the U.S.

#1.)  Anchorage, Alaska
#2.)  Salt Lake City, Utah
#3.)  Baltimore, Maryland
#4.)  Orlando, Florida
#5.)  San Antonio, Texas
#6.)  Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas
#7.)  Atlanta, Georgia
#8.)  Portland, Maine
#9.)  Phoenix/Scottsdale, Arizona
#10.)  Kansas City, Missouri

We only made the top ten because they don’t make stylish clothing in our size.

Kansas City is the nation’s eighth-strongest metropolitan area in terms of its economy, according to a ranking by an independent economic research firm Policom. The ranking was based on jobs and worker earnings plus quality wages. #1 on the list was Washington, D.C., but #8 ain’t bad.
Our economy is thriving because we don’t waste our money on stylish clothing.

*******

NASA scientists say new evidence proves our galaxy will end in 4 billion years.  So there’s another good reason to avoid buying stylish clothing.

Kelly Urich hosts the morning show on The Point 99.7 FM

Posted in Starbeams | Tagged | 7 Comments

Donnelly: Ramblings of a Music Junkie – Friday at Wakarusa

Posted on June 2, 2012 by admin

The Wakarusa Festival– near Ozark, Arkansas and atop Mulberry Mountain– kicked off Thursday.

Unfortunately, due to other real world obligations, I didn’t make it down until Friday afternoon. At first glance, it seems like attendance is a bit down from last year, maybe due in part to a little bit of a weaker lineup. But the lighter attendance meant it was easier to get around, shorter to wait in lines, and just more comfortable for everyone in general. Plus, the weather was about perfect, upper 70s and low 80s, a little overcast.

I rolled into the campgrounds and found a spot underneath a tree, threw up my tent, snagged a coldy, and headed for the stages. I was just in time to catch Split Lip Rayfield on the second biggest stage, the Revival Tent. And it was kinda nice to be under the big top since a light mist had started falling.

Split Lip came out and, like the old pros they are, tore the place up with their lightning fast picking and hammering on the one-string gas tank bass.  The percussive thwap of Jeff Eaton’s manic plucking filled the air in the tent and inside my lungs.  I could actually feel the sound waves moving my arm hair.   Yeah, it was pretty loud. 

The crowd on hand was full of familiar faces from the Lawrence scene who happily sang along and hollered when Eric Mardis gave a shout out to the late Kirk Rundstrom, then launched into Skol Bandits followed by Used to Call Me Baby. 

Great start to the fest for me.  I couldn’t wait to head out into the mist to catch some more music. 

Next stop was the Satellite Stage, which is several hundred yards into the woods, to catch Lyrics Born.  Unfortunately when we got there we found out the stage was running about an hour late, so I had to abort that mission to head back to the main stage to see Soulive. 

And it was a good choice. 

Soulive’s horns blasted clean funk rhythms to a smaller crowd than they deserved.  The band was so tight it could have been a recording, even the monster alto sax solo that brought the crowd to life.  From there, the band jammed a bit into an extended slower guitar vamp outro that fused some Stevie Ray-esque blues with classic jazz fingerpicking.

Soulive would end up being probably the best set of the day.  Or at least top two.  

Back to the tent, coldy refill, then on to the Blitzen Trapper show.  I watched a few songs there until I heard the main stage going nuts, so I decided to roll over there to see what was up.  Turns out, that was a good choice.

Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros (all 11 of them) were on stage, dressed in their old timey hats and following their shaman, Edward himself, who was leading the crowd on this backwoods revival.  The band was killing it, too, with each person seemingly carrying their own weight.  Sometimes when you get so many different instruments on stage some can get lost in the mix and become largely unnecessary.  Not so with the Zeros.

Each shaker, every accordion, every little violin note seemed to fit right in there without making the sound too repressive and crowded.  And of course, the charismatic leader was crooning his butt off.  Toward the end of the set he ventured out into the crowd to the dismay of several large security dudes who were tasked with following him over the barricades.

The only issue with the sound- really the only sound issue of the day- was when the PA clipped a few times.  It wasn’t all that noticeable, but it did happen three times before it got sorted out. 

I wonder when Ed and the Zeros will have a new album out.  I’m definintely looking forward to that. 

The headliner for the night was the Avett Brothers, who took the stage about 20 minutes late to a decent crowd.  They sounded super clean and polished, almost too much so.  Almost like bubblegum-y, pop-y, Disney, you know? 

They gave a shout out to the late Doc Watson, saying "We learned this one from Doc," before launching into a country-tinged barnburner that got the crowd going. 

All in all, though, I must admit I was a little disappointed with their set.  It just seemed way too formulaic, especially after Edward Sharpe brought the house down with his wildman act. 

And that, my friends, was my Day One.  Not too shabby if I say so myself.  I’ll have more when I get time to pound out some more.  In the meantime, follow me on Twitter @MattyKCC for updates, pics, and other fascinating info.  

Posted in Sports | Tagged | 2 Comments

Leftridge: Royals Recap, May: Holy Crap, They Won More Than They Lost

Posted on June 1, 2012 by admin

If the old adage about April showers begetting May flowers stands true, it would stand to reason that the gigantic golden shower that April took upon the early Royals campaign must have CERTAINLY led to a beautiful, vibrant rebirth over the past month, right? Well, not exactly. But there WERE some positive takeaways, I swear.

And like last month’s “April Recap,” I’m dedicated to finding them. It’s too easy to shit on a team like the Royals, but really, what good does it do to pile-on? Incessant Scribe complaints about what a failure Eric Hosmer is shaping up to be won’t make him any better. Similarly, thousands of whiny comments screaming about how “Walmart Glass” is ruining this team and should be burned alive (after being made to sell the team, of course), won’t accomplish anything.

What do we honestly think—that our wild internet complaints are going to cause a lot of introspection and soul-searching from the team’s heartless owner? That he’s going to read the astute observations from KCButtLicker6969 and say, “you know what? I AM cheap! I DO need to sign Johnny Fastball for $30,000,000 a year! What in the fuck was I thinking?! I should probably kill myself! La la la la la, I just shit my pants! OOPS!”

I mean, this COULD happen, but it seems highly unlikely.

So while we sit here, stewing in our own grotesque Kansas City baseball filth, let’s at least try to stay positive, at least for the next few paragraphs. It won’t kill us. It may even make us feel a bit better.
 

Country Breakfast Continues to Rake

Look, I don’t care if he doesn’t like the nickname (peculiar, as I had initially heard HE was the one who suggested it): I’m using it because it’s funny. And hearty. And full of bacon and flapjacks and three eggs, cooked how you want them. Kind of like Billy Butler.

Finally, after years of promise and hope and potential, ole Billy seems to finally be hitting consistently for power. Wait—let me rephrase that—“ole Billy finally seems to be hitting HOMERUNS, consistently.” See, despite what everyone says, he’s not the white Ken Harvey. He’s ALWAYS hit doubles, with authority and at a good clip. What we were promised, however, was 30 homeruns a year, easy. Power takes time to develop, the experts said.

He’ll come around.

Well glory, glory, hallelujah, Butler has finally harnessed his inner ham-power and is on pace to hit 38 homeruns. That’s right, eternal single-season Royals homerun record holder Steve Balboni, you’d better watch your Super Mario ‘stache, son.

Frenchy Returns to 2011 Form, Becomes Sexy, Sexy Trade Bait

I like Jeff Francoeur, really, I do. But the thing is, he’s a corner outfielder, and once William Bradford Myers gets here from AAA (which could be sooner, rather than later), we’ll HAVE two corner outfielders—Myers and Alex Gordon. Both are younger (okay, Gordon by only a month), cheaper (for now, anyway) and both have higher ceilings. 

(Side note: Why do I feel like Francoeur is AT LEAST 34 years old? Unbelievable. HE IS 28. I HATE MY LIFE.)

Therefore, Frenchy’s recent surge in productivity is highly encouraging. He’s always been a streaky player, and quite honestly, the entirety of last year felt more like the exception as opposed to the rule. His April troubles—which extended quite prominently into May—felt a lot more like normal. Over the past few weeks, though, he has started to turn it on. Over his last 10 games (through May 30th), he’s hitting .450 with 4 homeruns and 7 RBI. Quite respectable, to say the least.

Alcides Escobar Continues to Impress

Early scouting reports on Escobar gave every indication that his offense would develop gradually. The Royals traded for the lanky Dominican for his slick defense, though. And while his Gold Glove caliber play at a premium position continues to shine, it looks like his offensive prowess might be coming to fruition, as well. Though it’s unlikely that he’ll be a consistent .300 batter, and he could stand to make a significant improvement with regard to walks, he’s shown surprising pop for such a scarecrow of a fella.

The thought of Escobar at the plate with the Royals down a run in the ninth, and the tying run standing on second no longer makes me cringe. He’s given me every reason to believe that he has just as good a chance of putting the ball in play as anyone else on this team.

And when he gets his braces off, I’m taking him out for taffy!

Felipe Paulino Saves Rotation from Being Completely Awful by Being Completely Awesome

Since being released by the Colorado Rockies and subsequently traded to the Royals for cash considerations in May of last year, Big Phil has been a revelation. Indisputably, Paulino has always had an arsenal of good pitches; his problem, however, has been the free pass. Now that his control issues have cost him two major league gigs, it seems as though he may have learned a lesson. Though his walk totals haven’t been Greinke-esque in their magnificence, they have been much more promising than in years past. Through 31 innings (through May 30th), he has walked 12. Five of those came in his last start at the Baltimore Orioles, a game that he, not so surprisingly, lost. It’s a hard thing—walking five and still winning.

Aside from that anomaly, he has been terrific. He’s 2-0 against the Yankees, without allowing a run. He’s averaging more than a strikeout per inning. His ERA through 5 starts this May (his entire season—he missed April due to arm ouchies) is 2.03.

 Ladies and gentleman, Felipe Paulino is the ace of this staff.

Royals Cap Winning May for First Time in 18 Years

That’s right… the last time the Royals had a winning record in the month of May, it was 1994. The Lion King was topping the box office, Kurt Cobain was just getting busy being dead and OJ Simpson was a few months away from electrifying sports fans everywhere with his ability to murder people to death. In Slovakia, populist leader Vladimir Meciar wins the general election. WE WILL NEVER FORGET.

Meanwhile, here in lil’ ol’ KC, Hal McRae was leading his merry band of misfits to a shot at the AL wildcard, Vince Coleman was a year removed from blowing someone’s face off with a firecracker, and the Royals’ badass rotation was anchored by Kevin Appier, Tom Gordon and David Cone.

Then the strike crushed everyone’s hopes and dreams, and at the tender age of 12, I turned to the bottle. (of Mountain Blackberry Clearly Canadian sparkling water, but still)

So there we are… five GENUINE reasons to be excited about this team heading into June. Unlike last month’s “highlights,” I didn’t have to stretch—this time, there is no, “NOBODY DIED, HA HA HA.”

Though this team is still far from contention—we need more Paulino’s and less patchwork starts from Nate Adcock Luis “El Lobo” Mendoza—the future isn’t as bleak as some (including other writers right here on this site) might lead you to believe.

Posted in Sports | Tagged | 6 Comments

Glazer: Hot Fun in the Summertime Revisited

Posted on May 31, 2012 by admin

Go ahead and get it out of your system…

"Hey, that was yesterday Glazer!"  But I still say it’s the times of our lives that matter most. If not, then what?

I feel kinda sorry for the teenagers of today in a way. I think they’re limited as far as what to do with their nights. Not like their older brothers and sisters, right? Remember?

I know you do. Summer. School’s out, baby.

We were 16 and badass. There was the four year old Mustang I snagged for 600 bucks (today it would be worth ten or twenty times that, but who knew?). It’s Friday night and oh brother, what a night! First we’d pick up our best buds and they’d each pitch in a buck for gas. The guy who put in the most got to ride shotgun. Yeah, we’d fill that puppy up for about $3.25 or close. Enough to do KC!

Then we’d head over to Ward Parkway. It’d be getting dark and we’d see a slower, older car. So we’d pull up next to it, go into neutral and gun that sucker. Hell, who couldn’t outrun an old Rambler or whatever that geek was driving? Besides, his hair was short and ours was as long as Mick Jagger‘s. We’d be blasting The Who on FM or maybe 8 track. Yeah, we’d run right past that punk, until we saw that KCMO cop – end of race.

Winstead’s here we come.

We’d circle that bitch a few times and pull into an open bay right next to a couple blondes from South West. They’d look over and then the brave guy – in this case me – would say, ‘Hey, wanna go to a party?’ 

They’d shake their heads no. Oh well, there wasn’t a party anyway. I always wondered what we’d do if they’d said yes. Then we’d get a bit tougher and hit Allen’s and Sidney’s where more middle class Missouri kids hung out. After all, we were Johnson County teens, a little more upper crust. Not much, but a little.

Hell, I got one of my worst beatings at Sidney’s.

A dude flipped me the finger and I got out of the car to fight him. but it turned out he had three pals. My carload chickened out so it was just me in the fight. I was maybe 16. Lucky I couldn’t reach that switchblade in my boots or they’d have taken it away from me and stabbed my ass. Besides it was a cheap Mexican switchblade – you know – sometimes the blade wouldn’t come out all the way and you had to help it along.

Yeah, I got jacked up that night, some friends…

Then there were the bands. Ranchmart had some nice mini concerts, even King Louie’s ice rink on Metcalf. I loved the odor of ice, girl’s perfume, and popcorn – kinda an outta town smell.

However if you recall, even we cool guys rarely picked up a girl.

Rarely, not never.

But hell, we were afraid to ask a girl to dance for fear she’d say no and our pals would laugh at us. There was a time or two I’d get one, then she’d go out with me on Saturday night. That was always an adventure. Since I had no place to take her – I couldn’t afford hotels yet – it was off to 103rd street and into the backwoods and the backseat with a blanket atop our soon-to-be-naked bodies.

Oh well, it was better than the drive-in movies with fewer people watching.

Then there was the night the cops came right up to my fogged up window on that lonely, dark dirt road. My girl was naked under a blanket and I barely had my underwear on. They opened the door, pulled down the blanket and just gawked at her – she was a cute blonde – then they pointed their guns at me while they just looked, took our names, then ran us off.

Another night I got chased down Mission Road by a group of guys wanting to just beat me up because I had a girl in the back seat. I drove 90 down Mission, naked and looking for help. Naturally, there’s never a cop around when you need one, right?

Oh, those summer nights.

There was Prairie Village Pool, those tiny parking lot carnivals all over the city – the best was at Rockhurst. And they were building a new country club in the area with several pools – wow – it was to be called Woodside.

The summer highlights of course were the BIG CONCERTS.

At Freedom Palace, Midland, Memorial Hall. Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, The Who. Man, you had to get a new pair of bell bottoms for those puppies. Dope, that was something you needed a big brother or sister for, right? I mean at $10 a ‘lid’ or $8 for hash, it had better be the good stuff. Damn, that was some money back then. And you had to hide it while you are driving around, the cops never look in the ashtrays or under your seat.

Ah, summer in the late 60’s and early 70’s, it was a special fun time for us Boomers. We ruled the world. We were gonna make it better, more fair, remember? Legalize pot, end all wars, 10% taxes.

Yep, we were gonna make it the greatest. Then the worst thing happened….we grew up, opened a business or got jobs, got married, had kids and grew up to be as right wing as mom and dad.

WTF?

Like George Brett said in his TV commercial, "Just when you need summer the most it’s over."

Kinda like our youth. One day you just grow up.

What a shame.

Posted in Craig_Glazer | Tagged | 12 Comments

Jack Goes Confidential: Queen Theron Kicks Ass For ‘Fountain Of Youth’

Posted on May 31, 2012 by admin

This sure isn’t your parents’ fairytale anymore!
 
Universal’s SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN is a darker, edgier re-imagination of the classic fairytale.
Another historical rewrite. Except this time it’s served up as an epic action-adventure—yet still rated PG-13 to make it accessible to wide audiences.
 
We all know the story.
 
Here evil, age-defying queen Charlize Theron is taking over the kingdom in a brutal way while thriving for eternal life and beauty.
 
"You cannot defeat me, I’ve lived too many lives," she says.
 
But after learning from the magic mirror that her own (recently escaped from the tower) stepdaughter  (Kristen Stewart as Snow White) is in fact the fairest of them all, Theron goes ballistic.
 
Making matters worse, the young one has escaped and is now seeking refuge in the dark forest which effectively prevents the Queen from eliminating her. Seems none of her knights care much for taking exploratory trips into the spooky forest.
 
It will take only the best huntsman (Chris Hemsworth) to destroy the raving beauty. But HE’s switching sides and training Ms. Snow W. in the art of warfare.
 
And while there is a poisonous apple and a Princes’ magical kiss, this movie marks a grim departure from Disney’s-‘take’—not to mention the Brothers Grimm.
 
Oh, there are dwarfs alright. But no signs of a Grumpy, Sleepy or Dopey here. These little guys are portrayed by regular-size guys including Bob Hoskins, Eddie Marsan and Ian McShane among others—and they pull it off!
 
It’s SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN, with elaborate action and battle scenes, fantasy and visual effects. The psychological action-reboot scores 3 out of 5 age-defying fingers.
 
JACK GOES TO THE MOVIES Friday mornings at 6:40 a.m. on NewsRadio KMBZ Am & Fm / and anytime on Time-Warner Cable’s K.C. ON DEMAND, Channel 411 / and NEBRASKA ON DEMAND, Channel 411. 

Posted in Jack_Poessiger | Tagged | 3 Comments

Leftridge: Ween Calls it Quits, Leaving Trail of Sad Stoners in Their Wake

Posted on May 31, 2012 by admin

Last year, seminal 80’s/90’s pop-rock superstars REM announced that they were splitting it up after nearly three decades of making music. Some were distraught. Others wavered between “eh, what are you gonna do? They had a good run,” and “who cares?” Most people, however, said, “they were still a band? Weird.”

On Tuesday, odd-rock duo Ween announced that THEY were splitting up after 25 years of making music, and most people said, “who?” And while calloused and slightly sad, that response felt just about right– an indelicate testament to a couple of underrated musical geniuses.

For most people, their only exposure to Ween stemmed from one of a few places:

An appearance in 1994’s moderately funny SNL-skit-turned-feature-length-abortion It’s Pat.

Beavis and Butthead’s critique of their only minor hit, “Push th’ Little Daisies,” a bitterly joyful ode to wishing death upon someone you used to love.

 “Voodoo Lady” a track about, well, a voodoo lady, that was featured in the movies Road Trip and Dude, Where’s My Car?

“Ocean Man,” from 1997’s brilliant, nautically themed record The Mollusk that was featured in the Spongebob Squarepants movie and in a 2003 Honda Civic commercial.

Those minor instances—with, perhaps, a few others that I may be forgetting—regrettably sum up Ween’s lack of success.

For me, however, Ween was so much more.

Music is often made of the moments we attach to it. Though scientifically nothing causes more sensory association than smell, I’ve gotta figure sound—music, specifically—isn’t far behind.

Ween is sitting in the parking lot of the old, abandoned Venture store smoking cheap weed out of a pop can while Pure Guava plays through the shitty speakers of your friend’s second-hand Oldsmobile.

Ween is driving with your friends to the lake on a sticky night during summer vacation, the 12-pack of pilfered Busch Light cans slowly warming in the backseat, rendering an already awful libation nearly undrinkable.

Ween is existentialism, and chaos, and art, maybe with a dusting of light brain damage caused by huffing VCR head-cleaner. But mostly, it’s about being young and irresponsible, an insanity borne of youth. 

“Brothers” Dean and Gene Ween (Mickey Melchiondo and Aaron Freeman, respectively) started the band in 1984 in tiny New Hope, Pennsylvania, after meeting in an 8th grade typing class.  Influenced by an early 80’s “DIY punk ethos,” they began recording crude cassette tapes of their spastic music. By 1989, they’d been signed to a label and released their 26-track, debut epic, GodWeenSatan: The Oneness. The music—like everything they did—was eclectic and offbeat, drawing early comparisons to similarly unclassifiable artists.

Unlike Frank Zappa, however, Ween never took themselves too serious as “artistes.” Void of pretention, they let their music speak for itself. And their catalogue—spanning 11 studio albums, 6 live records and countless singles, b-sides and online-only releases—spoke volumes.

From the soul-tinged beauty of “Sprit of ’76” from 1994’s Chocolate and Cheese, to the maniacal, Motorhead inspired cock-rock of “It’s Gonna be a Long Night,” from 2000’s Quebec, Ween seamlessly leapt from genre to genre in the span of 3 minute intervals, more ADHD than AC/DC.

Unsurprisingly, they succeeded stylistically at everything they tried. It wasn’t that the music was simplistic—it wasn’t—it was that they (along with their mostly stable touring band and regular recording partners) were REALLY fucking great musicians. Dean shred on guitar like Hendrix on Ritalin; Gene hit high-notes capable of making Prince blush.

 Unfortunately, drugs and frantic live shows took their inevitable toll, as they are wont to do, and Freeman (Gene) eventually hit a wall, checking himself into rehab last year to deal with lingering substance abuse issues. A few weeks ago, he released his first solo album, Marvelous Clouds, and on Tuesday, told Rolling Stone, “For me it’s a closed book. In life sometimes, in the universe, you have to close some doors to have others open.”

In classic, erratic Ween fashion, Melchiondo apparently had no idea.

If this does spell the end, that’s too bad. Though they hadn’t released an album since 2007’s La Cucaracha, and it seemed unlikely that they’d ever top their early work, I’m betting they still had some magic to share. Their live shows—ridiculously long-winded pageantries of bliss and excess—were amazing. It would be a crying shame to deprive the world of such brilliance. 

Here’s to you, Ween, for making the world a weirder, better place.
 

Posted in Entertainment | Tagged | 9 Comments

Edelman: Not a Normal Week; KC Hosts Four New Broadway Musicals Starting Tuesday

Posted on May 31, 2012 by admin

It’s not every week that four new Broadway musicals come to town…

You’re more likely to find OKLAHOMA! in the park. But the six days starting this Tuesday (Monday’s “dark,” as we say in show biz) can boast just that.

The week gets started with a musical about a family dealing with their biopolar, prescription drug-addicted, possibly suicidal mom. No, MARY POPPINS doesn’t come to town til next year. The aforementioned musical is NEXT TO NORMAL (June 5-10 at the Kauffman Center) , an amazing journey through contemporary suburban life. Kids get high, Mom goes to therapy– and did I mention it was funny as hell? N2N won a passel of awards on Broadway, including the Tony for best music and book and the Pulitzer—one of only about 10 musicals to ever win that drama prize (RENT was the last one). Oh, and the show rocks—composer Tom Kitt scored Green Day’s Broadway entry, AMERICAN IDIOT and he wrote the music for BRING IT ON, which opens this summer in the Big Apple.

Definitely not your grandmother’s Broadway musical.

Day and date with N2N is another terrific musical, this one outdoors at Starlight. IN THE HEIGHTS took home the Best Musical Tony Award,  ingeniously rapping its way through life in Hispanic Washington Heights, NYC. This trials and tribulations tale of folks chasing the American Dream is moving, funny and always musical. HEIGHTS has probably the best dancing you’re going to see at Starlight all summer- so check it out.

Last week, I mentioned the Unicorn’s “after Broadway premier” of EVERYDAY RAPTURE, the smart, funny, poignant story of Topeka born and bred Sherie Rene Scott, who says good-bye to her uptight Mennonite family and hello to the bright lights of Sodom and Gomorrah Broadway. It’s a hoot; and Katie Gilchrist steps up as one of the best new musical theater actresses in town (adding to her already sizable rep as a fine dramatic performer). RAPTURE closes Sunday, June 10; so you’ve only got this weekend and next to check it out.

And way out in OP, the New Theatre Restaurant abandons old comedies for a slick new production of the Tony Award-nominated Best Musical 25th ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE (now thru June 17). That title’s a mouthful—just like NTR’s tasty buffet—and it’s a good deal hipper than most dinner theater fare. Hats off to Richard Carrothers and Dennis Hennessy—celebrating 40 years producing great theater in our town—for assembling a fine local company, including KC newcomer Tina Maddigan, who starred in the original Broadway MAMMA MIA, and Scott and Lisa’s talented kid Sam Cordes. Even NTR’s obligatory TV star—in this case Richard (“Home Improvement”) Karn—proves himself an able thespian in this entertaining musical romp.

Four musicals and six days to catch em (matinees Saturday and Sunday for all but Starlight).  Save the plane fare, $350 a night NYC hotel and $25 a day parking and stay home for some great Broadway next week.

PHOTO: Diana (Deb Lyons) and her husband Dan (Jonathan Rayson) celebrate the birthday of their son in Theater League’s presentation of  NEXT TO NORMAL.

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Sounds Good:Wakarusa Ahead, Blitzen Trapper@Riot Room, Devil Makes Three Crossroads & Buzz Beach Ball

Posted on May 30, 2012 by admin

 It is upon us…

The Wakarusa Festival is this weekend (finally!) down on beautiful Mulberry Mountain in northeast Arkansas.  Who am I most excited to see you ask?  Well, here’s my preliminary list, which is sure to change as we go: 

Soulive & Lettuce, G-Love, The Avett Bros., Del McCoury Band, SAVOY, Nathaniel Rateliff, Lyrics Born, Ghostland Observatory and Matisyahu. 

Anyone else heading down for the weekend?  If so, who are you looking forward to most?

If not, here’s what’s happening in the KC/Lawrence area this week…     

Thursday, May 31st

Blitzen Trapper @ the Riot Room in KC 

Over the past three or so years, this Portland band has gone from indie darling to mainstream touring act to kind of yesterday’s news.  But these guys are still putting out great country tinged folk songs on the vaunted Sub Pop label and playing mid-sized theaters along with some bigger festival dates including Wakarusa and a couple dates in Minnesota with Wilco.  

 

 

The Devil Makes Three @ Crossroads KC

I guess the best description of these guys is folk punk, if you’re into that whole “labels” deal.  But don’t take my word for it.  Here’s how the Oakland Tribune’s Jim Harrington described the band: 

“The Devil Makes Three has been able to attract such a comparatively eclectic fan base — which includes Deadheads, bluegrass barflies, old-school string-band afficionados and, yes, even a few punk rockers — by keeping the music straightforward and uncomplicated.”

Lots of folks will get a taste this summer as the band hits the road to play Wakarusa, Bonnaroo, Telluride Bluegrass Fest, High Sierra, All Good, and Lollapalooza, among others. 

Friday, June 1st

G-Love & Special Sauce @ KC Live! In P & L

I like cold beverages.  G-Love likes cold beverages.  So I can really relate to Philly-born and bred blues-folk guitarist G-Love.  He’s been churning out soulful and stripped down melodies ala Jack Johnson or Dave Matthews for what must be almost 20 years now, and doesn’t look like he’s slowing down any.  In fact, G-Love kind of discovered Jack Johnson in 1999 when Johnson was a pro surfer making surf films on the side.  G-Love put a version of Jack’s song Rodeo Clowns on 1999’s Philadelphonic, an album that stands up still as a great summer night’s listen.

Saturday, June 2nd

White Ghost Shivers @ the Granada in Lawrence

Kind of old-timey I guess, is how I would describe this Austin band.  But they also get described as vaudeville, jazz, hillbilly, swing, ragtime, and other things.  Yes, it’s tough to nail down this 7 piece band that features the slide whistle, clarinet, jug, piano, and violin (to name just a few).  So I won’t try to do that here.  Just know they put on a helluva show, and they just won the “Best of None of the Above” category at the Austin Music Awards.

 

 

Buzz Beach Ball w/ Foster the People, the Shins, the Kooks, and more @ LIVESTRONG Sporting Park 

Anyone else get the urge to strangle whomever or whatever is within arm’s length when Foster the People’s Pumped Up Kicks comes on the radio?  The ridiculously catchy, poppy, crappy anthem of I-don’t-know-what has so dominated the airwaves for the last year that it’s hard to neutrally evaluate anything else the band does at this point.  Maybe I’m just jaded.  OK, I definitely am.  Plus I saw them on SNL a few months back and they were horrible.  Just terrible. 

But the Shins should be cool.  They have a decent new-ish album out called Port of morrow, the long awaited follow up to 2007’s surprise hit Wincing the Night Away that took off after a bunch of the songs were used on the soundtrack to Garden State.  And the Kooks are fairly interesting as well.  Plus, you can bet that after a season of concerts under their belt, the LIVESTRONG folks will have everything fine tuned, including the sound (hopefully).

Posted in Entertainment | Tagged | 3 Comments

Starbeams: George Brett Tweets for Lost Do, Kim Kardashian as Minnie Mouse

Posted on May 30, 2012 by admin

George Brett turned to Twitter to help find his lost dog Wednesday morning. And 10,000 Twitter followers were frantically searching for a dog that refused to sign autographs.

*******

A raccoon was stranded for hours atop a tall pole in the Northland Tuesday. A maintenance worker
was able to knock the raccoon from the top and its nasty fall to the ground was caught on video.
Residents believe the pole-sitting raccoon is not sick, but it’s not wellllllll.

*******

Kim Kardashian Tweeted a home video of her fourth birthday party when she dressed like Minnie Mouse.
Just in case I forget to "clear history" on my browser…that’s the Kardashian video I’m watching, dear.

Kelly Urich hosts the mornin show on The Point, 99.7 FM

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Hearne: Caveat Emptor @ Not So ‘Picturesque’ Oceans of Fun

Posted on May 30, 2012 by admin

Tis the season…

To go swimming, of course. And with Memorial Day weekend in the rearview mirror, the heat is on for locals to sign up at local swimming holes, hit the country club or in many cases…head to Oceans of Fun. You know, that paragon of pay-per-swim "amusement park" located near Liberty alonside former Chiefs owner Lamar Hunt‘s other brainchild, Worlds of Fun.

Here’s how Wikipedia describes Oceans:

  "A tropically-themed water park that opened on May 31, 1982 in Kansas City, Missouri to celebrate World’s of Fun’s 10th year anniversary. At the time it was opened it was the largest water park in the world. It is owned and operated by Cedar Fair Entertainment Co."

Which doesn’t, of course, speak to the "experience" awaiting families and swinging singles in search of giant slides, wave pools, "lazy rivers" and the like.

Enter Topeka mom Ann Thompson and her 9 and 13 year-old sons who ventured out to Oceans Sunday to capture the experience and launch the summer swim season.

Thompson’s take on her experience was less than she imagined.

"I would never go to with a date," she says. "if a date wanted me to go to Oceans of Fun I would never go out with them again."

Why so harsh?

"Because there’s probably no other place on this planet where I’ve seen more obese, toothless people with back hair – both sexes – ever. Ever!"

The "family scene" wasn’t much better, Thompson says.

"I’ve never seen so many overweight children in my life either," she says. "There was this one woman in line in front of me to get a drink and she had her two-year old daughter with her. And she bought her a really bi, like 64 ounce Coke and her daughter was screaming for it. And when she got it she started gulping it down – it was disgusting.

"I mean, that’s why kids are obese today. Because their parents shove sodas down their throats at the age of two. And the lines were just jam-packed with hot, sweaty, disgusting people. It was so gross. I mean, the largest people on the planet go to Oceans of Fun.

"And the thought of me sharing water with them was disgusting. I never fully submered, put it that way

There’s more…

"There was basically no room to stand in the wave pool it was so crowded," Thompson continues. "I also saw a ton of bad tatoos."

How about the Hotties Quotient?

"There was only one hottie that I saw the entire afternoon," Thompson says. "And he was standing next to me on one of the rides with his little girl. And no babes, not one. It seemed to me the people oversall were better-looking at the Schlitterbahn. I went there the first year."

The sum up:

"I am not going back anytime soon," Thompson vows. "I fulfilled my motherly duties for the summer. Thank god I didn’t get the season pass. My kids had a blast," she says. "But it’s a sacrifice a mother has to make for her children."

 

 

Posted in Hearne_Christopher | Tagged | 35 Comments

Glazer: Big 12 Goes from Near Death to on Top of the World

Posted on May 30, 2012 by admin

Just a season back there was great fear that the Big 12 would vanish completely…

It seemed like just about everybody wanted to jump ship. Why? Money of course. Around here the big surprise was Missouri leaving for the SEC. Losing Nebraska was a bit shocking. Nobody much cared about Colorado leaving, but Missouri going was a blow.

There was all the talk that nobody much wanted Kansas because of the small TV market and it’s football didn’t matter.  The fact that Kansas was a great school and had a legendary basketball program didn’t seem to make much of a difference. Nope, it was all about football, TV contracts, money and the power that it brings. Nothing else.

In the past the geographic location of your school seemed to matter.

The Pacific Coast wanted schools out west, the Big 10 and Big 12 wanted the Midwest and North, and so on. Today, well how about this possible move: Clemson or Florida State to the Big 12? So I guess location no longer matters either.

The great news is the Big 12 went from dead to hot.

That’s right, the list of big name schools considering a move to the Big 12 is growing by the week. Talks are going on right now with Clemson, Maryland, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Brigham Young and yes, even Notre Dame. My word, what a difference a few months makes. From dead to on top of the college football world, or at least near there.

While Notre Dame, the plumb in so many ways, is still thinking about it, the Big 12 may be its best bet.

The football TV giant wants to enter either the Big 12 or maybe the ACC, but keep its football deal out of the equation. In other words we commit to everything BUT FOOTBALL. Why? THE MONEY. 

Notre Dame is on TV every week. But I think its clear that if the Big 12 accepted Notre Dame, they feel in time the football team would jump in as well, just not now. Oddly, the Notre Dame image on the field has taken some major hits. They are no longer a giant football power. It’s been many years since they battled for a national title. Still they have the NAME, and the power that goes with it.

A college play-off system is near and needed.

Likely there will be bowl games of some sort for the NON playoff teams – a big fall from grace for remaining bowls. Why? MONEY.

In the end the Big 12, soon to be led by new commissioner Bob Bowlsby is the big winner.

The one thing about life you can always count on is change..and usually for MONEY.

Posted in Craig_Glazer | Tagged | 4 Comments

New Jack City: Memorial Day, a Celebration of Pricey Foods & Mattresses

Posted on May 29, 2012 by admin

Inquiring minds want to know…

Why all the huge crowds this past holiday weekend at Whole Foods Market with its hefty pricing when we’re supposed to be in such a fragile economy? Evidently the state of the union doesn’t apply to upscale shoppers or someone neglected to let them in on the recession.
 
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Why can’t Kansas grocery operators convince Topeka that we shoppers would prefer to make our beer and wine purchases at the same time—and place—where we’re shopping for food items?
 
Just like it’s done on the Missouri side of the state line!
 
But no, it’s either near-beer at Kansas supermarkets or drive somewhere else for the real deal thirst quencher.
After all Kansas lets us buy medicine at the grocery’s pharmacy without having to waste time and gasoline with another stop.

It’s just so behind the times.
 
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
 
With an announced attendance by symphony maestro Michael Stern of a crowd in excess of 50,000 persons at Monday’s Celebration At The Station, my question is, where were the African-American fans at the holiday event? KCPT-TV cameras scanned the audience constantly throughout the two-hour-plus live telecast, yet, without exception, all I saw in that sea of humanity were white faces.
 
And this in a midtown setting?
 
Maybe a more contemporary mix of classical, patriotic and urban-friendly selections would’ve brought a more diverse crowd? Larger even!
 
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
 
Why was the JoCo library system, usually open seven days a week, closed both Sunday and Monday-Memorial Day weekend when the Matt Ross Community Center in OP stayed open the entire holiday weekend?
(Matt Ross did operate with reduced hours Monday.)
 
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
 
When and why did Memorial Day weekends become the focal point of mattress marketeers?
Where did the solemn tradition of honoring our fallen and loved ones get tied into a celebration of mattress sales, memory foam and box springs?
 
Obviously I don’t have any of theses answers…I’m just asking.

Posted in Jack_Poessiger | Tagged | 5 Comments