Glazer: KC Comedy Kingpin David Naster Calls it Quits

Posted on November 27, 2011 by admin

Without a doubt, David Naster, as much as my family, started big time comedy in Kansas City…

It was David who came to me in late 1979 with idea of doing comedy upstairs in the Tree-House lounge on the weekend nights. So on a Sunday night with Grandpa Bennie and Jeff Glazer it all began.

David Naster was the star. He killed every weekend night.

In fact, because of how good the shows were Stanford’s became the focus of the then popular PM Magazine television show. David brought in his pals to co-star including Jeff Tamblin, Elliot Threat, Tom Burgeon and many more who started with Stanford’s because of David. In fact it was David who brought in Sinbad and Louie Anderson. Those two went on to huge TV and film stardom and to this day they are household names.

Last night David ended his final show on Saturday Night around midnight.

He had four great sets from Friday through Saturday. David would have worked all week, but due to a minor leg injury he was not able too do the entire week. When he closed the show David told the crowd, "I love comedy, it’s been my life, it will continue to be in film (he has a feature documentary on the way) and books. I will continue to do corporate events, however tonight is my last night on stage doing stand-up comedy as I have for 32 years."

It ended where it began 32 years ago.

That’s the way it should have ended. David is and always was a comedy Icon in Kansas City. Naster performed all over the world, was runner up to Rosie O’donnell on Star Search. He’s opened for Celine Dion, was on television show The Vibe with his pal Sinbad. And he did too many comedy clubs and theaters to name. David has been the toastmaster on so many Kansas City public stages, including Red Friday’s in Westport. Naster also was a morning radio fixture on 101 The Fox with the Dawn Patrol.

We both attended Shawnee Mission high schools in the 70’s, me at East, David at West. In high school we fought over the same girl, Mary Knootz. So we have a long history together. Over the years we often didn’t see each other but kept up on each others careers.

I’m often asked about Naster’s career.

David had the chops to be a bid national star, he just didn’t get lucky like Sinbad who was not his equal.

However, Naster has made a very nice living doing comedy his entire adult life. And he still does. David does cruise ships, writes books and is still a strong name in corporate comedy.

Naster wants to get his documentary to Sundance. It’s about why comedy matters. Naster’s message; "You Just Have To Laugh." He feels comedy is often the best medicine.

I agree. David is one of a kind.

We had a fun weekend. Even a heckler reminded us both of the good old days of Westport, when we were all young and life was a bowl of cherries. Yeah, right. Well, we were younger at least.

I don’t think we have seen the last of David Naster. Like other KC Icons, including the late Bill Grigsby, David will keep on bringing the funny for the rest of his life.

David, I love you man – you did so much for us and Kansas City.

Posted in Craig_Glazer | Tagged | 20 Comments

Today: T’was the Night Before Black Friday & All Through the Cowtown…

Posted on November 25, 2011 by admin

Let’s get right to the heart of the matter…

Greed is good – within reason. Face it, it’s the American Way. Without avarice – and its partner-in-crime marketing – we’d still be chiseling football scores onto cave walls. Flabby dudes would be stuck wearing loincloths at the beach instead of Speedos. And McRib would be the part of the Saber Tooth Tiger everyone threw away.

Which brings us to the Midnight Madness inflicted on KC consumers Thanksgiving night.

The mall and store openings born to a marraige of hype and tripe, greed versus need. Think about it. From a retailing standpoint, what’s the difference between dragging folks out of bed for a 6 a.m. sale the Friday after Thanksgiving and convincing them to bail on their families six hours earlier in the middle of the holiday?

For what?  To do battle over a handful of cheap ass LCD television "doorbusters"?

Allow me to address the subject.

From a standpoint of sales, people are gonna spend what they’re gonna spend.  So tradition busting likely yields very little, if anything, to retailer’s bottom lines. The flip side of which is for many locals – workers and shoppers – it was a dagger in the back of one of Amerca’s greatest holidays.

Instead of hanging at home chowing on Big Bird, watching football, catching a holiday movie, the Plaza Lights or even reflecting on the concept of being thankful, thousands of locals passed their holiday afternoon and evening shivering in ridiculously long lines at area parking lots.

Take soon-to-graduate K-State student Joel Grogan…

Grogan was one of the first into the Mission Target when it opened at midnight and the first to make it out alive with a $298,  46-inch Westinghouse LCD TV in tow.

"I saved $251," Grogan says. "I got here  at 6 p.m."

And with a fat, chocked-full-of-ads Thanksgiving Day newspaper to celebrate, the Kansas City Star couldn’t wait to suck up to advertisers today with a front-page headline shouting, "Buyers Plunge Into Season."

On and on it went, rehashing widely reported details like that 152 million people nationwide were expected to shop on Black Friday, up 10 percent from last year. While kissing up advertisers like to Zona Rosa by assigning a reporter – presumeably Joyce Smith whose byline adorned the story – to shadow a woman who won a three-hour, $1,000 gift card gift card shopping spree that had to be completed that night.

Blow-by-tedious blow, Smith documented the woman’s shop-a-thon in no less that 10 painfully-long, individually headlined graphs. As if she was documenting the 12 Labors of Hercules. At 12:20 a.m. the chick got the gift card. "I’m shaking," she said. She hit the Gap at 12:35 a.m. Tried to go to Dillard’s at 1:25 a.m. but it was closed.

From Ann Taylor to Victoria’s Secret, Dick’s and Old Navy – no advertiser went un-jerked.

Mercifully, the gift card money (and Smith’s ink) ran out at 2:43 a.m. Maybe they’ll show a clip of it at halftime during Sunday night’s Chiefs game.

The story continues with perfunctory – dry as a bone – tales of what went down at other Star advertiser’s malls. The Legends, Independence Center and Oak Park.

For example, the lots were full by 10 p.m. at Legends and many of its stores offered discounts. Imagine that.

Some chick named Avondale (that a girl’s name?) hit Independence Center around 2:30 a.m. looking for some jewelry bargains and and another said that Wal Mart was crowded. Riveting.

And my pal Kevin Collison (that was you, wasn’t it, dude?) hopped out of bed Friday and rolled out to Oak Park Mall at 9 a.m. to let readers know it was busy "with most shoppers carrying shopping bags." I’ll bet most of em had shoes on too, but Kevin left that part out.

Collison did serve as the voice of reason in Smith’s story, even though his two-liner got stuck at the back of the bus where few may have seen it. In a quote by some chick from Paola who didn’t make it out the night before because she said it was "ridculous" and "I wanted to be with our family."

Way to risk pissing off the advertisers, big guy.

Posted in Hearne_Christopher | Tagged | 7 Comments

Glazer: Scribe Readies for Rip Snorting Weekend of Pigskin Debauchery

Posted on November 25, 2011 by admin

Last week I had a nice pro day but a poor college day…

Let’s see if I can even that up this week. My numbers for the season have gone down a bit to 81% but are still very good. So let’s get on with it, shall we?
 
Another game of the year, already is LSU  at home vs. Arkansas. No.1 against No. 3. If it were at Arkansas I would still like LSU. They have a pro set defense as they proved in Alabama. As for MU/KU….lots of points for MU but I still kinda like them over KU even with the points. Houston is the new hot dog out there – they are on the road at Tulsa – but I still like Houston.
 
In the pros, slim pickens. Steelers should shut down KC, with or without Kyle Schmo Dog. I agree with Brandon, all this can do is add a win or two to KC’s horrible year and take us out of the running for a franchise college  quarterback. I think we still end up 4-12 or 5-11.

And we all want to see Ricky at least once! Why not?

College:
 
LSU -6 over Arkansas (tease 6 either way must win both)
 
Houston 3 over Tulsa (tease with LSU)
 
Wisconsin -8 over Penn State (tease with)
 
Alabama -15 over Auburn (tease)
 
Stanford -1 over Notre Dame(tease)
 
ASU even over Cal.
 
MU -25 over KU
 

PRO:
 
Saints -1 over Giants (tease with Steelers)
 
Steelers -4 over KC (tease with Saints)
 
Oakland over Teebow…bonus

Posted in Craig_Glazer | Tagged | 11 Comments

Glazer: The Fall and Rise of Westport & the Impending Demise of the P&L

Posted on November 25, 2011 by admin

You heard it right, Westport is on baby, back on big time…

Hey, I’ve even pissed on them the last few years. NO WAY, NO HOW. But now Nigro and company are winning big time. For the following reasons.

First of all the crime is way, way down. Westport security is doing an outstanding job. KC Police have helped but with the ending of hip-hop in Westport and nationwide, its crowds are growing again.

I was there last Saturday and went to almost every bar. Even the former Stanford’s – now the Gusto Lounge – had a nice crowd. All hipsters and tech music with a live DJ on the old patio, and a redone, almost WW ll looking decor inside. They stripped most of the woodwork off the walls and now it has that bombed out look. Hey, its working for the new guys. More than 100 all-white hipsters were rocking, drinking and who knows what else. It looked like Westport in 1985 – big comeback.

We left and went to the old Blayney’s now called THE UNION and again, there were big hipster crowds, ages 23-38. The downstairs was wall-to-wall people, same as Gusto. People wearing drab, gray outfits, techno music and kinda middle class and clean cut.

And Kelly’s, led by Kyle‘s daughter Colleen, was packed with the same kinda crowd. Westport had tons of energy and appeared quite safe. When America’s Pub goes at the first of the year it will be even busier.

The older crowd was at Harry’s, McCoy’s and the Beer Kitchen, even the once dead Harpo’s was busy!

Impressive.

The Trolley was full and yes it has helped with the comeback and is working. The Trolley brings 500-800 people down on a weekend and THAT MATTERS.

In the meantime the Power & Light District is starting to really fail.

Most bars and clubs have already either closed or are very slow except Saturday nights. There’s no real leader and people hate the parking and corporate bar style. It’s more of a special occasion area than an every night place.

And since hardly anybody lives down there, t just can’t sustain the large crowds needed for success.

Westport and The Plaza still have better parking and are safer now.

The Plaza has three new hot spots as well, so they too are on the move up with nightlife.

Once Westport gets maybe two more good tenants to match the growing hipster movement, a little more cleaned up and dumps the Pub, it’s game on!

Westport will take the No. 1 spot back within two years easily.

Really, I’m shocked. You have to hand it to Nigro, the Kelly’s and James Westphal (McCoys). They stayed the course and now are about to win. It’s nice to have a positive story on KC for once. It sure was a great feeling down there two Saturdays ago. I believe all that hard work is going to pay off.

IT’S ON. Go check it out.

Posted in Craig_Glazer | Tagged | 17 Comments

Leftridge: Say Goodnight to the Border War

Posted on November 25, 2011 by admin

Without rivalries, football would be little more than (mostly) fit men scampering around a well-manicured lawn in tight pants chasing a ball no bigger than an obese Chihuahua. Dubious, at best. 

Rivalries, however, give us conflict, lend intrigue and substantiate purpose.

Who were the Hatfield’s without the McCoy’s? Dirty hillbillies, that’s who.

The 2004 Red Sox World Series win wouldn’t have been nearly as memorable if the road to the championship hadn’t included a historic run through the New York Yankees and a bloody, sweat-soaked sock.

Ricky “the Dragon” Steamboat fought epic, timeless battles against Ric Flair in the days of the NWA, back when it was acceptable to have a wrestler embrace the persona of a dragon.

You get the idea.

With that in mind, I introduce you to college football’s rivalry week, an enduring testament to competition, exemplified. And in terms of college football rivalry, it gets no better than Saturday’s matchup between Albany and Stony Brook.

The Seawolves, who are 6-0 and leading the Big South, started off 2011 with three straight losses. Since their last blast in the teeth from Brown, however, they’ve reeled off 8 straight victories, including a season-signature walloping of Gardner-Webb, 76-28.

Last week against Liberty, quarterback Kyle Essington was his usual, efficient self, protecting the ball with tenacity of a mother bear guarding her cubs, going 14 of 20 for 250 yards, with three scores and nary an interception to be found. This Saturday against the rival Great Danes, however…

Okay, you know what?

I’m making all of this up. Well, to be fair, I’m not making it up—these are real teams, those are real stats and they really are playing one another this weekend—RIVALRY! But you don’t care (unless you went to either one of these schools, and in which case, I say, huh? Whatever brings you here?). The real story this weekend is the battle between good and evil, light and dark, the Drinker and the Stinker.

In the shadow of the gigantic Arrowhead scoreboard (which seems unlikely, as this game will be played under the cover of darkness), Missouri will battle Kansas in one last chance at supremacy, with nothing but a hundred years of hatred on the line. Though blood has been spilled, families decimated and dreams of slave-ownership crushed like so many rotten tomatoes, this rivalry, both historic and tragic, will reach its climactic conclusion on Saturday night.

Unless you’ve been living under a weathered 19th century headstone, you know that Mizzou is heading to the SEC and KU? Well, after this season, they may just disband that football team and count their losses, once and for final.

Kansas is bad. Powerful bad, as it were, and against a modestly adequate Missouri Tigers football squad, they don’t stand a chance.

There’s a lot to be said about heart, spirit, intensity, and that pesky old “rivalry” school-of-thought. It’s virtually a scientific fact that one always plays twice as hard against a divisional opponent (just ask the Chargers, a few weeks ago against the lowly Chiefs), but all of the back-breaking hatred in the world isn’t enough to carry the Jayhawks to victory over a substantially superior Tigers’ team.

See if I’m wrong.

If recent history is any indication, the Tigers will soundly trounce their border-adversaries, 128-3. If the Hawks have an ounce of moxie within their hollow bones, it may be 55-10. 

Regardless, it is my firm prediction that this classic battle between good and evil, light and dark—well, you know the rest—will end in a decidedly unspectacular manner. Imagine the confederates driving an M1-A1 straight into the fray, a drunken Gary Pinkel poised precariously on the half-track.

For KU, it just doesn’t seem fair.

Turner Gill went into the battle with a powder-loaded hand cannon; he’ll come out in pieces.

Farewell, rivalry; you were fun while you lasted.
 

Posted in Sports | Tagged | 5 Comments

Edelman: Giving Thanks for Kansas City Jazz

Posted on November 24, 2011 by admin

Kansas City, say thank you for jazz…

The Chiefs may suck, Royals disappoint, politicians irritate, the economy drags us down— but then there’s jazz. Seven nights a week, fifty-two weeks a year, our town boasts a fine line-up of musicians and the dedicated (and daft) club owners who keep the lights on, booze flowing and stages lit.

I don’t know about you, but I’m thankful for that.

Jazz makes our town special. It’s what KC contributed to world culture, where we left our mark, what we’ll be remembered (and celebrated) for long after the Plaza becomes an outlet mall. That tradition remains vibrant today thanks to the valiant efforts of the folks who run the Blue Room, Jardine’s, the Phoenix, the Majestic, Chaz on the Plaza, the Drum Room, 1911 Main and their suburban cousins, West Chase Grille, Gaslight Grill, and Take Five.

I try to check out the jazz scene wherever I travel and I can assure you– outside NYC and maybe LA, there’s no place with more jazz to offer, week in and week out. Chicago has maybe four clubs, St Louis a couple. I don’t know DC, Boston or Philly, but I’ll bet little ole Cowtown more than competes. Do it on a per capita basis, and KC’s live jazz scene is awesome.

Look around this weekend and you’ll see what I mean.

Friday night, you can catch vocalist Megan Birdsall and Mark Lowery at Jardine’s; Rich Hill, Bram Wijnands and world class guitarist Rod Fleeman at the Majestic; Stan Kessler and Joe Cartwright at Take Five (151st and Nall); the vivacious Monique Danielle at the Drum Room; trombonist Dave Scott at the Blue Room; entertainer extraordinaire Lonnie McFadden at the Phoenix; Max Groove at Chaz and the ubiquitous Alice Jenkins at Cafe Trio. Saturday night Ida McBeth holds court at Beena’s place, Kerry Strayer joins the aforementioned Professor Cartwright at West Chase, the Sons of Brasil make things mellow at 1911 Main, Tim Whitmer mans the 88s at the Phoenix, Charles Williams continues his streak at Skies at the Hyatt Regency and they jam all night at the Mutual Musicians Foundation. Sunday belongs to the Wild Women at Jazz at Jardine’s, which follows its weekend hat trick with Karrin Allyson in town for shows Monday and Tuesday.

Great young players keep the flow of talent moving and grooving. A big holiday thank you to Bobby Watson and the UMKC jazz program, along with half a dozen other ed outlets, for instilling in these up and comers the KC heart and soul of Andy Kirk, Mary Lou Williams, Jay McShann, Basie, Parker, Pres, Joe Turner, and all of the warped but wonderful legends who wrote KC’s chapters in music history. 

In all this Happy Thanksgiving, there’s a note of sorrow, too. Stephanie Laws and Trio ends their long running gig at Benton’s in Crown Center– that room goes away after this weekend. But, per above, there’s alot of jazz to be thankful for. We’ll miss Ms Laws in that lovely venue, but look forward to lots of great music every place else.

Thanks, Kansas City jazz,  for that.

Posted in Entertainment | Tagged | 1 Comment

Leftridge: A Thanksgiving Blessing for That Which We Do Not Deserve

Posted on November 24, 2011 by admin

It’s important to remember what we’re thankful for right?

Isn’t that what this Indian-murdering holiday is all about? Well, first I suppose I’m thankful for my forefathers who murdered all of those Indians. Without their noble efforts, who knows where we’d be (and since I’ve got a good-bit of Indian blood in me as well, I’d like to say, "Patience, brothers. Our time will come once again. 

"When the white man least suspects it, after his society has crumbled mightily due to years of greed and distress, we will rise once again, murdering his sleeping children under the cover of night, raping his women beneath a brilliant moon, and scalping his honky-ass before making jerky from the soles of his feet."

So in short, I’ll be killing children, raping moms and cannibalizing white dudes over the holiday.

Sincerely,
Dude-Who-Writes-on-Sports

Posted in News_and_Views | Tagged | 12 Comments

Hearne: Rapscallions of the World Unite; KCC Wishes You a Happy Thanksgiving

Posted on November 24, 2011 by admin

In a universe where few holds go unbarred, it’s hard to come up with the words to express what passes for the gratitude of the KC Confidential family to our readers…

Especially given the vast majority of you have the decency, good sense and good taste to steer clear of the hardscrabble world that is the comments section.  You’re a silent majority of sorts, albeit a very important one.

Is it halfway safe to assume that the 99 percent-plus of you who never comment are ardent admirers and true  believers in the words set forth by the scribe-otherwise-known-as Craig Glazer? Or that your fondest desire would be to hug it out with me while professing that I can do no wrong?

Not likely.

Or that so awed are you by brainiacs Brandon Leftridge, Kelly Urich, Larry Hovick, Tony, Brian McTavish, Matt Donnelly, The Mermaid and Jack Poessiger that you dare not lift your voices? Even in praise.

OK, well, maybe.

More than likely though, it’s simply because you’re halfway normal and choose to take or leave our lunatic  ramblings and move on with your lives after being entertained and/or enlightened or enraged.

Hey, who wants to get called out in public for a fight anyway?

All of that said, let the word go forth that we do very much appreciate your patronage. This is far more a crime of passion than a get-rich-quick scheme, therefore your readership matters to us greatly.

So on behalf of all of us (and the punching bags that have gone before), a very sincere thanks. For your interest, your patience, your understanding, your misunderstanding, your anger, you-name-it.

As for your part in this prickly equation, remember, no duty is more urgent than that of your return.

Posted in Hearne_Christopher | Tagged | 5 Comments

Leftridge: Facts About the Kyle Orton Pick-Up; Chiefs Subtract with Addition

Posted on November 24, 2011 by admin

Fact 1: The Chiefs picked Kyle Orton up on Wednesday, before more deserving teams (see: teams in actual playoff contention) could do so. If you’re the Chicago Bears, the Houston Texans, the Detroit Lions (come on—we all know it’s a matter of time before Matt Stafford separates his shoulder reaching for his soda at a Wendy’s drive-thru), the Philadelphia Eagles (Vick is more vulnerable than an emaciated pit-bull in a throat-tearing-contest… too soon? Nope) or the Dallas Cowboys (see: the Detroit Lions’ conundrum), you’ve gotta be super-pissed.

What business do the god-awful Chiefs have in making this move? Well, none, really.
 

Fact 2: Kyle Orton is better than Matt Cassel. Easily. Inarguably.

Cassel, in seven professional seasons, has thrown for 11,699 yards. Orton has played in six, and he’s thrown for 13,753. Orton has thrown more TD’s (and more interceptions, but “pobodies nerfect” LOL LOL LOL LOL), gets sacked significantly less (probably because he doesn’t flee at the drop of a mouthpiece) and has a better completion percentage (career, vs. Cassel’s time in KC). It’s also worth noting that Cassel has had the benefit of better receivers (Randy Moss, Wes Welker, Dwayne Bowe, hell, even Jabar Gaffney) than Orton (Brandon Marshall, Brandon Lloyd and… well, Jabar, again).

Cassel sucks. Orton sucks slightly less.

Fact 3: The fact that Orton is better is a bad thing, because he gives Kansas City a greater chance to win than Cassel did. And why is this bad? Well, it means that the Chiefs could pull off one or two more wins than they might have with Matt. This means that their draft-positioning suffers, and my dream of Robert Griffin III wearing red and gold goes unrealized.

While I was only mildly supportive of the “Suck for Luck” campaign (nobody should consciously root AGAINST their team—you know, unless they’ve got like, ‘they’re gonna take my kid’s finger’ money on the game), I was firmly in the “Lay a Turd for Robert Griffin the Third” camp. Look, once it became clear that the Chiefs were as awful as they are, but not quite as bad as Indianapolis, all bets were off the table. At that point, I say lose, and lose heartily, boys.

Fact 4: Kyle doesn’t want to be here. He reportedly asked the Chiefs to NOT pick him up, as he was hoping to land in Chicago (with a better team who also needs help). He’s played for Chicago before and would fit well in Mike Martz”s system. Additionally, he knows the River North area of Chicago well, as it is common knowledge that he likes to party like a bastard. I’m not sure how much of an allure the Power and Light or Plaza would hold for such an unlikely, jet-setting playboy. In fact, I’m afraid that right now, as we speak, Orton is at a trashy bar somewhere in the Midtown area with Sly James‘ son, ready to get his lady-punch on.

Bottom line, who wants someone who doesn’t want you?

Fact 5: Grabbing Orton means the Chiefs have NO confidence in Iowa’s Ricky Stanzi. It goes without saying that Tyler Palko is pretty worthless. Nobody is debating this. So you send him out, you let him suck for a game—maybe two—and then you stick with Rick. If he’s awful, so be it.

And yeah, maybe he becomes a human pancake at the hands of our deplorable offensive line, but you’re leaving no unanswered questions. If you don’t give him a chance, however, in an otherwise optimal situation (nothing to lose), you wasted a 5th round draft pick. Congrats, Pioli.

Fact 6: Orton cost almost nothing, and when the Chiefs let him walk at the end of the season, they get a draft pick. This isn’t a bad thing at all. In this regard, it’s a wonder a shittier team didn’t lay claim (St. Louis, Carolina, Indy, et al).

Fact 7: Kyle Orton has the best neck-beard of anyone in the National Football League. Again, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. In fact, factoring in QB rating on days where his neck-beard covers more than a 15 square-inch portion above his Adam’s apple, but below his definable jaw-line, Orton is in the 90th percentile of starting quarterbacks. Alright… so I made this fact up. But still, NECK-BEARD.

Fact 8: The Orton move might cost us RG3.

I know, I know, I already covered this.

It’s a big one, though.

Seriously, if the Chiefs end up 5-11 instead of 4-12, and the pick before KC takes Griffin, (Washington? Minnesota? Seattle?), and the Chiefs end up with La’Michael Fatson, a defensive tackle from the University of Delaware, I’m gonna be pissed. REALLY pissed. NECK-BEARD pissed. And nobody wants that.

I hope I’m wrong about all of this.

I’m afraid I’m not.

 

Posted in Sports | Tagged | 10 Comments

Donnelly: Karrin Allyson, One of Jazz’s Finest, Returns to KC at Jardine’s

Posted on November 23, 2011 by admin

What a dream it must be… Can you imagine it?

A little girl from Great Bend, Kansas, discovers the piano at a young age.  She seems a natural, plinking and pounding away.  Soon she starts singing as well, and her voice carries with it a weight not possessed by many others. 

She moves to Omaha and formally studies the piano. She starts gigging at small clubs in the area, then moves on to Minneapolis, then KC, all the while honing her gift of a voice. She records her first record around her 30th birthday and it receives high praise from the jazz community.

Maybe this could be my thing. Maybe this IS my thing.

On to the Big Apple..

 

That was 1998.  Since then, Karrin Allyson has added more feathers her distinguished cap. 

She’s recorded and released 13 albums, three of which were Grammy nominated for Best Jazz Vocal Album.  She has performed in every classic venue you can think of, including, of course, Carnegie Hall, and others around the world.

Her most recent album, ‘Round Midnight, was released this past May on the Concord jazz label.  The album features Allyson playing all of the piano parts and shaping songs as varied as Paul Simon’s April Come She Will and Gordon Jenkins’ Goodbye into a seamless dialogue of loss and longing – but with a sparkling light just barely visible around the next corner.

"It’s a ‘late-night listening set,’" explains Allyson, "so, those kinds of heart break yet hopeful tunes. It’s an atmospheric project but has specific emotional content I think– and great players: Rod Fleeman, Bob Shepard, Ed Howard, Matt Wilson & Randy Weinstein."

Recently, Downbeat Magazine’s Kirt Silsbee gave the album 5 stars.  But he also made a point to praise Allyson’s live performances as well when he wrote, "Like Sarah Vaughan and Carmen McRae, magical moments occur in Allyson’s live sets when she accompanies herself on the piano. Her keyboard work here is almost subliminal – as much felt as heard. The recessed rhythm vamp on Spring helps her to subtly swing at the absolute lowest possible tempo and dynamic."

For those of you who are into magical moments, consider yourselves lucky – Allyson is swinging through KC next week for a series of performances at Jardine’s on November 28th and 29th.  Each night features a 6:30 performance as well as an 8:30 show.

KC obviously holds a special spot in Allyson’s musical heart. 

"From my first gigs at my uncle’s club The Phoenix," she reminisces, "to the City Light on the Plaza, to the Boulevard Cafe French gigs, Le Fou Frog, top of the Ritz, Jardine’s, several festivals and university performances there –the Folly last May!- and sooo many more in between."

What to expect of the Jardine’s shows?  Allyson says that the repertoire will be varied.  And the musicians she’s bringing along are top notch – Rod Fleeman on guitars, Gerald Spaits on bass, and Randy Weinstein on harmonica.

And Jardine’s seems to be growing on her a little bit.

"I’m proud of Beena at Jardine’s that she takes chances with national acts- that’s very brave and unusual especially for a ‘local club’ – and I mean that in the best sense. When she does that, she really knows how to present an artist/ concert. I hope she continues that great talent as well as with the local scene and musicians, which is always growing and deserves just as much respect."

Posted in Entertainment | Tagged | 9 Comments

Hearne: Thanksgiving Breakfast Dance Back & Bad w/ Mel Waiters, Denise LaSalle

Posted on November 23, 2011 by admin

One of the Cowtown’s most sacred pop culture artifacts has risen from the grave…

The Thanksgiving Day Breakfast Dance – a 30-plus year Kansas City tradition –  died an unseemly death two years ago when longtime area blues promoter Roger Naber ran out of the time and energy to keep the ship of state afloat.

Two years earlier Naber had described the event thusly:

“It’s the largest running music tradition in Kansas City to my knowledge. I’ve been going to breakfast dances for 31 years now. And we’re expecting nearly 1,000 people this year on Thanksgiving morning with the talent we have. Johnnie Taylor’s sons are opening the show for Millie Jackson.”

The event goes down Thanksgiving morning from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. at the National Guard Armory in KCK.

As is the custom, it’s a BYOB affair with turkey and all the trimmings available for purchase. Proceeds from ticket sales go to benefit reStart, Inc., an interfaith ministry committed to providing shelter and supportive services to homeless citizens in the Kansas City area.

What to expect?

"Well, everybody that’s there is dressed-to-impress," Naber says. "It’s gonna be very colorful."

And a little wild?

"Oh, they’re not wild at all," Naber says. "It’s just a big celebration of Kansas City blues history.."

Headliners include legendary blues artist Mel Waiters, Denise LaSalle and Kansas City bluesicians D.C. Bellamy and Milage Gilbert.

"Mel Waiters probably has as good a show as there is right now on the soul/blues circuit," Naber says. "And Denise LaSalle is in the Blues Hall of Fame in Memphis and she’s the Queen of Soul."

In other words, do not miss this event.  Just ask Will Gregory.

Tickets are $40 in advance and $45 at the door with reserved seating available @ $50 per person.  For more information call 816-353-4373 or visit www.ticketkc.com.

Posted in Entertainment | Tagged | 4 Comments

Glazer: Fire Todd Haley? No Way! The Alternatives Are Far Worse

Posted on November 23, 2011 by admin

Yep, I am reversing my position…

Chiefs coach Todd Haley should not be fired. He’s a rebel. He has the right idea. Todd is a tough sunnavabitch. Especially for a guy who once played too much golf. I think players respond to Todd.

The problem is Scot Piolli not Todd Haley.

I know I said Haley would be fired, and likely he will be mostly cause Scott hates his ass. Remember, I reported that before anyone else? Some comment folks even said I could be sued for saying that….right. Look, don’t question the scribe.

Now its common knowledge that the two boys are on opposite sides of the room. Todd is hip (or at least tries to be) Scott is withdrawn and Carl Peterson-ish. Whatever you do, don’t get on Scott’s hate list. But Todd is on it.

Maybe that’s why he and his wife quit Woodside together and the Piolli’s didn’t.

Lets face it, the team was on life support last year and won 10 games mostly because of Haley’s moves on and off the field.

And just to clue you in, Nick Wright‘s Godly running back, Jamaal Charles is not so Godly. He looked horrible in preseason – maybe that big money went to his head – remember he has like a third grade education. He can’t even talk. Sorry but it’s true. No speed back comes back from an ACL surgery. Remember Charles counts on speed, not power like a fullback, tight end or even a quarterback like Brady. Those guys don’t need as much speed.

So Todd has had little talent to work with, poor draft picks by Scott, and he inherited a talentless football team.

Even today the best three guys came from the Herm Edwards era; Dwayne Bowe, Tamba Hali and Derrick Johnson. Eric Berry would be on that list but he is gone, and also may not be back with a torn ACL, at least not like he was.

More importantly, who do we replace Todd with?

The best guy is Bill Cowher but that’s unlikely. He is now four years out of the NFL and the game has changed.

Cowher is comfortable being on TV making four or five million a year. No pressure anymore. Maybe if you make him GM and head coach and throw in prez and $15 million a year…maybe. I still say no.

The Chiefs are a mess with no quarterback and none in sight and that’s not good. Maybe "Chucky," Jon Gruden? Same deal, he loves Monday Night stardom and $5 million a year, no pressure.

Marty-Ball? Getting too old, game has passed him by. And he’s pretty rich, hates the Chiefs and KC. So no.

There are slim pickings out there, Scott.

So what do we do? Keep Todd.

Next draft hopefully high enough for one of the four college quarterbacks from Baylor, Arizona State or maybe USC. BUY the best veteran out there this summer. Dump Matt, he’s worthless – he just doesn’t have an NFL arm and is too slow. Trade him for a 3 or 4 pick, that’s all you’ll get.

So Todd, you convinced me to give you another shot, brother. I’m not saying you’re good, but I see some potential. Hey you are the best of the worst for now. Who knows? maybe you will get something done here in the next three years, nobody else has. Why Not?

Posted in Craig_Glazer | Tagged | 5 Comments

Tales from the Tweet: a Jumbo Dose of Pinkel, Big Z to KC? & Canseco’s New Gig

Posted on November 23, 2011 by admin

At this point, you’ve already decided whether Mizzou head coach Gary Pinkel’s punishment was justified or horribly hypocritical. You’ve probably even seen the dash-cam video where he stumbles around, embarrassing himself and his university. If you’re a Mizzou alum, or fan, you’ve probably taken the attitude that, “come on, who HASN’T had a drink at dinner with friends and driven home? The fact that everyone is making a big deal of it is the REAL issue.”

If you’re a KU fan, or a K-State fan, or even if your team is in the SEC (most SEC fans seem angry by their conference’s newest inclusion, in general), you’ve probably taken the attitude that, “he could have killed a school-bus of special needs children! He should be drawn and quartered like the uncivilized beast that he IS!”

And maybe there is merit to be found in all opinions, both sympathetic and dissenting.

He did lose over $300,000 in the ordeal, has been publicly humiliated and one would assume that this makes a large mark on his permanent record. On the other hand, his players have been punished in a more severe manner for similar transgressions—in terms of suspension, that is—and he DOES make a dick-load of money to begin with.

But no matter what you’ve decided, the facts surrounding his arrest speak for themselves.

@sptwri (Mike DeArmond, Mizzou writer, KC Star)
“Cops asked gp to recite alphabet starting with letter E. He said E F G H R. LATER WENT A B C D E F G H R.”

“COPS ASKED GP TO count from 73 to 62. "Gary stated he could not do that normally."

“Cop asked how big were the servings of red wine he had consumed. Cop said Pinkel said "Jumbo."

The jumbo answer is priceless. Despite the seriousness of the situation—even I don’t think drinking and driving is a laughing matter, and I’m pretty hard to offend—“jumbo” will forever provide exquisite fodder for those wanting to take a quick jab at MU.

The alphabet confusion and the inability to count, however, is much more serious. This says to me that either A) Pinkel was lying about how many drinks he’d had (2—though they were jumbo, mind you) or B) Pinkel is mentally-disabled. Either way, I don’t want him on the road next to me, especially if I’m driving my bus full of special needs kids to the roller-rink.

@mellinger (Sam Mellinger, KC Star)
“Not saying Pinkel is lying, but everybody tells the cops they’ve had two drinks.”

Not if you’re my dear friend Brian.

In my wilder, dumber days of less consequence, I was in a car with a group of guys, and we were driving to a lake at 2 in the morning. You know, because sometimes you just make great decisions like that. A friend was driving my car, and Brian and I were in the backseat. Another friend—let’s call him Cole (okay, that’s actually his real name, but he doesn’t care)– was riding shotgun. At some point, the driver of the car accidentally popped the trunk on my 1983 Nissan Sentra (with powder blue hubcaps), just as we were about to hit the onramp. Cole leaned out of the open passenger-side door to close the trunk, and promptly fell out.

Cole wasn’t badly hurt, and this may not have been an issue, except for the fact there was a cop right behind us. He immediately (and understandably) pulled us over and approached the car. After asking if we’d noticed that a passenger had fallen out (we had), he asked the driver how many beers he’d had. The driver lied, and said, “Oh, about 2.” Next, he shined the flashlight on me and asked me the same question. I lied too, telling him, “Oh, you know… two, MAYBE three, tops.” Finally, he shined the light on my friend Brian and repeated his question. Without hesitation, Brian said, “I’ve prolly had 11 or 12 beers, sir,” and cackled like a lunatic.

God I love that kid.

 

But enough about that, back to Mike DeArmond.

@sptwri
“Missouri just announced they are going to induct me into the Mizzou Media Hall of Fame by having my picture put up in the press box. Wow.”

“FYI, I am retiring in February. This is the last football game I will cover for The Kansas City Star. Humbled to be the 12th person in hall.”

Just a few thoughts on this:

A)        Congrats, Mike. This is a tremendous honor that is greatly deserved.

B)        Full disclosure: my in-laws are friends with the DeArmond’s, so even if I wanted to make a joke about this, I couldn’t.

C)        There’s no joke to be made. Mike is a consummate professional who puts his foot in his mouth less than anyone else in local sport’s media. He will be missed.

Elsewhere, we’re hot off the heels of a tremendous prize fight between Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez. By all accounts it was a close fight, a GOOD fight, even, but many are of the opinion that Marquez may have been jobbed. Days after the fact, 810 am’s Steven St. John got a little fired up.

@SSJ_WHB
“I know I’ve flipped back and forth on this through the years, but I have little doubt, now….Floyd would pick Manny apart.”

“Another rematch between Manny and Juan Manuel Marquez is actually a far better fight than Floyd/Manny….More entertaining and competitive.”

“I’ve learned to ignore judges scorecards…I’ve seen thousands of fights & I don’t need a judge to tell me who won…JMM beat Manny…again.”

Again, most boxing writers are of the same opinion—Manny’s history, and the desire to build a legacy around someone who has been so good for the sport—may have gotten in the way, here. That being said, I don’t think there’s any way in hell that a 4th fight between Manny and Marquez is better than a Mayweather/Manny fight. While it may be more competitive (and I’m not even buying that, necessarily), Mayweather/Manny would be epic battle of Jurassic proportions. Too bad that between egos, fear and the senility of promoter Bob Arum, it’ll probably never happen.

Meanwhile, in Hot Stove-ishness… the Astros are moving to the AL West, Matt Kemp signed a new contract with the Dodgers paying him a majillion dollars, and Bud Selig is busy reformatting the wild card system.

@jcrasnick (Jerry Crasnick, ESPN)
“Selig said his committee favors one game playoff in wild card. "It will be dramatic,” he said.“

@Buster_ESPN (Buster Olney)
“Assuming that it gets done, the one-game playoff in the WC round was the right decision for MLB, for a whole bunch of reasons.”

I agree. Last year’s race to the playoffs— culminating with an elimination game—was one king-hell of an exciting conclusion to a marathon of a season that can, at times, seem long and arduous. To think that we have the potential for this kind of excitement each and every year? Sign me up. Why WOULDN’T people want this?

 

And in more Fat-Stove news:

@Royals_Report (Bob Dutton, KC Star, Royals beat writer)
“Have talked to #Royals folks regarding reports of interest in Carlos Zambrano…Hearing: Sure, if he’s released. That’s always been true.”

Um, yeah… no? This is a TERRIBLE idea. I lived in Chicago for a spell and got to see Zambrano’s foolish act up-close and through the eyes of a million Cubs fans. He’d go nuts and fight a teammate, and then beg for forgiveness. He’d be fine for a few months, and then he’d snap again, biting off an opponent’s finger in a bench-clearing brawl. After his suspension, he’d apologize again and be back to normal. And then he’d get really pissed again…

No. Thanks.

He’s Jose Guillen and Juan Gonzalez rolled into one fat, sweaty egg-roll of volatility and imbalance. He’s a cancer, not a leader, and I think he’d make an awful addition to a young team full of impressionable minds.

DEAR DAYTON: DO NOT MAKE THIS MOVE, EVER. 

Speaking of Chicago, former Southside manager Ozzie Guillen was checking out his former city’s football team on Sunday night, AND trying his hand at observational comedy (apparently).

@OzzieGuillen
“Very good game I think lol I don’t know about american fooball”

“Why ? Is a football when they not kick the ball around”

And tell me of the deel with airports peanuts, please? Am right? Yes? (taps microphone) Hi?

Finally in Hot-Fucking-Stove news, Eric Hosmer, our third place rookie of the year, is working hard this offseason to get his game where it needs to be. Check it:

@Hos3KC
“What up playas my playstation name is KCHOSMER35 come be apart of my kill streaks on this MW3 haha”

Man… when did video games become so cool? And I don’t mean, “When did the graphics become mind-blowingly amazing and the gameplay complete smash your face off with awesomeness and did you see that part in Grand Theft Auto where you get to have sex with a hooker, kill her and then take your money back?”

I mean, when did it become socially acceptable to be an unabashed video game nerd? There was a time, not too long ago, really, when an adult spending their free time playing children’s computer games was scoffed at. Now, your dad just shot you up the ass with a rocket launcher, online, in a heated game of “Gears of Fog IV: War Weapons of Violence.”

I’d like to close out this installment with some really sad, really depressing Tweets… you know, because of the holiday and whatnot. First, Ozzie Guillen returns to remind us that we should all be thankful to have our intellect (and possibly, friends):

@OzzieGuillen
"I like to learn how to play world whit friends is very hard for me"

Damn, Oz… that brought a tear to my eye. So earnest, so sincere. Tell you what, bro, my wife is nuts for those "______ with _____’s" games (I assume he meant the hugely popular "Words With Friends" game). I’ll private-message you her user info. She won’t make fun of you, I promise.
(I would)

Speaking of depressing, disgraced slugger Jose Canseco wins this week’s “Somebody Please Kill Me, You’ll be Doing Me a Favor and No Jury In the World Will Ever Convict You” Award.

@JoseCanseco
“Come down to the Art of Music at the Mandalay Bay Hotel Shops in Las Vegas. I’m signing autographs 6 days a week from 1 pm to 5 pm”

That’s right, folks. Jose’s got himself a gig signing autographs for 24 hours a week. Life. Is. Sweet. He’s also breaking into the high-stakes world of advertising:

@JoseCanseco
“Las Vegas and southpoint casino what a perfect combination”

Damn… just… damn. I’m embarrassed to even SHARE these. I can’t imagine how he feels.

You know what? I can’t go out on such a negative note, not the day before Thanksgiving. Javier! Tell us what you’re thankful for, quick!

@JavierArenas21 (Chiefs CB)
“Jalapeño slices makes sandwiches exciting”

Godbless you, Javy, and Happy Thanksgiving to all of our readers! Remember, if you’re going “jumbo” on the Jesus-juice, designate a driver.

Posted in Sports | Tagged | 7 Comments

Hearne: Karen Pletz Death Gives Appearance of Suicide

Posted on November 22, 2011 by admin

Here we go again…

With the seemingly obvious going unsaid. But the death of embattled former Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences head Karen Pletz would appear to be a suicide. The 64-year-old one-time civic leader was found dead in a Fort Lauderdale residence. Ft. Lauderdale police say no foul play was involved and that they are waiting to hear from the medical examiner.

Those full results, however, are not expected to be available for two to three months, says Broward County chief medical examiner Darin Trelka. Trelka declined to say whether Pletz left a note or address the issue of whether it appears to be a suicide.

However, one or both of the above would appear to be the case given that police say there was no apparent foul play and the medical examiner’s office is not making any efforts to expedite the examination.

This much is clear; Pletz was up to her eyelashes in civil and criminal court tribulations that at the least would result in years of expensive litigation and likely some serious slam time. There’s little doubt, based on the preliminary findings of a grand jury, the FBI and the hospital that Pletz had engaged in a series of embezzlement schemes that included ripping off the university, money laundering and tax fraud.

To the tune of bilking the university out of more than $1.5 million alone.

Money that was used in part on extravagances and to visit her parents in Ft. Lauderdale where she was found dead shotly after midnight this morning. Gone were her Lexus automobile and condo. Her bank assets were frozen – all seized as forfeitures. That after she was forced out of the university two years ago next month.

"Mrs. Pletz made a terrible error in judgment and no doubt will suffer for it," commented Kenneth D. Duff the retired Director of Physical Facilities on a local last month. "However, I must wish her my best wishes and want her to know that I for one do appreciate all of the good things that she did for the University of Health Sciences."

Posted in Hearne_Christopher | Tagged | 17 Comments

Today: Shia’s Drunken Brawls, Tot Mom Assassination Attempt, Tyson Does Cain

Posted on November 22, 2011 by admin

Holiday gossip break, anyone?

There are some interesting stories in this week’s National Enquirer worth taking a gander at.

Like the "world exclusive" about – forgive me for borrowing the expression – Tot Mom Casey Anthony surviving an assassination attempt and being hastily moved to a new safe house in the middle of the night in a remote part of Florida after finding a scrawled threat taped to her front door.

Or how about director Steven Spielberg – whose long ago photo adorns a wall at Bryant’s BBQ – warning Transformers star Shia LaBeouf about getting hammered and getting into nasty barroom brawls as evidenced in photos of the 25-year-old actor getting his you-know-what handed to him in Vancouver, B.C.

Where was Stargazing  when that story wnt downe any of those pics came to light last month?

And check outwww.youtube.com/watch former boxing champ Mike Tyson’s spoof of absent-minded GOP professor Herman Cain.

"For the comedy bit, Tyson donned a fake salt-and-pepper mustache and wire-rim spectacles to become a dead ringer for Cain, former head of Godfather’s Pizza.

The Enquirer reports that President Barack Obama quietly sent word to Tyson that he was "knocked out" by the parody. It starts out with Tyson-as-Cain saying Godfather’s was so gross "it made my children hate pizza," adding that "Now I’m running for president and leading in the Republican polls. Why? Because the Tea Party loves crazy more than they hate blacks. And I’m crazier than a shit house rat."

Posted in News_and_Views | Tagged | 5 Comments

Donnelly: Sporting Releases List of Protected Players Which Includes a Few Surprises

Posted on November 22, 2011 by admin

For the second year in a row, Major League Soccer is adding a new team for the upcoming season…

Last year, two expansion teams entered the league, the Portland Timbers, and Vancouver Whitecaps. For 2012 the Montreal Impact will join MLS and populate their new squad with players from existing teams through an expansion draft. However they can take a maximum of one player off any given team.  Current MLS teams can protect 11 players. So Sporting Kansas City had some tough decisions to make, and there were a few surprises to say the least.

Here is who Sporting KC decided to protect, along with a justification from Sporting’s PR department:

Davy Arnaud–    Sporting KC’s captain for the last two seasons, Arnaud became the club’s all-time leader in regular season appearances in 2011.
Matt Besler-       2011 team leader in minutes, he was selected to appear in his first MLS All-Star game this year.
Teal Bunbury–    Bunbury notched 11 MLS goals in 2011 and was twice selected for USMNT camps under new manager Jurgen Klinsmann.
Julio Cesar–         Julio Cesar started 25 matches for Sporting, scoring two goals and contributing two assists during the regular season.
Aurelien Collin– Started 21 matches at centerback and scored three goals in debut season. Also ranked fifth in this year’s MLS Castrol Index rating system.
Roger Espinoza– A key cog in the SKC midfield during the 2011 season after strong performance in Honduras’ run to semifinal of CONCACAF Gold Cup.
Kei Kamara–        Sporting Kansas City’s leader in points for 2011, Kamara scored nine goals and contributed four assists in 30 appearances.
Chance Myers– Myers enjoyed a breakout season, setting career records for appearances, starts and minutes.
Jimmy Nielsen- Continuing his strong play in goal from the 2010 season, Nielsen was voted team MVP in 2011 by media, coaches and teammates.
C.J. Sapong–       The 2011 MLS Rookie of the Year, Sapong led all rookies in points, scoring five goals and adding five assists during the MLS regular season.
Graham Zusi–     The team leader in assists for 2011, Zusi cemented himself as one of the League’s most prolific attacking midfielders this season.

SKC does not have to protect Jon Kempin or Kevin Ellis because they are Home Grown Players and cannot be selected in the draft.

Immediately, a few questions emerged:

Why isn’t Sporting’s leading goal scorer from last year, Omar Bravo, protected? 

He stormed off the field quickly after the Houston loss, in which he saw only a few minutes of playing time, then later dished to some Spanish speaking news outlets that he and SKC coach Peter Vermes may not have seen eye to eye.  But after Sporting went to so much effort to get the Mexican superstar, and after he delivered a solid season, what gives with leaving him exposed for Montreal to snatch if they so desire? 

Some other local media have speculated that Bravo’s high price tag might dissuade Montreal from selecting him.  But to me, that’s a huge gamble if Sporting still wants him on their roster, and daring another team to call your bluff is not how you treat a guy you can’t live without.

Why is Davy Arnaud protected?  OK, here’s the deal: Vermes loves Davy’s grit, his fire, and his loyalty.  But the fact is that he is one of the older players on the roster, has a fairly high salary, and did not contribute all that much to the 2011 season.  Granted, he was out for a good stretch after undergoing sports hernia surgery.  But right when he went out is when Sporting started playing better, getting results, and turning the season around.  Not to mention that his absence opened up more space for stud Graham Zusi to operate, and the team just looked better. 

I wouldn’t have protected Davy, I would’ve protected either Seth Sinovic or Michael Harrington.

Harrington had a great 2010 season, signed a big off-season contract prior to the 2011 season, and then promptly lost his starting defender job when he got a little injured.  He never quite got back into form and played sparingly, but I believe he can re-gain his 2010 form. 

Taking his spot was Seth Sinovic, who ended up starting nearly every game of the 2011 season.  Sinovic proved to be a hard-nosed defender that was comfortable going forward, which is important in Vermes’ system.  His biggest drawback to me was his lack of pace that saw him get beat down the flank by some of the speedier wingers at times. 

Perhaps Vermes’ thinking was Sinovic and Harrington are basically the same player, so if one goes, the other stays.

The other guy that jumps out a little is the other Designated Player, the Brazilian Jeferson.  He arrived in KC midway through the season, looked good at first, then kind of fizzled out.  Toward the end of the season he saw the field very little and looked out of sync.  Personally, I like Jeferson and think he could be valuable if given a whole season to gel with his teammates. 

It just seems odd that both of KC’s Designated Players are left unprotected.

The Expansion Draft is Wednesday, November 23rd.  

Posted in Sporting_Kansas_City | Tagged | 3 Comments

Glazer: Woe is Us, Bring Back Brodie or Let There be Ricky

Posted on November 22, 2011 by admin

The Kansas City Clown Show hit New England…

Quaterback Tyler Palko, just as he did in preseason, stunk. He can’t make the crossing throws 15 or 20 yards down field. Thus he got intercepted 400 times. As in preseason he can move KC from the 20 to the other sides 40 or 30 but that’s about it. He has no pro ability.

Time to try Ricky baby…remember, "Oh Ricky your so fine, your so fine, Hey Ricky!"

And why not?

It’s likely Palko will go down. And than Ricky will get his shot. We will need a back-up. HEY CALL BRODIE, he ain’t doing anything. I can hear it now, "Well Brodie knows all the plays and can be a valuable tool to this team," Chiefs coach Todd Haley will say.

What does it all mean? That we stink and have no quarterback, have no clue, want to go 4-12 so we can draft in the top six and get a quarterback.

Well, Brodie Croyle is cheap and can’t score even a field goal with this team. But hell, why not? Make no mistake the Chiefs are one of the two worst teams in the NFL. We do OK because nobody wants to play us, we are a bore.

We have no rich history we are Cleveland, a stink farm.

Nobody remembers Len Dawson anymore. We have no glory, just like Cleveland and Jim Brown was a million years ago.

"So Brodie, Whats Up?"

Need work? We have a spot for you. How about $500,000? See you in a week or two. The clown show continues into next year.

Sorry.

Posted in Craig_Glazer | Tagged | 14 Comments

Donnelly: KC Rapper Tech N9ne’s ‘Lost Cities Tour’ Rocks The Midland

Posted on November 22, 2011 by admin

Well, she’s done it again…
 
And she’s getting pretty good at it.
 
Not-so-new-anymore KCC photog Katie Grogan ventured out to be among the people – the Strange people to be exact – the ones that were blowing out the Midland over the weekend.

 

 

 

 

KC’s hip-hop high priest Tech N9ne was in charge as usual, and he was joined by many of the artists signed to his Strange Music label for a truly local affair.  The occasion?
 

 

 

 

 

 

Does Tech need a reason?  Not really.

But it just so happens that he was celebrating the release of his latest album: 
 
Welcome to Strangeland….

 

 

 

Posted in Entertainment | Tagged | 2 Comments

Hearne: Star Dodges Layoffs Bullet, Bags Readers Again for Turkey Day Issue

Posted on November 21, 2011 by admin

Happy holidays from the Kansas City Star…

A rising economic tide (small but real) coupled with an optimistic outlook for retail sales this holiday season appears to have enabled new Star publisher Mi-Ai Parrish to dodge the layoffs bullet this quarter and make Christmas 2011 that much the merrier for the 700 or so remaining newspaper staffers.

Despite 3rd quarter earnings by parent McClatchy company down 21 percent and ad revenue off 10 percent.

That said, things are looking up on the local front.

“It’s a pretty unscientific observation, but business seems to be picking up advertising-wise, unlike the last couple of holidays,” says one Star insider. “Even Dillard’s and Macy’s are getting into the act recently. And apparently you’ll be able to hear a thud when the Thanksgiving paper lands on your driveway this year.”

Speaking of which, two years ago the newspaper created a firestorm by jacking the Thanksgiving Day Star price to subscribers an extra $1.25 to pay for the printing cost of additional ads it had sold.

"As a Star subscriber, you can look forward to our largest edition of the year on Thanksgiving Day," it said in a mailing to subscribers. "Your newspaper will be filled with sales inserts from all your favorite retailers to kick off the holiday shopping season."

However, this year’s Turkey Day price hike was disclosed far more subtly, buried in the ultra fine print of a “Publisher’s Notice” in today’s paper.

“The Star charges all subscribers an additional fee for the Thanksgiving edition,” it reads. “Subscribers who normally receive a Thursday paper as part of their subscription pay $1.25 and subscribers who don’t normally receive a Thursday paper are charged $2.00.”

The regular full retail price of the Thursday Star is 75 cents.

So happy holidays and enjoy all those extra ad inserts!

Posted in Hearne_Christopher | Tagged | 3 Comments

Leftridge: Weekend Recap; BCS Insanity, Sausage Scented Ladies and the Return of Thiggy

Posted on November 21, 2011 by admin

 

My father-in-law grew up in Oklahoma.

He went to both OU and OSU. Weird, huh?

Used to be, when I thought of Oklahoma, I though of SE Hinton novels. You know, the Outsiders, a violent teenage socioecomic drama where the Greasers fought the Soc’s, and Cherry Valance was forever conflicted.

Now I just think of my father-in-law, a proud Oklahoman who can root with candor for whichever of the two teams happens to be winning. Needless to say, this was a rough weekend for him.

Meanwhile, Justin Blackmon is dropping passes from his elderly quarterback and Landry Jones is gasping for air as his dwindling Heisman candidacy circles ‘round the porcelain poop-drop.

I knew the OU/Baylor game would be good. I called that. But I’m not stupid enough to pretend that I also pegged OU as the loser. Didn’t think there was any way in hell they’d lose to Baylor, despite RG3’s super-cyborg abilities.

But man… that Robert Griffin III kid is something else. He set records—500 yards through the air, Jesus H. Christ—and ultimately saved the last drive for his legs, beautiful redwoods of indisputable virtue.

I want the Chiefs to pick him in next year’s draft. It’s possible, by God, so make it happen Pioli.

And then, down in Stillwater, on Friday night, wow… did that actually happen? Screw LSU at Alabama, this was the game of the year. This was two heavyweights with no remaining equilibrium or concern for their long-term health beating the ever-loving shit out of one another, all pretenses of a happy retirement forgotten.

Iowa State came out of nowhere—and I don’t care how much of a lying, ardent fan you were—you did not see this coming. You prayed, and clutched corn stalks and linked arms and pleaded with some mysterious maize-based God, and you know what? It worked.

Congrats, Iowa State fans. To the victors go the pork-products.

This weekend, the whole state of Oklahoma was just plain cursed.

Sorry, father-in-law.

Elsewhere, in the professional circuit, I told you on Friday that there weren’t any good games to watch, that everything on the schedule was decidedly lopsided.

Although I really hate it when people say it, it’s said because it’s true: that’s why they play the games, folks.

I poked fun at the Dolphin’s Matt Moore and thought that Dallas would kick the crap out Washington, not barely squirt one out in OT. I thought that the Detroit Lions would massacre Cam Newton and his Panthers, and although the Lions did end up winning by two touchdowns, it was devilishly close through most of the game. Tampa Bay kept it close in Green Bay, but the Yellow and Green Machine was too much.

It begs the question, can anyone beat the Packers? They’ve still got two left with the Lions—including a Turkey-day match-up that I assure you is going to be MUCH more interesting than hearing about your uncle Luther’s various maladies—and games against the New York Giants (who somehow manage to exceed my expectations each week) and the Bears, who’ve been playing well as of late.

No, I don’t think they go 16-0—too many variables come into play—but I think it’s entirely within the realm of possibility that they go 15-1.

And barring an injury to Aaron Rodgers, I think they’re a lock to make the Super Bowl, once more.

Despite perpetually frozen nose hairs and rotund, cushiony women who always emit the aroma of grilled brats, it must be pretty freaking nice to be a Green Bay fan. Wish I knew what it was like to root for a winner, for once.

This Week’s Winner: Green Bay fans

You’ve got a perennial contender and your rotund, cushiony women smell like grilled brats… wait… did you think I meant that as an insult? I ABSOLUTELY did not. Any gal can smell like lavender or lilac, but it takes a special kind of female to walk around reeking of encased meats. Hold your head up high, Packer Nation. You’re hale and hearty, full of beer, sausage and cheese curds, and you’re seeing a hell-of-a special quarterback, week after week.

This Week’s Loser: Ryan Fitzpatrick (and the Buffalo Bills)

Since starting out 4-1, and taking the NFL by surprise, the Mighty Bills have fallen back to earth, hard. They’ve now won only 2 out of their last 7, lost 3 straight and appear to be fading fast. This is due, in no small part, to the poor play of their recently re-upped Pocket Einstein, Ryan Fitzpatrick. Fitzy was 20 of 39 for 209 yards, two INT and no TD. You don’t have to be a genius to figure out that his flop today—against a fairly weak Dolphin’s defense, it should be noted—was good for a 45.8 QBR.

He hasn’t won a game since he was signed to an ambitious (and dangerous) 6-year-deal worth $59 million. He’s had 12 turnovers in his last six games and after a blisteringly hot start, finds himself squarely in low-tier territory. Tyler Thigpen—yes THAT Tyler Thigpen—found his way into the game late. Never an encouraging sign when he’s replacing someone you consider to be the new-era face of your franchise (not that too much should be read into Thigpen’s appearance, however… the game was a blowout at that point).

Buffalo is a much-maligned city that hasn’t seen a consistent winner in a number of years. Frankly, I’m not sure that Ryan Fitzpatrick is the man who can recapture the glory years of the late 80’s/early 90’s. He’s certainly no Jim Kelly… he may not even be Drew Bledsoe.

Lord, have mercy in the land of the chicken wing. Amen.

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