Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith has what my wife calls the “Kelly Urich Syndrome.” He has trouble going deep.
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Why is it the Chiefs can’t complete a pass for more than 5 yards, but the UPS guy just threw a perfect spiral from the truck to my front porch?
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How can we get Royals super fan Sung Woo Lee to start liking the Chiefs?
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The Chiefs playbook was written by Sony.
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The Chiefs stockings Sunday were full of coal…
From coal town, no less – Pittsburgh, Pa.
Yep, the Steelers pretty much ended the Chiefs season. Actually it ended when they couldn’t beat the gawdawful Oakland Raiders a few weeks back.
The team was never the same.
Well, maybe the Chiefs are back to where they were before, that being AVERAGE. And this year that was kind of a good thing, because most of us thought they would win just five or six games. Instead they won eight, with one game to go. So in a small way they over achieved – they went from suck to okay. Continue reading
It’s the most happiest time of the year now, right?
You know, Christmas. That’s what the songs say anyway. Sure, for the folks with financial strength and tight families, that well may be the case. HAPPY TIMES. Nice.
However for most of us it’s pressure on the wallet time, pressure on our time, and family arguing. Yep, for all too many of us it’s, Christmas – bah humbug!
You think maybe because I’m Jewish I don’t do Xmas? You’re wrong.
Like many Jewish Americans we look at this holiday as a family time of year. A time to celebrate with those we care most about – our wives, kids and friends. So it’s not really about religion it’s about family and the joy of being an American.
That’s how I see it anyway. Continue reading
The Chiefs still have a shot at the post season…
However as I mentioned last week they need to win out both of their last two games to get there. It’s possible they could lose one of the next two and still get in, but not likely.
If the Steelers beat KC and the Ravens win this weekend, that’s the end of the road for the Chiefs. They would both have 10 wins to our 8 and we’d be more than one back so a final win over the Chargers wouldn’t save the Chiefs season.
Kansas City must beat the Steelers on their home field Sunday and that’s something they haven’t done in nearly three decades. Unfortunately, my feeling is they won’t do it Sunday either.
Again, to pretend that having an average NFL quarterback and no receivers outside one back and an above average tight end will get you to the big game or anywhere close is pretty unrealistic.
The Chiefs front office has taken the middle road for sure. With Alex Smith and a team of just OK ability the Chiefs will be an average team for years to come. And no, they will never challenge for a Super Bowl. Their goal is to keep you interested all year and maybe, just maybe back into a wild card game or two.
It’s a business and Chiefs fans are the ATM machine. Continue reading
After the ho-hum signing of designated hitter Kendrys Morales, the Kansas City Royals unleashed a flurry of punches in the 12th round, signing outfielder Alex Rios as well as starting pitchers Edinson Volquez and Kris Medlen. While two of the jabs were on target but weak—Volquez and Rios—the Medlen deal could end up securing a judges’ decision. (Except it’ll take a long while for the results to arrive; Medlen will be out of commission until June or possibly July.)
In general, it feels like they missed the haymaker.
Unless general manager Dayton Moore pulls a rabbit out of his sleeve and blows our collective minds with some sort of blockbuster deal to land the Baseball Superstar KCC’s Craig Glazer so desperately pines for, this will probably be remembered as the offseason after the long-awaited World Series appearance where they signed a bunch of retreads in a thrifty effort to capture old magic. Continue reading
Original art by Mark Valentine
Americans do not approve of torture…
That said, most of us are conflicted about “The Torture Report.”
There are some big problems with it. First of all, it didn’t stop any of the torture. The techniques were abandoned years ago. Second, the release of the report made Americans and our allies less safe by opening old wounds and offering propaganda opportunities for our enemies.
On the surface, it appeared to be California senator Dianne Feinstein inflicting a wound on the CIA to get even with them for looking at her emails. Aside from the decision to put us at risk for such a personal reason, the report made the mistake of passing judgment out of context. Continue reading
Once upon a time – not that long ago actually – KMBZ 980 AM was taking down in excess of $6 million a year in billing…
But you know, times change – listeners get older, advertisers loose interest or boycott – and then whamo – next thing you know you’re KCMO Talk Radio 710. As in, you’ve gone from the penthouse to the outhouse and nobody under 50 even remembers that there was a time when you actually mattered.
which explains in part why the powers that be at Entercom Kansas City opted nearly four years ago to simulcast KMBZ 980 on 98.1 FM instead of making the arguably more obvious choice of moving 610 Sports to the high ground.
At this point however, that’s all water under the bridge. Continue reading
My take on movie exhibitors pulling THE INTERVIEW from their screens for Christmas?
It was the right thing to do.
Ultimately the circuits dumping the movie led to Sony Entertainment scrapping the picture for good.
Yet as late as early yesterday afternoon, evening press screening of THE INTERVIEW that night was still on. I didn’t receive word of the that cancellation until around 4:00 p.m.
So why am I taking this pro theater cancellation stand? Continue reading
If you read Cheryl Strayed’s book Wild: From Lost To Found On The Pacific Crest Trail you’ll be happy to hear that the film follows the book quite closely…
You may also be wondering how well WILD translates to the screen.
Rest assured that DALLAS PLAYERS CLUB director Jean-Marc Vallee pulled it off.
Of course a lot of credit has to also go to co-producer and star of the film Reese Witherspoon who gives it her all.
As Cheryl Strayed she brings to life a soul that after years of reckless behavior, sex addition and the destruction of her marriage, searches for a fix to turn her life around.
Witherspoon finds it along the Pacific Crest Trail, an 1,100 mile stretch of powerful terrors, pleasures and maddening physical encounters.
All the while being haunted by memories of her mother played by Laura Dern. Continue reading
Kathie Lee Gifford says Bill Cosby once tried to kiss her. I’m going to defend Bill on this one. HE must have been drunk.
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Sprint will drop its NASCAR sponsorship after the 2016. “That’s terrible news because I LOVE using my fancy cell phone!” said no NASCAR fan, ever.
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It took nearly four years for Entercom to admit it made a mistake…
To confirm that blowing up adult contemporary powerhouse KUDL (98.1 FM) in order to simulcast News Radio KMBZ (980 AM) on the FM band to try and attract younger listeners was a failure.
That deal went down in March 2011.
However if the word on the street is correct – and Entercom and KMBZ officials aren’t returning calls on this one – and come January KMBZ AM and FM are divided into two different, competing radio formats, it will be an admission by station management that its three and a half year plus “experiment” with simulcasting was a failure.
For several reasons.
For starters, the combined ratings for KMBZ AM and FM actually went down, even though Entercom reportedly raised its ad rates by 20 percent. Continue reading
Brace yourselves…
This year’s KC Confidential Christmas Wilding is about to unfold. Better and badder than ever, btw, in part because we’re shedding our in-town ways and holding the shindig in South Johnson County.
That’s right, in the land of milk and honey where propped up two-income families glide about their business in late model Lexus, Mercedes and Jaguar automobiles. Where the politics are (allegedly) clean and the mega churches packed on Sundays…and in the lair of the Scribe otherwise known as “King of Sting” Craig Glazer.
The blessed event goes down at 5 p.m. this Wednesday at the spanking new Stanford & Sons comedy club in Rosana Square at 119th and Metcalf. Continue reading
Yesterday’s Kansas City Chiefs looked looked like the team of November…
And they played very much like the team that was 7-3 before the fall to 7-6. Oakland looked helpless. All the Chiefs name players had good games. Alex Smith passed for just under 300 yards. We haven’t had a 300 yard passing game in two years. Still no wide out caught a TD pass, but the Chiefs dominated Oakland in every department.
De’Anthony Thomas had a nice return run for a TD. Travis Kelce led the Chiefs in receiving and caught a touchdown pass. Dwayne Bowe showed up and had a solid game. Tamba Hali and Justin Houston each had a sack.
So in short, everyone got well.
Now the Chiefs have two real tests ahead of them.
A road game with a good Steeler team coming up. It’s likely the Chiefs will need to win their two remaining games – the Steelers there and Chargers here. If they want to get into the playoffs, that is.
So there is still a chance.
In fact a 9-7 record could get in if all the also-runs keep losing. Continue reading
Original art by Mark Valentine
I was driving by the new Stanford & Sons comedy club on 119th Street the other day…
And it made me appreciate that Stanford’s owner Craig Glazer is an entertaining sports writer. Every week he makes us ride his own personal emotional roller coaster as he alternately loves then hates the Kansas City Chiefs, the team’s coaches, its fans and sometimes the city itself.
As the football season wound its way down, Craig would modify his rants and appear on his own comedy club stage.
This one’s for you:
The Chiefs can technically still make the playoffs…
“Technically” is what Craig says when asked if he’s still a Chiefs fan.
Craig got an invitation to a big wedding. One of The Chiefs is getting married next month…
So Craig is pleased that at least one Chief will get a ring this year.
Timing is everything. It is what puts the “eek’ in losing streak Continue reading
The 24 members of Kansas City’s Film Critics Circle have spoken…
Representing local and regional radio, television, newspaper and on-line media outlets— they voted Sunday for The Best On Film for 2014.
And the KC’s Critics Circle’s top pick this year was “BIRDMAN” for BEST PICTURE,
BEST ACTOR: Micheal Keaton
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Edward Norton
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: The groundbreaking film “BOYHOOD,” for which Richard Linklater was named BEST DIRECTOR while Patricia Arquette won BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS honors.
Lawrence strip club Allstars sent a limo to take me and comic Trevor Moore and his Whitest Kids U Know crew to Lawrence last night…
Stanford’s had featured the playmate appearing at Allstars on our pod cast Wednesday so they invited us to come to their Christmas party.
We got there a bit after midnight – I’d been there once before – but both times got yanked over by cops checking for DUI”s.
It’s the big thing these days – the big money play – and boy are they out there.
Hey, we were even in a limo and still got pulled over.
Nobody was drinking – although we could have been. Finally the cop let us go after questioning us about what we planned to do and needling us for no reason. But I mean seriously, a limo pullover?
Aren’t you supposed to have a professional driver if your group is drinking?
Oh, well. Continue reading
Hot off of their first World Series appearance in almost three decades (when I stop and think about that, it still freaks me out and doesn’t feel quite “real”), the Kansas City Royals headed into Major League Baseball’s winter meetings with three holes to fill: a starting pitcher capable of replacing the departing James Shields, a right fielder better than Nori Aoki, and a designated hitter with more oomph than Billy Butler.
Here’s what they did:
Sporting Kansas City spent the second half of the 2014 season on an epic slide that finally and mercifully ended with a first round playoff loss to the New York Red Bulls.
There’s a lot of blame to go around, to be sure. Injuries, for one. National team call-ups. Fatigue from playing in so many different competitions. Poor goalkeeping. Lack of continuity from constantly juggling the lineup.
So it’s no surprise that Sporting has been cleaning house over the last few weeks, addressing their failings from 2014 and rebuilding the roster.
Let’s do a recap: Continue reading
Why do our Kansas City Chiefs fall short of the mark every year?
Simple, we’re one of the NFL’s worst drafting teams of all time. We’ve not had a franchise quality quarterback since Len Dawson in the 1960’s and early 1970’s.
That’s the simple answer.
But yes, you can add in a poor front office, poor coaching and bad moves of every sort over the past 30 years. All of which have led to zero Super Bowls the past half century.
This year is coming to an end and once again Kansas City fans have been hoodwinked by the long term contract for Alex Smith, and soon another one for Justin Houston and “Boy, Andy sure is a Dandy.”
Hey, even I got suckered earlier this season.
Why? Because like most of you I wanted to believe we had something (even though deep down, I knew we really didn’t).
Football is a modern game based on passing and we don’t have that. Continue reading
The historic Power and Light Building will be renovated with some apartments going for as much as $3,500 a month. If you’re a woman you can make that money back quickly via that giant flashing red light.
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A NASA spacecraft just awoke from hibernation and will begin to photograph Pluto. The craft fell asleep in the 1970s after a date with Bill Cosby. Continue reading
