Tag Archives: Brandon Leftridge
Leftridge: So long, Farewell, auf Wiedersehen, Mizzou
So, I’m about to report the sort of thing that I’ve previously made fun of in no uncertain terms.
It appears that unless something drastic happens in the coming days or weeks, Mizzou and the Big XII are as good as Splitsville. After a four-hour curator’s meeting on Tuesday, MU chancellor Brady Deaton was given permission by the board to seek conference alignment elsewhere.
While it’s still far from certain, this feels, well, certain. Much more so than any of the previous speculation and rumors that have plagued the internet. Hey, when KC Star Mizzou beat writer Mike DeArmond (@sptwri) is throwing it out there (“My prediction: Missouri is out of the Big 12 Conference and into the SEC by next season.”) in his Tweets, it’s gots to be true, yo.
Haley, Cassel, Succop Stave Off Executioner: Go Crazy Folks, Go Crazy
So I was giving some serious consideration to doing a Whitlock-esque, “Team Grades” for the Chiefs at the quarter point of the season. You know, “Defense gets a ___ because of blah blah blah, Special Teams get a _____ for the following reasons.”
And then it hit me: Truthfully, no facet of this team would get anything above a low D-. Most would be F’s. After all, one 100% on a pop quiz doesn’t negate the fact that you haven’t handed in anything else the entire year.
But I’m tired of the negativity. Really, I am. It’s no more fun to ridicule this team with spiteful words than it is to read about it.
Therefore, I’m going to devote this column to positivity. And this weekend, there was a lot to be positive about. Let’s start with the Chiefs, and the season’s first triumphant win.
Leftridge: Tales from the Tweet: Arenas Heads to Walmart, Kietz Gets Saucy & Wright Rants
In today’s modern media world, some of the greatest quotes come not from press conferences or radio interview soundbites, but directly from the horse’s mouth. And by ‘horse,’ I mean person. And by ‘mouth,’ I mean Twitter page.
Social media is a vast landscape of triumph and tragedy; ridiculousness and realism.
But who has the time for all of those Tweets? What lifeless loser has hours to spend looking up random athletes and sports media personalities, in search of gold but bogged down with a thousand unnecessary ‘lolz’ and a million punishing abuses of the English language?
I do, my friends. I do.
It is my pleasure to present to you, this installment of ‘Tales from the Tweet.’
Leftridge: Historic Collapse of Boston and Atlanta & Handicapping the Playoffs
And when the dust settled, the historic collapse of two storied franchises
was complete.
By now, you know what happened. You’ve seen the highlights on ESPN and read lengthy, poetic diatribes by countless other sports writers. Perhaps you stayed up late to watch it happen live, to be a part of history.
And certainly, you’ve read all of the amazing statistics. The Boston Red Sox were 77-0 this year when leading after 8 innings. They were up nine games in the wild card standings at the beginning of the month. The Atlanta Braves,
virtually an identical story. But bullpen woes, and a pronounced lack of offensive punch, cost both teams their trip to the postseason.
Leftridge: Making a Case for the Wizard of Hoz
“…and I’d like to thank my first major league hitting coach, Kevin Seitzer, who not only taught me about the importance of crushing a hanging curve, but also how to love.”
Alright, so I’m not sure why Eric Hosmer will be talking about Seitzer teaching him how to love in his Hall of Fame acceptance speech 25 years from now, but I know for a fact that he’ll be giving a Hall of Fame speech 25 years from now. He can’t not. This city needs him to blossom, to become the greatest thing since sliced Brett. No pressure.
But in a game that’s all about inches, it’s often prudent to move in baby steps. And the first tender footed movement can be made by Hosmer taking his rightful place as the AL’s 2011 Rookie of the Year.
If only my impassioned pleas were enough.
Leftridge: Despite What the Internet Told You, Big 12 is Still a Thing
On September 22nd, KU released a statement reading in part: "Tonight, nine members of the Big 12 Conference affirmed their solidarity and agreed to measures that will ensure the stability of the conference moving forward.”
So… this is official? Finally, officially official?
Because to be honest, I tuned out awhile ago. And I know that’s not something that an ‘in-touch‘ sports writer should say, but let’s be honest… this whole situation has been insufferable.
Leftridge: Because You Have No Life, Here’s What You Should be Watching this Weekend
There’s entirely too much for you to watch this weekend. Seriously…
And since you’ll be wildly drunk most of the time, the only decision you should be left with is whether or not to sexually harass the Domino’s driver who barely speaks any English (hint: you shouldn’t… she’s a sweet gal).
To make it easy, I’ve compiled a list of must-see sports, things you’ll wish you could be watching when you’re in a detention facility because you ignored me and showed the poor lady your who-ha.
Check it out!
Leftridge: Charles Done for Year: Fantasy Football Fans Despondent, Suicidal
With one awkward landing, a fantastic grimace and the collective gasp of hundreds of thousands of fans, Jamaal Charles effectively dashed this town’s playoff hopes against the rocks of reality.
Okay, so I’m being melodramatic.
This season was likely lost before Charles’ knee turned into a quivering mass of gelatin early in Sunday’s game. Had he not gone down, and had all of the stars that were rapidly plummeting to earth remained securely tucked in the heavens, this was still nothing better than an 8 win team. At absolute best. But truthfully, they’d been shaving wins off of the turkey’s carcass before the season even started.
Leftridge: Weekend That Was; Chiefs Implode, Royals Tantalize, KU Curb-Stomped
The ship done sank before it left the dock…
Everything that you need to know happened in the first drive. Back to back 15-yard penalties against the Chiefs. A fumbled interception by Jon ‘Yee-haw’ McGraw. Our newly minted $50 million dollar man getting blasted for a touchdown.
The summation of the game reads like some sort of Kafkaesque nightmare crafted specifically to cost a head coach his job. Six turnovers. An anemic offense. A porous defense. Eight penalties for 70 yards to their 4/35. You’re never going to win this game on the road. EVER. You’re rarely going to pull this kind of thing off at home.
And perhaps the biggest blow of all was the injury to Jamaal Charles. Look, almost nobody in their right mind thought that the Chiefs would be winning the division this year, but strident optimists thought that maybe they’d be able to crap out 8 or 9 wins. If Charles is out for any extended period of time, however, all bets are off. It will mean that they’ve firmly planted themselves in the Andrew Luck sweepstakes, though.
Elsewhere:
Leftridge: Curtains for Great Kansas Hope Ortiz, Mayweather Still Sidestepping Pacquiao
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A headbutt.
A hug and a kiss.
A cheap (legal) shot.
And that was all she wrote.
Floyd Mayweather (42-0), undefeated, undisputed champion of everything not MMA, knocked out local(ish) boy Victor Ortiz (29-3-2) in the fourth round of Saturday’s battle in Las Vegas. The hook he threw that connected solidly with Ortiz’s chin was about as hard a punch as Mayweather throws—but it didn’t come without controversy.
Leftridge: Next Year’s Kansas City Royals Could Be The Real Deal
Dateline: Minnesota. September 28th, 2011.
The weather is cold, too cool for baseball really. The Twins knew what they were getting into when they built Target Field, but the promise of beautiful, starry-skied summer evenings was too much to pass up. It’s the top of the ninth and the Royals are trailing by two runs. First baseman Eric Hosmer is on second after a walk and a stolen base. Johnny Giavotella, diminutive second baseman, is at the plate. He’s down 0-2 to Twins closer Joe Nathan. Nathan rears back and launches a knee-buckling curveball… that lands a foot in front of the plate. Giavotella takes a violent hack, but the wind is his only victim.
The ballgame, the season and even the summer, is officially over.
Ok, so this didn’t happen. Yet. But it could.
