Royals Beat Angels in Marathon, Improve to 3-1

After a dismal start to the season on opening day, the Royals have now won three straight games in dramatic fashion. Sunday's series-clinching win against the Los Angeles Angels was the craziest of all, as the Royals rallied in extra innings to prevail, 12-9.

Kansas City's offense finally woke up, as the Royals jumped out to a quick 5-0 lead. However, Los Angeles continued to climb back into the game, and eventually took a 9-7 lead off a home run by former Royal Alberto Callaspo. When it looked like Kansas City was just about finished, the Royals were able to load up the bases thanks to some terrible pitching from the Angels. Wilson Betemit then doubled to tie up the game, a ball that was nearly caught by a diving Vernon Wells. After three terrific innings from new relief pitcher Tim Collins, another new Royal - catcher Matt Treanor - ended the game with a three run home run in the bottom of the 13th inning.

After relying on solid pitching and some timely hits to win its first two games, the Royals offense exploded against the struggling Scott Kazmir. Alex Gordon woke up and had a monster game, as did Jeff Francoeur. The Royals now find themselves two games over .500 for the first time since May of the 2009 season, and in first place. It may not last long, but so far, the Royals' season is off to a great start.

The KC All Stars Win "Kansas City's Best Band" Again in 2010

The KC All Stars live on stage at The Sprint Center

Going for their 3rd crown in a row as "Best Band in Kansas City" award, The KC All Stars bring home the gold.
by Kansas City News

For the third straight year, local dance band sensation The KC All Stars have won the prestigious "Best Band in Kansas City" award.  The KC All Stars had a stellar 2010 string of performances, including gaining the headlining slot for HBO at The Kansas City Convention Center, Larry Moore's Sunflower House Charity Gala at The Overland Park Convention Center for over 2000 guests, Headline Act at Kansas City's Power and Light District, The 2010 Kansas City Auto Show at Bartle Hall, The Kansas City Ballet's Ballet Ball Gala at The Muehlbach, The Uptown Theater, The Madrid Theater, Leawood's Park Place Concert Series and too many more great shows to mention.

The KC All Stars retained their status as the "Official Band of the Kansas City Chiefs" and performed at the season home opener vs. the Chargers at Arrowhead Stadium to a packed house.  They even married off one of our beloved Chief's offensive linemen Ryan Lilja at The Hilton President, as well as performed at the wedding of Charlia Taylor, head cheerleader for The Chiefs. 

The KC All Stars were featured at several major KU events such as the annual spring dance and also the KU Alumni Gala.  The band didn't forget their fans at MU and KState either, performing for several Frat and Sorority parties on both campuses.

The KC All Stars' biggest honor this year was being invited to be the headline entertainment at The Kansas City Chamber of Commerce annual gala at The Hyatt Regency.

Coming in a close second place was Kansas City's newest rising star 80's band, "The Taxis", and in third place was the hottest new wedding band "The Wedding Crashers".  The KC All Stars are beginning to become a National act as they toured from Vero Beach, Florida to Scottsdale, Arizona as a headline act.

NCAA Title Game Set

After two thrilling Final 4 games, the NCAA national title game is set. The Butler Bulldogs continue their second consecutive Cinderella run, as they will face off against the UConn Huskies. The championship game will take place tomorrow night at 8:23.

To get to the title game, Butler had to play a rare role as the favorite against the upstart VCU rams. The Bulldogs were able to overcome several early deficits and wear down the Rams in the second half en route to a 70-62 victory. Butler now has another chance at a national title, a ridiculous feat for a small school that entered this year's tournament as an 8 seed. After coming up just short last year against Duke, the Bulldogs get one more chance to complete one of the most memorable runs in NCAA history.

Standing in Butler's way are the UConn Huskies and the dangerous Kemba Walker. UConn held on to beat Kentucky, 56-55, and now have an opportunity to hand coach Jim Calhoun his third national title. Walker is good enough for UConn to beat anybody, and if he heats up in the title game, Butler will be in trouble. The championship game should be a thrilling end to what has been one of the wildest and most unpredictable NCAA tournaments ever.

Royals Drop Home Opener

It may be a new season, but its the same old Royals. Kansas City dropped its home opener 4-2 to the visiting Los Angeles Angels, and fans have to wonder if the best record the Royals will post this season was yesterday's 0-0 mark.

Many pundits predicted that the Royals' offense would be among the worst in the majors this season, and yesterday's game did nothing to dispute these claims. Kansas City managed only two hits in seven innings against Jered Weaver. Luke Hochevar didn't pitch great, giving up 4 runs over 5 2/3rds innings, but the Royals' relief pitchers were solid. The problem in Kansas City continues to be offense.

The Royals did make it interesting late in the game, thanks to solo shots by Mike Aviles and Jeff Francoeur. In the ninth, Alex Gordon barely missed a home run with runners on the corners before striking out. It was a terrible day for Gordon, as he went 0-5 with three strikeouts. He continues to be yet another draft bust for a team that seems to have more than anyone else in the majors.

It is hard to take a lot from one game, especially given how long the MLB season is. Hopefully yesterday's effort was not a prediction of things to come, because it was all too familiar.

Wolf Creek Power Plant One of Three Cited by NRC for More Oversight

Just 100 miles to the southwest of Kansas City lies Burlington, KS, the home of the Wolf Creek Nuclear Power Plant. In a NRC (Nuclear Regulatory Commision) report to Congress on Thursday, The Plant was cited with two others that need "more intensive oversight". Incidental, one of the other plants cited is also close to Kansas City near Omaha. The problems at Wolf Creek stem from policies and procedures for handling the the electrical power to the plant, and backup power sources. Similar problems are what has caused the disaster in Japan. Power was lost the the Reactors cooling systems resulting in overheating of Nuclear Fuel rods and explosions releasing radiation into the atmosphere.

The concern at Wolf Creek is that the Corporation responsible for running the Plant, Wolf Creek Nuclear Operating Corporation, is not the group responsible for the power grid to the Plant. The grid is operated by Wolf Creek's owners, Westar Energy. Poor communication and coordination have been cited in a few incidents at the Plant when primary power has been lost momentarily. Lack of proper reporting of power loss situations have also been cited at the Plant.

The tragedy in Japan has certainly shed new light on Nuclear power around the world. Accidents can and do happen if we are not vigilant in keeping safety standards high. If any good does come of the disaster, this could be it. I believe Nuclear Power can and has been safe and could still be a significant player in our future power needs. We, as a nation, need to keep sufficient light shined on these operations. We don't want them getting too comfortable.