Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Royals Win In Extra Innings Again


The first place Royals (no that is not a misprint) won its second consecutive thriller, beating the White Sox 7-6 in extra innings. This is the second straight win for the Royals in extra innings, as Kansas City came back to beat the Angels on Sunday.


The Royals have now won four straight games for the first time since September of 2009. The team has used some late-game magic in all four of its wins - and its only loss came when an Alex Gordon blast fell just inches short of a game-winning home run. The Royals' late-game heroics should have relief pitchers and closers around the league terrified, as this team has proved it will go down swinging every night.


This time, Melky Cabrera was the hero, singling home Chris Getz to give Kansas City another walkoff win. The Royals' offense is producing, with new players such as Cabrera and Matt Treanor mixing well with Billy Butler (on pace for another strong season) and Alex Gordon (finally playing like the player we thought he could be).


This feels a bit like the 2003 season, the last time the Royals finished with a winning record. That year, Kansas City had an endless supply of late-game heroics and breakout seasons from several players. While still early, the Royals start may signal that the team could be ready to contend sooner than most expected.

Kansas City E Tax Supporters Win Huge Victory


Kansas City Missouri's Earnings tax has been renewed for five more years. By an astoundingly large majority, Kansas City voters approved the 5 year renewal on Tuesday in a 78-22 percent vote. Voters took the Pro E-tax story hook, line, and sinker. E-tax supporters painted a dismal, scary picture of the future without an Earnings Tax - more than half of Firefighters laid off, Police and other vital services cut dramatically. The fact is that other cities (almost all) cities around the country survive without an Earnings Tax. They get Leaner, Meaner, cut corruption, and look for other sources of income that don't discourage business and residents from locating to their city.


Freedon PAC Spokesman Woody Cozad said he was disappointed, but not surprised. At least there was a public referendum and debate on the tax that has been unchanged with virtually no discussion for 40 years. There was certainly interest generated. Turnout for Tuesday's one- issue vote was higher than the recent Mayoral election.


Proposition A, passed by a vote of the entire State, required this vote and also requires a new vote every 5 years on the tax. Legislation has already been introduced to require less frequent votes, say every ten years or so. With the huge margins by which the Earnings Tax passed in both Kansas City and St Louis (the margin was even greater there), the Missouri Legislature is likely to approve the change. Kansas City and St Louis will argue that it's expensive to run an election and it also hurts the cities' credit ratings.

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Vrabel Arrested on Class D Felony - Chiefs News

Mike Vrabel of the Kansas City Chiefs
Mike Vrabel of the Kansas City Chiefs Arrested on a Class D Felony this morning...
by Kansas City Mutha Fuckin' News

Do we really have a 35 year old linebacker on the Chiefs?  Holy crap, it's a good thing that the Chiefs owner recently turned Arrowhead Stadium into a bar, or the fans might notice that the Chiefs are not spending any money on players.  Anyway, on a "who really gives a fuck" note, senior citizen (and Chiefs linebacker) Mike Vrabel was arrested this morning for stealing from a casino.  This was a class D felony and since there is no "league" at this moment, this probably won't hurt Vrabel in regards to the player's conduct rule.  Thank God, because we really need all the 35 year old linebackers on the field we can get.  I think that we should look into signing Lawrence Taylor as well (who recently hired a pimp to arrange sex with a 16 year old).

More details on this hilarious incident:

Chiefs LB Vrabel arrested for theft

FLORENCE, Ind. — Kansas City linebacker Mike Vrabel was arrested Monday and charged with theft from a riverboat casino.

The Switzerland County sheriff’s department said Vrabel, 35, was arrested at 5:30 a.m. and released about 5 hours later on $600 cash bond. He was charged with a class D felony.

“It was an unfortunate misunderstanding, and I take full responsibility for the miscommunication,” Vrabel said in a statement issued through his agent. “I feel comfortable that after talking with the appropriate parties, we will resolve this matter.”

The incident happened at the Belterra Casino in Florence, Ind. A call to the security department of the casino was not immediately returned.

Vrabel, a three-time Super Bowl winner with the New England Patriots, is a member of the NFLPA executive committee and one of the plaintiffs in the players’ antitrust lawsuit against the NFL. He is supposed to appear on Wednesday in Minneapolis in a hearing in federal court in the lawsuit.

Vrabel was traded from the Patriots to the Kansas City Chiefs before the 2009 season for a bag of popcorn and free tickets to Toy Story on Ice.

Mike Vrabel is expected to play the 2011 season using a walker and a hearing aide.  Transportation will be provided for him to and from his home at Villa Ventura assisted living housing complex.

UConn Wins National Title

Butler's Cinderella run finally ended, as the UConn Huskies knocked off the Bulldogs, 53-41. For the second straight season, Butler was able to crash the title game and face off against one of college basketball's dominant programs. Once again, Butler wasn't quite good enough to win it all and cap what would have been possibly the most surprising tournament championship ever.

Give credit to UConn for the win and surviving a poor shooting night from superstar Kemba Walker, however this game will be remembered for Butler's horrendous offensive effort. The Bulldog's shot 18% from the floor. 18%! This is easily the worst shooting performance in title game history, and allowed UConn to pretty much coast to a win in the second half despite playing average ball.

You can't play the "Butler was overwhelmed by the moment" card, because this team has played in several big games in the past two years, including last year's title game. The reality was UConn was the team with top talent, the team from the big conference, while Butler was a good mid-major on an unbelievable run. They ran out of steam at the wrong time, but it was still a great season. The Bulldogs have taught us that having experienced players and good coaching can take you into April, no matter what the name on the jersey says.

Monday, April 4, 2011

Mizzou Hires Frank Haith - Wait, Who?

I don't understand Missouri Athletic Director Mike Alden. He goes from trying to hire one ot the top tier coaches in America, to hiring a coach who was on the verge of being forced at a mediocre (at best) basketball school. Frank Haith has coached Miami University's basketball team for 7 seasons. He's been to the NCAA Tournament a total of once. He has a 38% winning percentage in the ACC in the last 7 years - to give some perspective, that's roughly equivalent to Iowa State's performance in the Big 12 over the last 7 seasons. Not Good. Alden really fouled up this one, and there is no shortage of criticism from MU fans either.

With good reason. Even if Haith wins a National Championship at Missouri, this is a bad hire. Why? Because he doesn't have the kind of pedigree that a coach needs to be at a big time program. Obviously Alden doesn't think he has a big time basketball program - it's embarrassing. It's almost like he's settling for a guy that he likes personally and simply getting the hire over with. It's really incomprehensible.


Now what. Well, I guess the we have to give the guy a chance. By all accounts he's tremendous person - honest, loyal, family man, all that, and that does count for something. He's got a reputation as a good recruiter, and he plays a more traditional brand of basketball that Missouri is surely ready for after the Mike Anderson Era. I wish the man well, and he doesn't deserve all the negative comments coming his way, but he may just be over his head. He does give a great "mean look" though.

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