Royals Back in Action After Sweeping Twins

After losing six straight, many felt that the Royals' annual collapse had begun. However, Kansas City rebounded in a big way by sweeping the Minnesota Twins, a team the Royals struggle against every season. Kansas City is back in action tonight against Baltimore.

Tonight's game features two struggling pitchers. Jeff Francis survived only three innings in his latest outing, and has pitched poorly after a strong start to the season. The Royals need him to get back on track; while the Royals' offense has been redhot, its starting pitching has been suspect all season. Francis has a great opportunity to turn it around tonight, facing winless Brad Bergensen.

The Royals' sweep of the Twins got Kansas City back above .500 (the club currently sits at 15-13 for the season) and gave the team a much-needed boost of confidence. The Orioles are average at best, and Kansas City has a great opportunity to continue its hot streak and gain some ground on the red hot Cleveland Indians.

Kansas City Zoo Events - Flights for Flippers

Dueling Pianos, Polar Bears, and Prizes at The Zoo!
by Kansas City News

Come out to The Kansas City Zoo after work on Wednesday May 18th and celebrate "Flights for Flippers", a charity event to benefit, well, animals with flippers.  The event will be fully stocked with great atmosphere, cold beer, wine tasting, savory appetizers from Ciao Bella, visit Nikita at Polar Bear Passage, enter to win fabulous prizes like a Kansas City Royals Prize Pack, a 2011 FOTZ Membership, a Gift Certificate to Ciao Bella plus...

DUELING PIANOS!
That's right folks, dueling pianos at The Zoo!  We will have lots of fun so don't miss out.  These guys are amazing!

Tickets are $20 for Friends of the Zoo (FOTZ) Members and $30 for Non-FOTZ Members. Become a Friends of the Zoo (FOTZ) Member Today to earn the $10 per person discount to Flights for Flippers! 

This event is sponsored by Friends of the Zoo, Adam Blue Productions, and Ciao Bella.

***Please note that this is a 21 and older event. No refunds will be given after registration closes; however, you may transfer your tickets to another name.

Location
Kansas City Zoo
6800 Zoo Dr.
Kansas City, MO  64132
map

Contact Information
Marketing
marketing@fotzkc.org
816.513.5800

PURCHASE TICKETS HERE

Chiefs' 2011 Draft Recap

The 2011 NFL draft is over, and most experts felt that Kansas City did a decent job. While the Chiefs' first pick was somewhat of a surprise, Kansas City addressed areas that had to be upgraded, and did a good job of building quality depth.

Kansas City had two primary goals entering the 2011 NFL draft - find another pass catcher to compliment Dwayne Bowe and another outside linebacker to take some of the pressure of Tamba Hali. Jonathan Baldwin will hopefully be the receiver the Chiefs need, but it was Kansas City's next picks that impressed the draft experts. The offensive line got some much-needed depth with the arrival of Rodney Hudson, and finding OLB Justin Houston in the third round was a steal. Houston was projected by many to be a first round selection, however a failed drug test gave Houston a red flag, and he fell into Kansas City's lap in the third round. The character issues are a bit concerning, but Houston has the talent to be a star. He was certainly worth a gamble with a third round pick.

The Chiefs's later round selections were also quality picks. Massive NT Jerrell Powe has the potential to be a run-stopping machine, and adds depth and competition to a position of weakness on Kansas City's defensive line. QB Ricky Stanzi should add solid depth, and teams have often grabbed quarterbacks late in the draft, developed them, then traded them later for a higher draft pick.

While on paper the Cheifs' draft looks good, one must be concerned with character issues. Baldwin has been described as a potential diva and Houston failed two drug tests last year (a failed test in the NFL will lead to an automatic suspension). Kansas City addressed the areas it needed to, and hopefully gambles like Houston pay off.

Using Plus Sign in Google Search Not Necessary

Just a quick note to my old friends who are probably my age or a little older, class of 19@* or whatever. Although we were the last really cool generation, the generation that all of the young people aged 12-26 are still imitating, the last generation that actually stood for or meant anything, or contributed anything to the world musically, the last generation who was still socially adept, can look you in the eye and give a firm handshake, not text something to you to avoid confrontation like these stupid kids today walking around with their heads down as they walk texting, and texting.............................wait, what was I talking about........I had a point here.....................oh well.....senior moment.

What I wanted to tell you was, you don't have to use the plus (+) sign when searching Google or any other search engine anymore.  That technique was taught to us back in the early 90's and it is no longer necessary.  Now pay attention kids, this is awesome.  In the old days, to search the World Wide Web as we called it, you would type in search+the+world+wide+web in the search box.  And oh, what advances we have made since then.  Old people, you may now retire your plus key, but please don't lose your sense of style, because, as you can tell by watching Idol or Glee or any of the other crappy shows on network TV, the only good songs that they perform were all written before 1994, what I consider the last year actual music was made.  To wit, the preppy kids are STILL wearing the polo / izod shirts with collars up and some of them are even going back to high tops!  Hey little farts, WE started that back in the 80's.  What's next, are you guys going to start rolling up your jeans at the bottom to make them skinny.  Just wait, it's coming.

But I digress................I just noticed that since our little team here at www.kansas-city-news.pro have reached the top ten on Google under the search phrase "kansas city news" (don't try achieving THAT at home), we are getting a LOT more traffic and that some of you old schoolers are still using the plus sign when you are searching, and I want you to stop it.

Chiefs Select Jonathan Baldwin

As predicted, Kansas City ended up trading down in the first round of the 2011 NFL draft to select Pittsburg WR Jonathan Baldwin. Kansas City passed on some talented defensive players and a few offensive lineman to get Baldwin, which has led to some debate as to whether or not this was the right move.

Whether you agree with grabing Baldwin or not, Kansas City's first round strategy was sound. The Chiefs likely sold themselves on getting Baldwin and giving their wide receiving corps a much needed boost, and knew he would be available later on in the first round. The Chiefs' trade not only gives them help at WR, but also allows them to address depth issues on the offensive line with an extra third round pick. I would be surprised if the pick Kansas City aquired from the Browns isn't used on a guard, which could be a valuable addition in the third round. Yes, there were a lot of other routes the Chiefs could have taken, and Baldwin has been labled one of the biggest "boom or bust" candidates in the draft, but credit Scott Pioli with finding the player he wanted and getting an extra third round pick.

As for Baldwin, he appears to have the tools to be a quality NFL receiver. He has great size and should provide Matt Cassel with another red zone target. Drafting a wide receiver in the first round is always a huge gamble, and teams have been able to find outstanding NFL wideouts in the second round in previous drafts.

The Chiefs could have added much-needed help to its defensive front seven or offensive line, but Pioli addressed a need, and was smart to trade down and acquire an extra third round pick. Look for Kansas City to add a guard with its upcomming picks and try to find a sleeper it can develop at outside linebacker.