Paul Splittorff Loses Cancer Fight

Royals Hall of Fame pitcher and broadcaster Paul Splittorff has died. He died this morning at the family home in Blue Springs form Oral Cancer and Melanoma. Splittorff was hospitalized last week and the speculation was that he was very sick, with one local blog reporting he had been given last rights. He was a very private man who had obviously been having some sort of medical issue for a few years as anyone who has seen his broadcasting lately could tell you. His voice was not up to par, and sometimes he was difficult to understand. Splittorf would claim it was a viral infection causing his issues and he kept working up until two weeks ago.

Paul Splittorff was a fixture in the Royal's rotation for 14 years, from 1970 - 1984, he retired one year before the World Championship. Though he was probably never the best pitcher in the rotation at any given time (he pitched with the likes of Busby, Leonard, and Gura), his longevity made him the Royals all time leader in victories with 166. He was also the Royals first 20 game winner in 1973. He was inducted into the Royals Hall of Fame in 1987

Splittorff then went on to a long broadcasting career with the Royals, 27 years. He also did basketball games for the Big 12. Paul Splittorff was 64.

Joakim Noah Caught Using Gay Slur During Game

First Kobe Bryant, now Joakim Noah. The Bulls star has been caught using a gay slur towards a fan and will likely be punished by the NBA for his actions. The incident occured just one week after Suns CEO and president Rick Welts admitted that he was gay, one of the first prominent figures in sports to do so.

Bryant was fined $100k for using a gay slur towards an official, so expect Noah's punishment to be similar. The Bulls star has apologized, and given that Noah deals with a lot of abuse from opposing fans night after night, he may be given more of a free pass from other players and the media in regards to his actions than Bryant was.

The bigger picture here is that the NBA can't shake the issue of its players using gay slurs during games. After Bryant was caught hurling a gay obscenity at an official, the league started running commercials featuring NBA stars encouraging players and fans not to use gay slurs during basketball. If Welts' coming out was a step forward for the sport, Noah's actions are a clear step back.

Royals Drop Series to Cardinals in Wild Fashion

The Royals dropped a wild 9-8 game to the Cardinals, losing the 1-70 series and falling to 22-24 overall. The loss moves Kansas City to eight games back of Cleveland in the AL Central.

The Royals pitching yesterday was downright terrible at times, as Kansas City walked 13 batters. However, St. Louis was called for only walk, which upset catcher Matt Treanor and manager Ned Yost so much that they both were ejected during the seventh inning. Kansas City had fallen behind by as much as six runs, but was able to battle back and tie up the game before eventually losing in extra innings. Kansas City's poor pitching and defense (the team's streak of 11 games without an error was broking) wasted a terrific offensive effort from the Royals, as Alex Gordon, Wilson Betemit and Jeff Francoeur all homered during the comeback.

The Royals have an opportunity to get a once promising season back on track in its next series against Baltimore. Danny Duffy has showed some promise, and he will get the start tonight against the Orioles.

Devastating Storms Hit Kansas and Missouri

Harold Camping may have been wrong about the end of the World, but don't tell that to the survivors of Missouri's worst tornado related weather event in history. Pictures from Joplin, MO are apocalyptic this morning after a mile wide tornado destroyed much of the city. 89 are currently confirmed dead, but that number is likely to rise as workers search the rubble for survivors.

A hospital, one of two in the city, and a nursing home took direct hits Sunday afternoon around 5PM. A resident 45 miles away reported debris in his yard from St John's Regional Medical Center including x-rays and medical equipment. Patients have been sent to hospitals in other communities. Thousands are without power, and residents have been told to boil water for drinking or preparing food. The Joplin School District was also hit hard with 9 schools receiving damage, 3 completely destroyed. Phone lines are down making it hard to reach those in the affected areas. You can search for friends and other loved ones on the Red Cross's safeandwell.org site.

If you wish to help, you can contact the Red Cross. They are VERY good at getting help to the right spot in a timely manner. You can also give blood, please go to one of the local community blood centers to contribute.

The tornado in Joplin overshadowed an EF3 tornado that struck on Saturday night in the small town of Reading, KS near Emporia. One man was killed when his mobile home (of course) was flipped in the storm. At least five people were injured, and most of the town destroyed.

Rapture 2011 Apocalypse After Rapture Party

Ok, well....................it looks like.......................I'm still here..........................does this mean that the rapture started and I was left behind?  No one I know disappeared.................unless you count my brother, but he's probably just at the casino.

If this is the Apolalypse, hey! it's not so bad :)  The sun is shining nicely and it's about 78 degrees in good old Kansas City, my beer is still cold, my PlayStation still works, and my girlfriend is still hot and continues to clean my house and put up with my shit.  And, well...........if you're reading this right now, you didn't get taken up to heaven in the rapture this evening either.  So welcome to the after party!  We're kicking off the "After Rapture Party" right here on Kansas City News, so crack a beer or pour a rum and coke and let's do it right!