Danny Duffy Out For Season With Torn Elbow Ligament

Danny Duffy only lasted 13 pitches into Kansas City's 9-1 victory over the Chicago White Sox before disaster struck for the young pitcher. Duffy tore his left ulnar collateral ligament, and will likely require Tommy John's surgery. This would mean that the young lefty's 2012 season would be over, delivering a crushing blow to the Royals' starting rotation.

Kansas City already lost All-Star closer Joakim Soria to a similar injury on April 3, and now the Royals have lost two of their best arms. Duffy had a 2-2 record this season with a 3.90 ERA, and seemed to be on the verge of becoming one of the better starters in the American League.

The Royals also lost starter Jonathan Sanchez, who was placed on the 15 day disabled list last Wednesday with bicep tendinitis.

Kansas City News, official kc news site with breaking stories on The Kansas City Royals, Chiefs, charity events, the 2012 MLB All Star Game, weather, sports, MU, KU, ufo sightings, dui checkpoints, Kansas City neighborhoods, nightlife, concerts, the Sprint Center, the Power and Light District and current Kansas City news articles.

Chiefs Rookie Mini-Camp Begins Today

The Chiefs rookie mini-camp begins today, giving Kansas City’s recent draft picks and undrafted free agents an opportunity to impress the coaching staff and earn a roster spot. The players will spend some time on the field, while also learning about the team’s facilities while meeting with the coaches.

A rookie luncheon will take place, which allows the new players to eat and visit with Kansas City legends. Chiefs CEO Clark Hunt and former players Bobby Bell, Len Dawson, Emmit Thomas, Jan Strenerud, Willie Lanier, Willie Davis, Danan Hughes, Will Shields and Deron Cherry will be in attendance.

Kansas City signed 15 undrafted free agents to add to a loaded draft class, so there will be a lot of competition for a roster spot. Having significant depth is crucial to winning in the NFL, as Kansas City learned the hard way in an injury-plagued season last year. Hopefully the Chiefs can get their draft picks better acclimated to the pros, while finding a steals amongst their UFAs.

Kansas City News, official kc news site with breaking stories on The Kansas City Royals, Chiefs, charity events, the 2012 MLB All Star Game, weather, sports, MU, KU, ufo sightings, dui checkpoints, Kansas City neighborhoods, nightlife, concerts, the Sprint Center, the Power and Light District and current Kansas City news articles.

Dallas Clark Signs With Buccaneers - Kansas City News

Although it has not been officially announced, different sources have reported that Dallas Clark has signed with theTampa Bay Buccaneers.  This move makes a lot of sense as Tampa's starting tight end Kellen Winslow has been told that "his services are no longer needed" in Tampa Bay.

We were excited to learn that Dallas had made a visit to Kansas City and that he may possibly land here, but we spoke too soon and it looks like Dallas is headed to the Buccaneers instead.  Sorry Chiefs fans!  Here was our original article (that we had strong feelings but were eventually wrong about):

Dallas Clark's best friends is Chiefs O Lineman Ryan Lilja.  Clark and Lilja bonded when they played together in Indianapolis, where they won a Super Bowl together.  Dal las Clark makes frequent trips to Kansas City anyway to visit Lilja, so it is probable that Ryan Lilja had a little pull in getting Dallas Clark on the Chiefs roster.  We have had the pleasure of meeting and hanging out with Dallas and his wife at recent parties and we find him to be very personable and down to earth.

After floating around in free agency for months, Dallas Clark was amazingly unsigned by anyone, even after his incredible career as a tight end.  Clark comes to the Chiefs with 4887 career receiving yards and 46 touchdowns, more than any receiving member of the current team.  It is not clear what Dallas Clark's role will be as the Chiefs already have two starting quality tight ends in Kevin Boss and Tony Moeaki, but adding another great leader to the team who happens to be wearing a Super Bowl ring sure can't hurt.

The Kansas City Chiefs are looking to beef up their running offense and their defense in the off season.  Although Dallas Clark is known for more of a receiving tight end than a blocking tight end, the Chiefs focus will remain on the running game despite the signing of Dallas Clark.  It makes sense for the Chiefs to have a lot of short out receiving options as starting quarterback Matt Cassel is notorious for his lack of long ball throwing ability.  Since Cassel has difficulty getting the ball down the field on long passes, it makes sense to bring in players like Kevin Boss and Dallas Clark so that they can run successful short passing routes that Matt Cassel is more likely to complete.  So, with that in mind, it looks like the Chiefs have a strong running attack with blocking that remains to be seen, a lot of short pass options, and a beefed up defense, who already played quite well last season.

We will expect an official announcement of Dallas Clark signing with The Kansas City Chiefs tomorrow morning.  Many Chiefs season ticket holders have had their eye on Dallas Clark in the past two weeks and now it seems that the Chiefs management are going to make them happy - if only in the short term.

Dallas Clark signs with Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Kansas City News, official kc news site with breaking stories on The Kansas City Royals, Chiefs, charity events, the 2012 MLB All Star Game, weather, sports, MU, KU, ufo sightings, dui checkpoints, Kansas City neighborhoods, nightlife, concerts, the Sprint Center, the Power and Light District and current Kansas City news articles.

Chiefs Sign DE Ropati Pitoitua - Kansas City News

Kansas City has been busy this offseason, recently signing a bevy of undrafted free agents after the 2012 NFL draft. The Chiefs have continued to make some moves to boost the team’s depth before camp, particularly addressing the defensive line.

Kansas City recently signed former Jets defensive end Ropati Pitoitua in an effort to boost its depth on an underachieving defensive line. Pitoitua has played in 22 games over the past two seasons for New York and should add some competition to the DE position currently manned by Tyson Jackson.

While it is no secret that Jackson has failed to live up to his lofty draft selection, Pitoitua hardly seems like a candidate who could take his starting spot. Still, Pitoitua has seen some significant playing time on one of the best defenses in the league, and with his young age, it is entirely possible he could improve significantly. The Chiefs addressed the NT position in the draft, but it must find more productivity out of the DE spot. This is another sign that Kansas City views this as a make-or-break season for Jackson.

Kansas City News, official kc news site with breaking stories on The Kansas City Royals, Chiefs, charity events, the 2012 MLB All Star Game, weather, sports, MU, KU, ufo sightings, dui checkpoints, Kansas City neighborhoods, nightlife, concerts, the Sprint Center, the Power and Light District and current Kansas City news articles.

Billy Butler's Blast Leads Royals To Victory - Kansas City News

On a day in which Texas’ Josh Hamilton made headlines by hitting four home runs in one game, Billy Butler decided to grab a bit of the spotlight as well. Butler hit a three-run homerun in the eighth inning to propel Kansas City to a 6-4 victory over Boston. The win improved the Royals’ record to 10-19 on the season.

It appeared that Kansas City was on its way towards another frustrating loss. Despite giving up just three runs, Danny Duffy struggled and lasted 4 1/3 innings. Kansas City’s offense had a big third inning, but had been dormant since. The game was in doubt until Daniel Bard walked both Jarrod Dyson and Alex Gordon in the eighth. That would be the end for Bard, who struggled with his control all night and even had two balks. Boston’s Matt Albers relieved Bard, and three pitches later, Butler crushed a pitch to give Kansas City a lead it would not relinquish.

While Butler’s homer will get all of the headlines, several other Royals had key contributions to the win. Chris Getz and Humberto Quintero both came up with big hits in the second inning to drive in some runs. Getz has significantly improved his performance at the plate this season, and has been a pleasant surprise for a Royals team that is struggling to consistently score. Kansas City also got quality pitching from Kelvin Herrera, Jose Mijares and Jonathan Broxton after Duffy left the game. With the Royals’ starting pitching struggling lately, it is encouraging to see the bullpen step up.

The Royals’ face the Red Sox again tonight at 7:10 p.m. A victory would give the Royals a winning record in its AL East home stand against New York and Boston. Bruce Chen (0-4) will start for the Royals, while Jon Lester (1-2) will take the mound for the Red Sox.

Kansas City News, official kc news site with breaking stories on The Kansas City Royals, Chiefs, charity events, the 2012 MLB All Star Game, weather, sports, MU, KU, ufo sightings, dui checkpoints, Kansas City neighborhoods, nightlife, concerts, the Sprint Center, the Power and Light District and current Kansas City news articles.