(KMAland) — We are moving into the 21st week of the 2019-20 sports calendar year. Are you having fun yet? On to Seven Points…
Point 1: The Chiefs – yes, the Chiefs! – are going to the Super Bowl
As a young lad, I found a love and a passion for Kansas City professional athletics. Of course, I chose the one that played in the baseball stadium rather than the football stadium. Well, to say that I chose it would be a bit disingenuous. My dad put this sickness inside of me.
While I was all about the Royals, I was not a fan of the Chiefs. I am not a fan of the Chiefs. I actually developed some sort of sick competition in my head between the two professional franchises. It makes no sense, I know, but it sits in my brain and won’t leave. For years, the Royals were getting their butts kicked in that competition. The Chiefs have been one of the best franchises in the NFL while the Royals – for a large part of my life – were at the bottom of MLB.
Of course, things leaned Royals in 2014 and 2015 when they improbably advanced to Game 7 of the World Series against the Giants and then clowned the Mets on their way to their first championship since 1985. I know some Chiefs fans really think they’ve been suffering for a long time, but try being one of the worst teams in the league for three decades.
I know, I know. There have been playoff catastrophes and heartbreaks, but the Royals didn’t even bother getting to playoffs. Or even getting close to the playoffs. There was never any hope with the Royals. There’s almost always been hope with the Chiefs. You don’t know long-suffering unless you’ve been to the K to watch guys like Jose Guillen, Angel Berroa, Aaron Guiel, Mendy Lopez, Chris Getz and the like fumble around. Anyway…
It’s not that surprising that the Chiefs would go to the Super Bowl. They have a strong owner that cares only about winning. They play in the NFL, where everybody is pretty much playing on an even field with a salary cap. They made an outstanding coaching hire in Andy Reid, and they’ve made smart/outstanding draft decisions and additional strong acquisitions. And yeah, they played the 4 and the 6 seed in the top-heavy AFC to get there.
But make no mistake, this is an outstanding team that deserves to play in the Super Bowl. I really wish we could have seen Baltimore/Kansas City in the AFC Championship, but I’m good with settling for KC/San Francisco in the Super Bowl. These are two outstanding football teams, and even though I would rather hammer nails through my feet than have to cheer for one of them, I will enjoy this one as a football fan. Go Royals.
Point 2: Speaking of the Royals….
The Kansas City Royals, which – by the way – had the bigger accomplishment in winning the 2015 World Series than the Chiefs would have by winning this year’s Super Bowl (smirk), are close to or have already agreed to a one-year deal with Alex Gordon.
Royals beat writer Jeffrey “Flanny” Flanagan tweeted yesterday: “Sources indicate the Royals and Alex Gordon are “getting close” on a one-year deal. Might be announced Tuesday or Wednesday after his physical.”
I laughed about those last three words because Alex Gordon taking a physical must be an absolute marvel, but I see this only as good news. Alex Gordon – the single greatest hero from that 2015 champion – can play for the Royals as long as he wants. He’s still elite defensively, and he had a pretty solid year at the plate in 2019.
There are some that don’t understand why the Royals would want to bring him back. They think that it will disrupt the rebuild. Now, I would agree with that notion if there was actually some sort of young outfielder that he was blocking, but I don’t think Bubba Starling, Brett Phillips or any other number of quad-A type outfielders are going to be a part of the future anyway. So, let’s see some more Gordo.
Point 3: My ongoing gag with the charge call in basketball continued
I charged up the Creston faithful on Friday with this tweet.
Now, if I had to do it all again, I probably would have left that last part off of there. I need to better understand that not everybody is familiar with my ongoing gag with the charge call in basketball. Basically, I hate charges*. I don’t hate the people taking them, and I don’t hate the people calling them. I hate the rule. I also think it’s misapplied quite often.
*I will note that I don’t mind when primary defenders beat their offensive player to a spot and then take it in the chest. Those charges are A-OK with me. I’m just not big on the slide-ins or slide-unders that make up for what is generally poor defense (not talking about this specific instance since it was sort of a frantic scenario).
Anyway, my final “….charge is not an acceptable answer” was simply an ode to that. I should have known it would lead to an emotional, visceral reaction from those that it personally impacted. There were some ugly moments involved, including the misapplication of your/you’re, but that’s going to happen. (I really think teachers should re-teach that, though. It’s a simple lesson, really.)
Either way, I apologize for the comment that raised the ire of the Creston folks. In the end, I was and am still impressed with the effort on both sides on that play. In other words, “both teams played hard.”
Point 4: McGregor/Cowboy
Boy, the UFC really could not have matched up a worse duo. Not when it comes to fighting. When it comes to being a solid, respectable human being.
McGregor has been investigated for two sexual assault allegations. Innocent until proven guilty, but he doesn’t exactly have a clean history. And then there’s Cowboy Donald Cerrone, who has dropped several homophobic slurs and rants in the past. While he did apologize after the first one, there was a recent sit down with Brendan Schaub where he continued that behavior.
So, who do you root for when two pretty bad humans get together in the octagon? I suppose you just hope it ends quickly. And fortunately it did.
Point 5: What are you doing for others?
As I was writing this, I thought I was starting to run out of ideas, points and other thoughts. Then I saw a tweet from Council Bluffs, Abraham Lincoln’s volleyball account. It’s a picture of Martin Luther King Jr. (it’s MLK Day, by the way) with one of his many great quotes: “Life’s most persistent and urgent question: What are you doing for others?”
The tweet also has a hashtag that I love: #BeKind. I can’t say I always lived up to this ideal, but I try to every single day. I think one of the most important things in this nation right now is to try and carry on those kinds of things. Care for one another, love one another and be kind to one another. We’re living in a contentious time. Let’s do our part to better that.
Point 6: Our schedule this week is going to WOW you
Look at this…
Tuesday: St. Albert at Glenwood boys on KMA 960, 7:30 PM (Trevor)
Wednesday: Corner Conference Girls Tournament at Stanton – Sidney vs. Fremont-Mills & East Mills vs. Stanton on FM 99.1, 6:00 PM (Brent)
Thursday: Corner Conference Boys Tournament at Malvern – Stanton vs. Sidney & Fremont-Mills vs. East Mills on FM 99.1, 6:00 PM (Me)
Friday: Corner Conference Girls Consolation & Championship at Malvern on 960, 6:00 PM (Brent) & Martensdale-St. Marys at Mount Ayr girl/boy doubleheader on FM 99.1, 6:00 PM (Trevor)
Saturday: John J. Harris Wrestling Invitational on 960, 3:30 PM (Trevor & Steve Baier) and Corner Conference Boys Consolation & Championship at Griswold on 99.1, 6:00 PM (Derek)
Extra Point: Have a great week!
Enjoy the 21st week of the calendar!
Send any questions, comments and/or concerns to dmartin@kmaland.com.