(KMAland) — We are moving into the 21^st 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 21^st week of the calendar!

Send any questions, comments and/or concerns to dmartin@kmaland.com.

PHILADELPHIA — Orlando Magic forward Aaron Gordon supports embattled University of Arizona men’s basketball coach Sean Miller, whom Gordon played for during the 2013-14 season.

ESPN reported that the FBI has records of wiretapped phone conversations between Miller and Christian Dawkins, a runner for a prominent sports agency, in which Miller talked about paying $100,000 to get star high-school prospect Deandre Ayton to sign with Arizona.

Miller has said he “will be vindicated,” and a lawyer representing Ayton’s family has said the allegation is false.

For two years, the FBI investigated bribes in college basketball. In late September, assistant coaches at four colleges were charged with crimes, including an assistant coach at Arizona, Emanuel Richardson. Dawkins and two Adidas officials also were charged.

Gordon attended Arizona for one year and was college teammates with current NBA players T.J. McConnell of the Philadelphia 76ers and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson of the Brooklyn Nets.

“Sean Miller was nothing but great for me and especially the guys that were on that team: T.J., myself, Rondae,” Gordon said Saturday when asked about the report about Miller.

“He was nothing but great — just upstanding, just a role model and a great coach, a great person,” Gordon added. “This doesn’t take away from who he is as a person and who he is as a coach. He’s very successful. Yeah, the NCAA has a stranglehold on the money revenue coming through, and they need to start paying players. They really do. They need to start paying players more. It’s too bad that the FBI is so concerned with that and not concerned with other things. It’s just a domino effect at this point. You want to tip one over and the rest are going to go down. So the NCAA should pay players.”

During Gordon’s one-and-done season at Arizona, the Wildcats reached the Elite Eight but lost in a regional final to Wisconsin in overtime 64-63.

Gordon was the Wildcats’ second-leading scorer that season, averaging 12.4 points per game, and the Wildcats’ leading rebounder, averaging 8.0 boards per game.

Miller admires Gordon, too.

In 2014, a few weeks before the Magic picked Gordon fourth overall in the NBA Draft, Miller praised Gordon in an interview with the Orlando Sentinel.

“I think initially when he enters the NBA he’s ahead of the curve for a rookie with his ability to defend, because he can defend multiple players and he’s a great defensive rebounder,” Miller said then.

“That’s what he brings to the table early. As he continues to mature and grow as a player and get older, his scoring will continue to rise. His shooting will continue to improve, and I think at that point, when all of that comes together, then you’re going to have an elite NBA player.”

On Saturday night, Miller did not coach the Wildcats in their game against the University of Oregon in Eugene, Ore.

In a statement, Miller said, “I believe it is in the best interest of our team that I not coach the game tonight. I continue to fully support the university’s efforts to fully investigate this matter and am confident that I will be vindicated. For now, my thoughts are with our team.”

Gordon supported Miller when Gordon was asked for his reaction to Miller not coaching Saturday.

“I’m super-disappointed,” Gordon said. “He’s such a hard worker, just an incredibly hard worker. A great coach. But his future is still bright when it comes to coaching. An awesome guy. Whether it’s in the NBA or whether it’s in college, he’s going to keep coaching. He’s got coaching in his blood. It’s too bad to see that.”

jrobbins@orlandosentinel.com. Read his blog at OrlandoSentinel.com/magicblog and follow him on Twitter at @JoshuaBRobbins.

NEW YORK – Former NBA star Ben Gordon‘s legal troubles continued over the weekend when he was arrested for allegedly driving with a forged license plate.

Gordon, a Mount Vernon High School alum, was stopped by New York City police at Frederick Douglas Boulevard and 129th Street in Manhattan just after 9 p.m. Sunday, when officers saw what appeared to be a laminated temporary license plate on his car.

A computer check revealed a different expiration date than was displayed on the license plate, according to an NYPD spokesperson.

He was charged with criminal possession of a forged instrument, a misdemeanor, and released without bail. The Manhattan District Attorney‘s Office did not have information on when he must appear in court.

Last month, after police responded to a confrontation between him and his girlfriend in Mount Vernon.

In June, he was arrested in Los Angeles after police accused him of setting off fire alarms in an apartment building. Gordon missed a court appearance in that case and a warrant was issued for his arrest.

Gordon led the University of Connecticut to a national championship as a junior in 2004 before entering the NBA draft. He was selected third by the Chicago Bulls and following the season became the first rookie to ever win the league‘s Sixth Man Award.

His 11-year career included stops in Detroit, Orlando and Charlotte, but fizzled after two preseason games with the Golden State Warriors in 2015.

Gordon tried a comeback earlier this year by playing with the Texas Legends of the NBA G-League.

He opened his new sports-training and rehab business in Mount Vernon, Of Our Own, in September.

On Oct. 21, police officers responded to a call for assistance to find a woman crying inside and claiming she was locked in.

They got her out and she told them Gordon had a knife. A detective looked inside and saw Gordon with a box cutter, but when police later went in and took him out, no box cutter was found.

He was not charged but instead sent to St. Vincent‘s Hospital in Harrison for evaluation.

The 31-year-old woman, who lives in Los Angeles, returned to California the following day. Social media posts showed she was with Gordon again in recent weeks and back in New York this past weekend.

A spokesman for the Los Angeles city attorney said that the bench warrant was still open. He would not answer questions about how widely the warrant was disseminated. The NYPD spokesperson would not say whether the warrant turned up during Gordon‘s arrest Sunday night.