The Flint Hills around Manhattan are decked out in sun-scorched prairie grass and optimism. The Kansas City Royals put some shakeup excitement into a dead season, and the Kansas City Chiefs are quietly having a solid preseason even if a local reporter loudly voiced his displeasure with an interview setting.
- I’ll have lots more coming out over the next week or so, but this Kansas State football team sees no reason why it can’t repeat the same type of 10-win year it had in 2011-12.
- Every returning or new player I talked to, from Collin Klein and Arthur Brown to Allen Chapman and Wesley Hollingshed glowed when speaking on the spirit and attitude of their peers.
- Taking a much more judicious approach, K-State head coach Bill Snyder indicated he would let the team’s record
- Too bad the Royals don’t do the same.factor his overall view by season’s end.
- Wonder if former first base coach Doug Sisson, who was fired over the weekend, wasn’t “all in?”
- It makes me wonder when he was immediately replaced by extremely nice guy and organizational yes-man Rusty Kuntz, who opened that position for Sission initially because he wanted to spend more time watching his son play collegiate baseball at Kansas.
- That’s all fine and good, and I understand and agree with Kuntz’s reasoning. But, if that was the case, why was he given a salaried job as a special assistant to Dayton Moore when it was made clear he didn’t want to dedicate full time to the organization at that point?
- KC manager Ned Yost made it perfectly clear on Sunday that he was tired of Yuniesky Betancourt’s complaining over a lack of playing time.
- At this point in the year, I find it hard to believe that Betancourt is the only one frustrated with playing time. In fact, Jeff Francoeur all but said he wasn’t.
- He did have to sit and watch a multitude of under-performers, young (Eric Hosmer) and old (Francoeur) continue to get their at-bats regardless of production for most of this season.
- So a first base coach and a disgruntled, under-performing backup (who probably shouldn’t have been back for a second tour in the first place) are fired in August…
- …So goes the day-to-day life of a moribund organization.
- Are the Chiefs really doing this to their fans?
- Are they really having a quiet and productive camp internally, showing signs of an improved offensive line, which is leading to solid work from EVERY skill position, which is leading to plays being made in the running and, heaven forbid, passing games?
- Don’t play with our heads and hearts, Chiefs.
- I love the reports that guys like center Rodney Hudson are blowing up blocks way, way, way down the field.
- I fear what it means that we’ve heard mostly about the offense and very little about the defensive line holding its own against the offense.
- I laughed pretty heartily after finding out it was Kansas City Star reporter Randy Covitz who was in the background of 610 Sports Radio host Bob Fescoe’s Saturday interview with offensive tackle Eric Winston.
- Covitz went all Yuniesky and complained about his own playing time by not having a chance to ask a question before Chiefs PR staff ended the session.
- Covitz is the same reporter who brushed Royals third baseman Mike Moustakas the wrong way earlier this summer.
- While it caused a little debate then about etiquette, I think we can see now that the quirky veteran reporter’s style, which I’ve worked alongside on numerous occasions, will never be considered easy-going.
- And, on my own soapbox, tell me again why this kind of stuff is constantly allowed by teams while they are worried about bloggers’ professionalism?
- I’ve spent plenty of times on both sides of that line, if you want to believe there is one.
- I’ll take the work done by three local blogs/sites (Kings of Kauffman – Royals; Bring on the Cats – K-State; Arrowhead Pride – Chiefs) over the “professionalism” I see from recognized outlets in most press boxes or at events.
- Maybe someday, sports organizations will see that too.
Thanks for the shout-out, Curtis! Keep on keeping on!