Royals Baseball: Let's Go Streaking!!

I was thinking about the Royals tonight and their weird season. At times, they have played some incredible baseball; at other times, dumb baseball. Looking at the schedule so far this season, I found the Royals have had a number of significant losing streaks and winning streaks.

Listed below are streaks of five – losing or winning:

• April 17-24: The Royals lost seven in a row, consisting of series against the Angels, A’s and the Indians.

• May 11-16: The Royals win five in a row against the Orioles, Tigers and Marlins.

• May 19-30: The Royals lose 12 games in a row, being swept by Boston, Toronto and Minnesota and losing a game to the Indians.

• June 14-19: The Royals win five in a row, taking a series from Arizona and sweeping America’s greatest team and fans, the St. Louis Cardinals.

• June 21-27: The Royals win six in a row, sweeping the Rockies, taking a series from the Giants and defeating the Cardinals all out home.

I have no energy to look this up, but has a team every lost 12 in a row and had at least three five-game winning streaks in recent memory? Insane. Throw in a seven-game losing streak as well.

This does not include a few three-game winning streaks, a couple four-game winning streaks and a number of three-game losing streaks. The Royals have been a streaky team all season.

After losing five of six last week, they have won four in a row entering a three game series against the Chicago White Sox, or "Excrement," the name I often give the team.

Unofficially Official: Guillen Trade Story Was False

José Guillen reportedly wanted to be traded by the Kansas City Royals this week.
However, since the Royals did not move him, the story had to be false. That is what I believe.

Why? The Royals had every opportunity. With the Red Sox jumping into a three-way deal in order to move Manny Ramirez, the Royals could have been that third team in the trade like Pittsburgh was. Guillen could have been traded to Boston; Manny to the Dodgers and the Royals would receive prospects.

If the situation with Guillen was really that bad, Dayton would not have passed up a deal to land two or three solid prospects like the Pirates did today. Or at least I hoped he would have not passed it up.

Alaska Senate After Palin

Being the open-minded person I am, I will bring balance to the blog – it appears things are not perfect after all for Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. Via The Wall Street Journal, my favorite newspaper in the nation:

Now, one of the bright new stars in the Republican Party has suddenly become tarnished. The state legislature this week voted to hire an independent investigator to see whether Ms. Palin abused her office by trying to get her former brother-in-law fired from his job as an Alaska state trooper.

But it should be noted she has plenty of political enemies in the state. The story mentions this:

In 2004, she resigned as chair of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission after Gov. Frank Murkowski appointed the chairman of the Alaska Republican Party to a seat on her commission while allowing him to keep his partisan post. "Someone has to take a stand and change some things," Ms. Palin said in a June interview in her 17th-floor office in downtown Anchorage, whose decor includes a grizzly-bear skin.

When she ran against Mr. Murkowski in 2006, Ms. Palin says, she got a call from Ben Stevens, then president of the Republican-run Alaska Senate and son of Sen. Stevens. "He told me, "You're not just running against Murkowski. You're running against me, my dad, the whole state Republican party,'" Ms. Palin said.

Ben Stevens, who remains under the FBI investigation, didn't return calls for comment.

Unless if there is certain evidence she is "guilty" of something more than this, I will not back off my endorsement of her as McCain's vice presidential selection.

A good breakdown of this "scandal" can be found here.

Another reason to consider Palin: Being from Alaska, her selection could put the issue of energy on center stage. Now only if McCain would consider drilling in ANWR, who has helped kill the movement a handful of times the past 10 years.

Breaking Down McCain's Republican Support And Opposition

As you know, not all Republicans are excited about John McCain this year.

With that said, I still think 90-95 percent of them will punch their ballots for McCain. There will be no "Obama Republicans" that result in a chunk of Republican support for him. There could be a few percentage points, but that is about it.

Frequently visiting conservative and libertarian message boards, blogs or forums, I have noticed that Republicans are supporting McCain (or not) for various reasons. While nearly all of them will support McCain, they do so for different motives and reasons. A very small number oppose McCain for two primary reasons.

A breakdown:

Republicans who love McCain: 35-40 percent.

While there are few minor differences, this group loves McCain and will support him to the final days. They admire him as a "Maverick" Republican, or a difference maker. They love his character, his story and him personally. These are folks who are rock solid with McCain.

Republicans lukewarm toward McCain, but agree with him on the war: 15-20 percent

The war is a very, very powerful issue for many. That is the case for many Republicans. The war is very important and McCain has definitely been a warrior. This group sees McCain as the military man who supported the surge and will not lose the war in Iraq. They believe Obama will pull out too quickly. The war, and only the war, is what matters to this group.

Republicans who hate McCain, but hate Obama even more: 15-20 percent support
In other words, the less of two evils type of voter. This is usually my portion, but not this year. These voters have lots of reasons to dislike McCain – whether its fiscal issues, his lack of fire on social issues that upsets the Evangelicals or his maverickness against the Republican Party and respect towards Democrats. But he is still not as bad as Obama in this group's eyes. These see that McCain is against a federal amendment on gay marriage and is for stem-cell research. However, he is against abortion. Obama is pro-choice, thus making him the "eviler of two evils."

The traditional Republicans who always vote Republican: 5-10 percent support

For some, the "R" truly matters, no matter how bad of a Republican he maybe. Traditional Republicans will vote Republican and there is a good, healthy chunk of McCain supporters that fall in this group.

The guys who do not want a black man president: 1-3 percent support

Not just picking on Republicans. A larger portion of Democrats will probably for Obama just because of his race. However, this is still a limited portion of residents in this nation who do not trust a black one as president. It is very small but they could vote for McCain just because of that.

OPPOSITION

Of the 5-10 percent of Republicans who will oppose McCain, I notice two groups:

The one issue demagogues: 5 percent

The one issue that really hits McCain from the right is illegal immigration. Easily. There are a handful of people on the right who will stay home and not vote for McCain because of illegal immigration. I am sure there are Evangelicals who are bitter that he is for stem-cell research and against a federal amendment for gay marriage prevention.
The total package just stinks: 5 percent

My department. I refuse to vote for the less of two evils this year. Obama and McCain are just too much similar. Other than the war, both are too much the same for me. A McCain win would render fiscal conservatives useless in the process. McCain is not conservative on fiscal matters. He is a big-government, big-spending and government handout supporting Republican. Him winning would utterly destroy the fiscal conservative's cause and movement.

The Federal Government Takes On Physics

There is talk of limiting the national speed limit to 55 miles per hour.

The discussion is coming from mostly U.S. Sen. John Warner (R - Virginia). From Time Magazine:

Republican Senator John Warner of Virginia — elected in 1978 — recently expressed interest in the idea of a national speed limit to conserve gasoline. Warner, who is not running for re-election this year, wrote to U.S. Secretary of Energy Sam Bodman, asking, "At what speed is the typical vehicle traveling on America's highways today most fuel-efficient?"

Warner told TIME his concern is for "the many millions and millions [of Americans] of limited means, sitting around their kitchen table trying to figure out how to make ends meet." Unlike long-term alternative energy sources, Warner says, a speed limit would work to bring down gas prices immediately. "Maybe some guy's got a better idea," he says. "But I haven't seen it."

OK, get on your glasses. How about this – increase energy production with a mixture of finding domestic oil supply, which we have plenty of. Another wild idea – pursue alternative energies that have nothing to do with food-based bio fuels.

But anyway, other than the simple idea of avoiding the nanny state on the highway, here is why this idea is stupid. Simple physics and a simple understanding of how cars work is all you need.

• Acceleration is what causes poor gas mileage. Going from 70 to 100 or 30 to 70 too often will lower the performance 100 percent of the time. Consistently accelerating is a bad idea.

• Simple velocity, in other words staying the same speed, does not. Use the cruise control at 55, 65, or 75 – it does not matter too much with my Equinox model. The difference between cruise control on 55 and 70 is negligible for me. If you do not have cruise control, make sure you keep track of the speed limit.

• The quality of cars is better now.

This is my first ever physics lecture, and hopefully my last.

A Semi-Exclusive: Wyandotte County Republicans Not Big On McCain

I have been out at the Wyandotte County Fair all week. Mostly good times, other than the rain at times. With 2008 a big campaign season nationally and locally, the politicians and political parties are out in full force.

I have saw the Republican Party, the Democratic Party (county and state), a few judicial candidates and other candidates are out there, whether a candidate is there in person, at a booth or just displaying a number of signs hanging around.

Anyway, the contrast of the Republican booth to the Democratic booth was pretty interesting. While the Dems there had a ton of Barack Obama signs out there, the same could not be said with the Republicans and John McCain gear. Well, at least it was not in site. Instead, the Wyandotte County Republicans were displaying "Re-elect Pat Roberts" signs.

Again, there is a snowball's chance in hell Obama wins in Kansas, but it again proves that Kansas Republicans will not fight or stand in line for John McCain for two or three hours like they did with George W. Bush. There is nothing necessarily wrong with that, but it is strange because McCain and Bush are not really that different. They agree on the war, agree on abortion, agree on some economic issues and agree that comprehensive immigration reform is needed.

By the way, I saw three "W" stickers out there today, two Kerry-Edwards stickers. But no McCain bumper stickers.

A Couple More Light Rail Complaints

How about a specific time line?

Market forces change over a matter of months – see the difference from this time last year to this year. Traffic patterns could change. Let's say we have a reversal of gas prices. What if gas is say only $3 this time next year? Is light rail still "in demand?" What bus ridership take a hit?

A light rail plan time line is necessary and I have really failed to see a good, comprehensive time line to anyone's plan.

Oh, and if this thing goes bi-state, which routes are built first? If KCK and JOCO are placed on the back-burner to get Missouri's portion done first, why should the Kansas side pay taxes for a light rail transit system that would be delayed in Kansas? Would there be a good balance of how much is built on both sides of the state line? Would one side get a majority?

With the demand of light rail mostly on the Missouri side right now, I am a little afraid that KCMO would benefit far more in the bi-state tax than Kansans would.

Royals Blogger Levels The Boom On ESPN

In Dayton We Trust, one of my favorite KC sports blogs, drops the hammer on ESPN's reporting concerning the Guillen situation.

The money quote:

Why ESPN.com's editors ran with this is utterly baffling. Let me repeat: neither Jose Guillen nor Trey Hillman, the principle subjects of the story and two guys who are -- how shall we say -- ubiquitous in the clubhouse... neither of them were contacted by Rojas for comment.

Germany Cares More About Freedom Then We Do

In light of The Olympics starting in China soon, I figure this would be the time to rant about our president attending the opening ceremony. It is disappointing that President Bush is attending the opening of the summer games in China, that great torch leader of freedom around the world.

I do not suport an all-out boycott of The Olympics, but our political leaders in America have to be brave and send a message to the Chinese that their antics and actions around the world should not be tolerated.

A summary of their "gifts" to the world:

• The Chinese continue to use their heavy hand of tyranny with Tibet.

• The Chinese are spying on foreigners who visit the nation for The Olympics.

• The Chinese have an absolute abysmal environmental record. Memo to Al Gore – if you want to save the world, go to China. That is a country that actually needs some mentoring on the environment. We're not perfect but we have made some advances in cutting our pollution out. Our "friends" in China and India have not.

• They will censor the Internet from foreign journalists. Oh, and the IOC actually knew about it in advance. God Bless The Olympics.

• The country kills babies after their birth if they are not satisfied with.

Even with all of this going on, President Bush is still attending the opening ceremony.

Fortunately, not all of the world's leaders are gutless to the Chinese.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel will not attend the event.

And Bush knows his presence will be a PR coup for China, especially since some other world leaders are boycotting the opening. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and German Chancellor Angela Merkel announced they would not attend in an effort to pressure China to improve its human rights record.

You know things are strange when the German government cares more about the freedom of the world than the American government does. It is a shame and the Chinese have won with our president in the nation for the games.

Can The Sprint Center Truly Succeed Without A Major Sports Tenant?

The Star had a good information story on the financial aspect of Sprint Center and it sounds like its doing well.

At the time of the election, critics of building the arena predicted revenues would fall short and the city’s bond rating would be undermined.

But revenues have generated more than $40 million since the city began collecting them in February 2005.

The car rental and hotel revenues are doing so well, in fact, that the city has been able to set aside $15 million in reserve toward eventually providing 514 premium parking spaces required in its development agreement with Anschutz Entertainment Group, which invested $53.2 million in the project and manages the arena.

However, it is too soon to "crown them" for now as a landmark success.

Until they get an NBA or NHL team, I will remain neutral on the Sprint Center. Consider this: other than the Big XII Tournament, Garth Brooks and a few larger "names," could not most of these concerts and events be held at Kemper Arena, Capitol Federal Park or other venues in Kansas City?

Even American Idol – the greatest thing ever according to Fox 4 – will be holding their auditions at Kemper Arena when they bless us with their appearance here in a couple of weeks. So in other words, the Sprint Center has brought us a few decent concerts and a basketball tournament in its few years since opening.

For supporters of the project, the idea of seeing Kobe Bryant, Allen Iverson, LeBron James and other NBA stars play a few games each year in Kansas City was an important reason to support the Sprint Center. It was a promise to us from sports talk radio hosts and politicians who were on the bandwagon.

The answer to the posed question is no. The Sprint Center needs a prominent tenant before we throw them a parade. I have enjoyed my two instances inside The Sprint Center. It is a fine arena but they really do need a tenant in order for Kansas City to claim it as a large, historic success.
This is not to say that Kemper Arena is some heaven – it is far from a good arena. But a number of large events are still there, most recently the WWE wrestling stuff.

For another take, see Tony's Kansas City.

Obama '08: "Paint The House Black"

No, that is not a campaign slogan.

It is a portion of Ludacris' new song about Obama. So while Ronald Reagan had Ray Charles' "America, The Beautiful," Bill Clinton had Fleetwood Mac's "Don't Stop Thinkin' Bout Tomorrow," I guess this can be this campaign's official song.

My favorite portion:

McCain don't belong in ANY chair unless he's paralyzed

Real classy about a guy who served in Vietnam, a country Ludarcis probably cannot find on a map. Choice words for Hillary, too. By the way, I try my best not to be a typical white person and bang my fist at all things rap related, such as Bill O'Reilly. I really do not care about it one way or another. And being a libertarian and a free-market guy, if it sells well, it works.

However, you cannot classify this as "art" to me. And no, I am not blaming this on Obama. But I am reasonably sure he has to condemn this and make it a point to condemn it.

A Vice Presidential Debate Preview?

Found this photo of Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius and Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty together. A preview of a debate in October? Source: National Governor's Association.

Sebelius: In Obama's Final Four?

It appears Kansas will be represented in another Final Four. (A bone to you Jayhawk fans who think I am too mean).

The Politico reports Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius is among the final four candidates in the Barack Obama Vice Presidential sweepstakes. Bad news for Sebelius fans is it appears she and others are behind Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine for the position.

Kaine, an early Obama supporter whose biography nicely dovetails with the Illinois senator’s, "ranks very, very high on the short list," said a source who has spoken recently to senior Obama aides about Kaine.

Kaine "is getting a critical examination," the source said.

The 50-year-old Virginia governor is among a handful of logical, and much-discussed, choices to join Obama on the campaign trail. Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, former Georgia Sen. Sam Nunn and Delaware Senator Joe Biden are among others frequently mentioned.

Last week, I said Obama should select Biden as his vice president, but I also said Sebelius would be a good choice.

If I were to rank the so-called final four – which may not be so final – I would order them:

1. Biden: He brings foreign policy experience to the campaign and would balance the ticket out. As I mentioned a number of times, I feel Biden has been Obama's best voice out on the media talking head tours surogates have made on behalf of their candidates. Admittedly, Biden has wiped the floor most of the time with his Republican counterpart, most recently Lindsey Graham. His replacement in the Senate would most likely be a Democrat due to the current political environment there.

2. Sebelius: She will not bring Kansas for Obama, but this year will not be about the traditional blue state-red state non sense as it has in the past. New states for each party will be put into play. Sebelius is a popular governor and has won as a Democrat in a red state. She could help solidify the upper Midwestern states and could help in Missouri, being next door. The only thing I question about Sebelius is her recognition on the national scale. To me, that is where Biden sets himself apart from the other three. Plus, she and Obama seem to "get" each other. She has been with Obama from the beginning, long before he became the favorite to win the primary.

3. Nunn: This is somewhat interesting, as it would provide foreign policy experience for the Obama ticket. It could help with Georgia, one of those states that could flip. However, unlike Biden and Sebelius, he has been out of the political scene for a while. I think he could face the same issues Sebelius would face with national recognition.

4. Kaine: Most will like this pick more than me. While it is clearly a play on Virginia, I am not sure it does much else. He is basically picking someone with less experience. While it could help with his change meme, I think this is a bad idea.

Another Reason To Like Palin – She Knew About Stevens

I have been shouting the name "Palin" for a number of weeks now for McCain's presidency.

This is part of the reason why. In light of the Ted Stevens news today, this older story from last year indicates what type of leader Palin is – one not afraid to buck the party if necessary if it means a better government, country or state.

See, Mitt?

Yesterday I said Mitt Romney should have ran as a fiscal conservative and with someone with a good business background, rather than run hard to the right on social issues to appease the so-cons.

Today, The Washington Times confirmed my confirmations. No matter how hard he tried, Romney never won the heart of the Evangelical movement. And that is a shame, especially if it had anything to do with his Mormonism.

An evangelical leader who, though he has close ties to Mr. McCain, confided to The Times that polling suggests that putting Mr. Romney on the ticket likely would cost Mr. McCain 7 percent to 10 percent of the evangelical vote - enough to spell defeat for Mr. McCain in a close race with Sen. Barack Obama, the presumptive Democratic nominee.

Democratic Ticket Gone Wild

First, we had John Edwards allegedly caught by the National Enquirer with his mistress. It is time to change that stump speech from Two Americas to Two Families if that story is true.

Now, we have Sen. John Kerry getting caught at a college party. Of course, this could have just been an encounter, since I cannot imagine Kerry setting this up on his own. Prediction: Had this happened in 2004, he wins. It sheds that whole boring personality he has and could have brought out the youth vote a little more.

Oh, and for the record, the Boston press is covering this like maddogs. A very, very interesting contrast from the John Edwards "scandal" where media has barely touched that story. I guess a couple points that could explain it – there is proof in the photos and the National Enquirer botched the Edwards story as it withheld its strongest evidence or they simply refused to provide any of Edwards.

Hell, even the conservative media has barely referenced the Edwards deal so far.

Good News: John McCain Could Increase Taxes

Just to throw another reason in on why I hate this election, we now have two major candidates who will likely increase taxes.

To summarize: we have a fiscal liberal that will be nominated by the Democratic Party, a fiscal liberal nominated by the Republican Party, a social conservative nominated by the Libertarian Party and a number of other candidates who I really could care less about.

Oy.

Is there anyone left that represents someone like me who is a fiscal conservative and a libertarian (or liberal) on social issues? Barry Goldwater, where art thou?

Anyway, the report on McCain is not good. He completely loses the tax argument with Obama now.

Republican presidential candidate John McCain's signal that he may be open to a higher payroll tax for Social Security, despite previous vows not to raise taxes of any kind, is drawing sharp rebukes from conservatives.

McCain's shift has come in stages, catching some Republicans by surprise. Speaking with reporters on his campaign bus on July 9, he cited a need to shore up Social Security. "I cannot tell you what I would do, except to put everything on the table," he said.

Basically, if I was a candidate for president, my economic policy would be the following: decrease taxes, massively cut spending and increase interest rates in order to promote saving money.

This latest tax twist for McCain is interesting. After all, he is running on this stupid notion of a gas tax holiday, which would "revive" some small businesses and make truck drivers happy, allegedly. I attended his Kansas City town hall and he absolutely ripped Obama apart on his tax policy, like any conservative would. "If you want higher taxes, Sen. Obama is your candidate," McCain told the crowd.

That is certainly out the window now.

But seriously – other than the war, which is a big issue, is there really a big one they disagree about? By the way, I really do not care about abortion or gay marriage. Both are left on environment issues, both are on the left of the immigration argument and both are similar on some fiscal policies. Maybe health care? But then again, Obama was actually to my heroine's right when he ran against her in the primary.

God Bless America.

Video: The Genius Of Pig Racing On Display

The Wyandotte County Fair is opened for business beginning today until Saturday. The Fair is at The Woodlands, or the property formerly known as The Woodlands, for the second straight year.

Anyway, part of the attraction of the Wyandotte County Fair comes with the pig races. The pigs are given names such as Lindsey LoHam, Barack O’Hama and Sarah Jessica Porker. Ha, ha, get it? So I thought it would be great to shoot some video.

The folks responsible for this race are from Nickerson, Kansas, a city that I had never heard of until today. The business is Hedrick’s Pig Racing, a part of the Hedrick’s Bed and Breakfast Inn and Exotic Animal Farm. With the possibility of dog-racing or horse-racing concluding in Wyandotte County, it is always good to have a backup, even if it is just a few days a year.

I am relatively surprised that area politicians did not attend the race, since they like pork. Yes, this is the only place you will see a pig racing contest transition into a political slam on tax, spend and spend politicians.

Could The Woodlands Be Back?

The Associated Press is reporting that The Woodlands and the State of Kansas have returned to the negotiating table.

The law gives 40 percent of revenues from slots to the state, 25 percent to the track and 20 percent to local governments and various funds to help horses, dogs, smaller tracks and problem gamblers. The other 15 percent is negotiable.

Van Petten said the state will allow the Woodlands to have the entire 15 percent, but the Woodlands says it still won't have enough revenue to cover its costs and give it a reasonable profit. Van Petten said the Lottery is looking at other options to help the Woodlands, including reworking the costs of oversight and regulation, which the Woodlands must pay.

A quick flashback of why I believe even if the negotiations succeed and The Woodlands "returns," it would not be for long.

Should a miracle occur, I still think employees at the track should begin to prepare for a future outside of The Woodlands. That is unless The Woodlands completely restructures and they are able to bring in more marquee racing events. Not exactly the Kentucky Derby, but a few decent races or event could bring a larger crowd.

Perhaps it should make itself open to hosting a number of party-like events or corporate meetings. The facilities are nice enough to accommodate it.

But one thing is for sure: Slots are not the cure-all-solution for the track.

On a related note, here is a column from Matt Kelsey, the managing editor (and my boss) of The Kansas City Kansan, on the future of The Woodlands. This was written before today's development. A few interesting thoughts, most notably this one:

1. A casino company should buy The Woodlands. There’s a lot of speculation around town that the Las Vegas Sands Corp. pulling its destination casino proposal off the table the same day Woodlands officials announced the track closing is not a coincidence. Could this be a sign that Sands is going to buy the racetrack?

Although I’ve had mixed feelings about the techniques used by Sands to forward their casino proposal in Wyandotte County, I think a Sands-owned Woodlands would be wonderful. Think about it: Sands would turn that place into a world-class facility. They would probably switch the emphasis more to horse racing than greyhounds, which is fine with me. Wouldn’t it be great if Kansas City, Kan., was home to one of the finest horse tracks in the country?

A definite long shot, for sure. But it would be the best scenario.

COLUMN: Border War Should Remain At Arrowhead For Forseeable Future

As we approach the 2008 NCAA College Football season, fans of the Missouri Tigers and Kansas Jayhawks enter the season with increased expectations.

Both teams are coming off 12 win seasons, but there may be a national perception that both season may have been flukes. With both teams playing a very high level last year, it led to the Border War receiving national respect as one of the greatest rivals in college sports.

Part of the national appeal and mystique from last year’s game was its setting – Arrowhead Stadium. Playing arguably the biggest game in the history of Arrowhead, the Tigers defeated their rivals from the west 36-28 and earned the #1 ranking in the country. The game’s atmosphere was electric and part of it was the primetime setting at the primetime setting.

However, the Border War’s commitment to Arrowhead Stadium is only one year more, as the Tigers will be the “home team” this November.

The commitment should be longer. Members of the Kansas City Chiefs, Missouri Tigers and Kansas Jayhawks should work together to keep the game at Arrowhead for years to come.

A long-term commitment certainly has some drawbacks. There is something special about having rivalry games on campus. See Michigan-Ohio State. Rotating that rivalry between the Big House and The Horseshoe is something special. However, many other rivalries feature a larger environment.

Oklahoma-Texas is played off campus at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas. The Florida-Georgia “World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party” is played annually in an NFL stadium in Jacksonville, Florida.

A long-term commitment to Arrowhead would enhance the rivalry in a national scope. While Columbia, Mo., and Lawrence, Kan., are pretty good college towns, it is not Kansas City.

The prospect of the game at Arrowhead has also upset a number of businesses in both Lawrence and Columbia. But this is a little misguided.

Are you telling me that bars in Lawrence in Columbia were completely empty for last year’s Border War? Were bars in Lawrence incredibly empty during the Final Four?

If Kansas and Missouri are competitive, businesses in both cities will be just fine. If the game matters each year, bars throughout Lawrence in Columbia will not be empty. A number of people – most notably students – will pack the bars since tickets could be a tough get.

My proposal is for this:

Following this year where MU fans will dominate Arrowhead Stadium and be classified as the home team, there should be a 50-50 split with tickets. Half would be distributed to MU, the other half to KU.

Because of the size of Arrowhead Stadium, the universities will actually make more money than having one Border War game every other year on campus. Basically, each team would have 40,000 fans at Arrowhead annually, giving them 80,000 ticket sales over a two-year period.

For now, neither Faurot Field or Memorial Stadium can hold that many seats. Faurot Field currently holds 68,000 and change, while Memorial Stadium holds just over 50,000.

Under this plan, both teams would make some serious dollars. By the way, I am sure the Kansas City Chiefs will provide them with some good money to stay.

The Chiefs would make some serious dough on concessions and parking.

I would also add a date change – I would place the Border War at the very beginning of the conference season. With the game in November, there is a risk that it will not matter as much as it would. It is certainly hard to say this after last season, but sometimes things happen.

Having the game at the beginning of the Big XII conference schedule would make sure it matters. Both teams would most likely enter the game with winning records – including undefeated records depending on the non-conference schedules. It could set up the Big XII North for weeks to come.

Plus, having it in the fall would probably provide a better outdoor environment.

In city without a tenant at the Sprint Center and with a questionable future in Chiefs football and Royals baseball for a few years, it would give Kansas City a reason to celebrate. MU-KU would become a true Kansas City tradition.

Arrowhead Stadium, in many ways, made the game last year. The dramatic mix of Tiger and Jayhawk fans did not matter in last year’s game. For the most part, other than a few verbal shouting matches, I did not witness anything out of line in last year’s game. The fans were passionate but not stupid.

While a number from each side do not want to see it happen – Gary Pinkel included – fans, the universities, the athletic departments and the Kansas City Chiefs should work to make it happen.

Obama, Bush Praise Gonzalez

The current and future president (not an endorsement, just a prediction) honor Gonzalez for saving a life recently. Cue the Dubya choking on pretzel jokes.

From the Associated Press:

The Kansas City Chiefs Pro Bowl tight end met Sen. Barack Obama during a campaign stop in California, and the Democratic presidential candidate congratulated him for stopping a man from choking to death.

About the same time, Gonzalez opened his mail and read a letter from President Bush.

"The president said, 'Thank you for helping out your fellow human being,' " Gonzalez said. "He said he and Laura wished me good luck in the upcoming season.

"I got e-mails from people all over, literally," Gonzalez said. "Friends of mine in Europe saw the story and got in touch with me."

With the Chiefs looking at a 4-6 win season, Bush and Obama's praise of the Chiefs tight end could be the most promising thing this season.

Tevis Gets Noticed By Los Angeles Times

Who knew a comic strip could lead to national fame? Good for him, though, for using the Internet to his advantage.

Today, when he files his campaign finance forms with the Kansas secretary of state's office, Tevis will report that he has raised $95,162.76 in donations through PayPal, the online service that allows payments and money transfers via the Internet.

Random Outside Story: Guy With Yankee Hat Robbing Banks In New Jersey

This story really just allows me to make a bit of a stereotype: Is it just me or does any criminal who wears any sports gear usually represent the New York Yankees or Oakland Raiders? Feel free to find anymore the Yankees and Raiders are consistently displayed by many criminals for whatever reason.

This latest bandit is described as a white man in his late 20s, about 5 feet 8 inches tall with light short hair, balding on top. Investigators said he "usually wears a hat." He could be called the "Yankee Cap" bandit because pictures from a recent heist show him wearing a Yankees team hat.

In his holdups, agents said he passes a note claiming he is armed with a gun, although no one has reported seeing him brandish a weapon.This latest bank robbery spree comes after New Jersey FBI agents captured the "Mad Hatter" bank robber, who hit as many as 17 banks last year. And in recent days, the FBI has arrested accused serial bank robber Christopher Chidichimo of Middletown. Agents said he had robbed banks in Wall and Lakewood before a relative turned him in.

Still No Respect For The Royals

This news lead/lede in a USA Today story previewing the Royals-A's game was made me laugh somewhat.

After a poor stretch to open the second half of the season, the Oakland Athletics now have a large deficit to make up in the AL West.

Starting a three-game home series against the Kansas City Royals on Monday night could help them begin to make up some ground.

Oakland (53-51) has won four straight over Kansas City (47-59), sweeping a three-game series in April at McAfee Coliseum. The A's outscored the Royals 26-8 during those games, with Bobby Crosby going 8-for-13 (.615) with two doubles, a home run and seven RBIs.

You know, I understand the Royals probably will not make the playoffs for a few more years, but are they an automatic win anymore? They are only 12 games under .500 and at times have played some very good baseball this year.

Should the Royals still be counted on as an easy win once in a while? Really?

Are Kansas City's Talking Heads Setting Up Pinkel, MU To Fail?

Maybe it is just me not handling expectations correctly as a Mizzou guy.

But I cannot help but notice the Kansas City press jumping on the Missouri Tigers bandwagon as we closely arrive towards college football season. Talk radio hosts in Kansas City are pumping the Tigers up and some have even predicted a national championship.

The latest to eagerly jump on the bandwagon is NBC 41's Jack Harry. He had a commentary last night about MU's and KU's seasons. He pretty much insults KU fans and their program, while he pats Pinkel on the back and speaks the word of gospel for Missouri fans.

First, the clip:


For the Missouri fans who may live outside of Kansas City, this may sound normal and correct. However, for those like me who live in KC, it should be suspicious.

Last season leading up to the Armageddon Arrowhead game and bowl season, Harry was all over Pinkel and said his season did not rate with Mangino's. When Mangino and Pinkel shared various season-ending awards, Harry gave Pinkel little credit since going 12-2 matched expectations, while Mangino's 12-1 was a miracle on the field.

So the complete 180 – which Harry correctly admits – is a little bizarre. Being that he has been anything but pro-Missouri the past few years, I cannot help but wonder if he is setting Mizzou up to fail so he can rail on Pinkel next year. If MU only wins 10 or 11 games, Harry will label it a failure instead of another really good season.

His attacks of Mangino and the KU fans in this clip are also incredible. Last year, he hijacked the Mangino bandwagon and drove it himself down to Miami. For someone who has despised the Tigers' athletic program since Norm retired, I found the "commentary" incredibly annoying.

Jared Allen: Still An Idiot

When a coach and a player want to build chemistry, usually they talk about family, friends and hobbies.

With Jared Allen, it is about the facial hair:

“I’m loving Coach’s goatee,” Allen said. “I think it really shows that he’s growing and evolving and he’s really stepping into the new age.”

The story is basically "a day in the life" of Jared Allen. I have always wondered what he did that won cult status of Chiefs fans. He was an idiot of the field and could not lead on the field. Props to have sacking some quarterbacks, but the Chiefs were able to draft a franchise offensive lineman and franchise defensive lineman by moving him.

When Allen gets busted for another DUI or alcohol related charge – it is sure to happen – the Chiefs will know they received the better of the deal.

McCain Selecting Tim Pawlenty?

Last week, former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich said John McCain should not select another "boring, normal, mainstream Republican white guy."

A week later, it appears that John McCain has done just that, selecting Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty as his vice presidential candidate, according to The National Review.

A source tells me that Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty is John McCain's choice, and that the announcement is coming very soon. But I checked with the American Legislative Exchange Council, who Pawlenty is scheduled to address Wednesday at 11:30. As far as they know, his speech is still on.

I suppose it could be smoke and mirrors.

However, let us assume the report is right for now.

I feel the pick of Pawlenty, who appears to be a decent governor, would not excite the base and would not bring excitement to the McCain campaign. While it strikes of identity politics, Gingrich is right. McCain has to select someone who will be different than a typical Republican of the past.

I am thinking of Sarah Palin of course. However, Bobby Jindal would be a good pick to change it up, along with Joe Lieberman. If those three will not work, even Romney or Huckabee would be better than Pawlenty, and I do not really like those guys. Maybe Condi?

Pawlenty would not carry Minnesota for McCain, just like North Carolina remained red even though John Edwards was on Kerry's ticket. If Pawlenty is the pick, call it another failure for the McCain campaign. This is nothing against Pawlenty – he looks to be a good governor and has done some good things for the state.

But for now, this is the wrong selection.

Flashback: Top 5 What-Ifs Of The 2008 Primary Season

I like what-ifs, especially when I have no-one I could vote for in the 2008 presidential election. Looking back on the primary season, there were a number of small events that could have stirred up a number of results. However, I will choose five at this time.

These five events were significant in a number of ways. They lead to the downfall of some candidates and the rise of others.

5. What if Mitt Romney ran as a fiscal conservative instead of pandering to the so-cons?

Confession time – I was a Rudy guy during the primary season. I felt his fiscal record was solid, especially governing in New York City – not exactly a conservative-friendly city. And obviously, I thought he was a good national security candidate. His health-care plan was by far the best of any major candidate in either primary. In a distant second was Fred Thompson and McCain was third. One reason Mitt Romney never appealed to me as a good candidate was his flip-flopping on abortion and pandering on various social issues.

What if Romney ran as a fiscal conservative?

He had a darn good impressive record, with his business experience and the Olympics in Salt Lake City. In today’s (and back then) economic times, I would have seriously looked at him as a strong candidate had he not flip-flopped. I just never bought him as a truly credible candidate. At least in the primary season, Rudy never flip-flopped on his social issues and McCain remained adamant on stem-cell research and immigration. Romney completely flipped on a few issues. Had he stuck to his guns as a strong business leader and fiscal conservative, he may have bee number two on my list behind Rudy. I imagine many others did not like his flip-flops during the season.

4. What if Bill Clinton had kept his mouth shut in South Carolina?

You know the comment by now, as I make fun of it quite a bit. However, when the time of the comment was made, Hillary lost the African American vote by 70-30. At the time, the Clintons presented a tough time for blacks on whom to vote for. After all, they are (were?) real popular with the African American population prior to Bill’s comment. But after the comment, the margin became 90-10 or even worse in some instances.

What if Bubba does not make the comment? In a close delegate race, the margin for Obama becomes even thinner and his margins of victory in Maryland, Virginia, Georgia and South Carolina shrink a bit. He probably still wins them, and a few by double figures. But after that comment, it was no turning back for Obama. I am not sure if it is enough to win the nomination, but that comment brought Ms. Clinton a number of hurdles to deal with. It sure did not help her.