“(Fred) White was let go by the Royals after the 1999 season, through no fault of his own, and like many Royals fans I couldn’t stand Ryan Lefebvre for the first year or two, before I finally gave in and acknowledged he was actually sort of good at this broadcasting thing too. I’m still not sure whether Ryan got better at his craft, or whether I just needed time to process that he wasn’t Fred White.”
Rany Jazayerli, ranyontheroyals.com
GH: I have heard Ryan speak extensively the past few days and over his 14-year tenure with the Royals about how his replacing Fred White caused him to be unloved by the Royals’ fan base. I am sure there was some of this but not nearly as much as Ryan credits. The Beaver was just bad when he got the Royals gig. Painfully bad. He was dry, humorless and the stiffest 20-something this side of Brazzers.com. Ryan was nowhere near ready to be handed a MLB play-by-play gig at the age of 27. I rode him hard because he lacked talent, not because he replaced Fred. 14 years later, Lefebvre has honed himself into a listenable albeit not great play-by-play broadcaster. I don’t mind his work at all now – but let’s not forget where he came from.

“Twitter can be a pretty negative place so it was nice to see everybody – or almost everybody – appreciate our half-inning of silence to honor Fred.”
Joel Goldberg, Royals pre- and postgame host, on the Royals’ tribute to the late Fred White by their broadcasting booth remaining silent on their from Anaheim Wednesday night, 810 AM
GH: Despite the cackling from some woman in the stands, this was a very cool gesture by the Fox Sports staff. The woman and her laugh caught some heat on Twitter from Royals fans like me but she had no idea she was any part of this solemn tribute to Fred. But it might have been smart of Fox to kill some of the crowd mics during this half inning.

“Brett is 60 years old. White has passed away. Splittorff, who had just turned 39 and had been retired barely a year when the Royals won the World Series, died two years ago. Denny Matthews is 70, and I don’t want to think about how I’ll react when he passes on. My childhood heroes are disappearing, years after the memories they created, and the Royals have created precious few of either of them in the years since.”
Rany Jazayerli, ranyontheroyals.com
GH: When Pete Rose retired, he was the first famous ball player I remember watching as a rookie and then his retirement. It was my first glimpse at mortality. Brett is just a bit older than I. As we pass 50, the reminders that we have only an allotted time on earth become more evident. All the more reason to seize the day, Captain my Captain.

“I think it’s becoming the story of the Dayton Moore era.”
Kevin Kietzman, on Moore’s and the Royals’ failure so far to turn their high draft picks into successful major-league starters, 810 AM
GH: With the news of Bubba Starling’s poor offensive numbers and  eye surgery making headlines this week, Dayton Moore’s draft picks have become more and more of a topic. Read on.

“Hosmer and Moustakas…I don’t have any answers for you. Hosmer hits like right field is in foul territory, and Moustakas hits like anything hit high in the air is a home run. I still believe in their talent. I still believe they will play well in the long run.”
Rany Jazayerli, ranyontheroyals.com
GH: Rany is a sabermetrics seamhead and a huge Royals’ fan all at the same time. His seamhead side tells him that Moose and Hos might be simply flash-in-the-pan kind of talents. His Royals’ fan side wants desperately (as do many of us) for these two young sluggers to carry this franchise to great success for the next decade. I sure hope his fan side wins this one.

“(Listeners) have been emailing me and calling, including my mom, saying you’re so negative, you’re talking too much about the fact that they can’t hit and they’re not fielding… I don’t know that they can be a good offensive team. They were not a good offensive team last year and I have no reason to believe they are going to be a good offensive team this year. None! So, we point that out to everyone and you become the bad guy. We point it out for a reason. I want to get as excited as everyone else. … I have a really hard time believing they are going to be a .500 team.”
Kevin Kietzman, 810 AM
GH: Pretty easy to see why so many listeners have KK pegged as Mr. Negative when it comes to the 20-17 Royals. I don’t think he’ll be happy until they are mathematically eliminated from postseason play.

“Most Twitter tough-guys are so chicken-shit & unused to their BS tweets being responded to, when you do, they pee down their leg & apologize.”
Chadd Scott, @ChaddScott, Twitter
GH: So what does it say about Chadd Scott that he needs to vent about some pee-stained anonymous online haters? I am always amazed at how thin-skinned many in the media are when it comes to a faceless critic’s words. Life is not all that serious to be that concerned with “BS tweets.”

“Branden Albert just seems like a guy who wants to feel like he’s wanted. There should be no more problems. You just need to come in and bust your butt every day.”
Jayice Pearson, after the Chiefs’ franchise-tagged left tackle arrived at the Chiefs’ OTAs and have made nice with all, 610 AM

“I hope (Albert) feels like he has something to prove. I hope he comes in with a chip on his shoulder and it makes him play even harder.”
Jayice Pearson, 610 AM
GH: I liked how Albert handled the media this week. He refused to revisit his juvenile tweets and his public pouting. His response to the media’s questions about his tweets, “You know what I said,” was perfect and stated with just the right tone.

“There are a lot of times when I’m right and a lot off times when I’m wrong. And I’m right more than I’m wrong.”
Henry Lake, cohost with Jay Binkley on 610’s The Day Shift, while discussing the Branden Albert situation and his expectation that Albert would be in camp to collect his money 610 AM
GH: Has Lake been banned from Prairie Band Casino yet?

“Are we also getting Eric Fisher ready to play left tackle? Because I think we all agree that Eric Fisher is the left tackle of the future.”
Danny Parkins, 610 AM
GH: I know everyone likes to stress the difficulty in playing the right side versus the left side but I think it’s no more than a one- or two-practice switch. If Eric Fisher has any intelligence at all, he will be able to make the adjustment seamlessly. What Fisher needs to prepare for is going from the MAAC to the NFL. Now that is going to be a switch.

“I thought (Eric Fisher) looked smooth. Every day he got a little bit better. He’s felt a little bit more comfortable at (right tackle). You can tell his athletic ability. He’s a big man who can move and can bend. You and I know it’s tough to bend.”
Andy Reid, in an interview with 610’s Jay Binkley, 610 AM
GH: I found this exchange between Reid and Binkley fun. What I did not find nearly as entertaining is the storyline that Josh Klingler and Bob Fescoe drove into the ground this week when Reid yelled at Klingler for leaning on a fence. The media once again proving they are far more interested in themselves than we happen to be.

“I do have a hold button and I’ll use it.”
Soren Petro, after muting a disagreeable caller and then going on his own diatribe, 810 AM
GH: It was the tenacity with which Soren made this statement that intrigued me – like he was wielding real power or something.

“(Woodstock) was all blown up in the press with all the rain and people couldn’t get in. We were supposed to be flown in in a helicopter. I ended up driving in in my mother-in-law’s Volkswagen. To us it was just another gig.”
Roger Daltrey, lead singer for The Who, in an interview this week with Howard Stern, Sirius
GH: When Stern asked Daltrey how much he was influenced by the Beatles, he laughed. “Elvis Pressley, man,” is how Daltrey responded. Daltrey also mentioned The Dave Clark Five as a band that made him want to be a rock singer.

“(Jimi Hendrix) was a very different person than people thought he was. The person people see on stage, he was the exact opposite of. He was very poetic, very gentle. He was a very gentle man.”
Roger Daltrey, on Hendrix, thought by many as the greatest electric guitar player who ever lived, Sirius

“It was rock and roll, man! We didn’t care about that then.”
Roger Daltrey, when asked by Stern what he thought about managers in the music business having larger fortunes than the musicians themselves, Sirius

“Won’t Get Fooled Again. I get a bit tired of that one.”
Roger Daltrey, when asked by Stern what songs he is tired of performing, Sirius
GH: Daltrey told Stern that despite the fact he is tired of the song, The Who still plays it at every concert. “People want to hear it,” he explained. Teenage Wasteland might be my favorite Who song. Behind Blue Eyes is another favorite. Yours?

GregHall24@yahoo.com and Twitter / greghall24

“I’ve taken as much heat over this as anything I’ve said about the Royals this year. Bubba Starling is hitting .156 in low-A ball. I know a lot of people in our community know his family. … But he’s in his third year now and he was drafted as the top position player taken. I did not like that when the Royals did that and I said that very clearly when the Royals (drafted him). The Royals should be getting very close to making Bubba Starling a pitcher – because he can’t hit. … Bubba Starling is a complete disappointment.”
Kevin Kietzman, 810 AM
GH: These words from Kietzman might seem harsh to some – especially Bubba’s family and those in the Kansas City area who know him well. But KK is doing what a big-city sports talk show host should do – telling it like it is – even when that means friends and family will hear his critical words. KK has never been a real fan of Bubba’s baseball talents or the way he conducted himself on his Nebraska football sojourn – but this isn’t about Kietzman out to hurt Bubba. This is Kietzman doing his job.

“I love (Bubba Starling’s) family. I don’t think he’s ever going to hit professionally. He didn’t hit in high school. I coached the Aquinas team against him. He didn’t hit us – and we didn’t have very good pitching. So if he couldn’t hit us in high school, he’s probably not going to hit big-league stuff. … Bubba’s an athlete. The bottom line is he’s never hit and he’s never going to hit.”
Mike Boddicker, former Orioles and Royals pitcher, 810 AM
GH: This probably is not easy for Boddicker. He likely knows Bubba and his family well enough for them to be hurt by his negative assessment of Bubba’s baseball shortcomings. Boddicker is not a talk show host like Kietzman. He doesn’t have to be edgy in his commentary. All the more reason to applaud Boddicker for being real with his comments about a young Kansas City talent many of us are rooting for to make it.

“I didn’t like the draft choice at the time. … I think the out for football made it tremendously risky.”
Danny Clinkscale, 810 AM

“The Royals have a huge problem on their hands. This is a guy that they thought maybe could be here (in Kansas City) next year when Francoeur is done. … Royals – switch (Bubba’s) position right now! Make him a pitcher! You have two-and-a-half years to get something out of your $8.5-million you gave him. Or he’s going to go play (college) football. And he should play football.”
Kevin Kietzman, 810 AM
GH: KK’s idea isn’t crazy or even unique. MLB prospects who can’t hit off-speed pitching but possess a mid-90s fastball have the option to move to the mound – especially when the club has so much invested in them. Will it happen? It might be a last-resort kind of move but you can bet it is being discussed by Dayton Moore and his staff.

“I'd crack a joke, but honestly, I hope this has been the problem all along. MT @pgrathoff: Bubba Starling returns to KC, may have LASIK.”
Rany Jazayerli, @jazayerli, on the reports by The Kansas City Star that Bubba may be getting his eyes fixed, Twitter
GH: Remember what I said about moving Bubba to the mound being a last-resort move? Add eye surgery as the next-in-line when it comes to last-resort decisions.

“A lot of (MLB) scouts kind of cover their rear end. I’ve told some of them to their face that if you took away their stop watch and radar gun they wouldn’t know a ball player if it bit them in the ass! And that’s the truth!”
Mike Boddicker, former Orioles and Royals pitcher, while discussing how Bubba was viewed as a top-five pick by the Royals, 810 AM

“I can’t speak to (Bubba’s) dedication…but it seems to me if he was a real grinder and really, really, really working hard, there would be better results than we have now. But his numbers would suggest to you that there is something going on here as far as dedication.”
Kevin Kietzman, 810 AM
GH: This is where Kietzman lost me. He tries to soften his comment by starting out saying he “can’t speak to (Bubba’s) dedication,” but then goes right on and gives his damning opinion of the young man’s lack of commitment and dedication. If Kietzman knows something about Bubba slacking off in the Royals’ organization than tell us what he knows to be true. Otherwise, he uses his microphone to unfairly impugn the reputation of an athlete. This is why KK gets hate mail about Bubba. That’s what happens when you are unfair.

“To everyone who thinks pro ball is all sandy beaches and pooka shells- it aint. I feel hella lucky. I love my life. But im human. If yall wanna talk your shish ill be happy to come back at you and make u look foolish. What would u do? Appreciate my honesty or unfollow. but i just gotta call it like i see it. So get off me. Im not going anywhere. Life is great:).”
Danny Duffy, @DannyDuffy805, Royals’ pitcher who is currently rehabbing from Tommy-John surgery, Twitter
GH: Danny Duffy is a Twitter gift. He tweets like we all went to college with him. If you are not on Twitter, sign up and follow @DannyDuffy805. He’s that real and that rare.

“Can't think of another club that would give a witty young DL'd pitcher the mic on twitter. Good for the Royals.”
Jeff Rosen, @jeff_rosen88, Twitter
GH: Amen. Props to the Royals for allowing Danny Duffy to be Danny Duffy. I have no idea how this will end, but I applaud them for allowing us to participate.

“It's 12:26 AM and we have full phone lines after the 36th game of the season. I love you #Royals fans.”
Josh Vernier, @JoshVernier, after the Royals loss in Anaheim Tuesday night, Twitter
GH: There are a lot of baseball cities. St. Louis, Boston and Chicago are some great, great baseball towns. But when you consider the lack of population combined with the lack of recent Royals’ success – that makes this town stand out as a baseball-crazed two-state burg.

“So to hear George Brett say a few of the same things I've been saying nightly is a huge relief. … bit.ly/12yOOtZ.”
Josh Vernier, @JoshVernier, Twitter
GH: Interesting. Does it validate a sports talk host’s words when a famous athlete has the same opinion? Not to me. But I understand where a new young voice in the KC market would find comfort in that fact. I’m just not sure I would be so eager to share it.

“Just saw the new Star Trek. Holy. Freaking. Smokes. See it first chance you can. It's why you go to the movies.”
Rich Eisen, @richeisen, Twitter
GH: The first Star Trek movie with the new young crew was one of the best movies I’ve seen the past three years. I watched it again last month and again marveled at how great a flick it was. Looks like us Trekkie nerds are in for another treat this weekend. Live long and prosper.

GregHall24@yahoo.com and Twitter / greghall24

“We all start acted like somebody just sunk a 30-foot putt – high fiving each other.”
Kurtis Townsend, KU assistant coach who was the lead recruiter on Andrew Wiggins, on the scene inside Bill Self’s office when the KU coaches got word that Wiggins was signing with Kansas, 810 AM

“This just confirms the one thing I’ve known since birth – God is a KU fan. Kansas loses all five starters and they have a better team than they had last year.”
Carrington Harrison, on the highly-touted Andrew Wiggins’ decision to become a Kansas Jayhawk, 610 AM
GH: Harrison is an avowed Missouri fan. He doesn’t hide it; rather he relishes his Missouri fandom. But he is not blinded by his love for the Tigers. He understands that Kansas basketball and Allen Fieldhouse are special – even as much as that fact may pain him. I enjoy listening to Harrison discuss his lifelong hatred of Kansas but his professional respect for the program. He keeps it real. Kevin Kietzman’s takes yesterday on KU and Wiggins fell a bit short of real. Read on.

“This is also the end on this (Kansas) program of complaining about John Calipari and how Kentucky runs its program. The one-and-done rule which Kansas fans have hated forever – no more complaining! You love the rule today. The one-and-done rule is the greatest rule in college basketball today for Kansas fans. It is the greatest thing ever at this moment.”
Kevin Kietzman, 810 AM
GH: Kietzman’s tone was anything but complimentary toward Kansas. Yes, he believes this is a huge get for the Jayhawks but he was quick to paint this with a slimy Calipari brush. Read on.

“This is the NFL equivalent to saying instead of building through the draft, we’re going to sign a bunch of free agents.”
Kevin Kietzman, on Bill Self’s freshman recruiting staff, 810 AM
GH: Or how Bill Snyder rebuilds the K-State football program each year through his Junior College signings?

“This will all be over in ten months. This is a ten-month love affair.”
Kevin Kietzman, opening his Tuesday show with the news that Andrew Wiggins is heading to play his college basketball at Kansas, 810 AM
GH: Kietzman replaced his favorite the phrase, “wind-aided” with a new one, “ten months” while talking about Wiggins. It sounded to me like KK was trying to convince himself that his pain of having to watch Wiggins in KU blue next season will all be over next April. I understand that as a K-State alum, this signing doesn’t make him happy. So why not be honest about it and say that? Instead, Kietzman does what he does best – throws out veiled compliments meant to impugn his target. Read on.

“It is rare for a program of the stature of Kansas to have a glaring need for a player like this. And they have it! Just as this past season, they had a glaring need for Ben McLemore to step in and play.”
Kevin Kietzman, 810 AM
GH: So did the other three schools in the Wiggins’ sweepstakes also have a “glaring need” for Wiggins? What school doesn’t have a glaring need for the next Tracy McGrady?

“This isn’t about Kansas. This is about this coach and this player at this time. This is the absolute perfect fit for Andrew Wiggins.”
Kevin Kietzman, 810 AM
GH: This isn’t about Kansas? What a ridiculous statement even coming from the Godfather of ridiculous statements. Sure, Bill Self played a large role in why Wiggins chose KU but Wiggins has made numerous comments about how much he enjoyed his visit to Kansas, its people, the atmosphere and the atmosphere inside Allen Fieldhouse. KK hates Kansas more than the Democratic Party.

“Kentucky is going to have more great freshman than Kansas. What that means I don’t know.”
Kevin Kietzman, 810 AM
GH: It means that Kietzman roots for Kentucky when it comes to college basketball.

“The challenge for Coach Self is how do you make that kid play defense? He’s going to be the number-one player in the draft! That’s got to be frustrating for Coach Self. The hope is that they are so freakishly athletic that they don’t have to be fundamentally sound defensively but still be able to block shots because they’re there.”
Kevin Kietzman, 810 AM
GH: KK obviously has not done his research on Andrew Wiggins, who some college analysts are predicting will be the best defensive player in the game. I am sure Coach Self is up to the task of getting Wiggins to slide step, cover and reject shots.

“They should be almost a shoe-in for the Final Four. The question is do they win the national title.”
Kevin Kietzman, 810 AM
GH: One of KK’s favorite moves is to direct a backhanded compliment toward a rival of K-State’s. If KU doesn’t make the Final Four with Wiggins, they failed as a program.

“Almost regardless of what he does at Kansas, unless it’s some sort of a devastating injury, he will still be the number-one pick next year. The ceiling is so high, the talent is so immense that there is no way to exaggerate this. There is no overhyping this player. There is no talking about him too much.”
Kevin Kietzman, 810 AM

“Even if you’ve left the conference and are a fan of another team, you watch (Kansas) because you hate them! You can’t stand the fact that Andrew Wiggins is there today. You despise it.”
Kevin Kietzman, 810 AM
GH: Come clean, Kev. The “you” in the above comment should read “I,” right?

GregHall24@yahoo.com and Twitter / greghall24

“Wiggins To Kansas”
Headline on ESPN.com’s CBB page, on the news that Andrew Wiggins declared he would take his prodigious basketball talents to Lawrence next season, ESPN.com
GH: Just after this news hit the wire, a Kansas-grad coworker of mine passed by my office while performing his best imitation of what can best be described as a white man’s version of the The Dougie with obvious influences from too many visits to Hallbrook Country Club.

“The top high school basketball player in the world will spend next season in a Jayhawks jersey.”
Cut line on SBNation.com

“Kentucky Basketball: Andrew Wiggins Selects Kansas, Basketball Universe Shocked”
Headline at Kentucky’s ASeaofBlue.com
GH: This headline might appear to be Kentucky-bred but it is simply stating reality. Not even the most ardent Kansas fans thought Wiggins was coming to Lawrence. But he is. And that is great news for the local college basketball scene – even if K-State and Mizzou fans might disagree.

“What makes Andrew Wiggins special is that he is an NBA athlete right now. His vertical jump is uncommon. His second jump is so quick and explosive that it can dominate the action. He scores the ball best off the bounce, in the lane and at the foul line. He can finalize a play like no other in the class with polish, grace and body control.”
Paul Biancardi, ESPN’s CBB recruiting director, ESPN.com

“Some will compare (Wiggins) to LeBron James. I recruited LeBron James in high school and that’s just not fair. Andrew Wiggins is an NBA athlete with a quick first step just like James but that’s where the comparison stops. LeBron James was a creative passer who could dominate the action with his alpha dog mentality. The bottom line is Andrew Wiggins will be a great player with still untapped potential and a chance to be an NBA All Star.”
Paul Biancardi, ESPN’s CBB recruiting director, ESPN.com
GH: Not being the next LeBron is hardly a knock. But there are some impressive names to which Wiggins is being compared. Read on.

“The best athlete since Vince Carter or Tracy McGrady. Roy Williams likes to play fast in transition. Nobody is finishing faster on a fast break than Andrew Wiggins.”
Paul Biancardi, when asked what Wiggins would mean to UNC if he chose the Heels, ESPN.com

“It’s a winning lottery ticket. This will be the fifth straight year the Kansas Jayhawks will have a lottery pick. That’s big. That’s a sell, recruiting-wise.”
Dave Telep, Senior national recruiting analyst, ESPN.com

“Proving that one can never count Kansas coach Bill Self out of the equation, Wiggins spurned offers from the Kentucky Wildcats, North Carolina Tar Heels and Florida St. Seminoles and hopped on board with the retooling Kansas Jayhawks, who appear to be ready for another big NCAA Tournament run.”
SBNation.com
GH: If Self was in a recruiting slump as some have suggested, he just went Quindaro / Independence Ave slumpbuster with Wiggins.

“The most-hyped recruitment in recent high school basketball history has finally come to a close. Andrew Wiggins, the No. 1 player in the class of 2013 and one of the best in the last decade, has announced he's heading to Kansas. … Kansas made up a lot of ground in the latter parts of Wiggins' recruitment after being something of an afterthought during the early stages. Self made a major impression on Wiggins, and he loved his visit to Lawrence. Wiggins has a chance to be the go-to-guy right off the bat, and he could be the missing piece between a borderline Top 25 team and a Final Four contender. Throw in the fact that Wiggins' brother, Nick, plays at nearby Wichita State, and it made sense for Kansas to put on the full-court press.”
Jeff Borzello, writer, cbssports.com

“This guy can beat one, two and three defenders. He makes it look easy inside the paint.”
Paul Biancardi, ESPN’s CBB recruiting director, ESPN.com
G: So not only is Wiggins a prolific scorer both inside and out, he is one of the nation’s best defenders as well? Whoa!

“On the other side of the floor, Wiggins has the tools to be one of the best defenders in the country. His length and size enable him to guard every position on the court, whether on the perimeter or in the post. That's what makes him scary -- and so tantalizing. Wiggins has the ability to be a lockdown defender, but he has plenty of room to improve on the offensive end.”
Jeff Borzello, writer, cbssports.com

“Remember all that talk about how this could end up being the year that Kansas ends their streak of winning at least a share of nine straight Big 12 regular season title? Remember how we all thought that Marcus Smart and Le’Bryan Nash — and maybe Isaiah Austin and Cory Jefferson — returning to school for another season would be the biggest news of the offseason in the Big 12? Remember when Oklahoma State was the best team in the conference? That all changed on Tuesday afternoon when Andrew Wiggins, the Canadian-born forward out of Huntington Prep (WV) and the top high school recruit in the country, announced that he would be spending his one year of college basketball playing for Bill Self and the Kansas Jayhawks.”
Rob Dauster, nbcsports.com
GH: Do not hand Kansas their tenth consecutive Big 12 title just yet. Oklahoma State is going to be very good next season. Adding Wiggins to Kansas’ title hopes will help both the Jayhawks and make sure the Cowboys come ready to play. Those games next season against these two basketball elites should be classics.

“He's wired to score and I think that's what he'll do. He's going to continue to be who he is. … I think he's going to be a great college player but I think he'll be a better pro because of the way the defenses are. You can't guard him in space.”
Rob Fulford, Wiggins’ high school coach at Huntington Prep, ESPN.com

“It was always said that as an adidas school, it hurt (Kansas) for the top three or four guys. The fact that they got Wiggins at KU, I think nine out of the top ten guys go to Nike schools. Adidas does the same thing as Nike does, they just don’t do it as successfully.”
Danny Parkins, 810 AM
GH: When the news broke of Wiggins’ decision to attend KU, 610 brought in Danny Parkins and Carrington Harrison into the studio with the The Day Shifts Jay Binkley and Henry Lake. This move showed me a few of things about 610. 1) They understand they need to be flexible when it comes to covering a breaking story. 2) They realize Lake is new to the market and Binkley is more tuned to MU college sports and is their NFL expert. 3) The on-air talents at 610 have to be able to squash their egos at times for the betterment of the station and their audience. I don’t know how Binkley and Lake perceived the invasion of their show but it sounded like they welcomed Parkins’ and Harrison’s expertise rather than resented it.  A win for everybody.

“This one falls under the rubric of, ‘You can't win them all.’ John Calipari very nearly ran the table on this recruiting class, and had he done so, it would be even more memorable than it already is. … So congratulations to the Kansas Jayhawks on the matriculation of Wiggins, and all the best to Andrew in Lawrence next year. This means that the Jayhawks just got a lot better, although probably not good enough to be a favorite. My guess is that this puts them in the top ten somewhere…”
Glenn Logan, Kentucky college basketball writer, aseaofblue.com
GH: Let’s hope the two proud basketball powers get a chance to settle this one on the court sometime in 2014.

GregHall24@yahoo.com and Twitter / greghall24

“Are they who we thought they were?”
Soren Petro, on the slumping Royals, 810 AM

“I think it’s a reason to be terrified. (Eric Hosmer) looking like Mark Teahan. Let’s call it what it is. Hosmer has lost the ability to turn on pitches. The guy with the most power on the team can’t hit the ball in the air to right field. He’s lost. He’s a mess. It is a critical situation for a lot of those people in the front office’s jobs. The entire organization is riding on Eric Hosmer and Mike Moustakas hitting.”
Soren Petro, on the lack of power by the Royals’ first baseman, 810 AM
GH: Hosmer came up two seasons ago and homered into the right field seats at Yankee Stadium. His mom became a TV sensation as she cheered his feats as a rookie Royal. He was the one Royals’ draft pick that looked like a can’t-miss prospect and a no-trade talent. Hosmer was what we were/are waiting for. Has it all gone wrong? Is he just in a slow-grow Alex Gordon maturation process that seems to inflict all young Royals? Terrified is a strong term from Petro. It is also not too soon to roll out some strong terms when discussing these young Royals’ bats.

“I’d have Hosmer hitting eighth in my lineup.”
Frank White, when asked by Kevin Kietzman where he would hit Hosmer, 810 AM
GH: Name me the MLB club that has their first basemen hitting eighth in their lineup. The lack of offense from the Royals is that bad.

“Just trying a bit of a different look to see if we can put some runs on the board. … (Alex Gordon) was hitting (first) out of necessity there.”
Ned Yost, on his decision to move around the top of the Royals’ batting order, 810 AM

“At some point there has to be some accountability on the hitting side.”
Mike Mcfarlane, 810 AM
GH: Mcfarlane made the point that this continued lack of runs will eventually wear down the Royals starting pitching staff. It isn’t unlike football where the defense finally gets emotionally drained by knowing any mistake could cost the team the game. Is Ned Yost the guy to handle this kind of emotional strain on a 25-man roster? I don’t think Ned Yost should have anything to do with a MLB roster. He appears to me to be a wisher and not a doer. Wishing things will change has never been all that effective in my experience.

“Let’s get it out of the way – (Billy Butler) is not being pitched around. Period.”
Mike Mcfarlane, 810 AM
GH: Butler is hitting .228 in mid-May. Nate Bukaty said Butler told him he’s never experienced a prolonged slump of this length. Mcfarlane expects Butler to eventually snap out of it. “He’s just too good of a hitter,” Mcfarlane stated. So it’s just not Moose and Hosmer. Does anybody still have Kevin Seitzer’s phone number?

“When you don’t hit, it’s going to take a little bit away from your (defensive) game and your decision making.”
Frank White, on how Moustakas’ and Hosmer’s defensive play as well as the rest of the team has been hurt by their lack of success at the plate, 810 AM

“The whispers around baseball are that (Bubba Starling) is never going to figure it out as a hitter.”
Rany Jazayerli, on the Royals top-draft pick in 2011, 810 AM
GH: If all this lack of production from the Royals’ young lineup wasn’t enough, now we are hearing whispers that Bubba can’t hit the off-speed pitch. What all looked so good just a week ago, is starting to smell a lot like the past 20 years. The Royals need some wins, some hits and some runs. Now.

“I’m so depressed – especially when we get to talking Royals.”
Henry Lake, new cohost on The Day Shift with Jay Binkley, 610 AM
GH: If Henry Lake is already depressed over a team he has only covered for a month, he might want to think about a career change. I don’t understand sports talk hosts who move to a new market and immediately pretend to be emotionally affected by a team they’ve never rooted for or followed. Lake would far better serve his audience by giving us his outsider perspective of the Royals and their slide. Instead, he pretends to have known the Tony Muser and Trey Hillman years.

“That’s the million-dollar question, dude. I really couldn’t tell you. It’s not out of the question for June but I’m going to do whatever the team asks of me.”
Danny Duffy, when asked by Danny Parkins when he realistically thinks he could be back pitching after rehabbing from his Tommy John surgery,   610 AM
GH: Parkins conducted a highly entertaining interview with the Royals’ Danny Duffy last week that is must-listen radio. You can hear it online here at 610’s website.

“I’ll tell you right now – when I get back out there I am going to have a different attitude for the game. I really miss my boys. Just suckin’ up with Gordo and Frenchy and just talking with the guys in the dugout. That’s a huge part of the game.”
Danny Duffy, on how much he misses his Royals’ teammates, 610 AM
GH: Duffy called Mike Moustakas his best friend on the team. “He’ll be my friend until the day I die,” added Duffy. If Duffy has just a bit of success when her returns to the Royals’ big club, he could quickly become the Mark Fidrych of Kansas City.

“Absolutely! You can’t take cash with you to the grave!”
Danny Duffy, on his pledge to pay for a Korean fan’s trip to Kansas City and The K, 610 AM
GH: Duffy said he can’t wait to put his Korean guest up at the Plaza’s Intercontinental Hotel and have him eating Oklahoma Joe’s and Granfalloon nachos. Maybe Duffy is the guy we should send to North Korea instead of Dennis Rodman.

“I’ve never been around an athlete who was incredibly successful and unbelievably competitive who didn’t have a jerky side to him. … I don’t like (Tiger Woods) but I can’t stop watching him. You can’t keep your eyes off of greatness.”
Kevin Harlan, while discussing Tiger Woods’ popularity, 810 AM
GH: I think most people have a jerky side to them. Those of us who aren’t famous simply don’t have to suffer the glare of the media exposing our jerkiness. So at least we’ve got that going for us…

GregHall24@yahoo.com and Twitter / greghall24

“Ben McLemore's former AAU coach says he received thousands of dollars in cash, lodging, meals and trips from a middle man who courted the Kansas player on behalf of sports agents and financial advisers during the 2012-13 college basketball season. … The payments that Cobb said he received from Blackstock – and the trips to Los Angeles that Cobb says he and Boyd accepted – potentially could have jeopardized McLemore's amateur status because of NCAA rules that prohibit college players' family members, friends and coaches from accepting money or gifts from sports agents or those working on their behalf. The NCAA has historically handled similar situations on a case-by-case basis.”
Eric Prisbell, writer, USA Today
GH: Big-time college sports have big-time scandals. The bigger the star athlete, the more potential for NCAA rules being trampled. The bigger question to me is it the AAU coaches, the middlemen, the athletes or the NCAA rules that are faulty?

“Multiple attempts to reach McLemore were unsuccessful.”
Eric Prisbell, writer, USA Today
GH: I just abhor this disclaimer that the media rolls out at the end of their gotcha stories. Really? Ben McLemore is now as hard to find as Osama Bin Laden? Prisbell somehow found or spoke with Cobb, Blackstock and Boyd – three guys none of us have ever heard of – but couldn’t locate the one guy in this story whose known nationally and whose reputation will take the biggest hit from this report? Do your job better, Eric. Leave the disclaimers for the late-night TV ads.

“Coaches and administrators educate their players on what is and isn’t allowed. They warn them about potential parasites appearing in their lives. But in many cases, it’s not only out of the control of the coaches, it’s out of the control of the players.”
Tom Keegan, columnist, KUSports.com
GH: Keegan is an enabler if he thinks the Kansas coaching staff and McLemore are not culpable in this farce. Bill Self and his staff are paid millions to protect the eligibility and reputation of the athletes who have been entrusted to their care. Millions and millions every year. They damn well better be aware of who is getting free tickets to watch the best NBA prospect Self’s program has ever produced at KU. McLemore also needs to be aware of who is doing what with his name – especially if his coaches are blind to what is happening.

“They don’t want to know.”
Kevin Kietzman, on the college coaches who run big-time football and basketball programs, 810 AM
GH: Kevin Kietzman has never spoken more truer words. Bill Self, Frank Martin, Frank Haith, Bo Pelini and almost all the rest want nothing to do with knowing the truth. Their focus is on not knowing and being able to say they were ignorant of the crimes. Sounds to me like another way of saying they are not doing their jobs.

“Nobody detests the existence of agent runners more intensely than coaches, some of the most controlling people on the planet. Yet even coaches can’t come close to controlling them.”
Tom Keegan, columnist, KUSports.com
GH: So how different are these head coaches to the runners and agents Keegan and public opinion vilify? Both the college coaches, runners, AAU coaches and agents want the same thing – to profit excessively from the talents of teenage boys. You pick the good guys out of that mess. They all look too much like the same guy to me.

“Mind you, the last time the Royals were 7 games over .500, they immediately lost 6 games in a row. No pressure, guys.”
Rany Jazayerli, @jazayerli, after the Royals dropped their third straight game Wednesday night, a 5-3 loss in Baltimore, Twitter
GH: Tonight’s game in Baltimore would be a nice time to stem this slide and remove some of the more rabid Royals fans from the ejection seat. Guthrie has been golden this season and he will get the chance to send the Royals back home on with a win. I will be listening and watching.

“All in favor of replacing the real Ned with @TheFakeNed? I can think of about 400,000 who wouldn't mind right now.”
Jon Maag, @jonmaag, Twitter
GH: If you are not on Twitter, @TheFakeNed probably means nothing to you. But The Fake Ned dropped a bomb on the Twitterverse Wednesday. Read on.

“In summary, (Thursday), a new day dawns. The Post-Fake Ned era begins. Like Twilight II, except with more sparkles. It's time for a new voice to emerge. Like that episode of Taxi where Latka had to go back to his home country.
Chris Kamler, @ChrisKamler, Twitter
GH: Kamler is the “brains” behind @TheFakeNed. He began this fake Twitter account about two years ago and went from posting hilarious fake comments not made by the Royals’ manager into a 7,000-plus followers account that covered everything from his love for Mizzou to self-flagellation.  In other words – he blew up as Fake Ned. Repeatedly. So Kamler has made the mature decision to test the Twitter waters as himself. Will he remain popular? Will he remain controversial. Will people still care? Sometimes life calls for us to be bold. In that area of expertise Kamler lacks nothing.

“I'm hemorrhaging followers. I might be in single digits by the morning.”
Chris Kamler, @ChrisKamler, after posting he has coverted from @TheFakeNed to @ChrisKamler, Twitter
GH: One thing is for sure, Kamler will remain very, very entertaining.

“What coach do you really want to see on Twitter? I would like to see the real Ned Yost on Twitter. I think it would be outstanding and a lot of fun.”
Bob Fescoe, 610 AM
GH: Are there any coaches who even understand Twitter? Or have the stones to say what they think on Twitter? Most use it as a recruiting tool or as a glorified cheerleading venue. Can you think of a coach who is or would be Twitter worthy?

“Hate to say it but Lefebvre is soooooo much better than Physioc. I'm sure Steve is a nice guy but Phys makes Gud sound even worse than norm.”
Aaron Swarts, @a_swarts, Twitter
GH: Physioc is getting exposed this season just as much as Ned Yost’s bench coaching. Swarts is right about Physioc being a nice guy, but give me an ass in the booth if he can be informative, entertaining and a great storyteller. I think I just described Bill Grigsby’s broadcasting career.

“Between Royals and Sporting, that was just a rough night all the way around. Bleh.”
Nate Bukaty, @nate_bukaty, Twitter
GH: Wow, did you see how Sporting lost in the 93^rd minute of stoppage play? The photo by David Eulitt on the front page of The Kansas City Star’s Sports Daily in Thursday’s paper is priceless. There are so many emotions going on in the crowd and with the Sporting players on the pitch. Just a fabulous pic. This one deserves an Oscar, or Emmy or whatever those ink-stained wretches are always vying for and talking about.

“I thought we played well for a good part of the game. We made a couple of mental errors. There’s no way we should lose that ball. That ball should have been pumped forward. Unfortunately, they come up with a goal at the very end of the game.”
Peter Vermes, Sporting KC’s head coach on losing to Seattle 1-0 in extra time, KSHB TV41
GH: If MLS soccer was covered like a real professional sport, and I am not looking to incite the nil brothers and their minions with that comment – Vermes would be roasted for these comments. Sporting played “played well for a good part of the game?” They never freaking scored! They never came close to scoring! Then Vermes says, “We made a couple of mental errors.” Mental errors??? Two guys WHIFFED on punting the ball out of the box and allowed Seattle to kick in an uncontested goal. How is whiffing mental? And what is unfortunate about the loss? Vermes acts like it was an act of God that doomed his team instead of awful execution and a complete defensive breakdown. Soccer fans and the media who cover them are just too damn nice when it comes to their team.

“It was not evident on the TV we had that it was a home run. I don’t know what kind of replay you had, but you can’t reverse a call unless there’s 100 percent evidence.”
Angel Hernandez, umpire who declared Oakland A’s Adam Rosales’ home run a double despite video evidence proving otherwise, reported by Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle
GH: Check out the video here at SportingNews.com. Angel Hernandez sounds like a pompous idiot. As a matter of fact, I’m pretty sure Angel Hernandez is a pompous idiot.

“After the game (Hernandez) refused to let reporters electronically record is comments, saying that they were only allowed to take notes by hand.”
Zach Stoloff, writer,NESN.com
GH: I rest my case about Angel Hernandez.

“I would blow Carrington’s doors off!”
Jayice Pearson, discussing a possible foot race between and his younger cohost, 610 AM
GH: This race needs to be held in Mission Hills and KK needs to be the starter.

GregHall24@yahoo.com and Twitter / greghall24

“When you get to that point where every game matters, every manager gets scrutiny. Another thing I’ll say is that when you have a bullpen that falters the manager always looks bad. That said, I do think there is a lot of pressure on Ned Yost right now because of the way things went in Milwaukee. Ned Yost hasn’t yet proven to people he can do it. There’s absolutely no question that this is a big, big year for Ned Yost – not just in Kansas City but you’re right, his reputation around the game. His reputation is not bad around the league but his reputation is not he’s one of the elite managers that can win it for you.”
Danny Knobler, MLB insider for CBSSports.com 810 AM
GH: This is a different season for the Royals, for Dayton Moore and for Ned Yost. This Royals’ season comes with something so foreign to Kansas City Royals’ baseball that it might cause the organization to rupture. That rare added element to the 2013 Royals is expectations. Fans, the media and MLB expect the Royals to compete. How Yost and Moore handle that pressure will reveal their worth to David Glass’ franchise. Time to show us you are worth your salaries, guys.

“He’s the best manager the Royals have had in a long time. He’s a significant upgrade over Trey Hillman and Buddy Bell.”
Kevin Kietzman, on his respect for Ned Yost, 810 AM
GH: After two straight one-run losses, Ned Yost is getting roasted by former Royals, the Royals fan base, the local media and just about anyone else who has ever darkened the door of Kauffman Stadium. But Kevin Kietzman prides himself in being different –being on the controversial side of most topics. He damn sure has placed himself on the rare side of this one – except for his midday cohort Soren Petro, who also is singing the praises of Nedley. Read on.

“Any jackass can lob grenades…after the fact.”
Soren Petro, on the amount of criticism that is being leveled at Ned Yost, 810 AM

“Let me caution everyone – this team is still five games over .500. If (Yost) was a moron and a goof when things didn’t work, he was a moron and a goof when leading this team to seven games above .500. There’s reason to believe this guy can manage. I don’t think the guy’s a moron when it comes to technical managing.”
Soren Petro, 810 AM
GH: Hey Soren, Ned was a moron and a good when the team was seven games over .500. Just so we’re clear.

“I was the only guy saying I don’t have a problem with (Yost) taking out James Shields.”
Soren Petro, 810 AM
GH: Sports talkers LOVE to be “the only guy saying” this or that or whatever ridiculous statement they think will separate them from the clutter. Often being the rare voice as a talk show host on a subject doesn’t mean you’re right, it just means you’re willing to be controversial in a safe environment. I would be far more impressed if Kietzman and Soren voiced their opinions and then invited real debate from callers who didn’t get cutoff or better yet, an in-studio guest who wasn’t tied to WHB for a paycheck. 

“I wouldn’t call it a rough start.”
Ned Yost, responding in Tuesday night’s postgame presser to a question from a member of the media who called Ervin Santana giving up three runs in the first inning a “rough start,” Fox Sports
GH: Ned would call the Revolutionary War a rough start to our country’s independence. Ned is a dunderhead when it comes to admitting mistakes.

“(Ned Yost) is like an umpire. He’s not going to admit he’s wrong.”
Mike Boddicker, former Royals and Orioles pitcher, 810 AM
GH: Over the past few days I have heard Jeff Montgomery, George Brett, Les Norman and Mike Boddicker – all former Royals – state their disagreement on how Ned Yost handled his bullpen the last two games. These gentlemen have a bit more credibility than Soren, me or Twitter.

“I think (Yost’s) natural reaction to whatever he’s asked is to disagree with it.”
Nate Bukaty, 810 AM
GH: These kind of people in your organization can be valuable – if they use their chance to argue productively. But Ned comes off as a spoiled brat who thinks he knows more about the game than the simpletons who gather around his desk after each game. Ned bores me.

“Jeff Francoeur’s on-base percentage is .274. It’s hard to put into context how poor that is. What he’s basically showing is that last year was not a fluke.”
Nate Bukaty, on the Royals’ right fielder’s continued poor offensive production, 810 AM
GH: Frenchy has proven now for two seasons he is an overrated Atlanta Braves’ draft pick. Dayton Moore loves ex-Braves who just don’t have what it takes. See Ned Yost.

“I don’t think the Royals and their fan base know who Mike Moustakas is. This is a guy who was supposed to come up and hit 30 home runs, bat about .260 and play an average third base. He’s been about the exact opposite of that. … The development side of myself thinks Moustakas is going to figure it out.”
Greg Schaum, Royals insider, 610 AM
GH: Moustakas is still a developing talent. The Royals just do not know how to deliver a prospect to the big club on a sprint. Alex Gordon stumbled for years. Now Mouse and Eric Hosmer are raising red flags with their forgettable offensive numbers. It is not time to flush these young guys. It is time to question why they flounder under the not-so-bright-lights of KC.

“I believe a lot more in Eric Hosmer than I do in Mike Moustakas and I always have.”
Greg Schaum, Royals insider, 610 AM

“I’m getting a little worried about the defense. … Hosmer – pitch in and pitch out, he’s not a good first baseman. He’s nothing special. I guess I’m a tough grade. That’s part of the job. I’m a tough grader.”
Kevin Kietzman, who believes the defensive play of the Royals is highly overrated, 810 AM
GH: Hosmer isn’t a good first basemen – he’s a great one. I know KK knows the game better than he pretends but statements like this make me question his baseball IQ.

“When are the Royals going to get a guy who comes up and lights it up from beginning. That’s the hardest thing for me to swallow.”
Greg Schaum, Royals insider, 610 AM
GH: Have you seen the Orioles’ Manny Machado? Wow. A kid who came up to the Bigs at 19 and started producing at the plate and in the field immediately. Johnny Damon and Carlos Beltran were good but not great from the get go but we have had very few here in KC.

“His baseball instincts are nonpareil. In other words – among the best.”
Denny Matthews, as he marveled at Baltimore’s 20-year-old phenom, Manny Machado, and how well he ran the bases, Royals Radio
GH: Machado began the Royals series hitting .309 with five home runs and 21 RBIs. He is also playing a stellar third base for the O’s after being called up last spring at the age of 19.

“(Machado) fits right into the makeup of this team. When he picks up that bat, he's ready to hit. When he puts his glove on, he's ready to field. He plays the game hard. You can see his poise.”
Adam Jones, Orioles center fielder, USA Today

“First time I met LoCain I told him you better represent that number. He is!”
Willie Wilson, @wwbb6, Twitter
GH: Cain has been a bright spot for the Royals as their center fielder and at the dish. The Twins farm system seems to have broken him in correctly.

“I don't know what exactly the ‘human element’ in baseball means, but I know it isn't Steve Physioc.”
TJ Carpenter, @TJCarpenterWHB, Twitter
GH: I am listening to a lot of the Royals’ games on the radio and Physioc sounds like a really nice guy who should be announcing ice skating and triple lutzes. Denny Matthews on the other hand has been surprisingly alert and entertaining for much of the first two months of the season. The best radio combo is Denny and Ryan Lefebvre – but they broke that team up to give Rex Hudler some guidance on the Fox TV broadcasts. 

“I think Alex Gordon is a Gold Glover due largely to a weak (number of left fielders in the AL). Technically, TECHNICALLY, I would not say Alex Gordon is a great left fielder.”
Kevin Kietzman, 810 AM
GH: Technically, I would say KK hates everything about Alex Gordon. I find it odd that he is so bent on slamming A1 but it appears he is willing to go down as the one Royals fan who can’t stand the franchise’s next All-Star outfielder.

“In Lincoln’s time. 18-something.”
Robin Quivers, Howard Stern’s sidekick, when asked when slavery was abolished in this country, Howard Stern Show
GH: Oh, Robin.

GregHall24@yahoo.com and Twitter / greghall24

“Chris Sale looks very hittable here in the first inning.”
Denny Matthews, as the Royals jumped to a 1-0 lead against the White Sox’s starter, Royals Radio
GH: Matthews made this comment during Billy Butler’s first at bat, the third hitter Sale had faced. At the time, it was true. But Sale then showed why he continues to haunt the Royals and the decision they made in the 2010 draft to pick Cal State Fullerton’s shortstop, Christian Colon, ahead of the Florida Gulf Coast lefty – who went 13^th overall to the White Sox.

“Hindsight can be a very tricky thing, and (Ned) Yost defended the move that would leave a little tarnish on a successful homestand.”
Bob Dutton, Royals’ beat writer, on Yost’s decision to pull James Shields in the ninth despite his ace having held the Sox to two hits and no runs, Kansas City Star
GH: Hindsight isn’t tricky at all. It’s as much a part of baseball as popcorn, radio play-by-play and green grass. Yost blew this game and it cannot be screamed loud enough. Read on.

“When you make that change you subject yourself to a lot of criticism. And it didn’t work out. … I expected (Shields) to go out for the ninth inning. It was going to be the first shutouts in the same series going back to the year George Brett got his 3,000^th hit.”
Jeff Montgomery, Royals’ all-time leader in saves, 810 AM

“I’ll say this; sitting in the opposing dugout when he does that you say, ‘God I’m glad he’s out of there. Let’s go get this guy.’ ”
George Brett, 610 AM

“In a one-run game, (if) you send (the starter out) out, he’s either going to win it or lose it. So you let the closer go out and try to do his job.”
Ned Yost, attempting to defend his decision to pull Shields in the ninth, Kansas City Star
GH: Yost sounds like a man drowning in his self-defense. Herm said the only thing a manager needs to remember as he sits on the bench watching men do what he cannot – “You play to win the game.” Yost played to make sure Shields didn’t get a loss tacked onto his record? What complete garbage. Yost deserves to be suspended by David Glass for the Baltimore series for this ridiculous statement alone.

“You don’t like losing games like we lost today, especially when you get a start like we got from James Shields. But it was a fair homestand.”
Ned Yost, Kansas City Star
GH: More evidence that Yost is managing to be good but not great. How does a competitor leave that loss and talk about a successful homestand?

“Everybody has got their job to do and Shields had done his.”
Ned Yost, 810 AM
GH: Yost doesn’t demand greatness. He appears satisfied with good job, good effort – and a loss.

“(Yost) must be the greatest manager ever because he never makes a mistake.”
@pickupyourmatt, Twitter
GH: I would respect Yost far more if he would have come out in the post-game presser and said, “I want to apologize to James Shields, the Royals organization and our fans – because I blew that game. Me. Now let’s go to Baltimore and picked my sorry ass up!”

“(Yost) thinks of that as a simple good explanation and it’s not. There was no downside to putting (Shields) back out there – and he was pitching lights out!”
Danny Clinkscale, 810 AM

“Ned Yost’s explanation today put player and statistics above team – and I don’t think coaches should do that.”
Kevin Kietzman, 810 AM

“I find it interesting that everyone is blaming Ned Yost, Greg Holland and Chris Getz. … Did you see the scoreboard? They lost 2-1 in 11 innings – and you want to blame the pitching? What’s interesting to me is that no one is talking about the bats.”
TJ Carpenter, 810 AM
GH: Each game is its own story and has its own context. This game was all about sending Shields back to the mound for the ninth. Yes, more runs would have been nice but Yost had to make his decision on what was on the scoreboard. He chose wrong and his team paid for his poor decision.

“The (Royals’) offense has been the culprit for the lack of success so far this year.”
TJ Carpenter, 810 AM
GH: The Royals are 17-11. I’ll take that kind of “lack of success” as often as the bats can deliver it.

“Greg ‘Gasoline Can’ Holland.”
Caller to Kevin Kietzman’s BTL Show, 810 AM
GH: Before Monday’s appearance, Holland had gone nine innings without giving up a run and struck out 16 in those nine innings. I couldn’t believe Kietzman didn’t go Alex Gordon on this caller. Holland is simply a brilliant find by this organization and he will be a big reason why they are in a pennant race this summer. But he had just pitched Sunday. Why not save him so he is available for Baltimore? Yosted yet again.

“I’m not saying I agree with it. I’m saying the logic that Ned Yost used was sound.”
TJ Carpenter, 810 AM
GH: A caller named Tom called in to discuss Yost pulling Shields and he disagreed completely with TJ’s take on Yost’s logic being “sound.” Tom sounded knowledgeable and made his points clearly and with some passion. Instead of engaging in an entertaining debate with Tom, TJ acquiesced and said, “Tom, I understand where you’re coming from. I understand that frustration.” No, TJ. Seize the chance to grab your audience with a caller who has an opposite opinion than yours. It will make your postgame show far more listenable.

“There is a 100% chance of rain tonight in Baltimore.”
Gary Lezak, as the Royals are scheduled to start a three-game series tonight with John Renshaw’s O’s, 810 AM
GH: Soggy crab cakes and more rain delays. Yuck.

“Would/should the Royals add $5 million in payroll and trade a top prospect or two for two months of (Chase) Utley? You can bet the Phillies will be asking for Yordano Ventura, Kyle Zimmer or someone similar. I’m not sure they’d be willing to do that.”
Buster Olney, , on speculation the Royals might trade for the Phillies’ five-time All-Star second baseman, Chase Utley, ESPN.com
GH: The Royals do not make these kinds of moves – nor should they. Tempting? Sure. But nowhere near logical.

“I wouldn’t give up (Yordano) Ventura or Zimmer. In my opinion Ventura’s the best prospect in the organization.”
George Brett, on the Royals right-handed pitching prospect with a 100-mph fastball 610 AM

“It’s ridiculous! You can’t make (Garth Brooks’ I Got Friends in Low Places) like Sweet Caroline! You can’t force that! It makes me mad! You don’t force tradition. You have to let it happen organically.”
Steven St. John, on the Royals playing Brooks’ song each game at The K for a seventh-inning sing-along, 810 AM
GH: This song gets more Royals’ fans fired up than a Ned Yost pitching change. Some love it. Some hate it. I think it has long overstayed its welcome at The K. But I think there is more here at work than a simple country song. Read on.

“I just feel like that makes us look like we’re hicks.”
Aaron Swarts, 810 AM
GH: Hey Swarts – we are hicks.

“(Garth) is our local celebrity because he came to the Royals training camp that one year.”
Nate Bukaty, 810 AM
GH: Garth is Wal-Mart’s celebrity. I think he has stayed at The K longer than any manager is because David Glass and Wal-Mart are corporate partners with the OSU country crooner.

“My wife has a serious woman-crush on Heidi Klum. If there ever was a chance for a ménage à trois in my life…there it is.”
Nate Bukaty, 810 AM
GH: I wouldn’t toss the former SI super model out of bed but I am hoping my wife’s woman-crush is on some glam gal who is south of 40…as in way south. As in Megan Fox south.

“This is better than bicycling bears!”
Jaime Bluma, responding to Nate’s Heidi Klum comment, 810 AM
GH: You had to be there – but this was a GREAT line by the former closer.

“How about the Pine Riders?”
Rex Hudler, Royals TV analyst, when asked to suggest a name for 610’s afternoon drive show featuring Danny Parkins, Carrington Harrison and Jayice Pearson, 610 AM
GH: Talk about a great line!

GregHall24@yahoo.com and Twitter / greghall24

“Good baseball is still new to me, but it kicks ass.”
Mike Welch, @MikleWelchSR, host of 610’s evening sports talk show, after the Royals rallied to score another walk-off win and move their record to 17-10, Twitter
GH: Winning baseball here in Kansas City is new to a lot of Royals fans. As great as it is to watch the Royals compete and win here in mid- May – just wait if this squad is in a pennant race during the late summer months. In other words – you ain’t seen nothing yet as far as this town being gripped by Royals’ mania.

“This stuff just doesn't happen for the #royals. It just doesn't, not in my memories. Man, it feels good.”
Curtis Kitchen, @curtiskitchen, Twitter
GH: We are so programmed here in KC to concede defeat after the bullpen blows a late-game lead to expect a loss. But that programming is proving to not be hard coded with this version of the Kansas City Royals. We are finding that this team’s fate is not sealed in the first inning or the seventh. It is not easy to rewire a fan base. But as Kitchen and Welch state – it is damn fun.

“Every time we come here, these guys give us a hard time.”
Alex Rios, who watched Alex Gordon’s deep fly ball sail over his head to allow the Royals to snare another walk-odd win in the bottom of the 10th, Chicago Tribune
GH: The White Sox dropped their 13^th of their last 17 games at Kauffman Stadium. Remember when AJ Pierzynski  and Jim Thome used to just own the Royals? How sweet is this sentence coming from the White Sox right fielder?

“Why not us!?”
Ross Martin, @PCBearcat, Twitter
GH: Well, Detroit for one answer – but after Sunday’s comeback win, I have declared myself all in on this 2013 Royals squad. It may come back to cause me bitter disappointment as it so often has in summers past…but screw it. I am in. Why not us?

“Somewhere, Allard Baird is smiling to himself knowing his two best draft picks are carrying the #Royals offensively right now.”
Daniel Wesley, @DanielSWesley, on the play of Billy Butler and Alex Gordon, Twitter
GH: Since the Royals are down to having bobblehead nights for Ketchup, Mustard and Relish – do you think they’d be interested in an Allard Baird bobblehead night?

“When you walk Getz intentionally, you get what you deserve.”
Todd Leabo, @Leabonics, on Robin Ventura’s odd decision to walk the Royals second baseman to get to the number-nine hitter and back-up catcher, George Kottaras, Twitter
GH: Ventura cannot manage as poorly against the rest of the league as he does against the Royals – can he? I believe Nolan Ryan caused some permanent damage to his noggin with that pummeling he gave him on the mound back in 1993. Click here for the delicious video.

“It's just sloppy. For me, it's unacceptable stuff. It's simple stuff we've worked on over and over again, so you stay on it.”
Robin Ventura, on the sloppy play out of his White Sox, Chicago Tribune
GH: Hopefully Ventura includes himself in that “unacceptable” category.  

“You can't just turn over your roster and put new people in there. It's just one of those, you got to fix it, keep harping on it.”
Robin Ventura, Chicago Tribune
GH: The White Sox can’t fire their entire roster but they can fire Robin and go look for Batman. I see Ventura being told to hit the highway soon.

“I’ll stay here as long as you guys want. I could talk about this game all night long.”
Josh Vernier, Royals post-game host after Sunday’s win, 610 AM
GH: It was 5:30 PM when Vernier made this statement and I think he stayed on the air until 7:00 PM. This is the kind of passion I want from my sports media people when they are covering a local team or story. Vernier didn’t care that it was a Sunday night and that he would be back at it again on Monday for a 1:10 PM game. He just wanted to talk baseball with some Royals fans – and I was happy to listen.

“Slowly but surely, Kauffman Stadium is going to become the place to be seen. Tickets are going to become hard to come by.”
Josh Vernier, 610 AM
GH: The attendance for Royals games this season continues to lag behind last year’s All-Star-stacked gate. But do not confuse ticket sales with fan interest. That is 1980s thinking. The fans will come and ticket sales will improve – but watch the climate of your local sports bars and restaurants. Look for organizations to stay away from scheduling events that conflict with the Royals’ schedule. Listen for car radios blaring the voice of Denny Matthews this summer. These are things that haven’t happened in this town since George Brett had a gap in his teeth. But it’s coming. I feel it coming like that July heat and those 17-year locusts.

“Is this a baseball town?”
Bob Fescoe, who was concerned that Sporting Kansas City showed more tickets sold Sunday afternoon than the Royals, 610 AM
GH: Hell freaking yes. And guess what? It is also a soccer town. Pretty cool on both ends of the city.

GregHall24@yahoo.com and Twitter / greghall24

“According to numerous polls, America's favorite color is blue. So is the world's. Blue unites. In other news: #RoyalsInFirst.”
Joe Posnanski, @JPosnanski, Twitter
GH: JoPo has promised to tweet out a shout out to the Royals every day this season that the team is in first place. May his fingers bleed from exhaustion – but knowing Joe’s stamina at the keyboard, that might not happen until Zager & Evans’ favorite year arrives. #2525

“Gas station here in central Kentucky is distributing Royals pocket schedules. Mixup? Or are we truly becoming a #RoyalsNation?”
Todd Probus, @tprobus, responding to JoPo’s above tweet, Twitter
GH: When Greg Holland got Evan Longoria to swing and miss on strike three in the ninth as the Royals clung to a 9-8 lead, I got a bit of a chill. These are the situations where the Royals almost always come out on the losing end. But Holland closed out the come-from-behind win and the Royals lead the ALC with a 15-10 record on May 2^nd. Okay, it is not time to invoke the great Jack Buck’s famous, “Go crazy, folks!” line but feel free to at least get dizzy.

“It's May 1st Greg. This is the Royals we've been down this road b4. Be excited but expect the Royals to eventually be the Royals.”
Chris Hamblin, @HamblinRadio, attempting to calm my exuberance over the Royals’ start, Twitter
GH: Hamblin is right – we have been here before. But this feels different. A lot different.

“When (James Shields) is not pitching he is the most important guy in the dugout. He’s the guy that we really needed.”
Eric Hosmer, 610 AM
GH: Shields is one of those difference makers as to why this Royals’ start feels different.  The way he walked off the mound after the seventh Tuesday night with a warrior’s look on his face and then an aggressive flick of his shoulder told me all I need to know about Big Game James. He is all in.

“This team has a little bit of a swagger to it. I think that’s because of James Shields.”
Joel Goldberg, 810 AM

“It's a long season, but these last 2 nights have been freaking awesome.”
Mike Welch, @MikeWelchSR, after the Royals’ second comeback win in a row, Twitter

“There was a time not long ago that the Mighty Mike Jacobs led the #Royals to an 18-11 record into mid May. #ImJustSayin #FirstPlace.”
Tim Scott, @timscott411, the former in-stadium PA host for the Royals, Twitter
GH: Scott and Hamblin aren’t buying in just yet. They are probably correct in their hesitance to believe. But if you can’t enjoy this, what the heck are you waiting to enjoy?

“Every Royals win this season has me thinking of the start of the Buffalo Springfield song, ‘Stop, Hey What's That Sound.’ … There's something happenin here. What it is ain't exactly clear...’ - Kansas City Royals.”
Lorenzo Butler, @LorenzoButlerPR, Twitter

“Big, big win. The Royals are going to start believing they can come back from any deficit. Are they mirroring last year's Orioles?”
Karl Zinke, @ZinkeEJC, Twitter
GH: John Renshaw, a lifelong Orioles fan, began this baseball season by wishing me and Royals’ fans the kind of season he and Baltimore enjoyed last summer…and The Freak is due for a few wishes to be granted.

“@Koreanfan_KC you get the time off, i got the flight. Make it happen brother. #respect.”
Danny Duffy, @DannyDuffy805, Twitter
GH: How cool is this? Duffy reaches out online to a Korean Royals fan and tells him to get the time off for a trip to KC and he’ll pick up the flight. And you don’t think things are different this summer at The K?

“Duffy did things in minors with his $ most fans will never know about-he’s very generous which is why offer to @Koreanfan_KC is just him.”
Greg Schaum, @Greg_Schaum, Twitter

“Seriously, if all athletes got it regarding fans like @DannyDuffy805 does- you think we could root for him any harder? Class act, young man!”
Robert Sigrist, @DocSig, Twitter

“This was one of the weirdest games I’ve ever played in. I started with no undershirt on, and by the ninth inning I wanted to get in the hot tub. It had to drop 30 degrees during that game.”
Jeff Francoeur, on the temperature drop during Thursday night’s game, Kansas City Star
GH: I mowed yards Wednesday evening and I went through the same uniform changes as Frenchy while listening to the game’s early innings. Lezak is calling for 2-6 inches of snow here tomorrow!

“As they say in Boston – it’s gonna be wicked bad!”
Steve Physioc, on the weather forecast for Thursday’s afternoon game at The K, 610 AM

“The lineup is good, man. When we start getting on it, we smell blood, it seems like.”
Elliot Johnson, Royals’ utility infielder who hit a solo homer Wednesday night, Kansas City Star

“This is new territory (for the Royals). We’re setting new (ratings) records on a regular basis. This is a baseball town but they need a product. They have a product now.”
Joel Goldberg, Royals TV host, Fox Sports KC

“I was talking to Jeff Montgomery yesterday and I said, ‘Monty, name a better starting staff in all of baseball?’ And we were going through all the teams and there are none! The (Royals) pitchers are making some of these so-called good-hitting ball clubs look absolutely horrible! How are they winning? It’s just outstanding pitching now.”
Mike Mcfarlane, 810 AM

“I believe Detroit’s not only the best team in the American League Central, I believe they are the best team in baseball. Their rotation is fantastic.”
Steve Physioc, Royals TV play-by-play voice, 610 AM

“I don’t understand why Moose is just jogging right here. Watch him, he just shuts it down. If something happens and that outfielder kicks that ball, he’s not in position to go to third base. I don’t know why he is jogging into bases like that. You can’t assume anything in this game. He did that the other night on a ball running from second to third. He just shut it down. He jogged the last few steps! I don’t know what that is. It’s not a full effort. It’s not a good effort.”
Rex Hudler, critiquing Moustakas’ lackadaisical gate as he cruised into second base on a ball hit to right field Tuesday night against the Rays, Fox Sports KC
GH: This might have been Rex Hudler’s finest moment as a Royals’ broadcaster. Being a cheerleader is not what I want or need from an analyst. Being tough on a young player who dogs it is. Maybe the Wonder Dog isn’t too old to learn some new tricks.

GregHall24@yahoo.com and Twitter / greghall24

“I know I’m a very versatile lineman. I’ve played guard. I’ve played center. Whatever will help the team out. … It’s no big deal. I’ll make it happen, that’s for sure.”
Eric Fisher, in a very entertaining interview with Nate Bukaty Tuesday morning, when asked about the possibility of the Chiefs asking him to move to right tackle to allow their franchised player, Branden Albert, to stay on the left side, 810 AM
GH: Fisher has been a Chief for all of five days and I already love the big guy. Read on.

“I’d like to (rebuild) a 1970 Chevelle and I’d like to do a 1969 Charger.”
Eric Fisher, after revealing to Bukaty that he is a self-described ‘gear head,’ 810 AM
GH: If everything else about this guy’s story wasn’t already incredible when you consider how he was raised by his cancer-surviving mom, he is the first player out of the MAC to go number-one overall and he’s willing to fetch goats if that’s what Andy Reid tells him to do – the #FisherKing is a freaking CAMEROHEAD!!! This guy might be the most perfect addition to Kansas City since Lamar Hunt brought his Texans to town.

“Yeah, six times. I’m definitely not going to be one of those players, that’s for sure.”
Eric Fisher, when asked by Bukaty if he has watched ESPN’s 30 for 30 documentary on the high number of professional athletes who go from millionaires to broke, 810 AM

 “If they ask (Branden Albert) to play right tackle, he’ll be playing right tackle.”
Jeff Chadiha, on the Chiefs’ unhappy left tackle, 810 AM
GH: Isn’t there still a chance Albert gets traded? It looks like that chance dissipated greatly after the draft completed on Saturday. With two well-paid left tackles on the Chiefs’ roster, something has to give.

“We’re making a lot of assumptions that the Chiefs messed up the Branden Albert trade. Maybe it was Miami that messed things up!”
Jayice Pearson, 610 AM
GH: This sounds like wishful thinking on Jayice’s part. How did Miami mess up a trade that they had the upper hand to make? If Miami wanted Albert, he was theirs.

“Eric Fisher is not going to be better than Branden Albert out of the gate. No way.”
Jayice Pearson, 610 AM
GH: Has Pearson ever met a player he knows and likes that he feels comfortable critiquing on his radio show? It is the life you have chosen, JC. You are not beholding to your friends. You owe your radio audience your best. 

“I just can’t get over the fact that a team had a number-one (overall) pick and drafted a right tackle.”
Carrington Harrison, on the assumption the Chiefs keep Brandon Albert at left tackle and move Eric Fisher into the right tackle position, 610 AM

“Personally, I don’t think (Albert) is going to be a malcontent. I don’t think he’s got that side to him. I think he’s going to be unhappy but… I’ve never gotten the sense that Branden Albert is the kind of guy who is going to tear up a locker room and be a distraction.”
Jeff Chadiha, 810 AM
GH: I get the sense that he might be the sulking type, though. I could see Albert taking his nine million and blaming his poor play on mental anguish.

“What you’re seeing at that (left tackle) position is it’s being devalued like running backs have been devalued with all these spread offenses coming in. Pass rushing isn’t based on talent so much, it’s based on scheme.”
Jeff Chadiha, 810 AM
GH: Chadiha makes an interesting point here. The game of football has changed dramatically over the last decade due to the spread offenses. It is one of my greatest concerns about hiring Andy Reid as the guy to lead us through this new frontier. Let’s hope he and John Dorsey are more flexible than they look.

“(Quarterbacks) have got to fit into what you’re trying to do. They’ve got to be wired to pick up what you’re throwing at them. It’s an individual subjective decision on that. That’s how it works.”
Andy Reid, after Soren Petro asked him if when evaluating quarterbacks, is one coach’s trash another coach’s treasure, 810 AM
GH: Reid also shared with Petro that despite the rumors, the Chiefs were never interested in drafting USC’s Matt Barkley in the fourth round. The Eagles, who know Reid pretty well, jumped up three spots to grab the one-time-highly-rated quarterback.

“It would be almost impossible to believe that the Chiefs did not have Matt Barkley listed as one of the top 50 or 60 players in the draft. If he’s sitting there in the fourth, that’s where you’ve got to trust the board.”
Kevin Kietzman, responding to Reid’s comments about Barkley, 810 AM
GH: Here is what is fact – every team in the NFL passed on drafting Barkley at least twice and most three times – some four! Barkley went 98^th in the draft. That is a long way from the 50^th or 60^th best player in the draft. All that said, I think Barkley is a very, very intriguing pick for Chip Kelly and his revamped Eagles. Watching how Kelly does with his new-age franchise and Reid does with his decade-old sets will be a classic study in contrast.

“This is the way you absolutely ensure that you’ll get eight wins. But the question is, is there any way at all you can get to 13? This is one conservative operation right now with Andy Reid and Jon Dorsey.
Kevin Kietzman, responding

“I think the show is already better. Realistically? 18 months. By the way, if we beat him in 18 months, I'll have gone from nearly being fired to unseating #1 in less than 3 years. Help us do it!!”
Danny Parkins, @DannyParkins, when asked how long he thought his show needed to overtake Kevin Kietzman’s unchallenged reign as KC’s sports talk king the past 15 years, Twitter
GH: Parkins has learned from his predecessor’s mistakes. Nick Wright came out and declared war and then victory against Kietzman before drowning in a sea of ratings wins by WHB. 18 months sounds like an eternity in radio. Just ask The Big Show.

GregHall24@yahoo.com and Twitter / greghall24

The first person I spoke to from Hopkinton, Massachusetts the eve of the Boston Marathon was a cop.

My good friend and running mate, Greg Heilers, had just dropped me off at the corner of Main and Grove Street in Hopkinton at about 6:30 PM. As I opened the passenger door to his rental Kia, Heilers asked me one last time the same question he had asked a dozen times that day. “Are you sure about this?” he repeated.

It was my grand plan to stay in HopTown, the place where the Boston Marathon begins each Patriots Day, the night before the race and soak in even more of the energy and atmosphere of this 117-year-old tradition – despite having made no prior plans for lodging.

I assured Heilers that I would be fine and closed the passenger door with a slam. We had just cruised the town Square where a handful of folks were milling about but not nearly the number I had expected. Before leaving, Heilers also drove us by Hopkinton High School where 27,000 runners would disembark from an endless line of yellow school buses starting at dawn tomorrow. I expected a buzz of activity just 12 hours before the first buses arrived but again, it was silent. A loan abandoned sedan sat in the school’s parking lot. It looked like it had been there for days.

Standing with my Nike bag slung over my shoulder in the parking lot of Colella’s Supermarket on Main, I considered my options. I knew no one in town. I had about 90 minutes of daylight to find some stranger who would be willing to put me up for the night. There were reportedly 6,000 residents in Hopkinton. I liked my chances.

I tugged on the front door of Colella’s but the small grocery store was already closed for the evening. Heilers had been inside this market last year when we ran Boston and he remembered the cashier. “She has a mustache that Burt Reynolds would envy,” remembered Heilers. I felt bad that I would miss seeing Mrs. Reynolds this trip.

A closed grocery store before 7:00 PM on a Sunday night is not normal in Kansas City or Boston. But this was Hopkinton. Time moves a bit slower out here 26.2 miles from Copley Square. I headed west down Main and my path on the north side of the street was almost immediately blocked by a Hopkinton police officer who peered at me out of his cruiser’s driver-side window.

At least I thought he was peering at me. He was actually looking past me at the slow-moving oncoming west-bound traffic, looking to turn left onto Main. Just as he was about to drive off, I stopped him with an energetic hand signal and then quickly asked if he knew of a place in town I could stay for the night.

The cop was a young guy in his late 20s at best. “There aren’t any hotels in town,” he answered with a puzzled look. “You’re on foot?” he added with even more of a quizzical tone. I explained that I was in town to run the Boston Marathon the next day and even showed him my official “Boston Marathon Passport” that hung around my neck.

“Do you know of anyone in town who is taking in runners for the night?” I asked in my friendliest tone.

“Nope,” he responded. “I’ve never heard of that.”

And then he pulled out into the street and was gone. He didn’t ask my name. He didn’t seem to be all that concerned that a stranger was walking the streets of his town in search of lodging. He just smiled and was gone.

No problem. A firehouse sat just across the street from the police station and it was manned 24 hours a day. There were a number of cars in the back parking lot and I approached the front door of the firehouse with confidence. No answer. I looked into the large front windows of the place but saw no one and no signs of activity. Around back I found the same lack of life.

Knowing a few fireman myself, I decided against pounding on any doors with more than a polite knock. While firemen are for the most part a friendly sort, they might not see a guy with a Nike bag as ample reason to field a distress-sounding knock.

I headed back east toward the town Square where I would be sure to find some approachable locals who could steer me toward a runner-friendly abode. The sun was now casting some long shadows as I made my way up the street. While the sunlight was fading, the temperature was dropping as well. It had been a pleasant day in the 50s, but in this late-daylight, it was closer to 40. I zipped up my thin gray sweatshirt and hugged my Nike bag closer to my waist.

Three junior-high-aged boys passed me on skateboards as they coasted along the concrete sidewalk. The Square was populated with numerous vendor tents to supply concessions, souvenirs and unofficial Boston Marathon items to the throngs of runners and spectators that would overrun Hopkinton in the morning.

But it was now after 7:00 PM. The vendor tents were strapped closed and not one person strolled along the picturesque walks through this famous patch of grass in the center of town. I eyed the space between the bottom of one of the tent’s canvas fronts and the grass. I made a quick mental note that I could possibly squeeze under that locked flap – if I should find myself in need of some shelter for the night.

There was some activity across the street at the elementary school, near the new statue of Dick and Rick Hoyt, the father and son wheelchair team that are an institution in New England. I headed toward the statue and started up a conversation with what appeared to be a grandmother, a mother and an adult daughter.

After explaining that I was looking for some local resident who might be taking in runners for the night, they directed me to hotels in Framingham, five miles down Highway 135.

“I don’t have a car,” I explained.

They looked at me with cocked heads and then wished me luck in the race tomorrow as they piled into their black SUV.

When a nearby grandfather loaded his two-year-old grandson into his car and then drove off, I was left alone in the Square with my Nike bag and a chilly north breeze. For the first time since arriving in Boston earlier that afternoon, I considered the possibility that I was going to have to sleep outside the night before the Boston Marathon.

Before I was ready to succumb to that frosty fate, I had a good 45 minutes of daylight to burn before the locals would view me more as a vagrant than a curiosity. I made the decision to start cold calling.

The Square is ringed with neat two-story colonial homes across the street to the south and the west. I approached the very first home on the corner of Park and Ash. It was painted a bright white with bold black trim highlights around its windows, doors and heavy moldings.

I rang the doorbell and a 40-ish housewife answered the door almost immediately. I could see her dining room table past her right shoulder where her laptop computer sat awaiting her return.

My best approach was to not be too direct, or so I surmised. I began by introducing myself and explaining I was from Kansas City and in town to run the Boston Marathon the next morning. I had thought invoking the phrase “Boston Marathon” to a Hopkinton resident would have a similar effect on them as if you mentioned “Ditka” to a Bears fan. It. Did. Not.

She listened to my tale and smiled sweetly as she told me she did not know of anyone in town who was in the business of taking in strange men. “We don’t know you,” she said almost apologetically.

“If we knew you or if you knew someone in town who could vouch for you…” she started.

“All I need is a couch,” I countered. “I’m willing to pay you cash for a couch.”

“Oh,” she softened. “We wouldn’t take your money.”

An opening! Her tone told me she was willing to give me a shot at that couch and maybe even an empty bedroom!

Just as I was imagining a good night’s sleep in a bed once owned by Paul Revere and a hearty home-cooked New England breakfast just a few steps from the starting line, I heard her husband bounding down the steep staircase that rose up directly behind where she stood holding her 250-year-old front door.

“Hi,” smiled the bespectacled and shaved-bald man in his 40s. His smile was a ruse. He never did allow me to speak.

“We understand your plight but we don’t know you,” he said as he looked me in the eye and took the door from his wife’s right hand. “I’m sure you understand.”

His smile never faded but his tone was undeniable. He reached out and clapped me on the shoulder as he moved me away from his doorway all in one consolidated move.

“Good luck with that,” were the last words I heard as he shut the door with authority. I was already off his stoop and left staring at the black-painted door.

This was not going to be easy. I looked at the other dozen or so homes that surrounded the Square. While moments ago they all represented opportunity, they now looked like cold fortresses.

I decided that the Square was the wrong place to search for an understanding family. A few blocks over was Grove Street, where the runners slowly walk from the high school to the starting line each Patriots Day. I remember many of those modest homes had signs in their windows and banners attached to their fences and homes greeting the throng of runners and wishing them well on their foot race to Boston.

This is where I would find refuge from the mounting cold and darkness on Marathon Eve. I began the short walk toward Grove with renewed hope. Just a couple of blocks into my journey, I came across a home that was being renovated. The front door and garage doors were nowhere to be seen.

“Last resort,” I told myself. I moved on west toward Grove.

Church Street comes before Grove and on this aptly-named road was the town’s Catholic Church. The parking lot was loaded with vehicles – probably for the Sunday evening 7:30 PM mass. A new idea struck me that I thought pure genius.

If I could get in front of that Catholic congregation, I could increase my chances for landing a warm bed maybe 150 fold! I leaped up the massive concrete steps two at a time and bounded through the heavy double entrance doors.

My first thought inside the church was a simple one. I was ecstatic at how comforting it felt to be out of the cold. I was actually happy just to feel warm again. We are a pampered lot here in the age of gated communities and climate-zoned vehicles. Being cold – real bone-gnawing cold – is something I kind of remember from my youth. But I haven’t felt the exhilaration of warmth like this since my brothers and I shoveled snow off of Margaret Foral’s Alpine-aping front steps across the street from our childhood home.

St. John the Evangelist parish was established in 1846. That’s considered new in New England.

I sat in a mid-to-back pew and allowed the chill to ease from my body. I viewed the sharp angle of the pew’s back and sized up the seat for sleeping. “I could make this work,” I thought.

The offertory portion of the mass had just concluded and we were moving on to changing the bread and wine into the body of Christ. It had been a good twenty years or so since I have been to any church service that did not include a wedding or a funeral. I now consider myself a “Recovering Catholic.” I spent the first 20 years of my life going to daily mass. I spent the next five questioning why and feeling guilty about my fickleness. I have spent the remainder of my years content in knowing that organized religion is something many men and women need – I am simply not one of those folks.

But I needed a bed or a couch or any reasonable facsimile this cold dark night. I had a 26.2 marathon to run starting at 10:00 AM the next day. I needed some sleep! And preferably not in that abandoned remodel job with no doors. I started standing, kneeling, singing and handing out the sign of peace like I was Pope Francis’ long-lost brother.

I may be struck dead for this next act before I finish typing this sentence but I even partook in the holy sacrament of communion for the first time since my wedding. I figured the more people who saw me and my Nike bag (I toted that sucker up the aisle with me), the better my chances were of scoring a davenport or spare square of carpet. I was way past picky at this time. I was closing in on desperate.

The pastor never looked up as he placed the host on my tongue. I was hoping for some eye contact so that we could make a connection. I was nothing more than another case of halitosis to this guy in a bejeweled cape. I turned to slowly walk back to my pew and searched the congregation for an understanding soul. Not one set of eyes stared back. All looked to be in solemn prayer for those in need.

If I would have gotten the least bit of a feeling that the priest would have understood, I would have stopped the mass right there and gone Baptist on that crowd with a loud voice and a humble plea for help. But I just did not get a good vibe that this was the right place or time to blurt out, “Hey, anybody got an extra bed, couch or rug for $40 bucks tonight?”

Back in my pew, I looked up the recessional hymn and belted it out with the rest of the Hopkinton Catholics. One thing I loved about being Catholic is singing in church. I have a voice that always turned heads – in a good way. I could always sing. I hoped someone in that church would hear my baritone voice rise and fall on the emotion-rich hymn, Holy God, We Praise Thy Name and be moved enough to want to get to know me and my bag.

I didn’t get even a sideways glance. The one-man choir above and to the rear and I appeared to be in a head-to-head contest to reach that infinite vast domain and everlasting reign with depleted oxygen tanks. The 150 or so churchgoers were quickly filing down the aisle and out the door like their microwave dinner bell was about to chime.

The pastor was outside at the bottom of the church steps greeting the parish people as they rushed by and into the parking lot. I viewed each set of headlights and then their taillights as an opportunity lost. I envisioned empty bed after empty bed driving off into the early evening Hopkinton light as I stood near this odd pastor who shook hands without making eye contact.

More desperate now with the evening breeze winning a contest against my zipped-tight sweatshirt, I approached a jolly looking man with a full head of black hair. He stuck out his hand before I even removed mine from my pocket.

“Are you in town to run the marathon tomorrow,” he beamed as he pointed to the passport around my neck.

Finally! Someone who appears to understand who I am! Why I am here!

“Have you met our pastor?” he asked in the friendliest of tones. “He’s new in town. He has no idea what he’s in for tomorrow when all those thousands of runners hit this town.”

The pastor looked away and toward the ground as he moved off toward the church. He said nothing and then was gone. I turned back to the jolly man and saw that he was joined by a friend. I chatted with these men and found they both lived in Hopkinton.

“I need a place to stay tonight,” I wedged into our conversation. “Any idea if there are any locals taking in runners for the night?”

“I can’t say that I do,” the man replied. “Mass is at 7:00 AM tomorrow morning if you would like the Lord’s help in your race tomorrow,” he added before leaving me at the bottom of the church steps. I faked a smile and sent him half a wave.

I considered the door-less house once again but it was not yet dark. I had wasted a good 30 minutes in that church. “Wasted” may strike some as a blasphemous term but I was in survival mode now and every minute I wasn’t making progress on finding a bed I was wasting.

I headed down Church Street and renewed by path to Grove Street where I hoped to find more runner-friendly domiciles. Or any.

The funeral home sat on the corner, just across from the church parking lot. An elderly lady could be seen in the window standing in front of a sink – at least I think it was a sink. I was sure they had room but sleeping with a corpse the night before a marathon was just too much foreshadowing – even for a writer. I hustled underneath her window and into the darkening night.

Two neighbor ladies in their 40s stood outside their adjoining homes and talked carelessly as the last few shards of light lit the sidewalk. I approached them with a smile and my best sales pitch of the night. They smiled as I told my story of adventure and how I wanted to spend Marathon Eve here in Hopkinton, where it all begins.

“Have you tried the police?” asked the lady with the blonde shag haircut. “I would think they have a list of people who are taking in runners.” I assured her the police were the first contact on my list but they were of no help.

“What about the firehouse?” said the brunette. This was like a bad dream – only it got worse.

“I am sure the Catholic Church would help you out,” chimed in the blonde. “Have you been to the Catholic Church?”

I assured them I had been to the police, the firehouse and the Catholic Church – and none of the three had been fruitful.

“Well,” said the blonde. “What you should do is just walk up to people in town and see if anyone has a place or knows of someone who does.”

I fixed on her a look I reserve almost exclusively for my wife. “THAT IS WHAT I AM DOING RIGHT NOW,” I mostly-kind-of-tried-to-say in a composed tone – but failed.

The two women giggled and told me to try the church again. I thought of that warm, hard, wooden pew and decided that would make a fine bed for the night.

I headed back down Church Street and rang the doorbell of the rectory. Two SUVs were parked in the pastor’s driveway and every light inside and out burned brightly. Hopkinton is an orderly, pretty town with a number of well-educated and wealthy inhabitants. The Catholic Church and its rectory displayed that affluent status.

One problem. Old Glue Eyes wasn’t answering my page. There is no way he didn’t hear me or that he or somebody wasn’t in that rectory. He or they just weren’t coming out. I looked across the street at the church and hoped they hadn’t locked it for the night. They had. It was now dark. It was getting colder. I was pretty much screwed. I thought of Heilers in his warm Boston hotel room and squashed the pang of regret that was wanting to bloom in my gut.

I took this photo of Bill’s Pizza the next morning — on Marathon Monday.

There were two places of business on Main Street still open at 8:30 PM on this night. One was a carryout pizza joint and the other a sit-down pizza joint. I opted for Bill’s Pizza, where I could sit and be warm until closing before I had to sleep in that cold, door-less construction site.

There were four tables occupied at Bill’s upon my arrival. Four high school girls sat in the middle of the room. A grandfather and his grandson drank orange Crushes in a booth along the far wall. A big guy sat alone reading his newspaper near the teenagers and two 30-something lads sat at the bar. I headed for the two guys at the bar.

No dice. They were heading back to Boston after they finished their beer and pizza. “We just drove up here to see the start line,” the smaller of the two explained.

“So you’re planning on sleeping in Hopkinton tonight?” the other asked.

“Yeah,” I said as I looked around the restaurant one more time. “Crazy idea, huh?”

They took my “Huh?” as being rhetorical and returned to their Sam Adams brews.

I walked over to the last booth along the wall and plunked by Nike bag onto the booth’s seat. The grandfather and his grandson talked about the Red Sox as I passed then on my way to order a pizza.

If Bill’s stayed open until 10:30 PM, I figured I could nurse a large sausage pizza and a refillable Diet Pepsi for two hours in exchange for the warmth the restaurant provided. The high-school aged lad at the counter took my order and handed me my paper cup. I filled it with DP and turned to see the tall single gentleman shuffling his newspaper back into order and preparing to leave.

“Why not,” I thought. I caught him at the restaurant’s door just as he was walking out.

He listened to my tale for a few sentences and then stopped me with his raised left hand. “How did you get here?” he said plainly.

“I flew in just this afternoon,” I explained. “I picked up my race packet…”

“No,” he stopped me abruptly. “How did you get right here, right now?” He pointed at my feet for emphasis.

“I had my friend drop me off near the Square a couple of hours ago….”

“Are you sure that was a friend?” he said with a large hint of sarcasm but no humor.

“So,” he continued. “Is this your race thingy?” he asked as he flipped by official Boston Marathon passport over and then tossed it back at my chest as if it were a phony.

“Uh, yeah,” I answered. “It’s not my race bib bit it’s my official Boston…”

“So where is your gear?” he asked as if he’d caught me in a lie.

“Right over there in that booth,” I pointed.

The tall 50-year-old man looked at me one last time, paused, and then said the three sweetest words in the English language.

“Alright, let’s go.”

Part II to follow…

“My enthusiasm for the draft has been crushed and squashed for the last three weeks by what the Chiefs are doing. I was convinced that the era of drafting offensive linemen and missing the playoffs in Kansas City were over. Boy was I wrong!”
Kevin Kietzman, after the Chiefs chose Eric Fisher with the first-overall pick in the NFL’s 2013 draft, 810 AM
GH: It remains to be seen if the Chiefs’ draft will help right their floundering franchise or continue down the drain under the new John Dorsey and Andy Reid regime. But unlike KK, who now seems to piss and moan about every move made by every local team, player, coach, front office or traffic cop – I am going to go into the Chiefs 2013 season hoping this city’s football team is on the mend.

“I hear the fans (at Arrowhead) are amazing. I hear they’re behind you 100%.”
Eric Fisher, on his new team, ESPN
GH: Eric “Sickening & Disgusting” Winston might disagree.

“If Fisher is truly can't miss, this will work out just fine in the end but Reid and Dorsey looked a little overmatched overall. The book on Reid in his final years in Philly was that the game was slowly passing him by. His first draft in K.C. won't do anything to dismiss those concerns.”
John McMullen, NFL writer for The Sports Network, Miami Herald
GH: The Chiefs’ draft looks about as sexy as Andy Reid. We all understand that sexy sells tickets. Reid is hoping wins sell even more.

“Luke Joeckel says he’s got a chip on his shoulder because he went number two (in the draft)? That’s got to be a pretty small chip!”
Jayice Pearson, 610 AM

“This is a good football team now. Better than they were when they were 2-14.”
Steve Mariucci, on the Chiefs under Andy Reid, NFL Network
GH: That is not a high bar, Steve. Let’s hope the Chiefs are a LOT better than 2-14 in 2013.

“(Andy Reid) is a lot funnier guy than people know it – isn’t he Mooch? He doesn’t show it. I think he’s relaxed. I think he’s looking forward to that adventure over there (in Kansas City) to build that team.”
Mike Mayock, while discussing the Chiefs’ head coach with the NFL Network’s draft experts, NFL Network

“He’s got the first pick with that talented team? I’d be relaxed too!”
Marshall Faulk, responding to Mayock’s comments about Reid, NFL Network

“I think the Chiefs did the right thing in drafting a left tackle. I was on top of that bandwagon all along. You’re filling, in my opinion, your biggest position of need.”
Matt Miller, of BleacherReport.com, 810 AM
GH: With Branden Albert on the roster, how is this one of the Chiefs’ biggest needs? I think Albert’s bad back and Mitch Holthus’ loud voice killed the Chiefs’ chances of trading him on draft day. I don’t think Albert is a solution for anybody. Read on.

“It’s a mess, dude.”
Matt Miller, when asked what will happen if the Chiefs are unable to trade Branden Albert, 810 AM
GH: Miller said the Chiefs should stick Fisher in as their left tackle and not worry about Albert’s ego. Fisher is a 10-year solution and Albert is a one-year problem.

“I’m still of the belief that somebody missed the boat!”
Kevin Kietzman, on Geno Smith being left undrafted in the first round, 810 AM
GH: Someone missed the boat alright. I believe that is KK I spy floating adrift in his dinghy built for one.

“You can’t see what’s going on here but Clark Hunt winked at me.”
Kevin Kietzman, after asking the Chiefs’ owner if they would be taking Eric Fisher with their first pick, 810 AM
GH: How great would KK’s interview with Hunt been if he had followed up Hunt’s wink with this comment… “My enthusiasm for the draft has been crushed and squashed for the last three weeks by what the Chiefs are doing. I was convinced that the era of drafting offensive linemen and missing the playoffs in Kansas City were over. Boy was I wrong!”

“I think he’s put that behind him.”
Andy Reid, on the Chiefs’ third-round pick, Travis Kelce, being suspended by the NCAA for an entire season after testing positive for marijuana, 810 AM
GH: With Andy Reid’s history in dealing with his own troubled sons, he may not be the best judge of that.

“I’m a different breed kind of player. If I had to name one guy (to compare his game to) Jeremy Shockey, just the way he plays with passion and energy. I think that would be an awesome comparison.”
Travis Kelce, 810 AM

“We think we can help him with that. We think we can help him a lot with that.”
Andy Reid, on the fumble issues the Chiefs’ third pick Knile Davis experienced at Arkansas, 810 AM
GH: Is there anything less attractive in a running back than a fumbling problem? Davis will have a difficult time in the friendly confines of Arrowhead if he doesn’t hold onto the pig.

“He can skedaddle. He’s 230 pounds.”
Andy Reid, on Knile Davis, 810 AM
GH: ArrowheadPride.com readers gave the Kelce pick their lowest approval rating (49%) of all the Chiefs’ draft picks. He has problems staying healthy and he fumbles – two really heavy pieces of baggage to tote around in the NFL. What I didn’t like is that Davis pointed to Arkansas’ coaching changes and having to learn new offensive systems as part of his problems. He just doesn’t sound like a quality pick to me, despite his size and speed.

“I thought they reached quite a bit for Knile Davis instead of going with someone more proven. There’s just a lot going on with this kid where he never really maximized his potential.”
Matt Miller, 810 AM

“I give the Chiefs an ‘A’ (for their draft). There’s something unusual about what they’ve done – but I’m an easy grader. Overall, I like the tight end that they drafted. He looks athletic.”
Gary Lezak, 810 AM
GH: You know Jake Gutierrez already has grabbed that “tight end” sound bite for a Lezak drop.

“Hey, Dad! The Chiefs were in the first Super Bowl????”
My Youngest Son, as he watched as episode of Pawn Stars where they had an artifact from the Chiefs/Packers game
GH: Yes, son. The Chiefs were once a great and dominant franchise here in the nation’s heartland. Could they be again? Sure. But the questions are will they be great and when? See you in St. Joseph, MO for camp in late July.

GregHall24@yahoo.com and Twitter / greghall24

“I have been watching games here in this park for 14 years. I've NEVER seen anyone hit a home run to dead center into 3rd row!"
Ryan Lefebvre, on Alex Gordon’s 10-inning grand slam to dead-red center field in cavernous Tigers Stadium Thursday afternoon, Royals Radio
GH: Steve Stewart had the play-by-play call on Royals Radio Thursday afternoon as the Royals battled to tie the Tigers in the eighth and then win it going away with Gordon’s slam. I was mowing the yard when Stewart stumbled through his call. He had no idea the ball was going out, thinking Detroit’s Austin Jackson had it measured. He did not. As the ball disappeared deep over the wall, Stewart realized what was happening and I let out a primal fan-scream reserved for moments in sports such as this. The Royals were on their way to finally winning in Detroit and remaining the ALC leader.

“Alex Gordon with a grand slam, it was a bit wind-aided but we’ll take it.”
Kevin Kietzman, in a post-game report on 810 AM
GH: I am still mowing when KK drops this snide slap at the Royals’ best player. This verbal slight to Gordon’s granny that covered over 430 feet is what started the long night of Twitter fun and frolicking at Kietzman’s and Geno Smith’s expense that followed. I immediately tweeted KK’s comment and the reaction was swift and deliciously predictable. Read on.

“The Royals should have drafted a quarterback with that Gordon pick.”
@kiribatiwriter, responding to KK’s wind-aided tweet, Twitter
GH: @kiribatiwriter (real name Jeff) is one of my favorite Twitter follows. He is pure wit and humor but never mean. I met him almost 20 years ago before I wrote for The Star. He was reading my OTC column that I was faxing out to media outlets when he was producing the morning news at KCTV 5. Jeff had this crazy idea to invite this complete unknown onto their morning show to talk local sports in a bit more relaxed mode. Valissa Smith was one of the anchors and Katie Horner was breaking in as the morning weather person. Jeff and the Johnson County Sun were two of the most influential elements in launching my Off The Couch column beyond the fax machine. Blame them.

“Gordon must have a buddy on Prairie Village police force.”
@Greghall24, responding to a follower who asked why KK hold Gordon in such disdain, Twitter
GH: This was the first reference to that fateful night in 2001 when KK allegedly found himself and a female employee in a…well, shall we say compromising position? This incident is now 12 years old but it still sets the KK Richter scale jumping like a Wisconsin fan at the start of the fourth quarter.

“Well Gordo shouldn't have even been at bat. The real leadoff hitter, who KK has no idea who that'd be, should of.”
@timthegm, Twitter
GH: KK got blistered on Twitter for his Gordo swipe. #windaided took on a life of its own.

“Kietzman’s whole career has been wind aided.
@JhawkRich, Twitter
GH: One of my all-time favorites right there.

“Did he knock him for only driving in 4 runs with that grand slam instead of 5?”
@pickupyourmatt, Twitter
GH: Okay, so now you understand the atmosphere that was present as I sat down on my couch to take in the NFL draft. I grabbed a Diet Pepsi, my iPad and awaited the Chiefs first pick. After Eric Fisher fulfilled almost every experts’ prediction, then it became a game of when would Geno Smith go. KK had said the Raiders would be working hard to move up to maybe take Geno as high as third. Didn’t happen.

“3 OT's taken top of NFL Draft!!! Somebody get the paddles out to revive @kkwhb!!! #Geno?”
@Greghall24, Twitter
GH: KK’s worst nightmare ensued. Instead of four or five quarterbacks going in the first round, “like they always do,” according to KK. Three OTs went in the first four picks. On his Friday show, KK likened the first round of the draft to watching All-Star wrestling because of all the large boring linemen being chosen.

“Is Twitter not the greatest invention since the wheel? #nfldraft My wife wants to know what the hell I'm laughing about...
@Greghall24, Twitter
GH: Fueled by the Gordon slam from a bit earlier, I began a Twitter onslaught directed at KK’s months-long tirade that the Chiefs were idiots if they didn’t take Geno with the first overall pick. I had no idea how long Geno would go undrafted. So I reacted after every pick with un-adulterated Prairie Village glee.

“Kietzman!!! What up with Ge-no-go?”
@Greghall24, after yet another NFL GM passed on the great Geno, Twitter

“According to @kkwhb, a HOF QB is still available somewhere in the draft. Hiding in a Lego fort?”
@Greghall24, Twitter
GH: KK told us often that Clark Hunt should fire his front office if they were unable to identify and draft the Hall of Fame quarterback that he was absolutely positive was in this draft. After all, KK takes great pride in reminding us he believes it was him who played a major role in getting Scott Pioli canned.

“If ESPN makes a 30/30 outta this draft in 30 years, I'll start dating @kkwhb. Of course I'll be 88.”
@Greghall24, Twitter
GH: I will agree with KK on this point about that draft Thursday night – it was a SNOOZE! Except for Twitter. Man, Twitter made it a freaking blast!

“The Rams passed on Geno too? At least he got in a highlight of Tavon's! @kkwhb”
@Greghall24, as Geno's West Virginia teammate went to STL, Twitter
GH: Things were starting to get serious now. It looked like Geno might not get picked in the top 10 – completely unheard of if you are named Geno or KK.

“If the Sanchez-strapped #Jets don't take Geno, he might want to head out through the kitchen exit.”
@Greghall24, as the Jets were up for the ninth overall pick, Twitter
GH: This is where I thought my night of pimping would end. When the Jets passed on Geno – I hit the keyboard accelerator.

“All NFL GM's agree w\Pioli: They too wish @kkwhb was the Broncos' GM.”
@Greghall24, Twitter
GH: KK LOVES to remind us how Pioli chuckled at him when he suggested the Chiefs throw multiple #1 draft picks at the Colts to get a shot at drafting Andrew Luck. Pioli responded by telling KK he wished he were the Broncos’ GM. In short, Pioli made fun of KK. On live radio. On his own show. I honestly believe KK would prefer to have his head shaved and tazed daily to having ANYONE embarrass him on his radio show. I have some personal experience with this fact. Steven St. John can fill you in on the details if you catch him in the right mood sometime.

“Looks like Geno's tumble down the draft board is #wind-aided."
@kiribatiwriter, Twitter
GH: Jeff was back with another killer tweet. I have a feeling #windaided is going to follow KK around Twitter all throughout Alex Gordon’s (hopefully) HOF career.

“Has (KK) blocked you yet? Kudos to him if he hasn’t…or more likely he doesn’t know how to.”
@MattSchram, Twitter
GH: I really don’t have a personal grudge against KK. I can understand why some believe that to be so – but the truth is he is just great copy. I mean he is a walking talking OTC just waiting to be plucked from 2 PM to 6 PM five days a week. Sure, he was part of the management team that chose to fire me from 1510 back in 1999 but that was the best thing that ever happened to me professionally. I’ve done pretty well since then and it’s not because I have some burning woody for KK’s demise.

“No, @kkwhb is cool. Wrong a lot but…”
@Greghall24, responding to the above tweet asking if KK blocked me, Twitter
GH: I hammer everybody in the media. Some more than others, but I don’t play many favorites. It is simply how I see things. The media is often left to say, write, broadcast whatever they want without much criticism. I attempt to fill that void. I also applaud talent – as I have often when it comes to discussing KK’s work. Does KK wish I would shrivel up and die? Probably. But for the vast majority of our relationship – which goes back to when he was a cub at WDAF and I was a faxer, he "gets" what I do and just ignores it – at least publicly.

“So I'm guessing you won't be appearing on ‘BTL’ anytime soon?”
@BiggieSwoles, Twitter
GH: There was a time that broadcasters were forbidden to mention my name on 810. I would accept an invitation to be on a media panel, only to have the organizer call me back and tell me they had to rescind the invite because WHB was refusing to allow any of their people to attend if I was on the panel. A weekly radio show I did with Woody Cozad, Radio For Grown-ups, (a fabulous local show in the early 2000s) had to dump me when they moved their show to 1510, a WHB-owned station. Woody told me he’d walk away from the show if I wanted to take a stand. I told Woody to quit the crazy talk and do the show without me. David Lewis was the star of that show anyway. But over the years, I’ve gotten older and WHB has become less acrimonious about my presence. I was invited into 1510 last week by Chris Kamler to do an interview about my Boston Marathon experience. While there, I had a pleasant conversation with both KK and Leabo. My favorite line from that talk came from Leabo. “Craig Brenner just said, ‘I didn’t know Greg Hall was that old!’ ”

“Geno falling faster than @kkwhb's pants in a Mission Hills drive by!”
@Greghall24, after Geno’s free fall hit double-digit rounds, Twitter
GH: This one got Twitter rolling faster than Jarrod Dyson with a walking lead.

“That urban legend is false, Greg. Don’t you start going KK on us…”
@Alan_Covington, Twitter
GH: All I will say is this. I interviewed two high-placed members of the PV police department about this matter and I interview KK himself. The only thing “legend” about this incident as far as my findings are concerned is its staying power. I hope KK’s stamina in the car seat is just as robust.

“Could this day get worse for Kietzman? Geno out of the top 10, Alex Gordon with 10th-inning grand slam.”
@bhallier, Twitter
GH: KK has somehow evolved from the guy-on-the-street’s champion of the Royals Walkout in 1999 into this crazy hater of all things positive when it comes to Kansas City sports – unless he predicted it. That is a man in a world without neighbors.

“GENO gets beat out by the weak-ass SEC MU Tigers??? How can this be, @kkwhb?”
@Greghall24, after MU’s Sheldon Richardson went 12^th to the Jets, Twitter
GH: KK hates a lot of things; Gordon, Nebraska, and the Big-12 bolting SEC MU Tigers. For Richardson to go before his much-loved Geno had to cut his deep enough to draw blood – if he has any.

“I don't understand blocking people when you fire shots. Gotta be able to take them too.”
@Ernie_Webb_3, who mentioned KK had previously blocked him, Twitter
GH: I don’t even know when somebody blocks me. I don’t understand blocking someone who types words your way. Jason Whitlock is far better at blocking on Twitter than he ever was in the O-line at Ball State. I am usually reading my Twitter timeline at such a rapid scroll rate that I don’t even have time to digest the indigestible. And some of those rancid tweets make for great fun!

“Don’t care about @kkwhb but @greghall24 is annoying on twitter. Like his blog.”
@LiezertKC, Twitter'
GH: If you’re writing an opinion column and you’re not annoying at least a portion of your audience, you’re not being real or read. I aspire to be both.

“The FREAKIN' BILLS passed on the future HOF QB, Geno. @kkwhb, please tell me it ain't so! Is Pioli calling all these shots?”
@Greghall24, Twitter

“Stan Weber may go before Geno.”
@jcyoweel, Twitter

“Damn it Greg. The wife is trying to put the kid to bed. Quit making me LOL.”
@Borjas29, Twitter

“Royals' new downtown ball park looks like it has a better shot of being built tonight than Geno getting out of that chair. @kkwhb.”
@Greghall24, Twitter

“WAIT! @kkwhb told us EVERY NFL GM was in complete agreement that Geno was the #1 QB in draft. "CLEARLY!" #EJ”
@Greghall24, Twitter
GH: CLEARLY!

“Will you please blog the reason that @kkwhb fired you back in the day?”
bs_554, Twitter
GH: I really don’t think KK wanted to fire me. I think the Chiefs put so much pressure on KK and Chad that they had no choice but to dump me to keep their young radio station from being shunned by the biggest and most important sports franchise in Kansas City. It rubbed KK wrong that he was buckling to the Chiefs’ demands but he and Union Broadcasting were in no position to battle a behemoth like Carl Peterson’s media-crushing machine. KK might not ever admit this, but I think he thought I could be more than decent if given some time on the radio. He didn’t really like what I did, but he understood I was different. Hell, I still am.

“Jarvis Jones! Dude is a crap quarterback!!! Right, @kkwhb?”
@Greghall24, after the Steelers picked Georgia’s crazy-good rush end, Twitter

“When were you on 810?”
@John_Kilroy, Twitter

“Never (was on 810). 1510 for 6 weeks in '99. Was on a #ridiculousprofessionalroll”
@Greghall24, Twitter
GH: I LOVE the #ridiculousprofessionalroll hashtag. I may never stop using that to describe yet another KK-ism. By the way, I was suspended for two of those six weeks.

“Youngest son went to bed PISSED! I told him at 7 PM we could watch DVRed Survivor once Geno got drafted. @kkwhb told me he'd go!!!”
@Greghall24, Twitter
GH: Honest to goodness truth! He is still PISSED tonight!

“What are the odds @kkwhb takes a personal day tomorrow? #Genocide 22 picks in, Ge-no-go…”
@Greghall24, Twitter
GH: The Genocide hashy was one of my favorites of the night.

“The VIKES passed on Geno! They have MATT "FETAL-POITION" CASSEL for gosh sakes! @kkwhb, what are these idiot GMs thinking???”
@Greghall24, Twitter
GH: Now it became obvious that Geno was in real trouble. The camera shots of him made him look like he had a squid trapped in his shorts.

“VIKES pass on Geno TWICE??? GMs all just as dumb as Dorsey & Reid. @kkwhb needs his own NFL franchise - all QBs, grills, cookies & MadJack.”
@Greghall24, Twitter

“If twitter exists in 10 years and Geno puts together a good career, @kkwhb will eat you alive.”
@TimFritson, Twitter
GH: One of my biggest weaknesses and strengths is that I live in the moment. Few things are guaranteed to any of us -- especially time. I have chosen to live my life with character but also a passion for pushing the envelope. 10 years from now? Who the Big Papi cares?

“G Hall blog is great, but feel like I'm hearing same fart joke over and over again tonight.”
@Alan_Covington, Twitter
GH: I prefer the word flatulence. After all, I am a writer.

“Christ dude, how drunk are you tonight? You drunk tweet more than @bobfescoe”
@lifeofmamafitz, Twitter
GH: I have never been a drinker. I just never liked the taste of alcohol or what it did to my college friends. But I am a bit of a livewire when it comes to enjoying life. I just never needed the liquid ammo to juice up.

“WHAT??? Vikes go 0-3 in chances to draft @kkwhb's HOFlamer QB? These guys worse in clutch than Alex Gordon! #windaided”
@Greghall24, Twitter
GH: When the Vikings passed on Geno for A THIRD TIME, it was all over but the sulking for KK’s future HOF quarterback. I didn’t feel one twit sorry for the dude either.

“Time for bed. No hard feelings, @kkwhb. No hard feelings, Geno...or job offers.”
@Greghall24, Twitter #onaridiculousprofessionalroll

“Not that @kkwhb needed any help but the fact that his head might explode on the air just made his show can’t miss radio thanks to @greghall24.”
@tonloc25, Twitter
GH: Could KK and I fill an hour or two on BTL discussing the draft and my Tweets from the night before? Oh, yeah. But I want Kevin Harlan money to give KK that big of an audience.

“So tomorrow will (KK) admit he was wrong or call all the teams stupid that didn't draft a qb?”
@2LongDidntRead, Twitter
GH: KK opened his Friday show talking NASCAR. His three-o’clock hour was all Racin’ Boys and then I just gave up on him – which is probably what he was hoping to achieve.

“I’m still of the belief that somebody missed the boat!”
Kevin Kietzman, on Geno Smith being left undrafted in the first round, 810 AM
GH: #onaridiculousprofessionalroll

GregHall24@yahoo.com and Twitter / greghall24

“I kind of bull my neck when people say this (Chiefs’) roster is ready to go. This team needs a LOT!”
Mitch Holthus, 810 AM
GH: Has there been too much optimism flowing through Chiefs Nation since Andy Reid and John Dorsey took over that One Arrowhead Drive? Sure, but that’s what fans do after a 2-14 season – they dream of better things to come. But if even crazy Uncle Mitch is tossing water onto the fires burning in and around Arrowhead’s parking lot – we all might want to step back and breathe some reality.

“I have a lot of respect for Branden Albert. Most guys with his back injuries and his back’s history would have shut it down before Thanksgiving.”
Mitch Holthus, 810 AM
GH: Ouch! Let’s hope the Miami Dolphins don’t listen to The Border patrol or read my OTC. (Renshaw – ignore this post!) Holthus, unintentionally, is painting Albert as a bad-back waiting to herniate all over whatever organization is dumb enough to take him off the Chiefs’ hands. Despite all the buzz, I still think Albert is going to be tough to dump.

“This will be an upgrade – a significant upgrade at left tackle for the Chiefs.”
Mitch Holthus, on speculation that the Chiefs will draft either Texas A&M’s Luke Joeckel or Central Michigan’s Eric Fisher, 810 AM
GH: If a bad back slap isn’t enough to lay on his well-respected buddy, Holthus tosses out that two college tackles will come into the NFL and be a “significant upgrade” to the guy who the Chiefs are currently locked into paying $10 million this season. I think Mitch’s phone just buzzed and it is John Dorsey on the line…and he’s not calling for a lunch date.

“I think everybody expects the Chiefs to take a tackle. Jay Glazer, Mike Mayock, Ian Rappaport – all predicting the Chiefs will take Eric Fisher (out of Central Michigan over Luke Joeckel) .”
Steven St. John, 810 AM

“This guy (Eric Fisher) could have been All-Big Ten easily.”
Mitch Holthus, 810 AM
GH: All-Big 10? I sure as hell hope he could have made ABT! He’s about to be the first player picked in the NFL draft, Mitch! Let’s shoot a tad higher than Dontari Poe’s second-team All-Conference USA.

“He’s a special talent with his size and athleticism. You’ve got a kid who is six-foot-eight – and he’s lean. He’s going to add another 30 or 40 pounds. He’s going to play in the NFL at 330. He’s got great flexibility and great hips. Most of all when you watch him play, he has great hands. When he gets ahold of somebody he locks them down. He’s a student of the game. He’s a bright kid. One thing about Eric, he’s got a ton of upside.”
Brock Gutierrez, the radio analyst for Central Michigan football, on Eric Fisher, 610 AM
GH: Is there a less sexy pick than an offensive lineman for a franchise with the number-one overall pick? Other than the kicking game, probably not. But most Chiefs’ fans are resigned to thinking they are getting Eric or Luke. But funny things happen on draft day. I will definitely be tuning in to watch the drama unfold.

“It’s 610 Radio’s Draft-Kicking Coverage!”
Promo for 610 AM
GH: 610 Sports has been pushing their NFL draft coverage for a month. They have Bob Fescoe in New York to cover the draft live. 810 has been late to the party in promoting their draft coverage but KK is now dropping promos that invite listeners to tune in to hear Clark Hunt’s draft takes “right before he goes into the Chiefs War Room!” I’m getting jacked! The NFL draft is Christmas for many NFL fans – or maybe Hanukah is a better comparison since the draft lasts for days.

“One of the highlights of the season for me – until we win a playoff game – is hosting this (Chiefs’ draft party at Arrowhead) with Steven St. John.”
Mitch Holthus, the voice of the Kansas City Chiefs for nearly 20 seasons, 810 AM
GH: If this doesn’t give you a graphic description of just how awful it has been to be a Chiefs’ fan for the past 20 years – reread Mitch’s comment above.

“Every day of the week and twice on Sunday.”
Daniel Jeremiah, of the NFL Network, when asked if the Chiefs made the right decision in trading for Alex Smith instead of drafting Geno Smith, 810 AM
GH: Interesting how all the talk about the quarterbacks moving up in the draft speculation as draft day neared has not proven to be true. If anything, this crop of QBs has dropped in value. Kevin Kietzman predicted four or five QBs would be gone in the first round. We will find out tonight if Kevin remains in his, “ridiculous professional roll.”

“I believe, much more strongly than you do Danny, that it cannot and will not be broken.”
Kevin Kietzman, on the granting of rights signed by universities to curb college conference realignment, 810 AM
GH: Not everyone is as sure as KK and The Star’s Blair Kerkhoff, who recently echoed Kietzman’s sentiments. Read on.

“Several old friends in the business of college athletics I talked to Monday said they wouldn’t bet their own money on (the granting of rights clause halting college realignment). These people — from conference offices and major-college athletic departments — all agreed that any number of lawyers would be delighted to challenge those deals in court. The ACC, Big Ten, Big 12 and Pac-12 have such deals. As one buddy with a wicked sense of humor said, Do you really think Texas would sign up for something it couldn’t get out of?’ ”
Lee Barfknecht, columnist, Omaha World Herald
GH: Those darn Longhorns, again. They just seem to muck up even a sure thing.

“As a sidenote, two sources have told The World-Herald that the Big Ten has done prior ‘homework’ on Oklahoma, Kansas and Vanderbilt among other schools who might some day be expansion targets. The Big 12 grant-of-rights deal didn’t stop a look-see for OU and KU. Besides a legal challenge, the potential future TV money available could still make it profitable for a school to move.”
Lee Barfknecht, columnist, Omaha World Herald
GH: Kansas in the Big Ten? Mizzou in the SEC. K-State in the Big ??. Times are still changing and remember this truth – money changes everybody.

 “Winter’s going to be here soon and you don’t want to get caught wearing mesh shoes out in the snow.”
Bob Davis, in a recorded radio ad for the New Balance store in Overland Park, 610 AM
GH: This kind of lazy work by a radio station and its sales staff is embarrassing. This is not Bob Davis’ fault and it surely isn’t the client’s fault. It is the job of a radio or TV station to be aware that seasonal ads have a short shelf life. How can anyone at Entercom hear that ad and not cringe with embarrassment as they commute to work on a gorgeous spring day?

GregHall24@yahoo.com and Twitter / greghall24

“Branden Albert looks in the mirror and sees Willie Roaf.”
@MerleTagladucci, on the Chiefs All-Pro left tackle wanting out of KC instead of playing as the team’s franchise player in 2013, Twitter
GH: Has Albert burnt all bridges back to being the Chiefs’ left tackle? Are Chiefs fans so fed up with his tweet-antrums that they too are ready to move on?

“I am sick of hearing about Branden Albert.”
Steven St. John, 810 AM
GH: I have a feeling Andy Reid and John Dorsey feel very much the same. I am guessing that Albert has about as much chance of playing with the Chiefs this year as Geno Smith.

“I’m not the biggest Branden Albert fan. I think he’s a middle-of-the-pack left tackle at best. He’s making $9-million this year. He’s getting way overpaid this year!”
Nate Bukaty, on speculation as to whether the Chiefs should keep or trade their All-Pro left tackle, 810 AM
GH: How great would it be if Jake Gutiérrez booked Albert as a guest for Thursday morning on The Border Patrol for SSJ and Bukaty to interview? Just do it.

“I think at the end of the day the Dolphins will realize they can’t get a better option. And Branden Albert is going to realize there’s not a whole lot more money out there. It probably gets done for the other second-round pick – number 54 overall.
Jason Cole, of YahooSports.com, 810 AM
GH: Cole sounds like he has this nailed down pretty good. But I have yet to hear any expert say he thinks Albert will remain with the Chiefs.

“No team in the NFL are going to be willing to pay Branden Albert what the Chiefs are. I don’t think Branden Albert is a bad player, but he needs to understand what his bargaining chips are – he doesn’t have any right now!”
TJ Carpenter, evening host, 810 AM
GH: I listened to Carpenter lay out the options for the Chiefs and for Albert. His presentation was clear, accurate and logical. I hope Albert was listening.

“I can see why Miami’s balking at that (trade for Branden Albert). He wants to be paid like one of the top five left tackles in the league! We’re probably talking about a top-15 tackle and more of a double-digit ranking rather than a single-digit ranking.”
Kevin Harlan, 810 AM
GH: If you listen closely to Harlan when he is talking NFL or NBA, he will often drop some very inside knowledge on you by hinting strongly at what he likely knows to be true – but stays just outside of claiming those truths. Just ignore his Royals’ takes and he can be very good on the radio.

“My gut tells me that Miami signs him.”
Kevin Harlan, 810 AM

“The floor? This was just a 2-14 team! I would say the floor is two games.”
Adam Teicher, when asked by Soren Petro what he considers to be the “floor” for the Chiefs’ first nine games, 810 AM
GH: Teicher said a more realistic guess for the Chiefs would be 4-5 or 5-4 – but he cautioned the Chiefs’ optimists to be wary. “There are a lot of new parts to this team,” said Teicher. “(Most importantly) the quarterback.”

“Binkley, did you oink?”
Carrington Harrison, after they played an audio clip of Binkley appearing to snort (similar to Arnold Ziffel – does anyone remember Arnold?) in mid-question to Bret Saberhagen, 610 AM
GH: I cannot remember why I got up from my desk and headed down the hall, but I remember Arnold Ziffel? This was a good moment for the 610 boys’ club. It showed some chemistry is building over there between Binkley, Harrison, Parkins and Pearson. Henry Lake still seems lost, but what can you expect from a guy who’s in his first month? The guys even gave Pearson a much-deserved razzing after this comment…

“I’ve been fortunate in that normally, I don’t have to pay.”
Jayice Pearson, as the mid-day hosts and afternoon drive hosts on 610 discussed the burning question of what is the highest price they’ve had to pay for concert tickets, 610 AM

“Don’t hate. Congratulate.”
Jayice Pearson, after his coworkers shouted down his boast of rarely paying for tickets with jeers, 610 AM

“He don’t pay for no tickets either!”
Jayice Pearson, pointing to Derrick Johnson as Carrington and Parkins told Derrick Johnson that Pearson began the day’s show with his comment about not having to pay for concert tickets, 610 AM
GH: Pearson appeared to be oblivious as to why his comment elicited hoots and jeers from his fellow hosts. This is still a problem for Jayice. He needs to learn to show swag without displaying a disconnect from his listeners’ plight. It is fine for Jayice to be superior, but he has never learned the attractive art of self-effacing humor. Jason Whitlock was a master at being arrogantly ordinary. Jayice could use some time in the back room listening to Pork Chop’s old shows.

“If we can get into the playoffs and make a run – this is the NFL. Anything can happen.”
Derrick Jonson, Chiefs’ linebacker, 610 AM
GH: Has DJ been talking to King Carl?

“I can’t remember the last time I saw a pitcher that dominant in both games of a doubleheader – to come in and strike out five of the six batters (he faced). He’s the type of guy I wouldn’t want to face.”
George Brett, on the Royals’ closer, Greg Holland, after he was brilliant in Boston on Sunday, 610 AM
GH: I have been excited about Holland’s talent for the past three seasons. His rocky start this year made me question whether or not he had the proper mentality to be a closer. Could he make a mistake and forget about it? Could he feed off the pressure or falter because of it? We are now just three weeks into this season and he looks to be special. I mean SPECIAL!

“If (Holland) can go out there and have a 95% save ratio, I think we’ll be looking pretty good.”
George Brett, 610 AM

“James Shields is 1-3. Eric Hosmer is hitting clean-up with four RBIs. Billy Butler is in a slump and not hitting his weight. And they’re 10-7 and first place in the division. There’s a ton of room to hit their ceiling yet.”
Josh Klingler, 610 AM
GH: Klingler painted this as a positive. That is more than a stretch. The Royals are wining now simply because their starting pitching has been fantastic. If they continue to pitch as they are, the hitting can remain poor and they’ll still compete. But this is baseball and Earl Weaver is dead.

“It’s an exciting time for you guys for sure. Is it realistic to believe that this is the year? Or is this ‘a year’ in the process? I don’t know the answer to that right now.”
Matt Yallof, of MLB Network, talking with Jay Binkley and Henry Lake, 610 AM
GH: I thought Yallof’s comments were a reminder to us to feather back on the accelerator just a bit on our Royals’ rock and roll album.

“The Royals could have gone out in the off-season and picked up another first baseman and another third baseman and sent those two guys to Omaha and been a better team.”
Kevin Kietzman, 810 AM
GH: Kietzman also reminded me of Whitlock with this comment. Jason always overreacted to what he saw or was watching right then at that time. He wrote with a lot of emotion and he made decisions and formed opinions on emotion. KK is not nearly as emotional as Whitlock but he is just as reactionary to stimuli. They both resemble Pavlov’s dog and bell in this regard.

“Don’t fall out of your chair or laugh, but they could put Alex Gordon back at third base.”
Kevin Kietzman, on how the Royals can improve their run production, 810 AM
GH: I didn’t laugh or fall out of my chair. I typed furiously to get KK’s asinine quote into my OTC.

“Oh, sure they could.”
Frank Boal, positively responding to KK’s nutty comment about Gordon – a two-time Gold-Glove fielder moving back to third, 810 AM
GH: Clink, Boal and Jack Harry must feel like Kim Jong-il’s foot soldiers did when they are around Kietzman.

“As I’m looking at this, he’s part of the scoring problem! He’s not doing his job!”
Kevin Kietzman, on Alex Gordon as the Royals’ leadoff hitter, 810 AM
GH: Gordon is hitting .342 and has scored or knocked in a total of 23 runs in 73 at bats. I hope Gordo keeps loafing like that all season.

“Whooaa! A little tension in the room!”
Frank Boal, after Kietzman got a bit testy when he dressed down Danny Clinkscale on the air, 810 AM
GH: This was not an attractive exchange between KK and Clink – and it really wasn’t an exchange – it was KK talking bitterly to Clink and Clink listening wordlessly. Kietzman has an unquenchable need for being stroked and an aversion to anyone who doesn’t understand that fact. Clink just had a momentary loss of who he is at WHB.

“I’m a KU fans so yes, (Marcus Smart) coming back (to OSU) sucks for me as a fan.”
Caller Tony to the Nightshift, on 610 AM
GH: I am guessing most KU fans do not agree with Tony…maybe the more accurate verb is hoping. How great would it have been to see Kevin Durant play another year in the Big 12? I thought Durant’s games against KU were some of the best in Self’s tenure. I hope Smart’s battles with the Hawks are just as memorable.

Nate: “What’s worse a ball-buster or a tough son-of-a-bitch?”
SSJ: “Ball-buster. More painful anyway.”

“What part of Michigan is that in? The central part?”
Bob Fescoe, while discussing Central Michigan’s OT Eric Fisher, 610 AM

GregHall24@yahoo.com and Twitter / greghall24

“This is our fucking cee-tee! Nobody’s going to take our freedom!”
David Ortiz, Red Sox first baseman and DH, as he addressed an emotional Fenway Park crowd in the Red Sox first game after the attack at the Boston Marathon finish line, Fox
GH: I had tears in my eyes and I beat my chest like King Kong after hearing Big Papi – born in the Dominican Republic – declare war on the cowards who think to threaten our way of life. It is a sentence that will be as famous in New England history as anything Thomas Jefferson ever said – and for all the right reasons.

“We heard Big Papi drop the f-bomb on everybody. What a nimrod that guy is! … If they thought that was cool then they’re wrong. That isn’t that cool. It’s just not that cool! That is not the time and place.”
Kevin Kietzman, 810 AM
GH: Danny Clinkscale quickly agreed with KK’s nimrod stance on Big Papi. I not only disagree with Kietzman and Clinkscale – I fucking disagree with them. This was the PERFECT time and place for a live f-bomb to be dropped on American television. You can flip on hundreds of radio and TV channels that will drop f-bombs 24/7. It. Is. A. WORD! Big whoop! It might be the greatest word ever invented in the human language. Does it belong in a business meeting? Depends on the business. Does it belong on Fox on Saturday afternoon? It sure did on this Saturday afternoon. #BostonStrong

“David Ortiz spoke from the heart at (Saturday’s) Red Sox game. I stand with Big Papi and the people of Boston.”
Julius Genachowski, FCC Chairman, Twitter
GH: Fucking A!

“I was surprised. I was stunned when I saw it. It caught me off-guard. … I’m certainly not offended by it – but I understand people not wanting their kids to see something like that in the middle of the day.”
Nate Bukaty, on Big Papi’s f-bomb, 810 AM
GH: I understand that some people don’t want their kids to hear four-letter words but I sure don’t understand their fears. It’s not the hearing that could cause an issue – it’s the using. Raise your kids to know the difference and you might have a chance at producing a productive member of society – instead of nimrods who’d shit their drawers if their Tiki hut collapsed.

“I thought it was unfortunate. I know people think I sound like an old fuddy-duddy. It does put a lot of people off. I’m sorry. It rubs people wrong.”
Kevin Kietzman, on Big Papi’s f-bomb, ESPN
GH: A lot of things rub some people the wrong way. If we are trying to stroke everyone’s sweet spot, we will all end up as miserable as KK – who is on a serious professional roll.

“There are some people who are offended by Steve Physioc’s play-by-play. There are some people who think he should apologize for other things.”
Steven St. John, on the Royals’ TV play-by-play voice apologizing to the Fox audience for Ortiz’s curse word to be broadcast, 810 AM
GH: Physioc’s Royals’ work is like listening to a man calling a baseball game dressed in a tuxedo. It feels stiff, false and way, way, way too flowery. I can almost smell the fake flower perfume coming out of my flat screen. Note to SSJ: The just of the phrase “some people think” is a gutless phrase when leveling criticism. I am sure I have been guilty of using it myself once, but I sure as hell hope I never am again. The media needs to show some stones and say what they think or name the “some people.”

“Rex Hudler said, ‘You’re not going to sneak a piece of stinky cheese by the big rat!’ I don’t mind Rex (Hudler) being the goofy guy. He’s just a goofy guy! My mom loves him! … I don’t think my mom knows what ‘stinky cheese’ is.”
Kevin Kietzman, 810 AM
GH: KK said he didn’t mind Rex being goofy but he then went on and on about how ridiculous the phrase “stinking cheese” is for a MLB broadcast. I think Hudler is a joke. A HUGE joke. I have made that clear since his first week. But KK needs to man up and either not mind his goofiness or blast him like I do. Throwing eggs at someone while smiling still leaves a mess.

“The less I say about the audio portion of the Royals’ broadcast this weekend – the better I’m served. … Let’s put it this way, I’ve used the mute button on my remote often.”
Danny Clinkscale, 810 AM
GH: Did Danny Clinkscale get into sports talk radio to serve himself or to serve his audience? How does the 810 listeners benefit from Clink playing the politically correct card just because he moves in the same circles as Hudler? Here is what I know – Hudler is a big boy. He has been around a few blocks and in and out of the cheese factory a time or two. Blast away, Clink! If Hud can’t take the verbal stinky cheese – tough Limburger!

“I texted my buddy – and I’m not kidding you – I texted him and said, ‘Billy will save the day.’ And there it goes, right over the Green Monster.”
Kevin Kietzman, on predicting Butler’s big blast in Boston this weekend, 810 AM
GH: There is KK, letting us know he is still on a ridiculous professional roll!

“I would say that watching (Hosmer and Moustakas) hit is as ugly as the stats.”
Nate Bukaty, 810 AM
GH: Moose’s at bats are so ugly that Danny Trejo’s Machete looks good to me.

“You don’t get good chemistry from winning. You get good chemistry before you win.”
Joel Goldberg, on the Royals’ team chemistry, 810 AM
GH: Goldberg sounds like he flunked balancing equations junior year. Chemistry doesn’t exist in spring training. There is no chemistry when there are no games. Chemistry is the byproduct of a team succeeding. Chemistry is one of the most misused terms in sports by the media. Chemistry is nothing more than a loud burp after a good meal. It doesn’t happen without the meal.

“Just go out and not have any long losing streaks.”
Joel Goldberg, on what he wants from the Royals, 810 AM
GH: We will not be inviting Joel into the office this year to assist our sales team with their goal-setting forecasts. Geez, can we get at least the semblance of some swag around this team’s leeches? Is there one real person who covers this team from the inside who has Big Papi’s nads? One?

“Now, are the Royals making up the game with Boston that was canceled on Friday?”
Kevin Harlan, in a Monday morning interview with Steven St. John and Nate Bukaty, 810 AM
GH: Somehow Harlan missed the news of one of the Royals’ biggest doubleheader sweeps in the past 20 years. SSJ quickly changed the topic to the upcoming Chiefs’ draft. Save credited to St. John.

“There’s never been an accurate weight on my driver’s license in my entire life.”
Ellen Schenk, long-time KMBZ morning newscaster, responding to a report that the reason southern states are always depicted as being the fattest is that southerners don’t lie as much as other areas of the country, 980 AM
GH: I just checked mine – 180 pounds. I’m cheating mine by five pounds…depending on whether or not I had Oklahoma Joes for lunch – then it’s 10.

GregHall24@yahoo.com and Twitter / greghall24

This Boston Marathon will be remembered for the evil it suffered. And for the strength and resolve that evil begat. It will also be remembered as the Boston Marathon that united a bunch of strangers who all call Kansas City home.

So what happened to that happy band of brothers and sisters in the Boston Bound photo? Read on for Boston Bound – The Sequel!

Remember Matt Kruger? The cute little former high school cross country runner from Omaha who was running Boston with seven of his Wash U. teammates? 24-year-old Matt had flamed out in his first marathon but then rebounded to BQ with a stunning 2:39. He emailed me before our pasta dinner and told me how excited he was about his training and how he was expecting good things at Boston. His goal for Boston was a ridiculous 2:32.

Two things about that struck me as…well, dumb. Nobody goes to Boston as a rookie and knocks seven minutes off a 2:39 PR. The course is just an ass-kicker. Yeah, I know it’s downhill for over three-fourths of the race. That is the problem! The downhill miles destroy your quads and hamstrings. You end up smiling at the Wellesley girls at Mile 13 but grimacing like a tortured zombie past Boston College and into downtown Boston the final four miles.  

So I smiled when I read Matt’s note and wished I too was still young and dumb…and fast. I just didn’t know how fast. Matt laid down a time of 2:30.19 in his first roll from HopTown to Beantown. Read that time again. I’ll wait.

He finished 87^th overall. That is overall as in everybody who ran the race – all 27,000 runners. All the Kenyans. All the Ethiopians. All the Olympians. All the everybodies. EIGHTY-SEVENTH! When I announced Matt’s bib number as #360, the room at the Boston Bound party gasped and cheered. He beat his seed by almost 300 places! And his seed was 360!

You don’t know this so I will tell you – Matt is an even better guy than he is a runner – and he little dude can run a bit. I got a text the other day from one of my best friends in the entire galaxy, Jim Harris, an Omaha attorney. I hope you have a friend like Jim. He is the guy who is there when you need him – with whatever and how much ever you need – no questions asked. It has nothing to do with him being a lawyer. It has everything to do with him being a friend. So what does this have to do with Kruger?

Jim’s text read: “I’m at lunch with Matt Kruger’s mom, Monica. She’s in my office. Said you threw a great dinner party.”

How’s ‘dem apples, Boston? I had never heard of Matt Kruger before Boston Bound KC. Now I will never forget him. That – THAT is what we need to take away from the 117^th running of the Boston Marathon. Matt’s story and so many more.

Peter Clume is the 41-year-old Lockton stud who squeaked into Boston by the slimmest of margins, nailing his needed 3:15 BQ on the schnozzle. As many of us were flying out of Boston’s Logan Airport on Friday, Peter introduced me to his family – all who had traveled to watch him run his first Boston marathon. Peter and his pretty wife have three gorgeous little blonde girls. His oldest daughter is 11 and she just won her first one-mile race at school in 7:50. She beamed as she told me her time. Peter’s parents were also in tow.

I thought of the carnage those cowardly bastards dealt to so many families near the finish line that probably look, smile and cry just like Peter’s. I saw so many, many young children and parents along the marathon route. I want so much to see them all there again next year. I wanted to hug Peter’s whole family and tell them how happy I was that their trip ended as a happy one.

John Eligon is 30 years old and lives in Kansas City while working for the New York Times. He covers Kansas City and the Midwest as his beat. But Monday he was running the Boston Marathon – and he was running it FAST. John finished in 3:00.54 (you know he is kicking himself for dawdling 55 seconds too long in that Wellesley kissing line).

John was back in his hotel when his boss called to tell him to go to work. Marathon soreness be damned, a reporter goes to cover the story when the story of this magnitude breaks.

“I love breaking news, so for me, all the thoughts of having just run the race and being sore left my head, and I put on my reporter’s hat and went out to cover it as a news story," Eligon told The Huffington Post on Monday night.

I don’t know about you, but running a three-hour marathon just before my night shift is not something I could do well…or even really poorly. Mad props to John for doing what needed to be done in consideration of the circumstances. We saw so much of that in Boston on Monday.

Kim Gudenkauf was suffering from “survivor guilt” when she emailed me on Thursday. If you remember, Kim went from running in cotton t-shirts to now sporting $150 running shoes. Like a lot of us, Kim found it tough to deal with the aftermath of the attack.

“I too found that my drive into work on Tuesday had me wanting to bust out crying for what to most around us back in KC would seem like nothing,” said Kim.

Many of us experienced lots of sleepless nights, fits of spontaneous crying and just an overall shakiness that we had lost some control of our lives.

Emotional trauma is real. I grew up in a tough family with 14 siblings from the same two parents. Yeah, my mom was pregnant most of her first 20-plus years of marriage. That makes a woman rather grumpy. She mothered like a staff sergeant and my dad parented like…, uh, like a guy with a big belt and a bigger voice. And he used them both to a ridiculous level of efficiency. In other words, I grew up saving my tears for what mattered.

Boston mattered. Big time. And I have cried a dozen times or more each day since returning from Boston. I cried typing emails. I cried in my car. I cried at my desk. I cried listening to a song. I cried watching a car commercial. I cried because I was crying for heaven’s sake! The soul just needs to release some pent-up pressure sometimes and our tear ducts appear to be its best release valve.

Ali Hatfield, one of the three Lee’s Summit girlfriends who all BQed and ran Boston together wrote on her MilesWithStyle.com blog Thursday, “I tried to go back to my routine yesterday…that was a mistake. I was not ready. People at work would ask me if I was okay, and I would cry. Then they would try to talk to me about actual work things, and I would cry…”

“For me, I have found comfort in reading other peoples stories that were there,” Ali wrote in an email. “Hearing how they feel, and sharing my stories and feelings with them. I don't understand why I am so sad, because I was so lucky.”

Yeah, Boston was real. But you know what else was real? Ali and her two chatty buddies, Stacy and Di, ran the Boston Marathon side by side for 26.2 miles. That has to be a chick thing. There is no way my buddy Yael Abouhalkah and I are tagging alongside each other for the length of a marathon. We are racing that sucker! Girls are built a little different – (especially those Wellesley girls).

The Three Amigettes ran across the finish line with the exact same finishing time – 3:54.35. They loped under the banners all holding raised hands with smiles on their faces wider than Nicki Minaj’s backside. Booyah!

Tim Fritson, the Liberty High School cross country coach, worked for two years to convert himself from a college hurdler to a Boston Marathoner. He trained like an Olympian and viewed Boston as his coming out party. He expected a PR below 2:50. He missed it by eight minutes and the disappointment cut him deep.

As I started down highway 135 out of Hopkinton, it only took about 3 miles to realize that my body just didn’t have it,” wrote Fritson on his Boston blog. “By the fourth mile, I knew that something just wasn’t there. I can’t put my finger on what didn’t feel right. I wasn’t breathing hard. I was nailing my desired paces. Despite the downhill nature of the course’s early miles, it just seemed like my shoes were full of concrete and my legs were made of lead. Not a good combination for a guy who has 23 more miles before he hits a finish line.”

Sometimes it doesn’t happen on race day. Ever heard of that one, Stan?

But Fritson’s perspective was later shaped by the events of the day.

“Had I run as fast as I would have liked?” continued Fritson. “Nope. Did I beat as many people as I had set out to beat? Came up over 1,000 short. In the grand scheme of things, did it matter? Not really. For my wife, our friends, and me, life was going to go on. In the aftermath of Monday’s events, that was a humbling reality. That was a blessing. We didn’t do anything to deserve it.”

61-year-old David Mellen lives in Stillwell, KS and has run ten marathons in ten years. The same one every year, Grandma’s Marathon in Duluth. He missed his BQ every year for nine straight years. When he turned 60 he changed his training. “I quit running every day and did more cross training,” said David. “I worked more on my core.”

It worked. David ran his second-fastest Grandma’s Marathon after turning 60. And with the extra time in his new age group, David was Boston bound. Just one problem. Some lunatics decided to bomb the finish line and leave David stranded .7 miles from his 10-year goal. David is tough, though. Anyone who stays committed to a goal like David did – long after some of his friends had given up on his annual sojourn to Duluth – no bomb or two are going to deter him from trying again.

Chau Smith, the dainty Vietnamese-born 63/67-year-old wonder was also stopped short of the finish line. Garmin has planned a special finish-line celebration at the Olathe Marathon this Saturday. Chau and any other Boston runner who was denied the opportunity to run across the finish line on Boylston Street, has been invited to run the final .7 of a mile Saturday around noon. All the area Boston runners have been invited to attend – and from the looks of my email in box there are a LOT of us planning to be there to cheer Chau and the others across that pavement.

I have one last update for you. I saved the best for last.

Remember Ricky Mitchell? He was the buoyant fellow marathoner I jogged with in Boston who was jumping on sidewalk trampolines and popping into spectator’s posed photographs. Well, get this.

Thursday morning I get an email that has “Ricky Mitchell” in the subject line. I opened it up to this…

Greetings, Greg!

My name is Elise Baker. I'm 38 years old and a longtime reader of your column ... dating back to when you wrote for The Star. I was born and raised in the Kansas City area and went to college at Northwest Missouri State University. I intended to live all my life near KC, as I loved it so. But as fate would have it, I married a Soldier and we have lived all over the country and world.

Our last duty station prior to now being assigned in Hawaii was Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, TX. There, I had the privilege of getting to know an awesome man by the name of Ricky Mitchell, a Major in the United States Army, whose son was in 1st grade with my daughter. He had just returned from a year deployment in Kuwait when I started seeing him on field trips and at school. I struck up a friendship with that charismatic guy, and he remains one of my best friends to this day.

He texted me from Boston after he had crossed the finish line, as I had asked him to do. His text said something to this effect: "I just finished!! Great race!! Hey, I heard some sort of explosion near the finish line ... can you turn on the news and see what you can find out?"

I'm so thankful Ricky is okay and I am not surprised AT ALL by the spirit he showed while running. I am also not surprised AT ALL that he didn't tell you he was in the military. Thank you for highlighting an amazing person. He's an inspiration.

Keep writing great stuff, Greg! It was just random that we, here in Hawaii, read your column from Kansas City, about a good friend from San Antonio. I shared your column with Ricky, who was tickled.

Aloha and GO ROYALS and CHIEFS!!

Sincerely,

Elise Baker

How freaking cool is that??? A woman in Hawaii who I have never heard of, who has been reading my column since 1996 reads my Boston story, recognizes her friend Ricky and then emails me! I want to kiss Al Gore for inventing the Internet!

Okay, it gets better. I asked Elise to forward my email to Ricky. He responded with the note below.

Hello Greg,

It's Ricky Mitchell and I want to say it was an honor and privilege to meet you during our 26.2 mile journey. I also want to thank you for bringing a smile on so many who read your story. A friend of mine, who lives in Hawaii but from Kansas, was reading your article this morning and immediately texted me and sent me the story. Your story helps us remember the beauty of running a race and being in Boston.

I had such a great time throughout the race pretty much being me, dancing with groups of people, talking to complete strangers, and taking pictures with my wife's uncle and friends who have never missed a Boston marathon.

Your kind gesture to give your medal to a participant was heartfelt and demonstrates what being human is all about. I gave my medal to a first time finisher who also didn't get hers because of the chaos. I also read a story of a participant who gave his medal to a runner who didn't, and I believe that was a common act throughout the day of veterans embracing rookies. The bombings can never take away the smiles and joys we all experienced that day.

I wanted to make this my last Boston, but because of the events, I plan to run it again next year.

When I meet great people like you, the runners, and spectators, it reaffirms why I serve this wonderful country.

Thank you,
Mitchell, Ricky
MAJ, MSC
G35, Operations
USA MEDCOM
2748 Worth Rd, Ft. Sam Houston, TX 78234
SIPR: ricky.m.mitchell@us.army.smil.mil

I do not ask much of my readers. I just don’t think a writer has the right to expect his readers to do anything more than read. But this time I am making an exception.

While Ricky and I ran together for about four miles, there was one time when he broke away for a bit to jog next to a military unit in full gear who were marching the 26.2-mile course. I heard him almost whisper, “Hoorah, Corps!” He then slipped back into cadence with me and resumed discussing his wife, his in-laws and how he was planning to spot them along the course and stop to talk.

I have added Ricky's name and email to our Boston Bound KC family. He is one of us. If you ever get the chance to meet him, he will charm you, he will make you laugh and he will inspire you.

Here is my request of you, dear reader. Please email Ricky Mitchell right now and tell him how damn proud you are that he protects us, represents us and loves his country. This world needs more Ricky Mitchells. Now more than ever.

GregHall24@yahoo.com and Twitter / greghall24

The finish line at the Boston Marathon is a mirage – or so it seems at the conclusion of this 26.2-mile trek. It is only three and a half blocks from the left-hand turn off Hereford Street onto Boylston Street.  Runners will tell you though, that the finish-line banners appear to move away from them rather than get closer.

“It’s like a horror movie,” is how one marathon finisher described this floating finish line to me as we chatted affably after the 117^th running of the prestigious race. We stiffly made our way through the finish area to receive our Mylar blankets, medals, snack sacks and personal bags of clothing.

Oh how I would remember his words as this grand celebration of endurance, camaraderie and tradition turned dramatically and forever into a crime scene.

The scenes from the carnage caused by a cowardly act are now part of our history. No need to recount the dramatic video and photographs we all have viewed through the media. Those who were there were witness to the weakest of what man has to offer society. And the best man could ever hope to attain.

My story dwells on the joy, fellowship and pride – such pride – I felt as I witnessed Boston at its worst and then quickly and even more dramatically – Boston at its best.

A marathon is simply a party. A long one mind you, but a party nonetheless.

Ricky Mitchell is a sub-three-hour marathoner from San Antonio. As I jogged along at about mile 14, I watched the nimble and way-too-energetic Mitchell break from the current of runners, hop the curb and join a group of neighborhood kids as they bounced on a line of a dozen or more mini-trampolines. How can you not love this guy?

I fist bumped the 30-something Ricky as he returned to the race and we jogged on together and talked. Ricky had pounded out a just-over three-hour marathon last year at Boston in the searing 90-degree temps. “So what are you doing back here with us lackeys?” I queried.

Ricky had a rough winter of training. Since he wasn’t nearly as fit as he needed to be once time for Boston arrived, he decided to run the race for entertainment purposes only. In midsentence, Ricky left my right side and bolted over the curb again to dive into the center of a posed photograph of five high-school girls lined up shoulder to shoulder in an arc. I laughed as the spectators cheered when Ricky crouched down in the center of these girls and flash a huge toothy grin – freezing a memory of zany spontaneity they will never forget.

You have to be a bit goofy to run a marathon. Having a little Ricky in you helps you cope with covering 26.2 miles on foot. It is why this act of destruction at the finish line is so out of place – so wrong at a party like Boston.

Ricky Mitchell is what the Boston Marathon is all about.

There are no politics inside the ropes of a marathon. There are only runners.

Language is not a barrier at the marathon. Heavy breathing means you’re hurting. That shuffling shoe sound means you’re probably old but committed. Non-stop laughter and cheering might mean you’re running by Wellesley College just before at the halfway point.

Ahhh, Wellesley. How I love your history, your all-female tradition and your commitment to trump each other with the craziest sign or act of indulgence. “Kiss me I’m a farmer,” was a new sign for me this year. “Kiss me I’m barely legal,” brought a smile to my sunburnt face.

One runner in front of me stopped twice to kiss the same girl. What a waste I thought! I view the delectable lineup at Wellesley each Boston similar to how I peruse a gourmet pastry shop. And I know pastry. Would you limit yourself to the two blueberry muffins when a delicate cream puff sat wanting and puckering just astride? With all that talent on display for the kissing, why not sample as many different menu items as you can fit on your…uh, lips?

I missed allowing myself to participate in the Wellesley tradition of kissing the passing hoard of runners by about 20 years. Kissing gramps is just gross. Except for gramps. But the two coeds who strategically placed themselves at the very end of the block-long Wellesley kissing line almost got me to bite.

One a blonde and the other a brunette, they held signs the size of a 4x3-foot placard. Both displayed exposed creamy shoulders and milky-white barefoot gams. Not a stitch of clothing was visible this side of their oversized signs. On the placards in neatly printed text they had written, “Kiss me and I’ll drop my sign.”

Wellesley College is what the Boston Marathon is all about.

I jogged the first dozen miles or so with Greg Heilers, a tall, lanky Kansas City engineer and running buddy of mine, who had lost some training due to an injury. Heiler’s should have been chasing a time in the low three-hour range but his fitness level had him hoping to just break 3:30 – exactly what I was hoping to do.

“It sure is good to see some other fat guys out here running this race,” bellowed a loud voice behind us. A handsome square-shouldered dark-haired man who reminded me of Elaine’s David Putty briskly strode beside us. “I was starting to think I was all alone out here!” he chuckled.

I don’t know if Putty could get away with riffing on a women’s large frame, but Heilers and I took his ribbing in the good-natured way it was intended. The Boston Marathon is the kind of party where no introductions are necessary.

That awkward period of an early bro-on-bro friendship where you pretend to be politely pleasant and politically correct to each other gets tossed into the trash between male runners at Boston. There isn’t time to allow your immature relationship to mature. You simply go Putty on each other and rip a guy’s saddle bags, Dunlop disease and pigeon-toed gate as you cruise past. Putty hailed from Sacramento. He didn’t come across three time zones to play nice. He came to play.

Sacramento’s David Putty is what the Boston Marathon is all about.

Shortly after Putty passed Heilers and me, Patty and Mary replaced his barbs with their butts.

I ran my first road race in 1981. The last place you went looking for an attractive woman in the early ‘80’s was at a 10K race. Female runners at that time were few in number. Those who did show up to run owned fewer curves than Popeye’s Olive Oyl…and were not nearly as animated.

But cross-training, Title 9, cosmetic surgery and the imagination of lululemon has transformed the female runner of today into the fantasy character, Wonder Woman of my youth come to life. Patty and Mary were full of charms and dressed to advertise those many attributes. They ran stride for stride in butt-hugging mini shorts and crisscross bikini tops. Their first names handwritten in magic marker on their outer arms.

Running 26 miles can be an incredibly boring venture without the Patties and Marys of the marathon. At least for me. I am old but I am not dead. Man cannot live by cream puffs alone. These two were just stunning examples of a reason to live…if only to run behind.

The Boston Marathon is about scenic views – some which appear to be too good to be true. A quirk of nature I have never viewed as a problem.

A father and his two sons have greeted runners each Patriots Day I’ve visited their burg from their simple driveway perch just outside Ashland. The father appears to be of Pakistani descent and while his two elementary age sons mimic his dark skin and even darker bushy brows, they are 100% American made. The youngest son rose from his flimsy lawn chair to stand on its seat as we passed. He dramatically gesture to the runners as we aproached.

Like a carnival barker he made a sweeping circular gesture with his arms and hands – slowing the motion of his limbs to attain maximum theatrical impact. In a voice he dug from deep within his diaphragm, the young lad shouted, “The city of Boston awaits you!” All done in a Boston brogue that would make Matt Damon proud.

A family in Hopkinton hang a banner on their front windows each Marathon Monday, welcoming runners to their small rural town. They sit on their front steps and take in the view of the parade of different waves as they make their slow walk to the point-to-point start.

Across the street their neighbors set up a makeshift supply tent that has the phrase, “All Free” written on banners and signs that adorn this small tent on their front curb. Runners clog the small area to reach for free Vaseline, Band-Aids, water, drinks, etc. “We’ll be back here next year too!” shouts the friendly husband of this generous clan.

The Boston Marathon is about fathers and sons and mothers and daughters and families. The Boston Marathon is about sharing, giving and helping.

The Kansas City runners who traveled to Boston experienced sights, sounds and heart-wrenching real-life drama that we may never be able to resolve. Life is hard sometimes. But it gets better. The cowards never win. It is our job to see to that.

I stood on a park bench near an endless line of ambulances hours after the two blasts talking on my cell phone as a small brown man approached. He pointed to my medal – struggling with his English. I looked down at him and wondered why he was curious about my finisher’s medal. He was obviously a runner just as I. But his eyes told me everything I needed to know. He did not have a medal. He was unable to finish the race.

“Here,” I said as I doffed my ribbon and medal. “Take mine.” I extended my medal to where he stood below. He back away with his arms outstretched, waving off my gesture. He thought my gift too high a price for me to pay a stranger. What he did not understand is that at the Boston Marathon there are no strangers. He turned quickly and was gone.

The city of Boston was magnificent in how it reacted to the explosions. The police were professional yet passionate. The medical personnel did their jobs as they have been trained – and so many people are alive today because they are so darn good at that job. The residents of Boston became immediate surrogate family members to any and all runners who were left without a hotel, transportation, a shower, a meal or simply a friend.

I love the Boston Marathon. I love it with its scars, with its stains and with its creeping old age. Most of all I love it for its people.

The New York Yankees paid a touching tribute to the hated Boston Red Sox the day after the Boston Marathon by playing the Sox’s much-loved theme song, Sweet Caroline in Yankee Stadium.

New York knows pain. New York knows pain is temporary. New York knows sports is merely a game. New York knows they will hate the BoSox again tomorrow and the feeling will be mutual.

Boston wouldn’t have it any other way.

Party on.

GregHall24@yahoo.com & Twitter / greghall24

“I'm struck by a very odd feeling for a KC sports fan: hope.”
Adam Vogler, @AdamVogler, as the Royals swept a three-game series from the Twins to take a 1.5-game lead in the AL Central, Twitter
GH: Our hearts have been broken so many times they look like Dennis the Menace’s mom’s patched up vase. But each spring we pump that royal-blue blood through those much-abused chambers and hope. It is no more than hope even with the club being three games over .500. I just got a bit light headed typing that last sentence. Hope.

“The Kansas City Royals are in first place. Will I tweet this every single day this is true. Yeah. Probably.”
Joe Posnanski, @JPosnanski, Twitter
GH: JoPo is in day two of his self-imposed Royals Watch. I have never been more happy to read JoPo’s words.

“There’s really nothing to nitpick about although there’s some fans who love doing that.”
Brian McRae, on the Royals’  6-3 start, 810 AM
GH: Has anyone missed Kevin Kietzman this week while he’s away in a Tiki Hut? What a pleasure it has been to hear Danny Clinkscale and Todd Leabo talk like regular guys without the pressure of their boss’ Chicken Little clucking.

“I don’t care what I said. I am going to enjoy this team.”
Danny Clinkscale, after Jack Harry pointed out to him that just the week before he was dissing the Royals after their 0-2 start, 810 AM
GH: I love Clinkscale’s attitude. So maybe he did jump the gun and be overly critical of the Royals before they had a chance to get rolling. They may very well still crash and burn. All the more reason to enjoy Lady Success while she shines her big fluffy bosom in our faces. This is the Clinkscale I would like to hear when Kevin Kietzman is in the studio as well. I get the feeling Danny would like that as well.

“So far this season, Detroit's relievers have a 6.66 ERA, the worst in the majors.”
Buster Olney, @Buster_ESPN
GH: The Royals’ pitching staff looks like they all caught a case of the Bob Gibsons. Almost every arm they roll out there as a starter or reliever looks like the next Tom Seaver. Greg Holland’s closer issues aside, this team looks as scary as any right now with these starters and pen. Okay, it’s only early April…but daddy likey!

“Can I ask a dumb question? What is a hashtag?”
Vin Scully, legendary play-by-play voice of the Dodgers in his 64^th season with the club, during a live read of an online vote during a Dodgers’ TV broadcast, Deadspin.com
GH: What  would the Royals have to sweeten the pot for the Dodgers to trade Vin for Denny? If we threw in the Country Club Plaza and Leawood would that do it?

“No. (pause) You can put an emphasis on that.”
Bob Sutton, when asked by Soren Petro if HBO’s Hard Knocks should come to Kansas City, 810 AM

“It really just says [Phil Pressey] doesn’t like being in school. I think he’s making a bad decision.”
Seth Greenberg, on Pressey’s decision to leave Mizzou and declare for the NBA draft, 810 AM
GH: I think Greenberg has it all wrong. I think Pressey loved it at Mizzou, but he wants the bling. Athletes who leave early almost always want the bling.

“It’s amazing to me that these kids will seek out the person that will give them the information that they want to hear – and that’s a problem.”
Seth Greenberg, on borderline NBA draft candidates choosing to leave school early with little guarantee of being drafted or making the NBA, 810 AM
GH: Amazing? We don’t have to look to 21-year-old students for people who will search out only those who tell them what they want to hear. Check your list of closest friends. Too many of us choose easy and weak over difficult and strong. Sometimes that bastard you know can be your best ally.

“Starting my 40th Masters this morning at 8:44. Where has the time gone since my first round there in 1970?!!”
Tom Watson, @TomWatsonPGA, Twitter
GH: Tom is having a rough go of it today in his opening round at Augusta. But damn was that run he made a few years back at The Open one to remember. One of the greatest golf weekends I can ever remember.

“I’m not kidding [about the dire need for higher ratings]. … We can save this baby.”
Lazlo, @lazlothebuzz, host of 96.5’s The Church by Lazlo, in a storm of tweets between him and listeners about the precarious position his afternoon radio show is in due to recent poor ratings, Twitter
GH: The Buzz was rated 14^th overall in the February 2013 Arbitron ratings with a 3.2 share. Lazlo has alarmed his congregation about the damage these recent poor rating’s books are doing to the longevity of his not-popular-enough show. It is just another reason I question the Arbitron ratings. Just about every high school, college and young adult I know listens to Lazlo. How that doesn’t translate into ratings is just goofy. BTW, 610 Sports was 18^th with a 1.6 share. 810 doesn’t subscribe to Arbitron so they are no longer rated.

“We only make two promises with this show. First, we promise to work hard for your business. Second, we don’t know what else to expect.”
New Promo for The Drive with Danny Parkins, 610 AM
GH: This promo for 610’s new afternoon show is almost too perfect. It sounds exactly like what the conversation was behind closed doors by the individuals who made this programming decision.

“Where are the Jewish groupies in radio?”
Danny Parkins, to his cohost Carrington Harrison, 610 AM

“No one finds this entertaining but you.”
Carrington Harrison, to his Jewish cohost Parkins, 610 AM

“It was difficult though, believe me, before The Beatles.”
Paul McCartney, when asked by Howard Stern if he, “Banged a lot of chicks,” in a 2001 interview, Sirius XM

GregHall24@yahoo.com and Twitter / greghall24

“[The Royals] have the pitching now to go up against those $200-million payrolls. This team is ready to make that push. Hopefully, that’s what we’ll see over this 2013 season.”
Brian McRae, 810 AM
GH: McRae also stated he thinks the Royals are the best defensive team in the AL Central. Denny Matthews has even awoken from his coma to sound excited about the Royals’ defensive prowess. Denny likes good defense almost as much as he likes a two-hour game.

“Hopefully, we won’t see [the Royals] dip below .500 for the rest of the year!”
Rex Hudler, as the Royals improved their season record to 5-3 with six wins in their last five games, Royals Radio
GH: Hudler says a lot of goofy stuff so he’s easy to ignore. Can you imagine if this proved to be true? Yeah, me either.

“Where’s the talk about the Royals? … I hear more Twitter fire about the Wil Myers trade than the Royals’ chances of winning the AL Central.”
Soren Petro, who chastised Royals’ fans for the attendance Tuesday night of 11,697 at The K, 810 AM
GH: Petro not only lectured Royals fans on how they don’t understand how to display passion for their team, he went on and on about how we don’t understand the nuances of looking days ahead at the opposition’s rotation, where the team can possibly steal a half game lead or relinquish one. “That’s the beauty of baseball!” he declared. Petro is a seamhead nerd who is out of touch with 95% of the people who follow the Royals. Baseball is a lot of things to a lot of people. Most just like the simplicity and symmetry of the nine-inning game because they too at one time donned a glove and swung a bat. The fascination with WHIP and WAR stats makes for really bad radio.

“The one thing I want Royals fans to do is get used to winning. Get to the ball park! I was a little bit disgruntled. Where are the Royals’ fans? I think the fans here are trying to see if this team is for real.”
Henry Lake, new midday host, 610 AM
GH: Second day on the job and Henry Lake is lecturing Royals’ fans on how to be a baseball fan. Note to Henry, Tuesday nights during the school year with forecasts calling for thunderstorms are not a good measure of this city’s passion for the Royals. Looking at attendance numbers to gauge a fan base’s passion for a team is ancient thinking. Fox Sports set an all-time ratings record for the Royals’ opening day broadcast. Fans watch the Royals on their phones nowadays, Henry. We’ve got Google fiber down here in the big city. Catch up or head back to your fishing hole.

“Don’t look now but Bubba Starling is 1-for-22.”
Bob Fescoe, on the Royals top draft pick’s early-season for the Lexington Legends in Class A,  610 AM
GH: Starling got a hit Tuesday night to push his average up to .077 and his OPS to .220. It’s early…right?

“I wish we could have brought home a national championship banner, but coming to Mizzou was the best decision of my life. This is a special place and I will always be a Tiger.”
Phil Pressey, on his decision to declare early for the 2013 NBA draft, Kansas City Star
GH: I consider Pressey one of the most misunderstood athletes in Missouri basketball history. I think he loved his time at Mizzou – under both Mike Anderson and Frank Haith. I don’t think he is leaving because he wants to leave MU or because Haith wants him to leave. I think he’s leaving for all the wrong reasons – he thinks he’s far better than he actually is.

“No, not really. I am a Miami Heat fan, but I really don’t have a team I really want to go to and play for.”
Ben McLemore, when asked if he had a preference for what NBA team will draft him, KUSports.com
GH: I don’t think Ben will be spending quality time with LeBron and Dwayne. It makes sense that an athlete from a poor family grabs the money now instead of completing his college education and delaying his professional pay day until he graduates. I think McLemore would be far better off having to spend another two years in college but young men like him carry the burden of their family’s finances rather than simply their own needs. Good for them, not quite as good for him.

“Can he dribble? No, not very well.”
Josh Klingler, on McLemore, 610 AM
GH: How crazy is the NBA draft? Did you ever think a guard who can’t handle the ball or create his own shot would be discussed as the number-one overall draft pick? It probably happens more often than I realize but it seems so odd to reward a two-tool player. McLemore can jump and he can shoot. So he gets $14 million guaranteed?

“My personal opinion is if he were my son I would certainly strongly recommend he make the jump at this time.”
Bill Self, on Ben McLemore’s decision to enter the NBA draft, KUSports.com
GH: If so, I would be surprised. Why would Bill Self’s on need to go to the NBA two years before he graduates? Self’s grandchildren won’t be able to spend all the money he amasses as a basketball coach. Why would Self send his son off the NBA two years before he’s ready? And even McLemore’s biggest fans have to know he is far from NBA ready.

“At best, we thought Twin Peaks would be lame. A new sports bar that prides itself on ‘scenic views’? We’re not talking mountains, rivers or sunsets. We’re talking waitresses dressed lumberjack sexy: teeny-weeny khaki shorts, ab-baring plaid crop tops that display their pushed-up Victoria’s Secret-perfect boobs, and Uggs or something similar with colorful tube socks. … But after we got there, we had to ask ourselves, is it sexist, really? Maybe these were not mere toys in a boys’ world. Maybe these were girls who were simply working the system. They’re in on the joke and comfortable in their skin, enjoying the scene. Who are we to judge?”
Jenee Osterheldt, FYI columnist, Kansas City Star
GH: I have never understood why society frowns on attractive women who use their natural [or manufactured] physical ass-ets for profit and promotion. How is it different from the innately bright female capitalizing on her intelligence in the workplace?

“There’s so many of them. It appears that they have somehow monopolized most of the attractive 18- to 25-year-olds in Olathe. … I see late nights and bad decisions. I’ll order everything, I’ll pay her rent. It’s hard to be smart in here.”
Twin Peaks Patrons, on the talented staff, Kansas City Star

“One thing we talked to the fellas about was how not to peer directly into the boobs. Grumpy Diva and I had a hard time not taking in the view but we didn’t want to just stare. The fellas told us it was all about mastering the distraction. One person talks to the waitress and maintains eye contact while everyone else gets to look. As it turns out, the guys said a place like Twin Peaks is better than going to a strip club. It’s less pervy.”
Jenee Osterheldt, FYI columnist, Kansas City Star
GH: I have been to a Twin Peaks in Omaha as part of a post-golf outing. There is no getting around staring at the peaks or the valleys. And the talent this franchise attracts is AL East worthy. Guys in their 50's look a bit too obvious in these types of joints. But if Jenee can handle it, maybe Yael and I need to take in the sights.

GregHall24@yahoo.com and Twitter / greghall24

“Best drive home from work today listening to the Royals comeback victory on 610 radio!! Go Royals!!”
Brett Colgan, @brett_colgan, on the Royals’ 3-1 comeback win over the Twins on opening day, Twitter
GH: I heard Denny Matthews call the Royals’ eighth-inning rally and then how Aaron Crow closed it in the ninth while listening to 610’s broadcast of the game as well. Radio can still be a great way to catch a baseball game.

“I was a bit surprised at the price of beverages that are quite a bit higher than they were 25 years ago.”
Caller Bill, who told The Border Patrol he was motivated this off-season to purchase a Royals’ partial season-ticket package after he gave up being a long-time season ticket holder back in the ‘70s and ‘80s, 810 AM
GH: This is the kind of caller that has to make even David Glass crack a smile. After 25 long years, this Royals’ fan is back in the stadium as a season ticket holder. I am betting this version of the Royals is going to bring back a lot of ghosts from the 80s.

“This is a heck of a different start for a team that’s supposed to be a heck of a lot different than its rotten predecessors. Whether intentional or not, you can see the clues. That started in spring training, when James Shields ingratiated himself with his new teammates in part by taking road trips to games in which he wasn’t pitching — virtually unheard of for veterans. You can’t quantify what things like that mean, exactly, but they have to mean something.”
Sam Mellinger, Kansas City Star
GH: I would like my columnist to quantify what that means – at least in more detail than it has to mean something. Take a leap with this team, Sam. Be bold. At least bolder.

“M-I-Z!”
Aaron Crow, who closed out the ninth for the Royals’ save in the home opener, after concluding his live postgame interview with Joel Goldberg on Fox Sports TV
GH: Goldberg responded to Aaron’s Mizzou crowing by saying, “I’m not going to repeat what he just said.” Crow is a Topeka native who played ball at Mizzou and never misses a chance to let Royals’ fans know it. I like that he refuses to sit on the fence of political correctness – despite playing in the Jayhawks backyard. College rivalries are hard to kill…Bill.

“We met again and talked about it. We both came to the same conclusion: that it would be in his best interest to pursue other options, get off to a fresh start and impact another program.”
Bill Self, on KU freshman guard Rio Adams’ saying last week that he reconsidered and wanted to stay at Kansas, Lawrence Journal-World
GH: Translation: Bill Self decides who stays and who goes, not Rio Adams. Playing at KU is a privilege. When you lose sight of that, it is time for you to leave.

“Louisville is a terrific basketball team. I had not seen that quickness anywhere.”
John Beilein, Michigan’s coach after his Wolverines lost 82-76 to Louisville, 810 AM
GH: What an incredible game. Games like this make me feel sorry for non-sports fans.

“Good Christ, Charles. BO-hanon and McGarrity???”
Kurtis Seaboldt, @KSeaboldt, Twitter
GH: Never has a broadcast personality received so much admiration and praise and yet been so unprepared and unprofessional at his job. Sir Charles needs to stick to the NBA and stop embarrassing himself and college basketball.

“Pathetic officiating does not diminish from Louisville's effort- amazing team effort w/a loose and bizarre whistle.”
Doug Gottlieb, @GottliebShow, Twitter
GH: I have come to the conclusion that it is not the referees that are the problem with college basketball. The sport we see today is simply impossible to officiate. Ridiculously physical play is allowed in the paint and under the boards, yet touch fouls in the backcourt are called at random. I don’t have a great solution for this dilemma. I just know that blaming the refs after every game is not the answer. The answer is cleaning up the game’s physical play or scheduling an extra hour each game for replays.

“I thought they missed too many calls but overall it wasn’t horrible. … It wasn’t anything that I thought decided the game.”
Jay Bilas, ESPN Radio
GH: Bilas has been as outspoken as anyone in the media about returning college basketball to a non-contact sport. If he didn’t think officials decided the game, they probably didn’t.

“Blaming the refs is cool, but what about the subpar talent in college hoops. I mean Spike Albrecht leading the way? Come on. … Everyone was ready to crown Spike Albrecht the next best thing. ZERO points in 2nd half.”
Bob Fescoe, @bobfescoe, Twitter
GH: Fescoe has no soul. He is simply a guy from New Jersey who is lost in a place where sports passion reigns. How you can watch the first half of that game and Spike “Teen Wolf” Albrecht and not be moved? I pity the fool.

“Hell yes! I’m getting a tattoo.”
Rick Pitino, in a postgame interview, who had promised his players he would get a tattoo if they won the national championship, CBS
GH: Pitino is a great, great coach and his players appear to admire him. I find him to be incredibly revolting. Maybe I don’t know him well enough. I take that as a plus.

“Reactions to this game might make me never be on twitter again...fab game…followed by snarky stupidity… Best memory…Pitino ducking WTF??”
Danny Clinkscale, @dcwhb, Twitter
GH: Clink’s expectations for Twitter differ greatly from mine. There is always another tweet, Danny. Scroll on.

“My name is Henry Lake, the new guy in town. … I’m lovin’ this town!”
Henry Lake, new cohost for The Day Shift [who’s the genius naming shows at 610?], introducing himself as 610’s new midday voice as he partners with Jay Binkley, 610 AM
GH: Henry bored us in his opening minute with talk about trying to navigate in his new town, Binkley wanting him to try multiple BBQ joints and what passionate fans he knows populate Kansas City. Yawn. Come hard or go shard somewhere else, Henry. The best template I can suggest for new sports voices in the Kansas City media was laid down by Jason Whitlock when he arrived from Ann Arbor in 1994. In that column he laid out for his readers who he was and what they could expect. He did not fake nice. We have enough “nice” here in KC, Henry. How about some “real?”

“The big announcement is that we are moving to afternoon drive starting [Tuesday], teaming up with Jayice Pearson.”
Danny Parkins, 610 AM
GH: Wow.

“The Star has hired St. Louis Post-Dispatch sportswriter Vahe Gregorian as a sports columnist. Vahe [pronounced VAH-hey] will cover all aspects of the local and national sports scene, from the Chiefs and Royals to college athletics and beyond. Also joining The Star’s newsroom is Gregorian’s wife, Cindy Billhartz Gregorian, who will be The Star’s new House + Home editor and write and edit for the Features sections. She spent the last 16 years at the Post-Dispatch.”
Kansas City Star
GH: This is a big get for the hometown newspaper. I am not sure what it says about St. Louis or the Post-Dispatch, but it has to make The Star feel like the Royals stealing a Cardinal. BBQ beats Archie – just like 1985.

“Cindy and I are honored by this wonderful opportunity to work for The Star and get to know Kansas City in a way I never would have imagined when I first ventured there for the 1988 NCAA title game at Kemper Arena. We will always be grateful to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, and it’s painful to move away from so many dear friends and talented, caring colleagues. But we relish the fresh challenges of our new jobs, the chance to work directly with terrific people we’ve known and admired for years and the excitement of getting to be part of another tremendous community and excellent newspaper.”
Vahe Gregorian, Kansas City Star

“Very excited about this. Vahe is a terrific journalist, and a better man. Bowt time we had a good sports columnist…”
Sam Mellinger, @mellinger, Twitter
GH: I was impressed with the comments made by area journalists who know Gregorian well. Almost all commented not only on his talent but also his character and what a good guy he is. Let’s hope he brings a sharp edge to his writing along with his smile.

“Vahe's the best.”
Joel Goldberg, who spent a number of years in St. Louis working for the Cardinals organization, Twitter

“No disagreement here. Vahe is the man.”
Kent Babb, @kentbabb, Twitter

“No critic reviews for 42.”

RottenTomatoes.com
GH: Uh oh. This does not bode well for the Jackie Robinson movie. When critics are not allowed to review a movie, it is not because they think it is a blockbuster.

“Right now in Goodland, Kansas guys it is snowing! There’s a blizzard developing in Colorado. This is a powerful, unusual, unique storm.”
Gary Lezak, 810 AM
GH: This has been a spring to forget. Temps are expected to dive into the 30s for the rest of the week. Looks like those Rock The Parkway races Saturday morning will be in some chilly temps. And I was so looking forward to ogling some Skorts and singlets.

GregHall24@yahoo.com and Twitter / greghall24

“My buddy Billy’s already out there [at The K]. He knows people.”
Jake Gutierrez, on how Billy was able to already tailgating four hours before the parking lot was scheduled to open for the Royals’ home opener this afternoon against the Twins, 810 AM
GH: I have been to a lot of Royals’ home openers – none were more depressing than last season’s debacle when Luke Hochevar gave up seven first-inning runs to the Indians in what would become an April to forget in a season that was so unexpected it turned the team’s Our Time slogan into a bad joke. But this home opener feels different. After a quiet and deflating 0-2 start, the Royals went to Philadelphia and broke out their #BlueBats. This team looks like it can hit. That is REALLY different when you’re talking Royals baseball.

“Royals look different. Ready to compete.”
Dinn Mann, @dinnmann, former KC Star sports editor and current MLB.com mogul, Twitter
GH: Not only do the Royals look different – they are attacking the season differently. Read on.

“I'm surprised by this but we're gonna see what happens."
Jeff Montgomery, as Ned Yost opted to yank his closer, Greg Holland, after he gave up two hits in the ninth in favor of Herrera, Fox Sports TV
GH: Monty was surprised because he is of the old Royals’ thinking – don’t mess with your closer’s head by yanking him when he’s in trouble. This is the new Royals. Yost and Dayton Moore need to win now or lose their jobs. Another 70-win season means a new regime at The K. I like when the Royals play to win instead of worrying about a player’s mental state. Winning fixes a lot of neurosis.

“You did this. If you are a Royals fan, you had a hand in the team that’s playing in Kansas City for the first time this afternoon. Kansas City’s sports passion — specifically, joy for last year’s baseball All-Star Game and disgust over the horrible Chiefs — created this year’s Royals team. Nobody with the Royals will say this out loud, but it’s the truth all the same. … You forced this change. And this afternoon, for the first time, you will see the product of your passion in person.”
Sam Mellinger, Kansas City Star
GH: It sure took David Glass and his crew a long time to discover that they were sitting on a MLB powder keg. After years of dousing that powder with a watered-down product, we finally might have a team worthy of our attention. It has been far, far too long.

“Royals owner David Glass is often — erroneously and unfairly — accused of being absentee and out of touch. But he heard you. Saw you. Felt you. And he changed because of it.”
Sam Mellinger, Kansas City Star
GH: I liked almost everything in Mellinger’s column except this. Mellinger is the one who appears erroneous and out of touch with his portrayal of the Royals’ owner’s horrific handling of this impossible-to-kill franchise. This read like The Star is concerned about the Royals as an advertiser.

“Kansas City has this national perception as sort of the capital of Midwestern kindness. And in most cases, we are a kind people. Need directions? Help with the door? Restaurant recommendations? Sure, absolutely, happy to assist. But reward our sports passion with incompetence? Follow up promise with failure? Then this city will boo without mercy, flood every line of communication with raw criticism — heck, there might even be a plane flying banners over the stadium calling for jobs.”
Sam Mellinger, Kansas City Star
GH: That Boo Cano thing at the All-Star Game and the fan bashing that Eric Winston laid out for the national media over the Matt Cassel injury altered the nation’s perception of Kansas City a bit as well. Sure, we are friendly folks but we can also be just as spicy as Gates’ BBQ sauce.

“[James Shields] is one of those guys you are just going to love. I would have loved to have caught him. There was snot coming out of his nose after that four-run inning he gave up. Shields just continued to pound them and wouldn’t let [the Phillies] get up. Just a fantastic outing! Call them warriors, call them bulldogs, call them your number-one starter.”
Mike Macfarlane, former Royals catcher, on the Royals ace, 810 AM
GH: If James Shields stays healthy I think the Royals are in the hunt for the ALC all season. Period. He’s that good and that big a part of this team’s attitude.

“Every game to me in professional sports is a must win. I hate the old adage that it’s just too early.”
Bob Fescoe, defending his negativity about the Royals after their 0-2 start, 610 AM
GH: Does Fescoe even think before he speaks – or ever?

“Get off to a good start and then you can coast a little bit.”
Bob Fescoe, expounding on his thoughts on the Royals, 610 AM
GH: Sure sounds like a “must win” philosophy to me.

“They’re still going fine. It’s been 41 years now.”
Curt Nelson, Royals HOF director, on the Kauffman Stadium fountains, 610 AM
GH: Our city’s signature structure is the right-field fountains at The K. More people around the country know Kansas City for those lighted fountains than probably anything else in town. What are some others? The Scout? The Shuttlecocks?

“What an incredible season. It ended in a difficult way, but the Shockers will pick up these pieces. Marshall, so deflated by the loss, also talked about how excited he is about the future. There are no guarantees WSU will be on this stage again. It’s such a hard feat to accomplish. But the Shockers are in position to be good year after year. Cleanthony Early, who looked like a future NBA player with his 24 points and 10 rebounds against Louisville, will be back next season. So will Ron Baker, Tekele Cotton, Fred VanVleet and others.”
Bob Lutz, columnist, Wichita Eagle
GH: Great run by the Shockers. It will be interesting to see if the KC media adopts them next season as a program to cover or ignore.

“[Percentage] of ESPN Tournament Challenge Brackets that picked a Louisville-Michigan title game: 1.4%”
Darren Rovell, @darrenrovell, Twitter
GH: I was not one of them. We have a dozen or so people at the top of our OTC Bracket contest who picked Louisville as their champion. If Michigan wins it could mean someone else grabs the crown. We will sort it all out tomorrow.

“This might be the first time in my life that I picked the Championship game correctly in my bracket.”
Nate Bukaty, @nate_bukaty, Twitter
GH: Congrats to Nate. I will be rooting for Michigan tonight. Love the story in Monday’s Star by Blair Kerkhoff on Trey Burke’s parents being Northwest Missouri State grads.

GregHall24@yahoo.com and Twitter / greghall24

“I don’t think it can go any worse than last year, can it?”
Josh Klingler, on the Royals opening the season down 7-0 after the first inning at The K, 610 AM
GH: The Royals went on to lose their first 10 home games. This is a nightmare that Royals’ fans have become all too familiar with – and the reason they traded their best prospect in years – Wil Myers. The 2013 season is supposed to be different here in the Valley of the Stunned.

“The stadium has lots of touch-ups to do but we will be ready [for Opening Day].”
Toby Cook, Royals VP, 610 AM
GH: I like almost everything the Royals have done with Royals Stadium and now Kauffman Stadium as it gracefully moves into its 40^th season. The huge center-field HD video board should be horizontal instead of vertical but it is so underused it really doesn’t matter. The outfield experience and the outfield bleacher sections are very cool. The Pepsi porch and the bar and grill above the right-field stands is also great stuff. But I sure hope they have gotten rid of those ugly, Wal-Mart looking Tide ads that are splash painted on the entrances to/from the stadium concourses. Man, does that look ever scream “White-trash Midwesterner.”

“We are allowed to show any replay one time in real time. We can’t show it in slow motion.”
Toby Cook, explaining to Kevin Kietzman MLB’s policy on showing in-stadium replays, 810 AM
GH: This is just an absolute joke. MLB just doesn’t get it. The NFL allows the Raiders to replay slow-motion, stop-action replays of controversial calls inside a stadium that houses a fan base with an intellect and character just this side of those who once populated Alcatraz. But MLB is kowtowing to the four umps in a baseball park? MLB needs to institute instant replay immediately to correct poor umpiring instead of attempting to hide from their mistakes. Worry about getting the call right instead of worrying about exposing an umpire’s errors.

“In an effort to provide the best ticket value for fans, the Kansas City Royals are again partnering with a third party named Qcue to continue implementing a dynamic pricing system for the 2013 season. Utilizing advanced computer pricing software, the Royals will be able to adjust single game ticket prices in real-time based on ticket availability and changing factors such as league standings, opposing team, rivalries, star players, day of the week and supply and demand.”
MLB.com
GH: You have to love how little respect professional franchises have for their fans. Who thinks the Royals are implementing this new pricing policy “to provide the best ticket value for fans?” Basically, the Royals now have the option to increase or decrease the price of a ticket for games depending on availability. If a game is close to a sellout, ticket prices increase. The opposite would be true for games with low ticket sales. I don’t have a big problem with it but don’t tell me you’re doing it for my benefit.

“We really are talking about swings of one or two dollars either way. I think once people get into it, it’s going to be much ado about nothing.”
Toby Cook, on the Royals new dynamic pricing policy, 610 AM
GH: This surprised me. If the Royals are only tacking on a couple of bucks per ticket, why even do it? For an extra $10K on a busy night? Are things that tight in Bentonville?

“[The Royals] just went three straight games with their starter going six innings or more. That’s not something that happened much last year.”
Joel Goldberg, Royals pre- and postgame host for Fox Sports TV, 810 AM
GH: The Royals starting pitching is going to be the reason this team is competitive or not. Kevin Kietzman can scream and yell about Gordon and Hosmer and Moose all he wants. Baseball comes down to the top five starters you can roll out to the mound. Every team can hit enough. Few can pitch enough.

“Second place [in the ALC], 86-76, missing the playoffs. To me – you don’t make that [Wil Myers] trade unless you make the playoffs.”
Rany Jazayerli, when asked by Soren Petro to give his predictions for the Royals’ season, 810 AM
GH: Would the Royals have traded Hosmer or Moose during their Triple A days? Myers may prove to be the next Mickey Mantle. If he does, the Royals screwed up. For now, I hope James Shields transforms that Royals’ staff and clubhouse into win junkies.

“Rio Adams told me tonight, ‘I've decided to stay.’ Maybe he's destined to have something written about him every day the rest of his life.”
Gary Bedore, @GaryBedore, on the KU freshman changing his mind about transferring, Twitter
GH: Young kids are allowed to vacillate and change their minds. I hope Rio figures out what he wants and sets his goals accordingly.

“Why would someone who runs a funeral home ever need a business card?”
TJ Carpenter, @TJCarpenterWHB, Twitter
GH: This appeared to be an innocent tweet sent out by 810’s late-night host Thursday evening. It was probably meant to be funny. But it turned rather weird. Read on. 

“Seriously? RT @TJCarpenterWHB: Why would someone who runs a funeral home ever need a business card?”
Jared Speckman, @Speck60, responding to Carpenter’s above funeral home/business card tweet, Twitter

“@Speck60 Do you think about anything you say? Do you snicker at passers by? Do you need help? Is this how you choose to spend your time?”
TJ Carpenter, @TJCarpenterWHB, who appeared to take great offense at Speckman’s single-word question, Twitter
GH: Speckman is just a guy on Twitter who player college football at William Jewell and is a big baseball fan – particularly the Royals. He dabbled in the media a bit when he worked for the Platte County Landmark. He’s well-known amongst the Royals Twitterverse but he’s pretty much like most of us – just a fan. But he pushed a button in TJ that needs to be fixed. Read on.

“You're just not very good at using the twitter.”
Jared Speckman, @Speck60, Twitter
GH: Speckman’s tweet elicited a chuckle from me when I read it. It caused Carpenter to block him.

“lol. If I don't want to see tweets from douchebags who focus on everything I do, I'll block them.”
TJ Carpenter, @TJCarpenter, responding to Speckman announcing that TJ had blocked him, Twitter
GH: Note to young people in the media who are trying to build an audience and a career – not everyone is going to agree with you or even like you. Those who do take the time to listen, watch or read your work – embrace them. Understand that you are trying to build an audience – and it doesn’t much matter if that audience likes you or hates you. It only matters if they don’t care about you. So you must care about them.

“You look like a DH to me, buddy.”
Jake Gutierrez, after Steven St. John complained that Nate Bukaty told him he had a “catcher’s body,” 810 AM

GregHall24@yahoo.com and Twitter / greghall24

“Between the Royals’ improvements and the Royals’ bullpen, I’ve got them finishing second [in the ALC].”
Buster Olney, ESPN MLB writer, on his preseason prediction for the Royals, 810 AM
GH: Buster’s preseason optimism for the Royals is not being met with many like minds locally here in Kansas City. 25 years of bad baseball will do that to a media and fan base. But should we be this down about an 0-2 Royals’ team on April 4^th? Kevin Kietzman is almost giddy with excitement over the Royals being off to a poor first week. Read on.

“I don’t like always being right. … Will the Royals be over .500 at any point this year?”
Kevin Kietzman, after the Royals opened the season 0-2, 810 AM
GH: You can hear the glee in KK’s voice as he announced the Royals’ first two losses of the season during his afternoon show this week. When he discussed the two runs the Royals scored in Chicago on Wednesday, he made sure to point out that one of the runs was “COMPLETELY unearned.” Which I guess in his mind is somehow different than just unearned. Hey, we all like to be right – but KK comes off sounding like as an ass with his victory dance after every Royals’ loss two games into the season.

“To avoid a disastrous start, this team has got to find a way to win two of the next four. They have to! They’ve GOT to go 2-2 in their next four. They’ve got to!”
Kevin Kietzman, 810 AM
GH: The Royals opened with a three-game road series in chilly Chicago and then have three more in Philly against a very good Phillies team they will have to face without a DH. That is not a Bill Snyder-esque schedule. Yes, it would be great to see the Royals get some wins this week, but the season isn’t over with a poor first week – even as much as KK would like it to be.

“If Billy Butler was here – and I consider him a friend, we’ve done some charity work together – he’d whack me over the head with a stick…but did he have extra clothes on [Monday] or what? I’m going to go ahead and say it – Butler’s not going to do what he did last year.”
Kevin Kietzman, 810 AM
GH: People who have celebrities as friends don’t feel the need to mention they have celebrities as friends. But I’m all for Butler whacking KK with a 34-ounce Louisville Slugger.

“I'm on a lonely island. I still think Alex Gordon has been a disappointment.”
Kevin Kietzman, 810
GH: Gordon is a two-time Gold Glove winner and the Royals’ best hitter after Butler. He is also a high-character person who is just entering his peak years as a baseball player. Gordon’s biggest sin when it comes to Kietzman is he played his college years at Nebraska. Nothing – and I mean nothing makes KK see red like a link to the hated Cornhuskers.

“I want everybody to know that I think Alex Gordon is a good player… Alex Gordon is the General Manager’s or the statistician’s dream! I need Alex to hit. When I watch him he looks like he LOVES to walk!”
Kevin Kietzman, 810 AM
GH: When Danny Clinkscale disputed KK’s claim [yes, he did] with some facts – like Gordon had 73 walks in 721 plate appearances in 2012, KK said, “One out of 10 times?” and then quickly went to commercial.

“I’m really, really concerned that Eric Hosmer is a project right now.”
Kevin Kietzman, 810 AM
GH: If Hosmer and Moustakas don’t turn into the players we all hoped they would become, the Royals are in for some more rotten summers. But these are the guys the Royals drafted, developed and told us would make a difference. I am not ready to give up on them or this season just because the squad is 0-2. This – April and hope -- are all Royals fans have. We have the summer to bemoan our fate if this team heads south. But April is for rooting, hoping and thinking things could be different. KK wants to steal that from you, from me. Well, not gonna happen to this guy.

“Sometimes you get it right, Jack. A little trial and error goes a long way.”
Kevin Kietzman, responding to Jack Harry complimenting KK for having a wife who will be watching the Final Four with him in a tiki hut while they are on their island vacation, 810 AM
GH: A not-so-subtle shot at the mother of KK’s kids? Classy move for a radio host with a 50,000-watt microphone and an ex with a radio.

GregHall24@yahoo.com and Twitter / greghall24

The list of vanquished foes Kevin Kietzman has buried over his 17-year career in Kansas City sports talk radio is longer than a Nate Bukaty question. Kietzman began his transition from Fox 4’s third-string television reporter to an afternoon sports shock jock first by knocking off 980’s thought-to-be-unbeatable Don Fortune with the wet noodle day-timer station KCTE 1510.

The late-but-not-great Jerry Green, Union Broadcasting’s initial money man, bought one of Kansas City’s most iconic radio signals in 1999 and moved Kietzman and his clan from a signal that went off the air when the wind blew to the 50,000-watt WHB 810. Many have tried to knock KK from his lofty perch as KC’s sports talk king but all have failed. All. And there are some big names in that casket. Jason Whitlock, Bill Maas, Roger Twibell, Danny Boatright and Soren Petro all joined Fortune as those who have taken Kietzman on and lost.

610’s The Big Show is the latest casualty of the Kietzman Kurse. Starting next week, The Big Show will be replaced during the 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM slot by moving Danny Parkins and Carrington Harrison from their midday show to afternoon drive. Jayice Pearson will remain as the only remnant from The Big Show and will attempt to blend his NFL ego with the two 20-somethng KC radio rookies.

Josh Vernier, the former glue for The Big Show’s triple-headed monstrosity, has already been moved out of his chair to replace Robert Ford as 610’s Royals’ pre- and post-game host. Jay Binkley, he of humble radio beginnings from his Three Guys In A Garage podcast, will move from The Big Show to middays to partner with a new 610 talent, Henry Lake from Minneapolis’ KFAN.

It was Lake who leaked the news that 610’s Big Show was about to blow. He posted on his Facebook page that he was moving to Kansas City to take over middays on 610. This nugget started the rumor mills churning and eventually revealed 610’s new programming scheme that is planned to be officially announced on Monday, April 8^th.

Henry Lake had been with KFAN since December of 1997. His bio page presents him as a fun-loving black dude who states, “I feel like Shaquille O’Neal, if you don’t like Henry Lake, something is wrong with you.” You can follow Lake on Twitter at @lakeshow73. His Twitter bio reads, “Sports radio talking head at 610 Sports Radio in Kansas City, lover of food, fashion, hip hop, and member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity!”

GregHall24@yahoo.com and Twitter / greghall24

“Former Missouri running back Derrick Washington, who was convicted of sexually assaulting a former tutor in 2011 and is a registered sexual offender, will be given a workout with the Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday.”
Jeffrey Flanagan, Foxsportskansascity.com
GH: I had great hopes for Washington’s career when I watched him play at Ray-Pec High School. I thought he was going to be a great one. Read on.

“According to a report in the Columbia (Mo.) Daily Tribune about Washington's trial, his former tutor, a 24-year-old University of Missouri graduate at the time, told the jury she was asleep June 19, 2010, in her apartment after a night of drinking when she was awoken by a man sexually touching her in her bed. The newspaper also reported that she said Washington shared a ‘friends with benefits’ relationship with her roommate and was known to visit the apartment during the early morning.”
Jeffrey Flanagan, Foxsportskansascity.com
GH: That proved to be one very costly error in judgment for Washington. He was soon kicked off Mizzou’s team and out of school.

“But Derrick has been very forthcoming about what has happened. He has always maintained his innocence. He has been willing to talk about everything about his past with teams who are interested.”
Matt Marino, Washington’s agent, Foxsportskansascity.com
GH: Derrick and his family believe he was wronged in this ordeal. I have personally heard from his mother and her belief that her son is innocent. I let her know I disagreed. What any of us believe now is irrelevant. Washington was convicted, sentenced and served his time. He appears to be attempting to move on.

“He's a good kid who just messed up, he's been a model kid [here at Tuskegee]. I don't bring bad kids into any program. My reputation as a coach goes well past this place and no one has ever questioned the kids I bring in. Derrick's a good kid. He spent 120 days in prison. That changes a person.”
Willie Slater, head football coach at Tuskegee, where Washington played his senior season and was a finalist for the Harlon Hill Award [the DII Heisman], Foxsportskansascity.com
GH: The odds of Washington making the Chiefs or any NFL roster are long. But getting a second chance in life at his age is one I hope he takes advantage of and prospers.

“I don’t think he’s back at Mizzou next year.”
Soren Petro, on Phil Pressey’s pending decision to enter the NBA draft or return to Mizzou for his senior season, 810 AM
GH: The overwhelming info I can gather seems to point to Pressey not returning to MU. I hope that information is wrong. Flip looks to me to be in need of another year of college – and not just to hone his basketball acumen.

“I personally would go back and be a finished product.”
Doug Gottlieb, responding to Petro’s above comment on Pressey, 810 AM

“Let me finish! You’ve got a couple of more hours to rant and rave about this. I have limited time!”
Doug Gottlieb, after Soren Petro repeatedly cut in on and talked over his comments to disagree with Gottlieb’s takes on Phil Pressey returning to MU or turning pro and comparing Pressey’s game to Trey Burke’s, 810 AM
GH: I listened to this give and take between Petro and Gottlieb Tuesday afternoon and I almost applauded when Doug yelled at Petro for cutting him off and verbally bullying him. Gottlieb expressed exactly what I was thinking at the time – I listen to the Gottlieb segment on The Program to hear Gottlieb’s takes, not Petro’s. Sure, I want Petro to challenge Gottlieb in his interview but Petro seems to think his view is so important that he needs to shout down his guest. Newsflash to Petro – you ain’t all that – no matter what your fan boys are telling you.

“I am transferring to another school and will be getting released [Wednesday]. Love this team no matter what!!! I learned a lot here!!”
Rio Adams, @WarLordRio, KU reserve freshman guard, Twitter
GH: Everyone saw this coming and it should not reflect poorly on Kansas or Adams. I think college athletes should have as much freedom to change schools as their coaches. It is up to the players’ parents to provide direction as to when it is smart to go or stay. I think that is one reason college coaches like recruiting underprivileged kids from one-parent families. Those kids have fewer options when it comes to bolting.

“He probably got the message that there won’t be a lot of playing time. He may want to go somewhere else.”
Jack Harry, on Adams decision to leave KU, KSHB TV 41
GH: Rio Adams has some game. If Harry was attempting to paint him as not good enough to play at Kansas, he is simply wrong. Painting athletes who transfer as the problem is how Mike Rice and Rutgers happens.

“In case you followed it during the tournament, [Rio Adams] was the one that did the cereal eating after the Iowa State loss. So, [that] may be one of the ways you know the guy.”
Christa Dubill, news anchor, KSHB TV 41
GH: Jack Harry and Dubill’s co-anchor, Mark Clegg, uncomfortably stared at Dubill and then politely moved on. Christa was a bit out of her comfort zone with this one but I found her contributions at least as accurate and entertaining as Mad Jack’s.

“Former Kansas State guard Wally Judge, now a junior at Rutgers, told ESPN that Rice never put hands on him and that practices were harder at K-State.”
Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star
GH: I can only imagine a videotape of Frank Martin’s practices after seeing his disgraceful antics in front of a full house and network television cameras. Bozos like Rice and Martin need to be sent out of education and into an occupation where their coworkers can kick their ass if they want to play bully.

“I’m not going to watch it. I very rarely watch the last game. I’ve probably only watched a couple of them, unless it ended in a win. I won’t watch this one. I’ve replayed it in my head, like I’m sure all the players have of what happened and what went wrong.”
Bill Self, on not wanting to view the season-ending loss to Michigan, Lawrence Journal-World
GH: In any other business [most anyway], examining your mistakes and learning from your losses is how you prevent repeating them. I think Self is wrong in not wanting to examine where he might have improved his team’s chances to win. Sometimes you have to shelve your ego to get better.

“I’m going to tell you, I don’t think anybody wants to see the behind the scenes of the practices at their [college] program. … I don’t think anybody wants to see the cow getting hit in the melon for their marbleized steak.”
Soren Petro, on the Mike Rice firing at Rutgers, 810 AM
GH: Are most coaches rougher on their players than a chemistry teacher is on his class? Yes. But I don’t believe most of these coaches are firing basketballs off their players’ noggins or calling them MF’ers. Those who are need to be exposed and banned from the game.

“If she's the best on the board, we'll take her. If we have the 60th pick and she's on the board, we still might take her. I've thought about it already. Would I do it? And right now, I'd lean toward yes, just to see if she can do it."
Mark Cuban, on drafting Baylor’s Brittney Griner, Dallas Morning News
GH: No way Dallas or any NBA team drafts Griner. No way.

“[Yu] Darvish said he realized he had a perfect game going around the fifth inning because none of his teammates were sitting by him in the dugout. That was also about the same time the Astros realized they were in trouble too as Houston players started donning rally caps in a game that was 1-0 at the time.”
Anthony Andro, after the Rangers’ pitcher gave up a ground-ball single up the middle with two out in the ninth, FoxSports.com
GH: Rally caps in the fifth? Now that is respect!

GregHall24@yahoo.com and Twitter / greghall24

“It was like watching Sporting! I don’t mean to be mean but they can’t score!”
Kevin Kietzman, immediately following the Royals’ opening day 1-0 loss in Chicago, 810 AM
GH: Kietzman went off about the Royals’ loss like they had just gone 0-forApril. It was comical to listen to the height of hysteria he attempted to create around the Royals losing their first game of the season. Read on.

“Do you have any faith that they can beat good pitching at any point?”
Kevin Kietzman, to Danny Clinkscale, 810 AM
GH: Clink responded like a battered wife by whimpering, “Not yet...” KK then went into his peacock mode when he told us how right he had been about the Royals’ spring-training wins and impressive offensive numbers would all fade once the season started. He laid out maybe my favorite KK quote of the year – and it’s only April…

“I am on a ridiculous professional role! I’m gonna tell you – this [Royals] team is not going to hit this year!”
Kevin Kietzman, 810 AM
GH: For some reason KK thinks he has been the Nostradamus of KC sports talk radio of late. I fail to understand why.  He has spent three months screaming into his microphone that the Chiefs should draft Geno Smith with their first pick. He told us no one was going to beat Kansas in the NCAA tourney. He told K-State fans there was no way the Wildcats would share the Big 12 conference title with KU. In November he said Frank Haith’s team was better this year than last year. At least Kietz got the “ridiculous” part right.

“It’s frustrating! It’s not frustrating that they lost – it’s frustrating how they lost!”
TJ Carpenter, 810 AM
GH: Carpenter’s show followed KK’s which followed the news of the Royals’ loss. TJ picked up where KK left off by basically taking Kietzman’s all-is-lost attitude about the Royals losing to the White Sox to a whole ‘nother level. Read on.

“This is the same problem they are going to continue to have. Offensively they can’t hit with runners in scoring position. You can’t win any games!”
TJ Carpenter, 810 AM
GH: So now the Royals are going winless in 2013?

“[Billy Butler] just swings away at everything!”
TJ Carpenter, 810 AM
GH: So Butler went from our All-Star and best hitter to Frenchy in just one game?

“Mike Moustakas should have been responsible for at least four runs!”
TJ Carpenter, 810 AM
GH: It was 40 degrees with a north wind blowing off Lake Michigan that would chill a penguin.  Chris Sale, one of the best young lefties in the AL, was twirling a gem on the mound. So Moose should have had at least four ribbies? The game ain’t that easy, Carp.

“It’s nine innings! You and Kietzman before you sound like…”
Caller to Carpenter’s Royals’ postgame show, complaining about the overreaction from KK and Carp on the Royals’ opening-day loss, 810 AM
GH: TJ cut this dude off and ended his phone call instead of engaging him in a meaningful debate. Few things in talk radio are more upsetting to me than a host who refuses to invite and engage in differing opinions than their own. For all of his talent and experience, Kevin Kietzman has never learned the art of how to deal on the air with those who call his bluff. It is sad to think that weakness has been passed on to the new guy.

“The expectation level has been set. Once you have one, you can’t go back and say, ‘Hey, it’s just one game!’ To say that’s it’s just one game is a baseball cliché that I think baseball fans fall back on far too often.”
TJ Carpenter, 810 AM
GH: After the caller attempted to take Carp to task for being such a downer after one nine-inning game, TJ went into untra-defensive mode. Read on.

“Those one games pile up big time! 13 games from now – if they’ve dug themselves a huge hole – it’s not just one game anymore, is it?”
TJ Carpenter, 810 AM

“It’s just one game. It’s just one game. That’s going to be everybody’s mantra. Look for patterns. You are what your record says you are and they’re winless.”
TJ Carpenter, 810 AM
GH: Rereading these quotes is humorous. He really came off as thinking all is lost one game into a 162-game season. Dial it back, Carp. You might want to pace yourself if you’re going to be around this Royals’ franchise for any length of time.

“I’m a long ways from coming out yay or nay [on the Wil Myers’ trade].”
Josh Vernier, 610 AM
GH: The hysteria was not left to only the guys on 810. Vernier, who is replacing Robert Ford on 610’s Royals postgame show, also was making some crazy statements. Glad he’s not ready to call the Myers’ trade a bust since Myers has yet to play in a big league game.

“It’s a nice start but I just have a sneaky suspicion that people are going to remember that 5-3 ground out to end the game.”
Josh Vernier, on the much-maligned Jeff Francoeur going 2-4 in the opener, 610 AM
GH: Frenchy just can’t win. I guess he and Moose should have both had 4 RBI and pitched the ninth.

“I think we’re going to be just fine.”
George Brett, in an interview Tuesday morning with Bob Fescoe, 610 AM
GH: It’s April 2^nd. I’ll go with #5 for now.

“So, OK. The Royals lost their season opener here, 1-0, because the White Sox had the better pitcher on Monday. … But, man. A year ago, Bruce Chen started the season opener. Then it was Luke Hochevar and Jonathan Sanchez. This year, Shields is followed by Ervin Santana and Jeremy Guthrie. Big difference, and we saw the first of it Monday when Shields gave up just one run in six innings.”
Sam Mellinger, Kansas City Star
GH: Big Game James was superb. Frenchy got two hits. The Royals had eight hits off a very good lefty. And the game went down to the last pitch in the ninth. That ain’t a reason to jump off of the Bond Bridge. But if KK is contemplating that dive…

“Solving a Royals team that beat them 12 of 18 times in 2012 is the first step for a Sox team trying to earn respect after finishing three games out of first place in the American League Central last season.”
Mark Gonzales, writer, Chicago Tribune
GH: The Royals handed Chris Sale three of his eight losses last season. So maybe beating the White Sox isn’t the key to the 2013 pennant.

“Fast ball, strike!”
Denny Matthews, calling Lorenzo Cain’s final at bat in the ninth, Royals Radio
GH: I listened to the final half inning of the Royals’ loss in Chicago on my Monday night commute home from the office. The score was 1-0 and Hosmer had reached base with the tying run. I love Denny Matthews’ voice. Moreso probably because I have listened to him call Royals’ games since 1969. But he can be maddeningly lazy with his play-by-play calls. Did Cain swing and miss? Was the pitch inside at the knees? Out on the black at the letters? “Fast ball, strike,” just doesn’t tell me enough when I am trying to recreate the game in my mind through Denny’s radio call. I don’t need every detail with every pitch – but I do in the ninth of a 1-0 game. Pick up your game, Denny. We deserve more even if you aren’t that interested anymore.

“The paint they use is the greenest in the industry.”
Frank Boal, in a radio commercial, 810 AM
GH: This radio commercial made me think, “What did Frank say?”

“I don’t know. I haven’t seen the movie.”
Nate Bukaty, after Kevin Harlan made a reference to the 2003 movie, Pirates of the Caribbean, 810 AM
GH: Not only did I think everyone over the age of 12 has seen POTC, but most also likely own the DVD. Nate continues to amaze us with his zest for the inside of a production truck.

GregHall24@yahoo.com and Twitter / gregahll24

“99.4%”
Jerry Palm, on his in-game percentage of Kansas holding their 14-point second-half lead over Michigan, CBSsports.com
GH: The win for KU seemed even more secure than that. With 1:16 left KU still led 74-66. It was not. Read on.

“I didn’t know Elijah played like that. I don’t know him or anything. I was just setting a screen for Trey [Burke] and he came up and whacked me right in the crotch. He used his fist. He dropped me.”
Mitch McGary, Michigan’s freshman post player, KUSports.com
GH: I sat in a Buffalo Wild Winds in Blue Springs, MO watching the first half of the Kansas/ Michigan game. Surprisingly, at least half of the restaurant’s crowd was pro-Kansas. The mood changed once Elijah Johnson was shown over and over on the multitude of big screens tightening his first as he approached McGary’s stationary screen and delivering a sharp uppercut blow to his scrotum. It was obvious to all that Johnson intentionally punched an opponent in the nuts – inside of the game’s first two minutes. Johnson was now a cheap-shot artist who many KU fans were glad to see be relegated to the bench with foul trouble.

“[Elijah Johnson] made a really poor decision to start the game.”
Bill Self, on Johnson hitting UM’s McGary in the testicles, 610 AM
GH: There are few acts sneakier, cheaper and less manly in sports than intentionally sack tapping a defenseless opponent. And this was not a “tap.” This was a punch to the nuts. Johnson had a chance to be contrite and save at least a bit of his discarded character when following the game he was asked to explain. He instead chose to reveal more of his flawed inner being. Read on.

“It wasn’t intentional. Coach [Bill Self] asked me if I did it and I didn’t know what he was talking about.”
Elijah Johnson, KUSports.com
GH: Done. Finished. Kaput. Elijah Johnson simply is not the man I had hoped he was. Those who choose to ignore that fact simply are exacerbating the problem that other enablers of his have done to lead us to his sad end.

“A career with so much promise isn’t supposed to end like this. Johnson is a thoughtful young man who sacrificed for his team and in a moment of stupidity — he’ll later say he didn’t realize what he did — smacked a Michigan forward between the legs and allowed millions of strangers to judge him in an entirely different light. His college basketball career is over, and he’ll never again get this stage to leave people with a better memory. … The most clear-thinking fans will keep in mind that Johnson is a college senior. Twenty-two years old. But the questions will keep coming. This is the way it works, the flip side of all that adulation and the magazine covers.”
Sam Mellinger, columnist, Kansas City Star
GH: Why is it the fans who must be clear thinking but the 22-year-old senior who had played more minutes in the NCAA tourney than any other player this year is allowed to have “a moment of stupidity?” Was it stupidity or simply EJ revealing to the college basketball world that he is not worthy of our concern? Consider if Trey Burke had been caught on video 90 seconds into the game punching Jeff Withey in the jewels. How would Mellinger react to the outrage we would rightly feel for Burke and the Michigan program? Maybe he would choose to cuddle Burke as well. He would be wrong.

“Elijah Johnson deserves this moment, this scrutiny, this catcall. Look, I'm not big on singling out a college kid and pinning a loss, especially a loss as devastating as this one, on one guy. But Johnson singled himself out early in the game, slapped a bull's-eye onto his back by slapping McGary between the legs as he went by with 18:15 left in the first half. … Because Elijah Johnson lost this game for Kansas. He did this.”
Gregg Doyel, columnist, cbssports.com
GH: Doyel isn’t piling on a student athlete here – he is standing above the apologists and calling Johnson a lowlife. That’s pretty much what guys who punch other guys in the nuts during a basketball game are – lowlifes. And Johnson didn’t just do this to himself. He also besmirched the uniform he wore and the proud tradition that is Kansas basketball. I have never felt the same about Nebraska football after Lawrence Phillips tossed his girlfriend down the stairs and was allowed to rejoin the team. It changed how many in the nation looked at Tom Osborne and the Huskers – and it should have. EJ’s nut shot isn’t akin to LP’s sins, but it made a very proud program look very, very cheap on a very, very big stage.

“Kansas had the game in the bag. So how did they lose it? Karma. Had to be karma.”
Tom Keegan, KUSports.com

“I said, ‘What do you guys want to do?’ Travis [Releford, 16 points] and those guys said, ‘Let’s shoot a three and win it.’ Then I said, ‘Or let’s drive it.’ I think it was one of those things we were all on the same page leaving the time out. I don’t think that situation was the right time to intentionally clip off a three.”
Bill Self, KUSports.com
GH: Self may have thought his team was all on the same page but one teammate was not. The same one who seemed all year to be playing for himself rather than Coach Self. Elijah Johnson.

“Why didn’t he shoot the layup when he was going to the basket?!”
Bob Davis, on his call of Johnson’s decision to pass to Tharpe, Jayhawk Radio Network

“Asked to describe KU's plans for that last play, [Naadir] Tharpe said: ‘Elijah to get to the basket.’”
Nick Krug, writer, KUSports.com

“I thought [Johnson] could get to the rim. He got his shoulders past him. But for whatever reason, he veered behind the backboard and really didn’t give himself a shot.”
Bill Self, on Elijah Johnson’s decision to not shoot the layup to tie the game, KUSports.com

“Yeah, I passed up a shot to try and get a better one.”
Elijah Johnson, when asked why he passed the ball back to Tharpe, 610 AM
GH: Sounds a lot like his explanation as to why he punched McGary in the junk.

“If you can think of a more disastrous individual performance in one game in any sport than Elijah Johnson… At the end of the day this [loss] comes down to one person and one person only – and that’s Elijah Jonson. … Pull your head out of your ass!”
Bob Fescoe, as he recounted Johnson’s late-game meltdown against Michigan, 610 AM
GH: Elijah Johnson did some great things at Kansas and for Kansas in his four-year career. He undid each and every one of them in one night.

“Bill Self has to take some of the blame. He didn’t counteract when things started to slide. They just continued to do what they do.”
Josh Klingler, 610 AM
GH: Self told us all season that Johnson was his guy and they he was sticking with him. He refused to see what was building here in his senior point guard. He suffered a Lin Elliott-like collapse because of either his loyalty or indecision. Both proved to be fatal in the waning minutes against Michigan.

“That was probably one of the most exciting and memorable weekends for a Wolverines fan.”
Michigan Caller, to Tim Brando’s Show on Sirius XM
GH: Well, there is that side of the game. Each team’s misery is another team’s highlight video.

“Who would have thought it would be the Shockers in the Final Four from the state of Kansas?”
Kevin Harlan, 810 AM
GH: Not I. Not you. Congrats to Wichita State and their great fan base. Go win this sucker.

“Today Kevin Ware broke his leg and Twitter lost its mind. … Ware's injury was the story of the Louisville-Duke game, but what was also interesting was the online morality play that unspooled in the immediate moments after Ware's injury. Several sites, including SB Nation and USA Today, refused to post a gif of the injury, CBS elected not to replay the injury at halftime, Pete Thamel of SI Tweeted a link to a story about Kevin Ware's recruitment getting Central Florida on probation, and when I tweeted the video link to Ware's injury some reacted as if I'd just passed out Easter eggs laced with Ebola to neighborhood children.”
Clay Travis, columnist, Outkickthecoverage.com
GH: I agree with Travis’ take on the insane protectiveness displayed by so many in the media [and outside it] over Ware’s broken leg. Read on.

“So when I watched this video -- that I couldn't find anywhere else including the CBS halftime show -- I made the immediate decision to retweet it so others who hadn't seen it live could watch it anew. I did this knowing that the Twitter fauxrage was already strong and that I'd likely get angry responses. But even I was shocked by the number of angry responses I received. That's even though I tweeted a warning to those that might be squeamish that it was a graphic injury. It's not my job to decide what you choose to watch or read. The only decision I made was this, ‘Would I want someone to link this video if they had my job and I followed them on Twitter?’ And I would, I'd want the opportunity to see the injury for myself. So I linked it.”
Clay Travis, columnist, Outkickthecoverage.com
GH: It is news. Graphic news, yes. But treating the public like they are third graders is not the media’s decision to make. As for Ware’s privacy? He has none. Sorry, it is the life he chose.

“If you think it's in poor taste to watch a basketball injury, that's fine, but why should your opinion dictate the ability of others to view or read something? That's the most frustrating and scary thing about the fauxrage crowd, they want to censor what others can see, hear, or experience. I don't understand -- and probably never will understand -- why people aren't just content not to watch or read things that they don't like and let other people make their own decisions for themselves. If you're an adult, make your own decision, don't be a censorship sheep. I will always fight the censorship sheep. Always and forever.”
Clay Travis, columnist, Outkickthecoverage.com

“There is absolutely no loyalty and no integrity being practiced by these individuals who govern these institutions of higher learning. The president of UCLA and the president of all these institutions should be telling their athletic directors, ‘We don’t work that way.’ What are they preaching at these institutions about loyalty and integrity? It rings so hollow. So very hollow.”
Tim Brando, after UCLA hired Steve Alford away from New Mexico, just days after Alford had signed a 10-year extension, Sirius XM
GH: Brando’s main gripe was that UCLA never asked New Mexico’s permission to court Alford. NCAA institutions merely expect loyalty and integrity from their students and student athletes. Within their own ranks, it devolves into monkeys dressed up in suits.

“What I want every year for this group of players is to reach their ceiling.”
Dayton Moore, when asked by Kevin Kietzman what his goal is for the Royals this season, 810 AM
GH: Wow, shooting for the moon, eh Dayton? What I want every year is for Royals fans to not have to contemplate swinging from a ceiling.

GregHall24@yahoo.com and Twitter / greghall24

“This is the time to go out and watch the Royals because I really do believe we’re going to be in contention in August. I really think it’s a nice team. It should be a lot of fun. You know I always tell you the truth. I’m excited. I really think they’re going to do well this year. If the pitching stays healthy, we will be exciting this year.”
Mike Boddicker, 810 AM
GH: It is late March. Once again Kansas is the Big 12’s only hope still alive in the NCAA tourney. Scott from Scott’s Fertilizer is on every radio dial I turn to telling me it’s time to “Feed It!” And the Royals are returning from Arizona looking like contenders. But this feels different. I know, I know – we have felt different before – remember JoPo’s annual preseason columns? But there is no denying that the two best starters from last season’s Opening Day are now in the Royals’ bullpen. THAT is different. Even Sluggerrr has a different persona this season.

“I have to almost pinch myself here and be realistic but they have a chance to be competitive this year. I think it’s going to be difficult to overcome the Detroit Tigers, however a lot of things can happen. Yes, I’m very excited. I think for the first time in a long time the Royals have a chance to be competitive, especially in the second half of the year.”
Jeff Montgomery, 810 AM
GH: Is competitive enough for a fan base who waved good-bye to maybe the best offensive prospect in baseball when the Royals sent Wil Myers to Tampa for James Shields and Wade Davis? Yes – if competitive means a pennant race in August and September. It has simply been too long.

“I think the show from the franchise that you’re serious about contending is really important. I think the response of the fans in addition to that is really important too. I think that’s what we’re seeing with the Royals. If they just improve and don’t make the playoffs, I still think [the Wil Myers /James Shields and Wade Davis trade] was a good move for them, because you have to change the thinking in the way the Orioles did for example. You need to get this great fan base out of this dormant state.”
Buster Olney, ESPN MLB writer, 810 AM
GH: How great is the Kansas City Royals’ dormant fan base? We really do not know. We [some of us old farts anyway] can remember a city that was enthralled with baseball from April through October. Does some of that love for baseball still burn in Lee’s Summit, Leawood, Liberty and Lenexa? Oh, I think it does. I think it burns bright.

“I’m usually the guy saying un uh.”
Mike Boddicker, on his past pessimism about the Royals, 810 AM
GH: Boddicker is predicting a lofty 89 wins for the Boys in Blue this summer. As Paul McCartney so eloquently once sang – “Let It Be. And in my hour of darkness she is standing right in front of me.
Speaking words of wisdom, let it be.” Do you think Paul was talking about Big Game James?

“Yes, I'm drinking the KoolAid but these #Royals might make some noise this year, spring ball has been good and pieces coming together.”
Eric Langhosrt, @ELanghorst, Liberty Public Schools history teacher and Royals fan, Twitter

“It’s going to be very cold in Chicago on Monday for the Royals’ opener.”
Gary Lezak, 810 AM
GH: The forecast for Chicago on Monday is cloudy with a high in the upper 30s. Ouch! Great weather to watch the game from your couch.

“Is there a new cover on Sports Illustrated this week? Not that I believe in jinxes but there’s a new issue on the newsstands this week – so let’s go. [Ben McLemore] will be fine.”
Bob Davis, radio voice of the Jayhawks, when asked if he thinks the Kansas shooting guard will be able to bounce back from his disappointing performance at Sprint Center last week, 610 AM
GH: Some good news for Royals fans – Justin Verlander, the Detroit Tigers’ ace, graces the latest SI cover for their MLB preview edition.. . in the Detroit area. Here in KC? Yep, James Shields is the cover boy.

“The thing I’m most disappointed in is did you realize they are only seating 42,000 in there? In a stadium that seats 100,000.”
Bob Fescoe, on the Jerry Dome configuration for the Sweet 16 this weekend, 610 AM
GH: ONLY 42K? Is there anything in sports more unfair to college basketball fans than the NCAA demanding these Sweet 16 and Final Four games be played in football stadiums that have ridiculously poor sight lines for attendees who pay huge sums for a ticket? I wouldn’t attend one of these games if the tickets were free and I was promised a limo.

“How dare you guys question the Big 12 coach of the year?”
Jake Gutierrez, in mocking tone as The Border Patrol discussed Bruce Weber’s decision to not call a time out until the final two seconds of K-State’s loss to LaSalle, 810 AM

“Seriously, Shaka [Smart] makes great money at a great place that worships him and he's a young guy. Stop making big deal out of him staying!”
Fran Fraschilla, @franfraschilla, Twitter
GH: When the head coach at VCU turns down the UCLA job, it is a big deal. Something is wrong in Westwood. Something is very, very wrong.

“Florida Gulf Coast admissions apps are up 690%. Athletics site had over 500,000 hits.”
Pat Curran, @PWCurran, Twitter
GH: Crazy what television can do for your product.

“I'm still in shock. One of the most dramatic regular season games I've ever seen. Congrats to the Heat, that streak was just spectacular.”
Bill Simmons, @BillSimmons, after the Bulls halted the Heats’ NBA winning streak at 27 games, Twitter

“It felt like game seven of the NBA finals.”
Mike Greenberg, on the Heat/Bulls game Wednesday night in Chicago, ESPN Radio
GH: I loved how pissed the Heat players were as they left the court in Chicago. They WANTED that streak to continue. I loved how excited the Bulls and their fans were to end the streak. They danced on the streak’s grave. Just a great night for the NBA from both perspectives.

“There’s no way to put this delicately – it was a bad day at the Sporting News. Sources tell me that the Sporting News fired around 12 writers/editors today, and here’s a partial list of those who were let go: Brian Strauss, David Whitely, Steve Greenberg, Lisa Olson, Clifton Brown, Stan McNeal and Matt Crossman.”
Jason McIntyre, bigleadsports.com
GH: Journalism continues to take a hit in the pocketbook. I believe more people read newspapers, magazines and blogs than ever – but fewer pay for this service. So how do we fix this? I wish I had the answer.

“I’ve always loved writing more (than radio), it’s my calling. Whatever good things I have in my life professionally have been because of the Post-Dispatch. It has led to other opportunities. When I was a high-school kid, my dream was to be a writer. I’ve always wanted to be a writer. The stress of trying to do two jobs was too much. I don’t expect anyone to have sympathy, not at all, but I never could shut my brain down. I was constantly worrying about the next day’s show, waking up in the middle of the night and sending emails to my producer about this or that. It was starting to wear me out. I’m very intense about work and it was really, really difficult to be pulled in different directions, as much as I love (both). If I didn’t (drop one) it was going to be a matter of working 16 hours a day, seven days a week for the rest of my life. Nobody can maintain that pace.”
Bernie Miklasz, on why he decided to end his St. Louis sports talk radio show on KXFN when his contract expires at the end of April, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
GH: I never heard Miklasz’s radio show. I do know that many sports writers do not translate well to radio. Jason Whitlock was an exception. His personality was such that he created an audience despite his work ethic. But if Miklasz was working 16 hours a day to do both his radio and newspaper jobs, he was doing them wrong.

“I don’t think a blog ever has been done the way I think it should be at the Post-Dispatch. Blogs aren’t supposed to be once a day and long, they’re supposed to be frequently updated and short. So if there is breaking news they can click on (my blog) and I’ll fill them in on what’s going on and I’ll have an opinion or analysis. I envision, in effect, blogging all day long, with update after update after update.”
Bernie Miklasz, on his plans for his blog on the Dispatch’s website, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
GH: One thing I have learned about blogs is that there is no template for blogging. You do what works for you and your readers. What strikes me as odd in Miklasz’s definition of blogging is that he apparently is going to be working just as hard as he was when he was doing radio.

“Timing is everything and I wanted to step down while I know I can still do the job and be proud of the job I have done. This will be my 55th year [in baseball] and it's more than anyone could expect to ask for. I have many outside interests and I thought it would be appropriate to announce this was my last season. It's not a tough call. It's not a sad thing for me.”
Tim McCarver, on his decision to make this his last year as a MLB analyst for Fox, SI.com
GH: I know there is a HUGE contingent of viewers who despise McCarver’s TV work. I never hated him on Fox, I just never found him very interesting. His droning voice and inside-baseball insight were very easy to ignore.

“’Nobody will be missed in this weird business we are in more than Tim will be missed by me,’ said [Joe] Buck, who nearly broke down on the conference call when discussing McCarver.”
SI.com
GH: Can Tim take Joe with him?

“I am a wine aficionado and I want to learn more about that.”
Tim McCarver, speculating on how he plans to spend his retirement, SI.com
GH: And these guys wonder why the fan at home slamming Natty Lites can’t relate. Wednesday night during the Royals’ broadcast Rex Hudler told us how he likes to do his yoga workouts in a 105-degree sauna. Give me Mike McFarlane and his everyman ‘tude any day over a yoga pretzel or a wine aficionado.

“I feel old so you must feel ancient!”
Soren Petro, addressing Frank Boal, 810 AM

GregHall24@yahoo.com and Twitter / Greghall24

“It’s simple – if [Kansas] has another Ben McLemore game like you had on Sunday, Kansas’ tournament will end. You cannot win any of those [remaining] games with Ben McLemore basically taking the collar.”
Mike DeCourcy, on the ever-present problem of how and why Ben McLemore completely disappeared against North Carolina and ended up being benched for almost all of the second half and KU’s dramatic and emphatic comeback win, 10 AM
GH: There is no nice way to describe how McLemore was a no show against UNC. Taking the collar is one of the more damning. But it is also the fair way of explaining the unexplainable for the player many are calling the top NBA prospect in college basketball.

“If [McLemore] scores 25 they lose. … Kansas is basically playing with four guys who have been role players their whole career and one guy who is a star. Kansas isn’t going any farther unless Ben McLemore starts playing like a star.”
Jeff Chadiha, who believes McLemore must be a huge part of the Michigan game for Kansas to win, 810 AM

“[Ben McLemore] is not demanding the basketball. He’s not playing with the same level of brilliance that he had earlier in the year. It’s beyond comprehension that you guys can sit here and say that the NBA is not on his mind. … Just because [these one-and-done recruits like Xavier Henry, Josh Selby and McLemore] sign with Kansas doesn’t mean they automatically bleed blue and red.”
Jeff Chadiha, in an appearance on The Border Patrol, who believes McLemore’s disappearance in some games is due to his preoccupation with his NBA draft stock and future earnings, 810 AM
GH: Chadiha’s comments fueled the crimson and blue fire that burns deep in Nate Bukaty and Jake Gutierrez. Chadiha was very dismissive about Kansas’ chances against Michigan and how they would matchup against the Wolverines’ Trey Burke. Read on.

“[Trey Burke] is going to wear Elijah Johnson out! I think the better question is how many turnovers is Elijah Johnson going to have. Trey Burke is going to put 25 on him.”
Jeff Chadiha, 810 AM
GH: This cut, as delicious and rare as I found it to be on local radio, was too much for Bukaty – who quickly rushed to his Jayhawks’ defense.

“Ask [Ohio State’s] Aaron Craft how that worked out!”
Nate Bukaty, responding to Chadiha’s knock on EJ’s issues guarding Michigan’s Trey Burke by referring to KU’s win at Ohio State in December, 810 AM
GH: Bob Fescoe wears his KU colors on his sleeve, his pants and his underwear. We all know he is a KU homer from dawn to rust. The 810 staff is a bit more cautious about flaunting their school colors on the air. Kietzman is the most cautious about letting us see his allegiance and pretends to be partial. But Chadiha pushed Bukaty’s buttons too far and it resulted in some passionate sports talk for about ten minutes. A rare spot of honest to goodness real radio.

“I’ve already got the first email on how much they hate Jeff Chadiha.”
Aaron Swarts, 810 AM

“I thought it was a great exercise in how we all are protective of our teams. I thought it was great that Nate was sticking up for Kansas but on his bracket he has Michigan losing.”
Soren Petro, on the give and take between Chadiha and Bukaty, 810 AM

“There’s no correlation with [McLemore]. You just don’t know when he’s going to pick to not want be the guy. I don’t understand the psychology of his game. I have a harder time with him than any player I can remember watching.”
Mike DeCourcy, 810 AM
GH: I do not agree with Chadiha that his inconsistent play is due to his concern for his future in the NBA. I just think he’s a first-year player struggling with pressure. He would not be the first great prodigy to melt in the heat of Broadway’s lights.

“How do you motivate a guy [Ben McLemore] who is going to make $4 million next year? That’s Bill Self’s job. His number-one job has to be getting the best out of Ben McLemore, doesn’t it? … I don’t know what the answer is. I have no idea.”
Danny Parkins, 610 AM

 “You have to find a way to give [McLemore] confidence because right now he doesn’t have it.”
Carrington Harrison, 610 AM

“It’s a weak draft, one of the weakest in memory – and [McLemore] just happens to be at the top of it.”
Jake Gutierrez, 810 AM

“I think [KU/Michigan] is the most fun matchup in the Sweet 16. I’m like dang, do I really have to cover this Louisville game? I think Kansas/Michigan could be a fantastic game.”
Mike DeCourcy, 810 AM

Steve Berkowitz of USA TODAY Sports has compiled a list of the bonus structure for the 16 coaches whose teams have advanced to the Sweet 16. I posted Bill Self’s, Wichita State’s Gregg Marshall’s and FGCU’s Andy Enfield’s below. You can read the complete list here.

Kansas' Bill Self Has: $50,000: Big 12 regular-season title and $25,000: Big 12 tournament title
Can get: $150,000: Make Final Four and $200,000: NCAA title

Wichita State's Gregg Marshall Has: $20,000: Winning conference record, $20,000: 20-plus regular-season wins, $108,000: Gets $36,000 for each NCAA tournament game played, $60,000: Additional for round of 16
Can get: $108,000: $36,000 for each NCAA tournament game played, $100,000: Additional for Final Four, $200,000: Additional for NCAA title
GH: Marshall is very well paid at Wichita. I believe his total compensation is close to $2 million. Who would have thought that was possible at Wichita State?

Florida Gulf Coast's Andy Enfield Has: $5,000: NCAA tournament bid, $10,000: Round of 16
Can get: $15,000: Make Final Four, $20,000: NCAA final, $25,000: NCAA title
GH: Enfield gets the same bonus for winning the national championship that Bob Huggins gets for beating Kansas. Enfield needs a new agent.

“He would be in my opinion the right kind of guy to take on what UCLA demands. But I don’t know that he wants that now.”
Tim Brando, on Wichita State’s Gregg Marshall being a candidate for the UCLA job, Sirius XM 91
GH: Brando made the point that the quality of life that Marshall is experiencing in Wichita is greater than what he might have as UCLA’s coach. Fly over country scores from deep behind the wheat field!

GregHall24@yahoo.com and Twitter

“Wichita State hadn’t beaten a top-ranked team in 50 years, about the time [Gregg] Marshall was born. … This wasn’t about Gonzaga laying an egg and if any of the national pundits try to make you believe it is they’re being dishonest. This was about the Shockers. About a coach who was introduced earlier this week as Gregg Williams on a national talk show. About a town that was spelled ‘Whitchita’ by more than one so-called college basketball expert on Twitter, where the Shockers were trending for a while. Trending on Twitter. Oh my, my.”
Bob Lutz, columnist, Wichita Eagle
GH: With Mizzou’s awful showing against Colorado State and Kansas State’s heartbreaking failed comeback bid against LaSalle and Kansas’ throat-crushing rollover of Coach Roy’s Carolina – we here in Kansas City [and the local media] have mostly missed one of the NCAA tourney’s best stories. That school three hours down I-35 that none of the local big boys want to play is in the Sweet 16 – and they got there by rolling the region's number-one seed.

“Wichita State is leaving a trail of tears in the NCAA Tournament, headed to the Sweet 16 with a team that’s nothing close to sweet.… And after it ended, some of Gonzaga’s players cried, just as some of Pittsburgh’s players cried Thursday after the Panthers lost to WSU. A group Shocker coach Gregg Marshall often calls the nicest guys he’s ever coached has no conscience when it comes to playing basketball. … Nice? What the Shockers did to Gonzaga was cold-blooded.”
Bob Lutz, columnist, Wichita Eagle
GH: After losing twice to Creighton at the end of their season, the Shockers stand as the Missouri Valley representative to down a one seed and move on to the Sweet 16. Basketball in March can change lives quickly. Just ask the guys at FGCU.

“This year the Sweet 16 looks like one of the best Sweet 16’s we’ve ever had.”
Jim Boeheim, Syracuse’s head coach, ESPN Radio
GH: I love this year’s tourney. There is a great story at every turn and no team seems safe as we head to the weekend games that will give us the Final Four. I think Wichita State is going to shock the damn world and make it to Atlanta. I also like Louisville, Florida and Miami to join them. But I wouldn’t be surprised if those crazed dogs from FGCU rock the Gators and keeps their fairy tale alive.

“Lawrence middle school postpones Friday's dance because it conflicts w/KU Sweet 16 game.”
Rick Plumlee, @rickplumlee, Twitter
GH: There are dances and then there is The Dance. Well done, Lawrence Middle School.

“I thought Kansas was in big trouble at halftime.”
Dennis Dodd, as UNC took a nine-point lead into the half against Kansas, 810 AM

“I never thought Kansas would lose that game.”
Kevin Kietzman, 810 AM

“There was a time [during the Roy Williams’ era] when Kansas wanted to play 92-90 games as often as they could.”
Kevin Kietzman, 810 AM
GH: I don’t remember Coach Roy settling for giving up 90, but I understand KK’s point. Roy Williams coaches a lot different than Bill Self – and there was a time that some Jayhawk fans were bothered by that. It is hard not to like watching a Roy Williams team. But it is Kansas’ stifling defense that has it two wins from another Final Four. Jeff Withey is simply a huge problem for the opposition to solve.

“I have got to believe that ultimately Withey is going to be the difference [when Kansas meets Michigan].”
Dan Dakich, ESPN college basketball analyst, 810 AM

“[Trey Burke] is like Barry Sanders with a basketball. He changes directions quick!”
Dan Dakich, ESPN college basketball analyst, on Michigan’s excellent sophomore point guard, 810 AM
GH: Frank Haith should make Phil Pressey watch nothing but Trey Burke videos all off-season. “This is who you could be, Flip.”

“The KU haters all want to say the same thing, ‘they’re just so lucky!’ That’s just a million miles from the case. I’m not selling this team short – I’m sorry. Who’s going to beat them?”
Kevin Kietzman, 810 AM
GH: The Kevin Kietzman reverse psychology is in full effect as we move to the second weekend of the tourney. In Kietz’s mind, anything less than a national title would be an embarrassment for Kansas. I just don’t think KK’s heart is really where he pretends it to be when it comes to Big Blue. He would be so much more believable if he went Nebraska on his hated rival.

“Overall, damn refreshing from my standpoint.”
Dennis Dodd, on covering Ole Miss’ controversial shooting guard, Marshall Henderson, this past weekend at Sprint Center, 810 AM
GH: Dodd’s job is to cover stories. Marshall Henderson maybe a total ass of a human but he is one helluva great story. But refreshing? I would go with sad.

“There’s no reason [UMKC] shouldn’t be a mid-major household name.”
Kareem Richardson, current Louisville assistant and the Roos new hire for their men’s basketball program, 810 AM
GH: Every few years UMKC changes head coaches and tell us this is the guy. This is the reason to Roo Up! Every few years we listen, wait and end up being disappointed. Richardson thinks he can make a difference – and he should know since he has sat on the UMKC bench as an assistant. I am just about Roo’ed out, though.

“I have had a minimum of five high school coaches come up to me and say, ‘why won’t UMKC recruit my guy?’ There’s plenty of talent in Kansas City to go around.”
Steven St. John, 810 AM
GH: Creighton and Wichita State do not rely on local talent to compete in DI basketball. Sure, there are some pieces in Kansas City that can help UMKC but Richardson will fail if he tries to stay within 100 miles to do his recruiting. Recruiting local talent is nothing more than a feel-good story when it comes to the media. To win and be a “mid-major household name,” UMKC will need to attract talent from across the Midwest and nationally.

“We were 1-11, right?”
Charlie Weis, when asked if we can expect a lot of new faces in the KU football lineup next fall, Hawk Talk

GregHall24@yahoo.com and Twitter / greghall24

“I know it's a home game for KU, but overall Self has built a better program at KU than Roy has at UNC. Never would've believed this 10 yrs ago.”
Jason Whitlock, @WhitlockJason, after Kansas awoke in the second half and embarrassed UNC 70-58, Twitter
GH: Bill Self and his Jayhawks celebrated the 10-year anniversary of Roy Williams’ decision to leave Kansas for Carolina by sending Roy’s Boys home yet again from the NCAA tourney. While it started out as scary for the Jayhawks, it ended with the kind of beating KU has been known for when they face Williams under Self. If Self’s program better than Roy’s? They’re both pretty solid.

“He might can’t play this game.”
Charles Barkley, suggesting that Bill Self might have to bench Jeff Withey in the second half of the Carolina game, TBS
GH: I know everyone likes Sir Charles as an irreverent NBA analyst on TBS. I do as well. But this big guy is so out of his element talking college hoops that it is embarrassing. He spent most of Thursday and Friday telling us how Big 10 basketball was overrated. When he suggested that Withey needed to be benched, he really looked ridiculous. All Withey did in the second half against the Heels was raise his NBA draft stock about ten slots as he dominated the paint on both the offensive and defensive sides of the court.

“I have no clue how Jeff Withey scores or gets O boards. By far the easiest of all the Big men I had to guard last season.”
Kim English, @Englishscope24, former Missouri Tiger, Twitter
GH: English owned Withey in their two encounters last season – so it is understandable as to why he is perplexed by Withey’s dominance. But Withey has been Kansas most important player this season. He makes it almost impossible for KU’s opponent’s to drive the lane and score. Carolina repeatedly challenged the Big Whiff and came away empty. If KU makes the Final Four, it will be due to Withey, not the gifted but inconsistent Ben McLemore.

“I’d probably have McLemore as No. 1 on my draft board, and the kid can’t hit a shot in the tournament. Weakest class in a decade.”
Peter Fleischer, @Peter_Fleischer, Twitter
GH: Wow, how does the number-one pick in the NBA draft go ghost in the second-round game against UNC on virtually his home court?

“With that being said... TRob, Mook and Keef and Cole Aldrich were warriors on the block. Danny Manning was a good big man coach.”
Kim English, @Englishscope24, Twitter
GH: Love from a Tiger to the Jayhawks? There is hope!

“KU treats Bill Self like the Yankees treat its players w/no All-Star Bonuses. Self, making $3.8M, doesn't get bonus until Final 4.”
Darren Rovell, @darrenrovell, Twitter
GH: Somebody tell the West Virginia AD, who pays Coach Huggins a $25K bonus if he beats Kansas. Kind of puts the two programs in perspective, doesn’t it?

“Nice comeback by #KU. Not to be a wet blanket, but many teams have whipped #unc this year. Even Texas beat them by 18, UM will be tough.”
Todd Leabo, @Leabonics, Twitter
GH: I caught wind of a number of local media types who seemed less than enamored with KU’s easy win over Carolina. Jack Harry let the Jayhawk fans know that the rest of the tourney would not include any more “home games.”

“Nothing bad has happened to KU in the Dallas area this year, has it?”
Mick Shaffer, @mickshaffer, Twitter
GH: While there are plenty of KU backers in the local media, there are just as many who wouldn’t mind seeing the Hawks tumble.

“Lucky I had a chance to work a game with the great Marv Albert & Steve Kerr. Kerr is one of the most insightful commentators there is.”
Jake Gutierrez, @JakeGuti, Twitter
GH: I don’t know if Jake sends these tweets out to appease his coworkers and feather his network nest, but if he thinks Marv is “great,” he’s channeling 1975. Marv had no idea at times who was on the court for Kansas.

“Marv is lost.”
Nate Bukaty, tweeting during the KU/UNC broadcast, Twitter
GH: I hope Nate and Jake discussed their difference of opinion on Marv’s work on the air today. I am in Camp Nate on this one.

“I love Dickie V. Sorry. I'm biased because twice as a young sportswriter, he returned my calls.”
Joanna Chadwick, @joannachadwick, Kansas high school sports writer, Twitter
GH: Chadwick is a decorated high school writer on the Kansas side who I enjoy following on Twitter. My question is should Dickie V. or a coach get preferred treatment from a writer because they paid attention to you as a cub reporter or were nice to you in an interview? The answer is no. A journalist should write with their audience’s best interest in mind – not their subject’s.

“It was no set play. We were just playing. We just tried to make a play and it came up short.”
Rodney McGruder, when asked if they ran a set play in the final seconds, 810 AM

“All year we’ve just tried to make a play down the stretch [without calling time out]. Once we saw it was clogged up I tried to call a time out. But the officials were focusing on the game. I looked at the clock, there was 2.2 [seconds remaining]. I yelled as loud as I could. You know, well we didn’t get the call. I guess sometimes things just aren’t meant to be.”
Bruce Weber, following the Wildcats loss to LaSalle, 810 AM
GH: Just an absolute bonehead move by Weber. He cost his team a real chance at an historic comeback win for the ages.

“I don’t have a problem with [Bruce Weber] not calling time out [to set up a play at the end of the K-State/LaSalle] game.”
Stan Weber, 810 AM
GH: Stan must be made of the same substance as Gumby because he leans over backward in all attempts NOT to say anything that might be construed as critical toward the Kansas State team or coaching staff. Coach Weber obviously erred in not calling a timeout – even he realized he screwed up by trying to get the referee’s attention as Angel Rodriguez went into his ill-fated shot from behind the backboard. Stan has a great deal of sports knowledge and insight – especially when discussing Kansas State. But his efforts to cover coaching errors of this magnitude weaken his credibility for me.

“Like coach said, we didn’t have any energy.”
Rodney McGruder, following the loss to LaSalle, 810 AM
GH: How does Kansas State come out in front of that home crowd in Kansas City and not have any energy? I am stunned that McGruder would cop to this plea.

“I think if you watched LaSalle, that was a hard 13 [seed] to play. Be honest.”
Bruce Weber, following the Wildcats loss to LaSalle, 810 AM
GH: I am so sick of coaches bellyaching about having to play good teams in the NCAA tourney. You are a member of the Big 12 – act like it. 

“II think what we are looking at here is that Bruce Weber was very, very good in the league when he had preparation time. This looks like a confused team and a confused coaching staff trying to stop LaSalle. They are just abusing K-State. I don’t know if they can make a halftime adjustment. They do not look prepared to play.”
Kevin Kietzman, as LaSalle jumped out to an 18-point lead over K-State in the first half, 810 AM

“This why college presidents care about athletics. FGCU will get media exposure worth millions over the next five days.”
Tony Barnhart, @MRCFB, Twitter
GH: I had never heard of Florida Gulf Coast before Sunday night. Everyone with an NCAA bracket knows their name now. Fly like an Eagle!

“Congrats to former Bradley AD Ken Kavanaugh-now the AD at Florida Gulf Coast-they built this program from scratch #FGCU”
Mitch Holthus, @mitchholthus, Twitter

“Real question is why would anyone want that [UCLA] job?”
Seth Davis, @SethDavisHoops, after Ben Howland was fired by the Bruins, Twitter
GH: Are the expectations for the UCLA job so outlandish that this is no longer a plum job? I think the Nebraska football head coaching job suffers from this as well. Could Kansas be getting close to this same predicament when Bill Self chooses to leave?

“If UCLA isn't an elite job, there are no elite jobs.”
Dan Wolken, @DanWolken, Twitter

“I asked Marshall Henderson why he flipped off the crowd: ‘someone yelled that my sister is a whore and said something about cocaine.’”
Danny Parkins, @DannyParkins, on his exclusive postgame interview with the Ole Miss shooting guard, Twitter
GH: Congrats to Parkins for getting this quote from Henderson that soon went viral. As for Henderson, that dude has a lot of growing up to do before he is arena ready.

GregHall24@yahoo.com and Twitter / greghall24

“We want Pressey to beat us from the outside. He’s made some uncharacteristic threes [during the first half]. He’s 28% from there. We’re going to go under that screen all night. If he’s going to hit from there he beats us from there.”
Larry Eustachy, Colorado State’s head coach, during his on-air interview at halftime on TBS as his Rams went on to eliminate Missouri 84-72 in their first NCAA game for the third consecutive season, TBS
GH: How little respect does Eustachy have for Frank Haith and Mizzou to simply lay out his team’s game plan on national television with 20 minutes left in the game? Eustachy knows what we all know – Haith is simply watching his team, not coaching his team. He has no more control over his team’s on-court play than Norm Stewart…and Norm hasn’t coached in 14 years.

“Colorado State's been daring Pressey to shoot all night, and he's now 4 for 12 from the field. No one else has more than seven shots.”
Steve Walentik, @SteveWalentik, Twitter

“Colorado State is flat out a tougher team. Plain and simple. Dudes got grit and heart.”
Kim English, @Englishscope24, who played for MU and Frank Haith last season, Twitter
GH: This might be the unkindest cut of all. I have nothing more to add.

“Just a lack of fight.”
Steve Walentik, @SteveWalentik, Twitter

“Bring me your game not your name because your name is nothing.”
Charles Barkley, warning the bluebloods of college hoops to take no team lightly, TNT
GH: Mizzou is far from a CBB Blueblood but they surely reside much higher on the game’s pecking order than Colorado State – or did. The Rams hadn’t won an NCAA game in 24 years and looked to me to be just what they are – a bunch of hard-working marginal DI ballers who outhustled the much more athletic Tigers on almost every possession, rebound and loose ball. It was embarrassing to watch two kids from Nebraska and one from Lawrence, Kansas just outwork Haith’s specimens.

“I told my wife we're not going to go home tomorrow morning. We're going to win this game and fire a shot at Louisville. So, I believe in these guys. But more importantly, they believe in themselves. It's a great team, it's the best group of guys I've ever been around. I'm proud of them.”
Larry Eustachy, Denver Post
GH: That sounds like a confident coach. I am rooting for the Rams to do the unthinkable on Saturday.

“A #Mizzou fan told me this week he wanted them to lose quickly, just to get it over. Didn't think it'd be this quick, though.”
Sam Mellinger, @mellinger, Twitter
GH: I know much of the Mizzou fan base is too young to even remember Norm Stewart’s great teams and the Tiger program I grew up admiring from afar. I cannot express strongly enough how foreign this kind of thinking is when I think of Missouri and their lack of fight. The Missouri I knew would do EVERYTHING to win until their last breath. The football team was even more resilient. I do not know these Tigers of today.

“I love Phil Pressey more than anything in the world. But it might be time to move on.”
Jared Speckman, @Speck60, Twitter
GH: Phil Pressey is a great college basketball player who needs a coach to direct his talents. He is Lindsey Lohan in longer shorts.

“Phil Pressey with 20, 7 dimes, + 1 TO. Colton Iverson with only 4 points. And Missouri loses by 12? Crazy, crazy sport.”
Jon Rothstein, @JonRothstein, Twitter
GH: Pretty hard to be mad at a guy who puts up that scorecard in an NCAA game.

“Same problem that has plagued this team all season: the inability to ever get a defensive stop.”
Carrington Harrison, @CDotharrison, Twitter
GH: The lack of interior defense from Missouri coupled with the absence of defending the three-point arc was staggering. Average to slow white guys from Nebraska and Kansas were driving into the lane and scoring on uncontested layups all evening long. And Mizzou Just. Let. Them…

“Mizzou shooting 46% and has just three turnovers. Still getting blown out. Why? No defense. No toughness. Awful. … I mean, I hate watching Missouri play basketball. Hated it last year vs. Norfolk. Hate it now. Puke.”
Gregg Doyel, @GreggDoyelCBS, Twitter

“Mizzou with a pathetic showing right now. They haven't played defense all night.”
Lance Veeser, @lanceveeser, Twitter

“Frank Haith is so happy they call this the 2nd round -- at least he doesn't keep losing in the 1st round!”
Doug Gottlieb, @GottliebShow, Twitter
GH: Gottlieb sent this tweet out while he was broadcasting Harvard’s upset of New Mexico. Gottlieb is very happy nowadays when the SEC MU Tigers lose. Some Tiger fans are angered by his digs. I find his willingness to be so petty and human entertaining – and excellent fodder for my OTC.

“Calling it. This time next year, Haith, Pinkel and Alden will all be on the hot seat.”
Brian McGannon, @BrianMcGannon, Twitter
GH: Pinkel needs only six wins and a bowl game to keeps his seat cool. Haith is almost assured another NCAA berth as a member of the weak SEC. Alden is the best fundraiser MU has ever had as an AD. I don’t see much changing in Columbia for some time.

“Oriakhi has now made 15 straight shots. I know you can't just give it to him every trip but FIFTEEN STRAIGHT?”
Kurtis Seaboldt, @KSeaboldt, Twitter
GH: I think Oriakhi ended his career with 16 in a row. At least that’s one positive.

“Still love my Tigers. #MIZ.”
Evan Chiplock, @EvanChiplock, a Michigan native and a freshman cross country/track runner at Mizzou, in a postgame tweet, Twitter
GH: Not a bad way to end today’s OTC.

GregHall24@yahoo.com

“Welcome to the best day of the year in sports.”

Dan Wolken, @DanWolken, as the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament tips off with 16 games on Thursday and another 16 on Friday, Twitter
GH: It is “School Spirit Day” here at the office. We have people wearing everything from Ohio State to Hays High School gear. I went with a polo of my hometown Creighton Bluejays.

“I love the smell of Madness in the morning.”
Seth Davis, @SethDavisHoops, Twitter
GH: What perfect weather here in KC to sit inside and watch about 36 hours of basketball over the next four days. Get to your favorite watering hole and take advantage of the fact your waitress is not your wife yelling at you to move, go shopping or running loud machinery to aggravate and interrupt your bliss.

“I would fine Missouri $3,000 for every three-point shot they took [against Colorado State]. I know you can’t do that, that’s almost tongue-in-cheek but…”
Bob Fescoe, 610 AM
GH: There has been some bitching and moaning from Mizzou fans the past few months over their perceived lack of coverage of the Tigers by the Kansas City media. That argument could not be made Thursday morning. The Kansas City Star went front page with their coverage of Frank Haith and his short two seasons at Mizzou. 810’s and 610’s morning shows went MU heavy covering their 8-9 game against Colorado State in Rupp Arena. I took it all in during a bitterly cold morning run Thursday and enjoyed the coverage.

“It’s too easy to blame it all on Phil Pressey for mistakes made late in the game.”
Gary Link, 610 AM
GH: It also would be darn accurate. Sure, MU could be doing a lot of things to keep the games from getting as close as they do in the final minute…but Phil needs to flip his switch to “CONTROL” rather than breaking that switch off and tossing it into the third row.

“He’s a game changer. There’s a fine line in how you coach a guy like that. … Trust me – I want to play with a Phil Pressey than without a Phil Pressey.”
Frank Haith, on his point guard, Phil Pressey, 610 AM
GH: I love Pressey’s talent. LOVE it. He is almost impossible to stop when it comes to his dribble-drive technique. He finds assists with the kind of vision only the great point guards possess. But he needs more coaching instead of less. I don’t think Haith knows what to do with Flip so he does very little but watch, wait and wonder.

“They are already talking about going 40-0 and win the NCAA Tournament.”
Jason Alexander, on Kentucky’s incredibly talented incoming freshman class, 810 AM
GH: Julius Randle chose Kentucky over Kansas on Wednesday and made every Kentucky fans’ sorrows over their NIT loss much easier to bear. Michigan had the Fab Five. I have no doubt a nickname for the Wildcats’ freshman class is already in the works.

“What I’d like to see them [the NCAA] do is address the players leaving early. Trust me, there’s a way to get creative and make it happen.”
Jason Whitlock, in an interview with Bob Fescoe, 610 AM
GH: Watching ESPN’s 30 for 30 documentary on the 1982-83 NC State basketball team and all the senior talent that was playing at schools across the country brought back great memories. 25 years ago there was no concern at Kansas if a mega-talent like McLemore would be back for his sophomore season. But life changes and I don’t see the NCAA being able to put that genie back on the bench.

“No loyalty in pro sports. Ask Brian Urlacher. He just got ultimatumed by the Bears.”
Jim Rome, @jimrome, on the Bears releasing their aging All-Pro linebacker, Twitter
GH: Who thought there was loyalty in sports? Urlacher should understand the life he chose – one in which his next payday is all about his health and his talent. As soon as one ebbs, his team does what is best for them. Great players are not immune to being treated like humans. I think they too often forget that.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa! The Chiefs have made all these moves and you’re not going to ask me one question?”
Jason Whitlock, as Fescoe attempted to end their interview about the NCAA basketball tournament, 610 AM
GH: Whitlock’s take on the Chiefs’ moves were mostly positive – in that they were made by someone other than Scott “Egoli.” He loves the move to sign Alex Smith and loves the work that John Dorsey and Andy Reid are doing in KC. He would have liked to see “us go after Greg Jennings.” And JW also tabbed John Baldwin as “the Trezelle Jenkins of the Scott Pioli era.”

“Congrats on the complete overhaul of the Kansas City Chiefs. That’s going to be interesting.”
Ian Eagle, 610 AM
GH: The Chiefs are making national news with the signings of Andy Reid and Alex Smith. It is football weather this weekend so let’s talk some Chiefs…

“The thing I know is that [Brandon Albert] is a Pro-Bowl caliber left tackle. I feel that way. He’s a very good player. I have no problem with saying that. … I know [Albert] can play left tackle and I know he can play it at a championship caliber level. That’s a refreshing thing.”
Andy Reid, Kansas City Star

“I think it’s all smoke screens.”
Aaron Swarts, on the Chiefs talking up the worth of Albert, their interest in Geno Smith and the trade value of their number-one draft pick, 810 AM

“I don’t think [Andy Reid] is being honest. I think he’s trying to pump up [Albert’s] trade value. They don’t think he’s that good. That’s my opinion.”
Nate Bukaty, 810 AM
GH: I don’t think Brandon Albert takes a snap for the Chiefs this season. The Chiefs would like to replace the second-round pick they lost for Alex Smith by trading Albert. I believe Albert would like that as well. I just don’t think the big guy with the bad back is worth more than a four.

“Left tackle Branden Albert told the Chiefs on Monday he planned to sign their one-year contract offer worth about $9.83 million. Once he signs the deal, Albert will be bound to join the Chiefs for their mandatory mini-camp in June and then for the start of training camp in July. … By signing the one-year deal, Albert would also open the possibility the Chiefs could trade him. A player cannot be traded unless he has a contract for the upcoming season.”
Adam Teicher, Kansas City Star

“He gets the mind of a quarterback. He thinks like a quarterback.”
Chase Daniel, the Chiefs’ new back-up QB in a live interview with The Border Patrol, when asked why Andy Reid is considered so good at working with NFL quarterbacks, 810 AM

“There are scant few Pro-Bowl players in this [list of Chiefs’ free agent signings]. They all have something in their scouting reports with a little something wrong with them. That’s why they’re here in Kansas City.”
Kevin Kietzman, 810 AM
GH: If you need a parade brought to a dead stop or have a baby shower you’d like rained out, please contact Kevin Kietzman, aka The Dark Naught.

“Royals starting rotation will be: Shields, Santana, Guthrie, Davis and Yost will announce Friday if Chen or Mendoza will be 5th...Hochevar in pen.”
Jim Bowden, @JimBowdenESPNxm, Twitter
GH: I can live with this. The Royals opener is April 1^st in Chicago against the White Sox. That is a week from Monday. Play ball!

“FLEETWOOD MAC April 30^th Sprint Center.”
Billboard on I-435
GH: Fleetwood Mac was my seventh-grade teacher’s favorite band. I was in seventh grade in 1967. My teacher’s name was Lynn Chase and she was fresh out of Cal and the Haight-Ashbury scene of the ‘60s. I know Stevie Nicks didn’t come along until later [she is now 64] but that is some serious longevity for a band that is 45 years old and still playing venues as large as Sprint. My favorite FM tune? Go Your Own Way.

GregHall24@yahoo.com and Twitter / greghall24

“I’ve never been a guy who [made] out a bracket or figure out where we’re going to go. But during the ACC tournament, me and my buddies and the assistant AD and assistant coaches, we’re walking every day. Everybody is saying they think we can be a five or a six or a seven [seed]. So I was surprised that we were an eight.”
Roy Williams, in a live interview with Danny Parkins and Carrington Harrison, 610 AM
GH: Score one for the young guys in getting a live interview with Coach Roy the week of his appearance here in KC for the NCAA tourney. Roy sounded like he often does prior to the NCAA tourney; respectful but passively pissed about his seed and placement. Read on.

“I’ve never tried to figure out where we would like to go but I will admit I was surprised with the eight [seed]. And then when I saw Kansas City I was surprised at that too. At the same time, shoot – we’re still playin’!”
Roy Williams, 610 AM
GH: Suffice it to say Roy is not happy about the committee dissing his Heels with an eight seed and then sending them to the unfriendly confines of Sprint to possibly play KU in their backyard. I don’t blame him.

“For 15 years I gave my heart, my body and soul every day to the University of Kansas and their Jayhawk basketball program.”
Roy Williams, 610 AM
GH: What would a Coach Roy interview by a Kansas City radio station be without the obligatory, “For 15 years I gave my heart, my body and soul every day to the University of Kansas…” Gavin will be pleased he called that one. I was a bit surprised that he used the term “their” when referring to the Jayhawks. I know it fits but it sounds weird coming from Coach Roy.

“I don’t know how old Bill is…it’s going to be hard. Mike’s got 900 and Mike’s not slowing down. Bill’s going to have to repeat what he’s already done.”
Roy Williams, when asked if he can pass Coach K’s all-time win record, 610 AM
GH: No way Bill Self sticks around another 10 years in the college game. At least I don’t see him turning down the NBA for that long.

“[Ben] McLemore is probably the best pro prospect in the tournament.”
Ian Eagle, 610 AM

“If Ben McLemore wants to take over and be a star, he can take over this entire tournament! But he hasn’t wanted to be a star. … I think he’s fantastic. I think Ben is better than Ben thinks he is. That’s the problem.”
Mike DeCourcy, 810 AM
GH: What an odd superstar we have in Ben McLemore. He is wildly talented but exhibits so little bravado at times that he disappears from the stat sheet. Think of this – McLemore and Ole Miss’ Marshall Henderson will both be at Sprint Center this week. How different are those two studs?

“I’ll be honest with you, I haven’t filled out a bracket yet. I usually don’t unless my bosses make me and my bosses haven’t made me yet.”
Mike DeCourcy, college basketball writer for The Sporting News, 810 AM
GH: Seems wild that guys who earn their living following the college game don’t want to fill out a bracket. It is one of America’s greatest pastimes, is it not? I almost feel sorry for Mike.

“I have no idea. That’s as direct as I can be. … I just can’t do it [fill out a bracket]. I can’t do it like I used to.”
Ian Eagle, when asked to name his Final Four picks, 610 AM
GH: Eagle also said he no longer fills out a bracket because in his early days as a TV play-by-play guy for the NCAA tournament, he said he would be distracted by the scores of other games scrolling across the screen while he was broadcasting. It is a good thing none of us allow the scoring updates to get in the way of our work this week.

“Enjoy this while you can. There's a good chance Kentucky is ranked No. 1 eight months from now.”
Gary Parrish, @GaryParrishCBS, after Kentucky was bounced in the opening round of the NIT by Robert Morris, Twitter
GH: Mizzou fans have to be shaking their heads remembering that win that got away in Lexington this year. Kentucky is coming back next season with a recruiting class that has five of the nation’s top seven recruits – and they are pissed.

“I hate this. Don’t make Chuck and Kenny analyze college guys they haven’t watched all year.”
Peter Fleischer, @Peter_Fleischer, on TNT’s college studio analysts being NBA guys Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith, Twitter
GH: As great as Barkley is analyzing the NBA – he is doubly bad at talking college hoops. The Round Mound of Rebound is out of his element talking college basketball and college football head coaches. #TurnerGill

“Love this hire by the #Roos. Already looking forward to next season.”
Mike McCarthy, on UMKC hiring Louisville assistant Kareem Richardson, Twitter
GH: Is there a local sports team that gets/deserve less interest than UKMC basketball? How long has this revolving door for the head basketball coach’s office been spinning now? 15 years? It is time to put some money and effort in this program or start up a Roos hockey team.

“I haven’t been invited back since I told them they made a mistake in leaving [the Big 12].”
Kevin Kietzman, on his lack of invites to speak at the Kansas City MU Tiger Club luncheons, 810 AM

“This is really going to sound bad but I’m just really right about these things. They don’t believe it and they don’t believe it and then it comes true and it really irks people when I’m right!”
Kevin Kietzman, while discussing why he believes he has been banished from the Tiger Club, 810 AM

“I think we’re going to be shocked at the number of empty seats inside Sprint Center Friday afternoon. We’re going to find out how many real Kansas State basketball fans there are. It’s going to be a real test for Kansas State fans.”
Kevin Kietzman, 810 AM
GH: Is there a bigger sad sack in the Kansas City media than Kevin Kietzman? I understand looking at things with a skeptic’s eye, but KK lately sounds like he just hates every team, every coach and every event. Does Kietz need to take a ride through Mission Hills to blow off some steam?

“There are some women out there who can really ball. They just don’t get the pub that men get.”
Jayice Pearson, while discussing some of the best college women players, 610 AM
GH: Jayice might want to rephrase that one if he gets the chance.

“None. She couldn’t play for any men’s teams! No! Now you’re insulting the men’s teams.”
Jayice Pearson, after Jay Binkley asked if Britney Griner could play for any of the 300 DI men’s basketball teams, 610 AM
GH: Griner is as dominant a player in the women’s game as maybe we have ever seen. But could she hang with even UMKC? Nope.

“It’s the time of year when we have more fun mocking our rivals than we do cheering for our team. I go [into the tourney] thinking as a fan, ‘Oh no! Don’t blow it!’ My guts in a nervous wreck right now. Kansas fans are really emotional when it comes to losing because Kansas fans aren’t used to losing. As a Kansas fan, I don’t want to lose because I don’t want to hear from Missouri and Kansas State fans.”
Bob Fescoe, 610 AM
GH: You have to feel sorry for guys like Fescoe who say they get physically ill about the thought of their team losing and having to deal with taking heat from other fans. It’s not like any of us have a damn thing to do with the outcome of these games. Too many of us are just way too invested over that which we have no control. In the words of Bob Knight, “Just lay back and enjoy it.”

“Caution: Baby Inside”
Window sticker on an early 1990’s Suzuki Sidekick with multiple dents in the hood and rear fender, seen on I-435
GH: It appeared to me that caution here had already been thrown to the wind.

GregHall24@yahoo.com and Twitter / greghall24

“Look at what the NCAA has to do now – bring Roy Williams to Kansas City [to potentially face Kansas] in order to sell tickets. They’re having problems selling tickets at these arenas. They’re bending over backwards to try and sell tickets!”
Jason Whitlock, in an interview with Bob Fescoe, 610 AM
GH: Selling tickets to most sporting events where the teams are unknown until just days before the tournament has always been somewhat of a problem – especially for first-round NCAA games held at noon on a workday. So what if the NCAA is attempting to provide sexier matchups to sell tickets? I just wish they had gone full hog and placed Mizzou, Wichita State, Creighton and Iowa State here at Sprint.

“If I’m at the game Friday night, I stand up and cheer Roy Williams.”
Nate Bukaty, on the former KU coach’s return to Kansas City, 810 AM
GH: Coach Roy remains a polarizing figure amongst Kansas fans. How much anger and resentment remains for doggone Roy? Did that Jayhawk sticker and his Heels two losses to Bill Self’s Jayhawks ease the bitterness? If so, how much? Will you too be standing with Nate to cheer Roy on Friday night?

“Bill Self cures all. In hind sight, everybody was angry. At the time, I was angry.”
Jake Gutierrez, on the softening of KU fans’ hatred for the departed Roy Williams, 810 AM
GH: On my trips to Lawrence and Allen Fieldhouse, I have found little evidence that Roy Williams ever set foot in either place. The KU administration treats Coach Roy pretty much the same as they treat Mizzou – he’s dead to them. I think the Kansas administration’s attitude toward Roy is why many Jayhawks remain bitter about him and his “I’m stayin’” speech.

“They need to bring Roy Williams back to Allen Fieldhouse and honor him! The same way they did with Wilt Chamberlain. This is a guy who needs to be put up on a pedestal. Any Jayhawks that hold any resentment at all – get over it!”
Dave Armstrong, 810 AM
GH: I hate this kind of attitude about coaches – did we learn nothing from Joe Paterno? Almost none deserve to be put on a pedestal – and surely not those who bolt their program to go to what they perceive as a better job. Roy made his choice and any honors he receives will have to come from Carolina in the Dean Dome.

“Trust me, Tarheel Nation is not happy about this match-up.”
Dave Armstrong, on Carolina potentially facing Kansas in Kansas City, 810 AM
GH: We rarely look at these games from the other side. It makes sense that Carolina is not happy about facing KU again and in their backyard. I don’t expect Roy to be wearing any Jayhawk stickers this time.

“What is the reason that Kansas State is being so overlooked by the national media?”
Bob Fescoe, 810 AM
GH: I have three; Kansas. Kansas. And Kansas.

“I’m sitting in the studio and I see the brackets come up and I see Wisconsin and K-State and I go, ‘You’ve got to be kidding me.’”
Frank Martin, on his former team again being paired in the same bracket as Wisconsin, 810 AM
GH: I don’t want to get too critical of Martin’s comment but I would sure like to hear a coach say something like, “Great! We owe those sumbitches an ass kicking!” Hearing Martin said, “You’ve got to be kidding me,” just doesn’t make me real confident of his own confidence.

“I’m going K-State all the way to the Sweet 16 because I think they’re going to play to their seed because that’s what they’ve done all year.”
Nate Bukaty, 810 AM
GH: A K-State win over Wisconsin would be HUGE for Bruce Weber. I would not put it past him to slay yet another of Martin’s dragons in just his first year in Manhattan.

“I think Kansas State – if they can get out of Kansas City the road looks a little better for them.”
Dave Armstrong, 810 AM

“I don’t have Missouri getting out of the first round. Even if they do they’re not beating Louisville. And Vegas likes K-State as much as they like Missouri? I don’t get it.”
Bob Fescoe, 810 AM

“When [Missouri] gets it right, they are as hard a match-up as I have had to prepare for as a coach. That is a team that I don’t think anybody has any interest in playing against.”
Frank Martin, 810 AM
GH: After watching ESPN’s 30-or-30 documentary, Survive And Advance, on Jim Valvano and his North Carolina State’s improbable and roller-coaster ride to the 1984 National Championship, (an absolute MUST see for any CBB fan), I am holding out a glimmer of hope for the talented but cursed Tigers. NC State entered the tourney with 10 losses – same as MU. Okay, Frank Haith is not Jim Valvano – but what a ride it would be if Mizzou could exorcise about 40 years of demons in the next four weeks.

“What I’ve learned about Ole Miss fans since I’ve been here is that they are pretty cocky and they’ve got a lot of money. They like to talk about their sports teams but their sports teams haven’t been that great. So it’s good to express what Hotty Totty Nation would like to say, I’ll just say it for ‘em.”
Marshall Henderson, Mississippi’s controversial shooting guard, when asked about his antics during Ole Miss’ run through the SEC tourney, Sirius XM 91
GH: Marshall Henderson is coming to Kansas City and he won’t be bringing much of his Hotty Totty Posse. How will his act play on foreign-SEC soil? The reception awaiting Marshall will make Roy’s homecoming look like San Francisco circa 1968. BTW, what is Hotty Totty [pronounced hoity toity] ? Read on…

“Anyone who’s spent any time around SEC sports is well aware of the foul-mouthed [Hotty Totty] chant so dearly loved by the Ole Miss faithful. All other eleven schools in the SEC are repulsed by both its vulgarity and by its execution, which is generally only done when 85% of the participants are fully inebriated. Fans of rival Mississippi State claim it comes from a time when teams hurled slurs at one another during sporting events and a drunken Ole Miss fan heard an angry Mississippi State fan yell ‘hoity toity’ which, of course, means “Pretentiously self-important, haughty or pompous.” The Ole Miss fan, in his drunken stupor, took it as a challenge to imbibe more alcohol. … Of course, no one associated with the University can remember the REAL origin of Hotty Toddy—statistics say memory is the first thing to go when one is intoxicated.”
Roland Mann, writer/professor/blogger, rolandmann.com

“I voted [Marshall Henderson] first team all-league, so when he said the other guys were losers, he wasn’t talking about me.”
Frank Martin, joking with The Border Patrol about Henderson calling the SEC coaches “losers” for not selecting him to the SEC All-Conference first team, 810 AM

“I don’t pay attention to other teams’ actions. I’m more concerned with my team.”
Frank Martin, when asked to comment on the wild on-court histrionics of Henderson, 810 AM
GH: Frank Martin is always on his best behavior when it comes to discussing other teams, other coaches and other players. He NEVER has a real comment to express. He thinks he’s a future TV star – he better start listening to Jay Bilas then and stop emulating the TV suck ups.

“I think they’ve done a pretty good job of helping that young man grow. And Andy Kennedy and that university will continue to do that for that young man.”
Frank Martin, on Ole Miss and Marshall Henderson, 810 AM
GH: Huh? If Ole Miss is helping Henderson “grow,” is their goal to create the next Lindsay Lohan? This guy has cellblock or graveyard written all over his future. I don’t see anything that Mississippi is doing to change that path.

“I was coaching when the Lakers won 33 [in a row] and they were blowing teams out of the water. This [Heat] team is doing the same thing.”
Tom Heinsohn, former Celtics coach, on the Heats’ quest to exceed the 1971-72 LA Lakers 33-game win streak, ESPN Radio
GH: LeBron James and the Heat are now at 23 straight after coming back from a 17-point deficit to hand Boston a 105-103 loss at home Monday night. This is starting to get very, very good.

“I know the history of the game. Of all the teams that have come through the ranks, to be in second place now -- for us to be there and do it the way we want to do it, it means a lot.”
LeBron James, on the Heat grabbing claim to the second longest winning streak in NBA history, ESPN.com

“Nope, I'm not looking ahead. Not until we get to 32.”
Dwyane Wade, ESPN.com

“How long can this last? The Heat don't know, but they want to find out. Their next four games are against the teams with the four worst records in the East: Cleveland, Detroit, Charlotte and Orlando. It's still a long way to the record, but it's no longer something the Heat feel is out of their reach.”
Brian Windhorst, writer, ESPN.com

“I think frankly what we’ve done here in one year is amazing.”
Danny Parkins, as he and Carrington Harrison celebrated their one-year anniversary of the Danny Parkins Show on Tuesday, 610 AM
GH: I find the Danny Parkins show incredibly sophomoric – but I’m a 58-year-old never was. Maybe there is an audience who craves hearing about these two social dweebs’ lives. I do think they have some sports acumen chops. But they too often lose me with their buddy banter about butts, babes, betting and booze. Trust me, it reads better than it sounds.

“I was absolutely terrible the first three months of the show.”
Carrington Harrison, 610 AM
GH: Both Harrison and Parkins must be getting some positive vibes from their ratings or boss – or maybe both. I just find myself flipping them off more than on – in the non-finger sense.

“I know you’re a little upset that your name’s not on the program and one day that will come.”
Danny Parkins, to his cohost Carrington Harrison, 610 AM
GH: What the hell is the wait for? Is Harrison an intern or a cohost? Is he akin to Kurtis Seaboldt on Petro’s show or Nate Bukaty on Steven St. John’s show? The last time a black man was kept waiting this long for a promotion he was sitting in the back of the bus.

GregHall24@yahoo.com and Twitter / greghall24

“The state of Kansas has three teams in the NCAA Tournament. The state of Texas has none.”
Bob Fescoe, 610 AM
GH: As Texas’ AD, DeLoss Dodd said earlier this season, “The state of college basketball is in shambles.” Well, I guess it his from where he sits.

“The committee could have brought Missouri to Kansas City for a possible showdown with KU. Apparently they thought North Carolina would have a greater television [draw]. Why else didn’t they bring them? I don’t know.”
Jack Harry, KSHB 41
GH: Mad Jack talks much better than he thinks – and he doesn’t speak all that well. Why would the committee reward a 9-seed like MU and penalize a 1-seed like KU by placing the Tigers in their home state to face KU? Sure, we’d love to see it but MU dropped the ball in being a nine-seed. Nine seeds don’t get to dictate anything.

“I don’t know if the committee did us any favors. It looked like a pretty tough region to me.”
Bill Self, KCTV 5
GH: If KU is truly the overall two-seed in the tourney, I don’t see why UNC, VCU, and Michigan look all that scary. Maybe Self would rather play #9 Mizzou than UNC? Or #9 Wichita State? Or a rematch with #9 Temple?

“[North Carolina] can give Kansas a lot of fits if they get there.”
Jay Williams, ESPN
GH: A LOT of love for ol’ Roy.

“I like this North Carolina team! In fact, I think the committee did not do any favors for Bill Self. I really think North Carolina’s going to get by Villanova. I also feel the committee didn’t do Kansas a favor by putting [North Carolina] as an eight seed.”
Dick Vitale, ESPN
GH: What a surprise – Dickie V likes North Carolina.

“VCU, if they advance to the Sweet 16, could take on Kansas – who they beat in the elite 8 [two years ago].”
Doug Gottlieb, CBS
GH: This is a rematch that I would like to see – but I don’t think Shaka is smart enough to get by Michigan.

“UNC.... Wow. Roy could get knocked out by #KUbball two years in a row. Man oh man...”
Matt Tait, @mtait, on the potential meeting between KU and UNC at Sprint on Sunday, Twitter

“Roy again? Tired.”
Bob Lutz, @boblutz, Wichita Eagle columnist, Twitter
GH: Has the KU/Roy Williams’ storyline grown stale? A win by UNC at Sprint on Sunday would do a lot for reviving some of those old flames on the Kansas side.

“Kansas waltzes into the Sweet 16. Taking nothing away from UNC or Villanova. OK, taking a little something away.”
Bob Lutz, @boblutz, Twitter

“I got Duke, Gonzaga, Miami, North Carolina in my final 4 #ACC. Who y'all got?”
Wil Myers, @wilmyers, Tampa Bay Rays, Twitter
GH: Wil, you need to stick to hitting baseballs very, very hard. #Rays

“Bruce Weber: ‘It's a new season. Let's have some purple in Kansas City!’”
D. Scott Fritchen, @DScottFritchen, Twitter
GH: It seems to me that Bruce Weber never misses an opportunity to ask his fans to show up. Has this been a problem? I don’t remember Frank Martin begging for the Purple People to come out of hiding. Weber needs to understand he isn’t coaching at Illinois anymore. K-State is a whole ‘nother level of fan.

“Can you be the coach of the year in a conference if another coach in that conference beat you three straight times? I don't think so.”
Soren Petro, @TheProgramkc, Twitter
GH: I think you can. As a matter of fact, I think Weber is. That TCU loss by Kansas left an indelible stench.

“Perry Ellis out scored Ben McLemore 35-15 over the weekend. Should perk up fans a little knowing McLemore is out the door.”
Jack Harry, @JackHarryKSHB, Twitter
GH: Does Mad Jack know any KU fans who need perking up? What do you have for Mizzou fans, Jack?

“I don’t think Pressey’s coming back – and I don’t think he’s going to the NBA or anything like that.”
Jack Harry, on MU’s junior point guard, KSHB 41
GH: So where does Mad Jack think Flip is going, Oxford? I was stunned to hear Frank Boal, who I believe at least has a clue, agree with Jack that he thinks Pressey is gone after this season. Pressey is one of the most gifted basketball players to ever play for Missouri. Ever. He owns the school’s career assist record and still has his senior season to go. Is his decision-making maddening at times? Oh, yeah. But Mizzou needs Pressey to return and he really has nowhere else to go.

“I think this is a huge game for Frank Haith. I think he better win this game. … All those close losses.”
Jack Harry, on MU’s opening-round game against Colorado State, KSHB 41
GH: Haith isn’t close to being on the hot seat. Sure, fans get frustrated with his team’s late-game meltdowns but he isn’t going anywhere. Haith has a chance to coast into the NCAA tourney every year as a member or the football-rich/basketball-poor SEC. Hell, he might even win the conference once in a while. As long as the NCAA stays away, Mizzou is stuck with Haith.

“I like Mizzou's Bracket personally.”
Marcus Denmon, @MizzouMonster12, Twitter

“If Missouri shows up and plays against Colorado State…Alex Oriakhi won a national title at UConn. Phil Pressey and company, if they get their game going with Laurence Bowers, this could be a very dangerous game for Louisville in that 8-9 match-up.”
Digger Phelps, when asked to name the biggest threat to Louisville in their bracket, ESPM
GH: Missouri is the most dangerous team in the field below a four seed. They have devastating talent across the board and a point-guard for the ages. But…they are Mizzou. Is this the team that breaks the curse? Oh, what a story that would be to tell.

“A lot depends on Flip Pressey. When Phil Pressey plays within himself, he’s one of the top guards in the country. But at times he can get out of control and he can create so many turnovers he takes [Missouri] out of the ball game.”
Jay Williams, ESPN
GH: What he said.

“I think speeding [Missouri] up will be very dangerous for them. I like Louisville to beat Missouri. If Missouri played that game in Columbia I’d give them a really good chance but it’s going to be on a neutral floor and I think Louisville will handle them.”
Jay Bilas, ESPN
GH: What he said – even more.

“I’ve been telling my guys that this whole tournament could change your life.”
Phil Pressey, Missouri’s point guard, KCTV 5
GH: If Mizzou made the Final Four, it would change a whole lot of lives in the state of Misery.

“Congrats to Lon Kruger, the first coach in history to take 5 teams to the NCAA Tournament. Nice accomplishment!”
Fran Fraschilla, @franfraschilla, Twitter
GH: Is this an accomplishment or an indictment?

“Here's a big picture storyline for you: Everybody has been saying there will be a bloodbath among the favorites. I don't see it happening.”
Seth Davis, @SethDavisHoops, Twitter
GH: I do. I see [and root for] Armageddon. Let the carnage begin!

“I walked away [from my interview with Bob Bowlsby] with a little bit of concern that [the Big 12] may be concerned that so many places here [in the Power & Light] are showing the games that it’s hurting ticket sales inside the building. I got the impression that 5,000 people could be down here at any given time but they don’t go in. They watch at Johnny’s, they watch in the courtyard or anywhere and there’s no reason to go in the building because there’s no beer in there. The party’s out here and this may actually be a detriment.”
Kevin Kietzman, 810 AM
GH: Kietzman is a master at delivering his “between-the-lines” opinions of what others think and say, despite what they may actually think and say. The Big 12 men’s basketball tournament broke the attendance record on Friday night and then did it again on Saturday night. I don’t think Bob Bowlsby is at all concerned that 5,000 people without tickets happened to be drinking beer and eating BBQ along Grand Avenue before, during and after the games.

“Also ole miss fans: avoid KC Power & Light District like its Starkville ...”
Wright Thompson, @wrightthompson, writer and renaissance man, Twitter
GH: Wright likes his world to be old-school – except for the racism that permeated Mississippi for most of its years. There is no reason to avoid the P&L unless you hate to have a helluva good time and like driving through traffic for a beer in midtown.

“I don’t care what the weather is this weekend, the P&L is gonna be happening!”
Frank Boal, KSHB 41
GH: The weather forecast for Friday and Sunday in Kansas City is winter-like. Lows in the 20s and highs in the 30s – with a chance for snow on Friday! Not even a Marshall Henderson’s appearance in the P&L is going to add enough heat to make those frigid temps fun.

GregHall24@yahoo.com and Twitter / greghall24

Kansas City will be well represented at the 117^th running of the Boston Marathon next month when 27,000 runners toe the starting line in Hopkinton. Are you one of the 123 KC-area runners who have spent the last few months preparing for Boston and watching the calendar slowly turn from winter to spring? If so, why not get together April 7^th at Johnny Cascone’s off 91^st & Metcalf for a pasta buffet dinner and a chance to meet all of your fellow 2013 Boston Marathon entrants?

This will be my third time to run Boston and I would like to run it with a few more familiar faces. So I thought – “Why not celebrate with other Kansas City area runners beforehand?” The cross country kids always have a big pasta feed at one of their parents’ homes the night before a big meet for carbo loading and to build team chemistry. Since my parents declined to host this bash, we can head to Cascone's and treat this dinner as our team building exercise as we all prepare to dish out some heartbreak on those Newton hills.

We need your help in contacting these fleet folks. You can view a list of the area runners who are registered for this year’s Boston Marathon by clicking here.  Please peruse this list and forward this info to anyone you may know who is Boston bound.

This is our first KC Pre-Boston Buffet & Bash so the agenda is still building. My thought is we meet at 6:00 PM, mingle, eat, have everyone introduce themselves, have some folks tell their unique stories and even raffle off some free stuff – if I can get Gary Gribbles, Dick’s, Kansas City Running Company and a few other runner –friendly retailers to oblige.

I am hoping to have 50-100 folks RSVP for this first ever KC Pre-Boston Bash. All 2013 Boston Marathon entrants are invited along with their family or friends. We would also be happy to see some former Boston finishers and hear their experiences.

Details for Kansas City’s 2013 Pre-Boston Buffet & Bash

What: Pasta party for all KC-area runners (and family/friends) entered in the 2013 117th Boston Marathon
When: Sunday, April 7^th, at 6:00 PM
Where: Johnny Cascone’s Italian Restaurant / Just east of 91^st & Metcalf in Overland Park
How Much: $25/person. The buffet includes Cascone’s lasagna, pasta w/ three sauces, salads, garlic bread, dessert, and non-alcoholic beverages. About the cost of a cheap 5K.
Why: To share a very unique experience in our lives with other talented but touched individuals who are just as crazy as you. And make some new friends before we hit the streets of Boston.

Next Step: Email Greg Hall at greghall24@yahoo.com to RSVP your attendance. Do it today. I need to get a fairly accurate count to Cascone’s soon.

I’m hoping to get 75 to 100 people to RSVP me and make this one very fun night. We will have a microphone set up and I might even coax a special guest of two out of the crowd to tell us some of their personal Boston stories. Now get to work and spread the word -- and email me your RSVP!

“The Chiefs today [Thursday] released former starting quarterback Matt Cassel.”
Adam Teicher, Kansas City Star
GH: Another one bites the dust…another failed Chiefs’ quarterback experiment. This one was a costly mistake – in both salary cap and fan morale. Scott Pioli’s decision to sign Matt Cassel was compounded into a franchise-killing error when Pioli refused to acquire any real competition for Cassel in Kansas City. Both Pioli and Cassel are now far richer for their time here as Clark Hunt’s employees but now also gone.

“This in my estimation is a ridiculously risky roll of the dice. … This is typical Kansas City. If there was any winner here, it was the 49ers.”
Kevin Kietzman, on the Chiefs’ apparent decision to not use their top draft pick on a college quarterback in the upcoming draft, 810 AM
GH: This is about as far from a risky move as it gets in the NFL. The Chiefs first went safe when they hired the well-established Andy Reid instead of gambling on an unknown college coach like Oregon’s Chip Kelly. Reid is simply doing what everyone in the NFL expected him to do – sign an established veteran QB and then fill the Chiefs’ other needs through free agency and the draft. Reid’s work is being lauded in almost every corner of the Internet. Will it work? Who knows? But it is safe, predictable and anything but a risky roll of the dice.

“There was no doubt in my mind this is where I wanted to be. It wasn’t close. Everything pointed here. … The opportunity to work with coach Reid was something that, from all the quarterbacks I’ve ever talked to … they’ve only had good things to say. From the outside looking in, you see the talent that’s here. You see the potential. It’s just a matter of getting things going, getting the chemistry right, the culture right.”
Alex Smith, Kansas City Star
GH: I could not tell if Smith was simply blowing smoke up our BBQ-loving burnt ends or if he is truly happy to be the next in a long line of former 49er QB to make their way to the Chiefs. I am hoping for the latter.

“Alex is the starting quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs.”
Andy Reid, when asked if there would be competition for the starting quarterback job between Alex Smith and Chase Daniel, Kansas City Star
GH: I have never understood the NFL’s need to name the starting quarterback based on salary. Why should Smith be named the starter in March when we haven’t even seen him compete with Daniel and whoever the Chiefs draft? I would treat QBs more like linemen – you get what you earn on the field. Missouri is the Show-Me State. Fragile egos need not apply.

“Sorting out the [Mizzou] quarterback situation is the biggest storyline of the spring and the quickest solution to what ails the Tigers. [Gary] Pinkel said James Franklin, Corbin Berkstresser and Maty Mauk will enter on an even plane.”
Joe Walljasper, columnist, Columbia Daily Tribune
GH: Pinkel is taking the exact opposite approach from Reid in finding his starter at the quarterback position. Pinkel is even passively dissing Franklin [again], last season’s starter at Mizzou…

“In this situation, without what I'd call the term 'an established quarterback,' we pretty much will, with those top three guys, go even reps with ones, twos, threes and keep rolling them right through.”
Gary Pinkel, Columbia Daily Tribune
GH: So Franklin isn’t an “established starter” in Pinkel’s mind? Gotcha, coach.

“[Maty Mauk] is a great competitor. He brings a lot of great things — winning — from high school, that he's done at a very high level consistently. So we'll see how it goes. He's got a very strong arm. He can throw it 75 yards.”
Gary Pinkel, on MU’s redshirt freshman quarterback, Columbia Daily Tribune
GH: Calling Mauk a “great competitor” sounds a lot different than what Pinkel had to say about Franklin saying he “didn’t want to play” prior to the Arizona State game last September. Suffice it to say that the QB competition in Columbia this spring and fall should be interesting to follow.

“I’m blown away by the outpouring of support from #Chiefs nation as I start this new journey. I’m so proud to be a member of the @kcchiefs.”
Chase Daniel, @ChaseDaniel, Twitter

“So @ChaseDaniel told me he's gotten over 1500 mentions since signing with the #Chiefs and he reads every one. So, welcome him to KC.”
Danny Parkins, @DannyParkins, Twitter
GH: I have read some of the tweets to Daniel and while many are very supportive, there are more than a few who have a Kansas Jayhawk tinged tone to them. Those are probably the ones Daniel is Favoriting.

“Nothing like a little Texas @Dickeys BBQ for lunch! 2 meat plate with beans and veggies! #YUM twitpic.com/c4wcj3”
Chase Daniel, @ChaseDaniel, in a tweet from last month, Twitter
GH: Dickey’s? This Texas boy still has a lot to learn about good BBQ…

“The Jets had hopes to re-sign the unrestricted free agent, but [Mike] DeVito garnered a lot of interest from other teams. DeVito is now reunited with Bob Sutton, the Jets' former linebackers and assistant head coach who was hired as the Chiefs' new defensive coordinator this offseason. DeVito, who was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2007, was a force against the run during his Jets tenure and has developed a reputation as a lunch pail kind of guy.”
Kimberly Martin, writer, NewsDay.com
GH: DeVito was a salary-cap casualty with the Jets and a player from all accounts they did not want to lose. In other words, this is not Kelly Gregg.

“I have a ton of respect for Andy Reid. I was almost star struck when I saw him for the first time today.”
Mike DeVito, the former Jets’ defensive lineman who just signed with the Chiefs, in an interview with Bob Fescoe, 610 AM

 “I don’t let nothin’ motivate me except my family. That’s what I do it for.”
Dwayne Bowe, in an interview with The Border Patrol, when asked by Nate Bukaty if he was motivated by criticism, 810 AM
GH: I have always liked how Bowe treated his fans. He is one of the few Chiefs’ stars who goes out of his way at camp to sign and pose for photographs. I am rooting for the Bowe Show to have an extended run on Broadway this season.

“It’s gonna be special, it’s gonna be great. Andy knows what he’s doing. I can’t wait to see how it all fits together. It’s like a big puzzle – a jigsaw. It’s gonna be exciting. It’s definitely going to be a turnaround from last year.”
Dwayne Bowe, on what he expects from the Chiefs’ revamped offense, 810 AM

“Todd [Haley] was a great guy. He knew how to motivate players in the craziest way. I learned a lot from Todd. I learned discipline – more discipline.”
Dwayne Bowe, 810 AM

“I’m still just Dwayne. … I’ll let you know.”
Dwayne Bowe, when asked if we could go back to calling him D-Bowe or The Bowe Show, 810 AM

“It’s the Cauldron! It’s the South Stands!”
Nate Bukaty, while reading a Sporting Kansas City commercial, 810 AM
GH: I have always felt bad for the fans who are seated in Sportings’ South Stands at Livestrong because their nickname pales in comparison to the bubbly rowdies in The Cauldron. Who gets jacked up about being referred to as The South Stands? The Cauldron has their own merchandise line but I’m guessing few are laying out cash for a “South Stands” jersey. I have a solution – rename that end of the stadium “The Southies.” Southie is Boston’s historic working-class neighborhood known for their toughness and characters. Almost every movie Ben Affleck or Mark Wahlberg is affiliated with has a scene shot in Southie and a fistfight to go with it. I think The Southies would be a worthy moniker opposite The Cauldron.

“Iowa State people are down here in full effect.”
Aaron Swarts, reporting live from the Power & Light District Thursday morning, 810 AM
GH: The Cyclone fans always show up in Kansas City for the Big 12 tourney. Will the newly famous Iowa State fan who confronted Bill Self following KU’s win in Ames be in KC this weekend? We can only hope.

“Frank Martin on what he takes from 2012-13 season: ‘A big bottle of pepto bismal.’”
Jerry Tipton, @JerryTipton, following South Carolina’s opening-round loss in the SEC tourney, Twitter

GregHall24@yahoo.com and Twitter / greghall24

“The Chiefs didn’t just solve their starting quarterback problem Tuesday, when they completed a trade with the San Francisco 49ers to acquire Alex Smith. They overhauled the position by also agreeing to contract terms with their new backup, former Missouri quarterback Chase Daniel.”
Adam Teicher, Chiefs’ beat writer, Kansas City Star
GH: Okay, we might have to consider rewriting the lyrics to Kansas City’s signature song. “They’ve got some crazy little quarterbacks there and I’m gonna get me some…season tickets.”

“I do not believe the Chiefs have solved their quarterback issues. I don’t! I think we have a new set of quarterback issues that won’t go away. They have not solved the quarterback problem. They haven’t!”
Kevin Kietzman, 810 AM
GH: Ah, it wouldn’t be the Chiefs’ off-season if KK wasn’t complaining about the team’s GM and yet another move that looks like he is distancing the team even further from Geno Smith – Kietzman’s personal pick as the franchise’s next Len Dawson. Speaking of Lenny the Cool…

“The last time the Chiefs acquired the top two quarterbacks on the depth chart in the same year was 1962, when they added Len Dawson and Eddie Wilson.”
Adam Teicher, Kansas City Star
GH: Chase Daniel may end up being just as forgettable to Chiefs’ fans as Eddie Wilson. But here in the midst of March Madness, his familiar name and ties to Mizzou and the Big 12 are the kind of stuff that fuels a football fan’s excitement for July camp to open in St. Joe, MO. Get ready Pony Express’ birthplace, because the crowds that are going to be clogging I-29 to head north for a look at the new Chiefs are going to be staggering.

“Chase Daniel won the biggest game ever played at Arrowhead.”
Dan Noellsch, @TigerDan4, referring to Daniel leading number-two ranked Mizzou to a win over then number-one ranked Kansas in the 2007 season finale at Arrowhead, Twitter

“Kansas fans hate the move! Yes, yes, they hate the move! Missouri fans would hate it if Todd Reesing was the back-up quarterback for the Chiefs. That’s what fans do.”
Josh Klingler, 610 AM
GH: As deeply entrenched and understanding of this KU/MU rivalry as a Nebraska boy could be, I don’t get this one at all. A coworker of mine who is a KU grad stopped by my office this morning and said, “Looks like I’m going to have to become a Broncos’ fan.” When I asked him why, his answer was direct. “Because even Chase Daniel as a Chief couldn’t make me root for the Raiders.”

Read on for Reesing’s and Daniel’s college stats from their sophomore, junior and senior seasons. We were sure lucky to have those two guys in our backyards for their college years.

Todd Reesing’s stats at KU:
2007       33 TDs   7 INTs
2008       32 TDs   13 INTs
2009       22 TDs   10 INTs

Chase Daniel’s stats at MU:
2006       28 TDs   10 INTs
2007       33 TDs   11 INTs
2008       39 TDs   18 INTs

“You’re going to have portions of the Chiefs’ fan base screaming for Chase Daniel because he’s pretty much the best Missouri quarterback of all time.”
Jay Binkley, 610 AM
GH: Screaming? Maybe the fringe freaks who suffer from Mizzou Flu but I would guess most MU fans simply see this as a decent back up who is a serious upgrade from Brady Quinn and Stanzi. Or are most Mizzou fans on the fringe freaks side? KU fans are not allowed to answer this rhetorical question…

“All the idiot Missouri fans are going to be calling for him to replace Alex Smith. If the dude was good he would have landed somewhere and be playing by now.”
Caller to the Big Show, who is not sold on Daniel being an answer for the Chiefs, 610 AM

“There is no doubt in my mind that [Chase Daniel’s] jersey outsells Alex Smith’s.”
Mike Welch, 610 AM

“I wonder how many people are going to order their [Chiefs] jersey with ‘Daniels’ with the ‘s’ on the end instead of Daniel.”
Jay Binkley, 610 AM
GH: So let’s go over this once again because it seems to be a real pet peeve of Mizzou fans – Chase’s last name is singular, as in Daniel. That’s kind of what happens to career back-up quarterbacks, they get their names misspoken and misspelled.

“Neither one of these guys is proven – although Alex Smith came really close to proving he couldn’t play in this league. He came really close!”
Kevin Kietzman, 810 AM
GH: How miserable is Kevin Kietzman’s life that he can’t enjoy what everyone else in the city is enjoying? Alex Smith was a play away from taking the 49ers to the 2012 Super Bowl. Relax, KK. We aren’t going to hold it against you when Alex is leading the Chiefs to a win over Peyton manning and Geno Smith is getting his ass kicked in Minnesota…much.

“People are saying he’s a great backup. What does that mean? I don’t know what that means? How do you know? He’s thrown nine passes in the NFL!”
Bob Fescoe, 610 AM
GH: No one knows much at all about how Daniel will perform in a real NFL game. THAT is what is exciting. We all know too well how Matt Cassel and Brady Quinn performed.

“If there is any chance that there is a quarterback in this draft that could become a franchise quarterback, the Chiefs better go get him!”
Kevin Kietzman, 810 AM
GH: Kietzman seems to think the Chiefs are on his payroll rather than the opposite.

“First Chase Daniel, then Hoch to the bullpen. Nobody wake me up. Ever.”
Jared Speckman, @Speck60, after the Royals announced their decision to move Luke Hochevar to the bullpen Twitter

“Uh, no. I don’t think so.”
Matt Williamson, NFL analyst, when asked if the Chiefs can get anything in a trade for Matt Cassel, 810 AM

GregHall24@yahoo.com and Twitter / greghall24

“Kansas State’s basketball players and coaches clipped the nets before about 3,000 fans Monday in Bramlage Coliseum in celebration of the school’s first men's conference hoops championship since 1977. There was no such commotion at Kansas University…”
Gary Bedore, writer, KUSports.com
GH: It might not be Missouri, but the unprecedented success Kansas State has enjoyed this past fall and winter has definitely gotten the attention of their in-state rival, the Kansas Jayhawks. But what apparently has the ire of KU fans even more than the Wildcats’ titles is their unabashed glee and their celebration of this new hardware. Read on.

“Title Town, USA, is right here in Manhattan.”
John Currie, K-State AD, while Currie, Bruce Weber and others addressed the K-State crowd who gathered Monday night inside Bramlage to celebrate the Wildcats winning both the Big football and basketball titles in the same academic year, Kansas City Star

“When I was watching the [KU/Baylor] game and coach [Bill] Self took his starting five out, then I got happy again. We all started calling each other as a team and we were proud of the moment. We deserved it. We worked really hard.”
Shane Southwell, KSU forward, Kansas City Star

“Bruce Weber says he was hoping to have a championship celebration on senior night, but poor officiating (meaning ISU/KU) got in the way.”
Kellis Robinette, @KellisRobinette, Twitter
GH: This is the money quote from Weber – and the quote that has KU fans pissed. Robinette didn’t include it in his KC Star article that covered KSU’s Monday night party in Bramlage – and that makes me wonder how accurate it is – or if Robinette is trying to calm the KU/KSU rivalry’s flames. Well, good luck with that.

“I wouldn’t say we’ve celebrated at all. … We’re Kansas. We’re not going to do that.”
Jeff Withey, when told of K-State celebrating their half of the Big 12 title, KUSports.com
GH: Withey’s comment about the party going on in Manhattan Monday night was just as cutting as Weber’s – if not more. Even Bill Self got in a veiled shot at the Wildcats…

“From a guys’ locker-room standpoint, from a coaches’ locker-room standpoint, you want to be the best that you compete against. For us, that’s also (North) Carolina, Kentucky, Duke, Michigan State and some other people that we run against.”
Bill Self, KUSports.com
GH: Self isn’t counting those Wildcats out west in KU’s elite group of college basketball running partners.

“[Weber] is still going back to this game on the 25^th of February where his team wasn’t even involved! He’s still hanging on to that! He just can’t get out of Bill Self’s shadow – no matter how hard he tries. … Even though it was probably tongue in cheek, he still comes off looking like a whiner.”
Bob Fescoe, 610 AM

“You should celebrate, yes. But don’t stir up anything.”
Josh Klingler, on Weber’s “poor officiating” comment, 610 AM
GH: What is Klingler talking about??? We have enough bland, coach speak going on in the Big 12. I miss the days of Billy Tubbs or Norm Stewart, who would publicly hate an opponent and not be shy about telling their fan base to do the same. Stir away, Weber!

“One thing that I would caution for K-State fans – this could be the best it [gets] for Bruce Weber at K-State.”
Bob Fescoe, 610 AM
GH: All the more reason to party hardy now. If I was Weber, I’d have the Cats come out for warm-up drills at Sprint Center wearing their Big 12 t-shirts.

“Bruce Weber wanted to get a rise out of KU Fan and they fell for the bait like fools.”
Andrew Hammond, @ahammsportsgeek, Twitter

“John Currie might be the hottest AD in the country.”
Jay Binkley, on the great success Kansas State football and basketball has experienced this past academic year, 610 AM
GH: Remember all the bashing Currie was taking last year when word leaked out that he and Frank Martin couldn’t get along? Martin took his cowboy boots to South Carolina and Currie was left scrambling and explaining. Read on for four quotes from last year’s OTC when Martin bolted to USC.

“You would have to think this is a fireable offense for John Currie for letting Frank Martin go.”
Carrington Harrison, 610 AM

“John Currie becomes the most hated man in Manhattan since Bob Huggins.”
Text from listener to Danny Parkins Show, 610 AM

“Wow, this is a disaster for K-State. This sucks. Big loss for the Big 12 too. While I get the sense that most of this is the administration’s fault, I have a bit of anger towards Martin too. Fans were very loyal to him.”
Nate Bukaty, @nate_bukaty, Twitter

“I’ve heard that Bill Snyder isn’t that pleased with [Currie] either.”
Soren Petro, 810 AM
GH: What a difference a year makes…for both Currie and Martin.

“I’m going to tell John Currie that if I were you, I’d do my next press conference with both middle fingers extended.”
Mike Welch, Late Night Show host, 610 AM

“I would most like to see Kansas play Baylor again [in the Big 12 Tournament].”
Nate Bukaty, 810 AM
GH: Jake Gutierrez followed Bukaty’s comment with a perfect response. “I thought I was the most irrational Kansas fan,” Gutierrez replied.

“I think the criticism of Phil Pressey is unfounded. He’s not getting enough help from his friends.”
Tim Brando, in an interview with WHB’s The Border Patrol, 810 AM
GH: I was on my morning commute when The Border Patrol interviewed Brando. When he started off defending Pressey and pointing a finger at his Missouri teammates, I was literally yelling at my car radio. Has this guy even watched Mizzou basketball this season? Surely Steven St. John would call him out for his foolishness, right? Nope. It was Nate Bukaty, the KU guy, who questioned Brando about Flip’s late-game decisions. Read on.

“He’s thinking when he’s got the ball, they may not get a better look than the one he’s got. He’s in a situation where he’s trying to bail out his offense that’s not doing what they should be doing.”
Tim Brando, responding to Bukaty’s comment that Pressey hasn’t allowed his teammates to get involved in the last minute of some of the Tigers’ toughest losses, 810 AM
GH: I was now pounding on the dash of my Kia as Brando waxed on and exhibited his cluelessness about Mizzou and Pressey.

“How many teams do you think the SEC will get into the tournament?”
Steven St. John, in his follow-up question after Brando’s above comment, 810 AM
GH: I jammed my transmission into park and flipped my car into a multiple 360-degree spin on I-435 when I heard SSJ’s question. Well, I thought about doing that anyway.

“Who knows? Maybe we’ll be talking about the Missouri Tigers in the Final Four.”
Tim Brando, 810 AM
GH: Who knows? We all know Brando is a great quote for my OTC – but as a knowledgeable college basketball analyst, he’s bordering on Michael Coleman clueless.

“Is it over yet? First of all, good job getting the [Pioli] interview. Second of all, I think you got caught up in the Pioli PR machine that told him he needs to go out and try and rehabilitate his image and show people that he’s more personable than what we knew.”
Jayice Pearson, to his cohost Jay Binkley, after listening to Binkley’s taped interview with the former Chiefs’ GM, 610 AM
GH: I listened to Binkley’s interview with Pioli but the real meat from that conversation came afterward – from Pearson’s critique. Rarely does a co-host rip into the work of a fellow on-air partner with such frank honesty. Read on.

“I don’t think it’s a PR machine from this show’s perspective. … That chapter is closed now as we move forward with John Dorsey.”
Jay Binkley, 610 AM
GH: Binkley tried to save face after Pearson’s body blows but the former Chiefs’ DB had more to add…

“[Pioli] didn’t tell us anything in that interview that we didn’t already know! So in that regard, who cares? It was just rambling, rambling. I don’t think he was as forthcoming as he could have been or should have been.”
Jayice Pearson, 610 AM
GH: Pearson did all Between the Lines listeners a favor in letting them know they missed nothing if they stayed tuned into Kevin Kietzman’s show during Binkley’s interview with Pioli. Pearson came off sounding like he is an 810 plant working behind enemy lines.

“For the 12 people who might be curious about the [results] from Friday’s picks segment…”
Danny Clinkscale, 810 AM
GH: I have something even more worthless than BTL’s Picks Segment -- four tickets to the Wednesday session of the Big 12 tourney starting at 6:00 PM. Anybody who wants them can have them for free. First email scores.

GregHall24@yahoo.com and Twitter / greghall24

“The Sunflower state holds 100% of the Big 12 title.”
Soren Petro, 810 AM
GH: Congrats to both KU and K-State for their shares of the Big 12 basketball title. The weekend did not go as planned with both teams losing on the road, but who is going to remember that once those banners get hung? I have always thought conference titles were badges of courage and deserved to be celebrated. UCLA refuses to hang any banner in Pauley Pavilion unless it’s a national championship banner. It appears to me that the Wizard of Westwood screwed up those Bruins fans for life.

“I think Baylor just had a great game. I don’t think Kansas lost any edge at all [because K-State had lost earlier at OSU]. For whatever reason, Kansas walked into a hornet’s nest.”
Dave Armstrong, 810 AM
GH: I heard Nate Bukaty try to argue with Armstrong that Kansas played poorly and that as much as Baylor’s play contributed to their 23-point beat down in Waco. I think Baylor could have beaten any college team Saturday night – including Kansas at its best this season. Kansas wasn’t that bad, Baylor was that good.

“How did this team lose nine games [in the Big 12]?”
Bob Davis, while Baylor was in the process of blowing out Kansas in Waco, Jayhawk Radio Network
GH: We likely will never see Baylor play that well again this year. How Scott Drew can assemble that much talent yet flopped so severely in a Big 12 season that was wide open for the taking is why he gets so little public respect. How many games would Baylor have won with Fred Hoiberg as their head coach? Hoiberg is competing at Iowa State with not even half the talent that Baylor rolls out each night.

“I look at Kansas and I’m really surprised that Kansas laid an egg at Baylor but I don’t think it changes that Kansas can get a number-one seed.”
Danny Parkins, 610 AM
GH: Kansas needs to win the Big 12 to get a number-one seed. They have losses to TCU and a 23-point gag to Baylor in the season finale. That is not the resume of a one seed.

“I think [Bill Self] overachieved. Bill Self absolutely overachieved. Let’s look at what their lows are. They are capable of losing to TCU!”
Soren Petro, on Bill Self’s leading Kansas to a share of the Big 12 title, 810 AM
GH: Petro is adamant that the only reason Kansas was picked to win the Big 12 because it says Kansas on their jerseys and Bill Self is their head coach. He believes those same players at another school with another coach would not have been preseason picks to win the Big 12. What? Kansas was expected to win the Big 12 because they returned four players who played in the NCAA championship game last April and had a redshirt freshman named Ben McLemore. Does Petro wear Bill Self super hero underwear?

“I thought [Perry Ellis] was the best player for us today. If anybody had a great game, it was Perry. He’s aggressive. He attacked them, and the guys he was scoring on or over or around were legitimate shot-blockers that were much bigger. I thought he did a really good job being aggressive.”
Bill Self, KUSports.com
GH: Self took the loss at Baylor with far more public poise than he showed after the Oklahoma State and TCU losses earlier this season. Ellis plays tentative at times but he looks like he has put on 15 pounds since October. I think he could be a big-body destroyer in the paint before he’s done at KU.

“Short of a miracle run in which they sweep through the Big 12 tournament and secure the conference’s automatic bid, Texas will miss the tournament for the first time since 1998.”
SportsDayDFW, DallasNews.com
GH: Texas not making the field of 68 teams for the NCAA tournament should set off all kinds of alarms in the Longhorn State. It won’t.

“With the Big 12 men’s tournament set to start Monday and the NCAA tourney around the corner, here’s a look at each Big 12 school’s chances at getting into the Big Dance…”
SportsDayDFW, DallasNews.com
GH: The Dallas market was never all that tuned into the Big 12 men’s basketball tournament but you would like to think the Dallas Morning News would at least know the tourney starts on Wednesday and not Monday. The cover story on the Dallas newspaper’s sports page today? Johnny Manziel and how much money he is losing not being able to market himself for profit. March Madness apparently skips over the state of Texas.

“The [Big 12] Tournament is expected to bring in $9 million [to the Kansas City area].”
Kyle Hendricks, reporter, 980 AM
GH: How many Mizzou fans will be frequenting the Power & Light District this week? I am going to bet there will still be more Tigers downtown than TCU and WVU combined.

“I’m interested to see how different the dynamic is in Kansas City this week [without Missouri as part of the Big 12 tourney].”
Gabe DeArmond, 810 AM
GH: I think the Big 12 tourney will be a much more placid place without the MU/KU rivalry hovering over the tourney. A KU/KSU final would be interesting but I don’t see the Cats getting all that charged up to face the Jayhawks a third time. MU always wanted to tangle with KU. Still does.

“I think if the vote would have taken place after the [Kansas/Baylor] game instead of before the game, I think Pierre Jackson might have found himself on the All-Big 12 team.”
Dave Armstrong, on Jackson being left off the coaches’ All-Big 12 team, 810 AM
GH: How can the vote take place BEFORE the final games are played? It is not 1967 anymore, Big 12. Electronic ballots can be filed, tabulated and posted all within an hour after the conference’s final game. I think Jackson deserved to be on the first team before his performance against Kansas. When you lead the Big 12 in scoring and assists, you are a rare talent.

“I think wins matter – especially if you’re a point guard and you’re going to have gaudy stats like leading the conference in scoring and leading the conference in assists. You’ve got to have more wins.”
Dave Armstrong, on why he left Pierre Jackson off his first team All-Big 12 team, 810 AM
GH: The Big 12 coaches agreed with Armstrong but the AP All-Big 12 team included Jackson in their top five along with Withey, McLemore, McGruder and Smart. Oklahoma’s Osby was delegated to the second team by the AP. I love Ben McLemore’s talent but I would have moved him down and replaced him with Jackson.

“Is it player of the year or the most valuable player? To me it’s always somebody who comes from the championship team. It’s either Jeff Withey or Rodney McGruder.”
Bruce Weber, 810 AM
GH: Weber and Armstrong both want to place team success onto the criteria for individual awards. That doesn’t make sense to me. There are team awards and individual awards – and never the twain shall meet. Marcus Smart is the hands-down the Big 12 POTY.

“Frank Martin lost three or four games he shouldn’t have every year at K-State. That was his trademark in my mind.”
Kevin Kietzman, 810 AM
GH: Bruce Weber did not have that problem this season. You have to wonder what Frank thinks of Weber walking away with Big 12 COTY honors after just one season. Frank may never see that happen to him at South Carolina.

“There is only one problem [with Missouri]. And that problem is Phil Pressey. He always makes the wrong decision at the worst possible time.”
Carrington Harrison, after yet another late-game meltdown by Pressey likely cost the Tigers a win at Tennessee, 610 AM
GH: Frank Haith has no control over Phil Pressey because I don’t think Pressey can control Pressey.

“[Missouri] can beat average teams at home and bad teams on the road. … That [loss at Tennessee] was the exact same game I’ve seen six or seven times this year.”
Gabe DeArmond, on the consistently frustrating play of Missouri, 810 AM

“If Missouri wins Thursday there is no doubt [they are in the NCAA Tournament]. I think there’s very little doubt anyway.”
Gabe DeArmond, 810 AM
GH: Mizzou passes every eye test imaginable – but is their resume really all that much better than SEC bubble teams like Ole Miss or Kentucky or Alabama Tennessee? The Tigers better win in Nashville on Thursday or they could pull a Pressey on Selection Sunday.

“The way I understand it is that the SEC has eight players on the All-SEC first team and eight players in the All-SEC second team.”
Gabe DeArmond, 810 AM
GH: The SEC was never very good at following the rules.

“Be listening at 5:25 today to hear [Scott] Pioli on The Big Show.”
Bob Fescoe, 610 AM
GH: The former Chiefs’ GM has agreed to an interview with Jay Binkley on 610’s The Big Show. Part of me wonders why? Why would he want to come on Kansas City radio and why would we want to hear what he has to say? BTW, Fescoe made this announcement Monday morning with the parody song, “That’s Pioli” playing in the background.

“A little bit.”
Carrington Harrison, when asked if he was jealous of Jay Binkley for securing the Scott Pioli interview, 610 AM
GH: Maybe Pioli is trying to steal some of Kietzman’s thunder by appearing opposite his Between The Lines show during afternoon drive. I hear the two of them do not get along – I think we heard that from KK over and over and over…

“If it keeps Jalil Brown off the field, I’m good with it.”
Jake Gutierrez, on the Chiefs signing Dunte Robinson, 810 AM

GregHall24@yahoo.com and Twitter / greghall24

“I would vote for Bruce Weber. … I think he’s had [Kansas State] as consistent as anybody in the league.”
Bill Self, when asked for his choice for Big 12 Coach of the Year, 810 AM
GH: I think Weber wins it in a landslide. We all like Bill Self but this was far from his best year in guiding his team through a soft Big 12 schedule.

“I think [Bill Self’s] done a tremendous job. A tremendous job. To put them back in position for a ninth-straight conference championship is a remarkable job. Worthy of any individual honor anybody wants to dole upon him.”
Blair Kerkhoff, 810 AM
GH: Kerkhoff said he would choose Weber as his COTY, but he was effusive in his praise for Self. I don’t get that. Yes, winning a ninth-straight title is incredible, but winning the conference this year wasn’t all that difficult when you consider KU had three fifth-year seniors, another senior as their point guard and their fifth starter is expected to be an NBA lottery pick this year. Props to Self for putting that team together but Weber had a much tougher job in taking over Frank Martin’s abused children.

“I think if they both tie, my vote is going to go to Bill Self. I think the best coach is the best coach. He’s the best coach in the league.”
Soren Petro, 810 AM
GH: Petro’s logic would eliminate the need to evaluate a coach’s performance each year – he’d just hand it to Bill Self each November. Self is the best coach in the Big 12 but he didn’t do the best job of coaching this season.

“It’s never going to be [like] Kansas. It just isn’t. But it can be a really good rivalry.”
Gabe DeArmond, on Mizzou’s new SEC rivalry with Arkansas, 810 AM
GH: Never is a long time. Let’s move forward in time to our grandkids’ as adults and how they will view the Kansas/Missouri rivalry. Will the open wound that is so fresh today still be as bloody 30 or 40 years from now? If the two teams remain in separate conferences, I can see Arkansas surpassing Kansas as MU’s most hated rival. Maybe not for current KU and MU fans…but two generations removed? Oh, yeah.

“My first instinct is no [Missouri won’t win at Tennessee]. Because if Tennessee wins this game, they are in the NCAA tournament. This is their season. Tennessee has so much to play for that if you make me pick the game right now, I have to pick Tennessee.”
Gabe DeArmond, 810 AM
GH: I have a bad feeling about all three local schools this Saturday. All three are on the road and I think there is a very good chance all three get beat. I rank their vulnerability in this order; 1) K-State – Oklahoma State is just more athletic and they have the best player in the Big 12 in Marcus Smart. 2) Mizzou – MU should win at Tennessee but every time I start to think they have evolved into a legit Sweet 16 team they go on the road and get whacked. 3) Kansas – Beating Baylor has not been all that difficult this season. KU should win by 10 but they too have been scary against lesser teams at times this year.

“There’s nothing better to me than being on a show and stumping the host!”
Seth Green berg, after Nate Bukaty and Steven St. John were unable to tell him the last time KU and KSU shared a conference title in basketball, 810 AM
GH: Greenberg had Bukaty apologizing and genuflecting because he didn’t know the answer to his query. Greenberg was kidding with Nate but he enjoyed making the local host squirm. Read on.

“It’s not a trivia question. It’s not trivial. I think it has some substance to it.”
Seth Greenberg, after Nate said, “We have an answer to your trivia question,” 810 AM
GH: Jake, Nate and Steven finally discovered that the last time the two Kansas schools shared a conference title in basketball was 1960. That was so long ago even I don’t even remember it.

“We all should probably know that.”
Jake Gutierrez, after Greenberg refused to give SSJ a pass for not knowing the answer because he’s “The Missouri Guy,” 810 AM

“Thank you for making us do our job better.”
Nate Bukaty, to Greenberg, 810 AM
GH: If Greenberg pulls that stunt on Petro’s show, there are three or four guys on The Program who have the answer before he can finish his question. The Border Patrol is not where I go for sports knowledge. They are the laugh-track for sports talk radio and that’s a niche that is sorely barren in 810’s programming.  Petro tries to be funny but he’s better at being a jerk. Kietzman would love to have a sense of humor but humor is more foreign to him than Soul Train.

“I don’t know anything about Bob Devaney. All I know is that a gym was named after him. I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t know my Nebraska basketball at all.”
Nate Bukaty, when the discussion turned to who was the basketball coach at Nebraska in 1950, 810 AM
GH: Nate guessed Bob Devaney when SSJ asked him who the Nebraska basketball coach was when NU, KU and KSU last shared a conference basketball title in 1950. I would like to be upset that Nate doesn’t know that Devaney was the legendary football coach who turned Nebraska into a powerhouse in the 1960s and ‘early ‘70s. But what other school has a basketball arena named after a football coach? For those who care…Devaney was Nebraska’s athletic director in the mid-70s when the state legislature approved the funding to build The Bob, thus it bears his name.  

“Jonathan Baldwin might go down as one of the worst picks in this [Chiefs’] franchise’s history.”
Soren Petro, 810 AM
GH: Man, that is one long list of stinkers. I don’t think Baldwin is even in the top ten…yet.

“Geno Smith number one and Landry Jones number two. Landry Jones looks like he’s better than the rest of the bunch.”
Paul Bessire, of PredictionMachine.com, on how his system ranks the quality of the quarterbacks in this year’s draft, 810 AM
GH: I have been pushing Landry Jones as the Chiefs’ sleeper draft pick for the last two months…but we don’t need Bessire to be drawing any attention to the former Sooner and driving up his value! Petro pointed out that Bessire has been dead-on the last two drafts in naming both Colin Kaepernick and Russell Wilson as quality picks in their respective drafts.

“Spring Break! Finally ready for some time with the crew and well needed trip to Cabo!”
Johnny Manziel, @JManziel2, Twitter
GH: It is good to be Johnny Football. A Heisman on your trophy case and spring break in Cabo. Not as bad finish to his freshman football season.

“After Missouri’s T.J. Moe posted the slowest 40-yard-dash time among wide receivers Sunday at the NFL Scouting Combine, 4.74 seconds, it was easy enough to write him off at an NFL prospect. But it wasn’t so cut-and-dried, because the rest of Moe’s workout was exemplary.”
Jim Thomas, writer, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
GH: I would like to see Moe get a shot in the NFL but that is an awful 40 time for an NFL receiver. I sure hope TJ studied while he was at Mizzou…and judging from his tweets from class – he did.

“NFL Combine bench press doesn't matter. Tank Tyler had 42 reps, Jared Allen 14. Tyler - zero NFL sacks and gone. Allen 117 and counting.”
Dave Stewart, @davestewartsports, Twitter

“I think the Royals in a couple of years are going to wish they had Wil Myers.”
Bob Dutton, 610 AM
GH: Ahhhh, Wil. We hardly knew ya. So how is the former Omaha Storm Chaser doing in Tampa? Read on.

“The best power-hitting prospect in baseball is standing against a cinder-block wall outside the Tampa Bay Rays’ spring clubhouse, talking about comparisons and the future and The Trade. … Wil Myers, 22, of High Point, N.C., has the muscled torso of a prototypical slugger, and the chiseled face of a prototypical cover boy, even with facial growth that looks more like a bad science project than a beard. He hit 37 homers and had 109 RBI and a .314 average in 134 games in 2012, and was widely figured to be untouchable until the final day of the winter meetings in Nashville in December, when the Royals reluctantly agreed to include him in a bold trade with the Rays that netted them a pair of proven big-league pitchers, James Shields and Wade Davis.”
Wayne Coffey, writer, New York Daily News
GH: I get sad just reading those words…and I still hope Myers has a huge career with the Rays. But it will make life here in Kansas City hard to stomach if he’s as good as we think.

“I think [Myers] is going to be ready at some point this year. I don’t know if it’s going to be at the end of this camp. We’re going to bring him up when we think he’s ready and that he is not going to go back.”
Joe Maddon, Rays’ manager, New York Daily News
GH: I like how Maddon is a no-nonsense kind of guy. He doesn’t hem and haw and talk in circles. He says what he thinks and then deals with it. Read on for more Maddon on Myers.

“I want to observe, and I don’t want to tell him what to do. I want him to do what he does naturally well, and we’ll work it from there. There’s no preconceived genius thought from our end that we’re going to impact this guy in any way. Let him go out and impact the game the way he can, and we’ll observe.  Whenever you get a new guy or a young guy like that, from my perspective, you don’t try to influence anything that he does. I want to see what he does, how he does it. Come in here, walk in the door, don’t feel any weight on your shoulders, and just go play the game. That’s what I want him to do.”
Joe Maddon, Rays’ manager, FoxSports.com
GH: Who wouldn’t want to play for Joe Mad?

“It’s awesome to be a part of this (Rays) organization. This is a great organization. I had some mixed feelings about leaving Kansas City, the team that gave me my shot, but business is business and they had to make a trade to help their team. I think it was a win-win.”
Wil Myers, Boston Herald
GH: Myers was close to being drafted by the Red Sox in 2009 and then last off-season the Royals flirted with trading him to Boston for Jon Lester. I think the BoSox will be seeing a lot of Wil.

“The Rays gave up an Ironman starter to gain [Myers] — Shields pitched a team-high 227.2 innings last season — Myers will be tracked in a different light. Questions that will follow him are perhaps unfair but inevitable; there will always be some who wonder if his potential was worth sacrificing known value.”
Andrew Astleford, columnist, FoxSports.com
GH: Interesting how the other side looks at a trade, isn’t it? We all will be watching how Myers and Shields produce for their new organizations.

“I don’t really sense that Dayton [Moore] is running scared. I don’t”
Bob Dutton, 610 AM
GH: Many believe Moore made the Myers trade in an effort to win now and save his job. Whether that is true or not, Moore needs to win now to save his job.

“There is a genuine respect for Dayton Moore in that [Royals’] clubhouse that you don’t always see for a general manager.”
Soren Petro, 810 AM
GH: The Royals are awful at winning baseball games but they are great at fostering loyalty and camaraderie within their organization. Losing rarely seems to tear this team apart. Instead, the players always seem to stand solidly behind whoever is managing or sitting in the front office. The Royals are the opposite of what the Red Sox are – dysfunctional winners.

“So much stuff just happened. There’s a philosopher who says, ‘As you live your life, it appears to be anarchy and chaos. And random events – non related events – smashing into each other and causing this situation. Then this happens and it’s overwhelming and it just looks like, what in the world is going on? Later when you look back at it, it looks like a finely crafted novel. But at the time – it don’t! A lot of the Eagles story is like that.”
Joe Walsh, in the Showtime documentary on the history of The Eagles
GH: My wife is an Eagles fanatic. This documentary has been playing the past month on Showtime and it seems like every time I flip on one of our televisions, up pops Joe Walsh, Glenn Fry or Don Henley discussing the early years of The Eagles. So I watched the entire doc one snowy afternoon and loved it. Read on or bail now, Desperado.

“Glenn [Fry] got the apartment next to my apartment. This apartment cost like $125 or something a month. And I needed to economize so I moved into the basement underneath Glenn’s place, that I could get into for $35/month. It only had one door. That was it. There was a stereo, a piano, a bed, a guitar and a teapot.”
Jackson Browne, describing his living space below Glenn Frey’s and JD Souter’s apartment in 1968 in Los Angeles, Showtime
GH: What is better than hearing how these lucky talented bastards struggled just like us when they were starting out? My old roomie and I shared a one bedroom apartment for $155 in 1977. We converted the dining room into his bedroom…and we wore out Jackson Browne’s Running On Empty album on our stereo.

“We had drawn a line in the sand and said, ‘No drugs or alcohol during any band activities.’ And as a result, we were playing and singing pretty damn good.”
Glenn Frey, on how The Eagles cleaned up their act after their reunion in 1994, Showtime
GH: Imagine having to make a rule that drugs and alcohol would not be allowed at work. The music biz is a different kind of animal.

“I really didn’t have time to sit around and miss alcohol or cold turkey cocaine or anything. And I had to go in front of people and play and sing sober! Which I hated at first! Oooo that was scary!”
Joe Walsh, Showtime
GH: Showtime is running this documentary for another week. Catch it if you can.

GregHall24@yahoo.com and Twitter / greghall24

“Just wanted to confirm that I have been released. Even though it was an incredibly tough year on and off the field last year, I wouldn’t trade the relationships I made in Kansas City and the overall experience I had for anything. It was an honor to be a Chief.”
Eric Winston, after he was released by the Chiefs on Wednesday, Twitter
GH: Social media has given the power of mass communication to the athletes and diminished the need for using traditional media to broadcast breaking news. Randy Covitz’s story in Thursday’s Kansas City Star and reports of Winston’s release in USA Today, YahooSports.com and ESPN.com all use quotes from Winston’s Twitter account. We have evolved into an age where the fan has almost as much access to these breaking stories as the media.

“Nope.”
Branden Albert, responding to a tweet asking if he would now be willing to move to right tackle to make room for Luke Joeckel, Twitter
GH: Albert has not been shy about letting the world know he has no intention of switching to right tackle or returning to the guard position. He sees himself as an elite left tackle and he isn’t budging. Almost makes me think the Chiefs have either told Albert he is their left tackle this season…or Andy Reid and John Dorsey are going to have one pissed off franchise-tagged player on their hands in St. Joe, MO come July.

“Gonna miss ya, buddy. Learned so much from you in one year. It was definitely a pleasure.”
Donald Stephenson, Chiefs’ second-year offensive tackle, in a tweet to Winston, Twitter
GH: While Winston was far from a fan favorite after he called Chiefs’ fans “sickening and disgusting,” he obviously was a leader in the locker room.

“Sorry bro I going miss u on and off the field.”
Jamaal Charles, @jcharles25, in a tweet to Eric Winston, Twitter
GH: Winston’s teammates loved him. Maybe they all think we’re sickening and disgusting.

“And just like that, Luke Joeckel could be back in the Kansas City Chiefs' plans.”
Mike Garafolo, writer, USA Today
GH: Just two days ago when the Chiefs franchised Albert and signed Dwayne Bowe and Dustin Colquitt to long-term contracts, the Chiefs’ draft plan looked like it was as flexible as Gumby. Now it looks like an offensive tackle is high on Dorsey’s wish list. But more moves are likely to come, making the Chiefs’ draft a mystery once again.

“Right now I will bet money that Luke Joeckel is a Kansas City Chief.”
Danny Parkins, who made this pronouncement more than a week ago, 610 AM

“The release of Eric Winston is a confusing one because the Kansas City Chiefs can go in so many different directions to replace him. Do they use the No. 1 overall pick in the 2013 NFL Draft on a right tackle? Move Branden Albert to right tackle (sorry, had to ask)? Poke around in free agency? And where does Donald Stephenson fit into all of this? Let's try to tackle all those questions with complete guessing completely accurate answers.”
Joel Thorman, writer, ArrowheadPride.com
GH: Thorman operates an informative and entertaining website. If you’re not accessing ArrowheadPride.com daily for your Chiefs’ news, you are sickening and disgusting.

“Do you think ‘The Kietzman Plan’ involved cutting Winston? #haha”
Brent Scholz, @brentbeats, Twitter

“[The Chiefs] still need some playmakers on both sides of the ball.”
Jayice Pearson, 610 AM
GH: The Chiefs were 2-14 last season, Jayice. Thanks for the heads up. Man, does The Big Show need somebody in that studio to bust Jayice’s puffy balls. Josh Vernier and Jay Binkley grovel all too often when Pearson starts pontificating, holding his NFL resume over their sports-nerd pointy heads. I think Pearson could handle the truth if one of those guys would stand up to him and take him on. If not, the show would be infinitely better just for the entertainment value.

“Is this Kenny Kenny? Good hearing from you, Kenny Kenny! This is the first time you chimed in with us. Don’t be a stranger.”
Jay Binkley, after fielding a call from one of 810’s most infamous callers, 610 AM
GH: Kenny Kenny has jumped ship from 810’s to 610’s caller lineup? Didn’t I hear that Kenny Kenny was working promotions for 810 not long ago? Anybody out there know the story behind this divorce?

“What in the world does Adam Teicher care if Clark Hunt spends $50 million on Dwayne Bowe? The business of this thing gets way overblown.”
Kevin Kietzman, 810 AM
GH: KK has hammered everyone who wants to bring up the cost ramifications of doing business in the NFL. He also has no use for anyone who mentions Branden Albert’s bad back. “I DON’T WANT TO HEAR ABOUT WHAT IT COSTS!,” screams KK into his mic. “DON’T TELL ME BRANDEN ALBERT HAS A BAD BACK!” “DON’T TELL ME GENO SMITH ISN’T WORTHY OF THE OVERALL NUMBER-ONE PICK!” Why? Because all of these points chip away at his crazy obsession with the Chiefs doing exactly what he wants them to do. Rational debates are not allowed on Between the Lines. That would make KK work harder and possibly look bad.

“Just so you know what I try to do with my show, every day at two-o’clock when I start the show I try my hardest to talk about something that nobody else has talked about.”
Kevin Kietzman, 810 AM
GH: This is how KK gets himself into trouble when it comes to credibility. When you are working to deliver something new eight hours into your station’s sports talk format – it opens you up to fabricating stories and breaking news that isn’t even cracked.

“Anyone who comes in here and thinks I have an axe to grind…let me tell you something. By the time two-o’clock rolls around every day, do you know how hard it is to find something new or different to talk about? After we’ve had five different hosts on, 15 different guests on, newspapers have been printed, websites are up and running – do you know how hard it is to come up with something different? I really feel like that’s my job.”
Kevin Kietzman, 810 AM
GH: KK has sounded a bit stressed to me lately – even more so than usual. Whenever he starts publicly complaining about how difficult his job is, I know he’s feeling some pressure. Just a guess here but KK’s recent trip to Phoenix might have him thinking about moving his retirement date up. He’s not even 50 yet but he is long past the average burnout rate for sports radio talk show hosts. I know I think about closing down my OTC about once a month. Maybe KK and I will go out together…

“I remember Norm [Stewart] telling me [about Arkansas], ‘We gotta go down there to Fayette-nam.”
Jack Harry, 810 AM

GregHall24@yahoo.com and Twitter / greghall24

“Miscommunication.”
Frank Haith and Mike Anderson, during their separate postgame pressers when asked the reason for their heated words and actions, 810 AM
GH: One thing we can be sure of is that there was no “miscommunication” inside Mizzou Arena Tuesday night. Mizzou fans let Mike Anderson know without a doubt how they felt about him and how he departed Missouri for Arkansas. Frank Haith let Anderson know how he felt about Anderson claiming credit for Haith’s success at Missouri. And Missouri communicated to the rest of the SEC that they are no longer just happy to be invited to the party. No, there was no miscommunication whatsoever.

“Why would Missouri fans boo Mike Anderson? He came in and took over a train wreck!”
Jimmy Dykes, color analyst for Arkansas/MU game, when almost every Mike Anderson move inside Mizzou Arena was greeted with a defending chorus of boos early on in the game, ESPN
GH: Dykes is just another failed former coach lucky enough to have a cushy TV gig who thinks he needs to protect the reputation of a fellow coach – especially if it means that coach might be able to help him get back into coaching. If Dykes doesn’t know the origin of the booing, he should be fired. If he does know but plays stupid on the air to protect Anderson, he should be fired. ESPN should be all over Dykes for not having this story for their national broadcast.

“Screw dykes.”
Mike DeArmond, Twitter
GH: For many reasons – this tweet was one of the highlights of a very, very entertaining night on Twitter.

“Here we go with the lecturing of Missouri fans. If they want to boo Mike Anderson, A) It's their right and B) who cares?”
Dan Wolken, @DanWolken, responding to Dykes’ comment during the Arkansas/Mizzou telecast, Twitter

“I'll let you know why they boo'd! But in the meantime @Mizzou.... Boo on!”
Kim English, @Englishscope24, Twitter

“The Mizzou/Arkansas rivalry just went to another level!”
Jimmy Dykes, after ESPN’s cameras showed an irate Frank Haith having to be restrained by his own coaches from rushing Arkansas’ Mike Anderson, ESPN
GH: I have been on Missouri since August for their placid acceptance of being the SEC’s lapdog. Paul Finebaum started making fun of the Tigers on his satellite radio show and every other SEC school joined in the fun. When Alabama came to Mizzou Arena for hoops the PA announcer congratulated them on their national title. I have contended Mizzou needed to get a little more Norm Stewart in how they approach their new conference. Frank Haith went past Stormin’ Norman Tuesday night – he went John Chaney!

“Boy, did the [Mizzou] fan base love that last night!”
Steven St. John, who was at Mizzou Arena, on Haith’s attempt to charge Anderson, 810 AM
GH: Mizzou fans have had issues with Haith, starting with the Tigers inconceivable first-round upset lost to Norfolk State last March.  His team’s poor play on the road and his skeletons from Miami have all tainted his relationship with some Mizzou boosters. But wanting to fight Mike Anderson in the middle of Norm Stewart Court just vaulted the little jar-headed MU coach up to Jason Sutherland status around the Show-Me State.

“Uhh, no. It’s just emotional. I want our guys to play hard.”
Frank Haith, when interviewed during the first half and asked about what was said to elicit him having to be restrained by his staff, ESPN
GH: Haith spit this canned answer out as his team huddled during a timeout. Incredibly, ESPN’s sideline reporter, Shannon Spake, allowed him to get away with this response.

“What has been the most significant adjustment you guys have made offensively?”
Shannon Spake, sideline reporter, with her follow-up question to Haith after his above comment about “it’s just emotion,” ESPN
GH: Fire Spake too. How do you have the head coach from Missouri live on the air, just minutes after he had to be restrained from confronting the former Missouri head coach who is now the Arkansas head coach, and you do not press him on this wacky, wonderful occurrence? Haith looked like he’d gone three rounds while he was answering Spake’s riveting query about offensive strategy. Spake should have asked Haith, “Did you overreact then?” “Will you be apologizing to Mike Anderson for your emotional actions?” “Are you emotionally stable enough to finish the game?” Instead we get a question about offensive adjustments??? Just like Dykes, we have another broadcaster who is far more intent on pleasing the person she is interviewing rather than the millions who tuned into watch the game.

“Well, I’m not buying that answer but that’s okay. There’s a lot of things I don’t buy in this business.”
Brad Nessler, play-by-play broadcaster, after Haith’s interview with Spake, ESPN
GH: At least Nessler called BS on the whole thing…including the constant flow of BS that flows from college coaches.

“Just a guess, but I think Frank Haith could take Mike Anderson. More agile, quicker. Anderson would be wearing more clothes, too.”
Sam Mellinger, @mellinger, Twitter
GH: I have to give Anderson the edge in a street fight. He’s mellow on the outside but that nasty grin he stared down Haith with after their confrontation is one I’ve seen before – from the guy who knows he is going to win the fight.

“Heard Anderson told Pressey he can have that shot all night and Haith got mad at him for talking to his players.”
Tanner Stanze, @tstanze03, Twitter
GH: Since no one who knows is talking, we are left to guess as to what set Haith off. This is as good an explanation as any. Coaches HATE it when the other coach talks to his players. Even if Anderson was trying to have some fun with his former player, he was out of line to talk to him on the court.

“Sitting 14 rows behind bench & guy close by is in MAndersons ear #SuitecaseMike #Patronizing #QuitterBeatdown #BackdoorMike.”
Will Nolte, @Real_Big_Will, Twitter

@NotoriousAG: “Mike, was just curious how Mike Anderson was to cover? Good, Bad, Indifferent?”
Mike DeArmond: “He was a jerk from day one.”

“Sign on Jumbotron. Picture of Anderson: "We are never ever ever getting back together. Like ever." Well done.”
Gabe DeArmond, @GabeDeArmond, Twitter
GH: Taylor Swift would be proud. How about Mizzou Arena putting that sign on their JumboTron? SEC, it appears that Mizzou is all in.

“Have absolutely no problem with [Laurence] Bowers mentioning Michael Dixon in his speech.”
Carrington Harrison, @cdotharrison, Twitter
GH: Bowers said he told Dixon they wouldn’t forget him and he stayed true to his word. At least Bowers didn’t mention Mike Anderson in his Senior Night speech.

“That was the oddest scene I've ever seen: IU players wearing Big Ten title shirts and hats, cutting down the nets after a loss.”
Bob Kravitz, @bkravitz, following Indiana’s loss at home to Ohio State on Senior Night, Twitter
GH: Cannot believe Indiana did that. Anybody think Bob Knight’s Hoosiers are cutting down nets at Assembly Hall after a loss on Senior Night?

“Am thinking this would be a great year to put teams in the tournament without seeding, at least at the top. Either that or add four No. 17s!”
Joe Lunardi, @ESPNLunardi, Twitter

“That's going to be very weird having KU play two games in Sprint Center in the NCAAs. It's not going to seem like the NCAAs so close to Law.”
Gary Bedore, @GaryBedore, Twitter
GH: The problems that some Kansas basketball fans have to dream up to present as problems. Yeah, it’ll really be a bitch, Gary.

“Do you think [Kevin Kietzman] considers K-State co big 12 champs last football season?”
Frank, @Frankennoggin, Twitter
GH: I know he doesn’t. KK laughed when Oklahoma held a trophy presentation for their half of the co-championship.

“It’s going to be very hard for the [K-State] Wildcats to win that ball game [at Oklahoma State] because of the difficulty of the venue.”
Mike DeCourcy, 810 AM
GH: OSU’s venue won’t be the problem for K-State on Saturday. The talent that the Cowboys put on the floor will be a much more imminent danger to KSU’s Big 12 title hopes. Marcus Smart is the best player in the Big 12 and he is going to win the POTY award going away. But the Cats are one tough bunch. I would love to see KSU put the pressure on Kansas to win at Baylor.

“I’m paid by Entercom - a publicly traded corporation. That allows us to have business partnerships without sacrificing editorial control. Which is more than I can say for other media outlets in KC. And with that, I'm probably gonna get in trouble again, so enjoy the 2nd half.”
Danny Parkins, @DannyParkins, responding on Twitter to someone who accused him of being a Kansas homer, Twitter
GH: Instead of naming names, Parkins tosses all other media outlets in Kansas City under his Entercom bus. Pretty tough to get in trouble for being vague.

GregHall24@yahoo.com and Twitter / greghall24

“I like these moves.”
Soren Petro, after the Chiefs made it public that they had signed Dwayne Bowe and punter Dustin Colquitt to long-term contracts and assigned the franchise tag to Branden Albert, 810 AM
GH: Petro likely speaks for the vast majority of Chiefs’ fans. What’s not to like? The Chiefs secured their best free-agents and allowed them more flexibility with the number-one pick in the April draft. Dare we say things are looking up in Kansas City? Hell, even the Royals are kicking Arizona ass!

“Do not let good players go and fill them with draft choices. It is the dumbest plan I’ve ever heard. Meet the new boss – same as the old boss! I think it’s coming.”
Kevin Kietzman, prior to the announcement that the Chiefs had signed Bowe and Dustin Colquitt to a long-term contract and franchised Brandon Albert, 810 AM
GH: Kietzman started off his Monday talk show in a sour mood. He was pissed at Kansas fans for riding his ass about K-State’s two losses to KU and how KK’s Cats didn’t deserve to share the Big 12 title. Kietzman then lit into the Chiefs and how John Dorsey was going to simply make the same mistakes that Pioli had made in driving the franchise into the ditch. But KK’s mood changed dramatically when word came out of what the Chiefs had done. Read on.

“You know what I’m thinking about doing? I’m thinking about just quitting this job and becoming a GM! It’s the Kietzman Plan! The Pioli Plan is out and the Kietzman Plan is on! I’ve been talking about this for a month! Nobody thought about this like I thought about this! Nobody!”
Kevin Kietzman, after the Chiefs moves were announced Monday afternoon, 810 AM
GH: Well, I wouldn’t say “nobody.” John Dorsey obviously had considered it.

“I have just schooled you guys today! … The Chiefs did exactly what I’ve been saying!”
Kevin Kietzman, talking to Danny Clinkscale and other 810 employees after the Chiefs announced their moves, 810 AM
GH: Kietzman must have forgotten the first hour of his show [and the past month] when he was deriding Dorsey for how stupid he was in not seeing things the Kietzman way.

“To me this was just common sense. Common sense to me is not exciting.”
Danny Clinkscale, 810 AM
GH: Clinkscale didn’t challenge KK about his about-face opinion of Dorsey but he also refused to join in KK’s celebration. While Kietzman treated the news as if he had been crowned king of sports talk radio, Clinkscale just shrugged and acted like it was just another Monday in the studio.

“You cannot damn this [Chiefs] regime for the sins of past regimes.”
Steven St. John, 810 AM
GH: Well said. I wish Clinkscale would steal SSJ’s line and use it on BTL.

“Thank you Jesus, the Chiefs Football Club & especially The Hunt Family for another 5 year opportunity to be in the Chiefs Kingdom ALL IN!”
Dustin Colquitt, @dustincolquitt2, Chiefs punter, Twitter
GH: I have never heard of a punter getting an $18-million contract. Maybe Jesus was involved in this negotiation.

“That’s strong. That’s where the punter market is going. I give a lot of credit to the agent there because you have a player there who was facing a very low franchise tag.”
Andrew Brandt, ESPN’s NFL business analyst, 810 AM

“Wanted to thank @dustincolquitt2 for coming on the show tonight. It was great talking to you! Good luck next season!”
TJ Carpenter, @TJCarpenter, evening host on 810 AM, after interviewing Colquitt Monday night, Twitter
GH: This is just way, way too gushy for my taste. I understand that Carpenter is happy to get a real live Chiefs’ player to come on his evening show but he looks desperate and juvenile in sending out a public, exclamation-filled, thank you note to Colquitt. Have some pride, man.

“Today was a great day for KC but fans need to remember they have Smith, Bowe, Albert & Colquitt on the books. That didn't come cheap.”
Nick Jacobs, @Jacobs71, of Metro Sports, Twitter
GH: Chiefs’ fans aren’t currently thinking about the long-term ramifications of signing a wide-out with a questionable attitude, a left tackle with a bad back and Colquitt to the highest contract ever given to punter. There are gambles in putting together an NFL roster. For now, it is kind of fun to see the Chiefs roll the dice instead of roll into a ball and hide.

“Some guy this John Dorsey is. Would have put Bowe resigning long term < 10% before his arrival. + Albert, QB & flexibility @ No.1.”
Josh Looney, @JoshLooney, Twitter

"[John Dorsey] doesn't sound like a smart man. Unfortunately, there's no other way to put it. He sounds like a guy who used to play linebacker who took a few dings. And Scott Pioli was smooth."
Danny Clinkscale, on the Chiefs new GM, 810 AM
GH: The first time I heard Dorsey speak at the Chiefs’ press conference I had the same reaction to his voice – “Oh, oh, this guy sounds dumb.” We chose our leaders oddly here in the states. We like men with a full head of hair and women with a deep voice. I wonder if Dorsey’s jock-talk voice was the reason he was one of the last to find a GM job out of the talented front office in Green Bay.

Q: “Vic, I know it's a little early, but with the trade for Alex Smith and the hiring of Andy Reid, do you think the Chiefs could be one of those teams that makes a big, one-year turn around?”
Vic: “Yes, I do. I think they're more talented than their record last season would suggest. Smith gives Reid a quarterback who knows how to manage a game, and Reid will give Smith the kind of finesse offense Smith played in at Utah. John Dorsey might've fallen into something real good.”
Vic Ketchman, blogs for Packers, Packers.com
GH: The more I hear about Alex Smith, the more excited I am to see him play as a Chief. I especially like that Kevin Kietzman thinks he’s a bum.

“Alex Smith doesn’t have the arm to throw it 40 yards downfield anyway.”
Kevin Kietzman, on why he believes Dwayne Bowe’s limited skills as a deep receiver don’t matter, 810 AM
GH: Alex Smith had the 49ers a play away from the 2012 Super Bowl. I think Andy Reid can work with that. At least I sure hope so.  

“[According to @TylerDreiling] Four of K-State's 5 losses have been to teams ranked No. 1 in either the AP or Coaches’ poll at some point this year.”
D. Scott Fritchen, @DScottFritchen, Twitter

“The K-State senior class has a chance to go 27-4 against Texas schools over a four-year span on Tuesday. That's freaking remarkable.”
D. Scott Fritchen, @DScottFritchen, Twitter
GH: How about the fact that the two little Kansas schools are set up to share the conference title that was designed to only be held by a school south of Tulsa? This has been one helluva year for the kids in Kansas.

“If you Kansas fans can’t figure this out, this is not therapy on the radio! I’m not doing this for you! If you want to claim that Kansas has won eight Big 12 conference titles in a row, you cannot play the card that K-State is not co-champs! You can’t do that!”
Kevin Kietzman, sounding exasperated by KU fans who continue to remind KK that K-State lost twice to their Jayhawks this season, 810 AM
GH: It appears that KK’s season-long bellyaching that the Big 12 title was simply a foregone conclusion and that Kansas was going to win it all again is coming back to bite him in the KKan.

“I do think there are times when we take more joy in enjoying the losses of our rivals more than the wins by our own team. I don’t know how other KU fans feel. I don’t know how the team feels. Even when KU wins, to me anymore it’s not enjoyable. It’s more of a relief that I don’t have to be trolled on Facebook and Twitter.”
Bob Fescoe, 610 AM
GH: Ahhh, the problems of a spoiled Kansas basketball fan who happens to also have a daily sports talk radio show. And we ask why our parents’ generation wonders what happened to their kids?

“He hadn’t even attempted a three and he just threw that one in, nothing to it!”
Bob Davis, as Jeff Withey hit his only three-point attempt of his KU career from the top of the key on Senior Night, Jayhawk Radio
GH: Withey now joins former KU big man Scot Pollard as having the highest three-point shooting percentage in Kansas history; 1.000. What are the odds Withey casts another trey before he’s done? I think he has another one or two in him. Treys are like Lays chips, it’s tough to eat just one.

Greg Gurley: “Sometimes crazy things happen on Senior Night.”
Bob Davis: “Yeah, just ask Big Country.”
GH: Bob Davis getting in a zinger at OSU’s Bryant Reeves, who went scoreless inside Allen Fieldhouse on Senior Night in 1995. Was it really that long ago?

“You hate to call him a garbage man but that’s kind of what he is. They don’t run any plays for him but he’s always around the basket.”
Greg Gurley, on KU’s Kevin Young, Jayhawk Radio
GH: Kevin Young gets more love for his fro than his game. But the guy has been a steady offensive player in a very inconsistent offense.

“I’d vote for Travis Releford.”
Jon Sundvold, when asked by Kietzman who he would vote for as the Big 12 player of the year, 810 AM
GH: Sundvold said he appreciated Releford’s consistent play throughout this season as to his reasoning for picking him over his more popular teammates, Ben McLemore and Jeff Withey. Sundvold also surprised me with his SEC POTY pick – Travis’ younger brother at Alabama, Trevor Releford. That is a talented brother duo from Bishop Miege HS. Should the Rush clan be nervous?

“They are gonna boo the hell out of him. They are going to boo the hell out of Mike Anderson.”
Steven St. John, on the Arkansas coach’s return to Mizzou Arena tonight at 6:00 PM on ESPN, 810 AM
GH: ESPN could get a great 30-minute pregame show out of the reception Anderson and his Hogs are going to receive tonight. I will be leaving the office early to get a good seat on the couch for this one.

“I don’t think people understand! [Mike Anderson] did not recruit! There are people who think he was recruiting for Arkansas!”
Steven St. John, 810 AM
GH: SSJ is beyond pissed at Mike Anderson – and he echoes more Tiger fans’ feelings than not.

“I’ve heard this from so many people who act like Frank Haith can’t coach, and that he walked into such a favorable situation. He walked into a mess! … That thing was torn apart! That thing had come off the rails!”
Steven St. John, 810 AM
GH: A mess? Haith won 30 games with Mike Anderson’s team. Haith was national coach of the year with Anderson’s players. If that’s a mess, what do you call what Turner Gill left Charlie Weis?

“I’m over it. I think it’s great. Missouri ended up with a better coach in Frank Haith.”
Steven St. John, 810 AM
GH: SSJ ain’t over anything – and it makes for way better radio because he’s not.

GregHall24@yahoo.com and Twitter / greghall24

“[McGruder] is going to get a lot of attention now for [Big 12] player of the year. I think it’s going to come down to a three- horse or a four-horse race. The one guy we’re not mentioning guys is Marcus Smart and I believe he is the leader in the clubhouse.”
Dave Armstrong, who named Smart, McGruder, Withey and McLemore as his four favorites as the Big 12 player of the year, 810 AM
GH: McGruder’s last-second miracle shot at Baylor emptied the Wildcats’ bench onto the court in a wild post-game celebration as the Baylor Bears once again hung their heads after a tough loss. While most of the talk after this game was about how Baylor lost it, McGruder and his mates deserve props for yet another tough road win as they remain tied with Kansas for the Big 12 lead. The quest by the Cats to win both the Big 12 football and basketball conference crowns this academic year continues.

“Headed to Manhattan for Kansas state game. Why is no talking about Bruce Weber for coach of the year? He should be in the conversation.”
Rich Zvosec, @CoachZZ, Twitter
GH: Weber and his Cats are the quietest great team in the country. Why? Read on…

“It’s just another K-State team that’s lost twice to Kansas.”
Kevin Kietzman, on why he thinks there isn’t more excitement about K-State being atop the Big 12, 810 AM

“Based on what we saw Saturday, Baylor doesn’t even deserve to play in the NIT.”
Bob Fescoe, after Baylor was knocked off at home on a last-second three by K-State’s McGruder, 610 AM
GH: Baylor is the opposite of Kansas. They lose almost every close game due to questionable coaching strategy and decisions. Kansas has Bill Self. Baylor has Scott Drew.

“I don’t know why everybody is so hard on my guy, Scott Drew. Scott Drew is a fantastic coach.”
Carrington Harrison, on the much-maligned Baylor basketball coach, 610 AM
GH: What Drew has done at Baylor since he was hired to repair one of the most broken programs in the history of the sport is remarkable. I don’t think I would label him as “fantastic,” but he is far more successful than most critics will give him credit. Kansas will have to play well in Waco next Saturday to wrap up their ninth straight Big 12 title.

“We gotta get ready for a hungry Arkansas team. … I’m very attached to the University of Missouri so it’s going to be emotional, but once the ref throws the ball [up], it’s ball game.”
Laurence Bowers, on Mike Anderson’s return to Mizzou Arena this Tuesday night, SEC Network

“It will be interesting [to see what kind of reception Mike Anderson will receive from the Mizzou crowd Tuesday night]. I would say – knowing Missouri people – it would be maybe a 70-30, meaning 70% solid. I really do. Mike did a great job here.”
Jon Sundvold, SEC Network
GH: I thought Jon knew Missouri people better than that. I don’t think even 30% of Tiger Nation is going to be “solid” in showing Anderson any manners. This is the same crowd that had stuck the head of a hog on a stick into Nolan Richardson’s face as he headed into the Hearnes Center. I wonder if Nolan, Norm and Jon will all be inside Mizzou Arena on Tuesday to take in this crazy night.

“But in the coaching business if you leave someplace, at night, in the dark, on a flight – it’s just how this business is. You really don’t get to leave anywhere in a nice way.”
Jon Sundvold, on the unpleasantness that might await Mike Anderson inside [or outside] Mizzou Arena, SEC Network

“I would expect an absolute woodshedding against Arkansas on Tuesday.”
Gabe DeArmond, predicting a Mizzou blowout win over the Tigers’ former head coach, Mike Anderson, on the Hogs trip to Mizzou Arena, 810 AM

“I want to wish Nate [Bukaty] a happy birthday. I was going to sing to him but Nate, you already got a pretty good gift in Ames on Monday.”
Gabe DeArmond, having some fun with The Border Patrol’s Kansas alum last Friday, 810 AM

“[Missouri] is one of the better offensive teams in the country.”
Gino Gaudio, SEC Network
GH: Mizzou looked like a Final Four team against LSU on Saturday. They have the pieces to beat any team in the country. Is Frank Haith finally getting his point guard to settle down enough to take advantage of all that talent on the floor? Mizzou will be a fun team to watch in the SEC tourney. Their play in Nashville next week should give us an idea of what to expect in the NCAA tourney.

“Somebody probably told Jazz some BS that was entirely false smh...”
Michael Dixon, @M1keD1xonJR, Twitter
GH: It doesn’t sound like Mike Dixon is considering furthering his college education.

“Creighton drew 18,613 fans to the Missouri Valley Conference title showdown against Wichita State Saturday in Omaha. The Bluejays regularly draw 17,000 and rank sixth nationally in attendance. The majority of the departing Big East Catholic 7 schools would love to average that attendance. And this is exactly why Creighton is the favorite to be the 10th team when the league is formed with Xavier and Butler.”
Andy Katz, ESPN.com
GH: Most college basketball fans think of the state of Nebraska as a college basketball wasteland – and rightly so when you consider the Cornhuskers have NEVER won a game in the NCAA tournament. But Omaha is home to the Creighton Blue Jays where fans have flocked to their downtown arena for Missouri Valley games since before Eddie Sutton was their head coach.

“WATCH: 55-foot buzzer beater wins [New York HS AA) state title bit.ly/XNUDDw.”
@41Action News, Twitter
GH: Read on for more about this incredible, incredible state-title-winning toss.

“Trailing 60-58 with 2.9 seconds on the clock, New Rochelle's Khalil Edney inbounded the ball from under his own basket. The pass was picked off around mid-court and a player from Mount Vernon threw the ball into the air. With the heads-up play, Khalil Edney stepped forward to intercept the ball and hoisted a 60-foot shot as time expired. It went in. New Rochelle won. The crowd went nuts.  The last time New Rochelle won the Section 1 Class AA title was in 2005. Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice was their point guard.”
Tim McGarry, writer, USA Today
GH: How long is that kid who intercepted the inbounds pass going to have to live with that blunder? How does forever sound?

GregHall24@yahoo.com and Twitter / gregahll24

“I might need therapy – and I’m not kidding.”
Kevin Kietzman, on the reports that the Chiefs have struck a deal with the 49ers to trade for Alex Smith and most likely pass on drafting a quarterback with their first overall pick, 810 AM 810 AM
GH: No one I know of has been more passionate, adamant and just sheer obsessed with the thought of the Chiefs needing to draft Geno Smith with their first overall pick. Therapy may be necessary for KK considering how personal he apparently takes it when the Chiefs, Royals, K-State or any of his favorite teams dares to waiver from his opinions. In other words – this man is crazy and he knows it. Read on. 

“This is an historic deal! We are going to remember this the rest of our lives!”
Kevin Kietzman, on the Chiefs trading for Alex Smith instead of drafting Geno Smith, 810 AM
GH: Kietzman believes history will treat this Chiefs’ like the 1983 draft when the Chiefs drafted Todd Blackledge instead of Dan Marino. Hell, he could be right. But there is a big, big difference between the hype that surrounded Marino in 1983 and the fog that is surrounding Geno prior to this draft. Thee are no draft experts who I have heard from who are saying Geno or any quarterback in this draft class should go number one overall. Just KK.

“This is Kansas City and this is how it goes for us.”
Kevin Kietzman, 810 AM
GH: This is another sign Kietz may need to see his shrink. He is perpetually despondent over his teams. His K-State Wildcats were ranked in the top three for much of the season but he could not get over their loss at Baylor and how it “ruined” their season. The Wildcats have been tied for the Big 12 basketball lead for weeks but KK insists on handing the outright title to Kansas because, well, they're Kansas. Now the Chiefs have sent him over the edge with the Alex Smith trade. Does it make for good radio? Hell, yes.

“I think the reason it’s going to end badly is because somebody in this draft is going to end up being a great quarterback. There are going to be plenty of guys in this year’s draft that are going to be better than Alex Smith. … I guarantee you there’s a quarterback in this draft better than Alex Smith – probably three or four.”
Kevin Kietzman, 810 AM
GH: Lots of bold talk here from a radio guy who has proven to be less than accountable for his own breaking stories. Kietzman wants the Chiefs to draft Geno. We will judge Geno’s next two years against Alex’s next two years and see how they fare. I think Alex will far outperform the former Mountaineer for his career.

“Nothing indicates to me that their stock is going up. I just don’t see it.”
Jeff Chadiha, on Geno Smith and Matt Barkley, the two top quarterbacks in the draft, 810 AM

“I don’t know that this is any sort of a solution. The Chiefs just said, ‘Eh, we can be average at this position.’ What the Chiefs are saying here today is that we’re afraid to do this the right way because we’re going to take the safe way.”
Kevin Kietzman, 810 AM
GH: The Chiefs are doing what Clark Hunt and Scott Pioli have forced them to do – acquire a quarterback now that gives them the best chance to win in 2013. I don’t think fear has anything to do with it unless you host a sports talk show and you want to appear to be overly dramatic.

“Didn’t Andy Reid just drive that thing [in Philadelphia] off of a cliff? With moves like this.”
Kevin Kietzman, 810 AM
GH: So where was this talk when Reid was hired? If KK wants to criticize the Chiefs for being safe, it was in their hiring of Reid. Hunt had a chance to go bold and grad a fresh college coach but he chose to go with the safe pick of Reid. That is where the Chiefs showed no tummy – at least metaphorically.

“I think [John Dorsey’s] philosophy is closer to Scott Pioli’s than anybody ever imagined.”
Kevin Kietzman, 810 AM
GH: Dorsey’s been on the job what, a month? He’s made one personnel move and KK already has him in the same outhouse where Pioli pissed away the Chiefs future. All because the Chiefs obviously aren’t listening to KK’s wisdom and experience as a fantasy football owner. 

“Maybe miniscule. Neither of those guys are any good in my opinion.”
Bob Fescoe, on the upgrade Smith would provide the Chiefs from Matt Cassel, 610 AM
GH: Kietzman is far from the only member of the local media who is not excited about the Alex Smith trade. KK is simply the craziest. Read on.

“I don’t like it at all. If it was a fourth- or a fifth-round pick I’d be good for it. The fact is you’re nearly giving up a first-round pick for Alex Smith, who is no long-term [solution] for me. It just scares me when you give up that much. Are you committed to giving him an extension?”
Jay Binkley, 610 AM

“You don’t overpay for a ‘capable’ guy just because you need a quarterback. I would have been better off with [the Chiefs] getting [the Eagles’] Nick Foles and just giving up a number three. … If you replace [Alex Smith] after two years, you’ve failed at your job. Absolutely that’s a fail! No question about it!”
Jayice Pearson, 610 AM

“I think Alex Smith is mediocre. … I think [the Chiefs] are going to be just good enough to make you think we can keep building around Alex Smith – and I think Alex Smith is a limited talent. I think based on what they gave up for Alex Smith it is unlikely [that the Chiefs try to trade up to get the best quarterback in next year’s draft].”
Danny Parkins, 610 AM

“I don’t think [Alex Smith] sucks, I just think the Chiefs gave up too much for him. I think he’s an upgrade for now.”
Josh Klingler, 610 AM

“They felt the best quarterback available was Alex Smith.”
Carrington Harrison, 610 AM

“It’s a win-win here [for Kansas City]. Because people who say Jim Harbaugh was responsible for Alex Smith they are underestimating what Andy Reid has done with quarterbacks. Andy Reid knows quarterbacks too. That’s why I think it’s off to a good [start].”
Jeff Chadiha, 810 AM

“I think it’s a very good fit. … [Alex Smith] is a guy that can control the line of scrimmage as well as anybody in the league.”
Trent Dilfer, on the pairing of Alex Smith and Andy Reid, 610 AM
GH: It appears that the further away from Kansas City you get, the better Alex Smith looks. The national media [for the most part] believe the Chiefs are doing what is necessary to field a competitive team. Even Coach Herm like the move. Read on.  

“They feel and I feel this way too – they have a football team that is ready to win now. [Alex Smith] has the ability to move the chains. Alex Smith does not turn the ball over. That’s one thing you can count on.”
Herm Edwards, in an interview with Kevin Kietzman, 810 AM

“This [Chiefs team] is still a pretty good football team. They have some players there – six Pro-Bowl players. They’re not looking at this like this is a team that they have to rebuild. Hey, I did them that favor!”
Herm Edwards, 810 AM
GH: Herm talked up the Chiefs talent during his conversation with KK and he made sure to pat himself on the back for the players he drafted that are still the core of the franchise’s talent. It was a rare look at what Herm likely really thinks about Clark Hunt. Herm wasn’t done with lobbing verbal grenades at the Chiefs. Read on.

“Knowing me, because I’m not afraid, I would have drafted a quarterback.”
Herm Edwards, when asked by Kietzman what he would have done if he were in Andy Reid’s shoes and had just been hired by the Chiefs in January, 810 AM
GH: Did Herm just call Andy Reid scared? Oh, yeah.

GregHall24@yahoo.com and Twitter / greghall24

“Kansas City will trade its second-round pick in the 2013 draft -- the second selection (No. 34 overall) in the round -- as well as another conditional mid-round pick in 2014 to acquire [Alex] Smith from San Francisco, a league source told ESPN.”
John Clayton, ESPN.com
GH: That price is WAY more than was previously floated about by some NFL experts who were talking about a fourth-round pick being enough to get the 49ers’ backup quarterback. But the Chiefs are desperate for a QB. I believe after they got an up-close look at the available QB talent at the NFL combine they became even more desperate – the 34^th overall-pick desperate.

“I think that gap between [Geno Smith] and the next guy is pretty wide – but [Geno] just didn’t look that good throwing the ball at times. … His ball placement was kind of inconsistent which has always been a knock on him. … I could poke holes in the other quarterbacks but with Geno not as long. Geno Smith was far and away the best quarterback we saw in Indy.”
Matt Miller, 810 AM
GH: I think the Chiefs also saw Geno as the best quarterback pick in the draft and that scared them into offering the 49ers their 34^th overall pick and another pick in 2014. It appears the 2013 QB draft class is just as bad as advertised. Maybe even worse. Get ready for the Chiefs to not draft a QB this April until maybe the fourth round.

“Alex Smith is a leader. He is the total professional quarterback. He’s not sexy, he’s not going to blow you away but he can win you football games in Kansas City. You’re not going to the Super Bowl – don’t pretend you are.”
Damon Bruce, from the San Francisco 49ers radio broadcast team and KNBR, in a Wednesday afternoon interview with Soren Petro, 810 AM
GH: The reality of this statement should boil your Chiefs’ red blood – and your frustration should all be laid at the feet of two individuals; Clark Hunt and Scott Pioli. It was this pairing that allowed the Chiefs to become so quarterback weak that this franchise will begin the 2013 season with hopes of simply being competitive. Clark Hunt strikes again.

“[Alex Smith] is a good competent NFL quarterback to bridge the gap between the Chiefs stinking out loud and becoming a decent football team.”
Damon Bruce, 810 AM
GH: Chiefs fans, meet the bridge to hopefully somewhere. That should be the Chiefs 2013 slogan.

“There is good Alex. There is decent Alex. And there is evil Alex.”
Damon Bruce, 810 AM
GH: I believe Alex is a better Smith than Geno – but neither are probably going to advance the Chiefs past Denver and into the playoffs. I sure as hell hope he is not Steve Bono, Elvis Grbac and Matt Cassel reincarnated – but he sure looks to be. Again, I think he’s probably the Chiefs best option – but what a shame that Clark Hunt and Pioli placed us in this era of mediocrity.

“[Alex] Smith [won’t] drive disgruntled Chiefs fans to the box office. But he would bring wins and added credibility. He would change the culture in Kansas City.”
Adam Schein, NFL columnist, NFL.com
GH: Winning will change the culture of Chiefs fans in Kansas City. Alex and Andy have their work cut out for them.

“If the Chiefs want my opinion: Sign/trade for Alex Smith. Draft Matt Scott in Round 5. Cut Cassel. Sign Bowe. Draft Joeckel.”
Matt Miller, @nfldraftscout, prior to the reports that the Chiefs had traded for Alex Smith, Twitter

“Officiating errors were made at the end of the regulation. The plays have been reviewed and appropriate measures will be taken.”
Big 12 official statement on the Kansas/Iowa State game
GH: The penalty for these errors will be for the Big 12 to “adjust the number of future assignments for two of the officials involved.” Read on.

“It was crushingly disappointing to see the reaction [by the Big 12] of what occurred [in Ames] on Monday night.”
Mike DeCourcy, citing the referees’ calls in not calling a charge on Elijah Johnson but then calling a foul on Georges Niang after they fell to the court, and also incorrectly attributing what would have been Jeff Withey’s fifth foul to Kevin Young, 810 AM
GH: I still do not understand why the fifth foul on Withey was not reviewed. We can complain all we want about officials but the task is a difficult one, probably too difficult in those charged environments for men relying on nothing more than their senses. Replay needs to be elevated to a much higher role or we all should just accept that these games will continue to be poorly officiated.

 “I’m sorry, but it’s not his team.”
Aaron Swarts, while discussing the merits of Kansas State’s Bruce Weber as the Big 12 coach of the year, 810 AM
GH: I think Weber is the easy favorite for the Big 12 COTY. Sure, he’s working with Frank Martin’s players but that’s not the easiest task a coach could take on. K-State needs to finish strong but I don’t think the voting will even be close this year. Kansas may win the conference title but this is one of Bill Self’s worst coached teams. He has managed to take a team that we all thought would waltz through the conference and turn the Jayhawks’ Big 12 season into one of the more exciting on record.

“I don’t think [Missouri] is going to be without Phil Pressey next year. I think [the idea of Pressey declaring early for the NBA draft] has been adjusted.”
Steven St. John, 810 AM
GH: Pressey needs another year to understand how to handle pressure, pace and the clock. College is for teaching and a senior year might be just what Flip needs to allow the game to slow down for him.

“I hate to kill anybody but early in my career we paid a guy named Raef LaFrentz more than anybody. When we found out we’d made a mistake we got rid of him.”
Mark Cuban, when asked by Howard Stern what was the biggest mistake he made signing players to the Dallas Mavericks, Sirius XM 100
GH: Cuban was a guest on Stern’s show last week and he made some entertaining sports-related comments. Read on.

“I used to go to a lot of the Mavericks games just as a fan. It was the start of the 1999-2000 season and I was sitting there thinking, ‘I can run this team better than this guy.’ Then I just thought to myself, ‘Wait a minute! I’m a rich m-f-r now! I’ll just buy the team!”
Mark Cuban, when asked how he became the owner of the Dallas Mavericks, Sirius XM

“To even consider it, it would have to be at least a billion dollars. I wouldn’t sell it for anything less than that.”
Mark Cuban, when asked by Stern if he would ever sell the Mavericks, Sirius XM
GH: Cuban said he paid $285K for the Mavericks in 2000 and that he has no plans to sell the team. Cuban said he tried to buy three MLB teams – the Pirates, the Cubs and the Rangers – but that MLB owners were “scared” of him. Cuban said since there was no salary cap in MLB, they were afraid he would drive the price of player salaries up and ruin the free-agent market. He said they were correct; he would do anything to win. I was sad and somewhat surprised he never seriously considered buying the Royals.

GregHall24@yahoo.com and Twitter / greghall24

“Elijah got his 19th point with 3 minutes left in regulation and ended up with 39.”
KevinBaker, @deutschmarine, as the senior guard led KU to a 108-96 OT win in Ames, Twitter
GH: If you weren’t at this game at Hilton or watching it live on ESPN’s Big Monday, you missed one of Kansas’ more exciting, unbelievable, memorable and I-don’t-believe-what-I-just-saw games in the Bill Self era. That sentence is not hyperbole. It might even be a bit underplayed. Read on.

“Me and coach had a conversation early in the game, just between us. I think that kinda put a fire under my butt. I felt good going out there. I told him this is my team until I leave. And that’s what I meant. And I led the way. I feel like I gave my team confidence.”
Elijah Johnson, in a postgame interview with Holly Rowe, ESPN
GH: Name a player who more was expected of this season who has been as disappointing on an almost weekly basis as Elijah Johnson. The ardent Jayhawk fan base divorced their senior point guard weeks ago — and the court of public opinion didn’t blame them one bit for dumping the Vegas impersonator. Even his head coach trashed his game to the college basketball world. So why wouldn’t we expect EJ to go Michael Jordan and score 20 points in the final eight minutes of the game? Texas’ AD DeLoss Dodd thinks college basketball is in shambles. If so, I’ll take a double scoop of this kind of crapola atop my March Madness.

“This was one heck of a college basketball game.”
Bill Self, ESPN
GH: This needs to be said and understood — this was a great college basketball game. For that reason, it made it all the harder on Iowa State fans, Kansas State fans and Missouri fans [oh yeah, Tiger fans are still as invested as ever in KU games] to accept the final outcome. And man oh man did they ever have reason after reason to question this one. Read on.

“End of KU-Iowa State regulation: debacle, in my opinion. Either charge or block. That much contact? Someone fouled. … How does Young get called for foul when replays show Withey making contact? How?”
Michael DeCourcy, @tsnmike, Twitter
GH: My Twitter timeline was littered with KSU and MU types screaming about the unfair advantages KU seemingly always receives when they most need it. But the calls in crunch time in Ames had even the national college basketball experts crying foul. Read on.

“That was like the most obvious charge ever, wasn’t it?”
Gary Parrish, @GaryParrishCBS, Twitter

“Call something. Charge…something.”
Stuart Scott, on the controversial no call of Elijah Johnson’s drive, collision and fall to the floor with Iowa State’s ESPN

“Just watched end of KU-Iowa St game on DVR. I’m not a big bash-the-refs guy but that was some of worst officiating I’ve seen in a long time. … Missing Withey’s fifth foul was inexcusable, but the noncall at end of regulation was an all timer. Obvious charge, but call something!”
Seth Davis, @SethDavisHoops, Twitter
GH: Withey headed to the KU bench after what he thought was his fifth foul. But Bill Self frantically waived him back onto the court as Kevin Young raised his hand to claim Withey’s foul. Big time college basketball is about winning, not winning fairly or winning with character or teaching young men to win fairly and with character. Big time college sports are about winning. Period.

“Absolutely destroying credibility of the game and absolutely at the worst possible time. Fans w/go off and understandably. Must be addressed.”
Tim Brando, @TimBrando, Twitter
GH: Iowa State fans are getting hammered by KU fans for their lack of class in pelting the KU players with trash and for an old guy who tried to get tough with Bill Self. Did the Clones overreact? Sure! They’re fans! All fans overreact when they believe they have been screwed over and disrespected in their barn. Would the fan deportment have been different if the same sequences had happened to Kansas inside Allen Fieldhouse? Hell no.

“Wait, Withey didn’t foul there. Greg Ostertag did.”
Bob Lutz, @boblutz, Wichita Eagle columnist, Twitter
GH: If you have a sense of humor — especially when it comes to your favorite team — I suggest you follow Bob Lutz on Twitter. But be warned, he will infuriate those of you with thin skin — or feathers.

“I hate talking about the refs… but just a terrible shame that a game this good is marred by a couple of bad calls.”
Soren Petro, @theprogramkc, Twitter

“This is exactly why the officials or a representative should also offer postgame comments when applicable.”
Andy Katz, @ESPNAndyKatz, Twitter
GH: This idea is so overdue. Yes, yes, a thousand times yes. Make the zebras talk. We can call it the Dr. Doolittle Rule.

“Some in Cyclone Nation are already fixating on the possible charge on Johnson at the end of regulation. ISU was up two at the time and after the no call, Johnson was later fouled on the possession. He ended up at the foul line to hit the game tying free throws in the closing seconds. It’s best to let that go. The refs weren’t why the Cyclones lost the game. The refs weren’t why they let a seven-point lead slip away at the end of regulation. The refs weren’t why Korie Lucious missed a free throw with 11.6 left in regulation. The refs weren’t why Kansas built an eight-point lead in overtime.”
Bobby La Gesse, sports editor, Ames Tribune
GH: Okay, so not everyone in the state of Iowa is a crazed lunatic frothing at the mouth over the unfair practices of a few officials.

“I need to step up my defense.”
Korie Lucious, on giving up 39 to KU’s Elijah Johnson, Des Moines Register
GH: On a night filled with great notes and quotes, Lucious’ seven-word sentence might be my favorite.

“Fred Hoiberg knows his team. Bill Self is just acquainted with his flighty bunch.”
Bob Lutz, @boblutz, as Iowa State built a late lead in regulation, Twitter

“Bill Self, the school’s 10th-year coach, took the baton from Cowgill moments into Monday night’s game against Iowa State inside Hilton Coliseum and let Johnson have it again. You think maybe [KU athletic trainer Bill] Cowgill and Self know their personnel?”
Tom Keegan, after both Self and Cowgill reportedly had a tough-love talk with EJ, KUSports.com
GH: My question to Self is why did you wait until February 25th to move EJ to the two guard and light a fire under his butt? Were the three losses all part of his grand plan? Ben McLemore’s here-today-gone-tomorrow play has to be incredibly frustrating for Self. I think there is more truth to Lutz’s comment than Keegan’s — Self is just as surprised with his team each week as those of us on the sideline.

“ESPN should be ashamed of itself for showing a kid crying over and over. Happened live, let it go.”
Kevin Kietzman, @kkwhb, Twitter
GH: I am on board with Kietzman here 100%. That gratuitous shot of Hoiberg’s young son in tears as he clung to his mother was one of the worst examples of ESPN’s exploitation of an innocent. That kid didn’t ask to be Hoiberg’s son. He doesn’t understand national television. But ESPN thinks it’s okay to broadcast his emotional moment with his mom?

“Kids cry all the time it’s nbd.”
@KUBoobs, Twitter
GH: But how many have their crying mug shown on national television over and over and over again on SportsCenter?

“K-State fans feeling like little mayor tonight.”
Jake Gutierrez, @JakeGuti, on the shot of Hoiberg’s crying son, Twitter
GH: Kevin Kietzman, one of those K-State fans that Jake was referring to, had a different opinion. Read on.

“If you are a KU fan getting enjoyment out of a kid crying on national tv 25 times or more, you may want to get a life.”
Kevin Kietzman, @kkwhb, Twitter
GH: Sports makes animals of us all.

“Now, THAT makes your heart melt…seeing the Mayor’s son there, I mean that seriously.”
Nate Bukaty, @nate_bukaty, who has a young son of his own, Twitter

“Tonight’s winner, along with Elijah Johnson? The Mayor’s wife. Radiant. Composed. Nurturing. Supportive. Realized it was just a game.”
Brady McCollough, @BradyMcCollough, Twitter
GH: Brady sure got a lot more out of that shot than I did. Mrs. Mayor just looked like she was hoping for that game to end so she could get her tired boy to bed.

“That wasn’t an exclamation point, Elijah. That was classless. … Elijah Johnson was spectacular tonight. Didn’t need the dunk at the end. Guarantee Self agrees.”
Bob Lutz, @boblutz, on EJ’s dunk as time expired in OT, Twitter
GH: I would not be so quick to think that Bill Self is all that upset over EJ’s in-your-face dunk. One of the reasons Bill Self’s teams are so hard to beat is that he is one tough, competitive SOB — and he teaches his players to be the same. EJ is a senior who has been around Self for four years. That dunk was no lapse in character. That is Kansas’ character. They come into your town to bury you. Sure, they will publicly apologize later — but they are high-fiving their asses off as they motor out of town with your scalp on their belts.

“I like the dunk a little bit. Just the teensiest bit of swag creeping back.”
Gavin Fritton, @gavinesq, Twitter

“Freakin love that EJ dunked that. When you do what he did tonight, go ‘head!”
Matt Tait, @mctait, of KUSports.com, Twitter

“That Elijah dunk is like Marcus Smart backflipping, right?”
Curtis Kitchen, @curtiskitchen, Twitter

“Hey..Kansas just takes the win and walks away…right?? Right??”
Frank Boal, @realfrankboal, Twitter

“I gotta show better sportsmanship. I shouldn’t have dunked that ball at the end of the game. I wasn’t really thinking clearly. I saw an open basket and the only thing I could think of was drive, and I was thinking why not drive it? I definitely should have dribbled it out.”
Elijah Johnson, in an on-court postgame interview with Holly Rowe when asked what Bill Self said to him after the game, ESPN
GH: Delivered just as Bill Self told him to. Tom Osborne’s teams at Nebraska and Bill Snyder’s squads at Kansas State were/are no different. Put on a classy face to the public but sneak a sixth foul if it means a win instead of a loss. Nice guys really do finish last all too often.

“Big time game KU… The growth by the seniors is great to see… For those that jumped off the wagon a few weeks ago… Stay off!!”
Keith Langford, @keith_langford, Twitter
GH: I don’t think there is a more ardent and loyal fan base in college basketball than the Kansas Jayhawks. That kind of devotion spoils the players who where the crimson and blue. Langford sounds like a fool when he lectures the very folks who made him a hero.

“What’s all this talk about elijah johnson you jayhawk fans speak of?”
Tyshawn Taylor, @tyshontaylor, Twitter
GH: So Jayhawk fans are supposed to just forget that EJ played like he had forgotten the game for the first three and a half months of the season? How ridiculous to think the criticism of Johnson was not warranted. It was just as real as his super-human game at ISU.

“How many #kubball “fans” who were killing him a couple weeks ago are loving Elijah tonight?!?!”
Matt Tait, @mctait, Twitter
GH: There are some incredibly large homers who cover the Kansas Jayhawks. Matt Tait dwarfs them all like was Mount Oread.

“People are so fair weather ☔⚡❄☁⛅☀ smh #KeepKillinElijah”
Mike Dixon Jr, @M1keD1xonJR, Twitter
GH: From one of the more unlikely sources, Mike Dixon ways in to scold the EJ naysayers. Dixon probably considers himself an expert on fair-weather fandom.

“Hey man, will u talk to my columnist for a story on what you’re up to these days? No strings attached…”
Jeff Rosen, @jeff_rosen88, in a tweet directed to Mike Dixon, Twitter
GH: That is one column I might pay to read — or have to if it’s posted on The Star’s website.

“Ku always get saved.”
Jordan Henriquez, @TooTall2KnoSo1, K-State’s senior center, Twitter
GH: The Jayhawks are kind of like a Scooby Doo episode. Scary at times but everybody gets Scooby snacks in the end.

GregHall24@yahoo.com and Twitter / greghall24

“That Big Ten is going to expand. Two different people told me yesterday – and I won’t tell you what affiliation they were – but they would not be surprised if the Big Ten doesn’t seriously look at [expanding to] 20 teams!”
Kevin Harlan, 810 AM
GH: Whoa! The Big Ten is already slated to bring on Maryland and Rutgers to bring their total to 14. Speculation is that they will add at least two more teams soon to bring their total to 16. But 20? Harlan said the Big Ten’s appetite includes at least two schools we know very well – Kansas and Missouri. Read on.

“I think Kansas is very much a thought in [the Big Ten’s] minds.”
Kevin Harlan, 810 AM
GH: Harlan said the belief is that there is one large obstacle blocking Kansas’ path to the Big Ten – and that impediment is a deep shade of purple…

“One person in the know told me that it seems they continue to say – and please correct me if I’m wrong – but this person told me that the Kansas legislature has just made it almost part of the deal that if you take Kansas you’ve got to take Kansas State. Is that what you hear?”
Kevin Harlan, on what could possibly be blocking Kansas’ invite to join the Big Ten, 810 AM
GH: If the B1G is looking to add only two teams, it makes sense that they would want Kansas and then grab a team out of the more populated South. Taking both KU and KSU to bring the B1G to 16 is wishful thinking on our part – or at least the Kansas legislature’s part. But a 20-team Big Ten would very likely have room for the Wildcats. But what kind of familiarity would teams have with each other in a 20-team league? I guess if you went with two 10-team divisions it might make some sense.

“I also heard Missouri continues to be a team the Big ten talks about. It might not be right now, but down the road.”
Kevin Harlan, 810 AM
GH: Harlan said his source told him that he believes if Missouri is offered an opportunity to join the Big Ten in two, three or maybe four years, he believes they would consider it. Would Mizzou consider a move to the Big Ten, four or five years after they joined the SEC? I don’t think there is any way to know that at this time. But four or five years into the SEC, the Tigers may be feeling far more southern than northern.

“[The Big Ten] would love to reach into the south and take on a Texas.”
Kevin Harlan, 810 AM
GH: Texas is still a crazy popular wildcard for the Big Ten, the SEC and the Pac Whatever. But they have no reason to go unless the Big 12 starts getting picked apart again by the larger conferences. I expect this summer to be another conference realignment free-for-all.

“That Big Ten Network is just printing money. They are making money hand over fist.”
Kevin Harlan, 810 AM
GH: We hear that all the BCS conferences are making more money than ever. A friend of mine just got back from touring OSU’s facilities in Stillwater and he was blown away by their future plans of expansion. The arms race of college athletics continues toward and past insanity.

“Alabama at Texas A&M (Sept. 14) will be expensive. At StubHub, cheapest is $375. Most expensive: $4,980.”
Paul Finebaum, @finebaum, Twitter
GH: The insanity is everywhere.

“This is a person I respect and that’s what they told me. This is a person who I think is pretty connected.”
Kevin Harlan, confirming his sources for these Big Ten rumors, 810 AM

“Kansas State fans have a nice little doubleheader on their hands [tonight]. They get to watch their team kick Texas Tech’s butt [at 6:00 PM] and then they get to root for Iowa State [to beat Kansas].”
Nate Bukaty, 810 AM
GH: The Texas Tech at KSU game is on ESPNU and 810 AM at 6:00 PM. Kansas has a much tougher task up in Ames tonight where they meet the Cyclones at [about] 8:00 AM on ESPN’s Big Monday. No one expects K-State to have trouble with the Red Raiders. Bruce Weber’s team has been best against teams they should beat and they should beat TT soundly. A Kansas loss tonight gives KSU a solo seat atop the Big 12. Read on.

“I think they are going to win it outright. They’ve got it now.”
Kevin Kietzman, after Kansas won at OSU, on his belief that KU has wrapped up the Big 12 title outright heading into the final two weeks of the season, 810 AM
GH: This sounds like KK trying his typical reverse jinx on the Jayhawks. Kansas and K-State both have one tough road game remaining. I expect KU to lose in Ames and I expect KSU to lose at Stillwater. If one of them manages to win their road test, I believe they’ll win the Big 12 outright. They more likely scenario is they’ll both go 2-1 in their final three conference games and share the Big 12 title. But almost nothing has gone as we expected this season – so I will not be calling Kietz’s bookie.

“I would be very surprised if Kansas does not play well [in Ames].”
Kevin Harlan, 810 AM
GH: I would. Kansas won at Oklahoma State but they played UGLY. Except for their rollover of hapless TCU, Kansas has not looked like a team rounding into postseason shape. I expect Iowa State to push the pressure points of Kansas early, often and from way beyond the three-point arc tonight. Ben McLemore and EJ will need to be at their best to keep KU close. I like the Clones tonight by 10.

“I don’t think I could ever get Bill [Self] to admit this – maybe a couple of years from now – but Elijah Johnson is just not a point guard. It’s not his fault.”
Fran Fraschilla, on the poor season EJ is having as KU’s point guard, 810 AM

“Yeah, Naadir is terrific at times but Naadir can also keep the other team in the game.”
Fran Fraschilla, 810 AM

“Another #Mizzou game and I wrote the same story it seems I always write. Would LIKE to take a new angle, but results dictate I cannot.”
Gabe DeArmond, @GabeDeArmond, following Mizzou’s OT loss at Kentucky, Twitter
GH: A friend of mine asked me this weekend if I’d seen Mizzou’s “Groundhog Day” game at Kentucky. I thought it was an apt description of Mizzou’s season. I wonder if Frank Haith has caught any kids falling out of a tree on MU’s campus.

“If you said that [I won at Illinois with Bill Self’s players], then you could also say, 'Bill went to Kansas and won with Roy's players. And Roy went to North Carolina and won with Matt Doherty's players.' After a while they become your players. You might not have recruited them, but when you're with them more than the previous coach … it's part of it. It just happens. It has to happen.”
Bruce Weber, ESPN.com
GH: This quote and the next few quotes came from Jason King’s column, King’s Court, on ESPN.com. I consider the K-State players Frank Martin’s players since he recruited them. Interesting that Weber does not. Read on.

“It's tough following a good coach and even tougher following a popular coach. But think about it: If a guy like Bruce Weber just showed up at Kansas State and rolled the balls out and said, 'OK, you guys know how to do it, see you at the game,' they wouldn't be very good.”
Larry Eustachy, Colorado State’s head basketball coach, ESPN.com
GH: I don’t think many are questioning Weber’s ability to coach. Most question his ability to recruit and coach his recruits. The next two seasons will be the important report card for Weber.

“Brutal honesty, from the heart, kind of takes care of everything.”
Larry Eustachy, Colorado State’s head basketball coach, on communicating with his players as he transitioned to being CSU’s new coach, ESPN.com
GH: I would not suggest this approach in dealing with your spouse…or mine.

“No one thought Miami would do what they're doing or that Missouri would do what they did last year. But good things happen when everyone buys in. Sometimes change is good.”
Frank Haith, ESPN.com

GregHall24@yahoo.com and Twitter / greghall24

"This is probably as excited as I’ve been coaching in a game in a while. I definitely was more animated with the officials tonight, but I’ll be honest, I look forward to watching tape. I think I could have been more (animated), to be honest.”
Bill Self, after Kansas' double OT 68-67 win at Oklahoma State, KUSports.com
GH: Ugly doesn't do justice to this Kansas win. But Self's team won where few expected them to win. That is what Kansas do. Read on.

"Sometimes you just take the win. 5 assts 16 turnovers ... 1-8 FG in OTs. A win is a win."
Josh Klingler, @joshklingler, Twitter
GH: Add to those fugly stats that Ben McLemore was present but unaccounted for during his 49 minutes on the court. And Kansas still won! You want to know why Missouri fans hate, hate, hate KU basketball? Missouri usually loses these games, Kansas usually wins these games. Heck, every other team usually loses these games!

"I spent most ofthe night on Twitter lamenting the game being played by Kansas sophomore guard Naadir Tharpe. I questioned his shot selection, his passing, his defense, his hair, his sneakers. But it was Tharpe who had the last laugh by making KU’s last shot in a 68-67, double-overtime win against Oklahoma State in Stillwater. I’m in disbelief."
Bob Lutz, columnist, Wichita Eagle
GH: Those of us who watched that game [KU, MU, KSU fans and the rest] were sure that Tharpe had been sent to Stillwater as a Cowboy spy dressed as a Jayhawk. He clanged more iron than Tony Stark. He treated KU possessions like they were Domino's Pizza coupons.

"Tharpe was so bad in the second half that Kansas coach Bill Self chose not to have him in the game during the first overtime. But when Elijah Johnson fouled out toward the end of the first OT, Tharpe was back. And he wasn’t good. But when the Jayhawks needed someone to step up and make a shot – something no KU player had done in either overtime, believe it or not – Tharpe came through."
Bob Lutz, columnist, Wichita Eagle
GH: Tharpe's game on this night would make a great Disney movie. He plaed awful but made one big play -- and for that he will not only be remembered but placed into David Padgett's comfy place of KU legendary shots.

"Coach just said, ‘You hit the game-winner.' A lot of people don’t believe in me. (Self) does."
Naadir Tharpe, following the game, KUSports.com
GH: I have heard Self repeatedly sing the praises of Tharpe's ability to shoot. I have yet to really view that part of Naadir's game but Self has assured us it is there. Tharpe plays like it never left.

"Performing well isn’t a prerequisite to [Tharpe's] self-confidence, as was evidenced with his play tonight. He’s a believer, whether we are or not."
Bob Lutz, columnist, Wichita Eagle
GH: Not a bad way to go through life.

"If you watched this game without knowing about reputations, and then were told that the projected No. 1 overall draft pick in some circles had played, you would have named five players before you got to Ben McLemore. The Kansas freshman had seven points and six rebounds in 49 minutes. He made three of 12 shots. Sometimes, you forgot he was even on the court, even though no one played more."
Berry Tramel, columnist, Daily Oklahoman
GH: McLemore has never looked more lost. There were times he was tripping over his own feet. Scared is a term you hate to label an athlete with, but that's how it looked to me. Self called it "not plugged in." My question is how, why and WHAT?

"There are times, most times, when McLemore looks like an All-American. But he has a tendency to play quietly, even with a game that screams. And that confuses me. He’s the one KU player capable of taking over a game offensively, and he has shown he’s capable of doing that. ... There was no destruction in his heart tonight, though. Imagine McLemore with Tharpe’s conscience, or lack thereof."
Bob Lutz, columnist, Wichita Eagle
GH: If McLemore had Tharpe's mental make-up...just ship the NCAA's crystal ball to Lawrence.

"Perry Ellis: Had two rebounds, a turnover, and two bad fouls in seven minutes."
Jesse Newell, KUSports.com
GH: Perry Ellis cannot be as weak as he appears. His play has regressed as KU's season has moved into Big 12 play. He is only a freshman but he plays like he should be at Concordia.

"He's a man! He's Forte!"
Sign in the Oklahoma State crowd, on OSU's shooting guard, ESPN

"Yeah the situation I’m in is great and all but it’s obvious they want me to quit... All I was Tryna show this man is he had a guy that will take 50bullets for him but he’s blinded by his favorites... There’s no question that I would of been getting mad minutes anywhere else in America people its a #FACT.. It’s 2 Late Now.... Alot of Hype can get you far I see it every time someone makes it and gets far...I just wanna be happy and play ball."
Rio Adams, Kansas freshman guard, who broke ranks yesterday on his Twitter account, Twitter
GH: I grouped a number of Adams' tweets into one paragraph above. He went rougue yesterday and vented on the most popular social media venue in the world. That is not what you want when your team is battling to win a ninth consecutive Big 12 title. Read on.

"He is frustrated. He didn’t have a great shootaround today. I talked to him about it (tweets). I’m disappointed he’d say (tweet) anything negative. He will not be doing anything negative in the future or he won’t be around. I read them. They were not the best in the world; they were not the worst, either.”
Bill Self, KUSports.com
GH: Rio doesn't sound like he's as sure about his future comments as his coach. Read on.

"Haha this is funny I tweet and its direct towards my team and KU give me a break if I feel I need to say something about my team ill say it."
Rio Adams, responding to tweets from fans, who did not Twitter
GH: This tweet came before Self's comments. I expect Rio to head south soon.

"None of my tweets were ever directed toward KU but it seems everytime I tweet it so happens that’s who I’m talking bout thats not rite#AtAll."
Rio Adams, after he was called out by some fans for his tweets, Twitter
GH: Uh, okay.

"Even when I'm chillin I'm thinkin bout gettin it. I think I gotta problem."
Eric Berry, @Stuntman1429, Twitter
GH: If Berry is thinkin bout what I think he be thinkin bout, ain't nuttin wrong no how wit him. Even when I be chillin, I be willin.

"Show me some snow. Nothing is going to happen."
Lazlo, @lazlothebuzz, late Wednesday night, Twitter
GH: Ummm, a mighty swing and a miss from the Pastor of Pentulance himself.

GregHall24@yahoo.com and Twitter/ greghall24

“Believe. Time and time again at Mizzou Arena, [Phil] Pressey delivered that message to his teammates as they encircled him during dead balls and timeouts. He said it when the Tigers trailed No. 5 Florida by double digits midway through the second half. And he uttered the word again in the game’s waning minutes, after Florida stormed back to take the lead.”
Jason King, ESPN.com
GH: I remember Jason King’s roots as The Kansas City Star’s KU beat writer. Writing on deadline for an event that just concluded is one of the most difficult tasks for any sportswriter. Reading King’s game story on the Florida/Mizzou game reminded me that his talent is what allowed him to be elevated to his current post with ESPN. His talent at times can be as spectacular as Pressey’s.

“Great shot from @benwalton_MU after tonight's win!”
@MizzouHoops, Twitter
GH: Ben Walton is a Missouri student with a rare, rare talent. His work as a sports photographer can be [and often is] spectacular. His pic [posted to the left] of Pressey embracing Frank Haith in the Mizzou locker room following the Tigers’ comeback win over Florida is one that should hang in the MU basketball offices for the next 50 years. As Mitch Holthus might say, this was a big, big, big, big, big, big, big, big win for the SEC Missouri Tigers.

“Phil Pressey has been erratic this season, but when he's good, he's really, really good.”
Jeff Goodman, @GoodmanCBS, Twitter
GH: Pressey had ten assists [some that were SportsCenter worthy] and took only five shots. But one of his casts was in the final seconds from beyond the arc that clanged off the backboard, rim and was just flat fugly. He followed that miss with an over-the-head save attempt on the Gators’ side of the court that was grabbed by Florida. It looked like vintage Flip Pressey late-game meltdown. But Mizzou weathered this foreshadowing, grabbed some key rebounds and stayed undefeated at home. It was a helluva fun night.

“Huge W for Mizzou and the SEC. SEC needed some teams to step up and compete with UF.”
Matt Doherty, @DohertyMatt, Twitter
GH: Tuesday night we got a great SEC game in Columbia with a packed house and a national ESPN audience. I didn’t notice anyone bemoaning the fact Missouri was no longer in the Big 12. This win over Billy Donovan’s Gators separated Mizzou even more from their Big 12 origins. Kansas City now has two BCS conferences to follow and I believe that to be a very good thing for sports fans.

“I think that [Missouri] needed [that win over Florida]. Not to get in [to the NCAA tourney] but to matter – to believe they matter.”
Mike DeCourcy, 810 AM

“Missouri beats the best college basketball team in America. Tigers huge second rally to take out Florida 63-60.”
Jack Harry, @JackHarryKSHB, Twitter
GH: Florida is very good, which is reflected in their fifth-place ranking – but the “best college basketball in America?” Why does Mad Jack have to go fan boy when he reports on the Tigers? Bob Fescoe uses this same biased approach on 610 Sports to make him popular with Kansas fans and the target of scorn for MU and KSU fans. It’s an old shtick that plays to the audience’s lowest denominator.  It’s not intelligent, it’s embarrassing.

“I think Missouri is off and running. I could be wrong but I think this team could very easily be in the Sweet 16.”
Jimmy Dykes, who was the color analyst for the Florida/MU game on ESPN, 810 AM
GH: That is a strong statement considering MU’s blown lead at Arkansas is less than a week old. I have thought all season that MU has the pieces to make a run in the NCAA tourney. But they play way too inconsistently to think they can do anything “easily.” If the Tigers make it to the second weekend of the tourney, it will be on the same torturous Worlds-of-Fun ride they put their fans through weekly. 

“Missouri loss drops Billy Donovan to 58-75 in games decided by 5 pts or less in 17 seasons at UF.”
Kevin Brockway, @gatorhoops, Twitter
GH: Geez, and Mizzou didn’t even foul in the final three seconds as they should have. All that said, I was VERY impressed with Florida. They played hard, defended like madmen and got a great look from the corner on the final shot. They look like a Final Four team to me.

“That Mizzou PA guy needs to back off of the peace pipe.”
Michael J., @rvive85KC, Twitter
GH: The ESPN audience on Tuesday night was exposed to what Mizzou fans and foes have known since Aric Bremer took over the PA duties at Mizzou Arena in 2010 – that dude is crazy over-the-top and impossible to ignore. Tuesday night his background bleating that seemed to go on well after the play was annoying, sophomoric and embarrassing. I like an energetic PA announcer. Bremer sounds like he’s somebody’s drunk dad who grabbed the mic on CYO bingo night.

“The Mizzou PA's voice cracked while trying to WWE-scream the final score. Bring it down a skosh Hacksaw Jim Duggan.”
Michael Erb, @erbmike, Twitter

“Missouri needs to give its PA guy back to And 1.”
CJ Moore, @cjmoore4, Twitter

“Two Mizzou students try to rush floor, quickly escorted back.”
Blair Kerkhoff, @BlairKerkhoff, Twitter
GH: If Missouri was ever going to storm the court, their comeback win over the Gators would have been that game. Read on.

“THAT AWKWARD MOMENT WHEN YOU GO TO STORM THE COURT & NOBODY ELSE FOLLOWS YOU…”
Andrew Sweeney, @Sweezy_F_Baby, Mizzou cross country/track athlete, Twitter
GH: Andrew is a freshman half-miler on Mizzou’s track team who hails from upstate New York. From what I have seen and know of the entertaining @Sweezy_F_Baby,  this will not be the only time in his years at MU where he chooses to tread the path less taken.

“Mizzou Golden Girls-- SEC worthy-- always have been.”
Doug Gottlieb, @GottliebShow, Twitter
GH: Talk about awkward moments. As the ESPN camera is panning this lineup of Mizzou lovelies, I felt my bride’s hot stare lased on my left temple. “So, what do you think,” dripped from her accusing lips. “Uh, well, I think the Tigers need to step it up a little in the second half,” I safely responded.

“Seems strange that Mike Alden said Haith hadn't received NOA, but Haith tells media he has. Didn't tell boss?”
Dave Matter, @Dave_Matter, Twitter
GH: Holly Rowe reported during the game that Haith had not heard from the NCAA. But immediately after the game Haith confided to the media he had received his notice. One thing that has been consistent about Haith and the shadow he brought from Miami is that he has not communicated well with Mike Alden on what the hell is going on.

“Honestly, I can’t even believe [the NCAA] brings that charge [against Haith] with a straight face. … I am pleased to see that it looks like Frank will be in good shape.”
Mike DeCourcy, 810 AM
GH: It appears Haith will get off with no more than a few games suspension, if that. With much of the damning evidence apparently inadmissible, it looks like that KU grad did Haith a favor with her incompetence.

“I think this is going to be a more difficult month for the NCAA than it’s going to be for Miami.”
Tim Brando, Sirius XM 91
GH: The NCAA has never taken a hit like this. It will be very interesting to see if they even survive this scandal. Read on for Donna Shalala’s acrid response to the NCAA’s charges of Miami’s lack of institutional control.

“Many of the charges brought forth are based on the word of a man who made a fortune by lying. The NCAA enforcement staff acknowledged to the University that if Nevin Shapiro, a convicted con man, said something more than once, it considered the allegation ‘corroborated’ - an argument which is both ludicrous and counter to legal practice. Most of the sensationalized media accounts of Shapiro's claims are found nowhere in the Notice of Allegations. Despite their efforts over two and a half years, the NCAA enforcement staff could not find evidence of prostitution, expensive cars for players, expensive dinners paid for by boosters, player bounty payments, rampant alcohol and drug use, or the alleged hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and gifts given to student-athletes, as reported in the media. The fabricated story played well - the facts did not.”
Donna Shalala, president of University of Miami, Miami press release

“We believe the NCAA was responsible for damaging leaks of unsubstantiated allegations over the course of the investigation. Let me be clear again: for any rule violation - substantiated and proven with facts - that the University, its employees, or student-athletes committed, we have been and should be held accountable. We have worked hard to improve our compliance oversight, and we have already self-imposed harsh sanctions. We deeply regret any violations, but we have suffered enough.”
Donna Shalala, president of University of Miami, Miami press release
GH: It will be interesting to see how Charles Robinson and YahooSports.com reacts to Shalala’s words.

“I retired. Vitale should too. Unlistenable.”
Mike DeArmond, @sptwri, as he listened to Vitale work the Indiana/Michigan State game, Twitter
GH: I have little interest in hearing Vitale but his voice is so muffled and weak now that I can’t understand anything he says during a game. Old broadcasters just refuse to retire and we are left to suffer their vanity.

GregHall24@yahoo.com and Twitter / greghall24

“What Bob [Huggins] gave us was so exciting, yet so disappointing, because when he left, he was clearly getting us going again in basketball. He did set the foundation for what was to come.”
Tim Weiser, who was the K-State AD when Huggins was hired and then departed after one season, now deputy commissioner of the Big 12, Topeka Capital-Journal
GH: Huggins won 23 games in his one year at K-State, the current record for a first-year KSU basketball coach. Bruce Weber already has 21 in his first season in Manhattan. Huggins’ departure at the time was faced with a grim press conference and a nasty fan base that felt betrayed. This is very similar to what Missouri’s fans felt for Mike Anderson when he headed back home to Arkansas.

“We all go through our ups and downs and we all go through different cycles, but the thing it did for me is you can put your trust and believe in people that are trying to do things the right way.”
Bob Huggins, on his time at Kansas State, Topeka Capital-Journal
GH: Okay…but wasn’t Huggins time in Manhattan fraught with some of the most corrupt goings on inside the athletic department in the school’s history? But Huggins’ view of “the right way” hasn’t always been pure. This is a guy who while at Cincinnati rarely had a player graduate. Why he continues to garner praise and adulation makes little sense to me. I listened to Stan Weber talk about him Monday on 810 like he is some savant of basketball superiority. He’s also a rude and inconsiderate oaf who I enjoy watching get his ass kicked in the Big 12.

“The Big Monday appearance was the second in as many weeks for K-State, which is ranked 13th. A good crowd — not full — greeted Huggins, who interacted with familiar faces before the game and was received warmly, then was his stormy self after tipoff.”
Kevin Haskin, columnist, Topeka Capital-Journal
GH: K-State fans greeted Huggins’ return to Manhattan like an old friend coming back to visit. Any chance Mizzou does the same for Mike Anderson when he brings his Hogs to Mizzou Arena on March 5^th? None. You would sooner find Norm Stewart decked out in a Jayhawk jersey than find polite applause for Anderson and his bunch when they arrive at MU. The stories of Huggins’ and Anderson’s departure are not that dissimilar – but the fans who were left behind view the two vastly differently.

“I've not been impressed with Mike Anderson. He has too much talent on this team to be producing so few wins against such tepid competition.”
TJ Carpenter, @TJCarpenter, who formerly covered Arkansas, Twitter

“It would not surprise me at all if Missouri gets beat in Fayetteville by 15 and then Missouri wins in Columbia by 25.”
Gabe DeArmond, prior to MU’s game at Arkansas, 810 AM

“The NCAA said it is continuing the case against Miami, even after acknowledging ‘missteps’ that led to the replacement of its enforcement department and the throwing out of all ill-gotten information gleaned from two depositions that could have been damaging for the Hurricanes.”
San Francisco Chronicle News Service
GH: These “missteps” included paying Nevin Shapiro’s attorney $19,000 to ask questions in a deposition on behalf of the NCAA’s case against Miami. Texas’ Myck Kabongo gets a 23-game suspension for lying to the NCAA. But when the NCAA cheats it’s merely missteps. Convenient.

“We have been wronged. Sadly, the NCAA has not lived up to their own core principles.”
Donna Shalala, University of Miami president, in a press release damning the NCAA investigation against her school
GH: 20% of the NCAA investigation has been reportedly thrown out. How will this affect the ruling on Mizzou’s Frank Haith? It can’t hurt.

“Miami University president Donna Shalala…”
Kara Marxer, KMBZ reporter, 980 AM
GH: Marxer was reading this news report Monday evening during the 6:00 PM newscast when she pronounced Bill Clinton’s former cabinet member as Sha-la-la – as in tralala or La la land – with no hard ‘A’ sound. KMBZ’s website has this to say about Marxer’s professional profile; “Kara has two bachelor's degrees from St. Joseph's College in Rensselaer, Indiana (its literally in the middle of a cornfield, no joke); one in Political Science and a second in Mass Communications.” If Soren Petro pronounces Shalala like he’s never heard of her, that is unfortunate but understandable. But when the news reporter with a political science degree on Kansas City’s most popular news/talk radio station sounds like she’s never heard of Shalala – it’s causes a credibility problem.

“Maty Mauk is an unknown quantity. We’ll have to see how he develops.”
Andy Hill, on Mizzou’s redshirt freshman quarterback, 610 AM
GH: My question is why is Mauk an unknown quantity? Sure, he hasn’t taken a snap yet in the SEC but Hill and the MU staff have been living with Mauk for a year now. I sure as heck hope they have a read on his talents. I expect Mauk to give James Franklin some heated competition this spring and next fall. Coach Hill makes it sound like that is wishful thinking on my behalf.

“I’m not interested in scheduling a game with anybody unless we see how it’s going to benefit us. Right now it’s not on the table. That doesn’t mean I couldn’t change over time but right now that’s not on the table. I’m going to schedule and do what’s best for Kansas and not what’s best for people in the area that want us to play the game. That may not be a popular answer but that’s the way it is right now.”
Bill Self, when asked the possibility of KU scheduling Wichita State in the future, Hawk Talk
GH: Self has addressed this question a number of times and he has always been consistent in his answer – not while I’m the coach at Kansas. It’s a selfish viewpoint and one that I wish the KU fan base would apply more pressure in forcing him to change. But we won’t see KU scheduling MU anytime soon either. Once again, the coach wins and the fans of college basketball lose.

“You can’t really put that into words what [having Salvador Perez for the whole season] does. Salvy is a freak. I mean that in a positive way. … He’s off-the-charts good. He’s a future All Star for years to come – from both sides – the defensive standpoint and the offensive standpoint.”
Dave Eiland, on the Royals’ second-year catcher, 610 AM
GH: How much different will a healthy Perez mean for the Royals this summer? He is a big part of why some are expecting the Royals to compete for a wild card. He is being called the Royals next George Brett. That’s what we do in the spring of a career and a baseball season – we think thoughts of grandeur. What else do we have to do in Kansas City?

“There’s no reason to panic about Hosmer and Moustakas until 2014.”
Soren Petro, 810 AM
GH: If Hosmer and Mouse again stumble through 2013, I reserve the right to panic.

GregHall24@yahoo.com and Twitter / greghall24

“We were fortunate today. We were very, very fortunate."
Mike Anderson, on Arkansas’ 73-71 win over Mizzou in Fayetteville, Columbia Daily Tribune
GH: Missouri got off to a 9-0 start at Arkansas and then managed to lose the lead and what appeared to be the game as the second half wore on. Then Mizzou awoke, took the lead and looked like they had the game won in the game’s final minutes. But then the curse that haunts Mizzou smote the Tigers with another remote-tossing, Flip-flopping loss for the black and gold archives. Read on.

“There was only one way Mizzou could lose that game in the final minute. SEC officials made certain Hogs were going to win. Zebra's HORRIBLE!”
Jack Harry, @jackHarryKSHB, Twitter
GH: When Mizzou was in the Big 12 it was the Texas-based zebras who had it in for Mad Jack’s Tigers. Now that they’re in the SEC, it’s no different. Does every conference hate Missouri just because it’s Missouri? I doubt it. Bad stuff happens to every team and school. Some rise above it and some just bitch.

“I can't stand people that blame officials, truly annoys me. Today I'm that guy. Never seen officiating like that before, ever. Unbelievable.”
Jarrett Sutton, @JarrettSutton25, former Mizzou basketball player, Twitter
GH: I watched the game from my couch and I saw a poorly officiated game. It looked to me like the officials allowed the game to get rough early and they lost a lot of control on both sides of the court. The calls and non-calls in the last few minutes were ugly – but really not much uglier than a lot of games I’ve watched this season in the SEC, the Big 12, the ACC and the Big Ten. Officiating is just a necessary evil when it comes to basketball – at all levels. I don’t think MU gets any more of a bad deal than any other school. The problem is that the officiating is just weak everywhere.

“I blame Phil Pressey more than I blame the referees. Hasn’t Missouri ever played on the road? That happens! You get home-cooked everywhere.”
Josh Klingler, 610 AM
GH: Mizzou listeners categorize Klingler as a Kansas guy because he works for the KU broadcast team and hosts their postgame show. But he’s actually an Iowa guy who happens to work in Kansas. I think he makes a lot of sense here. Sure, Mizzou got robbed at Arkansas but that’s what happens on the road. It’s not right or fair, but there’s a reason MU almost never loses at home – and it’s not just because of their talent. That return trip to Mizzou Arena is going to be one very loud and long day for Mike Anderson and his Hogs.

“Absolutely! Phil Pressey was atrocious!”
Bob Fescoe, responding to Klingler’s statement above, 610 AM
GH: Pressey is simply a time bomb under pressure. A time bomb that has no specific detonation device other than the appearance of pressure. He is a fabulous talent and extremely fun to watch…when he’s not trying to win the game. At Arkansas on Saturday, he lost the ability to stand up at least twice in the final minutes. It was maddening…again.

“I've seen [Pressey] do a lot of damage in 3 seconds, so you give him 5 seconds, man, we're in trouble. We have somebody step up and take some time off the clock, and they had to rush the shot at the end."
Mike Anderson, on how Arkansas pressed Pressey the final five seconds of the game, Columbia Daily Tribune
GH: The clock operator at Bud Walton Arena should be the focus of Mizzou’s ire more than even the referees. This incompetent boob should never again be allowed to work a clock at any level of basketball. By starting the game clock early, he robbed MU of their best chance to win or tie the game. How difficult is it to start the clock correctly with five seconds remaining? This person needs to find other employment immediately.

“We played good enough to win. We did. We put ourselves in position to win. I'm real proud of our guys, how they competed under the circumstances.”
Frank Haith, in his postgame comments, Columbia Daily Tribune
GH: Haith was likely very upset after the game and he focused more on not discussing the referees than his team’s play. His team executed poorly with a lead [again] in the final minutes. That’s coaching, Frank. Do better.

“Kansas looked great for a night [against Kansas State]. I kind of expect them to lose in Stillwater.”
Kevin Kietzman, 810 AM
GH: Kietzman isn’t the only person expecting or rooting for the Jayhawks to get swept by OSU on Wednesday night. This is now the Big 12 game of the year. With an 8:00 PM start, sounds like a perfect night to watch the oncoming snow blow from the glow of my flat screen.

“I’ve got a sixteen-year-old son I’m bringing with me to get his first taste of the Phog. I’m also going to take him to The Wheel – because he’s heard me talk about that.”
Jay Bilas, on his trip to Lawrence last weekend with the ESPN Game Day crew, 810 AM
GH: Bilas is a Dukie who knows something about great college basketball environments. I think it’s pretty cool that a Tobacco Roadie holds AFH and Lawrence in such high esteem.

“Get your cameras ready!”
Jay Bilas, as Ben McLemore prepared to take off for his 360 dunk against the Longhorns, ESPN
GH: I keep vacillating back and forth as to who is my pick for the Big 12 POTY. OSU’s Smart is currently my favorite, but KU’s McLemore is right there with Smart. Maybe that game Wednesday night will provide some separation between the two future NBA All-Stars.

“We have a chance to win the Big 12, we can’t let games like that slip away. We haven’t had a bad loss. We should have won at Iowa State, we should have won at home against Kansas, too. But that stuff happens. You just have to deal with it.”
Angel Rodriguez, KSU’s sophomore point guard, Kansas City Star
GH: Angel would make an excellent speaker at the next MU Tigers Club meeting in Westport. Stuff happens, deal with it.

“Why do I have to be the colored guy? Why can’t I just be the analyst?”
Jayice Pearson, having some fun with his cohosts on The Big Show, 610 AM

GregHall24@yahoo.com and Twitter / greghall24

“Bob Davis called his departure [from the Royals radio booth], confirmed Thursday morning by the Royals, a ‘mutual decision.’ Davis, 68, plans to continue in his role as the radio voice for the University of Kansas in football and basketball.”
Bob Dutton, Kansas City Star
GH: Fred White left the Royals radio booth in much the same “mutual decision” manner. Robert Ford is taking over the radio play-by-play job in Houston for the 85-year-old Milo Hamilton. Davis is “only” 68 but he’s an old 68. Denny Matthews is 70 but he works at looking and sounding younger. Age eats away at all of our talents, no matter what those talents may be. Sports broadcasters [and writers] are no exception. It was past time for Bob to go.

“They’ve got a lot of broadcasters. I’m pleased that I was able to do it as long as I did.”
Bob Davis, Kansas City Star
GH: Nice. Polite. But probably no more  accurate than a Bob Davis call of a pop fly.

“From a professional background, I don't think there's anybody who brought more excitement to the booth than Bob Davis. In the active sports, like basketball and football that he calls for Kansas, the excitement is already there on the field. In baseball, it takes a while to get excited. It's not every play that has that. But Bob could make the routine sound very exciting.”
Mike Swanson, Royals’ vice president of communications, Kansas City Star
GH: Making the routine play sound “very exciting” is not a good thing when it comes to a baseball broadcast – or any sports play-by-play that I can imagine. The routine play is just that – routine. The Royals radio booth has the odd pairing of Davis and Denny. Davis who would get overly excited about a ground ball single in the third inning, while Denny would almost nod off on a game-tying triple in the ninth. Steve Stewart will replace Davis in the booth. He is professional and a safe pick. I am sure Denny likes Stewart’s style far more than he liked Davis’ screaming. I’m just not sure either Denny or Stewart will add a great deal to the Royals’ broadcasts…but like the Royals’ fortunes, I can hope for more.

“There was not an acknowledgement at all last year that Eric Hosmer was struggling. It was a dirty little secret.”
Bob Fescoe, on the Royals attitude toward Hosmer’s difficult sophomore season, 610 AM

“If I had to put my money on who’s going to be the best player in this group, I’d put all of my money on Hosmer – even with the year he had last year.”
George Brett, in an interview this week with Les Norman, 810 AM
GH: What concerns me most about Hosmer is that his slump lasted the entire season. He didn’t just have a bad start or a bad June swoon or a bad September. He had a bad year. Most young baseball greats struggle – but for an entire season? I am hoping what George sees in Hosmer plays out this season on the field.

“Not what I do. Only matters what Royals think, doesn't it? … Want opinions? Lots out there. @ryancrist86: We've heard other opinions. We want YOURS.”
Bob Dutton, @Royals_Report, responding to Ryan Crist’s tweet asking his opinion, Twitter
GH: Dutton is as tuned into the Royals as any member of the media. But don’t expect to get his “take” on who should be in the starting rotation or where Gordon should hit in the order. Dutton is an old-school beat reporter who delivers unfiltered news. He’s not MSNBC. He’s not Fox. He’s Bob.

“Both [DeLoss] Dodds and women’s athletic director Chris Plonsky sat down with the American-Statesman on Feb. 1 — amid a forced resignation of the women’s track coach, a sea of recruiting defections in football, and loss after loss in men’s and women’s basketball and the unlikelihood that either will make the NCAA tournament — to discuss the state of Texas’ athletic program. Fans are upset about everything from the Longhorn Network they can’t see to their perception of an athletic department that’s consumed by making money instead of winning games and is deaf to ticket buyers’ protests. … People are incredulous about how this could happen with every conceivable advantage the flagship school touts.”
Kirk Bohls, columnist, American-Statesman
GH: Dodds responded to this criticism of Texas athletics by taking a swipe at an old Big 12 mate – no, not Texas A&M but Mizzou. Picking on A&M this year is not a good idea. Read on.

“If you win all the time, it’s not good for the coaches or the kids. You’ve got to learn to appreciate it. Our coaches care about the kids, and I feel we’re on an upward spiral.”
DeLoss Dodds, Texas AD, American-Statesman
GH: The state of Alabama would like to disagree.

“We’re going to have good years again. Our bad years are not that bad. Take a school like Missouri. Our bad years are better than their good years. But we’ve created a standard.”
DeLoss Dodds, Texas AD, American-Statesman
GH: Texas’ bad years are becoming the norm – no matter how much DD wants to poke his stick at Missouri. BTW, since when did Texas become a school that compared their success/failure to other schools? Looks to me like BEVO’s money belt is slowing him down.

“Texas remains one of what Dodds estimates to be about a dozen or so Division I programs that run a profit.”
Kirk Bohls, columnist, American-Statesman
GH: If true, this is an incredible statement. Only a dozen or so DI athletic programs show an annual profit? The excess in big-time college athletics is ridiculous. Read on.

“Kansas State will soon break ground on a 9,000 square-foot rowing center that will be constructed adjacent to the east parking lot of Bill Snyder Family Stadium at a cost of $2.7 million. … The center’s construction will be funded privately through contributions and athletic department revenue. It will include two state-of-the-art indoor rowing tanks, a new locker room and more than 40 rowing performance machines and office space for the coaching staff.”
Kellis Robinette, Kansas City Star
GH: $2.7 million for the sport of rowing? Insanity.

“As we continue to strive toward our goal of a model intercollegiate athletics program, the K-State Intercollegiate Rowing Center will dramatically enhance the experience of our 90-plus female rowing student-athletes.”
John Currie, K-State athletic director, Kansas City Star
GH: What Currie calls “a model intercollegiate athletics program,” I call an utter and complete disconnect with reality and common sense. And I don’t mean to pick on Currie or K-State – they are far from the only universities guilty of this ridiculous arms race in college sports. Nebraska is building the Taj Mahal of basketball in Lincoln – where the Cornhuskers [who have a perfectly adequate facility in the Devaney Center] have never won an NCAA basketball tournament game. I understand some private funds are used to build these palaces of gold. But sometimes excess is just ugly.

GregHall24@yahoo.com and Twitter / greghall24

“I hear people saying it’s a weak quarterback class, which is something I don’t believe in.”
Geno Smith, in a live interview Wednesday afternoon with Danny Parkins and Carrington Harrison, 610 AM
GH: Big kudos to Parkins and Harrison for nailing down this live interview with the former West Virginia quarterback. Geno could prove to be one of the most controversial NFL draft picks in Chiefs’ history – whether the Chiefs take him one-one or not. I imagine that these two mid-day 610 hosts had to be pretty happy with themselves in grabbing an interview that we all know Kevin Kietzman would have loved to have had on 810. I am going to guess KK is not all that happy with his crew for getting beat on this one.

“People say Geno Smith is hiding or that he’s not a competitor or whatever questions may be out there about me. I’m just going to go out there and do my best. … I feel like I separated myself [from Matt Barkley and the other quarterbacks in the draft] during the season and throughout my career. … I haven’t even come close to my peak.”
Geno Smith, 610 AM
GH: Smith sounded confident but not cocky during his interview on 610. In fact, he was difficult not to like.

“I don’t think there is anyway a quarterback is going to go number one. When you talk to people in the league, they don’t think there is any chance of that. I had one team tell me. ‘I wouldn’t take [a QB] in the first round.’ ”
Mel Kiper, Jr., 610 AM
GH: In a great move by Parkins and Harrison, they played this sound bite from Kiper for Geno to hear during their interview. They then asked him to comment on Kiper’s stinging words. This is how you conduct a professional and entertaining interview. Read on.

“It hurts to hear that because of the work I’ve put in. … When I hear them say that, that’s just a bit of added motivation for me.”
Geno Smith, 610 AM
GH: Smith didn’t overreact to Kiper’s words or get upset with his interviewers because they sprang it on him in mid interview. He handled the surprise blitz like you hope he will in the NFL.

“I’m a very heady player – very cerebral.”
Geno Smith, 610 AM
GH: When I hear athletes refer to themselves as heady and cerebral, I usually think the opposite is true. A cerebral player should be smart enough to know how self-patronizing that sounds to an audience of strangers.

“I am becoming more and more convinced that Geno Smith will be a total bust and never pee a drop.”
Nate Bukaty, 810 AM
GH: Bukaty didn’t elaborate on why he has formed this opinion of Geno but maybe he’s just chosen to take the anti-KK stance at 810.

“There’s no quarterback to remotely consider if you’re Kansas City. … There’s no chance of a quarterback going number-one to Kansas City.”
Mel Kiper, Jr., 610 AM
GH: This is the guest I want Kietzman to book for his radio show. I would enjoy hearing KK and Mel discuss the pros and cons of the Chiefs picking a QB with their first overall pick.

“My goal is to be picked number one overall but wherever I get picked I am going to come in with the same mentality and the same goals in mind.”
Geno Smith, 610 AM

“I don’t want Geno Smith. He ain’t convinced me at all!”
Caller, who let Parkins and Harrison know he was not won over by Smith’s interview, 610 AM
GH: I couldn’t tell, but this caller sounded a bit like Matt Cassel with a Cajun accent.

“Team Geno definitely picked up some steam today. I’m on Team Tyler Wilson.”
Carrington Harrison, on the former Arkansas quarterback, 610 AM
GH: The more I look at the draft and how I think things will work out, I see the Chiefs taking Tyler Wilson with their second-round pick. I think both Geno and Barkley will be gone in round one but Wilson and his strong accurate arm will be there for Andy Reid to mold into an NFL starter.

“If you put all three of these guys together you probably have a number-one draft pick.”
Terry Shea, former Chiefs quarterbacks coach, who is currently working with Geno Smith, Matt Barkley and Tyler Wilson at the IMG Academy, 810 AM
GH: Shay called Barkley the best fit for the west coast offense with their quarterback under the center. He likes Geno Smith for a team that is dedicated to putting their quarterback in the shotgun. He called Tyler Wilson the most accurate passer. But he hedged mightily when SSJ asked him if any of the three QBs are worthy of the number one overall pick. He sounded like that would be a gamble most head coaches will not be willing to make.

“Yes, the 49ers are going to discuss trading Alex Smith but the thought is from the 49ers is you better bring something of value [to trade]. And is Cleveland and Kansas City willing to bring something of value?”
Chris Mortensen, ESPN Radio
GH: Sounds like the 49ers are going to be asking for a second-round pick or more for the services of Alex Smith. Mort seems to think they are content in keeping Smith if no team wants to meet their “something of value” demands.

“I know I can be a thrower first. I’ll do whatever it takes to help the team win. But I’m a quarterback.”
Collin Klein, on his desire to play quarterback in the NFL, Denver Post
GH: Few experts I have read think Klein will even be drafted, let alone drafted to play quarterback. That’s why I was so shocked to hear Terry Shea, the Chiefs’ former quarterbacks coach, on The Border Patrol on Thursday morning. Read on.

“I believe [Collin Klein] is an NFL quarterback. I can’t believe how people are hung up that he’s got a little bit of an unorthodox delivery. Plus he’s got all the intangibles. You kind of hit my hot button with Collin. He’s one of my favorites that I’ve ever been around. You just can’t believe what kind of a rub off he has on his teammates.”
Terry Shea, 810 AM
GH: Shea isn’t some guy on his coach watching Klein play once a week. Shea has worked with some of the game’s best young quarterbacks. I was stunned at his take on Klein. When Steven St. John asked Shea if he thought Klein was worth a late-round pick in the upcoming draft – Shea almost caused me to cut myself shaving. Read on.

“I’m not sure [Klein will be available] with a late-round pick. I think you’ve got a very strong athlete who probably will run a lot better in the combine in the 40 than people give him credit for. … In my opinion, no later than the third round would I wait to draft Collin Klein.”
Terry Shea, 810 AM
GH: If Klein gets drafted somewhere in the first three rounds of the draft, it will be a bigger upset than Tebow going to Denver in the first round. It will to me anyway. I don’t see Klein making an NFL roster as a QB but it will be damn interesting to watch and see if he’s all that Shea believes him to be.

“Robert Ford, who has done pregame and postgame work for the Royals, will be announced as the team's new radio play-by-play voice, a source told MLB.com. He takes over for the Hall of Famer Milo Hamilton, who retired from full-time duties following last season.”
Brian McTaggart, writer, MLB.com
GH: Huge congrats to Ford for landing one of the 30 coveted radio play-by-play gigs in MLB. He told Fescoe on Thursday that he sent the Astros tapes of him doing the Royals games while sequestered in a booth at The K last season. Taking over for the legendary Milo Hamilton will not be easy but who says life is supposed to be cake? Who replaces Ford on the Royals postgame call-in show? I would like to suggest @FakeNed, aka Chris Kamler. The Royals might want to consider moving the show to satellite radio though to handle FakeNed’s vocabulary.

GregHall24@yahoo.com and Twitter / greghall24

“It’s not that the Big 12 teams are better than we thought. It’s just that KU is not as good as we gave them credit for before the season started.”
Jayice Pearson, 810 AM
GH: I think there is some truth to both points. KU is obviously not the dominant juggernaut many believed them to be when conference play began. Losing at TCU is not what dominant Big 12 teams do – or pretty much any Big 12 teams. But I believe K-State, Iowa State, OSU and Oklahoma are all much better than I initially believed. Baylor is probably worse than I originally imagined but they are still as talented as any starting five in the conference. The Big 12 is up for grabs in mid-February and the next six weeks should be fun.

“Folks, he’s going to have a great six weeks. I believe it. He believes it.”
Bill Self, on Elijah Johnson, Hawk Talk
GH: Self made some comments on his radio show Tuesday night that EJ has been unhealthy all season. He talked about the fact that EJ has not used his recovering knee as an excuse and he cautioned fans who have been critical of his play. Interesting. So where was Coach Self’s compassion last week for EJ’s injury when he was ripping his senior guard and telling the world he didn’t have any guards?

“I think they know what Elijah’s limitations are and they know that they’re not going to be much different on March 13^th that they are on February 13^th.”
Mike DeCourcy, college writer for The Sporting News, 810 AM
GH: DeCourcy is saying exactly the opposite of what Self is predicting for EJ’s next month. Self believes he will have a great finish to the season and DeCourcy thinks KU understands he is what he is. I would love to think that Self is right on this one. Kansas’ success in March depends on it.

“I did not show the guys the tape. Just forget about that one. I think you can learn through tape but I think the TCU tape is one the players should never see.”
Bill Self, on KU’s loss at TCU, Hawk Talk
GH: The more I hear Self not discuss the TCU game, the more I believe he knows he made a mistake in publicly ripping his players after that game. He has to cringe every time ESPN replays snippets of his postgame comments from Fort Worth that night. I know I do.

“For a team [like Missouri] that has been poor on the road, this is the worst position to be in.”
Mike DeCourcy, college writer for The Sporting News, on MU having four of their next five games on the road, 810 AM

“This is a huge stretch coming up for the Missouri Tigers. Four of their next five games are on the road. I believe Missouri will go 3-2 in this stretch and then finish with three wins after that to finish the season 6-2. I think they are going to win one of the games either at Florida or at Kentucky.”
Steven St. John, 810 AM
GH: Mizzou is 0-5 on the road in the SEC – with losses at LSU and Texas A&M – two teams that are just playing out the season. I understand SSJ is a huge MU fan but in what universe does he expect the Tigers to find their road mojo in Kentucky and then win three of their next five roadies? The Tigers are in Starkville to play Mississippi State tonight at 7:00 PM. The Bulldogs are 7-15 and 2-8 in the SEC. MU is favored by 12. Let’s get these schizophrenic Tigers crawling before we send them sprinting into Lexington.

“At full strength, [Missouri] should be able to win at Mississippi State and South Carolina. If they can’t do that, they’re an eight or a nine seed. No team with true NCAA ambition wants to be in that [eight or nine seed]. I think this team is better than that.”
Mike DeCourcy, college writer for The Sporting News, 810 AM
GH: If Mizzou loses at MSU and USC, most MU fans would be happy to just get an NCAA tourney invitation.

“This is the worst rivalry in sports. It’s awful. It’s dreadful. It’s terrible! There’s nothing interesting about Kansas versus Kansas State. We’ve built it up but it’s stupid. K-State kills them in football and Kansas kills them in basketball. It’s a joke. It’s stupid. Why do we act like something different is going to happen? … They’re going to play again at Sprint Center and Bruce Weber is going to throw the ball inside to Gipson and get it blocked into the third row. It’s stupid.”
Kevin Kietzman, 810 AM
GH: I like having sports talk hosts who are passionate fans of their college and pro teams. You just have to know their allegiances and take that into account when they start bashing, buttering or bleating. SSJ cannot make an objective comment about his beloved MU Tigers. KK is the same when it comes to his school, Kansas State. Both can be very entertaining when they discuss their teams, but neither can be taken seriously. Who handles this delicate balance the best on local radio? Carrington Harrison is probably the most balanced MU voice. Nate Bukaty gets the nod for the Kansas voice of reason.

“There’s no [Big 12 Conference] race. K-State’s not in it. They’re done. It’s over for K-State.”
Kevin Kietzman, 810 AM
GH: This makes no sense – especially since KSU is tied for first with a much more favorable schedule than Kansas. KK just let his frustration as a fan out of the box on Tuesday and it resulted in some weird yet compelling radio.

“That game [Monday] night was bigger than the NCAA tournament! [Kansas State] had a chance last night to deal Kansas some pain and they didn’t.”
Kevin Kietzman, 810 AM
GH: KK is speaking like a fan and for K-State fans. This was a chance or the Purple People to crow at the office and own Kansas in both football and basketball. But for Bruce Weber, his team is still tied for first with a real chance to win their first conference title since 1977.

“K-State fans don’t look forward to playing Kansas in football. It’s not a big deal.”
Kevin Kietzman, 810 AM
GH: Huh? We all understand that Kietz had his short hairs singed Monday night when the Jayhawks went woodshed early, often and repeatedly on his Wildcats. But what is he talking about when it comes to this rivalry on the gridiron? I don’t know of a KSU football fan who doesn’t anticipate and relish the last few beat downs that Bill Snyder has laid on whoever is coaching Kansas.

“By Kansas standards, they’ve had multiple down years as a [basketball] recruiting program.”
Nate Bukaty, 810 AM
GH: Here I go and point to Nate as the Kansas voice of reason and he comes up with this Elitist Richard comment. Multiple down years? They have won eight Big 12 titles in a row and managed to finish second in the nation last season.

“There was talk that Danny Manning didn’t work quite as hard on the road as other people.”
Aaron Swart, on the former KU assistant’s work at Kansas, 810 AM

“I think [KU losing Danny Manning and replacing him with Norm Roberts] is a net gain. Kansas has the chance to have the number-one recruiting class in the country next year. They’re number two right now.”

Nate Bukaty, 810 AM
GH: KU fans can be rough – even on their legends.
Bukaty credits Norm Roberts work as a recruiter for much of that recruiting success. Perry Ellis looks like he is missing Manning’s expert tutelage in developing postmen. Time will tell.

“There’s nothing better than spring training baseball.”
Bob Fescoe, who is doing his morning show from Surprise, Arizona this week, 610 AM
GH: Especially if you are into hype. Read on.

“Harold Reynolds has predicted 86 wins for the Royals.”
Aaron Swarts, 810 AM

“I think [Luke Hochevar] is capable of winning 15 to 18 games in the American League. … Luke has never lost my confidence.”
Ned Yost, on the Royals’ potential fifth starter, 810 AM

“Spring training is just one of the great sporting events to go witness. It’s just a great time.”
Nate Bukaty, 810 AM
GH: I have been to spring training in Surprise, Arizona and it is as relaxing and fan friendly as you have been led to believe. But it makes for awful sports talk radio – at least for me. Endless discussions about the Royals’ starting rotation and Jeff Francoeur in February are all dial changers for me. Thank you Sputnik for satellite radio. 

GregHall24@yahoo.com and Twitter / greghall24

“Called this one. Knew Asbury's guys couldn’t hang.”
Kevin Kietzman, @kkwhb, about midway through the first half of Kansas’ eventual 83-62 win over K-State, Twitter
GH: Asbury’s guys??? KK doesn’t appear to be happy with K-State being 19-5 and tied for first place in the Big 12. And they call Kansas fans unrealistic and spoiled?

“I'm starting to see why Kansas looks down on K-State the way they do.”
Carrington Harrison, @cdotharrison, Twitter
GH: Kansas looks down on K-State for the same reason Kansas looks down on every college basketball program not called Duke, Carolina or Kentucky – they sit in a much more lofty perch in CBB’s hierarchy. It’s the kind of arrogance that comes with eight straight Big 12 conference titles. That kind of arrogance is well earned. BTW; check out KU fans in October and let me know how many are looking down on Bill Snyder’s Wildcats.

“If KU were as good at Basketball as their fans were at gloating over lesser programs, they'd win the national title every year.”
TJ Carpenter, @TJCarpenterWHB, Twitter
GH: It’s called a rivalry, TJ. It’s what rival schools do when one of them blows out the other on the court or the field. Check the KSU fans after their next blowout win over KU football. It’s just what fans do.

“The speed in which KU fan has shifted from woe is me to back to their typical delusions has been with Usain Bolt quickness.”
Carrington Harrison, @cdotharrison, Twitter
GH: This is how rivalries work, TJ. Carrington is a Mizzou fan but he still delights in calling out Kansas fans – just as they relish ripping his Tigers. How else do you explain a Mizzou fan calling another fan base delusional?

“That time of the game when i remind myself I’d rather lose a couple of bball games a year TO the Jayhawks than BE a Jayhawk. #Soreloser #KSU.”
Eric Stonestreet, @ericstonestreet, Twitter
GH: The difference between the average Kansas, Kansas State and Missouri fan is so infinitesimal that your average east or west coast person lumps us all into one lump of cow shit and calls us, “Farmers.”

“I called for Tharpe four weeks ago. Can I get some coach's pay? Sorry, Bill. Ur team is better with ball in his hands.”
Kevin Kietzman, @kkwhb, Twitter
GH: I am going to chalk up KK’s in-game tweets as possibly alcohol induced. Tharpe hasn’t looked all that much better than Elijah Johnson the past four weeks. So KK wants credit for Naadir’s breakout game? Then he needs to own Tharpe’s play the rest of the season – which I believe is going to resemble his last month more than his aberration game at home against KSU.

“I don't want to take anything away from Naadir Tharpe, but give me a break with the ‘we knew he was the guy all along!’ crap.”
TJ Carpenter, @TJCarpenterWHB, Twitter
GH: You just know TJ heard [or will hear] from KK after this tweet.

“I don’t see an NBA player on K-State’s team. Does anybody else see an NBA player on K-State’s team? K-State did not have any ability when trying hard to close the gap.”
Soren Petro, on why he was not at all surprised by Kansas easy win over K-State, 810 AM
GH: Who are the NBA players on TCU?  

“Indians signed Michael Bourn today. While everyone's focused on Royals and Tigers... the Indians have probably done the most this offseason.”
Soren Petro, @theprogram, in a tweet during the first half of the KSU/KU game, Twitter
GH: When it comes to college basketball, let’s just say that Soren is not my first, second or third choice for news.

“McLemore was the biggest reason all that angst looked so silly by the end. In a program of Paul Pierce and Danny Manning, no first-year Jayhawk has ever scored like this, at least not since NCAA rules kept Wilt Chamberlain off varsity as a freshman.”
Sam Mellinger, Kansas City Star
GH: McLemore looked legendary last night. Time and time again he floated to the apex of his jumper and then released a feathery arc that rippled the twine – exactly what he was born to do. McLemore is Beethoven, Robert Frost and Leonardo da Vinci in basketball shorts. He makes beautiful art and we are fortunate to be witness to his game.

“McLemore’s gift and curse are both somewhere in those words. He is that rare superstar without ego, a man with a multimillion dollar future but without the pampered past that can get in the way. He is still getting used to his talent, in other words, learning what it’s like for something as big as KU basketball to depend in large part on him showing his gifts.”
Sam Mellinger, Kansas City Star
GH: There is likely not enough time in this season for McLemore to mature into the player we know beats within his chest. If he were to stay at Kansas another season, what we would experience in his sophomore year could be the stuff that would place him beside Wilt, Manning and Pierce. I hope McLemore gets a chance to talk to Michael Beasley before he declares for the NBA.

“Check the box score and there was one player for Kansas who played poorly and it was Elijah Johnson. It was all masked by McLemore’s play.”
Todd Leabo, 810 AM
GH: Man, EJ was bad again. Does Self sit him and start Tharpe? Probably not since he called EJ “my guy” and the horse he was going to ride. But it might be time for Self to saddle up that Naadir in his stable.

“There’s loud, and then there’s Rock Chalk Jayhawk loud.”
@ESPN, Twitter
GH: A lot of college arenas are loud. Allen Fieldhouse isn’t any louder than Bramlage or Mizzou Arena or Hilton Coliseum when the home teams in those barns are on a roll. But Allen Fieldhouse has an aura that opponents hate to hear about and few places are able to match.

“Mountaineer fans check out Allen Fieldhouse, great atmosphere, great students, this is how we need our student section all the time.”
Bob Huggins, @CoachHuggs, Twitter
GH: The former K-State head coach and maybe the grumpiest head coach in college basketball was even impressed with the atmosphere at Allen Fieldhouse for the Sunflower Showdown. There are simply few sporting venues in the country that raise gooseflesh with suck ferocity. Even Missouri fans should make it a point to add attending a KU home game to their bucket list.

“If you had to take a drink every time the whistle blew tonight, you'd be passed out by halftime.”
D. Scott Fritchen, @DScottFritchen, Twitter
GH: The officiating for this game was touch-tight for the first few minutes and it ruined the tempo of the game for me. Fran Fraschilla kept telling us how the referees needed to establish control of the game by all the quick whistles. Fran doesn’t like to have anyone mad at him if that anyone happens to be a basketball coach or a referee. The refs were intimidated by Bill Self and the crowd – which is what usually happens on a home court.

“Bruce Weber just said to an official: ‘What's he supposed to do, let him get a layup?’ Frank Martin would have said something else.”
Bob Lutz, @boblutz, Twitter

“So Danny Manning is at the Sunflower Showdown tonight. I mean because why would you be out recruiting & prepping for #Tulsa right.”
Craig Brenner, @craig_a_brenner, Twitter
GH: Manning caught some heat on Twitter during the game for well…being at the game. I did not understand the criticism but there was plenty of it. Read on.

“Danny Manning should not be in the stands cheering for KU like a college kid. Dude is the Head coach at Tulsa, what an epic fail. … A lot of people would luv 2 go visit their son. DM shouldn't be there. But KU people have always lived in their own world, live it up #TCU.”
John Renshaw, @johnrenshaw365, Twitter
GH: The Freak went wild after the ESPN camera spotted the former Jayhawk and Tulsa’s head coach in the Allen Fieldhouse crowd. Manning’s son plays for Kansas. Case closed.

“Danny Manning needs to let go of Kansas and focus on his own program. Bad look to show up with his pom-poms in Lawrence tonight. … I get that Manning's kid is a walk-on at KU. I just think it looks weird to be there when you have a program to run.”
Dan Wolken, @DanWolken, Twitter
GH: Weird? What’s weird is grown men who have nothing to do with either Manning or his son criticizing a dad for attending his kid’s game. In a world where so many high profile athletes have multiple children with multiple baby mommas and varied degrees of interaction – the last problem I have is a father traveling from Tulsa to Lawrence on a Monday night to watch his son play basketball. What a joke that Renshaw and Wolken would take the time to complain about Manning being a father to his son for one night during the season.

“Finally, what do u mean Manning is cheering for his son? Evan Manning has played 21 minutes all year. What is he cheering? You sat well?”
John Renshaw, @johnrenshaw365, Twitter
GH: Yeah, those kids on the end of the bench don’t need to see their parents in the stands. What do those worthless little bastards think this is, Disneyland? This is the mean streets of Tulsa basketball!

GregHall24@yahoo.com and Twitter / greghall24

“Most Missouri fans that I know watched that [Ole Miss] game and were frustrated. Where is this all the time? This is just a real problem now with what’s going on with Missouri on the road. I think that was emphasized again on Saturday and it’s absolutely maddening!”
Doug Stewart, on Missouri’s blowout win at home Saturday over Ole Miss, 810 AM
GH: Was it Einstein who said the whole is greater than the sum of its parts? For Frank Haith’s team the exact opposite appears to be true. The parts all too often are far greater than the whole. Talent oozes about this Tiger basketball team like potential brides parading in Ole Miss’ Grove. It’s everywhere – except on the road.

“Going forward if I'm the opponent, I'm going after Oriakhi to try to get under his skin.”
Bob Fescoe, on the near brawl during the second half of the Ole Miss/MU game, Twitter
GH: Ole Miss’ Buckner was ejected after the near fight and MU’s Oriakhi and Bowers were assessed intentional fouls. It was not made clear by the referees, but Oriakhi’s most damaging move may have been his pre-fight stance. As someone on Twitter wrote, he looked like he was channeling Fred Sanford with his crouch and backpedaling footwork. Read on.

“This is embarrassing by Haith. There is no way Oriakhi should play in this game again after the crap he has pulled the last 2 games.”
Aaron Fritz, @Coach_Fritz, after the Tigers’ big man intentionally tripped Buckner by grabbing his ankle, Twitter
GH: Oriakhi put up 22 points against the Rebs and grabbed 18 rebounds. This is the same Ole Miss team that destroyed MU in Oxford a month ago. Haith is paid to win basketball games first, second and probably third. Haith understands that and he understands Oriakhi is a necessary part of him keeping his job. It is called big-time SEC sports.

“I know Mizzou fans love Oriakhi's physical presence. But let's be honest...he plays a bit dirty. The intentional trip triggers a brew-ha-ha.”
Lance Veeser, @lanceveeser, Twitter

“Nobody likes this! Missouri doesn’t like this, Mississippi doesn’t like this, CBS doesn’t like this… You hate to have anything like this ever happen in a game.”
Gary Link, on the near fracas between Ole Miss and MU, Tiger Radio Network
GH: I am not so sure Frank Haith is all that upset with Oriakhi getting down and dirty on the court. The score was 80-59 in MU’s favor with 7:28 left in the game when the game was stopped by the referees to sort out the guilty parties. There is some bad blood between MU and Ole Miss dating back to the Rebel fans chanting, “Big 12 rejects” at the Tigers in Oxford. MU has been viewed by most of the SEC as the new kid to be made fun of and ridiculed. How does the new kid gain the respect of the bullies? He fights back – and sometimes he fights dirty. Oriakhi is taking it beyond the limits of sportsmanship but sometimes a goon is good for what ails an underperforming team like Mizzou.

“Everybody in Connecticut said that too – where’s that all the time?”
Soren Petro, on the wild disparity of play of Oriakhi at home and on the road, 810 AM
GH: Oriakhi’s stats at home are All-SEC worthy and his stats on the road are All-Worthless. Oriakhi obviously has some issues – most transfers arrived with a dent or three. But that’s one of the reasons Haith makes the big bucks. Time to earn your lettuce, Frank.

“They're in my family. That's going to be the hardest part about it, when you talk about competition, guys that you brought in and you've seen them have some tremendous success.”
Mike Anderson, on facing his former players Phil Pressey and Laurence Bowers on Saturday in Fayetteville, Columbia Tribune
GH: Not much remains of Anderson’s Tigers. But the two that do could cause him to become very, very homesick for some of that old time Columbia patronizing.

“It has hardly been a smashing debut in the Southeastern Conference for Missouri’s two high-profile teams, football and men’s basketball. Luckily for suffering fans of the black and gold, the former enemy to the west is supplying enough ineptitude to ease the pain.”
Dave Matter, columnist, Columbia Daily Tribune
GH: Kansas and Missouri might not meet on the gridiron or court but that has done little to slow the rivalry between these two. Read on.

“MU fans with a serious thirst for schadenfreude have especially delighted in Kansas basketball. Which explains why one of the Antlers at Missouri’s game on Saturday held up a sign featuring the TCU logo. For Tiger fans, sometimes only the pleasure of hating Kansas can ease the burden of loving Missouri. Truman just can’t quit that strange blue bird.”
Dave Matter, columnist, Columbia Daily Tribune

“Maybe I'm just a silly #Mizzou & #kubball romantic, but I believe those 2 dates on the sked brought out the best in each team.”
Jeff Rosen, @jeff_rosen88, Twitter

“It’s much harder for me to watch a Missouri basketball game than it’s ever been in my life. It’s work. It’s not relevant to a lot of the people I come in contact with.”
Kevin Kietzman, 810 AM
GH: I understand that many Kansas and Missouri fans say they now never pay attention to the team in the other conference. I don’t believe it but I understand why they so loudly declare their apathy. But KK isn’t just some fan. He owns WHB and hosts the station’s most popular sports talk show. When MU moved to the SEC, it simply doubled my pleasure in following the local teams. Nebraska folks are weird in that way.

“It’s solely about them [Missouri]. It’s solely about one slice of the audience. ”
Kevin Kietzman, on why his interest in following Mizzou basketball in the SEC has waned, 810 AM
GH: This from the guy who force feeds his audience slices of the Cookie Diet, the Grilling Show, the Racin’ Boys and enough soccer talk the past week to get me through Hilary Clinton’s term as president.

“What if the Big 12 came to Missouri and said, ‘We’d much rather have you than Clemson or Florida State. We want you back.’ Should Missouri walk [from the SEC] and come back?”
Kevin Kietzman, who posed this question to Jack Harry, 810 AM
GH: Kietzman needs to take a trip to Columbia, MO and walk around their campus, the downtown area and just about any place else within the city limits. Signs of Mizzou joining the SEC are EVERYWHERE and worn on almost every piece of student apparel. The University of Missouri hasn’t been this excited about burning a bridge since Quantrill got back to town.

GregHall24@yahoo.com and Twitter / greghall24

“[Bill Self] took a little bit of heat for [publicly criticizing his team]. I thought he was great. I really did. When you play at Kansas, if you don’t want the attention – and 95% of the time it’s unbelievable attention if you’re a student athlete [at Kansas]. But the 5% of the time when things don’t go well you’ve got to be able to handle that too. If you don’t want the attention of playing at Kansas or Carolina or Duke, then go to a low major school.”
Fran Fraschilla, TV color analyst for KU/OU game in Norman, ESPN2
GH: Fraschilla is just another ex-coach in the media who makes it his job to have the back of a coach like Bill Self who is catching some heat for publicly verbally flogging his players after KU’s loss to OSU and TCU. Fraschilla said, “I thought it was great.” Obviously, it didn’t work. Kansas now finds itself mired in its first three-game losing skid after a sparkling 19-1 start and a number-one ranking only three games ago. Why is it hard for Fraschilla and his ilk to point the finger at Self? Instead, Fraschilla questions the courage of Self’s players. Very gutsy, Fran. 

“I’m not leaving out of [Norman] disgusted with my team at all. We actually played better today. We played a good team today. … Hey, it’s hard to win away from home. This wasn’t a major upset today. We did some good things. It’s not good but it’s definitely not broken. It’s not broken.”
Bill Self, in his postgame comments after losing in Norman, Jayhawk Radio Network
GH: Compare these comments to how Self ripped his guards after the OSU loss and then calling his team the worst Kansas has put on the floor since Naismith. Fraschilla might not think Self made a mistake in how he rode his players into the ground, but it appears to me that Bill Self thinks he screwed up.

“When we play well, we play as well as any of the talented teams we’ve had in the past.”
Bill Self, Jayhawk Radio Network

“I think this might be the least talented team that Bill Self has ever coached.”
Nate Bukaty, 810 AM
GH: A three-game losing streak has jolted even some of the most steady Jayhawk backers. I disagree that this is one of Self’s least talented teams. McLemore is a top-five draft pick even as a first-year player and Withey is the best defensive player in the nation. Add two seniors who played in the Final Four last year and it is difficult to call this Kansas team untalented. The problem is the team’s confidence. Self destroyed it with his public criticism. Can he build the team back up over the next eight weeks? That’s why they call him coach.

“We’re trying to soothe people’s anxiety a little bit that this world is going to come to an end. It is not. You can keep both feet on the bridge. It’s going to be okay. … I can’t believe anybody would be arrogant enough to think you could just go in there [to Norman] and roll over a good Oklahoma team.”
David Lawrence, as he opened the KU postgame radio show following the Jayhawks third straight defeat, Jayhawk Radio Network
GH: Lawrence sounded like Stan Weber whenever K-State football suffers a tough loss. Both Kansas and K-State hold tightly censored postgame shows hosted by their handpicked hosts. Missouri is far more lenient in allowing both the hosts and their callers to speak critically of their teams. For the most part, the journalists who cover all three schools follow suit to this same credo. Mizzou’s media is far tougher on the Tigers than the Jayhawks’ and Wildcats’ scribes. I prefer the truth rather than pabulum.

“I know people remember what happened late in the game but overall I thought Elijah played better.”
David Lawrence, on EJ’s play in Norman, Jayhawk Radio Network
GH: The term “relative” has rarely been more important to a point guard’s play. Was EJ better than his play at TCU? Well, yeah. But he remains the target of more venom in the state of Kansas than those water-stealing farmers up north in Nebraska.

“I love the fact that Elijah keeps on shooting!”
Bob Davis, punctuating his play-by-play call of a made three-pointer by the KU senior point guard, Jayhawk Radio Network

“I expect [Elijah] to play great and I believe he will. Certainly so much of everything is based on making shots. He doesn’t have to worry about making shots, just go play and have fun.”
Bill Self, KUSports.com

“They’ve got Elijah – he’s a two [guard] playing a one. College basketball is all about guards. It’s all about guards. I just think guard play is absolutely vital. You’ve got to have it. You cannot be an elite team unless at that point-guard position you’ve got a lead guy. The things that guy does at that level of basketball are enormous!”
Kevin Harlan, 810 AM
GH: Self has said Elijah is his guy and he’s riding him the rest of the season. This has the makings of a great, great comeback storybook ending for EJ and the Jayhawks. But somebody better start writing some feel-good pages real quick.

“This is uncharted waters. These guys are having trouble knowing how to react when they’re behind.”
Greg Gurley, radio color analyst for KU radio, in a Monday interview with Bob Fescoe, 610 AM
GH: Gurley is one of the few straight shooters in the local media when it comes to fairly evaluating the team he works for and the school where he played.

“You try to shy away from a must-win scenario but this is kind of it.”
Greg Gurley, on Kansas needing a win tonight against K-State, 610 AM
GH: Look at the upcoming Big 12 schedules for both Kansas and K-State. Even if KU wins tonight, they will have a much more difficult road to the conference title than K-State. Kansas needs to win tonight more than they have in maybe any other regular season game in the Bill Self era. Four straight losses with two at home? And one at home to Bruce Weber? Yeah, this one tonight is big.

“If I’m not mistaken if we win on Monday we’ll be tied for the league lead.”
Bill Self, Jayhawk Radio Network
GH: Isn’t that what Bruce Weber was saying last month when KU was headed to Manhattan?

“KSt. practiced Sun at KU Coach Weber said they got out of town to concentrate, have some fun. They did. Great practice Wildcats did X and O work then had fun 3 point knockout contest. Rodney McGruder won. Guys had a blast.”
Holly Rowe, @sportsiren, Twitter
GH: K-State sounds loose and ready. But Vegas isn’t buying any of it. Kansas is favored by 8 tonight.

“Play with freedom offensively and let it go [fly] defensively.”
Bill Self, on what he would like to see from his team against K-State, KUSports.com
GH: After the loss to Oklahoma, Self begged his fans to come out and support his team Monday night for the K-State game. He mentioned begging twice. Yeah, this game is big. Here is the $16,003 question; If Kansas beats K-State tonight at Allen Fieldhouse to tie the Cats for the Big 12 lead, do the Jayhawk fans storm the court?

GregHall24@yahoo.com and Twitter / greghall24

“At a time when people can watch anything, anytime (Netflix, OnDemand, etc.), Super Bowl still got highest overnight (48.7) ever. Incredible.”
Stewart Mandel, @slmandel, Twitter
GH: Wow. I am crediting a good portion of that audience to Beyoncé’s wheels.

“Jesse Heiman, better known as the world’s greatest extra, kissed Bar Refaeli—and he’s telling! The actor who served as the nerd for the super model to kiss in Go Daddy’s Super Bowl commercial called in to ‘On Air with Ryan Seacrest’ and revealed swapping spit with Bar was like ‘kissing paradise’ and ‘God’s hands.’ Jesse shared ‘each take was about 18 seconds of kissing’ and ‘we did 45-65 takes’…whoa! So what did Bar tell him during each of these takes? Jesse added, ‘she kept patting me on the leg and saying ‘good kisser.’ ”
RyanSeacrest.com
GH: I’m thinking that 50 takes of kissing followed by repeated leg pats from the curvaceous Refaeli would leave a lesser man spent after the first two takes. Maybe one. Jesse is the new McLovin’.

“The USA Today Ad meter has the GoDaddy ‘Kiss’ ad as the worst commercial in the entire broadcast. Likely was most effective. GoDaddy says its 2 Super Bowl ads drove more new customers and more overall sales than its ads did in each of the previous 8 years.”
Darren Rovell, @darrenrovell, Twitter
GH: Advertising is a wickedly odd industry. Everyone who saw the GoDaddy.com ad has an opinion on it. And while most of those opinions might be fraught with disgust, it’s a winner because people remember it and drive its shelf life through additional discussion. I am guilty of that by including it in this Super Bowl column. Weird, wacky, stuff as Johnny Carson used to say.

“With the number-one pick in the 2013 NFL draft, the Kansas City Chiefs take Leon Sandcastle!”
Roger Goodell, in a Super Bowl ad spoof with Deion Sanders playing the role of Sandcastle
GH: If you can’t make the Super Bowl, I guess you can always make believe. I would prefer the Chiefs be embarrassed to have earned the first pick in the draft rather than remind the NFL by playing the stooge.

“USA Today ad meter results: Budweiser Clydesdales ad wins. ‘Leon Sandcastle’ comes in 8th admeter.usatoday.com/articles/view/…”
Darren Rovell, @darrenrovell, Twitter
GH: I loved the Clydesdale ad by Bud. Watched it again online this morning. The Super Bowl ads are crazy diverse. You’ll get a GoDaddy ad that makes the entire family squirm and then you’ll get the touching tale of a newborn colt and his owner’s lifelong bond. Here is the irony – GoDaddy is selling website domain names and Budweiser is trying to induce alcohol into your family’s lives. Advertising is a tricky business.

“This is an example of why Network Broadcasts of LIVE Events need Pro's on the sidelines. Great work @SolomonsWisdom_ and @SteveTasker89.”
Tim Brando, @TimBrando, after CBS was stuck going to their two sideline reporters after the power outage took out Jim Nantz’s and Phil Simms’ microphones, Twitter
GH: Brando was being sarcastic – at least I hope he was! Tasker looked and sounded like he had just pissed his pants or was in the process of the act when he was left holding the only live mic. I was not at all bothered by the loss of Nantz and Simms. These two give hope to every retired QB or J-School student who hopes to one day make it in the business. Neither added much of anything to the broadcast. Simms sounded confused, lost and somehow arrogant. Nantz was his typical bland golfy self.

“Phil Simms was 1st athlete to say: ‘I'm going to Disney World.’ After listening to him tonight on TV, wish he would've stayed.”
Mark Kiszla, @markkiszla, Twitter

“Who has more marbles in their mouth Shannon or Cowher?”
Bill Maas, @BillMaas, Twitter
GH: Shannon – no contest. But Cowher has a few marbles in his head. The former Steelers’ head coach was calling for the 49ers to replace Kaepernick in the second half with the Chiefs’ future starting quarterback, Alex Smith. All Kaepernick did in the second half is lead his team back from a 28-6 deficit to within four yards from winning the game. I am hoping Andy Reid is a bit more up on today’s game than Cowher.

“Everybody's got baggage. It’s about how u bounce from it. Nuttin but respect 4that portion of Raylews career. Passionate,played game right.”
Danan Hughes, @dahughesguy83, Twitter
GH: Baggage? The weight of Lewis’ baggage would cost him about $8.3 million to board a Delta flight.

“[Eric] Winston commercial? C'mon, man! U can't do that!”
Danan Hughes, @dahughesguy83, on the Chiefs’ right tackle’s TV ad for KCTV 5 making a spoof out of his early-season verbal attack on Chiefs’ fans after Cassel’s injury, Twitter
GH: I don’t think Eric Winston is nearly as erudite and smooth in front of a camera or microphone as others. I just want the big SOB to knock people in the other colored jersey down on Sunday afternoons. He can save his TV auditions for after he retires.

“That was as fake as a rack in Leawood. So awesome!!!!”
Dana Wright, @RadioDana, on the Ravens failed attempt at a fake field goal, Twitter
GH: This statement needs far more in-depth explanation from Dana on Parks & Wreck this afternoon. I am guessing the number of friends, neighbors and viewers/listeners that Dana “touched” with this comment reaches far beyond double digits. Eager to hear about the fallout – literally.

GregHall24@yahoo.com and Twitter / greghall24

“We were awful and they were good.”
Bill Self, in his postgame comments following KU’s 85-80 loss at home to Oklahoma State, KUSports.com
GH: I didn’t find KU’s play against OSU nearly as abominable as Coach Self. I thought it was a great college basketball game where KU’s senior point guard, Elijah Johnson, made one-too-many mistakes and cost his team a chance for another incredible comeback win. Read on.

“I wish we could play without guards to be honest with you, but that would be kind of an ugly game if you have five big guys playing out there at all times.”
Bill Self, KUSports.com
GH: Self was merciless in his postgame rant about his guard play. He called his players “babies.” I was told by someone close to the team that Self told Naadir Tharpe during a timeout he was playing “like a girl.” He also didn’t hold much back when he was critiquing his team in front of the postgame microphone.

“We don’t have a point guard. … Our ballhandling and our guard play has been terrible all year and certainly today was no exception.”
Bill Self, KUSports.com

“We have been getting unbelievably poor play from some individuals and we have got to do a better job teaching them. We are better than what we played today, but today the best team did win the game. .. We are just so frustrated with the toughness. Let’s just call it like it is ... we are mentally tough in some ways, but physically this is our softest group of all time.”
Bill Self, KUSports.com
GH: I am guessing Self understands how to motivate his team – at least I hope he does. He just embarrassed his senior point guard in front of the entire college basketball scene. This is a senior who I am sure before the season started had hopes of making a run at an NBA team next year. Self sounded overly emotional in his postgame presser. I think he made a mistake in being so critical of a his team that is 19-2 and just lost to a squad with three future NBA players.

“We have never had a team like this. We get by and fake it sometimes, but we aren’t real thick and we aren’t real strong. Not to compete at game-point though, is beyond belief, and I’m sure this was an embarrassment — the way they kicked our [butt] in a late-game situation — to everybody that has played here because we didn’t compete when we needed to compete.”
Bill Self, KUSports.com

“Six seconds less than a minute remained and the home team trailed in Allen Fieldhouse by eight points.”
Tom Keegan, KUSports.com
GH: Self can tell me how soft and how disappointed he is in his team all he wants, but his Hawks still almost pulled off another heart-stopping improbable win. That takes some toughness. It’s no wonder some KU fans are ready to leap over the nearest cliff whenever KU loses a game. Their head coach is setting an excellent example as to how to not react to a defeat.

“Nobody made more big shots for Kansas in its improbable run to the NCAA title game last season than [Elijah] Johnson.”
Tom Keegan, KUSports.com
GH: Remember when Tyshawn Taylor couldn’t hit a three during last season’s Final Four run? Johnson was the guy who was steady and consistent in late-game situations. So what happened? Self is paid millions each year to find out and correct it. This might be how he plans to do just that. From watching Johnson’s body language, I’m not so sure it’s the best solution.

“I think this loss really got to him [Elijah Johnson]. Being a senior and losing at home ... I think it definitely kind of hurt him.”
Ben McLemore, KUSports.com
GH: Hearing his head coach call him a baby and say he team doesn’t have a point guard probably didn’t help.

“That [last possession] didn’t do anything about changing the game. The game was on their side from the start because of the way they came out [in grabbing 14-point lead]. They threw the first punch. “That last play by Elijah didn’t do anything to turn out [decide] the game.”
Naadir Tharpe, on Johnson’s late dribbling turnover that cost KU a chance at casting a game-tying three, KUSports.com
GH: Interesting how McLemore and Tharpe chose a completely different way of responding to Johnson’s troubles. I would have asked Self if he was that upset with Johnson’s play, why did he have him in the game at the end handling the ball?

“Right down to end it was Marcus Smart. Stunning his good he is.”
Michael DeCourcy, @tsnmike, Twitter
GH: Not enough was said by Self on how good Oklahoma State played at Allen Fieldhouse. Self’s over-the-top criticism of his team’s play will have some overlooking just how well OSU played. Again, besides Johnson’s play, I thought Kansas competed and played well. OSU was just better on that day. It happens. I don’t think it’s a reason to trash the career of a kid who came to Kansas and stayed for four years to play basketball and get his degree. I sure wouldn’t want a KU chemistry teacher ripping one of his/her students in front of a room full of potential employers.

“It's probably in poor taste to speculate about a certain KU point guard who's name rhymes with Shmelijah Shmohnson shaving points. So don't.”
Danny Parkins, @DannyParkins, Twitter
GH: It is beyond poor taste to even insinuate or joke about a college kid intentionally throwing a game. Parkins isn’t nearly as bright as he thinks he is.

“Not at all surprised this KU team lost. Very surprised it did it by giving up 85 at home.”
Sam Mellinger, @mellinger, Twitter
GH: Mellinger isn’t alone. OSU’s head coach, Travis Ford, was seen turning to his assistant immediately following their rare win at Allen Fieldhouse and saying, “Oh my god!”

“Greg Gurley is a few smokes away from sounding exactly like Mike Shannon. Cards announcer and Gurley are voice brothers. A good thing though.”
Greg Schaum, @Greg_Schaum, comparing the KU radio color analyst to the St. Louis Cardinals’ radio play-by-play voice, Twitter
GH: I don’t think in Gurley’s case his voice box is being bathed in Marlboros. More like marshmallows.

GregHall24@yahoo.com and Twitter / greghall24

“I never thought before this season that this team could be ranked number-one at any point in time. Somebody’s got to be number one.”
Bill Self, when asked about the possibility of KU ascending to the top of the polls after a week fraught with upsets, 610 AM
GH: Kansas is officially number one in the coaches’ poll as they prepare for tonight’s 8:00 PM [CT] game at West Virginia. Michigan is number one in the AP poll. Kansas has won 17 straight – that kind of success is hard to ignore.

“Bob Huggins has 25K incentive in new contract for regular season wins over KU. Something to watch for on Big Monday from Morgantown.”
Fran Fraschilla, @franfraschilla, Twitter
GH: Huh? $25K for beating a team in your conference? Isn’t that what they hired Huggins to do and pay him his million-dollar salary to do anyway? Aaron Swarts pointed on Monday’s Border Patrol that Frank Haith was paid a bonus of $25K for winning the Big 12 postseason tourney last year. I don’t think Haith got an extra nickel for knocking off Kansas in Columbia – nor should he.

“What you’re trying to get is a number-one seed, and [Kansas] is solidly a number-one seed right now. And the way that the Big 12 is…I would really be hard-pressed to think they are going to lose more than one or two in the Big 12…which would give them a number-one seed.”
Dave Armstrong, 810 AM
GH: Kansas has not looked dominant during their current roll through the Big 12 but few think they will stub their beaks more than once or twice. But will that mellow-brick road prove to be costly come March? Read on.

“You know what I worry about with Kansas? They may become bored in this [Big 12] conference. I wish there were better teams in this conference. The thing is, the Big 10 is going to make the teams that come out of it very tough and very tournament ready.”
Kevin Harlan, 810 AM
GH: Kansas appears adamant in creating pressure even when the opposition is Texas Tech…or any of the other Big 12 foes. With Mizzou no longer on their schedule, the next six weeks could be rather dull but profitable for Kansas and their NCAA seed.

“Is there a cause for concern with Kansas’ offense?”
Nate Bukaty, on the sputtering offensive attack that continues to keep KU winning and their fans a bit on edge, 810 AM
GH: Elijah Johnson. If he gets his outside shot back, KU will win almost 40 games and be in the Final Four. If not, it could be a frustrating early out inside Sprint Center.

“Boy, they’re starting to get lax on who they put up there.”
Pete Enich, on Bill Self announcing that Mario Chalmers’ jersey will be added to the hallowed rafters of KU’s Allen Fieldhouse, 810 AM
GH: There is often a generational gap in opinion when it comes to retiring jerseys. The old guys hate to see the young guys alongside their heroes. The young guys want their guys to be recognized next to the dusty jersey from yesteryear. Does a player need to be a consensus All American to be knighted inside Allen Fieldhouse? I think not. Chalmers’ shot and his game are more than enough.

“He was a physical presence that we did not do very well with.”
Kevin Stallings, head basketball coach at Vanderbilt, on the dominating play of Mizzou’s 6’9 255-pound Alex Oriakhi in the Tigers 81-59 blowout win at Mizzou Arena, Columbia Daily Tribune
GH: Mizzou is a maddening and remarkably talented basketball team. They looked like an NIT also ran against Ole Miss and Florida. Against Vandy, thoughts of the Final Four danced in my head. Frank Haith has assembled some big-time talent in Columbia. I hope he is able to take advantage of it because his Tigers are fun to watch when they get it rolling.

“If Haith had any thought to play [Laurence] Bowers, who was back in uniform for the first time since injuring his right knee in a collision with Pressey late in the second half of the SEC opener against Alabama on Jan. 8, the coach didn't act on it. There was simply no need with Missouri taking a 49-20 lead into halftime.”
Steve Walentik, writer, Columbia Daily Tribune
GH: Mizzou had a 32-4 run in the first half against Vandy. 32-4! That is about as dominant as a team can get without scheduling Northern Illinois.

“Four points. One ... two ... three ... four points is all the men's basketball team from Northern Illinois could manage during a first half for the record books on Saturday. Breaking their own NCAA Division I record for ineptitude, the Huskies made just one field goal before halftime against Eastern Michigan.”
Associated Press

“WHAT: A major announcement regarding a gift to the University of Missouri. This gift will improve and enhance MU athletic facilities as Mizzou continues its transition to the SEC.”
MU press release on Monday, January 28, 2012
GH: Mizzou may not be lighting the SEC up with wins on the field and court but there is no denying the move has been a cash windfall for the Tigers’ facilities. Columbia, Missouri is transforming to meet their new conference’s athletic standards. Whether that strikes you as good or bad, there is no going back.

“I felt like I had open shots against KU that just weren’t falling. Coach got me in the gym and was working with me on my shot, trying to get it back to where it was. Coming into the game it felt good. I was just letting it fly.”
Will Spradling, K-State’s sophomore guard, Kansas City Star
GH: If Kansas’ success in March hinges on EJ’s outside jumper, so too does K-State need Spradling to get hot from trey land.

"The expectations of fans and people around you change. Maybe we didn’t deal with it. Now we had a reality smack, and we have to get back at it. We have got to get back to where we were and do the things that give us a chance.”
Bruce Weber, on the Cats losing two games after being 4-0 in the Big 12 and ranked 11th nationally, Kansas City Star
GH: The soft Big 12 will offer the Wildcats plenty of opportunity to win games. Weber should take advantage of every one of those weak sisters to build his team’s NCAA seed. I think K-State can and will finish second to Kansas.

“Baylor. Even though they looked horrible against Kansas I still think they have the most talent [to finish second in the Big12].”
Dave Armstrong, 810 AM
GH: Baylor looks great but is far from filling. I just can’t pick them over K-State and Iowa State.

GregHall24@yahoo.com and Twitter / greghall24

“2013 NFL Draft I think Andy Reid will draft another Syracuse QB, Ryan Nassib, but this time with the 1st overall pick to lead the Chiefs! From what I saw on film there is no way R. Nassib makes it to the 2nd round. I do not view QB Ryan Nassib as a late 1st rounder, but rather a Top Five pick & doubt he will be there at top of 2nd round. … my grade is not to get hype/publicity, just based on film.”
Russ Lande, @russlande, of ProFootballTalk.com
GH: I clipped together a handful of Lande tweets for his comments on Nassib above. Lande is a respected draftnik, but he is out on a limb with this pick. What I think this shows is that there is simply no consensus number-one pick at quarterback in this draft. Every expert has his/her favorite. Unless you're Kevin Kietzman – then you just want any quarterback with the Chiefs’ first pick – even if it’s the wrong one.

“I apologize, Mitch. I did not mean to talk quarterbacks with you today. I wanted to talk college basketball.”
Kevin Kietzman, while interviewing Mitch Holthus this week, 810 AM
GH: Just about every on-air conversation KK has had the past month devolves into the Chiefs needing to draft a quarterback with their first overall pick. I’m not saying they shouldn’t – I’m just incredibly bored with his endless browbeating on the subject. It would be different if Holthus or Clinkscale would attack his stance as passionately as he defends it – but they instead delicately tip toe about the subject as if KK signs their checks. Oh, right…

“Tyler Wilson [from Arkansas] could go as high as 15. … It’s not like any of these quarterbacks are going to come in and have a stellar rookie season. There’s just not one guy who is blowing everybody away.”
Matt Miller, NFL insider for NFLDraftScout.com, reporting from the Senior Bowl, 810 AM
GH: It is stunning how many different QBs are being promoted as the first quarterback taken. Read on.

“If anyone in this class is going to get over-drafted it is Matt Barkley. I would not be shocked if he went number one at all. He is one of the most likable football players you will ever talk to. He’s personable, he’s a leader, his teammates loved him and he’s smart.”
Matt Miller, 810 AM
GH: Neither Barkley nor Geno Smith are among the six quarterbacks at the Senior Bowl. And Geno Smith is listed as the number one quarterback on most of the draft boards I’ve perused.

“I don’t like Barkley number one and I haven’t all year. But I don’t think you can rule that possibility out.”
Matt Miller, 810 AM
GH: A year ago Chiefs fans would have been very happy with the USC as their first pick. Has his stock dropped that far? Does his lack of a big arm hurt his sex appeal? How about the fact he’s another high-touted underperforming Trojan quarterback? Bingo.

“Is there a quarterback worthy of going in the first round? That answer is probably, ‘No.’ But three, four or five quarterbacks probably will go [in the first round].”
Michael Schottey, NFL insider for BleacherReport.com, reporting from the Senior Bowl, 610 AM
GH: Wow – five quarterbacks gone before the Chiefs’ second pick? I think the Chiefs new GM, John Dorsey goes after a QB and makes Kietzman a happy man.

“I thought you would like to know that Randy Covitz followed up his correct forecast of the Super Bowl entrants by winning more than $9,000 in a knockout NFL pool. Not bad for a $20 investment. The guy really knows the NFL. What a shame he is not Kansas City's pro football Hall of Fame elector and Bob Gretz is. (Thanks to Carl Peterson).”
Chris, OTC Email
GH: Covitz is having a helluva year! First he nails Baltimore and San Francisco in SB47 [no easy picks there] and then he pockets $9K in an NFL knockout pool? Congrats to Randy.

“Football as we know it is going to change, definitely.”
Mike Greenberg, while discussing the lawsuit filed by Junior Seau’s family, ESPN Radio
GH: Lawsuits over head injuries will be the death of amateur football as we know it. It is simply a matter of when. Can the game change enough to make it safe enough for the lawyers? Maybe, but it will not be the same game.

“I always say this, ‘Soup and good character are made at home.’”
Herm Edwards, 810 AM
GH: Herm never ate in my mom’s kitchen. She was a master at cooking up character, but her soups were all out of a can.

“Paul Finebaum, the afternoon host of Birmingham, Alabama's popular WJOX sports talk radio station, is leaving one of Cumulus radio's Southern sports powerhouses for a big payday from a competing station, 97.3 the Zone owned by Cox Communications. It's a big move in sports talk radio because Finebaum brings in several million dollars a year in ad revenue on one of the highest rated sports talk stations in the country.”
Clay Travis, writer, outkickthecoverage.com
GH: That revenue number is just stunning to me. Several millions a year in ads on an AM station in Alabama? SEC football truly is one-of-a-kind.

“WJOX is screwed. 1st, no one wants to do a show like Finebaum who is as talented as Finebaum. 2nd, who wants to be the guy to replace him?”
TJ Carpenter, @TJCarpenter, on Finebaum bolting from his current Alabama radio station to the competition across town, Twitter
GH: I don’t doubt that replacing a talent like Finebaum is going to be tough – but why wouldn’t sports talk jocks be lining up at the opportunity? I have never understood those in the media who shy away from opportunity. Sure, Finebaum’s shoes are big ones but so what? If you have the game, why accept an invitation to the Weedeater Bowl when you can play in the Rose?

“Les Miles contract extension: $4.3 million a year for 7 years thru 2019.”
Brett McMurphy, @McMurphyESPN
GH: These numbers still stun me. That is $30.1 million over the next seven years.

“Hey, Mizzou, think SEC football was good? Baseball America preseason poll: 2 Vandy, 3 Ark, 5 Miss St., 7 SC, 10 LSU, 11 UK, 13 OM, 17 UF.”
Ross Dellenger, @RossDellenger, Twitter
GH: SEC track and field is pretty good as well. Arkansas, A&M, Florida and LSU are in the top six for Indoor T&F this week. Auburn, Mississippi State and Ole Miss are also in the top 14. The SEC is pretty good at athletics.

GregHall24@Yahoo.com and Twitter / greghall24

“This is obviously a shocking affair. We have to get the answer to, how did this individual who was working with Shapiro end up engaging in these activities on our behalf? It's stunning that this has transpired.”
Mark Emmert, NCAA president, on the fact Shapiro’s lawyer was paid by the NCAA to provide information to build the NCAA’s case against Miami, SI.com
GH: Emmert’s NCAA could hardly look worse. The watchdog of collegiate amateurism  has rabies. SMU, Penn State, USC, Miami and pretty much the entire SEC is chuckling over Emmert’s embarrassment. But we still are unsure of Frank Haith’s guilt. Read on.

“Now that NCAA president Mark Emmert has shown the guts to finally admit publicly that his organization…just might be as contemptible as the alleged scoundrels it is supposed to be investigating, I have but one annoying question lingering in my head: Where does Frank Haith go to get his reputation back?”
Bryan Burwell, columnist, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
GH: A better question – does Haith deserve to have his reputation restored? Does an unethical maneuver to attain damaging information about Haith change the truth about Haith?

“Does anyone really think this is the first time the NCAA has "sat in" on depositions?”
Wright Thompson, @wrightthompson, Twitter

“Did he do it or not? Now we’ll never know for sure, and that’s as big a crime by the NCAA as anything it ever has suspected Haith of doing”
Bryan Burwell, columnist, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
GH: Why won’t we ever know? Did we really ever consider the NCAA as the Solomon of truth? Why aren’t Burwell and his media brothers and sisters exercising their journalism degrees to either exonerate or condemn Haith? Sounds lazy to just punt this pungent football into the trash.

“It’s hard to fathom how bad this is for the NCAA. But it’s even harder to fathom how unfair this has all been to Haith and everyone else caught in the web of this disturbing and flawed investigation. There have been so many leaks, so much intentional damage done to his reputation without Haith being in a position to properly defend himself.”
Bryan Burwell, columnist, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
GH: If Haith and Miami and everyone else attached to this steaming pile of South Beach garbage are all innocent, Burwell makes an excellent point. Farfetched, but poignant. But somehow, despite these issues, Haith has managed to snare and keep a job that pays him more than $2-million a year from a school that Haith lied to initially when he stated he did not know Shapiro.

“I’m not here to carry the Mizzou basketball coach’s water in this battle with the NCAA. Neither is this some pathetic act of blindly defending the University of Missouri, either, because we still don’t have any idea if Haith knowingly participated in impermissible recruiting of players while at the University of Miami in some systematic routine that he orchestrated, or if he simply turned a blind eye on it under the convenient cover of plausible deniability.”
Bryan Burwell, columnist, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
GH: If Burwell isn’t carrying Haith’s water, he sure is doing an excellent impersonation of just that role. Does Bryan know Ronaiah Tuiasosopo?

“I don’t know how the NCAA can honestly move forward with this investigation now after this staggering admission. It no longer matters if Haith is innocent or guilty, because who would believe anything the NCAA has to say about the Miami case after this garbage?”
Bryan Burwell, columnist, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
GH: It no longer matters if Haith is innocent or guilty? Is Burwell channeling Hillary here? A line of thinking only a water bearer would take. Do your job, Bryan. Be an objective columnist not a water boy.

“Hoax mastermind Ronaiah Tuiasosopo, posing as the mysterious Lennay Kekua, was the falsetto voice on the other end of the all-night phone calls with the Notre Dame star, the scammer’s lawyer said.
The Heisman Trophy finalist ‘thought it was a female he was talking with,’ lawyer Milton Grimes acknowledged to the Daily News. ‘It was Ronaiah as Lennay. … Te’o apparently never realized it was Tuiasosopo disguising his voice to assume the persona of stunning, sassy Stanford coed Kekua.’ ”
Nancy Dillon and Larry McShane, New York Daily News
GH: Hoax mastermind? How about gay boyfriend wannabe? Read on.

“This wasn’t a prank to make fun. It was establishing a communication with someone. ... It was a person with a troubled existence trying to reach out and communicate and have a relationship.”
Milton Grimes, Tuiasosopo’s lawyer, New York Daily News
GH: But the two never met? Manti still got some ‘splainin’ to do.

“The rumor going around is that these assistants are leaving because [Bill Snyder’s son] Sean Snyder is taking over.”
Soren Petro, on the exodus of numerous K-State football assistants, 810 AM
GH: That is a pretty strong rumor to roll out on the Kansas State University’s sports radio affiliate. Not that 810 deals in rumors…

“NW beats Minnesota. Duke smoked. Butler loses. TTech beat ISU and Drake beat Creighton. Armageddon Wednesday. I love college hoops...no matter how bad you think it is for your team, wait a day and you'll feel better about yourself.”
Jon Miller, @HawkeyeNation, on the myriad of upsets Wednesday night, Twitter
GH: I watched Drake take out Creighton last night as my wife impatiently waited to watch a DVRed episode of Downton Abbey with me. [Downton timeout: Love the cutting Countess Violet, the witty Mrs. Patmore, Carson’s baritone, Anna’s faithfulness and the evil Thomas’ coolness. Hate the haughty Lady Mary and utterly clueless Countess Cora.] Hated Creighton losing but had to feel good for those frozen few in Des Moines who stormed the Bulldog’s home court.

“Iowa State suffers an unforgivable loss at Texas Tech. Wow. Fair to say Cyclones will be desperate against K-State on Saturday.”
Kellis Robinett, Twitter
GH: How did this happen? Monsieur Mayor? Les Miserables!

“Big 12 teams just got a wakeup call when they make that trip to the South Plains. Nice win for young Red Raiders!”
Fran Fraschilla, @franfraschilla, on Texas Tech’s upset win over Iowa State, Twitter
GH: Easy, Fran. If Lubbock is now a place to be feared for aspiring NCAA teams, the Big 12 truly is upside down.

“Things I know for sure:
1. The sun will come up today
2. I love my team
3. We will get better
4. We won't point fingers
5. Learn and move on”
Greg McDermott, Creighton’s head coach, following the Blue Jays loss at Drake, Twitter
GH: 6. Avoid loose meat sandwich stands on I-80 for pregame meals. Doug McDermott sat on the bench for most of the crucial final minutes of this Valley contest – supposedly due to a tainted pregame meal.

“If there's one thing we've learned, it's that ANYONE can beat ANYONE at anytime.”
ESPN College BBall, @ESPNCBB, Twitter
GH: This is not necessary true if you happen to follow Nebraska basketball. Still looking for that first NCAA tourney win…

“Mike Krzyzewski just told me Dan Patrick's report is NOT accurate that his Duke team practiced from 1:30-4:15 am after loss.”
Jeff Borzello, @jeffborzello, after Patrick made this claim following Duke’s blowout loss at Miami, Twitter
GH: This news had to make every college basketball fan outside of Durham, NC smile.

“Going HAM after Revis would be the kind of bold move that'd put a fanbase on notice that ownership is truly in it to win it. Please, no more Stanford Routt acquisitions. No more rolling the dice on guys like Peyton Hillis. Make. Real. Moves.”
Jeff Rosen, @jeff_rosen88, Twitter
GH: The Chiefs do seem to expend a lot of energy on middling spare parts and almost never grab that one difference maker. Were Joe Montana and Marcus Allen the last to fit the Revis model?

“Just yacked on the floor of Chiefs weight room. Trying to make it 4 LBs in pro bow for 2013!”
Andy Studebaker, @studie32, Chiefs linebacker, Twitter
GH: You got to love this guy’s work ethic – if not his side-to-side wheels.

“John Harbaugh just snuck on a conference call with his parents — who are talking to reporters — to ask: "Is it true you liked Jim better?"
Kevin Van Valkenburg, (@KVanValkenburg

“From a BBC One documentary series on wildlife in Africa comes the most incredible nature footage ever captured on film: A squirrel responding with anthropomorphic shock to the sight of a hungry leopard.”
Click here to view the video, Gawker.com
GH: This is how I react when my wife comes home from work and I am sitting on the couch eating Cherry Garcia.

GregHall24@yahoo.com  and Twitter / greghall24

“Can’t believe KU can win at Kstate 23 of 25 times…just remarkable.”
Doug Gottlieb, @GottliebShow, Twitter
GH: We take this streak a bit for granted here in Kansas City because we have lived with it now for a quarter century through two different but very successful Kansas coaching regimes. What makes this one kind of different is how the two schools flip sides during football season.

“That senior group, they almost refuse to lose.”
Bruce Weber, on his appreciation for how KU’s seniors took over the game in Manhattan, 610 AM

“Good game KSU. Good game. But let's lose the octagon of doom thing…”
Eric Stonestreet, @ericstonestreet, following KU’s 59-54 win in Manhattan, Twitter
GH: How do K-State fans feel about the “Octagon of Doom” nickname for Bramlage? It became popular during Frank Martin’s reign, despite his less than perfect home record. I think the Cats need a new nickname for their lair. How about you? [And no Jayhawk fans, AF West is not what I had in mind.]

“Is anybody better than Bill Self in the post game? Always compliments opponent and actually gives some insight to the game.”
Soren Petro, @TheProgram, Twitter
GH: I could not care less about a coach complimenting his opponent – they almost all do to a fault. I heard KU’s Norm Roberts this morning talk about Oklahoma like they are Duke in waiting. Self is great with the media – maybe the best I’ve ever seen/heard. But do not be lulled into believing his coachspeak. He deals from the bottom of the deck just like every other salesman.

“Is Elijah [Johnson] more athletic that Spradling? It’s not a night and day thing. I don’t think Elijah’s a freak athlete, do you?”
Doug Gottlieb, while discussing the matchup between the KU and KUS guards with Soren Petro, 810 AM
GH: Petro openly guffawed at Gottlieb’s above comment. “Elijah has big-time ups and Spradling is nailed to the floor,” said Petro. Score this volley 15-Love in favor of Petro.

“[Perry Ellis] is getting better and better. He’s getting better every day. He’s understanding how strong he has to play. That’s what happens with freshmen.”
Norm Roberts, KU assistant, on the Kansas freshman, 810 AM
GH: I like how Ellis is gradually progressing from scared to confident. It will be interesting to see if the absence of Danny Manning retards his growth as a post player. I am betting it will not. He could be a Big 12 POTY candidate by his junior season.

“Coach doesn’t think Naadir [Tharpe] is a good shooter, he thinks he’s a great shooter. We want him shooting the basketball.”
Norm Roberts, KU assistant, 810 AM
GH: KU needs to give the great Ben McLemore some help when it comes to outside scoring. Is Tharpe the guy? It looks like Self thinks he is. I am holding out hope for Elijah Johnson’s jumper to return. If both he and Tharpe are cooking come March, expect Kansas to add to Self’s Final Four war chest.