How good is the KC draft class?

That question will be asked a lot over the next 3 to 5 years. This draft class has the potential to be the foundation for rebuilding the Chiefs back to their winning days of the 90's. They got what many declare as the best defensive player in the draft, and the best offensive guard. It's always a good thing to get the best at a particular position, or side of the ball, and the Chiefs were lucky enough to get two of those. Looking at their other selections, I think the Chiefs are beginning to get ready for life after Tony. That's the only explination I can come up with for drafting two Tight Ends. They did get an underrated Cornerback in Brandon Flowers, and in my opionion, Jamaal Charles was an absolute steal in the 3rd round. As long as he doesn't suffer from the Texas RB jinx that has seemed to hit hard over the past decade, he could produce, and put a little pressure on LJ. Drafting Will Franklin as a Reciever was a good move for KC. Local guy from Mizzou, that will have the backing of the fans. Hopefully KC will go out on the free agency market, get another O-Lineman, and another Secondary player to kind of fill any holes the draft couldn't.

As far as my prediction, I was a bit off. However, I was not expecting Dorsey to drop that far. I figured McFadden would be the odd man out through the top 4 picks, and the Chiefs would wisely pass on him. Still, KC went out and used their first round picks to fill their most important needs. There was talk about the New Orleans Saints wanting to trade up with KC, and offering them an addition second round pick this year, and NO's first round pick next year. At first I thought KC should take that trade. A second year of two first round picks would be huge, especially if the Saints struggle again. I think KC would have taken the trade had Dorsey been selected in the top 4. There was no one left in the top 6 or 7 that KC really needed, and there wouldn't have been enough justification for drafting another O-Lineman in the top five. Instead drafting Dorsey was the right thing to do. The guy is an award winning college football player, and seems to have the charisma to get in the good graces of fans. Plus, I'm just guessing, but those Dorsey repica jersey's will be flying off the shelves later this summer, and that would not have happened had KC gone with an O-lineman that early.

All in all KC might have had the best draft class, when looking back over the weekend. Obviously that'll change once these guys get signed, go to camp, and have to produce on the field. Carl Peterson has seemed to have the knack of drafting busts on the defensive front, but Dorsey is a lot more polished of a prospect than Eric Downing, Ryan Sims, Eddie Freeman, and Junior Siavii. However Tamba Hali has turned into a solid D-Lineman so far, and hopeuflly playing next to a guy like Dorsey will allow Hali to improve even more.

Now comes the hard part of signing all these guys. Obviously the players drated in the 3rd through 7th rounds will be relatively easy to sign. Also, most O-Lineman are relatively easy on the negotiations, and I don't think a second round pick will have much clout when it comes to any potential holdouts. That leaves Dorsey as the only one to worry about. I'm sure Chiefs fans want this guy signed and in KC garb ASAP. However it doesn't work that way. Peterson will have to wait and see what happens with the guys drafted between 10-15, and then decide what type of signing bonus and contract Dorsey deserves. However, with Peterson's and Herm Edward's idea of a youth movement, I have a feeling Dorsey will be signed relatively quickly.

Also, I'd like to give a shout out to Xavier Omon from Northwest Missouri State. He became the fourth Bearcat to be drafted, and went to the Buffalo Bills in round 6. He's built like a 3rd down back or maybe even a fullback. He's got great strength and vision. Only thing he lacks is that initial burst of speed that could cause him trouble at the pro level. Still, he's got the right attitude, and should really impress the coaches at Buffalo.

Worldwide Stinker!

Here's a little two for one from both Jake and I. Both of us have come to dispise a number of things the self proclaimed Worldwide Leader has turned sports coverage into. First off, Jake's take on their (lack of) coverage when it comes to baseball.

Reasons why I hate ESPN
1. Joe Morgan: I know this guy is a HOFer, I recognize that. But he has to go because he isn’t a very good color man. He played the game but it seems that the game has passed him by. Morgan also is a very biased broadcaster and on a national broadcast that can’t fly. Really anymore with MLB extra innings broadcasters need to be less biased then they could have been in the past. Getting facts right isn’t one of Mr. Morgan’s strengths either.
2. Steve Phillips: This guy is a clown who ruined the Mets for years. Phillips is a pretty young guy here but he hasn’t been a GM in some time. I would ask ESPN if that doesn’t show them something. No one would hire this guy as a GM. That shows how much his opinion on player’s matters to his peers. Every time that Phillips does a game he brings up how he drafted David Wright and signed Jose Reyes as players. It won’t matter if it’s the Angels vs. Mariners, this guy has to tout his 2 good pick ups.
3. Peter Gammons: I recognize that Peter Gammons is a HOF sports writer. I can respect that and I realize that Gammons changed how baseball was covered when he was coming up. What I can’t respect is how biased this guy is towards the Red Sox. The guy did cover them for years and is from Boston area. But on national T.V. You need to be less biased. I can respect his loyalty to the Sox but to tout them as the greatest ever is very far from the truth. He also makes it seem that their minor league players are all going to be superstar players which are far from the truth.
4. Buck Martinez: I really just don’t like this guy. I don’t know it is his voice or the fact that he makes stupid comments all game long.
5. One of my biggest gripes is that ESPN doesn’t show teams who have good young talent that could be good. While the Yanks I don’t need to see them on ESPN all the time because I get the MLB package. I get to see them every night. Show teams that don’t get a lot of national coverage. The Diamondbacks have a ton of young talent, show them, Cleveland should have made it to the W.S. show them. The Royals are up and comers show them. I can’t remember the last game that was on ESPN.

Now here are some of mine. I'll begin with their flagship program, Sports Center. I think most will agree, there is no reason whatsoever in the world of instant acces to have hour long SC's. They are bloated broadcasts that tend to focus on a few minor occurences in the world of sports. Take for instance their pro basektball coverage. Is it really that impressive to see Shaq dunk? He's been in the league for how many years now? I've seen him dunk, and quite honestly, it's not that impressive when you factor in his height. For that matter, is it really that impressive to see anyone over 6' dunk? This would be like making a penatly kick in soccer, or a strikeout, or icing in hockey a featured highlight.

Another aspect I'm growing more tired of, is the need to bring in sports columnists to offer their opinion. Hello ESPN, those guys already have an outlet for their opinion, it's called their article. Why should I care what someone in LA, Denver, Chicago, Dallas, Miami, etc thinks about every single sports subject. For one thing, there's no way in the world all those guys are going to have all the facts correct, and secondly, there's no way in the world they will all have informed opinions on all those subjects. Another problem with this growing phenenon at the Worldwide Leader, is all the newspaper guys on TV act as if they have the final, and most important say on the subject at hand, when in all reality, with the ease of gaining information, the regular fan can form better opinions. Don't be fooled people, I put "experts" in quotations when talking about these people, because they are called "experts" soley because they are on TV.

Now before anyone questions why we have gripes with the Worldwide Leader, and tells us to go someplace else to get our sports fix, remember, the ESPN has the rights to just about every major sport in the country. They have essentially cornered the market when it comes to national sports exposure. If you call yourselves the Worldwide Leader, you should offer the best overall coverage of sports. Sadly, they don't as it seems ESPN has gone for quanity, rather than quality.

Boo Soccer! Ya Baseball!

It's Jake here giving you that baseball update you all have been craving!

Some interesting news came out of Detroit today. Miggy Cabrera a 3rd baseman his whole career( 6 yrs) is getting moved to 1st base. He just got a huge deal to play 3rd and now going to first. My guess is they want him worry about his O and not his D. Problem is there are a lot of 1st baseman who can put up similar numbers but not a lot of 3rd baseman. 1st base is where players go when they lose a step.. Not a 24 year old kid getting into the prime of his career. Says a lot about a guys defense ability when they are going to put a guy who hasn't played 3rd base since 2004 there.

Royals... What are you doing? I like that they brought up Luke H. He was ok in his first outing until he decided to nibble on the plate. Any young pitcher needs to understand that the first rule is throw strikes. An ump isn't going to give you the call until your established. Throw strikes = winning games. If you get ahead then you can expand.

Frank Thomas got released and while some in the media think that it was for money reason but mostly because he lost it they are wrong. It was all about money. Frank T always starts slow. Last year he hit worst and got better, hitting .270, 25 hrs and 95 ribi's. Those are pretty good numbers especially since he wasn't getting any protection because Vernon Wells was tanking it all season long. If the Royals were smart they would put a flier out on him, they have to pay him the minimum and that's all. Give it a try, move Butler to 1st and hope that the pitchers strike everyone out.


Minor league notes now. Here is an update on the two prospects I told you guys to look out for
Dan Cortes...
0 wins so far, 1 lost in 3 games started. Only pitched 13.1 innings so far. My guess is he is on a pitch count since his first 2 starts he didn't get to the 5th inning. Era.. 1.35 which is excellent. 9 ks. Now 8 BB's isn't helping. If he can lower his walk total he will go deeper into games. It's still very early for the minors and all prospects unless they are 25 are on innings limit or pitch count. You will see that rise here shortly.

Matt Mitchell
Looking very impressive so far. Same record as above. Thrown 12 innings with 2 of those coming in starts and 1 relief appearance for 1 inning. 8 ks to 1 bb. Great so far. ERA is 1.5. Looks very impressive so far and since he only has walked 1 he has thrown 6 innings in 1 game.

The Royals have lost some games here but there is hope. Butler and Gordon have been good so far this year. SP is what they need. Meche who was great last year as bombed in all but his 1st start. He needs to adjust and they will be back on the winning ways.

Soccer Time!

Yesterday marked the beginning of the UEFA Champions League semifinals, and perhaps the beginning of the most exciting summer for soccer fans in the US. Only the 1994 World Cup could rival this summer, but soccer coverage in this country was in it's infancy, and probably did not grasp the magnitude of that event. Back in 1994 soccer fans were given maybe a dozen or so games on TV leading up to the World Cup. Now fans can watch a dozen games a day if you have the right channels. What makes this summer so exciting, is the possibility for the United States' National Teams to really take charge on the world stage. It begins in Late May when the US mens take on England at Wembley Stadium, and continues with two other friendly's against Aregentina and Spain. Then the real fun begins. The men start the path to South Africa, with the 2010 World Cup qualifying in a set of matches against Barbados, the first of which is on June 15th.

Then in August the attention will shift to a group of youngsters half a world away, trying to prove their worth on a world stage as the U-23 team goes for a gold medal at the Olympics in China. These guys have perhaps some of the most skilled, and athletic soccer players this country has ever seen, and they are poised to make it big on a national stage. Most sports fans know one of their names, Freddie Adu, but there are a group of other players are about to explode on the world scene. Jozy Altidore, and Maurice Edu are the two names that'll pop up alot during the course of the Olympic games, and even leading up to the event. Their action begins on August 7th with a match against Japan, followed up by an Auguast 10th game against the Netherlands, and wrapping up group play is Nigeria on August 13th. This group is winnable for the US, as they should have the most athletic team overall.

So sit back and enjoy this summer. In the meantime check out an MLS game or two. The quality of play in the league has picked up over the past couple of years, and in some markets the MLS franchise is outdrawing competing NBA and NHL teams.

"With the 5th overall selection in the 2008 NFL Draft the Kansas City Chiefs select..."

Who knows who the Chiefs will draft, there's very little concensus out there right now. Quarterbacks, Offensive Lineman, Defensive Lineman, Cornerbacks all seem to be a common theme for KC this year. One thing is for certain, this is the most important draft in perhaps 20 years for the Chiefs. Since Derick Thomas was drafted as the 4th selection in 1989, the Chiefs fans have been fortunate enough to enjoy playoff berths, instead of single digit draft picks. The selection of DT 19 years ago proved to be a catalyst for quite a few succesful years int he 90's, and if done properly, this years draft could result in quite a good second decade to the 21st century. I think KC is setting up aquiring a whole boatload of picks. First they are dangling Jared Allen out on the market, and it's the perfect time for it. Sure he's a fan favorite, but those fans will enjoy 12 wins seasons more than Allen getting 12 sacks. Ship him out to a team in the middle section of the first round, get their pick, as well as one or two more, and set yourself up to draft role players. Allen is young enough, and good enough to make that happen.

I've been on the fence with this, but I also think the Chiefs should trade their #5 pick, and drop down at least 4 spots, as long as Jake Long is taken by someone in the top 4. If Long is gone, the remaining O-lineman do not warrant a top 5 selection, and would be a waste of that high of a pick. Dropping down that far will not only give KC another two or three draft picks, but will save them money when it comes to a signing bonus, and regular conract, thus freeing up more cap room to sign a FA to help fill the cornerback situation.

So now it comes down to who the Chiefs should draft. Any realistic intelligent Chiefs fan knows they need O-lineman. It won't be a quick fix, but if the line improves, it'll allow LJ to do what he does best, and that'll all make Brodie Croyle look a heckuva lot better. My suggestion since it seemed Long was off the table was to draft Ryan Clady from Boise St. He's coming out following his Junior season, so he's still got some growing in him, and he's a natural tackle. Drafting him at #5 is way too high. My suggestion would be to trade with either Baltimore (who's now in the market for a QB) with the 8th selection, or Cincinnati with the 9th selection. The key is staying ahead of Denver, as Clady would be a natural fit to play for the Broncos. Relatively close to his college, and Denver has a more impressive history of O-lineman than KC does.

I'm willing to give Carl Peterson one more Super Bowl run. I think he hamstringed himself with the Dick Vermiel experiment, and it paying the price for it now. I'm not going to fault a guy who took a gamble and just missed, as the Chiefs were within one defensive playmaker from making a SB a few years ago. That means results by the end of 2010. However, that will change quickly if the Chiefs draft a QB in the first round. That would be another tremendous waste of their first round pick, and should result in the immediate firing of Peterson. However, I think with Herm Edwards as coach, and his conservative philisophy, the choice will be an offensive lineman.

The diamonds colder than the rink!

Got to my first, of hopefully many, Royals games Sudnay afternoon. If it wasn't for the bitterly cold weather, we might have had a memorable time. Bannister pitched lights out, Gordon hit a bomb, and all in all, the boys in (powder) blue looked great. Oddly enough in mid April, it would have been warmer to be at a hockey game, rather than a baseball game. With that being said, let me transition to one of my things to watch during the lull in sports excitment this time of the year.

I mentioned in my previous blog post, to watch the NHL Playoffs, and man it hurts to be so right. For those who took my advice, you've been treated to some wonderful games, and series that should last six or seven games. Take last night for example. If you have VS. HD, you would have saw two outstanding games. First game, a battle between two bitter rivals, seperated by a river, as the Devils knocked off the home Rangers in OT, making their series 2-1 in favor of NYR. That was one of the two OT games last night, and three out of the four playoff matches Sunday evening had the winning side on top by just one goal. Then the nightcap saw San Jose score THREE GOALS in the first five minutes of play, only to lose on the road to Calgary 4-3. That's good stuff, no matter how much you like the sport. In fact through the first week of playoff hockey there have been five OT games. Folks, I can't stress this enough, WATCH PLAYOFF HOCKEY. If you are any type of sports fan, you'll get hooked. It's faced paced, hard hitting, quality action. Stop listening to the "experts" on the Worldwide Leader crap on the sport. Fact is most of those "experts" don't have a clue how to play hockey, and therefore act as if it's a lesser pro sport.

Another aspect of hockey that I've come to enjoy is how the fans are in focus the entire game. I watch a lot of European soccer, mostly from England, and in amazement at how their fans stay focused on the game, no matter what's going on. Constant chants, cheering, jeering, throughout an entire game. Same thing goes for hockey fans. Watch the games tonight and notice how their fans are much more into a game, compared to the NBA and in most cases the MLB. They know their sport, and are wrapped up in it. Always adds to a viewing experience.

Tonight on VS. HD it's the best team in the game, Detroit on the road at Nashville, followed by Minnesota and Colorado. Watch and enjoy.

What to do now?

March Madness is over, the start of the baseball season has begun, and two sports that have endless regular seasons, now have endless playoff races. What's a sports fan to do? That's a tough question for many people, especially for ones who either don't live in an MLB market, or have an MLB team that can't compete. Thankfully this season, the KC area is saved with the Royals putting a good product on the field, but if things tank over the next few weeks, it'll be boredom for most sports fans. Here are a few suggestions for those who are chomping at the bit to get out and enjoy sports.

First what to watch on TV, check out the Master's this weekend. Golf at it's finest, and a chance to watch the best in his sport play. Twenty years from now, we're going to look back at this time and realize the greatness of Tiger Woods. Don't miss out on it, and have to settle for watching him play on ESPN Classic. Even if you aren't a fan of golf, you have to appreciate the level of play Tiger Woods brings to his sport, and that alone should be enough to tune in at least on Sunday, perhaps the best single day in golf. Also for the sports starved on TV, playoff hockey. Before you start thinking I'm crazy for thinking hockey is worthwhile, take an evening or an afternoon and watch a game either on VS HD or NBC HD. IMO NHL hockey in HD is second in terms of sports to watch in TV, behind football in HD. The rink is shiner, the puck is more visible, the pace picks up in the playoffs, and the play-by-play guys and commentators are the absolute best in the biz. They know their hockey inside and out, and are more passionate about their sport than anyone else. I've turned into a playoff hockey fan, and I guarentee you'll enjoy it also if you give it a chance.

Now for those who want to experience action in person. Obviously if you live in an MLB market, get to your team's game, if you don't there are still plenty of opportunities. Get to a minor league game, no matter what class or affiliation they may have. If you're over 21 and they serve beer, you and your friends are sure to have a good time. Tailgate before, have some beers at the game, and enjoy the evening. Also, if you can, get to an indoor football game. Doesn't have to be the AFL, but any indoor football game will do. Same concept as the minor league games if your 21 or older, but there's plenty more action, your inside from the weather, and the fans are much more into the game. Another perk to these ideas, is the cheapness of tickets. KC Brigade tickets cost 10 bucks or less for some of their seats, and you can imagine a lower division arena team will have cheaper tickets than that. KC T-Bones have free parking and 10 dollar or less seats, not a bad deal at all. All of these are great opportunities, but to often they get overlooked.

Another good idea for those who bleed their favorite college's colors, is to check out college baseball. This is becoming one of the fastest growing sports, in terms of fan popularity, and usually allows people to see tomorrow's stars today. Over the past decade college baseball has grown by leaps and bounds, in terms of facilities, managing, player development, and fan interest. It wouldn't be that big of a stretch to say some of the mid-level D1 teams are just as talented as Double A baseball teams around the country, or even Triple A depending on the circumstances. For those in the KC area, KU and MU play at Kauffman Stadium later this month. I'm not a fan of either team, but MU stands to make the NCAA tourney, while KU always has a decent team. There are countless other opportunities for people out there as well, but you just have to make the effort to get out and see them.

So there you have it, and I was just scratching the surface. yeah going to a minor league game or a lower division arena game may not have the pizzazz of attending an NFL or major college game, but in the end, they can be just as entertaining.

Week one recap

What have we found out so far after 1 week? Not much. Detroit hasn't won and played Boston today. They are 2nd in payroll with 138 mil and can't win a game. Is it time to panic in the motor city? Not quite yet. As long as no one runs away in the central they can recover. I expect that they will get better when Granderson get's back. He was one of the best players in baseball last year.

Colorado also has been struggling. I would be a little more concerned with them then Detroit. I say that because the NL west is probably the best division in baseball. Other then the Giants each team is good. Their offense which was suppose to be dominate isn't and their pitching has been suspect so far. But it's 1 week. A good 2 week stretch can undo a lot of damage. Remember this is a 162 marathon not a 1 week sprint.

Players to look out for this year:
Pat Burrell. He's in a contract year. Right now batting over .400. He likes making his multi millions and doesn't want that to go away. I expect he will be a .300 hitter with 35+ hrs and 120 rbi's. Next year he will regress back to his normal .260 25 and 90 rbi's but by then he probably will have some J.D Drew contract.

One thing to remember right now. It's cold. When it's cold it is in the pitchers advantage. The ball doesn't fly far during this kind of weather. Once it heats up, you will see more offense from some of the big boys. That is why I wish K.C played Detroit before May. They could get them while they are down and they would get them again without having Granderson in the lineup.

The stadium, and the team are one in the same!

In 2006 it wasn't until May 26th, and in 2007 it wasn't until April 28th that the Royals picked up their 4th road victory of the season. KC heads back home with 4 road wins already under their belt, and we aren't even a week into the season. Obviously something is different about this team. There are probably only two disapointments from their season opening road trip, and that's David DeJesus coming up lame on opening day, and Gil Meche having a rough outing against the Twins. Other than that, I think the vast majority of Royals fans have to be happy with what they saw. They weren't intimidated by the mighty (paper) Tigers, and they were able to salvage a game in Minnesota and come back home above .500. GM Dayton Moore laid the foundation for this franchise once he was brought on board, and we are starting to see the puzzle pieces come together. Joakim Soria is going to be tough to beat, and Leo Nunez might have found his role as the set up guy. Billy Butler is turning into a tough out for teams, and it seems like Alex Gordon will not have another April to forget. In some ways, what's happening around Kaufman Stadium, and inside Kaufman Stadium are one in the same.

Fans have been driving past the Truman Sports Complex and have seen the old franchise landmark crown scoreboard being taken down, with a brand new state of the art HD Megatron in it's place. For some people that can resemble what's happening with the franchise. Gone is the 15+ years of losing, and hopelessness fans have felt since the Royals became a major league farm team. Now fans have what seems to be a relatively young group of guys who seem to be playing well with each other. Fans will head to The "K" Tuesday afternoon and will see a whole lot of work around their ballpark. They'll be a little confused as to what's going on, and will be interested in seeing what things will look like in the future. Their surroundings will still be somewhat the same, but they'll be able to tell there's something different in the air. Heck, they'll even get some throwbacks to the good ol' days, and may even think they've stepped back in time. That's just what it'll be like watching the team on the field, once everyone gets past all the stadium construction. It should be a fun ride this year with the Royals. A lot of hope and hard work has been invested into the franchise, not just on the field, but on the stadium as well.

Minor League

Hey it's Jake here to talk some baseball. On today's agenda it's all about Royal prospects. Yes the Royals are 3-0. Go Royals! But when you a mid market team with limited finances you have to draft and develop players.

Here is the Royals top 1o prospects according to BA(Baseball America)

1.Mike Moustakas, ss
2.Daniel Cortes, rhp
3.Luke Hochevar, rhp
4.Blake Wood, rhp
5.Danny Duffy, lhp
6.Carlos Rosa, rhp
7.Julio Pimentel, rhp
8.Matt Mitchell, rhp
9.Yasuhiko Yabuta, rhp
10.Derrick Robinson, of

Interesting mix there with lots of quality arms. Daniel Cortes is the guy in the top 10 that I really like. If you notice he rates higher then 1st pick Luke Hochevar. Both are big guys, Cortex 6-6, Luke 6-5. Cortes has the better pitchers body at 225 lbs compared to 205. The big difference in them really is stuff and age. Cortes is 21 now compared to Luke who is 25 in Sept. Cortes also have a live FB that scouts rate is a 70 on the 20-80 scale. Cortes fast ball sits 93-96 while Luke's is 92-93. Both have good curve ball. Cortes only pitched 123 innings this last year for High A Wilmington. Look to see him start the season at AA and with an innings limit. Probably no more then 150 innings. If Cortes also does well this season look for him to hit AAA to get more experience against better talent. If Cortes can have a 3.07 era this season pitching 150 innings he would be in line to land a 5th spot in the Royals rotation next season.

Another guy I would like to watch this season is Matt Mitchell. Pitched well in 55 innings last year with a 1.80 era. That was in the Rookie league. BA is calling him the steal of the 07 draft. Look to see him pitch for low A this season and hopefully get up to 90 innings. At 19 years of age the guy won't be sniffing the big leagues for some time.

What I find interesting about the Royals system is how many guys in the top 30 that Dayton Moore drafted. I'm going to exclude Yasuhiko Yabuta since he is the Japanese pitcher that they signed. 11 players out of 29 were drafted by Moore. 2 more were traded for by Moore. In a few months I will take a look at the baseball draft and give a preview of who I think the Royals will take with their pick.

What's their magic number?

2-0! I'm sure most "experts" thought there was going to be a team starting 2-0 when they saw the Tigers opened their season with the Royals, but I doubt many of them thought it would be the guys in the blue and gray uni's. For those who have watched parts of their two games this week, you can tell there's something different about this team. They look a year older, a year wiser, and ready to bust through and make people notice. I'm sure if the Royals keep winning early on, they'll be compared to 2003, but unless I'm mistaken, only two players are still in KC fromt hat 2003 season, Jimmy Gobble and David DeJesus. Other than that, everyone in a Royals uniform has been the butt of bad jokes for a few years. Also, unlike 2003, this team is built for a few years, while the 2003 squad was thrown together, and some how exceeded expectations. So the Royals will be over .500 heading into their second series of the season, and hopefully can come back to KC with a winning record for the home fans.

On to other things, and we'll stay inside of the Truman Sports Complex. I'm sure people have seen all sorts of mock drafts from the Worldwide leader, on down to the guy in your local paper. I could honestly care less who gets taken first, and actually think this is the year for Miami to trade down to around 6 or 7 with the lack of high quality players available. However, I have seen the "experts" put some interesting choices in the Chiefs spot. I've seen QB's, D-Lineman, and even a CB, however all of those would be a waste. I could maybe see the need for a CB, but those guys are just as much a dime a dozen as running backs. I can't figure out why, all of a sudden, people have forgotten just how bad their O-line was in 2007. They may not get Jake Long, but it's imparative for KC to draft Ryan Clady from Boise St. Dude's 6'6" weighs near 320, and he's coming out after his Junior season, so there may be some more growing out of the kid. Croyle may have slipped in some fans' minds, but even Payton Manning sucked when he had absolutely no offense or protection to help him out. Go with the steady O-lineman. They don't have egos, will play hurt, and can be a cornerstone for a franchise on offense.

Best Ever?

Three staight days of hosting banquets kept me from posting anything for over a week. By the time the weekend hit, I was ready to relax and get caught up on a few things. Congrats to the athletes selected to this years Basketball Dream Team, and it was a pleasure to meet all of them, and the coaches as well. I think things went pretty well this year. Had the banquets at a new venue that seemed to be a hit with everyone, and as always the food was excellent. Glad they are over though, and glad the HS sports season is winding down, because it's been a whirlwind year. Anyways, onto the tourney.

I'm sure by now most people have heard "experts" on the Worldwide Leader declare the 2008 edition of the NCAA Final 4 the best ever, despite one dribble taking place. Fact is, right now, we don't know if this will be the best ever. Sure, having all four #1 seeds would create such buzz, but lets hold judgement until the games are completed.

Anyways, as for my brackets, as you can probably guess, they are in the crapper right now. I still had a fighting chance after the Georgetown loss, but once Texas bit the dust, my hopes were dashed. Despite the upsets in the first weekend, and having 3 double digit seeds in the sweet 16, the tournament all of sudden took a turn down Boring Blvd. I'm sure CBS is excited about the Final 4, and it's storylines. Roy Williams takes on his former team, UCLA getting into a 3rd straight Final 4, and finally Memphis lived up to their overhyped expectations from the previous three seasons. Plus they got three of the biggest names in college basketball in UCLA, North Carolina, and Kansas. Still, it would have been really nice to see the Final 4 consist Xavier and Davidson, instead of UCLA and Kansas, just because it would have been karma smacking the selection committee in the face for all the suspect first round matchups. I'm still staying with UCLA as my champion, but if the Royals were playing in KC Saturday evening, I'd rather go watch their game, than have to sit through Nance and Packer slobber over the fact all #1 seeds are in the Final 4.

Speaking of those Royals; How 'bout them Royals? Yeah there's still 161 more games left in the season, and by September Detroit will probably have a better head to head record, but for one day, the Royals lived up to, and exceeded expectations. I thought it was all lost when Detroit tied the game up at 4 apiece, but that was probably the ghosts of Royals' past coming alive. Had the Royals won in 9 innings, it wouldn't have meant as much, but coming from behind, getting a HR from Gordon, and getting your #9 batter to bloop a single for the winning run, shows this team may have what it takes to compete. I think most Royals fans will admit that 2003 was more luck and good timing, than anything else. If the Royals have the same out put, most fans will admit it's the beginning of something special. Hopefully DeJesus isn't too badly injuried, and Grudz can stay healthy to play in at least 100 games, because I think his good glove and steady bat could really help this team through tough portions of the season. The Royals are over .500. hopefully it won't the only time of the season fans can say that.

BTW thanks to Jake for his extensive preview on the 2008 MLB season. He'll be adding his insight to the MLB season here on the blog when he wants to.