You are saying if we leave we can't get back in? What???

After the MIZ-SEC pep rally was over Sunday evening, we started hearing about how they do their business as far as football is concerned. Yeah I know, Defense, Defense, Defense, but I am talking about game day activities that surround the Stadium and things that are done in the Stadium.

One thing that is a main concern to Tiger fans is that they can't leave the stadium at half time. In the SEC they rip your ticket in half and you are not admitted back into the stadium. This concern Tiger fans because many of them leave the Stadium to go back to their tailgate to get some alcohol.

One other culture change to the Tiger fans will be that they need to come to games. I mean we need a full house every game. Both Basketball and football. I am serious about this because if we don't get black and gold in the vacant seats then the stadium will be full of the other team. In basketball it is a joke. These people donate all this money to MU and they get these great seats but they only come to the KU game. Well we won't have to worry about that do we. But the UK game in the future I guess.

I just want our fans to be proud of our teams and just cheer them on good or bad.

Does Arrowhead Stadium sound like a vacuum when Dexter McCluster gets that ball?

As many Chiefs fans know that in 2010 the Chiefs picked Dexter McCluster in the second round of the NFL draft. As many of you might also know that with the loss of Jamaal Charles he gets many carries of the ball on offense. He is even the third down back. When the question was raised on 810 WHB if he was a bust or a success.

One player that compares to Dexter in size and weight and speed is K-State's Darren Sproles. While Darren was injured during 2006 due to a broken ankle suffered in the pre-season, he had a full season in 2007 as the punt/kick returner for the Chargers.

I went to ESPN.com and looked up the stats for the two young players, I was surprised at what I saw. Remember that Darren was a fourth round draft pick (less value in the player)

As of Monday 11/7/2011:

Dexter McCluster 5'8" 170 lbs

2011 Stats: 2nd NFL Season

Games Played: 8

Receiving Stats 2011:

Receptions: 23 Yards: 95 Avg:4.1 Long:13 TD:0 Fum:1

Career Receiving Stats:

Receptions: 44 Yards: 304 Avg: 6.9 Long: 31 TD: 1 Fum: 1

Rushing Stats 2011:

Attempts: 55 Yards: 246 Avg: 4.5 Long: 24 TD: 0 Fum: 1

Career Rushing Stats:

Attempts: 73 Yards: 317 Avg: 4.3 Long: 24 TD: 0 Fum: 2

Punt Return Stats 2011:(*Javier Arenas gets a majority of the punt returns*)

Attempts: 3 Yards: 36 Td: 0 Fr Ctch: 1 Long: 22

Career P. Return Stats:

Attempts: 16 Yards: 238 Td: 1 Fr Ctch: 3 Long: 94

Kick Return Stats 2011:

Attempts: 16 Yards: 380 Td: 0 Fr Ctch: 0 Long: 35

Career K. Return Stats:

Attempts: 42 Yards: 907 Td: 0 Fr Ctch: 0 Long: 36

Darren Sproles 5'6" 190 lbs

2007 Season Stats: 2nd NFL Season

Games Played: 15 (Played 15 in 2005)

Receiving Stats 2007:

Receptions: 10 Yards: 31 Avg: 3.1 Long: 14 Td: 0 Fum: 0

2nd Year Career Stats:

Receptions: 13 Yards: 41 Avg: 3.15 Long: 14 Td: 0 Fum: 0

Rushing Stats 2007:

Attempts: 37 Yards: 164 Avg: 4.43 Long: 34 Td: 2 Fum: 0

2nd Year Career Stats:

Attempts: 45 Yards: 214 Avg: 4.75 Long: 34 Td: 2 Fum: 0

Punt Return Stats 2007:

Attempts: 24 Yards: 229 Td: 1 Fr. Ctch: 2 Long: 45

2nd Year Career Stats:

Attempts: 42 Yards: 337 Td: 1 Fr. Ctch: 7 Long: 45

Kick Return Stats 2007:

Attempts: 37 Yards: 1,008 Td: 1 Fr. Ctch: 0 Long: 89

2nd Year Career Stats:

Attempts: 100 Yards: 2,536 Td: 1 Fr. Ctch: 0 Long: 89

Look at the stats and compare them. Dexter is better at everything but Kick Returning. He is halfway through his second season and will get at least twice as many stats as he does now. He may be a better option to be a reciever but he can still get some things done in the running game. If you average over 4 yds a carry you won't get a forth down. I just hope that the haters can put Dexter's performance into perspective. When Jamaal gets back he will be more effective because they have two speed threats on the field.

MU IS GONE!!!!!!!

Many major news sources today said that it was pretty obvious that Mizzou is leaving for the SEC. As a graduate, I didn't like the decision to move, but now I begin to see that the move is not that bad for Mizzou and the State. During home football games SEC teams travel really well. The economy in Columbia and even Jefferson City will be affected because of the influx of visitors.

Contrary to the thoughts of many other teams in the Big 12, we will compete just fine like we did here in the Big 12. We were in the Top 6 teams in my mind. Oklahoma, Texas, Oklahoma State, Texas A&M are better programs than Missouri. We will compete in the same way that we did in the Big 12. Maybe 7 or 8 wins. That's pretty good regardless.

Hey, we will compete in Basketball folks. I mean hey, we will be up there with Kentucky and Florida. We won't be as good but we can at least be competitive. I think that might be the best thing out of the entire move. Plus, our other sports will benefit from the move. Softball is good, Baseball is solid, Wrestling we should be pretty good. Trust me, Mizzou Athletics is not going to be in oblivion.

As Missouri fans we must realize that we know have to treat football like a religion. We must follow our team to the bitter end. We must travel to the away games and build up respect in the SEC for them to take us seriously. I think that will be the most surprising thing. We will need to step up our game. Heck, even dress a little bit nicer for the games. Dresses and Suits....it's coming.

MU fans won't do that because it isn't Sunday meeting nor a wedding, it's a game.

Just a game

Indycar Racing is DANGEROUS!

As many of you that follow motor sports know, Dan Wheldon, died Sunday in a terrible crash that put his car; cabin first toward the catch fence at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The cars during the race were traveling over 200 mph. Just a slight miscue by any driver would have caused a gigantic crash that would have taken out nearly half the field. That turned out to be the case.

Don't take this the wrong way or anything but Indy Car racing is a joke. The cars they ride in barely protects the driver from debris and injury. Unlike NASCAR, Indy cars don't provide a safety cage for the driver to protect the head from the G's that are created in a accident at speeds over 200 mph.

Some driver's mentioned that the Las Vegas Motor Speedway was not designed for the race cars to go that fast around the track. Well if that is in fact the case, then maybe they should slow the cars down so that the racing is safe enough for the cars to race without people getting injured or killed. I don't know if you notice this but 35 mph less at 220 mph isn't that much different. It is still plenty fast.

Let's talk about the car that they drive.

The Indy car is designed to be a fighter jet with wheels. The car disintegrates when it crashes and that to me may be the most dangerous thing about the cars. When you hit the wall the car looses it steering and you are just playing out the momentum of the car and the trajectory of how it hits. To me that is way more dangerous than anything else.

(Plus I don't care for open wheel racing, more of a NASCAR fan myself)

MU gets the short end of the stick?

Many of you know that the Tiger's are pushing for a move to a different conference, whether the SEC or the Big 10. I think that this move is driven by officials being tired of pushed around in the Big 12. Well, I understand why Mizzou wants to flirt with leaving. They often get over-looked by Oklahoma and Texas and they don't like it. Mizzou's biggest problem is the revenue sharing and among other things. Texas was being a bully and not fairly splitting t.v. revenues with others.

Mizzou would like to go to the SEC because:
1) they are the most popular athletic conference
2) they share the revenue with all their members
3) Missouri is tired of being disrespected.

Granted all those are good reason for MU to leave for "greener" grass, let's take a look at some of the things we stand to loose in the switch, i.e rivalries, etc.

The Big 12 basketball tournament would no longer be held in the state of Missouri. It is currently in Kansas City and held in the Sprint Center. This also helps because the four schools that always do better at attendance are: Missouri, KU, K-State, and Iowa State. This tournament is much better in KC because the town is centered between all those schools and the city is not pro sports centered.

Another thing that would be lost in the transition would be the rivalry between KU and Mizzou. I know that in basketball KU has a huge advantage, but without that rivalry we would lose a lot of the meaning of games. Think about the football game. Whether it is at Arrowhead or if it is played home and away, that game has huge meaning to both schools. If you really think about it the two school have a lot in common. We both hate Nebraska and Oklahoma, and during the NCAA Basketball tourney we both watch the KU games with great passion, except wanting opposite outcomes.

The MU-KU football game has been played for 107 years and why would we want the second longest played football game to stop? I really don't know why either.

Here is another thought....Who is going to be our rival in the SEC?
Well naturally we would be rivals with Arkansas and maybe Texas A&M. But after that who? Vanderbilt? Kentucky? I mean we can't be a rival with Alabama and LSU because well you have to compete to be rivals and we will get our butts kicked. I guess we could compete with Ole' Miss and Miss State and some others. But all in all MU will be a whipping boy just like Kentucky and Vandy in football.

The one neat thing that would be coming out of this is that we will finally get some good competition coming to Columbia besides OU and Texas. That would be neat to get slaughtered by Alabama but at least the stands will be completely full. The only thing I don't like is that MU football will go back to the way things were in the 1980's and early 90's. Where tailgating was the most important thing and getting drunk was more important. I enjoy going to the games where people care that we do well. I just don't know if MU can handle that again.

Time to see some new faces. Say Goodbye to Grit

It is time for the Royals to call up Johnny Giovatella. Chris "Grit" Getz is fairly bad. Well he isn't as bad as Royals fans think. Yet he still is slightly better than replacement. I think it is time for the Royals to cut ties with him and move on. He was a good stop gap and that was all he was really going to be from the Get"z" Go. I mean he was traded for Mark Teahen of all people. So if you thought he was going to be the wonder player, you thought wrong.
Also in this discussion is Lorenzo Cain. Cain needs to be playing for the Royals and not the Omaha "Storm Chasers" (dumb name should have left it with Royals" I know that we have Gordo, The Melk Man and of course Jeff Francour. I think it is best for the Royals to let Lorenzo get his feet wet in the gigantic field at Kauffman. Please Dayton Moore, bring up the young guys to cover the positions that we need help with.

Why is it ok to run catchers over?

Matt Treanor got completely leveled on Friday 7/30/2011 while playing the Indians. This, of course, will raise the question, much like when Buster Posey was injured in the same way, is it okay for a runner to more or less clothesline a catcher?
My first concern is what is the difference in what happens at home plate compared to that hit a defensless wide reciever takes in the NFL. I know that if anyone will read this and watch sports they will say.

"They use protective gear on both sides and helmets."
"A catcher knows what he is getting in to when he stands behind the plate."

This is where I disagree. Allowing this to happen is just dumb. Make the players slide. Just like every other base on the field. The runner doesn't tackle the short stop to disrupt a double play. No they slide to break up the play. The MLB just needs to come out and say that unless the catcher is blocking the plate, in this case Treanor was not, the player needs to get his butt down and slide. We are not a bunch of Barbarians.
These things aside, Laporta might have been safe if he tried to slide around the tag. The thug attitude of the MLB needs to stop. It is silly stuff like that, that got James Harrison introuble with the NFL. Don't lead with your shoulder in baseball. Leave that to the NFL players and play baseball. There is no reason we should be injuring players on purpose or with the intent to disloge a ball out of a glove. That is just plain silly.

Second Half of 2011 Season

Now that the All-Star game is over and the National Leauge has "Won" Home field advantage for the World Series, Royal's fans can look to what the second half has in store for the "Boy's in Blue."

I. One thing we can look forward to, is the eventually calling up of some of the Royal's prospects like Johnny Giovatella and Mike Montgomery. We will be able to see how thier talent's will effect the Royal's in the future.

II. One other thing we will get to see is what the Royal's get for Melky Cabrera. I think that they will end up keeping Jeff Francoeur for his duties in Right Field. Let's see if they can get some Starting pitching for next year. They need it desperately.

III. Will this be the last season we see Kyle Davies playing with the royal blue and white jersey's? We can only hope. For a guy that we are told "Has above average stuff," he has pitched pretty poor. I don't know if it is really Kyle, or if it is Bob McClure but whatever it is the Royal's need to get it straight and in a hurry. They need to be developing winning pitchers, not below average replacement ones.

IV. Will Alcides Escobar show the baseball world that he is more that just a glove? On this one, I am split. You have a guy in the field that is playing great defense, (Has 8 errors through 7/12/2011) and your shortstop doesn't have to carry an offense. That notion is from the steroid era of baseball. Your shortstop has to hit .300 and have 50+ rbi's. That is just a terrible way to look at your shortstop. For an 8 or 9 hitter he is doing fine, he has 80 hits. (7/12/2011) I would like to see him at a .270 hitter but that may be a pipe dream.

V. Can the young Royal's learn to use Kauffman stadium to their advantage? I think if Eric Hosmer and Mike Moustakas can learn to drive the ball into the power alley's that they will have more success. Kauffman plays as a pitcher park because the park is too deep in the Power Alley's. I think Royal's fan's get too worked up when we don't have a guy that hit's for Power. Billy Butler is perfect fit for Kauffman. Billy drives the ball on a line and to the gap's. Reality is that for the Royal's to be a good Homerun hitting club, the need to move the walls in the alley's about 15 ft further in. In 2004, the Royal's moved the wall 10 ft further out in center and in the alley's. Why?????? Why would you make Center 410' and not just leave it at 400'. Why move the Power Alley's to 397 when they were already 387'. It seems to me someone wasn't thinking very much when that dumb decision was made.

Well finally, is this the year that Alex Gordon plays a full season and proves the investment the Royal's made in him back in 2005. I hope they sign him to at least a four year deal. He plays good defense and hustle's and hit's well no mater where Ned's Psychic tells him he should hit. And get off of Billy Butler's back, he is a good hitter that hit's line drives. Maybe you sould get Billy to bulk up because much like Albert Pujols, who is a line drive hitter, he can drive the ball out if he get's stronger. And get off his back you keep moving the walls back on the field he plays 82 times a year.

For being on the same road, we just don't see things on the same level.

As many of you that know me well know that I am from a town that is in the Center of Missouri. Our Geographical region puts us in both Royal's and Cardinal's baseball country. I am a fan of both teams. I can tell you who plays for both teams and who the coaches are. My family listens and watches both teams play. Until recently I was a bigger fan of the Cardinal's than that of the Royal's. That was until I started to see how Card's fans treated Royal's fans. I was disgusted.
Cardinal fan's to me are snooty and get very upset about a play in the 1985 World Series that really didn't decide the World Series. The thing that gets my goat is when young fans cite this is a reason for the hatred for the team. I just want to say, "Hey, you weren't even born yet... heck I wasn't even born yet!"
If you go back and watch the game there were other chances that the Cardinal's had to stop that Inning. If you go back and look at the game you will see that the Card's had their chances and they choked. People blamed Lebron James for weeks after the Finals because he choked. If Lebron played for St.L he wouldn't have got that treatment. It would have been the ref's fault in the games.
I know that the Royals haven't been a competitive baseball club for since 1991, well except for the 2003 Summer of Miracles but Royal's fans are very savvy baseball fans. Plus, they don't mouth Card's fans and they are polite. I am now more than ever following the Royal's and it will be great to see them playing for Central Division Championships (If they still have them in the future).
Hey Cards fans if you didn't know this but the Royal's have the best Minor League system in the MLB. With players like Mike Moustakas, Eric Hosmer, Danny Duffy and many other players that haven't made it to K.C. this team will be tough to beat. Granted the Card's will still be good no matter what because, 1) Fan support is good, 2) It's St.Louis (Who doesn't want to play where Stan the Man played and many other great players played before them.)
I just want Card's fans to stop saying the Royals Suck!, because it won't be long when you see them competing and playing with the best in the American League, and beating National League teams as well.