SportsBeat KC

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Shopping across the Truman Complex parking lot with Patrick Mahomes Jul 29, 2020

Show notes

The newest member of the Kansas City Royals’ ownership group is ... Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Add that to the long and still growing list of accomplishments for the 24-year-old superstar.

Let’s see ... first quarterback drafted by Chiefs in first round since 1983; NFL MVP in his first season as starter; Super Bowl MVP in his second; youngest member of an ownership group in Major League Baseball history.

In today’s edition of our daily sports podcast, KC Star columnist Vahe Gregorian joins SportsBeat KC host Blair Kerkhoff in a conversation about the news. What does this mean for the Royals and Mahomes’ long-term plans in Kansas City? And perhaps now, with a real stake in the team, Mahomes can light a fire under slow-starting shortstop Aldaberto Mondesi.

Story links:

Mahomes mania reaches another tier as he joins Royals’ ownership group

Mahomes joins elite ranks of sports ownership, and he has to be the youngest, right?

The Royals expectation for Mondesi in 2019 includes a Patrick Mahomes comparison

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Baseball confronts first COVID-19 crisis. Will it be the last? Jul 28, 2020

Show notes

Some sports have been more successful at re-starting than others. Baseball is going through a rough patch now with about half of the Miami Marlins traveling party, mostly players, having contracted COVID-19 during the team’s opening series at Philadelphia. The outbreak has ripple effects with other games being postponed.

It’s baseball’s nightmare scenario that hasn’t occurred in some other sports, like soccer, that have re-started in the U.S., or in other countries. So as pro and college football approach, is it time to ask—if behaviors don’t change and coronavirus numbers continue to climb in the U.S.—are the health risks worth continuing the re-start efforts?

Star columnist Vahe Gregorian joins SportsBeat KC host Blair Kerkhoff in the discussion. Carry on or cancel? Can you want sports to be played but raise the possibility of it being a bad idea? After a break, you’ll hear from Royals manager Mike Mathney and All-Star Whit Merrifield on how the Marlins’ news hit the Royals’ clubhouse on Monday.

Story links:

Royals: Marlins’ COVID outbreak bad for all of baseball, potentially devastating

Five Patriots players, including two starters, opt out of 2020 NFL season

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Chiefs have all health bases covered, and things could still go wrong Jul 27, 2020

Show notes

The Chiefs are working through health precautions and protocols as they report to training camp at the team facility at Arrowhead Stadium.

The team says it’s doing everything right and is even somewhat of a model for the NFL. But safety concerns remain amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. On today’s episode of the daily SportsBeat KC podcast, you’ll hear from Patrick Mahomes, Andy Reid and trainer Rick Burkholder on the Chiefs’ plans for getting through camp safely.

Also, you’ll hear from beat writers Herbie Teope and Sam McDowell and Star columnist Vahe Gregorian on decision by Chiefs offensive lineman Laurent Duvernay-Tardif to opt out this season and instead practice medicine in his native Quebec.

Story links:

Chiefs’ Rick Burkholder helped coordinate league wide COVID-19 protocols

Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes had most unusual off-season. But return to camp offers normalcy

Laurent Duvernay-Tardif is a true hero for NFL. His opt-out makes world a better place

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First busy weekend for KC sports; and the show goes on for Royals’ voices Jul 24, 2020

Show notes

We’ve arrived at the latest opening day in baseball history. And now, the sprint is on.

A 60-game regular season and the quest to land in an expanded Major League Baseball playoff bracket begins Friday night for the Kansas City Royals. On this episode of The Star’s daily SportsBeat KC podcast you’ll hear from seven-time Gold Glove-winning outfielder Alex Gordon on what he believes is a more dangerous KC lineup this season.

After a break, Royals play-by-play man Ryan Lefebvre explains how it’s all going to work in the booth this season. The Royals’ TV and radio crews will not travel to road games. But they won’t miss a moment of the action. They’ll be calling all the games from Kauffman Stadium. Lefebvre breaks down the unique challenges of such an arrangement.

We’ll finish with sound from the first major sporting event in Kansas City since the shutdown in mid-March. You’ll hear how the Super Start Batteries 400 sounded, from the ‘Start your engines!” command bellowed by Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones to the final laps of the hotly contested NASCAR Cup race in KCK.

The first busy sports weekend in Kansas City in more than four months has arrived, with the Royals’ season starting, Sporting KC facing Vancouver Sunday at 10 p.m. in the knockout round of the MLS is Back Tournament, continued racing at Kansas Speedway (ARCA, Xfinity and two trucks series races remain this weekend), and the Chiefs’ rookies reporting to camp.

Follow coverage of all these events and more via kansascity.com and the SportsBeat KC podcast, as well as in the printed edition of The Kansas City Star newspaper!

Story links:

Royals release hype video ahead of 2020 opener

Royals roster is set, and Bubba Starling leads list of first timers on list of 30

Hamlin is lights out in his third Cup win at Kansas Speedway

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Summer camp not exactly anything to write home about for Royals Jul 23, 2020

Show notes

The Royals played three exhibition games (“Summer Camp”) to tune up for Friday’s Opening Day against the Cleveland Indians, and there wasn’t much encouraging about those contests against the Astros and Cardinals. The Royals led for one inning in those three games, with pitchers having a difficult time commanding the strike zone.

But those were exhibitions, their first games played since mid-March, and perhaps the Royals worked out the kinks. The 60-game season begins with Danny Duffy on the mound. He’s making his third career Opening Day start. Brady Singer, who pitched well last year in his first full minor-league season, gets the starting assignment in KC’s second game.

Beat writer Lynn Worthy previews the 2020 Royalsin this episode of The Star’s daily SportsBeat KC podcast with host Blair Kerkhoff. After a break, you’ll hear from Duffy, the team’s most experienced starting pitcher.

Story links:

Royals drop final exhibition game in wake of losing Jesse Hahn and Hunter Dozier

Brady Singer will make major league debut Saturday for Royals

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Sporting KC marches onward after best game yet at MLS is Back Tournament Jul 22, 2020

Show notes

Sporting Kansas City didn’t require a victory to advance in the MLS is Back Tournament. A draw would have done the trick, and even a loss might have sent them through. But Sporting left no doubt in a 2-0 triumph over Real Salt Lake in a match that started at 8 a.m. Wednesday morning.

Before one minute had elapsed, Sporting was on the board thanks to Johnny Russell’s goal, and the rest of the game continued to break Kansas City’s way. On this episode of The Star’s daily SportsBeat KC podcast, reporter Shaun Goodwin breaks down the game and what happens next in the tournament with host Blair Kerkhoff. Also, you’ll hear from coach Peter Vermes and some of the Sporting players.

Story links:

Russell’s early wakeup call helps propel Sporting KC on to MLS is Back knockout rounds

From navigating COVID to keeping players hydrated, this man is crucial for Sporting KC

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Sports return to KC at Kansas Speedway but fans must wait a little longer Jul 21, 2020

Show notes

The Big 12 Tournament at Sprint Center ended on March 11. The next major sporting event in Kansas City will happen 134 days later. The Super Start Battery 400 presented by O’Reilly Auto Parts at Kansas Speedway is Thursday. No fans will be in the stands for the race originally scheduled to run on May 31 but postponed because of the pandemic. But with five races over three days there will be some economic impact in the region.

Kansas Speedway President Pat Warren chatted with SportsBeat KC host Blair Kerkhoff about re-starting the action at the track and where the sport goes from here.

After a break, we’ll continue the media conversation with Chiefs coach Andy Reid and general manager Brett Veach. They spoke Monday during the Chris Jones contract extension news conference, and Veach addresses Jones’ value as a versatile player and Reid details the first few days of training camp.

Story links:

As NASCAR arrives in Kansas City, Richard Chlidress Racing may be discovering its magic of old

Kansas Speedway makes call: No fans for July races due to COVID concerns

Strange training camp at hand for Chiefs: These guys are going to be tested often

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The role Patrick Mahomes played in Chris Jones’ new long-term deal Jul 20, 2020

Show notes

Last week, the Chiefs and Chris Jones announced a new four-year contract, and the deal is worth up to $85 million. On Monday, Jones, Andy Reid and general manager Brett Veach spoke to the negotiation and signing that allowed the team to retain Jones on a long-term basis instead of a one-year franchise tag.

Jones explains what the contract means to him, and Reid speaks to the importance of Jones to the defending Super Bowl champion. Veach digs down into the negotiation and how events like Patrick Mahomes’ contract and the coronavirus pandemic played a role in the process.

Story links:

Chiefs, Chris Jones agree to terms on four-year deal worth $85 million with $60 million guaranteed

Chiefs pay homage to liquor store clerk who broke news of Patrick Mahomes’ deal

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After gut-punch loss, Sporting KC looks to regain its footing in Orlando Jul 17, 2020

Show notes

The heightened sense of anticipation for Sporting KC’s opener made the loss last weekend feel like a gut-punch.

Sporting surrendered two goals in extra time and fell to Minnesota 2-1. But onward we go in the MLS is Back Tournament. Sporting meets Colorado in Orlando Friday, and reporter Shaun Goodwin breaks down what must happen for SKC to return to the victory column on this episode of The Star’s daily SportsBeat KC podcast with host Blair Kerkhoff.

After a break, SKC coach Peter Vermes shares his thoughts on the next game, the previous one and what it’s been like for his team to live in the MLS bubble in Orlando. “We would be bored out of our minds if we were back in Kansas City just training every day with no goal, objective, in mind,” Vermes said.

Story links:

Sporting KC trio helps lead movement for change in how Black people are viewed, treated

With new keeper in goal, Sporting KC must guard against a couple of things Friday night

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Doubt factor for college football. And top pros from KSU, MU, KU Jul 16, 2020

Show notes

No one knows what major college football is look like this fall, or if there will be a college football season. Two conferences, the Big Ten and Pac-12, have eliminated non-conference games. Others are gathering more information. On SportsBeat KC, beat writers Kellis Robinett, Gary Bedore and Souichi Terada talk discuss how Kansas State, Kansas and Missouri are handling the COVID-19 pandemic and what may be next.

After a break, we steal Kellis’ idea of naming the most successful professional athletes who attended those schools. Topping the Kansas State list was Hall of Fame basketball player Mitch RIchmond with star running back Darren Sproles second. Who were the best future pros at Missouri and Kansas? We discuss.

Story links:

K-State Countdown: Ranking the top 10 professional athletes in Wildcats history

Mizzou football’s Eli Drinkwitz has a simple message for fans: Wear a mask

Self: KU hoop players’ arrival delayed two weeks because of spiking COVID-19 cases around the country

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