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Could more be done to memorialize former Chiefs running back Joe Delaney? Jun 30, 2020

Show notes

Last Saturday marked 37 years since the tragic death of former Chiefs running back Joe Delaney, who drowned trying to save kids who had gone under in a Louisiana pond. Delaney had completed two NFL seasons and had been named the 1981 AFC offensive player of the year. He was bound for stardom.

On the anniversary of Delaney’s death, a memorial was erected in his honor in Monroe, the city where he died in his home state of Louisiana. Sports columnist Vahe Gregorian attended the ceremony and recounts the weekend’s activities on this episode of The Star’s daily SportsBeat KC podcast with host Blair Kerkhoff.

Story links:

Chiefs’ Joe Delaney properly memorialized in Louisiana. Chiefs should follow suit in KC

Push to memorialize Chiefs hero Joe Delaney prompts national outpouring of generosity.

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How Negro Leagues cap tip tribute with Obama, Bush, celebs came about Jun 29, 2020

Show notes

Monday was a day to tip your cap. To baseball teams like the Royals, for putting together rosters that number up to 60, and to the Negro Leagues. We talk about both on SportsBeat KC.

Royals beat writer Lynn Worthy shares thoughts on the team’s roster that will open the summer training camp, and notes a surprise selection.

We open with a conversation with former Star columnist Joe Posnanski, a driving force behind charitable movement that debuted on social media on Monday. TippingYourCap.com was launched to raise awareness and funds for the Negro Leagues Museum, which celebrates 100 years in 2020. The Negro League was founded at the Paseo YMCA on 18th and Vine.

Had the baseball season come off as scheduled, last Saturday, major league players would have taken a moment to salute the Negro League with a collective cap tip before the game. Without baseball, the tribute went virtual and included many outside the game, including the four living former U.S. Presidents.

Story links:

Royals include youngster Bobby Witt Jr., in 60-player pool for spring training 2.0

Celebs tip cap to Negro Leagues heritage as 100-year tribute grows, even amid COVID

Royals’ Mike Matheny knows each game counts more, but his approach remains the same

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How The Star’s Forum on Race came together with Mathieu, Cuonzo, others Jun 26, 2020

Show notes

A couple of weeks ago, Star columnist Vahe Gregorian and I started talking about hosting a video discussion around the subject of race in sports. We wondered if we could find some Kansas City-area sports leaders interested in joining us.

Calls went out to a half-dozen people — six was our limit because of issues with technology and timing — and all six quickly responded in the affirmative. The show took place on Thursday.

On today’s episode of The Star’s daily SportsBeat KC podcast, we talk about how the program came together. After a break, you’ll hear the entire forum with panelists Tyrann Mathieu of the Chiefs, Royals general manager Dayton Moore, basketball coaches Bill Self of Kansas and Cuonzo Martin of Missouri, Kansas State basketball player Christianna Carr and Bob Kendrick, president of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum.

Story links:

Chiefs’ Mathieu, Royals’ Moore, KU, K-State, Mizzou figures open up about race and sports

Star forum on race and sports evoked candid and moving conversation with All-Star panel

Even decades later, the story of the Chiefs’ Abner Haynes and race remains instructive

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How will the Royals fit baseball’s new parameters? Jun 25, 2020

Show notes

Baseball didn’t settle its labor issues but that’s a story for another time. The game is returning, in a 60-game sprint to the postseason. Several other changes will mark the most unusual season in the game’s history, and we talk about them with Royals beat writer Lynn Worthy and Star columnist Sam Mellinger on SportsBeat KC.

Are the Royals in a position to take advantage of the changes? Players like catcher Salvador Perez and shortstop Adalberto Mondesi have taken advantage of the additional down time to recover from surgery. What else is there to like about the Royals in a 2020 pennant burst?

Story links:

Royals GM Dayton Moore says KC’s 60-man player pool won’t include surprises

Royals owner and CEO John Sherman: Let’s play baseball!

Baseball’s long-awaited return: It’ll be fun despite the idiots in charge of the sport

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OTAs have wrapped up for Chiefs, NFL. Next stop, the great unknown Jun 24, 2020

Show notes

The Chiefs wrapped up their organized team activities last week, and it was an OTAs unlike any other.

Players on the team didn’t work out together because of the ongoing COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, and on this episode of The Star’s daily SportsBeat KC podcast we try to determine what that means for the Super Bowl champions in a conversation between beat writers Herbie Teope and Sam McDowell and host Blair Kerkhoff.

With so many returning starters, the Chiefs may not have as many burning questions as other NFL teams, but there are a few. The biggest unknown for all teams involves how they’re handling health and safety concerns. One advantage for the NFL: It can observe how other sports are returning to action before the league’s teams begin training camps in late July.

Story links:

With virtual offseason over, Chiefs face some unanswered questions before training camp

The betting public is hammering Chiefs wagers right now. Here are the ones they like

Join us: Chiefs’ Mathieu, Royals’ Moore, KU’s Self, Mizzou’s Martin to talk race, sports

The Kansas City Chiefs are the team to beat, but this team is looking to close the gap

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What a Bill Self lawsuit against NCAA might say about the KU basketball investigation Jun 23, 2020

Show notes

You could almost feel the virtual fist pumps from Kansas fans when news broke last week that basketball coach Bill Self has threatened a lawsuit against the NCAA. KU and the NCAA haven’t held anything back in their dueling public statements involving the NCAA’s investigation into the basketball program.

But on today’s SportsBeat KC, KU beat writer Jesse Newell provides a deeper explanation into the lawsuit threat, and why KU might hope it doesn’t come to that. Later, football is the topic and Kansas got some good news on the COVID-19 health front when it came to athletes returning to campus. But fingers are crossed.

Story links:

KU basketball’s Bill Self considering legal action against the NCAA: Letter from attorney

Some KU fans support Bill Self’s possible legal action against the NCAA

KU tested 196 in football program for COVID-19; the numbers are encouraging so far

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K-State, Clemson football teams show how bumpy the road back from COVID-19 can be Jun 22, 2020

Show notes

College football workouts are under way, and it hasn’t gone well in some places.

A handful of schools have reported a high number of positive tests for COVID-19, including Kansas State and Clemson. Workouts have been suspended at K-State. Beat writers Kellis Robinett of the Wichita Eagle and Kansas City Star and Matt Connolly of The State in Columbia, S.C., talk about how the programs are dealing with the issue and what’s in store for the Wildcats and Tigers, and what it could mean for the start of the college football season.

After a break, you’ll hear a clip from the ESPY awards on Sunday night. No team of the year was presented, which is an award the Kansas City Chiefs might have been favored to win. But the conversation about the topic among Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and four super fans and members of the Screen Actors Guild—Heidi Gardner, David Koeckner, Rob Riggle and Eric Stonestreet—have fun discussing the matter.

Story links:

Kansas State suspends all football workouts as more players test positive for COVID-19

https://www.kansascity.com/sports/college/big-12/kansas-state/article243686637.html

23 Clemson football players have tested positive for coronavirus, school says

https://www.thestate.com/sports/college/acc/clemson-university/article243671727.html

KC television stars help Mahomes, Kelce honor Andy Reid’s first Super Bowl at the ESPYs

https://www.kansascity.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/for-petes-sake/article243703552.html

How will stadiums and arenas change as they reopen. KC architects are showing the way

https://www.kansascity.com/sports/article243666357.html

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Royals can be a model when baseball returns, and a Buck O’Neil story Jun 19, 2020

Show notes

We waited all week to talk about baseball’s return, but MLB and its union have run out of week.

On this episode of The Star’s daily SportsBeat KC podcast, columnist Sam Mellinger checks in to discuss where the owners and players stand at the moment and how the players made a winning public relations move this week. Sam also wonders if the Royals can be a model franchise once — or if — a settlement is reached. Also, host Blair Kerkhoff reveals his favorite Korean baseball team.

Not all is lost on the baseball front. After a break, we’ll hear story told by perhaps the greatest ambassador the game has ever known. The late Buck O’Neil tells the tale of Satchel Paige facing Josh Gibson in a critical moment during the 1942 Negro Leagues World Series.

Story links:

Royals owner John Sherman is working “24/7” to get baseball back on the field

Why it’s so devastating that MLB’s incapable of loving its fans as much as they love it

As baseball self-destructs, heart of game is re-opened at Negro Leagues Museum

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In the strangest of times, Mizzou gets back to business of athletics Jun 18, 2020

Show notes

Through protests and a pandemic preparation for the 2020-21 sports calendar continues at Missouri. On SportsBeat KC, Tigers beat writer Souichi Terada joins host Blair Kerkhoff to provide updates on football and sports plans after hearing from coaches, including Eli Drinkwitz, and athletic director Jim Sterk. The tone is optimistic even if Mizzou, like all other schools, can’t make specific plans about fans returning to the stadium.

Also, former football coach Gary Pinkel made the ballot for the College Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. What are his chances of becoming a first-ballot hall of famer?

Story links:

Why Mizzou football assistant Casey Woods had to hitchhike to the KC suburbs

Mizzou football coach Eli Drinkwitz discusses return...and which shirt to wear

The winningest football coach in Missouri history is up for this honor for the first time

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The survey says ... how KU fans feel about their teams, Jayhawk coaches Jun 17, 2020

Show notes

Kansas is facing potential trouble with its men’s basketball program, and the Jayhawks’ football team just completed a decade of futility. But generally speaking, KU fans feel good about their teams and coaches, according to a survey conducted by The Star.

In this episode of our daily Kansas City sports podcast, beat writer Jesse Newell breaks down the findings and survey process itself with SportsBeat KC host Blair Kerkhoff, including what fans think of basketball coach Bill Self, football coach Les Miles and athletic director Jeff Long. Newell and Kerkhoff also talk about KU fans’ feelings about possible NCAA punishment and attending sporting events during the pandemic.

Story links:

Survey: Most KU fans believe NCAA punishment is coming. Do they still support Self?

Here’s how much KU has been billed by lawyers while defending itself in the Beaty lawsuit

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