SportsBeat KC

Latest Episodes:

Chiefs soon on the clock. What direction do they take in first round? Apr 15, 2025

Show notes

The NFL Draft spectacle grows near. Next week in Green Bay, Wis., 32 teams will look to improve their roster and once again the Chiefs will be among the last teams scheduled to select in the first round.

On SportsBeat KC, The Star’s sports podcast beat writer Jesse Newell and columnists Sam McDowell and Vahe Gregorian go inside the Chiefs draft room to determine the path of the NFL’s perennial power.

Which way to the Chiefs go in the first round? Defensive line? Tackle? What are the trade prospects with general manager Brett Veach?

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Hoop madness ends but transfer portal madness keeps spinning for KU, K-State Apr 08, 2025

Show notes

The NCAA men’s basketball tournament is over but not transfer portal madness. Players are spinning through the transfer mechanism in the new order of college hoops roster building, and Kansas and Kansas State are among those looking to reshape their teams.

On SportsBeat KC, The Star’s sports podcast, college beat writers Gary Bedore, Kellis Robinett and Shreyas Laddha discuss the portal’s impact on KU and K-State and provide the latest updates.

We open by breaking down Florida’s comeback victory over Houston in a thrilling title game, and wrap up with some spring football talk. But mostly...portal madness.

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Talking KC sports: How Peter Vermes helped shape KC soccer & Royals, NCAA top seeds Apr 01, 2025

Show notes

Sporting Kansas City’s progress and popularity as an MLS franchise helped shape the region as a soccer hotbed to the point of landing games in next year’s FIFA World Cup, and no person was more responsible for that growth than Peter Vermes.

As the team’s losing trend continued early this season, Vermes and the franchise parted ways. On SportsBeat KC, The Star’s sports podcast, columnist Vahe Gregorian discussed Vermes’ important contributions to the area’s sports landscape.

Also, the Royals came out of the gate flat for their home opening series but got a nice lift from Kris Bubic in their first road game. And who saw this all-No. 1 seed Final Four coming? Someone on our show did.

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Breaking down Royals’ prospects, Chiefs free agency, NCAA tourney pratfalls Mar 25, 2025

Show notes

Hope springs eternal for the Royals as opening day approaches. The boys in blue enter this season coming off a playoff appearance and seemed to have bolstered the lineup and bullpen while maintaining their solid starting rotation.

On SportsBeat KC, The Star’s sports podcast, columnists Sam McDowell and Vahe Gregorian address expectations for manager Matt Quatraro’s team, and what to make of the late spring training roster moves.

Beat witer Jesse Newell joins the conversation as we switch to the Chiefs and their free agency activies as the period winds down. We also get in a little college basketball conversation after the sooner-than-expected losses by the Kansas Jayhawks and Missouri Tigers in the NCAA Tournament. How did it end so abruptly for the local teams?

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SportsBeat KC podcast: Royals bidding for a repeat performance, and then some Mar 19, 2025

Show notes

The Kansas City Royals are coming off a playoff season and bid for an encore. KC Star sportswriters break down the team on SportsBeat KC

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Can KU, Mizzou make bracket magic in conference and NCAA tournaments? Mar 10, 2025

Show notes

A sports month so much fun it has its own nickname is upon us. March Madness brings its special appeal to Kansas City with the Big 12 Tournament and at Kansas and Missouri.

On SportsBeat KC, The Star’s sports podcast, columnists Sam McDowell and Vahe Gregorian break down the Big 12, SEC and NCAA tournaments.

They’re not the favorites in their league tournaments, but the Jayhawks and Tigers are safely in the NCAA field and would like good showings in Kansas City and Nashville this week to gain momentum.

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Breaking down roster moves on the horizon as busy off-season begins Mar 04, 2025

Show notes

Back to the business of roster building for the Chiefs. The NFL Combine is in the rear-view mirror and the draft is next month. The Chiefs are looking to fill projected voids, especially at offense tackle and the defensive line.

On SportsBeat KC, The Star’s sports podcast, columnist Sam McDowell and beat writer Jesse Newell break down where the Chiefs stand and what changes could be on the horizon. Two potential departures -- guard Trey Smith to free agency and tight end Travis Kelce to retirement -- didn’t happen.

But moves are coming, and we project what they’ll be on the show.

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How it fell apart in Super Bowl LIX & who will (and won’t) be back Feb 10, 2025

Show notes

A game in the Big Easy was nothing but for the Chiefs. They dropped Super Bowl LIX to the Philadelphia Eagles 40-22 and were never part of the game. How did this happen, and what’s next for the Chiefs?

On SportsBeat KC, The Star’s sports podcast, beat writer Jesse Newell, columnist Vahe Gregorian and sportswriter Pete Grathoff broke down the action, starting where it all went wrong for the Chiefs.

With free agency possibily having a major impact on next season’s roster -- and a decision by Travis Kelce about his future -- the Chiefs could have a different look next year.

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How Chiefs reached doorstep of NFL history with masterful victory over Bills Jan 28, 2025

Show notes

Another NFL season, another Super Bowl appearance for the Chiefs. Their AFC Championship Game victory over the Buffalo Bills was a master class in preparation and execution by the players and coaching staff, and now one opponent, the Philadelphia Eagles, stands between the Chiefs and making history as the first team to win three straight Super Bowls.

On SportsBeat KC, The Star’s sports podcast, columnists Vahe Gregorian and Sam McDowell along with beat writer Jesse Newell review the triumph over the Buffalo Bills and how the Chiefs pushed the right buttons when it mattered most.

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Chiefs AFC title game preview podcast & how Mahomes & Co., have become the villains Jan 21, 2025

Show notes

Remember when all of the country outside of New England wanted the Chiefs to knock off the Patriots in the 2018 AFC Championship Game? Football fans had grown weary of the ultra-successful team playing in its eighth straight conference title game.

Little did we know that’s when Chiefs began their path to becoming the same team. Sunday marks the Chiefs’ seventh straight AFC title game appearance, this time against the Buffalo Bills.

On SportsBeat KC, The Star’s sports podcast, columnists Sam McDowell and Vahe Gregorian and beat writer Jesse Newell break down what it took for the Chiefs to reach this point and how they can make it three straight Super Bowl trips with a victory at home on Sunday.

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