SportsBeat KC

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Kansas Citians pull together, including teams you pull for Mar 23, 2020

Show notes

The Chiefs were down by 10 midway through the fourth quarter of the Super Bowl? Remember when the Royals trailed the Astros by four in the eighth inning of a playoff elimination game? Or Kansas being down nine with about two minutes remaining in the 2008 NCAA title game. The teams overcame huge challenges to prevail. Teams and the region face a different challenge today.

The COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic has halted the games and, in some cases, championships. But athletes have remained active during the health crisis. And so have the fans of those teams. Sam Mellinger and Sam McDowell have been The Kansas City Star sportswriters who have been covering the human side of the pandemic and have written uplifting stories about folks going above and beyond. We talk about the athletes and the fans on SportsBeat KC, The Star’s sports podcast.

Story links:

As pandemic spreads, an army of volunteers help, one knock on the door at a time

We’re all in this together: Coronavirus shutdown brings out the best of Kansas City

Twitter Q&A with Chiefs tackle Mitchell Schwartz

The Kansas City Star’s coronavirus coverage (no paywall)

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Talking NCAA Tournament and everything else with Kevin Harlan Mar 20, 2020

Show notes

We’ve lost the action of the NCAA Tournament with its cancellation and we’ve also lost the event’s voices. Kevin Harlan brings energy and excitement to every event he covers but he gets especially stoked for March Madness. Without a tournament to call, Harlan found time from his Kansas City home this week to talk about the games, some career highlights and just how the heck perhaps the nation’s busiest broadcaster manages to call the NFL, NBA and college basketball.

Harlan is the consummate play-by-play broadcaster who has called games for the Kansas Jayhawks, Missouri Tigers, Kansas City Kings, Kansas City Chiefs and Minnesota Timberwolves. He join Fox Sports in 1994 to call NFL games, and moved to CBS in 1998. He also has spent more than 30 years covering the NBA. The Super Bowl, NCAA Tournament, NBA Playoffs are all part of Harlan’s routine.

This week, he spent time talking with The Star’s Vahe Gregorian and Blair Kerkhoff on SportsBeat KC.

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Chiefs mostly quiet during free agency so far. What does that mean? Mar 19, 2020

Show notes

Free agency opened this week with plenty of movement around the NFL, especially at quarterbacks. But one of the quieter teams was the Kansas City Chiefs. There are a few reasons for that and beat writer Sam McDowell and columnist Vahe Gregorian break them down on SportsBeat KC, The Star’s daily sports podcast. The biggest news this was the Chiefs restructuring of Frank Clark’s contract, converting $5 million of Clark’s salary to a signing bonus. That gave the Chiefs salary cap space. What other moves make this week that will have an impact on the Super Bowl champion?

Story links:

Chiefs live free agency tracker: Team restructures Clark’s contract, creates cap relief

Three reasons why the NFL’s newly ratified CBA contract is good for the Chiefs (and Chris Jones)

Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce pledge to help KC in coronavirus pandemic

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A few details remain for college basketball’s final No. 1 team, Kansas Mar 18, 2020

Show notes

The college basketball season isn’t quite over. The games are finished but the final Associated Press poll was released on Wednesday and more All-America teams will be announced. Kansas figures prominently in all of it.

The Jayhawks are the final top-ranked team for the shortened 2019-20 season and players like Udoka Azubuike and Devon Dotson are sure to pick up more honors. Also, is there a way for Kansas to win a trophy over a final poll spot? Beat writer Jesse Newell discusses essential KU basketball topics in SportsBeat KC with Blair Kerkhoff.

Story links:

Kansas Jayhawks voted No. 1 in final Associated Press basketball poll

https://www.kansascity.com/sports/college/big-12/university-of-kansas/article241303891.html

Kansas basketball releases its own “One Shining Moment” video

https://www.kansascity.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/for-petes-sake/article241297291.html

There’s still a slim chance KU could win a national championship trophy. Here’s how

https://www.kansascity.com/sports/college/big-12/university-of-kansas/article241265086.html

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Hot stove extended with baseball delay. Royals bullpen improved? Mar 17, 2020

Show notes

The start of baseball season has been delayed by strikes and lockouts. A pandemic? This will be a first.

Spring training facilities have closed down two weeks before opening day and the new start has been pushed back until at least May. KC Star Royals beat writer Lynn Worthy discusses how spring training was unfolding in Surprise, Ariz., and how some veteran talent provided encouraging signs in the bullpen.

You won’t hear “Play Ball” for a while, but you can definitely hear Lynn and Blair Kerkhoff talk baseball on this episode of the SportsBeat KC podcast.

Story links:

MLB acknowledges season will start later than April 9, Royals staff to work from home

Mellinger MInutes: Keep your social distance, and let’s get through this together

Royals letter to fans: Sports should never stand in the way of greater good

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Chiefs playing (franchise) tag. You’re it, Chris Jones Mar 16, 2020

Show notes

Sports on the court or field? Not happening. Sports over the phone? You bet. Coronavirus has shut down competition in prettu much all sports, but NFL free agency opened on schedule Monday and the Chiefs were heavily involved. Their franchise tag was applied to defensive lineman Chris Jones. Now what? KC Star columnists Sam Mellinger and Vahe Gregorian join Blair Kerkhoff to discuss the Chiefs on this episode of the SportsBeatKC podcast made from a Monday Facebook Live broadcast.

Story links:

Chiefs live free agency tracker: Chris Jones, Damien Wililams, Xavier Williams

Chiefs to utilize non-exlusive franchise tag on Chris Jones, here’s what’s next

Tyreek Hill donates meals to those effected by coronavirus, asks teammates to do same

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The strange new world of sports Mar 12, 2020

Show notes

A headline in The Kansas City Star in the days after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorists attacks read: Sports, ppd. As NFL, college football and baseball games were being called off the sports world came to a halt. So it is today because of COVID-19 coronavirus. NCAA championships — including men’s and women’s basketball — have been canceled. It’s a remarkable moment in American sports, and we talk about it on SportsBeat KC.

Well, most of it. When Star columnists Sam Mellinger and Vahe Gregorian taped their segment, we knew the major college tournaments were cancelled and speculated that would happen to the NCAA. But that officially did not happen until after the taping.

We talk about this strange, new world of sports on SportsBeat KC.

Story links:

No March Madness: NCAA cancels all winter and spring championships

Big 12 basketball tournaments are canceled before Thursday’s games in Kansas City

MLB suspends spring training, start of Royals season delayed at least two weeks

KU athletic events “suspended indefinitely” because of coronavirus outbreak, AD says

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NCAA, Big 12 exclude fans. Here’s what Bill Self, Bob Bowlsby had to say Mar 12, 2020

Show notes

In a remarkable announcements, the NCAA and Big 12 said no spectators would be allowed to attend its men’s and women’s tournament games this year because of the coronavirus. Wow. The Big 12 ban begins on Thursday. That’s the second day of the men’s event at Sprint Center and first day for the women at Municipal Auditorium

More than 650,000 fans attended last year’s men’s NCAA tournament, including 72,000 for the championship game. This year? When the event starts in Dayton, Ohio, next week for the opening rounds, only team personnel, some family members and building staff will be allowed in.

Kansas’ Bill Self coaches the best team in college basketball. He had heard about the NCAA’s decision only minutes before he met reporters at the Big 12 tournament the day before his first game. This topic took up nearly all of his time and we’re presenting it to you in its entirety on this bonus edition of SportsBeat KC, the KC Star’s daily sports podcast.

After, Self, you’ll hear from Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby, who explained why his conference touranments were limited spectators.

Story links:

NCAA, Big 12 bar fans from hoops tournaments because of growing coronavirus concerns

https://www.kansascity.com/sports/college/ncaa/article241100916.html

General public will be barred from Big 12 tournaments beginning Thursday

https://www.kansascity.com/sports/college/big-12/big-12-tournament/article241111516.html

Here’s something you’ve never seen before. Big 12, NCAA tourneys with no fans around

https://www.kansascity.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/vahe-gregorian/article241100086.html

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Big 12’s Bob Bowlsby on tournaments, coronavirus. Plus Mizzou preview Mar 11, 2020

Show notes

The Big 12 Tournament begins Wednesday and as of early afternoon there were no plans to alter event’s schedule or play games in a Sprint Center without fans because of coronavirus. But Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby did not rule out any possibility when he met with a small group of reporters on Tuesday afternoon. Hear the entire conversation with Bowlsby on SportsBeat KC.

Also, Missouri is off to Nashville, Tenn., for the SEC Tournament, and the Tigers aren’t playing on the first day. Tenth-seeded Mizzou opens on Thursday against No. 7 seed Texas A&M. The Aggies swept Missouri during the regular season but Mizzou has won five of its final nine games. Beat writer Souichi Terada previews the Tigers.

Story links:

Worried about coronavirus at Kansas City’s Big 12 tournament? Experts say how to be safe

Ever-changing implications of coronavirus, plain uncertainty linger over Big 12 tournament

How far can Missouri go in SEC tournament?

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Chiefs making noise as key dates approach, and K-State’s 1-game momentum Mar 10, 2020

Show notes

What’s new with the Chiefs? No more Mahomes Magic Crunch, players taking to social media to make their free agent statements, and the collective bargaining agreement voting this week. The NFL off-season is about to get busy with free agency and franchise tagging dates approaching. Chiefs beat writer Sam McDowell helps break it down on SportsBeat KC.

Also, Kansas State floundered for most of the regular season. But the Wildcats played their best game in weeks in the season finale victory over Iowa State. Does mean the Wildcats carry momentum into their Big 12 tournament opener on Wednesday against Kansas State? Hear what Kansas State beat writer Kellis Robinett has to say.

Story links:

Patrick Mahomes’ cereal will be leaving shevles despite massive sales

Sammy Watkins tweets of “next adventure” and Chiefs fans hope that means his vacation

Kansas State hoping to make history at Big 12 Tournament after lousy regular season

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