Category Archives: Kansas City Sports

October 17, 2007 · 12:05 pm

College Basketball Experience: A Hall Of Fame For College Basketball

The College Basketball Experience updated 7.23.2008. See below.

Frequent readers of this blog know my passion and love for the game of college basketball and my beloved Kansas Jayhawks. Today is a special day in Kansas City and around the country for those that love the game of college basketball. The College Basketball Experience opened today. It’s adjacent to the new Sprint Center and it’s fantastic.

There is no way I’m going to do the place justice with one blog post. Let me just say that if you live in and around Kansas City you need to check this place out. Tickets are just $10.00 for adults and you will get your money’s worth even if you are just a casual fan.

Upstairs I got to:

Shoot baskets against a clock.
Take free throws staring into the Illinois student section.
Listen to the crowd groan when I missed a last second three for the win.

I passed on the dunking areas. Unless I can do it on the 10′ rim I don’t see the point. And that wasn’t going to happen. My heart raced, my breathing grew heavy and I worked up a sweat pretending I had any talent what-so-ever. After evaluating my performance, it’s no wonder Larry Brown didn’t spend any time recruiting me.

There are photos of everybody and anybody who has left their mark on college basketball. There are computer screens everywhere to hear from your favorite coaches. There are areas for the little ones to get into the game, too.

Make the trip to Kansas City and make sure you visit The College Basketball Experience. It is sure to be an attraction in our city that will bring folks from around the world that love college basketball.

update: The College Basketball experience is still a total blast! Today I took my four kids ages 3 thru 15 and they all had great fun. Total cost for the five of us? $31.00. Reasonable for an hour and a half’s entertainment. The kids loved the display where you had 5 seconds to run to a spot and shoot before time expired.

As usual, I loved reading all the history on the walls. And with the Kansas Jayhawks winning the 2008 National Championship there were updated photos and trophies and everything. A big treat for a guy like me.

I love the history and present of college basketball. We all know I’m a nut for the Jayhawks. But people are constantly amazed at my knowledge about their schools, as well. Some people collect stamps. Some people build boats. I watch and read about college basketball. It’s a great experience.

1 Comment

Filed under Kansas City, Kansas City entertainment, Kansas City Sports

September 30, 2007 · 6:43 pm

Football Update: I’m Feeling Frisky

For our San Diego area readers who may have missed the score:

Kansas City 30 San Diego 16

For our Texas area readers who may have missed the score:

Kansas State 41 Texas 21

Why do I do things like this? I don’t know, civic pride? Heck, I’m not even a ‘Cats fan.

5 Comments

Filed under Kansas City Sports

September 24, 2007 · 7:05 am

Kansas Jayhawks Start Conditioning

Sorry I’m off topic, again. But I open up KUSports.com this morning and find conditioning drills have started for the Kansas Jayhawk basketball team. Ahhhhhhh.

Can you smell that?

The basketball season is oh so close. Can’t wait.

Will Brandon Rush be back 100%? Will Missouri improve under Coach Anderson this year? Will KState be a train wreck with the new head coach or a pleasant surprise? Who will win the Big XII? The tourney?

1 Comment

Filed under Kansas City Sports

September 2, 2007 · 8:23 am

Mortgage Rate, Bicycles & Kansas City Royals

Did you notice mortgage rates dropped again? Just further proof of what I’ve been saying. If you have good credit and some cash to invest in real estate, now is the time. The market conditions are really stacking up in your favor.

***

Customer service is becoming a lost art. When you receive good customer service it stands out so brightly that you cannot possibly miss it.

***

Has anyone noticed that the Kansas City Royals are sitting at 60 wins with only 27 games to go? That may not sound like much to you. But to me and other Royals “fans” that means their magic number is 3. Not 3 to win the pennant. 3 to make sure we don’t have a third 100 loss season in four years. Not too shabby. (My how expectations have fallen.)

***

I may or may not post again before Tuesday. I’m not planning on doing too much today or tomorrow. So let me wish you here a happy and relaxing Labor Day holiday. Enjoy your time with your family. Now I’m off to church.

Here’s What I Think About Countrywide, Saundra McFadden-Weaver & George Brett

Countrywide has gotten themselves into a pickle. So has just about every major lender out there. But with Countrywide having to tap into an $11.5 billion dollar line of credit it sends the message that the secondary loan market is in trouble, big trouble.

“The asset-backed commercial paper market has virtually shut down,” Friedman Billings Ramsey wrote in a research report. – Source: Kansas City Star

My opinion is that we are in for more turbulent times than I had initially understood. A tightening of lending standards wasn’t possible in a self-policing sort of way by the mortgage money market. So now, as a matter of economic principal the market is doing it for them. Another classic example of how free enterprise works. But it can be mean as hell.

If you are an “A” borrower you should still be okay. Make no mistake about it, there are still lenders out there that want your business. But follow this advice from yesterday’s edition of The Washington Post.

“What I’m telling people is that they should not shop around for the lowest rate necessarily,” Binstock said. “Go with the lender who you think is going to be there in the end.”

***

Saundra McFadden-Weaver, a former Kansas City Councilwoman, was found guilty on mortgage fraud charges yesterday here in Cowtown. She still proclaims her innocence, naturally. But based on my experience with the real estate boom, especially where it pertains to “flipping” houses, I have no doubt she is guilty.

But is she being selectively enforced because she is a former Councilwoman? I think it doesn’t hurt. I’ve put together entire files and sent them to the Kansas Banking Commission without so much as a response from them that proved mortgage fraud by a wealthy “lender” located here in Overland Park. But I guess he didn’t have a name. And the victim was a barely English speaking immigrant. Not sexy enough, I guess.

***

It was 27 years ago today that George Brett raised his batting average to .400 by going 4 for 4 against the Toronto Blue Jays. He finished the season at .390. Oh, so close. But George, the memories you gave this young man that grew up in Kansas City are priceless.

Thank you for giving Kansas City it’s greatest sports hero. You stand with our greats: Len Dawson and Buck O’Neil.

Kansas City Royals: This Time Hire Frank White!

Now that Buddy Bell has decided to move on it’s time to thank him for being the sacrificial manager during times when he was given little talent to work with. But I smell a worm turning.

The infusion of young raw talent has allowed the Royals to give glimmers of hope. Dayton Moore is starting to assemble these guys with an eye towards future success. He’s returning to the old Royals philosophy of team speed, pitching and defense.

Who should the next manager be? Easy. Frank White. And no I don’t think this because he was a Hall of Fame caliber player.

Frank has paid his dues in Wichita. He managed and coached many of the younger guys now on the Royals’ roster or waiting in Omaha. He’s learned the game from a different perspective and has earned the right for serious consideration.

And the Royals owe it to the fans. We put up with a lot and get national ribbing when we only turn out 15,000 for a game. But hey, no playoff appearances since the ’85 World Series will do that to you. Especially when capped by 3 out of the last 4 seasons ending with 100+ losses.

For whatever reason White has been snubbed by the Royals administration in the past. Give him a chance. I really don’t want another recycled “baseball man” leading these boys. Give us a guy with heart. A guy that has humbled himself in the bus leagues. A guy with two World Series rings and multiple Gold Gloves. A guy that KNOWS how to win.

***

While I’m on my Royals rant, did you see the two run, second deck blast by Alex Gordon in the 10th last night? I was telling my buddy over a cold beverage last night that he reminds me of a past Royal.

Weight on the back leg. Bat held high over the back shoulder. Hand coming off the bat early in the swing. Willing to go wherever the pitch takes him.

Alex got off to a rough start. Probably moved to the Bigs too quickly. But we need the help, badly. And playing third base the comparisons are going to be there. Keep developing kid. Keep developing.

And Dayton, sign him before he’s fully developed so we can keep him instead of seeing yet another Royals product in the playoffs with Boston or New York or LA (Anaheim, California…whatever they call themselves this week).

Okay, now I have to get back to my real estate business.

2 Comments

Filed under Kansas City Sports

July 17, 2007 · 1:35 pm

Kansas City’s New Sprint Center

This morning at the weekly Kansas City Breakfast Club meeting we had a guest speaker by the name of David Pulford. David is the Director of Operations for Kansas City’s new Sprint Center, the key component to the new Power & Light District.

Being both informative and fun, here were a few of the nuggets David shared with us…

There are 2,204 windows (that’s a lot of cleaning!).
There are 11,000 parking places in close proximity to the Sprint Center, or so he says…
The Sprint Center opens October 13, 2007.
There are 36 events planned between October 13th and December 31, 2007.
The Sprint Center will be open for public tours from October 10-12th.
Man hours to build the Center are approaching 1,000,000.
For basketball, the Sprint Center will seat about 18,000.

Now, because David is sworn to secrecy upon penalty of death he could not share with us all the events that are currently scheduled. He did say that information should be made public in the next week or two. David also brought up that Disney’s High School Musical would be coming as an ice production. (Sounds like a nightmare to me…though my 9 year old would love it.)

Regarding a permanent tenant David promised we would have both the NBA and NHL locked in by January.

Okay, the previous sentence is patently false. I just wanted to upset David. Although I’m sure he is working hard to do his part to make it happen.

On a personal note, and as a college basketball junkie, I am happy the Sprint Center is coming. The more Big XII basketball we can get here the better my life will be. Oh, and “Rock Chalk.”

1 Comment

Filed under Kansas City, Kansas City entertainment, Kansas City Sports