Kansas City Sports & Fitness Magazine

2 FEBRUARY 2009 KANSAS CITY SPORTS & FITNESS

The Golf ReportSteve Fisch

Publisher

11730 W. 135th St., Suite 18

Overland Park, KS 66221

Phone/Fax: (913) 764-2050

Email: [email protected]

www.kcsportspaper.com

EditorAlan Eskew

Sales913-764-2050

Steve Fisch

[email protected]

Contributing WritersBill Althaus, Chris Balda,

Audrey Harman, Tom Cannon,

John Doolittle, Greg Echlin,

Alan Eskew, David Garfield,

Bill Grigsby, Alan Hoskins,

Dr. Andrew Jacobs, John Landsberg,

Jim Potoski, David Smale, David Bigge,

Marc Bowman

Contributing PhotographersScott Thomas, Ed Graunke,

Alan Hoskins, Tom Cannon,

Scott Weaver, Jim Gill, Warren Ingram

On The CoverPhotos by Scott Weaver

Published MonthlyEntire Contents © Kansas City Sports& Fitness 2009. The views and opinions

of the contributing writers contained in

this publication do not necessarily reflect

the views and opinions of the editor

and/or publisher.

INSIDE THIS ISSUE FEBRUARY 2009

Pioli says much, divulges little . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4Finding the right QB a priority for Chiefs . . . . . . . .5 Photo Gallery: Celebrations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

BIG 12 BASKETBALL14 KSU: Wildcat women not bothered by slight in polls

15 KU: Aldrich developing into topnotch center

17 MU: Lyons leads the Tigers

17 MIAA Tournament information

HIGH SCHOOL19 Wisner, Moore leading Blue Springs

SPORTS COMMISSION20 Event Calendar

H.O.R.S.E. - N - AROUND20 H.O.R.S.E. - N - Around update

COMMENTARY10 Now I understand why big league players miss cutoff men

10 What are the qualities you should look for in a coach?

11 KC Connection: Arkansas - Cowboys the choice over the Chiefs

11 Basketball body “art” and ’09 predictions

FITNESS18 How’s your New Year’s Resolution coming along?

18 Are you the “real deal” or a “slacker?”

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CALL 913-764-2050

8 Benjamin’s golf passion: Building you the right club

Something Different . . . . .14Metazone . . . . . . . . . . . . .23

Contest: Free Ad . . . . . . . .7Contest: Phrase that Pays 12

COUPONINDEX

One-on-one with Royals’ GM Dayton Moore . . . .21Bloomquist looking for a chance to start . . . . . . .22New faces from other places . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23

The Core Values of Army Strong: Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selfless Service, Honor,

Integrity and Personal Couragepage 12

SPRINGTRAINING

SPOTLIGHT

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EntertainmentFamous Dave’s

Something DifferentMedia GroupSport Courts

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By ALAN ESKEW, Editor

Scott Pioli’s introductory press conference as the new Kansas City Chiefs general manager lasted just less than an hour.

Much was said, but little was revealed.Everybody knows Pioli was coach Bill Belichick’s right-hand

man and chief talent evaluator with the New England Patriots since 2000. In that time, the Patriots played in four Super Bowls,winning three.

Pioli remains a private man. He won’t be brash as his predecessor, Carl Peterson. Pioli won’t be disclosingtons of information, but preferring to play it closeto the vest. I would be surprised if Pioli wouldever have his own radio show live at someKansas City sports bar.

Pioli, however, acknowledged thesituation he inherited at ArrowheadStadium is different than what hewalked to with the Patriots. Whenhe went to the Pats, they were9-7, a contending team. TheChiefs went 2-14 in 2008 andhave lost 23 of their past 25games. The chore of rebuild-ing the Chiefs will be ardu-ous. But don’t think it cannotbe accomplished overnight.Turn the clock back to 2007and the Miami Dolphins andAtlanta Falcons were theNFL dregs. In 2008, theymade the playoffs.

“With their talent, obvious-ly there needs to be somechanges on the football team,”Pioli said. “With the way theteam performed, there needs tobe changes.”

Pioli waited 10 days beforemaking the first major change,which was almost inevitable, firinghead coach Herm Edwards with a yearleft on his contract. In that time frame,however, Pioli certainly picked Edwards’ brainand learned much about the talent level, or thelack of it, on the 2008 Chiefs.

“I know this football team from afar,” Pioli said. “I don’tknow this football team from inside this building. Those are twovery different things.”

The meetings with Edwards and his assists afforded Pioli anopportunity to garner valuable knowledge about the Chiefs fromthe inside.

Pioli said individuals go to Pro Bowls, but “teams win championships.”

“The goal is to build a team that consistently competes forchampionships, that has a long shelf life of being a good footballteam,” Pioli said. “The thing we’re trying to build here is not just ateam for 2009, not just for 2010.

How does he propose doing that?“I believe strongly in the draft,” Pioli said. “It’s the backbone of

your football team. Every single pick is an important pick. Clark(Hunt, owner) and I had a conversation about picks and theirimportance. Hopefully, we’ll be able to get a majority of them right.”

Most NFL teams prefer to build through the draft, rather thanfree agents and trades.

There was a phrase, a sentence, which Pioli repeated on whattype of players he is seeking.

“We’re going to build a big, strong, smart, fast, tough and disci-plined football team,” Pioli said. “We’ll do that by going

out and finding big, strong, fast, smart, tough anddisciplined football players.”

All Chiefs fans should be relieved. The Chiefs won’t be in the hunt for

any dwarfs, 90-pound weaklings,dummies, clocked in a 6.4 40-

yard dash, brittle and unman-ageable players.

“I’m not here to collect tal-ent,” Pioli said. “I’m here tobuild a football team.”

Yet, if Pioli collects aplethora of talented foot-ball players, hischances of building achampionship-caliberChiefs team shouldincrease. You think?

“This is going to bea very methodicalprocess in building thisfootball team,” Piolisaid. “We’re going tostart from the ground up

and build a foundationand move ahead and

touch every part of thefootball operation. The

patience I know Clark hastold me he’s going to show is

going to be rewarded.”Clark Hunt interviewed others for

the vacancy, but Pioli clearly toppedhis list.

“I was eager to get the best person andat the end of the day Scott was head and shoul-

ders above everyone else we talked to,” Hunt said. “I went into the interview thinking there was no way that this individual could live up to the hype surrounding him. At the end of the interview, I was like, ‘wow, not only did he live up to it, heexceeded it.’”

With the Pioli hiring, the Chiefs have begun the process ofrebuilding the once-proud franchise, which has fallen on hardtimes the past decade.

“I love challenges,” Pioli said.He certainly has one.

Pioli says much,divulges little

Pioli photo by Scott Weaver, Gonzalez photo by Scott Thomas

KANSAS CITY SPORTS & FITNESS FEBRUARY 2009 5

Finding the right QB a priority for Chiefs General manager Scott Pioli’s major player

personnel decision this off-season will bewho will be quarterbacking the Kansas

City Chiefs in 2009 and beyond.The leading candidates are incumbent Tyler

Thigpen, rookies-to-be Matt Stafford of Georgiaand Mark Sanchez of Southern Cal and MattCassel of the New England Patriots.

“The quarterback evaluation, this is going tobe part of the process,” Pioli said.

Thigpen, a second-year quarterback out ofCostal Carolina who the Chiefs picked up off thewaiver wire from the Minnesota Vikings on Sept.2, 2007, inherited the quarterback job last sea-son after injuries to Brodie Croyle and DamonHuard. Instead of carrying a clipboard, Thigpenwas thrust into action.

Thigpen’s final statistical line included 230completions in 420 attempts, a 54.8 completionpercentage, for 18 touchdowns and 12 intercep-tions. His quarterback rating was 76.

The one glaring Thigpen stat, however, thatstands out above all the rest is: 1-10, his recordas a starter. Yes, Troy Aikman did not win agame his rookie year with Dallas before develop-ing into a Hall of Fame quarterback and leadingthe Cowboy to three Super Bowl championships.To believe Thigpen would grow into an Aikmanrequires more faith than most have.

Mel Kiper, the ESPN draft guru, has Staffordgoing first in the April draft with the Chiefs pickingSanchez third overall.

“Every pick is important,” Pioli said. “Hopefully,we’ll be able to get the majority of them right.”

Sanchez, who is listed at 6-3, 225 pounds, finished his junior season with 3,207 yards pass-ing with 34 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. In the Rose Bowl, Sanchez shredded Penn State for 413 aerial yardage and was named theoffensive MVP.

After the game, Sanchez said it would be“hard” to leave USC for the NFL and would prob-ably return for his senior season. However, whenother junior quarterbacks and likely first-round

picks - Sam Bradford of Oklahoma, Tim Tebow ofFlorida (the past two Heisman Trophy winners)and Colt McCoy ofTexas - announcedthey were staying inschool; Sanchezopted to enter thedraft, much to thechagrin of USCcoach Pete Carroll.Sanchez becamethe first Trojans’quarterback to turnpro before using uphis eligibility sinceTodd Marinovich did after the 1990season.

While Sanchezhas a strong arm,however, he comeswith some red flagsfor some off-the-field issues. He was arrested inApril 2006 after a female USC student accusedhim of sexual assault. He was released from jailthe next day after posting $200,000 bail, but theuniversity placed him on interim suspension,which included suspension from the footballteam. On June 3, 2006, the Los Angeles CountyDistrict Attorney’s office said no charges wouldbe filed against Sanchez due to “lack of sufficientevidence beyond a reasonable doubt.” Thewoman left the university.

Sanchez was required to take a rape aware-ness class at USC. He was reinstated to the university, but faced team discipline for underagedrinking and using a fake ID on the night he wasarrested. Previously, Sanchez had beendetained, but not arrested by USC’s Departmentof Public Safety for allegedly breaking a windowat a fraternity party.

Pioli and the Chiefs will have to determine ifSanchez is worthy of a high first-round pick to bethe future franchise quarterback.

Cassel, like Sanchez, went to USC, but neverstarted at quarterback. He played behind

Heisman Trophywinners MattLeinart and CarsonPalmer. NewEngland pickedCassel in the sev-enth round in the2005 draft. Cassel,playing behind All-Pro Tom Brady,threw only 39 pass-es in his first threeyears with thePatriots.

In the 2008opener, ironicallyagainst the Chiefs,Brady suffered aseason-endingknee injury when

hit by safety Bernard Pollard. Cassel, who com-pleted the final year of a four-year contract, com-pleted 327 of 516 passes for 3,693 yards with 21 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. With Bradyexpected back for 2009, there is speculationCassel will be moving to another team.

Cassel is scheduled to be an unrestricted freeagent in 2009, but the Patriots could retain himby applying the franchise tag. With Pioli’s back-ground with the Patriots, he would have to beinterested in acquiring Cassel if he is on the freeagent market.

“There is no other Tom Brady,” Pioli said. “And quite honestly, there is no other MattCassel. They are special football players. They’re special human beings.”

The Chiefs certainly need a special quarter-back to emerge in 2009.

NEW COACH UPDATEAt the time we went to press with the February

edition of Kansas City Sports & Fitness, the Chiefshad not named a new coach. For coverage on thisevent, visit our website: wwwwww..kkccssppoorrttssppaappeerr..ccoomm

DERRICK THOMAS ELECTED TO NFL HALL OF FAME

The Pro Football Hall of FameSelection Committee announcedon January 31st, that the late LBDerrick Thomas has been electedto the Hall of Fame’s Class of2009. The new inductees will beenshrined in Canton, Ohio onSunday, August 8th. Thomasbecomes the 10th member of the Chiefs to beenshrined in Canton.


Photo Gallery: CelebrationsT here hasn’t been too much for the Chiefs to celebrate over

the last few years. But our photographers Scott Thomasand Warren Ingram caught some of the opportunities the

team had to celebrate success. A few are shown here.

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present THE GOLF REPORT


Benjamin’s golf passion: Building you the right clubP laying golf with the wrong clubs is some-

thing akin to going elephant hunting with

a BB gun.

“Doesn’t work,” said Bert Benjamin,

arguably Kansas City’s most noted club fitter.

“For example, if you have club speed of

83 miles an hour with a spin rate of 2,000

and a launch angle of eight degrees, you’re

using the wrong driver. It doesn’t get the ball

in the air and nothing stops the ball quicker

than the ground.”

So how do you determine such factors as

club speed and spin rate along with such obvi-

ous factors as shaft weight, length and flexibili-

ty and the degree a driver is exposed at address,

you ask? Benjamin can provide everything you

ever wanted to know and probably a whole lot

more in a matter of minutes with a state-of-the-

art launch monitor at his place of business at

Robin Nigro Golf Academy at 135th and

Holmes in Martin City.

“It’s a very sophisticated Doppler radar that

actually tracts the ball in the air and gives me

exact data on club speed, ball speed, launch

angle and spin rate of the ball,” Benjamin said.

“You have to see the ball in the air. It’s not a

matter of calculations, it actually tracts the

flight of the ball. Then you find out the club

that works based on years of training.”

A part owner in Robin Nigro Golf Academy

since it opened in 2000, Benjamin has become

nationally known with a resume that reads like

a “Who’s Who of Club Fitters.” Mizuno has

named him one of the Top 10 Club Fitters in

the Nation while he’s been “Club Fitter of the

Year” for Ping,

Callaway and

Titleist and

National Club

Fitter of the

year for Taylor

Made. To make

sure he stays

current, he

annually

spends three or

more days

with each

manufacturer

in “post gradu-

ate training.”

He said the performance of a golf club is a

matter of physics. “Consequently the club is

dynamic in its performance. As you swing, the

shaft flexes and the head bows down and tries

to close. As you swing the club, the physical

characteristics differ for every individual golfer

and thus the option of shaft flex, weight of the

shaft, kick point of the shaft, loft of the driver

head and degree to which the driver is exposed

are all facets of the club’s performance.”

It is all of those facets that Benjamin takes

into consideration in finding just the right club

or clubs for each individual. “My passion is to

determine the proper facets to maximize a per-

son’s performance, not only the driver but also

the irons.

Once we

determine

the optimum

launch angle,

ball spin,

club head

speed and

ball speed,

we can build

the right

club.”

Benjamin

builds a driv-

er or an iron

from a

countless assortment of shafts and club heads

from each of five manufacturers and then

places an order to the appropriate manufactur-

er. When the new club or clubs arrive, he’s

been known to personally deliver them. “I love

what I’m doing and try to the best of my ability

to provide constant service. People really care

about their golf equipment.”

No story would be complete without my

giving the launch monitor a try and in a matter

of minutes, Benjamin had added 15 more yards

in length with a 7-iron and 12 yards with a

driver with the promise of much more once

I got familiar it.

I also learned that by toeing my club in to

prevent the ball from slicing was costing me

distance. “You were trying to control the club

when all you have to do is swing and not worry

about what the ball does,” Benjamin said. “A

properly fit golf club allows players to swing in

a normal fashion producing a longer and

straighter golf flight.”

Benjamin’s early years in Kansas City and

San Francisco were not spent on a golf course

but on a tennis court where he was ranked as a

teenager in the Missouri Valley Golf Assn. A

graduate of Pembroke Hill, his undergraduate

years were spent at Case Western Reserve

University in Cleveland where he walked on

and was the No. 1 singles and doubles player

all four years. An NCAA

qualifier as a senior, he was

also Cum Laude and

named to the Outstanding

College Athletes of

America.

“I was fortunate that the

Davis Cup was played in

Cleveland in two of the

four years I was there and

I was lucky enough to be a

ball boy and warmed up

players like Rod Laver and

it became clear very quick-

ly that law school was more attractive.”

While at Case, Benjamin had worked all

four years in the college bookstore and during

his junior year, he was put in charge of the law

book section. “It whetted my curiosity about

law school,” he said.

White at UMKC law school, Benjamin took

up golf. “My friends all played golf and when

it came to recreational sports, if I wanted to

continue spending time with my friends, I had

to play golf. I was very lucky in that both of

my great grandparents were founders of

Oakwood so I had a great place to play.”

Earning his law degree in 1975, Benjamin

practiced law until 1984 when he purchased

Hafekmeyer BMW (BMW Gallery), a dealer-

ship he held until selling it in 1995 to Baron

BMW. “I decided it was time to devote

my time to my passion which was golf,”

said Benjamin, who by then was an accom-

plished amateur, reaching the Missouri Am

quarterfinals and the semifinals of the Heart

of America.

It was also a time when golf was getting an

influx of new equipment, new materials such

as titanium and tungsten and new technology,

and the perfect time for Benjamin to be intro-

duced to club fitting by Mark Timms, the

founder of Hoststix golf facilities in Phoenix.

His career limits his playing time to about 20

times a year, but Benjamin stills plays to a zero

to two handicap. Entering the PGA apprentice

program in 2005, he passed the player ability

test on his first try with a pair of 73’s at

Alvamar and led his team to a first place tie in

a PGA Pro Junior event.

With a wide assortment of shafts and club heads from fivemanufacturers and a Doppler radar launch monitor, BertBenjamin can custom build golf clubs to fit every golfer’s individual specifications

Phot

o by

Ala

n H

oski

ns

AlanHoskins

Contributing

Writer


Now I understand why big league players miss cutoff menA s an old guy who has played and

followed baseball for several years it

has pained me the past few years to

see major league ballplayers make stupid

mistakes that even Little Leaguers would

not make.

Hitting the cutoff man is no longer some-

thing you can assume a major leaguer will

accomplish. Basic base running is a forgotten

art. Heck, we are lucky if they run hard to

first? Rundowns? Bunting? Backing up on

plays? Forget it.

Like an old guy I would complain about

the “good old days when ballplayers were

ballplayers.” Now I realize I was insensitive

to the afflictions affecting today’s pro

players.

A recent study showed that nearly eight

percent of major league players are taking

drugs for ADHD. Of course, this affliction

conveniently allowed them to take otherwise

banned stimulants. This explains everything.

All this time I was thinking that players

just didn’t know how to perform the basics of

the game. I am now aware that they are sick

and suffering from Attention Deficit

Hyperactivity Disorder.

No longer will I yell at an outfielder

making millions of dollars who misses the

cutoff man by 30 feet. It’s not his fault. He is

ill and taking medication for his disorder.

As fans maybe we need to dial down our

expectations for

pro players.

Maybe we should

cheer when play-

ers can run on the

field and find

their positions

without help. If a

player hits the

ball and runs to

first rather than

third we should

be appreciative.

To me knowing so many have ADHD

will change how I view them. Now I will

look on it more like the Special Olympics

with baseball players. It’s just great that they

are out there participating and giving it their

best effort.

� � �

Can someone help me out on a minor

issue that has been bothering me for several

seasons? Football players are now outfitted

with pads everywhere. Quarterbacks wear

flak jackets like they are going to be shot at.

Helmets now look like they were designed by

the creator of Star Wars.

With all these improvements in equipment

and technology why do so many players lose

their helmets during a

game after a big hit? It

has almost become com-

monplace to see one or

two helmets on the

ground after a play.

You would think in

this day and age some-

one could figure out how

to keep the helmet on a

player’s head. It doesn’t

do much good on the

ground.

� � �

Recently there was a fuss about Kansas

basketball coach Bill Self saying a few words

to a high school player, who happened to be

rated the No. 1 prep player in the country,

after a game in Springfield, Mo. This violated

some sort of rule about talking to a player

during a non-talking time as outlined by

the NCAA.

NCAA rules are funny. It has become

commonplace that a star recruit’s entire

family moves with him to college. Does the

college give them some sort of relocation

package? How can they

afford that?

How about dad being

named to a key position at

the college where his son

has chosen to play? When

the son’s eligibility ends

the dad’s position miracu-

lously disappear. Or he is

replaced by another father

of a talented high school

player. Funny how that

works.

I recently spoke to a

former pro player

who said someone else took his SAT test

to get him into college. He majored in

“Kinesiology” and had no idea what the

word even meant.

These are more than just “wink, wink”

kinds of things. That’s why Self blowing a

kiss to a high school kid doesn’t seem that

big of a deal.

Feel free to send your thoughts, comments, complaints, whatever to John at [email protected].

What are the qualities you should look for in a coach?I n mid January, the Kansas City Chiefs

hired Scott Pioli as their new general

manager as they attempt to turn the

franchise around from a team that went

6-26 over the past two seasons.

After a week and a half review, one of his

first public moves was to fire head coach,

Herman Edwards.

Edwards had a very positive reputation

with the players and was known for his abili-

ty to get along with organization employees.

However, in the end a professional franchise

that only won six out of 32 games over

seasons, led to his eventual dismissal.

In professional sports, it is about winning,

making the playoffs and getting a champi-

onship. What about high school sports or

youth sports? Is it and should it be about the

same thing? No one wants to lose or likes to

lose. Everyone, athletes, coaches, parents and

fans are all happier when a team wins instead

of loses. But, different levels of sports require

different types of coaching.

As a parent, when you begin to start your

child in athletics, one of the first steps you

take is to find a sport and a team to sign up

your child. There are all kinds of leagues and

levels of competition. Obviously, your child

has to want to play the sport.

But, once you decide what sport, your next

challenge is to pick out a team. Youth sports

is loaded with all kinds of individuals, quali-

fied and unqualified who are coaching.

One of the most important decisions you

will make as a parent with your child’s athlet-

ic career, will begin with what team and what

coach you decide to coach your child.

When picking out a coach, I would

suggest you talk to parents of other children

who have been coached by this individual.

Find out why the coach is coaching. How

does he/she communicate with the kids

and the parents? What are his/her goals

for coaching?

I believe the most important qualities

for a coach at this level should be an excel-

lent communicator. That means to not only

be able to express himself, but to be a good

listener.

At the youth level, it should not be about

winning, it should be about success and get-

ting better. How do the coached coach kids

when they fail. Do they yell and scream and

are condescending to kids? Or do they teach

and coach them to understand what they have

to do to get better?

Many people in our society feel we coddle

our kids too much. Too often we just give out

ribbons and trophies just for competing. Yes,

it is important to reward young kids for par-

ticipating, but we must also be able to teach

them how to succeed. Good coaches at the

youth level will be good communicators,

good listeners, good delegators and individu-

als who are not coaching for their ego, but for

the goal of seeing kids have fun and improve.

At the high school level, it is a different

situation. Most high school coaches coach

because they love coaching and teaching.

Some do it for their ego, some for the extra

money it provides, but most are in the profes-

sion because they want to. Usually the pay

isn’t very good and the feedback is usually

negative, especially when you have someone

on your team who is not happy. And most

high school teams have someone unhappy on

the team.

The qualities of a good high school coach

are the same as a youth sport coach, but

should also include excellent leadership

skills. I always say a good coach is a good

psychologist and at the high school level, you

have to understand a lot of factors that con-

tribute to an athlete’s participation. A good

coach will be able to listen, communicate and

be assertive when necessary.

This individual will not be afraid to estab-

lish rules and back them up, and should also

know how to listen to and

communicate with parents

as well as athletes.

Winning is an important

component at the high

school level, but making

the experience a positive

one that athletes will

remember later in their

life is more important.

High school coaches are

often tremendous role

models because they are

willing to help kids get better and accomplish

their goals.

Listen to the Dr. Andrew Jacobs SportPsychology Hour from 7-8 a.m. Sundays onSports Radio 810-AM WHB.

CUTOFFS AND COACHES

John LandsbergContributing

Writer

Dr. Andrew Jacobs, Ph.D

Contributing

Writer

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KC Connection: Arkansas - Cowboys the choice over ChiefsO n a recent trip south to Fayetteville,

Arkansas, I decided to make my sports

reporting rounds in a place where the

chances of a local Major League, profession-

al sports team were not quite in the cards.

Obviously Arkansas has a pretty unique

reputation across the country and there are

many sports fans south of us, Arkansas is a

wonderful place to see minor league sports.

The Kansas City Royals’ Class AA farm club

is in the Springdale-Bentonville area, the

Northwest Arkansas Naturals. The relation-

ship between the Naturals and Royals will

likely mean more fans from that area making

the trek to Kauffman Stadium as the minor

league players develop into big league play-

ers. This area is also the home of David

Glass, the Royals owner.

In all my travels, I think this one may have

stunned me the most based on the questions

I asked, and the results to follow.

Fayetteville, home of the University of

Arkansas, is almost straight south of Kansas

City and I pretty much expected to hear that

if there is a sports city that many residents of

Arkansas latch on to, it would be KC.

It would take about six hours for someone

to venture north on 71 and see the

Royals or the Chiefs. But this

answer to the question:

“What professional team

do you root for?” was

met with a variety of

answers and KC was not

the leading city of choice.

Surprisingly, Dallas and

Houston prevailed with a

sprinkling of St. Louis.

Another choice for many University of

Arkansas fans was also the Oakland Raider,

since Darren McFadden was drafted fourth

overall in the 2008 draft by the silver and

black and had an outstanding game at

Arrowhead.

As I dug deeper, I found out that for foot-

ball, the Dallas Cowboys reigned supreme,

far more than the Chiefs. Obviously the

Cowboys were featured as America’s team

through the 1970s and 1980s on television

each and every Sunday, and the memories of

Tom Landry, Roger Staubach, Tony Dorsett,

Bob Lilly, Randy White and oth-

ers still provide a sense of

integrity and supremacy

that would last into the

1990s, when the

Cowboys won three

Super Bowls with Troy

Aikman, Emmitt Smith

and Michael Irvin. The

Cowboys, like the Chiefs, have

not won a playoff game in the new

millennium, but the Cowboys remain a heavy

favorite in this Arkansas region over the

Chiefs. Arkansas fans may make the trip to

Kansas City this fall as the Cowboys are

scheduled to play at Arrowhead.

Although the drive to Dallas takes a hair

longer, many make that drive to see the

Cowboys. Sports bars graced paraphernalia

from Texas.

Another Lone Star State team, the Oilers

from Houston and now the Texans, get some

play, but not nearly as much as the Cowboys.

When I asked residents why not KC, they

pretty much provided me with the standard

answer, “Why?” I was hoping for a grandiose

response, but got nothing.

As for baseball, the Astros receive most of

the attention and why not. Baseball is a fan

favorite and the fact Houston somewhat pre-

vails stems for a legendary story about a

young boy named Billy Bradley of El

Dorado, Ark. and a light-hitting third base-

man named Bob Aspromonte. I somewhat

knew of the story, but the legend of what

occurred still continues to this day.

Fortunately, there are newspaper clippings,

internet verification and local validation to

what occurred back in 1965.

Bradley, a nine-year-old Little Leaguer got

struck by lighting as he left practice. He

became blind and had to travel to Houston to

see a specialist to provide hope for restoring

his sight. Bradley made one special request,

asking for Bob Aspromonte to sign a ball.

Instead, he got a personal visit from the

Houston infielder. Back then, they were know

as the Colt 45’s, not becoming the Astros

until 1965, and Billy was absolutely excited

about meeting his favorite player. As

Aspromonte left the hospital, Bily asked him

to hit a home run for him, and Bob said that if

he did, it would be for him. Listening on the

radio, the request came true and Billy was on

the road to recovery.

Billy would return to Houston for medical

treatment and met with Aspromonte again

and asked him to hit a home run. He respond-

ed with a grand slam against the Cubs

The story doesn’t end there. Billy’s sight

was returning and he got

to go to a Colt 45’s game

and again, asked

Aspromonte to hit another

home run. Billy said he

only heard the first two on

the radio, but he actually

wants to see one in per-

son. Well, you guessed it,

Aspromonte hit a grand

slam once again, this time

against the Mets.

Sure this sounds like a

tall tale, similar to many

Babe Ruth stories, but look it up. It truly hap-

pened. Aspromonte would later lose part of

his vision later in life and ended up seeing the

same eye doctor that his young fan had.

In most KC Connection articles, I try to tie

one city with another and my trip to Arkansas

was supposed to be an easy one for writing

an article, unfortunately the only common

ground that I saw isn’t happening today, but

maybe in the future.

Believe me, I hope this doesn’t happen, but

if Kansas City doesn’t show improvement

with the Royals and the Chiefs, the fear of

losing these teams may become a reality.

Since the deaths of the Kauffmans and Lamar

Hunt, I fear the day that we experience what

other cities have endured, “Team Sold and

Moving.” However, with the tax money spent

on Kauffman and Arrowhead Stadiums reno-

vations, the Royals and Chiefs should be

locked into Kansas City for several years.

But that does beg the question, “Who

would we root for?” if we did not have the

Royals and Chiefs. Sure, we lost the NBA

Kings to Sacramento and the NHL Scouts to

Denver. Did any of us root for them after they

left? I tried, but I couldn’t, I ended up rooting

against them. What would happen if we lost

one or both?

Granted, I feel that are chances are slim of

this occurring, but do any of you root for

another team once the Royals or Chiefs are

eliminated from making the playoffs?

Luckily for many sports fans, we have fanta-

sy baseball and football to keep us engrossed

in the season. We end up rooting for the play-

ers more than our KC teams. One warning for

Rotisserie baseball is you may never root for

your home team again, but individuals.

I know this is true with many fantasy geeks

because I am one of them.

In conclusion, Arkansas is truly a sports

state that has some KC fans, but not as many

as I thought. I expected to hear stories of

trekking to KC and seeing George Brett or

Lenny Dawson. Instead, I heard the tale of

Bob Aspromonte and Billy Bradley.

Unfortunately, we don’t hear many stories

like that anymore.

ART AND ARKANSAS

JamesPeuster

Contributing

Writer

N ow that the Super Bowl is out of the way

with the Pittsburgh Steelers winning

their sixth Lombardi Trophy, we can

begin to focus on March Madness. Oh, of

course, there is news out of Florida and

Arizona where the boys of summer are

loosening up in spring training.

Here of late, I’ve been scouting basketball

around the country and I am a bit under-

whelmed at the proliferation of body art that

our young gladiators are flaunting.

Don’t misunderstand, I am not questioning

the athletic ability of these talented athletes,

but rather the less-than-class appearance.

Even my Jayhawks are into the needle - with

the twin Morris brothers sporting the look of

a Picasso painting. This look sort of goes with

the baggy drawers and otherwise general

sloppy appearance of the general public.

I’m almost to the point of expecting the

model of tomorrow coming down the runway

in a garbage can wearing red tennis shoes!

Pardon me, but where the hell did we

lose it?

But so much for my preaching on the rotten

state of the culture we are espousing. And I

don’t want the economic times as an excuse

for our demeanor. No, this slop yokel attitude

started long before the leadership in our

country took us down the alley.

How in the world did I get off the game of

roundball when my best intentions were to

enlighten you on the state of the game and

who to pick in the office pool.

My pick at the moment would be the

Louisville Cardinals. Rick Pitino is one great

coach and he has a bench-load of talent to

throw at everybody. That

did not help them on

Ground Hog Day, howev-

er, as they were defeated

by Connecticut.

I thought for a while

UCLA would be trouble-

some, but of late they

have soured.

Duke, Connecticut and

Wake Forest seem to be

the best in the East.

Pittsburgh has not thrown

in the towel.

The Big 12 has a number of programs that

could be troublesome to anybody, particularly

Texas, Oklahoma and even Kansas where Bill

Self lost his starting five championship team

from the season past. Don’t rule out Missouri

or Baylor, despite its recent woes, from earn-

ing NCAA bids.

I am writing with the basketball season

only a third over, but in the monthly maga-

zine business, deadlines force early evalua-

tions that can come crashing down at any

given moment.

There is much excitement over the changes

at Arrowhead, beginning with the new gener-

al manager, Scott Pioli, and I would hope that

would mean more ticket sales. It is important,

however, to give the new regime time to

make this franchise a playoff contender. The

nucleus of a contender is there...but it will

take a while to stir the blend and come out

with a quality product.

Be patient, friends, the best is yet to come.

BillGrigsby

Contributing

Writer

NEXT MONTH: MARCH MADNESS & GOLF PREVIEWADVERTISING DEADLINE: FEBRUARY 20

CALL 913-764-2050 OR EMAIL STEVE AT [email protected]

Basketball body “art” and predictions for ’09


The Core Values of Army Strong:Loyalty,Duty,Respect,Selfless Service,Honor, Integrity and Personal Courage

HOOAH!

W hile many of you were ringing in 2009with balloons, bubbly and big bands,Kansas City Sports & Fitness Publisher

and Sports & Fitness Radio Show co-host SteveFisch and I were treated toan educational excursion ofeye-opening proportions.Thanks to our friends andcorporate partners at theU.S. Army RecruitingBattalion Kansas City, wewere whisked away to SanAntonio to revel in the activi-ties and festivities surround-ing the 2009 U.S. Army All-American Bowl.

This East versus Westclassic, in its ninth year, featured 78 of the bestsenior high school players destined to becomeAmerica’s future college and NFL stars. Not lostin all the helmets and handoffs was 97 of the tophigh school marching musicians comprising theU.S. Army All-American Marching Band. Whenyou lined up all these future leaders together on the Alamo Dome floor - attendees, family

members and spectators got a snapshot of the Army’s credo of strengthening individualsthrough development in training, values and experience.

Truth be told, we were treated to MUCH morethan just a football game. The Army Strong corevalues were dutifully on display from the time we

stepped off the plane(Captain Zoraida L.Mather was our escort)until the time we weredropped off at the airporta few days later (MasterSergeant Paul Volpe wasour escort). Allow me tobrag about this memo-rable experience:

Friday, January 2, 2009After arriving at the San

Antonio Marriott Riverwalk, Lieutenant ColonelEric T. Reinkober (our KC connection) chaper-oned us to a second-floor greeting area. Wereceived our Tour Itinerary (all events listed inmilitary time) and Goodie Bag that included anArmy briefcase, white polo, hat, pins, dayplannerand more. Sweet haul, indeed. Made me feel aswelcomed and wanted as Barack Obama on

Inauguration Day. A few hours later Steve and I were suit-and-tie GQ models in the lobbychatting up with Rockhurst High football coach

Tony Severino and wife Marilyn. Eventually our entire posse was led on a short walk to the Grand Hyatt for the All-American BowlAwards Dinner.

It was quite an honorable presentation. Theplayers and coaches were introduced under thebright lights a la rock-star status. Military person-nel were dressed in their Class A/Dress Blue. I had a PurpleHeart recipient atmy table. You bet Ishook his handseveral times. Mostmemorable was themusical presenta-tion by the 82ndAirborne Chorus.This well-oiled crewin active combatuniform was asinging and march-ing sensation thatSimon Cowellwould enthusiastically endorse.

All I could think was that our country is inexcellent hands with these willing warriors. Mosthard-hitting was whendouble-leg amputeeSergeant Nathan Hunttook the stage in a wheel-chair pushed by his wifeand received his secondPurple Heart. His was achilling story of courage. I was deeply moved. Laterwe were enlightened bymotivating speeches fromGeneral, Vice Chief ofStaff Peter Chiarelli andNFL MVP Marshall Faulk.Both presented the 2009 U.S. Army Player of theYear award to running back Bryce Brown ofWichita East High School.

Saturday, January 3On my sister’s birthday, our morning got rolling

at 0800 with a Future Soldier Breakfast outdoorsand adjacent to the Alamo Dome. Eating under atent seemed very Army-ish. I had two wannabe

Soldiers, one male and one female, at my table.Each was enlisting to take advantage of theArmy’s educational and occupational opportuni-

ties. Kenneth O. Preston, SergeantMajor of the Army, was the guestspeaker. He dished out these com-pelling stats:

• There are 1.1 million ArmySoldiers serving today

• Future Soldiers fall into the agecategory of 17-24

• Only three of 10 applicants are qualified (Army gets the best of

the best) • 250,000 Soldiers are currently deployed in

80 countries • 275,000 Soldiers are currently furthering

their education •15 Soldiers

per day areearning a col-lege degree

After leavingthe mess tent,we were grant-ed one hour topatrol the inter-active play-ground knownas the Army Strong Zone. I’d describe it as aDisneyland of Military Might - featuring simulatedhelicopter rides, a rock-climbing wall, boot campwith barking drill instructor, simulated demonstra-tions and Guitar Hero-meets-Guns-and-Ammovideo kiosks. I got to hoist a FIM-92 Stinger onmy shoulder and role play as G.I. Jim. Steve and I encountered a 23-year-old medic in the MedicTheater. I was totally blown away by how thisyoung man carried out his battlefield duties so

effectively under ultra-intenseconditions. Very impressive.This heroic Soldier should be aguest speaker in every highschool across the country.

U.S. Army All-American BowlWith the Army Strong Zone

temporarily shut down for thegame, everyone flocked into theAlamo Dome. Our group wasguided by Colonel Robert B.Akam, Commander of the U.S.Army 5th Recruiting Brigade

into a mid-level suite offering excellent sight linesand chow/refreshments. On the field before thegame, 232 Future Soldiers were sworn in. Firsttime I’d ever seen anything like that. Although the Chiefs have done that before games atArrowhead Stadium. Nice touch for us civilians.

The game evolved into a second-half thriller.The West won 30-17 as Brown caught two touch-down passes and

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Send entry to: Kansas City Sports & Fitness, 11730 West 135th Street, Suite 18, Overland Park, KS 66221Enter online at: www.kcsportspaper.com You must be 18 or older to win.

Here’s How:1. Listen to the Kansas City Sports

& Fitness Radio shows on eitherSaturday mornings from 8-9 AMon Hot Talk 1510 or Fridayevenings from 6-7 PM on1140/1160 AM or online atkcsportspaper.com

2. In each show we’ll tell you theSports Phrase That Pays

3. Write the Sports Phrase ThatPays on the entry form belowand mail it to Kansas City Sports& Fitness

4. We’ll pick one winner randomlyfrom all entries received by3/10/2008

IT’SEASY!

continued on next page


shared co-MVP honors. Steve and I spent most of the second halfon the sidelines shooting photos and dodging cheerleaders. Afterthe game, we went back to the Army Strong Zone and sat inside amilitary helicopter. Beautiful machine serving dutiful missions.

Sunday, January 4Special day to feel, smell and embrace Army Strong. The tenets

of loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity and per-sonal courage took center stage. Our morning began at 0915 withan “Educator Tour” bus trip to Brooke Army Medical Center(BAMC) at Fort Sam Houston. We were herded into a small audito-rium and welcomed by Commanding General Thomas P. Bostick.Over previous years, heoversaw $18 billion worth ofreconstruction in Iraq. Thatis mind-boggling?

Shortly thereafter com-menced a Wounded WarriorPanel Discussion. Double-leg amputee Hunt took thestage with a warrior wholost one leg and anotherwho was burned over 40percent of his body. Theytalked, we listened andasked follow-up questions.Inspiring presentation - totally unscripted and heartfelt. Up nextwas a tour of the BAMC Burn Unit and Occupational/PhysicalTherapy floors. The Army certainly spares no expense or expertiseto fully rehabilitate its wounded warriors.

Next came lunch and the sharing of chicken-and-rice with NASAastronaut Shane Kimbrough. This West Point graduate and base-ball team captain was aboard the most-recent Space ShuttleEndeavour mission. We invited him to appear on our radio showlater this month and he accepted. Stay tuned to the Kansas City

Sports & FitnessRadio Showheard Fridaysfrom 6-7 pm on1140 and1160AM andSaturdays from8-9 am on HotTalk 1510 AM.

After chow-ing, we wereshepherded to

the Center for the Intrepid (CFI) for a tour of this gorgeous, four-story facility that provides service members with severe extremityinjuries and amputations the opportunity to maximize their ability tolive and work productively. Once again, the Army showcased theabsolute best technology and people available to take care of itsown. One final bus ride took us to the San Antonio Gun Club for anoutdoor shooting demonstration by two Army Marksmanship Unit(AMU) Soldiers who were medal winners at the 2008 BeijingOlympics. Fun-filled ending to fun-tastic weekend.

Monday, January 5A quick tour of The Alamo, then we hit the

airport. Whatwere my threekey takeaways?

A Soldier inthe U.S. Army isthe embodimentof physicalstrength, emo-tional strength

and strength of purpose. The U.S.Army is made up of the best-trained,most-dedicated and most-respectedSoldiers in the world. There’s a guestactivity called “Tandem Jump with theGolden Knigthts” - hope my skydivingnumber (hint hint, wink wink!) gets called in 2010.

Remember that Army polo shirt I received on day one? I got four

autographs on it - two on each sleeve. On the left sleeve is Bostickand Kimbrough. On the right is Preston and Hunt. Four amazing

Soldiers. Four heroic Americans.

HOOAH!There are more than 150 different

jobs for Soldiers on active duty and 120 in the Army Reserve:

� Administrative Support� Arts & Media� Combat� Computers & Technology� Construction & Engineering� Intelligence & Combat Support� Legal & Law Enforcement� Mechanics� Transportation & Aviation

For recruiting information visitgoarmy.com

THE COLLEGE HOOPS REPORT


Wildcats women not bothered by slight in pollsThe Kansas State women’s basketball

team entered February with an 18-2

record and 5-2 in the Big 12. The

Wildcats have defeated teams from the Big

10, the SEC and the Pac 10, besides five

teams from their own conference.

Their only losses were 16 points at

Oklahoma, which is ranked second nation-

ally, and 60-50 at Iowa State, which is

22nd in the AP. But the Wildcats were

ranked No. 14 in the AP and No. 12 in the

coaches’ poll, behind three other teams

from the Big 12.

In the preseason polls, Kansas State,

which won the Big 12 last season, was not

ranked at all, although there were five con-

ference teams that were ranked. Kansas

State returned four of five starters, but was

neglected in the ratings.

So how bothered are the Wildcats by the

lack of national respect?

“We don’t put too much emphasis on

preseason rankings,” senior guard Shalee

Lehning said.

Said sophomore guard Shalin Spani,

“We just worry about inside our gym.

We focus on getting better every day.”

While her players have mastered the

world of sports clichés, coach Deb

Patterson agreed with the basic sentiment.

“When we focus on ourselves, the best

things happen,” said Patterson, who is in

her 13th season as the KSU coach.

“Very rarely does anyone else focus on us.

A year ago, when we won the Big 12 out-

right, we didn’t do so because we were

superior to

any other team

in our league.

We just found

ways to win.

That’s why we

don’t over-

react.

“Everyone

else in our

league is real-

ly good. Texas

A&M is great. They’ve got two all-

Americans on their team. Texas is tremen-

dously talented. We understand that

Oklahoma has been a Final Four pick the

last three years. They’ve got players that

Connecticut and Tennessee were recruiting

the past few years. You’ve got Baylor.

You’ve got Texas and Texas A&M and

Oklahoma State that were Sweet 16 teams.

You’ve got Iowa State. When you look at

our league, it can be one win or two wins

that separate first place from seventh place.

“So, I don’t think any of us were sur-

prised. We didn’t take it personally. We

appreciate the strength in our league. But

it’s motivation. It inspires you to want to

achieve higher. I think it’s that simple.”

Patterson said it is beneficial for her

team to be overlooked.

“I think we understood we were going to

have to recreate the team,” she said. “You

can’t replace your sister with your brother.

They’re two distinct entities. The same is

true when you lose a first-team all-Big 12

player (Kimberly Dietz). So we just go

about our business every day. We knew

people would not expect us to be a con-

tender. For us, every day the challenge is to

prove and establish that we believe we can

be a contender.”

History is repeating itself. Last year’s

team was picked tied for eighth (third in

the North) in the pre-season, and then went

13-3 to claim the program’s first outright

Big 12 championship. The Wildcats

became the first team in Big 12 women’s

or men’s basketball history to go from last

in the conference standings to first the next

year. They lost Dietz, but everybody else is

back. The key for Patterson is to develop

her team around the talent it has, and

Patterson is realistic.

“We believe that every team is new. It’s

a process of establishing a sense of who

you are,” she said. “You define your goals

and expectations relative to the personality

and character you have. Anyone can say

you want to do something. There’s a

process of getting there. I can say I want us

to be national champions, but I know

Connecticut has a far better shot at it.”

Replacing Dietz has

been tough. When she

went down with a knee

injury in the Wildcats’

Big 12 tournament loss

to Iowa State, it ended a

career in which she

became the fourth player

in school history to tally

1,300 points and 300

assists for her career, as

she finished ranked 10th

in school history with

1,321 points and ninth in

career assists with 306.

The Wildcats have relied heavily on

three players this season: Lehning, fellow

senior Marlies Gipson and junior Ashley

Sweat. Gipson and Sweat have given the

Wildcats a strong presence inside, and

Lehning has been stellar at the point. But

the off-guard and small forward positions

have been a struggle.

“Everybody has done a great job,”

Lehning said. “Ashley and Marlies have

been great every night. The two newcom-

ers making the most impact have been

Shalin and Kari (Kincaid). They’ve done a

great job of filling Kimberly’s role. They

are three-point threats and give us good

quality minutes.”

Patterson is looking for consistency.

“We’ve really leaned very hard on Lehning

and Gipson,” she said. “We’ve had the real

consistent play of Ashley Sweat. She’s

given us a chance of having that founda-

tion of three very solid pieces.

“Then, by committee through the course

of the season, we have tried to develop and

maximize those 2 and 3 positions. There’s

nothing that we bring to the floor that’s set.

If you look at Lehning, Sweat and Gipson,

you’ve got three who will be there every

night. But against Iowa State, we played

four players in our wing position and only

one of them scored for us. We are literally

working every possession up the floor, to

get them to play to their strengths.”

Until a fourth scorer steps up, the

Wildcats will continue to rely mostly on a

smothering defense. They’re first in the

Big 12 and in the nation in points allowed

per game at 49.8. “If we can’t drop down

shots from all five positions, we have to

play defense at an extremely high level,”

Patterson said.

Spani is probably the most likely to

be the next key contributor. Patterson

says Spani reminds her of Dietz in a lot

of ways at this point in her career. Adding

ball-handling skills will make her the type

of all-around player Dietz became later in

her career.

“Shalin has made great progress,”

Patterson said. “Physically she’s signifi-

cantly more prepared for Division I

basketball. She came off a high school

DavidSmale

Contributing

Writer

Phot

o co

urte

sy K

SU A

thle

tics

continued on page 23



C ole Aldrich has always been the center of

attention. From grade school to the prep

ranks, Aldrich towered above others on

and off the court.

Aldrich, a 6-11, 250-pound Kansas sopho-

more, is standing even taller and emerging as

one of the top centers in college basketball.

Coaching legend and current ESPN analyst

Bobby Knight said Aldrich could be the best

center in the nation by season’s end. Kent

State coach Gene Ford believes Aldrich might

already be there after he dominated the

Golden Flashes with 10 points, 13 rebounds

and four blocks in a KU 87-60 victory.

“Cole Aldrich might be the best center in

the country,” Ford said. “I thought he was

going to foul our whole team out in the first

half. He buries you close to the rim and you

end up fouling him because he pins you so

deep. He is much improved. I saw him in the

NCAA tournament (last March) because their

draw called for them to play right before we

did. He has to be the most improved player in

college basketball. A year ago watching him,

(he) wasn’t that impressive and now I watch

him and he is amazing. He certainly is a

big-time player at this point.”

Aldrich has only gotten better since then.

Entering February, Aldrich was averaging

15.0 points, 9.8 rebounds (No. 2 in Big 12)

and a Big 12-leading 2.6 blocks in 28.7 min-

utes per game. Aldrich, a Bloomington,

Minn., native, was also shooting a confer-

ence-best 63.5 percent from the field and

78.7 percent at the free-throw line. He’s had

11 double-doubles and is on pace to tie Raef

LaFrentz for second-most double-doubles for

a season in school history.

Not bad numbers for a player who averaged

just 2.8 points in 8.3 minutes per game last

year as the fourth big man behind Darrell

Arthur, Darnell Jackson and Sasha Kaun.

Arthur and Jackson are now in the NBA,

while Kaun is playing professionally in

Russia.

“I think really just going against some great

big guys in practice every day, grabbing

rebounds, trying to block their shots, trying to

make good post moves on them, it really

improved my game,” Aldrich said.

It was a gradual maturation process for

Aldrich, who acknowledged to being lost

as a freshman.

‘Finally, toward the end of the season,”

Aldrich said, “things started to slow down.”

Aldrich was never better than the Final

Four against

North

Carolina.

He came off

the bench in

the first half

and domi-

nated a

stretch, out-

playing

National

Player of

Year Tyler

Hansbrough,

once ripping

an offensive rebound away from him.

On the biggest stage of his life, Aldrich had

the best game of his life with eight points,

seven boards and four blocks in 17 minutes.

“I just took the opportunity and came out

and tried to hold my own,” Aldrich said. “It

definitely gave me confidence. Just playing

against the best guy in college basketball and

playing well, it really made me think that

maybe I do have a little skill.”

Aldrich worked tirelessly in the off-season

to improve his skills. He got stronger, quicker,

and developed a nice 15-to-17 foot jump shot.

That work has paid off with some huge

games this year. Aldrich scored 15 points and

grabbed 16 boards in a loss to Syracuse at the

Sprint Center. He went for 22 and 10 in the

Jayhawks’ victory over ranked Tennessee. He

logged 24 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks

against Siena.

Nicknamed the “Fly Swatter,” Aldrich goes

after every block and rebound with a

vengeance.

“I just try to do everything,” Aldrich said.

“I try to block shots. If I can’t get it, I try to

alter it because not many teams are used to

having a big guy that can really block shots.”

Indeed, Aldrich is a major presence in the

middle that makes plays happen on defense

and offense.

“We have really been stressing getting the

ball to Cole inside because he is our best play-

er in the paint,” sophomore guard Tyrel Reed

said. “Whenever he gets a touch good things

happen. He’s either going to kick it out or

make a shot and get fouled.”

Aldrich’s game kicked into higher gear

after the lowest moment of his college career

in an 84-67 loss at Arizona. He had 10 points

(four shot attempts) and just four rebounds,

while Arizona’s star big man Jordan Hill

schooled him in the paint with 23 points,

11 rebounds and two blocks.

After the loss, Aldrich spoke to KU coach

Bill Self.

“He just said, ‘Make sure that doesn’t hap-

pen again. Make sure that’s your worst game

all year,’” Aldrich said.

He has been on a mission since then,

averaging 17.8 points, 9.8 rebounds and

3.1 blocks in Kansas’ next eight games,

while shooting a sizzling 68.7 percent from

the field.

“He’s getting better all the time,” Self said.

“It amazes me. We look at him like he’s our

grizzled veteran out there. He played eight

minutes a game (last season), and I bet four of

those minutes were averaged in blowout wins.

It’s pretty good that he’s done this well this

fast. ...I think the way he is playing right now

is how any coach would want their big guys

to play. I think he is playing more aggressive.

The thing that Cole does as well as anybody

that I’ve coached is reading offensive

rebounds. He will not let his man block him

off. His effort on the offensive glass in phe-

nomenal. It is far better than anyone else on

our team, and is the best in

our league. He is leading

the league in offensive

rebounds per game with

a guy named Blake Griffin

(Oklahoma center) in

our league.

“I don’t know if many

other (big) guys possess

his touch and hands and

his ability to step away

from the basket and run

and do some of the same

things he does. He’s got a

chance to be a special, special player.”

Aldrich is flattered by all the hosannas,

but he’s not caught up in the hype or playing

in the NBA in the future. He just wants to

lead KU to its fifth straight Big 12 champi-

onship and have another deep run in the

NCAA tournament.

“I think the sky’s the limit for us,” Aldrich

said. “We can play really good, but then there

are times we can play not so smart. We have

to really (limit) those times that we don’t play

so smart because it’s not easy in conference

play. Teams are always gong to give you a

tough game, whether you’re home or on the

road. I just want to get better every day,”

Aldrich said. “I just want to be the best Cole

Aldrich can be. If that’s averaging this and

DavidGarfield

Contributing

Writer

Phot

o by

War

ren

Ingr

am


Aldrich developing into topnotch center



By ALAN ESKEW, Editor

Lyons leads the Tigers L eo Lyons took a circuitous less-traveled

road to Missouri and has hit a couple of

pot holes since his arrival in Columbia.

Coach Mike Anderson suspended Lyons

against Colorado in January after he was

arrested for failure to display proof of

insurance, a misdemeanor warrant result-

ing from a previous unpaid fine and failure

to have lights on vehi-

cle. Lyons was held of

out the starting lineup

the next four games.

Lyons was suspend-

ed for the Nebraska

game as a junior, along

with four other Tigers,

for violation of team

rules when they were

at a Columbia night-

club when teammate

Stefhon Hannah suf-

fered a broken jaw in

an altercation.

After his 2008

suspension, Lyons

returned with vengeance, scoring 27 points

and hauling in 18 rebounds against

Oklahoma. He scored 22, 19 and 18 points

in his next three games.

Lyons returned to the starting lineup at

the end of January this year and scored a

career-high 30 points in a victory over

Baylor, hitting 14 of 15 free throws and

8 of 11 from the field. Lyons reached the

1,000-point milestone in the game.

Getting there from where Lyons was is

a meandering journey. He was born in

Topeka. His mother, Georgia, was an

All-State volleyball player at Topeka

West High.

“I stopped her from going to college

when I was born,” Lyons said. “I’m just

carrying on the legacy.”

The family moved to Kansas City.

“He went to four different high schools,”

Missouri coach Mike Anderson said.

“That’s no knock on Leo. I’m the first

coach he’s been with for at least two years.

You think about it.”

Lyons averaged 18 points and 10

rebounds as a junior at Kansas City Piper,

but transferred his senior season to Coastal

Academy in Virginia Beach, where he

averaged 21 points and eight rebounds.

“That helped me a lot,” Lyons said.

“When I went to the prep school level,

there were national players, a lot of guys

now in the NBA or a lot of guys that were

hot talents who are now in college. Playing

against guys like that brought my game up

to another level.”

He was recruited by then coach Quin

Snyder and played sparingly as a freshman

in 2005-06, averaging 9.5 minutes and

2.6 points in 25

games. Anderson

replaced Snyder

the next season.

“It was very dif-

ficult, just to come

from running plays

and a half-court

offense to a full-

court offense,”

Lyons said of the

coaching change

and different

styles. “Even

though my body is

made for it, it was

kind of tough to

just switch systems like that. He expects a

lot of you.

“My freshman and sophomore years

were both rough and then with the coach-

ing change and trying to get used to the

system. A lot of people didn’t know I could

do that stuff. At the end of last year when

I was averaging all them points, people

were surprised. They didn’t know that

I could do it. But now that I’m comfort-

able, I feel like I can do that every day.”

He averaged 13.1 points, including 14.3

in conference play, and 5.7 rebounds as a

junior. He was named to the Big 12 All-

Improved Team. He led the Tigers with six

20-point games and scored in double fig-

ures in 18 in the final 24 games.

“I expect a whole lot more than last

year,” Lyons said. “A lot of people were

surprised about what I did last year. But

I was just getting comfortable. So now

that I’m comfortable I can play a whole

lot better.

“It was very important to me to improve

from freshman to sophomore and then

sophomore to junior. This year I expect to

take it to another level. People are starting

to recognize my talents and I’m starting to

understand the system of coach Anderson.”

There were games Lyons was dominant

as a junior, like against Oklahoma State,

and Maryland, where he collected 23

points and 11 rebounds at the Sprint

Center. Then there were games, Lyons

would seemingly disappear. In the

conference tournament last March, a

loss to Nebraska, Lyons was 2-for-12

from the field, scored seven points and

had six boards.

“He was inconsistent. Leo was pretty

young,” Anderson said. “I think now he

understands his role a little bit more. He’s

a bigger impact on the team now. He feels

like he is. That’s a good feeling when

you’re one of the upperclassmen. Now

there are some things expected of you.

Will he bring that to the table; that remains

to be seen? I like his attitude. He’s one of

the leaders. Our guys really respect him.

Our young guys really look up to him.”

Lyons has been more consistent as a

senior, scoring in double figures in all but

two games and 20 or more points in five

games. He is averaging 14.8 points and

5.9 rebounds, both an increase over his

junior season.

He and DeMarre Carroll, who had

25 points against Baylor, provide the

Tigers with a formidable tandem inside.

“We didn’t have an answer for Lyons

and Carroll,” Baylor coach Scott Drew

said. “They both had a great game and got

to the foul line for a lot of free throws. We

needed to get them in foul trouble, and we

couldn’t do it.”

Lyons and Carroll have the Tigers on

another path that should end with an

invitation to the NCAA Tournament.

MIAA BASKETBALLCHAMPIONSHIPS

March 5-8The MIAA Basketball Championships are returning

to the historic Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City,Mo., March 5-8, bringing high-quality NCAA Division II basket-ball to area fans and alumni.

All-session and single-sessiontickets are available throughTicketmaster at www.ticketmas-ter.com/miaa, charge-by-phone

at 1-800-745-3000, or at all area Ticketmaster outlets. The tournament tips off Thursday, March 5, with

first-round men’s action, while the women’s first roundgames will be played on Friday, March 6. Sessionsbegin at noon and 6 p.m. each day.

Semifinal round games are slated for Saturday,March 7, with the men playing in the afternoon sessionstarting at noon, and the women taking over for the 6p.m. session.

Championship Sunday, March 8, begins with themen’s game at 1 p.m., immediately followed by thewomen’s title matchup.

This is the seventh year the NCAA Division II confer-ence with 11 schools in Missouri, Kansas and Nebraskahas conducted its tournament in the birthplace ofchampionship collegiate basketball.

MIAA members include the University of CentralMissouri, Emporia State University, Fort Hays StateUniversity, Missouri Southern State University, MissouriWestern State University, the University of Nebraska-Omaha, Northwest Missouri State University, PittsburgState University, Southwest Baptist University, TrumanState University and Washburn University.

The top eight men’s and top eight women’s teamswill advance to Kansas City, with automatic berths tothe NCAA Division II Championships at stake.

The all-session ticket, which is good for seven ses-sions and all 14 games, is again available for $40 perperson. Single-session tickets will be sold in advancefor the first time, and those are available for $15.

Student/youthtickets will still beavailable only atthe Municipal boxoffice during theevent.

“UsingTicketmaster willgive fans moreoutlets for pur-chasing tickets,and really givesour event a higher profile,” MIAA commissioner JimJohnson said. “We hope the fans take advantage of theconvenience of purchasing either online, throughTicketmaster’s toll-free number or at one of the manyother available outlets throughout the Midwest.”

Institutional passes are on sale at MIAA campuses.For $30, the ticket holder is guaranteed admission toevery game for their favorite MIAA school - men’s andwomen’s - for a maximum of five sessions (10 games).Once the school is completely eliminated from the tour-nament, the ticket is no longer valid. All-session ticketsalso will be available on campuses which aren’tTicketmaster outlets.

this (or) averaging 39 minutes from here on

out, I just want to help the team.”

While he’s come a long way in his second

season, Aldrich is still a work in progress.

“I’m definitely not polished at all,” he said.

“There are a lot of things I can do just from

a knowledge of the game part, watch a lot

more film (and) doing a lot of different stuff

on the court.”

Self agrees.

“He’s still young,” Self said. “I think he

just needs to mature. And strength is a big part

of that, where his body can handle it every

day and his lower body strength is better

where people can’t nudge him off balance.

That would be the biggest thing.”

His teammates certainly like having the

happy-go-lucky 20-year-old along for the ride.

“Cole is just Cole all the time,” sophomore

guard Conner Teahan said. “He never

changes. He’s the same way. He’s always the

kind of lanky guy walking around, having a

good time and telling jokes. What he says to

his best friend, he’ll say to anybody. It doesn’t

matter who you are, it doesn’t matter if he just

met you or not. He’s going to be himself and

he’s not going to be anybody else. That’s what

is so great about him.”

Junior C Matthew Rogers has helpedthe Southwest Baptist Bearcats to a Top10 ranking in the NABC Division II Pollthis season. (Photo by Matthew S. Hicks)

Phot

o co

urte

sy M

U A

thle

tics

KU’s Aldrich - continued from page 15

THE HEALTH & FITNESS REPORT


How’s your New Year’s Resolution coming along?H ere we are into the second month of the

New Year and like most, have already

failed at our New Year’s Resolution…to

lose weight. Nevertheless, don’t despair too

much…you are in good company.

Fifty-five percent of adults in America are

overweight. So how do you get back on your

weight loss wagon?

First, make a commitment to yourself to

look and feel better. Secondly, don’t diet.

Diets fail because they lower your caloric

intake below the basal metabolic rate, creat-

ing a negative energy balance. You will lose

weight, but it will be muscle loss.

Make your New Year’s Resolution a way

of life. Setting reasonable goals and staying

focused are the two most important factors in

sticking with a weight loss program, and the

key to success for those millions of

Americans who made a New Year’s commit-

ment to shed extra pounds. Outlined below

are a few goals as you work towards keeping

your commitment to yourself in 2006.

Goal No. 1: Figure out when and why you

have “snack attacks.”

Keep a log of why you ate and how you

felt while doing so. This exercise will help

you begin to identify over-eating or binge

eating triggers and begin to avoid them.

Goal No. 2: Eat a low fat, balanced diet

each day.

We do need some fat in our diets, but we

simply get too much of the bad kind in our

diets. Work towards reducing the amount of

fat intake down to 20-50 grams per day. Read

the labels and stick with foods with no Trans

Fats, hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated

fats. Each one of us has different energy

needs, body compositions, and chemistries.

What works for one person, does not neces-

sarily work for another.

Goal No. 3: Eating to the point of satisfac-

tion.

Eat only when you are hungry will help

you to recognize the feeling of hunger and eat

only when you feel hungry. If you fill your-

self up each time, you will lose that ability,

causing you to eat any time you think you

want to eat, or see a delicious food, when in

reality you are not even hungry. You are actu-

ally saving yourself calories! At the end of

each meal get into the habit of asking your-

self if you are full or satisfied. Eat to satisfy,

not be full.

Goal No. 4: Eat every 3 hours up to

6 meals per day.

Eating increases your metabolism, so by

eating six meals a day you spread your

metabolism over the day. Eating one or two

large meals a day gives one big energy boost,

but your metabolism receives little help dur-

ing the rest of the day. This technique gives

your metabolism a boost at each meal. Look

at your daily routine and lifestyle, using this

as a guide to begin eating, when to eat

throughout the day, and when to stop eating.

The total daily caloric intake will need to be

divided by six to determine how many calo-

ries should be consumed at

each meal.

Goal No. 5: Stop eating 3

hours before bedtime.

Try to eat bigger meals

earlier in the day. We typi-

cally need more energy

during the day than in the

evening, and partly

because eating three hours

before bedtime will auto-

matically increase your

weight by two to three pounds. Your metabo-

lism simply does not increase to the same rate

late in the day. Your body knows when you

will go to sleep not wanting to be “revved

up.” Calories eaten before bedtime will be

converted to fat more quickly.

Goal No. 6: Drink plenty of water.

Eight glasses per day is the bare mini-

mum…even as much as one gallon per day is

Are you the “real deal” or a “slacker?”O ver the years, I have observed both

directly and indirectly many individuals

performing their fitness routines. You get

an interesting perspective when you see the

same individuals year round.

Interestingly enough, I have been in gyms

on the west coast, far north and Kansas City

and you see the same types of individuals and

situations, regardless of geography.

My goal with people-and these articles-

has always been to get them exercising regu-

larly - and also exercising productively. As

such I have noticed so many aren’t getting

what they could out of their workout, thus not

reaching their potential.

This is for many reasons, and I want to say

not everyone has to be an Olympic athlete

when they workout. Any physical activity is

better than none. But I have observed and

have proven many a time that the average Joe

can make great progress in his physique or

fitness regardless of whether he was the

“90lb weakling.”

It just requires effort. I try to get people to

have a good “workout” ethic, and that is

more mental than physical. When you go in

the gym ideally you should have a goal, and

be focused on working hard to achieve it.

Here are some common signs and see if

you are the “real deal” or “slacker” - but

know it is very easy to go from one to the

other.

What do you do on the treadmill?Often times I see people holding on to the

handrails. (Course this goes for the

Stairmasters as well) If you have a genuine

balance/physical disability, this is acceptable.

If not, stop it immediately. Holding on to the

handrails not only lowers

your calorie burning (you

are working less hard), but

also reduces the cardio

benefit.

People use cardio equip-

ment for two reasons -

weight loss or cardiovas-

cular improvement.

Holding on reduces both.

Also do you ever check

your heart rate? This can

be done with either a store

bought monitor or check-

ing your pulse with your finger. For most

people if you are not doing a minimum of

120-beats a minute, you are not working out

hard enough for maximal benefit.

How is your form on the weights?There are too many exercises and tech-

niques to go through here, but the bottom line

is: Do you control the weights or do they

control you? If you do a bench, do you have

to arch your back and butt off the bench to

finish a rep? Is so, that is not the proper form.

Building strength is something anyone can

do, however you will not improve with bad

form. Most of the people I see swinging and

thrusting look the same and never get

stronger.

Lower your weights to a level that allows

the none moving limbs to remain still. Your

strength will improve and you’ll be less like-

ly to injure yourself. For an added benefit, I

challenge you to lower and raise the weights

with a five-second tempo. It is very hard to

cheat and your muscles will be thoroughly

worked with less weight.

Audrey Harman

Contributing

Writer

ChrisBalda

Contributing

Writer

continued on next page


HIGH SCHOOL REPORT


By BILLALTHAUS, Contributing Writer

Wisner, Moore leading Blue SpringsG reg Wisner and Drew Moore are two

unexpected stars on the biggest surprise

among boys prep basketball teams in the

metro area.

The guard duo is a big reason the Blue

Springs basketball team is off to a winning

start, although many people believed this

would be a rebuilding year for coach

Frank Wheeler.

The year began with a bang, thanks to the

Wildcats talented duo.

“I’m sure they’ll never forget the first

game and neither will I,” Wheeler said.

“We saw hints of what those two guys could

do last year, but they have really turned it up

a notch and are each having a great season.”

In what could turn out to be the most dra-

matic win of the season for the upstart

Wildcats, Moore hit a trey at the buzzer to

send the season opener against Truman

into overtime.

Wisner, with defenders draped all over

him, let a very long 3-point shot fly and it hit

nothing but net as the Wildcats downed the

Patriots 66-65.

At the time, it was heralded as the biggest

upset of the young season. But this Wildcat

team is much, much better than anyone

thought before the season got underway.

“Just look at our team, I can see why peo-

ple didn’t think we were going to be that

good,” said Moore, who stands 5-foot-8.

“We’re not the most

intimidating team in

the area. But we’re

going to do all the lit-

tle things to win

games. And no team

is going to work

harder than we are.”

Wisner, who is list-

ed at 6-feet, nodded

in agreement.

“I have a bet with

(2008 graduate and

former Wildcat

guard) Bret Schwartz

that our team is going

to win more games

than his team did last

year,” Wisner said, grinning.

“It’s looking pretty good right now. They

were 10-15.

“Before the season started, we didn’t know

what to expect. But winning against Truman

like we did got us a lot of confidence, and

we’ve just built on that.”

Wisner and Moore have become the

Wildcats’ go-to players while building the

winning record.

“They’re two of the better guards we faced

this year,” Truman

coach Billy Guinnee

said. “Blue Springs is

going to surprise some

people this year.

Frank’s such a good

coach and his kids

play hard - and those

two guards can shoot.”

Wisner and Moore

came up with another

big effort in a 68-55

victory over Lee’s

Summit. Moore scored

24 of his game-high

28 points in the sec-

ond half and Wisner

added 10.

“They’re capable of scoring 20 or more

points a game,” Wheeler said, “but we don’t

need them to score that many points. They’re

averaging about 12 to 14 points a game, play-

ing great defense and Drew does a great job

as our point guard.

“If someone is open, they better be ready

to get the ball, because he’s going to find

them. And the fact that he can score is just an

added bonus.”

Both are goal setters and their goals have a

similar ring.

“I want this team to do better than last

year’s team, and I want to win a district

game,” Wisner said. “I like to set realistic

goals, and I think we can accomplish each

one of those goals.”

Said Moore: “It would be huge to go to

state, and the way we’re playing now, who

knows. But I want to have a winning season

and win a district game. Everything else can

kind of take care of itself.”

Bill Althaus is a sports writer/columnist forThe Examiner. You can read his work onlineat www.examiner.net.

even better particularly if you are exercising.

Water is essential to life. A person can sur-

vive without water for at most three days,

making water the most important nutrient.

Some experts say approximately 70 percent

of your body weight is water. The following

are just some of the benefits of drinking

water:

• Water has a filling effect as it fills you

up so you do not overeat.

• The thirst-hunger response - drinking

enough water, you can control artificial

hunger.

• Better workouts - your exercising ses-

sions will improve in length and intensity if

you are getting enough water.

• Water for muscles - 25 percent of fat is

water, whereas muscles are made up of 70

percent water. Water helps you maintain and

add muscle, which in turn burns fat.

• Storage of glycogen - glycogen is a form

of carbohydrates stored in your muscles use

as energy. Each glycogen holds about 2.5 to

3 grams of water. The more fit you are the

more calories you will burn and at a higher

rate--for which you will need more water.

• Spread the amount of water you drink

throughout the day. Try to drink a glass in

the morning, before you exercise, two after.

Drink one before lunch, another between

lunch and dinner, and the last one after din-

ner. Also, try not to drink water too late in

the evening, as it will wake you up during

the night.

Goal No. 7: Eat More Protein.

High protein foods slow the movement of

food from the stomach to the intestine, help-

ing you feel satisfied longer, and uses more

energy to digest than it does to digest fat or

carbohydrates. Protein also helps to regulate

blood sugar levels preventing the quick rise

in blood sugar and hunger-bell-ringing fall

that occurs after eating a carbohydrate like

bread, pasta or a baked potato. Try to include

two to four delicious Protein Muffin Bars.

They are very healthy, gluten free, easy to

take with you and much tastier than a

chicken breast.

Goal No. 8: Exercise Regularly.

Regular exercise has been associated with

more health benefits than anything else

known to man. Studies show that it reduces

the risk of some cancers, increases longevity,

helps achieve and maintain weight loss,

enhances mood, lowers blood pressure and

even improves arthritis. Exercise keeps you

healthy, both mentally and physically, and

makes you look and feel better.

Goal No. 9: Take Juice Plus.

Juice Plus is whole food based and is a

perfect balance of 17 fruits, vegetables, and

grains scientifically proven 100 percent

bioavailability. Juice Plus is the most inde-

pendently researched vitamin supplement in

the world. Since making Juice Plus my daily

habit in 2006, I have been able to stop taking

five prescription medications that were cost-

ing me nearly $120 per month with my co-

pay. I have never felt better. For $1.50 a day

per person, Juice Plus is an extremely cost

effective way for my family and me to get

our daily nutrients. To get the same nutrition-

al value in one daily dose, it would cost more

than $8 per day per person.

By incorporating these goals into your

lifestyle, you will see results and find it easier

to keep your commitment to yourself to

achieve a healthier you throughout your life,

not just 2009.

Audrey Harman is a Nutrition Consultantand can be reached 913707-4717 or atwww.NutritionByAudrey.com.

Resolutions - continued from page 18

EVENT CALENDAR


Over the last couple months a lot

has been developing for the

H.O.R.S.E. - N - AROUND events

which will be occurring in upcoming

months in Kansas City.

What is H.O.R.S.E. - N - AROUND, you

ask? It is the ultimate basketball H.O.R.S.E

challenge which will involve amateur play-

ers plus celebrities from sports and enter-

tainment.

H.O.R.S.E is is a game of one upman-

ship, where creative, fun and sometime

unbelievable shots are used to eliminate the

competition from play. Very soon

H.O.R.S.E competitions will be popping up

all around Kansas City. Currently, select

high schools in the metro area are setting

up their competitions and will be announc-

ing the events to students and parents. Also,

the Jewish Community Center will have a

special event/competition in May.

These regional competitions eventually

leading to one final event where Kansas

City’s best H.O.R.S.E. player will have a

chance to win $10,000 by playing David

Kalb, the man who beat Lebron James in

this competition twice in September, 2008.

“Anyone can participate in H.O.R.S.E.

That’s what makes it fun,” says Keith

Zimmerman of Double Dog Sports &

Entertainment, the company bringing

H.O.R.S.E. - N - AROUND to Kansas City.

“In addition to the final event where one

lucky Kansas Citian plays against David

(Kalb), we’ll also have celebrity matches

for the crowds to enjoy,” says Zimmerman.

One of the celebrities on hand will be

Cylk Cozart from the movie “White Men

Can’t Jump.” In addition, pro sports and

collegiate legends, newspaper, radio and

television personalities will also participate

in celebrity matches. KPRS and WHB

radio will each put on specific competi-

tions, crowning a winner to go on to the

celebrity event.

Zimmerman along with Cozart and

NBA great Oscar Robertson will be at

the NBA All-Star weekend in Phoenix in

February to announce the KC launch of

H.O.R.S.E. - N - AROUND.

UPCOMING EVENTSFebruary 6 2009 WIN for KC Women’s Sports Awards Celebration, SOLD OUTFebruary 14 Love 2 Run 4 Mile Run , Downtown Airport Kansas City, MOFebruary 21 Miles for Matt, Eagle Glen School, Raymore, MOFebruary 23 Girls on the Run of Johnson County, Spring Season, Johnson County, KSFebruary 26 NAIA-KC Sports Commission Social, NAIA Headquarters Kansas City,MOFebruary 28 Firehouse Texas Hold’em Tournament Sharks Shawnee Mission, KSMarch 5-8 MIAA Men’s & Women’s Basketball Tournaments,

Municipal Auditorium, Kansas City, MO

Do you have a plan?Again I don’t think everyone has to look

like a male model or be obsessed with their

bodies, but do you know what workout you’re

doing before you hit the gym? If not-why?

That’s like saying “I want to save and

invest, so I can retire at 50” and not having

any stated means to get there. Even the basic

goal of “getting in shape” requires a coherent

plan. NOT wondering in and going “uhhh,

let’s do chest today,” and doing a mishmash

of exercises. I would start by defining a goal

and coming up with a plan and timeframe.

If you have the funds check with a trainer,

if not look up routines in magazines or online.

Bodybuilding.com is an excellent resource for

all fitness enthusiasts.

Does your “fitness” leave the gym?This is the final and probably the biggest

culprit. I’d say this includes everything from

nutrition to vacations. If you’re in the gym,

that’s theoretically one-to-two hours a day.

There are 24 in a day and 168 in a week, so a

lot can happen. Putting a great effort in the

gym and then having a couple of beers and

fried chicken daily makes no sense. Or I’d say

don’t expect a lot.

Also when you go out of town or when you

get busy do you still exercise? Fitness is a

lifestyle and mindset, so to workout haphaz-

ardly or not have your eating go along with

your workouts is not getting the whole pic-

ture. It just requires follow through outside

the gym. So look at your level of commitment

to fitness. Is it kind of a “C-minus”? Make it

an “A” with just a little more thought.

Chris Balda is a USA Weightlifting coach,National Strength and ConditioningAssociation Trainer and owner of FixXprt, afitness and training consulting business. Hecan be reached at (913) 244-0287 or by emailat [email protected].

“Real deal” - continued from page 18

H.O.R.S.E. - N - AroundUPDATE


One-on-one with Royals’GM Dayton MooreBy ALAN ESKEW, Editor

Since the Kansas City Royals finished 75-87last season and escaped the AmericanLeague Central basement for the first time

since 2003, general manager Dayton Moore hasbeen extremely busy, trying to improve the teamfor 2009.

Moore acquired outfielder Coco Crisp and firstbaseman-designated hitter Mike Jacobs intrades. He signed free agent pitchers KyleFarnsworth, Doug Waechter and HoracioRamirez and utility player Willie Bloomquist.

Moore, also, signed right-hander Zack Greinketo a four-year contract, which runs through the2112 season and keeps him off the free agentmarket for two years.

Moore sat down with Kansas City Sports andFitness for an exclusive interview just before theclub departed for spring training in Surprise, Ariz.

Q: What were your off-season objectives andwere they accomplished?

Moore: “We had some very clear definedgoals this off-season. We wanted to add a centerfielder, who could potentially hit in our leadoffspot. We were able to do that in adding Coco.That was important. The other aspect of that,we’re able to put David DeJesus in left field,which has strengthened out outfield defense andoverall team speed.

“We wanted to acquire a power hitter to hit inthe middle of our lineup, anywhere 4-5 or 6,wherever Trey decides. We were able to do thatwith Mike Jacobs.”

“We wanted to add a power arm in thebullpen. Kyle Farnsworth, in our mind, was the best power arm on the market. His fastballeliminates a lot of the offensive lineup on anygiven night.

“We acquired Willie Bloomquist, who is some-body we felt has great leadership ability and helpblend the talents of our 25-man roster throughhis attitude and his expectations that he brings tothe game of baseball.

“Doug Waechter is somebody we wanted. Our scouts felt like he’s got a chance to be aquality Major League reliever. He just transi-tioned into the relief role for the first time lastyear after being a starter his whole career. Right-handers hit .216 off him. He’s a tremen-dous make-up guy.”

“Horacio Ramirez can give us some depth inthe rotation. We’re confident we’ve improved ourbaseball team.”

Q: You dealt two relievers, Leo Nunez andRamon Ramirez, for two everyday players inJacobs and Crisp. How will they improve theoffense?

Moore: “Wetraded two veryproductive majorleague reliefpitchers that I know are goingto go on andhave very goodcareers. At thesame time, wewere in a positionwhere we neededto acquire someeveryday talent.

“You saw the(bad) streaks wewent though lastyear. It was predi-cated on twothings. One, ourstarting pitchingstruggled at thattime and we didn’t have enough offense to bailour starting pitching out. So we felt we needed toadd some offense. Getting Coco and MikeJacobs for a combined $9 million, two everydayplayers, is almost unheard of in this market. Wewere fortunate to do those deals.”

Q: Bloomquist has played every position butpitcher and catcher, but will he enter spring train-ing with a chance to earn the starting secondbaseman job?

Moore: “Yeah, he will. He’s obviously a veryversatile player. We feel his best position is sec-ond base. He’s played some short, played third.He can play center field very well, all three out-field positions.

“He’ll get an opportunity to win a job. And I know Trey (Hillman, manager) will like his styleof play. I think he’ll be somebody that’s going tosurprise some people. He’s never really beengiven an opportunity to play everyday. He’s beenon some very talented teams and there havebeen some good players ahead of him. The rea-son he’s played a lot of positions is because themanager wants him in the lineup. He’s a goodenough athlete to do it.”

Q: Alberto Callaspo was your primary secondbaseman at the end of last season after MarkGrudzielanek suffered an ankle injury. Callaspo,

however, hasbeen arrested thepast two years foroff-the-field inci-dents with theRoyals andDiamondbacks.How much of aconcern is that for you?

Moore: “Pasthistory can be apredictor of thefuture. That beingsaid, Alberto wentthrough the nec-essary things heneeded to do totransition backonto our baseballteam. We’ve gotto expect goodthings to happen

with him as he manages his life. We all experi-ence different things in our life. We all make mis-takes. We all know that Alberto made a mistake.He’s recognized that. He’s been accountable to itand taken responsibility. We’re just looking for-ward to moving on.”

Q: Will the rotation, outside the possible addition of left-hander Ramirez, be the same aslast year?

Moore: “You look at options we have in camp,it is pretty be safe to say our starting rotation willby very similar to what it was.”

Q: Is that rotation good enough to contend fora playoff spot in 2009?

Moore: “Certainly Gil Meche and ZackGreinke have proved they can be dominantpitchers in our league. I think they both finished

fifth in the American League in strikeouts. Theykeep getting better. Kyle Davies emerged. BrianBannister has been somebody who has provedhe can pitch quality innings. Luke Hochevar isemerging. Horacio Ramirez has had some suc-cess in the past. The last couple of years throughinjuries and what have you, he hasn’t really per-formed that well, but we think we will.”

Q: The Royals finished last year by going 18-8 in September. Was that a glimpse into thefuture on what the team could be in 2009?

Moore: “I hope so. You’ve got to believe what you see. At the same time, expect guys tocontinue to get better. Eighteen wins in a monthis a great accomplishment. We’ve got to continueto build on those types of accomplishments andjust play consistent baseball.”

Q: On the flip side, the Royals had a horribleAugust, losing 18 of 21 in one stretch.

Moore: “It was. That’s the thing we’ve got toavoid those bad streaks. Some nights you’restarting pitching - Zack, Gil, Kyle, whoever it isgoing to be - is going to have a bad night.Somebody needs to pick it up. Someone needsto hit a big three-run homer or steal a base to putus in a position to win a game.”

“I believe in looking at our rosters this is themost balanced team we have on the field in myopinion since 1994 with our position players, theversatility there, and how players are supposedto profile. Also, with the depth and the versatilityand the pitching, we haven’t had a legit closersince (Jeff) Montgomery. We have that now(Joakim Soria). We’ve got two (dominant) start-ing pitchers and a couple of other guys we thinkcan emerge to be really good.”

Q: So one can expect the Royals to improveon last year’s record?

Moore: “I felt like our team underachieved lastyear. I think we’re continuing to get better. We’vejust to commit to that process of keep improving,keep improving. Someday we’ll be good.”

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Bloomquist looking for chance to start with RoyalsBy ALAN ESKEW, Editor

W illie Bloomquist is a career .263 hitterwith six home runs, 98 RBIs and 191runs. He has never had more than 251

at-bats in a season or played in more 102games. He had one extra-base hit - a double - in 2008.

Bloomquist, however, will enter spring trainingas a candidate to be the Kansas City Royalsstarting second baseman. After spending six-plusyears as a Seattle Mariners utility, playing everyposition but pitcher and catcher, Bloomquistsigned a two-year $3 million contract with theRoyals with an opportunity to shed the utility tagand become an everyday player with a positionto call his own.

“It ‘s a big reason I signed with the Royals, for an opportunity to do more than I’ve done inthe past,” Bloomquist said. “I saw that opportuni-ty with a chance to possibly evolve into maybe a starter and win a job. Talking with Trey(Hillman, manager) and Dayton (Moore, generalmanager), they said basically they are not goingto put any limitations on me, which is moreopportunity that I’ve ever had in the past. Thatwas one of the many reasons this place wasawfully enticing.

“I made it up as a utility guy and got stuck inthat - got that that label put on me, but my goalsare not to be abackup guy. Iwould hope toget a chance toplay and hope-fully be astarter.”

Bloomquist,who went toSouth KitsapHigh School inPort Orchard,Washington,was drafted inthe eight roundby the Marinersin 1996, butopted to go toArizona State.The Marinersdrafted himagain in 1999 inthe third roundand he signed.

They drafted me as a shortstop and movedme right to second base right away,” Bloomquist

said. “I played there right up to Triple-A and thenwe had Bret Boone in his glory years, hitting 30-

35 homers a year.We had him at sec-ond, Carlos Guillenat short and JeffCirillo at third. Sothey basically said,you weren’t going tocrack any of thosespots anytime soon,so if you want tomake it to the bigleagues you’re goingto have to be able toplay all of them andbe versatile. I saidOK, that’s fine withme as long as I canget there.”

Bloomquist, also,provides the Royalswith some speed,something they havelacked. With thedeparture of Joey

Gathright, who led the Royals with 21 stolenbases in 25 attempts last year, to the ChicagoCubs, Bloomquist could fill that void. He swiped14 bases in 17 attempts last year.

“I wouldn’t say I’m a burner by any means, butI like to pride myself in being a smart base run-ner and getting a good jump and stealing a basewhen it counts, as opposed to pad my numberswith gaudy stats with stolen bases,” Bloomquist

said. “When it matters is when I like to go andlike to steal bases. I’m above average speed. I take pride in running the bases well. That to me,that’s a game within a game. Games can be wonor lost on good base running.”

Bloomquist said being able to play severalpositions has been both a blessing and a cursethroughout his career.

“That’s kind of what I’ve been told in Seattle,”he said. “That’s it my best asset. It is also thebiggest thing going against me, too. The fact - itis great I can do all those things, but when thereis a chance to settle down and play one position,they didn’t really like to do it because they need-ed someone to play everywhere. It’s kind of adouble-edged sword of sorts.

“It’s a role I don’t mind doing, but I have higheraspirations and expectations of myself thanbeing a backup.”

He will get chance to earn the second basejob, but there will be competition. AlbertoCallaspo, who hit .305 last season, finished theseason starting at second after an injury to MarkGrudzielanek, who filed for free agency andwon’t be returning. Also, the Royals are going togive Mark Teahen an opportunity to play there.

Bloomquist, however, know this is a chancehe never had in Seattle, to compete for a starting job.

“I’m very excited about this season,” Bloom-quist said. “I haven’t been this excited to report tocamp in a long time just knowing the situationand opportunity that is going to be presented.For me, it gives me a little bit of extra motivation,so I am excited.”

Seven Questions is a regular segment on the “Behindthe Stats” radio show. “Behind the Stats” hosts Matt Fulks and guest hostDave Stewart from Metro Sports caught up with former Kansas City Royal Jamie Quirk.1. My hero growing up was...?Jamie Quirk: Mickey Mantle, without a doubt.2. If not for baseball or football (since you were quitea quarterback), I would’ve been a...?JQ: I probably would’ve gone into education as ateacher and maybe a coach.3. My greatest day in baseball was....?JQ: The 1990 World Series with Oakland, we weredown 3 games to 0 against Cincinnati, and our man-ager, Tony LaRussa, called me and said I was startingin Game 4. I hadn’t played in the 1980 World Seriesor the ‘85 Series with the Royals, so that moment in1990 was special.4. My favorite vacation spot is...?JQ: Probably either Hawaii or Cabo San Lucas, where Ican wear T-shirts and flip flops. I guess if I want to bea gentleman, Hawaii, but if I want to let my hair downand be a little more laid back, Cabo.5. My favorite movie of all-time is...?JQ: Cool Hand Luke.

6. My message to parents of young athletes is...?JQ: Let your kid play as many sports as he wants.Don’t try to say he’s going to be the next George Brett,so he’s going to play baseball all 12 months andwe’re going to work on his swing every day. Weencouraged our boys to play everything. It’ll show ifhe’s good in one sport over another.7. The one person in history that I’d like to meet...?JQ: Joe Namath. As a young quarterback, I likedwatching him on and off the field. I would’ve tradedplaces with him for one day.

“Behind the Stats,” hosted by Matt Fulks (left) andDave O’Hara, is recorded each week from Saints on9720 Quivira in Lenexa.

Visit www.BehindTheStatsRadio.com for more information.

7 Questions with Jamie QuirkOn KCXL 1140 AM and KCTO 1160 AM

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New faces from other places

knee injury in her senior year. There was a tough transition

for her to get back to 100 percent. She is playing a more

physical game. She understands the speed of the game.

“More than anything, she’s grown in her willingness

to be physical. She continues to be a player we will look

to a great deal for growth. She has hit some big-time

threes. She has the ability to get to the rim. She’s a very

important cog. If we can get eight points out of her

18 minutes, it changes the complexion of our basketball

team completely.”

Spani, a native of Lee’s Summit, also continues another

trend for the Wildcats. The roster is covered with

Midwestern players. There are six players from Kansas,

two from Missouri and one each from Oklahoma and

Minnesota. Only freshmen Jalana Childs of Orlando, Fla.,

and Branshea Brown of Walterboro, S.C., are from outside

the Midwest.

“The persona of Kansas State, the way we like to play,

the team-oriented disposition, the selflessness, the work-

ethic, the toughness, those are all inherent values of people

who grow up in the Midwest,” Patterson said. “It’s a very

blue-collar part of the country. There’s not a lot of room

for selfishness and pride. That’s what we like to build the

program around at Kansas State.

“You certainly can’t create those traits. They’re home-

grown and instilled early in life. They have watched their

parents and grandparents work hard. We have been very

fortunate to find good young people who are willing to

give it up and work hard together to achieve success.”

That theory sounds good, and a bit of a cop-out when

you don’t have any stars. But it’s the same thing Patterson

said even when she had stars. The Wildcats had first team

All-Americans in back-to-back seasons with Nicole Ohlde

(2004) and Kendra Wecker (2005). The Wildcats went to

the NCAA tournament for four straight years behind

Ohlde (Clay Center, Kan.), Wecker (Marysville, Kan.),

Laurie Koehn (Hesston, Kan.) and Megan Mahoney

(Sturgis, S.D.).

This year’s team is preparing to return to the NCAA

tournament for the second straight season, quite an

improvement from a last place finish in 2006-07.

“It’s been amazing to watch this group, because they

have been so tough,” Patterson said.

“To think of what they were holding onto their shoul-

ders as freshmen, and then, as juniors, to be the first team

in K-State history to win an outright Big 12 championship,

it’s been amazing. This was in a year when our league had

the top RPI in the country. It wasn’t a back-door year in

our league. It was the strongest our league has ever been.

“I think this group has an opportunity to contend for

another Big 12 championship. A lot of things have to go

well, but I wouldn’t bet against them.”

2008 STATS BA HR RBI OBP SLG

.247 32 93 .299 .514 Birth Date: October 30, 1980 Birth Place: Chula Vista, CA Age: 28 Weight: 215 lbs. Height: 6-3 Bats: Left Throws: Right Experience: 3 years

2008 STATS ERA IP SO W L 4.48 60.1 61 2 3 Birth Date: April 14, 1976 Birth Place: Wichita, KS Age: 32 Weight: 235 lbs. Height: 6-4 Bats: Right Throws: Right Experience: 9 years

2008 STATS ERA IP SO W L 4.35 37.1 13 1 4 Birth Date: Nov. 24, 1979 Birth Place: Carson, CA Age: 29 Weight: 210 lbs. Height: 6-1 Bats: Left Throws: Left Experience: 5 years

2008 STATS BA HR RBI OBP SLG

.283 7 41 .344 .407 Birth Date: November 1, 1979 Birth Place: Los Angeles, CA Age: 29 Weight: 180 lbs. Height: 6-0 Bats: Both Throws: Right Experience: 6 years

PITCHER PITCHER

2008 STATS ERA IP SO W L 3.69 63.1 46 4 2 Birth Date: Jan. 28, 1981 Birth Place: St. Petersburg, FL Age: 27 Weight: 215 lbs. Height: 6-4 Bats: Right Throws: Right Experience: 4 years

PITCHER

INFIELD

OUTFIELD

Lady Wildcats - continued from page 14

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