Check out The Star's preview of football throughout the region and beyond. The Chiefs are hoping three reconstructed knees, an inconsistent quarterback and a new and unproven head coach can carry them back to the top of the AFC West. Mizzou’s seeking success in the SEC, while Kansas is betting that Charlie Weis can challenge K-State’s supremacy in the Sunflower State. Add to that the 100-plus area high schools that are gearing up for their respective seasons, plus The Star's first-ever Fantasy Football Guide, and the stage is set for an autumn to remember.
Golfers have a brand-new excuse for why they didn’t do better on the links. It was too early in the morning.
Ah, yes. The big pasta meal the night before a race. It’s one of the best things about being a runner. The goal is to load up on carbohydrates, which help provide fuel to the muscles. So pass the parmesan, right?
Who in their right mind would be a Royals fan? That may sound harsh, particularly given the nice start the team has had this year, but the franchise has suffered through some lean years with just one winning season since 1994.
The Royals said all the right things a year ago. At spring training, the team acknowledged that its defense had been awful the season before, and manager Trey Hillman and players promised that 2010 would be better.
There’s some bad news for women running in Saturday’s Kansas City Marathon. According to researchers in Japan, men not only sweat more than woman, but they also are more efficient at sweating.
Undoubtedly, some Chiefs fans initially questioned coach Todd Haley’s decision to go for it on fourth down in Sunday’s 16-14 victory at Cleveland. The Chiefs faced a fourth-and-1 from the Browns’ 36 with 2 minutes to play. Rather than punt, the Chiefs instead handed the ball to Thomas Jones who got the first down.
There are countless reasons why tennis stars Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are so good. Most of them are physical, but one explanation for their success may be more about their mental prowess. A study by scientists at Brunel University in West London and at the University of Hong Kong found that expert athletes are quicker to observe and react to their opponents’ moves than novice players, exhibiting enhanced activation of the cortical regions of the brain.
Although we take it for granted, the science of the swing is an amazing thing to analyze. And it goes not just for hitting a home run, but for simply making contact.
This spring, there were a lot of questions surrounded Cardinals starting pitcher Chris Carpenter. Carpenter, the 2005 Cy Young Award winner, had helped the Cardinals win the 2006 World Series. But he made just four starts in 2007 and ’08 combined. After undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2007, he missed most of 2008 before returning to the mound. But that comeback was cut short by a nerve problem in the back of his right shoulder.
While it’s unlikely to be a problem at Saturday’s Kansas City Marathon, Lewis Maharam wants runners to know they should avoid overhydrating. In fact, Maharam, who is medical director of a number of marathons across the country, including the New York City Marathon, believes you shouldn’t listen to your elders.
Remember where you were when George Brett hit that home run off Goose Gossage in 1980? How about when Lin Elliot missed the three field goals in the Chiefs’ loss to the Colts in the playoff game in 1996? But do you recall when you first met your spouse? Or do you have difficulty remembering a birthday or anniversary?
Kevin Harvick didn’t mince words when asked by The Star about critics who say NASCAR drivers are not athletes. “Anybody who doesn’t think there are athletes riding around in those cars is absolutely crazy in my mind because ... when you’re racing, you feel the G’s on your neck, your arms, your shoulders,” Harvick said in 2001.
Muhammad Ali’s favorite baseball pitch must be the knuckleball because it floats like a butterfly and — when batters swing and miss — it stings like a bee. With Boston’s Tim Wakefield scheduled to pitch against the Royals this week, it’s a good time to look at the science behind the knuckleball.
Jonah Lehrer believes that NFL quarterbacks can be successful if they just stop thinking so much and look inside themselves.
It may be the most famous physics lesson in the history of the world. “Bend It Like Beckham” is a movie, sure, but the way the famous soccer player makes a ball curve is educational as well.
As NFL players get bigger, faster and stronger, it’s only natural that the tackles have become more powerful.
Big hits are a major attraction in football. How many times have we seen a football player left dazed after a big hit? Often, a player’s eyes will look vacant, leaving a spectator or announcer to remark: “There’s nothing going on upstairs.”
It’s a wonder more hockey players don’t have a God complex. They are, after all, walking on water.
