May 16
Buddy Hudson, first black basketball player at Oklahoma, dies at 75 in KC
Harold “Buddy” Hudson, the first black basketball player at the University of Oklahoma, died Tuesday of a heart attack in Kansas City. He was 75.
May 16
Comparing Salvy Perez's awesomeness to other catchers
Sam Mellinger looked at Royals catcher Salvy Perez's OPS+, which says Perez is off to a slightly better start offensively than — ahem — Joe Mauer. Now, obviously this doesn’t mean Perez is going to win batting titles and lead the league in batting, on-base and slugging someday like Mauer has. But it is a strong point that his bat is coming along much faster than most scouts thought.
May 16
Royals did what good teams do: Beat up on a bad team
Everybody loves the big pitching matchups — your ace faces their ace — but those games are toss-ups, and either team could win. Then there are the games you should win and can’t afford to lose; not if you’re going to put together a winning record. This was a game the Royals should have won and did. Beating up on bad teams is what good teams do.
May 16
Chiefs sign K-State’s Wilson
The Chiefs have signed fullback Braden Wilson of Kansas State, the second of the team’s two sixth-round draft picks. Wilson is the fourth of Kansas City’s eight selections to sign with the club.
May 16
Royals ride seven-run third inning to 9-5 victory over Angels
A seven-run third inning and an eight-run lead and, still, it seemed like the Royals had to hang on all night Wednesday before securing a 9-5 victory over the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
May 15
Former Royals broadcaster Fred White dies at 76
Fred White, who teamed with Denny Matthews as the Royals’ primary broadcast team from 1973 to 1998, died Wednesday of complications from melanoma. His death came one day after he officially retired from the Royals following a 40-year association with the club. He was 76.
May 15
Chiefs’ Dwayne Bowe: ‘I’m going to lead the league in receptions’
Chiefs wide receiver Dwayne Bowe made some bold predictions Wednesday as the Chiefs continued their offseason program at their Truman Sports Complex practice facility.
May 15
In new book, Sporting KC’s Nielsen talks about gambling addiction
Reigning MLS All-Star and goalkeeper of the year Jimmy Nielsen of Sporting Kansas City opens up about his gambling addiction as well as his professional soccer career in a new autobiography, which Ascend Books released this week.
May 15
Blue Valley Northwest softball advances to state
Huskies blank Shawnee Mission West 7-0 in the first game and shut out SM East 4-0 in the Northeast Region 2 championship game.
May 15
Self-reliant Pedregon is out front
Cruz Pedregon owns his own Funny Car team. He tunes the car himself as the crew chief. And then he races the Snap-on Tools Toyota down the drag strip.
May 15
Royals’ No. 2 prospect, Bubba Starling, might get Lasik surgery
Outfielder Bubba Starling left his Low-A team in Lexington on Wednesday and traveled to Kansas City, where he may have Lasik surgery. Starling said he has had trouble seeing the ball at night.
May 15
K-State looks ahead without Rodriguez
Like everyone else, Kansas State basketball coach Bruce Weber’s expectations for next season dropped when Angel Rodriguez transferred to Miami.
May 15
Four area golfers to play in Byron Nelson
Four golfers with ties to the Kansas City area are set to play in the HP Byron Nelson Championship starting today in Irving, Texas.
May 15
SOUTHLAND NOTES: Chrisman senior adds track to her basketball credentials
William Chrisman High School senior Nieka Wheeler is a basketball player who was featured in many scouting reports in the recently completed season. She led the Bears in scoring and rebounding, averaging 18.3 points and 10.1 rebounds per game.
May 15
NORTHLAND NOTES: Liberty track teams sweep district titles
When asked to analyze her girls' track team before the season, Liberty High School coach Pam Koch replied confidently that the spring could feature one of the school's better squads in her 16-year coaching tenure.
May 15
Bruce Weber says K-State game at Sprint Center this year is unlikely
Kansas State has played a nonconference basketball game at the Sprint Center in each of the past six years, but that streak is unlikely to continue.
May 15
Thoughts on KU's Andrew Wiggins and comparisons to LeBron
People are calling Andrew Wiggins the best high school basketball talent since Lebron James. Over the next year, depending in part on how Wiggins does at KU, you will hear that line be twisted into "The Next LeBron" or "as good as LeBron" or maybe even "better than LeBron." And Sam Mellinger hopes we can all shout down whomever says that.
May 15
UMKC basketball team adds 6-foot-10 forward Isaac Kreuer
Isaac Kreuer, a 6-10 front liner from Kansas City, signed with the UMKC basketball team, the school announced Wednesday.
May 15
Happy birthday, George! Royals great Brett turns 60
Hall of Famer George Brett, who turned 60 on Wednesday, played his entire 21-year baseball career with the Royals, and he's still very much involved with the team. The Royals drafted him in 1971, he hit .390 in 1980, had a little trouble with pine tar in 1983, won the World Series in 1985 and was inducted into the Hall in 1999.
May 15
What the Royals' Guthrie accomplished against Angels
Going into the Angels game, Royals pitcher Jeremy Guthrie had a string of 18 starts without a loss — but that was snapped Tuesday night as the Royals fell 6-2. But he did throw seven innings. When a starting pitcher does not have his best stuff but hangs in there and finds a way to give his team innings, he may not help his team win that night, but he gives them a better shot at winning the next night.
May 15
Angels pound Royals 6-2, end Guthrie’s streak of lossless starts
Albert Pujols, Howie Kendrick, Josh Hamilton and Mike Trout each homered as the Los Angeles Angels beat the Royals 6-2 on Tuesday night in Anaheim, Calif., ending Kansas City starter Jeremy Guthrie’s club-record streak of non-losing starts at 18.
May 14
Top basketball recruit Andrew Wiggins, described by Self as an ‘alpha dog,’ picks KU
Andrew Wiggins, the consensus No. 1 college basketball recruit in the country, announced Tuesday morning he will attend Kansas, picking the Jayhawks over three other finalists, Kentucky, Florida State and North Carolina.
May 14
KU’s Bill Self gets exactly what he needed in Andrew Wiggins
Think about what KU basketball coach Bill Self pulled off Tuesday in landing consensus No. 1 recruit Andrew Wiggins. The 6-foot-7 Canadian star had long been linked with Florida State (where his parents played basketball) and Kentucky (where John Calipari collects five-star recruits like garden gnomes). Those schools have been in on him for years, building relationships and dreams long before Wiggins became the presumed No. 1 pick in the 2014 NBA Draft.
May 14
Branden Albert arrives at Chiefs’ camp, says issues are ‘in the past’
All was good for Branden Albert in his long-awaited return to Chiefs camp Tuesday. His arrival was hailed by his coaches and teammates, and as the Chiefs continued their offseason practice, Albert took his spot at starting left tackle as he had been promised.
May 14
Broadcaster Fred White retires after four decades with Royals
Broadcaster Fred White, who became an icon with the Royals over the last 40 years, announced his retirement Tuesday from the organization because of what the club characterized in a news release as “recent health issues.”
May 14
Lorenzo Cain gets a look as the Royals’ leadoff hitter
The latest lineup tweak Tuesday by Royals manager Ned Yost positioned Lorenzo Cain at the top of the order for the first time this season. “On days when (Jarrod) Dyson doesn’t play, I’ve got to have a No. 1 hitter,” Yost said. “For me right now, Cain is as good as anybody to give a look at.”
May 14
East St. Louis linebacker Kyron Watson commits to KU football team
It’s not often that a highly recruited high school football player cancels a campus visit to Michigan and then commits to Kansas. But that’s what Kyron Watson, a 6-foot, 226-pound linebacker, did on Tuesday.
May 14
Rockhurst’s Patrick Byrne ties for Class 4 state medalist honors
Senior finishes strong and shares title with Vianney junior. Hawklets finish second, while Park Hill South is sixth.
May 14
Nashville cornerback Finis Stribling gives verbal commitment to MU football team
Cornerback Finis Stribling IV, who became Missouri’s ninth verbal commitment for the Class of 2014 on Monday, is the second defensive back in the 2014 class to commit to Missouri, joining East St. Louis safety Greg Taylor. Stribling is also the second prospect from Tennessee to commit, joining two-star receiver Thomas Richard from Nashville.
May 14
Andrew Wiggins among biggest recruiting victories in Kansas basketball history
When word came that Kansas was the college choice of Andrew Wiggins, the 6-foot-7 forward from Huntington Prep in West Virginia who is considered the nation’s top college basketball prospect, Jayhawks coach Bill Self had scored the biggest recruiting victory of his decade-long KU tenure. But Wiggins also ranks among some of the biggest gets in KU history.
May 14
Akeem Jordan gets first chance to start along side Derrick Johnson on Chiefs’ defense
It appears as if free agent Akeem Jordan will get first crack at the vacant inside linebacker position in the Chiefs defense. Jordan played alongside Pro Bowler Derrick Johnson with the first-unit defense when the Chiefs conducted their first full-squad practice of the offseason Tuesday.
May 14
Big 12-SEC basketball challenge announced, but no Border War
Kansas will play at Florida, West Virginia will play at Missouri and Mississippi will play at Kansas State this fall in the inaugural Big 12/SEC men’s basketball challenge.
May 15
Lacross nation relishes the spotlight
Lacrosse is still a club sport at the high school level across Kansas City. Just don’t be fooled into thinking that it hasn’t arrived, or that it doesn’t have staying power.
May 14
Judging the Royals: Beating up on a scuffling opponent
On Monday night, the Royals slapped around a team that is currently 14-24 with a .368 winning percentage. The pitcher they beat, Joe Blanton, woke up this morning with an 0-7 record and a 6.46 ERA. I’m not writing this to belittle Monday's win — far from it. That was just the kind of game the Royals need to win to get where they want to go. But the Royals may not have done anything more to improve their performance than playing a worse team.
May 14
Missouri to build new softball stadium
Missouri will be building a new softball stadium. Associate athletic director Tim Hickman confirmed over the weekend the building is now in the school’s plans, though no site has been determined. He expects the stadium to cost in the neighborhood of $15 million.
