Bigger KC sports weeks? We’ve had them, but this past one was pretty darn entertaining
Jeez, where to begin?
The Chiefs made big news in free agency, the Royals opened spring training, the KC Current played their first game ... and the NCAA Tournament got underway with an easy win (and then a tougher one) for KU to reach another Sweet 16.
That, friends, is quite a week. Here are the highlights.
Chiefs comings and goings
The nutshell recap is this: The Chiefs restructured Frank Clark’s contract to save money, replaced Tyrann Mathieu (probably), signed his replacement and pulled a major Friday newsdrop by signing former Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster.
If you weren’t buckled in tight, you might’ve fallen off GM Brett Veach’s free-agency roller-coaster. With some added salary-cap space thanks to reworking Clark’s deal, he signed former Houston Texans safety Justin Reid as a younger, cheaper replacement for Mathieu — who isn’t 100% gone yet. Not until he signs with another team in free agency. It’s a longshot, but he theoretically could return even though he plays the same position as Reid.
But the biggest deal for this team quarterbacked by Patrick Mahomes was the late-week addition of Smith-Schuster, a proven commodity who should slot right in as the No. 2 wideout to Tyreek Hill. And if you follow the Chiefs, you know they’ve been craving a sure-handed second option receiver for some time now.
KU and the Big Dance
Second-seeded Kentucky lost its opening NCAA Tournament game on Thursday, falling to 15-seed St. Peter’s — one of a handful of notable early exits in the tourney’s opening week.
Top-seeded Kansas (29-6) had no such trouble in its first-round game against Texas Southern in Fort Worth on Thursday, cruising to an 83-56 victory and advancing to play Creighton Saturday. The Blue Jays presented a stiffer challenge, but KU prevailed again, 79-72, and advanced to the Sweet 16.
Another Rock Chalk highlight: Oak Park product Ochai Agbaji earned USBWA All-America status, making him the 31st consensus All-American in the history of the KU hoops program.
Royals report and play ball
The first full week of spring training is in the books, and the club’s first spring game, played Friday in Surprise, Arizona, produced some fun moments, including a double for top big-league prospect (tops in all of baseball, according to MLB. Pipeline) Bobby Witt Jr.
The lockout may have delayed the start of spring camp, but it hasn’t diminished the Royals’ joy. With fans cheering them on at sunny Surprise Stadium on Friday, Nick Pratto was 2 for 2 with a homer and a walk, Adalberto Mondesi homered and, because it’s spring, the Royals and Rangers played to a 5-5 tie.
Current’s Challenge Cup opener
The KC Current donned their all-white new uniforms for the first time in road game, opening their season and the NWSL Challenge Cup at Racing Louisville FC in Louisville, Kentucky.
Addie McCain scored her first National Women’s Soccer League goal to even the match 1-1 after an earlier Louisville goal, and that’s the way this one ended. The KC side showed positive moments throughout the match but may regret some missed opportunities, including two shots that ricocheted off the home post.
All in all, though, it was a result that the Current can build upon in their highly anticipated second season. And it’s a point in the Challenge Cup standings.
Unfamiliar territory for SKC
Peter Vermes-managed Sporting Kansas City teams don’t typically start their season 1-3 ... but that’s where the resident Major League Soccer club finds itself today.
Coupled with a 3-1 loss in their opener at Atlanta, 1-0 win in their home opener against the Houston Dynamo and 2-0 loss at Colorado last weekend, Sporting toted a (yes, very early) sub-.500 mark into the weekend. And then lost 3-1 at Chicago on Saturday.
The optimist’s take? The defeats against the Rapids and Fire are understandable, given the absence of key players in both games. But this team needs to get healthy quickly or it’s going to be a long season.