Jonathan Broxton

The Royals continue to prove that they are committed to winning by signing former L.A. Dodger closer Jonathan Broxton to a 1 year 4 million dollar contract.  It seems like players are willing to come to Kansas City now.  Before the Royals would have to overpay like crazy if they wanted sign anyone, recent examples Gil Meche and Jose Guillen.  Yes they probably overpaid for Broxton too, but relief pitchers are going at ridiculous prices this offseason, and the risk is low with the one year deal.  Broxton injured his elbow this past season causing him to miss most of the year, the positive is that he was very willing to take a one year deal to prove he can still pitch.  He was signed to be the setup man which is a good move, he has 84 saves to 33 blown saves in his career, not a good ratio.  His career ERA of 3.19 and WHIP 1.23 are good but not great.  This move puts Greg Holland's future with the Royals in doubt,  Toronto is very interested in trading for Holland.  Yes, the Royals are starting to collect players that other teams want.  Trading Holland wouldn't be a bad move, who knows if Holland can repeat the year he had, relief pitchers are just so hard to predict,

CHIEFS!!!

Well Tyler Palko sucks.  I kinda feel bad for him though, same thing with Kyle Davies, don't criticize them, criticize the organizations for playing them.

KU Basketball/Norv Turner/Kyle Orton

KU Basketball

I thought KU played really well in the Maui Invitational, especially in the championship.  They took one of the best teams in nation down to the wire, and got a little unlucky.  KU has two big holes though, they don't shoot the ball well, and they are sloppy with the ball, well mainly Tyshawn.  Here's a player by player breakdown of KU.

Tyshawn "Turnover" Taylor:  He's the best player on the team when he doesn't turn it over.  He attacks the basketball well, but takes a lot of bad shots.  He needs to realize he's not in the NBA yet and play more of a team game.

Elijah Johnson:  He's the most athletic player on the team and is becoming the third option in the offense. He's shown he can hit big shots, and was the only player to make a three pointer against Duke.

Travis Relaford:  He's my favorite player, he does all the right things.  He's the best defender on the team and isn't a liability on offense.  He came in cocky as a freshman, thinking he was a one and done.  He's learned the team concept of the game and finally earned crucial minutes.

Thomas Robinson:  He's a beast down low, averaging 12 rebounds a game along with 16 points.  He doesn't have much of a mid range game but he doesn't really need it with his dominance down low.  

Jeff Whithey:  He played surprisingly well against Duke, putting up a double-double.  He is really weak though and gets pushed under the goal too much on rebounds.  

Connor Teahan:  He reminds me a lot of myself.  I could shoot, but pretty much sucked at everything else.  He's got to be stronger with the ball, and play better defense but he's not a good athlete so he has trouble guarding anyone.

Justin Wesley:  It seems like his main purpose is to foul every time he goes out there.

Naadir Tharpe:  He's a good young player but isn't ready yet.

Norv Turner

I don't see how he hasn't been fired, his teams continually under perform, and his teams do not play hard for him.  Usually his teams start poorly only catch up with all the talent they have, this year has been the opposite, 4-1 start followed by 6 straight losses and counting.  I'm sure he'll get fired this year but it has been long overdue.  They always seem to lose close games, and I think that is sign of a bad coach as well.  The Chargers should be a perennial playoff team with this weak division but they continue to lose.  He's earning a moto, "Just lose baby lose."

Kyle Orton

The Chiefs claimed Kyle Orton this week.  This is a good move, it makes the team better and sends a message to the players and fans that they are trying to win.  I don't know why fans think its a bad move, Kyle Orton is a decent quarterback and could become a good backup for Matt Cassel, or somebody they take in the first round.  I would support drafting a quarterback, it seems like you can't win without an elite one.  They do have other needs that outweigh the quarterback though, nose tackle and offensive tackle.

The Royals resigned Bruce Chen to a 2 year 9 million dollar deal, good signing, he's good for the clubhouse and has been their best pitcher the last two years.

I apologize for not writing last week, if you wanted to hear me complain about the Chiefs so more I'm sorry.

Someday a team I cheer for will have success

KU Football

This game may have done it for Turner Gill.  It might of been better if KU lost 41-17 than to dominate 3 quarters of the game then blow it.  I still support him, but wouldn't be disappointed if he was fired.  He lost his defensive coordinator at the beginning of the year which has clearly hurt.  I feel a college coach deserves a minimum of three years to really judge him (he's had two).  His first and only recruiting class was really nice but if he continues to lose 10 games a year nobody will want to come play for him.  The biggest obstacle would be the money, it would cost KU 6 million to fire him and another 2.8 to run off his assistant coaches.  Is 9 million dollars worth it, especially considering it is a basketball school?

Chiefs

I'm tired of the Chiefs, their like that girlfriend that dumps you, then works their way back into your life, just to ruin it again.  The Broncos completed two passes all game and won!!! They didn't complete a pass in the first half, and completely dominated.  That game was pathetic, I'm tired of Todd Haley I've supported him and now I'm paying for it.  I have to hear my dad go "I can't believe you think he's a good coach" all game, along with "just cut his ass, just cut him" every time McCluster touches the ball.  He thinks every second round pick should become a Pro Bowler.  This season reminds me a lot of the 2007 season.  They started 4-3 tied for the division lead, and then lost 9 in a row to end the season, I honestly feel like they could lose their last 7 games to mirror that season, especially with Tyler Palko at quarterback.  Their really aren't any positives to draw from this game.  The offensive line couldn't block, the wide receivers couldn't catch, the defensive line couldn't plug up holes, the linebackers couldn't make tackles, and the Chiefs coaches wouldn't bring 8 men into the box to stop the run.  Two weeks ago it looked the like the Chiefs had five Pro-Bowlers, Bowe, Albert, Hali, Johnson and Flowers.  Now I don't know if I could vote any of them in after their last two performances, especially Flowers he has played bad the last two weeks.  There is a fine line with corners when it comes to aggression, and he crosses it too much.

E-A-G-L-E-S

The Eagles finally cemented the the theory that the team with the flashiest offseason doesn't mean anything.  All throughout the last decade the Redskins would overpay for free agents such as Brandon Lloyd, Atwaan Randel El, Deion Sanders, Adam Archuleta, and maybe worst of all Albert Haynesworth.  I thought this might of been the Redskins innate ability to lose but the Eagles are proving it is not just them.  What is different about the Eagles though is that they kept the nucleus of players that have lead them to the playoffs.  I think a big reason for the Eagles failure is their defensive scheme, the Wide 9.  This scheme lines the defensive ends really far out, in the 9 gap.  This works well when teams have good defensive tackles to push the pocket back, then the quarterback has nowhere to go.  But the Eagles don't have good DT's so the quarterback can just step up in the pocket and deliver the ball without a problem.  This scheme also does poorly against the run as well, leaving big gaps when the team runs the ball off tackle.  In addition they don't have cornerbacks that match skill sets.  Namdi plays great man to man, while Asante earned his big contract by sitting in a zone and jumping routes.  Right now the Eagles look lost.

Andrew Luck

I hope Andrew Luck's poor performance against Oregon means ESPN can stop talking about him like he is a sure fire Hall of Famer.  Andrew Luck is a really good pro prospect but there is no guarantee he's going to be the next Aaron Rodgers.  He has a good arm, but not spectacular, good accuracy, and he seems to have a good football mind.  The problem is that he doesn't face great, or even good defenses in the Pac 12.  In addition the pressure that is going to be on him to save the franchise might be too much.  I feel like the situation the quarterback is brought up in can be just as important as his skills.  His situation looks pretty good though, Indianapolis has yet to win a game while every other team has at least two.  I like the guy, I'm just tired of "Suck for Luck," there are no teams intentionally losing games, even though the Chiefs appear to be doing so.

Royals

Four Royals prospects were chosen to play in the Arizona Fall League All Star Game, Outfielder Wil Myers, shortstop Christian Colon, and pitchers Nate Adcock and Jeremy Jeffress.  Myers has easily been the most impressive though, and his stock has sky-rocketed this fall.  Myers batted .367 this fall with an on-base percentage over .500 along with a slugging percentage over .700.  It's a small sample size but he is only 20 years old and has the potential to be a star.  He didn't put up great numbers this year in Double-A but he was injured for a lot of it.  Now the Royals have a decision to make though, go for gold this year or continue to build for the future.  I think they should keep him, but if they do trade him for a starting pitcher it would make sense, considering his stock may never be higher.  But Myers should be ready in a year and a half and Francoeur's contract will be up in two.  There is also no sure thing Francoeur will repeat the season he just had.

Hosmer finished third in the A.L. Rookie of the Year Voting behind Jeremy Hellickson and Mark Trumbo.

Thank you to Peter and Coach for sending me to Rany on the Royals, his stuff is great.

Chiefs/Soccer/Royals

Chiefs

Just when I completely bought back into the Chiefs they broke my heart.  My views of the team has gone from I think they'll go 10-6 this year, to I doubt they will win a game, to I think their going to win the division, to who the hell knows.  The Chargers and Raiders both lost so they didn't lose any ground, but this was a game the Chiefs had to have with their upcoming schedule.  This was a classic look-ahead/hangover game but that is no excuse the Dolphins hadn't won a game and completely dominated the Chiefs.  Jake Long completely shut down Tamba and nobody else cared to step up.  That's one thing the Chiefs are really missing, a secondary pass rusher.  The Chiefs have 9 sacks as a team Tamba has 6.  With all that time Matt Moore looked like an All-Pro quarterback picking apart Flowers who played a sub-par game as well.  The Chiefs O-line did not block for Cassel, giving up a season high 5 sacks.  When a quarterback is getting pressured as much as he was it gets in his head and he is doomed (well that was my experience as backup quarterback in the fifth grade).  Hmm... A positive from this game... Nope not seeing any.

Soccer

Over the past four or five months I have become a soccer fan.  Between the success of the  women's World Cup team and Sporting KC, I have been drawn to the sport.  While I played soccer in high school I never considered watching it on TV or going to a game.  Now I  enjoy watching team U.S.A. play meaningless exhibitions, or watch an English Premier League match every now and then.  I wish I would have made it to a Sporting KC game this year, I hear the stadium is world class.  I've followed Sporting quite a bit this year, but It's tough to follow a team when their not on TV, I have to get most of my Sporting information on their Facebook page.  I don't think I'll become a huge soccer fan unless it really picks up in America.  And for it to become more popular, Team U.S.A needs to improve a lot, they are nowhere close to an elite international team.

Royals

The Royals traded Melky Cabrera to the Giants for starting pitcher Jonathan Sanchez and an average minor league pitcher.  This trade gives Lorenzo Cain his shot to prove himself as an everyday center fielder.  He has produced in the minors and looks to be a pretty solid prospect.  Jonathan Sanchez has been a pitcher that hasn't lived up to his potential.  He strikes out a lot of batters, but he walks too many batters right now to be dominant.  His best year was in 2010, when he had an ERA of 3.07 and a WHIP of 1.23 both good numbers.  Last year he stuggled with injuries making 19 starts, his ERA was above 4 and his WHIP was not good. He is 28 with one year left on his deal. 

Not all of Dayton Moore's trades and signee's have worked, but they have all made sense.  This sounds obvious but Royals management in the past has made some really dumb moves.  This trade probably isn't going to put the Royals over the top, they still need two more starting pitchers, and that's considering this trade works out.  

When I read an ESPN article on the trade it mentioned the "emergence" of Luke Hochevar and Danny Duffy, what emergence? Their combined ERA was above 5 last year, I don't see how you call that an emergence.  This trade was also really weird for me.  On Friday I was talking to Tiffany, a San Francisco native and huge Giants fan and we came up with the hypothetical trade of Melky Cabrera for Jonathan Sanchez, crazy how things work.

Chiefs/Alex Gordon

Wow, how much can change on one play.  If Philip Rivers gets the snap from the center the Chargers most likely win, go up two games on the Chiefs, with the tiebreaker, and basically end the Chiefs season.  Now the Chiefs are sort of in the drivers seat. They have a good chance to get to 6-3 with their next two games against the Dolphins and Broncos.  On a side note, could ESPN please realize we don't really care about Tebow or Tebowing.  The Chiefs schedule after that gets tough, but everybody in the division has the same schedule with the exception of two games.  And one of those games was against the Colts.  The Chiefs could easily win the division with a 10-6 record and get another home playoff game. Here are some positives and negatives from Monday night's game.

Positives

Derrick Johnson:  He is benefitting from the improving defensive line play and playing at an All-Pro level.  He was named Defensive Player of the Week for his performance.


Tamba Hali:  Tamba had two sacks and caused 40 yards worth of penalties against a Pro-Bowl left tackle.  He's due to make the Pro-Bowl.


Offensive Line:  The offensive line didn't run block great but they gave Cassel plenty of time, and a great pocket to step into.


Jonathan Baldwin:  He played great in his second game of the season.  People were wondering if he'd even make an impact this year, now they appear to have 3 good receivers, two more than last year.  Hopefully he can keep his head on straight.


Cornerbacks Named Brandon:  Brandon Flowers is becoming one of the top corners in the league, he struggled early but lately he's played at an All-Pro level.  I was wrong on Brandon Carr, he's played well this year, he's been one of the most improved players on the team.


Romeo Crennel:  He's been a great defensive coordinator the last two years.  His scheme has been good and has had an impact on a lot of the teams young players.


The Team's Heart:  The Chargers were inside the Chiefs 35 yard line 9 times and scored 1 touchdown.

Negatives

There weren't many negatives but the thing that irritated me the most was the replay system.  Dexter McCluster was clearly down when he fumbled, there was honestly no question.  Then when they overruled Cassel's incompletion where his arm had to be going forward for the ball to travel that far.  The only player Inoticed struggling was rookie Justin Houston.  He hasn't made the impact the Chiefs had hoped, but he's just rookie he'll hopefully improve.

Alex Gordon

Congratulations to Alex Gordon for winning his first gold glove, 20 outfield assists is a staggering number.  Will teams ever stop testing his arm?

Now that he has played a full, all star caliber season the Royals need to figure out what to do with him.  He only has one year left on his deal and the Royals need to make a stand and keep one of their own players that they drafted.  In the open market he could easily get a 5 year 70 million dollar contract which is what J.D. Drew got a few years back from the Red Sox.  But if they sign him this offseason they could maybe get him for about 11-12 million a year.  I know he has only had one good year but the Royals need to make a statement to the young players and to the fans that they are not the same old Royals.  The Royals have shown the inability to keep their stars  in years past, examples:  Johnny Damon, Carlos Beltran, and Jermaine Dye.  I feel General Manager Dayton Moore wants to win but Owner David Glass has never showed that same passion.  They could trade him and get more prospects but eventually David Glass needs to put on his big boy boxers and start paying his players.