Kansas City Star: Chiefs

Polling the fantasy football industry

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 08:11 CDT

Newsstands across the country are currently full of fantasy-related magazines, each designed to provide insight for millions of enthusiasts preparing for 2009 drafts. But what if you don't have time buy a magazine or visit a Web site? What if you could gather in one place 14 of the industry's brightest minds, some who write for those magazines, to solicit thoughts?

Perfect Draft: The Final Cut

Mon, 05 Jan 2009 11:48 CST

The fantasy season can't be over until we engage in our annual rite of self-flagellation, where we examine the roster we could have assembled had we made all the right moves during our draft just four short months ago.

Longtime Chiefs trainer Wayne Rudy dies

Mon, 13 Jul 2009 12:36 CDT

Wayne Rudy, the original athletic trainer for the Kansas City Chiefs, has died. He was 88.

Dragged down by hard times, St. Joseph gets a lift from Chiefs

Sat, 11 Jul 2009 22:15 CDT

ST. JOSEPH | The white pickup nudges north on King Hill Avenue, toward downtown and more proof that Ken Shearin’s city has been dying a slow death. Shearin is the mayor here, but that’s just the latest of nearly a dozen jobs he’s had over the years.

Former Chiefs player charged in fatal accident

Tue, 07 Jul 2009 22:15 CDT

Former Chiefs player Rich Baldinger has been charged in a June car crash that left a Grain Valley woman dead. Baldinger was charged Monday with operating a motor vehicle in a careless and imprudent manner, involving an accident. That is a misdemeanor.

Hall of Fame names new exhibit after Lamar Hunt

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 22:15 CDT

Lamar Hunt gave the Super Bowl its name. So it was only fitting that the Pro Football Hall of Fame named its tribute to the Super Bowl in honor of Hunt. The Hall of Fame announced Monday that it will honor Hunt with a ribbon-cutting ceremony Aug. 8 and formally open the new Lamar Hunt Super Bowl gallery at the shrine in Canton, Ohio.

Lamar Hunt gallery to open at Pro Football Hall of Fame

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 08:54 CDT

The museum will hold an official ribbon-cutting ceremony on Saturday, Aug. 8 to formally open the new Lamar Hunt Super Bowl Gallery.

Young Chiefs lineman Albert is trying to be a leader

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 22:15 CDT

It wasn’t easy for Branden Albert to sit at the barbecue joint and take a pass on the ribs, the brisket, the pulled pork — everything. It wasn’t easy to keep his mind on a strict offseason diet and exercise plan. But ... “I’m trying to be a leader, and I’m trying to win games. Coach Haley and Scott were on me so hard about: ‘You know what type of guy you can be. So why don’t you be that guy?’ ”

Construction set to begin on Chiefs training camp site

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 07:16 CDT

Construction is scheduled to begin today on the Kansas City Chiefs' summer training camp.

Arrowhead Stadium upgrade on track for opener

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 22:15 CDT

Chiefs fans, take heart. The team may not be quite ready, but your new stadium is progressing toward completion, officials heard Monday. Jim Rowland, executive director of the Jackson County Sports Complex Authority, told the Jackson County Legislature that the stadium should be 70 percent complete for the Kansas City Chiefs’ opener, as planned.

Former Chief Baldinger won't face charges after fatal wreck

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 22:15 CDT

Jackson County authorities said Monday that no criminal charges would be filed against a former Chiefs offensive lineman who was involved in a fatal car accident this weekend. Marilyn L. Walters, 61, of Grain Valley was killed Saturday afternoon when the Saturn in which she was riding was struck by a Dodge driven by Rich Baldinger at the intersection of U.S. 40 and Bowlin Road in eastern Jackson County.

No criminal charges in fatal accident involving former Chiefs player

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 17:16 CDT

Jackson County authorities said today that no criminal charges would be filed against a former Kansas City Chiefs offensive lineman who was involved in a fatal vehicular accident this weekend. Marilyn L. Walters, 61, of Grain Valley was killed Saturday afternoon when the Saturn in which she was riding was struck by a Dodge driven by Rich Baldinger at the intersection of U.S. Highway 40 and Bowlin Road in eastern Jackson County.

Former Chief involved in crash that kills Grain Valley woman

Sat, 27 Jun 2009 22:15 CDT

A 61-year-old Grain Valley woman was killed in a Saturday afternoon crash that involved former Chiefs offensive lineman Rich Baldinger. Marilyn L. Walters was killed when the Saturn she in which she was riding was struck by a Dodge driven by Baldinger at 2:15 p.m. at the intersection of U.S. Highway 40 and Bowlin Road in eastern Jackson County, according to a Missouri Highway Patrol report.

Chiefs running back Savage getting help from someone who's been there

Sat, 27 Jun 2009 22:15 CDT

Perhaps because he was once one himself, Priest Holmes has an affinity for undersized, undrafted Chiefs running backs who previously played for a Big 12 school.

Ravens WR Mason tells Web site he's retiring

Mon, 13 Jul 2009 17:53 CDT

Ravens wide receiver Derrick Mason told a sports Web site on Monday he's retiring from the NFL.

Bucs release QB Griese, sign third-round pick Miller

Mon, 13 Jul 2009 12:09 CDT

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers released quarterback Brian Griese on Monday while also signing defensive tackle Roy Miller, their third-round selection in the 2009 NFL Draft.

Ravens WR Mason announces retirement

Mon, 13 Jul 2009 18:11 CDT

Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Derrick Mason said Monday he considers himself retired, for now.

Patriots sign CB Butler

Mon, 13 Jul 2009 16:01 CDT

The New England Patriots have signed cornerback Darius Butler on Monday.

Jets release veteran TE Franks

Mon, 13 Jul 2009 19:48 CDT

The New York Jets have released veteran tight end Bubba Franks.

Jets release TE Bubba Franks

Mon, 13 Jul 2009 20:06 CDT

The New York Jets released veteran tight end Bubba Franks Monday.

McNair mourned as a ‘hero'

Sat, 11 Jul 2009 22:15 CDT

Titans quarterback Vince Young didn’t expect to speak Saturday during his mentor’s funeral. He wound up summing up the emotional day with just a few words. “Steve was like a hero to me, and heroes are not supposed to die,” Young said before stopping to rub his eyes as he talked about the man he knew from football camps as a teenager and called “Pops” — Steve McNair, his predecessor with the Titans.

Building company says Cowboys' roof was replaced for aesthetics

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 22:15 CDT

DALLAS | The company that built the Dallas Cowboys’ indoor practice facility that collapsed this spring is telling its customers in a letter that the ill-fated fabric structure got a new roof last year because of team concerns about “aesthetics,” not structural problems. “Please be assured that your buildings have been designed, engineered and manufactured to meet or exceed all local applicable building codes,” Nathan Stobbe of Summit Structures LLC wrote.

Family, friends and fans pay tribute to McNair at memorial

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 22:15 CDT

NASHVILLE, Tenn. | Steve McNair’s family, friends, former teammates and coaches gathered Thursday night along with thousands of fans to remember the accomplishments of the slain former NFL quarterback on and off the field. McNair, who was married, was shot to death at his condo early Saturday by his 20-year-old girlfriend, Sahel Kazemi, who then turned the gun on herself.

Doubters motivate former MU quarterback Daniel

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 22:15 CDT

Don’t bother going to Facebook to check out the latest in the life and times of former Missouri star quarterback Chase Daniel. “My Facebook name is not under Chase Daniel,” Daniel said. “I’m in there under an alias.”

Police say McNair's girlfriend shot him in his sleep

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 22:15 CDT

Former NFL star Steve McNair was shot dead in his sleep last week by a 20-year-old girlfriend distraught about mounting financial problems and her belief that he was seeing someone else, Nashville, Tenn., police said Wednesday. Sahel Kazemi “was spinning out of control” when she shot the 36-year-old McNair — a quarterback for the Tennessee Titans most of his career — four times as he dozed on a sofa early Saturday, then turned the gun on herself, police chief Ronal Serpas said.

Albert Pujols: Putting the A in All-Star

Tue, 14 Jul 2009 05:38 CDT

The MachineOf course, we will see if he can single-handedly break a 12-year drought by the NL in the All-Star game tonight. But, if not, it’s about the only thing he hasn’t single-handedly done this season. And, as any MLB fan knows, using the words “this season” in the context of Pujols is overlooking the most amazing first nine-year career in history.read more

Halladay over Greinke is a good call

Mon, 13 Jul 2009 15:48 CDT

Is he the best?I don’t have a vested interest. I only want to have an educated, objective opinion. And, my opinion is that apart from any other bias, I would have chosen Halladay over Greinke to start the All-Star game. Let me begin by saying that Greinke has had a fantastic first half the year (duh) – better than the first halves of any of the previous three KC Cy Young winners – which I have pointed out before on this blog. He’s also the only star – even the only good (with the possible exception of Meche) player the Royals have. As a Royals’ fan, I’d be especially happy to see him start the All-Star game. However, the manager has to choose who is most likely to get six outs. That’s his only concern.read more

Where the Chiefs are starting from

Mon, 13 Jul 2009 13:57 CDT

It's a long way down.We all know the Chiefs have a long way to go. If they ever get there (the "there" being the Super Bowl), Sarah McLachlan will have to write a song about it. The other day, I downloaded my copy of the indispensible 2009 Football Outsiders Almanac, the successor to the Pro Football Prospectus series of the last few years. I skipped down to the Chiefs' chapter and discovered a factoid that is perfectly obvious, but was still something I hadn't quite realized on a conscious level. As we all remember, KC dropped the last nine games of its 2007 NFL season, then followed that with a 2-14 campaign in 2008. That finally resulted in an Arrowhead Stadium version of the storming of the Bastille and a new form of Chiefs government. However, the depths of the team's depravity is stunning. The Chiefs are 2-23 over their last 25 games. Two and freaking 23! Over the last season and a half (plus one) of NFL football, the Chiefs have won only two more games than the Canton Bulldogs. The cheery way to look at this from the standpoint of the Chiefs fan is that there truly is nowhere to go but up. For me, the two-for-25 realization left me to wonder: How often has that happened?read more

Halladay over Greinke is a bad call

Mon, 13 Jul 2009 11:25 CDT

Joe MaddonOther than his eery resemblance to Michael Douglas' character in "Falling Down", I think Rays skipper Joe Maddon is a heck of a baseball manager. However, he blew it today by naming Toronto's Roy Halladay to start for the American League tomorrow over the Royals' Zack Greinke.In the grand scheme of things, it doesn't really mean that much. In fact, if you believe Zack, it doesn't mean anything at all. Either way, he's going to appear early in the All-Star game and will be able to say that he's now in the Midseason Classic fraternity. But, again, Greinke doesn't appear to care about that and perhaps he's right. After all, it's not that exclusive of a fraternity. They let in Ken Harvey and Mark Redman, for goodness sake. The Delta House has a better track record. read more

It's raining gold!

Mon, 13 Jul 2009 02:52 CDT

Things are good in the Land of OzI’m sure you have all been on the edge of your seats wondering what is happening in the Men’s 19 (and under) World Championships and the Women’s World University games. If so, you already know the results. Both won GOLD MEDALS – the Women on Saturday, the men on Sunday. For the women it was their seventh gold in 15 WUG tournaments since 1973. However, for the men, it was their first gold medal since 1991. Both teams went undefeated. As to the local connections…read more

Position-by-position analysis: Quarterbacks

Mon, 13 Jul 2009 14:09 CDT

Remember when, in recent years, Chiefs fans would go into the season wondering who Kansas City's quarterback would be? The last two years packed the most confusion, but even before that, there was a sense that, well, this is as good as it gets. The Chiefs had Steve DeBerg or Elvis Grbac or Trent Green, and that was fine, but it was tough to envision those players becoming Pro Bowlers. Now, heck, anything is possible. The Chiefs acquired Matt Cassel in an offseason trade, and, while he could become a colossal disappointment, he also could be one of the best passers in Chiefs history. No pressure. read more

Former Chiefs trainer Wayne Rudy dies

Mon, 13 Jul 2009 12:19 CDT

The Chiefs announced Monday that the team's first head athletic trainer, Wayne Rudy, died over the weekend in Texas. Rudy spent 24 years in that position after joining the Chiefs/Dallas Texas organization in 1960. He was inducted in 1974 to the National Athletic Trainers Association hall of fame and, 10 years later, into the Missouri Athletic Trainers hall of fame. Rudy was living in Katy, Texas, when he died. Funeral arrangements are pending. read more

Five underrated Chiefs players for the 2009 season

Mon, 13 Jul 2009 11:26 CDT

This Chiefs team still has some things to work on before training camp and lots of things to polish before anyone would call this a playoff-caliber team. Wide receivers and offensive linemen need to be surprises, and the 3-4 defense has to work. The Chiefs also need some players to step up and play better than outsiders might expect. Zach Thomas entered offseason practice as an underrated player, but after he galvanized the defense and established himself as a clear leader, he's not underrated anymore. Tomorrow, we'll write who we think are a few of the Chiefs' overrated players -- yep, there are some whose importance and role have been exaggerated -- but as you might have noticed, we like to be optimistic on Mondays. read more

Another shooting

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 14:14 CDT

Less than a week after the senseless murder of Steve McNair, a San Diego Chargers rookie running back from Philadelphia is hospitalized after being shot in his car at a suburban intersection. Curtis Brinkley is in stable condition in the intensive care unit at Albert Einstein Medical Center in Philadelphia. An uncle, Gregory Brinkley, told WPVI-TV that he was able to talk with relatives on the phone. read more

Former Chiefs trainer Rudy dies at 88

Mon, 13 Jul 2009 22:15 CDT

Wayne Rudy, the original athletic trainer for the Kansas City Chiefs, has died at his home in Katy, Texas. He was 88. Rudy spent 24 years with the Chiefs, dating to the franchise’s founding in 1960 as the Dallas Texans until his retirement after the 1983 season.