The Chiefs 2007 season is over, thankfully, and now the organization can get down to cleaning house, whether it be in management, coaching or personnel. Carl Peterson told the media after yesterday's dismal 13-10 overtime loss to the NY Jets that he would retain his position as GM/President/CEO/Emperor of the team. Money Quote: "Clark has his thoughts and he expresses them to me, but it’s just not his way to make them public all the time." Or ever. Kevin Keitzman on WHB 810 today does not think the matter is settled just because Carl Peterson says it is, and there has been speculation that Clark Hunt will speak to the media in the coming week. Also, "Edwards indicated that if he made changes to his coaching staff, they would come this week." Two coaches that are definitely on the hot seat are offensive coordinator Mike Solari and special teams coach Mike Priefer. I wouldn't expect either to return, at least not in their present positions. The Ravens sacked Brian Billick today, leaving the former Vikings offensive coordinator available. According to Lions Insider, Mike Martz will likely not return as the offensive coordinator for the Lions. I'm mentioning these firings as food for thought, although I can't see Martz's offensive strategy gelling with Herm Edwards' ball control philosophy.
The only good that came out of Sunday's loss is a higher draft pick for the Chiefs as they surpassed the Jets in the draft order. Now the worst the Chiefs can draft is fifth, with a possibility of drafting fourth. The Chiefs, the Falcons and the Raiders are all tied at 4-12 for the season. The next tie-breaker is strength of schedule, but in this case the teams are also tied, with their opponents' records standing at 132-124. The Raiders and Chiefs split their AFC West series this season, but the Chiefs ended up having a better record against common opponents than the Raiders, so the Raiders and Falcons will flip for the third pick. In the case that Atlanta losses said coin flip, the Falcons will participate in another coin toss, this time with the Chiefs for the fourth draft pick. These coin tosses will take place at the NFL scouting combine in February.
Now the question becomes: What do we do with a possible fourth pick in the 2008 draft? Taking an offensive tackle seems to be the accepted wisdom, and Michigan's Jake Long is the highest rated player at the position according to "draft experts." Will Jake Long be available at the fourth, or fifth pick? Other players being hyped as top five picks are Arkansas running back Darren McFadden, LSU D. Tackle Glenn Dorsey, Boston College quarterback Matt Ryan and Virginia Defensive End Chris Long. In addition to his rant about Peterson in his WHB 810 "Between the Lines" monologue, Keitzman also lamented the fact that the Chiefs will not go after a top quarterback prospect out of college and develop him into an NFL franchise quarterback. Now would be the time for the Chiefs to reverse that trend, he contended. Keitzman admitted he had no confidence in Croyle and did not see anything this season to make him wait for a later draft to take a franchise quarterback. According to Keitzman's logic, this is the year to take a quarterback because it is rare to find three quarterbacks worthy of a top 10 pick -- Ryan, Louisville's Brian Bohm and Kentucky's Andre Woodson. Others complain that there is no sure-fire stand-out in this year's crop, but Keitzman would rather the Chiefs try and fail than skip over a quarterback for a offensive tackle or other position player. I agree with Keitzman that Croyle doesn't seem to be a super bowl quarterback, maybe a good back-up at some point, but definitely not an elite NFL quarterback. He's got a strong arm, no denying that, but his decision-making, accuracy and durability are too big of obstacles to get over with arm strength alone. I will analyze the Chiefs draft options as the off-season rolls on, but next, on to the Herm Edwards' apologists and their answer to critics who claim Herm doesn't care enough about offense and offensive personnel to win a super bowl.
Monday, December 31, 2007
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Wakarusa Music Festival
I think it maybe a little premature to start selling tickets for a festival that is yet to have a home.
According to the Lawrence Journal World, Festival CEO Brett Moisman lobbied the Jefferson County Commisioners to host the festival on the private land of the Circle S Ranch and Country Inn but was turned down by a vote of 2-1. Those voting against the festival in Jefferson County cited security concerns over the lack of infrastructure in the case of an emergency. Jefferson County citizens in a surprise move attended and were in a tizzy about drugs and alcohol — namely the "freak factor" and how it could affect their kids.
One wonders why they don't automatically renew at Clinton Lake State Park. After all, the park is Wakarusa Music Festival. In my mind it is very difficult to separate the one from the other. I've heard rumors that Moisman and his operation are looking towards Wyandotte County now to host the festival. What has been reported is that the festival seeks a multi-year contract with the state to host the event at Clinton Lake with a few additional benefits not granted in the four previous years. First, they want to increase the capacity of the event by 3,000 people a year from last year's cap of 15,000 to 24,000 in 2010. Second, Moisman and crew wants to secure a catering license so they can upgrade from the 3.2% water schwill to more potent beers and wines. Another request would be more flexibility in determining how much law enforcement is necessary and finding the right mix of law enforcement and private security contractors. Other language in the letter sent to Governor Sebelius and the Department of Wildlife and Parks Secretary Mike Hayden calls for improvements to park infrastructure, more latitude on hosting non-musical entertainment and restriction of the public driving through the festival to use boat ramps and the lake without paying. The full text of the letter can be accessed here.
It seems obvious to me that the Wakarusa organizers are shopping other venues for the festival as a bargaining chip to get Lawrence to move forward on the new multi-year contract. Lawrence politicians probably have a lot of sway over in Topeka and don't want other counties moving in on their festival, even though no other county seems to want it at the moment. I think it is irresponsible that the website is now selling ticket packages without a definite site secured for the festival. Maybe falling back on Clinton Lake with a one-year contract that caps attendance at 15,000 is the worst case scenario, but I find it difficult to entrust my $100+ to a festival without a home. It does seem like Douglas County wants the festival to return again. I will attend next year when a location is finalized. The music lineup will be announced in January.
According to the Lawrence Journal World, Festival CEO Brett Moisman lobbied the Jefferson County Commisioners to host the festival on the private land of the Circle S Ranch and Country Inn but was turned down by a vote of 2-1. Those voting against the festival in Jefferson County cited security concerns over the lack of infrastructure in the case of an emergency. Jefferson County citizens in a surprise move attended and were in a tizzy about drugs and alcohol — namely the "freak factor" and how it could affect their kids.
One wonders why they don't automatically renew at Clinton Lake State Park. After all, the park is Wakarusa Music Festival. In my mind it is very difficult to separate the one from the other. I've heard rumors that Moisman and his operation are looking towards Wyandotte County now to host the festival. What has been reported is that the festival seeks a multi-year contract with the state to host the event at Clinton Lake with a few additional benefits not granted in the four previous years. First, they want to increase the capacity of the event by 3,000 people a year from last year's cap of 15,000 to 24,000 in 2010. Second, Moisman and crew wants to secure a catering license so they can upgrade from the 3.2% water schwill to more potent beers and wines. Another request would be more flexibility in determining how much law enforcement is necessary and finding the right mix of law enforcement and private security contractors. Other language in the letter sent to Governor Sebelius and the Department of Wildlife and Parks Secretary Mike Hayden calls for improvements to park infrastructure, more latitude on hosting non-musical entertainment and restriction of the public driving through the festival to use boat ramps and the lake without paying. The full text of the letter can be accessed here.
It seems obvious to me that the Wakarusa organizers are shopping other venues for the festival as a bargaining chip to get Lawrence to move forward on the new multi-year contract. Lawrence politicians probably have a lot of sway over in Topeka and don't want other counties moving in on their festival, even though no other county seems to want it at the moment. I think it is irresponsible that the website is now selling ticket packages without a definite site secured for the festival. Maybe falling back on Clinton Lake with a one-year contract that caps attendance at 15,000 is the worst case scenario, but I find it difficult to entrust my $100+ to a festival without a home. It does seem like Douglas County wants the festival to return again. I will attend next year when a location is finalized. The music lineup will be announced in January.
Thursday, December 06, 2007
Winter's First Snow
Here's some news items for December 6, 2007:
* First snow of the year. We are supposed to get between 1-4 inches of snow, but I can see right now that the major roads are cleared and just saw a city plow steaming down Warwick [4PM].
* The Royals signed former Mariner outfielder Jose Guillen to a 3-year, $36 million contract, but he will not play for the first 15 games because of a suspension handed down today by Major League baseball for his purchase of human growth hormone. Royals GM Dayton Moore was in hot pursuit of a power hitting outfielder and looked closely at Guillen, Andruw Jones and Torii Hunter, but the other two signed more lucrative contracts with other teams. In Jones' case, he also signed a $36 million deal, but his contract only spans two years with his new club, the LA Dodgers. Moore has made clear that he will have no trouble spending Glass' Wal-Mart fortune to build a contender here in KC. But was Guillen a worthwhile recipient of this money considering his age--31. The suspension is unfortunate, but 15 games was obviously not a deal killer.
* Another Royals' note (is this really December?): The Royals will be sporting the old powder blue uniforms again. The most recent manifestation, however, will have them wearing the powder blues at home instead of on the road and with white pants. Why they couldn't just resurrect the full powder blue uniforms is beyond me.
* The new jamband music club, Crosstown Station, is set to open on December 14 at its McGee St. location across Truman Road from the Sprint Center. And what better band to christen the jamband junction than California Voodoo, Kansas City's very own Widespread Panic cover band. www.crosstownstation.com
* Go see some jazz tonight. The Sons of Brasil play at Jardine's, going from 8:30 PM to 12:30 AM.
* First snow of the year. We are supposed to get between 1-4 inches of snow, but I can see right now that the major roads are cleared and just saw a city plow steaming down Warwick [4PM].
* The Royals signed former Mariner outfielder Jose Guillen to a 3-year, $36 million contract, but he will not play for the first 15 games because of a suspension handed down today by Major League baseball for his purchase of human growth hormone. Royals GM Dayton Moore was in hot pursuit of a power hitting outfielder and looked closely at Guillen, Andruw Jones and Torii Hunter, but the other two signed more lucrative contracts with other teams. In Jones' case, he also signed a $36 million deal, but his contract only spans two years with his new club, the LA Dodgers. Moore has made clear that he will have no trouble spending Glass' Wal-Mart fortune to build a contender here in KC. But was Guillen a worthwhile recipient of this money considering his age--31. The suspension is unfortunate, but 15 games was obviously not a deal killer.
* Another Royals' note (is this really December?): The Royals will be sporting the old powder blue uniforms again. The most recent manifestation, however, will have them wearing the powder blues at home instead of on the road and with white pants. Why they couldn't just resurrect the full powder blue uniforms is beyond me.
* The new jamband music club, Crosstown Station, is set to open on December 14 at its McGee St. location across Truman Road from the Sprint Center. And what better band to christen the jamband junction than California Voodoo, Kansas City's very own Widespread Panic cover band. www.crosstownstation.com
* Go see some jazz tonight. The Sons of Brasil play at Jardine's, going from 8:30 PM to 12:30 AM.
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