Monthly Archives: June 2018
Sports’ REAL Sweet Sixteen
The World Cup knockout stage begins tomorrow. The first matches in the round of 16 are Uruguay vs. Portugal in Sochi and France vs. Argentina at Kazan.
Three of the world’s best players will be on display tomorrow. Luis Suarez (Uruguay) and Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) go head-to-head, while Lionel Messi will look to keep Argentina alive for its first championship since 1986, when Diego Maradona dominated the tournament in Mexico.
In fact, today is the 32nd anniversary of Argentina’s 3-2 victory over West Germany in the 1986 World Cup final. Argentina maybe should not have been there, thanks to Maradona’s handball goal vs. England in the quarterfinals, now referred to around the world as the “Hand of God” goal.
Argentina struggled in Group D, playing to a 1-1 draw vs. Iceland in its first match after Messi was stopped on a penalty kick, then falling 3-0 to Croatia. Somehow, the South American side did enough to get through, as a 2-1 victory over Nigeria pushed them to four points, while Nigeria was stuck on three.
Europe and South America have all but two spots in the round of 16. The interlopers are Mexico (CONCACAF) and Japan (AFC), which advanced as the second place team from Group H over Senegal on something called FIFA Fair Play points.
For those of you less invested in association football, here’s what happened.
Japan and Senegal ended the group play with one win, one draw and one loss. Wins are three points, draws are one, so that left each side with four points.
The first tiebreaker is goal differential. Japan and Senegal each had a goal differential of zero. That’s no good.
The next tiebreaker is goals scored. As it turned out, each nation scored four goals in the group stage.
Head-to-head is the next tiebreaker, but a 1-1 draw rendered that moot.
Prior to 2018, had this situation occurred, a coin toss would have been conducted to determine which team went through.
However, FIFA decided after the 2014 World Cup that there should be more competition factors involved in tiebreakers before the coin toss would be necessary.
Therefore, the FIFA executive committee came up with a fair play formula, which would penalize teams for yellow and red cards accumulated. Here’s the breakdown:
- yellow card–minus 1 point
- second yellow card leading to red card–minus 3 points
- straight red card–minus 4 points
- yellow and straight red–minus 5
Senegal picked up two yellows in its first match vs. Poland, while Japan had one in its opener with Colombia.
The countries then met head-to-head in the second match of the group stage. Through the first 89 minutes, each county accumulated one yellow. But in the final minute of regulation plus stoppage time, Italian referee Gianluca Rocchi issued three, two to Senegal.
Heading into the final group stage matches, Senegal trailed minus-5 to minus-3 on fair play points. Of course, the African side could take care of business itself by defeating Colombia, which would have sent Senegal through regardless of the outcome of Japan vs. Poland.
Senegal’s M’Biyae Niang picked up his country’s sixth yellow card of the tournament in the 51st minute. The game was still scoreless, so hope was not lost.
Meanwhile, Poland took a 1-0 lead in the 59th minute on a goal Jan Bednarek. Several minutes later, Colombia got on the board in the 74th minute courtesy of Yerra Mina.
With 20 minutes plus stoppage time remaining in its match, Japan gave up the ghost. Poland was only too happy to oblige, since it had no chance to advance.
Therefore, Senegal, called one of the most exciting teams of the 32 in the field by most commentators, would be on a flight back to Dakar the next morning, while Japan remained in Russia to prep for Monday’s match with Belgium.
It’s a tough way to go for Senegal, but all it had to do was earn a draw vs. Colombia and it would still be playing, and Africa would still be in the tournament.
I expect it will be down to Europe and South America by 1500 CT Monday.
Mexico’s 3-0 loss to Sweden in its final group match forced it into a matchup with Brazil, which is hungry to prove its 7-1 embarrassment by Germany in the 2014 semifinals at Belo Horizonte was a one-time fluke and not an irreversible trend.
Japan has next to no chance against Belgium, which looked mighty good in its group matches, including a 3-0 dispatch of England Thursday.
Here’s how I’m thinking the knockout round goes:
ROUND OF 16
- Portugal over Uruguay (Ronaldo is the best in the world, period)
- France over Argentina (Messi won’t rescue his country this time)
- Brazil over Mexico (tough luck, Landon Donovan; CONCACAF is a third-rate federation compared to UEFA and CONMEBOL)
- Belgium over Japan (second most one-sided match of the round of 16; the next match is the most one-sided)
- Spain over Russia (that Russia is in the knockout round is an absolute joke)
- Croatia over Denmark (there is a lot of buzz on the streets of Zagreb, and with good reason)
- Sweden over Switzerland (a lot of commentators are picking the Swiss. Can’t go against the Swedes after impressive display vs. Mexico)
- England over Colombia (should be a great match)
QUARTERFINALS
- Portugal over France (Ronaldo too much for les bleus)
- Brazil advances over Belgium on penalty kicks (this match is a prime example of why FIFA should conduct a random draw before each knockout round prior to the final)
- Croatia over Spain in extra time (should be a great showcase for European football)
- England over Sweden (first time in the semis since 1990 for the Three Lions)
SEMIFINALS
- Brazil over Portugal (a man vs. a team. The team wins)
- Croatia over England (crying in the pubs of London, Liverpool, Manchester and all other points)
FINAL
- Brazil over Croatia (redemption is complete)
Trying to beat the obscene heat
Just got back home after making a quick visit to the post office and gas station.
Yes, that’s right. I made those stops around 0430 (4:30 a.m. for those uninitiated to military time).
I have no desire to venture outside in the middle of the afternoon right now. To call it hot would be a gross understatement.
It is ridiculously unbearable in all corners of Kansas right now. Temperatures today are expected to be well over 100 Fahrenheit for the third straight day. The AccuWeather app on my phone gives me temperatures in Celsius (I set it up that way), and when I saw 40 as the temperature the last two days, I knew it was brutal out there.
The heat index was far worse the farther east you went. At one point yesterday, the heat index reached 116 F (46.7 C) in Topeka. For as long as I lived in Louisiana, the heat index rarely got that high.
It had to be hell on all of those dressed in suits who work for the state of Kansas. I hate wearing suits, period. I would not want to wear one in the summer. In fact, had Lisa’s wedding in St. Louis been in June or July and not October, I may very well have passed.
Any heat index above 110 F (43.3 C) is deadly. If it’s this bad in late July and throughout August, there will be football players who will encounter serious problems. Some may die. That would be a crying shame, because no football coach should ever put his needs above those of the young men (and a few ladies) he oversees.
Some love to point out more people die in the cold than the heat. But last I checked, you can put on layer after layer to guard against the cold. You can’t go outside naked in the heat, unless you are at a place where nudity is allowed. And there aren’t many of those places on the planet.
Yesterday’s hottest heat index in Russell was 104 F (40 C), which was only one degree above the actual high temperature. The heat index was 109 F (42.8 C) Wednesday. I was smart enough to make sure I got back from Hays by 1100 to ensure I didn’t have to deal with the heat any longer than I had to.
Fueling your car before sunrise is actually a good thing to do in the summer. Ozone is released every time a car is fueled, and those effects are multiplied when the temperatures are warmer. When I lived in Baton Rouge, it was not uncommon for the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality to issue ozone alerts for the city and the surrounding areas.
One of the suggestions the DEQ always makes on those days is to not fuel cars between sunrise and sunset. I heeded that advice this morning, although Casey’s at the corner of Maple and Wichita was closed, so I had to go to the Great Bend Co-op station on US 281. Now I don’t have to worry about it Tuesday when I return to see Dr. Jones.
Dr. Jones found something in my right eye during my exam Tuesday. She put me on prescription drops and is having me come back to check my progress.
I’ve got to stop eating sugar, although I have been drinking Gatorade recently. I bought the Gatorade before my appointment with Dr. Jones, where she harped on me to watch my blood sugar. She’s right, I need to watch it carefully.
As bad as the Kansas heat has been Eureka went through much worse Tuesday when an EF-3 tornado struck the Greenwood County city, causing much damage. The high school was destroyed. There is a tie between Russell and Eureka as Sean Spoonts, who was Russell High’s athletic director for three years (2013-16) is now in the same position at Eureka. Hopefully they are okay.
Lazy Friday ahead. No World Cup, because the group stage ended yesterday and the knockout rounds begin tomorrow. The College World Series is over. There is a full slate of Major League Baseball, but only one game matters, since the Red Sox and Yankees are playing this weekend. THANK GOD the Braves and Cardinals will be the Fox game of the week in Kansas.
The worst thing in the sports world will come later tonight when it’s expected LeBron will opt out of the final year of his contract with the Cavaliers and become a free agent.
I hear enough about LeBron during the NBA season. Every time I have to hear about him outside of game action is a time too much.
High of “only” 100 F (37.8 C) expected in Russell today. Won’t matter to me. I’m done venturing outside today. And probably for tomorrow, Sunday and Monday as well.
LSU getting new company?
The 72nd edition of the MEN’S (that’s the NCAA insisting the women be given equal footing) College World Series has been plagued by rain. Omaha isn’t New Orleans when it comes to precipitation, but it gets quite a bit more than some locales (Hays and Russell come to mind first for me), and there is a chance Mother Nature will intervene.
She did this week, forcing the winner’s bracket games of Monday (Mississippi State-North Carolina) and Tuesday (Arkansas-Texas Tech) to be pushed back a day. The CWS is back on track after Oregon State defeated the Tar Heels last night to send UNC back to Chapel Hill.
The Beavers now must defeat MIssissippi State twice to advance to the championship series. Last year, Oregon STate was in the driver’s seat in bracket one, only to lose twice to LSU, the team the Beavers beat in the second round.
Arkansas holds the upper hand in bracket two after defeating the Red Raiders. The Razorbacks are 2-0 in their Southwest Conference reunion tour, having defeated former archrival Texas Sunday. The Hogs await Florida or Texas Tech tomorrow.
If the Bulldogs and Razorbacks each advance, it will guarantee the SEC will crown its sixth national champion in baseball. The winner would join Georgia (1990), South Carolina (2010, ’11), Vanderbilt (2014), Florida (2017) and some other school which has won six. Of course, the Gators could also repeat and keep the crown in the SEC, but keep the number of schools to win it at five.
That school which has won six is, of course, my alma mater. The Bayou Bengals won it all in 1991, ’93, ’96, ’97 and 2000 under Skip Bertman, then added the sixth in 2009 under Paul Mainieri.
Arkansas and Mississippi State, like the other four schools in the SEC West NOT named LSU, have none. This is particularly galling for Texas A&M, whose two most bitter rivals, LSU and Texas, have six apiece.
The Bulldogs reached the championship series in 2013, only to be swept by UCLA. It is surprising to a lot of people State hasn’t won it all given the school’s rich baseball tradition. Baseball in Starkville was a huge deal long before the other nine schools got with the program. LSU got with it when Bertman arrived in 1984, and then the rest followed suit, although it took the likes of Kentucky and Vanderbilt into the new millennium to finally be up to full speed.
Mississippi State’s run this year has been nothing short of sensational. The Bulldogs suffered an embarrassing sweep by Southern Miss in Hattiesburg to open the season, and less than 48 hours later, coach Andy Cannizaro, a former LSU assistant who played in the CWS for Tulane in 2001, was forced to resign.
It was revealed Cannizaro carried on an affair with a female staffer in the Bulldogs’ football office. The woman apparently dropped the bombshell after she left Starkville to join her boss, Dan Mullen, at Florida.
It was bad enough Cannizaro cheated on his wife. It was much, much, much worse that he cheated on his wife while she was pregnant. Geez, keep it in your pants!
Gary Henderson, who once was in charge at Kentucky, was named interim coach by State athletic director John Cohen, himself a former Bulldog coach and standout player. The Bulldogs had a losing record through the first half of the season, but recovered well, ending the regular season by sweeping Florida in Starkville.
The Bulldogs were one-and-done in the SEC tournament courtesy of LSU, then lost 20-10 to Oklahoma in the first game of the regional at Tallahassee.
However, State came all the way back through the loser’s bracket, then won a scintillating three-game super regional at Vanderbilt, scoring four runs in the top of th 11th of the deciding game.
In Omaha, the Bulldogs won 1-0 vs. Washington, scoring the lone run in the bottom of the ninth, before pounding the Tar Heels 12-2.
The Razorbacks had a strong tradition in the Southwest Conference under Norm DeBriyn. For most of the late 1970s and 1980s, the Razorbacks, Longhorns and Aggies held the SWC lock, stock and barrel in baseball, with the others far, far behind. It became so hopeless SMU dropped the sport in the mid-1980s, not long before the NCAA handed the Mustang football program the death penalty.
Once Arkansas left for the SEC in 1992, the fortunes of the rest of the SWC, especially Rice, went up, while the Razorbacks struggled mightily against LSU and Mississippi State in the SEC, and were also well behind Auburn. Alabama soon caught and passed the Razorbacks when it hired Jim Wells in 1995, leaving Arkansas battling Ole Miss for the bottom of the West.
Dave Van Horn, who led Nebraska to the College World Series in 2001 and ’02, returned to Fayetteville, where he played for DeBriyn, and immediately returned Arkansas to national prominence. Arkansas has been a consistent presence in Omaha since 2004, but has yet to break through and reach the finals.
Arkansas is now one win away from its first championship series, and its first trip to the final since 1979, when DeBriyn’s Hogs lost 2-1 to Cal State Fullerton, which was coached by a young fellow named Augie Garrido.
The Razorbacks’ road to Omaha wasn’t as dramatic as that of the Bulldogs, although Arkansas had to win a third game in its super regional vs South Carolina.
I’ve postulated about whom LSU fans would root for in an All-SEC championship series. If it’s State vs. Florida, I’d say the Bulldogs, because (a) State is in the West and Florida the East and (b) the Gators beat the Bayou Bengals in last year’s final. If it’s the all-west final, I don’t know, but I’d lean to State. Some LSU fans still wish Arkansas would have gone to the Big 12 instead of the SEC. But that cat is out of the bag.
LSU fans should stand and cheer if either Arkansas or Mississippi State (or even Florida) wins it all. It would again reinforce the SEC as college baseball’s sine qua non. Then again, Oregon State did outscore LSU 26-1 in two regional games. Unless Texas Tech somehow pulls it off, the Bayou Bengals can take pride in knowing they’ve gone up against the best once again in 2018.
2026 World Cup sites? ROOF ME!
The 2018 FIFA World Cup (it is trademarked) began yesterday in Russia. The host nation obliterated Saudi Arabia 5-0. The host nation has kicked off the World Cup every tournament since 2002, and while the groups for the World Cup are randomly drawn, the organizers always try to give the host nation an opponent perceived to be the weakest among the other three in Group A (the host nation is automatically drawn as position “A1”; this will be Qatar in 2022 and probably the United States in 2026).
Kansas City’s powerful sports talk radio station, WHB (810 AM), talked about the World Cup and association football quite a bit yesterday. The big news locally was Kansas City is one of 17 cities across America which are still in the running to host World Cup matches in 2026 when the event comes to North America. The U.S. will host 60 of the 80 matches, including all matches beginning with the quarterfinals. Canada will host 10 matches in Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver, and Mexico will host 10 in Mexico City and two other locales.
If it were up to me, all American sites would be in northern climates and/or have a roof (retractable or fixed).
The Cardinals’ stadium in Arizona, the Cowboys’ stadium in north Texas and the Texans’ stadium in Houston would all be easy picks, since not only do those stadiums have a retractable roof, but all can easily accommodate a full-sized FIFA field, which is 105 meters long by 68 meters wide (approximately 115 by 75 for those who hate the metric system).
Kansas City’s Arrowhead Stadium cannot fit the 105×68 field. It would have to cut some seating in the end zones to make it work. It isn’t a bad idea anyway, since Arrowhead’s seating capacity of 79,000, give or take a few hundred, is too much for a market of its size. Arrowhead would be just fine in the 65,000-70,000 range.
However, I do not think Kansas City is an appropriate choice. Go outside today and see why. As Kool and the Gang crooned in 1980, TOO HOT.
Back to my picks. I’ve already identified Arizona, north Texas and Houston.
New York City may be hot and humid in the summer, but it’s got to be better than Orlando or Miami. You can’t possibly leave off out one of the world’s ten largest cities, the world’s most diverse city, and the epicenter of media. MetLife Stadium, home of the Giants and Jets, is the obvious choice.
Los Angeles also has to be in the equation. In fact, three stadiums in the area could be used: Rose Bowl (Pasadena), Coliseum (south central Los Angeles) and the new stadium in Inglewood being built for the Rams and Chargers. I’ll go with the Rose Bowl and one of the other two sites.
Gillette Stadium, home of the Belichick/Brady evil empire in Massachusetts, is a fine choice.
Chicago has to be on the list. It was fantastic as a host in 1994 and it will be even better now that Soldier Field has been modernized.
Atlanta has proven it can fit the FIFA-sized field inside its Mercedes-Benz Stadium, which has that retractable roof. You’re good.
So far, that brings my list to nine. Who would get the last bid?
If there is a good way to install grass indoors, then I would seriously consider New Orleans, Detroit and Minneapolis.
My native city would be my first choice among the three. Yes, there is a bit of homer in that choice, but also the Superdome in my humble opinion is a superior facility to Ford Field and US Bank Stadium, and there is so much for the international visitors to see and do in the Crescent City.
Indianapolis? I don’t know if it can fit the FIFA-sized field in Lucas Oil Stadium. If so, it is perfect since it is centrally located and excels at hosting sporting events on a large scale. Also, the retractable roof is a big plus in my book.
Denver? Great city but would some nations balk at playing at altitude (4,850 meters)? And wouldn’t the Rockies balk about the possibility of a three-week road trip during the middle of the MLB season?
As for the altitude argument, TOUGH. If you’re that worried, see if the University of Wyoming will let you train in Laramie, where it is 6,600 meters. South American countries have it worse when they have to play in Bolivia, where La Paz is above 10,000 meters, the highest capital city on earth.
Seattle? Isolated but a great association football city. I’d rank it above Minneapolis and Detroit, but behind Denver.
San Francisco (49ers stadium in Santa Clara)? Again, great cosmopolitan city. However, traffic between San Francisco and Santa Clara is a nightmare on a good day. On a bad day? Good luck.
Okay here’s my 10 in order of preference:
- Glendale, Ariz. (University of Phoenix Stadium)
- Arlington, Texas (AT&T Stadium)
- Houston (NRG Stadium)
- East Rutherford, N.J. (MetLife Stadium)
- Foxborough, Mass. (Gillette Stadium)
- Pasadena, Calif. (Rose Bowl)
- Los Angeles (Coliseum)
- Chicago (Soldier Field)
- Atlanta (Mercedes-Benz Stadium)
- New Orleans (Mercedes-Benz Superdome)
The next group in order of preference:
- Indianapolis (Lucas Oil Stadium)
- Denver (Mile High)
- Seattle (CenturyLink Field)
- Detroit (Ford Field)
- Minneapolis (US Bank Stadium)
- Santa Clara (Levi’s Stadium)
Uruguay and Egypt are scoreless through 64 minutes. What’s wrong, Uruguay? That’s ridiculous.
KC in the rearview mirror–for now
I am back in Russell. Actually, I’ve been back a little more than 25 hours. I arrived at 1224 North Brooks at 9:05 yesterday morning. I went straight to bed because I did not sleep the night before. I wanted to get home before it got really hot. I did that and I slept most of yesterday.
I would be sleeping a lot today, but I have to go to Hays to see Crista at 2. I need this. REALLY need this.
The days in Kansas City were a total mixed bag.
THE BAD
The hotel in Liberty
If you read my last blog post, you would know I was upset by not being able to turn the thermostat below 65. I lived with it.
If I ever go back there again, I won’t go in the summer, nor will I ask for a larger room, because the air conditioning has a very hard time cooling a large space like that. It was larger than my room in the basement in Russell, and the air conditioning struggled very badly.
Also, the faucet did not flow very much in the guise of trying to conserve water. I am used to a full flow. However, the water was hot.
Even worse, I discovered I left my mouse and trackball for my laptop in the room when I got back to Russell. Using the touchpad is a pain in the butt! I hate it. I am going to Walmart this afternoon to get a mouse. I cannot take it.
The driving and traffic
I learned once again why staying in Platte County and not Clay is much better for me on my visits.
Missouri Highway 152, which connects I-435 and the Zona Rosa area to Liberty, is always a pain in the butt to drive. There are several red lights in Clay County, and if you get stuck at one, it adds time to the drive.
I hate stop and go driving, so I burned the gas and took the Terpsichorean route of I-35 south to I-29 north then back towards Barry Road. At least there are two good convenience store stops on I-35, the QuikTrip at Pleasant Valley Road and the 7-Eleven on Antioch. It may have been longer time wise, but I kept moving.
The drive to the spa was no better. Had to go through downtown, and with I-70 west of Broadway demolished for reconstruction, traffic is that much worse. If i had stayed in Platte County, I could have gone 635 to Metcalf and then Metcalf to 75th to the spa. Live and learn.
THE GOOD
The back wax
Yes it was painful, but Andrea, the lovely lady who took care of me at the salon in Prairie Village, was very patient and very kind. She made me feel much better about it. When I finally got a look at it the next morning, I felt that much better. I have to go back in late July/early August, but now I know what to expect.
I originally wanted to get my chest waxed, but Andrea suggested I hold off, and if I really wanted to do it when I came back later in the summer, she would. But so far, I am very happy with having a hairless back.
Lunch before the back wax
I ate at Joe’s Kansas City BBQ for the first time. Robb has been drooling about the place to me for quite some time, so I decided to give it a shot, since its location at 47th and Mission in south KCK was on the way to the salon.
If the line was out the door, as it is on many days, I would have passed. However, I found a parking spot, and when I walked in, the line was quite short. Therefore, I ordered half a slab of ribs and potato salad.
Best ribs I’ve ever eaten. The meat was so tender it fell right off the bone when I first took a knife to it. Then I discovered I didn’t need the knife due to the tenderness. The sauce at the table, Joe’s original and a spicy brand from Cowtown, added flavor to an already delicious dish.
The potato salad was great. And that’s coming from a guy who hardly eats potato salad.
Joe’s was so awesome I went to the location on Roe Avenue in Leawood following my back wax to pick up some brisket, as well as beans and potato salad. I ate it for breakfast the next two days. It was just that good.
Next time I’m there, I think I’ll fast for a day or two and then pig out on pork, sausage, ham and turkey to get the full experience. I also need to bring back potato salad for my parents. They love that stuff.
Two of my favorite bartenders
I began the trip by visiting Dana Tenpenney at Brewtop. That did me a lot of good. I don’t get to see her enough. Not to mention the food at Brewtop is pretty good.
I ended by visiting Minsky’s. I spent a few hours there, and it was pretty good. Had a great pizza and played lots of trivia to make up for the two months I didn’t.
Lindsay Harris wasn’t there when I first got there. She was running in some sort of extreme 10-kilometer race in Lexington (not the one John Calipari calls home), but she came in at 5. She was glad to see me and told me I had better not go four months without seeing her again.
THE REALLY, REALLY GOOD
No more NBA–at least until October
Had Cleveland won once at home, Game 5 of the NBA Finals would be tonight. Thankfully, the Warriors swept, and now I don’t have to hear about the NBA for a while, at least about games.
The Capitals won!
The Stanley Cup now resides in the capital of the United States of America and not Sin City. That’s a big win in my book. I vomited enough to fill the Missouri River after the Lightning, Hurricanes and Ducks won the Cup in recent years. I was prepared to the same if the Predators won last year and if Vega$ did this year.
Where I wasn’t
It could have been much, much, much worse than Kansas City. I could have been sweating my brains out in Beloit covering the 8-man football all-star doubleheader. I hated those games. Really hated them. And I still do, even though I don’t have to be there. You don’t want to know some of the things I have to say about the coaches who put this on. The kids who are out there are braver than I could ever hope to be.
Hays, I’m on my way. I need you, Crista!
Return to the eastern fronta
After 104 days away, I am back in Kansas City.
I made a huge mistake by booking a room at the new TownePlace Suites in Liberty. The traffic on Missouri Highway 152 is bad enough, but I knew about that going in.
The hotel will not let guests set the air conditioner lower than 65 degrees.
I thought seriously about going down to the front desk and blowing my top, but I haven’t. I did tell them I did not like the fact I couldn’t set my thermostat lower than 65. I understand the idea about conserving energy, but a hotel should be about the comfort of the guests, not saving a few dollars here and there by not allowing guests to set their thermostat to 60 if they want.
I’m going to see if the room is any cooler when I get back this evening. If it isn’t, you can bet that hotel will be on my blacklist.
I don’t like that there is a bathtub and not a stand-up shower, but I can live. I can also live with no fold-out rack for my suitcase.
I’m thinking seriously about going to Target and getting a fan just like the one I bought for my room in Russell last month. It won’t go to waste because I’d use it in the basement.
The good thing about that location is more choices for dining. Zaxby’s isn’t too far and Chick-Fil-A is right across Highway 152. Plus there are grocery stores galore in the area.
Right now I’m at Brewtop in the Shops at Ambassador. I wanted to see Dana Tenpenney, whom I first met five years ago when she was working at Buffalo Wild Wings. Her husband, Ronald Groves, was finishing up lunch when I walked in. Dana is one of the many Buffalo Wild Wings alums I don’t get to see enough of. I had a black and bleu burger which was excellent.
I’m meeting Robb at 4:30 at Buffalo Wild Wings. I’m wondering what kind of reception I’ll get there. I have been to Buffalo Wild Wings twice, both in Salina, since my last visit in Kansas City February 18, which was also the last time I saw Dawn.
It has been exactly two months since I’ve played Buzztime trivia. That has to be a record since I became a religious player in May 2013.
The Royals don’t play until 9:05 tonight since they’re in Anaheim. Means Buffalo Wild Wings won’t be so bad. And the NBA Finals are off too. God I hope the Warriors just end this stupid thing in Cleveland. I’ve had enough of LeBron James this, LeBron that, LeBron blah blah blah LeBron blah blah blah blah blah
Foots Prints 