SportsBeat KC

Could the Chiefs trade up in the first round? What went into the Tyreek Hill trade, and the decision to not re-sign Tyrann Mathieu before last season? Chiefs general manager Brett Veach addressed those topics and more at his annual pre-draft press conference. The Chiefs own 12 picks, two in each of the first four rounds, in the draft that begins next Thursday, so where was plenty to discuss. You’l...

It’s a brave new world for major college athletics. Name, image and likeness opportunities present challenges to coaches and administrators. The transfer portal adds another layer to the recruiting game. On today’s SportsBeat KC, Missouri basketball coach Dennis Gates and football coach Eli Drinkwitz discuss the changing landscape with reporters. The coaches and administrators were in town this we...

The Royals’ last impression was a good one, however distant. They defeated the Detroit Tigers 3-1 on Saturday, and will not have played again until opening a three-game home series against the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday. Hunter Dozier and the bullpen had excellent days. The Royals might be on a small winning streak if the day before starting pitcher Brad Keller had received some run support. We kn...

The first phase of the off-season program began on Monday for the Chiefs and quarterback Patrick Mahomes and wide receiver Mecole Hardman are here to talk about it. On today’s SportsBeat KC, The Star’s sports podcast, you’ll hear what the Chiefs had to say about what they hope to get accomplished in the off-season, some updates to injured players like offensive tackle Lucas Niang and the topic on...

Before starting a home stand on Thursday against the Detroit Tigers, the Royals had seen each of their starting pitchers once. The results have been mixed. Zack Greinke and Brad Keller were terrific to open the season. But Kris Bubic and Carlos Hernandez got knocked around before Daniel Lynch blended good moments with bad. Add it up, and the answer is ... too small of a sample size to analyze full...

Last month, Dionnah Jackson-Durrett was cutting down nets at Municipal Auditorium as the associate head coach at Texas, which had beaten Baylor to capture the Big 12 championship. This week, she was back in Kansas City being introduced as UMKC’s new women’s coach. On today’s SportsBeat KC, you’ll hear from Jackson-Durrett as she lays out her vision and priorities in her new role. Also on today’s s...

In less than three weeks, the NFL will conduct its annual draft. And as it stands now, the Chiefs figure to be busy each day with a total of 12 picks, including two each in the first four rounds. KC Star Chiefs beat writer Herbie Teope has been hunkered down, working on mock drafts. He’s released two and plans to unveil two more before the draft begins. What are his guiding principles? The focus i...

A week ago today, Kansas defeated North Carolina to win the NCAA men’s basketball championship. What’s happened since then for the Jayhawks? Plenty of celebration, like Sunday’s parade in Lawrence, the announcement of a barnstorming tour and continued speculation about next season, including a timeline for learning of potential NCAA penalties. All of those topics and more are discussed on today’s...

The Opening Day weather was frightful, but the Royals’ Thursday afternoon victory over the Cleveland Guardians was delightful in many ways. Zack Greinke was solid in his return to the Royals, his first start at The K in a KC uniform in more than a decade. The defense was excellent, too, and Bobby Witt Jr. got a hit in his first major-league game. Not just a hit, either — an eighth-inning RBI doubl...

The Masters tees off on Thursday and on today’s SportsBeat KC, you’ll hear from a first-time participant who attended Blue Valley North High. Harry Higgs is quickly becoming a tour favorite. He’s a big personality who qualified for golf’s first major of the year by finishing fourth in last year’s PGA. It looms as an eventful few days in Augusta. Tiger Woods says he’s playing. Tom Watson is an hono...

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The Kansas Jayhawks meet the North Carolina Tar Heels in New Orleans for the men’s basketball national championship. KU is bidding for its fourth NCAA title, and if it cuts the nets, only UCLA, Kentucky, North Carolina and Duke will have won trophies. Bill Self is aware of the history and his program’s success in many categories. But KU has come up short in national championships, winning one in h...

Teams coached by Kansas’ Bill Self and Villanova’s Jay Wright have met in the NCAA Tournament three times. And the winner always went on to win the national championship. Will that be the case a fourth time? The Jayhawks and Wildcats face off in Saturday’s first Final Four semifinal, with the winner facing the survivor of a showdown between Duke and North Carolina — they play after KU-Nova — for t...

Opening Day for the Royals is one week away and many of the boxes are checked. Lineup? Pretty much set. Closer? Scott Barlow. First starter? Zack Greinke. After Greinke? Not sure about the rotation after that. Brad Keller, Brady Singer, Carlos Hernandez, Daniel Lynch, Kris Bubic, Jackson Kowar, Jon Heasley are all candidates. Keep in mind teams can carry two additional players during the season’s...

It’s been 50 years for the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium. Is it time to start exploring at new home in Kansas City? Team president Mark Donovan tossed out that idea at the NFL meetings this week and it got everyone’s attention. On today’s SportsBeat KC, beat writer Herbie Teope and columnist Vahe Gregorian discuss the idea—and the chances—of the Chiefs not playing at Arrowhead Stadium. We also tackl...

Welcome back to Beyond the Bracket, a special edition series of the SportsBeat KC podcast that’s here to here to cover everything March Madness. Each week, I’ll be joined by reporters and columnists from around the country to discuss college hoops. This final episode features insiders into two of the men’s Final Four teams:  Jesse Newell , who covers the Kansas Jayhawks for The Star, and  Steve Wi...

Next top for Kansas, the Final Four. The Jayhawks ran away from Miami, Fla., 76-60 on Sunday to capture the Midwest Region championship and advance to the Final Four for the 16th time in program history. Villanova awaits in the semifinal Saturday in New Orleans. On today’s SportsBeat KC, beat writers Gary Bedore and Jesse Newell break down the Kansas effort, when they outscored the Hurricanes by 3...

Basketball coaching searches came to an end at Kansas State and Missouri this week and the beat writers take us through the hiring process on today’s SportsBeat KC. Kellis Robinett describes the path of Jerome Tang, a Baylor assistant coach for 19 years. Tang has never been a college head coach but he was part of the Scott Drew staff that turned the Bears from an also ran into a national champion....

Opening day is two weeks away and the Royals are rounding into shape. Bobby Witt Jr., blasted a titanic home run this week and continues to make his strong case as the starting third baseman. Nobody is off to a hotter start at the plate than Edward Olivares, and perhaps this will be the year he sticks with the club instead of running the Kansas City-Omaha shuttle service. Hunter Dozier opened up a...

The news is stunning to Chiefs fans: Wide receiver Tyreek Hill, a Pro Bowl player in all six of his seasons in Kansas City and one of the most clutch players in team history, was traded on Wednesday to the Miami Dolphins. The Chiefs got five draft picks in return, including first-, second- and fourth-round spots in next month’s 2022 NFL Draft. That’s a good return. But Hill is a game-changing tale...

Welcome back to Beyond the Bracket, a special edition series of the SportsBeat KC podcast that’s here to here to cover everything March Madness. Each week, I’ll be joined by reporters and columnists from around the country to discuss college hoops. This episode features The Star’s Blair Kerkhoff, Anthony Kristensen of The Columbia Missourian and Augusta Stone , the South Carolina women’s basketbal...

Kansas hasn’t played in the Sweet 16 since its Final Four run in 2018. The last time the Jayhawks endured a streak that long was 1998-2000, and the next season, then-coach Roy Williams brought a good-luck charm to the news conference: a stuffed monkey named “Stank ‘em.” Williams put the monkey on his back and the players swatted it off. Get the monkey off his back, get it? No stuffed animal helped...

The first day of the NCAA Tournament produced four victories by double-digit seeds, including the shocker: No. 15 seed St. Peter’s over Kentucky. Kansas avoided any such upset. The top-seeded Jayhawks rolled past Texas Southern. Now KU faces a second-round task against Creighton, which defeated San Diego State in overtime Thursday. In this episode of SportsBeat KC, The Star’s sports podcast, KU be...

Zack Greinke spent his first seven major league seasons with the Royals, the team that drafted and developed him, and now he’ll be in Kansas City for season No. 19. The Royals signed Greinke to a one-year, $13 million deal this week, but that wasn’t the team’s only mound move. They also traded starter Mike Minor to the Cincinnati Reds for reliever Amir Garrett. How will this moves impact the Royal...

Happy NFL New Year! Wednesday was the first day of the NFL’s calendar year. But I don’t see any bowl games scheduled. Still, there’s plenty of roster action this week as free agency continues. The Chiefs have shuffled some players, signing safety Justin Reid, restructuring the contract of defensive end Frank Clark and bidding farewell to cornerback Charvarius Ward. Also, the AFC West continues to...