Actual passage from Sunday's Kansas City Star story on the Wizards 2-2 tie in Dallas: "Preki pounced on the rebound and scored the equalizer. The rally stunned the crowd of 18,021 at Pizza Hut Park."
It brought to mind only one point. You just don't go to Pizza Hut Park and win in October. You just don't.
The Wiz was knocked out of the postseason Sunday when the MetroStars beat Chivas USA, 2-0 in the regular season finale. With the sale of the team in limbo, Saturday night might have marked the final game of the Wizards in Kansas City. Of course, to ask the Wiz to go and beat FC Dallas in Pizza Hut Park, was a little much, don't you think? Maybe the crowd was stunned because it was watching a professional sporting event at a place called Pizza Hut Park. In the end, the Wiz was deep-dished and stuff-crusted right out of the MLS playoffs.
I'm a self-admitted soccer head. This, of course, brings out the true soccer nuts who feel like I'm a sellout for not talking more Wizards. Without fail, my inbox fills with emails about how it's my civic responsibility to talk Wiz. Well, you know what? If I broke down Nick Garcia's through-ball, I'd put myself to sleep. The MLS will never be a major national story. It can't try to be. It has to "know its role," which is being a popular sport for the 10 million or so soccer fans in this country (predominantly immigrants) and a non-issue for everyone else. But, for a league desperately trying to find its niche in this country, the MLS may have swung too far the other way. The two expansion teams this season are Real Salt Lake and Chivas USA, plus the Dallas Burn changed its name to FC Dallas. Do these franchise labels ring true to the American public? Or is it now a foreign league on home soil? Look, I think a MetroStar or a Galaxy or a Mutiny are horrendous mid-90s creations. But, when an American team is named The Futbol Club of Dallas, I'm wondering what the ceiling of growth is. Anyway, we might have seen the last game in the ten-year history of the Kansas City Wiz/Wizards and it's a shame. If it didn't play in the silent catacomb which is an empty Arrowhead Stadium, the Wiz would work here. By the way, if you find it interesting enough, the league's official website, www.MLSnet.com, is running a poll of which team has had the best uniforms over the past decade. How the Wiz's rainbow swirl of 1996 and 1997 isn't winning in a runaway is grand theft uni.
R.I.P. KC Wiz (1996-2005) "And thy shall do the Digital Crawl with the Lord."
Onto football: Went to KU-OU at One Arrowhead Drive Saturday night. A 19-3 loss to Oklahoma marked yet another atrocity of a performance by the Jaybirds offense (4-3, 0-3). The second straight week of mustering only a FG, brought this classic out of KU LB Nick Reid, "It’s definitely a fight not to go out and point fingers every week. I’m ready to go out and get in a fist fight with them, but that would be pointing fingers." Wrong, Nick. That would be throwing punches, not pointing fingers. But, that's just a technicality. I actually love watching this defense play. They've got a crew of stud LBs, an electric two-way guy in Charles Gordon and a pass-rushing specialist in Antonio Perkins, who actually tallied five sacks in a game this season. But, it's a fight against the impossible. They truly have to score a shutout every week to win. If they lose another game like this (OU carried a measly 10-3 lead into the fourth, with the lone TD being a Sooner INT return) Reid and the rest of the defense might go "Taxi Driver" on their offensive teammates after practice. It reminds me of the '76 Steelers, one of the Pittsburgh teams that didn't win the Super Bowl. That squad was carried by the sickest defense of the last 50 years. The team started 1-4, was in disarray and on the edge of missing the playoffs for the first time in six years, and Jack Ham, Jack Lambert, Mean Joe Greene, Dwight White, LC Greenwood and Mel Blount collectively said,"Screw this, we're winning games by ourselves." And they did. Check out the final 9 games of that season. http://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/pit1976.htm
Just stupid. They had to run the table to make the playoffs and did. In the final nine regular season games, the Steelers gave up a TOTAL of 28 points and 5 shutouts. The most devastating defensive stretch the league has ever seen. Eight Steelers made the Pro Bowl on defense. That team lost in the AFC Title game to the eventual SB champs, Oakland, so it never gets the same run as the '85 Bears or the '00 Ravens. But it might have been better than those two. Can the Jayhawks defense pitch shutouts in the final five games of the season? Probably not, but they may have to. Betcha this much: that D goes to Boulder this weekend ticked off and gets some ugly 9-3 win. Just watch.
I have rarely seen such venomous outrage from fans as Friday afternoon, after the Chiefs coaching staff announced Eric "Paris/ EWI/ The Drink" Warfield would be deactivated for Sunday's game against the Redskins. There has been no explanation from Vermiel outside of the vague "he's not ready." Well, who's fault is that? The coaching staff had all season to make sure he was mentally prepared (he was allowed into team meetings) and two weeks on the practice field with the BYE week to get him ready. You think he's too rusty to start after a month-long league suspension for substance abuse, fine. But to DEACTIVATE him for the game? Dex McNugget played powder puff corner again, allowing most of the 170 yards on 10 catches to Santana Moss. You know what, I apologize to powder puff football. He played worse than that. At least when I was in HS, the Warwick (NY) Wildcat senior and junior girls got into a brawl at halftime. Here's guessing Dex would have had his hair pulled, arms scratched and gone home crying if caught in that situation. The Chiefs are lucky to have won that game despite giving up 300 yards passing to Mark Brunell and that arrogance of the coaching staff is going to haunt this team all season.
During the game Moss turned a 5-yard screen pass into an 80-yard TD, turning on the jets and toasting the Chiefs DBs, prompting analyst Moose Johnson to say,"I had no idea Moss had that kind of speed." My buddy BK called me immediately and said, "How does Moose not know Santana Moss had that speed? That's the ONLY thing anyone knows about him. He was the fastest guy on Miami, the Jets and now the Redskins. What else is there to know about him?" Well said.
Finally, you want Exhibit A on why sideline announcers have become window dressing? The FOX team used Tony Siragusa on the sideline (nope, he hasn't yet collapsed like Chris Farley at a "Mikey's Pizzeria" in Flatbush). But, he only gave us in-game analysis and ignored the usual sideline basics like injury updates. Those came via on-screen graphics which play-by-play man Kenny Albert dutifully noted. Why not just call Suzy Kolber and Armen Keteyan "sappy vignette announcers" which is really what they've become. "Guys, let's send it down to Michelle Tafoya for another pre-scripted story on Terrell Owen's childhood which we talked about in the meeting yesterday!"
BEST OF: The Panthers Dancers stop by and don't stop talking for twenty minutes. Wait, you're home schooled? BEST OF: Heat legend Glen Rice in studio on dropping 56 on the Magic, Final Fours and MMA. BEST OF: "The Obama Guy" now has D.A.'s old job! He asked the Prez a question, then he joined the show. BEST OF: Phil and Chris Simms drop by the broadcast to rap about dad's career and son's future. BEST OF: Why so few minority college coaches? DA answers with one word: Boosters. BEST OF: When a Super Bowl MVP and Hall of Famer talks, you listen. The immortal Lynn Swann. BEST OF: TNA Wrestling's Traci Brooks on being blessed with, ahem, great dimensions. DA LOVES THE KIDS: After Marlins summer-camp day, the next gen of Fish Fans might be in trouble. DA LOVES THE KIDS: Part 1 Heat charity camp shows us D-Wright's defense needs a little work.
DA LOVES THE KIDS: Part 2 Not everyone is thrilled with the hiring of Eric Spoelstra. INSTANT CLASSIC: Free-agent Joe Horn blasts his old coaches and asks for Dolphins forgiveness, all live on the show! INSTANT CLASSIC: The man who took down Kimbo Slice: overnight celebrity Seth Petruzelli talks about the fight that stunned the fight world. BEST OF: Author Jeff Pearlman on the controversial Cowboys dynasty. Uh, ew. BEST OF: Heat rookie Mario Chalmers needs help hot-boxing. Cough, cough.. BEST OF: DA is named a Godfather. Can he handle the responsibility or will he sleep with the fishes? BEST OF: DA witnesses the greatest kids game ever. Rock, paper, scissors, space! STAR WARS GEEKS: Part 1 DA goes where no sportstalk host has gone before: Star Wars premier night.
STAR WARS GEEKS: Part 2 Will DA make it out alive or turn into an extra from the Cantina Bar? INSTANT CLASSIC: Legend of the MMA Dan "Hendo" Henderson on the circus attraction to Kimbo and the rise of UFC. BEST OF: New UFC Champ Forrest Griffin on the belt and bouncing out of fighting while the gettin's good. INSTANT CLASSIC: Zo's youth clinic brings us immediate joy: Heat Kids Say the Darndest Things BEST OF: Miami boxer Joey "Twinkle Fingers" Hernandez found himself on the streets. How he got his mojo back. BEST OF: CBS4 Weather Wizard and Miss Florida Lissette Gonzalez on the jet-stream and the wave. BEST OF: Marino delivers a commencement speech and DA's own graduation horrors. INSTANT CLASSIC: Cats winger Nathan Horton is married to a Playmate? Oops. INSTANT CLASSIC: What does JoePa really mean at pressers? Ask Penn State 101. INSTANT CLASSIC: St. Patty's Day means celebrating Irish sports legends: DA Show style. INSTANT CLASSIC: Canes Big Man Dwayne Collins has his Aladdin DVD stolen. The Horror! INSTANT CLASSIC: Dontrelle says peace to South Florida with DA. Here's his Top-3 movies of all-time. SUPER BOWL XLII: NYG's Lawrence Tynes stops by after the ticker tape parade. INSTANT CLASSIC: Is Shaq becoming M.C. Hammer Jr? Say it ain't so. INSTANT CLASSIC: DA melts down as his alma mater brings brings back the dimwitted Greg Robinson for more SU pain. INSTANT CLASSIC: This placed DA squarely on the Chiefs blacklist forever. DA and King Carl in THE Battle Royale. BEST OF: Where it all started: Herm
and Carl agree... Damon is a nice name. SUPER BOWL XL: D.A. does his best investigative work ever. It's the field turf press conference from Detroit. INSTANT CLASSIC: The Mark Mangino Montage tastes better than ever! INSTANT CLASSIC: The 2007 Herm-Gasm. 'Nuff said. INSTANT CLASSIC: The Chiefs Dept. of Misinformation is at it once again. Are the Chiefs wearing white or not? Don't ask them. INSTANT CLASSIC: Chicago's legendary Mike North joins DA to preview Chiefs- Bears. Da Bears! INSTANT CLASSIC : The annual DA Show NBA Mock Draft is here... with a return from Stormbot. FEATURED AUDIO: Royals legend Denny Matthews has bought his first cell phone. Unfortunately, it's not as easy as 6-4-3. FEATURED AUDIO: A fond DA Show farewell to Buddy Bell. He really was "Our Buddy." FEATURED AUDIO
: Lauren Nichole has made quite an impression with her traffic reports. Great or gross? You decide. The
one, the only, Zach Greinke from Royals Spring Training. The
2007 One NIT NIT Moment.
The 2006 Caller Hall of Fame Track One: Christopher Walken's legendary roast
of the new class
First the staff. Then listeners. Now LJ has the Herm-gasm? Crazy
Ray sings the Growing Pains theme song. The
Royals 70's jingle that puts a smile on your face during another horrid season
in KC. The
local TV anchors slip up on the broadcast and luckily the D.A. Show was rolling
tape. 6-6-06:
The Crypt Keeper's Holiday Crazy
Ray displays his talent for singing. Could he make a run at the next American
Idol? Oklahoma
takes it on the chin with this famous call from R.B. Missed
any of the NIT NIT action? Check out the recaps of the games and a special
edition of The One NIT NIT Moment. We
couldn't leave Alex the Intern out of the mix, check out the drunk dial message
Alex left for D.A. The
D.A. Show tribute to Alan Thicke.
Is
Crazy Ray really crazy? Take a listen to find out.
A
D.A. Show Investigation reveals color commentators handing out the pink slip
to local college coaches.
Quinner's
feeling a bit down. We ask, what's wrong with Quinn Snyder? Herm Edwards gave us quotable material right from jump street. He gets a montage based on his introduction presser. A
staple of any good office party. It's the Dick Vermeil montage XP: final edition.
Duh, ok.
DA's Hometown Hottie contest created controversy throughout KC. Radio superstar Johnny Dare stuck his nose in the middle of it. The
callers finally had their own chance to put their stamp on the Vermeil montage Why
do the sista's hate the show? It all started here: Yvette's call of the day The original D.A. Show parody of Jim Rome's smack-off (circa '04). The '05 D.A. Show parody of Jim Rome's smack-off, complete with a certain national columnist. The '06 smack-smack, which brought all the D.A. Show legends together for one fab event. You asked for it. We delivered. DA Show icon Alan Thicke's first appearance.
Actual passage from Sunday's Kansas City Star story on the Wizards 2-2 tie in Dallas: "Preki pounced on the rebound and scored the equalizer. The rally stunned the crowd of 18,021 at Pizza Hut Park."
