OBSERVATIONS FROM OUR SATURDAY IN THE PARK
Yesterday, my wife & I participated in a community sale at our small town's local park. It was billed as the "27-Acre Garage Sale". The forecast called for rain from Wednesday night until Saturday night, so we weren't hopeful it would come off. Well rain it did starting Wednesday night & it continued on & on thru Friday when I went to the park to receive our site assignment. I was told "rain or shine, the sale would go on". We staged our stuff in the garage Friday evening(it was still raining intermittently) as we saw no reason to pack everything in our vehicles considering the forecast.
We awoke at 5:30 AM to an almost cloudless sky & very quickly, the sun we hadn't seen since Wednesday, came up over the lake & into our bedroom. We got ready, loaded up the vehicles, stopped for Linda's coffee & in minutes we were setting up between two massive oak trees on a very cool, but sunny Saturday morning. By 7:30 their were hundreds of bargain hunters & by 9:00, there were thousands. Linda's 8-foot table was covered with home decor from 1 & 2 houses ago in Las Vegas. My table had some assorted sports stuff, some old speakers, a Danbury Mint version of Arrowhead Stadium, 10 new Chiefs' caps & nearly a case of Mizzou caps I'd 'stolen' on Ebay.
I spoke to at least 250 people about either the Chiefs, Mizzou, Tony Gonzalez or all of them. When we moved here four years ago, you saw a fair share of people wearing various older garb of the Chiefs, St. Louis Cardinals, Mizzou, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois & even a few Royals caps & tee shirts. Yesterday I saw, conservatively, 500 Mizzou sweatshirts, jackets & caps. And, most of it looked nearly new. I sold all but 2 of my Mizzou caps. Four years ago I wouldn't even bothered to bring MU-related items. People are excited about both programs in Columbia. It's been a long time since the Tigers had very competitive football & basketball teams at the same time. Hey, this is Mid-America, the people here are polite, genuinely honest & fiercely loyal. They just haven't had too much to get excited about lately with their selected sports teams. Faces would light up when Mike Anderson's new contract or how many Tigers were chosen in the NFL Draft was mentioned. Both men & women had to be dragged away from these conversations by their kids. Jeez, even the Kansas fans were nice to me.
The Chiefs' fans were there too. Like with the Mizzou fans, I listened more than I spoke, wanting to know what was in their minds about the future of the Chiefs. Honestly, it was guarded optimism, that optimism colored by years of disappointment. They so want their Chiefs to be major players in the post-season, but history has taught them "not so fast my friend" as Lee Corso would say. A lovely lady showed me a picture of her handmade Chiefs' leather sofa on her cell phone. The sofa that was too big to go thru the door, so they cut a hole in the side of the house, brought the sofa in & then refinished both inside & outside walls. She was wearing a new Rebok Chiefs' sweatshirt. I lost count of the people who told me of their "Chiefs room". The one with the big screen TV, Chiefs throw pillows, Chiefs rugs, Chiefs wall hangings, Chiefs drapes, etc. etc. People who have sat in their Chiefs room hoping for the best & ending up disappointed. Most of these folks don't know Todd Haley or Scott Pioli & for that matter, they know little of Clark Hunt except his last name is familiar. After imparting their 'guarded optimism' to me, they would offer "they've always been my team, I'm not changing now" or "I'm a diehard, what do you expect" or my personal favorite, "I loved Marty & the 90's, but I'm not settling for anything less than being a consistent playoff team & winning more of those games than we lose". By the way, I sold all but 1 of my Chiefs caps. More guarded optimism at work.
Another thing I heard was the almost unanimous displeasure with the Chiefs for trading Tony Gonzalez. They didn't like it one bit. Then, this morning as I'm reading my Sunday edition of The Kansas City Star, I read an article by Ken Babb about how fans have already turned against Gonzalez. He quoted a clinical psychologist who stated more or less that Tony G. was now 'dead' to many, many Chiefs fans because of his departure to Atlanta. I looked at many responses to the trade online & he was right to a certain extent, but there were people who blame the organization for forcing Gonzalez to make this choice. And this was the reaction I got yesterday. People have to stop comparing Tony to George Brett, Cal Ripken Jr., Mike Schmidt etc. They got their championships, Tony has not. Dan Marino stayed with the Dolphins because they were playoff competitive right up to the end of his career.
Here's my take on Tony Gonzalez's trade to Atlanta. One, you can't win a championship with a team built around a tight end. It's never been done, around a QB or a great defense, yes, but never around a TE. Two, he gave Kansas City fans his absolute best for 12 years. The best tight end play in league history, no doubt. He played thru pain & injury, he played on good teams & on stinkers, always carrying himself off the field with the dignity & class any organization would welcome. He never complained about not being the highest paid at his position, never used the media to toot his own horn, like so many of his competitors have done. Three, does anyone believe the Chiefs will be Super Bowl-competitive within 2 years? Please be realistic. I certainly don't. By 2011, maybe, just maybe. So if Tony G. were to stay two more seasons, could the Chiefs win the Super Bowl in that time? No, they couldn't, so is it so bad to let him go? Yes, they might win a game or two more with him, but right when we round into Super Bowl shape, he'd retire & his replacement would have to start from scratch. Which is better? I say let Tony have his chance at a title in his very small window & get a 2nd round draft choice for him in the deal. God knows, I've loved watching him play these past 12 years at the highest level. But I'd rather break in a new TE now, not have to wait when the rest of the team is ready. And if the new guy can't cut it, we'll know now instead of later. Last point. If the Chiefs of the 90's had won a championship or had remained Super Bowl-worthy till now, would we be talking about Tony Gonzalez leaving Kansas City? I think we can agree the answer would be no. I think it goes to the organization's poor performance over the last 10 years. What do you think? If you disagree, send your negative comment & then you'll be 'dead' to me. Seriously, what is your opinion of the trade, the ramifications & the future?
Our Saturday in the park turned out to be a beautiful day, it was filled with so many nice people, some with unbridled optimism & others with a 'wait & see' attitude, but when talking about their sports teams, they weren't shy to voice their opinion nor sad they'd stuck to their team(s). The best thing we heard yesterday was from the proud father of an Arena League II player. He, in his Chiefs' sweatshirt & Harley doo rag, said long ago he'd married a Raiders fan. He didn't know she was a Raider fan until after they were married. I asked if she was with him, enjoying this beautiful afternoon & his reply was, "She's here someplace, but she's wearing a Raiders jacket & I won't walk with her when she wears it". Priceless.
We awoke at 5:30 AM to an almost cloudless sky & very quickly, the sun we hadn't seen since Wednesday, came up over the lake & into our bedroom. We got ready, loaded up the vehicles, stopped for Linda's coffee & in minutes we were setting up between two massive oak trees on a very cool, but sunny Saturday morning. By 7:30 their were hundreds of bargain hunters & by 9:00, there were thousands. Linda's 8-foot table was covered with home decor from 1 & 2 houses ago in Las Vegas. My table had some assorted sports stuff, some old speakers, a Danbury Mint version of Arrowhead Stadium, 10 new Chiefs' caps & nearly a case of Mizzou caps I'd 'stolen' on Ebay.
I spoke to at least 250 people about either the Chiefs, Mizzou, Tony Gonzalez or all of them. When we moved here four years ago, you saw a fair share of people wearing various older garb of the Chiefs, St. Louis Cardinals, Mizzou, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois & even a few Royals caps & tee shirts. Yesterday I saw, conservatively, 500 Mizzou sweatshirts, jackets & caps. And, most of it looked nearly new. I sold all but 2 of my Mizzou caps. Four years ago I wouldn't even bothered to bring MU-related items. People are excited about both programs in Columbia. It's been a long time since the Tigers had very competitive football & basketball teams at the same time. Hey, this is Mid-America, the people here are polite, genuinely honest & fiercely loyal. They just haven't had too much to get excited about lately with their selected sports teams. Faces would light up when Mike Anderson's new contract or how many Tigers were chosen in the NFL Draft was mentioned. Both men & women had to be dragged away from these conversations by their kids. Jeez, even the Kansas fans were nice to me.
The Chiefs' fans were there too. Like with the Mizzou fans, I listened more than I spoke, wanting to know what was in their minds about the future of the Chiefs. Honestly, it was guarded optimism, that optimism colored by years of disappointment. They so want their Chiefs to be major players in the post-season, but history has taught them "not so fast my friend" as Lee Corso would say. A lovely lady showed me a picture of her handmade Chiefs' leather sofa on her cell phone. The sofa that was too big to go thru the door, so they cut a hole in the side of the house, brought the sofa in & then refinished both inside & outside walls. She was wearing a new Rebok Chiefs' sweatshirt. I lost count of the people who told me of their "Chiefs room". The one with the big screen TV, Chiefs throw pillows, Chiefs rugs, Chiefs wall hangings, Chiefs drapes, etc. etc. People who have sat in their Chiefs room hoping for the best & ending up disappointed. Most of these folks don't know Todd Haley or Scott Pioli & for that matter, they know little of Clark Hunt except his last name is familiar. After imparting their 'guarded optimism' to me, they would offer "they've always been my team, I'm not changing now" or "I'm a diehard, what do you expect" or my personal favorite, "I loved Marty & the 90's, but I'm not settling for anything less than being a consistent playoff team & winning more of those games than we lose". By the way, I sold all but 1 of my Chiefs caps. More guarded optimism at work.
Another thing I heard was the almost unanimous displeasure with the Chiefs for trading Tony Gonzalez. They didn't like it one bit. Then, this morning as I'm reading my Sunday edition of The Kansas City Star, I read an article by Ken Babb about how fans have already turned against Gonzalez. He quoted a clinical psychologist who stated more or less that Tony G. was now 'dead' to many, many Chiefs fans because of his departure to Atlanta. I looked at many responses to the trade online & he was right to a certain extent, but there were people who blame the organization for forcing Gonzalez to make this choice. And this was the reaction I got yesterday. People have to stop comparing Tony to George Brett, Cal Ripken Jr., Mike Schmidt etc. They got their championships, Tony has not. Dan Marino stayed with the Dolphins because they were playoff competitive right up to the end of his career.
Here's my take on Tony Gonzalez's trade to Atlanta. One, you can't win a championship with a team built around a tight end. It's never been done, around a QB or a great defense, yes, but never around a TE. Two, he gave Kansas City fans his absolute best for 12 years. The best tight end play in league history, no doubt. He played thru pain & injury, he played on good teams & on stinkers, always carrying himself off the field with the dignity & class any organization would welcome. He never complained about not being the highest paid at his position, never used the media to toot his own horn, like so many of his competitors have done. Three, does anyone believe the Chiefs will be Super Bowl-competitive within 2 years? Please be realistic. I certainly don't. By 2011, maybe, just maybe. So if Tony G. were to stay two more seasons, could the Chiefs win the Super Bowl in that time? No, they couldn't, so is it so bad to let him go? Yes, they might win a game or two more with him, but right when we round into Super Bowl shape, he'd retire & his replacement would have to start from scratch. Which is better? I say let Tony have his chance at a title in his very small window & get a 2nd round draft choice for him in the deal. God knows, I've loved watching him play these past 12 years at the highest level. But I'd rather break in a new TE now, not have to wait when the rest of the team is ready. And if the new guy can't cut it, we'll know now instead of later. Last point. If the Chiefs of the 90's had won a championship or had remained Super Bowl-worthy till now, would we be talking about Tony Gonzalez leaving Kansas City? I think we can agree the answer would be no. I think it goes to the organization's poor performance over the last 10 years. What do you think? If you disagree, send your negative comment & then you'll be 'dead' to me. Seriously, what is your opinion of the trade, the ramifications & the future?
Our Saturday in the park turned out to be a beautiful day, it was filled with so many nice people, some with unbridled optimism & others with a 'wait & see' attitude, but when talking about their sports teams, they weren't shy to voice their opinion nor sad they'd stuck to their team(s). The best thing we heard yesterday was from the proud father of an Arena League II player. He, in his Chiefs' sweatshirt & Harley doo rag, said long ago he'd married a Raiders fan. He didn't know she was a Raider fan until after they were married. I asked if she was with him, enjoying this beautiful afternoon & his reply was, "She's here someplace, but she's wearing a Raiders jacket & I won't walk with her when she wears it". Priceless.
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