Royal Disappointments- Going All In

          My fraternity is a sad one. A 23 year old sports fan from Kansas City, my fandom has been defined by short bursts of hope and excitement* only to be followed by longer periods of heartbreak and frustration. My fraternity is one that has never witnessed our favorite professional sports team suit up for  a postseason game. The most popular name for men my age (assuming their parents are from the midwest) is Brett- after Royals baseball god, George Brett. My fraternity does not have this luxury. Today it's nearly impossible to name your child after a Royals great- not because they do not exist, but because it is likely they will be traded away before the child learns to tie their shoes.

America: Freedom for All! (unless you're gay)

          My father once told me that though he did not expect it, he would not have been surprised if at some point in my life I recognized myself as homosexual*.  This was not a dig. This was not a joke. This was not meant to be anything more than supportive of who I am as a person. Mom, fearing that dad had ruined any possible coming out party of the future, quickly chimed in and in a somewhat joking, but still serious affirmation of support made it clear that should I ever feel compelled to reveal my homosexuality that they would love me the same as they always had. My liberal, church going, heterosexual parents had essentially given me the largest stamp of approval to be gay that one could receive.    

How the (AFC) West Was Won- By a Coin Flip

Last night I sat at a computer in the only 24/7computer lab the Mizzou campus offers and pretended to write papers. In all honesty no academia was even close to being considered until that 1930’s style, Tebow/ Sanchez Punt-er-rama had been completed*.  It was a horrendous game for roughly 55 minutes, but what can I say? I’m a sucker for sports, especially when the event is billed as _______Day Night Something. As the drive began it became fairly apparent that Tebow was going to do what Tebow does, all we had to do was sit there and ensure that it did indeed run as the schedule was programmed. Sure enough… Short pass here, Scramble there, and the Broncos Tebow’d their way to victory. Ho-hum. Another day, another weird twist in the already crowded AFC Worst Division. Was anyone REALLY surprised?

A Little Nudge Makes all the Difference

Many years ago, on a family driving vacation across America* we stopped to do an activity completely new to me. Dad assured us it would be fun and mom,though I saw straight through her act, pretended to back him up completely. Called "white water rafting", the activity calls for groups of up to 8 people to pile into a rubber boat and float down a river which numerous times becomes frantic, choppy and terrifying for anyone under the age of ten. At the time, I was under the age of ten.

Party Like It's 1999

How long had it been since the Royals last left NYC with a series win over the Yankees? As I watched the final outs take place of the Royals 11-5 victory last Thursday I tried to think back. With a little help from the Internet (something very popular the last time this occurred) I reminisced... 

The last year in which the Royals took a series win from the Yankees in NYC... Euro was being established as a currency. 

Osama, Obama, Embarrassment of a Nation

          Last night I was getting ready to change the channel from the nightly, fairly eh, KOMU student news channel when the anchor broke the news that our 44th President would be giving a speech within the next 20 minutes. It was unannounced up until that point and the station had no further comment on the subject other than to plead for us to stay tuned for further explanation. Eventually we got news that the speech was most likely going to involve some aspect of America's national security, but by that point nearly every station on the tube was reporting that public enemy number one, Osama Bin Laden, had been killed.