LITTLE ROCK — Broken promises chief issue
Kansas City Chiefs chairman Clark Hunt is fed up with losing.
Hunt canned Coach Romeo Crennel on Monday after a 2-14 season, but forgive the good folks in Kansas City if they are taking a wait-and-see approach when it comes to the big talk coming from the chief Chief.
“Clark Hunt is sick of it,” wrote Sam Mellinger of The Kansas City Star. “His franchise is a laughing stock, among the worst in the NFL, and he’s lost full confidence in the man entrusted with the Chiefs’ roster. He’s had enough, and he has a plan that he laid out to various reporters about major changes and modeling them after successful franchises and ... actually, this is all from four years ago.
“You know, the first time Hunt went through all of this.
“Back then, it was Carl Peterson who was pushed out of Arrowhead Stadium. Back then, the planwas to build through the draft.
To model after the Steelers and strive for stability. To find the best personnel man in the NFL and give him full control over the football team.
“That plan failed, and if we’re all being honest, there’s no logical reason to think this one won’t as well.
“Hunt cried uncle on his first plan Monday by firing Coach Romeo Crennel but inexplicablystopped at merely neutering General Manager Scott Pioli while keeping open the possibility of firing him later.
“Faced with two logical options, Hunt instead created a third that will either mean finishing Pioli off later or setting up an untenable power structure with a new alpha male coach and a former alpha male GM.
“Hunt’s new plan is to assume more control over football operations. To find the best coaching candidate in the NFL and have him report to the owner instead of the GM. To have more cohesion within an organization where turmoil is the new normal.
“It is a public admonishment of Pioli and a flashing neon sign to the football world that the Chiefs are changing how they operate.
The response, presumably, will be wondering why they didn’t go ahead and make the full change.
“Hunt’s plan might work, but the last four years have given Chiefs fans every honest reason to be skeptical.” Par for Willie
There are perks to owning your own golf course.
Just ask legendary country and western singer/songwriter Willie Nelson.
Nelson owns Pedernales Golf Club, which is located just outside of Austin, Texas, and it’s safe to say the course is a reflection of Nelson’s laid-back attitude. Nelson bought the nine-hole course in 1979, and golfers adhere to what are known as Willie’s Rules, which were created by Nelson and his buddies.
The more brilliant rules include:
No more than 12 in a foursome.
The Pedernales Stroll is always in play. Basically, this rule says if your ball ends up in an unplayable lie, or just an unpleasant lie, golfers are allowed to pick it up and stroll to “a more agreeable” spot for a free drop.
Gambling is forbidden, unless you are stuck or you need a legal deduction for charitable or educational expenses.
No bikinis, mini-skirts, skimpy see-through or sexually exploitative attire allowed. Except on women.
Golfers also don’t need to fret too much about making par on the 3,330-yard course.
“Par is anything you want it to be,” Nelson told the Port Arthur (Texas) News during a round earlier this year. “For instance, this hole here is a par-47, and yesterday I birdied the sucker.”Quote of the day “I’m kind of sad there is
no confetti afterwards,
but I’ll deal with it.” Linebacker David Nwabuisi after Northwestern defeated Mississippi State 34-20 in the Gator Bowl, the Wildcats’ first bowl victory since 1949
Sports, Pages 16 on 01/02/2013