When I was a kid, every weekend, my mom and dad would head to Strawberry Hill in KCK to bowl at a little four-lane bowling alley underneath a Catholic church. While they did that, us kids would be dropped off at our Grandma and Grandpa Kamler’s house on Pacific Avenue.
The evening would be filled with games of checkers and filling our bellies with homemade Polish food Grandma would make. But watching the four of us had to have been a task for them, so much of the time they would sit us down in front of the TV to watch and be quiet for a few minutes. TV was amazing back in the day and we would watch Love Boat or Knight Rider or even Battlestar Galactica if we were lucky. Mostly, however, Grandma would sit in her chair and watch her stories. If we were dropped off during the day, it was General Hospital and Days of Our Lives. But on the weekends, it was Dallas and Dynasty.
We gasped when J.R. was shot and Grandma would cackle every time one of the Carringtons slapped another Carrington.
I can’t get those memories out of my mind when we start throwing the sports term “dynasty” around. To me, they are inseparably linked. Dynasties in sports are so rarely seen and all of the dynasties of the past are as fuzzy as those memories of sitting on Grandpa Kamler’s lap having him razz me about being left handed. “I don’t have a left-handed set of crayons for you to use, Christopher Robin.”
All day today, I’m watching ESPN and hearing the word “dynasty” applying to the amazing Chiefs run. It is completely applicable. Three Super Bowl wins in five years. Four AFC Championships. Five appearances in the AFC Championship game. Eight straight AFC West titles. Even before Patrick Mahomes came along, the Chiefs started their dynasty slapping around the Broncos and Raiders two times a year. With Patrick, it became a dynasty. And it isn’t going anywhere.
I wrote in this space two weeks ago to never take these moments for granted, and we should never. And especially this year. This wasn’t a perfect team by any stretch. Wide receivers dropping balls left and right. Patrick Mahomes playing like Ryan Leaf at times. Andy Reid’s continuing obsession with not challenging calls. Travis Kelce with whatever he did to Andy during the first half.
But just like those fuzzy memories on Pacific watching Knight Rider, the Dynasty memories I have at Grandma and Grandpa’s are of only the good times. The laughing. The wrestling around on the floor with her dog Cuddles and my siblings. The continuous game of “got yer nose” with my grandpa and his comically large schnoz.
We won’t remember the warts. That’s how dynasties are. You’ll remember the glitz and glamor. You’ll remember the rings. The touchdowns. And you’ll remember the main stars. J.R., Alexis Carrington, Taylor Swift, Patrick Mahomes.
I look forward to hearing the word “dynasty” more because each time it will bring a flood of memories of fried chicken and perogies and it sure seems like the dynasty talk won’t be ending any time soon. Na Zdrowie.
(Cheers! From Chris Kamler, who you can find on X as @TheFakeNed)