World Cup fever is over for some of us. Well, to be blunt, it’s probably over for the majority of Americans who have a casual, once every four years interest in the sport of soccer.
That’s because the U.S. Men’s National Team got knocked out by Belgium in the round of 16 on Monday night in a match that really wasn’t close, with Belgium topping an overmatched American team 4-1.
So the level of interest for the remainder of the tournament took a major hit for some of us, but hard core soccer enthusiasts are pumped that Kansas City has one more World Cup match to host. That will be Saturday, July 11 when Argentina, with star player Messi, will play in front of a sold out crowd vs. Switzerland at Arrowhead . Except you can’t call it Arrowhead during the World Cup, according to FIFA. You must refer to it as Kansas City Stadium.
The other day a guy on Twitter described soccer as “cross country with a ball being kicked around” and I thought that was a pretty perceptive analysis.
Fourth of July weekend was the perfect time to head to the theater to watch “Young Washington.” I won’t give away any storyline details, but as a fan of history, especially of that era, I thought it was outstanding. Here’s the movie synopsis, as advertised. If it grabs your interest, definitely go see it. It’ll be educational and worth your time.
“Before he was the Father of a Nation, he was a soldier fighting to survive. A single misstep thrusts young George Washington into the center of a global conflict, testing his honor, loyalty, and courage. As alliances crumble and the frontier erupts into war, he must confront not only his enemies but the man he’s becoming. This is the untold story of Young Washington.”
Good stuff.
I know last week I teased the topic of more on the pending case against the man accused of shooting and killing local reporter Dennis Sharkey. Hang with me, still putting together some details for that update.
Kudos to Parkville Mayor Dean Katerndahl for taking my call, answering questions and providing his recollection of events that took place during his interaction at the Go Car Wash in Parkville on June 22 that resulted in police being called to the scene. It would have been easy for him to avoid my call or simply answer with a “no comment” when I reached out to see if he’d like to offer his version of events. See the front page story for details, if you haven’t yet.
Until the video is released–the investigatory documents are unavailable at the moment because it is a pending case in the hands of the prosecutor–none of us will really know how it went down. And, since the video does not contain audio we may not have a clear picture of all details even afer the video becomes public.
At any rate, at the end of our phone conversation I wished the mayor well and good luck with the situation that is now in the hands of the city prosecutor for review.
“No matter how this comes out you’ll still have a cleaner record than the previous mayor,” I told him.
“I guess that’s true,” Katerndahl said.
Jason Maki, a Republican candidate for Platte County presiding commissioner, brought a band of bagpipe players to march with him in Parkville’s Fourth of July parade. The sights and sounds of the video are pretty cool. It was the only band playing in Parkville’s parade.
Did you know bagpipes were legally classified as a weapon of war and conquest by the British government for 250 years? It’s true. Pipers were treated as frontline combatants for centuries. The classification wasn’t officially removed from British legal records until 1996.
Here’s what your Platte County Sheriff’s Department was up to over the holiday weekend. The sheriff’s department’s patrol division conducted what it calls “high visibility traffic enforcement” during the July 4th weekend, which ran from July 3 at 12 a.m. to July 5 at 11:59 p.m.
During that period of time, deputies logged the following activity:
Eight DWI arrests, three careless and imprudent driving citations, 64 speeding citations, four driving while suspended/revoked arrests, six driving without a valid license arrests, 17 commercial vehicle inspections. One driver was stopped on I-435 for driving 32 miles per hour, which nearly caused several crashes, according to the sheriff’s department. The minimum speed limit on interstate highways is 40 mph.
Here’s an interesting Kansas City/Kansas City Chiefs-related tidbit that I could have shared with you 30 years ago but for some reason never have. Until now.
Longtime Chiefs fans may recall the football team formerly had a horse for a mascot. That horse’s name was Warpaint. “Warpaint was the live Kansas City Chiefs pinto horse mascot that galloped across the field after every touchdown. Three different horses served in this role across two distinct eras,” the internet will tell you.
Now go to Wikipedia to learn more about Warpaint and its riders. You’ll see this:
“Originally, the horse was ridden bareback by Bob Johnson, who wore a headdress as a pastiche of ceremonial American Indian regalia. Warpaint circled the field at the beginning of each game and after each touchdown. In a 1975 game against the Oakland Raiders, the Chiefs won 42–10, prompting Warpaint to circle the field for each of the team’s six touchdowns. Raiders head coach John Madden, following the loss, quipped that ‘We couldn’t beat the Chiefs, but we damn near killed their horse.’
After Bob Johnson retired, he was replaced in the 1978–79 season by Pete Runyan and Cheryl McDaniel, “both local experienced riders who in a symbol of gender equality took turns riding Warpaint after passing a bareback riding audition,” Wikipedia details. See the photo above.
Now comes the interesting tidbit with a Landmark connection:
Cheryl McDaniel, who in the 1978-79 season became the first female to ride Warpaint, is the older sister of longtime Landmark office manager Cindy Rinehart, now in her 34th year at your favorite newspaper.
The more you know.
(Find Foley forgetting about soccer until the next World Cup)
