Christmas Time Is Here

I hope you are enjoying the Christmas tunes on KISS-FM. I love holidays, but they can be a hassle. I am finding so much work to do with my three radio stations. Even though every one gets time off around the holidays, a radio station keeps on going.
Among the Christmas tunes I dig on KISS include Third Day's version of "Do You Hear What I Hear?" and Jars of Clay's "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen." If you'd like a harder version of that song, check out Viva Voce on the Happy Christmas, Vol. 2 (one of my all time faves).

Finally some common sense in Mustang

Thanks to some common sense and a lot of publicity on Super Talk 930 WKY, Chloe Smith's suspension was reduced.
I'm all for tough anti-drug policies, but intent has to be addressed.
Now, Mustang has only one controversy brewing -- the Christ-less Christmas pageant.

The Royal Rollercoaster

Another article at RoyalsRevival.com . . .

BY JOEL REAGAN
Thursday’s doubleheader with Detroit Tigers mirrored the Kansas City Royals’ last two years.
There was a big inning (11 runs in the third inning of the first game), much like the Royals big winning streak (a 9-0 start) at the beginning of the 2003 season.
The Royals finished 2003 with postseason hopes high. Much like they finished off Detroit 26-5 in Thursday’s afternoon doubleheader.
Then . . . well, you know the rest.
The 2004 Royals fell to the earth much like NASA’s “Genesis” satellite. And, in game 2 of the Thursday’s doubleheader, the KC bats fell silent, dropping the nightcap 8-0.
What can we learn from this?
Kansas City is real consistent . . . at being inconsistent.
***
The Royals already lost Carlos Beltran. If Joe Randa has more days like Thursday, let’s hope he stays a Royal.
Randa went 6-for-7 in game one with six runs and two RBIs. He became the first American League player to get six hits and score six runs in a game.
The last Royal to get six hits in a game was Kevin Seitzer against Boston in 1987.
I’m all for getting prospects, but the Royals need a nucleus of players who can get it done. They need to find a way to hang on to Randa.
Royals manager Tonya Pena rested Randa in game two and the Royals were shut out.
I’m not saying Randa’s absence mattered, but … y’know.
***
My Randa rant continues. I jinxed the Royals by naming our latest cat “Rico Desi Relaford Reagan.” In game two, Relaford filled in Randa at third base and committed an error that led to three unearned runs.
***
You can find out all kinds of great stats by looking at the official media notes. I would say you can amaze your friends, but usually I end up just irritating my wife.
The Royals are 1-11 when only scoring one run. But if they score at least seven runs or more, they have a winning record. They are 10-0 when scoring 10 runs.
And now after Thursday, they are 1-0 when scoring 26 runs.
***
Joel Reagan works in Oklahoma City radio, but runs up to KC to see the Royals as much as he can. You can reach him at joel@joelreagan.com.

Royals: What Went Wrong?

I write for RoyalsRevival.com whenever I can. Here's a recent article.
By Joel Reagan
OK, maybe it should be,"What went right?"
The Kansas City Royals took a giant leap backwards in 2004. Who is to blame?
***
Tony Pena. Maybe. The always loose, keep a smile on your face philosophy may be a good thought. However, some players respond to that well and some don’t. Maybe without "good" pressure to perform, the Royals didn’t.
Pena told KCRoyals.com,"I try to have fun with my players. Most of the time when you have young players they have a tendency to be too tight. You have to loosen them up. It's tough when you play tight. I try to make sure that when they walk through the clubhouse door they feel they can be comfortable."
I’ve never been a major league manager, but maybe they shouldn’t be comfortable being 29 ½ games out of first place.
I don’t mean to be harsh, but these are the kind of things a fan thinks about after a collapse of this magnitude.
***
The pitching. Maybe. It’s hard to be happy with a squad whose ace is 9-16 with a 5.61 ERA. The youth and inexperience of this staff was a question mark on day one. Opening day starter Brian Anderson started out 1-9.
"It stinks, it's brutal. I've never been a part of anything like this. You can talk about how bad it's been, but you've got to go back to the beginning and I'm a big part of why it's been so bad," Anderson told KCRoyals.com. Injuries also sent Royals pitchers to the DL in droves.
***
The offense. Once again, injuries have hurt KC. Mike Sweeney’s back forced him out of the lineup in August. His 22 homers were nice, but none of the current Royals have hit over .300. Juan Gonzalez’ own back problems ended his season early. Carlos Beltran was dealt away.
***
OK, maybe injuries were the culprit.
"You cannot use that as an excuse because everybody has injuries but the problem with a market our size is that you don't have depth and injuries are much more traumatic for a small-market team than they are for a big-market team where if they lose somebody, they can go out and get somebody else that's about as good," Royals owner David Glass told KCRoyals.com.
There’s the dreaded "small-market" quote. For too long, small-market teams and their fans have complained about the way baseball runs. Unfortunately, we have to learn how to play the game.
Glass has invested in depth for Kansas City, hiring former Anaheim exec Donny Rowland as the senior director-player personnel to help the farm system build prospects and team depth.
Rowland is credited with expanding the Angels outreach internationally, expanding scouting operations in the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Curacao, Aruba, Japan, Korea, Taiwan and Australia.
***
Back in April, I wrote: "This team has taken another step."
I was right. I just thought they were walking in a different direction.
They probably still are going in the right direction. It’s just not going to be as easy as we thought it was. Plus, there’s no guarantee they can succeed.
It will take more than inspiring "Natural-like" moments to excite fans and put bigger numbers in the win column. It will take strategy, skill and hard work to get it done.
The Royals need to put their belief into action.

Joel Reagan works in Oklahoma City radio, but runs up to KC to see the Royals as much as he can. You can reach him at joel@joelreagan.com.

Hollow Words

Thoughts from watching John Edwards speak at The Democratic National convention in Boston . . .

Great speaker, but the liberal leanings of this ticket are really showing.

I dont care who is President of this country, there will be people who can't make ends meet. A government program is not always the answer. The handouts and entitlement ideas of the Democrats make me angry. They foster people who do not value hard work or achievements.

I thought it was funny that Black Eyed Peas got on stage to perform "Let's Get It Started!" They shouted that they were speaking for a "new generation" just seconds after belting out,"let's get drunk."

Ted Kennedy probably nodded his head.

Goodbye, 105.3 The Spy

You will be missed in OKC and around the country. Thanks to Larry Bastida, Chris Baker, Dooney The Rock Lobster, Tyson Meade, Ferris O'Brien, Bladerunner, Bittner, Jake Daniels, Mark Wheeler and Johnny Vomit for an experience I will never forget.

A Soldier's View

Someone forwarded this to me . . .

Good things are happening

Dear Editor:

As I head off to Baghdad for the final weeks of my stay in Iraq, I
wanted to say thanks to all of you who did not believe the media. They have
done a very poor job of covering everything that has happened. I am sorry
that I have not been able to visit all of you during my two-week leave back
home.

And just so you can rest at night knowing something is happening in
Iraq that is noteworthy, I thought I would pass this on to you.

This is the list of things that have happened in Iraq recently:

· More than 400,000 kids have up-to-date immunizations.
· School attendance is up 80 percent from levels before the war.
· More than 1,500 schools have been renovated and rid of the weapons
stored there so education can occur.
· The port of Uhm Qasar was renovated so grain can be off-loaded from
ships faster.
· The country had its first two billion barrel export of oil in
August.
· More than 4.5 million people have clean drinking water for the
first time ever in Iraq.
· The country now receives two times the electrical power it did
before the war.
· 100 percent of the hospitals are open and fully staffed, compared
to 35 percent before the war.
· Elections are taking place in every major city, and city councils
are in place.
· Sewer and water lines are installed in every major city.
· More than 60,000 police are patrolling the streets.
· More than 100,000 Iraqi civil defense police are securing the
country.
· More than 80,000 Iraqi soldiers are patrolling the streets side by
side with U.S. soldiers.
· More than 400,000 people have telephones for the first time ever
· Students are taught field sanitation and hand washing techniques to
prevent the spread of germs.
· An interim constitution has been signed.
· Girls are allowed to attend school.
· Textbooks that don't mention Saddam are in the schools for the
first time in 30 years.
Don't believe for one second that these people do not want us there.
I have met many, many people from Iraq that want us there, and in a
bad way.
They say they will never see the freedoms we talk about, but they hope
their children will.
We are doing a good job in Iraq and I challenge anyone, anywhere to
dispute me on these facts.
So If you happen to run into John Kerry, be sure to send him to
Denison, Iowa. This soldier will set him straight. If you are like me and
very disgusted with how this period of rebuilding has been portrayed, send
this to a friend and let them know there are good things happening.

-- Ray Reynolds, SFC
Iowa Army National Guard, 234th Signal Battalion

Spurs Need to Win, My Wife's Getting Cranky

My wife is a huge Spurs fan. I don't get into the NBA until the playoffs (I'm much more of a baseball and football guy), but Thursday night's loss to the Lakers was devastating.

Tim Duncan puts the Spurs up by 1 with 0.4 seconds left then Derek Fisher hits a buzzer beating shot (his ball left his hands with 0.1 on the clock).

What makes Jennifer even more mad is that she hates the Lakers. I don't blame her. Besides Karl Malone, who is likeable on that team?

Pink Grease . . . Very Cool.

Is anybody else digging Pink Grease as much as I am?

Amazingly, PinkGrease.com is their web address. Cool.

Farewell, 97X: The Future of Rock N' Roll

This station signed out with an alternative format in the Cincinnati area in 1983. The signed off (after being sold) at midnight Friday morning.

They will be truly missed among True Alternative listeners and all of us here at The Spy.

Would you want this guy as your president?

I don't get much into politics, but even some of the Democrats are seeing why this guy would not make a good president. I'm intrigued by John Edwards after the Iowa caucus.

Typical

I haven't read the book featured in this ad. But, this is typical of those who hate George W. Someone learns PhotoShop and snickers behind a newspaper. Wow! The anti-George W. crowd has spent so much time and effort to get rid of him that they fail to address any issues (I mean, how about some solutions?)

They totally miss the boat.