Mellinger Minutes For Your Ears

This week we start with a conversation about where the Royals really are — the good and the bad.

The questions hit on surprising press conferences from the Royals and Chiefs, an improvement for the hot dog derby, some advice on long-term fandom, and a soccer cocktail.

The bonus segment is with Angie and Chris Long, the Kansas City financial executives making an enormous and interesting bet with their purchase and vision for KC NWSL.

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This may sound hyperbolic but I don’t think we’ve ever seen an athlete transform more completely in Kansas City than Travis Kelce. The top of the show explains why.

Then we do questions on MLB’s weird plan on enforcing foreign substances, Hunter Dozier and Jorge Soler struggling, why crowds have been relatively small, and the weirdest place I’ve ever seen a fight.

The bonus section is with someone I know a lot of you have wanted to hear from: Royals pitching coach Cal Eldred.

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We start off with two things to keep in mind while watching or talking to your friends about the 2021 Royals.

Then we hit questions on the differences between John Sherman and David Glass, what the future of the Chiefs’ cap and Patrick Mahomes’ contract will be, and we even talk a little about the NBA and NHL in Kansas City.

The bonus segment is a thorough explanation about the Royals’ player development process and bringing prospects into the big leagues from general manager Dayton Moore.

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The Adalberto Mondesi conversation needs a reset. A fresh perspective. That’s what the top of this week’s show is for.

The questions are all over the place — one is the best question we’ve ever had on this show, another made my blood boil, and we also talked about Cam Gallagher’s defense and who the good guys are.

The bonus section is a fun conversation with Salvador Perez.

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There’s a point about Tyrann Mathieu’s contract extension you should hear, and that helps shape the next few years of the Chiefs’ salary cap.

We start the show off there, then answer questions about whether the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum is cheapening the Monarchs’ brand, when Kauffman Stadium will actually be full, whether vaccines will ever be required, and I hijack a question to promote this idea for barbecue at The K that is simply beyond reproach.

The bonus section includes some reporting for a column about the NCAA and the name, image and likeness legislation making its way through various state legislatures.

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Somehow, we live in a world where the NFL announcing a schedule that we already know is the biggest sports news of the week. So we talk about that here at the top, including a prediction that is too homer-ish for my comfort, but also something I believe. So that’s something I’m going to have to think about.

Anyway, the questions turned into a sort of airing of grievances this week — Kansas Citians need to chill out, Sinclair’s short-sightedness and the immediate future, the line at Joe’s — and something about the Chiefs’ offensive line that will make you smarter than your friends.

The bonus section is with Royals manager Mike Matheny, who is open and honest about what he’s seeing and feeling during the Royals’ worst stretch in years.

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Tim Grunhard deserves all the flowers he’s getting, but we start the show with a plea for the Chiefs to correct a glaring omission to the Ring of Honor.

The questions are about liars, Sam Ehlinger, the Royals bullpen, Angel Hernandez, and KU’s new athletics director.

The bonus section is with new KU football coach Lance Leipold, and we breakdown what’s required for success and what that success would look like.

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Can we make this deal? As long as the Royals are in first place, they will lead this show.

In the questions we hit on Patrick Mahomes’ draft night, pitchers cheating, Brett Veach smokescreening the media, and recommendations for Kansas City’s beer scene.

The bonus section is all about the Chiefs, including a breakdown of the first round from the Chiefs’ perspective, and we peel back some layers of something really important that Veach said late last night.

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You probably guessed we’d start the show with the first-place Royals, but hopefully you didn’t guess what we’d say about them.

The questions hit on sports and politics, how we put the show together, who the Chiefs should draft, and a weird story from Canada.

The third section is a look into what makes Tyrann Mathieu go.

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Maybe this sounds weird, but we’re starting this week with a Greg Holland appreciation. We’ve seen this guy for nearly a decade now — same as always on the mound, but not much different off.

The questions are an eclectic mix of Jackie Robinson, creative ways to use the DH, and a nice listener named Mark sending me down a rabbit hole I did not know existed.

The bonus segment is with Mike Matheny, with clips that show who he is (and how he’s different than the manager he replaced) and where the organization is. He also helps me articulate a pet peeve.

Please listen to new episodes every Friday on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

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