Mellinger Minutes For Your Ears

This week’s show features the best interview we’ve had so far, and it’s going to be tough to top.

Ryan Lefebvre and I drafted Royals players from this century, which originally was going to be a show. But then I mentioned it to Royals general manager Dayton Moore, asking if he’d choose who had the better team. Moore did more than that. He sent the teams to his analytics department and top scouts, asking their feedback, and his assistant — the tremendous Emily Penning — set up a Zoom call so I could sit in as Moore, senior director of pro scouting Gene Watson and assistant GM for research and development Daniel Mack debated the teams the way they do real-life player acquisitions.

These are hypothetical teams, obviously, but the shape and details of the debate are representative of the Royals’ process. Big thanks to everyone involved for doing this.

New to the show? Here’s what we’re doing:

We are constantly trying to think of new ways to deliver you information, entertainment or something else you won’t get anywhere else. Part of that is evaluating how you and I can connect. My hope is this can be one more way — a podcast you can listen to whenever and wherever you like.

Join us every Friday for behind-the-scenes access to interviews with Kansas City’s coaches, fans and reporters. We’ve talked with Bill Self, Mike Matheny and Mayor Quinton Lucas — and more. You can get all the episodes in one place right here.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, baseball’s return-to-play proposal has us thinking about the 10 best things about the sport’s return, we take listener questions on the Chiefs and talk to Mike Jirschele about his part in two of the most important plays in Royals history.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mellinger Minutes For Your Ears continues to roll this week with listener questions on the Chiefs and Royals, some reaction to a strange NFL schedule release and former Mizzou basketball coach Norm Stewart’s thoughts on everything from the Border War’s return to the state of college basketball today. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The newest Mellinger Minutes For Your Ears podcast is Chiefs-focused, including reaction to the first round of players talking publicly during this virtual offseason.

We have some great questions, including whether sports fans have it better or worse than they used to, and one that goes deep on how to mourn a lost loved one.

Special bonus segment, too: Terez Paylor of Yahoo! Sports stops by for a very specific and silly Chiefs draft.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, the Mellinger Minutes For Your Ears podcast is all about gratitude for some actual sports-ish stuff to talk about and a conversation with Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas.

We did the interview with the mayor for a recent column about why he gave the world his cell phone number, and obviously I hope you read that, but we ended up talking a little about the Kansas City stay-at-home order lockdown and what he expects, too. I thought his answers were interesting, — and enlightening.

We also catch up about last night’s NFL Draft picks — including the Chiefs’ surprising choice in the first round of LSU running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire.

As always, thanks for listening.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We can’t watch sports, but we don’t have to stop loving them.

This week on Mellinger Minutes for Your Ears, The Star’s subscriber-exclusive podcast, is an ode to sports memories, as well as and a conversation with two Kansas Citians trying to land an NBA team for the Sprint Center.

Have a question for me? I’ll answer it on the podcast. Just give me a call at 816-234-4365.

Thank you for supporting us in this experiment. Let us know how we’re doing and how we can better reach you.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to the third iteration of our experiment: Mellinger Minutes For Your Ears, where I get to talk directly to you about the wild times we’re living in and Kansas City sports.

This week, we’s Mellinger Minutes For Your Ears podcast welcome Gary Woodland, the reigning US Open champion and Kansas graduate. Woodland would be at the Masters during normal times, but talked to us about why he hasn’t touched a club since the postponements, when he thinks the PGA might be able to return, and what would be required between now and then.

And I answer your questions about Kansas basketball and how to bring young people to the baseball fandom.

And as always, thanks for listening.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mellinger Minutes For Your Ears is back for a second episode, this time with a conversation with Kansas basketball coach Bill Self.

Thanks to all of you who tuned in last week. We got a lot of feedback and great new questions. I hope you enjoy what we have for you today.

This week, we’ll update some recent coronavirus stories, take questions on everything from sports to barbecue, and chat with Self about how he’s spending his days, his Twitter comeback and the eventual return of college sports more. As always, call 816-234-4365 to participate.

Thanks for listening.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to our new experiment.

We are constantly trying to think of new ways to deliver you information, entertainment or something else you won’t get anywhere else. Part of that is evaluating how you and I can connect.

We’ve had great luck with columns, profiles, the Minutes every Tuesday, and on social media. My hope is this can be one more way — a podcast you can listen to whenever and wherever you like.

The hope is to post these most Fridays, but we need your help. So if you’d like to participate with a question please call 816-234-4365 and leave your first name and city. If you have a way we can make this better please let me know that, too.

This week, I’m answering your questions about The Peanut, the uncertainty of this year’s baseball season and how the coronavirus pandemic has shifted the rhythm of sports. We’ll finish up with an exclusive interview with Royals manager Mike Matheny, where we talk about life, family and baseball.

Thanks as always for your time.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices