The Royals are packing their bags and will soon be off to spring training in Surprise, Arizona. But before they leave, they greeted fans and chatted up the season at Royals Rally at Kauffman Stadium.

On SportsBeat KC, the sports podcast of The Star and KCUR, beat writer Jaylon Thompson and columnist Vahe Gregorian dig into the upcoming season and whether the Royals can return to their playoff form of two years ago.

Also, you’ll hear from Chairman and CEO John Sherman on the latest in their stadium search, GM JJ Picollo on the team’s biggest needs and first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino with his take on the shorter distances to the fences at The K this season.

Then after the break, the vote heard all around the country: Vahe digs into why he didn’t vote for Bill Belichick in the recent Pro Football Hall of Fame vote after explaining it in a column last week. 

Rundown (timestamps are approximate)

1:07 — John Sherman talks stadium update

9:21 - JJ Picollo on the lessons learned last season

14:20 - Vinnie Pasquantino on The K’s shortened fences 

21:32 - Vahe on why he didn’t vote for Bill Belichick 

The offensive coordinator who was part of the Chiefs staff through one of their most productive stretches is back in Kansas City. Eric Bieniemy, who had three different jobs in the past three years, has been rehired.

That also means Matt Nagy, who held the job for the past three years, is out. 

Why the moves? On SportsBeat KC, the sports podcast of The Kansas City Star and KCUR, columnist Sam McDowell and Chiefs Insider Pete Sweeney explore the moves and discuss what it means for the Chiefs.

Rundown (timestamps are approximate)

0:23 — Why Eric Bieniemy? 

9:13 — Who else did the Chiefs interview for OC? 

18:25 — How the Chiefs’ offense got stale last season

26:21 — KU vs BYU & Royals Rally 

Local college basketball has experienced some wild mood swings this season — but at the moment KU and Mizzou are feeling better about themselves than last month. K-State, not so much.

On SportsBeat KC, the sports podcast of The Kansas City Star and KCUR, beat writers Shreyas Laddha and Kellis Robinett along with columnist Vahe Gregorian take the pulse of KU, K-State and Mizzou, and get into how the next few weeks might unfold.

KU could go as far as oft-injured freshman sensation Darryn Peterson can take them. But how far is that, exactly? Meanwhile, Mizzou has found new life in conference play, but that part of the schedule hasn’t been so kind to K-State.

The 2026 Baseball Hall of Fame class will be announced next Tuesday. And players like former Kansas City Royals outfielder Carlos Beltran and Andruw Jones are seeking to be selected after appearing on the ballot for several years.

On SportsBeat KC, three KC Star writers with Hall of Fame ballots discuss their selections.

According to the Rules for Election by the Baseball Writers Association of America, voting is based on record, ability, integrity, sportsmanship, character and contributions to the team. It takes 75% of about 400 ballots cast to make the Hall.

So who gets the call this year?

SportsBeat KC is the sports podcast of The Kansas City Star and KCUR, hosted by Blair Kerkhoff. It’s produced by Monty Davis, Irvin Zhang, Suzanne Hogan, and Gabriella Lacey, and edited by Jeff Rosen and Scott Chasen.   

The NFL playoffs are set to begin, and for the first time in more than a decade, the Chiefs won’t be part of the action.

On SportsBeat KC, the sports podcast of The Star and KCUR, Chiefs Insider Pete Sweeney sums up a season gone wrong. The Chiefs, who have appeared in five of the past six Super Bowls, lost their final five games to finish 6-11.

Questions abound: Will Travis Kelce return next season? Will Patrick Mahomes be healthy? Which free agents will the Chiefs target, and with a top ten pick in the NFL Draft, what direction will the Chiefs take?

It will be a Chiefs offseason like no other in the past decade.

SportsBeat KC is the sports podcast of The Kansas City Star and KCUR, hosted by Blair Kerkhoff. It’s produced by Monty Davis, Irvin Zhang, Suzanne Hogan, and Gabriella Lacey, and edited by Jeff Rosen and Scott Chasen. 

As the year comes to an end, SportsBeat KC, the sports podcast of The Kansas City Star and KCUR, is breaking down Kansas City’s most influential figures from 2025.

Star columnists Sam McDowell and Vahe Gregorian discuss five people — two players, two administrators and a coach — who helped shape the region’s sports landscape and tell the story of our teams.

Who made the list? It starts with Chiefs chairman and CEO Clark Hunt, who last week announced the franchise would leave its home of more than a half-century, Arrowhead Stadium, and relocate to Wyandotte County, Kansas, for the 2031 season.

Also, Chiefs Insider Pete Sweeney breaks down the Chiefs’ Week 18 road game vs. the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday. What’s at stake for the Chiefs, beside draft position?

Check out this week’s podcast.

SportsBeat KC is the sports podcast of The Kansas City Star and KCUR, hosted by Blair Kerkhoff. It’s produced by Randy Mason, Monty Davis, Irvin Zhang, Suzanne Hogan, and Gabriella Lacey, and edited by Jeff Rosen and Scott Chasen.   

It’s the biggest Kansas City professional sports franchise move in more than five decades. The Chiefs are moving to Kansas.

The team and state made the major announcement Monday in Topeka, and on SportsBeat KC, the sports podcast of The Star and KCUR, columnist Sam McDowell breaks down why the decision to relocate was made and what it means to the team and metropolitan area.

After a break, Royals beat writer Jaylon Thompson provides an update on the latest moves by the Royals. They’ve added outfield help but is it enough?

SportsBeat KC is the sports podcast of The Kansas City Star and KCUR, hosted by Blair Kerkhoff. It’s produced by Randy Mason, Monty Davis, Irvin Zhang, Suzanne Hogan, and Gabriella Lacey, and edited by Jeff Rosen and Scott Chasen.   

The Chiefs have reached a stopping point. 

They won’t be in the playoffs thanks to last weekend’s loss to the LA Chargers, ending Kansas City’s 10-year run of postseason appearances, the second longest in NFL history.

But the biggest news was Patrick Mahomes suffering a season-ending knee injury. He underwent surgery Monday and the recovery has started — but his timetable to return is uncertain. 

On SportsBeat KC, the sports podcast of The Kansas City Star and KCUR, Chiefs Insider Pete Sweeney and Star columnist Sam McDowell discuss this new reality for the Chiefs and what it means as the team closes out 2025.

SportsBeat KC is the sports podcast of The Kansas City Star and KCUR, hosted by Blair Kerkhoff. It’s produced by Monty Davis, Irvin Zhang, Suzanne Hogan, and Gabriella Lacey, and edited by Jeff Rosen and Scott Chasen

Another week, another painful loss for the Chiefs. 

This time to the Houston Texans at home, resulting in serious damage to their playoff chances. 

On SportsBeat KC, the sports podcast of The Kansas City Star and KCUR, Chiefs Insider Pete Sweeney and columnist Sam McDowell explain how the Chiefs fell for the fourth time in five games. 

Then, we talked Kansas City’s draw for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Star reporter Pete Grathoff breaks down the group stage games coming to KC, starting with the opening game for defending champion Argentina.

In a whirlwind of events at Kansas State, the Wildcats had a football coach resign, hired a popular replacement and turned down an invitation to a bowl game. Beat writer Kellis Robinett catches his breath to share his thoughts on the developments.

SportsBeat KC is the sports podcast of The Kansas City Star and KCUR, hosted by Blair Kerkhoff. It’s produced by Monty Davis, Irvin Zhang, Suzanne Hogan, and Gabriella Lacey, and edited by Jeff Rosen and Scott Chasen

Another week, another huge game for the Chiefs and their playoff chances. 

This time, the Houston Texans visit Kansas City on “Sunday Night Football,” and the teams are headed in different directions. The Chiefs have dropped three of four; the Texans have won four straight.

On SportsBeat KC, the sports podcast of The Kansas City Star and KCUR, Chiefs Insider Pete Sweeney breaks down the keys for a Chiefs win, KC’s playoff chances and the latest troubling issue: injuries on the offensive line.

Then, we look ahead at the upcoming draw for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. That’s when teams will assigned positions for the group stage games.

SportsBeat KC is the sports podcast of The Kansas City Star and KCUR, hosted by Blair Kerkhoff. It’s produced by Monty Davis, Irvin Zhang, Suzanne Hogan, and Gabriella Lacey, and edited by Jeff Rosen and Scott Chasen.