Charles Deserves MVP Consideration

He's likely not going to win the award, because no one is going to beat out Peyton Manning, but it is time Jamaal Charles started to receive some heavy accolades. His performance Sunday against the Oakland Raiders alone sets him apart as one of the great players in this league. His performance was legendary as he racked up 195 yards receiving and hauled in four touchdowns. He added another 20 yards and a score on the ground to help the Kansas Chiefs Chiefs clinch their first playoff birth since 2010. But the truth is, Charles has been the heart and soul for this Chiefs team all season, carrying a super-human like load this year for a Chiefs offense that has mostly struggled aside from his production.

Many football pundits may peg Charles as a simply a speed back due to his track history, but this season it is obvious that he has had to earn many yards the hard way. His body has held up astonishingly well despite touching the ball over 300 times with two games yet to go in the season. But it is not just his 1,181 yards and 11 touchdowns on the ground that should be opening eyes, it's the fact that he leads all running backs in receiving by a wide margin. His 65 grabs and 655 yards have been extremely key for the Chiefs this year, as their down field passing game has struggled under weak-armed but efficient quarterback Alex Smith. Charles leads all Chiefs receivers in yards, catches and touchdowns and is Smith's go-to on his frequent check-down plays. His value to the Kansas City offense is immeasurable and it is terrifying to think what would become of that unit without Charles in the lineup.

There is no doubt that if a back like Adrian Peterson had the kind of day that Charles had Sunday at Oakland that there would have been talk of immediately ushering him to the Pro Football Hall of Fame without a seconds remorse. But, as it is, Charles remains under the radar and playing for the small-market Chiefs keeps him out of the limelight of the national media and his classy demeanor on and off the field keeps his name off of local headlines. But this season it is very important to recognize this great player and appreciate what his talent means for this upstart Kansas City Chiefs team who have fought back from a 2-14 season a year ago to sit currently tied with the best record in the AFC with the Denver Broncos. Charles has not merely played a role in this turnaround, he has flat out BEEN the turnaround. Peyton Manning is certainly the catalyst for the Denver Broncos sublime passing attack, and it is very hard to argue against Manning being the MVP of the NFL in 2013, but if there is a guy who deserves to go neck- in- neck with Manning, it is absolutely Jamaal Charles.

Mizzou Looks to Continue Dream Season

It was only four short months ago that Missouri Head Coach Gary Pinkel was the first name that most media pundits would utter when talking about the coaching "hot seat." His Tigers were coming off a lackluster first season in the Southeastern Conference as Mizzou failed to make a bowl game for the first time in eight years, their recruiting seemed to be flailing and fans were beginning to grumble. The team had to deal with a myriad of injuries including most of their starting offensive line and quartarback James Franklin who missed four games as a starter. It was clear that things were going to have to chance in 2013 for the Missouri program.

And now we sit here, on a cold week in December awaiting the 5th ranked Tigers first ever trip to the SEC Championship Game this Saturday when they battle the also surprising Auburn Tigers. The journey has been so gratifying for coach Pinkel and his group of resilient players. They were picked 6th in the SEC East and most thought that a bowl game would be a suitable goal. "We just want to keep battling," Pinkel stated emphatically. "I have a responsibility to the University of Missouri to build a great program that’s respected.” And respect is something that has come in large doses this year as the Tigers have marched to an impressive 11-1 record. It is undeniably fitting that a team that found it so hard to gain respect a year ago, has received it so glowingly only a year later.

If there is one player that has provided a metaphor for his teams' surprising success, it is running back Henry Josey. His 951 yards rushing and 13 touchdowns may lead the team, but it is undoubtedly his persistence and leadership that has made the biggest impact. Josey suffered a severe knee injury during the 2011 season and the early prognosis was not positive. After tearing his ACL, MCL, PCL and patella tendon, it was a very real possibility that Josey would never play football again. For a year and a half he rehabbed, strengthened and believed. "No one knows what he's had to go through and all the work he's gone through and his determination." Gary Pinkel said before the 2013 season even began. And determined Henry has been especially this past Saturday as his 57 yard touchdown run catapulted Missouri to a 28-21 win over Texas A&M which vaulted Mizzou into this weekend's SEC Championship Game in Atlanta.

So now we get to watch this Missouri team, which has dealt with so many emotional and physical ups and downs in the past two years play upstart Auburn for the championship of the most prestigious football conference on earth. An Auburn team that has seemed destined for greatness all season after rebounding from an 0-8 conference season in 2012. An Auburn team that just defeated its arch-rival Alabama on one of the most thrilling plays in the history of college football. And Missouri knows that they will have to look past the bravado and the large Georgia Dome stage to emerge victorious. A win on Saturday would give Mizzou the respect that they so richly desire and have fought so hard to obtain. But regardless of outcome, the Tigers have unquestionably opened the eyes of their own fan base as well as the nations.

Motley Crue 'Red Hot' in Miami

September 14th, 2014

Motley Crue's third show in the state of Oklahoma in as many days solidified the fact that the band is still capable of delivering a great rock show to a raucous crowd. An overflow crowd over over 10,000 invaded the outdoor amphitheater at the Buffalo Run Casino in Miami, OK on this night and never let up as the band torched through a barrage of nostalgic hits. Before the show, rock fans young (but mostly old) littered the small casino in anticipation of a great night of rock and roll debauchery; they would not be disappointed.

Before the Crue would grace the crowd with its 32-year-old presence, local rockers Hinder took the stage to a nice reception. It was clear that many in attendance were not aware the band's original singer (who no one seemed to know the name of) would not be fronting the band on this night. Regardless, the new-aged-rockers belted out a few hits such as "Lips of an Angel," to respectable cheers, although some of the older rockers started with chants of "Crue! Crue! Crue!" as Hinder's set wound down.

After an abnormally long break, Motley Crue's intro tape hit and the crowd revved to a frenzy. The opening bass chords of "Red Hot" and the emergence of the band's singer, Vince Neil sent cell phone cameras flying high overhead as well as roars of excitement. Neil was in very top form on this night, hitting high notes on songs like "Livewire" that he previously allowed the crowd to sing in his stead. The band really began hitting their stride during the three song stretch that included their 2008 hit "Saints of Los Angeles," "Too Young to Fall In Love," and "Same Ol' Situation." The large (and cramped) crowd seemed to grow louder after each song and even wildly cheered on guitarist Mick Mars' short solo.

Unusually missing from a night of typical Motley mayhem was Tommy Lee whom appeared to be relegated to a backup role during this show. His playing was intense and precise, although his kit was barely visible to most fans. He did not perform a solo, or indulge in any "look at me" behavior which usually accompanies any Crue concert. He did receive a huge pop when he emerged from his kit to play the opening chords of "Home Sweet Home" which never fails to sent a nostalgic rock crowd swaying with delight. The final song of the night would be "Kickstart My Heart" from their most successful album, "Dr. Feelgood." A tune that proved to be the final nail in the coffin of a tremendous showing by a band who's live show has been ridiculed in the past for various reasons. The end could very well be near for this band, who has survived everything from ex-wives and death to reality shows and lawsuits. But it is clear that the masses (including the 10,000 plus in Miami) still clamor for their presence.

Setlist

Red Hot

Wildside

Louder than Hell

Saints of LA

Too Young to Fall in Love

Same Ol' Situation

Looks that Kill

Don't Go Away Mad

Livewire

Shout at the Devil

MF of the Year

Too Fast for Love

Primal Scream

Dr. Feelgood

Girls Girls Girls

Home Sweet Home

Kickstart My Heart

Iron Maiden Go 'Aces High' in Kansas City

The last time legendary heavy metalers Iron Maiden rolled through the Kansas City area, they drew a measly 3,000 people in support of their "Brave New World" album in 2000. On September 7th, 2013, the band brought Megadeth and a ton of nostalgia with them as their "Maiden England" tour hit the Sprint Center on a lively Saturday evening. A crowd of over 12,000 packed the beautiful arena in downtown Kansas City, MO and witnessed Maiden's spectacle, which was a throwback to their 1988 tour by the same name.

It was clear from the opening chords of "Moonchild" that the crowd would be on board for the long haul as the thunderous applause nearly shook the building following the band's first song of the night. Vocalist Bruce Dickinson continued to urge the crowd to "Scream for me Kansas!" (despite the venue being on the Missouri side, a common mistake and one we will let slide especially from a foreigner), but the crowd never actually needed to be prompted as the band rolled through a rising set including songs from "Number of the Beast," "Powerslave," and "Seventh Son of a Seventh Son."

The star of the night was Dickinson, who is known as one of the great metal singers of all time and at age 55, was more than willing to run around the stage like a man 25 years his junior. His voiced soared over three guitars, bass and drums throughout the evening. The rest of the band were amazingly tight as well, especially during the 12 minute production "Seventh Son of a Seventh Son." All in all, it was a glorious night for metal as the band were cheered valiantly for their efforts following the song "Running Free," their final song of the show. As the members of Iron Maiden all head towards their 60's, there is no guarantee that the Kansas City area will ever catch a glimpse of these legends again, but for one night in September...the city was ruled by Eddie.

By Clint Switzer

Mizzou/Georgia Game Signals Victory for Tiger Faithful

Mizzou fans, today is yours. Yes, it took quite a while to get here, and there was a bump or two along the way. You have endured 5th downs, kicked balls, Tyus Edney and phrases like "wait till basketball season" to get to this place. You have endured years of losing football, getting mauled by Nebraska, and Quin Snyder to get to this place. But Tiger fan, rest assured that the battle is done, and you have endured. Gary Pinkel has been positioning the program in place for this journey for over a decade now, and today the nation will have the opportunity to witness the fruits of his labor. If you think that Mizzou is not prepared for this, you are wrong. You are dead wrong.


Today, your Missouri Tigers will face the 6th ranked Georgia Bulldogs in front of 71,000 on national tv. Yes, those Georgia Bulldogs. The Hershel Walker, SEC powerhouse, between-the-hedges Georgia Bulldogs. By playing this team, on this day, Mizzou officially joins the club. The SEC welcomed the Missouri Tigers into its storied conference almost 10 months ago, and today those rewards shall be reaped. Be warned, your former Big 12 friends do not know how to handle this. They will snear cliches like "you will get killed in the SEC." And who knows, they may be right. But you have a seat at the table....and they do not. Today, all of America will watch to see if this new kid on the block is ready for this battle, and because of that fact, it is abundantly clear that we already are.

Sports Horn Interviews Texas Tech Guard Luke Adams

Interview With Texas Tech Guard Luke Adams

The Texas Tech Red Raiders won just Big XII game during the 2011/2012 basketball season. They finished the year 8-23 overall, in fact. But as the season got underway this year, there was a player that caught my attention. A wiry, 5'9 150 pound kid who wore always seemed to be sporting a white UnderArmor headband during games. That kid was Luke Adams, a freshman guard for the Red Raiders. He was a prolific high school player, averaging almost 27 points a game as a senior for Big Springs High, but had few Division 1 offers to play basketball. Luke also has unique disposition on the basketball court: He was born deaf. In fact, he wears the headband during games to keep his cochlear implants in place so that he can hear the referees whistle, coaches plays, and teammates while on the court. Luke was kind enough to answer some questions for us recently that we sent him via facebook:

SPORTS HORN: Luke, first, tell us what it was like making the transition from high school to Division 1 basketball this year. You were obviously very prolific high school player!

LUKE: It was a big adjustment. I played a lot with Junior college players at howard junior college in Big Spring. I played with players such as Jae Crowder at Marquette so I have been around some great players.My dad Mark Adams is the coach there. That obviously helped but adjusting to the Big 12 is almost impossible to do. Obviously you have to work hard every single day. I scored alot in high school around 27pts a game. Half the games were box and 1 defenses. 16 to be exact. Scoring in high school helped but it still didnt get me many offers to play div 1 ball which was my dream. many coaches still said I am too small, not talented enough, or just couldnt play at this level especially the big 12. High school helped me a lot but mainly God helping and leading me through the doubts of everyone else. I knew that HAVE to be the most skilled player, smart and especially tough. I still have a long way to go and need to improve a lot. 

SPORTS HORN:  You seem like a very personable guy. One TV broadcaster said that you loved making new friends on facebook! Do you consider yourself to have an outgoing personality?

LUKE:   haha well I try to be outgoing as possible. I want to give back to the people who have supported me. I have been blessed to be where I am and hopefully motivate and change other peoples lives. 

SPORTS HORN:  Obviously, you play basketball with cochlear implants. Tell us what that experience is like. Do they hamper you at all while you are playing?

LUKE: My cochlear implants have changed my life. I was loseing hearing in my right ear. I am extremly blessed to get a cochlear. I was born deaf and the dr. told my parents at age 3 that I would never read above a second grade level, and they should ship me to a deaf school in austin texas to learn to sign and live in the deaf world. My parents never gave up and God helped them to stay strong. They are the reason why I am where I am. I am extremly blessed and grateful for that. Playing with it isn't so bad, I haven't really thought about. I do not have a choice. I try not to feel sorry for myself bc people don't really care. I know that sounds harsh. lol 

SPORTS HORN:  How do opposing players treat you? Do you feel like any guys were out there talking trash to you? Or were you mostly treated with respect during your first year?

LUKE:  I think opposing players treated me a little different because they knew and thought I didn't belong on the court and in reality I do not. But that is how my whole life has been so I can not control what they think. I did not hear much trash talking and if they did I probably did not hear them very well. lol

SPORTS HORN:  How do you feel about Texas Tech basketball moving forward with Billy Gillespie? Many people think he will turn that program around very quickly.

LUKE:  Gillespie is a great coach and his specialty is turning around programs. He works harder than anyone in the country and I have confidence he will make us a top 25 team in the years to come.

My Definitive Star Rating System for Single Females

It's time to throw down the gauntlet. Guys have been trying to put numbers, or letters on girls they see in public for years. "Oh she's about an 8.5," or "A+ right there." Now, what I will be doing is creating a definitive rating system in which females can be fairly judged. This will be a star system, one very similar to the Rivals.com system of rating college athletic recruits. They base their stars (1 being the lowest, 5 being the highest) on many criteria. 40 times, size, speed, strength, statistics etc. So now, you will be able to fairly assign a star to the next chick you go on an awkard match.com date with. There are also different categories that must be employed in each situation to adequately find a rating.  So here it is:

Note: There is an obvious separate rating system based on looks alone. You obviously don't know how many kids the petit blonde has that you just saw from across the bar. Is she cute? Give her a rating. And do not throw out 5 star ratings quickly. That is reserved for the upper 10 percent of hot chicks out there only! Oh and married women are not involved in this rating system. The star system is set up to protray just how datable a chick is aside from just her looks so married women are out. Give them a star rating based on their looks and move on!


* (1 star) Obviously a 1 star single chick is going to have some problems, guys. Starting in the looks department, most likely going to be subpar. But guess what, 1 star prospects sometimes wind up walking on to college football teams (football analogies will be prevalent) and playing a little bit! So if you get at least one star you have something to offer the world. A 1 star prospect will probably have at least 2 kids and you can count on some drama with her ex's. She's going to be the type that has "all guy friends" and claims to "hate drama" but actually lives for it.

** (2 star) Ok, a 2 star has a little bit of potential here. Afterall, ex Mizzou receiver Danario Alexander was a 2 star recruit and is now in the NFL after breaking several receiving records! But unfortunately for a two star talent, that is the exception not the rule. In the looks department, there are going to have to be a few flaws but she can be up to about  a 4 in the looks department. What drags down a 2 star is going to be an excess of children, typically different fathers, a bad personality, no sense of humor, etc. a 4 star chick in the looks department that possesses all the necessary baggage, yep probably going to drop her to a 2 star rating.

*** (3 star) This is going to be the vast majority of females in the dating world. Status quo. Most collegiate prospects are 3 star recruits for a reason. They have a lot of potential, but as of yet, they are not superstars. Basically, if you can snag a solid 3 star your doing pretty well for yourself. A 3 star can still have kids, but is not involved physically with all of their fathers still. She is doing well for herself career wise, or going to school so ambition has to be shown. A 3 star can still jerk you around a little bit, probably will flirt with guys on facebook. Won't tell guys to stop texting her, etc,  Although she could even be a 5 star in the looks department and possibly dragged down by any number of other issues.

**** (4 star) Now we're talking. If you can nab one of these, you better do it. A 4 star most likely has to have 0 kids. If she does it has to be one, and she has to be an amazing mother and she can have no drama with childs dad or other ex's. She has a full time job (or, again, goes to school) and likes to do fun things and can adapt easily to any environment. Likes to hang out with your friends and family and in general. Very hard to come across a 4 star talent because most of them are married. She most likely will turn away guys who try to flirt with her on fb or via text, and probably has to be at least as hot as any of the girls from Bret Michaels "Rock of Love" Although you have to be careful because with a 4 star, expectations are high! They are expected to produce, and it can be devastating if they let you down in certain ways.

***** (5 star) The rarest of the rare. You will most likely never come across a 5 star talent. If you do, marry her tomorrow. This is going to be an insanely hot girl, who has her stuff together, doesn't have kids, is ambitious, funny, talented...So...you know any chicks like that? Me either. You would have to scour the united states with a magnifying glass to come across a 5 star who is available to date you. It would have to be literally the Kelly Kapowski character from Saved By the Bell walking into your life and blowing you away. Good luck with that. Most likely, the only way a 5 star is single is if she is a college student (over 21 of course), or has been locked in someones basement all their lives until the moment they meet you.

So there you have it, start assigning stars right away and always feel free to contact me with more ideas on how to improve the ratings system. Below listed are all categories which must be taken into account (if the info is available) when rating a female.

Looks- Obvious.

Personality- Typically what drags a girl down, but in some cases, can help notch a less-good-looking chick up another star level. Is she witty? or is she bascially mad at the world all the time?

Children- How many does she have? Is she partying every night with them in her care, or is she a good mom who is looking to do the right thing for her and the child. Very key to differentiate early when trying to date a woman with a child.

Ambition- Does she have a job? Does she have interests/hobbies? If watching the "bad girls club" is the only thing this chick likes to do, your going to have to give her a low ambition rating.

history of guy friends- Does this girl seem to have a lot of scruffy looking guys commenting all over her facebook, being passive aggressive and flirty? Does the girl just crave attention from any guy who will give it to her? Or is she good at deflecting them? Better find out!

Drama- A very broad topic which certainly takes into account may things including some of the categories listed. But in the drama department focus on a few things: Does she make batty facebook posts constantly? Things like "the cops are here, i'm safe now, i never want to see Dan again!" Yeah thats going to get you a very low star in the drama category.  Does her ex still stalk her? Is she involved in a custody battle? Does she go out at night with her friends and lose her phone, debit card? If she is realitively drama free give her a good rating here and its going to up her overall rating for sure.