Are we there yet, are we there yet mom, dad.. huh?
1963. Eleven years old. The Chiefs are coming to OUR TOWN! Mr. Toma transformed the fields from OK, to pristine. A thing of beauty. Even the practice fields. Goal posts were erected in Center Field of the baseball field at William Jewell for the kickers to use.
Hustle, bustle. Us kids, galore. The day and age when a Schwinn and leg muscles were all one needed to pedal up those dadgum big hills of William Jewell to Greene Stadium - this year, better known as GREEN Stadium. The day and age where an 11 year old could gallivant across town without mom or dad's accompaniment.
The heat. The sweat. The popping of pads. The thrill of Victor, the pounding of their feet. Good Lord these men are huge. "Can I have your autograph?" We didn't care if they needed to shower, gulp a Big Gulp... was Gatorade even a thing back then? We asked anyways, and 99 times outta a hunnerd the players (and coaches) obliged.
"Can I have your autograph Sir?"... Sure.. Oops, missed that guy, run up to the toppa the hill, "Can I have your autograph Sir?... Lemme see your page kid.. did.. see that right there? That's me.. You just got my autograph down there 3 minutes ago. Oops, sorry.
Living on a street across from William Jewell College was a thing of beauty. When the fanciest of fancy cars drove by, we ran to the curb to wave - as we just knew is was either Buck, Mike Garrett, Lenny, Bobby Bell, Willie - one of 'em.
Night time. 5 minutes before curfew - up the 25mph hill the fancy dancy cars would screech at speeds estimated at 60mph - simply so they wouldn't miss curfew - get fined.
My cousins would come from Fulton, MO and Jeff City, MO... We'd take blank page after blank page, with pens - and go hunt them suckers out. One cousin - he filled three pages with certainly more names than the 53 man roster held.. One small problem. He had a (wonderful, but smartaleck) cousin (my beautiful sister) who loved to 'fun'. Whilst we were out in the yard pretending to be Otis Taylor making one handed catches - of Lenny The Cool floating a long bomb - she was inside writing on my cousin's page.
50 plus years later - he showed me two of those three pages. Oh the names. EJ Holub, Curly Culp, Jonnie Robinson, Emmitt Thomas, Hank himself, even Lamar... THEN, he showed me the 3rd page with one autograph that really, really stood out. "Orville Footstink." My (now deceased) sister had done it. She got one of us again. When my cousin recently showed me the 3rd page with good ole Orville's name on it - I kinda got the feeling he'd changed his demeanor from upset 50 years ago, to "it's maybe my favorite autograph on the three pages" today.
The Super Bowl. Ha, they picked our Senior year... January 11, 1970. Champs of the World.
IT'S GONNA BE LIKE THIS EVERY YEAR!!!!!
Are we there yet mom, dad.. are we there?
Older now... in fact.. I was in the lovable old Corner Bar one night - ten or so of those big behemoths were in there too.. avoiding the 100 degree temps, replenishing their bods with perhaps the wrong kinda fluid to replenish -nonetheless, there they were - and we were glad they were.
Pete Beathard, QB, walked to the bar to get another beer. "Hey Pete?... Get me some peanuts." OK.. Did, and he got his beer. Was walking back.. "Just throw 'em!"... "Nope, someone would probably intercept 'em."
The longhorns on EJ Holubs car. Our dog Gabe, in the days before leash laws, EJ pounding away on the blocking sled, Gabe literally biting EJ in the butt as he did.. he'd hit the sled with his left shoulder and simultaneously attempt to flick Gabe off his buttocks with his right arm.
Racquetball in the old Brown Gym. They let the City kids come play for free. Knock on the door. We'd open. "Mr. Stram would like to play now." Gulp, OK. We're gone.
Then years and years and years of almost. Painful memories - perhaps none greater than that one year, Christmas Day, the longest game EVER in the NFL.
Mom? Dad? Are we there yet, are we there?
All the names. All the different 'used car' quarterbacks. Hand me downs from other teams. Ill conceived draft choices. Close, but never a cigar.
Much like the snotnoses (said lovingly) of today when the Royals won in 2015, "it's gonna be like this EVERY year!" Oops.
Are we there yet are we there?
BBQ. Expensive parking. Tossing the football around in the parking lot at Arrowhead. Thousands of us - all dressed up in Lanier, Bell, Lynch, Montana, Rison, Green, Holmes, Allen (Marcus or Jared), Shields, Lowery, Stenerud, Rudnay, Still, Cherry, Budde, Lewis, Smith, Thomas, Gonzalez, you name the jersey - we wore it.
We hate the Raiders (and the Broncos, and the Chargers). We have Red Friday. We put red dye in our fountains.
Are we there yet mom, huh, are we?
From Abdullah (Husain) thru Frank Zombo we've just about heard it all, seen it all. Three missed field goals. A QB scoring a touchdown on a pass from him to himself. 4 inches offsides.
Mom? Are we EVER gonna get there?
From the depths of 2012 and our 2 win, 14 loss season - something(s) changed.
Started with Clark cleaning the 'cabinets'. Brought in Big Red. (Thanks Philly... the hell were you thinking?)
Oh boy oh boy oh boy... No.. we can't. We can't get our hopes up again.. Remember? Didn't you learn ANYTHING in all those years? It ain't gonna happen. We're going to the grave with the "loved his 1969 World Champion Chiefs" inscription.
With the 10th pick in the 2017 draft, the Kansas City Chiefs select Patrick Mahomes II.
Be for real. Don't you remember Tony Adams? Bill Kenney? Steve Fuller? #1 pick Todd Blackledge? Bono, Grbac (Grrrrr) Croyle.
It's been a minute. MOM, it's been longer than that, are we EVER gonna get there?
Fast forward, as fast as moving 50 years later could be considered fast.
Welcome to Miami.
We've been knocked down, but we get up again, you're never gonna keep us down, we get knocked down, but we get up again, you're never gonna keep us down.
Ohhhh Danny boy...
Me thinks it's gonna happen. This is different. I doubted the Royals vs. Toronto, Houston. I was wrong. Please oh please don't lemme be wrong on this.
The pundits all seem to pick the 49'ers. (Got 'em right where we want em). "Just look at all those #1 draft choices on the defensive line, redwoods, all of 'em..... sure, Mahomes is awesome, but clearly the 49ers have the best team."
Go to bed Fred, we're Big Red, led by Big Red.
The two weeks from our last game, leading up to this has seemed like the month as a child once December hits until the morning we finally get to tear into the gifts under the tree.
Mom, dad? Are we there yet, are we there?
"We'll be there in two days.... it's a long trip to Miami."
That - is an understatement. It's a two generation drive. A Johnson to Nixon to Ford to Carter to Reagan to Bush to Clinton to Bush to Obama to Trump long drive.
The Kansas City Times is no more - but it's Kansas City's time.
Screw Blanda, Bilitnikoff, Big Ben, Elway, Kelly, Manning, and anyone else that kicked our booty.
We're now f'real.
My sister and I spent many a mile, many an hour in the back seats of those station wagons in the day. Dad drove so slow, REALLY slow.. ... if by the oft chance he actually passed a car, we gave him a standing ovation.
Sunday. Sunday. We're there. We're finally there.
50 years later, 100 million people will be watching. We're gonna pass the San Francisco 49'ers - Standing Ovation.
It's been a ride. A long, wonderful, occasionally miserable, ride.
Mom, dad? Are we there yet?
We are.
Ain't it great?
Love, Victurd
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