Welcome to another edition of love/hate relationship overview. Today’s subject was not on my radar until late last week. This started a couple of months ago. My background in “event planning and execution” has led me to various “leadership” positions in many venues. I genuinely believe that the biggest hurdle to being an event leader is willingness. Look at any group of people, and you will see trends in who is the organizer for pretty much everything. Misty comes from the same cloth. She is consistently one of, if not the driving force of friend trips and business trips. Her willingness also landed her the head of home and school seat. I have a similar role with my friends. My story, as mentioned above, sometime coming annual guy’s trip with my Boston U friends is a notable example. Another one is keeping in touch with my college crew, which is primarily the Fraternity guys.
I have many connections from my time at Fort Hays State University, but the most significant group by far is the Gentlemen of Sigma Alpha Epsilon. The sales pitch was something to the effect of joining a group of guys that will be at your wedding and funeral, and I bought it. I have also received said promise in many great and not great ways (Andy and Shawn, I will miss you forever). Keeping in contact with friends and family is my top priority, and I view being present as a leading task in life. My role since graduation has consistently included contributions to reunions and trips. I embrace it and take it seriously. This last weekend was a result of my buddy Chris. Chris and I lived together for almost four years and served as Best Man at each other’s wedding – best of friends for life.
Assembling the Crew
Chris hit me up a couple of months ago asking for weekends to get together. I was all about it. We set 3 quick goals: timing conducive to a round of golf, attendance from our roommates Jess and Jeff, and not a ton of scheduled stuff. We linked with the other guys and landed last weekend in Jess’ current town of Manhattan, KS. Chris drove in from Goodland, and I flew to KC to ride out with Jeff. Another Manhattan resident and roommate, Chris, joined us.
Quick sidebar–Dos Chrises
I lived with both Chrises (and made up that word) in chronological order. The wild thing is they have consecutive birthdays in the order I met them. So, literally and figuratively, their birthdates occur on two consecutive days. I collectively refer to them as Dos Chrises, and their names are Uno and Dos. Uno is Chris, the organizer, and Dos is the Chris, that lives in Manhattan.
How was the weekend? Perfect. We played golf and drank beer. I really don’t have much more of a story to tell. We kept it perfectly casual as intended. About this love/hate thing. I flew into the Kansas City Airport on Thursday night.
Kansas City “International” Airport/KCI/MCI
Does this airport fly to Mexico seasonally? Yeah. Will Air Canada Express fly to Toronto again soon? Sure. Does that make this airport international? I don’t think so, but that is not the point. I couldn’t resist the dig. I heard a comedy bit long ago about the Spokane International Airport stealing its name from the International House of Pancakes, and it fits many places like MCI. I had the opportunity to travel a decent amount growing up, and MCI was my home hub. Four hours from where I lived, but we Midwest farm folk don’t mind some windshield time. It’s what I had, and I honestly loved it.
MCI is so easy to navigate, given its setup. Back in the day, airport gates were grouped in fours, so security lines weren’t a thing. I vividly remember arriving at the airport 20 minutes before take-off and not feeling any sense of fear of missing the flight. September 2001 changed the game, but MCI remained a very quick in.
Another Sidebar
regarding 9/11. My first note is an urge to make the trip to the United 93 Memorial. It is genuinely impacting, and I cannot describe it with justice, so I will not even try. The second point is a nod to our South American friends in Chile. Misty studied abroad down there, and many locals took an exception to the US “taking that day” from them. September 11, 1973, was the day Augusto Pinochet took control of Chile. That guy belongs on any top 10 list of horrible people, and I understand the sentiment.
Back to MCI: I grew up loving the place and did not understand anyone who didn’t. Then two things happened to me: I got out more and turned 21.
The Hate Part
The MCI setup is truly horrible. It stands alone (as far as I know) being a three horseshoe setup with external retail, and that is because the design is monumentally stupid. Slamming a beer next to the gate is my favorite and a very time-honored tradition of flying. MCI categorically robbed that option until very recent times. The current setup is larger groups of gates with a restroom, bar, and food offering. Longer security lines are a notable result. I have been a Global Entry/TSA pre since day one, so that doesn’t affect me, but it sucks for everyone else. The mentioned “amenities” are eye-rolling on the best of days. A bar with four seats 10′ from a gate agent is as much pain as anything, and a fridge of pre-made sandwiches are barely food. The small bathroom makes for another long line, so there’s that.
Has any of this changed the fact that MCI is my hub to home? No, and for that, I still love it. None of the complaints listed above qualify as anything beyond first-world problems. They are problems by definition but hardly pass as anything to worry about. The other thing to remember is there are options outside the gate areas. Combat all of this easily by arriving a bit earlier with a plan. I still love you, MCI, but I do not feel sorry for your current state.
Shock and Awe
Nothing was different or off when I landed in Terminal B. It did seem a bit busy in the gate area for a 9:45 pm arrival, but I was just happy to be there. However, the place was a circus of massive proportions when I got outside. I cannot think of a busier time, let alone that late. Jeff picked me up, and he commented on all the construction. It had been a bit since my last flight to MCI, but I missed a significant development. Terminal B was busier because Terminal A doesn’t exist. All of this is because Kansas City is getting a new airport.
Not sure how I missed that development, but here we are. Jeff constantly flies for work, has reviewed all the renderings, and tells me the new place will match Indianapolis. That is a nice airport, so it sounds good to me. Here is the site for the new location: Here is the link for the “Build” a new Airport: https://www.buildkci.com/
The Retail Node, A at the new KCI -The Fountain – Leo Villareal’s “Fountain (KCI).”
We are looking at the end of the “KCI” era in 2023. A part of me will miss the old MCI, but the mass majority of travelers into KC will not. Cheers to the new airport, and I hope it keeps the MCI code.
Some Draft Rehash
My draft recap revolved around 6 of the 10 picks. Since that time, the buzz has significantly increased around Bryan Cook and Isiah Pacheco.
I still believe everything I wrote then, so this is a welcome, great sign, and further validation of what Brett Veach and Company accomplished on draft day. In addition, the tape on Cook is impressive in a big way. All of his highlight videos show three things, and the CHIEFS have sorely lacked at least two recently:
- Closing speed: we had this most of Honey Badger’s time, which will forever keep him in our Chiefs lore. He will be in the Ring of Honor one day. Cook has this instinctively.
- Hard, clean hits: this has been lacking. There has been a minimal real penalty for making catches or carrying the ball, especially in the secondary. Cook is a thumper.
- Wrapping up when tackling: every single play, he wraps up. I put this as the number one thing yelled at the TV during watch parties. Cook is a fundamental football player who has a real shot to start day 1.
Pacheco is notable for his incredible swagger.
He immediately started the “I will take a grown man’s job” talk and wholly embraced the shoes he must fill wearing #10. My attention is yours, Isiah. A good scout’s review of Pacheco(Cassidy Kaminski), the context of which is contained in an article written by Kristian Dyer(Rutgers Wire). See the article here: https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/chiefs-scout-cassidy-kaminski-had-151138998.html
One of ArrowheadOne’s frequent posters, “Berttheclock,” contributed a brief on how Cassidy Kaminski became a scout. Cassidy sought out John Dorsey(Former Chiefs GM) and told him that he wanted to become an NFL Scout. Dorsey responded to Cassidy that he should go to school and then come to see him. Kaminski is one of the scouts about whom AOne Author David Bell referred in a recent Arrowheadone Article(Scouts are the unsung heroes for a football team if they are good at their craft).
Nazeeh Johnson and Jaylen Watson round out the class.
Eric Eager and others at PFF have argued that coverage may be more important than pass rush. Interesting reads here and here. The draft haul was either all best available or some level of acknowledgment of this. If you have not read the account of Wilson getting the call, please do. Johnson’s “humble and hungry demeanor” is encouraging as well.
The season can go ahead and start now.
Early Schedule Notes
The NFL’s effort to dominate headlines continues with another edition of leaking the schedule in the time leading up to full release. I remain bummed that Germany is off, but the early notables are exciting. I will be doing a full top-17 rundown when it is all final, but we appear to have some prime-time awesomeness. Amazon knows what’s up with choosing Arrowhead for its first offering. The first game schedule is throwing me a bit, but lock and load vs. the Chargers on week 2. An early Sunday Night tangle in Tampa looks juicy.
Finally, be on the lookout for the Arrowhead Kingdom happenings. I will dedicate a weekly to it when appropriate, but here is the preview: we will be a road game presence in 2022. Lock and Load!!
The longer this offseason marinates, the more I get excited about this team. We are all on this awesome ride together, and I am loving every minute of it!!
Josh Kingsley – ArrowheadOne