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Sports
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Written by David Wolman
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Friday, 30 July 2010 13:35 |
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A crowd of 52,424 flocked to newly-renovated Arrowhead Stadium to take in the highest attended soccer match in Kansas City history.
When the final whistle sounded, the fans rose to their feet and enthusiastically applauding the efforts of both teams. What was completely unexpected was the Kansas City Wizards raising their hands in triumph. The same Wizards’ squad which entered the contest with a 4-8-1 record in Major League Soccer play this season? Yes, it was the Wizards, who on this day, stood as one of the giants in international soccer, notching a 2-1 victory over English powerhouse Manchester United. 
The Wizards brought all of their top stars to the field in the most highly-anticipated match in club history, and they didn’t back down from the United. In fact, they helped to set an aggressive pace in the first half.
Three of Kansas City’s stars helped to connect on the match’s first goal.
Teal Bunbury floated a pass from near mid-field to Kei Kamara, who passed the ball back to streaking Wizards captain Davy Arnaud. Arnaud, moving quickly through the center of the field, placed a shot underneath Amos, Manchester United’s 20-year-old goalkeeper, for a 1-nil lead in the 11th minute.
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Sports
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Written by David Wolman
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Thursday, 22 July 2010 13:57 |
KANSAS CITY, Kan. — As Brian Bruce, radio voice of the Kansas City T-Bones, came on the air to welcome fans to Saturday’s broadcast of the T-Bones’ game against the Joliet JackHammers (Ill.), he made an observaton about the weather conditions and the high quality of baseball the T-Bones have played recently. He said it was a “hot and sticky night” (temperatures were in the 90s with a heat index of more than 100 degrees), but went on to add, “Fans have come out tonight in droves to see the first-place T-Bones.”
Yes, the hot weather made it uncomfortable for some fans and may have prevented more from attending the contest, but the appeal of a first-place professional sports team in Kansas City helped attract a crowd of 6,526 to CommunityAmerica Ballpark.
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Sports
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Written by Gene Morris
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Thursday, 22 July 2010 13:52 |
A pair of two-out rallies, including a four-run third with four consecutive hits, and a complete game shutout from Travis Marsh led the Osawatomie Raiders to a 5-0 shutout against rival Paola in the first round of the Zone Tournament on Wednesday evening.
“I thought we did a good job of staying aggressive with two outs and never gave up,” Osawatomie manager Ron Maring said. “You score runs with two outs, it says a lot about the character of your team.”
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Sports
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Written by David Wolman
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Thursday, 22 July 2010 13:45 |
ROSE HILL, Kan. — As hot as the temperatures were last weekend, the offense for the Osawatomie Rockets sizzled.
There was certainly no shortage of offense for Osawatomie. The runs came at a fast and furious pace. The squad scored a combined 51 runs in three games to win the Babe Ruth 14-year-old state softball tournament.
To open the three-day tournament, Osawatomie won a slugfest over host Rose Hill, 16-10, Saturday morning.
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Sports
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Written by David Wolman
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Friday, 16 July 2010 08:00 |
Dave French was lying in a hospital bed in Iola one Sunday in mid-April. For someone who has witnessed family tragedy after family tragedy during his lifetime, and who has been used to giving back to others, he was the one in need of care. 
“I felt helpless,” he said.
Dave was rushed to a hospital in Iola on April 10 after a 10-foot fall from a stepladder while working on a family member’s house in rural Colony, Kan. He suffered several broken ribs, a concussion and a collapsed lung. He also came within inches of puncturing his aorta. He was rushed to the emergency room, where he was observed for any signs of internal bleeding or a need to pump his lungs, before being moved to the intensive care unit for a few days.
As a football coach at Osawatomie High School, Dave had become accustomed to motivating offensive linemen. He urges them to quickly get back on their feet after missing a block, and to get their heads in the game when things weren’t going so well; he pats them on the back when they open a big running lane or give their quarterback plenty of time to release the ball and avoid taking a sack.
But on this particular weekend, Dave was the one who needed to get up after taking a sack of his own — one which put him in a near-death situation.
On his second day in ICU, where doctors had him taking eight to 10 different medications, two painkillers, an oral patch and three separate IV drips, he glanced at his son. Andy was standing by himself, but just staring into his son’s eyes made Dave realize something — he needed to recover and be the man in the household; he needed to get back on the road to recovery; he needed to get back to teaching and coaching.
“I needed to set a strong example for my sons — to not be a quitter, to not give up,” Dave said. “Those are things I instill as a coach. When kids feel down, when things aren’t going well, maybe they’re not performing at their best level, they can always strive to do their best. That’s where I was at.”
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