We are constantly trying to think of new ways to deliver you information, entertainment or something else you won’t get anywhere else. Part of that is evaluating how you and I can connect.

We’ve had great luck with columns, profiles, the Minutes every Tuesday, and on social media. My hope is this can be one more way — a podcast you can listen to whenever and wherever you like.

Listen every Friday on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

Here’s the latest:

Travis Kel-SEE, Chiefs’ line, NIL changes and KC’s Samantha Fish

This week we do a 180 on that silly Travis Kelce stuff and answer questions about the Royals’ prospects, the Chiefs’ offensive line and how college sports are changing with name, image and likeness rights.

The bonus section is different this week — we talk to Kansas City musician Samantha Fish about getting back on tour after the pandemic, pet peeves, and Kansas City.

Brad Keller, Royals vs. Rays, lots of soccer + some NIL insight

The Royals are a hot mess right now, so that’s where we lead the show. A lot of what’s going wrong can be told through pitcher Brad Keller, and by extension pitching coach Cal Eldred.

The questions hit on how much Kansas City’s World Cup chances depend on the Gold Cup atmosphere, following European soccer, whether it’s been better to be a Royals or Rays fan over the last 10 years, and the most important small town in Kansas City sports history.

The bonus segment is very insightful and timely —college athlete rights advocate Ramogi Huma on Name, Image and Likeness rules and what will come next.

Chiefs’ Kelce, weird MLB rules + KC Royals pitching coach Cal Eldred

Friday, June 18, 2020

This may sound hyperbolic, but I don’t think we’ve ever seen an athlete transform more completely in Kansas City than Travis Kelce. The top of the show explains why.

Then we do questions on MLB’s weird plan on enforcing foreign substances, Hunter Dozier and Jorge Soler struggling, why crowds have been relatively small, and the weirdest place I’ve ever seen a fight.

The bonus section is with someone I know a lot of you have wanted to hear from: Royals pitching coach Cal Eldred.

Smart way to watch the Royals, plus John Sherman and Dayton Moore

Friday, June 11, 2021

We start off with two things to keep in mind while watching or talking to your friends about the 2021 Royals.

Then we hit questions on the differences between John Sherman and David Glass, what the future of the Chiefs’ cap and Patrick Mahomes’ contract will be, and we even talk a little about the NBA and NHL in Kansas City.

The bonus segment is a thorough explanation about the Royals’ player development process and bringing prospects into the big leagues from general manager Dayton Moore.

Mondesi convo reset, best and worst questions ever + Salvador Perez

Friday, May 28, 2021

The Adalberto Mondesi conversation needs a reset. A fresh perspective. That’s what the top of this week’s show is for.

The questions are all over the place — one is the best question we’ve ever had on this show, another made my blood boil, and we also talked about Cam Gallagher’s defense and who the good guys are.

The bonus section is a fun conversation with Salvador Perez.

Tyrann Mathieu’s contract, Monarchs’ brand, BBQ and NCAA NIL rights

Friday, May 21, 2021

There’s a point about Tyrann Mathieu’s contract extension you should hear, and that helps shape the next few years of the Chiefs’ salary cap.

We start the show off there, then answer questions about whether the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum is cheapening the Monarchs’ brand, when Kauffman Stadium will actually be full, whether vaccines will ever be required, and I hijack a question to promote this idea for barbecue at The K that is simply beyond reproach.

The bonus section includes some reporting for a column about the NCAA and the name, image and likeness legislation making its way through various state legislatures.

A Chiefs prediction, lots of rants and KC Royals’ Matheny opens up

Friday, May 14, 2021

Somehow, we live in a world where the NFL announcing a schedule that we already know is the biggest sports news of the week. So we talk about that here at the top, including a prediction that is too homer-ish for my comfort, but also something I believe. So that’s something I’m going to have to think about.

Anyway, the questions turned into a sort of airing of grievances this week — Kansas Citians need to chill out, Sinclair’s short-sightedness and the immediate future, the line at Joe’s — and something about the Chiefs’ offensive line that will make you smarter than your friends.

The bonus section is with Royals manager Mike Matheny, who is open and honest about what he’s seeing and feeling during the Royals’ worst stretch in years.

Chiefs Ring of Honor omission, liars + KU football success?

Friday, May 7, 2021

Tim Grunhard deserves all the flowers he’s getting, but we start the show with a plea for the Chiefs to correct a glaring omission in their Ring of Honor.

The questions are about liars, Sam Ehlinger, the Royals’ bullpen, Angel Hernandez and KU’s new athletics director.

The bonus section is with new KU football coach Lance Leipold: We break down what’s required for success and what that success would look like.

More Royals, Brett Veach on Chiefs’ draft + KC beer scene

Friday, April 29, 2021

Can we make this deal? As long as the Royals are in first place, they will lead this show.

In the questions, we hit on Patrick Mahomes’ draft night, pitchers cheating, Brett Veach smokescreening the media and recommendations for Kansas City’s beer scene.

The bonus section is all about the Chiefs, including a breakdown of the first round from the Chiefs’ perspective, and we peel back some layers of something really important that Veach said late last night.

1st place Royals, Chiefs draft, politics + Tyrann Mathieu

Friday, April 23, 2021

You probably guessed we’d start the show with the first-place Royals, but hopefully you didn’t guess what we’d say about them.

The questions hit on sports and politics, how we put the show together, who the Chiefs should draft, and a weird story from Canada.

The third section is a look into what makes Tyrann Mathieu go.

Greg Holland, Jackie Robinson, being kind and Matheny

Friday, April 16, 2021

Maybe this sounds weird, but we’re starting this week with a Greg Holland appreciation. We’ve seen this guy for nearly a decade now — same as always on the mound, but not much different off.

The questions are an eclectic mix of Jackie Robinson, creative ways to use the DH and a nice listener named Mark sending me down a rabbit hole I did not know existed.

The bonus segment is with Mike Matheny, with clips that show who he is (and how he’s different than the manager he replaced) and where the organization is. He also helps me articulate a pet peeve.

Tons of Royals, KU and K-State basketball, and journalism

Friday, April 2, 2021

You already know this week’s show is built around the Royals playing a real baseball game in front of real humans.

The show leads off with a perspective on what’s really driving this year’s roster, then we get questions on how the show is put together, KU and K-State’s basketball programs, how the Royals spend their money, and journalism. The bonus section begins with the best audio we’ve ever had on this show, and continues going through opening day and what it might mean going forward.

Chiefs freakouts, KU blowouts, Royals contracts + sports on TV

Friday, March 26, 2021

This week we start with something I hear a lot of you doing: freaking out about the Chiefs.

Questions hit on KU’s blowout loss to USC, the potential of Eric Fisher returning to the Chiefs, and the Royals’ usage of extensions to keep guys like Salvador Perez and Hunter Dozier in Kansas City.

The bonus segment is with David Carter, executive director of the Sports Business Institute at USC, a great person to talk about this trend of fans being able to watch their favorite teams in local markets.

March Madness, sports gambling + Royals, Sporting shut out on TV

Friday, March 19, 2021

Fair warning, this week’s lead is essentially me drooling over the fact that you and I and everyone else can watch actual, real, NCAA Tournament games.

Then we do questions on who the heck I think I am, whether gambling is good for sports, what Ballly’s Kansas City will be like and whether KU screwed up its infractions case.

The bonus segment is a good one — Sporting Kansas City CEO Jake Reid on the current reality that a significant chunk of Kansas Citians are shut out from watching the Royals and Sporting on their TVs. This is a big story, and something we’ll continue to do more on.

A KU-Chiefs analogy, the salary cap and truthfulness

Friday, March 12, 2021

Believe it or not, there’s a point about Jeff Long and Kansas that I haven’t made yet this week and an analogy that will help make sense of the mess, especially if you’re a Chiefs fan.

The questions hit on weird news conferences, the Chiefs’ salary cap, the chance of Alex Smith rejoining as a backup and getting kids in school.

The bonus section is built around something Brett Veach said a few weeks ago. With the cuts of Eric Fisher and Mitchell Schwartz, some are saying Veach lied. I’m going to tell you why it’s not that simple.

Real fans in stands + everything to know about who the Royals are

Friday, March 5, 2021

You guys, I’m back from spring training and it was all of the following: weird, not the same as normal, and incredibly satisfying to watch baseball games played with humans in the stands.

We talk about that, picking up some joy, when we might be able to watch games without masks, maximizing the spring training experience and some audio that tells you everything you need to know about who the Royals want to be and how they believe they can compete in a division with teams that have more money, more talent, or both.

Loving sports all over again, Chiefs’ offseason, Royals’ *season*

Friday, Feb. 19, 2021

Now’s as good a time as ever for the wonder of sports. All that stuff we fell in love with, it’s coming back. Slowly, but it’s coming back.

Plus we hit questions on why Andrew Benintendi changes the Royals, the work they still have to do, the Chiefs’ offseason and whether their future will ever look like the quarterback angst we now see in Seattle and Houston.

The bonus segment — all about the Royals, who are doing actual baseball things this week.

Tell your friends you love them + Terez memories from Brett Veach

Friday, Feb. 12, 2021

The only show I had it in me to do this week is a show about our dear friend Terez Paylor.

We talk here about telling people we love them, listeners share stories and Chiefs general manager Brett Veach gives his memories of Terez — from the other side of the notebook.

Promise we’ll get to actual sports next week

Super Bowl special: Everything you need for the game + a Bucs expert

Friday, Feb. 5, 2021

So I guess we’re talking about the Chiefs in the Super Bowl every year now, huh?

Here we go, about the importance of not taking this for granted, questions on everything from the defense to the most important parts of the game to the offensive line and who is the worst member of the A-Team to travel with.

We finish with a conversation with the man who knows more about the Bucs than anyone who doesn’t work for them.

Super Bowl breakdown, and Reid and Mahomes unintentionally say a lot

Friday, Jan. 29, 2021

It wouldn’t be Super Bowl hype week without a show, right?

We give you a breakdown of three main points from this game, questions about Mahomes and the national media and the best way to watch this game and have a driveway tailgate, and one of my favorite bonus segments we’ve had.

Because Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes told us a lot about where they are this week, even if they did it unintentionally. You’ve got to hear this clip from Mahomes, too, admitting the Chiefs are not disrespected while SAYING THEY ARE DISRESPECTED.

A tour de force, indeed.

AFC Championship edition: Game breakdown and how Josh Allen got good

Friday, Jan. 22, 2021

Packed with Chiefs stuff.

We give you a full(ish) breakdown of the AFC Championship Game between the Chiefs and the Bills, including what I’m looking for when each team is on offense. We have another great batch of questions from around the country, and we talk to Kevin Van Valkenburg, who recently did a deep dive on Josh Allen, who fooled a lot of us and this weekend will be trying to end the Chiefs’ season.

Thanks as always for giving us your time. If you like what you hear, please subscribe and give us a rating and review.

All Chiefs, past, present and future, and we go deep on the Browns

Friday, Jan. 15, 2021

Well, obviously we’re all Chiefs this week.

We start with the weekend’s games, some quick Chiefs-Browns analysis, and a look at what might be an incredible future of the AFC. The questions hit on the confidence of Chiefs fans, betting lines, the defense’s improvement and killing wolves (seriously). Then we talk with someone who knows more about the Browns than just about anyone who doesn’t work for them.

An inside conversation with the Chiefs’ Mahomes, Mathieu and Reid

Friday, Jan. 8, 2021

Back-to-back NFL playoff tripleheaders make this weekend one of the best for sports all season. Here, for your listening pleasure, is a viewing guide for Chiefs fans.

The questions hit on Zoom backgrounds, the Chiefs, whether this year’s Super Bowl champion will be viewed differently and the saddest example of timing I can imagine.

You’ll hear audio you haven’t heard before from Patrick Mahomes, Andy Reid and Tyrann Mathieu, and also Herbie Teope asks a question I’ve been laughing about all week.

What 2021 might look like, Chiefs’ luck and a great Sunday for fans

Friday, Jan. 1, 2021

Telling 2020 to not let the door hit ‘em feels good, right?

This week we’re talking about what the next year of sports might look like, and the importance of not letting a screwed-up year go to waste.

The questions are about the Chiefs’ luck, that play where Mahomes ran a go-route, a potential NFL playoff realignment and the value of letting players chase records or milestones in otherwise meaningless Week 17 games.

The bonus section focuses on a low-key awesome football weekend for Chiefs fans.

Major League Baseball is screwing up again. And also lots of Chiefs

Dec. 18, 2020

This is one more week we don’t lead the show with the Chiefs, but you’ll have to forgive me. The second and third segments are loaded with Chiefs stuff, but I had to yell at capital B Baseball first.

The questions hit on Patrick Mahomes and the MVP race, Brett Veach’s vision for the next few seasons, how Carlos Santana might change the Royals, and what sports rivalries will look like on the other side of the pandemic.

We finish with Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid, in their words, addressing the only question that matters right now: How close are the Chiefs to being themselves for the playoffs?

Matt Besler is gone, women’s soccer is back, and lots of Chiefs talk

Friday, Dec. 11, 2020

We usually start the show with the Chiefs, especially during football season. But not this week, because one of the most consequential Kansas City sports careers in recent history just broke up.

We have another great run of questions — THANK YOU! — including shame-wearing your team’s gear, the Chiefs’ run defense, the effect of empty stadiums on officiating, and a comparison I had not considered before about Andy Reid and Ted Lasso.

We finish with a dive into Kansas City’s new NWSL team, including clips from a conversation with owners Angie and Chris Long.

Window into Andy Reid’s brain + the smartest thing I heard this week

Friday, Dec. 4, 2020

Everybody’s talking about Black Pearl, but the process behind it is about a lot more than a fun play.

Another great run of questions hits on how aggressive the Chiefs should be, what they need from their pass rush, Eric Bieniemy’s role and my weird last name.

We finish with the smartest thing I heard all week, and it came from a high school wrestling coach.

Thanks as always for giving us your time. If you like what you hear, please subscribe and give us a rating and review.

Do we give Mahomes enough hype? And don’t overlook Mathieu

Friday, Nov. 20, 2020

Patrick Mahomes is the focus of most things Chiefs. And that’s deserved. That’s how it should be. But particularly this week I’m thinking of someone else whose impact cannot be overstated.

We’ve got questions on the Raiders revenge game, a long-term trend to look for the rest of this season, why it’s so hard to win consecutive championships, and the easy-to-miss part of Mahomes’ game.

Then we finish with some insight from Peter Vermes, who led Sporting KC to the biggest one-year turnaround in MLS history. Sporting’s first playoff game is Sunday.

Positive thoughts, loaded questions, playing during COVID

Friday, Nov. 13, 2020

Let’s think positively, for once. What are you looking forward to on the other side of COVID-19?

The Chiefs are off this week so we opened it up to more questions than usual, and you came through. Also, some reporting and unique perspectives from high school sports as the games go on despite surging cases and the advice of public health officials.

Chiefs stuff to watch + best thing I heard all week

Friday, Nov. 6, 2020

The news of the week is Chris Jones landing on the NFL’s COVID-19/reserve list. I’m told it’s because of contact tracing, not a positive test, but we can talk about that and everything else that’s going on with the Chiefs here.

Fair warning: The questions go completely off the rails, but then we rally with audio of the best thing I heard all week.

Thanks as always for giving us your time. If you like what you hear, please subscribe and give us a rating and review.

And please listen to new episodes every Friday on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

Does the NBA love Kansas City back?

Friday, Oct. 30, 2020

The Chiefs are 6-1, again the Super Bowl favorites so we start this show with ... NBA?

Well, yes. Because the Chiefs are playing the Jets. And Kansas City has been tripping over its potholes trying to get the Raptors to shack up here for the 2020-21 season.

There are reasons to be excited. And reasons to be skeptical. We get into both here, plus questions and answers about the Chiefs and voting, Andy Reid’s brain, and how the A-Team coordinates Chiefs coverage. You can also hear my conversation with Kansas City mayor Quinton Lucas.

All you need to know about Le’Veon Bell and the Chiefs

Friday, Oct. 23, 2020

Let’s get right to it.

Le’Veon Bell signing with the Chiefs is the news of the last two weeks. This podcast will tell you everything you need to know: a point that’s being missed about what the Chiefs see in Bell, and a point that Bell is hitting about what he sees in the Chiefs. His word choice the other day was really interesting.

Also, we examine questions about Andy Reid’s future, Mizzou and Nebraska football, and covering sports in 2020.

Thanks as always for giving us your time. If you like what you hear, please subscribe and give us a rating and review.

A Chiefs point we’ll all be talking about after Monday

Friday, Oct. 16, 2020

Busy week, busy show.

We start with a point we’ve made before about the Chiefs, and one that will become more apparent after the Bills game Monday. Then we do questions on a fact about No. 1 picks that I didn’t know before, Le’Veon Bell, and the learned skill of ignoring nonsense.

Then Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News joins to break down the Chiefs’ next opponent. Vic is a legend in this business and knows the Bills as well as any writer knows a team.

Thanks as always for giving us your time. If you like what you hear, please subscribe and give us a rating and review.

NFL vs. colleges on COVID-19, and lots of Chiefs talk

Friday, Oct. 9, 2020

This show is going to be a little different every week, and this week we’re starting off with, basically, a column on the disconnect between how COVID-19 cases are being discussed publicly in the NFL vs. college football. It doesn’t make sense.

Then we get to the questions: Harrison Butker’s misses, the next man up after Eric Bieniemy gets a head coaching job, the Chiefs’ biggest rival and how to get into this weird business.

The last section is built around a point Patrick Mahomes made this week, and expanding it more broadly in a way that highlights who he is.

Chiefs require different analysis + a Royals question

Friday, Oct. 2, 2020

There’s a point about the Chiefs that’s becoming clearer and clearer all the time. We get to that, questions about the Royals and Chiefs, and we breakdown Chiefs-Patriots with Tom Curran of NBC Sports Boston, who covers the Patriots as closely as anyone.

Gordon, Chiefs-Ravens, and a really good question

Friday, Sept. 25, 2020

Lots to get to this week. Alex Gordon is retiring, and the Chiefs are playing the Ravens.

Gordon debuted during the first full season I covered the Royals full-time. I can’t say I know him incredibly well — who can? — but I can say I’ve known him a long time. Wanted to share some thoughts on him as a man, and then we go heavy on Chiefs at Baltimore, including an enlightening conversation with the voice of the Ravens.

Key to Chiefs’ defense, GMDM on a key point for Royals

Friday, Sept. 18, 2020

We will have plenty of time to drool over the Chiefs’ offense this season. Today, let’s talk about the defense, and a point some are missing.

Also: questions about Chiefs ticket prices, modern media and Alex Gordon.

The conversation this week is with Royals GM Dayton Moore, who talks openly about a critical point of his franchise’s rebuild.

Lots of Chiefs-Texans and a fan’s view from Arrowhead

Friday, Sept. 11, 2020

Yes, there were boos. And cheers! And “CHIEEEEEFS!” So this isn’t as simple as the headlines. Let’s talk about that here, including with a die hard Chiefs fan who was in the stands.

Also: we will talk about real, actual football.

Mondesi, Chiefs’ chase and Reid inspires a Favre story

Friday, Sept. 4, 2020

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A conversation with Andy Reid turns into a story Pat Mahomes once told me about Brett Favre.

Also on the Mellinger Minutes For Your Ears podcast: the biggest point about how Adalberto Mondesi can get out of this slump, a way to watch the 2020 Chiefs, questions about KC’s team owners, and more.

On-/off-field Chiefs talk, and college sports unions

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The Chiefs only allowed four of us to watch all of their training camp practices, so I owe you some insight.

There’s a lot that stuck out, from Andy Reid to Patrick Mahomes to Jody Fortson.

Also, Brett Veach answers the question a lot of you have been asking: How the heck did the Chiefs sign all these stars to contract extensions when the salary cap is going down next year?

The Chiefs’ fan-plan problem + high schools can happen

Friday, August 21, 2020

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The Chiefs’ decision to let fans attend games at Arrowhead Stadium this fall generated strong reactions on both sides — some who think the plan is dangerous, others who welcome the chance for something closer to normalcy.

But there’s also a plain point that both sides are missing, and we explore that here in the 20th episode of Mellinger Minutes For Your Ears.

Plus, we tackle questions about kids going back to school and playing sports, Super Bowl repeats and whether the Chiefs had the perfect offseason.

Who is Royals owner John Sherman? In his own words

Friday, August 14, 2020

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Every week we give you some audio you can’t hear anywhere else, and this one is especially insightful: Royals chairman and CEO John Sherman on the decisions that shape his new team, how he sees success happening, and how he’ll judge the process of getting there.

Lots of Royals, and, if we’re honest, more Chiefs than you want

Friday, Aug. 7, 2020

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The Royals have undertaken their most drastic year-to-year shift and most people are missing it. You won’t if you listen here.

Also, we talk to Chiefs GM Brett Veach and Emory University epidemiologist Zach Binney about how the NFL is attempting to navigate COVID-19 this season. The perspective is, well, it’s not the most encouraging thing you’ll hear today.

But it’s honest.

So can Chiefs cornerback Charvarius Ward see now?

Friday, July 24, 2020

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Remember when Chiefs cornerback Charvarius Ward said his vision was so bad he couldn’t see the football? He calls in to tell us what he did to fix it.

And depending on when you listen to this, I’m in various stages of traveling to and then back from Cleveland, covering the Royals. With mixed feelings.

Chiefs explain approach to Native American imagery

Friday, July 17, 2020

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This week on Mellinger Minutes For Your Ears Chiefs president Mark Donovan explains how the team has been handling its issues around Native American imagery since long before Washington changed its name.

Also: We get into why college football is probably gone until at least next year.

Here’s why Patrick Mahomes isn’t making too much money

Friday, July 10, 2020

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We’ve heard some of you say Patrick Mahomes is making too much money, in terms of the salary cap or general life. This week’s Mellinger Minutes For Your Ears explains why that’s not true.

Also, a point about sports returning through positive test results for the coronavirus.

We also talk about the Chiefs potentially changing their name, and get the Royals’ plan for handling their pitchers directly from a team executive.

Is sports’ return safe right now? We talk with experts

Friday, July 3, 2020

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As coronavirus cases rise in the Kansas City area and across the country, the Royals are starting “summer camp” — a huge step in the return to play this year. We talked with Nick Kenney, head athletic trainer for the Royals, Kurt Andrews, director of sports medicine for Sporting Kansas City, and Zach Binney, an epidemiologist from Emory University about how and if sports can safely return during the pandemic. Listen here.

We talked to Mike Matheny on faith, love and baseball

Friday, June 26, 2020

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We’re so excited about the return of baseball that we made a whole podcast on it.

This week’s Mellinger Minutes For Your Ears hits the Royals’ side of baseball’s restart, answers questions about the Royals, Kansas City nemeses, and MLS’ own restart. We’ll take you inside a conversation with Mike Matheny interrupted by Salvador Perez asking for a Chiefs meeting.

Or shift meeting.

Just listen.

This KC native went rogue on NFL, created BLM video

Friday, June 12, 2020

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This week we talk with Kansas City native Bryndon Minter, a 27-year-old creative producer with the NFL who was behind the push for last week’s video showing players — including Chiefs stars Patrick Mahomes and Tyrann Mathieu — calling for change and supporting the Black Lives Matter movement. It became a viral social media hit.

We also talk about the NFL’s team owners needing to treat fans better and answer questions about whether Mahomes should take less money in his looming mega-contract with the Chiefs, and whether the Royals have a competitive advantage in the way they’re treating their minor-leaguers.

Here’s a Peter Vermes story you have to hear

Friday, June 5, 2020

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The newest Mellinger Minutes For Your Ears talks about baseball’s tone deaf mistakes, the protests happening around the country, and a story about Sporting Kansas City coach Peter Vermes we’d never heard before.

Sam is also answering questions about the Royals ownership’s willingness to raise pay, and he spitballs the question: Would Patrick Mahomes be just as good without Andy Reid?

How did Patrick Mahomes learn to grind? His dad shares

Friday, May 29, 2020

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Today we’re talking to Pat Mahomes — Patrick’s dad and former professional MLB pitcher.

We’re also talking about baseball’s mistakes, answering questions about the NFL’s return and Patrick Mahomes becoming the highest paid athlete in the league — then we talk to his dad about it.

Dayton Moore and top scouts debate Sam’s Royals draft

Friday, May 22, 2020

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Ryan Lefebvre and I drafted Royals players from this century, which originally was going to be a show. But then I mentioned it to Royals general manager Dayton Moore, asking if he’d choose who had the better team. Moore did more than that. He sent the teams to his analytics department and top scouts, asking their feedback, and his assistant — the tremendous Emily Penning — set up a Zoom call so I could sit in as Moore, senior director of pro scouting Gene Watson, and assistant GM for research and development Daniel Mack debated the teams the way they do real life player acquisitions.

10 great things about baseball’s return, plus Mike Jirschele

Friday, May 15, 2020

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This week, baseball’s return-to-play proposal has us thinking about the 10 best things about the sport’s return, we take listener questions on the Chiefs and talk to Mike Jirschele about his part in two of the most important plays in Royals history.

NFL schedule, Chiefs’ expectations, and Norm Stewart stops by

Friday, May 8, 2020

Mellinger Minutes For Your Ears continues to roll this week with listener questions on the Chiefs and Royals, some reaction to a strange NFL schedule release and former Mizzou basketball coach Norm Stewart’s thoughts on everything from the Border War’s return to the state of college basketball today

Chiefs repeating, how we mourn, and Terez Paylor visits

Friday, May 1, 2020

The newest Mellinger Minutes For Your Ears podcast is Chiefs-focused, including reaction to the first round of players talking publicly during this virtual offseason.

We have some great questions, including whether sports fans have it better or worse than they used to, and one that goes deep on how to mourn a lost loved one.

Special bonus segment, too: Terez Paylor of Yahoo stops by for a very specific and silly Chiefs draft.

The Chiefs’ NFL Draft pick and a chat with KC’s mayor

Friday, April 24, 2020

We did the interview with the mayor for a recent column about why he gave the world his cell phone number, and obviously I hope you read that, but we ended up talking a little about the Kansas City stay-at-home order and what he expects, too. I thought his answers were interesting — and enlightening.

We also catch up about last night’s NFL Draft picks — including the Chiefs’ surprising choice in the first round of LSU running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire.

Can Kansas City really land an NBA team?

Friday, April 17, 2020

We can’t watch sports, but we don’t have to stop loving them.

This week on Mellinger Minutes for Your Ears, The Star’s subscriber-exclusive podcast, we present an ode to sports memories and a conversation with two Kansas Citians trying to land an NBA team for the downtown Sprint Center.

Gary Woodland skips the Masters to be on the show

Friday, April 10, 2020

This week, we welcome professional golfer Gary Woodland, the reigning U.S. Open champion and Kansas Jayhawks graduate. Woodland would be at the Masters right now during normal times, but these are not normal times. He talks to us about why he hasn’t touched a club since the postponements, when he thinks the PGA might be able to return and what would be required between now and then.

And I answer your questions about KU basketball and how to bring young people to baseball fandom.

What happens when sports return? Bill Self stops by

Friday, April 3, 2020

We’ll update some recent coronavirus stories are updated, he take questions on everything from sports to barbecue, and chat with Self about how he’s spending his days, his Twitter comeback and the eventual return of college sports more. As always, call 816-234-4365 to participate.

A new podcast where I answer your KC sports questions

Friday, March 27, 2020

I’m answering your questions about The Peanut, the uncertainty of this year’s baseball season and how the coronavirus pandemic has shifted the rhythm of sports. We’ll finish up with an exclusive interview with Royals manager Mike Matheny, where we talk about life, family and baseball.

This story was originally published May 1, 2020 at 1:16 PM.