By Bob Priddy, Missourinet Contributing Editor
Missouri’s win over Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl allows it to move up just one slot in the final AP poll of the 2023-2024 season. Here’s the top 25:
- Michigan (61)
2. Washington
3. Texas
4. Georgia
5. Alabama
6. Oregon
6. Florida State
8. Missouri
9.Ole Miss
10. Ohio State
11. Arizona
12. LSU
13. Penn State
14. Notre Dame
15. Oklahom
16. Oklahoma State
17. Tennessee
18. Kansas State
19. Louisville
20. Clemson
21. North Carolina State
22. SMU
23. Kansas
24. Iowa
25. Liberty
(ROYALS/CHIEFS)—The Chiefs and Royals say they will stay in Jackson County if voters extend a 3/8 cent sales tax increase in April, ending speculation Kansas might lure the Royals across the state line.
Approval of the tax extension will lead to a new 40-year lease. The teams say they’ll provide more than $200 million in new conomic benefits. The Chiefs will foot the bill for a renovation of Arrowhead Stadium. The Royals will build a new stadium downtown and privately fund a one-billiion dollar ballpark district, a Kansas City Balpark Village if you will.
(CHIEFS)—The Chiefs won a game Sunday that some pundits said was a meaningless one. The Chiefs already had locked in their third seed in the playoffs and the Chargers were wrapping up a go-nowhere (except higher on the draft list) season. The Chiefs held out a lot of their offensive regulars and turned the offense over to former MissouriTger Blaine Gabbert who hit 50% of his passes and pulled off some timely scrambles to get the Chiefs into position for the winning field goal as time grew short.
An offensive display, it wasn’t,. The only touchdown in the game came on a 97-yard fumble recovery and runback by Mike Edwards late in the first quarter. The Chiefs finished with two field goals. The Chargers had four field goals.
Mike Jones needed a half-sack to reach his incentive goal that would given him an additional $1.25 millon dollars. He got it late in the game, setting off a big celebration on the sidelines. Afterwards he promised. Part of the $1.25 million performance bonus will be spent on Rolex watches for the entire defensive line. And the defensive coaches including defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo will get watches too because, “It takes a collective [effort] in order to reach those types of goals.”
Travis Kelce passed up a chance to become the first tight end in NFL history to catch passes for 1,000 yards eight years in a row. He was only 16 short but told coach Andy Reid he thought it would be better to rest up for the post season and “didn’t like the way it felt” to play just to get the 16 yards and extend his record.
The Chiefs have a rematch with the Miami Dolphins Saturday. The Chiefs won the first game 21-14 in November.
(ABOUT THE WEATHER)—Saturday night’s game with the Dolphins might be the coldest game in Arrowhead Stadium history. The National Weather Service forecasts a high temperature Satuday of 14 degrees with an overnight low of minus two. Wind gusts of 23 mph will make playing conditions worse. And it might snow.
The Chiefs-Broncos game on December 18, 1983 was played with a temperature recorded by Pro Football Reference as 0.5 degrees. The Chiefs won 48-17.
The Dolphins have lost seven straight games that have been played in below-freezing temperatures. Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is 0-4 in games with temperatures of 45 degrees or less at kickoff time.
Miami has lost two in a row. The Chiefs have won their last two regular season games.
(CARDINALS)—The Cardinals continue to accumulate new faces, the latest being Andrew Kittredge who will be in the bullpen. They give up outfielder Richie Palacios to get him. Kittridge is 33 and has seen limited action (31 games) in the last two years because of Tommy John survery. When he’s healthy he has a career 3.65 ERA and a 3.68 strikeout to walk ratio.
The Tampa Bay Rays get Palacios, who is 26 and in 86 big leaguegames has posted a .244 batting average and is known as a contact hitter. Better than 87 percent of the time last year, when he swung, he connected—fair or foul.
(ROYALS)—The newest pickup for the Royals is Rangers reliever Will Smith who has signed a one-year deal for five million dollars to be a closer. He’s a lefty, 34, who could fatten his contract by $125,000 each if he pitches 25, 30, 35, 40, 50, 55, and 60 games. He started his career with the Royals before moving on. He has three World Series rings with three different teams in the past three years. He’s been in five All-Star games.
(MIZ)—Every game you win in December is a game you don’t have win in late February and early March. The Missouri Tigers basketball team has picked up its sixth loss in just 14 games this year,falling to Georgia 75-68 in their conference opener and sinking to 8-6 overall. The Tigers played their usual hot and cold game, trailing early, surging back to take a lead and then letting the opponent go on a run.
Georgia has won nine straight, its longest winning streak since 2010-2011. Missouri fell well behind early, nearly caught up at the half, briefly took a lead in the second half and promptly let Georgia go on a run from which Missouri never recovered.
Bench players were one key. The Bulldogs had been averaging more than 30 points with subs who scored . Missouri had just three points, a basket by Jesus Caralero Martin. But something’s wrong inside. Coach Dennis Gates noted that the Tiger show just seven free throws. Georgia shot 21. However Missouri outscored Georgia 36 to Georgia’s 33.
The game was played in Columbia.
Missouri plays #6 Kentucky tonight.
(MIZFB)—-When Missouri plays LSU in football next time, it will be facing kind of defense they showed to Ohio State a few days ago. Tiger defensive coordinator Blake Baker is bolting to Baton Rouge. Baker took Missouri from a position outside top 100 defensively and made them a top-35 team last year.
The past few days have been more Tigers plan to leave for the NFL draft. The latest to declare are place kicker Marrison Mevis and linebacker Ty’Ron Hopper. Hopper is the eighth player from this year’s defense to announce his departure for the draft. (ZOU)