Kansas City's Back

Here's the confession. My number one passion is KU football, but there are a few other sports that I truly enjoy following. The fact that I follow KU basketball pretty seriously is probably no surprise, but a little less traditional for the KC area is my devotion to hockey and cycling. So yes, I was at yesterday's Stage One of the Inaugural Tour of Missouri in Kansas City. And yes, it was an experience that was difficult to wrap my brain around -- the Tour de France winner was racing on Ward Parkway in my city. The turnout was impressive (judged to be 40,000) and the event was top of the line all of the way. I was blown away and it was a true moment of pride for Kansas City.

It got me to thinking about the turnaround that is happening in KC and what a great line-up of events in the city has in store for the next seven months:

1. September -- Tour of Missouri (Contador, Hincapie and Leipheimer in Kansas City -- never even considered it to be a possibility).
2. November -- The CBE Classic college basketball tournament at the brand new Sprint Center (Maryland, Michigan State, Missouri and UCLA are all hosts for the early rounds).
3. November -- The Border War at Arrowhead which is pretty much guaranteed to be filled to capacity at this point. Plus KU and MU now are just six wins away from entering the game with eight wins each. This should be a huge showcase for both KU and Missouri and Big 12 football as well. Depending on how #6 below shapes up possibly the marquee event for the sports year.
4. December -- The 'Hawks make their first visit to the Sprint Center vs Ohio University.
5. February -- The Big 12 Club Ice Hockey tournament will be held in the KC metro area (for more info, check out KUhockey.com).
6. March -- Big 12 Tourney, the Sprint Center and downtown Kansas City. A dream realized.

As the riders made their way through downtown yesterday, I know they had a good view of the Sprint Center. Many projects make up what is the downtown renaissance, but the new arena is the crown jewel and the driving force. Within a year or two an NHL team will be in house and the movement will be complete. The result will be a first-class city with a thriving downtown. Enjoy it, it's a great time to live in the metro or surrounding area.