Kansas
NASCAR’s Kyle Busch eager to keep good fortune rolling at Kansas
![NASCAR’s Kyle Busch eager to keep good fortune rolling at Kansas NASCAR’s Kyle Busch eager to keep good fortune rolling at Kansas](https://www.orlandosentinel.com/resizer/q4mlzvpdlrcslgCmpZ6B_Jsy7O8=/1200x630/filters:format(jpg):quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tronc/JDSZ55VHSVN6VUSIGSL3UCBR2U.jpg)
KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Kyle Busch stalked away from his battered automobile in controversial trend final weekend at Darlington, his once-promising run in NASCAR’s throwback race having led to frustration after Brad Keselowski’s blown entrance tire despatched him spinning.
It didn’t take lengthy for Busch’s week to get a complete lot higher.
Two days later, Busch and spouse Samantha welcomed their child daughter to the world after years spent coping with infertility. Lennix Key was born by surrogate, making their soon-to-be 7-year-old son Brexton a giant brother, and placing every little thing else in correct perspective — as if Busch wanted any assist in that respect.
“There’s a private life and a racing life, a private life and profession; nevertheless you need to interpret that,” Busch defined Saturday at Kansas Speedway, “and I attempt to segregate these and separate these we a lot as I can.”
His rollercoaster week might definitely finish on a excessive Sunday given his efficiency at Kansas these days.
What was as soon as a mile-and-a-half of heartbreak, the place Busch was simply as more likely to crash in follow as attain the end line in a single piece, has grow to be one among his favourite locations. He has 11 top-10 finishes and two wins in his final 14 journeys to Kansas, and he’s the defending winner of final yr’s regular-season race simply west of downtown Kansas Metropolis.
Onerous to consider Busch as soon as crashed out of three straight races right here.
“Even the previous couple of occasions earlier than we gained there we had some actually sturdy runs,” Busch mentioned. “We completed within the high 5, I believe, 5 races in a row, and we’ve additionally been within the high 10 quite a bit, so it’s a spot the place we’ve actually picked it up, and now we’ve two wins there. We appeared to have gotten a setup or a maintain of that place.”
In different phrases, it’s a very good place to go after Darlington, the place Busch led 18 laps and was close to the entrance many of the day.
Then got here the second Keselowski blew his tire and hit the wall, gathering Busch within the wreck, and damaging his No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing automobile so severely that he needed to limp it down pit street. Fairly than take all of it the way in which to the storage, although, Busch parked it and walked away, forcing NASCAR to shut pit street till it might be moved.
Busch mentioned later he didn’t suppose it mattered, and that he couldn’t have made the flip to the storage anyway. However the transfer was nonetheless criticized by NASCAR analyst Clint Bowyer and others for its seemingly immature nature.
That end apart, issues on the monitor have been good for Busch these days. He gained a month in the past on the Bristol grime to clinch a playoff spot, completed third at Talladega and led essentially the most laps a few weeks in the past at Dover.
Issues have been good on the homefront, too, the place Busch is studying in the end to be a father of two.
“It’s been nice. I’m simply actually grateful for all of the blessings that we’ve had over time, struggles and attempting to get the place we’re at the moment,” he mentioned. “It’s actually significant to have the ability to welcome dwelling our child woman. Lennix is doing nicely. Mother is adjusting and doing nicely. Engaged on that man-to-man protection with kids. I’m positive that’s going to alter as she will get older however having fun with each second of it to this point.”
ODDS AND ENDS
Kyle Larson is the betting favourite for Sunday’s race at 6-1, in keeping with FanDuel Sportsbook, after profitable at Kansas in October on his solution to a Cup Collection championship. Hendrick Motorsports teammate Chase Elliott together with Denny Hamlin and Chase Elliott of Joe Gibbs Racing are 7-1 whereas Ross Chastain is 8-1 to win for the third time this season.
NEW CAR, OLD RESULTS
Hendrick Motorsports will attempt to make it 3 for 3 within the Subsequent Gen automobile at mile-and-a-half tracks this weekend. Alex Bowman gained earlier this season at Las Vegas whereas William Byron triumphed at Atlanta.
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TOUGH TIME
Joey Logano, final week’s winner at Darlington, crashed close to the tip of Saturday’s follow. The wreck got here after Logano’s automobile chief was ejected and he misplaced his pit choice for twice failing inspection.
TIME TO GET HAPPY
Kevin Harvick, who was fourth at Darlington, hopes to parlay his Kansas dominance into his first win since Bristol on Sept. 19, 2020. He’s been second in two of his final three races on the monitor, and has 4 consecutive top-5 runs, whereas his three wins at Kansas are tied with Hamlin, Logano, Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon for essentially the most in historical past.
WIN AND IN
Logano grew to become the tenth driver by way of the primary 12 races to clinch one among 16 playoff spots when he spun Byron into the wall on the penultimate lap to win final weekend. Meaning the strain is mounting for Harvick, Tyler Reddick and anybody else with out a win on the midway level of the common season.
“I believe that’s what NASCAR has put along with this playoff system — that wins imply a lot and also you do what it takes when it comes right down to it,” Austin Dillon mentioned. “I believe everyone’s organizations can be upset in the event that they didn’t.”
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Kansas
Tulane Football’s Path to Victory Must Exploit Inexperienced Kansas State
![Tulane Football’s Path to Victory Must Exploit Inexperienced Kansas State Tulane Football’s Path to Victory Must Exploit Inexperienced Kansas State](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_4096,h_2304,x_0,y_268/c_fill,w_1440,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/voltaxMediaLibrary/mmsport/tulane_green_wave_on_si/01j6mvw0vcfqn9xhqdjr.jpg)
The stage is set for Tulane football’s highly anticipated Week 2 matchup against the Kansas State Wildcats as they seek to become contenders on a national stage.
Intriguingly, the Green Wave and the Wildcats have some parallels on offense. Kansas State kicks off the season Saturday against FCS opponent UT-Martin, much like Tulane opened against Southeastern Louisiana.
Sophomore quarterback Avery Johnson will make his first regular season start, much like redshirt freshman Darian Mensah led Tulane to their 52-0 victory Thursday night. Johnson did appear in eight games as a true freshman and started for the team in the Pop-Tarts Bowl, beating North Carolina State.
However, he did so behind an offensive line that looks nothing like the one that will take the field next Saturday at Yulman Stadium. The Wildcats must replace four of five starters, including third-round draft pick Cooper Beebe. Just as Tulane had to find Vincent Murphy to take over for Sincere Haynesworth.
Though the group of returners isn’t exactly inexperienced, they don’t have any time playing together in concert. The lone starter remaining is right guard Hadley Panzer, who likely is starting this season at left guard. Presumed starting left tackle Easton Kilty is making his first FBS start.
It helps that Kansas State’s offensive line coach, Conor Riley, was promoted to coordinator. He has pieces to work with that have credible game snaps. The challenge is whether they can come together as a unit.
While Avery Johnson has more experience than Darian Mensah, Mensah benefits from a much more stable offensive line. Tulane returned both starting guards and right tackle and brought in key transfers to fill the remaining holes. In their season debut, they gave Mensah time in the pocket, but the run blocking left much to be desired.
Tulane brought in transfers on the defensive line to bolster their pass rush. They got to the quarterback twice with two sacks last Thursday, but the Bandit role was a point of concern. Their three-man front is spaced to spread out their top playmakers, Adin Huntington at defensive end and Patrick Jenkins at tackle.
With Huntington to the field and Jenkins to the boundary, it forces defenses to either focus attention on one side of the line or just shut down the best two players. That awards a lot of one-on-one opportunities for the rusher at Bandit. The players who rotated in the first game didn’t make much of a case.
Terrell Allen didn’t make any standout plays, nor did Matthew Fobbs-White, though the latter showed some disruptive abilities off the line of scrimmage. Frankly, Shi’Keem Laister was the most productive in a packaged role. Laister had a hurry and forced Southeastern to throw quickly, leading to incompletions on the drive.
Tulane doesn’t need the Bandit to be the hero, but they need a player to step up and credibly command attention to open up lanes for Huntington, who only recorded one hurry in his debut for the team.
Importantly, the team likely didn’t show their cards on the ways they might get to the quarterback. It might come from the second level. Linebacker Sam Howard had more pressure snaps than Fobbs-White and Allen, and he recorded a hurry and beat his blocker on another.
Could Tulane rely on blitzing and utilizing defensive backs and linebackers as rushers? Not all season. But creativity and confusion might just be enough to rattle the Wildcats as both teams race to figure out what the other is made of with merely one game of film.
The secondary came together as Tulane’s season opener went on, and should be a point of strength, but the best coverage is a pass rush. Especially with an opponent that has similar turnover and areas to exploit. For the Green Wave to pull off a victory on Sept. 7, the key lies in the lane to the quarterback.
Kansas
Lawmakers plan brazen power grab, pushing aside Kansas voters and Gov. Laura Kelly • Kansas Reflector
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Let’s be clear about what Kansas Republican legislative leaders are doing with their planned overhaul of budgeting: They are launching a personal and political power grab against Gov. Laura Kelly.
They have never accepted or respected her mandate. Despite Kelly winning a second term and having two years left to go, they have continually attempted to usurp the executive branch’s authority. They have tried a constitutional amendment and prohibiting her ability to negotiate Medicaid contracts. Now they’re going after her yearly state budget proposal.
Usually, the Legislature begins its yearly budget process with a proposal from the governor. Her office submits it when lawmakers arrive for the annual session, in January. Now an interim committee wants to start the process earlier, as soon as October of the previous year.
In this new process, the governor’s budget would be a suggestion, not a starting point.
And never mind that it’s a direct attack on Kelly. House Speaker Dan Hawkins, R-Wichita, assured the audience that these changes had nothing to do with the governor.
“This process has nothing to do with the governor,” he said at the meeting earlier this month, according to Kansas Reflector reporter Tim Carpenter. “If you’re going to focus on the governor, probably not the wisest thing to do, because this process has happened over time with many, many different governors.”
He was contradicted by Senate President Ty Masterson, R-Andover, who let the proverbial cat out of the figurative bag.
“You’ll have a Republican governor, for example, or somebody you trust, and you trust the administration to build the budgets, and then you kind of rubber stamp stuff,” Masterson said. “And, then, you switch, and you have (the) opposition party and then there’s all that same power.”
Oh. So it’s like that, then.
All of this might seem like so much partisan mud wrestling, except for the fact that the leaders have also decided to do an end run around Kansas voters.
Did you notice that the proposed new process could start as early as October? While details at the hearing were scarce, leaders appeared to suggest that they would start working on budget without knowing whether they would be elected. What happens if all the folks on the budget committee are voted out of office? Who takes the lead then?
Once again, we see Kansas legislative leaders trying to concentrate power. They don’t want the governor to even have the first say in the budgeting process, and they apparently don’t trust the rest of their colleagues. You know, all the people who drive to Topeka in January to actually make laws.
Sen. Carolyn McGinn, a Sedgwick Republican, raised concerns that these changes would also limit the ability of constituents to speak about budget priorities.
McGinn might have decided to retire, but she has a point. Leaders apparently don’t even trust their constituents when it comes to spending.
In there interest of fairness, I should note that the reform committee considered several worthwhile proposals. Rep. Troy Waymaster, R-Bunker Hill, discussed ending lawmakers’ de facto three-day work week. Yes, they usually take Mondays and Fridays off, at times slowing progress to a crawl. The panel also targeted budget earmarks for favored programs that don’t go through a regular committee process.
In the interest of perspective, however, I’m not falling over myself with gratitude. It’s obvious that legislators should work throughout the week, and it’s obvious they shouldn’t be larding up the budget with unvetted spending.
It’s like going through life without running over someone with your car. I mean, I’m glad that you didn’t, but surely you don’t deserve a plaque.
Lawmakers might still be able to make worthwhile changes to the budgeting process. They could start with increasing transparency, which Carpenter noted wasn’t discussed by members of either party. But until they stop jostling for partisan advantage and making themselves look foolish, don’t expect much.
Clay Wirestone is Kansas Reflector opinion editor. Through its opinion section, Kansas Reflector works to amplify the voices of people who are affected by public policies or excluded from public debate. Find information, including how to submit your own commentary, here.
Kansas
Kansas City Royals Provide Injury Update on Key Reliever
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After learning that they would lose first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino for the rest of the regular season (and possibly the entire postseason), the Kansas City Royals also provided an injury update on reliever Lucas Erceg.
Per Joel Goldberg of the Royals broadcast team:
Lucas Erceg is day to day. Has swelling and soreness in the hand and said he hopes to be back very soon. He’s understandably upset about the play last night. Most upset about the injury to Vinnie Pasquantino. Says his teammates, including Vinnie, supported and consoled him.
Lucas Erceg is day to day. Has swelling and soreness in the hand and said he hopes to be back very soon. He’s understandably upset about the play last night. Most upset about the injury to Vinnie Pasquantino. Says his teammates, including Vinnie, supported and consoled him.
— Joel Goldberg (@goldbergkc) August 30, 2024
Erceg and Pasquantino were injured on the same play Thursday in the loss to the Houston Astros. Erceg was hit by a batted ball, then threw the ball to first base. The throw took Pasquantino into the runner, which is where he suffered his injury.
Lucas Erceg and Vinnie Pasquantino both left the game with apparent injuries after this game-tying play in Houston
(via @BallySportsKC)pic.twitter.com/Di1779zNoe
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) August 30, 2024
The 29-year-old Erceg was acquired in a trade deadline deal with the Oakland Athletics. He’s 2-5 this season with a 3.40 ERA. In 51 appearances, he’s struck out 57 batters.
The Royals enter play on Friday at 75-60 overall. They are 1.5 games back of the Cleveland Guardians in the American League Central and they currently hold the second wild card spot in the American League.
Kansas City hasn’t made the playoffs since 2015, which is the last year they won the World Series.
The Royals and Astros will play each other again on Friday night. It will be a battle of aces as Seth Lugo (Kansas City) pitches against veteran lefty Framber Valdez for Houston.
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