This isn't about finishing last in the Central again. It's not about losing 100 games (which isn't likely).

It's about proving to the fans that the organization is making progress. And Royals Trey Hillmanmanager Trey Hillman needs to keep that in mind as we enter the final stages of the 2008 season.

Like all first-year managers, Hillman merits a grace period. He can't be expected to perform miracles in his first season.

But he needs to keep in mind that the patience of Royals fans went out the window 10 years ago. Royals fans need to see progress. And they're not seeing it now.

Hillman needs to keep that in mind as he and Dayton Moore evaluate the present roster and, especially, the present coaching staff.

As you may know, the Royals are having their OWN Joakim Soria T-shirt being made and it will be given out as part of a promotion Royals' Soria T-shirtTuesday night.

This T-shirt will not resemble "The Mexicutioner" T-shirt that WHB produced "The Mexicutioner"several weeks ago.

And the Royals have indicated their Soria T-shirt was not made in response to WHB's T-shirt (wink, wink) but was produced to honor Soria's appearance in the All-Star game.

Chiefs rookie receiver Will Franklin doesn’t necessarily see himself as just a speed guy, nor does he view himself as just a power receiver.

"I’m really a mixture," Franklin said after Wednesday’s practice. "I’ve got the speed to Will Franklinget around guys but when I have to, I think I can get pretty physical.

"In this league, you have to do a little of both."

Franklin, 6 feet and 210 pounds, has shown that versatility to coaches in practice.

And Chiefs fans got a look at his toughness during the preseason opener against the Bears when Franklin made an incredible catch inside the 10-yard line after getting blasted by two defensive backs. Somehow, Franklin held onto the ball.

"It’s a small difference between college receivers and pro receivers but that’s the difference," Franklin said. "You have to make catches like that in the pros. If you can’t, you won’t be playing long here.

Dante Hall, always a favorite among Chiefs fans, is hoping to prove to Rams fans this season that he still has plenty left in the tank.

Hall wasn't exactly bad last season. He had one punt return for a touchdown. But he spent most of the season hurt.

Fond memoriesThis season he's feeling rejuvenated after working out in the off-season back home in Houston with old pal and former Chief Derrick Blaylock. Actually, Hall told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch he worked out with a lot of old friends from Houston.

"Once I got healthy enough, I just jumped in with them," Hall said. "It
just brought back that zest and that love for the game. Seeing these guys made
me remember how I came in — wide-eyed, not knowing what to expect, and just

According to the oddsmakers at www.BodogLife.com, Missouri is a 14-to-1 shot to win the national title, while Kansas is a 65-to-1 shot.

The over-under for total Missouri wins is 10 and for Kansas it is seven.

Oklahoma is the even favorite to win the Big 12 Conference championship, while MU is 7 to 2 and Kansas is 8 to 1.

Jackson County taxpayers still have a shot at tickets for the Missouri-Kansas game at Arrowhead Stadium on Nov. 29.

The Chiefs have sold some of their ticket allotment for the MU-KU game to Chiefs season ticket-holders but held back a portion for Jackson County taxpayers.

Those tickets will be available to Jackson County taxpayers beginning at 10 a.m. on Monday.
Tickets may be purchased at the Arrowhead box office or at Ticketmaster outlets. Jackson County taxpayers must have identification and proof of current paid Jackson County property taxes in order to purchase tickets.

Missouri Tiger fans have plenty of great moments to rejoice in football these days. But just in case Tigers fans want to relive a great moment from the past, check out FSN Kansas City on Thursday at 8 p.m.

That's when a replay of the Missouri-Texas Brad SmithTech game from Oct. 20, 2003 will be shown. It's part of a new series called "Big 12 Classics."

MU fans will recall that the Tigers won that game 62-31 in Columbia. Quarterback Brad Smith ran for 291 yards and five touchdowns and Mizzou piled up 469 rushing yards on the Red Raiders.

"Big 12 Classics" telecasts will consist of the original FSN game telecast condensed into a two-hour window.

As it turned out, the big ratings showdown of the Chiefs vs. the Olympics on Saturday night was really no contest at all.

Or maybe it was more the Chiefs vs. Michael Phelps.

At any rate, Phelps and the Olympics pulled in an 18.3 rating on KSHB Channel 41 on Saturday night, winning the head-to-head matchup with the Chiefs-Cardinals game, which pulled in a 13.4
rating on KCTV Channel 5.

Each ratings point represents a little more than 9,000 television homes in Kansas City.

The Jayhawks took a timeout from training camp on Monday night for a special screening of the soon-to-be-released movie "The Express."

"The Express" is based on the story of John HadlSyracuse running back Ernie Davis, the first African-American to win the Heisman Trophy.

There is a Kansas tie to Davis' story: His first game with Syracuse was against the Jayhawks in 1959. Syracuse won 35-21 but Davis was held to 30 yards on 10 carries.

Syracuse went 11-0 that year but KU scored the most points of any team against Syracuse that season.

By the way, KU's John Hadl, finished seventh in the Heisman Trophy voting in 1961, the season Davis won the Heisman.

This year's Jayhawks team watched the movie at Hollywood Theatre South Wind 12 in Lawrence. The movie will have a full release in October.

Former Chargers great Dan Fouts, for years paired with Keith Jackson on ABC, is returning to the NFL as a game analyst on CBS.

Fouts will do selected games, including some Rich Gannonwith Dick Enberg and Randy Cross.

Former Chief Rich Gannon, who is developing into one of the best game analysts in the biz, will again be paired up with Kansas City's Kevin Harlan.

Here are the other pairings:
Jim Nantz-Phil Simms
Greg Gumbel-Dan Dierdorf
Dick Enberg-Randy Cross-Dan Fouts*
Kevin Harlan-Rich Gannon
Ian Eagle-Solomon Wilcots
Gus Johnson-Steve Tasker

Selected games:

Don Criqui, Bill Macatee, Steve Beuerlein, Dan Fouts