Hello and happy Tuesday, everybody, it’s Tyler Henry, back with another KINA Sports Update presented by Salina Regional Orthopedic and Sports Medicine…

On Tuesday the MLB All Star Game took place in Arlington Texas, and for the 10th time in 11 years the American League took home the victory 5-3 over the National League

On the hill Cole Ragans tossed an inning of scoreless ball to get the AL through the sixth, while Salvador Perez and Bobby Witt Jr chipped in an at bat each

The Royals will resume the regular season on Friday night when they play host to the White Sox in Kansas City opening a three-game series at 7:10

Speaking of Kansas City the Royals drafted ten players on the final day of this year’s MLB draft, bringing the total number of new recruits up to 20.

To see more information and read up on the newest members of the team head on over to Salina Post to check out the full releases.

Tuesday also saw the Kansas City Chiefs return to training camp in Saint Joes with quarterbacks and rookies reporting to Missouri Western State

And finally, concerning news reported from the Arena Football League this morning alleges that the leauge has dismissed CEO Chris Chetty, and that the league is now stuck $110,000 in debt to the second largest mall in America where the championship game was originally scheduled to be played.

Kickoff is scheduled for this Friday night, leaving little time for a late change

<figure>
 <iframe width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5Mnwms2ma0w"></iframe>
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>BY SALINA POST(Transcript)Hello and happy Tuesday, everybody, it’s Tyler Henry, back with another KINA Sports Update presented by Salina Regional Orthopedic and Sports Medicine…_________On Tuesday the MLB All Star Game took place in Arlington Texas, and for the 10th time in 11 years the American League took home the victory 5-3 over the National LeagueOn the hill Cole Ragans tossed an inning of scoreless ball to get the AL through the sixth, while Salvador Perez and Bobby Witt Jr chipped in an at bat eachThe Royals will resume the regular season on Friday night when they play host to the White Sox in Kansas City opening a three-game series at 7:10_________Speaking of Kansas City the Royals drafted ten players on the final day of this year’s MLB draft, bringing the total number of new recruits up to 20.To see more information and read up on the newest members of the team head on over to Salina Post to check out the full releases.Tuesday also saw the Kansas City Chiefs return to training camp in Saint Joes with quarterbacks and rookies reporting to Missouri Western State_________And finally, concerning news reported from the Arena Football League this morning alleges that the leauge has dismissed CEO Chris Chetty, and that the league is now stuck $110,000 in debt to the second largest mall in America where the championship game was originally scheduled to be played.Kickoff is scheduled for this Friday night, leaving little time for a late change_________

910 KINA Sports Headlines — July 17

KANSAS CITY, Mo.—The Kansas City Royals selected 10 players on the third and final day of the 2024 First-Year Player Draft.In total, the Royals selected 15 pitchers, two outfielders, one infielder, one catcher and a two-way player. Of their 20 picks, 16 were from the college ranks and four were high school players, including one player who graduated from high school in 2023 and took a gap year in 2024.

With the 317th overall pick in the 11th round, the Royals selected right-handed pitcher&nbsp;Zachary Cawyer&nbsp;out of Texas Christian University. Cawyer, 21, went 6-2 with a 5.20 ERA (21 ER in 36.1 IP) and 39 strikeouts (24.8 K%) across 24 appearances (1 start) this season at TCU. He earned First-Team Academic All-Big 12 honors as well as an All-Big 12 Honorable Mention after the season. Zachary pitched in 9 games for Mahoning Valley in the MLB Draft League, spinning 13.1 scoreless innings with 16 strikeouts (34.0 K%) and 3 walks. Prior to transferring to TCU, he pitched two seasons at McLennan Community College (Texas), where he posted a 3.14 ERA (17 ER in 48.2 IP) as a sophomore and earned CSC Academic All-District honors, after missing most of his freshman season due to injury.

With the 347th overall pick in the 12th round, the Royals selected right-handed pitcher&nbsp;Tommy Molsky&nbsp;out of Oklahoma State University. Molsky, 21, pitched in just one season at OSU, where he went 6-3 with 66 strikeouts (33.7 K%) and just 27 walks (13.8%) in 19 games (2 starts). Prior to pitching for the Cowboys, he played two seasons at Penn State University, where he appeared in 31 games (18 starts) and struck out 83 hitters in 95.1 innings. Molsky is also a two-time participant in the Cape Cod League, where he pitched in 15 combined games (3 starts) for Chatham from 2022-23, and struck out 36 batters in 40.1 innings pitched while earning 3 wins.

With the 377th overall pick in the 13th round, the Royals selected infielder&nbsp;Sam Kulasingam&nbsp;out of the United States Air Force Academy (Colo.). Kulasingam, 23, slashed .323/.416/.498 (74-for-229, .914 OPS) in 55 games at the Air Force Academy as a senior this season. Over his four-year career, he posted a 1.067 OPS with a .377/.470/.598 (305-for-810) slashline in 206 games, while also walking (118) more than he struck out (102). He won back-to-back&nbsp;Tony Gwynn&nbsp;Mountain West Conference Player of the Year Awards from 2022-23, joining&nbsp;C.J. Cron,&nbsp;Mitch Garver&nbsp;and&nbsp;DJ Peterson&nbsp;as the only multi-MWC Player of the Year winners. He was teammates with 2024 All-Star Game National League starting pitcher Paul Skenes at the Academy from 2021-22. Sam has played for Newport in the NECBL each of the last two summers, most recently slashing .383/.465/.517 (23-for-60) in 2023. Kulasingam was selected by Toronto in the 17th round of the 2023 Draft, but elected to go back to the Academy.

With the 407th overall pick in the 14th round, the Royals selected right-handed pitcher&nbsp;Kyle DeGroat&nbsp;out of Wallkill Senior High School (N.Y.). DeGroat, 18, was a two-way player at Wallkill Senior High School (N.Y.), where he was named a Rawlings Second-Team All-American and First-Team All-Region 1 All-Star after striking out 107 batters in 9 appearances (7 starts) as a senior, allowing 6 runs and just 16 hits (all singles). Kyle was originally committed to Stony Brook University (N.Y.), but flipped his commitment to the University of Texas last October. He has trained with Cleveland Guardians reliever,&nbsp;James Karinchak, and Angels minor leaguer,&nbsp;Caden Dana, in Newburgh, N.Y.

With the 437th overall pick in the 15th round, the Royals selected left-handed pitcher&nbsp;Tyler Davis&nbsp;out of Mississippi State University. Davis, 22, went 6-1 with a team-leading 5 saves a 2.80 ERA (11 ER in 35.1 IP) and 41 strikeouts in 28 relief appearances for the Bulldogs as a senior. He also spent his junior season with the Bulldogs, pitching in 14 games and covering 22.2 innings on the mound. Davis pitched his freshman and sophomore years at Virginia Commonwealth University, where he won 14 games and struck out 116 batters in 38 games (15 starts), including a 3.60 ERA (24 ER in 60.0 IP) and 63 strikeouts as a sophomore. He was named to the A-10 All-Rookie team as a freshman. Davis graduated from Menchville High School (Va.), where he led his team to the state tournament twice and was a 2020 Preseason All-American, and is from Newport News, Va., the same hometown of Royals pitcher&nbsp;Daniel Lynch IV. Menchville High School also produced former MLB pitcher&nbsp;Jharel Cotton.

With the 467th overall pick in the 16th round, the Royals selected right-handed pitcher&nbsp;Andrew Morones&nbsp;out of Cal State Fullerton University. Morones, 23, pitched in 26 games for Cal State Fullerton, striking out 44 batters in 33.0 innings as a senior. He pitched 14.0 scoreless innings with 4 saves and 22 strikeouts (41.5 K%) to just 2 walks across 12 games (11 finished) for Mahoning Valley in the 2024 MLB Draft League, where was teammates with&nbsp;Zachary Cawyer, the Royals 11th-round selection. Andrew pitched in the Northwoods League in 2021 and 2023, appearing in 26 total games for St. Cloud, striking out 50 batters in 39.0 innings. Prior to pitching for the Titans, Morones spent two seasons at San Joaquin Delta College in Stockton, Calif.

With the 497th overall pick in the 17th round, the Royals selected left-handed pitcher&nbsp;Dane Burns&nbsp;out of Prosper High School (Texas). Burns, 19, graduated from Prosper High School in 2023 and did not pitch competitively in 2024 after undergoing&nbsp;Tommy John&nbsp;Surgery. Prior to his injury, he had been committed to Mississippi State University, and is still committed to attend for the 2024-25 season. Dane pitched in 5 games for the Keene Swamp Bats in the New England Collegiate Baseball League this summer, where he struck out 16 batters in 9.2 innings. Born in Canada, Burns has deep hockey roots and didn’t start playing baseball until he was 12 years old.

With the 527th overall pick in the 18th round, the Royals selected outfielder&nbsp;Corey Cousin Jr.&nbsp;out of Slidell High School (La.). Cousin Jr., 17, graduated from Slidell High School (La.), and is committed to playing baseball at the University of Oklahoma. As a junior, Corey was a First-Team All-District 6-5A selection after batting .374 with a .468 OBP, 7 doubles, 6 home runs, 27 RBI, 24 runs and 12 stolen bases, while also posting a 2.86 ERA (7 ER in 22.0 IP) with 36 strikeouts and 4 saves on the mound. He had been committed to Louisiana State University-Eunice—where Royals prospect&nbsp;Javier Vaz&nbsp;went prior to transferring to Vanderbilt University—but flipped his commitment in Nov. 2023.

With the 557th overall pick in the 19th round, the Royals selected left-handed pitcher&nbsp;Dash Albus&nbsp;out of Abilene Christian University. Albus, who turns 22 next Wednesday, appeared in 20 games for Abilene Christian University this year, striking out 31 hitters (26.3 K%) in 24.2 innings. Dash pitched for the Temple College Leopards from 2021-22, making 14 appearances (7 starts) and striking out 28 batters in 35.1 innings. He graduated from Wylie High School (Texas) in 2021.

With the 587th overall pick in the 20th round, the Royals selected outfielder&nbsp;Carter Frederick&nbsp;out of the University of Oklahoma. Frederick, 22, played in 13 games for the Oklahoma Sooners this season, going 12-for-35 (.343) with 2 home runs and 9 RBI. Prior to joining the Sooners, he spent two seasons at Snead State Community College (Ala.), where he batted .463 with 14 home runs as a junior in 2023. This summer, Carter played for the Portland Pickles in the West Coast Collegiate Summer League, and in 7 games for the Pickles, he went 12-for-26 (.462) with 7 runs scored, 7 RBI, 2 stolen bases and more walks (8) than strikeouts (3). He redshirted as a freshman at Auburn University (Ala.), before transferring to Snead State. He graduated from Chelsea High School (Ala.) in 2020.

KANSAS CITY, Mo.—The Kansas City Royals selected 10 players on the third and final day of the 2024 First-Year Player Draft.In total, the Royals selected 15 pitchers, two outfielders, one infielder, one catcher and a two-way player. Of their 20 picks, 16 were from the college ranks and four were high school players, including one player who graduated from high school in 2023 and took a gap year in 2024.With the 317th overall pick in the 11th round, the Royals selected right-handed pitcher&nbsp;Zachary Cawyer&nbsp;out of Texas Christian University. Cawyer, 21, went 6-2 with a 5.20 ERA (21 ER in 36.1 IP) and 39 strikeouts (24.8 K%) across 24 appearances (1 start) this season at TCU. He earned First-Team Academic All-Big 12 honors as well as an All-Big 12 Honorable Mention after the season. Zachary pitched in 9 games for Mahoning Valley in the MLB Draft League, spinning 13.1 scoreless innings with 16 strikeouts (34.0 K%) and 3 walks. Prior to transferring to TCU, he pitched two seasons at McLennan Community College (Texas), where he posted a 3.14 ERA (17 ER in 48.2 IP) as a sophomore and earned CSC Academic All-District honors, after missing most of his freshman season due to injury.With the 347th overall pick in the 12th round, the Royals selected right-handed pitcher&nbsp;Tommy Molsky&nbsp;out of Oklahoma State University. Molsky, 21, pitched in just one season at OSU, where he went 6-3 with 66 strikeouts (33.7 K%) and just 27 walks (13.8%) in 19 games (2 starts). Prior to pitching for the Cowboys, he played two seasons at Penn State University, where he appeared in 31 games (18 starts) and struck out 83 hitters in 95.1 innings. Molsky is also a two-time participant in the Cape Cod League, where he pitched in 15 combined games (3 starts) for Chatham from 2022-23, and struck out 36 batters in 40.1 innings pitched while earning 3 wins.With the 377th overall pick in the 13th round, the Royals selected infielder&nbsp;Sam Kulasingam&nbsp;out of the United States Air Force Academy (Colo.). Kulasingam, 23, slashed .323/.416/.498 (74-for-229, .914 OPS) in 55 games at the Air Force Academy as a senior this season. Over his four-year career, he posted a 1.067 OPS with a .377/.470/.598 (305-for-810) slashline in 206 games, while also walking (118) more than he struck out (102). He won back-to-back&nbsp;Tony Gwynn&nbsp;Mountain West Conference Player of the Year Awards from 2022-23, joining&nbsp;C.J. Cron,&nbsp;Mitch Garver&nbsp;and&nbsp;DJ Peterson&nbsp;as the only multi-MWC Player of the Year winners. He was teammates with 2024 All-Star Game National League starting pitcher Paul Skenes at the Academy from 2021-22. Sam has played for Newport in the NECBL each of the last two summers, most recently slashing .383/.465/.517 (23-for-60) in 2023. Kulasingam was selected by Toronto in the 17th round of the 2023 Draft, but elected to go back to the Academy.With the 407th overall pick in the 14th round, the Royals selected right-handed pitcher&nbsp;Kyle DeGroat&nbsp;out of Wallkill Senior High School (N.Y.). DeGroat, 18, was a two-way player at Wallkill Senior High School (N.Y.), where he was named a Rawlings Second-Team All-American and First-Team All-Region 1 All-Star after striking out 107 batters in 9 appearances (7 starts) as a senior, allowing 6 runs and just 16 hits (all singles). Kyle was originally committed to Stony Brook University (N.Y.), but flipped his commitment to the University of Texas last October. He has trained with Cleveland Guardians reliever,&nbsp;James Karinchak, and Angels minor leaguer,&nbsp;Caden Dana, in Newburgh, N.Y.With the 437th overall pick in the 15th round, the Royals selected left-handed pitcher&nbsp;Tyler Davis&nbsp;out of Mississippi State University. Davis, 22, went 6-1 with a team-leading 5 saves a 2.80 ERA (11 ER in 35.1 IP) and 41 strikeouts in 28 relief appearances for the Bulldogs as a senior. He also spent his junior season with the Bulldogs, pitching in 14 games and covering 22.2 innings on the mound. Davis pitched his freshman and sophomore years at Virginia Commonwealth University, where he won 14 games and struck out 116 batters in 38 games (15 starts), including a 3.60 ERA (24 ER in 60.0 IP) and 63 strikeouts as a sophomore. He was named to the A-10 All-Rookie team as a freshman. Davis graduated from Menchville High School (Va.), where he led his team to the state tournament twice and was a 2020 Preseason All-American, and is from Newport News, Va., the same hometown of Royals pitcher&nbsp;Daniel Lynch IV. Menchville High School also produced former MLB pitcher&nbsp;Jharel Cotton.With the 467th overall pick in the 16th round, the Royals selected right-handed pitcher&nbsp;Andrew Morones&nbsp;out of Cal State Fullerton University. Morones, 23, pitched in 26 games for Cal State Fullerton, striking out 44 batters in 33.0 innings as a senior. He pitched 14.0 scoreless innings with 4 saves and 22 strikeouts (41.5 K%) to just 2 walks across 12 games (11 finished) for Mahoning Valley in the 2024 MLB Draft League, where was teammates with&nbsp;Zachary Cawyer, the Royals 11th-round selection. Andrew pitched in the Northwoods League in 2021 and 2023, appearing in 26 total games for St. Cloud, striking out 50 batters in 39.0 innings. Prior to pitching for the Titans, Morones spent two seasons at San Joaquin Delta College in Stockton, Calif.With the 497th overall pick in the 17th round, the Royals selected left-handed pitcher&nbsp;Dane Burns&nbsp;out of Prosper High School (Texas). Burns, 19, graduated from Prosper High School in 2023 and did not pitch competitively in 2024 after undergoing&nbsp;Tommy John&nbsp;Surgery. Prior to his injury, he had been committed to Mississippi State University, and is still committed to attend for the 2024-25 season. Dane pitched in 5 games for the Keene Swamp Bats in the New England Collegiate Baseball League this summer, where he struck out 16 batters in 9.2 innings. Born in Canada, Burns has deep hockey roots and didn’t start playing baseball until he was 12 years old.With the 527th overall pick in the 18th round, the Royals selected outfielder&nbsp;Corey Cousin Jr.&nbsp;out of Slidell High School (La.). Cousin Jr., 17, graduated from Slidell High School (La.), and is committed to playing baseball at the University of Oklahoma. As a junior, Corey was a First-Team All-District 6-5A selection after batting .374 with a .468 OBP, 7 doubles, 6 home runs, 27 RBI, 24 runs and 12 stolen bases, while also posting a 2.86 ERA (7 ER in 22.0 IP) with 36 strikeouts and 4 saves on the mound. He had been committed to Louisiana State University-Eunice—where Royals prospect&nbsp;Javier Vaz&nbsp;went prior to transferring to Vanderbilt University—but flipped his commitment in Nov. 2023.With the 557th overall pick in the 19th round, the Royals selected left-handed pitcher&nbsp;Dash Albus&nbsp;out of Abilene Christian University. Albus, who turns 22 next Wednesday, appeared in 20 games for Abilene Christian University this year, striking out 31 hitters (26.3 K%) in 24.2 innings. Dash pitched for the Temple College Leopards from 2021-22, making 14 appearances (7 starts) and striking out 28 batters in 35.1 innings. He graduated from Wylie High School (Texas) in 2021.With the 587th overall pick in the 20th round, the Royals selected outfielder&nbsp;Carter Frederick&nbsp;out of the University of Oklahoma. Frederick, 22, played in 13 games for the Oklahoma Sooners this season, going 12-for-35 (.343) with 2 home runs and 9 RBI. Prior to joining the Sooners, he spent two seasons at Snead State Community College (Ala.), where he batted .463 with 14 home runs as a junior in 2023. This summer, Carter played for the Portland Pickles in the West Coast Collegiate Summer League, and in 7 games for the Pickles, he went 12-for-26 (.462) with 7 runs scored, 7 RBI, 2 stolen bases and more walks (8) than strikeouts (3). He redshirted as a freshman at Auburn University (Ala.), before transferring to Snead State. He graduated from Chelsea High School (Ala.) in 2020.

Royals select 10 players on final day of MLB draft

OPENING STATEMENT:&nbsp;“Alright, first of all, good to see everybody. (We’re) back and ready to go. Just on the injury front, BJ Thompson will start on NFI (Non-Football Illness/Injury). He’s still going through some procedures; he’s doing great but he’s going through some procedures as we talk here. He’ll keep going with that and then we’ll keep you updated as we go. On the PUP (Physically Unable to Perform) list, Jaylen Watson, (Charles) Omenihu, (Derrick) Nnadi and (Joe) Thuney will probably start on that. We still have a few days before all that goes on, but we’ll just see where we’re at with that. Really those are kind of the main guys that were injured. (Leo) Chenal will be up here, Nazeeh (Johnson) will be up here and (Xavier) Worthy will be back, he’s doing well, you just saw him come in. He’s doing well on his rehab from his hamstring. All in all, listen, we look forward to being back here, we love the setup here with the people here treat us great at Missouri Western State University. It’s beautiful facilities, it’s great to be able to get away from the city and be able to house guys in the same dorm. I’m saying this as the coach but they’re probably not going to say this but it builds a certain camaraderie as you go and you’re eating together, you’re sleeping in the same building together so you can’t help but talk to each other. In today’s world, that’s a positive thing. Anyways, time’s yours.”

Q: What are your expectations for the four guys you mentioned on PUP on when they might be back?

REID:&nbsp;“I think they’re all a little different and listen, something might happen different by the time we get the vets in here and we have to do it. I was just giving you a heads up on kind of what we’re thinking there on that as we start but we’ll see how they all – whether they get cleared or not cleared.”

REID:&nbsp;“Joe (Thuney) is doing great and he’s close, close.”

Q: So you don’t expect it to be long if Joe Thuney can’t practice right away?

REID:&nbsp;“I don’t think it will be but we’ll see, we’ll just see how it goes.”

Q: Is Xavier Worthy ready to go after missing OTAs?

REID:&nbsp;“Yes. We’ll ease him in, we’re not going to just give him every rep. The lines are kind of short here, right (laughter)?”

Q: How valuable will this time be for the players like Xavier Worthy to get reps in with Patrick Mahomes before the veterans come in?

REID:&nbsp;“This is great, I think it’s great for all these guys just to get in and become familiar and go through it one more time before the veterans get in and everything is going 100 miles an hour. It’s slowed down, they’ll get the same install, the first three installs for when the vets get in. I think it’s a real positive for everybody and especially Xavier (Worthy), who didn’t have the opportunity to be on the field. Just going through those routes and doing what he needs to do there will also be positive.”

Q: How do you keep guys hungry after winning back-to-back Super Bowls?

REID:&nbsp;“I think we all know, in the NFL, every year is its own year. We’ve said that every year along the way here. You have to stay on top of your game, you have to practice, you have to go through this camp and be in condition so you can perform well - mentally and physically - once the games come around. It all starts from scratch and happens over. We talked about it in the offseason and I think the guys will be ready to go.”

Q: How much do you rely on guys like Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce and veteran leaders to sort of get that message across?

REID:&nbsp;“Yeah, they are great with it. That’s what I was saying before we had the break, I appreciate that leadership, Chris Jones, (Nick) Bolton, I mean these guys that have been around here they do a nice job. When players start helping players out and helping them understand what's going on, normally you have a pretty good thing going and these guys, we’re lucky to have that leadership.”

Q: How do you see that? What specifically do you see that you like from those guys?

REID:&nbsp;“They go 100 miles an hour and they make everybody around them go 100 miles an hour. While the coaches are kicking them a little bit, the players are kicking them and that peer pressure, there’s nothing like that.”

Q: Where does last year's regular season sit as far as do you mention that to the guys as an example of the ways you need to get better?

REID:&nbsp;“We talked a little bit about it in the offseason. That won’t be a big thing coming into this camp. The guys know we had our ups and downs. I just expect the young guys that were here last year to continue to build on what they finished with. I thought we finished strong on both sides of the ball and special teams. It is important that you – and we had a nice offseason where we were practicing some of the kickoff return stuff. Let's pick up where we left off and get better.”

Q: What is it about Patrick Mahomes that makes you know that he is just getting hungrier instead of more satisfied, what’s inside of him that tells you that?

REID:&nbsp;“The one great thing about Patrick (Mahomes) is he is always going to work on his game and then he always wants more. As coaches, you can’t ask for more than that. That’s why we are in it, we are trying to give you one more nugget Vahe (Gregorian) so you can be greater than you already are. That’s what the great players do, they want you to dig as a coach and find something, give me something here that can help me become better than what I am.”

Q: I get the feeling that if you guys had a five-star hotel available right here you wouldn’t take it. You’d be here and there is a reason for that, what is it that you get out of the spartan aspect of this?

REID:&nbsp;“Well, listen I don’t want to slight the university because they actually renovated here a little bit and (have) done some things in here (Scanlon Hall) – I look forward to our meeting at the end of this before you guys get a taste of it – the cinder blocks are still cinder blocks no matter how you cut it. I am sure most of us have been in those buildings before, so that part hasn’t changed, it seems like dorms are kind of – that’s the way they are everywhere.”

Q: Is there something to that though, that you want the conditions to be understood to be kind of grueling?

REID:&nbsp;“Yeah, listen, there is a certain toughness this game requires and I think if you talk to the old veterans they’re going to tell you, ‘Well, it's not as tough as it used to be.’ There is still a part of it that – it’s a tough guy sport and lady sport for where we are going with all of flag football. We've got that part of it going and it’s important that you develop that. If you are fatigued, then you are going to be fatigued mentally. If you are fatigued physically, that’s going to affect you mentally and if you are fatigued period then you can't think and you can't play, at least not to the best of your ability. The objective here is let’s get ourselves in shape, make sure we are in football shape, they are all going to come back in shape, but let's get ourselves in football shape, both mentally and physically, so that we can perform at our best. The guys understand that. I mean that makes sense, so we try not to ask the guys to do anything that doesn’t make sense and if they have a question, ask us. Everything’s got a purpose of why we do it and ask if you don’t know. That is kind of how we go about it.”

Q:&nbsp;In regard to Rashee Rice, what are you expecting in terms of the suspension?

REID:&nbsp;“Yeah, I don’t know that, Adam (Teicher). I haven’t heard anything up to this point, so I just let all the people in charge do that are looking over that part of it.”

Q:&nbsp;You talk about easing Xavier Worthy in, I mean we talked to Patrick Mahomes, and he just said there is no easing in there. He’s going to get that regular rookie treatment, how important is that for young players to get?

REID:&nbsp;“I think you know – he’s looking forward to it actually, I think. He wants to get in there and go. It was driving him crazy to have to watch. You don’t want to be the number one pick (first-round draft pick), come in and be sitting on the bench and watching. He’s a competitive kid who wants to be in there. We are going to get him going. We just – we got to see how he’s doing here. Like I said, in this rookie camp these lines are short, so they are going to get plenty of reps. You just don’t want them re-hurting the thing and setting himself back.”

Q:&nbsp;When it comes to evolution of offense every off-season, what are your conversations like as you try to make sure you’re putting in different wrinkles. How does it start during camp?

REID:&nbsp;“It actually starts in the OTAs. That’s where you introduce all of the new stuff to the guys, and then you get reps on it now. So, you get a few in the OTAs – now (at training camp), you get reps, and reps and reps on the new stuff. It will be great for the guys to be able to get that and kind of perfect some of the things that we’ve tried to incorporate.”

Q: In terms of the offseason, we see what a lot of your guys do on social media, you don’t have a very big social media presence, but did you have some fun? And did you have any revelations, any good stuff you found in those hours?&nbsp;

REID:&nbsp;“I don’t know about revelations, I’m not sure about that but, I had a chance to look our stuff. I try to spend a little time doing that when I’m away and I enjoy doing that part. And as far as relaxing, absolutely I had a chance to do that. I got a little sun and a little beach air and that’s good right, but I’m ready to go and I know these guys are ready to go. I know you’re ready to go. That writing hand is ready to roll, man (laughter).”

Q: You and the Raiders are the last two teams standing that don’t do any joint practices. You said before you don’t want to give anything for free. Is that kind of still your philosophy or do you think you would ever change on that?

REID:&nbsp;“I think the way we go about it – I think we go fast, we practice hard, we do those things amongst ourselves, and the guys challenge each other, and I don’t think there’s a better way to do it, if your guys are willing to do that. Our guys are up for that challenge, plus you’re not giving things away, so you can’t help but do that. Then you’re not having those skirmishes that you get in these inner squad deals, and no matter how much you talk - you put on a different uniform, you’re the enemy. It doesn’t matter if it’s during joint practices or not.”

Q:&nbsp;You’re going to be in a movie, how are your acting chops?

REID:&nbsp;“I’m not real good at that, but I’ve only had about seven words. I can handle that. I can handle seven words.”

REID:&nbsp;“No I can’t, I’m under a contract (laughter).”

Q: You guys have been really good over the years about turning the page from one season and moving on to the next one. Has it been as easy as you’ve made it look or is it more difficult than that? What’s your message this year? Any different than what it might normally be?

MAHOMES:&nbsp;“Not necessarily. I think for us, it’s just we’re back in St. Joe, it’s time to get better. Every season starts different, you’ve got to come in with that same mentality you had the year before, even a higher intensity. Even though we won the Super Bowl last year, we felt like we didn’t play our best football, especially offensively, so it’s our goal to be better that way and we’ve got to come with that mentality every single day.”

Q: How do you emphasize the importance of the regular season given what you just said? That maybe things didn’t go well in the regular season, but you guys still survived and played well in the playoffs.

MAHOMES:&nbsp;“Obviously the end&nbsp; result was awesome, but I think a lot of us still have a weird feeling in our mouth because we really didn’t play football the way we wanted to play all year long and it wasn’t fun. Every single week, having to try to just continue to get better and better and the results not paying off the way you want it to. It wasn’t a lot of fun, and we have a lot of those same guys back and they know how that felt and so we’re going to try and prepare ourselves better this year so that we can play better throughout the season and obviously, try to end with the same result.”

Q: I think you’ve said this before, but I wonder if you still feel this way that you’ve somehow gotten hungrier the more you’ve won. If that’s true, can you explain how that works?

MAHOMES:&nbsp;“Once you win the Super Bowl, I feel like – even to another extreme like – when you don’t win it, it sucks even more. You experience the offseason of being able to say you’re the champ and you experience all the different things and activities you’re able to do because you’re a Super Bowl champ and you experience the feeling of just winning the Super Bowl. For us – I’ll speak for myself, I mean, when you don’t win it now, it sucks because you know what it could be like if you were to go out there and win it.”

Q: When it comes to the offense for you guys, every year it evolves but this year, how excited are you with the new pieces in place to have that evolution and to start working on that now?

MAHOMES:&nbsp;“I’m extremely excited. I mean, we added a lot of speed – obviously, y’all know that but we also added players in every single position group. I’m excited for the offense to go out there and attack and we have some of those young guys here at rookie minicamp. I’m excited to get a couple days with them and get some early work in with them and (work on) timing and then adding the veteran guys as the week goes on and trying to just continue to get better and better. I mean, what’s better than going against our defense? It’s the best defense in the NFL and we get to go against them every single day and really show where we’re at and how we can get better.”

Q: Since you’ve been through this so much, how are you going to try to ease and navigate Xavier Worthy through this because you guys probably will be relying on him pretty early on in the season?

MAHOMES:&nbsp;“There’s no easing. He’s going to have to be ready to go. We’ve got a lot of competition on this offense. (General Manager) Brett Veach and (Head) Coach (Andy) Reid did a great job of bringing a lot of competition in. Xavier (Worthy)– I mean, he got a lot of mental work in these last few weeks that he had during OTAs and minicamp but it’s time to go now. Y’all saw with Rashee (Rice) last year, some of the throwing up days he had. We’re going to push you to the limit and prepare yourself to be ready to go for the season and that’s not just him, that’s everybody and everybody has to have that mentality when they come into camp.”

Q: For Jared Wiley you did get to work with him a little bit during the offseason. What are you anticipating from him early on?

MAHOMES:&nbsp;“I anticipate he comes in and learns and gets better and better. The physicality and the size and speed, you see that. Now, we get to test the mental ability and that tight end position is hard in the NFL, especially in (Head) Coach (Andy) Reid’s offense. You have to be able to block and make all the blocking assignments but also do all the passing stuff, too. He’s doing a great job with that so far and we’re going to keep pushing him and see what we can do. There’s going to be a lot of competition in that room, obviously with Travis (Kelce) and Noah (Gray) but even the other guys that we have. I’m excited for him to get in and get the work and come back and hopefully be a big impact on our team.”

Q: As you get older how much of an emphasis, if at all, do you put on yourself for conditioning and being ready for what hopefully is another long run?

MAHOMES:&nbsp;“It’s a little bit of the negative of winning the Super Bowl is it shortens your offseason, but I’ll take it every time. It makes the offseason that much more enjoyable. Obviously, we started earlier this year I think than I’ve ever started but we’re here to go out here and win football games, and that’s our job so I’m excited for it. It’ll be a big emphasis of just preparing your body and once you get here, (Head) Coach (Andy) Reid will make sure to know if you’re prepared or not.”

Q: We’re seeing vets like Derrick Nnadi and Leo Chenal show up early. How crucial is it for you guys to be all together in this kind of old school setting?

MAHOMES:&nbsp;“Yeah, it’s fun. The only thing for me is leaving the family’s always tough, especially as the kids get older, but being in the building and being at lunch together, being at dinner together, always kind of being around the guys, you build this kind of culture and this family-type (of) brotherhood. I’m excited to continue to do that with a lot of new faces, and then with guys that have been here before because we know that this is what it takes in order for us to go out there and be great.”

Q: What’s the evolution of dorm life for you?

MAHOMES:&nbsp;“This is my first year I’m bringing a TV. I haven’t brought a TV ever before, but NCAA (College Football 25) came out and I’m going to have to turn it on (laughter). I brought a TV for NCAA and the Olympics, so that’s my first year of doing that.”

Q: Last year Chris Jones wasn’t here and that was kind of hanging over. There are not question marks like that this year. Does that feel pretty good to not have those kinds of things hanging around?

MAHOMES:&nbsp;“Yeah, I mean it’s always good to have everybody in the building, especially vets and guys that I’ve built great relationships with. I’m not going to say it’s awesome to see him on the other side of the ball because he can disrupt the play kind of whenever he wants (laughter). It’s always good to have everybody here because we all try to – like I said – build this brotherhood. When we go through these tough days at camp and (Head) Coach (Andy) Reid puts us to the test so that when we get in games we can come together and really go out there and find ways to win, I think that’s why we’ve been able to have all these kind of late, finishing comeback type of wins because Coach Reid tests us every single day.”

Q: Plenty of guys go into their school’s Hall of Fame, but I don’t know if anybody gets their name, their logo, their initials on the field. What’d that mean to you and how’d that come about?

MAHOMES:&nbsp;“Yeah, I think just the partnership with Texas Tech has been awesome. With Adidas coming in, I’ve built such great relationships there, and I’ve kind of kept those relationships. It’s really exciting that I’ll be able to wear the Texas Tech stuff and not have to cover it up, the Under Armour logo and everything like that. To have my logo on some of their gear is going to be really cool, and I’m excited for the future of the partnership. I think it’s just at the beginning now, and it’s going to take off even more.”

Q: Just along more of the offseason lines. You announced your family is expecting a third child. Continuing to do all this stuff in the business world, how are you seeing yourself evolve just trying to manage everything?

MAHOMES:&nbsp;“Yeah, I’m done. I’ll say that (laughter). I said three and then I’m done. No, it’s awesome. I always wanted to have kids young. I got to grow up in the locker room. I think I’ve talked about it before, and it made such an impact in my life. I wanted to have kids young, and we’re having our third kid now to join our family. Brittany (Mahomes) does a great job of doing that, and we still go out and enjoy our life and let our kids see these great things. They might not be able to remember what (the) videos (are) of – It is really cool because I spend so much time in the building, at football, for these eight – seven (or) eight, months. Whenever I’m with my family, I want to enjoy those moments.”

Q: You looked nervous watching Royals Shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. last night.

MAHOMES:&nbsp;“Oh, I was very nervous man. He was close, and I thought that last one was gone. I was excited for the world to see his talent because, I mean, we’ve (Kansas City) seen it the last two years here. He’s a tremendous talent. One of the best players in the MLB, and I’m excited for the second half of the season. I’m excited for the All-Star game tonight and then the second half of the season, and then see the Royals make a push at trying to get into the playoffs and see what they can do. It’s been a long time building and these young guys are ready for it.”

Q: What’s the process of getting Kingsley Suamataia ready to play and be involved in this system?

MAHOMES:&nbsp;“Yeah, I think it’s practice. I mean, it’s not going to be perfect every single day and we don’t expect it to be, but we expect you to go out there and put your best effort forward every single rep. It’ll be a great competition in that o-line room, especially that left tackle spot. We’ll send kind of all those guys out there and just see who can go out there and compete and come out the best. Whoever wins the job, wins the job, but I’m excited for the competition of it. That’s what you want in any team, in any position is you want competition. I’m excited for those guys to see who can kind of rise to the occasion.”

Q: I know that minicamp doesn’t have pads and everything, but what were your impressions of Kingsley Suamataia during minicamp?

MAHOMES:&nbsp;“Yeah, he got better and better and he wasn’t scared of the moment. I think that’s a big thing. I remember me coming in as a rookie and I didn’t even get thrown in with the one’s like that. I mean, he’s coming straight in from combine training getting thrown in with the one’s and he’s competing. He’s not making the same mistakes twice. That’s huge. The pads will come on now, it’s another step in the journey for him. I think he’s excited for it, honestly. We’ll see where we’re at and we’ll keep building and try to see – like I said – who comes out on top at the end of the competition.”

Q:&nbsp;What do you think specifically would be lost about things you get to do here at camp if you didn’t have to stay in the dorms? What specific things happen in St. Joe?

Chiefs Quotes 7-16-24

STEPHEN HAWKINS AP Baseball Writer

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Speedy Jarren Duran describes himself as a player who keeps his head down, works hard and never thinks of himself as being better than anybody else.

Duran turned some heads in his first All-Star Game,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mlb.com/gameday/747298/video/jarren-duran-homers-1-on-a-fly-ball-to-right-center-field-anthony-santand">hitting a tiebreaking two-run homer</a>&nbsp;for the American League and being&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mlb.com/gameday/747298/video/jarren-duran-is-named-the-2024-all-star-game-mvp">awarded the MVP trophy</a>&nbsp;named after Boston Red Sox legend Ted Williams.

“That's an honor. Who else would I want to try to follow in the footsteps of besides a guy like that, who is not just a great baseball player but a great human being,” Duran said after becoming the fifth Red Sox player selected All-Star Game MVP. “That guy was awesome, and I’m honored to be able to have his award.”

The decisive homer came in the fifth inning Tuesday night as the AL beat the National League 5-3 for its 10th win in the past 11 All-Star Games.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/paul-skenes-allstars-6b6611f683a612ef2c263c6bfd5d6396">Pittsburgh rookie Paul Skenes</a>&nbsp;pitched a hitless first for the NL, twice hitting 100 mph, and Shohei Ohtani also went deep in Texas with a three-run homer for a 3-0 lead in the third.

Juan Soto hit a two-run double and scored on David Fry’s single to tie the score in the AL third, and Duran went deep off Cincinnati’s Hunter Greene.

“It’s a surreal moment. So I’m just thankful to be here,” said Duran, who was one of 39 first-time All-Stars this year.

Oakland right-hander Mason Miller got the win after throwing a 103.6 mph pitch, the fastest in the All-Star Game since tracking began in 2008. Hard-throwing Cleveland closer Emmanuel Clase struck out two in the ninth for the save.

The 22-year-old Skenes, who has pitched only 11 big league games since being the No. 1 overall pick in the draft last July, became the first rookie starter since 1995 and had the fewest games played for any player to make an All-Star team. The right-hander threw a hitless first, with a two-out walk to Soto before his Yankees teammate Aaron Judge grounded into a forceout on the next pitch.

Skenes threw 11 of 16 pitches for strikes, with seven fastballs up to 100.1 mph.

“Frankly, I wish I’d had a few more pitches to do that today,” said Skenes, who has a good mix of pitches to go with the hard stuff. “It’s cool to bring eyes to the game.”

Ohtani, who has gone deep 29 times in the first season of his record $700 million, 10-year deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/shohei-ohtani-allstars-d70046c8cf15a5d1b31aed95c1f73346">pulled a 400-foot drive to right</a>&nbsp;off Tanner Houck. That came after the Boston right-hander allowed singles to the first two batters he faced: No. 9 batter Jurickson Profar and leadoff hitter Ketel Marte.

“I haven’t really hit well in the All-Star Game, so I’m just relieved that I put the ball in play,” Ohtani said. “I just focused on having a regular at-bat as if I was in the regular season.”

When Ohtani went against Miller in the fifth, he struck out on an 89.2 mph slider well inside and out of the strike zone. That was after twice taking strikes on fastballs of more than 100 mph.

Ohtani’s first All-Star homer made him the first Dodgers player to go deep in the Midsummer Classic since Hall of Fame catcher Mike Piazza in 1996. Eleven days after his 30th birthday, Ohtani was an All-Star for the fourth time — his first with the NL.

Baltimore’s Anthony Santander, after taking over for Soto in right field, had a two-out single in the fifth before Duran’s 413-foot homer to right-center after he had replaced Judge in center. Duran took a 95.9 mph fastball before going deep on an 86 mph splitter.

“I knew he threw really hard so I was just praying he would throw me a first pitch fastball so I could see how hard it was. After that, I was hoping to get a pitch up,” Duran said. “He happened to leave a pitch up. I happened to put a good swing on it.”

The last Red Sox player to be the All-Star MVP was J.D. Drew in 2008, following Pedro Martinez in 1999, Roger Clemens in 1986 and Carl Yastrzemski in 1970.

Duran was voted by his peers as an All-Star after being the first AL player to go into the break with at least 100 hits, 10 triples, 10 homers and 20 stolen bases.

The AL has a 48-44-2 record in the All-Star Game, and had won nine in a row before the National League's 3-2 victory last year in Seattle.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/all-star-game-corbin-burnes-499fe81cf19ebe1fbf03f0a88bf93446">AL starter Corbin Burnes</a>&nbsp;arrived in Texas the morning of the game after spending time at home with his newborn twin daughters. The Baltimore right-hander allowed a walk and then a two-out double to Bryce Harper before getting out of his inning on a comebacker by William Contreras, his catcher last season in Milwaukee.

After his underhand toss of the ball to first base, Burnes had a big smile on his face when he kept jogging and wrapped his arm around Contreras on the baseline.

Played in 2 hours, 28 minutes, it was the shortest All-Star Game since 1988, a game that the AL won 2-1 in Cincinnati that took only two minutes less.

Bruce Bochy of the host Rangers became the first manager to win World Series titles and All-Star Games in both leagues. Bochy is now 2-3 as an All-Star manager, leading the NL to a win in 2011. He won the World Series three times with the NL's San Francisco Giants in 2010, 2012 and 2014, then led the Rangers to their first championship in his debut season with them last year.

The MLB regular series resumes Friday when 14 games are scheduled, with Milwaukee and Minnesota the only teams that won’t play until Saturday. Philadelphia (62-34) has the best record in the majors and Cleveland (58-37) has an AL-best .611 winning percentage, though Baltimore and the New York Yankees also have 58 wins.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1721208842253.jpeg" alt="American League's Jarren Duran, of the Boston Red Sox, hits a home run during the fifth inning of the MLB All-Star baseball game, Tuesday, July 16, 2024, in Arlington, Texas. Anthony Santander, of the Baltimore Orioles, also scored. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)" />
 <figcaption>American League's Jarren Duran, of the Boston Red Sox, hits a home run during the fifth inning of the MLB All-Star baseball game, Tuesday, July 16, 2024, in Arlington, Texas. Anthony Santander, of the Baltimore Orioles, also scored. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)</figcaption>
 </figure>STEPHEN HAWKINS AP Baseball WriterARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Speedy Jarren Duran describes himself as a player who keeps his head down, works hard and never thinks of himself as being better than anybody else.Duran turned some heads in his first All-Star Game,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mlb.com/gameday/747298/video/jarren-duran-homers-1-on-a-fly-ball-to-right-center-field-anthony-santand">hitting a tiebreaking two-run homer</a>&nbsp;for the American League and being&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mlb.com/gameday/747298/video/jarren-duran-is-named-the-2024-all-star-game-mvp">awarded the MVP trophy</a>&nbsp;named after Boston Red Sox legend Ted Williams.“That's an honor. Who else would I want to try to follow in the footsteps of besides a guy like that, who is not just a great baseball player but a great human being,” Duran said after becoming the fifth Red Sox player selected All-Star Game MVP. “That guy was awesome, and I’m honored to be able to have his award.”The decisive homer came in the fifth inning Tuesday night as the AL beat the National League 5-3 for its 10th win in the past 11 All-Star Games.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/paul-skenes-allstars-6b6611f683a612ef2c263c6bfd5d6396">Pittsburgh rookie Paul Skenes</a>&nbsp;pitched a hitless first for the NL, twice hitting 100 mph, and Shohei Ohtani also went deep in Texas with a three-run homer for a 3-0 lead in the third.Juan Soto hit a two-run double and scored on David Fry’s single to tie the score in the AL third, and Duran went deep off Cincinnati’s Hunter Greene.“It’s a surreal moment. So I’m just thankful to be here,” said Duran, who was one of 39 first-time All-Stars this year.Oakland right-hander Mason Miller got the win after throwing a 103.6 mph pitch, the fastest in the All-Star Game since tracking began in 2008. Hard-throwing Cleveland closer Emmanuel Clase struck out two in the ninth for the save.The 22-year-old Skenes, who has pitched only 11 big league games since being the No. 1 overall pick in the draft last July, became the first rookie starter since 1995 and had the fewest games played for any player to make an All-Star team. The right-hander threw a hitless first, with a two-out walk to Soto before his Yankees teammate Aaron Judge grounded into a forceout on the next pitch.Skenes threw 11 of 16 pitches for strikes, with seven fastballs up to 100.1 mph.“Frankly, I wish I’d had a few more pitches to do that today,” said Skenes, who has a good mix of pitches to go with the hard stuff. “It’s cool to bring eyes to the game.”Ohtani, who has gone deep 29 times in the first season of his record $700 million, 10-year deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/shohei-ohtani-allstars-d70046c8cf15a5d1b31aed95c1f73346">pulled a 400-foot drive to right</a>&nbsp;off Tanner Houck. That came after the Boston right-hander allowed singles to the first two batters he faced: No. 9 batter Jurickson Profar and leadoff hitter Ketel Marte.“I haven’t really hit well in the All-Star Game, so I’m just relieved that I put the ball in play,” Ohtani said. “I just focused on having a regular at-bat as if I was in the regular season.”When Ohtani went against Miller in the fifth, he struck out on an 89.2 mph slider well inside and out of the strike zone. That was after twice taking strikes on fastballs of more than 100 mph.Ohtani’s first All-Star homer made him the first Dodgers player to go deep in the Midsummer Classic since Hall of Fame catcher Mike Piazza in 1996. Eleven days after his 30th birthday, Ohtani was an All-Star for the fourth time — his first with the NL.Baltimore’s Anthony Santander, after taking over for Soto in right field, had a two-out single in the fifth before Duran’s 413-foot homer to right-center after he had replaced Judge in center. Duran took a 95.9 mph fastball before going deep on an 86 mph splitter.“I knew he threw really hard so I was just praying he would throw me a first pitch fastball so I could see how hard it was. After that, I was hoping to get a pitch up,” Duran said. “He happened to leave a pitch up. I happened to put a good swing on it.”The last Red Sox player to be the All-Star MVP was J.D. Drew in 2008, following Pedro Martinez in 1999, Roger Clemens in 1986 and Carl Yastrzemski in 1970.Duran was voted by his peers as an All-Star after being the first AL player to go into the break with at least 100 hits, 10 triples, 10 homers and 20 stolen bases.The AL has a 48-44-2 record in the All-Star Game, and had won nine in a row before the National League's 3-2 victory last year in Seattle.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/all-star-game-corbin-burnes-499fe81cf19ebe1fbf03f0a88bf93446">AL starter Corbin Burnes</a>&nbsp;arrived in Texas the morning of the game after spending time at home with his newborn twin daughters. The Baltimore right-hander allowed a walk and then a two-out double to Bryce Harper before getting out of his inning on a comebacker by William Contreras, his catcher last season in Milwaukee.After his underhand toss of the ball to first base, Burnes had a big smile on his face when he kept jogging and wrapped his arm around Contreras on the baseline.<h2>Quick game</h2>Played in 2 hours, 28 minutes, it was the shortest All-Star Game since 1988, a game that the AL won 2-1 in Cincinnati that took only two minutes less.<h2>Won in both leagues</h2>Bruce Bochy of the host Rangers became the first manager to win World Series titles and All-Star Games in both leagues. Bochy is now 2-3 as an All-Star manager, leading the NL to a win in 2011. He won the World Series three times with the NL's San Francisco Giants in 2010, 2012 and 2014, then led the Rangers to their first championship in his debut season with them last year.<h2>Up next</h2>The MLB regular series resumes Friday when 14 games are scheduled, with Milwaukee and Minnesota the only teams that won’t play until Saturday. Philadelphia (62-34) has the best record in the majors and Cleveland (58-37) has an AL-best .611 winning percentage, though Baltimore and the New York Yankees also have 58 wins.

⚾ Duran's homer leads AL to All-Star win

On Monday MLB held it’s home run derby in Arlington, Texas and Royals slugger Bobby Witt Jr battled his way to the final round, but ultimately fell one home run short at the hands of the Dodgers Teoscar Hernandez

Witt smashed 21 home runs in the opening round, then 17 to defeat Cleveland’s Jose Ramirez before falling 14-13 to Hernandez in the final, as Kansas City’s quest for a home run derby winner continues.

Asked about his performance after the derby Witt chuckled and said he should have done more curls

Monday also saw A pair of Wildcats –&nbsp;Ques Glover&nbsp;and&nbsp;David N’Guessan&nbsp;selected to the 2023-24 National Association of Basketball Coaches Honors Court

The NABC Honors Court is bestowed upon juniors, seniors and grad students who post a cumulative GPA of 3.2 or higher in a given academic year.

And finally K-State women’s basketball head coach Jeff Mittie has promoted assistant coach Ebony Gilliam to associate head coach for the 2024-25 season.

Gilliam will enter her 11th season on Mittie’s staff at K-State. During her time in Manhattan, she has served as an assistant coach in two separate stints, assuming the reins as the program’s Director of Recruiting Operations from 2017-21

<figure>
 <iframe width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/IqjbhLICuvI"></iframe>
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>BY SALINA POST(Transcript)Hello and happy Tuesday, everybody, it’s Tyler Henry, back with another KINA Sports Update presented by Salina Regional Orthopedic and Sports Medicine…_________On Monday MLB held it’s home run derby in Arlington, Texas and Royals slugger Bobby Witt Jr battled his way to the final round, but ultimately fell one home run short at the hands of the Dodgers Teoscar HernandezWitt smashed 21 home runs in the opening round, then 17 to defeat Cleveland’s Jose Ramirez before falling 14-13 to Hernandez in the final, as Kansas City’s quest for a home run derby winner continues.Asked about his performance after the derby Witt chuckled and said he should have done more curls_________Monday also saw A pair of Wildcats –&nbsp;Ques Glover&nbsp;and&nbsp;David N’Guessan&nbsp;selected to the 2023-24 National Association of Basketball Coaches Honors CourtThe NABC Honors Court is bestowed upon juniors, seniors and grad students who post a cumulative GPA of 3.2 or higher in a given academic year._________And finally K-State women’s basketball head coach Jeff Mittie has promoted assistant coach Ebony Gilliam to associate head coach for the 2024-25 season.Gilliam will enter her 11th season on Mittie’s staff at K-State. During her time in Manhattan, she has served as an assistant coach in two separate stints, assuming the reins as the program’s Director of Recruiting Operations from 2017-21_________

910 KINA Sports Headlines — July 16

By BRENT MARTIN St. Joseph Post

Chiefs Training Camp is now open with quarterbacks and rookies
reporting to Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph.

Quarterback Patrick Mahomes says the Chiefs need to stay
hungry even though they are coming off back-to-back Super Bowl victories.

“We’re back in St. Joe, it’s time to get better,” Mahomes tells
reporters as training camp officials gets underway. “Every season starts
different. You’ve got to come in with the same mentality you had the year
before, even a higher intensity. Even though we won the Super Bowl last year,
we feel like we didn’t play our best football, especially offensively. It’s our
goal to be better that way and we have to come with that mentality every single
day.”

Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid says training camp prepares the
team for a grueling season by sharpening their mental and physical abilities.

“If you’re fatigued then you’re going to be fatigued mentally.
If you’re fatigued physically that’s going to affect you mentally. And if you’re
fatigued period, then you can’t think and you can’t play, at least not to the best
of your ability,” Reid says during the news conference. “So, the objective here
is let’s get ourselves in shape, make sure we’re in football shape. They’re all
going to come back in shape, but let’s get ourselves in football shape.”

Mahomes says it’s important for the team to sequester itself
on the Missouri Western campus and focus on football.

“Being in the building and being at lunch together, being at
dinner together, always kind of being around the guys, you build this kind of
culture and this family-type brotherhood,” according to Mahomes. “I’m excited
to continue to do that with a lot of new faces and then with guys that have
been here before, because we know this is what it takes in order for us to go
out there and be great.”

Not all the team is in St. Joseph. This week, only the quarterbacks
and rookies attend practice. Practices this week are closed to the public. The
full team reports Sunday.

Reid values this time to bring the team together and prepare
for a tough football season.

“Listen, we look forward to being back here. We love the set
up here. The people here treat us great at Missouri Western State University; beautiful
facilities,” Reid tells reports standing outside Scanlon Hall, which will be
their home for the next few weeks. “It’s great to be able to get away from the
city and be able to house guys in the same dorm. I’m saying this as a coach and
they probably aren’t going to say this, but it builds a certain camaraderie.”

Chiefs Training Camp begins for the full team Sunday morning
with a 9:15am start at MWSU. There is a $5 admission fee for the practice on
Sunday, the first open to the public.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1721167941490.jpeg" alt="Patrick Mahomes addresses the media at the opening of Chiefs Training Camp on the Missouri Western campus in St. Joseph (Alexis Starks photo)" />
 <figcaption>Patrick Mahomes addresses the media at the opening of Chiefs Training Camp on the Missouri Western campus in St. Joseph (Alexis Starks photo)</figcaption>
 </figure>By BRENT MARTIN St. Joseph PostChiefs Training Camp is now open with quarterbacks and rookies
reporting to Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph.Quarterback Patrick Mahomes says the Chiefs need to stay
hungry even though they are coming off back-to-back Super Bowl victories.“We’re back in St. Joe, it’s time to get better,” Mahomes tells
reporters as training camp officials gets underway. “Every season starts
different. You’ve got to come in with the same mentality you had the year
before, even a higher intensity. Even though we won the Super Bowl last year,
we feel like we didn’t play our best football, especially offensively. It’s our
goal to be better that way and we have to come with that mentality every single
day.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1721168026141.jpeg" alt="Head Coach Andy Reid answers questions at the start of training camp. (Alexis Starks photo)" />
 <figcaption>Head Coach Andy Reid answers questions at the start of training camp. (Alexis Starks photo)</figcaption>
 </figure>Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid says training camp prepares the
team for a grueling season by sharpening their mental and physical abilities.“If you’re fatigued then you’re going to be fatigued mentally.
If you’re fatigued physically that’s going to affect you mentally. And if you’re
fatigued period, then you can’t think and you can’t play, at least not to the best
of your ability,” Reid says during the news conference. “So, the objective here
is let’s get ourselves in shape, make sure we’re in football shape. They’re all
going to come back in shape, but let’s get ourselves in football shape.”Mahomes says it’s important for the team to sequester itself
on the Missouri Western campus and focus on football.“Being in the building and being at lunch together, being at
dinner together, always kind of being around the guys, you build this kind of
culture and this family-type brotherhood,” according to Mahomes. “I’m excited
to continue to do that with a lot of new faces and then with guys that have
been here before, because we know this is what it takes in order for us to go
out there and be great.”Not all the team is in St. Joseph. This week, only the quarterbacks
and rookies attend practice. Practices this week are closed to the public. The
full team reports Sunday.Reid values this time to bring the team together and prepare
for a tough football season.“Listen, we look forward to being back here. We love the set
up here. The people here treat us great at Missouri Western State University; beautiful
facilities,” Reid tells reports standing outside Scanlon Hall, which will be
their home for the next few weeks. “It’s great to be able to get away from the
city and be able to house guys in the same dorm. I’m saying this as a coach and
they probably aren’t going to say this, but it builds a certain camaraderie.”Chiefs Training Camp begins for the full team Sunday morning
with a 9:15am start at MWSU. There is a $5 admission fee for the practice on
Sunday, the first open to the public.

🏈 Chiefs return to St. Joseph seeking third straight Super Bowl

MANHATTAN, Kan.&nbsp;–&nbsp;With the start of fall camp right around the corner, K-State Athletics officials announced Tuesday tickets for the Dillons Sunflower Showdown against Kansas on October 26 are down to scattered singles and standing-room only.

Tickets to the other five remaining home games are also selling quickly, highlighted by the season-opener on August 31 against UT Martin (fewer than 850 tickets remain), the Friday night non-conference matchup against new Big 12 foe Arizona on September 13 (fewer than 950), and the September 28 contest against Oklahoma State (only 125 tickets remain).

Finalize your fall plans now, as K-State Athletics utilizes dynamic pricing, and single-game prices may change based on demand. New this season, sales tax will be added to the price of all season and single-game tickets. Fans will see the final price reflected in their shopping cart when checking out.

MANHATTAN, Kan.&nbsp;–&nbsp;With the start of fall camp right around the corner, K-State Athletics officials announced Tuesday tickets for the Dillons Sunflower Showdown against Kansas on October 26 are down to scattered singles and standing-room only.Tickets to the other five remaining home games are also selling quickly, highlighted by the season-opener on August 31 against UT Martin (fewer than 850 tickets remain), the Friday night non-conference matchup against new Big 12 foe Arizona on September 13 (fewer than 950), and the September 28 contest against Oklahoma State (only 125 tickets remain).Finalize your fall plans now, as K-State Athletics utilizes dynamic pricing, and single-game prices may change based on demand. New this season, sales tax will be added to the price of all season and single-game tickets. Fans will see the final price reflected in their shopping cart when checking out.

Tickets for Sunflower Showdown Selling Fast

KANSAS CITY, Mo.—The Kansas City Royals selected eight players on the second day of the 2024 First-Year Player Draft.

With the 76th overall pick in the 3rd round, the Royals selected right-handed pitcher&nbsp;Drew Beam&nbsp;out of the University of Tennessee. Beam, 21, went 9-2 with a 4.22 ERA (48 ER in 102.1 IP) for the national champion Volunteers. Beam struck out 99 batters (22.7%) in 19 starts, while walking just 27 (6.2%). His efforts garnered national attention, as he was a Third-Team All-American by&nbsp;NCBWA, First-Team All-Region by&nbsp;ABCA&nbsp;and the 2024 SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Over three seasons at Tennessee, he went 26-8 with a 3.60 ERA (105 ER in 262.2 IP) and 249 strikeouts (22.7%), and just 71 walks (6.5%), posting a 1.19 WHIP. Beam also made 2 starts for the 2023 USA Collegiate National Team, striking out 7 batters in 8.0 innings, including a victory over Team Japan on July 8 (4.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R) and a win vs. Chinese Taipei on July 1 (4.0 IP, 1 R).

With the 105th overall pick in the 4th round, Kansas City selected right-handed pitcher&nbsp;LP (Louis-Philippe) Langevin&nbsp;out of the University of Louisiana-Lafayette. Langevin, 21, went 6-1 with 7 saves and a 3.73 ERA (26 ER in 62.2 IP) across 23 appearances (3 starts), striking out 106 batters (39.1 K%) while issuing just 33 walks (12.2 BB%) for the Ragin’ Cajuns, earning himself a semifinalist nod for the&nbsp;Dick Howser&nbsp;Trophy. His fastball metrics were outstanding, as he ranked 2nd in NCAA Division-I overall (45.0%) and in-zone (42.0%) whiff rate this season. A native of Quebec, Canada, LP spent his first two college seasons at Wabash Valley (Ill.) Community College and helped lead the Warriors to the finals of the 2023 Junior College World Series.

With the 138th overall pick in the 5th round, the Royals selected right-handed pitcher&nbsp;A.J. Causey&nbsp;out of the University of Tennessee, joining 3rd-rounder&nbsp;Drew Beam&nbsp;as 2024 Volunteers selected by the Royals. Causey and Beam played travel ball together throughout high school for the Vipers Baseball Academy. Causey, 21, went 13-3 for the national champions, posting a 4.43 ERA (45 ER in 91.1 IP) with 125 strikeouts (31.8%) and 22 walks (5.6%), earning Third-Team All American honors from&nbsp;Perfect Game,&nbsp;ABCA&nbsp;and&nbsp;NCBWA, as well as First-Team All-Southeast Region from&nbsp;ABCA. A.J. threw 3.2 innings as the bulk pitcher in Game 1 of the College World Series final vs. Texas A&amp;M, striking out 5 batters and walking just 1. He spent 2022-23 at Jacksonville State University (Fla.), where he went 9-6 with a 4.11 ERA (57 ER in 124.2 IP) and 147 strikeouts.

With the 167th overall pick in the 6th round, the Royals selected right-handed pitcher&nbsp;Tanner Jones&nbsp;out of Texas A&amp;M University. Jones, 21, spent last season with the Texas A&amp;M Aggies, and in his lone season with them he struck out 47 batters (20.7 K%) in 48.1 innings pitched. He attended Jacksonville State University from 2022-23, where he was teammates with Royals 4th rounder&nbsp;A.J. Causey. Jones attended Thorsby High School (Ala.), where he became the first student-athlete to sign with an NCAA Division-I program in 2021.

With the 197th overall pick in the 7th round, the Royals selected right-handed pitcher&nbsp;Dennis Colleran Jr.&nbsp;out of Northeastern University (Mass.). Colleran, 21, appeared in 20 games (4 starts) for Northeastern University this season, striking out 46 batters (24.6 K%) with 18 walks (9.6%) and 1 save. Displayed premium velocity in 2024 with a fastball that averaged between 96-100 mph, and maxed out at 99.2 mph at the Draft Combine in June. He missed 2023 due to&nbsp;Tommy John&nbsp;surgery, but as a freshman in 2022, he appeared in 15 games, striking out 24 batters in 22.0 innings pitched. Colleran Jr. pitched in 9 games for Hyannis in the 2023 Cape Cod League, going 4-0 with 18 strikeouts (32.1 K%) in 13.0 innings of work. He lettered in baseball and wrestling at North Attleboro High School (Mass.), where he won League MVP as a senior in 2021.

With the 227th overall pick in the 8th round, the Royals selected right-handed pitcher&nbsp;Nick Conte&nbsp;out of Duke University (N.C.). Conte, 22, has appeared in 20 games for the Duke Blue Devils in three seasons, striking out 23 batters (26.1 K%) in 18.1 innings pitched. He pitched in 6 games (3 finished) for Ocean State in the New England Collegiate Baseball League this summer, striking out 24 batters (55.8 K%) in 11.1 innings. Conte was a four-year letter-winner at North Providence High School (R.I.), where he went 13-5 as a junior and boasted a 4.0 GPA across all four years, and he was ranked by&nbsp;Perfect Game&nbsp;as the No. 1 right-handed pitcher and the No. 1 overall player in the state of Rhode Island coming out of high school.

With the 257th overall pick in the 9th round, the Royals selected catcher&nbsp;Canyon Brown&nbsp;out of North Carolina A&amp;T State University. Brown, 20, slashed .310/.414/.492 (61-for-197, .906 OPS) with 21 extra-base hits, 41 runs, 49 RBI and 23 walks to 28 strikeouts at North Carolina A&amp;T this season. Defensively, he threw out 27-of-57 (47.4%) attempted base runners and finished with a .979 fielding percentage. He played in three seasons for the Aggies, slashing .290/.374/.473 (161-for-556, .847 OPS) across 151 games with 116 RBI and 59 extra-base hits. Brown was named a&nbsp;Collegiate Baseball&nbsp;Freshman All-American in 2022 after posting an .818 OPS across 52 games at North Carolina A&amp;T. He participated in the 2024 MLB Draft Combine, and was also named to the second annual HBCU Swingman Classic roster, a showcase for Division I HBCU college baseball programs played during the All-Star break. The game was held on July 12 at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.

With the 287th overall pick in the 10th round, the Royals selected left-handed pitcher&nbsp;Nate Ackenhausen&nbsp;out of Louisiana State University. Ackenhausen, 22, struck out 59 batters (31.1 K%) in 43.0 innings across 20 appearances (5 starts) for the Louisiana State University Tigers this year. In two seasons at LSU, he has gone 6-5 with 4 saves and a 4.76 ERA (39 ER in 73.2 IP), as well as 95 strikeouts (29.3 K%). Ackenhausen was named to the 2023 SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll as a sport administration major at LSU. Prior to his time at LSU, he spent two seasons at Eastern Oklahoma State University, and posted an 8-1 record with a 1.84 ERA as a sophomore in 2022.

Video of last night’s Zoom calls, as well as all press releases and calls from the 2024 Draft, can be found&nbsp;<a href="https://royals-my.sharepoint.com/:f:/p/comshr/Eh-jZpV1OVJKsgTimgeBo4MBCIQHNUXJtL0WXnqopxUlhA?e=iMeY6c" target="_blank">here</a>.The Draft will conclude tomorrow with rounds 11-20, beginning at 1:00 p.m. CT, exclusively on&nbsp;<a href="http://mlb.com/" target="_blank">MLB.com</a>.

KANSAS CITY, Mo.—The Kansas City Royals selected eight players on the second day of the 2024 First-Year Player Draft.With the 76th overall pick in the 3rd round, the Royals selected right-handed pitcher&nbsp;Drew Beam&nbsp;out of the University of Tennessee. Beam, 21, went 9-2 with a 4.22 ERA (48 ER in 102.1 IP) for the national champion Volunteers. Beam struck out 99 batters (22.7%) in 19 starts, while walking just 27 (6.2%). His efforts garnered national attention, as he was a Third-Team All-American by&nbsp;NCBWA, First-Team All-Region by&nbsp;ABCA&nbsp;and the 2024 SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Over three seasons at Tennessee, he went 26-8 with a 3.60 ERA (105 ER in 262.2 IP) and 249 strikeouts (22.7%), and just 71 walks (6.5%), posting a 1.19 WHIP. Beam also made 2 starts for the 2023 USA Collegiate National Team, striking out 7 batters in 8.0 innings, including a victory over Team Japan on July 8 (4.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R) and a win vs. Chinese Taipei on July 1 (4.0 IP, 1 R).With the 105th overall pick in the 4th round, Kansas City selected right-handed pitcher&nbsp;LP (Louis-Philippe) Langevin&nbsp;out of the University of Louisiana-Lafayette. Langevin, 21, went 6-1 with 7 saves and a 3.73 ERA (26 ER in 62.2 IP) across 23 appearances (3 starts), striking out 106 batters (39.1 K%) while issuing just 33 walks (12.2 BB%) for the Ragin’ Cajuns, earning himself a semifinalist nod for the&nbsp;Dick Howser&nbsp;Trophy. His fastball metrics were outstanding, as he ranked 2nd in NCAA Division-I overall (45.0%) and in-zone (42.0%) whiff rate this season. A native of Quebec, Canada, LP spent his first two college seasons at Wabash Valley (Ill.) Community College and helped lead the Warriors to the finals of the 2023 Junior College World Series.With the 138th overall pick in the 5th round, the Royals selected right-handed pitcher&nbsp;A.J. Causey&nbsp;out of the University of Tennessee, joining 3rd-rounder&nbsp;Drew Beam&nbsp;as 2024 Volunteers selected by the Royals. Causey and Beam played travel ball together throughout high school for the Vipers Baseball Academy. Causey, 21, went 13-3 for the national champions, posting a 4.43 ERA (45 ER in 91.1 IP) with 125 strikeouts (31.8%) and 22 walks (5.6%), earning Third-Team All American honors from&nbsp;Perfect Game,&nbsp;ABCA&nbsp;and&nbsp;NCBWA, as well as First-Team All-Southeast Region from&nbsp;ABCA. A.J. threw 3.2 innings as the bulk pitcher in Game 1 of the College World Series final vs. Texas A&amp;M, striking out 5 batters and walking just 1. He spent 2022-23 at Jacksonville State University (Fla.), where he went 9-6 with a 4.11 ERA (57 ER in 124.2 IP) and 147 strikeouts.With the 167th overall pick in the 6th round, the Royals selected right-handed pitcher&nbsp;Tanner Jones&nbsp;out of Texas A&amp;M University. Jones, 21, spent last season with the Texas A&amp;M Aggies, and in his lone season with them he struck out 47 batters (20.7 K%) in 48.1 innings pitched. He attended Jacksonville State University from 2022-23, where he was teammates with Royals 4th rounder&nbsp;A.J. Causey. Jones attended Thorsby High School (Ala.), where he became the first student-athlete to sign with an NCAA Division-I program in 2021.With the 197th overall pick in the 7th round, the Royals selected right-handed pitcher&nbsp;Dennis Colleran Jr.&nbsp;out of Northeastern University (Mass.). Colleran, 21, appeared in 20 games (4 starts) for Northeastern University this season, striking out 46 batters (24.6 K%) with 18 walks (9.6%) and 1 save. Displayed premium velocity in 2024 with a fastball that averaged between 96-100 mph, and maxed out at 99.2 mph at the Draft Combine in June. He missed 2023 due to&nbsp;Tommy John&nbsp;surgery, but as a freshman in 2022, he appeared in 15 games, striking out 24 batters in 22.0 innings pitched. Colleran Jr. pitched in 9 games for Hyannis in the 2023 Cape Cod League, going 4-0 with 18 strikeouts (32.1 K%) in 13.0 innings of work. He lettered in baseball and wrestling at North Attleboro High School (Mass.), where he won League MVP as a senior in 2021.With the 227th overall pick in the 8th round, the Royals selected right-handed pitcher&nbsp;Nick Conte&nbsp;out of Duke University (N.C.). Conte, 22, has appeared in 20 games for the Duke Blue Devils in three seasons, striking out 23 batters (26.1 K%) in 18.1 innings pitched. He pitched in 6 games (3 finished) for Ocean State in the New England Collegiate Baseball League this summer, striking out 24 batters (55.8 K%) in 11.1 innings. Conte was a four-year letter-winner at North Providence High School (R.I.), where he went 13-5 as a junior and boasted a 4.0 GPA across all four years, and he was ranked by&nbsp;Perfect Game&nbsp;as the No. 1 right-handed pitcher and the No. 1 overall player in the state of Rhode Island coming out of high school.With the 257th overall pick in the 9th round, the Royals selected catcher&nbsp;Canyon Brown&nbsp;out of North Carolina A&amp;T State University. Brown, 20, slashed .310/.414/.492 (61-for-197, .906 OPS) with 21 extra-base hits, 41 runs, 49 RBI and 23 walks to 28 strikeouts at North Carolina A&amp;T this season. Defensively, he threw out 27-of-57 (47.4%) attempted base runners and finished with a .979 fielding percentage. He played in three seasons for the Aggies, slashing .290/.374/.473 (161-for-556, .847 OPS) across 151 games with 116 RBI and 59 extra-base hits. Brown was named a&nbsp;Collegiate Baseball&nbsp;Freshman All-American in 2022 after posting an .818 OPS across 52 games at North Carolina A&amp;T. He participated in the 2024 MLB Draft Combine, and was also named to the second annual HBCU Swingman Classic roster, a showcase for Division I HBCU college baseball programs played during the All-Star break. The game was held on July 12 at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.With the 287th overall pick in the 10th round, the Royals selected left-handed pitcher&nbsp;Nate Ackenhausen&nbsp;out of Louisiana State University. Ackenhausen, 22, struck out 59 batters (31.1 K%) in 43.0 innings across 20 appearances (5 starts) for the Louisiana State University Tigers this year. In two seasons at LSU, he has gone 6-5 with 4 saves and a 4.76 ERA (39 ER in 73.2 IP), as well as 95 strikeouts (29.3 K%). Ackenhausen was named to the 2023 SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll as a sport administration major at LSU. Prior to his time at LSU, he spent two seasons at Eastern Oklahoma State University, and posted an 8-1 record with a 1.84 ERA as a sophomore in 2022.Video of last night’s Zoom calls, as well as all press releases and calls from the 2024 Draft, can be found&nbsp;<a href="https://royals-my.sharepoint.com/:f:/p/comshr/Eh-jZpV1OVJKsgTimgeBo4MBCIQHNUXJtL0WXnqopxUlhA?e=iMeY6c" target="_blank">here</a>.The Draft will conclude tomorrow with rounds 11-20, beginning at 1:00 p.m. CT, exclusively on&nbsp;<a href="http://mlb.com/" target="_blank">MLB.com</a>.

Royals select eight players on second day of MLB draft

STEVEN HAWKINS AP Baseball Writer

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — When Teoscar Hernández needed a moment to calm down during the Home Run Derby, the Los Angeles Dodgers slugger got a boost from a former teammate who just happened to be last year's champion.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. wore a Blue Jays jersey with Hernández’s name and No. 37 on the back as he watched the competition, honoring his friend from their time as Toronto teammates from 2017-22.

“That was a surprise of the night,” Hernández said. “He brings my jersey from Toronto. And when he goes to home plate, he was trying to calm (me) down, and so he had passed two times, and it works. He said he wanted to help me going into the last round."

Hernández won the Home Run Derby when he beat local star Bobby Witt Jr. of the Kansas City Royals 14-13 in the final round Monday night.

The 31-year-old Hernández hit 49 homers over three rounds that totaled 3.98 miles and became the first Dodgers player to win the derby among 11 who have tried. While not participating in the derby this year, Guerrero gave Hernández advice during breaks.

“If I have to bet, it doesn't matter who I'm going against, I'm going to bet on myself,” Hernández said when asked if he felt like the underdog. “People maybe underestimate myself.”

Witt, needing one home run to tie with one out remaining, drove a ball to one of the deepest parts of Globe Life Field in left-center, where it hit halfway up the wall to the left of the 410-foot sign.

“When I hit it I knew I kind of — I didn’t hit it great. But, yeah, I just was trying to blow on it or something,” Witt said with a chuckle. "The first thing I thought was just no pop. ... We got to do a couple more curls or something.”

Kansas City has never had a derby winner.

Both finished their two-minute final round with 11 homers, before bonus swings were added. Witt came up short of his first two bonus swings, then hit two homers in a row — one a 457-foot drive that got him one more swing.

Witt was the No. 2 overall pick by the Royals in 2019 out of Colleyville Heritage High School, about 15 miles north of the Rangers' stadium. It was his first time in the derby, but he was the high school home run champion in Washington in 2018 — and is the only player to compete in both contests.

The 24-year-old Witt finished with 50 homers overall that traveled 3.8 miles.

Witt had knocked out Cleveland switch-hitter José Ramírez 17-12 in the semifinals. Hernández beat Philadelphia's Alec Bohm 16-15 after a tiebreaker when both got three swings — Hernández hit two out, and Bohm one. They were tied at 14 after the three-minute segment and their bonus rounds, and Bohm came close to avoiding that, but the last ball he hit then landed on the warning track in left-center field.

Ramírez and Bohm both hit 21 homers to pace the first round. Witt started with 20 homers and Hernández had 19.

The New York Mets' Pete Alonso fell short in his bid to join Ken Griffey Jr. as a three-time derby champion when he hit only 12 homers in the first round.

Instead of a single-elimination bracket like last year, the four hitters with the most homers in the first round advanced to the semifinal round. It then became a bracket-style competition.

Alonso hit a 428-foot homer to left-centerfield on his first swing, but couldn't get into a rhythm. The others knocked out after the first round were hometown favorite Adolis García of Texas, Atlanta's Marcell Ozuna and Baltimore's Gunnar Henderson.

“It's disappointing, but for me, I think it's really just a blessing and it's just fun being out there,” said Alonso who has 207 homers in his five derby appearances. “At the end of the day, it wasn't my day.”

Ozuna did have the longest homer of the night at 473 feet. The longest homers hit during games at the stadium were 472 feet — by Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels in 2022, and Oakland's Seth Brown in 2021.

Bohm, one of a franchise-record eight Phillies named All-Stars, has only 11 homers this season — the fewest among the eight derby competitors. He said he was going to try to hit as many balls as he could to left field and did — pulling all 21 of his homers that way in the first round.

It still felt like 100 degrees (38 Celsius) outside the ballpark when the derby began, but the retractable roof was closed on the stadium that opened in 2020. When the Rangers hosted the 1995 All-Star Game across the street in their old stadium without a roof, the derby wasn't yet a prime-time event and was held in the sweltering mid-afternoon heat.

Frank Thomas won in 1995 with 15 homers over three rounds in a different format. Albert Belle finished with a total of 16, then a Home Run Derby record, but Thomas beat him 3-2 in the final round.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1721121273932.jpeg" alt="American League's Bobby Witt Jr., of the Kansas City Royals, connects during the MLB baseball All-Star Home Run Derby, Monday, July 15, 2024, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)" />
 <figcaption>American League's Bobby Witt Jr., of the Kansas City Royals, connects during the MLB baseball All-Star Home Run Derby, Monday, July 15, 2024, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)</figcaption>
 </figure>STEVEN HAWKINS AP Baseball WriterARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — When Teoscar Hernández needed a moment to calm down during the Home Run Derby, the Los Angeles Dodgers slugger got a boost from a former teammate who just happened to be last year's champion.Vladimir Guerrero Jr. wore a Blue Jays jersey with Hernández’s name and No. 37 on the back as he watched the competition, honoring his friend from their time as Toronto teammates from 2017-22.“That was a surprise of the night,” Hernández said. “He brings my jersey from Toronto. And when he goes to home plate, he was trying to calm (me) down, and so he had passed two times, and it works. He said he wanted to help me going into the last round."Hernández won the Home Run Derby when he beat local star Bobby Witt Jr. of the Kansas City Royals 14-13 in the final round Monday night.The 31-year-old Hernández hit 49 homers over three rounds that totaled 3.98 miles and became the first Dodgers player to win the derby among 11 who have tried. While not participating in the derby this year, Guerrero gave Hernández advice during breaks.“If I have to bet, it doesn't matter who I'm going against, I'm going to bet on myself,” Hernández said when asked if he felt like the underdog. “People maybe underestimate myself.”Witt, needing one home run to tie with one out remaining, drove a ball to one of the deepest parts of Globe Life Field in left-center, where it hit halfway up the wall to the left of the 410-foot sign.“When I hit it I knew I kind of — I didn’t hit it great. But, yeah, I just was trying to blow on it or something,” Witt said with a chuckle. "The first thing I thought was just no pop. ... We got to do a couple more curls or something.”Kansas City has never had a derby winner.Both finished their two-minute final round with 11 homers, before bonus swings were added. Witt came up short of his first two bonus swings, then hit two homers in a row — one a 457-foot drive that got him one more swing.Witt was the No. 2 overall pick by the Royals in 2019 out of Colleyville Heritage High School, about 15 miles north of the Rangers' stadium. It was his first time in the derby, but he was the high school home run champion in Washington in 2018 — and is the only player to compete in both contests.The 24-year-old Witt finished with 50 homers overall that traveled 3.8 miles.Witt had knocked out Cleveland switch-hitter José Ramírez 17-12 in the semifinals. Hernández beat Philadelphia's Alec Bohm 16-15 after a tiebreaker when both got three swings — Hernández hit two out, and Bohm one. They were tied at 14 after the three-minute segment and their bonus rounds, and Bohm came close to avoiding that, but the last ball he hit then landed on the warning track in left-center field.Ramírez and Bohm both hit 21 homers to pace the first round. Witt started with 20 homers and Hernández had 19.The New York Mets' Pete Alonso fell short in his bid to join Ken Griffey Jr. as a three-time derby champion when he hit only 12 homers in the first round.Instead of a single-elimination bracket like last year, the four hitters with the most homers in the first round advanced to the semifinal round. It then became a bracket-style competition.Alonso hit a 428-foot homer to left-centerfield on his first swing, but couldn't get into a rhythm. The others knocked out after the first round were hometown favorite Adolis García of Texas, Atlanta's Marcell Ozuna and Baltimore's Gunnar Henderson.“It's disappointing, but for me, I think it's really just a blessing and it's just fun being out there,” said Alonso who has 207 homers in his five derby appearances. “At the end of the day, it wasn't my day.”Ozuna did have the longest homer of the night at 473 feet. The longest homers hit during games at the stadium were 472 feet — by Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels in 2022, and Oakland's Seth Brown in 2021.Bohm, one of a franchise-record eight Phillies named All-Stars, has only 11 homers this season — the fewest among the eight derby competitors. He said he was going to try to hit as many balls as he could to left field and did — pulling all 21 of his homers that way in the first round.It still felt like 100 degrees (38 Celsius) outside the ballpark when the derby began, but the retractable roof was closed on the stadium that opened in 2020. When the Rangers hosted the 1995 All-Star Game across the street in their old stadium without a roof, the derby wasn't yet a prime-time event and was held in the sweltering mid-afternoon heat.Frank Thomas won in 1995 with 15 homers over three rounds in a different format. Albert Belle finished with a total of 16, then a Home Run Derby record, but Thomas beat him 3-2 in the final round.

⚾ Dodgers' Hernández beats Royals' Witt for HR Derby title

MANHATTAN, Kansas –&nbsp;K-State women’s basketball head coach Jeff Mittie has promoted assistant coach Ebony Gilliam to associate head coach for the 2024-25 season.

"Ebony has been an integral part of our success," said Mittie about Gilliam. “She has continued to grow in the profession and has been involved in every area of our program in our time at Kansas State. I look forward to her continued growth and expanded role on the staff.”

Gilliam will enter her 11th season on Mittie’s staff at K-State in 2024-25. During her time in Manhattan, Gilliam has served as an assistant coach in two separate stints from 2014-17 and 2021-24. She assumed the reins as the program’s Director of Recruiting Operations from 2017-21, which saw the signings of current Wildcats Serena Sundell and the Glenn sisters, Jaelyn and Brylee.

Gilliam is a two-time recipient of Most Impactful Assistant Coaches by Silver Waves Media in 2022 and 2023.

“From my time as a student-athlete at TCU and my professional playing career and into the early stages of my coaching career, Coach Mittie has supported my growth and encouraged my continued development,” stated Gilliam on the promotion. “My family and I are blessed to call K-State home for all these years and I look forward to this expanded role and continued success for the Wildcat program.”

Prior to coming to Manhattan, she served on Mittie’s coaching staff for two seasons while he was at TCU and was also a four-year letterwinner as a player for Mittie with the Horned Frogs.

During her time at TCU, Gilliam was promoted to assistant coach prior to the start of the 2012-13 season and served two seasons as an assistant coach on Mittie’s staff in Fort Worth. Prior to her promotion, Gilliam served as the Horned Frogs’ director of operations for two seasons.

Before she returned to her alma mater, Gilliam spent four years as a high school teacher and head girls basketball coach in the Fort Worth area, including two seasons at area power Dunbar High School. She led the Wildcats to a 57-14 overall record in her tenure with a pair of District 7-4A championships and state playoff appearances. Gilliam was named district coach of the year, while leading the squad to a perfect 18-0 record in 7-4A play. Prior to her stint at Dunbar, she spent the previous two seasons as head coach at Trimble Tech High School.

A product of Southwest High School in Fort Worth, Gilliam, formerly Ebony Shaw, experienced one of the most successful playing careers in TCU history from 2000-04. At the conclusion of her playing career, she ranked tied for second in school history with 130 career games played and was eighth in starts with 87. She scored 1,156 points and finished her career ranked sixth on TCU’s all-time scoring list. Overall, she ranked among the top-10 players in 13 major career statistical categories.

During her playing career at TCU, Gilliam helped the Horned Frogs to the first four NCAA Tournament appearances in school history. The Frogs advanced to the second round in each trip to the tournament. In addition to the postseason appearances, Gilliam also helped TCU claim its first four conference titles in 2001 (WAC regular season and tournament), 2002 (Conference USA regular season) and 2003 (Conference USA tournament).

Following her time with TCU on the court, Gilliam played one year of professional basketball for Keflavik, Iceland. During her professional career, Gilliam helped her team capture the National Icelandic Cup Championship, while averaging 23 points per game, 9.5 rebounds and three steals a contest.

The Wildcats enter the 2024-25 season with the return of 10 letter winners, including four starters from last season’s 2024 NCAA Tournament squad. The Wildcats will be led by 2024 All-American center Ayoka Lee, who returns for her final season, senior guard and 2023 All-Big 12 First Team selection Sundell, and the senior duo of Brylee Glenn and Jaelyn Glenn.

The 10 returning letter winners were responsible for 85 percent of K-State’s scoring, 87 percent of the team’s rebounds and 81 percent of the team’s rebounding in the 2023-24 season. The Wildcats will also welcome transfers Temira Poindexter and Kennedy Taylor and redshirts Mikayla Parks and Alexis Hess and freshman Finley Ohnstad.

MANHATTAN, Kansas –&nbsp;K-State women’s basketball head coach Jeff Mittie has promoted assistant coach Ebony Gilliam to associate head coach for the 2024-25 season."Ebony has been an integral part of our success," said Mittie about Gilliam. “She has continued to grow in the profession and has been involved in every area of our program in our time at Kansas State. I look forward to her continued growth and expanded role on the staff.”Gilliam will enter her 11th season on Mittie’s staff at K-State in 2024-25. During her time in Manhattan, Gilliam has served as an assistant coach in two separate stints from 2014-17 and 2021-24. She assumed the reins as the program’s Director of Recruiting Operations from 2017-21, which saw the signings of current Wildcats Serena Sundell and the Glenn sisters, Jaelyn and Brylee.Gilliam is a two-time recipient of Most Impactful Assistant Coaches by Silver Waves Media in 2022 and 2023.“From my time as a student-athlete at TCU and my professional playing career and into the early stages of my coaching career, Coach Mittie has supported my growth and encouraged my continued development,” stated Gilliam on the promotion. “My family and I are blessed to call K-State home for all these years and I look forward to this expanded role and continued success for the Wildcat program.”Prior to coming to Manhattan, she served on Mittie’s coaching staff for two seasons while he was at TCU and was also a four-year letterwinner as a player for Mittie with the Horned Frogs.During her time at TCU, Gilliam was promoted to assistant coach prior to the start of the 2012-13 season and served two seasons as an assistant coach on Mittie’s staff in Fort Worth. Prior to her promotion, Gilliam served as the Horned Frogs’ director of operations for two seasons.Before she returned to her alma mater, Gilliam spent four years as a high school teacher and head girls basketball coach in the Fort Worth area, including two seasons at area power Dunbar High School. She led the Wildcats to a 57-14 overall record in her tenure with a pair of District 7-4A championships and state playoff appearances. Gilliam was named district coach of the year, while leading the squad to a perfect 18-0 record in 7-4A play. Prior to her stint at Dunbar, she spent the previous two seasons as head coach at Trimble Tech High School.A product of Southwest High School in Fort Worth, Gilliam, formerly Ebony Shaw, experienced one of the most successful playing careers in TCU history from 2000-04. At the conclusion of her playing career, she ranked tied for second in school history with 130 career games played and was eighth in starts with 87. She scored 1,156 points and finished her career ranked sixth on TCU’s all-time scoring list. Overall, she ranked among the top-10 players in 13 major career statistical categories.During her playing career at TCU, Gilliam helped the Horned Frogs to the first four NCAA Tournament appearances in school history. The Frogs advanced to the second round in each trip to the tournament. In addition to the postseason appearances, Gilliam also helped TCU claim its first four conference titles in 2001 (WAC regular season and tournament), 2002 (Conference USA regular season) and 2003 (Conference USA tournament).Following her time with TCU on the court, Gilliam played one year of professional basketball for Keflavik, Iceland. During her professional career, Gilliam helped her team capture the National Icelandic Cup Championship, while averaging 23 points per game, 9.5 rebounds and three steals a contest.The Wildcats enter the 2024-25 season with the return of 10 letter winners, including four starters from last season’s 2024 NCAA Tournament squad. The Wildcats will be led by 2024 All-American center Ayoka Lee, who returns for her final season, senior guard and 2023 All-Big 12 First Team selection Sundell, and the senior duo of Brylee Glenn and Jaelyn Glenn.The 10 returning letter winners were responsible for 85 percent of K-State’s scoring, 87 percent of the team’s rebounds and 81 percent of the team’s rebounding in the 2023-24 season. The Wildcats will also welcome transfers Temira Poindexter and Kennedy Taylor and redshirts Mikayla Parks and Alexis Hess and freshman Finley Ohnstad.