Does anyone else think the Kansas City Royals just got better for the playoffs with Greg Holland getting hurt? Wade Davis has been the most dominate relief pitcher in baseball the past two seasons. Davis taking over the ninth inning is a good thing. The only question is whether the Royals 7th and 8th innings can stay solid.

Speaking of the playoffs, how about the Chicago Cubs? Growing up in tiny Glen Elder we got cable TV and with it WGN I think in 1980. At that moment I became a Chicago Cubs fan. Not a fair-weather fan either. I have been with them through the bad and the bad. Yes the bad and the bad – there hasn’t been a whole lot of good.

Just maybe the future is here for the Cubs. Ha – I’ve said that one before.

But I am tired of my St. Louis Cardinal friends always enjoying October while I find myself rooting against teams more than rooting for a team. The Royals were a nice exception last year.

Prep thoughts

Up the road at Central Plains High School it has been a very successful fall season to date. Both the girls’ tennis and volleyball teams are having great years in addition to the football team.

The volleyball team is currently unbeaten and ranked No. 1 in Class 2A. The tennis team is ranked 4th in 3-2-1A. Last season both volleyball and tennis took third at the state tournament. Couple that with a football team that is the defending state champion and currently ranked No. 2 in the state and it is safe to say things are rolling for the Oiler sports teams this fall.

Once again the Ellinwood High School girls’ cross country team under the direction of Lyles Lashley is looking strong as well. The Eagles are currently ranked No. 1 in Class 2A. They are coming off a third place finish at an always strong meet at Rim Rock in Lawrence.  

Former athlete/coach update

Barton spent a good chunk of the 2002-03 season ranked No. 1 in the country in men’s basketball. Nearly the entire season in the Top 5.

While Robert Whaley was garnering the attention of NBA scouts it was Randy Pulley who was running the show. The sophomore guard played a huge role in the dominating Jayhawk West season.

He was thrilling during a 10-game winning streak that bolted Barton to a 10-1 mark in the West. The Cougars closed out with a 14-2 mark but Pulley hurt his shoulder late in the season. At that point in the season he was arguably the best player on the team.

He missed the final three regular season games and the opening round of the playoffs. He fought through that injury in the Region VI quarterfinals to lead Barton with 19 points using basically one arm. It wasn’t enough as Cloud County stunned the 4th ranked Cougars, 86-80 to end the season.

Pulley spent a year at Missouri then finished his career at Talladega College in Alabama. He stayed on as an assistant coach at Talladega. From there he took over his high school alma mater – Word of God in Raleigh, N.C.

Strolling the bench of the team he once took to the state championship game as a senior averaging 26.5 per game he finished with a 20-9 record as coach in 2011-12.

After one year he moved to Christian Faith Center Academy in the Raleigh-Durham area. He took over as coach and athletic director for a school playing a competitive national schedule. His team went 21-6 his initial season.

Since that time he has moved on to Prominence Academy in Durham with another prep team that competes on a national level.

He has also given back to Barton via Jalin Barnes – a player for him at CFCA. Barnes was third on the Cougars in scoring at 13.7 per game his sophomore season this past spring.

Around campus

If you want to take a look at what performing arts has in store for you this year at Barton, Monday night would be the perfect opportunity.

The Barton Visual and Performing Arts Department will be hosting its annual Sneak Preview Concert at 7:30 p.m. in the Fine Arts Auditorium.

The event will include performances from the Hilltop Singers, Concert Choir, Jazz Band and Prairie Winds Concert Band.

Admission is free so come on out and take in that sneak peak.

And finally

There is a reason they call them bugs. That general category covers a lot of insects but the meaning ‘bug’ probably relates to house flies as much as any. The house fly doesn’t bite. It doesn’t make much noise. It just bugs you.

In the midst of a long car ride this past week my family got bugged. From the back seat my daughter Katelyn finally spoke to the fly in frustration. “Leave me alone.” Then it came up front with my wife Crystal and I. Then to the back.

We each took swipes at it. There are still finger prints on the windshield from the attempted capture of the flying bug.

Then I heard an excited YES from the back seat. The fly had been shoed from the car via the window.

Peace at last? Not quite.

It was as if there were a captain on some fly aircraft carrier in the car sending out more flies to battle. As soon as one fly was removed as a bug another took flight. And another.