The Kansas City Royals’ latest hot-shot pitcher is quite a “looker”. Johnny Cueto has got mojo. Johnny Cueto has got an attitude. Johnny Cueto is quite a pitcher and Johnny Cueto has got those “dreads”.

Cueto has already become a fan favorite in Kauffman Stadium. So much so that Sluggerr, the Royals’ mascot came out wearing Cueto-esque dreadlocks for Monday night’s game against Detroit. Johnny strutted and twirled and flipped those dreadlocks through a 4-0 shutout of the Tigers.  The crowd loved him!

Cueto’s hero status got me to thinking about other sports heroes and wondering what they would be like if they had a special appearance like Cueto’s dreadlocks. What if Bill Snyder prowled the sidelines at Snyder Family Stadium resplendent in dreadlocks? Those long white curls flashing in the afternoon sun as Snyder whipped his head back and forth, sending the Wildcat crowd into a frenzy.  I wonder who Snyder’s hairdresser would be?

Bill Snyder in dreadlocks is about as likely as the Kansas Jayhawks winning the conference football championship this year but wouldn’t it be fun if he did? We would have a new cult-hero on our hands.  This could be bigger than the Beatles!

Another of those with great hero status in Kansas is Jayhawk basketball coach Bill Self. Self is about as straight-laced as Bill Snyder but what if he showed up courtside at Allen Fieldhouse in a full beard , ala James Harden of the Houston Rockets ? That is a beard man’s beard! Self stroking a full beard like that while yelling at the referees would be quite intimidating!  Many Mennonites sport such full beards as do other tight-society folks. It’s probably not going to be a bonus during recruiting season but still, I can see Self posing for one of those Smith Brothers cough drop ads!

Besides, during beard-trimming time the KU basketball program could sell clippings to those crazy Jayhawk fans!
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CHALK TALK: Yes Virginia, there IS a football season and it is right upon us. Colleges have begun practices and our high schools will shortly. The NFL exhibition season is upon us this week.  So, it is time for jokes about football teams. When do Oklahoma football players NOT run up the score? When they are taking their SATs! | The high school season in the Golden Belt should be a dandy. Expectations are high in Great Bend, Larned, Hoisington, Ellinwood and Central Plain | The DeFlateGate scandal still isn’t solved and has moved into the courts. Maybe, just maybe, the NFL and Commissioner Goodell should have backed off just a little instead of playing hardball. There are going to be NO  winners here! | K-State’s non-conference football schedule is just the way coach Snyder likes it: ALL WINNABLE so he can look at a lot of folks and get that winning attitude going early. One thing you can bet on: K-State will finish higher than picked by the smarties! | Best record in the major leagues. I still have trouble saying, and believing, that about our Kansas City Royals. All of those years of losing have made it difficult to think otherwise. Another World Series appearance might just fix that! | We all know about Kansas’ domination of Big 12 basketball. As evidence, consider this: Kansas has produced 18 NBA draft picks since 2005. That is a whopping 29% of all players that were drafted from the entire conference! Good coaches, best players. Sounds like a winning formula!