Kansas City: It's much more than a catchy rhythm and blues song

FROM KEITH GROLLER

It is now late Tuesday night and we are back from a full day in Kansas City, and the darn song is still in my head. You know the one:

I'm going to Kansas City, Kansas City here I come
I'm going to Kansas City, Kansas City here I come
They got a crazy way of loving there
And I'm gonna get me some.

This was Day 6 of our "Ultimate Road Trip" with the Lehigh Valley Yankee Fan Club and it's hard to believe we're already in the final days. Just one more day here before we start the trek back home.

I must say that this has been a terrific trip, seeing so many things and places I have never seen before. And the people on this trip are terrific. I could write a column about each one of them because they all have unique personalities and great stories to tell.Fans

I know the Phillies fans may have different feelings about Yankee fans (and those feelings seem to be mutual), but this group we have from the Lehigh Valley has been a delight to be with, starting with fan club president Chuck Frantz and his wife Mary, who coordinate everything and have made sure everything has gone remarkably smoothly -- knock on wood.

KCtrip 001 And of course, everybody on this trip loves Paula and John Lahutsky, who are true troopers and two of the best people I know.

I am used to going places with just my family. But this week, the family has expanded to 38.

Usually when a group this large stays together for as long as this group has, some people tend to get on each other's nerves. I don't think that's the case here. These are genuinely nice folks.

As for Tuesday, we began bright and early as we have every day with a visit to the downtown area of KC for a stop at the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum and then a trip to the Crown Center shopping complex, which features a Hallmark Card Museum.

The Negro Baseball Museum did not allow pictures to be taken from inside, but I can tell you it is fascinating place to relive the history of the talented players who played in those Negro Leagues and their struggles to gain entrance into the Major Leagues.

I wonder how very different the major league record books would look had the MLB been integrated all along because there's no question that the overall quality of professional baseball would have been greatly enhanced had everyone been playing in one league from the very beginning. Would Babe Ruth have hit 714 home runs were he facing Satchell Paige and some of the Negro League pitching stars? I don't know.

There's absolutely no question that baseball, as a whole, got better after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier.

From the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, it was on to to the shopping area and the Hallmark museum.Hallmark It is a nice place, perhaps a notch or two above the Lehigh Valley Mall in terms of overall restaurant and store quality. If you're a kid in KC, this is the place you want to beg Mom and Dad to visit because the place has lots of toy and candy stores and lots of amusement areas.

And the Hallmark museum (see me at left makingHallmark 001 a new friend at Hallmark) was something different to see and everyone who visited got a special gift, which is a nice touch.

If you're ever here, it's worth a visit. You can see all you need to see in about 30-40 minutes.

Overall, I have to admit, my wife would have probably enjoyed the four hours spent at the shopping complex more than I did.

In fact, at one point my son and I had to get out of the mall -- if no other reason than for the health of my wallet -- and took a walk around a portion of the city.

One thing is clear after two days here and that's that Kansas City loves its fountains.

I have learned that it is called "The City of Fountains." I thought that title went to Paris.

Royals Stadium has beautiful fountains as I will post later, but so does the downtown area.

The very posh Western Crown Center Hotel, which is attached to the shopping center, features a waterfall in its lobby (see below).

For a city located almost smack dab in the middle of the country and is as far away from the ocean as you can be, it's clear they like their water.

KCtrip 005

Look, this is not the most exciting place in the world.

But much like St. Louis, it's got its own laid-back charm about it.

There's nothing intimidating about any of these Midwestern cities. You can figure out where you want to go and you can get there in a real short amount of time.

If you're into glitz, glamour and bright lights, don't come out this way.

I certainly didn't see everything there is to see here in one day, and I certainly don't pretend to be an expert, but I thought it was a nice place.

The sports complex is a good 7-8 miles away to the east right off Interstate 70 and I believe the Royals would draw better if they were in a downtown ballpark much like St. Louis, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Detroit and so many other cities have.

The Royals do not draw well -- just 24,000 or so on Monday night and 22,000 on Tuesday -- and these are some of the biggest crowds they will have all year with the Yankees in town. If you took the Yankee fans away, they'd have drawn 10 or 11,000 the past two nights.

Let's just say good seats are available when the A's, Blue Jays and Mariners come to town.

Hallmark 004Like the city of Kansas City itself, the Royals' Kauffman Stadium offers plenty of down-home, old-fashioned charm.

And some great food, too. Besides the fountains, they love their barbeque here and will put turkey, pork, beef and chicken barbeque on just about everything to add some spice.

Some of the Yankee fans sent me pictures of what they were eating at the ballpark tonight. See below: KCRoyals 006

More on the two sports facilities here in Kansas City tomorrow because we tour both Kauffman and Arrowhead stadiums before we close out the three-game series here between the Yankees and Royals on Wednesday night.

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