Kansas City

KANSAS CITY -- Jay Gibbons has been in plenty of slumps, but few have been as frustrating as his current one. No matter how much he struggled in the past, he still could hit a fastball. But even that has become difficult, if not impossible for Gibbons, who has consistently been late on fastballs that he used to drive. On the home stand that just ended, Gibbons was 3-for-17 (.176). He is also only four for his last 28 (.143) with eight strikeouts. "I am embarrassed," said Gibbons, whose average has dropped to .221.

If the Ravens are concerned about losing the services of return specialist B.J. Sams for two drunken driving charges in a 14-month span, the team got some insurance in the third round of the NFL draft last night. With the 10th pick in the round and 74th overall, the Ravens selected Kansas State wide receiver and returner Yamon Figurs. Figurs, who is listed at 5 feet 11 and 174 pounds, is expected to make the team primarily as a backup return specialist and reserve wide receiver. The Ravens also added some depth on the offensive line by swapping picks with the Jacksonville Jaguars and grabbing Iowa guard-tackle Marshall Yanda later in the third round.

It is the largest city in the state, the anchor of a metropolitan region, with sprawling and relatively affluent suburbs all around it. It is located near the confluence of rivers and gets quite humid in summer. It is home of a football team in the AFC of the NFL. It has a baseball team in the American League. It once had an NBA team, but not for years. It no longer has a hockey franchise, either. But this town is hungry for more sports. Sounds pretty much like Baltimore, doesn't it? Except for one thing: The city I'm describing is in Missouri and has a brand-new, 18,000-plus seat downtown arena.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- At $5,400, the 1995 shiny, blue Volkswagen Golf seemed to be a steal, or so thought Helen Chappell and her son when they bought it in the spring from the federal government.But two months later the engine quit. Suspecting a fuel problem, a mechanic at a Kansas City garage checked the gas tank -- where he found $82,000 in more than a dozen plastic bundles.The Chappells thought they had won the lottery.The federal government did not.U.S. Attorney Stephen Hill has filed a complaint in federal court, saying the money should go to the Department of Justice because the car and cash might have been used in illegal drug activity three years ago.Jeffrey Chappell, Helen Chappell's son, contends that they should get the money because they bought the car "as is."

Indians: It was only the second time Cleveland has been swept in a three-game series at Jacobs Field since the park opened in 1994. Kansas City swept three in a row April 14-17 that year. Dwight Gooden is 0-4 in his career against Boston, including 0-3 with Cleveland. Cleveland went 3-6 on a nine-game homestand.Pub Date: 5/31/99

HARRISBURG, Pa. -- Don't ask Harrisburg defender Mike Williams what happened last night when he attempted to leave his end with the ball and the score tied at 10 with the Blast.One instant, Williams had control and was sizing up the field. The next, he was reaching with his foot. Nothing. Out of nowhere came Barry Stitz to relieve him of the ball.Slowly but surely Baltimore's steadiest player advanced on Heat goalie Doug Petras. He waited, waited and Petras committed. Good night.Stitz cuffed the ball into the goal, giving the Blast a 12-10 lead it held for the last 9: 17 of play.

Opponent: Kansas City AttackSite: Baltimore ArenaTime: 7: 35Radio: WJFK (1300 AM)Outlook: The Blast (9-12) is looking to even the score for its 23-17 setback in Kansas City (9-12) last weekend. The Attack won two of three on a three-game weekend, losing to Cleveland in overtime Sunday. K.C. is solid on defense with All-Stars Kim Roentved and Wes Wade defending in front of Scoop Stanisic and Warren Westcoat in goal. It's Blast T-shirt night.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Blast did just about everything it needed to do to win last night. Goalkeeper Khalil Azmi provided 22 saves and the team put up 17 points on the road. Not a bad combination.But the Blast couldn't contain the constant barrage of shots by the Kansas City Attack and suffered a 23-17 loss at Kemper Arena.The Blast, which split its weekend road trip after a win Friday in Harrisburg, dropped to 9-12.The Blast held an 8-7 lead at halftime and was tied with Kansas City (9-11)

Ravens coach Brian Billick said he doesn't expect veteran quarterback Warren Moon to make a decision about joining the team in a backup capacity until the middle of next week.Moon's agent, Leigh Steinberg, had previously said that Moon, 42, would make his decision by the end of this week, but there was no announcement yesterday.Billick said he had spoken with Moon on Wednesday, and that the future Hall of Fame quarterback had come to grips with the fact that he might have to take a backup role around the league.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- When Graham Banks arrived at a gala in Kansas City's refurbished Union Station last week, he immediately looked at the ceilings.Gazing at ceilings is a habit of the Portsmouth, England, native, who is general manager of the Baltimore firm Hayles & Howe, an ornamental plaster enterprise that restored the lofty reaches of grand old buildings such as Union Station.As ceilings go, Banks says, the ones in Kansas City's train station are stunners."I thought the Postal Museum was a big project," he says, referring to the ceilings of the Smithsonian's National Postal Museum in Washington.

Go ahead and dream about what could happen today at Qualcomm Stadium if the CPR the Ravens performed on their offense continues to hold. Close your eyes and envision Joe Flacco airing it out against the San Diego Chargers, spreading the ball around to his receivers as he did last week in the win over the Kansas City Chiefs. Imagine another big pass-catching afternoon from Todd Heap, the tight end whose only role in the offense last season seemed to be: "Block that guy over there." Think how entertaining it'll be if this Air Harbaugh thing really takes off and 500 yards of total offense in a game becomes the norm around here.

When the Kansas City Chiefs went 80 yards in six plays in the fourth quarter Sunday against the Ravens to tie the score at 24, the announced 71,099 at M&T Bank Stadium were silenced. Since 2000, few teams had done this to the Ravens, and the Chiefs did it in six plays, all of them passes. So you knew at whom fingers were going to be pointed Monday morning. As the Ravens (1-0) prepare to face the Chargers (1-0) on Sunday in San Diego, there is still concern about the secondary, but those players aren't worried.

In a regular season that began with unexpected adversity, the Ravens ultimately passed the initial test. Joe Flacco threw for a career-high 307 yards and three touchdowns in lifting the Ravens to a season-opening 38-24 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs before an announced 71,099 at M&T Bank Stadium on Sunday. On a sun-splashed afternoon, Flacco and his teammates not only answered the critics, but they also responded to the pressure when it mattered the most. With the game tied at 24 late in the fourth quarter, Flacco stared down an all-out blitz and found wide receiver Mark Clayton for a 31-yard touchdown.

Ravens run offense vs. Chiefs run defense: Although the Ravens primarily threw the ball in the preseason, they are expected to go back to their run-heavy attack against the Chiefs, who had the second-worst run defense in the NFL last season. Kansas City allowed teams to average 5 yards per carry and gave up 25 touchdowns on the ground. The Ravens will start Ray Rice at running back, but the coaches continue to stress this will be a running back by committee. That means Willis McGahee and Le'Ron McClain will get carries, too. The Ravens' rushing attack ranked fourth in the league last season.

Remember when the Royals were one of the early feel-good stories? Times certainly have changed and in a hurry for Kansas City, which had lost 10 straight games before it won Saturday and is just 20-48 since May 7. That's not the fault of Zack Greinke, who continues to dominate opposing lineups, leading the American League with a 2.04 ERA. However, he hasn't won since June 28, a result of the Royals scoring just four runs total in his past four starts....

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Just when it looked as if the Orioles would be getting one of their key position players back from a nagging leg injury, another one is unsure about his status for Tuesday's game against the New York Yankees. Shortstop Cesar Izturis left Sunday's game before the bottom of the eighth with a left groin strain and said afterward that he's not sure of its severity. "We'll see how it feels after the off day [Monday]," Izturis said after the Orioles' 7-4 loss to the Kansas City Royals.

1 Rivalry game: The Cowboys are double-digit favorites over the Redskins, but anything can happen when these two NFC East foes face each other (4:15, chs. 45, 5). 2 Finally, it's over: The Orioles conclude their 11th straight losing season, as Jeremy Guthrie returns to face the Blue Jays (1:35 p.m., MASN2). 3 Down to the wire: The AL Central title has yet to be decided between the White Sox and Twins, while the Mets and Brewers vie for the final two playoff spots in the NL. 4 Going to Kansas City: Carl Edwards heads into today's NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Kansas Speedway as the points leader in the Chase for the Championship (2 p.m., chs. 2, 7)

April 6-New York 8-New York 9-New York 10-T ampa Bay 11-Tampa Bay 12-Tampa Bay 13-at Texas 14-at Texas 15-at Texas 17-at Boston 18-at Boston 19-at Boston 20-at Boston 21-Chicago 22-Chicago 23-Chicago 24-Texas 25-Texas 26-Texas 27-Texas 28-Los Angeles 29-Los Angeles May 1-at Toronto 2-at Toronto 3-at Toronto 4-at Tampa Bay 5-at Tampa Bay 6-Minnesota 7-Minnesota 8-New York 9-New York 10-New York 12-Tampa Bay 13-Tampa Bay...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- It was more of a hint than a directive, but the message was sent. Orioles veteran starter Steve Trachsel needed to give the Orioles a chance to win last night after failing to accomplish that task in three of his past four starts or his rotation and roster spot would be in jeopardy. Trachsel responded, and so did the Orioles' bats, in a 7-4 win against Kansas City, the Orioles' 11th straight victory over the Royals. "I've had bad performances in more than two games in a row. I've had five or six consecutive," Trachsel, 37, said.

KANSAS CITY, MO. -- Orioles infielder-outfielder Freddie Bynum was recalled yesterday from his injury rehabilitation assignment at Double-A Bowie and was immediately inserted into the starting lineup for last night's game against the Kansas City Royals and beyond. "Right now, Bynum is the starting shortstop on this team," Orioles manager Dave Trembley said. "What that means is he will be the regular guy that plays. Will he play 10 days in a row? No. But he'll be the regular shortstop until I decide that we've got somebody better or we make a change or I want to give somebody else a shot at it."