Month: August 2016

Wrestling coming to CommunityAmerica Ballpark

While the Kansas City T-Bones are playing at Gary SouthShore on Saturday, Aug. 27, a different sport will be seen at CommunityAmerica Ballpark, as the stadium will be the site of Metro Pro Wrestling matches that night.

WWE Hall of Famer “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan and former WWE-ECW superstar Tommy Dreamer are two of the big names scheduled to appear.

Duggan will be competing in a tag team match, while Dreamer will be in a “Falls Count Anywhere in the Ballpark” match. The rest of the card consists of professional wrestlers from Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, Illinois, Iowa, Oklahoma and South Dakota, including Derek Stone, “The Fittest Wrestler in the World” Mark Sterling, “Yoga Monster” Mike Sydal, Ace Steel, Redwing, Devin Thomas, The Commission, Kobra Kai Dojo, The Riegel Twins, and “Lovely” Lucy Mendez.

Before the first bell, which is set for 7 p.m., fans will get the opportunity to meet Dreamer, “Hacksaw” Duggan and the rest of the stars at 5 p.m. Fans will also be able to take pictures and receive autographs with the wrestlers.

Time Warner Cable SportsChannel will record the show for future use.

General admission tickets are $16, limited front-row reserved seats for $22 and a limited number of ringside seats with food service for $30. Tickets for children ages 5-12 years old are $11, and younger than 5 years old can enter for free.

There will be a pre-show VIP meet-and-greet with the wrestlers for an additional charge. Tickets can be purchased at the Providence Medical Center Box Office at CommunityAmerica Ballpark, by calling 913-328-5618 or online at tbonesbaseball.com.

Tonight, the T-Bones are playing the Laredo Lemurs at 7:05 p.m. at CommunityAmerica Ballpark.

– Story from T-Bones

Sporting KC pays return call to Vancouver tonight

Just three days after squaring off in MLS regular season play at Children’s Mercy Park, Sporting Kansas City and Vancouver Whitecaps FC travel to Canada for a rematch in the Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League.

The game at BC Place in Vancouver will stream live on CONCACAF’s official Facebook Page, while additional live updates will be available via the SportingKC.com Match Tracker and through the club’s official mobile app Sporting KC Uphoria. The game is at 9 p.m.

Sporting Kansas City topped Vancouver 2-0 on Saturday behind goals from Jacob Peterson and Benny Feilhaber, moving into a tie for fourth place in the Western Conference while condemning Whitecaps FC to their fourth straight league defeat. Manager Peter Vermes’ men are now 6-1-3 all-time against the Canadian club, including a five-game unbeaten run, heading into the first meeting outside of regular season competition.

Carl Robinson’s Whitecaps have struggled in recent weeks, but they enter Tuesday with a slight advantage over their MLS counterparts in Group C. While Sporting Kansas City could only muster a 2-2 draw in their CONCACF Champions League opener last week at Central FC, Vancouver claimed a 1-0 road win over the Trinidadian outfit on Aug. 2.

Consequently, a loss on Tuesday would be fatal to Sporting Kansas City’s hopes of winning the group. Vancouver would open up a commanding five-point lead with a victory and simply need a home win against underdogs Central FC to progress to next February’s quarterfinals.

Despite Sporting Kansas City’s precarious position in Group C, the club approaches the midweek fixture with no shortage of confidence, having beaten Vancouver twice at home this season while drawing 1-1 on April 27 at BC Place. Dom Dwyer bagged a brace in a 2-1 home win on March 12 before Feilhaber and Peterson were on target in Saturday’s comfortable triumph. The last time the clubs met in Vancouver, Christian Bolanos and Diego Rubio opened their MLS scoring accounts in a stalemate that saw Kendall Waston receive a red card for his second bookable offense in the 51st minute.

Amid a grueling stretch of five games in 15 days and with a cross-country trip to the Philadelphia Union looming this weekend, Sporting Kansas City may flex its depth in multiple positions. Vermes has rotated his lineup heavily over the last 10 days and is tasked with finding the right combination ahead of a two-game road trip that begins in British Columbia and ends 3,000 miles eastward in Pennsylvania.

Sporting Kansas City’s Matt Besler has returned to full fitness and played 90 minutes on Saturday, but fellow center back Ike Opara is questionable as he recovers from a heel contusion. Goalkeeper Tim Melia (back spasms), Chance Myers (hamstring) and Seth Sinovic (ankle) are likely absences through injury, while Nuno Coelho’s availability is up in the air after he was forced to exit Saturday at halftime.

A six-game winless skid in MLS has dropped Whitecaps FC to ninth in the Western Conference table. With their playoff hopes hanging by a thread, Robinson’s side will treat Tuesday’s showdown as an opportunity to salvage their 2016 campaign. Midfielder Matias Laba and defender Tim Parker, regular starters who were rested on Saturday, are probable additions to the starting lineup as Vancouver looks to take a stranglehold of Group C.

Vancouver is competing in the CONCACAF Champions League for the second straight season, having crashed from this stage last fall in a difficult group that contained first-place finisher Seattle Sounders FC and Honduran powerhouse Olimpia. Sporting Kansas City is making its third Champions League appearance over the last four years, suffering elimination in the 2013-2014 quarterfinals and the 2014-2015 group stage, and will look to snap a four-game road winless run in the tournament as well as a seven-game road winless run in all competitions.

– Story from Sporting KC

I-670 closing scheduled for demolition of Grand Avenue Bridge

Crews will completely close east and westbound I-670 on the south side of the downtown loop to demolish the Grand Avenue Bridge, according to the Missouri Department of Transportation.

All lanes will close at 8 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 26, and will reopen to traffic no later than 5 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 29.

Traffic can bypass the closure using I-70 around the north side of the downtown loop.

Construction will begin once the old bridge is completely removed. Other closures include:
• The left lane of westbound I-670 between Oak Street and Main Street will remain closed for bridge construction through Oct. 10. Other lane closures are expected as construction progresses through the duration of the project.

• The left lane of Truman Road South will close between Walnut Street and McGee Street during construction beginning 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 23, through Dec. 1.

• The on-ramp to eastbound I-70 at McGee Street will remain open throughout the weekend of bridge removal, and the construction of the new bridge.

• Truman Road North will be closed completely between Oak Street and Walnut Street beginning 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 23, through Dec. 1.

• During construction of the new Grand Avenue Bridge, pedestrians are detoured west to Walnut Street.

• Motorists using Grand Avenue are detoured east on Oak Street.

A nearly $3.5 million emergency contract was awarded to Clarkson Construction Co. to replace the Grand Avenue Bridge in downtown Kansas City, Mo., after stress fractures prompted MoDOT to immediately close the bridge on May 6.

MoDOT analyzed the severity of the stress fractures, and after careful examination, determined that the bridge needed to be completely replaced, a spokesman said. MoDOT worked closely with the city of Kansas City, Mo., to accelerate design plans to replace the existing structure.

The new bridge will be built in the same location, and includes enhanced bike paths and wider sidewalks.

Motorists are reminded to slow down and pay attention as they drive past work zones. Not all work zones look alike. Work zones can be moving operations, such as striping, patching or mowing. They can also be short term, temporary lane closures to make quick repairs or remove debris from the roadway.

For more information about MoDOT news, projects or events, visit the website at www.modot.mo.gov/kansascity.