Sporting KC defender to undergo season-ending surgery

Chance Myers

Sporting Kansas City defender Chance Myers will undergo surgery on Wednesday to repair a ruptured Achilles tendon in his left ankle and will miss the remainder of the 2014 season, the club announced.

Myers suffered the season-ending injury in the 36th minute of Sporting Kansas City’s 2-2 draw vs. Toronto FC on May 23.

“This is very disappointing,” Myers said. “I will work hard to not only come back from this injury, but to come back stronger. I wish my teammates the best of luck during the remainder of the season and will support the team any way I can.”

“First and foremost, I am very upset for Chance,” Sporting KC manager Peter Vermes said. “He has worked very hard and always takes care of himself to make sure he is prepared to play. Getting a serious injury is never an easy thing to cope with, but I have full faith that he will work hard to come back and continue to be an important member of our club.

“Obviously, it’s a blow to the team because he is an important member of our group. It will be hard to replace his qualities and experience, but we will do the best we can during his absence and look forward to seeing him back on the pitch.”

Kansas City drafted Myers with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2008 MLS SuperDraft. Over the past seven seasons, Myers has appeared in 123 regular season games and has started more than 100 games in all competitions.

Myers re-signed with Kansas City prior to the 2014 season after tallying two goals and three assists during Sporting KC’s MLS Cup championship campaign. The UCLA product has represented the United States at the U-18 and U-20 levels and trained with the USMNT during the 2014 January camp.

Wednesday’s surgery will be performed under the care of orthopedic surgeon Dr. Matthew Kneidel.
– Story from Sporting KC

Bullpen falters in T-Bones loss

The Kansas City T-Bones saw a one-run lead erased in the ninth inning, before falling 7-4 to Fargo-Moorhead in front of 5,016 at CommunityAmerica Ballpark on Saturday night in Kansas City, Kan.

Clinging to a 4-3 lead, relief pitcher Chris Squires was three outs away from notching his second save. He gave up a leadoff triple to Tim Alberts who was later brought home as the tying run on an error by Vladimir Frias.

Manager John Massarelli then called on pitcher Chris Squires (1-1) with two on and one out. Squires surrendered a two-RBI double to Sawyer Carroll, and an RBI single to Ronnie Bourquin in the first two batters he saw. That’s all the RedHawks needed.

“You can’t have mental and defensive lapses late in the game or it’s going to cost you,” said Massarelli, whose T-Bones are now 4-6.

The T-Bones scored all four of their runs in the third. Trailing 2-0 with two outs and the bases loaded, Bryan Sabatella and Nick Giarraputo ripped back-to-back two-RBI singles, giving Kansas City a 4-2 lead.

Matt Smith made his first start in a T-Bones uniform. Smith, who left with a lead after five innings, gave up three runs off seven hits. The RedHawks got to Smith quickly, though, taking a 1-0 lead in the top of the first. They tacked on another run in the top of the third after Zach Penprase tripled into left field and was brought home on a sacrifice fly. C.J. Retherford clobbered a solo shot in the top of the fourth over the left field wall cutting the deficit to one run.

Kansas City and Fargo are scheduled to wrap up the series and the T-Bones homestand Sunday evening at 7:05, with fireworks following the game. Tickets are available by calling the Providence Medical Center Box Office at CommunityAmerica Ballpark at 913-328-5618.

Box score: http://www.pointstreak.com/baseball/boxscoretext.html?gameid=177668
– Story from T-Bones

Obituary: Margaret Steineger

Margaret Leisy Steineger

Margaret Ruth Leisy Steineger, a longtime supporter of state and local arts, civic and historical groups, passed away peacefully of natural causes on May 16.
Margaret, wife of longtime Kansas State Sen. Jack Steineger, was committed to making the community a better place and devoted countless hours and much energy to a wide range of endeavors. She was instrumental in preventing the demolition of Grinter Place Historic Site, helped establish the Wyandotte County Library, fostered arts throughout the state and provided numerous other benefits for the community.
She worked to establish the Friends of Grinter Place in 1960, later serving as board president. She was instrumental in helping preserve the building from neglect and listing it on the National Register of Historic Places. As a board member, she was instrumental in establishing a popular community event called Applefest, which celebrated pioneer activities and the historical significance of Grinter Place, and she helped establish the Grinter Barn Community Center. In 2009, she was named Friends of Grinter Place Friend of the Year.
She was a board member of the Junior League of Kansas City, Kan., where she helped establish the Wyandotte County library and served as an adviser for committees on education, community affairs, public affairs and cultural affairs.
She was an inaugural board member of the Kansas Arts Commission, when it was created in 1965 and served on the board for many years, including as chair in 1979.
She also served on numerous other boards, including the Kaw Valley Arts and Humanities Council, United Way, Landmarks Commission, Arts with the Handicapped, Tri-County Tourism Council, KCK Friends of the Library, Shepherd’s Center, Kansas Legislative Wives, Wyandotte County Bar Auxiliary, Community College Endowment Board and Parents as Teachers.
She was active in the Wyandotte County Historical Society, the League of Women Voters, Council of Clubs, Friends of the Library, Kansas City Ballet Guild, the Civic Ballet Association, the Women’s Philharmonic Association, Friends of the Philharmonic, P.E.O., the Kappa Kappa Gamma Sorority alumna club and the German-American Edelweiss Society.
She was a lifelong believer in the power of education, and in the 1960s and 1970s, she frequently served as a substitute teacher at Muncie Elementary School, creating lasting memories for many of the students she taught.
Through the years, many groups honored Margaret for her contributions. In 1978, she was named Citizen of the Year for Kansas City, Kan., and in 1989, she was awarded the Humanities Award by the Kansas Commission for the Humanities.
Margaret was born Feb. 8, 1926, in Newton, Kan., and grew up in Dallas, Texas. There, she graduated from Highland Park High School in 1944 and Southern Methodist University in 1947. Her father, Professor Ernest E. Leisy, taught at SMU, where he was instrumental in establishing the study of American literature.
She met her future husband while earning a master’s degree at the University of Kansas. They married in 1949 and moved to Washington, D.C., where he worked for the U.S. State Department. Between 1950 and 1957, Jack served as cultural attaché and the couple lived in Frankfort and Munich, Germany, and Baghdad, Iraq. They also traveled extensively in Italy, Austria, Spain, France and Switzerland.
In 1957, the couple returned to Kansas City, Kan., where the original Steineger family had settled in the 1860s. The couple quickly became active in local affairs. Jack was elected to the Kansas State Senate in 1964, serving for 28 years, and Margaret became active in numerous civic groups while raising four children.
She was always proud of her Mennonite heritage. Her grandfather, H.P. Krehbiel, helped found Bethel College in Newton, Kan,, which both her parents, Elva and Ernest attended, and she was well-versed in Mennonite history.
She is predeceased by her husband, Jack Steineger, brothers Dr. Melvern Leisy and James Leisy, an author and composer. She is survived by four children, John F. Steineger III of Denver, Col., Cindy Steineger Blair of San Diego, Calif., Melissa Steineger of Portland, Ore., and former State Sen. from Wyandotte County’s Sixth District Chris Steineger of Kansas City, Kan., and survived by one grandchild, Kisha Kristine Steineger of Lawrence, Kan.
A celebration of life will be held 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, June 14, at Grinter House, 1420 S. 78 St., Kansas City, Kan. The family asks that in lieu of flowers, contributions be made to Friends of Grinter Place, 1420 S. 78 St., Kansas City, Kan. 66111.