Know Your Knight: Craig

KC Kingdom is growing and our goal is to be the best Kansas City area sports site on the internet. Ben and I are pleased to announce we have added several new staff members, including Craig Webb. Craig will be helping in our effort to expand our Kansas Jayhawk coverage, plus maybe some Royals content, and some general local sports commentary. W are excited to have him writing for KC Kingdom.

Craig’s first couple of  pieces included a personal ranking of some local area golf courses and the Jayhawks’ running back James Sims’ push to become a record holding rusher at Kansas.

Craig will offer KC Kingdom a degree of diversity in that, while he he is a big fan of the Royals and Jayhawks, he very much loathes the Chiefs. We will keep him away from any Chiefs topics! Don’t hold that against him, though – he does still hate the Yankees!

Craig has taken the time to answer the eight questions asked of all our new knights. Get to know Craig Webb:

How did you become a fan of the team you’re covering?
I am a loyal follower of all my teams.  I do not bandwagon hop, and I live and die with the same teams since early childhood.   I have been a Dallas Cowboy fan since the 70’s because a family friend knew many of the Cowboy players and brought me back memorabilia.  A towel game-used sweatband  from Tony Dorsett, and a 8×10 of Roger Staubach autographed personally for a 8 year old kid……fan for life.

Baseball is my first love and I love the Royals.  George Brett was one of my boyhood idols, and I remember when I was 9 years old I cried like a baby when the Phillies beat the Royals in the 1980 World Series.  I have loathed the names of Pete Rose(who should be in the hall by the way-travesty), Tug McGraw, and Mike Schmidt ever since.  I can’t even listen to Tim McGraw’s music because one, it is awful, and two, I just think of his Dad striking out Royal after Royal.  I also remember screaming so loud when the Royals won it all in 1985, I lost my voice. Tto this day, I enjoy listening to Cardinal’s fans whine about losing that series. Hey Cards fans! There was a game seven, try showing up!

I  have been Jayhawk fan since the cradle.  All of my family and extended family who went to college have been Jayhawks.  It is in my genes.  I bleed Crimson and Blue, and still get goosebumps waving the wheat for a Jayhawk touchdown, and hearing the Rock Chalk Jayhawk chant at the end of every Jayhawk victory.  I have been to a lot of sports venues both college and pro and there simply is NOTHING like the atmosphere in Allen Field House…..nothing.  I honestly believe it is the most hallowed and special sporting venue on the planet.

Where did you grow up and where do you currently live?
I am a Kansas farm kid and grew up near Buhler, Ks., population 1328 on a really busy day…..as if there are any busy days in Buhler.  The best description of Buhler is it is Mayberry, and it was a great place for a kid to grow up.

What is your college/educational background?
University of Kansas…is there anywhere else?

What do you do for a living?
Freight Broker.  I was always shooting for Retired Astronaut billionaire playboy but I could not figure out how to pull it off…..

Do you have a family?
Wife, kids, and two four legged furry kids.

What do you like to do for fun (sports related or otherwise)?
I love to play golf  and watch most anything sports related.  I like playing fantasy football and baseball even if my teams are never any good. For me it is more about the hanging out and smack-talk than anything.

What is your favorite sports moment or memory?
Tough one but probably Danny and the Miracles beating Oklahoma in 1988, and “Mario’s Miracle” in the 2008 National Championship game. I remember in 1988, Billy Packer kept saying no way Kansas could keep up the fast paced, and that they would run out of gas playing OU’s game.  After the game was over, he just could not bring himself to say he was wrong.  Never liked Packer since.

I also loved watching another boyhood hero, Nolan Ryan,  beating down Robin Ventura for charging the mound and his 5000th K.   I also followed Cal Ripken Jr. and remember the absolute goose bumps I got when he broke Lou Gehrig‘s consecutive games played record.

What are your least favorite team(s) and why?

Kansas City Chiefs. This one is not just least favorite.  This one is pure, loathing hatred. As a lifelong Cowboys fan who put up with so much hazing from Chiefs fans, I learned to absolutely despise the Chiefs, and everything about them, and it only has gotten worse over the years by living in the KC market.  I just can’t get away from what absolutely has to be the most delusional fan base on all of pro sports who act like they are Super Bowl bound every single year but have not even sniffed a Super Bowl since before I was even born.   Remember AT LEAST HALF of all Chief fans are probably MU Tiger fans…what else needs to be said?

Washington Redskins.  The arch enemy of my beloved Cowboys.  I still celebrate with gusto Joe Theismann‘s snapped leg.  Now if only someone could bust that jaw.  Is there any sportscaster more full of himself and over the top obnoxious?

New York Yankees.  Really needs no explanation.  It is the Yankees.

Missouri Tigers.  Again really goes without needing an explanation. Probably the most delusional fan base in all of College Athletics, and AT LEAST HALF of them are also KC Chief fans.  What a terrible combination.  I celebrate every soul crushing and quirky loss the Tigers have…I get to celebrate a lot.   Rock Chalk Jayhawk

If you love any of the following teams – Chiefs, Royals. Sporting KC, Tigers, Wildcats, or Jayhawks – and would like an opportunity to write about on KC Kingdom, feel free to fill out our on-line application. We are currently looking specific Chiefs writers, plus we would like to add staff to help cover our three schools.