Around the Kingdom: Mike Moustakas, Sung Woo, Jamaal Charles, Bill Snyder

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Aug 6, 2014; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Kansas City Royals third baseman Mike Moustakas against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Looking Around the Kingdom, the Royals continue their August surge, with James Shields tossing a complete-game shutout against the Giants on Saturday night. The Royals put the game away with a 4-run 7th inning that broke up a tight 1-0 ballgame. The win extended the Royals winning streak to 6 games, and 13 of their last 17.

More from Kansas City Chiefs

Kansas City put a bit of space between themselves and their pursuers for the 2nd wild card. The Royals now hold a 1.5 game lead on the Mariners, Yankees and Blue Jays for the wild card, and have pulled within 1.5 games of the A.L. Central lead after Detroit lost to Toronto.

I don’t expect the fun to last, but boy is it nice to see a playoff race.

Sports Illustrated columnist Peter King visited Chiefs camp and had a few interesting things to say. He considers Jamaal Charles the most versatile running back in the league and lauds coach Andy Reid for giving a fair shake to rookie free agents. King also thinks that Alex Smith is a top 12 or 13 QB in the league.

Meanwhile, at KU, the Jayhawks feel like they will be effective throwing the ball this season, despite ranking 117th out of 123 Division I football programs last season in passing.

KANSAS CITY ROYALS

"With the Mike Moustakas Watch over the past few games, as Moose kept hovering around .200, that mark has no longer become the Mendoza line. That number, at least until he gets comfortably over .200, has been the Moustakas Line. It has become a mark of success for Moustakas, proof that he really is swinging the bat better."

"The trip has been much more than baseball, thanks to a group of Royals fans, referred to as Lee’s welcoming committee, who took it upon themselves to show Lee what Kansas City is all about. Since landing in Kansas City on Tuesday, Lee has enjoyed the kind of activities and attention Kansas City fans can only dream about."

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS

"“The most versatile difference-making running back in football,” King said of Charles. “I am convinced that if you split him out wide and you had [Dwayne] Bowe on one side and Jamaal Charles the other side, Jamaal Charles would be DeSean Jackson. He’s so fast. He’s so liquid. You put him in the slot and he could be Tavon Austin. He is so gifted in so many ways.”"

"Looks like the Chiefs are going to have to go back to the drawing board when it comes to finding veteran safety depth. Steve Gregory, who was signed shortly after Sanders Commings injury, has announced his retirement from the NFL."

KANSAS JAYHAWKS

  • KUSports.com – KU thinks they will be able to throw the ball this season:

"“I’m so confident,” Harwell explained. “We’ve got Tony (Pierson) and Rodriguez (Coleman), we’ve got (tight end Jimmy) Mundine, who obviously has played a lot. We flex out our running backs and they can catch the ball, as well.”"

KANSAS STATE WILDCATS

"“I don’t have the answer to a specific time,” said Snyder, under contract through 2017. “But … if my health remains good, they don’t fire me, and if I am doing what is in the best interest of the young people in our program, and they are responding to it, then all those things together probably keep me here for a little while.”"

There you have it KC—the news Around the Kingdom.