Stein's Blog: Ultimate Title Town weekend

Some people, my wife Michele included, might think that this is just too busy a sports weekend. How is the normal sports fan to get their turkey and pumpkin pie fix and enjoy game in St. Louis and Mankato, MN, all in a three-day period? This problem can become an opportunity.

My grandson, Jacob, lives in Stanberry. As any good local sports fan knows, Stanberry is in the state championship game in 8-man football. Their opponent is barely 30 minutes away in North Andrew High School. To watch this intense 8-man football rivalry, you have to jump in your car, drive by North Andrew school by about 5 ½ hours to the dome in St. Louis.

The game is Friday morning at 9:30 am. It's all educationally sound since school is out for Thanksgiving anyway. If you are a sports fan in Northwest Missouri, don't let this great sports weekend slip through your fingers.

Thursday evening, about the time the Cowboys are frustrating their fans once again, jump in your car and head southeast. You could stay in Kansas City. Out on east I-70 in Independence, you could get up early (or stay up late) and get a little "Black Friday" shopping in before the big sports weekend.

You have to get up pretty early to be in your seat to watch Stanberry this morning. How about turning on Highway 36 at St. Joseph on your way to Marceline, MO to spend the night? That's the early childhood home of Walt Disney. Include Mickey Mouse in your weekend.

Don't like that idea, but want to use Highway 36? Turn at Moberly, MO and go to Columbia for the night.

It's a great college town, even if the college kids are home for the holiday. You probably only have to be on the road by 7:15 am to make kick-off.

How about a little Mark Twain in your weekend? Keep rolling on Highway 36 to the Mississippi River and the childhood home of Samuel Clements. Now you can brag about your effort to gain knowledge of one of Missouri's most famous residents.

You get double your money at the dome. Friday afternoon, the Spoofhounds take on trash-talking John Burroughs High School. This should be a great game featuring the collision of the two most dominate Class 3 schools in Missouri. Something has to give.

Don't waste anytime celebrating northwest Missouri's high school football dominance. Pack up after the Spoofhounds lift the trophy and head to Mankato, MN. It's 526 miles northeast of St. Louis. You can make it in 9 hours, 8 hours if you drive like you are stealing chickens.

I have it on good authority that the weather will be decent. It won't be like the dome where you find basketball weather; 72 degrees and no wind chill. However, it won't be the sub-zero weather the Bearcats found a few years ago.

There is one other thing you can do to put the cherry on top of your football sundae (that's the ice cream type). You don't even have to hurry to see the Kansas City Chiefs battle their hated rivals, the Denver Broncos Sunday at noon. I'll bet there will be a lot of cheap seats for sale in the parking lot.

I'm not sure I should include that particular piece to the weekend puzzle. After "Title Town" or "Northwest Dominance", how can I recommend a buzz-kill like the Chiefs? Did you hear about the Kansas City man who died last week? This isn't a joke. In his obituary, his family put the cause of death as, "Complications of MS and disappointing heartbreak caused by the Kansas City Chiefs football team."

Will I be following my own advice? I'm afraid I will be out of town, getting frequent updates by phone calls and texts from my son, Sam, or Jacob, my grandson. I will celebrate the wins just like I was there. However, I might skip the Chiefs game. I am too old to risk any heart problems.