Disaster struck what should have been a triumphant parade for the Super Bowl champs in Kansas City, Missouri, when a personal dispute in the crowd erupted into gunfire, resulting in one person, local DJ Lisa Lopez-Galvan, being killed and 22 others injured. While several suspects have been arrested, did open carry gun laws, less stringent penalties for criminal offenses, and increasingly violent video games create an environment for such things to happen more easily and with alarming frequency?

In a surprise move after the 49ers lost the Super Bowl, San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan fired defensive coordinator Steve Wilks. In a press conference on Tuesday, Shanahan said that they would not change anything within the organization, and then suddenly, on Wednesday, Wilks was let go. Was he relaying the decision from the C-suite, or just passing the buck and trying to save his own job instead of sharing the coaching blame? Were there more factors involved in the loss to the Chiefs in overtime after such a close game?

As spring training looms on the horizon, Atlanta is rated #1, Los Angeles #2, and Baltimore #3. Will these rankings hold once the season gets into full swing after all the money spent to bring in new talent? Are some of the other teams that didn’t shell out as much but still have promise being overlooked? Has Rob Manfred hinted that 2029 will be the year he steps down and says goodbye to baseball for good?

The NBA All-Star Game will be East vs West this year, with a more varied lineup instead of the usual spectacle of LeBron James against another high-profile player. Is there any truth to the rumor that James is leaving the Lakers and joining Seth Curry and the Warriors in San Francisco?

Email Fred and the Fantastics with questions and comments at sportsfred@aol.com