The The LA Galaxy Maintain the Top Spot! Major League Soccer Power Rankings Week 22, 8/15/11

The LA Galaxy Maintain the Top Spot!

My Major League Soccer Rankings are pretty much for my own entertainment. I like messing around with numbers, and am a big fan of the MLS, so why not combine the two.

I have been publishing my rankings since matchweek 5. My intent with the rankings is to judge who are the best teams top to bottom at this point in the season. My intent is not to predict how the season will end.

I have been trying to figure out a way to look at how accurate my rankings are. Haven't really figured out a way, but I think the best way would be to try to look at the rankings for the current week and how those rankings predict the results on the field. More to come on that.

I have made a minor adjustment to my formula this week. Specifically, the way I was calculating the rankings prior did not take into account the number of matches played. Theoretically a team who had played less matches could be hurt in my formula, so now I have made the proper adjustments to take number of games played out as a factor.

Some quick notes for this week:

- Biggest jump up? The Houston Dynamo jumped up 3 spots.

- Biggest decline? Real Salt Lake dropped 4 spots.

- Best current form? Colorado, The LA Galaxy and Seattle.

- Poorest current form? San Jose and Chicago.

My week 22 Major League Soccer Rankings:

1) LA Galaxy (West)

2) Colorado Rapids (West)

3) Seattle Sounders FC (West)

4) FC Dallas (West)

5) Columbus Crew (East)

6) Chivas USA (West)

7) D.C. United (East)

8) Houston Dynamo (East)

9) Real Salt Lake (West)

10) Philadelphia Union (East)

11) Sporting Kansas City (East)

12) Portland Timbers (West)

13) New York Red Bulls (East)

14) New England Revolution (East)

15) Toronto FC (East)

16) Vancouver Whitecaps (West)

17) San Jose Earthquakes (West)

18) Chicago Fire (East)

A Set-Piece Goal! Sweet! Columbus Crew Beat the New England Revolutions 3-1, 8/13/11

I love this picture!

Julius James Heads-In The Crew's 2nd Goal (Getty Images)

In a thoroughly dominating performance, The Columbus Crew beat the New England Revolution 3-1 last night, adding an additional two points to their Major League Soccer Eastern Conference lead. (Both the Philadelphia Union and New York Red Bulls had draws in their matches yesterday.)

The win sets-up a big-time match this coming Saturday, as the current Eastern Conference second place team, the Philadelphia Union and newly signed Freddy Adu come to town.

What was the best part of last night's match?

So many choices:

It was Buck-a-Brat night. I had two.

Magic Hat #9 on tap in the Upper 90 Club.

One of the biggest crowds of the year showed up.

I saw great support for the Hudson Street Hooligans at their tailgate before the match.With the City of Columbus shutting their club down, they need financial support to keep their club open.  I donated and bought a backpack. Click on the picture to the right if you want to learn how you can help them out too.

The Crew fighting back after going down 1-0 at the end of the first half.

Julius James scoring the Crew's second goal off of a Josh Gardner corner kick. The first corner kick goal of the year for the Crew.

I'll pick the corner kick!

The Crew continue to play very well. It's very impressive to see the new players step-up, with the Crew suffering some key injuries as of late (Eddie Gaven most recently). When you can dominate an MLS opponent with the likes of Tommy Heinemann, Josh Gardner, Justin Meram, Bernardo Anor and Dilly Duka it shows that the Crew coaching and scouting staffs really did their homework when they acquired these players.

Robbie Rogers, coming off scoring the goal that earned the US Men's National Team a draw against Mexico on Wednesday night continues to play very well. Chad Marshall should now be considered the favorite for the MLS defender of the year. And Emmanuel Ekpo had an outstanding game, distributing the ball with vision while making the New England Revolution midfield look silly as they attempted to tackle him.

I can't remember having the same feeling of anticipation and excitement that I have for this Saturday's (8/20/11 at 7:30pm) match against the Philadelphia Union. Come out and join me at Crew Stadium to cheer the Crew on to victory!

Book Review-The Road Not Taken and Other Poems (This Edition, 1993) by Robert Frost

I decided I needed to stretch my brain a little and read something beyond my traditional material. (See the list of books on the right side below.) Poetry was of interest to me.

It's amazing how we mature over time. In high school and college I had absolutely no interest in poetry. I didn't like the form, the need for interpretation or in many cases the sing-songy nature of the writing. Now I do wonder if the real reason for my dislike was that I was forced to read the classics in my basic literature and English courses, rather than poetry that actually would have been of interest to me.

Not knowing where to start, I happened to be with my brother Mike at a great bookstore in the German Village neighborhood of Columbus, Ohio called The Book Loft. Mike has his PHD in English and is a professor of same at Indiana University, Pennsylvania. Who better to recommend some poetry to begin my journey into the genre.

I bought several books that day, and interestingly enough chose a classic to read first. The Road Not Taken and Other Poems (1993 edition) was originally published as Mountain Interval in 1916 and is considered one of the best collections of Robert Frost poetry. The poem that lends it's name to the title of the collection, The Road Not Taken, is one of Robert Frost's most popular works.

My brother Mike did me right when he recommended this collection. It's a rather small volume (49 pages, a total of 28 poems) but an enjoyable read. I am no student of style, but I know what I like. Robert Frost forces you to think as you read his work. But I also observed that the genius of Robert Frost is that if you want to read his poetry just for a literal interpretation or for pure enjoyment you can do that too.

There were a couple of poems I found to be most intriguing in this collection:

- "Out, Out-" A shocking departure from many of the other poems in the book. A story of a buzz-saw accident.

- "Snow" The story of a man who has the need to preach, and won't let a snowstorm keep him from his travels. Actually this poem is better described as the story of his friends and family who question his judgement. Quite chilling and suspenseful.

I would imagine that most readers who enjoy poetry have read this collection, or most of the poems in it. If you are wanting to discover poetry, or are just looking for a good read, this is the book to start with.

The Road Not Taken and Other Poems by Robert Frost
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I decided to stretch myself a bit and read some poetry-a great collection to start with? My full review: http://jiresell.blogspot.com/2011/08/boo...

View all my reviews

Dropped Below 250 Pounds This Week! Weight Watchers, Tracking My Progress Update 8/9/11

I reached a big milestone this week. I dropped below 250 pounds! Woot!

I weighed in today at 247.2 pounds. I lost 3.2 pounds this week and have now lost 37.8 pounds since I started the program 19 weeks ago. I also exercised 5 of 7 days this past week, walking a total of 12.1 miles.

I really thought it wouldn't happen this week. I have stayed committed to the program for the whole 19 weeks and can honestly say I have not cheated myself. I have counted all of the points for the food I have eaten and not gone above my daily or weekly allotment.

I have also been diligent about tracking my exercise points.

But this past Saturday, while I was in Pittsburgh visiting my Dad and helping my daughter Mallory move in to her new place I fell of the wagon. Not completely, but it was about 4:30pm and I was starving. I was staying at my brother Tim's house and we broke out Tostitos and salsa.

Veteran Weight Watcher's members know that salsa is free, but the Tostitos...well let's just say I over indulged. After that we went to a very cool restaurant called the Double Wide Grill. I didn't completely overdo it there, but I did have Reuben egg rolls and fritters, which aren't exactly Weight Watchers friendly (lots of points!).

Tim and I ended up going to see Rise of the Planet of the Apes after dinner. No snacks there, but after the movie I was in the mood for ice cream. I ended up getting a non-fat frozen vanilla yogurt at a place called Razzy Fresh, which would have been OK, except that I decided to throw some mix-ins in. Jimmy's, brownie bites, etc.

Bottom line is that I didn't count the points on any of the stuff I ate Saturday afternoon/evening. But I will give myself credit. On Sunday I got right back on the program. Temptation is a bitch sometimes.

So one day of cheating after 133 days on the program. Am I disappointed in myself? Yes. But it did motivate me to keep going.

Yesterday my wife Tammy decided I needed to get some new clothes-as I am swimming in my work pants and some of my shirts are looking really baggy. Since I'm still a long way from my goal, we decided to go to Kohl's. I didn't want to spend a lot of money on clothes that might not fit me in 6 weeks, but it was nice to go into the men's department and find pants and shirts that weren't the largest sizes Kohl's offers. More motivation. Bought two pairs of pants and two dress shirts.

I'm now back on the program and ready to keep going!

The LA Galaxy Are Still #1! Major League Soccer Power Rankings Week 21, 8/8/11

The Galaxy Are Still #1!

Quick post this week. Heading out of town.

My week 21 Major League Soccer Power Rankings:

1) LA Galaxy (West)

2) Seattle Sounders FC (West)

3) FC Dallas (West)

4) Colorado Rapids (West)

5) Real Salt Lake (West)

6) Columbus Crew (East)

7) Chivas USA (West)

8) D.C. United (East)

9) Philadelphia Union (East)

10) Portland Timbers (West)

11) Houston Dynamo (East)

12) Sporting Kansas City (East)

13) New York Red Bulls (East)

14) New England Revolution (East)

15) San Jose Earthquakes (West)

16) Vancouver Whitecaps (West)

17) Toronto FC (East)

18) Chicago Fire (East)

Movie Review - Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)

I was in Pittsburgh this weekend visiting my Dad and my daughter Mallory who is beginning graduate school at the University of Pittsburgh.

After dinner Saturday night, my brother Tim and I decided to go see Rise of the Planet of the Apes. The early reviews had been good, and as a fan of the original Planet of the Apes series I was looking forward to seeing the movie.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes is excellent. The story revolves around a scientist named Will Rodman, played by James Franco, who is working on a cure for Alzheimer's Disease. As it turns out, he has a very personal motivation for doing the work, as his father, Charles Rodman, played by John Lithgow (and very well I might add) suffers from the disease.

The company that Will Rodman works at uses chimpanzees for their testing, and Will early in the movie ends up adopting a baby chimp his father names Caesar.

Caesar, through circumstances I won't reveal here, turns out to be very intelligent and the movie follows his growth into an adult, intertwining his life with Will Rodman's continued experiments with the Alzheimer's drug.

The screenplay is very well written. As this is meant to be a prequel to the Planet of the Apes, the plot line of how the apes become dominant, along with how humans will succumb to the apes is revealed. My brother Tim noticed subtle references to the original Planet of the Apes series, which provides clues to future events in the inevitable sequels to the current form of the movie.

I enjoyed the movie. I particularly liked the fact that even though there is violence, the injuries (and yes some deaths) are not gory. In addition, the movie makes a statement on how man can discriminate against other men (or in this case apes) whom they consider inferior and how there can be a price to pay for that.

My only criticism of the movie is that I felt the computer generated image of Caesar was a little unrealistic looking. I believe the intent of the creators was to have Caesar's features be more human than chimpanzee, but I was uncomfortable with it.

I also should add that Freida Pinto (of Slumdog Millionaire fame) looks great in this movie, playing Will Rodman's girlfriend, Caroline Aranha.

This is a great movie, well worth a visit to your local theater. I also was very pleased when the famous line from the original Planet of the Apes (1968) uttered by Charlton Heston's character, Colonel George Taylor was once again spoken in this movie. Do you know the line I'm talking about?

I will let you discover it for yourself in Rise of the Planet of the Apes.

foursquare Fried Check-in Badge

This has been a good week for foursquare badges. Never thought I would get the Fried Check-in Badge, as I don't go to fried chicken places. Or so I thought.

As it turns out, one of my favorite fast-food chains, Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers in Columbus, Ohio counts, and I got my tenth check-in at a chicken joint this past Friday when I stopped there for lunch, which qualified me for the badge.

Fried Check-in

Battered up! That's 10+ fried chicken outings for you! I believe the technical term for that is Poultry In Motion.

Unlocked by jiresell on Fri Aug 5, 2011 at 12:34 PM atRaising Cane's in Columbus, OH.

foursquare Pizzaiolo Badge and Super Swarm Badge!

It's pretty rare for me as an active user of foursquare to earn two badges in one day. But I did just that this past Saturday while in Washington D.C. I was there to go to the soccer match between Manchester United and FC Barcelona at FedEx Field. My brothers' Tim and Mike were with me, along with my two sons' Brian and Michael.

The first one I earned was when I checked into Pizzeria Paradiso in Georgetown. My brother Tim recommended this place. Great pizza and one of the best beer selections I have ever seen. Turns out this was the 20th different pizza place I have checked into since becoming a foursquare fanatic:

Pizzaiolo

This badge is reserved only for the true pizza connoisseur: slices from 20 different pizza places. Well done!

Unlocked by jiresell on Sat Jul 30, 2011 at 3:35 PM atPizzeria Paradiso in Washington, DC.

The second badge I earned this past Saturday was the Super Swarm badge when I checked into FedEx Field for the soccer match:

Super Swarm

50 person foursquare swarms are soooo 2009. We upped it to 250 for the Super Swarm and you still nailed it. Well played!

Unlocked by jiresell on Sat Jul 30, 2011 at 6:36 PM atFedEx Field in Landover, MD.

Two badges in one day! Can't beat that!

Lost .4 Pounds. Weight Watchers, Tracking My Progress Update, 8/2/11

I didn't post my results last week as I was out of town on vacation. (Planning to post on that in the next couple of days.)

I went to my weekly meeting this morning and weighed in at 250.4 pounds. Next week I should go below the 250 pound mark!

I lost .4 pounds this week, and now have a total weight loss of 34.6 pounds over the 18 weeks I have been on the program. I was in New York City and Washington D.C. this week, and even though I ate very well, I was able to count all my food points and stay within the program, mostly because I did a bunch of walking.

Getting exercise was no problem. I walked 5 out of the past 7 days for a total of 17.8 miles.

The LA Galaxy Are Back On Top! Major League Soccer Power Rankings Week 20, 8/1/11

The LA Galaxy Are #1 Again!

After a 4 Week hiatus the LA Galaxy regains the top spot in this week's Major League Soccer Power Rankings. The Galaxy continue to dominate MLS play, and opened up a huge gap between themselves and the 2nd ranked team, Seattle.

Spots 2-5 are separated by the closest of margins in this week's rankings. Seattle, FC Dallas, The Columbus Crew and Colorado could overtake one another in the coming week's depending on results of their future matches.

Biggest move up the rankings this week? DC United moved up 4 spots.

Biggest drop? Sporting KC dropped 3 spots.

Who has the best current form? The LA Galaxy and Columbus Crew.

The worst? Vancouver and Toronto.

My Week 20 Major League Soccer Power Rankings:

1) LA Galaxy (West)

2) Seattle Sounders FC (West)

3) FC Dallas (West)

4) Columbus Crew (East)

5) Colorado Rapids (West)

6) Real Salt Lake (West)

7) Philadelphia Union (East)

8) D.C. United (East)

9) Houston Dynamo (East)

10) Chivas USA (West)

11) Sporting Kansas City (East)

12) New York Red Bulls (East)

13) New England Revolution (East)

14) Portland Timbers (West)

15) San Jose Earthquakes (West)

16) Chicago Fire (East)

17) Toronto FC (East)

18) Vancouver Whitecaps (West)