Papa's Poem Corner Episode 28: Deception Points Your Joints At Slalom

We are over halfway done with the poems from my class. What will we do when we reach the end? I don't know, but if it is anything like that ocean life documentary I watched last night (called Deep Blue), then killer whales will come separate a baby gray whale from its mother and then kill and eat it. So, we better hope that these don't end.


Parting

My memories of melodies
are fading from my mind,
and notes I used to know no longer
harmonize with mine.
Maybe I should take a rest—
Or pretend that it’s all fine—
but I can’t stand the silence
so I try to find
a way to reconnect,
to use my eyes.
I’m groping in the darkness,
and seeking out the blind.
Tired beats for rhythms—
awkward words I can’t make rhyme.
The part of me that is music
grows fainter with time.



Well would you look at that? It's time for another haiku.


Proud rooster heralds
the rising of morning sun.
Dead cock for dinner.

24

This is a long time coming. I must repent for the lackadaisical attitude toward 24 I had adopted recently. For some reason, part way through season 6 of the show I just lost interest. I don't know why. I still haven't even finished the season. Well, today I went ahead and watched the first episode of season 6 during lunch and it was amazing. I forgot how wonderful this show is, so I am throwing down the gauntlet to myself to watch season 6 asap and get myself back in gear. I love you Jack Bauer. Thank you.

More On Global Warming

I am looking into this, but for now I will give you the taste test of what may appear to be a massive effort to get scientists to speak up and denounce global warming. I have said before that I don't pretend to know whether or not it is real, but I am greatly concerned about the fact that those who argue its reality ignore the view of those scientists who argue against its reality. It disturbs me how this has become (what I feel) is a political red herring for the liberal movement. I am sure that there are many who do care and believe that it is real, but the majority of voices that I hear don't seem sincere. They want something. It is a PR stunt.
Anyway, 31,000+ scientists have already signed this petition saying that they do not believe that global warming is caused by CO2 emissions and that those same emissions are actually helpful. I find that compelling. Granted, many of those who signed are possibly not experts int he field, so you do need to take this with a grain of salt. I will also share the insight that the website worldnetdaily.com is decidedly conservative. So, once again... that grain of salt. Pretty interesting stuff though.

Papa's Poem Corner Episode 27: Forsooth, Mine Tooth

A cuckold. Who knew?

This week's poems will continue in the latest trend of being from my class last semester. The first is a villanelle.


Something New

You say I gave my dream away,
but that isn’t true;
my dream changed.

I hope you’ll understand one day,
but no matter what I do
you say I gave my dream away.

You won’t believe me when I say
that yours could have changed, too.
My dream changed

from something old and grey
to something new.
You say I gave my dream away

But I’ll tell you, if I may,
just what I have gone through.
My dream changed

and so now I’ll pray
to share this dream with you.
You say I gave my dream away.
My dream changed.


Incarcerate me if you think that I deserve it. I won't put up a fight. It would be nice to see George again, the old coot. Anyway, here is this week's haiku:


Tiny buzzing bees
work so hard to make honey.
Don’t come close to me.

Papa's Poem Corner Episode 26: Or So The Germans Would Have You Believe...

Ah yes. References to Germans. Nice.

Well, I just got back from the chiro/physical-therapist and I have to briefly comment on how disturbing it is to get your neck and spine popped. I don't think that I'll ever get used to that. It is downright creepy. And, on an absolutely non-related note, last night Sierra and I watched The Great Debaters. I must say that it was a very moving film. I highly recommend it.

POEM TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


The Silent Lamia

Alone in her tower the silent Lamia waits
to prey on the children she knows will come.
She never has to wait long
for children who don’t understand
or others who trust in a strength that will fail
or those who want to be eaten,
like me.

More than the demon’s self,
for the demons too come to kneel,
and seek affections,
and beg for just one taste of her mouth
as they’re devoured
without ever hearing her voice.

We devoured sit inside her
glad to finally be let in.


I should make it clear that this poem is not about my wife. I'm sure that she would want me to clarify that. Anyway, and now--today's haiku.


Curious river
winds along to seek the sea;
cement wall dams.

Papa's Poem Corner Episode 25: What The? Who Now?

Ah ha! You all thought that I had fallen back into my old forgetfulness, that I had fallen asleep at the wheel as it were, that I was eating the cheese pie without my pants for you to take it. Well, I'm not! I was just not at work on Friday, because I got my wisdom toof taken out. Sadly, no drugs were administered or taken during this whole thing. I was awake for the whole procedure, and only took a couple of Ibuprofens the whole weekend. When will my day of drugged loopiness come? When will I be the Queen of the Ball in all your eyes? Maybe Thursday (Lost season finale--woot woot!).

Now, Let's dance a poem.


Supernova

Star
swirling ball of gas
erupting, raging, compounding
the potential climax that drives this flame
to reach, to touch, to fill all space
to explode (warmth, light and dust); to extend—
or to crumble and shrink and accept its fate,
consumed in dark void; the blackest waste.

I
not swirling (but gaseous all the same),
rising and falling in waves
reaching for that image of myself I see
to shine my warm light in the cold dark
and scatter my dust to mingle with life.
My two fates: to expand or to shrink—
and no choice at all is a black hole, I think.



Well, there it is. Now, to end us off, we shall once again tread lightly where no other poems go: the haiku.


Hopping sparrow
sings its morning tune.
Smart worm sleeps in.

MLS Power Rankings: Week 9

Oh boy oh boy! DC finally breaks their 4 game losing streak, and I couldn't be happier about that. They aren't back to form by any means and frankly have a long way to go. I was impressed by their grit and determination to win. They went down a goal twice before eventually pulling ahead for the win. So, my deepest congrats to them, and a plea to right the ship and get back into form. Build from here boys.

1. Chicago Fire (2) - What a beating they gave to NY. Holy cow. Blanco (who has been cleverly nicknamed--not by me, although I find it hilarious--"the Hunchback of Bridgeview") was involved with four of the goals. Man, has that guy been worth the money or what? He is a serious baller and has come to win.

2. NE Revolution (3) - These guys climb for beating the Crew on the road. You know that this team is missing Twellman, but I have been so impressed with their depth and Nicol's managing skills.

3. Columbus Crew (1) - Big drop for previously #1 Crew. Not all is lost (they are still in a three way tie with NE and Chicago for first place in points, but losing at home sucks.

4. Toronto FC - (6) - Things get pretty sticky from here on out in the rankings. Toronto jumps two places despite losing one of the two games they played this week. That is mostly due to the losses of the two teams that were above them. They have built up a solid team (RSL fans have to just be seething at how well both Chivas and Toronto have been able to do in the same or shorter amount of time), but I am still not convinced that they are championship quality.

5. LA Galaxy (8) - What a jump for the Galaxy this week. Their win over KC puts them in first place in the West, and the re-emergence of Edson Buddle gives them yet another attacking option. The defense is still terrible, but could actually improve tremendously with a little tweaking (what that tweaking is, I'm not sure, but if Ruud has a clue then watch out). Honestly, this team's attacking abilities are astounding, and if they can even slightly shore up the defense, then they will become the terror of the West.

6. RBNY - (5) - Despite their 5-1 loss to the Fire, I still will place this team above Colorado. Why? Clavijo (see below).

7. Colorado Rapids (7) - I have a difficult time trusting a team under Clavijo to be anything more than mediocre (with flashes of brilliance tempered by flashes of whatever is the opposite of brilliance).

8. KC Wizards (4) - Big drop this week for KC. It almost doesn't feel justified, but the truth is that they are in a slide. If Claudio Lopez can shine consistently then they will climb back up, but we will have to see.

9. Chivas USA (11) - A road win against Colorado goes a long way in helping this team regain their form at the top of the West.

10. FC Dallas (10) - Coming from behind to get the win against RSL must have felt good for this team in turmoil. Rhine's ejection was merited from his ridiculous actions.

11. Houston Dynamo (9) - They lost to their former selves. That is twisted.

12. DC United (13) - A win at home raises this struggling team up, but not much. They will have to prove that they are contenders over the next few weeks to get out of the basement.

13. RSL (12) - It was so tempting to drop these guys to the bottom after their loss, but I won't. I am starting to wonder why this team isn't gelling. What is it going to take for this talent laden team to come together (they may not all be the most talented int heir position, but they are strong all over the field. They need results and now).

14. SJ Earthquakes (14) - They beat their... oh I don't know how all of this confusion is supposed to be resolved. Beating Houston must have felt exquisite to the Quakes and their fans (probably mostly to the fans).

Best Game Show Ever!!!!!!

A long time ago, my friends and I came up with a fantastic game called Crotch Shot 2000. A couple of variations also came along (like CS2K: Stick Wars, and CS2K: Flying Discs of Death), but the original is where the beauty truly lies. Well, a massive thank you to Matt for showing me this. As if Japan hadn't already contributed enough to the enjoyment of the world, they came up with their own Game Show version of Crotch Shot 2000, and it is hilarious. I must also add, that the capris are part of what make it so fun.

Papa's Poem Corner Episode 24: Serious Stuff

This may seem out of character for a blog this frivolous, but today's poems are of a slightly more serious nature. Once again, they were written for my poetry class. I rather like them.


Laying Pipes

I turned 19 the day the towers fell—
I stood in a ditch laying pipes
on my first day at a job.
Who starts a new job on their birthday?
You do what you have to do.

My foreman came racing up in his truck
with the news that we were under attack,
and the rest of the day we watched the skies
waiting for planes.

In time, those awkward moments will stop,
and no one will try to reconcile my birth
with so much hate and death,
and new hurts will replace the old pains,
and all the living and killing become
chapters our children read.


And now today's haiku (someday maybe I'll come up with titles for these haiku's, but titling my poems is always my least favorite part--if they are serious poems at least):


Snow-dipped mountains, tall
guardians of solitude.
Hear winter whisper.

Papa's Poem Corner Episode 23: You're So Beautiful You Could Be A Waitress

Howdy Campers. Another day of poetry for ya. Man, what is this two days in a row now? Times are good, yes, they are good.


Dawn

Green curtains faint filter light
settle soft on her soft face

subtle part her sweet full lips
gentle rise her chest each breath
little rest her hand in mine

safe she sleeps in my embrace
awake dream I: it is the same


Here is this week's second poem. It is a haiku. Another you ask? Well sure, I've got at least eight more or so after that too. So... put that in your pipe and smoke it.


Drops of water
bathe the Earth.
Fish never notice.

MLS Power Rankings: Week 8

I took a week off from this due to finals, but here it is and here I am and we is done with finals.

1. Columbus Crew (1) - A scoreless draw on the road at the fortress that is Toronto. Some diving antics, but still the top of the pack for now.

2. Chicago Fire (2) - I almost dropped them to third after their home loss to Houston, but... they've done well enough to stay up for now.

3. NE Revolution (4) - Road win against a terrible SJ still feels good for this recovering-from-injuries team.

4. KC Wizards (3) - Got the road tie against RBNY off of Conrad's third goal this season. Way to go, Jimmy!

5. RBNY (5) - No change in rank. They look good, but can't seem to put the game away.

6. Toronto FC (6) - No change, and I'll be more convinced that this team has arrived as a real contender when they can get results away from home and those bloody streamers.

7. Colorado Rapids (8) - Home victory against bitter Rocky Mountain Cup rivals, RSL.

8. LA Galaxy (9) - Excellent victory over FC Dallas. This time without Beckham. That is actually a great thing.

9. Houston Dynamo (14) - Big climb for this team after a couple of wins.

10. FC Dallas (7) - This team is slipping badly right now. 5-1 loss to LA? Yikes that hurts.

11. Chivas USA (12) - Home victory against DC, their first ever come-back win... not too bad with how many injuries are plaguing this team right now.

12. Real Salt Lake (10) - Tough road loss to Colorado, but this team is looking strong at home. If they can keep that up and then toss in a few wins on the road, they won't be in too bad of shape to squeeze into the playoffs.

13. DC United (11) - At least they didn't have an own goal, but man are they bad right now.

14. SJ Earthquakes (13) - No attacking power whatsoever and a defensive mishap that utterly blew.

Papa's Poem Corner Episode 22: Tuesdays With Poetry

I took a poetry workshop class this past semester and have decided to share some of those works with you all on here (this did, after all, start out as Papa's Poetry Corner). I think today we will get a poem and a Haiku. The first was a poem that had to somehow mention or be about coffee (which I don't drink).


The Impenetrable Drink

A poem about coffee seems so simple a thing—
except to a man who’s never tasted the drink.
He’d sit and stare at his impatient screen,
trying to find the deeper meaning
in something so common, smelly, and wet;
that little black bean he’d sooner forget.
After hours of failed attempts at sonnets,
he’d eventually settle for ten simple couplets,
and he’d never get close to connecting a string
of words that could pass as poetry.


This next one is a Haiku, and--to be clear--does not follow the traditional format for English Haiku of 5-7-5 (which is not a true translation anyway, but instead some random system that English speakers to try and copy the Japanese form as best as they could. They got it wrong). It has no title.


Green fields for miles,
flowered waves’ gentle flow.
Sweet scented summer.

Fahrenheit 451

Don't consider this a book review, as much as something that I greatly enjoyed from a book. I just finished reading Fahrenheit 451 this morning (for the first time ever--somehow I missed the boat on that childhood experience, that everyone else seems to have had, of reading this book). I loved it! I think one of the things that I loved most about it was how Bradbury made the book feel foreign and incoherent in the first part, but as time went on and Montag became more aware of himself and the real world, the book began to feel more coherent. It fit perfectly with this theme of literature containing knowledge and helping us to become aware of ourselves (like the phoenix).

Anyway, that is all I will say for now, because I don't want to empty my head of thoughts on Bradbury's work before our book club meeting. Oh, I lied, I will also say that I highly recommend it to all.

Golden Boot

I am copying this list of the top goal scorers of MLS (after 7 weeks of games) from DuNord. This is me giving him a shoutout, because Bruce does a fantastic job of compiling soccer news from around the world everyday. Anyway, here are the top scorers:

8 Landon Donovan
5 Kenny Cooper
5 Robbie Rogers
4 Alejandro Moreno
3 David Beckham
3 Cuauhtemoc Blanco
3 Alan Gordon
3 Sacha Kljestan
3 Jaime Moreno
3 John Thorrington

Now, not to get all "I Love America" teary-eyed on you, but I am so shocked and impressed that the top three are all from the U.S.A. I know that this is our national league (of sorts; we let in Canada also) so it would seem like that should be natural. Well, it is not. I am trying to find the list of Golden Boot winners for the first 13 years of MLS, but I can't. Regardless, it has more often been foreign players than Yanks.

Here we have 5 of the top 10 who are Americans and that makes me happy. The season is still young though and a lot can change.

Randomness

I have no other reason to post today than to link to a delightful picture.

Spy

Paying Homage to Harry Potter

You'd think that enough time would have gone by for me to be candid about events from Harry Potter. It hasn't--my wife still has to read books 5-7. So, I will make my references to events, plot-points, and characters vague enough for her not to understand, and try to make them clear enough for those who have read the books to get. How will I do this? I have no clue.

What I want to say is that these books touched/moved me in ways that no other book has EVER been able to. I give J.K. Rowling full credit and deep respect for that. As I told Sir Steven a minute ago, I have never been more angry, while reading a book, than I was during Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (HP5). I was enraptured in the conflict, and I actually grew to loathe someone. I had to literally stop myself at points and remind me that it was a fictional story and none of these people were real. It was that intense for me.

Conversely, I have never had any single event in a story make me as excited and, dare I say, giddy as did something that takes place in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (HP6). The second I finished that sublime moment, I immediately re-read it, and then after I finished the book, I went back and re-read it again. As a hint, so those who have read it will know of which part I speak, think of Ron's look to Harry that says, "If you must." BAM! I was floored and wanted to squeal like a little girl with glee.

Then you add in what I feel is one of the most complicated characters ever (complicated meaning conflicted on many different levels) and you have the book series that has moved me more than any other. I laughed out loud, I cried out loud, I fumed out loud, and I rejoiced out loud.

So, after all of this time, I am finally getting around to giving my thanks to J.K. Rowling for her excellent books.

Will the Real Harry Potter Please Stand Up?

So, apparently there once lived a man named Harry Potter.
"What?" you ask? You already knew that? No you didn't. You are lying. I'm not talking about the fluffy-haired boy who is all uber-hot and getting freak nasty with You-Know-Who. I'm talking about a man (still British) whose father built half of the city of Middlesbrough. I'm talking about a man who lived 130 years ago. I'm talking about this guy.

Pretty interesting, eh? I wonder if Rowling pays his descendants royalties. I wouldn't. The dirty beggars...

In related news, here is an article about the Rowling/WB lawsuit against the guys making the HP Lexicon. What intrigued me most was the end sentence, where the concern is whether or not the HP community will still be accepting of Vander Ark. I don't really know where I stand on this one, because I can't see why he shouldn't be allowed to make this book, but I can definitely understand Rowling's desire to maintain rights to her creative property. I guess the issue is whether or not this will really fall under that umbrella though. Is a lexicon considered creative property? I don't personally feel like it should be. Let this guy write his book. Rowling will write hers and it will outsell this guy's hands down, no contest, no problem. Scott Card's remarks are poignant.

MLS Power Rankings: Week 6

1. Columbus Crew (2) - Another game, another win; this team is on fire.

2. Chicago Fire (3) - Another impressive win against NE this season. They have outscored NE 7-0 in two games. Wow.

3. Kansas City (4) - A loss and yet they climb the rankings? This is for three reasons: they played #1 Columbus in their loss and still looked pretty good, the Revs' loss was atrocious (and I can't dare to put them above KC at the moment), and the East is dominating the West.

4. NE Revolution (1) - Bad bad times in a loss like that. The Revs are starting to get some of their players back, but will that mess up the mojo of their reserves-turned-starters squad?

5. RBNY (6) - I realize that TOR has a point on RBNY, but they also have a game in hand and NY got the road tie against a TOR team that had been dominating at home.

6. Toronto FC (7) - More fantastic stuff coming out of Toronto; who saw any of this coming when the season started? This team did NOTHING but lose a good player in the off season, but give Mo credit for bringing in three quality players (at least) in the early weeks of the season to get this team going. BMO is a scary place to play these days.

7. FC Dallas (5) - I'm not impressed with an 0-0 score against SJ. I don't care if it is a road game.

8. Colorado Rapids (10) - Gomez or Gallardo? Clavijo has got to be psyched about his trade right now.

9. LA Galaxy (8) - They showed some grit, and Beckham singlehandedly got this team a road point.

10. RSL (12) - They gave up a 2-0 lead to Beckham's heroics, but a tie in which they score rates higher in my book at the moment than a tie in which they don't (i.e. Chivas). There were times that they looked good.

11. DC United (9) - Something is wrong in our nation's capital. We're starting to hear those old grumblings of "Fire Soehn" again. I don't know if I can really argue, but the loss of Olsen can't be underestimated in this now leaderless team (Moreno may wear the armband, but Olsen was the heart of this squad).

12. Chivas USA (11) - Guzan showed his worth, but it wasn't enough for this team to get a goal.

13. SJ Earthquakes (13) - No change.

14. Houston Dynamo (14) - No change.

Benny Olsen...

I sure hope that you get better soon.

Since I started getting back into soccer (around World Cup '06 time) there has been one player that I have grown to love more than any other: Ben Olsen. He has been the heart and soul of DC United for years now and is a fantastic guy (from what I understand--I admit that I have never met him personally). His contributions on the field are not usually the ones that get printed up on stat sheets, or shown on top ten highlight reels. This guy is a workhorse though, and his contributions cannot be understated.

His career has been plagued by injuries, but he has always risen above them and come back a better player for it. More than anything, he has become what I think of when I think of DC United (as much as I love Jaime Moreno, and trust me I do, DC is Ben to me). With his current injury looking so terrible, it is highly likely that he won't be back on that field as a player ever again. I truly hope that, if that is the case, he will stay in touch with the world of soccer. I have no doubt that he would make an excellent coach or GM (not right off the bat perhaps, but give him some time as an assistant coach to really learn the ropes). If he'd prefer, than let him get his hands on a job working as an announcer for soccer games.

I will miss you Ben. I hope that all goes well in your recovery and know that if you have to retire, you sure picked one heck of a season to end your career with. You earned MVP in my book for last season. Emilio's goals were incredible and I take nothing away from him, but at the end of the day, we all know whose work made those goals possible, and whose grit got DC to rally and get back into the season.

Good luck, and thank you.

Here are a couple of articles that talk about Ben and pay homage to the man:

American Soccer Spot's Kind Words
Steve Goff's Soccer Insider Blog (Washington Post)

Who Loves The Office?

I do I do.

Matt showed me an excellent website devoted to bringing you many many hilarious quotes from The Office. You can look up close to all of the episodes, and they even link to pictures and things. For example, here is a link to see Dwight's Power Flow Chart from last night's episode. You can see how the menstrual cycles of the women in the office are figured in, you'll also notice that the majority of the peoples have their own little icon, too. The girls have the Female sign, Oscar has two Male signs (he is indeed gay) and the three black people have little "Black Power" fists. Hilarious.

Deftones

I have been listening to Saturday Night Wrist again these past couple of days, and I gotta say... it is amazing. I've been loving the album since it came out, but I realized (on my way to work this morning) that this is probably my favorite Deftones album. That thought sort of struck me, because I have loved every single Deftones album that has ever come out (even though I sort of missed their self-titled album because I was on my mission, once I found it it steadily grew on me). Each album actually seems to get better and better, as far as I am concerned.

There aren't many bands that can sustain that kind of career (or at least my attention over the course of their career). It greatly impresses me that they can not only still be putting out music, but that I actually like the music that they are putting out. It is more than like it, though.

I love it.

Another random thought about Deftones before I end, I also realized that they are the unofficial standard of how hard and dark I like my music. Anything darker or heavier than Deftones and I usually don't care for it. I like all sorts of things on the other end of the spectrum, but this band knows exactly what extent of dark and heavy that I can love and they go there every album. It's beautiful.

Soccer: The Science Vs. The Art

I have read some blogs and articles recently that have talked about one of the weaknesses in the American (and some of Europe) system of youth soccer. Here in the states, we have the science of the game down pat. We have incredibly advanced medical and exercise facilities to keep our players physically fit and healthy. We can train our players to have great endurance and be strong and all of that fun stuff. In this, we have the Science of soccer (and anything physical) down.

What we are lacking is the Art. What is the Art? Think of Brazil and Argentina. Think of the Latin flair that is so heavily sought after by the top clubs. This is the love for the game and the understanding of the intricate flows on the pitch that we, the USA, lack. The problem seems to be the way that we run our youth teams. The idea of winning is pushed into the brains of the children in a way that makes winning more important than skill.

What is the answer? I don't fully know. I know that some things have to change, but I don't know how to do it. We have had some gems come through the system (Landon Donovan) but the majority of our National Team playing pool is drab. They may be great guys with a lot of heart, but they don't have the soccer mind that someone like a Messi or Kaka has. Not even like a Christian Gomez has.

The USSF needs to work more closely with the youth programs and teach coaches how to inspire the love of the game into the hearts of the kids. I think we'd see less of a drop off around the age of 12-13 if we trained kids how to understand the game and love the game instead of just how to win. We need to be training players and not just scouting them.

Fun For You!

Well, I must give some big thanks to my cousins Ken and Joe (they are real) who turned me on to all of these. The first is a game that is perfect to help kill the boredom of work: Escapa!
It is pretty simple--don't touch the walls and don't let the moving blue blocks touch you. Survive as long as you can.

The second thing is a youtube channel that has goofy (yet surprisingly bland) mad scientist guy who blends things. I'm linking to the Chuck Norris one, but check out the ones where he blends Bic lighters, an iPhone, and glow sticks, too. Thank you, Blendtec!

Finally... what do you get when politicians cater to a small niche group of weirdos? Fun Youtubing for you and me!!! It is hilarious at first, but very quickly becomes quite sad.

MLS Power Rankings: Week 5

Well, here we are after another week of strange outcomes and the effects of MLS parity. These teams are sure making it hard to know how to predict games. I will say that I easily had my best MLS Fantasy League week so far. Thank you Mr. Landon Donovan.

1. New England Revolution (5) - I'm giving NE a big ups here, because they beat unbeaten Dallas on the road while missing 6 of their would-be starters. This team is showing their depth and grit. If this team can do this well with over half of their "power players" off the field, then watch out MLS when they get healthy.

2. Columbus Crew (4) - The Crew pull ahead in the standings, but their win over Houston wasn't as impressive to me as New England's. Great stuff from the Crew though.

3. Chicago Fire (3) - Chicago beats the Rapids at home in a 2-1 victory. Not too shabby.

4. Kansas City (1) - KC drops 3 spots due to their 2-0 away loss to Toronto on Saturday. BMO field was already fairly scary before the team was any good. Now...

5. FC Dallas (2) - This team also drops three spots after their 1-0 loss to NE. Don't lose all hope yet boys.

6. RBNY (7) - They beat SJ 2-0 at home in what was an abysmal showing by their fans (9,000? That is pathetic). Despite TFC having more points in the standings, RBNY has a game in hand on Toronto, so I will give them the nod for now.

7. Toronto FC (9) - What a turn around! BMO Field is becoming a fortress, but I'm not convinced that this team can bring anything on the road. When they prove that, then I'll be sold.

8. LA Galaxy (11) - Landon Donovan scores a hat-trick, and Chivas USA lays an egg. I am still convinced that this season will be all over the place for LA as far as wins go, but we can rest assured that the games will be very exciting and filled with goals.

9. DC United (14) - That had to feel good for DC to come back and get a decided victory over RSL. It is too early to say that DC has all of their woes figured out, but they seem to be heading in the right direction. Congrats to Jaime Moreno for staying in the game in a meaningful way this long.

10. Colorado Rapids (6) - A strong start followed by some question marks.

11. Chivas USA (8) - Oh dear. What has happened in little LA? Guzan's transfer fees will surely take a hit if this team doesn't get it together.

12. Real Salt Lake (10) - Two straight away losses in (what I feel) are the two toughest road venues to play at. Those losses hurt, but there should still be hope for this team.

13. SJ Earthquakes (12) - Still languishing near the bottom. I can't imagine that Houston will stay below them for too much longer.

14. Houston Dynamo (13) - Sad, sad times for the Dynamo, but the season is long and there is time for them to turn it around.

Movie Moment

Today's Papa's Movie Moment is brought to you by Samsong. Samsong, we make songsam great.

Exciting things on a few fronts. First a brief snippet of an interview with Matthew Fox about Lost (be warned Steven that he does mention something to come, although I didn't feel like it was spoiler-ish--if I can be given the license to make up that word). New Lost starts again tonight and I can't wait.

On another front, we have some info regarding Steve Carrell's next film, Get Smart. I absolutely loved that show when I was little and now I will get to love it again. One thing that surprised me was to learn that Mel Brooks was involved in the show's initial creation. I had no idea. How many fantastic movies and shows has that guy been involved in? I need to go check his imdb.

Finally, last night Sierra and I watched Juno. I really liked it. I thought it was clever and funny and touching. It had an obvious Napoleon feel to it, but it brought some depth that Napoleon lacked (depth referring mainly to the seriousness of the subject and emotional climax). My only complaint was that some of the "cool lingo" felt forced at times. There were exchanges and lines that didn't feel natural to me, and I think they could have had better success by toning some of that down a little bit (the scene with Ellen Page and Rainn Wilson is the one of which I am thinking in particular). I will give big kudos to Ellen Page, who did a great job, and also to Michael Cera, who was excellent.

Blackadder

I had heard about this comedy series (I will indeed call it that) before, but I admit that I had no clue what it was about or who was in it. Today, in my Later 18th Century British Literature class, my teacher showed us a skit. I must say that I was quite pleased with it. To begin, Rowan Atkinson plays the character of Blackadder and it is one of the most serious roles I have ever seen him in (not because he isn't funny, but in the sense of the style of humor; it is not that over the top silliness that a character like Mr. Bean brings and requires). It also features Hugh Laurie (perhaps known best to American audiences for his role as Dr. House from House M.D.). It is an incredibly smart/clever style of humor and supposes at least somewhat of a knowledge of history and literature on the part of the audience.

Anyway, if anyone is feeling like they are just not getting enough quirky British humor in their diet, then go check out Blackadder. I know that I shall (after I finish Firefly).

Burn Notice

Last night Utah beat Houston again (in Houston) and now get to head back home for what will presumably be the final two games of the series. It is not impossible for Houston to come back and get one, but I don't see it happening.

After the game, Cody showed us a show called Burn Notice. Think MacGyver meets Jack Bauer. The basic plot is of a spy who gets a "burn notice" (or perhaps more commonly we would say black listed or something) from the agency for which he was working. They freeze his assets so he has no access to funds, and leave him high and dry in the middle of a "situation" (I used that word so I wouldn't have to reveal too many plot details). The show was quite enjoyable. It was witty/clever as well as exciting and reminded me of that feeling I used to get when MacGyver would come waltzing into a bad situation and then escape by making some kind of laser gun out of french fries (although this one seems more realistic so far). Anyway, I give it a thumbs up. Go check it out.

Also, it even features Bruce Campbell (who played Ash in Evil Dead/Army of Darkness). So, toake that you B, cult movie junkies.

MLS Power Rankings: Week 4

Wow. This season is starting off with no rhyme of reason. My fantasy league team is doing absolutely TERRIBLE, and I seem incapable of figuring out who will actually pull off a win each week. Oh well, no one but me reads these anyway... ;)

I'm also adding each team's previous week's ranking (in parentheses) so we can see how they climb/fall.


1. KC Wizards (2) - back up top after beating Chicago 1-0 on the road.

2. FC Dallas (6) - Quite a climb this week. I almost gave the #2 spot to Columbus, but being the last unbeaten team ought to count for something. The win over Chivas also seems like a stronger showing than a win over DC (right now at least).

3. Chicago Fire (1) - The Fire are showing some terrible signs on the field whenever Blanco doesn't show up. Are they capable of a win if he gets injured? Defensively they still seem very solid (one goal allowed in their first four games--minus Soumare's own goal--is a pretty strong showing I'd say), but offensively, they have only scored more than one goal in a game once, and that was against the bi-polar Revs.

4. Columbus Crew (7) - Real Salt Lake beating the DCU reserves is one thing, Columbus beating their full strength squad (minus Benny) is another. This team doesn't feel "top-of-the-class," but they do feel steady.

5. NE Revolution (4) - They drop one spot due to the good play of the Crew and Dallas, but for getting the 1-1 tie against RBNY, even while playing a man down, they don't drop any further than that. If this team can get healthy (and keep all their men on the field for the full 90), they could dominate.

6. Colorado Rapids (3) - They went ahead and shocked me with the loss to SJ. Congrats, you guys are the first losers to a team that hadn't scored, yet. You get to drop three points.

7. Red Bull NY (9) - Not incredibly strong and blew two points in a game they should have put away against the Revs.

8. Chivas USA (8) - Lost to Dallas with Kljestan out (red card). It's not panic time... yet.

9. Toronto FC (12) - I gave them the #9 spot, above RSL, simply for the fact that they beat RSL. I don't really feel like they showed themselves as a stronger squad and were they to replay tomorrow the game could go the other way. However, a win is a win.

10. Real Salt Lake (10) - No movement this week.

11. LA Galaxy (13) - They climb two spots for both not losing and also because Houston and DC deserve to be dropped to the bottom for the states that they are in.

12. SJ Earthquakes (14) - They get their first goal and first win of the season. Thanks Senor O'Brien.

13. Houston Dynamo (11) - They barely get the nod over DC for #13. Who do you choose, the team with more losses or the team with less wins? Ultimately, I gave them the nod because they can at least claim injuries for their lack of performance.

14. DC United (5) - They lost again and after almost a full week of rest. They will climb up eventually, but how much does the loss of Benny seem like it is hurting this squad? They need someone else to stand up as the leader of this team and bring that passion. I really hope that I never have to put them at the bottom of the Power Rankings again.

Thoughts on RSL

I noticed today that Real Salt Lake has scored in every game that they have played. That impressed me. I am very excited for this team in'08, and I feel like they are finally heading down a road of success. It is too early to tell for sure, but they have impressed me. You take a team like Chicago or FC Dallas (neither have lost yet, and Chicago has even eeked out a few wins), and I'm not impressed. Chicago's (I should say Blanco's) last minute goal to tie with RSL in week 1 was a fluke. I'm calling it that. That was a piece of Blanco magic, and frankly I don't blame RSL for that. The next week can't be blamed on a fluke as much, but RSL came out as ballers. They played very well, but thigns didn't go their way in the end (and it stung even more because of the two goals by Attiba and Esky). Game three, they finally got the win. Now, that fluke thing could come right back in calling their win against a decidedly less-than-normal-strength DCU, but RSL didn't just beat them. They beat them soundly.

I am very hopeful for this team. It seems to me like they are at that point where all the pieces are in place. All they need now is that finishing touch. It is up to the strikers to gain that confidence to finish the chances that they are creating. This week will help. They are going against Toronto and it is a game that they should win (despite the addition of Amado). This is an important game for RSL. They need to step up and take that confidence from last week's destruction of DCU Reserves and finish against Toronto. The whole season doesn't hinge on this game, but it will determine where they end up. If they can beat TOR this week, with their offense finishing the way they should, then they can set themselves up to actually have a great season. If not, then they are going to continue with that struggle that has marked their existence these past three years.

To sum up: RSL will show great improvement this year. How they do this weekend will determine just how great. A win this week could help propel them to the confidence that they will need to not just drag themselves into the playoffs (finally), but to actually earn that playoff spot with strength and honor.

MLS Power Rankings: Week 3

NEWhat a strange start to the season. So many upsets and injuries. So many goals. I hardly know what to think anymore. Yet, I will do my best to rank these teams as I see them in strength. I am ditching the conference format and setting up as single table from here on out.

1. Chicago Fire - They haven't been consistently dominant in play, but they have gotten the wins.

2. Kansas City - They drop to 2nd after a loss to NE and the scoreless tie against Houston. A win against Chicago this week will earn them the #1 spot again.

3. Colorado Rapids - I will be shocked if they don't get the win against San Jose. Christian Gomez seems to have sparked something in this team. Can they keep it up over the long run though?

4. NE Revolution - Injuries that would have left other teams crippled have been staved off by some young guns stepping up.

5. DC United - A strong team that has been distracted but Champions Cup. They'll be rising again now that they've been knocked out.

6. FC Dallas - Kenny Cooper and Arturo Alvarez are proving their worth.

7. Columbus Crew - An impressive win against Chivas puts them in the seven spot. Their attack is faring better than expected.

8. Chivas USA - With Mendoza and Kljestan out with red cards, the Goats could have a tough time in Dallas.

9. Red Bulls New York - The defense doesn't look up to snuff, but they still look decently strong.

10. Real Salt Lake - Still my dark horse, and they are finally starting to gel. I don't care if it was against a weak DCU squad. They looked good out there, and the confidence is rising.

11. Houston Dynamo - Too many woes for this team right now. Caig in goal has not found form and makes you wonder if he ever had it. Boswell is not looking good in defense either.

12. Toronto FC - They get a great road win over LA and the addition of Amado "El Lobo" Guevara will help, but it is too risky to think that he will stay happy all season long.

13. - LA Galaxy - Strange times in LA. Ditch Lalas, ditch Ruiz, and spread that $$$ around for some quality across the board.

14. - San Jose Earthquakes - Keep your heads up, boys. Some day it will come.

Across the Forced/Contrived Universe

Last night I finally saw Across the Universe. It was a visually stunning film, and I will definitely give it a thumbs up in that category. The singers did a great job, too (I especially loved Jojo's voice) with the sole exception of Sadie. She bugged.

I was disappointed with the movie, in the end. It felt like "they" (the writers/director) were trying to make a Beatles' version of Moulin Rouge. I loved Moulin Rouge (once the first ten minutes were over), but this movie felt like it fell way short. That is sad to me. It felt like it had so much potential, but I felt like the story and songs were being forced. Little clever lines that quoted Beatles' song lyrics didn't feel clever to me--they felt silly and contrived.

There were little story lines that had no relevance and went nowhere (especially Prudence's little story). The effect was a distraction. I never was able to get into any characters to any great extent, partly because of the distracting/irrelevant side stories and also in part to the notion of character development based almost solely through songs (that weren't written or intended to be used to bridge separate events.

Another complaint of mine was the "agenda-filled" story. I have seen countless "anti-war" films in my life, and, unless they bring something new to the table, it is easy to end up feeling like re-hash or propaganda (for a great example of a movie that treated the Vietnam era in a way that felt honest, yet without an agenda, see Forrest Gump). Now, I am not claiming that all that can be said about the Vietnam War has been said, nor am i saying that there is no place for bias in film making. What I am saying is that there have already been so many biased films on the subject, that I'm not going to be excited about that re-hash unless it brings something new to the table. I didn't feel like this did. In fact, I really just felt like it was a failed attempt at trying to milk a movie out of something that is loved by so many people; The Beatles' music.

I also admit that my love of musicals isn't great. I can appreciate them, but usually they have to be pretty amazing to impress me.

MLS Needs To Step Up 2: The Streets

I am really pleased with how the MLS has been so slow and steady in its growth over the first decade of its existence. I really think that foundation will make the difference between a league that has staying power.

We are heading into strange times now though. MLS is trying to grow the league. More teams, more investors, more stadiums, and more attractive soccer on the field so that fans will increase. They also want more international competitions between MLS and foreign leagues. I am all for these moves, but I hope that MLS will understand the need for continued patience in this. The salary limits they have in place make it almost impossible for their teams to have the depth required to play that many games and play well. Having MLS teams consistently suck in these "outside" competitions will do nothing but make the league look terrible.

They need to raise the salary cap and especially developmental salaries. Young American players are fleeing to European leagues because their league back home won't pay them enough to actually survive. There is no way that a team (even ones so decorated as DC United and the Houston Dynamo) can survive the number of games that the league is forcing them into. Don't get me wrong, they want to be there and want to play, but no amount of wanting will win those games if their legs are tied up.

I agree with the many others that have said that the next CBA is paramount to this league's continued success. However, I think that needs to be coupled with the easing off of international competition for the two or four top teams. CCL, Superliga, US Open Cup, Pan-American Cup, and MLS Cup take a toll. This is why we have seen the top teams int he league consistently under perform in the US Open Cup. They field their reserve squads for it. Of course they do! What team on earth would put out their best squads for a tournament that isn't marketed, receives close to no television coverage, and whose payday is fairly pathetic? No one, that's who.
I say, turn the Superliga into a second-tier tournament (under the CCL) and open it up to more countries' second-tier squads. That way the top four of MLS play in the CCL, and the next four can have a go at the Superliga. Make the payday for the Superliga and CCL proportionate, also. Raise the salary cap a little, and I think we've got a solution on our hands, boys.

Word of the Day

I guess that my thought to sculpt Matt out of clay is not much more than a simple velleity at this point.

MLS Power Rankings: Weeks 1 & 2 Combined

Well, after week two of the season, we have finally seen all of the teams play. Where do they sit in the pecking order? I'll let you know.

East:

1. KC - What a week for Jimmy Conrad. Claudio Lopez is showing his quality and so is forward Ivan Trujillo. Their 2-0 defeat of DCU (last year's Supporter's Shield winner) wasn't easy, but impressive nonetheless. Now they have put Colorado back in their place, and frankly I'm excited for this team this year. The new mini-RFK seems like such a better fit for them (all awkward camera angles aside).

2. DCU - Their loss to KC will obviously make it hard to put them at the #1 spot, but they are strong. Jaime Moreno's return from injury is a much-needed plus going into the 2nd leg of their CONCACAF Champions Cup against Mexican side Pachuca (they are down 2-0 in the two leg series and need to beat the other team by at least three goals to move on). That is a tall order, but they showed the depth to be able to rest some players in their 4-0 dismantling of Toronto FC on Saturday.

3. CHI - I was not impressed with their performance against RSL in week one. In fact, Blanco's goal in full length stoppage time was one of those fluke things that just happens occasionally to a team. The team showed no possession or attacking prowess. Now, fast forward one week, and their destruction of NE looks like a whole new team. Something came together for this team and they showed some real quality (even Chad Barrett looked good all game long).

4. RBNY - They've only played one game, but they did beat Columbus 2-0 and they did it well. I think Osorio will get this team to gel, and shore up last year's defensive woes. JPA and Jozy up top = destruction for goalies' GAA.

5. NE - What can I say? The loss of goal-scoring machine Taylor Twellman and Ironman/Captain Steve Ralston didn't seem like it would matter with the two new Gambians having their way with Houston's flanks, but then Chicago showed them how bad it can hurt. All is not lost for the team, but the shoes that Cristman has to fill may just be a little too big for the tyke at this point.

6. CLB - They beat Toronto 2-0 on opening day. They lost to RBNY 2-0 one week later. Another year of steady mediocrity.

7. TOR - Another sad, sad start for this 2nd year franchise. 2-0 loss to CLB, then a 4-0 drubbing against DCU. Their fans are special, so kudos to them for that (and that is not said in sarcasm. The fact that over 2,000 of them--I've read closer to 3,000--went down to Columbus for the opening game is fantastic).

West:

1. CHV - They played to a 1-1 draw against Dallas, and then beat RSL 3-1 (with the two strikers that just left RSL this past off-season scoring). They are off to a good start this season.

2. HOU - I realize that Dallas had a stronger showing in their first two games, as did Colorado, and LA. However, this team is in the same boat as DCU with CONCACAF games testing their depth (four games in two weeks). They passed the depth test for me at this point.

3. DAL - Two weeks, two ties. Nothing incredibly impressive, but still showing some strength, also.

4. RSL - Some might find this strange, given that they still haven't won and both Colorado and LA have. My reason is simply quality of opponent. Chicago has proven themselves a dangerous team, and Chivas is #1 in the West. Against CHI, they held possession the entire game and barely lost two points for one of those unlucky Blanco-nian strikes of fate. While losing to CHV is no fun (especially when every player you just sent over there scored on you), this team is showing some grit and determination.

5. COL - An impressive start to the season until one remembers who they beat (lame duck LA). Granted they did this without half of their starters, but their loss to KC showed that they can't hang with the bigger kids in school.

6. LA - Wow. 4-0 loss to COL to start the season is terrible. Landy-cakes and Beckham scoring/assisting against expansion SJ had to have felt good for them, but the loss of Carlos Ruiz is going to hurt (even with Beckham). So much depends on the incredibly untested shoulders of Steve Cronin.

7. SJ - Welcome back! I hope you have some patience.

Elephant Painting

Wow. How strange is this? I sat there (I admit it, honey) fully skeptical of this actually being an elephant painting. I thought it was somebody's hand in a little "trunk puppet" sleeve, until they finally zoomed out and I saw the whole big monster painting an incredibly beautiful (and not just for an elephant--that painting is one I would have liked if I saw it in a Chinese Market or something). What an amazing animal. They'll rule us all someday. Mark my words.

"The Day the Elephants Came Out to Play"

The day the elephants came out to play
astonished, we knew not what to say.
Yet, happy for some company
we thought we'd try and teach them.

Intelligently the did learn
to draw and paint, and we in turn
grew glad that such enormous beasts
Could replicate Earth's beauty.

So human-like they seemed to us
(as anything that paints sure must)
But, attempting to communicate,
we learned they would not answer.

Centuries went on this way
(like Emi D.'s eternal day),
those slow and silent monsters
learned everything we knew.

They put to use their new-found knowledge
(many enrolled in elephant college).
Advancing medical science beyond
human understanding.

Some became excellent break dancers
others cured A.I.D.S. and even the cancers,
and, saving Earth from former Soviets,
they proved their incredible worth.

Then how we loved our elephant friends--
gift baskets of meat and cheese did we send.
But apparently elephants don't a-like-a the meat.
They turned and went stamping away.

The last time we saw them, they boarded a shuttle
and flew to the moon (where gravity is subtle).
And we are left to shoot rockets of peanuts to space
for our glorious grey princes in the sky.

Black Mormon History

While searching for confirmation of whether or not Snoop Dogg is Mormon (for original post with link go here, and for the record--scroll to the bottom of the "CNN" article and you'll see that it was indeed an April Fool's joke), I came across an article that highlights a new independent film about the history of black Mormons. My dad knows Darius Gray, and for some reason that makes me feel closer to this film. I'm interested in seeing it, and will definitely review it after I do.

Snoop Converts!

My dad sent me an e-mail that had this link to a CNN article about Snoop Dogg converting to Mormonism. Later, he sent another one informing me that this was an April Fool's joke (I think his source was a family member of Gladys Knight--in whose choir my father sings). I have to say that this is one of the funniest hoaxes I've ever heard. I realize that I'm biased (being myself a Mormon), but I was laughing my head off at the picture of Snoop Dogg holding the Book of Mormon. His quotes were fantastic, also.

I think his April Fool's Joke barely edges mine out. I give him full credit for that. Yes, and perhaps some mad props. Indeed. I do believe some of those would be in order. I'll get some sent off to him at my earliest convenience.

In unrelated news, Steven got me signed up on this "Word of the Day" e-mail service. I am loving it! Today's word was "omphalos." The reason I bring it up, though is because of a sister-word (of sorts) that i found to be one of the coolest words I have ever heard: "omphaloskepsis" (which means "contemplation of one's navel"). How cool is that?

MLS Fantasy

Well, I just made some changes for this weekend's games. I almost immediately regretted it--it would have been smart to wait and see if anyone gets injured tonight or tomorrow in CONCACAF Champions Cup. Oh well. My team (Papa FC) did not do too hot last weekend. I earned 32 points. That puts me in 8934th place, overall (the high being 188 points. Yikes).

I did fare better in my league (where I placed 32nd out of 48). My league is The Official RSL Fantasy League or something like that. I don't really know why I chose that one over DC's league. My guess is that I saw a link for that league before I saw one for DC.

Anyway, my current lineup looks like this:

Goalkeeper - Pat Onstad (HOU)

Defenders - Wade Barrett (HOU), Eddie Robinson (HOU), Marc Burch (DCU), Michael Harrington (KC)

Midfielders - Andy Williams (RSL), Kyle Beckerman (RSL), Sainey Nyassi (NE), Clyde Simms (DCU)

Forwards - Luciano Emilio (DCU), Claudio Lopez (KC)

Coach - Thomas Soehn (DCU)

Bench - Guillermo Barros Schelloto (CLB), Alex Nimo (RSL), Brian Carroll (CLB)


Let's go Papa FC! Fight to the death, eat to the finish, nibble on some bums, and get inverted! Let's bring home to cake to mama.

A Post Bereft of References to April Fool's Day

Gotcha! Woo, jokes are fun, and you all just got suckered into the greatest of them all! I hope that you all will forgive me.

April Fool's Day, April Fool's Day, but April Fool's Day until April Fool's Day got April Fool's Day another April Fools' Day. Oh, and Gary says, "April Fool's Day."

Moving on, today is a big day for soccer with Champions League quaterfinals going on in Europe. I, however, am far more concerned with DC United's away leg against Pachuca tonight. It's the semi-finals of the CONCACAF Champions Cup and I am hoping and praying that DC will be able to pull out a win down there (they never have won a game in Mexico before). I will be totally happy with a tie, but a loss will definitely make things difficult for them.

Houston and Saprissa will play their semi-final game tomorrow (in Costa Rica). I can't even begin to say how excited that would make me to see two MLS teams in the final final (no mistake there, this is the last year of existence for the CONCACAF Champions Cup--it will become the CONCACAF Champions League this year and will increase the number of participating teams from 8 to 24. This is a GREAT thing).

Sadly, I will have to miss the game, but I will make a giant effort to try and watch it later on (by any means necessary).

The Brilliance of Lost

April's Giggle Squad Book Club book (as chosen by yours truly) is Bram Stoker's Dracula. I am loving it so far (I'm about 10 chapters in). Last night, as I finished chapter 8, I read the name Jack Shephard (it may have been spelled Sheppard, but I don't have the book with me to verify). Of course, I immediately got all excited, called Matt to tell him, and then sat there thinking about what possible ties there could be between the criminal and the Lost character. Both Matt and Steven were kind enough to remind me that Lostpedia has just about all of the character references already listed on there, so I will admit that it could very well be coincidence (after all, Wikipedia mentioned another Jack Shephard, who was a cave diver). However, whether or not there is any coincidence between them, the mere fact that the parallel can be drawn speaks highly to me of the intelligence of those who created and write Lost. They have set a precedent of parallels between history and fiction, and the characters of the show.

What is the point of all of this? I guess I don't exactly know, but I am intrigued with the notion of references and allusions to other works (whether fictional or not). I just finished reading Eliot's The Wasteland and although the book was a difficult read (especially for anyone's first time through it), our class discussion about the abundance of allusions, references, quotes, and almost plagiarisms of and to other texts was fascinating to me. The Wasteland received (and may still receive) criticism for how much it "borrows" from other forms of literature. The thing is riddled with it. I actually found that to be one of the most interesting parts about the book. It carries a notion of layering new meaning over old meaning and conjuring thick images with a simple word. I feel like that is one of the things that Lost is accomplishing very well--they reference real and fictional sources of meaning, wisdom, and fun. It builds layers for those obsessive fans that want to dig deeper and drench themselves in the world that has been created for them. Kudos to you J.J. Abrams, David Lindeloff, and all others who help contribute (not least of all, the actors).

More UNLV Soccer and the 100th Post!

This will seem like a flood of soccer stuff, but I assure you, it will all balance itself out in the end. I'm excited about the depth that UNLV men's soccer head coach Mario Sanchez is bringing into the team. He's doing a great job of recruiting for this team, and the improvement that the team showed from '06 to '07 is remarkable. Only time will truly tell how well each of these players will really contribute on the field, but I'm excited for the '08 season to get started.

It may not be a huge milestone, but I feel pretty good about it--this is my 100th post (on this blog; if I combined my two blogs I would have reached it a while ago, but alas... I am far too lazy to copy those over). A more prolific writer would have reached this number in 1/10th the time it took me, but that same prolific writer will also get a punch to the face if I ever see him any near my grandmother's bridge club. So, fellow bloggers beware...

MLS '08 Predictions, Part Two: The West

I now present my predictions for the Western conference in season 13 of Major League Soccer. Part 1 can be found here.

WEST:

1. Chivas USA (CHV) - This team found themselves last season and it was incredible. Razov and Galindo up top terrorized defenses until the very end, when injuries took them both out of the post-season. They have addressed that issue and brought in greater depth at forward. With a midfield that mixes young talent with hard-nosed veteran leadership, I can see this team coming out on top of the Western conference. Their inclusion in the newly created CONCACAF Champion's League and the highly entertaining Superliga, the club's depth truly will be tested, but I think that they are up for the task.

2. Houston Dynamo (HOU) - You can never count out Houston. This team has a solid core of hard-working winners, and they are solid from front to back. They lost defender Ryan Cochrane, and forwards Joseph Ngwenya and Nate Jaqua, but frankly I don't see that being a problem for this team. They picked up '06 Defender of the Year Bobby Boswell (who disappointed last season in DC, but is quite capable of regaining his form if head coach Dominic Kinnear can provide the right spark--something he has proven himself quite capable of), and it should be remembered that Kinnear has proven himself able to make those vital mid-season acquisitions to keep the team strong.

3. Real Salt Lake (RSL) - This is my dark horse pick (and yes it is partly because I like them a lot). Every year has begun with great promise, and every year has been a disappointment for this still young team (they entered the league in '05 season; the same year as Chivas USA). A drastic overhaul has taken place over the course of those three years, and ex-Captain (now head coach), Jason Kreis, has finally had that off-season he was hoping for to get this team headed in the right direction. This team will need time to gel, but I think that they will surprise us all and finally make it into the playoffs. The biggest change that has taken place, and the one that really matters in my book, is the depth that has been added. The old approach of bringing in "stars" has been abandoned for a group of sound players with the passion to win. The defense has been shored up, and there will be competition for the starting position at every spot. This is a make or break year for the team--not in the sense that they have to win the Cup, but that they finally learn to win. I think they will.

4. Los Angeles Galaxy (LAG) - Superstars of the world (ok only one of the world, the other two from Central and N. America) unite! General Manager, Alexi Lalas, finally has the "superteam" he wanted (I'm sure that isn't entirely true, but they are off to a start) in David Beckham, Landon Donovan, and Carlos Ruiz. Sadly, it has come at the expense of quality everywhere else on the pitch. The back line (along with Cronin in goal) looks to be just as ineffectual as last year, but, with the attacking prowess of the three aforementioned stars, I can see the Galaxy eeking out wins. My guess is that we can expect a lot of scoring to go on in their games from both ends. They are my middle of the pack for the West--they'll win a lot and they'll lose a lot. It will all depend on whether their offense shows up in any given game.

5. FC Dallas (DAL) - This is a team with a lot of potential, but too many missing pieces to truly be great. The loss of Ruiz will hurt them; I don't see Cooper as enough of an offensive threat to carry the goal scoring of this team. A lot will fall on the shoulders of Juan Toja, and he will show up, but there is just too much inconsistency for this team to be real title contenders. They'll be tough to beat, but doable.

6. Colorado Rapids (COL) - I love Christian Gomez, but--despite his incredible consistency--I don't think he'll be enough to help this team find their groove. Their corps of forwards have potential and I am secretly rooting for Herculez Gomez to step up and deliver on the quality service that Christian Gomez will bring, but I don't see this team climbing out of their cess-pool as long as head coach Fernando Clavijo is around. He is a dead weight and will continue to drag this team down until he is relieved.

7. San Jose Earthquakes (SJ) - A strong pre-season does not convince me that this team is ready for anything else than to be hammered. It is their expansion year, and, with the exception of Chicago winning the MLS Cup in their first season ('98), expansion teams traditionally have a rough go of it for at least their first season. I do like what head coach Frank Yallop is doing down there, and I'm excited for him to be able to regain some of the prestige he lost with last year's LA debacle.

MLS '08 Predictions, Part One: The East

I guess we should start this thing off right. These are my predictions for how the East and West Conferences (it will be done in two parts; Part 2 found here) will stack up come the end of the season, although (I admit) for as much thought as I put into these rankings (and I have put quite a bit of thought into it), it all ends up being somewhat arbitrary. Also, I originally posted this in SoccerVegas, where I wrote with the assumption that my readers had a somewhat extensive knowledge of MLS (and soccer in general). I will not make that assumption here (at least initially), so I have added some flavor to my predictions to help everyone know why I rank teams the way I do, and divided them into the two conferences. Enjoy, or be bored (depending on your love for the beautiful game).

EAST:

1. DC United (DCU) - Both because of--and despite--the fact that DCU is my favorite team, I am picking them as the top team not only in the East, but for the whole of Major League Soccer. They won the Supporter's Shield (the award given to the team with the best regular season record) the past two years in a row, and I fully see them doing it again. They brought in some defensive grit and seem to have fixed the defensive holes from last year. They have added greater depth in their subs and are an offensive team from an incredible amount of angles. The loss of Christian Gomez (see Colorado Rapids) could end up hurting them if their Designated Player, Marcelo Gallardo, doesn't pan out, but so far he has shown well. They have a VERY busy season (not only are they plaing in the 30 regular season games, they are also in the CONCACAF Champion's Cup, U.S. Open Cup, Superliga, and the first ever CONCACAF Champion's League), but I think that they have the ammunition to deal with it.

2. New England Revolution (NE) - This team has proven themselves as contenders for the past few seasons. They have made it to the MLS Cup finals the past three years in a row (each time barely losing by a one goal differential--LA beat them 1-0 in overtime in '05; the '06 final against Houston went to penalty kicks after a 1-1 tie in overtime. NE once again lost by one; and last year's 2-1 loss to Houston). They lost both Pat Noonan and Andy Dorman during the off-season, but I don't see that as being too great a problem for the Revs; head coach Steve Nicol has an incredible eye for young talent, and the core of the team has stayed intact. In fact, the addition of Chris Albright in the backline is a good sign for this team. Parkhurst and Albright together ought to make for a pretty formidable defensive pair.

3. Kansas City Wizards (KC, and sometimes the Wiz) - I like what head coach Curt Onalfo did with this team last season (any coach that can get Eddie Johnson scoring like that again is great in my book), and I think we'll see them take it to the next level this season. They did lose Eddie to English side Fulham, but they brought in two time Argentine World Cup veteran Claudio Lopez to take his place, and frankly I don't think they will miss him (as much as I want Eddie to succeed on the international level, he has been inconsistent his whole career).

4. Red Bulls New York (RBNY) - Osorio has begun to prove himself a rather capable coach in MLS, and given the strong attacking duo of Juan Pablo Angel and Jozy Altidore up top, he'll be able to focus on and address the defensive weaknesses that killed this team last season. However, as tactically savvy as Osorio can be, I don't see him being able to get this team to win consistently. I expect waves of quality followed by waves of drudgery. The quintessential "middle of the pack" type team (in the East at least--where the competition is just a bit more stiff than out West).

5. Chicago Fire (CHI) - You can't discount Blanco. He came in last season and almost single0handedly turned this team around. Can he do it again this year over the course of a full season, or will he run out of gas? whether or not he is able to will determine the fate of this team in '08. Their inconsistencies up front will continue to be a problem for this team, despite the return of Andy Herron to the ranks. Add the controversy surrounding the departure of Juan Carlos Osorio to NY, and the discontent that defender Wilman Conde is causing (with his very public pleadings to follow Osorio to NY) in the locker room, and former Assistant Coach Dennis Hamlett has a lot to overcome. I see too many problems for this team to deal with to really consider them as title contenders.

6. Columbus Crew (CLB) - I can see this team having a fairly strong run at the end of the season as some of its younger players come into their own, but there just isn't enough going on over there for anyone to take them too seriously. Schellotto's midfield play was astounding last season, but there just aren't enough of the right pieces to complement his brilliance. However, the addition of Brian Carrol will definitely add some defensive grit, and make it possible for them to turn things around if their forwards can get it together and start scoring.

7. Toronto FC (TFC) - This team slept through their first season and didn't wake up during the off-season. The new head coach is disturbed with what he is seeing, and frankly I'm not convinced that the crew that former head coach (turned General Manager), Mo Johnston, put together last season is strong enough to take them anywhere even if they can all manage to stay healthy. I expect this team to continue the tough road they started down last season, but I sure hope that won't diminish the fire that is burning in the hearts of their incredible fans up north.

The Fusion of Two Worlds

I have come to realize that it is rather silly for me to try and divide my time up between two blogs. I hardly can keep one going half of the time. So, from here on out, this blog is going to become my SUPERBLOG! I'll be combining it with my other pet, soccervegas.blogspot.com. my thought is to try and get out something soccer related at least once a week. Mainly, it will continue to be my random little corner where I can stuff my thoughts but still allow others to read them (although I am well aware of how few people on this wide earth actually get on here and read things). I will leave the link to the other blog for people to go check out, if they ever want to, but from now on, Papa's Bloggito will become Papa's World. Be warned.

Also, Adam sent me this link for an incredibly textual Star Wars experience. Check it out.

To close, I followed (and will continue to follow) the UNLV Rebels' mens' soccer team. There will be updates throughout their season on how well they are/aren't doing, as well as a stat bar on the side (eventually) of individual performances. I try to make it to as many games as I can, but that doesn't end up being many. I have also thought about trying my hand at sports photography (taking pictures of the games I go to this season and posting them on here). We'll see how that goes (I couldn't count the number of projects I've half-begun only to lose interest in a short time later).

Thus, some news on the Rebels: back on Feb. 20th, our Rebels beat German Youth Pro Team Borussia Monchengladbach (Yikes. They sound like an execution squad or something) 4-2.

Scoring:
Junior Lamar Neagle netted two, including the game-winning-goal.
Freshman Richard Abrego (from LV; he went to Silverado) got a goal and assisted on Neagle's 1st goal.
Junior Ben Haugland also scored a goal and assisted on Abrego's goal.
Junior John Crawley (from Glasgow, Scotland... yes!) assisted on Neagle's 2nd goal.

HP7 Gets Split!

It has been officially announced: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows will be split into two films. All of Harry Potter nerd-dom (of which I am most definitely a part) is up in arms debating whether or not this is just a ploy to extend the franchise and get more money, or whether it is a good thing that we've actually been wanting for a couple of the previous films, or whether it even matters (we've got our books and let the world rot--we'll be sitting in our rooms reading). my thought is this: I love Harry Potter. Whatever reason the studio has for making two films (be it the artistic vision of not wanting to lose anything by cramming it into 1 1/2 hours or to make money) is irrelevant to me. More Harry Potter is more Harry Potter. There are many who hated the fifth movie and the notion that the same guy will be directing it pisses them off, but once again, I'm just not all that bothered. No movie does "justice" to the visions we all have in our heads of what a book should be. They are different formats, they are different ways of telling a story, and they are just plain different media.
Think about it for one second--there are too many things that can be done in writing that just can't be done in film. They don't translate (and the attempts to have them translate always feel lame). Conversely, take a movie like The Matrix; I have no desire to read a book version of that film. That film was incredibly visual and cinematic. The story was fantastic also, but the story was only one part of it. The visual is what took a fantastic story and turned it into something revolutionary (at least for American audiences). So, I suggest that those "literary purists" who just never seem satisfied with film adaptations of books either learn the art of film-making (and thus learn to appreciate what IS done well in the film version, or maybe to even do your own version someday if you are that pissed off), or stop watching film adaptations. It is very true that sometimes film adaptations are terrible by any standard. I'm not arguing that point. I guess I'm just fed up with the tremendous amount of complaints I get from "fans" who can't stand any attempt at expanding the ways in which we can enjoy the things we love.

Deep breath... and I'm... done.

Global Warming?

My uncle linked this article to me, and I'm not going to use it as an, "I told you so," resource of backing up my hesitation to believe in global warming. Yet, I am hesitant. I admit that I am not incredibly learned on the subject (I have decided to watch Al Gore's docu-film on it and see that sides' argument), but for everything I hear about global-warming, it seems like there is the flip-side pointing out where the argument for it is premature. So, in the end, I end up feeling like there are other issues that re far more important to me that need dealing with now, and if global warming becomes a reality (the kind based off of complete analysis and not speculative posturing), then what we may have on our hands is a problem too big to do anything about anyway. I mean honestly, if fuel emissions is actually causing it, do we really think that lowering the emissions is going to stop it? The only cure would be to STOP fuel emissions and go back to immobile farming communities that rely on horse-drawn buggies and candles. Good luck getting any nation to agree to that (even the ones who currently find themselves in that state).

Anyway here is a list of news stories that talk about Mother Nature refusing to play the game right (misleading us with her threats of burning us up, only to turn around and freeze us out).

China in worst winter in two decades
Cold weather kills tons of fish
More than 900 Afghans dead from cold winter
Omaha residents shivering
Tajikiistan faces coldest winter in 50 years

This last one is a comparison of Gore's and Bush's mansions/ranches. It's not necessarily relevant to the topic of the cold winter that has hit the world, but it does say something about the man who makes a documentary about global warming, but doesn't follow his own advice.
House of Gore, Bush

All of these links (on the bottom) were found and compiled by my cousin, Mark. Thanks, Mark.

Holy Amazing...

My dad sent me this link, and I am (as so often happens in my life) blown away. I would love to think that if I were to have my arms eaten by a vampire boar or something, that I would have the ingenuity, creativity, and dedication to find ways to enjoy the old hobbies I had before such a horrendous accident. Oh, and I hope that this man's arms weren't eaten by anything remotely vampirish or boarish.

Sauron lives!!!!

This isn't new, but it was new to me when I saw it today, so here it is.

The Great Eye of Sauron has been spotted just off of the constellation Pisces. What an amazing photo (from the ever wonderful Hubble). I gotta say that Astronomy was one of my favorite classes I ever took. Just fascinating (and it resulted--or at least helped--me get my first kiss). So, thanks Hubble and thanks science!

More Movie News

A new scene has been added to Harry Potter 6 (i.e. one not from the book). I found myself incredibly bothered with this at first, but it kind of makes sense now to me. We really don't get to see very much of the muggle world in the books and this scene just may help us get a "bigger picture."

Also, Dominic Monaghan (LOTR's Pippin, Lost's Charlie) has landed himself a role in the upcoming film, X-Men: Wolverine. Finally, a chance to see him alongside the ever-handsome Hugh Jackman (it took you long enough Hollywood). Congrats to him.

One thing I'm fascinated by, is the comments below the announcement. I think Poopman summed up my feelings on it rather well; somehow fans think it is their right and duty to complain about every little thing that gets announced regarding anything. So, I have decided to join the complainers by complaining about them. I should start some kind of message board for all of us who are sick of "fans" feeling like their opinions on whatever subject they are obsessed with are somehow important.

Ahhhh... I feel well vented now.

Wow...

I have to say that I am just about speechless in regards to this (thanks Burke for the heads up). This little girl was born with 8 limbs. Yes, you heard me right. 8 limbs. I just am floored. I will also add that you should make sure to check both picture options (the little squares underneath the big picture). The little picture on the right is the, shall we say, unobstructed view.

Gambit!

They have now cats the role of Gambit for the new Wolverine film. Taylor Kitsch (of Friday Night Lights fame) has signed on for three films. That is great. I would hope that means that our adventures into the world of the X-Men are far from over (although, they may have a tough time getting all of those big stars to come back for each film).

Also, Smallville's Kristin Kreuk has been cast as Chun Li in the upcoming Street Fighter movie. I love her. I think she is still my celebrity crush (Sierra says I'm allowed one). However, this doesn't really make me any more excited for the movie. Somehow, I can't help but get a Fast and Furious vibe from it. We'll see.

More Indy IV

They have released the teaser trailer for Indy IV and I gotta say, I am terribly excited. The moment when we see his shadow put the hat on turned me into a giddy little school girl again.

Also, if you want to see the monster from Cloverfield, then you can check out the toy. It looks weak as a toy, I gotta say (at least compared to the movie). It looks more like a jacked-up mouse than a real threat to mankind.

President Hinckley

I am listening to a talk by Elder Bruce C. Hafen, and he mentioned something about our prophet that I hadn't really considered before. This is not a direct quote, but he mentioned that Pres. Hinckley had a clear sense of what is right and wrong, but that was accompanied by extreme compassion. The more I thought about that, the more I realized how remarkable that really is. How easy is it--in an attempt to avoid evil and not fall for temptation ourselves--to push away anything ungodly and, in the process, push away those very souls who need help? The clear sense of right and wrong isn't accompanied with the compassion that could help others along their way. Then there is the other extreme (the one of which I am far more guilty than the first) where you feel deep compassion for others and want to help them, but your sense of right and wrong has a slightly large gray area.

What a great quality to have. Thanks for the example, Pres. Hinckley.

Dark Matter Music

I am not very familiar with this theory of dark matter, but apparently many scientists believe that it is the dominant substance that makes up the universe/space. Well, now some scientists are running experiments on the music that dark matter makes. I think we already knew what dark music sounds like, though. The Prince-lord of Darkness himself (H.I.M., you sly devil, you...) already beat them to it, I say. Come on, science... get with it.

My World

I'm very excited right now. I was remembering the days when a few of us started wearing "Fertility Stones" that we'd buy from the $.25 bins at Wal-Mart. It sparked some ideas for a story. At this point, there is no story, but I am brainstorming the creation of a world from that simple and quite silly idea. I guess the part that I like the most about it is that one of my weird little jokes could turn into something that I now feel has merit as a world/setting for me to play in.
I won't really say anything more about it at the moment (I have discovered that my excitement for the process of creation always sticks around longer when I don't share details with anyone else. I have no idea why that is, but once I start talking about it with others, the excitement and "need" to work on it diminish).
If I can ever find anyone to try Dungeons and Dragons with me, I think I just may use it as the setting. Although, I admit that no one seems too keen on the idea of playing Dungeons and Dragons (I know it's nerdy, but come one people! Who doesn't like being taken to a dream world of magic? Finding enough for a whole group of 5-6 is turning out to be pretty tough).

Interim Deals

The WGA has worked out a couple more interim deals with both Marvel Studios and Lionsgate. The link to the Lionsgate article mentions some other studios that have reached agreements with the WGA, also. This makes me very happy. I'm also glad to relay this little bit of info: Viggo Mortensen, who has been nominated for Best Actor, will be snubbing the Oscars unless the AMPTP has reached an agreement with the WGA. Good for you, sir.

And the last thing I'll mention in movie news: they are planning a Saw 5. That is sad to me. Let it go, guys. Let it go.

The Fun of Editing!!

Before I continue on, watch this "trailer."


I've never actually seen the original movie (I have only seen the made for tv re-make), but thought this was so clever. Afterward I thought of all the fun you could have twisting movie plots and what not through nothing more than the editing.
It was then that I realized why I get so angry with Michael Moore. The man does this (but not in a cutesy/clever way--he willingly and intentionally misleads people through doctoring his footage) and distorts truth through the magic of editing.
He is not the only filmmaker who does this, nor is it limited to film at all. You can find it in all mediums, and it leaves us unable to fully trust anything we hear or see. Everything becomes a matter of perception and portrayal.
That does not remove "truth," though. I am reminded of the saying: "You can put lipstick on a pig, but it is still a pig." Think about that for a second; the pig is a pig. No amount of make-up changes that. However, it is scary how effective something like make-up can be when the farmer has an agenda. It is also scary how many of us will fall for the ruse, and find ourselves making out with a pig. I guess the scariest part, is when we fall so deeply into the lie, that when we are reminded that it is actually a pig, we are past caring.

Matthew Fox Interview

This one comes from Entertainment Weekly and definitely talks about season 4. Consider yourself warned (Steven). Very good stuff. It really got me hoping for a quick resolution of the writers' strike. Come on AMPTP! Quit screwing everyone over!

Also, here is an interview that Harold Perrineau (Michael) did.

Happy Birthday

In my daily intrawebbed wanderings, I came across a site dedicated to toasting J.R.R. Tolkien's birthday (which also just happens to be today). I signed up (the link should go to the page that has my entry, but if not, then it is alphabetical and under the name "John of Cory"), wrote my drink of choice and toast, and then proceeded to the office kitchen to retrieve said drink. Then, I toasted the man who has helped me waste more time than just about anyone. Thanks, Jrr.

Indy IV

I just read a fantastic interview in Vanity Fair of Lucas, Spielberg, and the man Harrison himself. They talk all about the new movie, a bit about the old ones, and a little about themselves. I loved it.

Spoiler Warning (i.e. don't read on Sir Steven--I know how you hate to know anything about movies before hand)!!!!

So, the fourth movie is set in the late 50s and has more of a science fiction twist to it. Add to that the emergence of a new villain (for Indy at least) of the Russians, and I gotta tell you that I'm stoked! I had a ton to say, but then I realized that the article says it all for me, so I'll just leave it at that: go read the article.

Very Touching

I just learned that my 11-year-old niece, Emilee, opted to do something different this year for her birthday. Instead of having the 10 girls that were invited to her birthday party bring gifts for her, she had them bring gifts for two widows in her ward. They put them in baskets and went and dropped them off. All of it was her idea.

I'm so impressed by her. I don't think I would have been willing to do that for my eleventh birthday. Shoot, I don't know if I'm willing to do that now.

It's amazing to me, though. People are always saying how bad this world is getting (myself included because, well, it is), but hearing a story like that inspires me. It gives me hope. What an amazing young woman (as far as I'm concerned, she has earned the right to be called a woman with a maturity like that).