We arrived as soon as the parking lot was opened.  It was a good thing since:

We enjoyed ourselves with some tailgating with some friends.  Afterward, we avoided sitting in traffic by simply breaking out the food & chairs again and having a dinner of leftovers until everything cleared.

As for the game…

I am ardent supporter of Manchester United in the EPL.  I also support the Kansas City Wizards in the MLS.  For today’s game, I was throwing my support behind Man U, although no matter who won, I was good.

I was going to do a game review, but that has been done ad nauseum already.  Instead I will just state my impressions (and one of my wife’s).

The Winners

The Wizards came out ready to play.  They were on the pitch, they are paid professionals, and they were hungry.  That’s the way it should be.  I tell my students not to put their instruments to their lips unless they are going to try to do it right.  The Wizards were using that philosophy.  The Telegraph in the UK called the Wizards “over-zealous”.  I call them committed and dedicated.  What’s the goal of a soccer match?  At that level it is to win.  At my son’s level, it is to have fun trying to win and learn the game.  These guys aren’t U-12 soccer players.  I enjoyed watching the Wizards last night.

So why does the Wizard’s playing well irritate me?  Because they haven’t brought this level of play to their regular season play.  This was a friendly.  The others are for keeps.  C’mon guys.  You are seven points out of a play-off position.

I haven’t been enjoying watching you play over the last couple of months.  I have still been watching and will continue to do so.  I don’t want a medal.  You’re my team.  The only reward I want is some good effort and good play.  I can handle losses if you are playing well.

Let’s take this win and keep it rolling.  My anniversary is on Thursday (15 years), but we can’t go out that night.  I am trying to convince my wife to go celebrate by going to your game against Toronto FC on Saturday.  Don’t disappoint me.

As an aside, if you like Chipotle, video games, and soccer (in any combination or order) follow Wizards forward Kei Kamara on Twitter.  I enjoy it.

The NOT Winners

What can I say?  Sub-par defending, a confused-looking midfield, and Berbatov looking like my son should be playing instead.  I love Man U, but you guys made it hard last night.  Welbeck, Cleverly, and Oberton are obviously hungry to move up in the club.  You should use their fire.  Get them some time against Wigan & their ilk this season.  Rooney is going to need help and some breaks this season.  Berba doesn’t seem up to it.  I like him, but…

Giggs wasn’t his accurate self.  Scholes was working pretty hard.  I was happy to Nani back.  He is obviously not back to full fitness, but there was some definite effort there.  Macheda, Diouf, and Amos are going to get there eventually, I think.  Don’t play De  Laet against the MLS All-Star.  Landon & Buddle will eat him alive.  Rafael can handle them, but tell him to pull his head out (especially on the off-side trap).

Oh, and:  CHICHARITO!!!!!  Use him.

Good luck on the rest of the tour.  Make us proud.  Kick some Chelsea butt.  I am really tired of listening to some of my friends (Chelsea supporters) about last season.

My wife thinks you threw the game.  She can’t believe you played that bad except on purpose.

In Closing

These are just my views from sitting in section 104 yesterday.  I had a great time.  This was great for soccer in Kansas City and for my kids.  While it annoys me when she cries, my daughter was very upset when she missed the first goal of the game because she wasn’t quick enough to stand to see over everyone.  That made me a little proud.

Thanks for making this happen.  Especially the open training (my blog post about it).

Today has been quite a day.  Parker had his first work-out with his new soccer club, KC Milan, gymnastics practice, a pizza party with the gymnastics team, and Carmen had swim lessons.  All of that?  That’s normal stuff for us.  Nope, what made it quite a day was being able to attend the open training that Manchester United held at the Kansas City Wizards’ training facility in Swope Park.  I guess I have been fairly vocal in my support for Manchester United, so when a father of one of Parker’s former teammates received extra passes to this, he thought of us and offered them.

So…why was it AWESOME?

We left our house early.  I was anticipating some construction traffic that turned out to be nonexistent.  This meant we were there at 4:10 pm for a 5:00 practice.  There were already many people there before us.  It then proceeded to start raining pouring for the next two hours.  Was that awesome?  No, but we stuck it out and endured it.

We were then told that we were going to be let onto the fields.  The people in charge then changed their minds (or maybe it was Man U) and we were put into a line to go inside for autographs since we had waited for hours in the rain.  This meant we went from the beginning of the line to the end of another one.

As we were waiting, we were informed that in order to make the line to go quicker only kids would get autographs and adults could shake hands.  Then the made a cut off point in the line saying that it would end.  This was well before us in the line..

How can this be AWESOME?

Before anyone could voice their displeasure, we were told that anyone who had not gotten to meet the team or get an autograph would be able to after the brief training that they would be doing.  We were taken to a different side of the training field from those that had gotten their stuff signed.

Now for the AWESOME!

AWESOME #1:

While we were waiting in the rain, two charter buses drove up.  Everyone lined up to see if they could see anyone.  While we were looking, a cameraman from MUTV got off his bus, walked up to Carmen, put his Manchester United jacket on her, and got back on the bus.

AWESOME #2:

Scholes was not available for autographs when the first group got theirs.  When our group got our sutographs, he came over and were able to get his, Giggs’, the Silvas’, and others.

AWESOME #3:  The cameraman seemed to take a liking to Parker & Carmen and did a little filming of them with Parker holding the mic and trying to interview Carmen.  Carmen, of course, decided right then to be shy and not participate very well.

In general, the whole family agreed that while standing in the rain and getting soaked was NOT awesome, watching Manchester United practice and meeting them was DEFINITELY AWESOME.

Now it is time to tailgate and watch them play the KC Wizards at the New Arrowhead Stadium.  That’s right.  The first game to be played at Arrowhead is going to be a game of REAL football.

There are a few things I should formally state:

1. I have not tried every BBQ joint in Kansas City.
2. I have not had inedible BBQ in KC.
3. National chains like Dave’s BBQ are not included.  They are not “KC BBQ”.  I do like Dave’s BBQ, though.  Especially the mustard-based sauce.

I tried two more Kansas City BBQ joints that I had not tried in the last week, Rosedale & Oklahoma Joe’s.  In this post, I am ranking them by sauce, meat, atmosphere, & overall.

Sauce

I prefer a spicier, tangier sauce.  While I do enjoy the sweet sauces, I am evaluating the sauces on my personal preference.

1. Gates Original & Oklahoma Joe’s Night of the Living BBQ Sauce (tie) – Nice heat to the sauces without overpowering the meat
3. Arthur Bryant’s – tangy, but not near as good as the above two.
4. Rosedale – OK, but unremarkable
5. Smokehouse – Same as Rosedale’s, but barely edged out by them.

Meat

I evaluate these establishments based on tenderness & flavor of the meat.  Dry meat or meat that is need of seasoning drops their rating.

1. Oklahoma Joe’s – Tender, moist, and very flavorful.
2. Arthur Bryant’s – This was my top choice until I had Oklahoma Joe’s a few days ago.
3. Gate’s – Sometimes dry. Better before the lunch rush.
4. Smokehouse – Adequate.
5. Rosedale – Totally devoid of seasoning.

Atmosphere

Things that affect the atmosphere ranking include how busy the restaurant is, demeanor of the staff, cleanliness, etc.  Since each joint has their own “unique” characteristics, this is the most subjective of the categories.

1. Smokehouse – I prefer the sit down style.  KC Masterpiece was always a nice dining experience before they closed.  Atmosphere doesn’t trump food quality, though.
2. Oklahoma Joe’s – While I had to wait in a line that began outside, the wait was mitigated by perusing the different products available for purchase.  I didn’t buy anything other than food.
3. Arthur Bryant’s – A well-maintained hole-in-the-wall.
4. Gates – Stop F*@#ing yelling at me and then not remembering my order!
5. Rosedale – Boring, but quick.

Overall

I have no idea of this is an exact ranking according to the rankings above.  It is simply the order of the 5 joints evaluated by my personal preference.

1. Oklahoma Joe’s
2. Arthur Bryant’s
3. Gates
4. Smokehouse
5. Rosedale

Agree?  Disagree?  Did I leave a joint off you think I should try?

You’re not going to change my mind, but I would love to hear your opinions.

I have always enjoyed soccer.  I played it as a kid, stopping after my freshman year in high school when it was interfering with my performing.  I have continued to watch the bigger events such as the World Cup and when the MLS first started.  That was sporadic, though.  It has been my son’s, Parker’s, playing of the “beautiful game” that has really gotten me into watching more and following it more closely.

But still, why soccer?  Why not American football, baseball, basketball, etc.?  They don’t interest me.  American football & baseball are too slow.  Stopping, starting, stopping, time-outs, commercials…  Also, if I am nearly in shape to play it, should it be called a sport?  That’s right, baseball, I’m talking to you.  Basketball, hockey, & others just don’t interest me.  They seem viable sports according to my personal criteria, I just  don’t watch them.

Soccer has speed, tactics, aggressiveness, vast amounts of skill, and non-stop action.  The players are arguably the most fit of any sport.  They have to focus for 90 minutes.  Hey!  That’s something.  The games are supposed to be 90 minutes and ARE 90 minutes.  That’s right, football, I’m looking at you.  I guess there is an exception for the final games so they don’t end in a draw.

I love the international aspect of the game.  It is something the entire world shares.  It is something all classes share.  It is something people of all ages share.  It is something you can play yourself no matter your circumstances.  All you need is a ball.  Anything else is just extra.  It doesn’t even have to be a soccer ball.  It just has to be round.  (OK, a bowling ball might a little inappropriate.)  You don’t have to be a certain height or weight.  You don’t need wealth to afford the equipment.  It truly is a game for anyone & everyone.

I know people in the US have problems with soccer.  It is not a high scoring game.  We are not the dominant country in the sport.  There isn’t much that can be done about the scoring, but something can be done about our dominance.  Youth today are really taking to the sport, although it will be another 10-15 years before we see the US starting to put pressure on the bigger soccer programs from Europe and elsewhere.  We need more of the kids that have grown up with the sport to age in.

I do appreciate ESPN and others covering soccer more.  While their coverage isn’t the best, the exposure is there.  Watching this game MLS Final right now, I can see how the coverage has been “Americanized”.  Special graphics, explanations in terms that those who are more familiar with other sports can understand, and more replays seem to be their coverage.  I will say it there doesn’t seem to be a huge effect on watching the flow of the game.  I am happy that they are avoiding major close-ups during play.  If this helps make soccer more palatable for the US, I say go for it.

I know I have covered a lot, but I have started to become pretty passionate about the sport and my favorite teams (my son’s, the KC Wizards, Manchester United, & the USMNT).  I have been learning a lot from watching the leagues in other countries.  If you find the MLS too slow to watch, you need to watch some English Premiere League or Italian Serie A games.  I encourage you to read The Shin Guardian.  It is a well written blog that covers all aspects of soccer both here & abroad.

Why soccer?

Personally…there isn’t anything else to compare.

I am not wanting to get into the healthcare debate here.  That would be pointless.  It seems everyone’s minds are made up one way or the other.  No, my concern is what happened the civility and openness of debate and education.

Civility.  Gone.  Name-calling abounds with blatant lies about the other side both personally and positionally.  This helps no one.  In fact, it is a detriment to both sides’ positions.  The likelihood of any side getting anything they want becomes less with every lie and incivility uttered.  When did working together towards a needed goal become unpatriotic or anathema?  I have no solutions, just disgust.

As for Obama’s address, my concerns are for education.  It has always seemed to me that students were exposed to various ideas, thoughts, cultures, & paradigms during their education from teachers, students, workers, and whoever else they met along the way.  The PARENTS then helped the students filter the information.  If the parents were unwilling to expose their children to the outside world and potentially disagreeable positions, they would enroll them in private and/or parochial schools.  If they have problems with an idea, simply removing the child from the situation will do nothing but make sure their ability to cope will never develop.  “Stick your head in the sand” became an adage for a reason.

Again, I have no solutions except to maybe pull the sticks out.  Of the butts.

I am not venting to get anyone to change their position about any subject.  I just want everyone to shut up.  Truly shut up and listen.  Don’t propagate blatant lies.  Especially refrain from personal attacks.  Your mind may, and probably, not change, but a greater understanding can only help.

Civilization.  It seems we are leaving it.

Social

• Facebook
• Tweetdeck

Administration

• WordPress
• JAM! (Joomla administration)*
• BlogPress

Tools

• CalenGoo (Google Calendar interface)*
• Maps
• Cleartune (tuner)*
• Metronome
• Shazam
• PhoneFlicks (Netflix account)
• Concerts
• Yelp
• OpenTable

Games

• Sudoku
• Cross Light (crossword puzzles)

News

• Pro RSS
• NYTimes
• Huff Post
• iSoccer
• NPR News (simply amazing)
• KC Star

I have more, but these are the ones I use the most.  Those marked with an asterisk were paid for.

What are your favorites?

I also love the Shazam app. It recognizes songs just by listening to them. I have no idea how it works. More az I am sitting around bored. Or not.

#127

While it isn’t the most definitive of measurements of what makes a school good, it is still cool.

John Williams is the man.

I had to get a new grill since when I went to open the lid on my old one yesterday, the entire top part of the grill attempted to escape its moorings.  This one was purchased at Lowes.  Click on it to see what was cooked for its first use.