No more road games this year

Today, Sporting KC plays Houston Dynamo in the 2nd leg of the Eastern Conference Championship.

What's at stake?  (sarc)  Not much (/sarc)

• A Sporting KC win brings MLS Cup to Sporting Park on Saturday, December 6.  This would be the first major-sports title match in Kansas City since game 7 of the 1985 World Series
• A Sporting KC win puts SKC in the 2014-2015 CCL.
  (Correction, SKC needs to win MLS Cup, or have Portland win MLS Cup to get in)
• A Sporting KC win gets the can't-beat-Houston-jinx off our backs.

This is the 6th time Kansas City's MLS team has reached this step - one match away from the MLS Cup Final.  So far, we're 2-3, having beaten LA in 2000 and 2004 to advance to MLS Cup; and losing to San Jose in 2003, and Houston in 2007 and 2011.  (And, Houston is actually - conspiratorial glance - the old SJ team that beat us... kinda like the Browns/Ravens thing.)

On November 9, SKC and Houston played to a scoreless draw.  This time, there will be a winner.  If not in 90 minutes, then in 30 minutes of overtime.  If not in 120 minutes, then in penalty kicks.

#LOUDER

#IBelieveThatWeWillWin

33

Traditional reading of the Bible concludes that Jesus was 33 years old at the time of his death and resurrection.

A glance at my birth certificate or drivers' license concludes that I'm 33 today.

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Life is a series of events, with the occasional calendar-based offset.  For example, only a small group of people have April 9, 2051 circled on their calendar.  Or April 12, 2018.  Or September 16, 2013.

(50th anniversary, daughter's 18th birthday, day of my father's passing.)

But today is my 33rd birthday.

And I *feel* like it should matter.

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I always feel like I should *feel* something.  For example, on Good Friday, I find myself searching for some connection to the spiritual, the religious, the sacrifice, the events of the Passion.

For some reason, I'm convinced that the occasion of finishing 33 years around the sun is an occasion to consider God.  My faith (which honestly still hasn't recovered from a disappointment and a funeral five years ago; to say anything of the highwater mark of my four semesters at Western).  My role as a father, especially in guiding my children in the way they should go.

1. What I believe
2. Why I believe it
3. How I will live my faith

Hold me to this.

God have mercy on me.  Kyrie Eleison.

The boys of fall

Bounce, bounce, nothin's gonna keep me down
Bounce, bounce, stand up, shout it out

--Bounce, Bon Jovi

USA def MEX 2-1, @ Ft Lauderdale, 1980-11-23

"1980 was a good year.  Reagan was elected, the US beat the Soviets, and Pratt Bros.™ 2000 were born."

A few people asked me, what's it like being a twin?  I found someone's response...what's it like not being a twin?

...and a brother is born for adversity... Proverbs 17:17b

When only the best will do...you'd better call two.

There are no problems, only solutions.



Happy Birthday, Robert & Lincoln!  (And, Happy Birthday, me.)

Out of gas

Yeah, life's caught up with me...or at least my blogging. I've run out of stuff to blog about for now. I'm not done yet...but... I'll be back. I promise. viii.xxxvii

Kick it!

MLS Soccer comes towards it's regular season conclusion.  (And now I get to a place where I can get to watch my Sporting KC on the telly...agh!)

• US Open Cup:  Sporting KC won the 2012 US Open Cup at "LiveStrong" Sporting Park.  Since then, the stadium's name has changed, Kei Kamara has got loaned, then transfered to a team in the UK, and Sporting KC got eliminated from the 2013 US Open Cup.
  In a Wigan-like run, DC United pulled more wins in Cup competition than in league play to this point.  Their chance for hardware would come at Rio Tinto Park, visiting Real Salt Lake.  (How'd they decide where to play?  Good question.)  And , like Wigan, DC ended up the winner, making a end-of-first-half goal stick.  This is their 3rd Cup win, to go with four Shield wins and four MLS Cup wins.  When counting Cup, Shield, and MLS Cup, DC now leads the league with 11, ahead of LA Galaxy's 10 and Chicago Fire's 6.
• CONCACAF Champions League.  Sporting KC needs a home result (draw or win) to advance to the final eight in the CONCACAF Champions League.  Potentially, all four of the US-based MLS teams could advance to the final eight, and, potentially, all four of the Mexican teams could advance to the final eight.  (The way they're grouped, it can be an all US&MEX final eight).  We'd have to wait for March to see these teams try to make it through up to six games to claim glory.  (Wow, sounds like March Madness).  
• Sporting KC is in prime position to make the playoff, but probably won't claim the Supporters' Shield, awarded to the team that finishes with the best regular season position (and, of course, a trip to next year's CCL).  As of right now, Seattle looks in best position to finish at the top of the table.

Top 100

I've made a list of the 100 most important moments in my life (so far.)

• Ok, so far I'm only at 92.
• And 26 of them are births
• And five of them are before my own birth
• 1999 and 2000 each have six moments, tied for 2nd
• 2013 currently leads with seven moments

It's a semi-private list.  Unranked, and a work in progress.
And, as happens occasionally, a month has two of these moments*.  Like September 2013.

Some things don't change (even when you lose sight of them). 

I am Steven, son of William, son of James, son of John;
father of Molly, Noah, Olivia, and Zechariah

Family is damn important, and often it's all I've got.

And, the 3rd Wiberg Law:

Pain hurts.






*Including, but not limited to 11/1980; 04/1999; 02/2003; 04/2008; and 04/2011

Ward Cleaver

In how much of human history did we have the luxury of a family making it on a single 40-hour/week income? 

The following blog entry is mainly a question of maintaining work-life-family balance.  Nothing in this blog entry is meant to say anything negative about my current employers, nor should it be construed to reflect negatively on my current employers.

To a degree, I can arrange my schedule.  Over the last couple months, I successfully traded shifts such that my weekdays were clear after 4PM.  However, because I needed more hours, I picked up an extra shift on Saturday morning.  (Yes, my posts automatically post, because at 8:37 AM, I'm usually working.)

So I've got Thursday afternoon off, so I can watch my daughter's volleyball game.  But I don't have Saturday evening off, so I can't make my son's football game. 

My kids ask "are your hours in the shadow?" - a term I coined for hours during the time they're at school.  They understand I need to pick up hours where possible, especially with the major changes this autumn. 

But, at the same time, I remember that my father had to work two jobs (and overtime on one of them) for most of my growing-up years...and I know that things would've been different if it he'd been home more.  I know that if my Dad had only worked 40 hours a week...certain changes would've been required...

I love my kids.  And, I know how important I am to them.