Top Chef All-Stars Power Rankings

Welcome back to the Power Rankings. It looks like I have an excuse to write again, compared to doing nothing like I have for most of the fall. As you know, I normally wait a week or two to start the rankings and get a feeling of who is doing well. Since we already know everyone, I am going to start before the season and move onward. This first installment isn’t as much a power rankings as it is how I think the Chefs will finish. In case you were wondering, this season was taped in New York City.


Top Shelf


1. Richard Blais (Season 4 Chicago)



I actually didn’t like Blais for most of season 4 and found him annoying. As I look back on those shows though, it was clear he was one of the best chefs of all time. For any of his returns on the show, as a guest su-chef or a reunion special, he always talks about how excited he is to get back in the competition. We know he has the talent, and with that drive, I see him winning the Top-Chef All-Star title.


2. Marcel Vigneron (Season 2 Los Angeles)



Marcel, the man everyone loves to hate. I think he is one of the top talents the show has scene and has all the things needed to win this competition. I think, just like season 2, he will finish as runner-up.


3. Dale Levitski (Season 3 Miami)



Dale is my favorite Chef of all time. So I am openly rooting for him. I see him making a strong run in this competition, but ultimately will fall short of winning Top Chef again.


4. Tiffani Faison (Season 1 San Francisco)



Tiffani is the last chef in the finale. Tiffani had the misfortune of being in the same competition as Harold who was the clear front runner for day 1. I see her having another strong competition and finishing as the highest female chef.


Best of the Rest


5. Angelo Sosa (Season 7 Washington D.C.)



Angelo this high might seem crazy. I could see him getting flustered and having an early exit. Watching last season it was clear to see he was getting worn down by the end of the competition, but I think having competed so recently will actually be a benefit for him and help him make a deep run.


6. Dale Talde (Season 4 Chicago)



Let’s see how much swearing Dale will do this season! Dale has great technical skills and was able to make dishes quickly. I see him exiting about the same time as he did in Season 4


7. Tre Wilcox (Season 3 Miami)



Tre was an early favorite in season 3 but ran into problems and had an earlier than expected exit. Will he redeem himself this competition.


Could Go Either Way


8. Stephen Asprino (Season 1 San Francisco)



Honestly, I couldn’t decide if I thought he’d do well or flame out, so I put him in the middle. I know what great insight.


9. Elia Aboumrad (Season 2 Los Angeles)



Just like Stephen, she could go either way and it wouldn’t surprise me.


Middle of the Pack


10. Casey Thompson (Season 3 Miami)



Casey was quiet most of season 3 until the stretch run where she burst onto the scene. The finale wasn’t her best and I see her falling in the middle of the season.


11. Jamie Lauren (Season 5 New York)



Where’s Stefan to hit on her some more? Side not, Stefan would have been my #1 choice if he would have done the competition. If Jamie can avoid overusing scallobs again, she can do well.


12. Fabio Viviani (Season 5 New York)



I think Fabio has been one of the most memorable Chefs the show has ever seen. He could serve monkey ass and still win because he’s just that charismatic. I don’t think his skills are as high as most of the field, but his charisma will help get him through. I could see him make a deep run, but I think there is too much talent ahead of him.


13. Spike Mendelsohn (Season 4 Chicago)



Spike, a lot like Fabio was a very memorable Chef and it wasn’t always because of his cooking. He used a lot of gamesmanship in Season 4 to help advance as deep as he did. I don’t think anything he did was wrong, in fact I enjoyed it, it’s just who he is.


14. Jennifer Carroll (Season 6 Las Vegas)



Jen is a real talent, but her problem remains how much she runs around too much and seems rushed. That’s what ended up getting her in the finale of Season 6. It’s one of the easiest ways to get tripped up in Top Chef. If she has fixed it over the past few years, then she could be around for awhile. Until I see otherwise, I’ll leave her here.


15. Carla Hall (Season 5 New York)



I want to see Carla team up with Casey again. Casey helped make all the suggestion in the finale that looked like it doomed Carla. I know Carla does have a big fan following, but I thought she was lucky to reach the finale in season 5 and don’t think she’ll go very far here.


Chopping Block


16. Tiffany Derry (Season 7 Washington D.C.)



I actually like Tiffany a lot. She is one of the most level headed Chefs I have seen and she doesn’t let other people distract her. I don’t think she is as talented as the rest of the All-Stars though and see her having an early exit.


17. Anotnia Lofaso (Season 4 Chicago)



I know Antonia Lofaso made the finale of Season 4 and she is inspiring to single moms of the world, which is why she made the All-Stars, I however see her as the least talented of the bunch.


18. Mike Isabella (Season 6 Las Vegas)



If you read the blog, you know the I don’t think Mike is a good chef at all. Do you know what he did in season 6? He won 1 quick fire, and that’s it. The quick fire he won involved Cactus which he had cooked with before, but no one else had. Not that impressive of a win if you ask me. Mike is a very polarizing figure which is why I think they brought him back for the All-Stars. He’s a New Yorker, so I’m sure East Coast people like him, while most everyone else doesn’t. With no Robin to rip on in the confessionals, I don’t see a reason for him to stay.

Michael Trash Talking Lebron

Look at what Michael Jordan response to Lebron James "What Should I do Commercial"




That is some sweet trash talking isn't it!


Sadly, it's not really Micheal Trash talking. This is an edit of Lebron's commercial and a Micheal commercial from 2008.



I still think it's awesome though.

Goodbye, Bill Lynch

I'm not even going to gloat. Good luck in your next job, Coach Lynch, and may you find as much success in the FCS as Kellen Lewis.

BCS Thoughts

After looking at the wins and losses from this weekend, I thought I had a pretty good idea of who was going to end up where in the BCS games:

Oregon v. Auburn for the title
Wisconsin v. Stanford (Rose)
Ohio State v. TCU (Sugar)
Arkansas/SC v. Va Tech/FSU (Orange)
Oklahoma/Nebraska v. Big East/UConn/WVu (Fiesta)

Of course, we then have to deal with the fact that, frankly, I have very little idea how the BCS works. Apparently there's all sorts of complex politickin' to take into account. Of course there is. Anyway, Andy Staples cleared up some of my misconceptions today.

Here's his projections:

Oregon v. Auburn (BCS)
Wisconsin v. TCU (Rose) <-- The Rose Bowl is obligated to take TCU over Stanford if Oregon is in the national title game. Did not know that.
Ohio State v. Arkansas (Sugar)
Stanford v. ACC (Orange)
B12 v. Big East (Fiesta)

There are at least two teams left that can throw some pretty major monkey wrenches into the process. One is Steve Spurrier's Gamecocks, who get Auburn in the SEC title game. If they can win, and they've been good all year featuring one of the best freshman RBs I can remember (Marcus Lattimore), then I believe either TCU or Wisconsin gets into the national title game, Auburn slips to an at-large, and SC is in the BCS as well.

Bear in mind, South Carolina already lost to Auburn this year in late September, but that game was on the road and was a nail-biter with a final of 35-27.

The other one is Oregon State, which faces Oregon in the Civil War this week. I think Oregon has been the clear No. 1 virtually all season, and the Beavers are 5-6. But this is a game with a lot of history (check the Wikipedia page) and rivalry games are often wild. Don't tell Michigan that, though. Anyway, I'm sure this will all be analyzed to death in the coming weeks, but I wanted to get my two cents in.

E. Gordon Gee Decides OSU's Fate

After this interview, and the angry response from the presidents of Boise State and TCU (Gee is the prez of Ohio State, if you weren't aware), I'm pretty sure we are guaranteed an Ohio State vs. Boise State matchup in one of the BCS games, and one of the juiciest storylines of all of bowl season.

Sweet.

Gee said that Big Ten and SEC schools go through a "murderer's row" every single week, whereas Boise and Texas Christian basically play the "Little Sisters of the Poor," and should therefore not be in consideration for the national title game.

Ya know who else can't be happy about that, is BSU's opponent this week, No. 17 Nevada. Hmm. It's not like the prez of a huge university to stir the pot like that. Good work, E. Gordon.

SIDE NOTE: What an EPIC comeback for the Bulls tonight. I gotta admit, I was listening on the drive up I-65 to Chicago, but I gave up after two and a half quarters and switched to the iPod. BIG mistake. Especially after thoroughly enjoying Chicago's last ultra-gritty win over the Mavericks. Derrick Rose, Bulls, Tom Thibodeaux: I believe in you.

SIDE NOTE DEUCE: Yes, my recounting of the Wrigley Field Bloodbath is forthcoming. As soon as I piece the memories back together.

Vic Oladipo Has A Gift

...he may not be too consistent yet, but man can he hit buzzer-beaters!

How different this year is...

I saw this picture and had to post it as it sums up how odd this year has been in the NFL this year. I think because it has been so I I have enjoyed it so much. The way to read the chart is clockwise the score underneath each team is the score that they beat the team to their right.


So this kills any college like reasoning of why 1 team is better than another.

Looked at the rankings today and the playoff picture would be fun. Jets and Ravens would get the bye in the AFC with Kansas City and Jacksonville winning the other two divisions and Pittsburgh and New England being the Wild card teams. This is especially interesting because I would think that the wild card teams would roll through that first round but who knows (refer to above chart).

On the NFC side of things the Falcons Bears Eagles and Seahawks all win their divisions with Philly ad Atlanta getting the byes. The two wild cards currently are Green Bay and Tampa Bay. If I did my playoff picture correctly this sets up a third Bears Packers match-up with higher stakes than usual. This also illustrates the importance of the game this weekend because its essentially a huge stepping stone for a first round bye.

With that go Bears and whoever is playing green bay, tampa bay, new york and philly.

NFL in LA

Wrigleyville Classic Day 5

I just got back from my walk around Wrigley and here is what I saw.

Shefield is closed down and they are making it into Wildcat Way.

Lots of tents with merchandise, food and drinks. They also have a stage and a large tent set up. Good news for those wondering, you can buy beer in Wildcat way, It's still undertermined if you can buy it in the stadium.

Here's walking up to the set of game day. See that little black thing in the sky on the right. that is going to have a camera mounted on it tomorrow to give overhead shots of the fans. It doesn't look like there is going to be a lot of room for fans to cram in there, so if you want to go to GameDay, get there early. I asked a security gaurd if he knew if they were closing down Clark, he said he didn't think they were, so I am unsure where the people will go if they can't be in the McDonalds parking lot.
Here is a picture of the video board not all the way up yet and the bus


Gameday was filming some pieces. All parties were wearing nice pants behind the desk, but Kirk and Desmon were both wearing sneakers.

After they were done shooting, Erin Andrews walked right by me, I said Hi and she said hi in response. I did not take her picture as she was walking towards me cause I thought that would have been rude.




Here's the stadium in all it's purple glory

The Team Trucks were already there. At this point I was walking through a parking lot I cleary was not supposed to be in, it was blocked off in every direction except where I walked in. Some crew guy and I talked for a sec, and then I left. No issues.




Here's a picture of the light trucks I was talking about yesterday



Lastly, the scoreboard has the other Big Ten games listed on it. I tried to get a picture of it, not sure if they really came out.

It's been a fun 5 days writing about Wrigley leading up to the event. Since I am not gaurenteed tickets, I will leave the gameday write up to the man who is going to the game, ACSS Sr Write Mark Fodor.Like I said before, if you got tickets you need to go, because unless they change the outfield, you will not see a game in Wrigley ever again.

Wrigleyville Classic Becomes Backyard Football

It was just annouced that the Illinois vs Northwestern game at Wrigley Field will feature a unique twist. Each team will be heading West and West only. Safety concerns about the right field wall being too close to the east endzone have turned this game into a game of backyard football. Each team will head the same way, which is to say, crazy.

I know I posted yesterday that Ricketts wants to do this every year, but without moving the right field wall, I see no way this game happens again. I hope you have tickets cause this could truely be a once in a lifetime moment.

Kane and Toews' 3-on-2

BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAH...

Wrigleyville Classic Day 4

That's what I saw as I walked Wrigley last night. Pretty cool huh? For the lights, they brought in two big trucks behind the left field wall to light the field. I think cause no football stadium uses lights in the endzones, they needed to bring in some extra for the twilight hours the game will be finishing at.

GameDay finally started setting up. Like Fodor said, they are in the McDonalds Parking lot across Clark from Wrigley Field. As you know i'm planning on heading over to Wrigley at Lunch time to seem some tapings and see what's going on. I'll let you know what I find out when I get back. Ditka said in an interview, he will be at College Gameday. I assuming he will be the celebrity picker.


According to this article, the Rickets want an annual Wrigley Field Football Game.



I had a few thoughts about the game, but not on the game itself.

Sidelines.

As you may or may not know, Northwestern and Illinois will be sharing a sideline this weekend. This has happened many times before and is not really a big deal. The only time I can see this coming into play is at the end of the half/game when a field goal unit would need to run on the field to kick a field goal for a team with no timeouts left.

Seating

I think the best seats for this game will be down the right field line in the upper deck. I am a little intrested to hear about the site lines, given that all the seats face towards home plate.

Beer Sales

I am wondering if they are going to allow Beer to be sold at the game. I know it's a college game, so I am thinking no, but it is Wrigley, the "World's Largest Outdoor Beer Garden." I honestly wouldn't be suprised either way.

7th Inning

I doubt they are going to do a 7th Inning/ End of 3rd Qtr stretch like they do during the baseball season. Still wouldn't suprise me if they did.

Wrigleyville Classic Day 3

That picture was from my run around the stadium last night. There were two new TV trucks in the parking lot. I also looked a the Wrigley scoreboard and it was blank. I hope they fill it up with Big Ten score and National Scores. Heck they already have names for the following teams.

Minnesota
Florida
Washington
Texas
Colorado
Arizona


Here's an interview with Pat Fitzgerald




I also listend to an interview with Erin Andrews yesterday. She said that they will be setting up in front of the main Wrigley Field Marquee. ACSS reporter says it will be in the McDonalds parking lot, but I don't think they will fit there. I think they will start setting up tonight so I will let you know after my tour of the ballpark.

Erin Andrews also said that they will begin taping pieces for ESPN SportsCenter hits between 11-12 on Friday. The broadcast on Saturday begins at 8 on ESPNU with the main show starting on ESPN at 9.

Lastly, she was looking for ideas for good pieces to do about Wrigley. She is already planning on looking into doing features on the following.

Locker Rooms
Scoreboard
Rooftops
Appartment Over Looking the Field
Right Field Wall

If you can think of any more, post them in the comments and I will try and relay them to her. Yes I have an indirect way of doing this.

Epic Soccer Miss

No Commentary Necessary

Wrigleyville Classic Day 2

Many places are discussing how close the right field wall comes to the back of the endzone including PTI



I agree with Wilbon. If the engineers say it's safe, then I trust them. It will be a little obstacle, but I think the players will be able to adjust.

I also heard they will not but putting up nets on the right field side, look for lots of fans hanging around Sheffield waiting for a Field Goal or extra point to be kicked into the street. Heck, I might try to get one.

Also found out that the Wildcats will be taking a bus instead of the "EL". I am a little disappointed in this, but honestly not a big deal. All it means to us fans is we will miss a 30 second clip that shows Northwestern getting to the stadium.

Gameday on ESPNU starts at 8 and then the main show on ESPN starts at 9. I plan on going, not sure when I’ll get there. Still not sure where they will be setting up. I am still thinking they will close down the streets and have it set up in front of the main marquee. Also, Big Ten Network will be having it’s kick off show at Wrigley as well.

My run around the stadium wasn’t very exciting. One of the gates on Waveland was open with a security guard. I asked him what was going on tonight, he said he didn’t know. I am not sure if I believe him, but no lights were on the field, and when I peaked in from Sheffield, I didn’t see any movement. I am going to assume it was just routine maintenance or cleaning. I don’t know how I didn’t notice the marquee turning purple, that was just dumb on me. I don’t think there were any new signs put up, but man, All-State is making sure you know they are sponsoring this game. Their name is everywhere. Lastly, Desmond Clark was at Murphy’s Bleachers for a radio show with 670 with a crowd of maybe 40 people there. I guess everyone has forgotten about him just like the Bears.

More tomorrow.

Wrigleyville Classic

This video is up on ESPN Chicago showing Wrigley getting ready for the game on Saturday. (Full Article here)




I live two blocks away from Wrigley and plan on going around the stadium each night this week and then to GameDay Saturday morning and possibly the game Saturday (from scalpers). When I went by last night, I did notice a lot of purple trim, but I didn't realize the main Wrigley sign had turned purple. I also tried to peek in the gates on Shefield, expecting to see this.





Nope, all I saw was the back of some padding. Also, I was surprised to find out the field is going East and West instead of not north and south like I have seen in old pictures.




I will continue to update as I hear more.

NHL's Worst Shootouts

More Adidas Highlights

Since I posted the Zeller highlights from the Adidas Invitational, I thought you all might want to see IU's other recent commit, Hanner Perea, in action. He's not coming until 2012, but it's goanna be worth the wait.

Cody Zeller Picks IU

Simple as that, Tom Crean has landed Indiana's biggest recruiting coup since Eric Gordon (and look how well that one worked out).

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/recruiting/basketball/mens/news/story?id=5792268

www.insidethehall.com

Cody's brother Luke went to Notre Dame, where he had a decent career, and his brother Tyler is currently at North Carolina. UNC, as well as Butler, were in the mix for Cody, who is ranked No. 15 overall in the Class of 2011 and is the No. 4 power forward.

What's that? You want highlights? Okay!

Rumors on Indiana's Head Football Coach

ACSS reporter Derek Wilson has been doing some digging around the status of Bill Lynch's future as Head Coach. According to this twitter page Lynch might not return next year.

"If there is an opening at Indiana, I hear Glen Mason and Brady Hoke could be prime targets."

Of the two Targets, I would prefer Glen Mason over Brady Hoke. Glen Mason led some good Minnesota Teams and was able to recruit NFL talent there. Before Minnesota he was at Kansas where had some minor success. Brady Hoke has done a good job at Ball State and now at San Diego State. After the "success" of Lynch, I would like to avoid hiring another former Ball State Coach. Also, I would prefer someone with more Power Conference or Programs to some one who has had success at the mid level.

My ideal choice would be Mike Leach, which would be fantastic in terms of trading dysfunctional coaches between Texas Tech and Indiana.

Who Wants To Guess Don Fischer's Ringtone?

I just read this on www.insidethehall.com's live chat feed from today's Ferris State exhibition. Which, by the way, was a THRILLER with Victor Oladipo (so far, he has stiffed me once on a delivery to McNutt and stiffed two other drivers as well... what the hell, Vic?) carrying us to victory on a game-ending four point play and block from behind.

Anyway, if you don't know, Don Fischer is the Hoosiers' legendary play by play man for both football and basketball. Here's a picture.

Who wants to take a stab at his phone ringtone?



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This is from a reliable source

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Big Ten BBall

This is not the epic return most of you probably hoped for, but atleast I'm back. IU football needs to win 2 of the next 3 against Wisconsin, Penn State and Purdue to make a bowl, that's probably not going to happen, so Let's look forward to BBall.

Here is SI.com's preview of Big Ten Basketball.

NFL's Top 100: Bears, Etc.

I guess if you have a TV, you've probably been more aware of this event than I have. The NFL has been counting down its' best players ever, and just wrapped it up with a shocking choice at No. 1 (/sarcasm): Jerry Rice.

For us Chicagoans, there is a lot to be happy about on this list, although no current Bears got a nod. Give Lance Briggs four more good years (or Urlacher, for that matter), and I think you could make a case for either one. Same thing for Olin Kreutz, but he should have retired two years ago.

Anyway, Walter Payton led the way for the men of Soldier Field (or Wrigley Field, as the case may be...), coming at No. 5, behind only Jim Brown at running back. No surprise that Gale Sayers and Bronko Nagurski also made the list, at 19 and 22, respectively. So did Red Grange (#48)

I was a little surprised to see Sid Luckman on the list - somebody's going to have to dig up some Luckman highlights at some point. I may do that in a minute. He clocked in at No. 33, just ahead of Deion Sanders. Sanders, of course, disagrees.



The last offensive player from Chi-town was Da Coach, Mike Ditka. If you've ever played with Ditka as a Madden All-Time player, you know he must have been incredible. Ditka is, according to NFL.com, the No. 59 greatest ever.

And of course, Dick Butkus (#9) and Mike Singletary (#58) also were included. Notably, Singletary came in fifteenth among fan votes - Samurai Mike is apparently better remembered these days for playing, rather than for coaching the two-win Niners.

Indiana vs. Iowa: Let's Talk Stanzi

Ricky Stanzi may not be the most talented (Dan Persa) or best-known (Terrelle Pryor) or fastest (Shoelace) quarterback in the Big Ten, but he sure as hell wins in one category: This kid is a PATRIOT.





... which is why I will be making a "STANZI VOTED FOR OBAMACARE" sign for the game. You know, see if we can get in his head a little bit.

Seriously though, I don't expect IU to put up much of a fight tomorrow at The Rock. You can see ESPN's preview of the game HERE - some of the highlights include the following: expected low temperature is 28 degrees, with a high of 49 (and we're starting the tailgate HOW early again?!).

Also, Iowa just demolished Michigan State, at the time undefeated. They rank twelfth in the nation in defense, and Indiana officially has the worst rushing attack in the Big Ten. Expect Ben Chappell and Adrian Clayborn to be spending some time together tomorrow.

Anyways, God bless America, and God bless Football. Isn't that right, Ricky?


Also, Northwestern takes on Penn State tomorrow in Happy Valley. This is a big game for both teams, as NU is already bowl-eligible but lacks a win they can really feel proud of (Minnesota? Indiana? Ehh...). Meanwhile, Joe Paterno is stuck at 399 wins, which makes this a potential milestone game. And NU QB Dan Persa is from Pennsylvania, but wasn't recruited by Penn State.

Game's on at 3:30, you can expect me to be posted up at Yogi's after a long, chilly morning of tailgate.