Week 4 2017 Power Rankings

[Ronald Hoch]

So this week I will be ranking everyone by comparing them with cheesesteak vendors. I hope that this not only garners some discussion around FF, but also some debate about the best cheesesteaks around.

1. Steve's Prince of Steaks - Ouroboros (Moutoux) 146.8 points, only undefeated team. Won against Bob.

My favorite cheesesteak place is Steve's Prince of Steaks. Great quality ingredients and just the right amount of intimidation when you walk up to order. The meat is lightly chopped (somewhere between the sheets of steak and the finely chopped alternatives), the cheese is generously slopped on and messy. The pizza steak is incredible. All that to say Steve's is impossible to beat...like Moutoux's team.

2. Tony Luke's - Rise of the Green Men (Cella) 120.2 points. Defeated Jeff.

Tony Luke's is a solid option for cheesesteaks. My only complaint is that they sometimes skimp on the meat. Like Tony Luke's the Greenman is a pretty solid team. He had some players skimp on him this week (notably Siemian and Ty Montgomery), and that hurt him. But overall he has a strong team and is going to do some damage this year.

3. Jim's - Whole Notha' (Asher) 119.1 points. Defeated his pops.

Jim's is the first cheestesteak joint that I ever visited in Philly, making it my first true Philly Cheesesteak. It was a momentous occasion in my life...it was part of me becoming a man. That's why I chose to link Asher's team to Jim's. Asher is in the midst of becoming a man this year. He has taken the helm of his own team and is showing that he is a force to be reckoned with. Welcome to the table, young man. It's great to see you off to a fantastic start!

4. Pat's - Ambassador (Jeff) 111.6 points. Lost to Cella.

Pat's is the original Philly Cheesesteak. The cheesesteak that started it all. But it's not the best cheesesteak around; it has been bested by some "late comers." It's good for the history, and it will always be respected. When you have guests to the city it's not a bad idea to take them here, but the locals are looking elsewhere. There are some similarities here with Jeff's team. Jeff is the Commish. He's part of the original LLL, and he's had some great success over the years. Unfortunately, his team doesn't look great this year. Is he starting to show his age? Is he going to get passed by some of the late-comers to the game? Only time will tell...

5. Geno's - Almost Perfect (Matt P.) 109.8 points. Felled by his son.

Geno's is like a flashy Pat's. There's a lot of history there, there's showmanship, and pizzazz (for lack of better word). Matt's team is similar: there's a great history of winning, he's got a flashy team, and a lot of pizzazz. Unfortunately, that alone wasn't enough for him this week. Some poor management decisions caused him to leave 115 points on the bench and lose to his son. Perhaps we're starting to find out who the true FF genius was behind the Smashers all those years...

6. Carmen's (Reading Terminal Market) - Henry Hill (Kevan) 104.8 points. Defeated Jack.

Carmen's is a decent cheesesteak in a very touristy part of the city. It's my go to place in Reading Terminal Market, but that doesn't mean its the best place in the city (not even close), it just means that it's the best among a series of weak options. Kevan's team is similar in many respects. Yes, he got the win this week, but that doesn't mean that he has a great team. He as just up against terrible competition: Jack's 0-4 Taco's.

7. Doc's Deli - The Roose (Jared) 99.6 points. Won against Ron.

Doc's Deli is a great cheesesteak place. I'd take it over Carmen's, Pat's or Geno's any day. It has just one major strike against it: It isn't in Philly. It's in the Philadelphia area (just 2 miles outside the city), so it gets an honorary Philly status, but that hurts its standings in the pantheon of true Philly cheesesteaks. Jared's team is strong. He has put up some great numbers, but he's got some major holes that have hurt him over the last two weeks. He's got an honorary good standing (i.e. a 3-1 record), but he doesn't rightly belong in the LLL pantheon...at least not yet.

8. Steak-umms - Matt Doesn't Like Bob (Bob) 98.6 points. Lost to Moutoux.

Steak-umms are terrible. Yes, they were born in Philly and yes it is a meat product. That's better than the next two cheesesteak options on our list. But overall, steak-umms isn't good. Bob's team has some things going for him, and he as able to eek out two wins because of it, but overall his team doesn't look good.

9. Govinda's Tofu Cheesesteak- Philly Bfast (Ron) 95.9 points. Lost to Jared.

My team isn't quite the worst team in the league, but it isn't good either. That's kind of like Govinda's--a vegetarian restaurant in center city. It is a Philly native, but it doesn't have anything else going for it. It's cheesesteak is an imposter; a tofu sandwich in cheesesteak clothing. My team, too, is an imposter right now. They look like a FF team, but they're actually something else...a heaping pile of crap.

10. Joey's Famous Philly Cheesesteaks in Detroit... Taco Scanlan (Jack) 86.2 points, only team without a win. Lost to Kevan.

This is the worst. You can't have a PHILLY cheesesteak place outside of Philly! It is terrible and disgraceful on so many levels...kind of like Jack's team. 0-4 is not the place you want to be at the start of the season. That's terrible and disgraceful. Turn it around buddy!