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iTunes Top 200: #113 – 124

Music.  It is a powerful thing that brings people together, creates memories, and evokes emotions.  It is the universal language that speaks to the soul.  It forms the soundtrack of our lives.

It has now been five years since we last counted down the Top 200 songs in my iTunes library, featuring he songs I have listened to the most since 2007.  It is time to do so again, seeing which older songs still resonate and if any newer ones have joined the fray.  So, without further ado, here are my most listened to songs, based on number of plays as of January 1, 2025.

We continue this week with the final batch of songs tied for 124th place with 39 plays apiece and begins the first group of songs scoring 40 plays, tied for 113th place, since my stats began in late 2007.

#124: Crew Cuts – Sh-Boom
iTunes stats: 39 plays, most recently on 3/10/2023
Previous ranking: #125

The hit by the Canadian doo-wop group spent nine weeks at #1 during August and September of 1954 and may have appeared in Clue: The Movie.

#124: Cracker – Get Off This
iTunes stats: 39 plays, most recently on 11/5/2024
Previous ranking: #112

Written as a response to fans who accused the band of selling out for making music that was more mainstream than singer David Lowery’s previous band, Camper Van Beethoven.

#124: Cracker – Low
iTunes stats: 39 plays, most recently on 2/9/2024
Previous ranking: #112

The debut single from the band’s sophomore effort, it reached #3 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart in November 1993 and #5 on the Album Rock Tracks chart in March 1994.

#124: The Cast of Buffy the Vampire Slayer – The Parking Ticket
iTunes stats: 39 plays, most recently on 12/15/2024
Previous ranking: #112

Included in the seventh episode of the sixth season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, it features vocals from producer Marti Noxon.

#124: Boyz II Men – End of the Road
iTunes stats: 39 plays, most recently on 12/6/2024
Previous ranking: NR

Originally released on the Boomerang soundtrack, the song won two Grammys and set a then-record of thirteen straight weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

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Active Batting Leaders – Through 2024

Last month, we looked at the overall leaders on both sides of the ball from all of the games I’ve attended between 1984 and 2024.  With the end of spring training in sight, Opening Day is right around the corner.  Let’s take another look at those numbers, limiting it to players that are still active heading into the 2025 season.

Home Runs

Name Total
Jose Abreu 49
Tim Anderson 24
Luis Robert 22
Yoan Moncada 16
Avisail Garcia 15
Andrew Vaughn 15

Hits

Name Total
Jose Abreu 273
Tim Anderson 218
Yoan Moncada 133
Avisail Garcia 101
Eloy Jimenez 98

Runs

Name Total
Jose Abreu 129
Tim Anderson 117
Yoan Moncada 64
Avisail Garcia 58
Luis Robert 56

RBI

Name Total
Jose Abreu 159
Tim Anderson 73
Yoan Moncada Continue reading →
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Ballpark Tour: Brewers

Spring training is in full swing and opening day is about a month away, as we continue our tour of all of the baseball stadiums I’ve been to over the years. The closest city, outside of Chicago, for baseball, contains the homes of the Milwaukee Brewers. Between the two stadiums that have been located in the heart of cheeseland, I’ve seen 8 games. So, without further ado, let’s take a deeper look at my history with County Stadium and Miller Park.

Stadium Name: County Stadium

Years in Service: 1953 – 2000

Visits: 1

Milwaukee County Stadium was built with the intention of drawing a major league baseball team to Milwaukee, and it worked quicker than anybody would have expected, as the Braves announced they would be moving from Boston 3 weeks before the stadium, and the 1953 season, opened.  The Braves would call Milwaukee home for the next 13 seasons before leaving for Atlanta for the 1966 season.

During the 1968 and 1969 seasons, the struggling Chicago White Sox wound up playing 20 home games at County Stadium in an effort to keep the baseball fandom alive in Milwaukee.  In 1970, local businessman Bud Selig purchased the expansion Seattle Pilots out of bankruptcy court and moved them to Milwaukee and rechristened them the Brewers.  The Brewers would call County Stadium home until 2000, when they would move next door in to the newly built Miller Park.

I made one trip up to County Stadium for a White Sox/Brewers tilt on July 18, 1993.  The White Sox were victorious thank to a 2-run single by Bo Jackson in the 9th inning. I remember sitting out in the bleachers, but, beyond that, have no particular memory of the stadium or what amenities, if any, it offered.

Stadium Name: Miller Park/American Family Field

Years in Service: 2003 – Present

Visits: 7

The Brewers broke ground on a new stadium on November 9, 1996, in a parking lot behind County Stadium, with plans to open the park for the 2000 season.  Construction was delayed in 1999 after a crane collapsed while lifting a 400-ton roof section, killing three workers.  This caused the opening to be delayed for a year, and the new Miller Park did not open until April 6, 2001.  In 2007, the stadium hosted an Indians series against the Angels after snowstorms in Cleveland forced the cancellation of the previous series against the Mariners.  The Astros called Miller Park home for two games in 2008 when Hurricane Ike stormed through Houston.  Prior to the 2021 season, the park was renamed American Family Field

I made the first of my seven visits to Miller Park during the inaugural season of 2001.  That May 7th contest had the Cubs squeaking out a 7-6 victory against the hosting Brewers.  My most recent trip up north was this past summer, to once again see the Cubs battle (or destroy) the Brewers.  Miller Park was a vastly superior replacement over County Stadium, and I’ve enjoyed each of my subsequent trips up to Milwaukee to see the local ballclubs.

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Book 13 (of 52) – Pieces Of Her

Pieces of Her – Karin Slaughter

When a video from a shooting at the local mall goes viral, Andy’s mom quickly kicks her out of the house and sends her away.  She starts to piece together that her mother may not be what she seems, finding clues that lead her from Georgia to Texas and, ultimately, to Illinois, where she learns the truth: her mother was part of a terrorist group and is now living under an assumed name.  When she is taken hostage by one of her mom’s old confederates, Andy learns that while her mother may not be who she thought she was, she is still her mother and will fight for her.

I first became acquainted with Karin Slaughter’s Pieces of Her in 2022, when I watched the adaptation on Netflix.  I remembered the main beats, but I think the ending was different.  There is another book in this series which I will get to one of these days, along with her other series that I am in the middle of.

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Gathering Some Hardware On The Hardwood

For the third consecutive year, the Big Ten’s Men’s Basketball Player of the Year calls Mackey Arena home.  Braden Smith took home the honor on Tuesday, thanks to a season averaging 16.3 points, 8.8 assists and 2.3 steals per game.  He became just the fourth player in Division I history to have at least 500 points, 270 assists, 140 rebounds and 70 steals in a single season.  Along the way, he scored his 1000th career point, his 500th career rebound, and broke the school record for career assists.

After Zach Edey won the award the previous two years, Purdue becomes the first school to have three straight Big Ten Players of the Year.  This is the seventh time overall that a Boilermaker has won the award.

 

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iTunes Top 200: #124

Music.  It is a powerful thing that brings people together, creates memories, and evokes emotions.  It is the universal language that speaks to the soul.  It forms the soundtrack of our lives.

It has now been five years since we last counted down the Top 200 songs in my iTunes library, featuring he songs I have listened to the most since 2007.  It is time to do so again, seeing which older songs still resonate and if any newer ones have joined the fray.  So, without further ado, here are my most listened to songs, based on number of plays as of January 1, 2025.

We continue this week with the next batch of songs tied for 124th place with 39 plays apiece since my stats began in late 2007.

#124: Warren G – Regulate
iTunes stats: 39 plays, most recently on 9/15/2024
Previous ranking: #125

Used as the at-bat music for Jacob Amaya during his brief tenure with the White Sox in 2024, this debut hit from Dr. Dre’s step-brother added seven new plays over the past five years.

#124: Van Halen – Panama
iTunes stats: 39 plays, most recently on 11/3/2024
Previous ranking: #125

Inspired by a race car, this third single from the band’s seminal 1984 album, it reached #13 on the Billboard Hot 100.

#124: Tegan and Sara – Walking With A Ghost
iTunes stats: 39 plays, most recently on 5/11/2024
Previous ranking: #89

Used in a season three promo for the Patricia Arquette show Medium, the lead single from the duo’s 2005 album picked up just four new listens since 2020.

#124: Nerf Herder – Buffy Theme
iTunes stats: 39 plays, most recently on 10/29/2023
Previous ranking: #89

Having written and performed the theme song to Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the band was the last guests to perform at The Bronze.

#124: Me First and the Gimme Giimmes – Rainbow Connection
iTunes stats: 39 plays, most recently on 11/5/2024
Previous ranking: #98

Written by Paul Williams and Kenneth Ascher for 1979’s The Muppet Movie, this 1999 cover by the punk rock supergroup adds a little more oomph to the festivities.

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Fitbit XI – Week 7

A rough week of meetings led to a down week.  The week started slow as Sunday needed another 19 steps just to get to 3900.  Monday was even worse, dropping down to 3600 steps.  Tuesday saw a slight improvement, going back up to 3800 steps.  Wednesday was easily the worst day of the week, falling 11 steps shy of 2600.  A bounce back on Thursday pushed me back up to 3600 steps.  An addition 12 steps on Friday would have put me at 4400, my highest total of the week.  A trip for a haircut on Saturday ended the week on a highish note, coming in with 4300 steps.

Total steps: 26,227

Daily average: 3746.7

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Ballpark Tour: Reds

Spring training is in full swing and opening day is coming up in a little less than 3 weeks, as we continue our tour of all of the baseball stadiums I’ve been to over the years.  Now tied for my most visited city, outside of Chicago for baseball contains the homes of the Cincinnati Reds.  Between the two stadiums that have been located on the riverfront of the Ohio River, I’ve seen 8 games.  So, without further ado, let’s take a deeper look at my history with Cinergy Field and Great American Ball Park.

Stadium Name: Riverfront Stadium/Cinergy Field

Years in Service: 1970 – 2002

Visits: 1

Riverfront Stadium, Cincinnati’s version of the cookie cutter stadium that popped up in the late 60s and early 70s, opened on June 30, 1970 as the Reds hosted the Atlanta Braves.  In 1996, the stadium was renamed Cinergy Field thanks to a sponsorship deal with the local energy company.  Prior to the 2001 season, after the Bengals moved to their new home down the street, the stadium was reconfigured for baseball-only use, and portions of the outfield stands were removed to make room for the construction of the Reds’ new home, the future Great American Ball Park.  The 2002 season was the final one for the stadium, with the final game played on September 22 and the stadium was imploded on December 29.

In 2000, Ken Griffey Jr. joined the Cincinnati Reds, which put two of the most feared sluggers in the game in the NL Central.  When Sammy Sosa and the Chicago Cubs were scheduled to make an opening week visit to Cincinnati in 2000 to face Griffey for the first time, the idea of a road trip was hatched.  Friday, April 7, 2000 started with Krispy Kreme donuts at the house before heading towards Cincinnati.  Along the way, there was a brief stop at Purdue. because why not, and the trifecta of a KFC/Taco Bell/Pizza Hut seemed like a good place to stop for lunch.  We arrived in Cincinnati well before the stadium opened, so some time was spent walking around the bustling metropolis that was, and continues to be, Cincinnati.

Our tickets were in the upper deck and, to be honest, I have little to no recollection of the game itself.  My one and only memory of the game is losing my balance and tumbling down 5-10 rows, landing on a group of fans below.  Certainly not my proudest moment.  I do recall some of the drive home after the game, which included listening to the White Sox/A’s game where Jose Valentin committed a number of errors for the eventual AL Central champs.

Stadium Name: Great American Ball Park

Years in Service: 2003 – Present

Visits: 7

After 32 1/2 seasons at Riverfront Stadium, the Reds moved next door to the newly built Great American Ball Park for the 2003 season, opening against the Pittsburgh Pirates.  Bronze statues of former stars Joe Nuxhall, Ernie Lombardi, Ted Kluszewski, and Frank Robinson are located in front of the main entrance.

Less than a month into the stadium’s existence, I made my first trip to the GABP with my friend Scott, who had moved to the Cincinnati area, to see the Reds take on the Padres.  The next season, the Cubs opened their season in Cincinnati against the Reds, so another trip was in order, where Vice President Dick Cheney threw out the first pitch.  In August of 2005, I attended the Reds game against the Diamondbacks, kicking off a string of 3 stadiums in 3 states in 9 days.  In 2006, the Cubs once again opened their season on the road against the Reds and again it constituted a road trip down to see, where this time President George W Bush threw out the first pitch.  I made a return trip that summer for interleague play to see the White Sox battle the Reds.  In 2007, when the Cubs were looking the clinch the division, I made the trip down, but missed it by one day.  The next year, I made my final, to date, trip down to Cincinnati and saw the Rockies defeat the Reds.

Of all the newer stadiums that have opened over the past 20 years, Great American Ball Park does not often illicit the praise that the others get.  However, I like it.  It’s a fine place to see a game and has plenty of the modern amenities that are required here in the 21st century.  I wouldn’t hesitate to return, despite the fact that it has been over 16 years since I’ve been there.

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Book 12 (of 52) – I Hope This Finds You Well

I Hope This Finds You Well – Natalie Sue

When an IT mix-up grants a troubled office drone access to her entire department’s private emails and DMs, she can’t resist using her new “gift” to try and save her job ahead of upcoming cuts.  But her plan starts to hit a few snags when she realizes that everyone else, who seem to know what they are doing, are not as together as they would have everybody think.  She starts to sympathize and, eventually, build real relationships with those around her, relationships that eventually outlive her time employed with the company.

I Hope This Finds You Well, the debut from Natalie Sue, fell on my radar as a nominee for favorite fiction in the 2024 Goodreads Choice Awards.  It is a fairly relatable work, as the main character thinks of the people around her only in respect to how they relate to her and losing track that they have their own lives and problems that have nothing to do with her.  It is a trap I fall into from time to time.  I look forward to Sue’s future work.

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Fitbit XI – Week 6

A second week of training stayed pretty steady, although with lower lows and a higher high.  Sunday got the week off to a slow start, notching just 3100 steps.  Monday bounced back up, finishing with 4200 steps.  Warmer temps on Tuesday led to my highest total of the week, needing just 7 additional steps to get to 4500.  A slight drop on Wednesday left me 24 steps shy of 4100.  Thursday dropped down again to 3700 steps.  A nice improvement on Friday put me 12 steps away from 4400 steps.  I wrapped up the week on Saturday needing 28 steps to reach 4200.

Total steps: 28,277

Daily average: 4039.6