For the first time in over a year, the White Sox have strung together six consecutive wins, all against AL Central foes. The streak has put the surprising White Sox in first place for the second straight year as April comes to a close. Will they fall apart, as they did last year? It’s too soon to tell, and the rebuilding plan may require sending useful pieces away as the season progresses to serve the greater good.
Month / April 2017
#30 – Greg Walker
Name: Greg Walker
Rank: 30
Position: 1B
Years With White Sox: 1982-1990
Acquired as a rule 5 selection from the Phillies in 1979, Greg Walker made his major league debut for the White Sox on September 18, 1982, pinch hitting for Marc Hill and getting a hit against Brian Kingman in the White Sox 5-4 loss to the A’s at Comiskey Park. During his brief cup of coffee with the big league club, Walker took advantage, hitting .412 with 2 home runs in 11 games.
Walker split time with Tom Paciorek in 1983, hitting .270 with 10 home runs and 55 RBIs in 118 games. He led the American League with 15 pinch hit RBIs. He appeared in 2 games during the ALCS against the Orioles, going 1-3 with a walk.
In 1984, Walker started to establish himself as the every day first baseman. In 136 games, he hit 24 home runs while posting a .294 average. He hit another 24 home runs in 1985 while tying a White Sox record with 163 games played.
1986 saw Walker spend time on the disabled list, limiting him to 78 games and only 13 home runs, with a .277 average. He bounced back in 1987, appearing in 157 games and setting career highs with 27 home runs and 94 RBIs while hitting a career low .256.
Walker’s 1988 season came to a premature end on July 30, when he suffered a seizure during batting practice while fielding grounders from coach Ed Brinkman. Four trainers were needed to hold Walker down and pry open his mouth to prevent Walker from swallowing his own tongue. During the ordeal, Walker bit his tongue and chipped a tooth from biting down on a pair of scissors. A subsequent seizure the following day kept Walker in the hospital for 11 days. A third seizure, days after being released from the hospital, left him in a daze for months.
He returned in 1989, unsure if he would be able to continue his career, until a .308 spring average with 7 home runs convinced him, and the White Sox, that he once again could be a productive member of the lineup. He wasted little time in getting back in the swing of things, participating in an Opening Day brawl against the Angels after Bob McClure hit Ivan Calderon with a pitch in the ninth inning. The good feelings did not last, though, as he appeared in only 77 games due to a shoulder injury and hit a career low .210 with only 5 home runs.
Walker found himself the odd man out in 1990, appearing in only 2 games before being released on April 30.
Walker rejoined the White Sox organization on May 19, 2003 as hitting coach, a position he would hold until September 28, 2011 in the waning days of Ozzie Guillen’s tenure.
Walker’s numbers in a White Sox uniform, both for games I attended and overall, were:
Bad Jersey Choices
Last fall, while waiting outside Wrigley Field to get in for the World Series, I saw a young gentleman wearing an Arismendy Alcantara jersey and thought, wow, what a colossal mistake this man has made. I thought about starting a Tumblr/Twitter account to track poor jersey choices, but never really got around to it. As this season has gotten underway, I’ve kept an eye out for instances of people who really should have put more thought in to their apparel purchases.
On the north side of town, it has been a total strikeout. Seeing how everyone has renewed their jersey purchases with the World Series championship, there is just a sea of Rizzos, Bryants, and, of course, Rosses. On the south side of town, I finally hit paydirt on Sunday, when I came across someone who was so enthralled by last year’s signing of broken down catcher Alex Avila, that he went out and bought the jersey. A long lasting tribute to a one-season player who spent much of his time here on the disabled list.
iTunes Top 200 Artists: #61-70
3 years ago, we first counted down the then Top 100 artists in my iTunes library. Since that time, I’ve successfully managed to migrate my music collection to a new PC with the stats intact. So, I figured it was time to take another look, expanding out the field to the top 200 artists, based on number of plays from late 2007 through January 1, 2017.
We continue the long slog towards the top with today’s entry, which includes:
#70: The Muffs
iTunes stats: 62 plays
Previous ranking: #67
A slight 3 spot drop for the band most well known for a Fruitopia commercial back in the day.
#69: Bush
iTunes stats: 63 plays
Previous ranking: #68
The British band rode the alternative wave of the early to mid 90s to have 6 songs make up their total, with 28 additional listens in the past 3 years.
#68: DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince
iTunes stats: 64 plays
Previous ranking: #80
An impressive 12 spot jump for the rap duo, who added 1 new track and 34 new listens over the past 3 years.
#66: Mazzy Star
iTunes stats: 65 plays
Previous ranking: #59
Only 25 new listens contributed to the 7 spot drop for the tippy band.
#66: John Williams
iTunes stats: 65 plays
Previous ranking: #98
The composer of some of the most popular and recognizable film scores in cinematic history, including the Star Wars and Superman series, has a nice 32 spot jump thanks to 42 new listens over the last 3 years.
#65: Warrant
iTunes stats: 66 plays
Previous ranking: #74
The favorite of strip clubs everywhere, and the Adam Carolla Show, added 34 new listens, good enough for a 9 spot jump.
#64: TLC
Continue reading →
Fitbit III: Week 12
My streak of 50,000+ step weeks hits 12 and closes on in last summer’s record of 14 straight weeks. Things got off to a slow start on Sunday thanks to Easter activities, which left me just under 2500 steps. A big bounce back once the work week got under way, as I put together a streak of 3 10,000 step days. Monday benefited from a midday escape to bowl with my friends from the lab. Tuesday had a lunch meeting in North plaza, which helped boost my total. Wednesday was more time spent with my lab friends, including a game (or 2) of ping pong. Thursday surpassed 9000 steps, thanks to more time up in the lab and then an after work farewell to Hayley. Friday managed to just surpass 6500 steps, thanks to more time spent in the lab with Val. Saturday finished with a little more thanks to the White Sox/Indians tilt at Guaranteed Rate Field.
Total steps: 56,743
Daily average: 8106.1
#31 – Tadahito Iguchi
Name: Tadahito Iguchi
Rank: 31
Position: 2B
Years With White Sox: 2005-2007
After an impressive career in the Japanese league, Tadahito Iguchi signed with the White Sox prior to the 2005 season. As a 30 year old rookie, the second baseman locked down the #2 spot in the batting order, hitting .278 with 15 home runs. The personal highlight of his season came in Game 2 of the ALDS against the Red Sox, hitting a 3 run homer off of David Wells to give the White Sox the lead. Later that month, when the White Sox won their first title in 88 years, he became the first Japanese-born position player to win a World Series. His numbers earned him fourth place in the Rookie of the Year voting.
2006 was an even more impressive year for Iguchi. He made his mark on defense, going horizontal to make a tremendous play against the Blue Jays on April 15. Offensively, he shined on June 25, hitting a 3 run homer in the bottom of the 8th to cut the Astros lead to 4 and then smacking a grand slam in the 9th to send the game to extra innings. He finished the year with a .281 average, 18 home runs, and 67 RBIs.
2007 was a rough year for both Iguchi and the White Sox. After signing a contract extension, he struggled as the White Sox fell to 4th in the AL Central, losing 90 games for the first time since 1989. Iguchi’s average dropped to .251 with only 6 home runs. With the White Sox not going anywhere, they traded Iguchi to the Philles on July 27 for a busted prospect.
Iguchi’s numbers in a White Sox uniform, both for games I attended and overall, were:
What A Long, Strange Trip It’s Been
Last June, my friend Hayley came over from Northern Ireland for an extended stay that, apart from a few weeks here and there for visa issues and the holidays, came to an end today. There were many adventures, a lot of good times, a few bad times, and a strengthening of a bond that has grown over the last 8 years. I will miss having her here and look forward to our next adventure together.
The Truth Is Out There… Again… Again
The X-Files is returning to FOX for another 10-episode run that will premiere during the 2017-2018 season. Stars David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson, along with series creator Chris Carter, are back for the second revival of the long-running show which originally went off the air in 2002.
The 2016 revival was spotty, to say the least. One could only hope that this go-around produces better results.
iTunes Top 200 Artists: #71-79
3 years ago, we first counted down the then Top 100 artists in my iTunes library. Since that time, I’ve successfully managed to migrate my music collection to a new PC with the stats intact. So, I figured it was time to take another look, expanding out the field to the top 200 artists, based on number of plays from late 2007 through January 1, 2017.
An eclectic group of musicians as we continue our march towards the top of the charts.
#79: Ludacris
iTunes stats: 58 plays
Previous ranking: #63
A 16 spot drop for the Atlanta-based rapper, despite 20 additional listens to his 3 songs over the past 3 years.
#79: Florence + The Machine
iTunes stats: 58 plays
Previous ranking: N/A
An impressive debut appearance, thanks mostly to their inclusion in last year’s road trip mix to placate Val.
#76: Ron Funches
iTunes stats: 59 plays
Previous ranking: N/A
The comic makes his debut thanks to the tracks from his first album.
#76: Nancy Faust
iTunes stats: 59 plays
Previous ranking: #57
The former organist for the White Sox drops 19 spots due to the removal of her final performance of Take Me Out To The Ballgame from my victory playlist.
#76: Bell Biv DeVoe
iTunes stats: 59 plays
Previous ranking: #66
22 new listens for the former members of New Edition cause them to drop 10 spots in the rankings.
#74: Red Hot Chili Peppers
iTunes stats: 60 plays
Previous ranking: #84
A 10 spot leap for the California-based rockers due in part to 32 new listens over the past 3 years.
#74: Black Eyed Peas
Continue reading →
Fitbit III: Week 11
The good times continue, as my streak of 50,000 step weeks hits 11 and a new streak of days over goal makes it to 7. The week got off to a decent start on Sunday, thanks to a trip down to Guaranteed Rate Field followed by a trek out to Medieval Times to celebrate Hayley’s birthday. Monday was the big day of the week, as I went down to Wrigley Field for the raising of the Cubs World Series banner at their home opener. Tuesday barely managed to get past my daily step goal, thanks in part to the late night the day before and the need for sleep. I worked from home on Wednesday, which ordinarily would have been a down day, but another Cubs game pushed me well across my goal. Thursday was another close one, again due to the need for sleep. Friday used a trip over to North Plaza for coffee to get over the hump. Saturday was my second highest day of the week, thanks to yet another Cub game followed by some grocery shopping.
Total steps: 56,049
Daily average: 8007