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2022 College Football Kickoff

My alma mater, the Purdue Boilermakers, kick off their 2022 gridiron campaign tomorrow night, looking to improve upon last year’s first winning season since 2017.  With Danny now entrenched in the marching band, I’m sure to make it back for a few games this year after setting a career high with 3 games last year.  With that, it’s time to take a look at the results of the now 24 college football games I have attended since the 1993 season, covering 5 different stadiums in a whopping 2 states.

All-Time Team Records
Team Name Won Loss Winning Pctg
Penn State Nittany Lions 1 0 1.000
Ohio State Buckeyes 1 0 1.000
Notre Dame Fighting Irish 4 1 0.800
Purdue Boilermakers 15 7 0.682
Northern Illinois Huskies 1 1 0.500
Illinois Fighting Illini 2 6 0.250
Western Michigan Broncos 0 1 0.000
Northwestern Wildcats 0 3 0.000
North Carolina State Wolfpack 0 1 0.000
Michigan State Spartans 0 1 0.000
Michigan Wolverines 0 1 0.000
Indiana Hoosiers 0 2 0.000
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Book 37 (of 52) – Nowhere for Very Long

Nowhere For Very Long: The Unexpected Road To An Unconventional Life – Brianna Madia

Brianna Madia, a lifestyle influencer on Instagram, shares her story of abandoning the typical ideas of civilization and moving into a giant orange van with her husband and dogs, exploring the deserts of Utah and surrounding areas.  At some point, they nearly kill one of their dogs, lie to her followers about exactly what happened, and collected at least $100,000 for his care and recovery.  While the dog recovered, her marriage did not, as the guilt of hurting the dog and taking money from strangers tore their relationship apart.

I’m not entirely sure how Nowhere For Very Long landed on my radar, but it was an interesting read.  The author basically took my one day in Arizona back in 2018 where I went to the slot canyons and the Grand Canyon and turned it into a full-time gig.  Who amongst us hasn’t dreamed of giving it all up and living in the back of a van with a couple of dogs?  Or at least part of that.

There is some controversy about the incident with the dog, and it’s hard to tell exactly where the truth lies.  If it happened as she describes in the book, then it was truly an accident and one that, while it could have been avoided, wasn’t too outrageous given how they lived.  If it happened as speculated elsewhere, then let’s just say not everything is worth getting the perfect shot for your Instagram followers.

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FB8 – Week 31

Another couple of bad days sabotaged the entire week and pushed me back under 30,000 steps by mere feet.  Things got off to a pretty decent start on Sunday thanks to a trip to multiple grocery stores, which gave me 5500 steps.  Monday saw a bit of a drop off, falling down to 4200 steps.  Tuesday fell even more, dropping to 3900 steps.  Another drop on Wednesday saw me fall down to 3200 steps.  Things improved somewhat on Thursday as I climbed back up to 3700 steps.  Friday was the low point of the week, finishing 26 steps away from 3000.  A disappointing White Sox game on Saturday led to the best day of the week with over 6200 steps.

Total steps: 29,987

Daily average: 4283.9

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Travelling The 50 States – Colorado

Over my 47 years, I’ve done my fair share of travelling across these United States.  I thought it would be an interesting experiment go look back at those trips to each of the 31 states I have visited (62% isn’t bad, is it?) and see if, and when, I may be returning.  Working in alphabetical order, we start today with the 38th state to be added to the Union: Colorado.

State: Colorado
Joined the Union: 1876
Visits: 1

The Centennial State is the latest state I have visited, making my first, and only, so far, visit last month.

A few weeks back, I made a quick 36-hour trip to Denver to see the White Sox battle the Rockies.  I flew in on a Tuesday afternoon, with a night game on tap.  The White Sox managed to eke out a squeaker and all was well in the world.

The following day, I checked out of the hotel and headed back to Coors Field for an afternoon tilt.  This time, fortune favored the Rockies in a higher scoring affair that ended with a walk-off hit.  After going back to the hotel to pick up my bag, I took the long trip the airport, where I found out that my flight, scheduled for late at night as it was, was delayed for another hour.  Good times.

Will I return?  I would assume so.  Outside of baseball, there is much that Denver, and Colorado, has to offer.

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Looking Ahead To 2023

With about six weeks remaining in the 2022 season, Major League Baseball released their tentative 2023 schedule on Wednesday.  For the first time in years, MLB is moving to a balanced schedule, playing 52 games against division opponents, 64 games against non-division opponents in the same league, and, for the first time, 46 interleague games, with series against every team in the opposite league.  With the White Sox looking to bounce back after what has been a disappointing 2022 campaign to date and the Cubs looking to take the next step forward in their rebuild, the 2023 season looks to be an exciting time in the city of Chicago.  So, for one day, at least, let’s turn our attention to next summer for both teams.

The White Sox open their season on the road in Houston on March 30 for a four-game series against the Astros before returning home to face the Giants in their home opener on April 3.

Aside from the Giants, the new interleague schedule sees the Phillies, Marlins, Cardinals, Brewers, Diamondbacks, and Padres travelling to Chicago, while the White Sox will go on the road to face the Pirates, Reds, Dodgers, Braves, Mets, Rockies, and Nationals. The rivalry with their north side foes continues with a two-game series at Guaranteed Rate Field in late July followed by a mid-August tilt at Wrigley.

After facing AL Central foes only for the first half of September, the season ends with a six-game homestand against the Diamondbacks and the Padres.

On the north side, the Cubs also open their season on March 30, facing the Brewers at home.  After a 3-game series, they head out on the road.

The interleague schedule pits the Cubs against the Rangers, Mariners, Orioles, Guardians, Red Sox, and Royals at Wrigley, while they go on the road to face the A’s, Twins, Angels, Yankees, Blue Jays, and Tigers.

Of their 28 games in September/October, only nine are against their NL Central rivals, though, with the Cubs not likely to contend, that shouldn’t make much of a difference.  They end the year with a six-game road trip against the Braves and Brewers.

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Book 36 (of 52) – The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue – V.E. Schwab

In 18th century France, a young girl makes a deal with a devil to avoid marrying a widower she does not love.  In exchange for her soul, she gets to live as long as she likes, retaining her youth and beauty, but she will be unable to make any mark on the world and no one, including her parents, will remember her once she leaves their sight.  In the early 21st century, after nearly 300 years of being cursed, she meets a man who somehow is able to remember.  Their relationship, however, has a pre-destined end date, unless she is able to convince her devil to alter one of his deals.

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, by V.E. Schwab, is not my usual fare, but I greatly enjoyed the ride.  I’m not entirely sure how this got on my radar, but I’m glad it did.  Schwab’s other works look to be of the type of fantasy that I do not really go for, so this may be a one time visit to the world of her work, but if she follows this up with something as strong, I’m sure it’ll find its way to my Kindle.

 

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FB8 – Week 30

A couple of bad days sabotaged the entire week and pushed me back under 30,000 steps.  Things got off to a slow start on Sunday, as I finished with 3500 steps after returning home from Indianapolis.  Monday saw a nice increase, jumping up to 4500 steps.  A trip to Guaranteed Rate Field on Tuesday left me a scant 8 steps shy of 4900.  Another game on Wednesday saw another increase, jumping up over 6000 steps.  Things cratered on Thursday as I barely managed to complete 2100 steps.  Friday saw a nice bounce back, finishing 14 steps away from 4500.  Another down day on Saturday left me 27 steps short of 2600.

Total steps: 28,112

Daily average: 4016

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Travelling The 50 States – California

Over my 47 years, I’ve done my fair share of travelling across these United States.  I thought it would be an interesting experiment go look back at those trips to each of the 31 states I have visited (62% isn’t bad, is it?) and see if, and when, I may be returning.  Working in alphabetical order, we start today with the 31st state to be added to the Union: California.

State: California
Joined the Union: 1850
Visits: 11

With eleven visits between 1998 and 2019, the Golden State is the state I have visited the most, outside of those I have lived in and/or attended college.

My first visit was in 1998 to attend Comic Con International in San Diego.  I went early, spending the entire week and enjoying some pre-Con time checking out the sights, including the San Diego Zoo.

I returned the following year for Labor Day weekend, but this time up to the San Francisco Bay area, to visit my old friend Scott, who had moved out there after graduating to work at AMD.  What I remember from that trip is my first Giants/Phillies tilt at the former Candlestick Park, my first trip to the toilet that at the time was called Network Associates Coliseum, and a car trip over the Golden Gate Bridge.

I returned to San Diego for Comic Con in 2000 and 2003.  I don’t remember much of the 2000 trip, but the 2003 trip included my one visit to the former Jack Murphy Stadium to see the Padres face the Diamondbacks.  At the Con, I managed to see many of the stars (or, at least, bit players) from Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Smallville, and Tru Calling.

With the Cubs coming off their first division title since 1989 and a new stadium opening in San Diego, my friend Pete and I planned a trip for the Cubs mid-May road trip.  We attended all three games at PETCO Park, which the Cubs swept, while also taking in the local sights and the ambience of the Elephant and Castle bar in our hotel. Continue reading →

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Elvis Has Entered The Building

Elvis Night is coming early to Guaranteed Rate Field this year.  With Tim Anderson, Danny Mendick, and Leury Garcia all on the IL, the White Sox are signing free agent shortstop Elvis Andrus.  Andrus, who was released by the A’s on Wednesday, cleared waivers and is expected to join the team on Friday in Cleveland.

Andrus, who turns 34 on the. 26th, which just so happens to be Elvis Night on the South Side, is hitting .237 with 8 home runs and 30 RBIs this season.  The two-time All Star, who spent the first 12 seasons of his career with the Rangers before being traded to Oakland in February 2021, is a career .270 hitter with 87 homers and 703 RBIs in 1,904 career games.  Prior to his release, Andrus was playing out the final season of an eight-year, $120 million contract, but the White Sox will only owe him the prorated league minimum for the remainder of the season.

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FB8 – Week 29

A busy weekend helps rescue the week somewhat, pushing me back over 30,000 steps.  Things got off to a bad start on Sunday, as I finished 16 steps away from 2900.  Monday was even worse, dropping down to 2500.  Tuesday started a rising trend, jumping up to 3300.  Wednesday jumped up again, going up to 4200 steps.  A road trip to Indy to see Danny at the DCI Championships on Thursday came 24 steps shy of 5700.  A return to Lucas Oil Stadium on Friday for semis rose again, going up to 6800 steps.  An unexpected appearance in the Finals on Saturday led to another night in Indiana and 7300 steps.

Total steps: 32,835

Daily average: 4690.7