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By The Numbers – 16

In 1929, uniform numbers appeared on the back of baseball jerseys for the first time, thanks to the Indians and the Yankees.  By 1937, numbers finally appeared across all uniforms, both home and away, across both major leagues.  Since that time, 81 distinct numbers have been worn by members of the White Sox, while the Cubs boast 76.

Today, we continue our look at those players, picking our favorite, if not the best, player to wear each uniform number for both Chicago teams with #16.  65 different players have donned #16 while playing in Chicago, 24 for the White Sox, who retired the number in 1987, and 41 for the Cubs.

Aramis Ramirez switched to his familiar #16 shortly after being acquired by the Cubs from the Pirates.  Ramírez finished the 2003 season strong, appearing in 63 games down the stretch and hitting 15 home runs while helping the Cubs capture their first division title since 1989.  He managed 11 hits during the post-season, including 4 home runs and 10 RBIs and hitting the first playoff grand slam in Cubs’ history during Game 4 of the NLCS.  The following year, Ramirez became the 14th player in baseball history to hit 3 home runs in 2 different games in the same season.  While his offense remained strong, posting a .951 OPS, his defense was a bit of a liability, as he posted the lowest range factor among all third basemen.

Ramirez was elected to his first All-Star Game in 2005.  He finished the season with 31 home runs and 92 RBIs despite missing the last month of the year with a strained quadriceps femoral muscle.  While his defense continued to suffer in 2006, with his third straight season with the lowest range factor, his offense continued to carry the load.  He collected his 1000th hit in July against the Mets and ended up with 38 home runs, 119 RBIs, and an OPS of .912.  A free agent at the end of the season, he re-signed with the Cubs, scoring a 5-year, $73 million contract.

In April of ’07, Ramirez launched his 200th career home run.  His continued offensive presence helped lead the Cubs back to the post-season in 2007 and 2008, winning division titles both seasons.  Unfortunately, Ramirez, like his teammates, went cold in both series as the Cubs were swept in the NLDS each season.  In 2009, Ramirez christened the season with his 250th career home run on Opening Day against Roy Oswalt.  He followed that with #300 in July of 2011 against the White Sox.  Following that season, he declined his portion of a mutual option and became a free agent.

Julio Cruz wore #16 on the southside following his June 1983 acquisition from the Mariners, when he gave the White Sox the spark they were looking for, helping the team go on a 72-31 run to finish the season and go from 6 1/2 games back to 20 games ahead.  Cruz scored the winning run on a Harold Baines sacrifice fly against, of all teams, the Mariners on September 17, clinching the first division title in White Sox history.  Cruz hit .333 during the ALCS against the Orioles, swiping 2 bases in the 4-game series.  Heading in to the 1984 season, Cruz re-signed with the White Sox with a 6-year deal, thought to be worth between $3.6 to $4.8 million.  Unfortunately, time, and injuries, were starting to take their toll.  1984 was the best year of the deal, and Cruz saw his average drop to .222 and he stole only 14 bases, a career low to date.  Following that season, Cruz changed his number from #16 to #12.

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Book 18 (of 52) – The Lightning Rod

The Lightning Rod – Brad Meltzer

Brad Meltzer returns with his first adult work of fiction since 2018.  The Lightning Rod starts with the death of a reservist Colonel, and the military calls in one of their former morticians to work on him for his funeral.  When some mysterious figures show up for the funeral, Zig, said mortician, decides to dig deeper and try to figure out what is going on.  Meanwhile, Nola conducts her own investigation while trying to stay one step ahead of her twin brother, who has teamed up with Zig.

Truth be told, when I first saw the cover of this book, which declares it “A Zig & Nola Novel,” my first question was “who the hell are Zig & Nola?”  It has been a long four years since Meltzer released the first entry in this series and I had very little memory of these characters.  Because of that, it took me a while to get in to this one, but the action eventually picks up enough to carry the reader along.  This is now the thirteenth Brad Meltzer novel that I’ve read, not counting his comics work, and I am looking forward to the next one, assuming I live long enough.

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Against The Cubs All Time Leaders – Through 2021

chc_logoIn the past, we’ve looked at the all time leaders in both offensive and defensive categories for all 30 teams. This offseason, we will take our first ever look at those leaders against all 30 clubs.  We continue today with the Chicago Cubs.

I’ve seen the Cubs play 430 times at 9 different stadiums in 7 different cities, including 21 post-season appearances from the 2003 run through the 2018 Wild Card loss to the Rockies.

Home Runs

Name Total
Carlos Lee 15
Paul Konerko 15
Adam Dunn 11

Hits

Name Total
Carlos Lee 59
Paul Konerko 50
Jose Abreu 32

Runs

Name Total
Carlos Lee 59
Paul Konerko 50
Jose Abreu 32

RBI

Name Total
Carlos Lee 39
Paul Konerko 33
Adam Dunn 25

Doubles

Name Total
Carlos Lee 12
Paul Konerko 9
Prince Fielder 9

Triples Continue reading →

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FB8 – Week 8

A disappointing week, as I fell back under 30,000 steps for the week.  Things got off to a bad start on Sunday, as a sore left foot limited me to 2600 steps.  Things improved on Monday, as I managed to jump all the way up to 4900 steps.  Tuesday saw a slight decline, coming in exactly at 4700 steps.  Wednesday was even worse, dropping down to 4200 steps.  Thursday saw a nice improvement, thanks in part to a lunch date with Daryl, leaving me 7 steps shy of 4600.  Friday was the high point of the week, falling just 28 steps away from 5000.  Another lunch date, this time with Val and Daryl, left me with just 3500 steps.

Total steps: 29,650

Daily average: 4235.7

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Down To Sixteen And Still Dancing

The Sweet 16 kicks off today following an opening weekend with upsets galore, but, thankfully, with my champion pick still alive.  Unfortunately, half of my Final Four was wiped out, but, hey, that’s the fun part.

Only a couple of Xs in this region, though one of them I had going to the regional final.  Michigan State allowed Coach K’s last go-around to continue and helped contribute to the Big 10’s supposed flameout during the first weekend.

Well, this side of the bracket is where my Final Four picks have flamed out, so nothing here really matters.  Continue reading →

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Against The Indians All Time Leaders – Through 2021

In the past, we’ve looked at the all time leaders in both offensive and defensive categories for all 30 teams. This offseason, we will take our first ever look at those leaders against all 30 clubs.  We continue today with the former Cleveland Indians.

The Indians, then known as the Bluebirds, were one of the charter members of the American League in 1901.  After a few name changes, they settled on the Indians name in 1915 before finally deciding to change again, becoming the Guardians starting this upcoming season.  I’ve seen them play 58 times, including games 4 and 5 of the 2016 World Series at Wrigley Field and 2 games against the White Sox in their home stadium in September of 2019.

Home Runs

Name Total
Paul Konerko 12
Jim Thome 4
Adam Eaton 3
Alex Rios 3
Alexei Ramirez 3
Seby Zavala 3
Jose Abreu 3

Hits

Name Total
Paul Konerko 38
A.J. Pierzynski 27
Alexei Ramirez 26

Runs

Name Total
Paul Konerko 23
Alejandro de Aza 13
Gordon Beckham 13

RBI

Name Total
Paul Konerko 28
Alexei Ramirez 13
Alex Rios 10
Jim Thome 10

Doubles

Name Total
Paul Konerko 7
A.J. Pierzynski 6
Tim Anderson 4
Alejandro de Aza 4
Gordon Beckham 4

Triples Continue reading →

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Book 17 (of 52) – The Midnight Lock

The Midnight Lock – Jeffery Deaver

When Lincoln Rhyme seemingly is tripped up by a defense attorney, letting a criminal go free, the mayor declares that civilian consultants are no longer able to work with the NYPD.  In the middle of two other cases, Rhyme, with help from Amelia Sachs and the rest of his team, keeps helping to track down a creepy peeping tom, who, calling himself “The Locksmith”, breaks into women’s apartments and watches them sleep, while trying to avoid detection.  Working with the security chief of a media company targeted by The Locksmith, Lincoln and Amelia try to unravel the mystery and bring The Locksmith, and whoever is behind him, to justice.

The Midnight Lock, the fifteenth and most recent entry in the Lincoln Rhyme series by Jeffery Deaver, is the thirteenth in the series that I’ve read.  Separating Rhyme from the NYPD, if ever so briefly, added an interesting wrinkle to tale, though one that could have been better taken advantage of.  With only two books in the series, which I started in 2000, left to go, I hope I am able to wrap it up sometime this year.

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Top 200 Albums: #101 – 107

We last counted down the Top 200 albums in my iTunes library four years ago. Since that time, the world has literally changed, and my commute has decreased from 1+ hours each way to 25 steps. So, despite the decrease in potential listening time, I figured it was time to take another look, based on number of plays from late 2007 through the morning of January 1, 2022.

We wrap up the first half of the countdown today with the next batch of ten albums that I have listened to the most over the last 15 years, breaking the triple digit total play plateau with three compilations, and music from the 60s, 80s, 90s, and beyond.

#107: Elvis Presley – 2nd To None
iTunes stats: 110 plays
Previous Ranking: 103

The second collection of Elvis’ top hits, released in 2003, saw a 59% increase to the five songs out of 30 that are in my collection.

#107: Various Artists – On The Edge
iTunes stats: 110 plays
Previous Ranking: 129

This compilation, featuring 80s alternative hits from the likes of The Smiths, Love & Rockets, and Michael Penn, used five different tunes to generate 52 new plays over the past four years.

#107: Various Artists – Rock N’ Roll Era: 1958
iTunes stats: 101 plays
Previous Ranking: 109

A 69% increase in plays over the past four years for this edition of the Time Life series, featuring songs by The Big Bopper, The Monotones, and Little Richard, among others.

#107: Various Artists – Billboard Top Rock & Roll Hits: 1970
iTunes stats: 110 plays
Previous Ranking: 127

This compilation of the biggest hits of 1970 by bands that would allow themselves to be on such a compilation, like Ides of March or the Partridge Family, added 51 new plays to the seven tunes in my collection.

#106: Various Artists – WSCR 670 The Score
iTunes stats: 111 plays
Previous Ranking: N/A

Typically, I exclude this collection of sports highlights from the 2008 White Sox, but, to be honest, I forgot until I was far enough along for it to screw up my pacing, so here you go.

Continue reading →

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By The Numbers – 17

In 1929, uniform numbers appeared on the back of baseball jerseys for the first time, thanks to the Indians and the Yankees.  By 1937, numbers finally appeared across all uniforms, both home and away, across both major leagues.  Since that time, 81 distinct numbers have been worn by members of the White Sox, while the Cubs boast 76.

Today, we continue our look at those players, picking our favorite, if not the best, player to wear each uniform number for both Chicago teams with #17.  79 different players have donned #17 while playing in Chicago, 42 for the White Sox and 37 for the Cubs.

Mark Grace moved to his iconic #17 during his rookie campaign in 1988.  He finished second in Rookie of the Year voting while hitting .296 with 7 home runs and 57 RBIs.  In 1989, he garnered some MVP consideration as the Cubs took home a surprising NL East title.  Grace hit .314 with 13 home runs and 79 RBIs during the regular season, before hitting .647 with a 1.799 OPS during the 5 game NLCS against the Giants.

In 1990, Grace began a decade of excellence, collecting the most hits, 1,754, and doubles, 364, of any player during the decade.  He won 4 Gold Glove awards, was named to 3 All Star teams, earned down-ballot MVP support in 3 different seasons.  Following the 2000 season, he left the Cubs, finishing that portion of his career with 2201 hits, 456 doubles, 148 home runs, 1004 RBIs, and a .308 average.

As the White Sox made their run towards the World Series title in 2005, general manager Kenny Williams attempted to acquire Ken Griffey Jr. from the Reds, but was rebuked when Reds ownership decided to veto the deal.  3 years later, with the White Sox again looking to make a run at a division title, he was finally able to acquire the aging superstar at the trade deadline in exchange for pitcher Nick Masset and second baseman Danny Richar.  At the time of the trade, the White Sox held a tenuous 1.5 game lead over the Twins.  Wearing #17, Griffey, who had spent most of the previous few seasons in right field to lessen the strain on his body, moved back to center field for the White Sox, displacing the disappointing Nick Swisher.  Griffey appeared in 41 games for the White Sox, hitting a decent .260 with only 3 home runs and 18 RBI.  His most important contribution came defensively, during the tie-breaking game 163 between the White Sox and the Twins, when he gunned down Michael Cuddyer, who was trying to score on a fly out to center, preserving the shutout and helping the White Sox win the division and advance the playoffs.  In the ALDS, Griffey appeared in 3 games against the Rays, garnering only 2 hits as the White Sox fell 3 games to 1.  Following the season, the White Sox declined Griffey’s $16 million option for 2009, making him a free agent.

Special bonus shout out to outfielder Carlos May, who played with the White Sox from 1968-1976.  May, who wore #17 for his entire White Sox career, is the only player in baseball history to wear his birthday, May 17th, on his jersey.

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Against The Brewers All Time Leaders – Through 2021

In the past, we’ve looked at the all time leaders in both offensive and defensive categories for all 30 teams. This offseason, we will take our first ever look at those leaders against all 30 clubs. We continue today with the Milwaukee Brewers.

The Brewers began life in 1969, joining the American League as the Seattle Pilots.  After one year, they moved to Milwaukee and were re-christened the Brewers.  In 1998, the Brewers became the first team to switch leagues when they moved to the National League as the expansion Tampa Bay Devil Rays joined the American League.  I’ve seen them play 41 times, first in 1993 battling the White Sox at their old home of Milwaukee County Stadium and most recently in July of 2019, battling the Cubs at Miller Park.

Home Runs

Name Total
Derrek Lee 6
Sammy Sosa 5
Aramis Ramirez 5

Hits

Name Total
Derrek Lee 27
Aramis Ramirez 21
Corey Patterson 16

Runs

Name Total
Derrek Lee 18
Moises Alou 11
Ryan Theriot 11

RBI

Name Total
Derrek Lee 23
Aramis Ramirez 18
Moises Alou 12

Doubles

Name Total
Derrek Lee 5
Aramis Ramirez 5
Sammy Sosa 4

Triples Continue reading →