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Against The Yankees All Time Leaders – Through 2021

YankeesIn 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 New York Yankees.

The Yankees began life in 1901 as the Baltimore Orioles, moving to New York in time for the 1903 season.  I’ve seen them play 28 times, first in 1997 and most recently this past August at Truist Park in Atlanta.

Home Runs

Name Total
Paul Konerko 4
Alexei Ramirez 4
Jim Thome 3

Hits

Name Total
Paul Konerko 21
Gordon Beckham 16
A.J. Pierzynski 13

Runs

Name Total
Paul Konerko 8
Jim Thome 7
Gordon Beckham 6
Carlos Quentin 6

RBI

Name Total
Paul Konerko 9
Alexei Ramirez 8
Gordon Beckham 7

Doubles

Name Total
Gordon Beckham 7
Jose Abreu 5
Alexei Ramirez 3
A.J. Pierzynski 3

Triples Continue reading →

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Spring Bleak

More than three months into a lockout that has extinguished the hot stove, the lack of progress on a deal between the owners and the MLBPA has put the on-time opening of spring camps in peril. Pitchers and catchers for all 30 teams were to start reporting to spring training next week, but with no deal in place, big league camps across Florida and Arizona will remain shuttered.

With this second milestone passed, and the first to impact any on-field activities, you have to wonder what the end game is here. A delayed start to spring training most certainly means the loss of spring training games, which have become a not-insignificant source of revenue over the past few years. If this lockout stretches into March, then Opening Day and the start of the regular season starts to become a question mark.

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FB8 – Week 1

A nice start to my eighth year using the Fitbit and my best total since mid-August.  The week got off to a decent enough start on Sunday, thanks to an overnight snowstorm that needed clearing, helping me finish with 5500 steps.  Another storm on Monday sent me back out with the snowblower, which left me with 5300 steps.  Tuesday and Wednesday were the low points of the week, but still managed 4900 steps a piece, with only an eight step difference between the two.  Thursday jumped back up, coming 21 steps shy of 5800.  Friday brought more snow and another session with the snowblower, which helped me get up to 6200 steps.  Most of Saturday was spent on an airplane headed for the sunshine of Hawaii, where I ended the day with 7700 steps, my first time surpassing my daily goal since early November.

Total steps: 40,431

Daily average: 5775.9

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Top 200 Albums: #161 – 170

itunes_imageWe 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 continue today with the next batch of ten albums that I have listened to the most over the last 15 years, including two live DVD rips, one movie soundtrack, and an appearance by my alma mater’s marching band.

#170: Alanis Morissette – VH1 Storytellers
iTunes stats: 75 plays
Previous Ranking: 192

Ripped from the DVD, six tracks from the live performance first aired in 1999 as the fifth episode of season six of VH1 Storytellers bumped up nearly 83% while jumping 12 spots on the chart.

#165: R.E.M. – Monster
iTunes stats: 76 plays
Previous Ranking: 171

The ninth studio album from R.E.M., released in 1994, takes contributions from five of the twelve tracks to add 29 new listens over the past 4 years.

#165: Purdue “All-American” Marching Band – Back Home in Indiana
iTunes stats: 76 plays
Previous Ranking: 120

A huge 45 spot drop thanks to a small 15 listen increase to this newer version (Boiler Up included) of my alma mater’s fight song.

#165: Boyz II Men – Cooleyhighharmony
iTunes stats: 76 plays
Previous Ranking: 171

Another one of the six CDs that I owned when I left for college, this 1991 debut from Boyz II Men uses 29 new listens to jump up 6 spots on the chart.

#165: Various Artists – Grease (Soundtrack from the Motion Picture)
iTunes stats: 76 plays
Previous Ranking: 165

The soundtrack to the 1978 hit film had five tracks, from film stars John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John, and Stockard Channing, among others, contribute its 58% increase.

Continue reading →

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By The Numbers – 22

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 #22.  76 different players have donned #22 while playing in Chicago, 26 for the White Sox and 50 for the Cubs.

Acquired from the Dodgers, along with Ivan DeJesus, in exchange for Rick Monday and Mike Garman, Bill Buckner joined the Cubs, wearing #22, in 1977.  A staph infection in his ankle the previous year caused the Cubs to move the former outfielder to first base, a position he would man for the rest of his career.  Appearing in 122 games, he hit .284 with 11 home runs and 27 doubles.  He improved in 1978, raising his average to .323 and placed 17th in MVP voting.  1979 was another steady year for Buckner.  On May 17th, in the infamous slugfest where the Cubs lost 23-22 to the Phillies, he went 4–for–7 with a grand slam and a career-high seven RBIs.  He finished the year hitting .284 with 14 home runs and 34 doubles, but was also described as “nuts” when manager Herman Franks resigned late in the season.

In 1980, Buckner won a batting title, hitting .324 while striking out only 18 times, earning him a 14th place finish in MVP voting.  In the strike-shortened 1981 season, he was the lone Cub representative for the All Star game and batted .311 while tying Cecil Cooper for the major league lead with 35 doubles.  1982 saw Buckner hit over .300 for the fourth time as a Cub while racking up career highs in hits, with 201, RBIs, with 105, and assists at first base, setting a major league record with 159.

In 1983, Buckner again led the NL with 38 doubles, but saw his batting average drop to .280, his lowest finish as a Cub.  With the acquisition of Gary Matthews in 1984 pushing Leon Durham to first base, Buckner found himself the odd man out.  Appearing mostly as a pinch hitter, Buckner hit a paltry .209 through the end of May, when he was traded to the Red Sox, ending his Cub tenure.

Scott Podsednik was acquired by the White Sox from the Brewers for Carlos Lee on December 13, 2004.  Wearing #22, he moved in to the leadoff spot and, after putting up a .294 average with 44 steals in the first half, he earned his first All Star game nod.  While injuries slowed him in the second half, he was back to full strength when the regular season came to an end and the White Sox embarked on their first post-season appearance in 5 years.  After going the entire regular season without a home run, Podsednik went deep against the Red Sox in Game 1 of the ALDS, helping the White Sox to a 14-2 victory on their way to a 3 game sweep of the defending champions.  Podsednik continued his steady play during the ALCS, hitting .294 with a triple and 3 stolen bases in the 5 game series.  The shining moment of his career came in Game 2 of the World Series, thanks to a walkoff home run against Brad Lidge in the 9th inning, giving the White Sox a 2-0 lead on their way to a sweep and their first world championship in 88 years.  For his efforts, Podsednik finished in 12th place for MVP voting.

As the White Sox looked to repeat in 2006, Podsednik found it difficult to duplicate his efforts from the year before.  His average was down 29 points, to .261, and his stolen base total was off by 19.  Injuries limited Podsednik to 62 games in 2007.  His offensive production continued to be lacking and, after the White Sox fell completely out of contention for the first time in years, the team decided to change their approach and gave Podsednik his release.  He returned to the White Sox organization in 2009, signing a minor league deal.  Injuries to Brian Anderson, Dewayne Wise, and Carlos Quentin gave him plenty of opportunity with the big league club, and he responded by hitting .304, his highest total since 2003.  Following the season, he became a free agent.

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Against The Braves All Time Leaders – Through 2021

bravesIn 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 Atlanta Braves.

The Braves began life in Boston, moving to Milwaukee in 1953 and finally landing in Atlanta in 1966.  I’ve seen them play 20 times, 12 against the Cubs, 7 against the White Sox, and once against the Yankees, including games 3 and 4 of the 2003 NLDS against the Cubs.

Home Runs

Name Total
Derrek Lee 2
Eric Karros 2
Frank Thomas 2

Hits

Name Total
Moises Alou 9
Alex Rios 8
Alexei Ramirez 7
Aramis Ramirez 7

Runs

Name Total
Aramis Ramirez 5
Alexei Ramirez 5
Alex Rios 4
Alejandro de Aza 4
Derrek Lee 4

RBI

Name Total
Alex Rios 9
Jeromy Burnitz 5
Derrek Lee 4
Rene Rivera 4

Doubles

Name Total
Derrek Lee 2
Alex Gonzalez 2
Mark Grudzielanek 2
Josh Phegley 2

Triples Continue reading →

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Fitbit Year 7

A year ago, I set a goal of 2,730,000 steps, an average of 7500 steps per day. Thanks to the ongoing pandemic and a summer where I did very little to take advantage of much of the country still being shut down and no longer having to go to work, I fell quite a bit short of my challenge, finishing more than a million steps behind with only 1,689,490, the third straight year I’ve failed to surpass my yearly goal and the only times I’ve failed aside from 2014 under the old GlobalFit program.  My average step total per week was 32,490.19, which comes out to about 4641.5 per day. The median weekly total was 31,544.5.  My best week was Week 8, where three 9000 step days, including a trip to Indianapolis for the NCAA Tournament, propelled me over to 55,500 steps for the week.  My worst week was Week 32, although that was caused more by my losing access to my charger for a few days and ending up with a dead Fitbit.

For the upcoming year, I’m going to keep things as is, in the hopes that I can finally reverse this downward trend. I am leaving my goal for steps per day at 7500, which would again bring me to a yearly total of 2,730,000 steps. Hopefully this fourth attempt, now that I’ve got this WFH thing down pat, is the one that sticks.

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Fitbit VII – Week 52

My seventh year using a Fitbit comes to a close in a disappointing fashion. The week got off to a so-so start on Sunday, ending with 4100 steps.  Monday managed a slight improvement, going up to 4300 steps.  Tuesday was the high point of the week, rising up to 4500 steps.  The usual crush of Wednesday meetings caused a sharp decline, falling down to 3100 steps.  Thursday bounced back up a bit, rising all the way up to 3700 steps.  Friday was a near duplicate, raising Thursday’s total by 17 steps.  A dead Fitbit and some charging time on Saturday left me with a mere 1900 steps, ending the year on a down note.

Total steps: 25,537

Daily average: 3648.1

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Against The Blue Jays All Time Leaders – Through 2021

jaysnewIn 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 Toronto Blue Jays.

The Blue Jays began life in 1977, joining the American League along with the Mariners. I’ve seen them play 26 times at 4 different stadiums in 2 countries, first in 1984 at the original Comiskey Park and, most recently, in 2019 at Guaranteed Rate Field.

Home Runs

Name Total
Jermaine Dye 3
Tim Anderson 2
Jim Thome 2
Alex Rios 2
Michael Barrett 2
J.B. Shuck 2
Brett Lawrie 2

Hits

Name Total
Alexei Ramirez 15
Paul Konerko 11
Tim Anderson 10
Jose Abreu 10

Runs

Name Total
Alex Rios 7
Paul Konerko 6
Tim Anderson 5
Jermaine Dye 5
Gordon Beckham 5

RBI

Name Total
Jermaine Dye 7
Alexei Ramirez 7
Alex Rios 6
Paul Konerko 6
Leury Garcia 6

Doubles

Name Total
Alex Rios 4
Paul Konerko 2
Jose Abreu 2
Avisail Garcia 2
Carlos Quentin 2
Aramis Ramirez 2
Alejandro de Aza 2

Triples Continue reading →