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Socially Distanced Dancing

Because money is more important than the health of their so-called student athletes, the NCAA tournament returns after a year break caused by the outbreak of the corona virus.  For reasons that I’m sure make some sort of sense, games this year will be Friday through Monday instead of Thursday through Sunday.  As the nation’s attention is grabbed for the next few weeks, let’s take a look at my picks for this year’s tournament.

A few minor upsets, but the overall #1 seed, Gonzaga, makes it out on their way to the Final Four.

Purdue finds themselves the #4 seed, playing tomorrow night at Lucas Oil Stadium.  Again, there’s a few minor upsets early in the going, but I have things chalk in the Elite Eight, where Ohio State, the #2 seed, gets through. Continue reading →

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Fitbit VII – Week 7

We wrap up a full year of pandemic-induced working from home with a pretty decent week, my best weekly total since I went to Michigan in September.  Spring-like weather helped me get the week off to a good start on Sunday, as I took an afternoon walk to listen to the White Sox game on the radio and finished 10 steps shy of 7700, my first day over goal in over a month.  I managed to better my performance on Monday, racking up over 7900 steps and finishing over goal two days in a row for the first time since early November.  Tuesday was yet another winner, with 7800 steps, giving me 3 straight days over goal for the first time since that September trip to Michigan.  Things fell apart a bit on Wednesday, where meetings kept me chained to my desk all day and left me with only 3200 steps.  Thursday saw a decent bounce back, as I was able to get back up to 5900 steps.  Friday saw another slight decline, coming 17 steps shy of 5300.  Saturday saw a nice improvement, despite the spring-like weather starting to fade, finishing over 6000 steps.

Total steps: 43,992

Daily average: 6284.6

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iTunes Top 200 Artists: #120-128

It’s been 4 years since we last counted down the Top 200 artists in my iTunes library.  Since my iTunes stats are still intact, across multiple PCs, iPods, iPads, and iPhones, I figured it was time to take another look at the artists that have entertained me the most based on number of plays from late 2007 through January 1, 2021.

We continue today with our next batch of 10 artists, the 3 tied for 128th place, 3 tied for 125th, 3 tied for 122nd, and the first of 2 tied for 120th.  We have a single newcomer making their debut this week, who kicks things off.

#128: Madonna
iTunes stats: 64 plays
Previous ranking: N/A

Certified as the best-selling female recording artist of all time by Guinness World Records, Madonna makes an impressive debut after adding 43 new listens, the highest total to date.

#128: Lenny Kravitz
iTunes stats: 64 plays
Previous ranking: #152

The son of TV’s Roxie Roker more than doubles his previous total for the 4 tracks in my collection.

#128: The Presidents Of The United States Of America
iTunes stats: 64 plays
Previous ranking: #145

Three songs from the band’s debut album doubled their listens to move 17 spots up the chart.

#125: The Lemonheads
iTunes stats: 66 plays
Previous ranking: #116

Evan Dando and crew add 28 additional plays to the 3 tracks in my collection from their 90s heyday.

#125: Rancid
iTunes stats: 66 plays
Previous ranking: #113

The punk band drops 12 slots after picking up a 69% increase in plays over the last 4 years.

#125: Me First And The Gimme Gimmes
Continue reading →

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By The Numbers – 63

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 #63.  8 players have donned #63 while playing in Chicago, 5 for the White Sox and 3 for the Cubs.

Matt Foster made his major league debut for the White Sox in 2020, becoming the fifth player to wear #63 while going 6-1 with a 2.20 ERA en route to helping the White Sox earn their first playoff berth since 2008.

On the north side of town, Kevin Gregg wore #63 during both of his stints with the Cubs, in 2009 and again in 2013.  He notched 56 saves despite a 4.13 ERA.

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Book 10 (of 52) – Later

Later – Stephen King

Later, Stephen King’s third effort for the Hard Case Crime imprint, tells the tale of a young man who has the ability to see and interact with the dead, at least for a few days after their passing.  Unfortunately for him, when he is forced to use his “talents” to help his mother save her struggling business, he exposes himself to her girlfriend, an unstable cop with IA on her tail.  As he grows up, she twice kidnaps him, looking to use him to her advantage, first to stop a serial bomber who had just committed suicide and, finally, to set herself up with a huge drug score after killing her dealer.

The horror elements that one usually associates with Stephen King mostly take a back seat here, although there is a mysterious ghost/demon that shows up from time to time, as King once again uses this imprint to tell a different kind of story.  I’ve enjoyed this side of King’s work in the past and will look forward to more of it in the future.

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Fitbit VII – Week 6

A pretty decent week, all things considered, as I put up my highest total since the first week of January.  Things got off to a decent-enough start on Sunday, as the weather was nice enough for a short walk, which led to over 5400.  Monday fell down a bit, both in weather and in steps, coming in at 4000 steps.  Tuesday saw a slight improvement, moving up to 4200 steps.  Wednesday was another decent enough day, going all the way back up to 5300 steps.  Thursday was just a little bit worse, coming in with 5000 steps.  Friday was easily the low point of the week, as leftovers for lunch and the season finale of WandaVision left me with only 3000 steps.  Saturday was the high point of the week, thanks to a trip to Mariano’s, ending up with 5600 steps.

Total steps: 32,698

Daily average: 4671.1

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The Fans Are Back

After a year with no fans in the stands due to the corona virus, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced yesterday that fans can return for 2021 starting on Opening Day with 20% capacity.  That will put 8,122 fans at Guaranteed Rate Field when the White Sox open their home season on April 8th and 8,274 fans at Wrigley Field when the Cubs start their season on April 1.  Fans will still be required to wear masks and there must be at least six feet between groups in the stands.

Both teams plan to limit sales to season ticket holders initially, before moving out to the general public.  In an email to season ticket holders, the Cubs announced that April games will be either refunded or credited, with an option to purchase single game tickets in pods of one through four people spread throughout the ballpark, including reserved seating in the bleachers.  The White Sox have not released specific information yet, though  I imagine my 19 year White Sox Opening Day streak is in jeopardy.

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iTunes Top 200 Artists: #131-140

It’s been 4 years since we last counted down the Top 200 artists in my iTunes library.  Since my iTunes stats are still intact, across multiple PCs, iPods, iPads, and iPhones, I figured it was time to take another look at the artists that have entertained me the most based on number of plays from late 2007 through January 1, 2021.

We continue today with our next batch of 10 artists, the remaining 1 tied for 140th place, 3 tied for137th, 4 tied for 133rd, and the 2 tied for 131st.  Our newcomers are back, with 2 artists making their debut this week.

#140: 2Pac
iTunes stats: 60 plays
Previous ranking: #129

The slain rapper, whose murder remains unsolved after 24 years, picked up 26 new listens while dropping 11 spots.

#137: Lily Allen
iTunes stats: 61 plays
Previous ranking: #129

The English chartreuse, who played a funny part in my roadtrip to Disney World back in 2016, falls 8 spots despite 27 new plays for the 27 songs in my collection, although only 3 of those songs make up her total.

#137: Ice Cube
iTunes stats: 61 plays
Previous ranking: #145

A 29 play increase for the former NWA rapper who went from Fuck Tha Police to trying to curry favor with the Trump administration.

#137: Styx
iTunes stats: 61 plays
Previous ranking: #113

A 24 spot drop for the local outfit, who, thanks to the departure of Chris Sale from the White Sox, no longer get played as often.

#133: Led Zeppelin
iTunes stats: 62 plays
Previous ranking: #145

The quintessential rock band of the 1970s and noted musical thieves move up 12 spots thanks to 30 new listens, a 94% increase.

#133: The Police
Continue reading →

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By The Numbers – 64

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 #64.  9 players have donned #64 while playing in Chicago, 6 for the White Sox and 3 for the Cubs.

For the first time, we come across a single player who wore the same number for both the Cubs and the White Sox.  Emilio Bonifacio donned #64 for the Cubs in 2014 after signing as a free agent.  He played decently enough, hitting .279 in 69 games.   At the trade deadline, he and James Russell were dealt to the Braves for a young catching prospect by the name of Victor Caratini.  After finishing the 2014 season in Atlanta, Bonifacio returned to Chicago in 2015, signing with the White Sox, where he once again wore #64.  His second go-around did not go as well, as he hit .167 in 47 games before being released in August.