As we continue our look back at the new fall season, Monday continues to be bereft of anything worth viewing, at least in my opinion. How will I ever fill the time?
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Midseason Review – Sundays
With the advent of winter premieres, the start of the premium cable network shows, and with February sweeps around the corner, it’s time to revisit my thoughts from the beginning of the season and look ahead at what’s to come for Sunday nights.
7:00
Batwoman – The Arrowverse expands once again, with this entry coming out of last year’s crossover event. Ruby Rose puts on the cowl to protect the streets of Gotham.
Outside of the Crisis On Infinite Earths crossover episode, I haven’t actually gotten around to watching this yet, though the episodes are piling up on the DVR.
7:30
God Friended Me – The latest “do-gooder has a direct line from God” returns for a second season after being surprisingly entertaining.
I’m still enjoying this, but I am a little concerned that they’ve already leaned hard into the “keep the obvious couple apart for dubious reasons” trope.
8:00
Supergirl – The fifth season sees the return of Jeremy Jordan and the exit of Mehcad Brooks.
We’ll see how the outcome of the Crisis crossover impacts the show moving forward, as it looks to have a completely new status quo.
9:00
Silicon Valley – The Pied Piper gang returns for their final season.
The show got an honorable wrap up, with the crew finally succeeding, but forced to kill their own creation for the good of the world.
Shameless – Season 10, the first without Emmy Rossum, may be a bit of a stretch. But, I guess if I’ve watched this long, why stop now?
I am slowly working through the season, which is turning out to be a bit of a slog without Emmy Rossum. It’s been renewed for an eleventh, and final, season, so I may as well keep going with the finish line in sight.
New entries hitting the screen this winter include:
Doctor Who – Jodie Whitaker returns for her second go-around as the Doctor.
Homeland – The Showtime drama returns for its final season.
Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist – Jane Levy returns as a coder who starts to hear people’s inner musical dialogue.
The Outsider – Based on a Stephen King book, the new HBO drama stars Jason Bateman.
Avenue 5 – A sci-fi comedy from the creators of Veep.
Entering The Hall
All eyes turned towards the small hamlet of Cooperstown, New York yesterday, as the votes were tallied and two new members were announced as the Hall of Fame class of 2020: Derek Jeter and Larry Walker. Jeter, in his first year of eligibility, came 1 vote short of joining his former teammate Mariano Rivera as the only players to be elected with 100% of the vote. Walker, in his tenth and final year of eligibility, found himself on 76.6% of the ballots, 6 votes above the threshold for enshrinement.
Four others tallied greater than 50% of the vote, led by Curt Schilling, who jumped up to 70%. Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds saw very modest increases, which makes their eventual induction by the BBWAA unlikely with only two more elections for each. Omar Vizquel saw a nice increase in his third go-around, going from 42.8% to 52.6%.
Bobby Abreu is the only first timer who will return, earning 5.5% of the vote, just above the 5% cutoff. Of the local contingent, former White Sox outfielder Manny Ramirez finished with 28.2%, Andruw Jones earned 19.4%, and Cub outcast Sammy Sosa garnered 13.9%. Paul Konerko got a mere 10 votes, Alfonso Soriano got 6, and J.J. Putz and Adam Dunn snagged a vote apiece.
As for the newest Hall of Famers, I’ve seen Jeter play 18 times, followed by a mere 3 career games for Walker. These two, along with Ted Simmons and Marvin Miller, who were elected by the Veteran’s Committee in December, will enter the Hall on Sunday, July 26.
Derek Jeter’s numbers in games I’ve attended were: Continue reading →
Fitbit V: Week 51
Another down week, which has become too much of a trend. The week got off to a slow start on Sunday, with less than 1900 steps. Monday finished just over 7700 steps, thanks to a wonderful start to the work week. Tuesday was even better, with over 8300 steps. Wednesday was a step in the wrong direction, with only 5800 steps. Thursday was a nice bounce back, coming just shy of 8500 steps. Friday was another downer, with just over 5400 steps, as an impending snow storm saw me leave work a little early. Saturday continued my weekend trend of nothingness, with just over 1500 steps, though I think I missed some due to a depleted battery on my Fitbit.
Total steps: 39,175
Daily average: 5596.4
iTunes Top 200: #170 Part The Third
4 years ago, we last counted down the Top 200 songs 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 my most listened to songs, based on number of plays as of January 1, 2020.
We continue today with the next group of ten songs tied for 170th place with 30 plays apiece since my stats began in late 2007.
#170: Garfunkel and Oates – Pregnant Women Are Smug
iTunes stats: 30 plays, most recently on 10/14/2019
Previous ranking: #167
Riki Lindhome and Kate Micucci add 13 new listens to pretty much keep pace with their previous showing.
#170: Garbage – Cherry Lips (Live)
iTunes stats: 30 plays, most recently on 11/9/2019
Previous ranking: Unranked
An impressive debut for this live version of the song, performed at Chicago’s Virgin Megastore and broadcast live on WXRT.
#170: Florence + The Machine – Shake It Out
iTunes stats: 30 plays, most recently on 12/30/2019
Previous ranking: Unranked
Nominated for the 2013 Grammy Award for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance, the song has put in 30 listens since being added to my collection in early 2016 prior to a certain road trip.
#170: DJ Danger Mouse – 99 Problems
iTunes stats: 30 plays, most recently on 9/26/2019
Previous ranking: #118
A big drop off for this mash-up of Jay Z’s 99 Problems and The Beatles Helter Skelter.
#170: The Cast of Buffy the Vampire Slayer – Overture/Going Through The Motions
iTunes stats: 30 plays, most recently on 11/9/2019
Previous ranking: #118
A bit of a drop off for the opening tune, performed by series star Sarah Michelle Gellar, from the musical episode in season 6.
#170: Blues Brothers – Sweet Home Chicago
Continue reading →
Ballpark Tour: Tigers
Spring training is right around the corner as we continue our tour of all of the baseball stadiums I’ve been to over the years. Today we travel north to Michigan for the baseball homes of the Detroit Tigers. Between the two stadiums that have been located in Motown, I’ve seen 3 games. So, without further ado, let’s take a deeper look at my history with Tiger Stadium and Comerica Park.
Stadium Name: Tiger Stadium
Years in Service: 1912 – 1999
Visits: 1
Tiger Stadium opened as Navin Field on April 20, 1912, the same date as Boston’s Fenway Park. It would serve as the home of the Tigers until the final game on September 27, 1999, an 8-2 Tiger victory over the Royals.
My one and only trip to Tiger Stadium was during its final season, on August 2, 1999, when rookie Kip Wells made his major league debut for the White Sox, picking up the win in the victory against the Tigers. The stadium reminded me of the old Comiskey Park, with the dark ramps and tunnels leading out to the glorious green of the field.
Stadium Name: Comerica Park
Years in Service: 2000 – Present
Visits: 2
After 87 seasons at Tiger Stadium, the Tigers opened their new stadium in 2000 on a snowy afternoon against the Mariners. In contrast to Tiger Stadium, which had been considered one of the most hitter-friendly parks in baseball, Comerica Park is considered to be extremely friendly to pitchers. After years of irrelevance, the new stadium was one step leading the Tigers back to contention, which they achieved in 2006, making the World Series and being in the hunt more often than not ever since.
The White Sox were 3.5 games behind the Twins for the AL Central lead heading into a Labor Day holiday series against the Tigers in 2010. After they split the first 2 games of the series, I decided to head up to Detroit to take in the final two games, my first trip to Comerica Park. I had booked a room at the Caesars hotel and casino in Windsor, so I drove up to Canada and checked in prior to the night’s game back in Detroit. I booked a round trip on a bus back to the US which dropped me off near the park, where I took in the Tigers 5-1 victory. The next afternoon, I drove back to Detroit and stopped for the afternoon’s series finale, which the Tigers once again won.
The stadium itself was a vast improvement over Tiger Stadium. For the first game, I sat in the upper deck behind home plate and had a good view of the entire field. For the second game, I was right behind the White Sox dugout, which, while a bit pricey, did provide another nice view. The only disappointment, besides the play of the south siders, was the food. Since the Tigers owner also owns Little Caesars pizza, that is the food that is available. I remember making it through a few bites before leaving the pizza underneath my seat for whoever wanted it.
Book 2 (of 52) – Embrace Your Weird
Embrace Your Weird: Face Your Fears And Unleash Creativity – Felicia Day
Felicia Day returns with Embrace Your Weird, a self help book aimed at getting readers to overcome their fears about being creative and completing something (anything). Aside from Day’s personal anecdotes and self-learned wisdom, she provides numerous exercises intended to nurture each reader’s unique, creative voice. If I was looking to expand my creative activities, I could see myself partaking of the activities and having them make a difference in my ability to move forward.
More important than the book itself was the opportunity meet Felicia Day at an event put on by the good folks at Anderson’s Bookshop. Unlike the previous events they’ve put on that I’ve attended, this one included the opportunity for a photo with the author. I’ve been a fan of Day’s since her appearances as one of the potential slayers in the final season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, so getting the opportunity to shake her hand and exchange some small talk in exchange for a photo was well worth the drive out to Naperville on a rainy Saturday afternoon.
Fitbit V: Week 50
My first full week of work in 2020 doesn’t result in much better results, as my below goal streak reaches 18 weeks. The week got off to a slow start on Sunday with just under 4600 steps, despite a trip to Champaign to watch an awful Purdue basketball game. Monday was back to work, but only managed to get 7100 steps. Things were better on Tuesday, as I managed to squeak past the 8000 step mark. Wednesday fell back down to 7600 steps. Thursday was a disappointment, coming in with just over 6000 steps. Friday was even worse, with under 3900 steps. Despite a trip out for a haircut and lunch on Saturday, I barely got over 2000 steps.
Total steps: 39,272
Daily average: 5610.3
iTunes Top 200: #170 Continued
4 years ago, we last counted down the Top 200 songs 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 my most listened to songs, based on number of plays as of January 1, 2020.
We continue today with the next group of ten songs tied for 170th place with 30 plays apiece since my stats began in late 2007.
#170: The Offspring – Come Out And Play
iTunes stats: 30 plays, most recently on 8/16/2019
Previous ranking: #96
A precipitous drop for this breakthrough single for the punk band, which garnered a mere 10 new listens over the past 4 years. It also appears on Volume 14 of my mix tapes.
#170: The Moopets – Rainbow Connection
iTunes stats: 30 plays, most recently on 11/9/2019
Previous ranking: #167
A 13 song increase keeps this version of the Muppets classic, featuring Fozzie Bear pushing the virtues of a casino from The Muppets, about even from 4 years ago, ranking wise.
#170: The Monkees – I’m A Believer
iTunes stats: 30 plays, most recently on 10/23/2019
Previous ranking: #167
Composed by Neil Diamond, the song spent 7 weeks at the top of the Billboard charts between 1966 and 1967.
#170: Lustra – Scotty Doesn’t Know
iTunes stats: 30 plays, most recently on 11/18/2019
Previous ranking: #118
The main song from the film Eurotrip, explaining how poor Scotty doesn’t know his girlfriend is cheating on him, adds only 11 new listens, dropping quite a bit in the rankings.
#170: Ludacris – Get Back
iTunes stats: 30 plays, most recently on 7/28/2019
Previous ranking: Unranked
Having peaked at #13 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2005, the song makes an impressive debut on the chart.
#170: Letters To Cleo – Here & Now
Continue reading →
Ballpark Tour: Giants
Spring training is a little less than a month away as we continue our tour of all of the baseball stadiums I’ve been to over the years. Today we travel west to the Bay area for the baseball homes of the San Francisco Giants. Between the two stadiums that have been located in and around San Francisco, I’ve seen 2 games. So, without further ado, let’s take a deeper look at my history with Candlestick Park and AT&T Park.
Stadium Name: 3 Com Park
Years in Service: 1960 – 1999
Visits: 1
When the New York Giants moved west in 1958, the city of San Francisco began constructing a new ballpark for them, and Candlestick Park was born. The stadium opened in 1960 and was the home of the now-San Francisco Giants through the 1999 season. Along the way, the stadium has also played host to the Oakland Raiders, the San Francisco 49ers, dozens of commercials and movies, and, in 1965, the final commercial concert appearance by the Beatles.
In September of 1999, I headed out to the Bay Area to visit an old friend. One of the items on our agenda was to head out to Candlestick, which had been renamed 3Com Park by this point, to see a game before the Giants moved to their new home the following season. With only 13 home games left on the schedule, we set out to see the Giants take on the Phillies on September 2. The Giants, behind starter Joe Nathan, defeated the Phillies 3-2 on a cool autumn afternoon.
Stadium Name: AT&T Park/Oracle Park
Years in Service: 2000 – Present
Visits: 2
After flirting with a move to Tampa Bay, the Giants opened Pacific Bell Park in 2000 after 40 seasons at Candlestick Park. The ballpark was the first stadium built without public funds since the completion of Dodger Stadium in 1962. The stadium was renamed SBC Park in 2003 and then finally AT&T Park in 2006 thanks to the corporate upheaval in the telecommunications world. In April 2010, the stadium became the first MLB ballpark to receive LEED Silver Certification for Existing Buildings, Operations and Maintenance.
In May of 2008, I made my second trip out to Bay Area, this time to attend the Java One conference. The week started with the A’s in town while the Giants returned home for a weekend series, so I adjusted my schedule so that I could attend games at both stadiums. Friday night, after most of the techies had left town, I hopped on the bus down to AT&T Park to see the Giants, once again, take on the Phillies. I dropped some major coin for the best tickets in the house, which got me in a box between home plate and the Phillie dugout and a prime spot on the evening’s telecast. The Phillies, on their way to a World Series championship, defeated the Giants 7-4.
This past August, I mage my third trip to San Francisco, this time for a trip to one of our affiliates for talks about their entry into the broader corporate umbrella. Wouldn’t you know it, but the Phillies were in town once again. With Madison Bumgarner on the bump, the Giants shut down the Phillies as I took in the game a mere 3 rows behind the Giants dugout.