World Series Pitching Leaders

2016worldseriesFor the first time since 2005, the World Series returns to Chicago tonight as the Cubs face off against the Indians in game 3 with the Series knotted up at a game apiece.  Following up on Wednesday’s look at World Series offense, today we take a look at the pitching leaders from the 1 World Series game I’ve attended, game 2 of the 2005 World Series between the White Sox and the Astros at US Cellular Field.

Wins

Name Total
Neal Cotts 1

Losses

Name Total
Brad Lidge 1

ERA (> 2 IP)

Name Total
Andy Pettitte 3.00
Mark Buehrle 5.14

Strikeouts

Name Total
Mark Buehrle 6
Andy Pettitte 4
Cliff Politte 1
Bobby Jenks 1
Dan Wheeler 1

Appearances

Name Total
Mark Buehrle 1
Andy Pettitte 1
Cliff Politte 1
Bobby Jenks 1
Dan Wheeler 1
Mike Gallo 1
Neal Cotts 1
Chad Qualls 1
Brad Lidge 1

Saves

Name Total

World Series Batting Leaders

2005worldseriesLast night, the Cubs made their first World Series appearance since 1945 when they squared off against the Indians.  To mark the appearance, let’s look at the offensive leaders in the 1 World Series game I have attended, game 2 of the 2005 World Series between the White Sox and the Astros.

Home Runs

Name Total
Morgan Ensberg 1
Scott Podsednik 1
Paul Konerko 1

Hits

Name Total
Willy Taveras 2
Aaron Rowand 2
Brad Ausmus 2
Juan Uribe 2
Carl Everett 2

Runs

Name Total
Willy Tavares 2
11 tied with 1

RBI

Name Total
Paul Konerko 4
Lance Berkman 3
Jose Vizcaino 2
Joe Crede 1
Juan Uribe 1
Scott Podsednik 1
Morgan Ensberg 1

Doubles

Name Total
Juan Uribe 2
Lance Berkman 1
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FB2: Week 38

fb2_week38

A disappointing week that barely managed to make it over my weekly goal.  Things got off to a bad start on Sunday, where I spent the day lounging around the house and just squeaked past 2000 steps.  Monday was back over my 6000 step goal, by a grand total of 4 steps.  Tuesday managed to be a good day, as I finished over 8000 steps.  Wednesday and Thursday were back down to just barely getting past the goal, both finishing under 6100 steps.  Friday was another bad day, as I left work early and ended up with just over 5000 steps.  Saturday was the week’s saving grace, with over 9000 steps thanks to a quick walk around the neighborhood in the afternoon followed by the Cubs clinching the NL pennant at night at Wrigley Field.

Total steps: 42,737

Daily average: 6105.3

Autographed Books – Shooting At Midnight

shootingmidnightWeek 3 of our look back at the novels I’ve gotten autographed over the years and we return to Greg Rucka and the fourth novel in the Atticus Kodiak series.  This was the second of the 3 Rucka novels I read in 2000 and have subsequently covered in this series.

Similar to Smoker, I can narrow down the autograph to either the San Diego Comic Con or the Chicago Comic Con, both of which I attended often in the early 2000s.  The quote that went along with the autograph this time is a Neil Young lyric, which ties in wonderfully with the plot of the book, at least as I remember it 16 years later.

71 Years In The Making

cubs_pennantFor the first time since 1945, the Cubs are champions of the National League after defeating the Dodgers 5-0 in game 6 of the NLCS.  Behind a two hitter from Kyle Hendricks, the Cubs put to rest the painful memories of the collapse of 1969, the failure to win one of three in San Diego in 1984, and the Steve Bartman-fueled fiasco of 2003.  They move on to face the Indians in the World Series, who have the second longest title drought in baseball.  Combined, the two teams have played 174 seasons without winning a World Series.

The 2016 World Series starts on Tuesday in Cleveland, before returning to Chicago on Friday for 3 games.

#60 – Ellis Burks

eburksName: Ellis Burks

Rank: 60

Position: RF

Year With White Sox: 1993

Ellis Burks joined the White Sox in January of 1993, signing a one year deal as a free agent.  After years of injuries and declining performances, Burks bounced back for his best season in years, hitting .275 with 17 home runs and 74 RBIs.  He appeared in 146 games, his highest total since 1990.

In the ALCS against the Blue Jays, Burks was one of the more productive members of the White Sox offense.  Appearing in all 6 games, he hit .304 with a home run.

Following the season, Burks left as a free agent.

Burks’ numbers in a White Sox uniform, both for games I attended and overall, were:

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FB2: Week 37

fb2_week37My worst week since the beginning of August, with only 5 days above 6000 steps and the week just barely finishing above goal.  The week got off to a slow start on Sunday, as I barely crossed the 4000 step plateau.  Monday was a big improvement, as a trip to North Plaza for a lunch and learn helped me come close to 10,000 steps.  Tuesday and Wednesday both barely managed to cross the 6000 step mark.  An after work outing on Thursday helped make it the second best day of the week, before Friday fell back well below the goal of 6000 steps.  Saturday was helped nicely by a trip to Wrigley Field for Game 1 of the NLCS between the Cubs and Dodgers.

Total steps: 44,502

Daily average: 6357.4

Autographed Books – Shrinkage

shrinkageWeek 2 of our look at the hardcover books I’ve gotten autographed over the years is the most recent addition to my collection.  Shrinkage, a memoir from Adam Carolla Show lackey Bryan Bishop about his experiences fighting off an inoperable brain tumor, came out in 2014 and was the 9th book I read that year.

The autograph was acquired a few weeks back, after a live podcast performance at the Vic.  The quote is one of the more famous drops from the show, selected by Bryan when I couldn’t come up with a favorite of my own.

LCS Pitching Leaders

With Game 1 of the 2016 NLCS between the Cubs and Dodgers in the books, it’s time to take an updated look at the pitching leaders from the 7 LCS games I’ve attended prior to last night since 2003, featuring the White Sox, Cubs, Angels, Marlins, and Mets.

Wins

Name Total
Jacob deGrom 1
Paul Byrd 1
Brad Penny 1
Chad Fox  1
Mark Buehrle 1
Bartolo Colon 1
Ugueth Urbina 1

Losses

Name Total
Jason Hammel 1
Mark Prior 1
Jose Contreras 1
Trevor Cahill 1
Kerry Wood 1
Kelvim Escobar  1
Mark Guthrie 1

ERA (> 4 IP)

Name Total
Jarrod Washburn 0.00
Mark Buehrle 1.00
Steven Matz 1.93
Jacob deGrom 2.57
Paul Byrd 3.00

Strikeouts

Name Total
Josh Beckett 8
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