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Turning The Page To Next Year

baseballs3Major League Baseball released their tentative 2017 schedule yesterday.  While the local squads have differing goals in mind as 2016 winds down, with the Cubs currently sitting pretty with a magic number of 1 and the White Sox playing out the string while trying to avoid their 4th straight losing season, it’s time to turn our attention to next summer for both teams.

The White Sox open their season at what will then be known as Guaranteed Rate Field on April 3 against the Tigers, with 28 of their first 34 games coming against AL Central foes.  Given their lack of success in this arena over the past few years, it will be a tough test to start the new campaign.

The interleague schedule pits the White Sox against the NL West, with trips to Arizona, Colorado, and Los Angeles and home series against the Padres, Giants, and the Dodgers.  The rivalry with their north side foes continues the last week of July, with Monday and Tuesday games at Wrigley Field before moving back to the south side for Wednesday and Thursday.

The season ends with a 7 game homestand against the Royals and Angels before heading to Cleveland for the final weekend.  Assuming the team finds itself in contention, it could be an interesting last week.

Meanwhile, on the north side, the Cubs open the season down in St. Louis, for the first time since 1986, on April 3.  They kick off the home portion of their schedule the following week against the Dodgers.

The interleague schedule pits the Cubs against the AL East, with trips to Boston, Baltimore, and Tampa Bay and home series against the Yankees, Blue Jays, and the Rays.

The Cubs end the year with a 4 game stint against the Cardinals in St. Louis before returning home for the final weekend against the Reds.  One can only assume they will be celebrating their second straight NL Central crown.

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2016 Emmy Awards – Comedy

Emmy_statueWith the Emmy Awards scheduled for Sunday night, here are my predictions for the awards for Comedy shows.  I most likely have seen most of these shows, so, unlike my annual Oscar predictions, I will not mostly be going on gut feel and word of mouth, but will have a somewhat informed decision.

Outstanding Comedy

Black-ish

Master of None

Modern Family

Silicon Valley

Transparent

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt

Veep

Veep won last year and would seem to be a good choice to repeat, so I’ll go with that.

Outstanding Actress In A Comedy

Ellie Kemper, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt

Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep

Laurie Metcalf, Getting On

Tracee Ellis Ross, Black-ish

Amy Schumer, Inside Amy Schumer

Lily Tomlin, Grace and Frankie

Julia Louis-Dreyfus won this award the past three years, and I see no reason why she won’t repeat again this year.

Outstanding Actor In A Comedy

Anthony Anderson, Black-ish

Aziz Ansari, Master of None

Will Forte, The Last Man on Earth

William H. Macy, Shameless

Thomas Middleditch, Silicon Valley

Jeffrey Tambor, Transparent

Jeffrey Tambor brought home the award last year for his gender-bending role on Amazon’s hit series.  My guess is that Aziz Ansari rides the same wave of good feelings to take home the trophy for his Netflix series.

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FB2: Week 32

fb2_week32A decent week overall, with one minor blip that stopped it from being a good week.  Things got off to a good start on Sunday, thanks to a walk around the neighborhood followed by a trip to my aunt’s for her annual Labor Day weekend BBQ.  Monday was the bad day of the week, as I spent the holiday morning watching a Match Game marathon before going up north to spend the afternoon and evening in a faux Irish pub with Hayley and Val.  Tuesday was a nice bounce back day, as I tried to make up for the sins of the day before.  Wednesday was another good day, coming close to 8000 steps.  Thursday was back closer to 6000 steps, but benefitted from a trip to North Plaza to pick up the Sprint and Stride packets.  Friday fell below my goal by about 500 steps, before another bounce back on Saturday thanks to a neighborhood walk followed by a trip to US Cellular Field for a White Sox loss.

Total steps: 46,840

Daily average: 6691.4

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Most Watched Actors – The Late 2000s

Movie_Reel_22Many years ago, using the weekly TV guide that came with the Sunday Chicago Tribune, I started keeping track of all of the movies I had seen over the course of my lifetime. The guide would list the two main stars for each movie, and that is a tradition that I’ve carried on in my database ever since. So, given those guidelines, it is time to look at the most prolific actors that have starred in the movies that I have seen in the second half of the first decade of the new millennium, the 2000s.

2006

Films Per Actor Per Year
Last Name Films
Scarlett Johansson 5

Scarlett Johansson ties Tori Spelling and Maria Ford for the record of most films seen in a single year by starring in An American Rhapsody, Match Point, The Island, A Good Woman, and Scoop.

2007

Films Per Actor Per Year
Last Name Films
Bruce Willis 3

Bruce Willis returns to the top of the heap for the first time since 1985 with his starring turns in Alpha Dog, Live Free Or Die Hard, and 16 Blocks.

2008

Films Per Actor Per Year
Last Name Films
Robert Downey Jr. 4

Robert Downey Jr. returned to leading man status in a big way in 2008, culminating in his roles in Gothika, Tropic Thunder, Charlie Bartlett, and, of course, Iron Man.

2009

Films Per Actor Per Year
Last Name Films
Zooey Deschanel 4
Anne Hathaway 4

The ladies took over in 2009, with Zooey Deschanel and Anne Hathaway tying for the top spot with 4 films apiece.  Deschanel appeared in Yes Man, (500) Days Of Summer, The Happening, and The Go-Getter.  Hathaway made her mark with Rachel Getting Married, Bride Wars, Becoming Jane, and Passengers.

2010

Films Per Actor Per Year
Last Name Films
Amy Adams 4
Nicolas Cage 4
Mila Kunis 4

A 3 way tie for first place, with 4 films apiece for Amy Adams, Nicolas Cage, and Mila Kunis.  Adams got things going with her roles in Julie & Julia, Leap Year, Sunshine Cleaning, and Standing Still.  Cage attempted to pay back the IRS with his roles in Bad Lieutenant: Port Of Call – New Orleans, National Treasure, Knowing, and National Treasure: Book Of Secrets.  Kunis had a good year with Moving McAllister, Extract, After Sex, and Boot Camp.

 

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#65 – Gordon Beckham

IMG_2096Name: Gordon Beckham

Rank: 65

Position: 2B

Years With White Sox: 2009-2014, 2015

Gordon Beckham was selected by the White Sox as the 8th pick of the 2008 draft and was rushed through the system, making his major league debut less than a year later on June 3, 2009.  He struggled from the get go, going 2 for 28 in his first eight games, but rebounded to put up a .270 average with 14 home runs and 28 doubles while playing third base.

The future looked bright for Beckham entering the 2010 season as he moved over to second base.  Unfortunately, he was unable to duplicate the success he had enjoyed the year before.  Early struggles relegated him to the bottom of the lineup, but he was able to rebound somewhat, getting his average back up to .252.  However, his OPS was down over 100 points from the year before.

2011 and 2012 saw Beckham’s offensive struggles continue.  His average dropped to the .230s during both seasons and his OPS continued to fall.  It seemed that he was finally putting things together in 2013, until he broke the hamate bone in his left wrist, which led to a career low in home runs and RBIs.

2014 was more of the same.  His average was a then career low .221 when he was traded to the Angels in late August, for a player to be names later.  But, his White Sox career was not done yet.  After being non-tendered by the Angels, Beckham resigned with the White Sox for 2015.  Sadly, this second go-around did not go any better for Beckham.  Appearing in a career low 100 games, he set new career lows with a .209 batting average and a .607 OPS.  After the season, he left as a free agent.

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

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#66 – Willie Harris

wharrisName: Willie Harris

Rank: 66

Position: 2B/CF

Years With White Sox: 2002-2005

Willie Harris was acquired by the White Sox in January of 2002 from the Orioles in exchange for Chris Singleton.  Harris spent most of 2002 in Triple A Charlotte, but managed to appear in 49 games following the trade of Ray Durham.  In his extended audition, he hit .233 with 2 home runs and 12 RBI while stealing 8 bases without being caught.

Harris spent more time in Chicago during the 2003 season, but, despite appearing in 30 more games than the year before, his at bats decreased by 26.  He was mostly used as a defensive replacement in center field for Carl Everett.

2004 saw Harris getting his first extended opportunity to start, appearing in 129 games, starting 101 of them, and putting up the best numbers of his career.  He hit a career high .262 with 2 home runs and 27 RBI.

Following the acquisition of Tadahito Iguchi to take over second base, Harris split time between Chicago and Charlotte in 2005 for the first time since 2003.  He appeared in only 56 games for the White Sox, his lowest total since 2002.  He did, however, manage to make the playoff roster, as the White Sox reached post-season play for the first time since 2000.  Harris got only 2 at bats during the White Sox title run, but made the most of them with 2 hits and scoring the winning run in Game 4 of the World Series against the Astros.  Following the year, he became a free agent, ending his White Sox career.

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

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FB2: Week 31

FB2_Week31An underwhelming week, thanks to a severe drop off on Saturday.  The week got off to a decent start on Sunday, thanks to exciting White Sox baseball followed by a trip to the Glen to have dinner with Hayley.  The work week was pretty average, with highlights on Wednesday, when a coffee trip accompanied a meeting in North, and Friday, thanks to a short walk around the neighborhood after getting out early for the long weekend.  Saturday was a bit of a bust, despite a trip to the grocery store.

Total steps: 45,492

Daily average: 6498.9

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Book 20 (of 52) – They Call Me Baba Booey

They Call Me Baba Booey - Gary Dell'Abate and Chad Millman

They Call Me Baba Booey – Gary Dell’Abate and Chad Millman

In 2010, Gary Dell’Abate, long time producer of the Howard Stern show and known to millions as Baba Booey, released a memoir about growing up with a mentally ill mother.  Thanks to a recent price reduction on the Kindle store, I was finally able to pick it up and reintroduce myself to a world I had abandoned a few years back.  Gary details growing up with his mother’s mental illness, the death of his brother due to HIV, and the beginnings of his tenure on what would become the biggest radio show in the world.

Mental illness seems to be a theme for me lately.  Thankfully, Gary doesn’t go too deep in to his mother’s illness, instead focusing on its effects on him growing up.  I had a much easier time getting through that then I did the story of his brother’s illness and subsequent death.  This happened well before I started listening to the Stern show, so, while I knew it had happened, the details were not something I was familiar with.

Of all the people on the show, Gary always seemed the most well-adjusted.  You’d almost have to be to put up with the abuse he does on a daily basis and still be able to come back for more.  This book gives a good insight into his background and how he became the Baba Booey we all know and love today.