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Hall Of Fame Pitching Leaders

baseballhofSunday, the Hall of Fame class of 2016 was inducted in Cooperstown and we looked at the offensive leaders amongst Hall of Famers in games I have attended between 1984 and 2016.  Today, we finish up with the pitchers, which seemed like a much better idea before I saw there are only 5 Hall of Fame pitchers I’ve seen live.  Oh well.

Wins

Name Total
Greg Maddux 9
Tom Glavine 1
Rich Gossage 1

Losses

Name Total
Greg Maddux 12
Tom Glavine 2
Tom Seaver 2
Rich Gossage 1

ERA

Name Total
Rich Gossage 3.86
Greg Maddux 4.17
Tom Seaver 4.21
John Smoltz 4.50
Tom Glavine 7.62

Strikeouts

Name Total
Greg Maddux 92
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Hall Of Fame Batting Leaders

baseballhofgriffeyToday, former White Sox outfielder Ken Griffey Jr. takes his place in Cooperstown, alongside Mike Piazza.  It has been 2 years since we last looked at the overall leaders amongst Hall of Famers, so let’s check back in with the inclusion of 2 classes worth of Hall of Famers on both sides of the ball for all of the games I’ve attended between 1984 and 2016, starting with the offense.

Home Runs

Name Total
Frank Thomas 15
Carlton Fisk 2
Craig Biggio 2
Mike Piazza 2
Ken Griffey Jr 2
Eddie Murray 2

Hits

Name Total
Frank Thomas 54
Ken Griffey Jr 32
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FB2: Week 24

FB2_Week24Another good week, as my consecutive days above goal streak reached 36 before coming to an end on Saturday.  Things got off to a good start on Sunday, coming close to 10,000 steps thanks to a morning walk followed by a trip to US Cellular Field for a disappointing White Sox/Braves tilt.  The work week started off well, nearly hitting 9000 steps on Monday.  Tuesday was the highpoint of the week, crossing 11,000 steps thanks to an after-work trip in to the city for dinner with Val and Hayley.  The rest of the week was pretty standard, until Saturday, where a morning trip for mini-golf with Danny and Michael was the extent of the day’s activity.

Total steps: 54,011

Daily average: 7715.9

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Most Watched Actors – The Early 1980s

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 first half of the decade of the 1980s.  Given I was born late in 1974, this should be a short-ish list.

1981

Films Per Actor Per Year
Name Films
Charles Grodin 1
William Katt 1
Robert Kulp 1

We kick things off with the stars of the 2 movies that I know that I saw in 1981, the pilot to The Greatest American Hero and the second feature film starring the Muppets.

1982

Films Per Actor Per Year
Name Films
Albert Finney 1
Dustin Hoffman 1
Jessica Lange 1
Aileen Quinn 1
Henry Thomas 1
Dee Wallace Stone 1

We are up to 3 movies for 1982, but still no repeat actors from E.T., Tootise, and Annie.

1983

Films Per Actor Per Year
Name Films
Peter Billingsley 1
Harrison Ford 1
Mark Hamill 1
Darren McGavin 1

We fall back down to 2 films in 1983, with the last film of the original Star Wars trilogy and a soon-to-be Christmas classic.

1984

Films Per Actor Per Year
Name Films
Dan Aykroyd 1
George Burns 1
Kate Capshaw 1
Phoebe Cates 1
Robert Duvall 1
Harrison Ford 1
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#78 – Cal Eldred

caleldredName: Cal Eldred

Rank: 78

Position: P

Years With White Sox: 2000-2001

Acquired by the White Sox in January of 2000, along with Jose Valentin, from the Brewers for Jaime Navarro and John Snyder, Cal Eldred joined the rotation and immediately put up strong results.  As the White Sox found themselves a surprise contender in the AL Central, Eldred settled in to his spot in the rotation until mid-July, when he suffered a stress fracture in his elbow, the third straight year he had the same injury.  After having surgery to insert a screw to hold the elbow together, he tried to make a late season comeback, but it was not to be.  He finished the year with a 10-2 record, missing the postseason altogether.

Eldred re-signed with the White Sox for 2001 and entered the season as the team’s number 2 starter.  After making two starts, he went on the disabled list with elbow soreness, with general manager Kenny Williams declaring him lost for the season in late June.  He became a free agent at the end of the season, ending his White Sox career.

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

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FB2: Week 23

FB2_Week23My consecutive days over goal streak has now reached 30 days, with a so-so week saved by a top 25 day on Saturday.  Things got off to a decent enough start on Sunday, thanks to a morning walk in the neighborhood followed by Danny’s graduation party.  Monday was Independence Day and another early walk around town helped me surpass my daily goal.  Tuesday was back to work and the return of the afternoon coffee run.  Wednesday was the weak link of the week, finishing a mere 54 steps above my 6000 goal.  Things bounced back a bit on Thursday and Friday, as both days approached 7000 steps.  Saturday was the big day of the week, as the White Sox victory over the Braves was followed by a trip downtown for Taste of Chicago with Hayley, resulting in close to 14,000 steps.

Total steps: 53,974

Daily average: 7710.6

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2016 All Star Break Pitching Leaders

MLB: Cincinnati Reds at Los Angeles DodgersNow that the All Star Game is behind us and we await the start of the second half of the season, let’s take a look at the first half leaders on the defensive side of the ball for the 18 games I attended:

Wins

Name Total
Chris Sale 3
Mat Latos 2
13 tied with 1

Losses

Name Total
Carlos Rodon 3
Miguel Gonzalez 2
13 tied with 1

ERA (> 6 IP)

Name Total
Matt Albers 0.00
Danny Duffy 0.00
Mike Foltynewicz 0.00
Hector Santiago 0.00
Dan Jennings 0.87

Strikeouts

Name Total
Chris Sale 29
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2016 All Star Break Batting Leaders

baseballs3With the All Star Game on tap for tonight in San Diego, let’s take a look at the first half offensive leaders for the 18 games I attended:

Home Runs

Name Total
Todd Frazier 5
Jose Abreu 4
Adam Eaton 2
Tim Anderson 2
Cheslor Cuthbert 2
Dioner Navarro 2
Brett Lawrie 2
J.B. Shuck 2
Jeff Francoeur 2

Hits

Name Total
Jose Abreu 21
Melky Cabrera 18
Brett Lawrie 15
Todd Frazier 12
Adam Eaton 12

Runs

Name Total
Todd Frazier 11
Jose Abreu 8
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2016 All Star Break Standings

baseballs2As the baseball world turns its sights to San Diego for tomorrow night’s All Star Game, it’s time to take a look at the team records for the 18 games I attended in the first half of the baseball season, a mish-mash of excitement, followed by disappointment, giving way to uncertainty about what the second half will hold.

2016 Team Records
TeamName Won Loss Winning Pctg
Los Angeles Angels 1 0 1.000
Chicago Cubs 1 0 1.000
Boston Red Sox 1 0 1.000
Kansas City Royals 3 1 0.750
Cleveland Indians 2 1 0.667
Toronto Blue Jays 1 1 0.500
Atlanta Braves 1 1 0.500
Chicago White Sox 8 9 0.471
Texas Rangers 0 2 0.000
Minnesota Twins 0 2 0.000
Cincinnati Reds 0 1 0.000
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#79 – Julio Franco

jfrancoName: Julio Franco

Rank: 79

Position: DH

Year With White Sox: 1994

Following the 1993 season, Julio Franco signed with the White Sox as a free agent, as the team looked to head to the playoffs for the second consecutive season.  As the White Sox sat atop the newly created AL Central, Franco had one of the best seasons of his career, setting career highs with 20 home runs and 98 RBIs when the season ended prematurely on August 11th due to the strike.  After the season was officially cancelled on September 14th, Franco earned 8th place in MVP voting and took home the Silver Slugger award.  With the work stoppage spilling in to 1995, Franco signed to play in Japan, ending his tenure with the White Sox.

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

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