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#83 – Tom Gordon

Name: Tom Gordon

Rank: 83

Position: P

Year With White Sox: 2003

Tom Gordon signed with the White Sox as a free agent on January 23, 2003, hoping to shore up a bullpen that was left barren after the trade for Bartolo Colon.  Gordon posted a 7-6 record with 12 saves and a 3.16 ERA in 66 relief appearances, leading all White Sox relievers in wins and saves.

He also ranked second among all American League relief pitchers with 91 strikeouts in 74.0 innings pitched.  The highlight of his season came on July 12, when he earned his 100th career save against the Indians, becoming just the 14th pitcher in Major League history to record 100 saves and 100 wins in his career.  Following the season, Gordon became a free agent, ending his White Sox career.

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

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#84 – Floyd Bannister

Floyd-Bannister-02Name: Floyd Bannister

Rank: 84

Position: P

Years With White Sox: 1983-1987

Floyd Bannister signed with the White Sox as a free agent on December 13, 1982, much to the chagrin of Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, who was not used to losing out on free agents that he was interested in.  The signing quickly paid dividends for the White Sox and Bannister, who won a career high 16 games as the White Sox ran away with the AL West crown, earning their first post-season berth since 1959.  Bannister started and lost game 2 of the ALCS, going 6 innings and giving up all 4 runs in the White Sox 4-0 loss to the Orioles.

Bannister, and the White Sox, faltered somewhat in 1984, with his ERA jumping up to 4.83.  1985 was more of the same, with an ERA at 4.87 and finishing with a losing record of 10-14.  Bannister rebounded in 1986, posting a 3.54 ERA in 28 starts despite finishing the year with the same 10-14 record.  Bannister tied his career high with 16 wins in 1987, finishing the year with a 3.58 ERA.  Following the season, with the White Sox in full rebuilding mode, Bannister and Dave Cochrane were traded to the Royals for Greg Hibbard, Melido Perez, John Davis, and Chuck Mount.

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

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Post Mortem – The Good Wife

The-Good-WifeDuring a commercial that aired during the Super Bowl in February, CBS announced that the currently airing 7th season would be the last for The Good Wife.  Premiering in 2009, the show starred Julianna Margulies as the wife of a disgraced politician who restarts her own law career to provide for the family.  Considered by many critics to be the last great network drama, the show had its own behind-the-scenes drama, with Margulies and Archie Panjabi going the final 2 1/2 seasons of Panjabi’s tenure on the show without appearing in a scene together.

While one of the better shows on TV in its prime, The Good Wife had started to show its age over the past 2 seasons, with last season’s storyline of Alicia running for state’s attorney separating Margulies from the rest of the main cast and the final season losing Panjabi, who was a major part of the show’s appeal.  A spinoff, starring Christine Baranski and Cush Jumbo, is being produced for the new CBS digital platform.  I doubt it will breath any new life into this concept.

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Book 15 (of 52) – The Kill Room

The Kill Room - Jeffery Deaver

The Kill Room – Jeffery Deaver

The Kill Room, the 10th Lincoln Rhyme novel from Jeffery Deaver and the 6th that I’ve read, has the paralyzed criminologist and his trusty sidekick, Detective Amelia Sachs, going up against a black ops organization within the US government.  When the evidence starts to point in a different direction, the duo bring down the true culprit and manage to stop a terrorist attack.

Jeffery Deaver’s work shows up rather frequently on sale in the Kindle store, allowing me to stock up and keep up to date on the goings on in Lincoln Rhyme’s life, with this being my third digital entry since mid-December 2015.  As usual, it provided a good bang for the buck, entertaining me far beyond the small price I paid to acquire it.  I’ve got one more Deaver work waiting in the Kindle app, so hopefully more turn up soon.

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FB2: Week 20

FB2_Week20A successful week, with every day topping the 6000 step mark.  Things got off to a good start on Sunday thanks to a trip down to US Cellular Field with Angelina to watch the White Sox embarrass themselves.  Monday got the work week off to a good start, finishing with nearly 9000 steps.  Tuesday and Wednesday managed to eke past my daily step goal, before Thursday obliterated it, thanks to a training class in North in the morning, coffee in the PM, and then a walk to Walgreens for a Father’s Day card after work.  Friday was another successful day at work.  Saturday got off to a tremendous start, with my step goal accomplished by 9 AM, before settling in for a relaxing afternoon and evening.

Total steps: 55,198

Daily average: 7885.4

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iTunes Top 200 Wrap-Up

itunes_imageLast week, we wrapped up our latest look at the top 200 songs I’ve listened to, according to iTunes, since 2008.  Now it’s time to take a final look at those 200 (or 203) songs and the 109 artists that made them.  The average number of listens was just over 28, with the median number being 20.

Most Represented Band

Foo Fighters – 17
The Beatles – 13
The Cast of Buffy The Vampire Slayer – 11
Garfunkel and Oates – 8
Garbage – 7
Tegan and Sara – 7

Least Recently Played

7/6/2013 10:15 AM – The Beatles – Paperback Writer
11/23/2013 8:28 AM – Young MC – Bust A Move
4/3/2014 12:26 PM – Goops – Build Me Up Buttercup
5/10/2014 1:33 PM – Neil Sedaka – Calendar Girl
5/30/2014 3:28 PM – Mexican Cheerleader – Do The Stanley

Most Recently Played

12/21/2015 12:09 PM – Boyz II Men – End Of The Road
12/21/2015 12:03 PM – Love Spit Love – How Soon Is Now?
12/18/2015 6:42 PM – Purdue “All-American” Marching Band – Hail Purdue
12/18/2015 6:39 PM – John Williams – Prelude And Main Title March
12/18/2015 6:39 PM – Purdue “All-American” Marching Band – Go Purdue Cheer

 

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#85 – Scott Fletcher

fletcherName: Scott Fletcher

Rank: 85

Position: SS/2B

Years With White Sox: 1983-1985, 1989-1991

Scott Fletcher first joined the White Sox on January 25, 1983 when he was acquired from the crosstown Cubs, along with Randy Martz, Pat Tabler, and Dick Tidrow, in exchange for Warren Brusstar and Steve Trout.  He split time at shortstop with Jerry Dybzinski for the 1983 squad, who ran away and hid with the Western Division title, their first post-season appearance since the 1959 World Series.  Fletcher appeared in 114 games, hitting only .237.  During the ALCS against the Orioles, he went hitless in 7 at bats across 3 games.

Fletcher became the primary shortstop in 1984 and saw his numbers improve.  His average jumped up to .250 while appearing in 149 games.  Despite the improvement, his job became less secure over the offseason, as the White Sox acquired a young shortstop named Ozzie Guillen.  When Guillen was named the starting shortstop for 1985 during spring training, Fletcher reacted poorly.  “Taking nothing away from the way Ozzie can play,” Fletcher said, “he hasn`t been that great to take the job away from me. He hasn`t just put it on fire and clearly won it.”  Despite the reduced playing time, Fletcher once again improved his numbers, with this average rising to .256 in only 301 at bats.

Following the 1985 season, Fletcher, along with Ed Correa and Jose Mota, was traded to the Rangers for Dave Schmidt and Wayne Tolleson.  He returned at the trade deadline in 1989, when he, along with Wilson Alvarez and Sammy Sosa, were acquired from the Rangers for Harold Baines and Fred Manrique.  With his former nemesis Ozzie Guillen entrenched at shortstop, Fletcher became the team’s starting second baseman.  He hit .272 for the White Sox after the trade, despite constant criticism from the fans who were angry at the loss of Baines.

1990 was the final season for the White Sox at Comiskey Park, and Scott Fletcher again manned second base for the suddenly contending team.  Ironically, Fletcher put up his worst numbers since 1983, the last time the team contended for a division title.  Across the street in the new Comiskey Park, Fletcher again saw diminished playing time as Joey Cora established himself as the everyday second baseman.  Appearing in only 90 games, his lowest total since getting cups of coffee with the Cubs in the early 80s, Fletcher’s average dropped to .206.  Following the season, he became a free agent.

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

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FB2: Week 19

FB2_Week19Another great week thanks to the end of the trip to Universal.  Things got off to a great start on Sunday, which was split between Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure.  Monday was an early day due to the effects of Tropical Storm Colin, which blew in around the middle of the day.  Tuesday featured one last trip to the park, where we ended the trip with one last go on the Simpson’s ride before checking out and heading to the airport.  Wednesday was back to normal, as I returned to work, though without the afternoon coffee run.  Thursday didn’t even break 5000 steps, as I was stuck at work until nearly 6:00.  Friday was back up above 6000 steps, if just barely.  Saturday also managed to break the 6000 step mark, thanks to a trip down to US Cellular Field with Michael.

Total steps: 66,521

Daily average: 9503

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iTunes Top 200: #1 – 10

itunes_image3 years ago, we first counted down the then Top 100 songs in my iTunes library.  Since that time, I’ve successfully managed to migrate my music collection to a new PC with the stats intact.  So, I figured it was time to take another look, expanding out the field to the top 200 songs, based on number of plays as of January 1, 2016.

We wrap things up today with the top 10, which includes only 1 new song since we first looked at the top 100 3 years ago.  The remaining 9, all of which are, or were, part of my White Sox victory playlists, have simply moved around in order, including a surprising tie for the top spot.

#10: Harry Caray – Take Me Out To The Ballgame
iTunes stats: 17 plays, most recently on 9/30/2015
Previous ranking: #11

Moving up one spot into the top 10 is this mid-1970s recording of the Hall of Fame broadcaster, along with organist Nancy Faust, leading the Comiskey Park crowd during the 7th inning stretch.

#9: 2008 White Sox Central Division Champs Montage
iTunes stats: 106 plays, most recently on 5/12/2015
Previous ranking: #9

Radio highlights, courtesy of The Score, of the 2008 White Sox season, culminating in the team’s Division Series loss to the Rays.

#8: Journey – Don’t Stop Believin’
iTunes stats: 115 plays, most recently on 7/19/2015
Previous ranking: #8

The rallying cry for the 2005 White Sox after A. J. Pierzynski and teammates heard it being sung in a bar in Baltimore, it finally dropped off my playlist for the 2015 season.

Sox Win#7: Queen – We Are The Champions
iTunes stats: 120 plays, most recently on 7/19/2015
Previous ranking: #7

Reaching #4 on the Billboard charts in the late 70s, the song made it on to my White Sox playlist following their 2005 World Series championship.

#6: sox05_montage
iTunes stats: 126 plays, most recently on 10/24/2015
Previous ranking: #6

Radio highlights, courtesy of ESPN 1000, of the 2005 White Sox season, culminating in the team’s first World Series title since 1917.

#5: Gordon Beckham Intro
iTunes stats: 139 plays, most recently on 5/18/2015
Previous ranking: #2

The Outfield’s hit Your Love featuring Gene Honda introducing the former White Sox third baseman.

#4: Steam – Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye
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#86 – Omar Vizquel

vizquel

Name: Omar Vizquel

Rank: 86

Position: 3B/2B

Years With White Sox: 2010-2011

Signing as a free agent, Omar Vizquel joined the White Sox prior to the 2010 season.  With his usual #13 taken by manager Ozzie Guillen, Vizquel was allowed to wear jersey #11, retired in 1984 for Luis Aparicio.  He ended up getting the most playing time he had seen since 2007, appearing mostly at third base.  On May 25, he landed in second place for hits all-time by a shortstop, behind Derek Jeter.  One month later, he hit his first home run of the year, becoming the 4th player to homer in four different decades.

Vizquel returned to the White Sox in 2011, but his playing time fell off as he appeared in a career low 58 games.  On April 3, he got the 2800th hit of his career.  Following the season, he left as a free agent.

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

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