This April, we will celebrate the 11th birthday of Michael, so he gets the picture of the month. In this photo, he’s standing on the upper level of the ramps outside US Cellular Field last spring with the Chicago skyline in the background.
Author / admin
Down To Four
With 4 teams left to go, I’ve got 50% right, but have little hope of winning any of the pools that I am in, as my champion has been relegated to the sidelines. Better luck next year.
FB2: Week 8
My best week since going to Toronto last September, accounting for 3 of my top 16 step days to date. Things got off to a slow start on Sunday, as we left Virginia and traveled south to Orangeburg, South Carolina. Monday finished above my 6000 step goal thanks to the Reach For The Stars gala after we finished the drive from South Carolina to Orlando. Tuesday was the big day of the week, as I broke 20,000 steps for the first time with the Fitbit and notched my second highest total of all time, thanks to a trip to Hollywood Studios followed by a walk around Epcot. Wednesday was supposed to be Universal day to see Harry Potter, but poor Val couldn’t make it, leaving Jeff and I to make short work of the park, leaving me with just over 14,000 steps. A complete change of plans on Thursday led us back to Hollywood Studios for some shopping and then a trip to the airport to fly home. Back home, Friday was much more back to usual, finishing just over 6500 steps. Saturday was a bit of a bust, as I fell back down under 5000 steps.
Total steps: 71,777
Daily average: 10,253.9
iTunes Top 200: #96
3 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.
Today, we finish off the first 100 songs of the countdown with the next grouping of songs tied for 96th place with 20 plays apiece since late 2007.
#96: Pearl Jam – Go
iTunes stats: 20 plays, most recently on 8/20/2015
Previous ranking: Unranked
The song got a boost after being used by Paul Konerko as his at bat music during his final season.
#96: The Offspring – Come Out And Play
iTunes stats: 20 plays, most recently on 7/8/2015
Previous ranking: Unranked
The breakthrough single for the punk band also appeared on Volume 14 of my mix tapes.
#96: Mazzy Star – Into Dust
iTunes stats: 20 plays, most recently on 11/7/2015
Previous ranking: Unranked
Despite never being released as a single, the song has charted two different times in the UK.
#96: Kermit – Rainbow Connection
iTunes stats: 20 plays, most recently on 11/19/2015
Previous ranking: Unranked
The signature song for the main muppet from the first Muppet Movie.
#96: Garfunkel & Oates – Google
iTunes stats: 20 plays, most recently on 5/24/2015
Previous ranking: Unranked
The comedy duo’s tune on dating realities in the 21st century.
#96: Garfunkel & Oates – Handjob, Blandjob, I Don’t Understand Job
Continue reading →
White Sox All Time Leaders – Through 2015
With the return of Chicago baseball right around the corner, I thought it would be interesting to look at the all time leaders in both offensive and defensive categories for all 30 teams. We finish things off today with the hometown Chicago White Sox.
I’ve seen the White Sox play 472 times at 10 different stadiums in 6 different cities, including every home playoff appearance in 2000, 2005, and 2008 except for Game 1 of the 2005 World Series.
Home Runs
| Name | Total |
|---|---|
| Paul Konerko | 93 |
| Jermaine Dye | 39 |
| Alexei Ramirez | 34 |
Hits
| Name | Total |
|---|---|
| Paul Konerko | 366 |
| Alexei Ramirez | 299 |
| A.J. Pierzynski | 231 |
Runs
| Name | Total |
|---|---|
| Paul Konerko | 200 |
| Alexei Ramirez | 133 |
| A.J. Pierzynski | 104 |
RBI
| Name | Total |
|---|---|
| Paul Konerko | 235 |
| Alexei Ramirez | 138 |
| Jermaine Dye | 107 |
Doubles
| Name | Total |
|---|---|
| Paul Konerko | 57 |
| Alexei Ramirez | 49 |
| A.J. Pierzynski | 41 |
Triples Continue reading →
#104 – Tony Phillips
Name: Tony Phillips
Rank: 104
Position: LF
Years With White Sox: 1996-1997
Tony Phillips signed with the White Sox as a free agent on January 20, 1996. His tenure on the south side got off to a rocky start when he left spring training, vowing to retire rather than play for such a paltry salary. While general manager Ron Schueler told the media Phillips left camp because of a “family matter,” former teammates Dusty Baker and Dave Stewart convinced Phillips not to retire and he returned to the Sox 48 hours later.
His next moment of controversy came in May, when, after being berated by a Brewer fan who Phillips claimed was using racial slurs, he pulled himself out of the game, switched to street clothes, and headed to the County Stadium bleachers to confront him. Despite punching the fan in the face twice, Phillips managed to avoid not only arrest, but also suspension.
Later in the season, he had one final dust-up with Sox management, after a reporter complained that Phillips was playing a Pearl Jam CD too loudly. “The way I was brought up in baseball, our clubhouse is the players’ clubhouse,” Phillips said. “We live here for eight months. The writers are here for a couple of hours a day. For them to come in here and dictate what we do in our clubhouse is not right.”
In between all of those controversies, Phillips found time to produce. He put up a .277 average, with an unbelievable .404 OBP.
Phillips returned in 1997 and once again found himself feuding with a member of the media. In what may have been his lasting contribution to the White Sox clubhouse, he got into a confrontation with Sun-Times columnist Jay Mariotti, causing Mariotti to leave the clubhouse for good, earning Phillips the ever-lasting love of his teammates. His time with the Sox was short, though, as he was traded, along with Chad Kreuter, to the Angels on May 18 for Jorge Fabergas and Chuck McElroy.
Phillips’ numbers in a White Sox uniform, both for games I attended and overall, were:
2016 Tickets – Northside Edition
After finally breaking through and finally making it back to the playoffs last season, the Cubs have once again toned down their season ticket package for 2016, letting the product on the field speak for itself. We start, as usual, with the box, which highlights the expected stars of the 2016 season, including Cy Young award winner Jake Arrieta, Rookie of the Year Kris Bryant, and free agent signing Jason Heyward.
Inside the box, aside from the tickets themselves, were a few goodies as has been the custom the last few years. The highlight is a collection of replica lineup cards, highlighting some of the memorable games from the 2015 season. In addition to that, there was a commemorative season holder pin, a W car flag, and some new ticket lanyards.
Finally, the tickets themselves. The Cubs have continued with the action shots of players for this years tickets, but have switched the ticket orientation from portrait to landscape, which I do enjoy. Continue reading →
Sweet Sixteen
As we head in to the Sweet Sixteen, I’m currently towards the bottom in my work pool, thanks to upsets galore that have wiped out many of my picks. 3 out of my 4 Final Four picks are still alive, but with plenty of people picking Kansas to win the whole thing, I’ll need to get as many early points as I can.
Some tough breaks here in the South bracket, but the good news is that my champion is still alive.
My best bracket to date, with only 3 losses. Continue reading →
FB2: Week 7
A bit of a bounce back this week, though there were still some rough patches. The week got off to a slow start on Sunday, falling nearly 1500 steps under goal. Things got better Monday and throughout the work week. Friday started a slow down, as I headed out on the big road trip to Florida and spent most of the next 2 days in a car travelling east.
Total steps: 42,681
Daily average: 6097.3
iTunes Top 200: #96 – 118
3 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.
Today, we finish off the final grouping of songs tied for 118th place with 19 plays apiece and start the first group of songs tied for 96th place with 20 plays since late 2007.
#118: The Beatles – Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da
iTunes stats: 19 plays, most recently on 12/16/2015
Previous ranking: #96
Recorded for the White Album in 1968, the song didn’t chart in the US until 1976.
#118: Afroman – Because I Got High
iTunes stats: 19 plays, most recently on 9/7/2015
Previous ranking: Unranked
A goofy song picked up off the scrap heap by Kevin Smith for inclusion on the Jay And Silent Bob Strike Back soundtrack.
#118: Aerosmith – Crazy
iTunes stats: 19 plays, most recently on 9/27/2015
Previous ranking: Unranked
The third and final entry of the band’s Alicia Silverstone video trilogy, also featuring a teenage Liv Tyler.
#96: 10,000 Maniacs – These Are Days
iTunes stats: 20 plays, most recently on 11/6/2015
Previous ranking: #76
The song hit number one on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart in November 1992.
#96: Young MC – Bust A Move
iTunes stats: 20 plays, most recently on 11/23/2013
Previous ranking: #70
This Grammy winning hit also appeared on Volume 1 of my mix tapes.
#96: Van Halen – Jump
Continue reading →