As we head into March, we find an exciting action shot of Danny playing basketball for the Pacers of the New Lenox Park District back in December of 2014. I think he actually managed to catch the ball and then shoot it, which is a victory in and of itself.
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iTunes Top 200: #141 Continued
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.
We continue today with the final grouping of songs tied for 141st place with 18 plays apiece since late 2007.
#141: Eminem – Cleaning Out My Closet
iTunes stats: 18 plays, most recently on 6/20/2015
Previous ranking: #70
Peaking at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, this song became one of the highest-charting singles of Eminem’s career.
#141: Dr. Dre featuring RBX and Snoop Dogg – Let Me Ride
iTunes stats: 18 plays, most recently on 7/1/2014
Previous ranking: #76
This 1994 Grammy Award winner for Best Rap Solo Performance also appeared on Volume 11 of my mix tapes.
#141: Dr. Dre – Keep Their Heads Ringin’
iTunes stats: 18 plays, most recently on 8/26/2015
Previous ranking: #96
This 1995 hit from the Friday soundtrack also appeared on Volume 17 of my mix tapes.
#141: Cracker – Teen Angst (What The World Needs Now)
iTunes stats: 18 plays, most recently on 6/24/2014
Previous ranking: #76
Charted at number 1 on the US Modern Rock Tracks, arguably breaking Cracker into the mainstream.
#141: Bloodhound Gang – Bad Touch
iTunes stats: 18 plays, most recently on 9/19/2015
Previous ranking: #96
Ranked at No. 49 on the list of the 100 Worst Songs Ever released in 2010 by AOL Radio.
#141: The Beatles – I Want To Hold Your Hand
Continue reading →
Royals All Time Leaders – Through 2015
With 2 months until baseball in Chicago returns, I thought it would be interesting to look at the all time leaders in both offensive and defensive categories for all 30 teams. We continue today with the defending World Series champion Kansas City Royals.
The Royals began life in 1969, joining the American League following the abandonment of the Kansas City market by the A’s following the 1967 season. I’ve seen them play 40 times, first in 1985 at old Comiskey Park where Willie Wilson took a throw to second base of the noggin, to this past July, where I saw them sweep a series at US Cellular Field.
Home Runs
| Name | Total |
|---|---|
| John Buck | 4 |
| Billy Butler | 4 |
| Alex Gordon | 3 |
| Salvador Perez | 3 |
Hits
| Name | Total |
|---|---|
| Billy Butler | 30 |
| Alex Gordon | 18 |
| Eric Hosmer | 18 |
| Alcides Escobar | 18 |
Runs
| Name | Total |
|---|---|
| Billy Butler | 13 |
| Alex Gordon | 12 |
| Alcides Escobar | 7 |
| John Buck | 7 |
RBI
| Name | Total |
|---|---|
| Billy Butler | 16 |
| John Buck | 9 |
| 3 tied with | 8 |
Doubles
| Name | Total |
|---|---|
| Billy Butler | 6 |
| Alex Gordon | 5 |
| Mark Teahen | 5 |
| Alcides Escobar | 5 |
Triples Continue reading →
#110 – Kevin Hickey
Name: Kevin Hickey
Rank: 110
Position: P
Years With White Sox: 1981-1983
Chicago native Kevin Hickey joined the White Sox organization following an open tryout in August of 1978 after a team staffer saw him playing softball. After 3 seasons in the minor leagues, Hickey broke camp with the White Sox in 1981 and made his major league debut in the home opener, throwing a hitless inning of relief in the Sox 9-3 victory over the Brewers. Hickey finished the year with 41 appearances out of the bullpen, with 3 saves, and put up a respectable 3.65 ERA.
Hickey again was a main cog in the bullpen for the 1982 White Sox. He set career highs in wins, appearances, innings pitched, strikeouts, and saves.
While 1983 was a successful year for the White Sox, ending in their first divisional title, things did not work out as well for Hickey. A shoulder injury sidelined him after only 23 games, and his ERA at the time of his injury was 5.23.
Hickey returned to the minor leagues to rehab in 1984, and, in August, he, along with future star Doug Drabek, were sent to the Yankees as the players to be named later for Roy Smalley. Hickey signed again with the White Sox as a free agent in March of 1987, but did not make it back to the majors and was released on August 21.
In 2003, Hickey was hired by the White Sox to be their batting practice pitcher. He would serve in that role until April 2012, when he was found unresponsive in a Texas hotel room before the White Sox opened the season against the Rangers. He passed away a month later at the age of 56.
Hickey’s numbers in a White Sox uniform were:
And The Academy Award Goes To…
As they finish polishing up the statues for Sunday’s awards ceremony, it’s time to finish up our predictions, which are based on not having seen any of the nominated films, with a look at the acting categories and the big one:
Best Picture
The Big Short
Bridge Of Spies
Brooklyn
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Martian
The Revenant
Room
Spotlight
Having seen none of these films, I don’t have any real idea of which should win. I’m going to go with Spotlight for no particular reason.
Best Actor
Bryan Cranston, Trumbo
Matt Damon, The Martian
Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant
Michael Fassbender, Steve Jobs
Eddie Redmayne, The Danish Girl
It seems that this is Leonardo DiCaprio’s year to take home his first Oscar.
Best Actress
Cate Blanchett, Carol
Brie Larson, Room
Jennifer Lawrence, Joy
Charlotte Rampling, 45 Years
Saoirse Ronan, Brooklyn
As a fan of Brie Larson, I’m hoping that she’ll take home this award.
FB2: Week 3
Another winning week, as 5K February continues. Things started off strong on Sunday, thanks to trips to multiple grocery stores followed by a night celebrating birthdays and sports accomplishments. The work week bounced around, with 2 days over 8000 steps and 1 day, Tuesday, barely surpassing the 6000 step goal I have set for this year. Saturday saw the best weather of the year to date and, thanks to more grocery shopping and a $900 oil change, neared 6500 steps.
Total steps: 50,083
Daily average: 7154.7
Predicting The Non-Acting Oscars
The 88th Academy Awards are scheduled for Sunday night, so here’s my uneducated predictions for the non-acting awards. I likely have seen very few of these movies, so I will mostly be going on gut feel and word of mouth.
Best Original Screenplay
Matt Chapman, Ethan Coen, and Joel Coen, Bridge Of Spies
Alex Garland, Ex Machina
Peter Docter, Meg LeFauve, Josh Cooley, and Ronnie del Carmen, Inside Out
Tom McCarthy and Josh Singer, Spotlight
Jonathan Herman, Andrea Berloff, S. Leigh Savidge, and Alan Wenkus, Straight Outta Compton
I haven’t seen any of these films yet, but if I had to guess, which I guess I do, I’m going to say that, partially thanks to the outrage over the relative whiteness of the acting nominees, Straight Outta Compton will take home the prize.
Best Adapted Screenplay
Adam McKay and Charles Randolph, The Big Short
Nick Hornby, Brooklyn
Phyllis Nagy, Carol
Drew Goddard, The Martian
Emma Donoghue, Room
Another category where I have not seen any of the nominated work. I’m guessing, based on very little, that The Big Short will win this one.
Best Animated Feature
Anomalisa
Boy & The World
Inside Out
Shaun The Sheep Movie
When Marnie Was There
No clue here either, but Inside Out was the only one I had heard of.
Best Cinematography
Ed Lachman, Carol
Robert Richardson, The Hateful Eight
John Seale, Mad Max: Fury Road
Emmanuel Lubezki, The Revenant
Roger A. Deakins, Sicario
Well, I’ve almost seen one of these, since I have Mad Max home from Netflix. My guess is that Emmanuel Lubezki takes home the Oscar for capturing the rape of Leonardo DiCaprio by a bear.
Best Costume Design
Sandy Powell, Carol
Sandy Powell, Cinderella
Paco Delgado, The Danish Girl
Jenny Beavan, Mad Max: Fury Road
Jacqueline West, The Revenant
The odds do seem to be in Sandy Powell’s favor, but I’m guessing Paco Delgado brings home the prize for The Danish Girl.
Continue reading →
All Time Batting Leaders – Through 2015
Last week, we took our annual look at the all time leaders in pitching stats for the 794 games I’ve attended (and identified) between 1984 and 2015. With the full White Sox roster due in camp today, it’s time to move over to the other side of the ball and take a look at the offensive stat leaders for those games, starting with our first category:
Home Runs
| Name | Total |
|---|---|
| Paul Konerko | 93 |
| Sammy Sosa | 42 |
| Aramis Ramirez | 41 |
| Derrek Lee | 40 |
| Jermaine Dye | 40 |
Hits
| Name | Total |
|---|---|
| Paul Konerko | 366 |
| Alexei Ramirez | 299 |
| Derrek Lee | 255 |
| AJ Pierzynski | 237 |
| Aramis Ramirez | 234 |
Runs
| Name | Total |
|---|---|
| Paul Konerko | 200 |
| Derrek Lee | 140 |
| Alexei Ramirez | 133 |
| Aramis Ramirez | 120 |
| AJ Pierzynski | 106 |
RBI
| Name | Total |
|---|---|
| Paul Konerko | 235 |
| Aramis Ramirez | 158 |
| Alexei Ramirez | 138 |
| Derrek Lee | 134 |
| Jermaine Dye | 108 |
Doubles Continue reading →
iTunes Top 200: #141
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.
We continue today with the next grouping of songs tied for 141st place with 18 plays apiece since late 2007.
#141: TLC – Ain’t 2 Proud 2 Beg
iTunes stats: 18 plays, most recently on 9/14/2015
Previous ranking: Unranked
The debut single from the girl group peaked at #6 on the Billboard charts back in 1992.
#141: Republica – Drop Dead Gorgeous
iTunes stats: 18 plays, most recently on 9/7/2015
Previous ranking: Unranked
The third single from the British band’s debut album.
#141: Nirvana – Smells Like Teen Spirit
iTunes stats: 18 plays, most recently on 12/23/2014
Previous ranking: Unranked
The first single from the band’s second album, it ushered in the grunge era and instantly brought to an end the reign of the hair bands.
#141: The Muffs – Kids In America
iTunes stats: 18 plays, most recently on 9/12/2015
Previous ranking: Unranked
A cover of the Kim Wilde hit featured in the film Clueless.
#141: Green Jelly – Three Little Pigs
iTunes stats: 18 plays, most recently on 11/7/2015
Previous ranking: Unranked
This comedy metal song somehow reached #17 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the summer of 1993.
#141: Garbage – Wild Horses (Live)
Continue reading →
Astros All Time Leaders – Through 2015
With 2 months until baseball in Chicago returns, I thought it would be interesting to look at the all time leaders in both offensive and defensive categories for all 30 teams. We continue today with the Houston Astros.
The Astros began life in 1962, joining the National League, along with the Mets, as the Colt 45’s and becoming the Astros 3 years later. In 2013, they moved to the American League, becoming just the second team to switch leagues. I’ve seen them play 40 times, including game 2 of the 2005 World Series.
Home Runs
| Name | Total |
|---|---|
| Lance Berkman | 7 |
| Carlos Lee | 4 |
| Morgan Ensberg | 3 |
| Mike Lamb | 3 |
Hits
| Name | Total |
|---|---|
| Lance Berkman | 30 |
| Morgan Ensberg | 19 |
| Brad Ausmus | 17 |
Runs
| Name | Total |
|---|---|
| Lance Berkman | 15 |
| Craig Biggio | 11 |
| Chris Burke | 11 |
RBI
| Name | Total |
|---|---|
| Lance Berkman | 26 |
| Morgan Ensberg | 12 |
| Mike Lamb | 10 |
Doubles
| Name | Total |
|---|---|
| Lance Berkman | 7 |
| Mike Lamb | 6 |
| Hunter Pence | 5 |
| Chris Carter | 5 |
Triples Continue reading →