With school back in session and meteorological fall starting today, we look back to last summer’s Grinder Bash in this month’s picture. Michael is hanging off the railing on the center field party deck at US Cellular Field, waiting in line for a picture opportunity with the 2005 World Series trophy.
I recently came across an iTunes Music Library XML file from an old computer that covered some time frame between 2003 and 2007. I thought it would be interesting to take a look at the 785 songs I had listened to in that timeframe and, eventually, incorporate some of those numbers into my current library.
Today, we will look at the top 16 artists, in terms of total listens, from this iTunes library. My initial observations are that these totals are completely out of whack. When I last looked at the artist totals for my current library, Bon Jovi came in at #21, with only 10 more plays than they have here, where they are the leaders.
| Artist | Play Count |
|---|---|
| Bon Jovi | 103 |
| Garbage | 60 |
| Liz Phair | 39 |
| The Cast Of Buffy The Vampire Slayer | 39 |
| Avril Lavigne | 31 |
| No Doubt | 21 |
| AC/DC | 18 |
| Elvis Presley | 17 |
| Foo Fighters | 15 |
| Aerosmith | 13 |
| Def Leppard | 11 |
| Pearl Jam | 11 |
| Alanis Morissette | 11 |
| Tee Vee Toons | 10 |
| Gin Blossoms | 10 |
| Christophe Beck | 10 |
The Foo Fighters finally invaded Wrigley Field last night, in a show that was nearly a year in the making. Dave Grohl put together a lineup, consisting of local bands Urge Overkill, Naked Raygun, and Cheap Trick, that influenced him as he was growing up and becoming the rock star that he is today.
Urge Overkill opened the show at 5:30 sharp, playing a quick 25 minute set that included an uneven rendition of Girl, You’ll Be A Woman Soon, their contribution to the Pulp Fiction soundtrack and their only song that I know. They were followed by local punk veterans Naked Raygun, whom I was familiar with by name only.
Cheap Trick was up next, and their short set was also short on hits, outside of a few of their 70s standbys. Having seen them previously, I was hoping to hear them break out their version of the theme to That 70s Show, but that was not to be.
Finally, the Foo Fighters took the stage, with Grohl, having broken his leg in June, sitting in an electric throne that could bring him out in to the crowd thanks to an extended stage. They wasted no time in getting things started, blowing out Everlong and Monkey Wrench straight out of the gate. 2 and a half hours later, they closed down the joint with a rousing rendition of Best Of You. In between, they put on a hell of a show, featuring their own hits along with some snippets of hits from Van Halen, Yes, and Alice Cooper.
It had been a while since I went to a full-on rock and roll show, and this one delivered the goods. It won’t be long before my next, and if it is half as good as this one, it will be a good time.
Name: Doug Drabek
Rank: 138
Position: P
Year With White Sox: 1997
Doug Drabek first joined the White Sox organization as their 11th round draft pick in the 1983 draft. Little more than a year later, he was traded, along with Kevin Hickey, to the Yankees for veteran Roy Smalley. After establishing himself elsewhere, and on the downside of his career, Drabek rejoined the White Sox, signing as a free agent prior to the 1997 season.
Drabek struggled with the White Sox, putting up a 12-11 record with a 5.74 ERA, the worst of his career to this point. Following the season, he became a free agent and left the White Sox for the second, and final, time.
Drabek’s numbers in a White Sox uniform were:
Following the 2010-2011 season, the Chicago Bulls looked to be at the top of the basketball world. They had just finished with the best regular season record in the league, they lost a hard-fought Eastern Conference Finals against the Heat, and their young superstar, Derrick Rose, was just named league MVP. However, things did not go as planned. Multiple knee injuries kept Rose off the court for much of the next 3 seasons, and tensions grew between the hometown star and the team he grew up cheering for. Things may have come to a head yesterday, when Rose was accused of drugging and gang-rapping an ex-girlfriend in a civil suit.
Rose, of course, released a statement, claiming that he will be proven innocent. The Bulls released a much shorter statement, and you could feel that Rose’s time in Chicago may have just gotten shorter. Only time will tell if the allegations against Rose prove to be true, and an initial reading of the lawsuit does show some problems in the accuser’s accounts, but this type of accusation causes damage regardless.
Last week, with the 2015 Crosstown Cup series wrapped up, we looked at the leaders in the 63 crosstown games I’ve attended since interleague play began in 1997. Today, we look at the pitching leaders in the annual match-up between the White Sox and the Cubs, starting with:
Wins
| Name | Total |
|---|---|
| Carlos Zambrano | 4 |
| Mark Buehrle | 3 |
| Jon Lieber | 3 |
| 12 tied with | 2 |
Losses
| Name | Total |
|---|---|
| Carlos Zambrano | 3 |
| Mark Buehrle | 3 |
| Jon Garland | 3 |
| Jose Contreras | 3 |
| 9 tied with | 2 |
ERA (> 9 IP)
| Name | Total |
|---|---|
| Matt Thornton | 0.00 |
| Glendon Rusch | 0.00 |
| Chris Sale | 0.56 |
| Kip Wells | 1.13 |
| Freddy Garcia | 1.20 |
Strikeouts
| Name | Total |
|---|---|
| Carlos Zambrano | 46 |
| Continue reading → |
Name: Jerry Koosman
Rank: 139
Position: P
Years With White Sox: 1981-1983
Jerry Koosman joined the White Sox on August 30, 1981 when he was acquired via trade with the Twins for 2 minor leaguers, cash, and a player to be named later that eventually became Randy Johnson (no, not that Randy Johnson). Koosman appeared in 8 games down the stretch, starting 3, as the White Sox finished 6th in the second half of the crazy strike season.
Koosman returned in 1982, working mostly out of the bullpen but still starting 19 games. The White Sox got off to a quick start, winning 20 out of their first 30 games, but leveled off and finished in 3rd place in their division.
1983 would see different results for both the White Sox and Koosman. The veteran left hander spent most of the season in the starting rotation, but saw his ERA inflate to a career high 4.77. However, after a shaky start, the White Sox caught fire and ran away with the division crown, winning a league best 99 games. Koosman was the starting pitcher on September 17, when the White Sox clinched their first division title and first post-season appearance since 1959.
Koosman made one relief appearance during the ALCS against the Orioles, throwing 1/3 of a disastrous inning in the Game 3 blowout, giving up 1 hit, 2 walks, and 3 runs (2 earned). Koosman re-upped with the White Sox following the season, but was sent to the Phillies the following spring to complete the trade for Ron Reed.
Koosman’s numbers in a White Sox uniform were:
A decent week, despite my lowest total since the end of June. Things got off to a decent start on Sunday, thanks to the final contest of the year between the Cubs and White Sox at US Cellular Field. Monday gave me my third consecutive week with a 10,000 step day, thanks to a post-work walk around the neighborhood. The rest of the work week was pretty normal. Sadly, Saturday failed to pass my daily target thanks to a raging toothache that kept me in bed most of the day.
Total steps: 48,727
Daily average: 6961
I recently came across an iTunes Music Library XML file from an old computer that covered some time frame between 2003 and 2007. I thought it would be interesting to take a look at the 785 songs I had listened to in that timeframe and, eventually, incorporate some of those numbers into my current library.
Today, we will look at the top 24 songs, in terms of total listens, from this iTunes library. My initial observations are that all of these songs were either ripped from CDs or bought from the iTunes store. Any MP3s don’t seem to be well represented in this library.
| Close Your Eyes (Buffy/Angel Love Theme) | Christophe Beck | Buffy The Vampire Slayer: The Album | 10 | 11/23/2006 10:53 AM |
| Sk8er Boi (Live) | Avril Lavigne | Avril Live – Try to Shut Me Up | 9 | 2/28/2006 3:26 PM |
| Why Can’t I? (Live) | Liz Phair | Why Can’t I? (Sessions@AOL) – Single | 7 | 8/5/2004 10:12 PM |
| Living In Sin | Bon Jovi | New Jersey | 7 | 8/28/2005 11:10 AM |
| In These Arms | Bon Jovi | Keep The Faith | 7 | 8/28/2005 12:59 PM |
| Livin’ On A Prayer | Bon Jovi | Cross Road | 7 | 10/2/2005 10:38 AM |
| Keep The Faith | Bon Jovi | Cross Road | 7 | 10/2/2005 10:44 AM |
| Connecticut’s For F*cking | Jesus H Christ and The Four Hornsmen of the Apocalypse | Jesus H Christ and The Four Hornsmen Of The Apocalypse | 7 | 11/17/2006 11:45 AM |
| C Is For Cookie | Cookie Monster | Sesame Street Platinum: All-Time Favorites | 7 | 12/8/2006 9:06 PM |
| Basketcase (Live) | Avril Lavigne | Avril Live – Try to Shut Me Up | 6 | 1/25/2004 4:07 PM |
| Supernova | Liz Phair | Live from the Chicago Store – EP | 6 | 10/8/2004 8:15 PM |
| Never Say Goodbye | Bon Jovi | Slippery When Wet | 6 | 8/28/2005 12:26 PM |
| Continue reading → |
Name: Cliff Politte
Rank: 140
Position: P
Years With White Sox: 2004-2006
Cliff Politte joined the White Sox as a free agent in January 2004. Politte was serviceable coming out of the bullpen in ’04, putting up a 0-3 record with a 4.38 ERA.
Things improved greatly in 2005, both for Politte and for the White Sox. En route to a Central Division title, Politte put up the best numbers of his career, going 7-1 with an impressive 2.00 ERA in 68 appearances. He continued to shine in the post-season, making 4 appearances between the ALDS and the World Series, giving up 1 run in 3 1/3 innings.
Sadly, things went horribly awry for Politte in 2006. Trying to match or improve upon the best numbers of his career, he ignored a throbbing shoulder as his ERA skyrocketed. On July 15, he walked off of the mound at Yankee Stadium, having given up four runs, four hits, one walk and one home run in only two innings. His ERA stood at 8.70, and the White Sox, attempting to defend their World Series title, decided to cut bait and release the struggling pitcher. It would mark the end of his major league career.
Politte’s numbers in a White Sox uniform, both for games I attended and overall, were: