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Single Game Batting Leaders Revisited

MLB: Cincinnati Reds at Los Angeles DodgersWe’ve looked at the single season and career leaders for games I have attended, and I thought it would be interesting to take another look at the single game leaders in those categories, for the first time since 2012.

Home Runs

Name Total Date
Sammy Sosa 3 6/5/1996
Moises Alou 3 7/4/2003
103 with 2 Most recently on 5/24/2015

Hits

Name Total Date
Scott Rolen 5 4/22/2007
Mike Fontenot 5 6/25/2007
Mark DeRosa 5 9/17/2007
Alfonso Soriano 5 5/17/2008
Derrek Lee 5 6/28/2008
Ryan Braun 5 8/2/2010
Prince Fielder 5 8/2/2010
Danny Santana 5 8/3/2014
Melky Cabrera 5 6/21/2015

Runs

Name Total Date
Chris Burke 5 6/13/2006
Gary Ward 4 8/14/1984
Paul Konerko 4 6/28/2002
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#142 – Dylan Axelrod

daxelrod

Name: Dylan Axelrod

Rank: 142

Position: P

Years With White Sox: 2011-2013

Dylan Axelrod joined the White Sox organization as a minor league free agent in 2009.  He made his major league debut on September 7, 2011, pitching 2 innings in relief in a White Sox loss to the Twins.

Axelrod split time between Triple A Charlotte and the White Sox in 2012.  He made 7 starts with the big league club, in addition to being the long man out of the pen.  He finished the year with a 2-2 record and an elevated 5.47 ERA.

2013 saw Axelrod stick in the major leagues for the entire season, but success was elusive.  While he started 20 games for the White Sox, his ERA was again well over 5 and he finished the year with a dismal 4-11 record.

Axelrod returned to Charlotte for the 2014 season, where he would remain until July 17, when he was purchased by the Reds, ending his White Sox career.

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

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Disturbing TV Tidbits

old-tv-set1Two bits of strange news came out of FOX’s presentation yesterday at the TCA press tour.  First, coming in October, is the crossover event that absolutely nobody was looking for: Bones and Sleepy Hollow.  From the press release:

On BONES, the grisly discovery of human remains lead Brennan (Emily Deschanel) and Booth (David Boreanaz) on a hunt for clues, during which they encounter Ichabod Crane (Tom Mison) and Abbie Mills (Nicole Beharie), searching for answers of their own. Realizing that they are after the same evidence, they team up to solve the mystery. Then, immediately following on SLEEPY HOLLOW, the intrigue continues as Ichabod’s old nemesis is back from the dead. Ichabod and Abbie need advanced forensic help and expertise to stop him and turn to Brennan and Booth to unlock 18th century secrets using 21st century science.

If this sounds ridiculous to you, well let’s just say you are not alone.  Sleepy Hollow’s second season was a mess, and I gave up on the show some time along the way, realizing that I wasn’t so much watching it as I was letting it play while I was doing something else.  This does not speak well to the creative strength of either show.

In other news, FOX announced that they are moving forward with a reboot of 24, without Jack Bauer.  While this means Kiefer Sutherland will not be involved, there’s no word yet on whether other old favorites will show up.  Can 24 be something worthwhile without its signature star?  Honestly, I doubt it.  But time (no pun intended) will tell.

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Fitbit Week 26

Week26_FBIf a week could surpass 50,000 steps and still be considered disappointing, this was it.  While my streak of days above my goal of 5500 steps stretched out to 42 days, my weeks with a 10,000 step day streak was snapped at 5.  The week got off to a decent start on Sunday, thanks to trips to the grocery store and Lowes.  Monday crossed 9000 steps thanks to a morning meeting in North followed by a return trip in the afternoon for coffee.  Tuesday through Thursday were normal work days, with the step count decreasing each day.  Friday, my last Friday off in my July of 4-day work weeks, nearly crossed the 10,000 step mark, thanks to an hour walk in the morning and then miscellaneous errands throughout the day.  Saturday brought baseball back in to my life, after a morning trip to the grocery store.

Total steps: 51,538

Daily average: 7362.6

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Mix Tape Monday Revisited – Volume 19

Between 1989, my sophomore year of high school, and 1995, my fourth year of college, I put together a nearly 20 volume collection of mix tapes, containing my favorite songs that I had gathered either from the radio, a cassette tape, or (eventually) CD. Three years ago, we looked back at all 20 volumes and which of my “favorite” songs I still listened to. Today, we revisit those mix tapes and see how things have changed in the last 3 years.

Volume 19 stretches from late summer 1995 and into the fall semester of the first of my two senior years of college.  Again, it mostly features what was considered alternative music, with Coolio interjecting some street flavor for good measure.

Side A

Tripping Daisy – I Got A Girl

The one hit for Tripping Daisy managed to double its number of plays in the last 3 years.

2012 iTunes stats: 3 plays

2015 iTunes stats: 6 plays, most recently on 7/22/2015

Foo Fighters – This Is A Call

The debut for Dave Grohl’s new venture earned a relatively paltry 4 additional plays in the past 3 years.

2012 iTunes stats: 13 plays

2015 iTunes stats: 17 plays, most recently on 4/2/2015

Pearl Jam – Whipping

The final appearance of Pearl Jam, which I barely even recall, picked up 2 listens in the past 3 years, none in nearly 2.

2012 iTunes stats: Never played

2015 iTunes stats: 2 plays, most recently on 9/7/2013

Hootie and the Blowfish – Only Wanna Be With You

Hootie’s ode to, among other things, the Miami Dolphins added 3 new listens in the past 3 years, despite not having been heard in over a year.

2012 iTunes stats: 2 plays

2015 iTunes stats: 5 plays, most recently on 6/8/2014

Elastica – Stutter

The follow up from Elastica picked up 2 listens in the past 3 years.

2012 iTunes stats: Never played

2015 iTunes stats: 2 plays, most recently on 2/10/2015

Cranberries – Ridiculous Thoughts

2 listens for the latest from the Cranberries in the last 3 years.

2012 iTunes stats: Never played

2015 iTunes stats: 2 plays, most recently on 6/2/2015

Green Day – J.A.R.

3 new listens for Green Day’s contribution to the Angus soundtrack.

2012 iTunes stats: 7 plays

2015 iTunes stats: 10 plays, most recently on 5/8/2015

Alanis Morissette – Hand In My Pocket

The second release from the juggernaut that was Jagged Little Pill tripled its number of listens in the past 3 years.

2012 iTunes stats: 3 plays

2015 iTunes stats: 9 plays, most recently on 1/15/2015

Side B

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Fitbit Year 1 – Half Year Checkpoint

FB1-halfwayAs the first half of my first year using the Fitbit draws to a close, it is time to check in on my progress towards my goal of 2,002,000 steps, or an average of 5500 per day. One half of that total would be 1,001,000. So how did I do?

In a word, tremendously.  I put up 63.5% of my goal for the year in the first six months, finishing with 1,270,816 steps.  That translates to a little under 650 miles, which is a little mind-blowing.  Along the way, I also managed to climb nearly 1300 steps.

Other than the first week, which didn’t start until Thursday, every week has surpassed my weekly goal of 38,500 steps.  This is much better than my success rate under the GlobalFit program, where I was at 13 out of 30 in the aborted Year 4 and 25 out of 52 in Year 3.  Hopefully things continue at this pace, especially once the weather starts to cool down.

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Post Mortem – Stalker

Stalker_logoThe latest show from Kevin Williamson, creator of Dawson’s Creek and the Scream franchise, focused on a LAPD team that worked stalking cases.  Starring Maggie Q and Derbel McDillet, er, Dylan McDermott, the show was eviscerated by critics for its alleged misogyny, the show actually debuted to big numbers, but quickly fell off as viewers realized that it wasn’t a particularly good show.  Despite ending on a cliffhanger, it certainly won’t be missed.

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Book 18 (of 52) – Island Of Lost Girls

Island of Lost Girls - Jennifer McMahon

Island of Lost Girls – Jennifer McMahon

When a woman witnesses a giant rabbit kidnap a young girl, it sends her on a quest to solve not just this crime, but also the mysteries of her childhood.  This is the main plot of Jennifer McMahon’s Island of Lost Girls, the latest work of hers that I have tackled.  I first revisited her work last December and enjoyed it immensely, so I picked up this eBook from the Kindle store.

This was a relatively short book, clocking in around 255 pages, and I was able to start and finish it over the course of a weekend.  It was enjoyable, but not as much as my last experience with her work.  That said, I’m certainly looking forward to the next time she ends up in my to-read pile.

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Fitbit Week 25

Week25_FBAnother successful week, although I did put up my lowest total in a month.  However, I managed to extend my streak of 5500 step days to 35 days and now have 5 consecutive weeks with a 10,000 step day and 4 with multiple 10,000 step days.

The week got off to a good start on Sunday, where I combined an afternoon game at US Cellular Field with a trip downtown at night for the 2005 White Sox reunion at the Chicago Theatre.  Monday was a normal work day, followed by Tuesday, our first 10,000 step day of the week, thanks to meetings in Willow that I decided to walk to.  Wednesday was another 10,000 step day, with a post-work trip down to US Cellular for yet another game.  Thursday was another normal work day, followed by a day off on Friday and another morning walk around the neighborhood.  Saturday was my first non-baseball weekend day in a while, and it barely eked by the 5500 step mark.

Total steps: 56,546

Daily average: 8078