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Franchise Four – Chicago White Sox

Major League Baseball is asking its fans to vote for the four most impactful players who best represent the history of each franchise.  The winners will be announced in July at the All Star Game in Cincinnati.  Today, we finish up the entire league as I give my Franchise Four picks for the Chicago White Sox.

F4WhiteSox

LALuis Aparicio played for the White Sox from 1956 – 1962 and again from 1968 – 1970.  He was an All Star 6 times in those years and was elected to Hall of Fame in 1984.  His number 11 was retired by the White Sox in 1984.

NFNellie Fox teamed with Aparicio to make up the double play combination for the 1959 American League Champions.  Fox came to the White Sox in 1950 and manned second base through the 1963 season, earning 12 All Star nods and the 1959 AL MVP.  He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1997.

LAppAfter the White Sox roster was decimated by the banishments following the throwing of the 1919 World Series, there were few bright spots until Luke Appling debuted in 1930.  20 years later, Appling retired, with 7 All Star nods, 2 batting titles, 3 top 10 MVP finishes, and too many team records to count.  He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1964.

PKPaul Konerko came to the White Sox via trade prior to the 1999 season and became a fixture at first base until his retirement last year.  Having led the White Sox to victory in the 2005 World Series, he finished his career as the White Sox all time leader in total bases and second all time in home runs, RBIs, and games played.

HBHarold Baines was selected by the White Sox as the first overall pick of the 1977 draft.  He spent parts of 14 seasons with the team, in three different stints, until his retirement following the 2001 season.  He holds the White Sox team records for home runs, RBIs, and extra base hits for left handed hitters. Continue reading →

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#147 – Matt Merullo

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Name: Matt Merullo

Rank: 147

Position: C

Years With White Sox: 1989, 1991-1993

Matt Merullo was selected by the White Sox in the 7th round of the 1986 draft.  When Carlton Fisk broke his hand days in to the 1989 season, Merullo got his chance with the big league club.  He made his major league debut on April 12, 1989, going hitless in one at bat against the Mariners.  2 days later, he made his first start in the White Sox home opener, and notched his first hit, his first home run, and his first caught stealing behind the plate.   He got in to 31 games total that season, hitting .222 in 81 at bats with that lone home run.

A knee injury, plus the continued presence of Fisk and Ron Karkovice, kept Merullo in Birmingham in 1990.  He split the 1991 season between Double A and the big leagues, appearing in a career high 80 games despite hitting only .229.

1992 saw Merullo splitting time between Triple A and the White Sox, and he only made it in to 24 games with the big league club.  He spent the majority of 1993 back in Triple A, playing only 8 games with the White Sox, hitting an anemic .050.

With spring training winding down in 1994, Merullo was dealt to the Indians.

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

Continue reading →

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Vacation Recap: Tupelo

When we left off last time, our group of intrepid travelers had arrived in Tupelo, Mississippi on a Sunday night after having spent the day in Memphis taking in the Elvis sights, including Graceland and Sun Studios.

birthplace

Monday morning started with a trip to Tupelo Hardware Store, a present day Ace Hardware where a 11 year old Elvis, in 1946, purchased his first guitar.  From there, we headed to the 2 room house where Elvis was born and lived until his family moved to Memphis in search of a better life in 1948.  Also on the site are the Assembly of God church, where the Presley’s worshipped while living in Tupelo.

supermanstatueAfter leaving Mississippi, we headed north towards home, but decided to make a detour towards Metropolis, IL, which has made itself the symbolic home of Superman and, at least according to the travel guide, home to the world’s largest Dippin’ Dots store.  Sadly, the Dippin’ Dots store had closed and was replaced by a gift shop filled with DC merchandise and a cooler in the corner that did supply said Dippin’ Dots.  In the center of town is a giant Superman statue and a museum, which we decided against going through.

After that, it was time to head home.  After a few stops for dinner and gas, we arrived home around 10 PM.  Overall, we visited 5 states, 3 of which were new for Michael.  Now I’m looking forward to my next trip, which, sadly, hasn’t been planned yet.

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Fitbit Week 20

Week20_FBAnother decent week, with 6 of the 7 days above the 5500 step mark and the 7th falling just short.  Sunday just barely crossed the 5500 step mark, thanks to a trip to the grocery store.  The work week was its recent standard stuff, thanks to afternoon trips to North Plaza for coffee.  Saturday fell short of 5500 steps, despite a trip to US Cellular Field to see the White Sox snap their 8 game losing streak followed by a dinner party with college friends.

Total steps: 46,798

Daily average: 6685.4

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Mix Tape Monday Revisited– Volume 13

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 13 takes us into late spring of 1994 and my the end of my sophomore year of college. The song selection is now mostly completely alternative, with just one or two hip-hop hits to go along with it., with a little pop and Aerosmith on the side.

Side A

Alice In Chains – No Excuses

A doubling of plays for the Alice in Chains hit which was originally acquired via 93.5 KHY, Lafayette’s rock station.

2012 iTunes stats: 3 plays

2015 iTunes stats: 6 plays, most recently on 1/15/2015

Smashing Pumpkins – Disarm

The follow up to Today, the smash hit that put them on the map, garnered a scant 2 additional listens over the past 3 years.

2012 iTunes stats: 5 plays

2015 iTunes stats: 7 plays, most recently on 3/24/2015

Counting Crows – Mr. Jones

I have no real explanation for why I hardly ever listen to the debut smash from the Counting Crows, picking up 3 listens, but none in well over 1 1/2 years.

2012 iTunes stats: Never played

2015 iTunes stats: 3 plays, most recently on 10/14/2013

The Cranberries – Dreams

A slight 2 listen increase for The Cranberries big hit.

2012 iTunes stats: 7 plays

2015 iTunes stats: 9 plays, most recently on 6/26/2014

Jodeci – Cry For You

The minor Jodeci hit picked up 2 listens over the past 3 years, including one just a month ago.

2012 iTunes stats: Never played

2015 iTunes stats: 2 plays, most recently on 5/26/2015

Julianna Hatfield Three – Spin The Bottle

A 3 listen increase for the hit from the Reality Bites soundtrack.

2012 iTunes stats: 10 plays

2015 iTunes stats: 13 plays, most recently on 5/29/2015

Aerosmith – Dueces Are Wild

Aerosmith’s contribution to the Beavis and Butthead album picked up only 2 additional listens over the past 3 years.

2012 iTunes stats: 4 plays

2015 iTunes stats: 6 plays, most recently on 11/20/2014

Gin Blossoms – Mrs. Rita

The minor Gin Blossoms hit picked up 4 new listens, despite not being heard in nearly 2 years.

2012 iTunes stats: 1 play

2015 iTunes stats: 5 plays, most recently on 8/20/2013

Continue reading →

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Franchise Four – Chicago Cubs

Major League Baseball is asking its fans to vote for the four most impactful players who best represent the history of each franchise.  The winners will be announced in July at the All Star Game in Cincinnati.  Today, I will give my Franchise Four picks for the Chicago Cubs.

F4Cubs

EBErnie Banks, who was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1977, played his entire 19 year career with the Cubs, earning back-to-back MVP honors in 1958 and 1959.  When he retired following the 1971 season, he ranked 9th all-time in home runs, with 512.

RSRyne Sandberg joined the Cubs in 1982 and quickly became a fixture in the middle of the Cub infield, where he remained until 1997.  The 10-time all star, who earned MVP honors in 1984, was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2005.

TFBMordecai “Three Finger” Brown, who earned his nickname due to farming incident in his youth, spent 10 of his 14 seasons with the Cubs, leading them to World Series titles in 1907 and 1908.  He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1949.

RoSRon Santo spent 14 of his 15 big league seasons with the Cubs, earning 9 All Star game appearances and 5 Gold Gloves.  He followed his playing career with a long broadcasting stint with the team.  He was posthumously elected to the Hall of Fame in 2012.

GHGabby Hartnett spent the first 19 years of his career with the Cubs, appearing in 6 All Star games and earning the MVP award in 1935.  Perhaps best remembered for the “Homer in the Gloamin'” in 1938, Hartnett was considered the best National League catcher until the emergence of Johnny Bench.  He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1955. Continue reading →

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#148 – Shingo Takatsu

Name: Shingo Takatsu

Rank: 148

Position: P

Years With White Sox: 2004-2005

After a 13 year career in the Japanese baseball league, Shingo Takatsu signed with the White Sox on January 22, 2004, becoming the first Japanese born player to sign with a Chicago team.  As a 35 year old rookie, he made his major league debut on April 9, 2004 against the Yankees, facing countryman Hideki Matsui as his first batter.

Takatsu eventually became the closer for the 2004 White Sox, earning 19 saves in 56 appearances with a sparkling 2.31 ERA.  Unfortunately, his success was short lived.

Takatsu began the 2005 season as the team’s closer, earning the save in the Opening Day 1-0 victory over the Indians.  Sadly, the league seemed to catch on to his trickery, as his ERA grew to 5.97 in 31 games.  He was replaced as closer by Dustin Hermanson and, while the White Sox went on to win the division and the World Series, Takatsu was released on August 1st.

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

Continue reading →

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Vacation Recap: Memphis

This past January, as my mom’s birthday was rolling around, I thought about taking her to Graceland so she could see the former home of her favorite performer, Elvis Presley.  I ended up going in a different direction (literally), but my sister came up with the same idea for Mother’s Day.  So, as May was drawing to a close, (nearly) the whole family loaded into the minivan and headed down to Tennessee and Mississippi to see the Elvis-related sights.

panda

Things got off to an early start on Saturday morning as we left around 5 AM and headed south.  After a brief stop in Missouri for lunch at Lambert’s Cafe, where they throw dinner rolls at you, and so Michael could cross another state off his list, we rolled into Memphis around 2:00.  Our first stop was the Memphis Zoo, where we ran into some pandas and other animals.  After the zoo, we headed to our hotel for some relaxing in the pool, followed by dinner at a charming BBQ joint known as Corky’s, winners of multiple best BBQ awards.  After a long day, it was time to call it a night.
graceland

Sunday morning got off to an early, if wet, start at Graceland, home, and eternal resting place, of Elvis Presley.  Aside from the mansion, which is strangely small for what would be considered a mansion, there were a few other attractions to see, including a car museum and his 2 planes.

After lunch at Graceland (a fried peanut butter/banana sandwich, natch), it was time to visit Sun Studios, where Elvis made his first recordings.  While waiting for our tour, we made a quick trip over to the Peabody Hotel, where they have trained ducks hanging out in the lobby, which is supposedly a thing.  Back to Sun for the tour, which included the actual recording studio space, which is still in use at night.

Following the tour, we headed across the border to Arkansas for dinner, and another chance for Michael to add a state to his tally.  After dinner, it was on to Tupelo, Mississippi, where we would spend the night before finishing off the Elvis tour on Monday.  But more about that next time.

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Post Mortem – Perception

perceptionBack in November, TNT announced that it would not be ordering a fourth season of Perception, with the five remaining episodes from season three still planned to air in February.  With February come and gone, so is Perception, the Eric McCormack and Rachael Leigh Cook vehicle that premiered in 2012.

McCormack starred as a schizophrenic neuropsychiatrist who teamed up with a former student, played by Cook, who is now an FBI agent.  Together, they solved crimes, usually thanks to the voices in McCormack’s head.  The show was never great, but it was nice to see Cook, most famous to my generation for her anti-drug PSA, get some regular work.

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Post Mortem – Gracepoint

gracepointFrom the moment this project was announced, I knew it wasn’t a good idea.  Remaking Broadchurch for an American audience, with the same star, mere months after the original had aired on BBC America, seemed like a pointless exercise when it was announced last May and, based, on the results FOX saw in the fall, it certainly turned out to be just that.

David Tennant returned as the lead detective and gave basically the same performance, except for swapping in an American accent.  That’s not to say that it wasn’t a good performance, just that it was the same.  Which is my main complaint about Gracepoint: it was the same.  Why bother remaking anything (a show, movie, or even song) if you are only going to replicate what came before.  From my recollection, there was a minor difference in the ending, which seems to be tacked on not for any creative reasons, but simply to fulfill the promise that the ending would be different for those that had already seen Broadchurch.

Series 2 of Broadchurch aired on BBC America earlier this year, but FOX has decided to not move forward with replicating it for a second seaon of Gracepoint.  But before you start to think that the network has learned anything from this experience, they have ordered an American remake of the BBC show Luther, which starred Idris Elba.