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#160 – Chris Sabo

saboName: Chris Sabo

Rank: 160

Position: DH

Year With White Sox: 1995

Following the lockout that delayed the beginning of the 1995 season, Chris Sabo signed with the White Sox to replace Julio Franco, who had left for Japan, as the team’s designated hitter.  Sabo didn’t last long with the White Sox, as he was designated for assignment on May 25th to clear a roster spot for the recently un-retired John Kruk.  Manager Gene Lamont said Sabo took the reassignment well.  “Chris did a fine job for us. I spoke to him. He has a great outlook on things. I really wish him well, but John was the man that we wanted,” Lamont said. “Chris wants to play third every day, but obviously that’s not possible with us.”  Unable to find a trade partner, the White Sox released Sabo on June 5th.

Sabo’s numbers in a White Sox uniform were:

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He Is Risen

Jesus Christ himself returned today and descended upon Wrigley Field, taking human flesh and going under the name Kris Bryant, or at least that is what you would believe based on the Cubs recalling their star prospect now that he has surpassed the deadline for earning a full year of service time this season.  So of course, the Cubs continued their winning ways, remaining in first place while Bryant single-handedly won the game while simultaneously rebuilding the outfield bleachers and installing 5 new sets of bathrooms.  Anything else would, of course, be a tremendous let down.

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Well, Bryant made his major league debut in the cleanup spot for the Cubs and finished the day 0-4 with 3 strikeouts as the Cubs fell to the Padres and dropped out of first place.  Not an auspicious debut for the so-called savior.  Of course, it isn’t really fair to tag Bryant with expectations of leading the franchise to their first World Series title in 107 years, but that hasn’t stopped certain corners of Cub fandom, who look to Bryant’s future success as a lock.

One radio announcer this morning wondered, without a hint of sarcasm, if the 12 days Bryant missed would affect his chances of earning the MVP award come seasons end.  The same announcer (Mully?  Hanley?  I don’t know who’s who) also reluctantly agreed that he would probably be satisfied if Bryant ended up with Mike Schmidt’s career.  That’s Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt.

None of this should be taken as a knock against Kris Bryant.  He’s obviously talented and will likely become a superstar.  But I think it is fair to say that we should make him earn it at the big league level.  Annointing him MVP prior to his first major league at bat (a 3 pitch strikeout) makes you look silly and does nothing but put tremendous pressure on someone who should, if everything falls right, become a cornerstone of a Cub resurgance over the next 7 years.

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Vacation Recap – Arizona Part 2

cbrWhen we left of yesterday, the conference had come to an end and we had travelled to the airport to pick up the rental car.  Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that, from the time we got in line at the rental car facility to the time we drove away, would take an hour and a half.  That left little time for the day’s activity: a trip to Camelback Ranch in Glendale to watch the White Sox take on the visiting A’s.  Sadly, the White Sox would fall once again, and, due to an extreme lack of shade that seems to be due to the stadium’s orientation, we left early despite having wonderful seats just a few rows behind home plate.  After the game, we headed to the new hotel, which was quite a step down from the Phoenician resort, but Allstate was no longer picking up the tab, and enjoyed a nice swim to cool down.

Sunday had nothing really planned, so, after checking out a few fliers in the hotel, we decided to take a lake cruise along Lake Pleasant.  There were a lot of mountainous views and some educational talks about the history of the man-made lake and the Phoenix area in general.  Following the cruise, we returned to the hotel for another swim.

Monday saw the trip winding down and, again, there were no specific plans.  After hearing good things from some fellow travellers, we decided to go to the Heard Museum, which claims to be one of the premier Native American museums in the United States.  If this is true, it does not speak well of our nation’s collection of history regarding it’s native people.  After about a half hour, the decision was made to cut bait.  Next, we returned to a time-tested activity: baseball!  We headed to Chase Field, home of the Diamondbacks, for a tour.

chasefield-poolThe tour took us all around Chase Field, including a look into the famous pool out in left field, and then up to the suite level, and, finally, into the visitor’s clubhouse and then the Diamonback’s dugout.  All in all, a good way to spend an afternoon and I certainly hope to return one day to catch a game.  Hopefully, from the pool.

Following the tour, and a quick lunch at the TGIFridays overlooking the playing field, we returned to the hotel where I met up with a co-worker who recently moved out to Arizona.  This was followed by one last trip to the pool and then, sadly, it was time to return home.

Thankfully, the trip home was uneventful, unlike last year’s disaster.  The weather even cooperated somewhat, with temperatures in the upper 50s, so there wasn’t such a tremendous let down from the 90s we saw for a week.

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Vacation Recap – Arizona Part 1

0Z9A0170Three weeks ago, this year’s Reach for the Stars trip started off just as last year’s ended: with a flight delay.  Thankfully, this time the delay was only a little over an hour, so we made it to Arizona early in the afternoon on Wednesday.  Rather than take part of the pool or some other activity at the lovely Phoenician  resort, my travel companion decided a nap was in order, so I got to start an exciting book prior to the evenings activity, dinner on the quad of the resort.

Thursday was the day of the company sponsored activity, and I chose a rafting trip down the Lower Salt River.  After some trepidation followed by reassurances that the rafting was rather low key, a last minute audible was made to attend said trip, and I must say it was the right decision.  To give the day a water theme, we did finally hit the pool once we got back to the resort.  That night was the gala dinner, where we got to shake hands with the big boss man.

sloan

Friday, my own personal plans for the trip started in force.  March in Arizona means spring training, and the Cubs were doing battle against the White Sox this fine day at their newly re-christened facility in Mesa.  There were a few other folks from the resort who were also headed to the game, so we shared the cost of a car and commuted together.  The Cubs managed to get the best of their former teammate Jeff Samardzija on this day.  Following the game, we returned to the resort in time to head out to the night’s farewell dinner, which was held offsite at a ranch of some sort.  A good old fashioned ho-down was on tap.

The conference came to an end on Saturday, but things were just starting for me.  In the morning, we checked out of the resort and caught a shuttle to the airport, where a rental car was waiting with out name on it.  Little did we know that waiting was the key word.  But that we will cover tomorrow, in part 2 of this little adventure.

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Fitbit Week 10

Week10_FBThanks to the return of baseball, we get our first week using the Fitbit where every day surpassed the 5500 step mark, leading to my best week step-wise since January.  The week got off to a good start on Easter Sunday, which also happened to be Opening Night, with the Cubs taking on the Cardinals.  Thanks to the farthest parking spot I’ve ever used while attending Wrigley Field, I nearly surpassed 10,000 steps.

The work week was rather normal, with afternoon coffee trips helping to accomplish the day’s goal.  Friday, baseball returned to the south side, with a train ride and a hike to the upper reaches of the upper deck contributing to a nearly 9000 step total and a record, at least for the last 10 weeks, of 23 floors of steps climbed.  A return trip to US Cellular Field on Saturday helped to keep the streak alive.

Total steps: 53,555

Daily average: 7650.7

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Mix Tape Monday – Volume 4 Revisited

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 4 places us smack dab in the middle of my junior year of high school, from late 1990 and into 1991, and once again features a healthy dose of hair metal and pop, with a little dance electronica thrown in for good measure.  Judging solely from this tape, you would have no idea that Nirvana’s Nevermind would be released later this year.

Side A

Damn Yankees – High Enough

The one big hit from the supergroup featuring Ted Nugent managed to double its number of plays despite not showing up in rotation in over a year.

2012 iTunes stats: 3 plays

2015 iTunes stats: 6 plays, most recently on 5/3/2014

Sweet Sensation – If Wishes Came True

The #1 hit more than doubled its number of plays and was last heard one year ago today.

2012 iTunes stats: 2 plays

2015 iTunes stats: 5 plays, most recently on 5/13/2014

Poison – Fallen Angel

Poison’s hit from 1988, the only single from Open Up and Say… Ahh! to not crack the top 10, only got 2 additional listens over the past 3 years.

2012 iTunes stats: 11 plays

2015 iTunes stats: 13 plays, most recently on 1/29/2013

Simpsons – Do The Bart Man

I finally managed to listen to the first single from the animated TV family for the first time in years last August.

2012 iTunes stats: Never played

2015 iTunes stats: 1 play, on 8/30/2014

Roxette – The Look

A tremendous increase for the first hit from the Swedish group.

2012 iTunes stats: 1 play

2015 iTunes stats: 8 plays, most recently on 9/5/2014

Poison – I Won’t Forget You

The fourth single from Poison’s debut album went up by only 2 listens over the past 3 years.

2012 iTunes stats: 1 play

2015 iTunes stats: 3 plays, most recently on 7/14/2014

Side B

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Book 12 (of 52) – Inferno

Inferno - Dan Brown

Inferno – Dan Brown

Dan Brown returns with his latest adventure featuring symbologist Robert Langdon, who has turned up in a Florence hospital with a gunshot wound and a case of amnesia.  He teams up with a child prodigy turned doctor to try and track down a virus that threatens to significantly thin the Earth’s population.  As Langdon gets closer to the truth, he finds out that everything, everyone, around him is not what they seemed.

Brown burst into the national consciousness in 2003 when The Da Vinci Code, his second Robert Langdon novel, became a runaway best seller.  Inferno, released in 2013, is the fourth Langdon book, and the third that I’ve read.  His tales are always a unique intertwining of mystery, intrigue, and history.  One of these days, I will get my hands on that fourth novel and will finish off the set.

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Book 11 (of 52) – Wild Pitches

Wild Pitches: Rumblings, Grumblings, and Reflections on the Game I Love - Jayson Stark

Wild Pitches: Rumblings, Grumblings, and Reflections on the Game I Love – Jayson Stark

I must admit, I was a bit disappointed to find out that this wasn’t a new work, but instead a collection of Jayson Stark’s columns from ESPN.com.  It wasn’t bad, but it was mostly columns that I had already read in the past.  That said, it was a good way to wind down spring training and await the beginning of the baseball season.

The book collects Stark’s take on numerous stories over the years, including the collapse of the Cubs following the so-called Steve Bartman incident in 2003 and the White Sox breaking through and winning the World Series in 2005.  The Philadelphia-based Stark also includes numerous takes on the Phillies.

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Book 10 (of 52) – The Girl On The Train

The Girl On The Train - Paula Hawkins

The Girl On The Train – Paula Hawkins

When a depressed alcoholic involves herself in the disappearance of a woman who just happens to live near her ex-husband and his new wife, she finds purpose for the first time since her divorce and learns that her life may not have unfolded the way she had been led to believe.

The debut novel from Paula Hawkins, The Girl On The Train has become a best seller.  It is the latest novel to be dubbed the next Gone Girl, and, for the most part, it holds up its end of the bargain.  Hawkins puts together a suspenseful tale, with a few twists and turns along the way that leads to an entertaining ride.