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iTunes Top 200: #6

Music.  It is a powerful thing that brings people together, creates memories, and evokes emotions.  It is the universal language that speaks to the soul.  It forms the soundtrack of our lives.

It has now been five years since we last counted down the Top 200 songs in my iTunes library, featuring he songs I have listened to the most since 2007.  It is time to do so again, seeing which older songs still resonate and if any newer ones have joined the fray.  So, without further ado, here are my most listened to songs, based on number of plays as of January 1, 2025.

We continue this week with the two tracks tied for sixth on this countdown with 152 plays apiece, both of which have ties to the local ballclub and neither of which would classify as a traditional song.

#7: sox05_montage
iTunes stats: 152 plays, most recently on 8/28/2024
Previous ranking: #6

In 2005, the White Sox won their first division title since 2000, their first ALDS and ALCS ever, and, finally, their first World Series championship since 1917.  This track contains radio highlights from John Rooney and Ed Farmer, courtesy of the team’s flagship ESPN 1000, of the entire 2005 season, starting with a 1-0 victory over Cleveland at US Cellular Field and culminating in a 1-0 victory against the Astros in Houston to give the White Sox their first championship in 88 years.  It featured on my White Sox victory playlists for the next decade, finally dropping off in 2015.

#6: Gordon Beckham Intro
iTunes stats: 152 plays, most recently on 6/27/2024
Previous ranking: #6

Drafted by the White Sox as the eighth overall pick in 2008, Gordon Beckham made a splash when he first broke into the Major Leagues in 2009.  He used The Outfield’s hit Your Love as his walkup song, which was not part of my collection at the time.  This recording, featuring Gene Honda introducing the former White Sox infielder as he came up to the plate, was a part of my White Sox victory playlist until I was able to track down a copy of the real thing.

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Book 31 (of 52) – Parents Weekend

Parents Weekend – Alex Finlay

When a group of students go missing during parents’ weekend, FBI agent Sarah Keller, newly relocated to the west coast, is called in to help the investigation.  After interviewing the parents, Keller leans on the locals, including the chief of campus police and a student intern, to help make sense of the clues.  Can she find the missing kids before their time runs out?

In Parents Weekend, Alex Finlay brings back Special Agent Keller, last seen in 2022’s The Night Shift.  This was a quick read, completed in just three days, and kept the action moving.  I will await his next installment next year.

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Book 30 (of 52) – I Was A Teenage Slasher

I Was A Teenage Slasher – Stephen Graham Jones

When Texas teen Tolly Driver gets infected during a massacre at a high school party, he turns into a slasher, compelled to exact revenge on the classmates who nearly killed him.  His new powers allow him to fulfill all of the tropes of the genre, but he runs into one problem: his “final girl” turns out to be his best friend.  Can he avoid his new nature long enough to keep her alive?

I Was a Teenage Slasher, by Stephen Graham Jones, was a Goodreads Choice Awards nominee last year for favorite horror.  It certainly took a new approach to the genre, where becoming a slasher was a physical disease and not something one chose to do.  I enjoyed it, but it never sucked me all the way in.

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Fitbit XI – Week 21

Yet another good week, as I managed to extend my streak of 30,000-step weeks to five.  The week got off to a good start on Sunday, garnering 5700 steps thanks to Ray Durham bobblehead day at the ballpark.  Monday dropped back down to 3900 steps.  A trip to the Hilton Northbrook for work on Tuesday led to 5100 steps.  Wednesday left me just 32 steps short of 4200.  Thursday saw a very slight decline, ending with 4000 steps.  A nice increase on Friday propelled me up to 4600 steps.  A lazy Saturday wrapped up the week with 3900 steps.

Total steps: 31,480

Daily average: 4497.1

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Book 29 (of 52) – Presumed Guilty

Presumed Guilty – Scott Turow

When his fiancé’s son is charged with murdering his girlfriend, Rusty Sabich once again finds himself at the defense table, hoping to save his stepson (to be) without destroying his relationship with his mother.  As the trial goes on, the evidence seems to support acquittal, but does it also point to a killer even closer to home?

In Presumed Guilty, Scott Turow returns once again to the character of Rusty Sabich, star of 1997’s Presumed Innocent and 2010’s Innocent.  With less of a focus on the cases Sabich faced in the past, I had a better reaction to this entry.  I have a feeling this is the end of the road for these characters, and this was a satisfying sendoff.

 

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Cutting Bait

Never quite reaching the promise of when he was drafted, Andrew Vaughn’s tenure on the Southside ended Friday when he was traded to the Brewers for pitcher Aaron Civale.  Vaughn, the third overall pick of the 2019 draft by the White Sox, spent just 55 games in the minor leagues before making his debut with the big-league club in 2021.  Expected to be the next in a long line of mashers a first base, following Frank Thomas, Paul Konerko, and Jose Abreu, Vaughn never quite lived up to that reputation.  His best season came in 2023 and, even then, he was worth only 1.1 WAR.  His struggles this year, which saw him sent back to Charlotte on May 23, wiped out all of the positive gains of his career, leaving him with a negative WAR.  He was looking at a non-tender at the end of this season, so getting something useful back for him is surprising.

Civale has a 40-37 in seven seasons with the Guardians, Rays, and Brewers.  He should fill the hole left by Martin Perez’s injury, giving the young pitching staff a veteran presence.

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

Continue reading →

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iTunes Top 200: #8

Music.  It is a powerful thing that brings people together, creates memories, and evokes emotions.  It is the universal language that speaks to the soul.  It forms the soundtrack of our lives.

It has now been five years since we last counted down the Top 200 songs in my iTunes library, featuring he songs I have listened to the most since 2007.  It is time to do so again, seeing which older songs still resonate and if any newer ones have joined the fray.  So, without further ado, here are my most listened to songs, based on number of plays as of January 1, 2025.

Today, we continue with our in-depth look into each song in the top ten.  Two songs have tied for the eighth most listened to song in my library, with 144 plays since my stats began in late 2007.  Both have ties to the baseball team on the south side of Chicago and the various playlists I have made for them over the years.

#8: Journey – Don’t Stop Believin’
iTunes stats: 144 plays, most recently on 8/27/2024
Previous ranking: #8

Originally released in October of 1981 as the second single off the band’s Escape album, the song peaked at #9 on the Hot 100 and quickly became one of the band’s signature hits.  The song got a second life in the 2000s, starting locally after it became the rallying cry for the 2005 White Sox when A.J. Pierzynski and teammates heard it being sung in a bar in Baltimore.  Steve Perry, who was the band’s lead singer when the song was recorded, was on the field following Game 4 celebrating with the team and sang the song at the rally back in Chicago two days later.  It finally dropped off my White Sox victory playlist starting with the 2015 season.

In 2007, it appeared in the final episode of The Sopranos, which led to a surge in digital downloads of the song.  In 2012, it became the best-selling digital track from the 20th century, and it surpassed 7,000,000 downloads by 2017.  In 2021, the song inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

#8: Icona Pop – I Love It (Feat. Charli XCX)
iTunes stats: 144 plays, most recently on 9/28/2024
Previous ranking: #14

Featuring vocals from British singer Charli XCX, the song by the Swedish synth-pop duo became their first US hit, peaking at #7 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2013 following an appearance of the HBO show Girls.  The song was written by Charli XCX after the group’s producer sent her two of the duo’s beats, but she knew she couldn’t release it on her own due to the difference in sound.

Over the last decade, the song has been played often at the former Guaranteed Rate Field both to pump up the crowd and for between inning highlight packages.  It’s inclusion on recent entries of my White Sox victory playlist has led to its rising total.

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Interleague Pitching Leaders

Yesterday, we looked at the offensive leaders in interleague games I’ve attended since 1997.  Today, let’s take a look at the defensive side of the ball and the active pitching leaders in the 199 games I’ve attended featuring teams from opposite leagues.

Wins

Name Total
Mark Buehrle 6
Carlos Zambrano 5
Chris Sale 5
Jon Lester 5
Jake Peavy 5

Losses

Name Total
Kyle Hendricks 6
Jon Garland 5
Jose Contreras 4
10 tied with 3

ERA (> 10 IP)

Name Total
Reynaldo Lopez 0.55
Scott Linebrink 0.87
Matt Thornton 0.90
Kip Wells 1.13
Travis Wood 1.20

ERA (> 30 IP)

Name Total
Chris Sale 1.24
Jake Peavy 1.56
Jon Lieber 2.70
James Shields 2.80
Jon Lester 2.82

Strikeouts

Name Total
Carlos Zambrano 62
Chris Sale 59
Mark Buehrle 54
Continue reading →
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Interleague Batting Leaders

First introduced in 1997, games between teams in the American and National leagues started occurring in the regular season.  In 2002, it expanded between the corresponding division in the opposite league to a rotation between all of the divisions.  In 2023, it expanded again with each team playing every other team regardless of league.  With the Cardinals coming to town to battle the White Sox this week, let’s take a look at the offensive leaders for the 199 interleague games I have attended since the start of interleague play in 1997, including the World Series in both 2005 and 2016:

Home Runs

Name Total
Paul Konerko 23
Jermaine Dye 12
Jose Abreu 12
Alexei Ramrez 10
Aramis Ramirez 9
Luis Robert 9
Carlos Lee 9

Hits

Name Total
Paul Konerko 89
Alexei Ramirez 67
Jose Abreu 65
A.J. Pierzynski 49
Derrek Lee 49

Runs

Name Total
Paul Konerko 44
Alexei Ramirez 42
Continue reading →
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Post Mortem – That ’90s Show

A follow up to the FOX hit That ’70s Show, That ’90s Show revolved around the daughter of Topher Grace’s Eric Forman and Laura Prepon’s Donna Pinciotti spending the summer with her grandparents in Point Place, Wisconsin and making a group of friends.  It debuted on Netflix in January of 202, quickly picking up a renewal for a second season.  That second season, which I haven’t watched quite yet, was split into two parts, releasing in June and August of 2024.  Netflix announced the cancellation in October of 2024.

While it was nice to see the returning characters again, this show, at least in the first season, lacked some of the punch that its predecessor had.  Barring any improvement in the second season, I can see why Netflix decided to cut bait.