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Book 11 (of 52) – Exploiting My Baby

Exploiting My Baby - Teresa Strasser

Exploiting My Baby – Teresa Strasser

After having gone the past 5 years without reading any of the books written by the cast of the Adam Carolla podcast, I’ve now gone through 3 in a row, the most recent being former sidekick Teresa Strasser’s pregnancy memoir Exploiting My Baby.  Like the others, I had no intention of reading this book, which was released 3 years ago, until Strasser tweeted that Amazon had the book on sale for the low, low price of $1.67.  At that price point, I will probably buy just about anything, so I figured why not give this whole pregnancy thing a whirl.

At the advanced age of 39, Strasser and her husband decided to try and have a baby and, surprisingly (to them), they conceived within two months, setting off an adventure of worry, worry, and, just for good measure, a little worry.  Despite convincing herself that she would miscarry, be a horrible mother, and was undeserving of a baby, she successfully navigated her way through pregnancy, eventually giving birth to a son.  The book covers the many problems she faced, many of which were simply imagined, and how she faced her fears despite herself.

This should be the end of my Carolla-related reading for the time being, unless I stumble across a good deal for Adam’s first two books or Teresa’s replacement, Alison Rosen, decides to put out something.

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RIP Tony Gwynn

tony-gwynn-padres-rf-1984Former San Diego Padre great Tony Gwynn passed away this morning at the age of 54.  Gwynn had been battling cancer of the salivary glands since 2011, which he ascribed to a lifetime use of chewing tobacco.  After a 20 year career, all with the Padres, that ended with 3141 hits and a lifetime batting average of .338 following the 2001 season, Gwynn was a first ballot Hall of Famer in 2007.

I only saw Gwynn play once in person, during a July 8, 1985 NLCS rematch between the Padres and the Cubs.  Gwynn went 2-5 on the day as the Padres once again bested the North Siders.

Over my nearly-40 years, many of the sporting heroes of my youth have passed away.  For some reason, this one has hit me particularly hard.  Cancer shows itself once again to be a heartless bitch that doesn’t care who you are or what you’ve accomplished.

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You Ought To Be In (12) Pictures

Movie_Reel_22Many years ago, using the weekly TV guide that came with the Sunday Chicago Tribune, I started keeping track of all of the movies I had seen over the course of my lifetime.  The guide would list the two main stars for each movie, and that is a tradition that I’ve carried on in my database ever since.  So, given those guidelines, it is time to look at all of the actors that have starred in at least 10 films that I have seen, as of May 30th.

Today, we look at the 8 actors that have starred in 12 movies that I have seen.

Jamie Lee Curtis

My first experience with the former teenage scream queen was likely in the first Halloween, the franchise that is responsible for 1/3 of the films on this list.  The frequency of my watching her films has slowed down significantly in the 21st century, though my last experience with her was just 3 years ago when I saw You Again.

Morgan Freeman

The first film I saw starring Morgan Freeman was the Kevin Costner vehicle Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves.  Starting in 2000, he put together a 6 year streak that covered 8 films.  My biggest Freeman years were 2000, 2005, and, my most recent experience with him, in 2008, when I saw both Wanted and Evan Almighty.

Gene Hackman

Gene Hackman first entered my movie consciousness when I saw the original Christopher Reeve Superman.  My biggest Hackman years were 2000 and 2003, when I saw 2 of his films.  Hackman has mostly retired at this point, so the odds are that the last film I saw of his, Runaway Jury in 2012, will continue to be his last.

Corey Haim

My first experience with Corey Haim was likely 1986’s Lucas.  I had seen 6 of his films by the time I graduated high school.  The quality of his movies, along with this life, spiraled downward after that.  My biggest Haim year was 2000, when I saw 3 of his films, none of which likely ever saw the inside of a movie theater.  My final Haim film was 1993’s Just One Of The Girls, which I saw in 2004.  Haim passed away in 2010, so he is not likely to be moving up this list anytime soon.

Gwyneth Paltrow Continue reading →

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#226 – Scott Ruffcorn

Scott-Ruffcorn

Name: Scott Ruffcorn

Rank: 226

Position: P

Years With White Sox: 1993-1996

Scott Ruffcorn was the White Sox first round draft pick out of Baylor University in 1991.  The previous 4 White Sox first round picks, Jack McDowell, Robin Ventura, Frank Thomas, and Alex Fernandez, were leading the White Sox to their first division title in a decade when Ruffcorn made his major league debut on June 19, 1993 against the Angels, taking the place of an injured Kirk McCaskill.  When Ron Karkovice separated his shoulder during the game, Ruffcorn was sent back to the minors to make room for another catcher on the roster.  He returned to the majors in September and made two additional appearances.

When Scott Sanderson had a tremendous spring in 1994 to force his way in to the starting rotation, it forced Ruffcorn to start the year in Triple A.  As July rolled around, Sanderson had started to struggle and Ruffcorn was called up to take his slot in the rotation.  Sadly, he didn’t last long, giving up seven runs and nine hits over 4 innings.  Manager Gene Lamont said that Ruffcorn “needed to get over his nervousness,” but his next start also did not go well.  Facing the Royals, he gave up 4 runs before being pulled in the third inning.  He was demoted back to Triple A before the strike in August wiped out the remainder of the season.

After an abbreviated spring training in 1995, Ruffcorn broke camp with the White Sox, earning a spot in the bullpen.  He walked six in 1 2/3 innings against the Red Sox in his second appearance of the year, and by mid-May, he was back in Triple A, with reporter Dave Van Dyck writing that Ruffcorn was “ruined forever because the Sox rushed him to judgment.”

Ruffcorn finished his White Sox career in 1996, appearing in 3 final games but getting the same results.  He ended up with 0 wins and a career ERA of 9.68 and the “record” for most consecutive seasons with an ERA over 7.00.  In January of 1997, he was purchased by the Phillies.

Ruffcorn’s numbers in a White Sox uniform were:

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GlobalFit III: Week 48

Y3Week48The week got off to a good start with Monday crossing the 8500 step mark.  From there, it was simply a matter of trying to keep my head above water, as Wednesday and Thursday both failed to make it to 5000.  A small rebound on Friday led into my first weekend with no plans in quite some time.  Surprisingly, I didn’t fall completely apart.  Saturday was disappointing, but still managed (exactly) 3400 steps, while Sunday turned out to be the second biggest day of the week, crossing 6000 steps.

Total steps: 39,576

Weekly average: 5653.7

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You Ought To Be In (11) Pictures

Movie_Reel_22Many years ago, using the weekly TV guide that came with the Sunday Chicago Tribune, I started keeping track of all of the movies I had seen over the course of my lifetime.  The guide would list the two main stars for each movie, and that is a tradition that I’ve carried on in my database ever since.  So, given those guidelines, it is time to look at all of the actors that have starred in at least 10 films that I have seen, as of May 30th.

Today, we continue with the 11 actors that have starred in 11 movies that I have seen.

Jim Carrey

I first encountered the rubber faced comedian in his breakout film, 1994’s Ace Ventura: Pet Detective.  For a while there, Carrey became one of the biggest stars in the world.  I took in 2 films featuring him in 1997, 1999, and again in 2008.  Then, a funny thing happened and Jim Carrey wasn’t much of a star anymore.  The last film I saw him in was back 2009, when I saw the previous year’s Yes Man.

Michael Douglas

Michael Douglas made his first impression upon my movie-going consciousness with 1989’s War of the Roses.  My big Douglas year was 1995, when I saw him in Basic Instinct, Disclosure, and 1978’s Coma.  Things have been quiet for Douglas here in the 21st century, with the last film of his that I’ve seen, The Sentinel, was in 2006.

Woody Harrelson

In 1992, I headed to the theaters to see White Men Can’t Jump, where I first encountered Woody Harrelson in film. 7 of Harrelson’s films came between 1992 and 2000, after which there was a long lull.  Harrelson came back in to my world in 2008, then added 2 more in 2010.  2011 was the last time I saw one of his films, 2009’s Defendor.

Anne Hathaway

Like most of America, I first saw Anne Hathaway back in 2003 in The Princess Diaries.  In the intervening 11 years, she has been a steadfast presence on my movie (or television) screen, including 3 films in 2005 and 4 in 2009.  In 2011, I saw my last starring vehicle starring Hathaway, 2010’s Love And Other Drugs.

Katherine Heigl

Katherine Heigl burst on to the scene in 1994’s My Father, The Hero, which I took in the following year.  She dropped off my radar, went through puberty, and came back in 1999.  After achieving television stardom, she leaped back to the big screen in a big way in the mid-2000s, including 4 films in 3 years between 2006 and 2008.  The last time I saw a Heigl starring vehicle was 2011, when I took in both Life As We Know It and Killers.

Helen Hunt Continue reading →

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#227 – Royce Clayton

royceclayton

Name: Royce Clayton

Rank: 227

Position: SS

Years With White Sox: 2001-2002

Following their division title in 2000, the White Sox looked to improve their defense by moving Jose Valentin to center field and acquiring Royce Clayton from the Rangers in exchange for Aaron Myette and Brian Schmack.  Unfortunately, things went south for both the White Sox and Clayton.  On June 25, when the White Sox reached .500 for the first time since early April, Clayton went 2-4 and managed to raise his average to a season-high .180.  He also decided that was the perfect time to criticize manager Jerry Manuel for not playing him every day.

“If I don’t [hit] I’m on the bench,” Clayton said.  “I know what I’m dealing with now.  Early in the season I really wasn’t aware of it.  Now I am aware of what I have to do in order to play, and I have a problem with it.”  Did I mention he was hitting .180 at the end of June?  Somehow, Clayton managed to raise his average to .263 by the end of the year, but his relationship with Sox fans and management seemed irreparable.

Clayton was back at shortstop in 2002, with Jose Valentin shifted now to third base.  Despite a good spring, Clayton again struggled as the season began, with his average at .198 at the end of May, leading to another benching from Manual.  Again, he did eventually manage to raise his average to .251, but the damage had been done and, with 3 weeks left in the season, he was released.  “It’s for the best,” Clayton said.  “I wasn’t playing here.  A couple weeks left, maybe I’ll go play somewhere else for the remainder of the season and help somebody else.  It’s best to put the situation behind me as soon as possible and go on.”

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

Continue reading →

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You Ought To Be In (10) Pictures

Movie_Reel_22Many years ago, using the weekly TV guide that came with the Sunday Chicago Tribune, I started keeping track of all of the movies I had seen over the course of my lifetime.  The guide would list the two main stars for each movie, and that is a tradition that I’ve carried on in my database ever since.  So, given those guidelines, it is time to look at all of the actors that have starred in at least 10 films that I have seen, as of May 30th.

Today, we start with the 14 actors that have starred in 10 movies that I have seen.

Amy Adams

I was first introduced to Amy Adams back in 2001 via the direct-to-video sequel to Cruel Intentions.  Things were quiet until 2008, when I saw her in Enchanted, which started a four year run with at least one film per year.  2010 was big Amy Adams year for me, where she starred in 4 different movies that I saw that year.  The last movie I saw featuring her was last year’s Man of Steel.

Jessica Alba

My first movie exposure to Jessica Alba was the 2000 indie thriller Paranoid.  2004 kicked off a 4 year run of at least one film per year.  2009 was my high water mark in Jessica Alba films, when I saw 3 of them.  Her run as Sue Storm in the Fantastic Four franchise accounted for 2 of the 10 films.  2010’s Valentine’s Day, which I saw in 2011, was the last film I saw starring Alba.

Dan Aykroyd

My first Dan Aykroyd film was likely 1984’s Ghostbusters.  My best Aykroyd years were 1988 and 1996, when I saw 2 of his films in each year.  2002 was the last year I saw an Aykroyd-starring vehicle, 200’s Stardom.

Chevy Chase Continue reading →