Nearly 2 1/2 years after my last concert, I headed down to the House of Blues to meet up with Tina and some of her friends to see the Bangles. The band had gotten back together the year before to record a song for the Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me soundtrack and were touring for the first time in a decade. I don’t remember much about the show, other than being entertained. A good time was had by all as the band mixed in new songs from their upcoming comeback album with the hits that everyone was there to hear.
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All Time Pitching Leaders – Through 2013
White Sox pitchers and catchers reported to spring training yesterday, so it is time to looked at the pitching leaders in games I’ve attended, and identified, between 1984 and 2013. Not a whole lot of difference from last year, but a few people have moved up the ranks a little. So, without further ado, let’s get things started with our first category:
Wins
| Name | Total |
|---|---|
| Mark Buehrle | 31 |
| Gavin Floyd | 24 |
| Carlos Zambrano | 21 |
| John Danks | 15 |
| Ryan Dempster | 13 |
| Matt Clement | 13 |
Losses
| Name | Total |
|---|---|
| Mark Buehrle | 16 |
| Carlos Zambrano | 15 |
| Continue reading → |
#249 – Chris Widger
Name: Chris Widger
Rank: 249
Position: C
Years With White Sox: 2005-2006
Chris Widger joined the White Sox as a minor league free agent prior to the 2005 season and managed to beat out Ben Davis for the backup catcher spot during spring training. He appeared in 45 games for the eventual World Series champions, batting .241. Widger made one appearance during the post season thanks to the 14 inning victory over the Astros in game 3 of the World Series.
Widger returned in 2006, but his production fell off. He only appeared in 27 games, hitting .184. White Sox pitchers had a 5.36 ERA with him behind the plate and he was in the midst of an 0-for-24 slump when, on July 23, he was designated for assignment after the acquisition of Sandy Alomar Jr. 12 days later, he was released and his White Sox career came to an end.
Widger’s numbers in a White Sox uniform, both for games I attended and overall, were:
It’s Off To Work I Go
Monday had me chained to a chair doing mindless, repetitive work all day, so I pulled out my phone and listened to some tunes. This list is the music that got me through the drudgery of that day.
| You Shook Me All Night Long | AC/DC | Back In Black | 2/10/2014 10:53 AM |
| Baby One More Time | Travis | 2/10/2014 10:57 AM | |
| Hand In My Pocket | Alanis Morissette | Jagged Little Pill | 2/10/2014 11:00 AM |
| Girl, You’ll Be a Woman Soon | Urge Overkill | Pulp Fiction OST | 2/10/2014 11:04 AM |
| In Your Eyes | Peter Gabriel | So | 2/10/2014 11:16 AM |
| All Apologies | Nirvana | MTV Unplugged in New York Rock | 2/10/2014 11:20 AM |
| Our Party | Mexican Cheerleader | Mexican Cheerleader | 2/10/2014 11:22 AM |
| If You Dont Know Me by Now | Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes | The 70s Love Collection | 2/10/2014 11:26 AM |
| Girls & Boys | Blur | The Best Of (Disc 1) | 2/10/2014 11:30 AM |
| Crazy | Seal | Crazy | 2/10/2014 11:36 AM |
| You Suck | The Murmurs | The Murmurs | 2/10/2014 11:39 AM |
| Continue reading → |
GlobalFit III: Week 31
A somewhat decent week, with another day stuck at home due to the weather. Monday and Tuesday were pretty typical work days. Wednesday started by getting stuck in the snow on the driveway, so I spent the day at home trying to get the car moving while calling in to meetings all day. Thursday was back to work, followed by quite possibly the worst night of bowling I’ve had in some time. Friday included a post-work trip to H&R Block to get my taxes done. Saturday’s activity was mostly going to Costco and Mariano’s, while Sunday was spent clearing off the DVR.
Total steps: 32,972
Weekly average: 4710.3
Concert Flashback: Stone Temple Pilots
With about a month to go before graduation, I headed to the Elliott Hall of Music to take in a performance from Stone Temple Pilots with opening act Cheap Trick. I don’t even remember who I went with, though I have to imagine that either Tracie or Courtney had to have been involved. Cheap Trick were between their late 80s comeback and their soon to come That 70s Show renaissance. My memory tells me that they skipped their 80s hits and instead focused on their 70s anthems along with a few tunes from whatever CD they were trying to push at the time.
My main memory of the Stone Temple Pilots portion of the show is them breaking everything down for a short acoustical set in the middle of the show, including a giant wooden rocking chair from which Scott Weiland would sing. The show must have rocked at least somewhat since the band had to fork over $8500 in damages after inciting the crowd to head towards the stage. Everything seemed to be repaired by the next time I was in the building, which would have either been for a final or for graduation less than a month after the show.
#250 – Scott Sullivan
Name: Scott Sullivan
Rank: 250
Position: P
Year With White Sox: 2003
With the White Sox flirting with contention towards the end of August in 2003, they made a trade to bolster their bullpen, acquiring Scott Sullivan from the Reds in exchange for Tim Hummel and cash. Sullivan pitched decently down the stretch, but the White Sox fell out of contention and finished 4 games behind the Twins. Following the season, Sullivan became a free agent and moved on to greener pastures.
Sullivan’s numbers in a White Sox uniform were:
#251 – Barry Jones
Name: Barry Jones
Rank: 251
Position: P
Years With White Sox: 1988-1990, 1993
Barry Jones was acquired by the White Sox in August of 1988 from the Pirates in exchange Dave LaPoint. Jones pitched well for a White Sox team playing out the string in 1988, putting up a 2.42 ERA in 17 games.
Jones pitched well again in 1989, lowering his ERA to 2.37, but was limited to 22 games after suffering an elbow injury in May. He bounced back tremendously in 1990 for the surprisingly competitive White Sox, lowering his ERA again to 2.31 while appearing in 65 games and winning 11 out of the bullpen.
Following the 1990 season, Jones was packaged with Ivan Calderon and sent to the Expos in exchange for Tim Raines, Jeff Carter, and a player to be named later. 2 years later, he re-signed with the White Sox as a free agent prior to the 1993 season.
Things did not go well for Jones that year. He appeared in only 6 games for the big league club, putting up an attrocious 8.59 ERA. He was released on June 4, and he never pitched in the major leagues again.
Jones’s numbers in a White Sox uniform, both for games I attended and overall, were:
#252 – Atlee Hammaker
Name: Atlee Hammaker
Rank: 252
Position: P
Years With White Sox: 1994-1995
Atlee Hammaker first singed with the White Sox as a free agent on February 12, 1992. An elbow injury in spring training put his career in jeopardy and he was released on March 18th. After rehabbing for two years, he once again signed with the White Sox on April 12, 1994.
Hammaker spent the majority of 1994 with the Triple A Nashville Sounds. He did manage to make it back to the major leagues for the first time since 1991, putting up 1.1 scoreless innings in 2 games before the season came to an untimely end due to the player’s strike.
He returned to Triple A in 1995 and again put up impressive numbers, but this time, he was unable to duplicate that success at the major league level. He appeared in 13 games and gave up 9 runs in just over 6 innings. His season, and major league career, came to an end on August 18th when he was released.
While not with the White Sox, Hammaker’s most infamous moment took place at Comiskey Park. During the 1983 All Star Game, Hammaker, pitching for the National League, gave up the first grand slam in All Star Game history to Angels outfielder Fred Lynn.
Hammaker’s numbers in a White Sox uniform were:
Get Your Pizza Here
The concessions landscape has been upended at both local stadiums as both the Cubs and the White Sox are expected to have new pizza vendors this season. After 3 seasons of D’Agostino’s pizza, which I somehow never managed to try, the Cubs announced yesterday that Giordano’s is the new exclusice “pizza partner” of both the Cubs and Wrigley Field.
Meanwhile, the scuttlebutt out of Sox Fest is that Beggars Pizza will be taking over for (shudder) DiGiornos on the South Side this season. If so, this would be a major upgrade. My pizza consumption at US Cellular Field had dropped to nothing due to the horribleness that was the frozen, grocery store pizza. If the rumors are true, I might actually enjoy a slice at the old ballpark this season, something that hasn’t happened since at least 2012, if not earlier.