Tag / Bobby Jenks

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#81 – Geoff Blum

geoff-blum

Name: Geoff Blum

Rank: 81

Position: 1B/3B

Year With White Sox: 2005

Acquired at the trade deadline from the Padres in 2005, Geoff Blum made little impact for the White Sox during the regular season, hitting an even .200 in 31 games.  He went 0-1 during his sole ALDS appearance, pinch hitting in the Game 1 blowout against the Red Sox.

Blum sat on the bench until the 14th inning of Game 3 of the World Series, when he pinch hit for Bobby Jenks.  On a 2-0 count, Blum pulled the next pitch from Ezequiel Astacio into the right field stands, giving the White Sox a 6-5 lead.  Later that day, the White Sox clinched their first World Series title in 88 years.  4 days later, Blum became a free agent.

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

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iTunes Top 200: #11 – 20

itunes_image3 years ago, we first counted down the then Top 100 songs in my iTunes library. Since that time, I’ve successfully managed to migrate my music collection to a new PC with the stats intact. So, I figured it was time to take another look, expanding out the field to the top 200 songs, based on number of plays as of January 1, 2016.

We near the end today, as we breach the top 20, which is nearly identical to when we first looked at the top 100 3 years ago.  9 of the 10 songs are the same, with the only difference being one that dropped out of the top 10.  My White Sox victory playlists and school pride make up the majority of this entry.

#20: The Lonely Island – Lazy Sunday (ft. Chris Parnell)
iTunes stats: 42 plays, most recently on 6/18/2014
Previous ranking: #17

The original SNL digital short put the Lonely Island on the pop culture map and defined the phrase “viral video”.

#19: The Cast Of Buffy The Vampire Slayer – The Mustard
iTunes stats: 45 plays, most recently on 6/7/2015
Previous ranking: #19

A short ditty from the musical episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer about the joys of dry cleaning.

#17: Purdue “All-American” Marching Band – Hail Purdue
iTunes stats: 49 plays, most recently on 12/18/2015
Previous ranking: #20

A more recent version of the Purdue fight song, including the now standard refrain of “Boiler Up!”

#17: Purdue “All-American” Marching Band – Hail, Purdue!
iTunes stats: 49 plays, most recently on 11/7/2015
Previous ranking: #18

An older version of the Purdue fight song, used during my time at the school.

#15: Metallica – Harvester Of Sorrow
iTunes stats: 53 plays, most recently on 7/4/2015
Previous ranking: #15

Released as the first single from the band’s fourth studio album, it was used as the at-bat music for former White Sox first baseman Paul Konerko for the majority of his career.

#15: The Lonely Island – Natalie’s Rap (ft. Natalie Portman & Chris Parnell)
iTunes stats: 53 plays, most recently on 1/22/2015
Previous ranking: #14

The second digital short from The Lonely Island featured Natalie Portman playing against type as a lewd gangsta.

#14: Nancy Faust – Take Me Out To The Ballgame
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A Quarter Century Of Memories Part II

Last week, we looked at the first two regions of memories the White Sox had selected to celebrate the 25th anniversary of US Cellular Field.  Today, we finish the job by looking at the last 2 brackets: Records and Milestones and Honors and More.

records_milestonesThe Records and Milestones region spans the gamut of the 25 years the Comiskey Park II/US Cellular Field has been in service.  Unlike the last 2 regions, I only attended 2 of these 8 games.

We start with the most recent game, from last October, where Chris Sale set the franchise’s single season strikeout total, doing battle against a July 2000 matchup between the Sox and Cardinals, where Frank Thomas surpassed Luke Appling as the franchise’s all time RBI leader with a first inning home run.  I’ll select Thomas’ mark, as it represents a career mark over Sale’s single season record.

The second match-up is between Carlton Fisk breaking Bob Boone’s career record for games caught on June 22, 1991 against Bobby Jenks tying the MLB record for consecutive batters retires with 41, a mark that would be broken by teammate Mark Buehrle 2 years later.

Next, we have the first interleague game between the White Sox and the Cubs on June 16, 1997 versus Jim Thome’s 500th home run, a walk-off against the Angels on September 16, 2007, which just so happened to also be Jim Thome bobblehead day.  How can you beat that kind of drama?

The final battle is between Jack McDowell, picking up his 20th win of the year on September 8, 1992, against Mark Buehrle’s perfect game on July 23, 2009.  Buehrle easily takes this one.

honors_moreFinally, we have the Honors and More region, where I’ve attended at least 5 of the events in the running.

The first match-up is the afternoon in 2010 when Frank Thomas’ #35 was retired going up against the dedication of the Harold Baines statue in 2008.

Next, we have the dedication of the Luis Aparicio and Nellie Fox statues in 2006 versus the Minnie Minoso statue dedication in 2004.

The next match-up is the August 2010 game where the city’s world champions were honored following the Blackhawks winning the Stanley Cup battling the Rolling Stones concert that took place in September of 2002, the last concert to date at the ballpark.

Finally, we have the dedication of Championship Plaza in April 2008 going up against the All Star game in 2003.

None of these match-ups have anything to do with something on the field, so I don’t know how you choose one statue dedication over another.

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White Sox All Time Leaders – Through 2015

cws_logoWith the return of Chicago baseball right around the corner, I thought it would be interesting to look at the all time leaders in both offensive and defensive categories for all 30 teams. We finish things off today with the hometown Chicago White Sox.

I’ve seen the White Sox play 472 times at 10 different stadiums in 6 different cities, including every home playoff appearance in 2000, 2005, and 2008 except for Game 1 of the 2005 World Series.

Home Runs

Name Total
Paul Konerko 93
Jermaine Dye 39
Alexei Ramirez 34

Hits

Name Total
Paul Konerko 366
Alexei Ramirez 299
A.J. Pierzynski 231

Runs

Name Total
Paul Konerko 200
Alexei Ramirez 133
A.J. Pierzynski 104

RBI

Name Total
Paul Konerko 235
Alexei Ramirez 138
Jermaine Dye 107

Doubles

Name Total
Paul Konerko 57
Alexei Ramirez 49
A.J. Pierzynski 41

Triples Continue reading →

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All Time Pitching Leaders – Through 2015

baseballs3White Sox pitchers and catchers report to spring training tomorrow, so it is time for our annual look at the pitching leaders in the now 704 games I’ve attended, and identified, between 1984 and 2015. Not a whole lot of difference from last year, but a few categories have seen new faces join the leader board.  So, without further ado, let’s get things started with our first category, the always popular:

Wins

Name Total
Mark Buehrle 31
Gavin Floyd 24
Carlos Zambrano 21
John Danks 19
Chris Sale 15

Losses

Name Total
Mark Buehrle 16
Carlos Zambrano 15
Gavin Floyd 15
John Danks 15
Jon Garland 14

ERA (>= 35 IP)

Name Total
Nate Jones 2.11
DJ Carrasco 2.20
Matt Thornton Continue reading →
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#117 – Dustin Hermanson

dustinhermName: Dustin Hermanson

Rank: 117

Position: P

Years With White Sox: 2005-2006

Dustin Hermanson signed with the White Sox as a free agent in December of 2004.  He started the 2005 season as the set-up man, but moved into the closer role when the incumbent, Shingo Takatsu, failed to perform.  As the White Sox cruised to a big lead in the AL Central, Hermanson put together the best season of his career, with a stellar 2.04 ERA and 34 saves.

Hermanson lost his closer position due to a back injury in September, when he was replaced by Bobby Jenks as the White Sox tried to keep their tenuous grasp on the AL Central lead.  As the White Sox cruised through the playoffs on their way to their first World Championship in 88 years, Hermanson sat on the sidelines.  He made his only post-season appearance in Game 3 of the World Series, throwing 1/3 of scoreless relief in the south sider’s 14 inning victory over the Astros.

When 2006 got underway, Hermanson’s back was still causing him issues.  He only appeared in 6 games for the White Sox, before spending most of the year on the disabled list.  Following the season, he became a free agent and never pitched in the major leagues again.

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

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10 Years Later

White Sox win the 2005 World Series

Jenks with a deep breath.  He OKs the sign.  From the stretch, with a runner at second.  Here’s the 1-2 pitch to Palmeiro.  A ground ball, past Jenks, up the middle of the infield.  Uribe has it.  He throws.  OUT!  OUT!  A White Sox winner!  And a World Championship!  The White Sox have won the World Series and they’re mobbing each other on the field.

The celebration is on the mound right now at Minute Maid Park in Houston on Wednesday, October 26th, 2005.  The White Sox have won their first World Championship since 1917.  And the players are absolutely going wild on the infield.  Enjoy the celebration, Chicago.  This is long overdue.

John Rooney
10-26-2005

10 years ago tonight, the White Sox ended an 88-year title drought, winning their first World Series since 1917.  Sadly, they’ve only returned to the playoffs once in the 10 seasons since and failing to break .500 6 of those years.  Much of this year was spent celebrating the championship team, as well it should have been, but hopefully there will be more focus now on winning another.  Hopefully it won’t take another 70+ years.

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Playoff Pitching Leaders

baseballs2As the Cubs and Cardinals prepare to kick off their NLDS series later today, it’s time to take our first ever look at the pitching leaders from the 17 post-season games I’ve attended since the White Sox won the AL Central in 2000.

Wins

Name Total
Mark Buehrle 2
15 tied with 1

Losses

Name Total
Matt Clement 2
15 tied with 1

ERA (> 6 IP)

Name Total
Chad Billingsley 1.35
Mark Prior 2.20
Greg Maddux 2.57
David Wells 2.70
Jose Contreras 2.81

Strikeouts

Name Total
Mark Prior 13
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Crosstown Pitching Leaders

cws-chiLast week, with the 2015 Crosstown Cup series wrapped up, we looked at the leaders in the 63 crosstown games I’ve attended since interleague play began in 1997. Today, we look at the pitching leaders in the annual match-up between the White Sox and the Cubs, starting with:

Wins

Name Total
Carlos Zambrano 4
Mark Buehrle 3
Jon Lieber 3
12 tied with 2

Losses

Name Total
Carlos Zambrano 3
Mark Buehrle 3
Jon Garland 3
Jose Contreras 3
9 tied with 2

ERA (> 9 IP)

Name Total
Matt Thornton 0.00
Glendon Rusch 0.00
Chris Sale 0.56
Kip Wells 1.13
Freddy Garcia 1.20

Strikeouts

Name Total
Carlos Zambrano 46
Continue reading →
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2015 Games Of Interest

2005anniversaryFireworks Night

August 15
September 12

Family Day

April 12
April 26
May 10
May 24
June 7
June 21
July 5
July 19
August 2
August 30
September 13
October 4

Other Fun Stuff

April 10 – Opening Day
April 25 – Jose Abreu Rookie Of The Year Blanket
May 23 – Paul Konerko Statue
June 6 – Kids Hooded Sweatshirt
July 4 – Bobby Jenks Bobblehead
July 18 – 2005 World Championship Replica Ring
August 1 – Scott Podsednik Bobblehead
August 29 – Jermaine Dye Bobblehead