Tag / Corona Virus

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If You Build It, Nobody Will Come

The White Sox were scheduled to participate in next week’s “Field of Dreams” game in the cornfields of Iowa, first, against the Yankees pre-pandemic and then against the Cardinals once the schedules were re-jiggered.  Now, the game, slated for Dyersville, Iowa, near the filming location of Field of Dreams, has been called off due to logistical issues brought on by the corona virus.  Not directly blamed, but probably a contributing factor, is the outbreak of infections that the Cardinals suffered this past weekend, pausing their season.

The game, considered a home game for the White Sox, will likely be moved back to Guaranteed Rate Field, assuming the Cardinals are back in action.  The game in Iowa is expected to be pushed to 2021, with the White Sox playing an opponent to be determined.

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Fitbit 6: Week 27

Well, that’s more like it.  Week 20 of working from home due to the corona virus was my 5th consecutive week of increase and my first time surpassing my weekly goal in nearly a year, when I racked up 55,256 steps last August.  It also brought in my highest total since last August’s second week in San Francisco, when I scored 73,708 steps and the first time I met my goal every day of the week since last June’s trip to DC.  Things got off to a good start on Sunday, where a trip to Mariano’s helped me finish the day 20 steps shy of 8000.  Monday was the low point of the week, finishing just 91 steps over goal.  Tuesday came in 4 steps short of 7900.  Wednesday was in the same ballpark, coming in just over 7700 steps.  Thursday was the high point of the week, using an afternoon walk to finish with over 9400 steps.  Friday came in at 7600 steps, while Saturday managed to get up over 7700 again.

Total steps: 55,991

Daily average: 7998.7

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You Ought To Be In (11) Pictures

Movie_Reel_22

Many 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, and thanks to a corona virus inspired uptick to my movie watching this year, it is time to look at the 100 actors that have starred in at least 10 films that I have seen, as of July 1.

Today, we continue with the 10 actors that have starred in 11 movies that I have seen, the same number at this level as 3 years ago.

Jim Carrey

There has been no change for Carrey since I last encountered him back in 2009, when I saw the previous year’s Yes Man.

Leonardo DiCaprio

DiCaprio first appeared on my movie screen in 1996, with The Basketball Diaries.  After a three year run to start, I had a gap of 8 years between his films, from 2002-2009.  2011 was his most prolific year, with 3 different films.  The most recent film of his that I’ve seen was last year’s Once Upon A Time… In Hollywood, which I saw earlier this year.

Carla Gugino

A nice debut for Gugino, who first showed up on my radar in the mid-90s thanks to her role in the Pauly Shore classic Son-In-Law.  She appeared in 2 films that I saw in 2001, 2016, and 2020, with 2011’s Hide and 2017’s Gerald’s Game.

Helen Hunt

2006 remains the last time I saw a starring role from Helen Hunt.

Hugh Jackman

After replacing Dougray Scott as Wolverine in 2000’s X-Men, Hugh Jackman has been a steady presence on my movie screen.  7 of those appearances have been in the X-Men universe, including his last appearance, in 2017’s Logan.

Anna Kendrick

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Fitbit 6: Week 26

Week 19 of working from home due to the corona virus was again still below my weekly goal, but, following up from last week, is again much more in line with what I would put up while going to work.  For the second straight week, I posted my best numbers since November.  The week got off to a slower start on Sunday, finishing with only 4300 steps.  Monday saw a marked improvement, coming in over 7100 steps.  Tuesday saw a slight downgrade due to meetings, coming in at 5100 steps.  Things picked up on Wednesday, surpassing my daily goal for the first time this week with 7600 steps.  Thursday I managed my first 10,000 step day since April, finishing with 10,100 steps thanks to an afternoon walk around the Lockport Park District while waiting for Michael to finish swim practice.  Friday was another successful day, coming in over 8300 steps and giving me 3 straight days over goal for the first time since the end of January.  I was in position to try to meet my weekly goal on Saturday, but I fell off again, finishing with only 4800 steps.

Total steps: 47,595

Daily average: 6799.3

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You Ought To Be In (10) Pictures

Movie_Reel_22

Many 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, and thanks to a corona virus inspired uptick to my movie watching this year, it is time to look at the 100 actors that have starred in at least 10 films that I have seen, as of July 1.

Today, we start with the 27 actors that have starred in 10 movies that I have seen, a slight increase from the 22 at this level 3 years ago.

Jessica Alba

After a string of 8 films in 6 years in the mid 2000s, there has been nothing new for Jessica Alba since I saw her in 2010’s Valentine’s Day in 2011.

Dan Aykroyd

No change in Aykroyd’s total, with it going on 18 years since I last saw one of his starring roles.

Elizabeth Banks

Our first new entry, Banks first graced my screen in a starring role in 2006 thanks to The Baxter.  After a dry spell in the early 2010s, she bounced back with 7 films in 5 years, finishing up with 2018’s The Happytime Murders, which I saw in 2019.

Kate Beckinsale

It’s been a quiet 3 years for Beckinsale, who I last saw in Underworld: Blood Wars in early 2017.

Halle Berry

Another newcomer, who has racked up starring roles in 4 different decades now.  I first saw Berry in 1992’s Boomerang, which I saw in a screening at Stewart Center at school.  After notching 5 films during the 2000’s, she had been pretty quiet until returning to my screen earlier this year in John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum.

Chevy Chase Continue reading →

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Hall Of Fame Batting Leaders


 

In normal times, today would have been the day former Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter was joined by Expos and Rockies legend Larry Walker, Cardinal and Brewer backstop Ted Simmons, and union boss Marvin Miller in taking their place in Cooperstown.  However, thanks to the corona virus, the Hall of Fame Class of 2020 will need to wait until next year for induction.  But, with two new hitters who would have been joining the list of Hall of Famers I’ve seen play live, let’s check back in anyway with the new leaders on the offensive side of the ball amongst Hall of Famers for all of the games I’ve attended between 1984 and 2020.

Home Runs

Name Total
Jim Thome 35
Frank Thomas 15
Vladimir Guerrero 6
Ivan Rodriguez 4
Chipper Jones 3
Harold Baines 3
Carlton Fisk 3

Hits

Name Total
Jim Thome 110
Frank Thomas 54
Ken Griffey Jr 32
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A Deal Is Made

Less than 12 hours before the first pitch of the 2020 season for the Cubs, the Marquee Network showed up on Comcast systems in the Chicago area, signaling a carriage deal had finally been reached.  Crane Kenney, president of business operations for the Cubs, confirmed a multiyear deal in multiple media interviews yesterday, but details were not disclosed and Comcast has yet to release a statement.  It’s still unclear how much Comcast will charge subscribers for the addition of Marquee to their service.

In related news, Sinclair Broadcasting, the partner of the Cubs in the Marquee Network, is using their local television stations to push a conspiracy theory this weekend that suggests Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top expert on infectious diseases in the US, was responsible for the creation of the corona virus.  Between the Ricketts family’s relationship with Donald Trump and their dealings with Sinclair, it is getting harder and harder to support the organization.

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All Time Team Records

What was planned to be the earliest non-international start in Major League Baseball history turned into the latest, thanks to a combination of the corona virus pandemic and pointless bickering between the MLBPA and team owners.  With the 2020 baseball season finally set to get underway today, although with no fans in the stands, it is time once again to look at the all-time team records for games that I have identified as having attended dating back to 1984.  Thanks to some eBaying of pocket schedules from the 80s, I was able to identify one additional game that I attended in 1988, a California Angels victory at Comiskey Park against the White Sox.

The Cubs look to bounce back from last year’s September collapse that kept them out of the postseason for the first time since 2014, while the White Sox hope their offseason additions push them towards contention as their young talent starts to blossom.  With only 60 games to make their mark, the 2020 season should be an interesting one on both sides of town.

All-Time Team Records
Team Name Won Loss Winning Pctg
California Angels 2 0 1.000
Arizona Diamondbacks 13 2 0.867
Florida Marlins 15 8 0.652
Colorado Rockies 10 6 0.625
Boston Red Sox 18 13 0.581
Toronto Blue Jays 15 11 0.577
New York Yankees 15 11 0.577
Los Angeles Angels 19 14 0.576
Cleveland Indians 28 24 0.538
Chicago Cubs 219 197 0.526
Philadelphia Phillies 10 9 0.526
Houston Astros 22 20 0.524
Chicago White Sox 306 287 0.516
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2020 Predictions

After months of delay due to the corona virus, the 2020 baseball season is finally scheduled to kick off today with two games, followed by a full slate of games featuring the remaining teams tomorrow.  For the tenth consecutive year, I’ve looked into the crystal ball to make my picks for the upcoming season.  Although, given the circumstances of this season, this is more of a fool’s errand than usual.

American League

East: Yankees

Central: Twins

West: Astros

Wild Cards: White Sox, Rays

AL Champion: Yankees

Cy Young: Blake Snell

MVP: Yoan Moncada

National League

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Fitbit 6: Week 25

Now that’s more like it.  Week 18 of working from home due to the corona virus was still below my weekly goal, but is much more inline with what I would put up while going to work and was my best week since November.  The week got off to a nice start on Sunday, finishing over 7600 steps thanks to a trip to the grocery store.  Monday was even better, coming in over 8100 steps, the first time I had back-to-back days over goal since April 6th and 7th.  Tuesday saw a slight downgrade, coming in at exactly 5700 steps.  Wednesday was the low point of the week, where meetings forced me into finishing 14 steps away from 3900.  Thursday bounced back well, back up to 8600 steps, the week’s high point and giving me my first week with 3 days over goal since my last week of going to work in mid-March.  Friday fell back down again to 6300 steps.  Saturday should have been my fourth day over goal for the week, but falling asleep early left me with 7100 steps.

Total steps: 47,464

Daily average: 6780.6