Fitbit 6: Week 15

Week 8 of sheltering in place due to the corona virus saw a slight up-tick, thanks in part to improving weather.  Things got off to a decent start on Sunday, where cleaning the garage floor helped push me up over 4800 steps.  Monday saw a decline down to 3800 steps.  Tuesday was a bit of a disappointment, as I managed to crack 2500 steps.  Wednesday was the high point of the week, as trips to Jewel and Mariano’s put me over my daily goal, with nearly 8000 steps, for the first time in 2 1/2 weeks.  Thursday was yet another disappointing day, as I dropped back down to 2100 steps.  Friday was the low point of the week, as I finished 4 steps shy of 1900.  On Saturday, I managed to improve that total all the way up to 2400 steps.

Total steps: 25,647

Daily average: 3552.3

Yankees All Time Leaders – Through 2019

YankeesWith baseball shut down because of the corona virus, I thought it would be an interesting time to look back at the all time leaders in both offensive and defensive categories for all 30 teams. We continue today with the New York Yankees.

The Yankees began life in 1901 as the Baltimore Orioles, moving to New York in time for the 1903 season.  I’ve seen them play 26 times, first in 1997 and most recently this past June.

Home Runs

Name Total
Marcus Thames 3
Nick Swisher 3
Jacoby Ellsbury 3

Hits

Name Total
Derek Jeter 18
Jorge Posada 15
Brett Gardner 12

Runs

Name Total
Brett Gardner 11
Derek Jeter 10
5 tied with  6

RBI

Name Total
Jorge Posada 10
Derek Jeter 9
Melky Cabrera 9

Doubles

Name Total
Jorge Posada 7
Melky Cabrera 4
Alfonso Soriano 4

Triples Continue reading →

200 Things To Do In Illinois – Lake Michigan

Illinois celebrated its bicentennial as a state in December of 2018.  To celebrate, the Chicago Tribune published the Bicentennial Bucket List: 200 Things To Do In Illinois, celebrating the best the state has to offer in history, food, architecture, culture, sports, nature, drink, and oddities.  With the state still shut down due to the corona virus outbreak, I figured this was the second-best time to look through this collection and cover the ones I’ve done/eaten/seen.

We continue things this week with one of the entries from the Nature category: Lake Michigan, from Chicago, IL.

You didn’t think we’d forget about this freshwater ocean at Chicago’s front door, did you?  Don’t just look at it.  Get in it.  And on it.  Departing from Navy Pier, Shoreline Sightseeing’s Classic Lake Tour is a 40-minute nautical jaunt along 6 miles of the Third Coast.  From the water, you get a better appreciation for the city’s skyline, a human-made mountain range.

It’s hard to document my experiences visiting Chicago’s lakefront.  I’ve taken the occasional lunch cruise as part of work outings.  I’ve spent a little time on the beach, most notably for a mid-80s television competition between the Bears, Bulls, and Blackhawks.  The picture above is from the museum campus, over by the Adler Planetarium.

If anything, I wish I could spend more time down by the lake.  Living far out in suburbia doesn’t make it easy, though.

Fitbit 6: Week 14

Week 7 of sheltering in place due to the corona virus saw another drop downward, thanks in part to bad weather.  Things got off to a decent start on Sunday, coming close to 4900 steps.  Monday saw a slight decline down to 4200 steps.  Tuesday ended up being the best day of the week, as I finally managed to crack 5200 steps.  The rains came on Wednesday, which kept me inside completely and limited me to 2300 steps.  Thursday saw the rains continue, and I managed almost 100 additional steps over the day before.  Friday saw a slight improvement in both the weather and my movement, coming in with only 3150 steps.  The weather improved tremendously on Saturday, but I spent most of the day reading, leading to a mere 2500 steps.

Total steps: 24,866

Daily average: 3552.3

Marlins All Time Leaders – Through 2019

With baseball shut down because of the corona virus, I thought it would be an interesting time to look back at the all time leaders in both offensive and defensive categories for all 30 teams. We continue today with the Miami Marlins.

The Marlins began life in 1993, joining the National League along with the Rockies.  In 2012, they rebranded as the Miami Marlins in conjunction with the opening of their new, tax payer funded stadium in the city of Miami.  I’ve seen them play 25 times, including 3 victories during their unlikely triumph in the 2003 NLCS against the Cubs and once, as the home team against the Expos, at US Cellular Field in 2004.

Home Runs

Name Total
Miguel Cabrera 4
Cody Ross 3
Dan Uggla 3
Ivan Rodriguez 3

Hits

Name Total
Miguel Cabrera 18
Luis Castillo 17
Juan Pierre 17

Runs

Name Total
Miguel Cabrera 14
Juan Pierre 13
Luis Castillo 10

RBI

Name Total
Miguel Cabrera 13
Ivan Rodriguez 10
Alex Gonzalez 9
Dan Uggla 9

Doubles

Name Total
Alex Gonzalez 6
Derrek Lee 3
9 tied with 2

Triples Continue reading →

And Also With You

Today is the first Star Wars Day (May the Fourth… May the Force… get it?) since the conclusion of the Skywalker saga in last year’s Episode IX – The Rise Of Skywalker.  Given that Illinois, at least, is still in lock down due to the corona virus, it may be a good time for me to go back to Disney+ and pick The Mandalorian back up.  After work, of course.

Rays All Time Leaders – Through 2019

414_tampa_bay-rays-miscellaneous-2012With baseball shut down because of the corona virus, I thought it would be an interesting time to look back at the all time leaders in both offensive and defensive categories for all 30 teams. We continue things today with the Tampa Bay Rays.

The Rays began life in 1998 as the Devil Rays, dropping the Devil portion of their name in 2008.  I’ve seen them play 24 times, 5 as the Devil Rays and 19 as the Rays, including the 2008 ALDS, where they defeated the White Sox.

Home Runs

Name Total
B.J. Upton 5
Matthew Joyce 3
Ben Zobrist 2

Hits

Name Total
B.J. Upton 18
Ben Zobrist 16
Carlos Pena 9
Evan Longoria 9

Runs

Name Total
Ben Zobrist 11
B.J. Upton 9
Matthew Joyce 7

RBI

Name Total
B.J. Upton 11
Carlos Pena 8
Ben Zobrist 7
Evan Longoria 7

Doubles

Name Total
Ben Zobrist 3
Evan Longoria 3
Jason Bartlett 3

Triples Continue reading →

200 Things To Do In Illinois – Fighting Illini Basketball

Illinois celebrated its bicentennial as a state in December of 2018. To celebrate, the Chicago Tribune published the Bicentennial Bucket List: 200 Things To Do In Illinois, celebrating the best the state has to offer in history, food, architecture, culture, sports, nature, drink, and oddities. With the state still shut down due to the corona virus outbreak, I figured this was the second-best time to look through this collection and cover the ones I’ve done/eaten/seen.

We kick things off with one of the entries from the Sports category: Fighting Illini Basketball, from Champaign, IL.

Get swept up in Big 10 school spirit at the University of Illinois’ recently renovated State Farm Center.  The space-shiplike dome contains an intense student section, the Orange Krush, created at the urging of former coach Lou Henson in the mid-1970s.

Decades later, the Krush continues to put the squeeze on opposing teams with an intimidating sea of orange and trademark cheers.

I’ve attended 2 Fighting Illini home basketball games, one in 2016 and the second this past January.  In both cases, I’ve left the State Farm Center disappointed as the Illini managed to defeat my beloved Purdue Boilermakers.  With Danny now committed to Purdue, there probably isn’t a reason why I’d need to go back to Champaign to see another game.

Giants All Time Leaders – Through 2019

giantsWith baseball shut down because of the corona virus, I thought it would be an interesting time to look back at the all time leaders in both offensive and defensive categories for all 30 teams. We continue today with the San Francisco Giants.

The Giants began life in 1883 in New York, before moving west to San Francisco in 1957. I’ve seen them play 22 times, first at their old home at Candlestick Park in 1999 and most recently last August at their current home, Oracle Park.  Prior to the world shutting down, I had planned another trip west next month to see the White Sox for a three game series

Home Runs

Name Total
Pedro Feliz 2
Brandon Crawford 2
12 tied with 1

Hits

Name Total
Pedro Feliz 8
Buster Posey 8
Rich Aurilia 6
Bengie Molina 6
Evan Longoria 6
Brandon Crawford 6

Runs

Name Total
Brandon Crawford 5
Rich Aurilia 4
Pedro Feliz 4

RBI

Name Total
Pablo Sandoval 6
Ray Durham 4
Bengie Molina 4
Pedro Feliz 4

Doubles

Name Total
8 tied with 2

Triples Continue reading →