Tag / Guaranteed Rate Field

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Fitbit IX – Week 25

A week mostly without baseball ended my streak of 30,000-step weeks at eight.  Things got off to a decent enough start on Sunday as I finished with 4500 steps finishing out the first half of the season at Guaranteed Rate Field.  Monday was my first day of work in well over a week, yet still finished with 4300 steps.  A big drop on Tuesday put me at just 2700 steps.  A nice bounce back on Wednesday saw me land 32 steps away from 3900.  Thursday saw a slight decline, dropping down to 3200 steps.  Friday jumped back up again, needing a mere 11 steps to reach 4000.  Saturday was a lost cause, failing to reach 2200 steps by 26.

Total steps: 24,862

Daily average: 3551.7

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Looking Ahead To 2024

Using the extra off day in the All-Star break, Major League Baseball released their tentative 2024 schedule on Thursday.  For the second year in a row, MLB is keeping with a balanced schedule, playing 52 games against division opponents, 64 games against non-division opponents in the same league, and 46 interleague games, with series against every team in the opposite league.  With the White Sox entering an uncertain second half of 2023 following a disappointing year and a half during what should have been the prime of their contention window, and the Cubs looking to take the next step forward in their rebuild, the 2024 season looks to be an interesting time in the city of Chicago.  So, for one day, at least, let’s turn our attention to next summer for both teams.

The White Sox open their season on March 28 against the Tigers, kicking off a six-game homestand that also features the Braves.

Aside from the Braves, the new interleague schedule sees the Pirates, Reds, Dodgers, Braves, Mets, Rockies, and Nationals travelling to Chicago, while the White Sox will go on the road to face the Phillies, Marlins, Cardinals, Brewers, Diamondbacks, and Padres. The rivalry with their north side foes continues with a two-game series at Wrigley Field in early June followed by a mid-August tilt at Guaranteed Rate Field that leaves both teams the rare Sunday off-day.

After a west coast trip in mid-September, the season wraps up with a mid-week home battle against the Angels followed by a trip to Detroit to finish up the year.

On the north side, the Cubs also open their season on March 28, heading out on the road for the first time in five years to battle the Rangers.  After a three-game series, they open the home portion of the schedule against the Rockies.

Aside from the Rangers, the Cubs will head out on the road to face the Mariners, Orioles, Guardians, Red Sox, and Royals, while the A’s, Twins, Angels, Yankees, Blue Jays, and Tigers will be coming to Wrigley.

Only six of their 26 games in September are against their NL Central rivals, which could make a difference if the Cubs find themselves in contention.  They end the year with a three-game tilt at home against the Reds.

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Fitbit IX – Week 23

Another decent week, as I managed to extend my streak of 30,000-step weeks to seven.  Things got off to a pretty good start on Sunday, finishing with 5200 steps thanks to a tilt between Sox Red and White at Guaranteed Rate Field.  Monday slowed down a bit, dropping to 3700 steps.  A slight increase on Tuesday left me just 19 steps shy of 4200.  A last-minute request on Wednesday led me to sitting at the computer most of the day, needing 16 more steps just to get to 2100.  Eleven days of vacation started on Thursday, with an afternoon meet and greet session at Wrigley Field with Nico Hoerner followed by a nighttime game between the Cubs and the Phillies pushed me up to 9600 steps, easily the high point of the week.  Friday saw a huge drop, going down to 2800 steps.  A slight rebound on Saturday ended the week with 3900 steps.

Total steps: 31,640

Daily average: 4520

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Fitbit IX – Week 21

A tremendous week, as I put up my best total since my Hawaii trip in February of last year.  The week got off to a good start thanks to a trip to Guaranteed Rate Field to watch the White Sox battle the Marlins, leaving me with 5600 steps.  Monday saw a slight decline, dropping to 4600 steps.  A trip in to work on Tuesday helped put me back over 5000 steps.  Wednesday night saw me travel down to Wrigley Field, which left me 14 steps shy of 6900.  Thursday was the low day of the week, finishing with just 3700 steps.  A trip to O’Hare, followed by a flight to Seattle and visits to Pike Place Market and T-Mobile Park to see the White Sox battle the Mariners ended a mere 11 steps away from 10,300, my first 10,000 step day of the year and my first on the mainland since 2021.  Despite a return trip to the ballpark teamed with a trip to the Space Needle, Saturday saw a slight drop-off, but still managed to be well above goal, needing just 4 steps to reach 8600.

Total steps: 44,802

Daily average: 6400.3

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It Hasn’t Been A While

Coming in to the 2023 season, I had seen every team since the pandemic-stricken 2020 season save two: the Pirates, who I had last seen in 2019, and the Marlins, who I hadn’t seen in person since 2013.  This week, I knocked both of those teams off the list, with the Marlins coming through Guaranteed Rate Field this past weekend and the Pirates in town at Wrigley Field this week.

Less than halfway through the 2023 season, I’ve already seen fourteen of the 30 clubs, just under half.  That number jumps to 25 when we turn the clock back to 2022.  That’s 83% of the league that I’ve seen in less than a season and a half.  The remaining five I saw in 2021, and I’m sure at least two or three will make an appearance in the second half of 2023.  Anyway, here’s a look at each team and the last time I saw them play.

Most Recent Game By Team

Team Name Date
Washington Nationals 5/19/2021
St. Louis Cardinals 5/26/2021
San Diego Padres 6/1/2021
Boston Red Sox 9/11/2021
Cincinnati Reds 9/28/2021
Seattle Mariners 4/12/2022
Los Angeles Angels 4/30/2022
New York Yankees 5/15/2022
Los Angeles Dodgers 6/8/2022
Texas Rangers 6/12/2022
Atlanta Braves 6/18/2022
Toronto Blue Jays 6/20/2022
Colorado Rockies 7/27/2022
Oakland Athletics 7/30/2022
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Fitbit IX – Week 18

A pretty steady week, as I managed to extend my streak of days over 4000 steps to thirteen while crossing the 30,000-step plateau for the second consecutive week.  Things got off to a decent start on Sunday, a trip to Guaranteed Rate Field left me needing just 32 additional steps to get to 5500.  A decrease on Monday pushed me down to 4200 steps.  A smaller drop on Tuesday put me at 4100 steps.  Wednesday saw a nice bounce back up to 6200 steps thanks to a post-work trip to Wrigley Field.  Micahel’s high school graduation on Thursday pushed me up over 4600 steps.  The start of the long holiday weekend on Friday left me just 18 steps shy of 4100.  Saturday ended the week with 4100 steps.

Total steps: 32,884

Daily average: 4697.7

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Fitbit IX – Week 17

After a slow start, I managed to put together a six-day streak of days over 4000 steps while crossing the 30,000-step plateau for the first time in over a month.  Things got off to a really slow start on Sunday, where 18 additional steps were needed just to get to 2200.  A big increase on Monday pushed me up close to 4700 steps.  A small drop on Tuesday put me at 4000 steps.  Wednesday saw a nice bounce back up to 4500 steps.  An afternoon trip to the ballpark on Thursday pushed me up over 5100 steps.  Michael’s graduation from JJC on Friday saw me fall just shy of 4900 steps.  Purdue Alumni day at Guaranteed Rate Field helped keep things rolling on Saturday, ending with 4800 steps.

Total steps: 30,241

Daily average: 4320.1

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Fitbit IX – Week 16

Yet another disappointing week, though one that maybe, kind of sorta, is trending in the right direction.  Things got off to a really slow start on Sunday, where 31 additional steps were needed just to get to 2900.  A big increase on Monday pushed me up over 4700 steps.  Things did not go as well on Tuesday, as I dropped down to 3800 steps.  Wednesday was the low point of the week, with only 2800 steps.  Thursday fell just 3 steps shy of 3600, while Friday dropped me back down to 3200 steps.  Eloy Jimenez bobblehead night at Guaranteed Rate Field helped turn Saturday into the high point of the week, ending 23 steps away from 5500.

Total steps: 26,558

Daily average: 3794

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Fitbit IX – Week 15

Yet another disappointing week in a string of disappointing weeks.  Sunday turned out to be the highpoint of the week, as I finished with 4700 steps thanks to a cold and damp day at Guaranteed Rate Field.  A slight drop on Monday left me with 4200 steps.  A much bigger decline on Tuesday dropped me down to 3000 steps.  Wednesday continued the free-fall, needing an additional 9 steps just to get to 2500.  A nice bounce back on Thursday put me at 3900 steps.  A slight decline on Friday dropped me down to 3400 steps.  Despite a trip out for a haircut on Saturday, it ended up being the worst day of the week, falling 7 steps shy of 2300.

Total steps: 24,214

Daily average: 3459.1

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What’s New At The Old Ballpark

The 2023 baseball season is underway and there have been some changes at Guaranteed Rate Field.  Let’s start outside the stadium, where some nice, and long overdue, landscaping has been put in place.

The area surrounding the home plate from old Comiskey Park in parking lot B has been surrounded by artificial turf and blocked off from the rest of the parking lot.  In addition, strips of trees and vegetation has been planted across the divider between the lot and Gate 5.  While the reduced room in the lot makes it harder for me to park there, this is an overall net positive.

Inside the park, Miller Lite continues its takeover of right field.  After replacing Goose Island and rechristening the area behind the right field as Lite Landing last year, they have added additional branding above the out of town scoreboard on the scaffolding.

The upper deck gets two new clubs, the High Life Sky Lounge down the left field line and the Blue Moon Balcony along the right field line.  Both give upper deck patrons a place to stand and watch the game while imbibing in their beverage of choice.