Tag / Paul Konerko

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Franchise Four – Chicago White Sox

Major League Baseball is asking its fans to vote for the four most impactful players who best represent the history of each franchise.  The winners will be announced in July at the All Star Game in Cincinnati.  Today, we finish up the entire league as I give my Franchise Four picks for the Chicago White Sox.

F4WhiteSox

LALuis Aparicio played for the White Sox from 1956 – 1962 and again from 1968 – 1970.  He was an All Star 6 times in those years and was elected to Hall of Fame in 1984.  His number 11 was retired by the White Sox in 1984.

NFNellie Fox teamed with Aparicio to make up the double play combination for the 1959 American League Champions.  Fox came to the White Sox in 1950 and manned second base through the 1963 season, earning 12 All Star nods and the 1959 AL MVP.  He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1997.

LAppAfter the White Sox roster was decimated by the banishments following the throwing of the 1919 World Series, there were few bright spots until Luke Appling debuted in 1930.  20 years later, Appling retired, with 7 All Star nods, 2 batting titles, 3 top 10 MVP finishes, and too many team records to count.  He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1964.

PKPaul Konerko came to the White Sox via trade prior to the 1999 season and became a fixture at first base until his retirement last year.  Having led the White Sox to victory in the 2005 World Series, he finished his career as the White Sox all time leader in total bases and second all time in home runs, RBIs, and games played.

HBHarold Baines was selected by the White Sox as the first overall pick of the 1977 draft.  He spent parts of 14 seasons with the team, in three different stints, until his retirement following the 2001 season.  He holds the White Sox team records for home runs, RBIs, and extra base hits for left handed hitters. Continue reading →

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Mix Tape Monday Revisited– Volume 11

Between 1989, my sophomore year of high school, and 1995, my fourth year of college, I put together a nearly 20 volume collection of mix tapes, containing my favorite songs that I had gathered either from the radio, a cassette tape, or (eventually) CD.  Three years ago, we looked back at all 20 volumes and which of my “favorite” songs I still listened to.  Today, we revisit those mix tapes and see how things have changed in the last 3 years.

Volume 11 takes us late into 1993 and my sophomore year of college.  It features mostly alternative and hip-hop hits, with a little pop and Aerosmith on the side.

Side A

Shai – Baby I’m Yours

A modest 2-play increase for the last time anybody ever heard from Shai.

2012 iTunes stats: 5 plays

2015 iTunes stats: 7 plays, most recently on 11/7/2013

Tears For Fears – Break It Down Again

The comeback hit for the 80s sensation managed a small increase over the past 3 years.

2012 iTunes stats: 6 plays

2015 iTunes stats: 9 plays, most recently on 12/29/2014

Bell Biv Devoe – Something In Your Eyes

I came to the conclusion that this is not a very good song when I last heard it in January.

2012 iTunes stats: Never played

2015 iTunes stats: 2 plays, most recently on 1/9/2015

4 Non Blondes – Spaceman

A doubling of the number of listens for the minor follow up hit to What’s Up.

2012 iTunes stats: 2 plays

2015 iTunes stats: 4 plays, most recently on 9/17/2014

Pearl Jam – Go

The first hit from Pearl Jam’s second album more than tripled its number of listens, thanks mostly to being used as Paul Konerko’s walkup music during his final season.

2012 iTunes stats: 6 plays

2015 iTunes stats: 19 plays, most recently on 5/12/2015

Nirvana – Heart-Shaped Box

Nirvana’s first release from their final studio album more than doubled its number of plays over the last 3 years.

2012 iTunes stats: 4 plays

2015 iTunes stats: 9 plays, most recently on 10/24/2014

Radiohead – Stop Whispering

A small increase for the lesser known follow up to the smash Creep.

2012 iTunes stats: 1 play

2015 iTunes stats: 2 plays, most recently on 11/7/2013

Side B

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Fitbit Week 16

Week16_FBThe week got off to a bad start, but then picked up for my third highest total in the short Fitbit era.  After a wasted Sunday, things picked up on Monday thanks to an after-work trip to US Cellular Field requiring parking north of 29th Street, giving me a total that ranks in my all-time top 10.  The rest of the work week was pretty standard, with each day’s total drifting downward as the week went on.  Saturday was up thanks to another trip to the Cell, where Paul Konerko’s jersey was retired.

Total steps: 51,868

Daily average: 7409.7

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Book 13 (of 52) – Paul Konerko: Farewell To A Friend

Paul Konerko: Farewell To A Friend - Scott Reifert

Paul Konerko: Farewell To A Friend – Scott Reifert

Following the retirement of Paul Konerko last fall, the White Sox put together a book, edited by Scott Reifert, to celebrate their longtime first baseman and raise money for Chicago White Sox Charities.  To be honest, there wasn’t much reading to be done with this book, as it was mostly pictures along with a few short articles.

Paul Konerko meant a lot to the White Sox and its fan base over the past 16 years, which I covered last fall as he retired.  This book sums up his last weekend, while also hitting on a few of the highpoints of his career, especially the run to the 2005 World Series championship.

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Active Batting Leaders – Through 2014

MLB: Cincinnati Reds at Los Angeles DodgersLast month, we looked at the overall leaders on both sides of the ball from all of the games I’ve attended between 1984 and 2014.  With Paul Konerko and Adam Dunn hanging up their spikes after last season, we should see some new names on this list.  Now that Opening Day is right around the corner, let’s take another look at those numbers, limiting it to players that are still active heading in to the 2015 season.

Home Runs

Name Total
Aramis Ramirez 41
Alexei Ramierz 28
Carlos Quentin 28
Alex Rios 23
AJ Pierzynski 20

Hits

Name Total
Alexei Ramirez 261
AJ Pierzynski 237
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

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All Time Batting Leaders – Through 2014

MLB: Cincinnati Reds at Los Angeles DodgersLate last week, we took our annual look at the all time leaders in pitching stats for the 755 games I’ve attended (and identified) between 1984 and 2014.  With the full White Sox roster due in camp today, it’s time to take a look at the offensive stat leaders for those games, starting with our first category:

Home Runs

Name Total
Paul Konerko 93
Sammy Sosa 42
Aramis Ramirez 41
Derrek Lee 40
Jermaine Dye 40

Hits

Name Total
Paul Konerko 366
Alexei Ramirez 261
Continue reading →
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Top 200 Albums – #46 – 53

itunes_imageMy latest desktop computer arrived in late 2007, at which point I transitioned all of my music off of my laptop. 2 iPods, 3 iPhones, and an iPad later, that computer is still my main repository of music, with iTunes updating its stats every time I listen to something.

Having already gone through cassette tapes and CDs, and digital music, it’s time to roll everything up with the Top 200 albums whose songs I’ve listened to as of September 2014, according to iTunes. Today, after months of counting down, we crack the top 50 of the list and look at the 8 albums ranked between 53 and 46 with 58-65 listens.

#46: Various Artists – Monster Madness
iTunes stats: 65 plays
9 tracks, from exciting artists like Faith No More, Lita Ford, and Nelson, make up the total for this hair metal compilation.

#46: Various Artists – The Transformers: The Movie
iTunes stats: 65 plays
6 tunes, from the likes of Stan Bush and Weird Al Yankovic, make up the total for this soundtrack from the animated TransFormers film from the mid-80s.

#48: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers – Greatest Hits
iTunes stats: 64 plays
10 of Tom Petty’s biggest hits make up the total for this greatest hits compilation.

#49: Various Artists – ’90s Style
iTunes stats: 62 plays
9 tracks, from exciting 90s artists like Jill Sobule, Green Jelly, and MC Hammer, make up the total for this compilation album.

#50: Snoop Dogg – Doggystyle
iTunes stats: 59 plays
Snoop Dogg’s debut album uses 5 songs to make up this total.

#50: Various Artists – Millenium Rock N’ Roll Party
Continue reading →

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#184 – Ross Gload

rossgloadName: Ross Gload

Rank: 184

Position: 1B/RF

Years With White Sox: 2004-2006

As spring training wound down in 2003, the White Sox acquired Ross Gload from the Rockies in exchange for minor league pitcher Wade Parrish.  Gload spent the entire 2003 season in Triple A Charlotte, but made the White Sox roster out of spring training in 2004, backing up Paul Konerko and, prior to his season ending injury, Magglio Ordonez.  Gload made it into 110 games and finished the year with a .321 batting average.  Despite the limited playing time, he finished 7th in voting for AL Rookie of the Year.

In 2005, Gload missed time due to shoulder inflammation, which kept him either on the disabled list on in Triple A Charlotte between April 25 and July 22.  When Frank Thomas went down with a foot injury, Gload was recalled to take his roster spot.  A little more than a week later, Gload was sent back down when Geoff Blum was acquired from the Padres.  He rejoined the team when rosters expanded on September 1.  Gload was left off the playoff roster for all three rounds.

With his shoulder fully healed, Gload returned to the White Sox full time in 2006.  While his playing time was again limited, he did manage to put up .327 average.  Following the season, Gload was traded to the Royals in exchange for relief pitcher Andy Sisco.

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

Continue reading →

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All Season Batting Leaders – Through 2014

MLB: Cincinnati Reds at Los Angeles DodgersThree years ago, we took our first look at the offensive stat leaders per season for the all the games I’ve attended since 1984.  While there hasn’t been a whole lot of movement in the 3 seasons since, I figured the time was right to take another look.  So, without further ado, here’s the updated list.  We start, as always, with everyone’s favorite offensive stat:

Home Runs

Year Name Total
2010 Paul Konerko 17
2004 Mosies Alou 15
2004 Corey Patterson 13
2004 Sammy Sosa 13
2003 Moises Alou 12
2008 Carlos Quentin 12

Hits

Year Name Total
2003 Mark Grudzielanek 67
2004 Moises Alou 57
2003 Moises Alou 57
2007 Derrek Lee 57
2006 Orlando Cabrera 56

Runs

Year Name Total
Continue reading →