Last month, we looked at the overall leaders on both sides of the ball from all of the games I’ve attended between 1984 and 2013. With Opening Day right around the corner, I thought it would be interesting to take another look at those numbers, limiting it to players that are still active heading in to the 2014 season.
Home Runs
| Name | Total |
|---|---|
| Paul Konerko | 89 |
| Aramis Ramierz | 41 |
| Carlos Quentin | 28 |
| Corey Patterson | 26 |
| Adam Dunn | 26 |
Hits
| Name | Total |
|---|---|
| Paul Konerko | 352 |
| AJ Pierzynski | 237 |
| Continue reading → |
Word came down yesterday afternoon that Cub season tickets had started to arrive, so imagine my surprise when I got home and found this sitting on my doorstep:
Inside the box were the two ticket books, a collection of parking passes, and some miscellaneous paperwork. The tickets themselves have returned to a portrait orientation, and feature photos of all-time White Sox greats.
Earlier this week, we took our annual look at the all time leaders in pitching stats for the 720 games I’ve attended (and identified) between 1984 and 2013. 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 | 89 |
| Sammy Sosa | 42 |
| Aramis Ramirez | 41 |
| Derrek Lee | 40 |
| Jermaine Dye | 40 |
Hits
| Name | Total |
|---|---|
| Paul Konerko | 352 |
| Derrek Lee | 255 |
| Continue reading → |
The White Sox announced yesterday that Paul Konerko, the last remaining member of the 2005 World Series champions, will return to the south side for one final season in 2014. The slugger, who struggled through an injury plagued 2013 as the White Sox fell to last place in the AL Central, will take on a reduced role with Adam Dunn still on the roster and newly signed Cuban import Jose Abreu expected to take over the reigns at first base for the foreseeable future.
The White Sox, under the leadership of Jerry Reinsdorf, have not always been so accommodating of their aging stars. Carlton Fisk, Frank Thomas, and Ozzie Guillen are just a few who left town angry after being set loose by the team. Very few players get to leave the game on their own terms, but it seems that Paul Konerko may get just that chance.
Reaction to the signing has been mixed, to say the least. A large contingent of fans have been happy to see one of the best players in White Sox history return for one last go around. A smaller group disdains the fact that sentimentality seems to be taking the place of a sound baseball decision, even though the team is not expected to compete next season. Breaking camp next spring with Konerko, Abreu, and Dunn will hamstring the roster somewhat, but thankfully rosters do not have to be set on December 5th.
Hopefully a healthy Konerko can bounce back and become a productive member of the White Sox next season. The longtime captain, and his fans, deserve to see his career come to a satisfying conclusion.
My latest desktop computer arrived in late 2007, at which point I transitioned all of my music off of my laptop. 2 iPods, 2 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 100 artists that I’ve listened to as of 8/21/2013, according to iTunes. Today we look at the the the next batch, numbers 31-40, which includes a nice mix of musical genres.
#31: R.E.M. 95
iTunes stats: 95 plays
The boys from Athens, GA tie Avril Lavigne with 23 songs to make up their total.
#31: The Monkees
iTunes stats: 95 plays
The made for TV band used 17 songs to make up their total.
#33: Guns N’ Roses
iTunes stats: 91 plays
Axl Rose and friends use 19 different songs to make their way on to the list.
#34: Purdue “All-American” Marching Band
iTunes stats: 86 plays
3 songs, including 2 versions of the fight song, puts the Purdue Marching Band on the list.
#35: Stone Temple Pilots
iTunes stats: 83 plays
17 songs make up the total for the California-based alternative rockers.
Name: Jason Bourgeois
Rank: 290
Position: 2B
Year With White Sox: 2008
Jason Bourgeois joined the White Sox organization as a minor league free agent prior to the 2007 season. He made his major league debut for the White Sox on September 9, 2008, pinch running for Paul Konerko in a 3-1 loss to the Blue Jays. Bourgeois made it into 6 games during the final month of 2008 as the White Sox battled the Twins for the AL Central crown and his one claim to fame is that he became the last player to get his first major league hit at the original Yankee Stadium.
Following the season, Bourgeois became a free agent and his brief tenure on the South Side came to an end.
Bourgeois’s numbers in a White Sox uniform were:
My latest desktop computer arrived in late 2007, at which point I transitioned all of my music off of my laptop. 2 iPods, 2 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, it is now time to look at digital music with the Top 100 songs that I’ve listened to as of 6/2/2013, according to iTunes. Today we look at the the first half of the top 20.
#11: Harry Caray – Take Me Out To The Ballgame
Recorded in the mid-1970s, the Hall of Fame broadcaster leads a Comiskey Park crowd during the 7th inning stretch.
iTunes stats: 60 plays, most recently on 5/26/2013
#12: The Lonely Island – I’m On A Boat (ft. T-Pain)
The song, which debuted as a digital short on Saturday Night Live, was nominated for a Grammy for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration.
iTunes stats: 57 plays, most recently on 1/28/2013
#13: The Outfield – Your Love
The at-bat music for White Sox second baseman Gordon Beckham.
iTunes stats: 55 plays, most recently on 5/26/2013
#14: The Lonely Island – Natalie’s Rap (ft. Natalie Portman & Chris Parnell)
The second digital short from The Lonely Island featured Natalie Portman playing against type as a lewd gangsta.
iTunes stats: 47 plays, most recently on 1/16/2013
#15: Metallica – Harvester Of Sorrow
The at-bat music for White Sox first baseman Paul Konerko.
iTunes stats: 41 plays, most recently on 4/7/2013
The towel was officially thrown in last night as rookie general manager Rick Hahn began the dismantling of the very disappointing 2013 Chicago White Sox by trading veteran relief pitcher Matt Thornton to the Red Sox in exchange for minor leaguer Brandon Jacobs, a 2009 draft pick described as “toolsy”, but not considered a significant prospect. Thornton had been the longest tenured member of the White Sox not named Paul Konerko, joining the team during spring training in 2006 in a trade with the Mariners for first round bust Joe Borchard.
Under the tutelage of pitching coach Don Cooper, Thornton found a home in the White Sox bullpen, eventually becoming their all-time leader in pitching appearances with 512. The high point came in 2010, when Thornton was selected to represent the White Sox at the All-Star game, a rarity for a set-up man. The only real knocks against Thornton were his inability to close, which he was asked to do occassionally when Bobby Jenks would go down with an injury, and his inability to consistently rely on a pitch other than his fastball, which has been his downfall more recently as his velocity has started to dip with age.
Personally, I have seen 1131 pitchers take the mound in games that I have attended, and Thornton leads them all in appearances, with his closest active competition 46 games behind. It will be strange to not have him in the White Sox bullpen anymore, but all things must come to an end and, given his salary and the state of this year’s squad, it was time for him to move on.
Thornton’s numbers in a White Sox uniform, both for games I attended and overall, were: Continue reading →
Last month, we looked at the overall leaders on both sides of the ball from all of the games I’ve attended between 1984 and 2012. With Opening Day right around the corner, I thought it would be interesting to take another look at those numbers, limiting it to players that are still active today.
Home Runs
| Name | Total |
|---|---|
| Paul Konerko | 88 |
| Aramis Ramierz | 41 |
| Jim Thome | 35 |
| Carlos Quentin | 28 |
| Corey Patterson | 26 |
Hits
| Name | Total |
|---|---|
| Paul Konerko | 340 |
| Aramis Ramirez | 234 |
| Continue reading → |
White Sox pitchers and catchers report today, which means winter is winding down and it is finally time for Spring Training. To get ready, let’s take a look at the offensive stat leaders over all of the 658 games I’ve attended (and identified) between 1984 and 2011.
Home Runs
| Name | Total |
|---|---|
| Paul Konerko | 88 |
| Sammy Sosa | 42 |
| Aramis Ramirez | 41 |
| Derrek Lee | 40 |
| Jermaine Dye | 40 |
Hits
| Name | Total |
|---|---|
| Paul Konerko | 340 |
| Derrek Lee | 255 |
| Continue reading → |