Tag / US Cellular Field

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GlobalFit III: Week 39

Y3Week39

The week got off to a disappointing start, with an opening day trip down to US Cellular Field coinciding with the onset of an illness that kept me home from work on Tuesday.  Wednesday was the first day of the trip out west and, thanks to a walk around San Diego and a trip to the USS Midway, I logged my first day over 10,000 steps since late September, a mere 27 weeks ago.  Thursday and Friday also broke past the 10,000 step plateau.  Saturday crossed 5000 steps thanks to a drive up the coast to Los Angeles and a trip to Dodger Stadium.  Sunday, thanks to a trip to Hollywood and the walk of fame, once again blew past the 10,000 step mark.

Total steps: 60,216

Weekly average: 8602.3

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#236 – Joe Borchard

WhiteSox-joeborchardName: Joe Borchard

Rank: 236

Position: RF

Years With White Sox: 2002-2005

Joe Borchard was the 12th overall draft pick in the 2000, receiving a then-record bonus to dissuade him from focusing on football.  Borchard made his major league debut on September 2, 2002 against the Blue Jays, blasting a home run in his second at bat as the White Sox most touted prospect since Frank Thomas.

Borchard returned to Triple A in 2003, at least until Willie Harris went down in late May with a sprained shoulder.  He did not stay long, appearing in 16 games, and batted only .184.

2004 gave Borchard his first extended opportunity in the big leagues, thanks to injuries to Frank Thomas and Magglio Ordonez.  Unfortunately, he still had trouble producing, as he hit only .174 in 63 games, although he did set the US Cellular Field record for the longest home run with a 504 foot blast against Brett Myers of the Phillies.

Borchard returned to the minor leagues in 2005, appearing in just 7 games for the eventual World Series champions.  The next spring, with a little more than a week to go before the start of the season, Borchard was traded to the Mariners in exchange for relief pitcher Matt Thornton, which, ultimately, may have been his biggest contribution to the organization.

Borchard’s numbers in a White Sox uniform, both for games I attended and overall, were: Continue reading →

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Get Your Pizza Here

2014pizzaThe concessions landscape has been upended at both local stadiums as both the Cubs and the White Sox are expected to have new pizza vendors this season.  After 3 seasons of D’Agostino’s pizza, which I somehow never managed to try, the Cubs announced yesterday that Giordano’s is the new exclusice “pizza partner” of both the Cubs and Wrigley Field.

Meanwhile, the scuttlebutt out of Sox Fest is that Beggars Pizza will be taking over for (shudder) DiGiornos on the South Side this season.  If so, this would be a major upgrade.  My pizza consumption at US Cellular Field had dropped to nothing due to the horribleness that was the frozen, grocery store pizza.  If the rumors are true, I might actually enjoy a slice at the old ballpark this season, something that hasn’t happened since at least 2012, if not earlier.

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#253 – Scott Schoeneweis

Gn7OSHL5Name: Scott Schoeneweis

Rank: 253

Position: P

Years With White Sox: 2003-2004

With the White Sox in contention for a division crown at the trade deadline in 2003, they swung a deal with the Angels to bolster their bullpen, getting Scott Schoeneweis, along with Doug Nickle, in exchange for Tim Bittner, Scott Dunn, and Gary Glover.  Schoeneweis appeared in 20 games for the White Sox down the stretch, putting up a 4.50 ERA as the team faltered.

In 2004, he moved into the starting rotation, but success was hard to find.  In 20 appearances, 19 of them starts, his ERA jumped to 5.59.  After the season, he was allowed to leave as a free agent.

In 2007, Schoeneweis found himself in the Mitchell Report, with claims that he received six shipments of steroids at US Cellular Field while a member of the White Sox.  He denied the allegations and the commissioner’s office decided not to suspend him.

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

Continue reading →

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Ballpark Tour: Comiskey Park II/US Cellular Field

20109565

Stadium Name: Comiskey Park II/US Cellular Field

Location: Chicago

Home Team: White Sox, Marlins

Years in Service: 1991 – Present

Visits: 361

On the evening of June 30, 1988, with time literally stopped, the Illinois legislature passed a bill that provided the financing for a new stadium for the White Sox, stopping them from moving to St. Petersburg, Florida.  2 and a half years later, on April 18, 1991, Comiskey Park II opened, the first new major facility built in Chicago since the erection of the Chicago Stadium in 1929.  Sadly, the White Sox were destroyed by the Tigers 16-0 in the opening of their new park.

Unfortunately for the White Sox, the new Comiskey Park was also the last stadium to be built prior to the wave of retro ballparks that started with the opening of Camden Yards the following year.  Because of this, there have been numerous renovations to the park, starting in 2001 with the addition of nearly 2000 seats and the relocation of the bullpens.  More extensive renovations began in 2003 in preparation for that season’s All Star Game and using the money generated from selling the naming rights to US Cellular, and conrinued through 2007, when the replacement of the blue seats with green seats was completed.

In 2004, the reigning World Series champion Florida Marlins called the stadium home for a series against the Montreal Expos thanks to Hurricane Ivan, the first time the defending World Series champions had played a home game in Chicago since 1918.  One year later, the stadium hosted its first World Series game, the first to be played in Chicago since 1959, as the White Sox went on to sweep the Houston Astros and win their first World Series since 1918.

I attended my first game at the new Comiskey Park on April 20, 1991, the second game in the stadium’s history.  Since then, I’ve been to 360 other games at the stadium, the majority coming from 2005 on, when I became a season ticket holder.  I went to both games of the 2000 ALDS, which the White Sox lost to the Mariners, both games of the 2005 ALDS, which the White Sox won against the Red Sox, both games of the 2005 ALCS, which the White Sox split against the Angels, and game 2 of the 2005 World Series.  I attended game 163 of the 2008 season to break the tie between the White Sox and the Twins. and then the two ALDS games against the Rays, the first time I saw the White Sox actually end a post-season series, either in victory or defeat.

Notable regular season games I’ve seen at US Cellular Field include the September 13, 2004 game between the Marlins and the Expos, the April 16, 2005 game where Mark Buehrle defeated the Mariners in 1 hour and 39 minutes, the April 2, 2006 season opener against the Indians when the World Series championship banner was raised, the April 4, 2006 game where the players received their World Series rings, and the September 16, 2007 game where Jim Thome hit his 500th career home run against the Angels.

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Looking To Next Year Too

MLB: Cincinnati Reds at Los Angeles DodgersWith the 2013 season limping to the finish line, it became time to look forward to next year on Tuesday when the Cubs released their 2014 schedule. The north siders begin the 2014 campaign on the road against the Pirates on March 31.  Their home schedule kicks off against the Phillies that weekend.

Inter-league matchups against the AL East include home dates against the Yankees, Rays, and Orioles. The Cubs will travel to Boston, Toronto, and will also make their first ever trip to new Yankess Stadium to face the Yankees. The team will also split a 4 game series against the White Sox, similar to this season, with the first 2 games at Wrigley Field and the last 2 at US Cellular Field.

Should the team find themselves in contention, they finish the year with games mostly against their Central division foes, with only 7 September games coming outside the division.

by jim

Looking To Next Year

MLB: Cincinnati Reds at Los Angeles DodgersWith the 2013 season limping to the finish line, it became time to look forward to next year on Tuesday when the White Sox released their 2014 schedule.  The south siders begin the 2014 campaign at home against the Twins on March 31.

Inter-league matchups against the NL West include home dates against the Diamondbacks, Giants, and Padres.  The White Sox will travel to Los Angeles for yet another tilt with their opponent from the 1959 World Series and will also make their first ever trip to Colorado to face the Rockies.  The team will also split a 4 game series against the Cubs, similar to this season, with the first 2 games at Wrigley Field and the last 2 at US Cellular Field.

Should the team find themselves in contention, they finish the year with games mostly against their Central division foes, with only 7 September games coming outside the division.

by jim

GlobalFit III: Week 2

Y3Week2Overall, it was a disappointing week, with only 2 days over 5000 steps.  But those 2 days were way over, both breaking 9000 and Friday nearing 12,000.  Monday’s total was thanks to 2 meetings in North Plaza, with an hour in between, so I had to make 2 trips.  Friday had the exciting double feature of a trip to North for smoothies at Red Mango and a train ride to the Cell for exciting White Sox baseball and a trip down the ramps afterwards.

Total steps: 40,064

Weekly average: 5723.4