Tag / WGN

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iTunes Top 200: #1

Music.  It is a powerful thing that brings people together, creates memories, and evokes emotions.  It is the universal language that speaks to the soul.  It forms the soundtrack of our lives.

It has now been five years since we last counted down the Top 200 songs in my iTunes library, featuring he songs I have listened to the most since 2007.  It is time to do so again, seeing which older songs still resonate and if any newer ones have joined the fray.  So, without further ado, here are my most listened to songs, based on number of plays as of January 1, 2025.

We conclude this week with the chart-topping song with the most plays since my stats began in late 2007.

#1: Captain Stubby and the Buccaneers – Let’s Go-Go-Go White Sox
iTunes stats: 224 plays, most recently on 9/29/2019
Previous ranking: #1

On June 18, 2005, the White Sox were hosting the Dodgers in inter-league play, the first time the two teams had faced each other in Chicago since the 1959 World Series.  The Saturday night tilt celebrated the occasion, with the Go-Go White Sox celebrated prior to the game and both teams wearing 1959 throwbacks.  During the game, the stadium crew dusted off a fight song that hadn’t been heard in nearly 50 years, creating a video montage with the words as part of the night’s festivities.  Down 3-1 in the bottom of the 9th, the White Sox rallied for 4 runs, capped off by A.J. Pierzynski’s two run shot to end the game, and a new tradition at US Cellular Field was born.

The song was written by former White Sox minor leaguer Al Trace and his friend Walter “Li’l Wally” Jagiello during the 1959 season as the White Sox battled for their first pennant since throwing the World Series in 1919.  They brought the song to Tom Fouts, leader of Captain Stubby and the Buccaneers, a popular local band best known for performing on WLS Prairie Farmer Radio and writing and performing advertising jingles.  The song and the team were both a success, as the White Sox did indeed win the pennant, but lost the World Series to the Dodgers in 6 games.

Following that June night, the song became a rallying point for the remainder of the 2005 season.  It received national exposure, as FOX included clips of it in their coverage of the team’s trek through the post-season.  WGN utilized it during their coverage of the World Series victory parade, over clips of highlights of both the 1959 and 2005 teams.  While not as ubiquitous today, the song does still show up occasionally at the ballpark, when the White Sox go on a big rally.

I managed to download an MP3 of the tune at some point, and it has had a place on every White Sox victory playlist I’ve created ever since.

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Beltin’ Bill Melton Says Goodbye

Bill Melton, the former White Sox third baseman and pre- and post-game host, passed away early this morning in Phoenix after a brief illness. He was 79 years old.

Melton became the first White Sox player to surpass 30 home runs in a season in 1970 when he launched 30 round trippers.  He replicated that effort the following year, becoming the first south sider to lead the league.  After a back injury in 1972, Melton worked to get back, but felt snubbed, first by his omission from the All Star team in 1973 and then by the 1974 acquisition of future-Hall of Famer Ron Santo.  A feud with broadcaster Harry Caray sealed his fate in Chicago and, after the 1975 season, he was traded to the Angels.  His 154 home runs still ranks ninth in franchise history.

Melton returned to the White Sox family in 1992 as a community relations representative.  He joined WGN in 1998 as an analyst for pre- and post-game shows.  In 2005, he moved over to Comcast SportsNet, performing the same role.  He retired in 2020.

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Throwback Thursday – Team Records Of The 1980s

With the 2022 season well underway, I thought it would be interesting to take a trip in the wayback machine and see what my view of the baseball world looked like in the long-ago period known as the 1980’s.

I’ve been able to identify 14 games I attended during the 80’s, starting with Luis Aparicio’s number retirement in 1984 through a September 1988 game at Wrigley Field, which turned out to be the second official night game.  There are more games that I remember something about attending, voting for the new White Sox uniform designs in 1981, Carlton Fisk bat day some point in the early 80s, getting a Cubs calendar in 1986,  and winning tickets from WGN radio for a game, but I haven’t been able to track down specifics about them as of yet.

1980s Team Records
Team Name Won Loss Winning Pctg
Toronto Blue Jays 1 0 1.000
San Diego Padres 1 0 1.000
Cleveland Indians 1 0 1.000
California Angels 1 0 1.000
Texas Rangers 1 1 0.500
Seattle Mariners 1 1 0.500
New York Mets 1 1 0.500
Baltimore Orioles 1 1 0.500
Chicago White Sox 5 6 0.455
Chicago Cubs 1 2 0.333
Kansas City Royals 0 1 0.000
Boston Red Sox 0 1 0.000
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Holy Cow!

In a shocking development, Len Kasper, who has been the television play-by-play voice of the Cubs for 16 years on numerous networks, has decided to leave that post to join the radio booth for the White Sox.  He will join the returning Darrin Jackson as the team moves back to ESPN 1000 for the 2021 season.  Kasper, who will turn 50 before Opening Day, has always been passionate about radio and has long desired the chance to call a World Series, something he would not get a chance to do on TV.

Chris Myers, the long time ESPN and FOX Sports announcer, seems to be the leading candidate to replace Kasper in the Cubs booth.  He was hired by Marquee last year to be the occasional fill-in for Kasper and a studio host, but the corona virus put the kibosh on those plans.  Left out in the cold is Andy Masur, the longtime WGN employee who stepped in to replace Ed Farmer last season after Farmer passed away last spring.

To say this was a surprise would be a bit of an understatement.  It’s been an off-season exodus for the Cubs, but, unlike Theo Epstein or Kyle Schwarber, this was one loss that I can honestly say nobody saw coming.  For the White Sox, it is a nice little coup to improve their radio product while stealing some thunder from their cross-town rivals.

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On The Move Again

Robert Feder reported yesterday that the flagship radio home of the White Sox will likely be changing next season.  While nothing is official, all signs are pointing to a deal with WMVP ESPN 1000, the team’s radio home from 1996 through 2005.

A station change may also lead to a shakeup in the booth.  Current play-by-play man Andy Masur, a WGN mainstay, is on a one year contract following the death of Ed Farmer.  Darrin Jackson, who has been in the radio booth since 2009 and part of the overall broadcast team for the Sox since 2000, is nearing 60.  With the White Sox poised to be contenders for the next several years, the new bosses at ESPN 1000 may want to refresh the presentation.

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iTunes Top 200: #1

itunes_image4 years ago, we last counted down the Top 200 songs in my iTunes library. Since my iTunes stats are still intact, across multiple PCs, iPods, iPads, and iPhones, I figured it was time to take another look at my most listened to songs, based on number of plays as of January 1, 2020.

Today, we wrap things up with the two songs that are tied for the top spot, each with 224 plays since my stats began in late 2007.  While on their face, the two songs have nothing in common, they have been linked together on the south side of Chicago for many years.

#1: Captain Stubby and the Buccaneers – Let’s Go-Go-Go White Sox
iTunes stats: 224 plays, most recently on 9/29/2019
Previous ranking: #1

On June 18, 2005, the White Sox were hosting the Dodgers in inter-league play, the first time the two teams had faced each other in Chicago since the 1959 World Series.  The Saturday night tilt celebrated the occasion, with the Go-Go White Sox celebrated prior to the game and both teams wearing 1959 throwbacks.  During the game, the stadium crew dusted off a fight song that hadn’t been heard in nearly 50 years, creating a video montage with the words as part of the night’s festivities.  Down 3-1 in the bottom of the 9th, the White Sox rallied for 4 runs, capped off by A.J. Pierzynski’s two run shot to end the game, and a new tradition at US Cellular Field was born.

The song was written by former White Sox minor leaguer Al Trace and his friend Walter “Li’l Wally” Jagiello during the 1959 season as the White Sox battled for their first pennant since throwing the World Series in 1919.  They brought the song to Tom Fouts, leader of Captain Stubby and the Buccaneers, a popular local band best known for performing on WLS Prairie Farmer Radio and writing and performing advertising jingles.  The song and the team were both a success, as the White Sox did indeed win the pennant, but lost the World Series to the Dodgers in 6 games.

Following that June night, the song became a rallying point for the remainder of the 2005 season.  It received national exposure, as Fox included clips of it in their coverage of the team’s trek through the post-season.  WGN utilized it during their coverage of the World Series victory parade, over clips of highlights of both the 1959 and 2005 teams.  While not as ubiquitous today, the song does still show up on occasion at the ballpark, when the White Sox go on a big rally.

I managed to download an MP3 of the tune at some point, and it has had a place on every White Sox victory playlist I’ve created ever since.  A distinction it shares with our next entry.

#1: AC/DC – Thunderstruck
iTunes stats: 224 plays, most recently on 10/25/2019
Previous ranking: #3

The 12th studio album from AC/DC, The Razor’s Edge, was released in September of 1990, with Thunderstruck released as the first single.  It peaked at #5 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.

The White Sox started taking the field to the song during the 2004 season, and it has been used off and on ever since.  Because of that, it has held a place on every version of my victory playlist since.

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Changes In The Radio Booth

Now that the start of the baseball season is set, WGN and the White Sox have announced that Andy Masur would replace Ed Farmer in the radio booth for the 2020 season.  Masur, who was the pre-game host and had filled in for Farmer last season and was planned to fill in again when Farmer stepped away in spring training before the sport shut down because of the corona virus pandemic, spent 8 years at WGN, starting in 1999, before leaving to become the voice of the Padres in 2007.  He returned to the station in 2014 and started working with the White Sox when they moved to WGN in 2018.  He will join the returning Darrin Jackson, who has been the color man in the booth since 2009.

Farmer, who had spent 28 years in the White Sox radio booth and was the main play-by-play man since 2006, passed away following a long illness on April 2nd.

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The Rona Claims Another Victim

Jim Frey, the former Cubs manager and general manager, passed away on Sunday after battling the corona virus.  He was 88.  Frey became manager of  the Cubs in 1984, leading the team to their first ever NL East title and first post-season appearance since 1945.  An injury-marred 1985 season, followed by a slow start in 1986, led to his firing just 2 months into the season.

Frey spent the 1987 season working for WGN radio as a color commentator on Cubs broadcasts.  In December of that year, he was hired back by the Cubs to replace Dallas Green as the team’s general manager.  Frey hired his old friend Don Zimmer to manage the team and the duo led the team to its second divisional title in 1989.  After a disappointing 1990 season, Frey was active on the free agent market, acquiring George Bell, Danny Jackson, and Dave Smith.  When Jackson and Smith flopped in 1991, Zimmer was fired in May, on orders from Tribune Co. CEO Donald Grenesko, and, following the season, Frey was reassigned within the organization.

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Filling In

The White Sox and WGN announced today that Ed Farmer, the long time radio voice of the team, would miss the remainder of the spring training slate due to illness.  Andy Masur will take over play-by-play duties, along side Darrin Jackson, until Farmer is able to return.

Farmer, who turned 70 in October, missed time last season with an undisclosed illness, and, at least according to this listener’s ears, did not sound well during the initial broadcasts of the spring.  While I wish Farmer nothing but good health moving forward, it would be best for the broadcast if Masur were to stay on full time.

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The Marquee Sports Network

The long awaited announcement of the creation of a new Cubs-owned network finally came 2 weeks ago.  The Marquee Sports Network will launch in 2020, in time to air spring training games.  “We are excited to better serve our fans with expanded and exclusive programming showcasing our remarkable players, beloved ballpark and storied past,” president of business operations Crane Kenney said in a press release, “Our dedicated ‘Cubs-centric’ network will carry all available Cubs games and feature uncompromising, in-depth and behind-the-scenes coverage.”

The Cubs also announced that broadcasters Len Kasper and Jim Deshaies will continue to be involved with the live game broadcasts. The network will also provide extensive pregame and postgame coverage, original Cubs-related content and other live sports programming, per the release.

As rumored, the Cubs partner in the new venture is Sinclair Broadcast Group.  Sinclair has come under fire over the past couple years for its right-wing political slant and forcing its individual TV stations, of which WGN narrowly avoided becoming earlier this year, to air hard-right commentary.  “From our view, the reason Sinclair was such a good partner had to do with their technical capacity,” Kenney said on the Mully & Haugh Show on The Score.  “In terms of the programming on the channel, that will be exclusively our control. So what our fans, what the consumer sees when they turn the channel on will be something the team controls, as it should be, given that we know fan base and the team better than anyone.”  Later, Crane added, “While Sinclair’s TV stations may have a right-leaning bent, you won’t see any of that on our channel.”  This, of course, avoids the fact the Cubs fans who disagree with Sinclair’s politics may not feel good about contributing to their profits, even if their propaganda doesn’t air on the network.

The big outstanding question is carriage fees and clearance.  Industry reports say that the carriage fee that the network will request from cable operators could reach $6 per month, easily on the high end of the spectrum.  High carriage fees have led to clearance issues in the past for other teams.  When the Dodgers teamed with Time Warner to create SportsNet LA in 2014, they changed $4.90 per subscriber.  The end result was that Dodger games were, and continue to be, available to only about 30 percent of the Los Angeles market.  By June 2017, SportsNet LA’s ratings for Dodger games had dropped 49% from 2013.

Given the availability of Cubs games on WGN’s superstation for years, the team expects the new network to draw subscribers from much of the Midwest, if not the entire country.  But, convincing cable operators to add the channel on a non-premium tier and passing that $6 per month charge along to all customers, at a time when cord cutting is eroding their subscriber base, may be a tough sell.  Time will tell if this works out as well as the Cubs expect it to, or if they missed the boat on the RSN gravy train that is already showing signs of drying up.