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Book 10 (of 52) – Rock Paper Scissors

Rock Paper Scissors – Alice Feeney

When Adam, a face-blind screenwriter, and Amelia, his long-suffering wife, win a weekend away at a remote Scottish home, it sounds like an opportunity for both of them to decide if they want to continue in the marriage or to finally move on.  Very quickly, however, they learn that things are not quite what they seem and their trip may not have been the prize they thought it was.  Will a third person staying on the property help bring the secrets of their marriage to the forefront?  And, if so, will they survive it?

Alice Feeney’s Rock Paper Scissors was 2021 nominee for Favorite Mystery & Thriller in the Goodreads Choice awards.  I wasn’t planning on dipping my toe back in to Feeney’s work so quickly, but good word of mouth and a quick delivery from the library pushed my hand.  The twist here was similar to her other book that I read, but I did end up liking this one a little better.  It was still kind of farfetched, but I’m glad I went for it.

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iTunes Top 200 Artists: #129-138

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 artists in my iTunes library, featuring the songs I have listened to the most since 2007.  It is time to do so again, seeing which performers still resonate and if any newer ones have joined the fray.  So, without further ado, here are my most listened to artists, based on number of plays as of January 1, 2026.

We continue today with our next batch of ten artists, covering a large mix of genres and decades, from pop to punk, hip hop to new jack swing, and everything in between.

#138: Hootie & the Blowfish
iTunes stats: 80 plays
Previous ranking: #154

The group, formed in Columbia, South Carolina in 1986, saw a 25-play increase spread across the five songs in my collection.

#138: Katy Perry
iTunes stats: 80 plays
Previous ranking: #143

Five tracks from the pop singer, who embarrassed herself last year following a Blue Origin flight into “space,” accounted for 21 new listens.

#138: Ramones
iTunes stats: 80 plays
Previous ranking: #131

The New York-based punk rock pioneers increased their total by 27% thanks to 17 new plays over the past five years.

#134: The Police
iTunes stats: 81 plays
Previous ranking: #133

The English band, led by Sting until their 1984 breakup, added 19 new plays.

#134: Color Me Badd
Continue reading →

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Cardinals All Time Leaders – Through 2025

To paraphrase from a famous movie, the one constant through all the years has been baseball.  With a little more than a month until regular season baseball, we continue our look at the all-time leaders in both offensive and defensive categories for all 30 teams. Today, we take a deeper dive into the St. Louis Cardinals.

The Cardinals began life in 1891, joining the National League the following year after the dissolution of the old American Association.  They took on the Cardinal name starting in 1900 and have been a longtime rival of the Cubs.  I’ve seen 196 players don the Cardinal uniforms in them play 37 games, first in 2000 at Wrigley Field and most recently in a double header sweep against the White Sox last June.

Home Runs

Name Total
Scott Rolen 7
Jim Edmonds 6
Albert Pujols 6

Hits

Name Total
Scott Rolen 22
Albert Pujols 22
Jim Edmonds 20

Runs

Name Total
Jim Edmonds 16
Albert Pujols 14
Scott Rolen 13

RBI

Name Total
Albert Pujols 16
Scott Rolen 15
Jim Edmonds 14

Doubles

Name Total
Ryan Ludwick 4
Albert Pujols 3
Scott Rolen 3
Jim Edmonds 3
Fernando Vina 3
Jason Heyward 3
Yadier Molina 3

Triples Continue reading →

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Tigers All Time Leaders – Through 2025

tigersTo paraphrase from a famous movie, the one constant through all the years has been baseball.  As we head into 2026, we continue our look at the all-time leaders in both offensive and defensive categories for all 30 teams. Today, we take a deeper dive into the Detroit Tigers.

The Tigers began life in 1894 as part of the Western League and became a charter franchise of the American League in 1901, making them the oldest one city, one name franchise in the American League.  I’ve seen 286 players wearing the Tigers uniform in the 65 of their games that I’ve attended live, including the second game ever, and my first game, at the new Comiskey Park and home games at both Tiger Stadium and Comerica Park.

Home Runs

Name Total
Miguel Cabrera 9
Nick Castellanos 4
Ryan Raburn 3
Jhonny Peralta 3

Hits

Name Total
Miguel Cabrera 30
Nick Castellanos 19
Ryan Raburn 19

Runs

Name Total
Miguel Cabrera 19
Ian Kinsler 11
Nick Castellanos 10
Austin Jackson 10

RBI

Name Total
Miguel Cabrera 22
Ryan Raburn 13
Nick Castellanos 11

Doubles

Name Total
Jose Iglesias 5
Miguel Cabrera 4
Ian Kinsler 4
Alex Avila 4

Triples Continue reading →

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Book 9 (of 52) – The Case of the Baited Hook

The Case of the Baited Hook – Erle Stanley Gardner

When a mysterious, late-night meeting with a man and a disguised woman, who may eventually become a client, puts Perry Mason in a bind after a trustee is found dead, he tries to figure out which of the many possibilities surrounding the case the disguised woman may be.  Once he is personally charged with aiding and abetting the homicide, but before he is officially arrested, he manages to track down the truth, both of his mystery client and who actually committed the murder, clearing hiw own name.

Originally published in 1940, The Case of the Baited Hook is 16th entry in Erle Stanley Gardner’s Perry Mason series.  This case, though heavily modified, was featured as the fourteenth episode of season one in the Raymond Burr version of the show.  Since this is a little further along in the series, the characters align more closely with those we are familiar with from television.  Thanks to a sale in the Kindle store to celebrate the new year, I was able to pick up a couple additional stories from Gardner’s oeuvre, which I hope to work through over the coming months,

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Fitbit 12 – Week 4

A warming trend, plus an unplanned trip to Iowa to wrap up the week, put me back above 30,000 steps after a brief blip.  The week got off to an ok start on Sunday, falling 23 steps away from 4000.  A morning visitation and funeral for my aunt on Monday led to 4200 steps.  A slight drop on Tuesday left me with 4100 steps.  Another drop on Wednesday put me at 3900 steps.  An increase on Thursday bumped me up to 4400.  Friday fell back down to 3900 steps.  I headed to Iowa on Saturday to take in some more exciting Purdue basketball, which wrapped the week up with 6400 steps.

Total steps: 31,026

Daily average: 4432.3

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All Time Batting Leaders – Through 2025

Last week, we took our annual look at the all-time leaders in pitching stats for the now 1,149 games I’ve attended (and identified) between 1984 and 2025.  With the first full squad spring training workout in the books, it’s time to move over to the other side of the ball and take a look at the offensive stat leaders for those games, starting with our first category:

Home Runs

Name Total
Paul Konerko 92
Jose Abreu 49
Sammy Sosa 42
Aramis Ramirez 41
Derrek Lee 40
Jermaine Dye 40

Hits

Name Total
Paul Konerko 363
Alexei Ramirez 300
Jose Abreu 273
Derrek Lee 255
A.J. Pierzynski 239

Runs

Name Total
Paul Konerko 199
Derrek Lee 140
Alexei Ramirez 134
Jose Abreu 129
Aramis Ramirez 120

RBI

Name Total
Paul Konerko 234
Jose Abreu 159
Aramis Ramirez 158
Alexei Ramirez 140
Derrek Lee 134

Doubles Continue reading →

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iTunes Top 200 Artists: #138-150

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 artists in my iTunes library, featuring the songs I have listened to the most since 2007.  It is time to do so again, seeing which performers still resonate and if any newer ones have joined the fray.  So, without further ado, here are my most listened to artists, based on number of plays as of January 1, 2026.

We continue today with our next batch of ten artists, covering the genres of pop, alternative rock, and rap, stretching from the 1970s through 90s.

#150: Nine Inch Nails
iTunes stats: 75 plays
Previous ranking: #143

A 27% increase for Trent Reznor and company was fueled by 16 additional listens spread across three of the four songs I have in my collection.

#148: Billy Idol
iTunes stats: 76 plays
Previous ranking: #148

The 70s punk, who was a leader of the MTV-fueled second British Invasion in the early 80s, added 19 new listens to the three tracks in my collection, allowing him to stay perfectly even on the chart.

#148: Sponge
iTunes stats: 76 plays
Previous ranking: #140

The 90s alt rock band from Detroit added 16 new listens to the three tracks in my collection over these past five years.

#147: Led Zeppelin
iTunes stats: 77 plays
Previous ranking: #133

Originally formed in London in 1968, the quintessential rock band of the 1970s and noted musical thieves score fifteen new listens, a 24% increase.

#144: Janet Jackson
Continue reading →

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Brewers All Time Leaders – Through 2025

To paraphrase from a famous movie, the one constant through all the years has been baseball.  With a little more than a month until spring training camps open, we continue our look at the all-time leaders in both offensive and defensive categories for all 30 teams. Today, we take a deeper dive into the Milwaukee Brewers.

The Brewers began life in 1969, joining the American League as the Seattle Pilots.  After one year, they moved to Milwaukee and were re-christened the Brewers.  In 1998, the Brewers became the first team to switch leagues when they moved to the National League as the expansion Tampa Bay Devil Rays joined the American League.  I’ve seen 260 players don the Brewers uniforms in the 48 games of theirs that I’ve attended live, first in 1993 battling the White Sox at their old home of Milwaukee County Stadium and most recently last fall, battling the Cubs in the NLDS.

Home Runs

Name Total
Richie Sexson 4
Prince Fielder 4
Ryan Braun 4

Hits

Name Total
Ryan Braun 29
Prince Fielder 23
J.J. Hardy 19
Corey Hart 19

Runs

Name Total
Ryan Braun 14
Prince Fielder 14
J.J. Hardy 11
Rickie Weeks 11

RBI

Name Total
Ryan Braun 23
Prince Fielder 17
Richie Sexson 13

Doubles

Name Total
Prince Fielder 9
Corey Hart 6
Ryan Braun 6

Triples Continue reading →