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Sweet 16

Despite an off day, the White Sox saw their magic number to clinch the AL Central division drop to 16 yesterday thanks to the Orioles defeating the Guardians 6-4 in Baltimore.  The White Sox start a three-game series at home tonight against the Pirates, while the Guardians continue their battle with the Orioles.

The 2026 White Sox sit with 75 wins, the most in MLB history for a team coming off of at least three straight 100-loss seasons.  They are looking to become the first team to ever make the post-season after two straight 100-loss seasons.

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Fitbit 12 – Week 33

The good times keep rolling as I surpassed my daily goal twice and finished above 40,000 steps for the twelfth straight week.  Things got off to a nice start on Sunday thanks to a morning walk and a trip to Wrigley Field to pick up a Harry Caray bobblehead, leaving me 16 steps shy of 8800.  Thanks to an early morning eye doctor appointment on Monday, I fell back a bit, ending up 23 steps away from 5600.  A quiet Tuesday left me a mere 6 steps short of 6500.  Colonoscopy prep, and the requisite trips to the facilities, on Wednesday pushed me back over my daily goal, ending with 7900 steps.  Said colonoscopy limited me to 4400 steps on Thursday.  Friday bounced back in a big way, finishing with 7000 steps on the nose.  A return to Rate Field for my first game of September on Saturday wrapped up the week with 7200 steps.

Total steps: 47,454

Daily average: 6779.1

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It’s Only 17

Thanks to a 10-1 victory over the Twins last night, the White Sox saw their magic number to clinch the AL Central division drop to 17.  While the White Sox are idle today, the Guardians battle the Orioles this afternoon.

The 2026 White Sox sit with 75 wins, the most in MLB history for a team coming off of at least three straight 100-loss seasons.  They are looking to become the first team to ever make the post-season after two straight 100-loss seasons.

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You Ought To Be In (14) Pictures

Many years ago, using the weekly TV guide that came with the Sunday Chicago Tribune, I started keeping track of all of the movies I had seen over the course of my lifetime.  The guide would list the two main stars for each movie, and that is a tradition that I’ve carried on in my database ever since.  Given those guidelines, it is time once again to look at the now 111 actors that have starred in at least 10 films that I have seen, as of August 1.

We continue today with the six actors that have starred in exactly fourteen movies that I have seen, a decrease of three from three years ago.

Morgan Freeman

The first film I saw starring Morgan Freeman was the Kevin Costner vehicle Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves.  Starting in 2000, he put together a six-year streak that covered eight films.  My biggest Freeman years were 2000, 2005, and 2008, when I saw him in two films each.  After a five-year layoff, he returned in 2020, starring in 2019’s Angel Has Fallen.

Woody Harrelson

In 1992, I headed to the theaters to see White Men Can’t Jump, where I first encountered Woody Harrelson in film.  That was followed by six more films between 1994 and 2000, after which there was a long lull.  Harrelson came back in to my world in 2008, then added two more in 2010.  His most recent appearance came in 2024, when I saw 2017’s War For the Planet of the Apes.

Anna Kendrick

Kendrick, who packed nine films into just three years, started in 2016, when Pitch Perfect 2 was the first of four films I saw starring her.  She followed that up with another four in 2017, an additional two in 2018, and single outings in 2019 and 2021 and again in 2024 and 2025, when I watched her in Another Simple Favor.

Adam Sandler

2011’s Just Go With It, which I saw in 2013, is still my most current exposure to Sandler’s work.

Christian Slater

The last film of Slater’s that I saw was Alone In The Dark, all the way back in 2006.

John Travolta

The last starring role of Travolta’s that I saw was the 2009 remake of The Taking Of Pelham 123, which I saw in 2010.

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18 To Go

Despite losing to the Twins last night, the White Sox saw their magic number to clinch the AL Central division drop to 18 thanks to the Tigers holding on against the Guardians, winning 6-0.  With the loss, the Guardians fall out of the final Wild Card spot.

The 2026 White Sox sit with 74 wins, the most in MLB history for a team coming off of at least three straight 100-loss seasons.  They are looking to become the first team to ever make the post-season after two straight 100-loss seasons.

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The Railyards

Canal Edge, a Chicago-based developer led by future White Sox owner Justin Ishbia, used the lucrative Saturday morning of Labor Day weekend to release plans for a potential new stadium as part of a larger development across the Chicago River from the South Loop neighborhood known as The 78.  The site, currently a maintenance yard for Amtrak, was purchased by Ishbia’s private equity firm earlier this year.

Calling the space The Railyards, a new White Sox stadium would join a previously announced healthcare complex.  The stadium would sit alongside the river, stretching from Roosevelt Road in the north to 18th Street in the south, and bordered with the river on its east side and Canal Street to its west.  McDonald’s Park, the new stadium under construction for the Fire, would sit directly across the river.

In a statement, Canal Edge noted it is “currently beginning a multi-month study and feasibility review evaluating a range of factors from transportation to environmental impact. If feasible, this plan could be presented to Chicago White Sox leadership for consideration as one of the team’s ballpark options when its current lease in the state-owned ballpark ends.”  The team’s lease with the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority for Rate Field ends following the 2029 season, which just happens to be the first year Ishbia could contractually buy out current White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf and take full control of the franchise.

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Book 48 (of 52) – Hot Girl Murder Club

Hot Girl Murder Club – Ashley Winstead

Ten years after a young starlet’s sister was murdered at a famous Hollywood Christmas party, she and her best friend work behind the scenes to help troubled women escape from the bothersome men who keep them down.  When she is framed for murders, it leads her to the truth of who murdered her sister and why and brings her secret society out into the open.

Ashley Winstead’s latest, Hot Girl Murder Club, builds off of the #metoo movement from both sides, one working silently behind the scenes to help women advance and one working out in the open and trying to bring down the worst of the worst, no matter the cost.  This was another good time, so I look forward to whatever comes next from Winstead.

 

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Going Back To School?

In March, Trey Kaufman-Renn wrapped up his college basketball career, finishing with 1,655 points, averaging 11.3 over his 147 career games across his four seasons with Purdue.  In June, he was selected in the second round of the NBA draft by the Timberwolves and spent the summer playing for their Summer League team. What he has not done, however, is sign a professional contract.

Earlier this week, he filed a lawsuit against the NCAA looking for a sixth season of NCAA eligibility and asking a judge to prevent the NCAA from hindering him from enrolling, practicing or competing for an NCAA program.  The NCAA adopted a new five-year eligibility model in June, effectively replacing the old system that lets athletes play four seasons in a five-year window.  Under this new model, Kaufman-Ren has exhausted his eligibility, having redshirted during the 2021-22 season after suffering a knee injury.  His argument, however, is not simply that he deserves another season because of his injury, but that he is being excluded from a new benefit granted to other athletes.  He is challenging where the NCAA drew the line when it made the transition to its new eligibility structure.

Assuming he is successful, would he return to Purdue?  It doesn’t seem likely, as the team added three front court transfers along with the returning players already under scholarship.  They are also currently sitting with 16 players on their roster, one over the NCAA limit, although three walk-ons are grandfathered in.

How will this all play out?  Only time will tell, and with the 2026-2027 season starting in about two months, there is not a lot of time to get this all resolved.

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Playoffs Part The Second

With less than four weeks remaining in the 2026 season, both Chicago teams are primed to be heading to the postseason for the first time since 2020.  The Cubs got the ticketing process started a few weeks back and the White Sox joined the fray earlier this week.

Holding a three-game lead over the Guardians for the AL Central crown, the White Sox sent out post-season invoices to their season ticket holders on Monday for the first time since 2021.  Thanks to what I assume to be operational incompetence, I have no idea what tickets I would be getting, but it appears as though I would retain my normal seats.

The White Sox currently sit as the second seed in the American League, giving them the inside slot for a first-round bye.  The Guardians currently hold a one and a half game lead for the final Wild Card slot, so, even if they fall off for the division, they look to have a good path to the postseason, barring a huge collapse.

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Fitbit 12 – Week 32

Still another great week, as I surpassed my daily goal once and finished above 40,000 steps for the eleventh straight week.  Things got off to a nice start on Sunday thanks to a morning walk, which left me with 6200 steps.  Monday pushed things up to 6600 steps.  A quiet Tuesday left me with 6400 steps.  More of the same on Wednesday, ending the day back up at 6600 steps.  A slight improvement on Thursday pushed me up to 6700 steps.  Friday turned out to be the best day of the week, finishing 34 steps shy of 9400.  Saturday wrapped up the week needing just 13 additional steps to reach 5200.

Total steps: 47,260

Daily average: 6751.4