As we head in to the All Star break, it’s time to take a look at the team records for the 17 games I attended in the first half of the baseball season.
| Team | Won | Loss | Winning Pctg |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York Yankees | 2 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Kansas City Royals | 2 | 0 | 1.000 |
| San Francisco Giants | 1 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Cleveland Indians | 1 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Arizona Diamondbacks | 1 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Tampa Bay Rays | 1 | 1 | 0.500 |
| San Diego Padres | 1 | 1 | 0.500 |
| Chicago Cubs | 1 | 1 | 0.500 |
| Chicago White Sox | 6 | 10 | 0.375 |
| Seattle Mariners Continue reading → |
Name: Danny Darwin
Rank: 224
Position: P
Year With White Sox: 1997
41-year old Danny Darwin signed with the White Sox for his 20th big league season on February 7, 1997. Darwin was 4-8 with a 4.13 ERA in 17 starts for a White Sox squad that found itself only 3 1/2 games out of first place in the AL Central on July 31. Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf did not see a bright future for the team, however, and allowed general manager Ron Schueler to pull the trigger on what would become known as the “White Flag” trade, sending Darwin, along with Wilson Alvarez and Roberto Hernandez, to the Giants in exchange for Keith Foulke, Bob Howry, Lorenzo Barcelo, Ken Vining, Mike Caruso, and Brian Manning.
Darwin called it “one of the most bizarre trades I’ve ever seen” and predicted that future free agents may think twice about joining the South Siders. “If they need one or two players to get over the hump, it may hurt them in the future,” Darwin said. “I think (the trade) will be in the back of some guys’ minds–`Do I want to go over there?’ You hear (Reinsdorf) say: `You’ve got to be crazy to think we’re going to catch Cleveland.’ Do you want to play for someone like that?”
Darwin’s numbers in a White Sox uniform were:
Stadium Name: Dodger Stadium
Location: Los Angeles
Home Team: Dodgers
Years in Service: 1962 – Present
Visits: 1
Following the 1957 season, the Dodgers fled Brooklyn and headed west to California, landing in Los Angeles. The team played in the LA Coliseum while they built a new stadium at Chavez Ravine. In 1962, 3 years after breaking ground, Dodger Stadium opened as the Reds topped the Dodgers in the season opener.
The following year, the Dodgers won their first World Series in their new home. Between 1962 and 1965, Sandy Koufax threw three no hitters at the stadium, including a perfect game against the Cubs. Four home runs have been hit out of Dodger Stadium, two of which were hit by Pirate great Willie Stargell.
Dodger Stadium is currently the third oldest park still in use, behind Fenway Park and Wrigley Field. Two weeks ago, I made my first visit to the stadium to see the second home game of the 2014 slate, with the Dodgers taking on their long time rival Giants. Thanks to traffic, I didn’t get to my seat until the 4th inning, by which point the Giants had secured a substantial lead. I sprung for decent seats, which put me down on the lower level. One odd thing about those lower sections were the aisles, which are so narrow that people could only go in one direction at a time. I did also manage to score a fabled Dodger Dog, or at least the all beef version of it. I hope to make it back some day for a repeat performance.
We left off yesterday with me in a rental car leaving San Diego behind and heading towards the city of Angels. The plan was to stop at Dodger Stadium on the way to my hotel and take in an afternoon matchup between the Dodgers and the Giants. I’d given myself 3 hours to make the 2 hour drive so I would have time to get to the stadium and acclimate myself before the game started. Trip Issue #3! Things were smooth sailing until I got closer to LA, when traffic started to swell. All told, the 2 hour drive ended up taking closer to 4, and I arrived in my seat during the 4th inning, by which time the Dodgers had fallen far behind. One Dodger Dog later and many Giant home runs later, the game was over and I found my way to Glendale and the local Hilton, which would be my home for the next 4 days.
Saturday night, in search of a nice dinner, I headed out for a drive and decided to just wing it. Somehow I ended up driving through Griffith Park and seeing some of the sights, but I didn’t find anything interesting as far as food went. Eventually I ended up back at the hotel, where I caught the end of the Wisconsin loss in the NCAA tournament along with a tasty hamburger at the hotel bar.
Sunday was the only day I didn’t have anything specific planned, so, after a morning walk to the local Starbucks for a nice breakfast, I headed down to Hollywood to check out the Walk of Fame and to get a good look at the famous Hollywood sign. To be honest, the Walk of Fame was mostly creepy, other than the block or so around Hollywood and Highland, where Jimmy Kimmel’s theater is located. I tracked down all of the Muppet-related stars and a few others of interest, including Ricardo Montalban, Mister Rogers, and George Takei. Continue reading →
The 2014 baseball season is scheduled to officially kick off tonight, last week’s trip to Australia not withstanding. For the fourth consecutive year, I’ve looked into the crystal ball to make my picks for the upcoming season.
East: Rays
Central: Tigers
West: Angels
Wild Cards: Red Sox, Rangers
AL Champion: Tigers
Cy Young: David Price
MVP: Mike Trout
East: Nationals
Central: Cardinals
West: Dodgers
Wild Cards: Braves, Giants
NL Champion: Dodgers
Cy Young: Stephen Strasburg
MVP: Jason Heyward
Another exciting baseball season is upon us, and it is time once again to look at the all-time team records for games that I have attended. Some changes from last year:
– A horrible 2013 dropped the winning percentage for the White Sox 9 points.
– The Miami Marlins join the roster of teams I have seen in person
All-Time Team Records
| TeamName | Won | Loss | Winning Pctg |
|---|---|---|---|
| California Angels | 1 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Arizona Diamondbacks | 12 | 2 | 0.857 |
| Florida Marlins | 15 | 8 | 0.652 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 10 | 6 | 0.625 |
| Toronto Blue Jays | 9 | 6 | 0.600 |
| Chicago White Sox | 220 | 187 | 0.541 |
| Tampa Bay Rays | 7 | 6 | 0.538 |
| Colorado Rockies | 7 | 6 | 0.538 |
| Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim | 15 | 13 | 0.536 |
| New York Yankees | 9 | 8 | 0.529 |
| Chicgao Cubs | 191 | 170 | 0.529 |
| Continue reading → |
Name: Alan Embree
Rank: 255
Position: P
Year With White Sox: 2001
Alan Embree came to the White Sox via trade with the Giants on June 29, 2001. Embree struggled with the White Sox, putting up a 5.03 ERA in 39 appearances after the trade. Following the season, he left as a free agent.
Embree rejoined the White Sox organization in 2010, when he signed a minor league contract with the team on May 10th. The then-40 year old Embree allowed 16 baserunners in 7 1/3 innings and was released on May 28th without getting called up to the major leagues.
Embree’s numbers in a White Sox uniform, both for games I attended and overall, were:
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The BBWAA ballots have been counted and Greg Maddux, Frank Thomas, and Tom Glavine have been elected as to the Hall of Fame. Maddux lead the pack with 97.2% of the vote, followed by his former Braves teammate Glavine with 91.9%. Thomas finished third with 83.7% of the vote. Narrowly missing induction, with 74.8% of the vote (the Hall of Fame does not round up) was Craig Biggio.
Maddux, of course, got his start with the Cubs, whom he helped lead to the 1989 NL East title. He won the first of his 4 consecutive NL Cy Young awards with the North Siders in 1992 before being allowed to leave as a free agent by GM Larry Himes. Maddux signed with the Braves, where he continued to dominate and helped lead Atlanta to the 1995 World Series championship. After 11 seasons, he returned to the Cubs in 2004. He defeated the Giants in August of that year to win his 300th game and, in July of 2005, he struck out his 3000th batter. In 2006, with the Cubs far out of contention, he was traded to the Dodgers for their stretch run. For 2007, Maddux signed with the Padres, where he spent the next year and a half before being traded back to the Dodgers for another stretch run. After the Dodgers were bounced from the playoffs, Maddux announced his retirement.
Frank Thomas was the first round draft pick of the White Sox in the 1989 draft, and made his debut for the White Sox the following year. Thomas won the AL MVP award in 1993 while leading the White Sox to their final AL West title. Thomas repeated as MVP in 1994, putting up a .353 average with 38 homers and 101 RBIs in the strike-shortened season. In 1997, Thomas won the AL batting title and finished third in the MVP race. After two substandard seasons, at least for him, Thomas rebounded in 2000, leading the White Sox to the AL Central title and narrowly losing the MVP award to a juiced-up Jason Giambi. Thomas struggled with injuries after that, appearing in only 20 games in 2001, 74 games in 2004, and 34 games in 2005. He spent the entire post-season on the disabled list as the White Sox won their first World Series in 88 years. Following that year, the White Sox cut ties with Thomas and he headed out west to play for the A’s. In his first game back in Chicago as a visiting player, Thomas homered twice. Thomas spent 2007 and the start of 2008 with the Blue Jays, before finishing the season, and his career, back with the A’s.
I have been witness to milestones for all 3 enshrined players. I was at Wrigley Field when Greg Maddux made his first attempt at winning his 300th game against the Phillies, the start before he won it on the road against the GIants. I was there the next season for the rain delayed night game where he would strike out his 3000th batter, again against the Giants. I was in Shea Stadium for Tom Glavine’s first appearance as a New York Met, which did not turn out well for him. 4 years later, I was at Wrigley Field for a Sunday night matchup where things worked out better for him as he defeated the Cubs for his 300th victory.
Thomas is now the Hall of Famer I have seen in action more than any other. I was at his first return appearance as a member of the A’s, where, before the first of his 2 home runs, he was treated to a standing ovation. An ovation which panned the crowd and found me amongst the masses, which I happened to notice that night on Baseball Tonight and now lives on as part of the White Sox Memories DVD. I first saw Thomas play in his rookie year of 1990 and caught 66 of his games over the years. I was there when he threw out the first pitch before the 2005 ALDS Game 1 against the Red Sox and in 2010 when his number 35 was retired.
Maddux, Thomas, and Glavine’s numbers in games I attended were:
The BBWAA released their ballot for the Hall of Fame class of 2014. The results of the vote are due to be revealed on January 8th, with induction taking place next July. After nobody was elected in last year’s voting, the new ballot contains 17 holdovers along with 19 newcomers, which may start to cause a bit of a problem. The current BBWAA rules limit the number of votes on one ballot to 10, and there may be more than 10 deserving candidates. As they start to pile up, and even more deserving candidates become eligible, the BBWAA and the Hall may find themselves with a mess on their hands.
Yesterday, we looked at the returning candidates. Now it’s time to move on to the newcomers.
Moises Alou
The 6-time All Star had a very good career, but not one worthy of the Hall of Fame. He might get enough support to stick on the ballot for a few years, but not much beyond that.
Armando Benitez
I can’t imagine Benitez getting any votes, let alone enough to make a second go around on the ballot.
Sean Casey
The long-time Red had a fine career a will likely pick up one or two votes, but I expect this to be his only appearance on the ballot.
Ray Durham
Another one and done situation for the 2-time All Star.
Eric Gagne
Gagne seemed destined for the Hall after he won the 2003 Cy Young award in the midst of his record setting 84 consecutive saves. Arm troubles and inclusion in the Mitchell Report derailed his career, and will likely doom any HOF chances he had.
Tom Glavine
There is no question that Glavine, on the strength of his 305 career wins, will make the Hall. It is just a matter of when, as some voters may want for him to have to wait a year before gaining entry. If he were to make it this year, it would likely be a pretty special summer for Braves fans. On a personal level, Glavine is the only pitcher I’ve seen get his 300th win in person, after Roger Clemens and Greg Maddux faltered when I saw them at 299.
Luis Gonzalez
Over 2500 hits and 350 home runs would seem to make Gonzalez a pretty decent candidate for enshrinement. The hint of PED use, though never proven, will likely hold him back.
Jacque Jones
No.
Todd Jones
NO.
Jeff Kent Continue reading →
Stadium Name: Comiskey Park
Location: Chicago
Home Team: White Sox
Years in Service: 1910 – 1990
Visits: 12 (that I’m aware of)
Comiskey Park, the so-called Baseball Palace of the World, was the home of the White Sox from 1910 through the 1990 season. Built on a former city dump at the corner of 35th Street and Shields Avenue, the stadium opened as White Sox Park on July 1, 1910, as the White Sox lost to the St. Louis Browns 2-0. In 1913, owner Charles Comiskey renamed the stadium after himself, and Comiskey Park was born. From 1962 until 1975, the White Sox Park name was officially re-establshed, as new ownership groups tried to separate themselves from the Comiskey name. However, Bill Veeck, in his second tour of duty as owner of the White Sox, put the Comiskey Park name back on the stadium in 1976, where it remained until 1990. The final game for the old ballyard occurred on September 30, 1990, a 2-1 victory over the Mariners.
Comiskey Park was the host for 4 World Series contests, including 3 in a row from 1917-1919. The White Sox won the World Series in 1917 against the New York Giants. The Cubs, looking for a larger seating capacity, moved their home games in the 1918 series against the Red Sox to Comiskey Park. The 1919 World Series, of course, was the Black Sox scandal, where the White Sox threw the series against the Reds. The White Sox returned to the World Series 40 years later in 1959, but fell to the Dodgers. The final post-season games to be played in Comiskey Park were games 3 and 4 of the 1983 ALCS, which the White Sox lost to the Baltimore Orioles.
Comiskey Park was also the host to 3 All-Star games. The first All-Star game ever, in 1933, was held in conjunction with Century of Progress Exposition being held on Chicago’s lakefront. The event returned to Chicago’s south side in 1950. The final All-Star game at Comiskey Park was in 1983, the 50th anniversary of the first game. Comiskey Park was also the frequent home of the Negro League East-West All-Star Game from 1933 to 1960.
In addition to White Sox baseball, Comiskey Park was also the home to the Chicago American Giants of the Negro Leagues, the Chicago Cardinals of the NFL, and the Chicago Sting of the NASL. Comiskey Park also hosted numerous boxing matches, including the 1937 heavyweight title match where Joe Louis defeated then champion James J. Braddock. The Beatles played two concerts at Comiskey Park in August of 1965. Other musical acts to perform there include Aerosmith, AC/DC, The Eagles, The Police, Simon & Garfunkel, and The Jacksons, who performed 3 shows during their Victory tour in October of 1984.
Looking back, I’ve been able to piece together evidence of 12 games that I attended at Comiskey Park. I know there are more, but I have not been able to pinpoint exact games yet. The most memorable game I can remember would be the final night game, on September 29, 1990, where, after the game, the lights were symbolically turned off for the final time.