Tag / Rangers

by admin

#57 – Herbert Perry

herbertName: Herbert Perry

Rank: 57

Position: 3B

Years With White Sox: 2000-2001

Herbert Perry joined the White Sox on April 21, 2000 after being selected off waivers from the Devil Rays.  Perry initially was a backup to Greg Norton, but solid defense and a hot bat led to him getting more and more playing time, eventually becoming the everyday third baseman as the White Sox cruised to their first Central Division title.  He finished the year with a .308 average, 12 home runs, and 61 RBIs.  Perry was one of the few White Sox regulars who continued to hit in the post-season, putting up a .444 average in the ALDS against the Mariners.

Injuries and the acquisition of Royce Clayton limited Perry to 92 games in 2001.  His average dropped to .256 and his home runs fell to 7.  After the season, he was traded to the Rangers for a player to be named later.

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

Continue reading →

by admin

2016 Final Standings

2016wsballThe World Series has come to an end and, with it, the magical 2016 baseball season that put the Cubs on top of the baseball world for the first time in 108 years.  I made it to 39 games this season, the same total as last season, but did not manage to visit any stadiums outside the city of Chicago.  Here are the final standings for those games and the 18 different teams I saw in person, through both the regular season and the playoffs.

2016 Team Records
Team Won Loss Winning Pctg
Los Angeles Angels 1 0 1.000
Boston Red Sox 1 0 1.000
Kansas City Royals 5 1 0.833
Chicago Cubs 6 2 0.750
Cleveland Indians 3 2 0.600
Chicago White Sox 17 15 0.531
Minnesota Twins 2 2 0.500
Toronto Blue Jays 1 1 0.500
Atlanta Braves 1 1 0.500
Baltimore Orioles 1 1 0.500
Detroit Tigers 1 2 0.333
Seattle Mariners 0 2 0.000
San Francisco Giants 0 2 0.000
Oakland Athletics 0 2 0.000
Los Angeles Dodgers 0 2 0.000
Tampa Bay Rays 0 1 0.000
Cincinnati Reds 0 1 0.000
Texas Rangers 0 2 0.000
by admin

RIP US Cellular Field

uscellular-fieldYesterday, US Cellular Field officially was rechristened as Guaranteed Rate Field, ending a 14 year run for the wireless telecom company as the naming rights holder for the home of the Chicago White Sox.  In that time, I saw 414 games at the park, including a Marlins home game in 2004 due to Hurricane Ivan and post-season play in 2000, 2005 and 2008.

All-Time Team Records
TeamName Won Loss Winning Pctg
Arizona Diamondbacks 1 0 1.000
Colorado Rockies 2 0 1.000
St. Louis Cardinals 1 0 1.000
Florida Marlins 3 1 0.750
New York Yankees 10 7 0.588
Boston Red Sox 13 10 0.565
Los Angeles Angels 16 13 0.552
Baltimore Orioles 11 9 0.550
Chicago White Sox 223 190 0.540
Kansas City Royals 23 20 0.535
Toronto Blue Jays 9 8 0.529
Cleveland Indians 20 18 0.526
Tampa Bay Devil Rays 1 1 0.500
Tampa Bay Rays 8 8 0.500
Washington Nationals 1 1 0.500
Anaheim Angels 1 1 0.500
Cincinnati Reds 1 1 0.500
San Diego Padres 1 1 0.500
Houston Astros 4 5 0.444
Oakland Athletics 6 8 0.429
Chicago Cubs 11 15 0.423
Detroit Tigers 13 19 0.406
Minnesota Twins 19 28 0.404
Texas Rangers 7 13 0.350
Atlanta Braves 2 5 0.286
Seattle Mariners 5 18 0.217
Pittsburgh Pirates 1 4 0.200
Los Angeles Dodgers 1 5 0.167
Milwaukee Brewers 0 2 0.000
Montreal Expos 0 1 0.000
Miami Marlins 0 2 0.000
by admin

2016 Predictions Revisited

baseballs2Six months ago, as the 2016 baseball season was scheduled to kick off, I made my annual predictions as to who would win what.  Now that the regular season has come to an end, it is time revisit those predictions and see what, if anything, I got right.

American League

East: Blue Jays

After winning their first division title since 1993 last year, I thought the Blue Jays had what it took to repeat.  I certainly didn’t see the Red Sox bouncing back from 2 straight last place finishes to take the AL East crown.

Central: Indians

My first correct prediction, as the Indians won their first division title since 2007.

West: Rangers

Another correct prediction, with the Rangers winning their second straight division title.

Wild Cards: Red Sox, White Sox

Well, I kind of flip-flopped the first two slots in the AL East, as the Blue Jays managed to take the first Wild Card slot.  The other pick looked good for the first 6 weeks of the season, as the White Sox sat at 23-10 before completely falling apart.  Instead, the Orioles took the second Wild Card slot, making it a good year for the AL East.

AL Champion: Blue Jays

Cy Young: Chris Sale

MVP: Mike Trout

All three of these may still be possible, with the Blue Jays still alive and Sale and Trout putting up superb numbers.

National League

Continue reading →

by admin

It’s The End Of The World As They Knew It

Over the last week, 3 perennial All Stars announced their retirement, either due to diminished skills, an upcoming outright release, or injury.  Yankee first baseman Mark Teixeira got things started last Friday when he held a press conference announcing he would retire at the end of the season.  The 36-year old, in the final year of his contract, has struggled this year after suffering numerous injuries over the past few seasons.  Teixeira started his career with the Rangers in 2003, before moving to the Braves and Angels before his long term deal with the Yankees, whom he helped lead to the 2009 World Series title.

2 days later, the Yankees held another press conference, this time announcing that Alex Rodriguez would play his final game tomorrow, after which he will be released.  The 41 year old was at one time considered to be the best player in the game, and perhaps of all time, but PED confessions, and a year long suspension that cost him the 2014 season, had left him as mostly a pariah.  As he struggled this year in limited playing time, the Yankees decided it was finally time to cut their loses.  Rodriguez came up with the Mariners in 1994, before signing record-setting deals with Texas and, finally, the Yankees.

Finally, Ranger first baseman Prince Fielder announced that he would no longer be able to play following his second spinal fusion surgery.  Fielder missed most of the 2014 season following his first surgery, but worked his way back to win the Comeback Player of the Year award last year.  This year did not fare as well for the slugger.  After debuting with the Brewers, Fielder also spent time with the Tigers before finishing his run with the Rangers.

Continue reading →

by admin

2016 All Star Break Standings

baseballs2As the baseball world turns its sights to San Diego for tomorrow night’s All Star Game, it’s time to take a look at the team records for the 18 games I attended in the first half of the baseball season, a mish-mash of excitement, followed by disappointment, giving way to uncertainty about what the second half will hold.

2016 Team Records
TeamName Won Loss Winning Pctg
Los Angeles Angels 1 0 1.000
Chicago Cubs 1 0 1.000
Boston Red Sox 1 0 1.000
Kansas City Royals 3 1 0.750
Cleveland Indians 2 1 0.667
Toronto Blue Jays 1 1 0.500
Atlanta Braves 1 1 0.500
Chicago White Sox 8 9 0.471
Texas Rangers 0 2 0.000
Minnesota Twins 0 2 0.000
Cincinnati Reds 0 1 0.000
by admin

#85 – Scott Fletcher

fletcherName: Scott Fletcher

Rank: 85

Position: SS/2B

Years With White Sox: 1983-1985, 1989-1991

Scott Fletcher first joined the White Sox on January 25, 1983 when he was acquired from the crosstown Cubs, along with Randy Martz, Pat Tabler, and Dick Tidrow, in exchange for Warren Brusstar and Steve Trout.  He split time at shortstop with Jerry Dybzinski for the 1983 squad, who ran away and hid with the Western Division title, their first post-season appearance since the 1959 World Series.  Fletcher appeared in 114 games, hitting only .237.  During the ALCS against the Orioles, he went hitless in 7 at bats across 3 games.

Fletcher became the primary shortstop in 1984 and saw his numbers improve.  His average jumped up to .250 while appearing in 149 games.  Despite the improvement, his job became less secure over the offseason, as the White Sox acquired a young shortstop named Ozzie Guillen.  When Guillen was named the starting shortstop for 1985 during spring training, Fletcher reacted poorly.  “Taking nothing away from the way Ozzie can play,” Fletcher said, “he hasn`t been that great to take the job away from me. He hasn`t just put it on fire and clearly won it.”  Despite the reduced playing time, Fletcher once again improved his numbers, with this average rising to .256 in only 301 at bats.

Following the 1985 season, Fletcher, along with Ed Correa and Jose Mota, was traded to the Rangers for Dave Schmidt and Wayne Tolleson.  He returned at the trade deadline in 1989, when he, along with Wilson Alvarez and Sammy Sosa, were acquired from the Rangers for Harold Baines and Fred Manrique.  With his former nemesis Ozzie Guillen entrenched at shortstop, Fletcher became the team’s starting second baseman.  He hit .272 for the White Sox after the trade, despite constant criticism from the fans who were angry at the loss of Baines.

1990 was the final season for the White Sox at Comiskey Park, and Scott Fletcher again manned second base for the suddenly contending team.  Ironically, Fletcher put up his worst numbers since 1983, the last time the team contended for a division title.  Across the street in the new Comiskey Park, Fletcher again saw diminished playing time as Joey Cora established himself as the everyday second baseman.  Appearing in only 90 games, his lowest total since getting cups of coffee with the Cubs in the early 80s, Fletcher’s average dropped to .206.  Following the season, he became a free agent.

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

Continue reading →

by admin

#87 – Carl Everett

everett-wsName: Carl Everett

Rank: 87

Position: DH/CF

Years With White Sox: 2003, 2004-2005

Carl Everett was acquired by the White Sox on July 1, 2003 from the Rangers for Frank Francisco, Josh Rupe, and Anthony Webster.  Two weeks later, he appeared in the All Star Game at his new home stadium, going 0-1 as one of 3 White Sox representatives.  Everett continued his all star ways in the second half, hitting .301 with 10 home runs after the trade, but the White Sox faded down the stretch and finished the year in second place.

After signing with the Expos as a free agent for the 2004 season, Everett was reacquired by the White Sox on July 18, two weeks after Frank Thomas went down with a broken left foot, for Gary Majewski and Jon Rauch.  In more limited playing time, Everett hit .266 with only 5 home runs and the White Sox again finished in second place.

With Thomas still recovering from his foot injury, Everett went into 2005 as the primary designated hitter.  He appeared in 135 games, hitting .251 with 23 home runs and 87 RBI.  Everett added 12 hits during the post-season as the White Sox won their first World Series title since 1917.  Following the season, Everett again left as a free agent.

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

Continue reading →

by admin

The (Sad) End Of An Era

john-danksJohn Danks, the longest tenured member of the White Sox heading in to the 2016 season, saw his White Sox career come to an end yesterday when the team announced he has been designated for assignment after refusing a minor league assignment.  Danks, who is 0-4 with a 7.25 ERA this season, is in the final season of his contract and is due $14.25 million this year.

Danks was acquired by the White Sox, along with Nick Masset, from the Rangers for Brandon McCarthy following the 2006 season.  He broke camp with the Sox in 2007 and made his major league debut on April 8, picking up the loss against the Twins at US Cellular Field.  Danks, along with the rest of the White Sox, struggled through 2007, finishing the year with a 6-13 record and a 5.50 ERA.

2008 was a different story for both the White Sox and Danks.  Posting a career-best 3.32 ERA, Danks finished the year at 12-9 and had quite possibly the best outing of his career in game 163, throwing 8 scoreless innings of 2 hit ball against the Twins to secure the Central Division title.  Less than a week later, he picked up the lone White Sox victory in the ALDS against the Rays.

Danks had continued success in both 2009 and 2010, combining for a 28-22 record over the two years, with an ERA in the 3.70s both years.  2011 went south for both the White Sox and John Danks, as his ERA jumped to 4.33 while manager Ozzie Guillen lost control of the team before leaving in the final week to head to the Marlins.  Following the season, the White Sox signaled their faith in Danks, signing him to a 5 year extension worth $65 million.

Danks struggled through 9 starts in 2012 before hitting the disabled list with a mysterious shoulder injury.  When he finally underwent surgery, doctors found a torn shoulder capsule.  Very few pitchers have undergone this surgery, and even fewer have successfully returned to the same level they were before the injury.

Sadly, Danks’ recovery did not happen as anyone would have wanted, though not for a lack of effort.  He returned in 2013, making 22 starts and going 4-14 with a 4.75 ERA.  2014 was more of the same, as his ERA was 4.74, though his record improved to 11-11.  And last year, again, saw Danks put up an ERA of 4.71 in 30 starts.

With the White Sox in contention after a successful April and John Danks earning half of the teams losses, being an innings eater was no longer good enough.  Unfortunately, the injury robbed him or what should have been his prime, and one hopes he can reinvent himself somewhere and continue his major league career.

by admin

FB2: Week 13

FB2_Week13My third straight week over 50,000 steps also saw my streak of days above goal hit 19 before falling by the wayside on Saturday.  The week got off to a decent start thanks to baseball on Sunday, where the White Sox completed their 3 game sweep of the Rangers.  Monday, my third consecutive over 10,000 steps, benefitted from some good weather, as I took a walk after work before checking out the newly-opened Five Guys in town.  Tuesday through Thursday were just your normal work days.  Friday was spent volunteering at Bernie’s Book Bank.  Saturday was a cold, rainy day, which is why I failed to reach 6000 steps.

Total steps: 50,666

Daily average: 7238