Tag / White Sox

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2025 All Star Break Standings

We reach the traditional (if not numerical) midpoint of the 2025 baseball season as the Midsummer Classic lands in Atlanta for the third time.  As the stars of the baseball world gather at Truist Park for tonight’s showdown, it’s time to take a look at the team records for the 23 games, featuring 57% of the teams in the league, that I attended in the first half of the baseball season.

2025 Team Records

Team Name Won Loss Winning Pctg
Chicago Cubs 3 0 1.000
St. Louis Cardinals 2 0 1.000
Toronto Blue Jays 2 0 1.000
Houston Astros 1 0 1.000
Arizona Diamondbacks 1 0 1.000
Cleveland Guardians 2 1 0.667
Miami Marlins 1 1 0.500
Boston Red Sox 1 1 0.500
Kansas City Royals 1 1 0.500
Chicago White Sox 9 12 0.429
Milwaukee Brewers 0 1 0.000
San Diego Padres 0 1 0.000
Colorado Rockies 0 1 0.000
San Francisco Giants 0 1 0.000
Seattle Mariners 0 1 0.000
Texas Rangers 0 1 0.000
Los Angeles Angels 0 1 0.000
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iTunes Top 200: #3

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 continue this week with the third most popular song in my collection, which became a sports staple in 1977 thanks to an organist on the south side of Chicago.

#3: Steam – Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye
iTunes stats: 215 plays, most recently on 10/16/2019
Previous ranking: #3

Originally written as a blues shuffle in the early 1960s, the song was recorded and released in 1969 by the then-fictitious band called Steam.  It reached #1 for two weeks in December, finishing as Billboard’s final multi-week number 1 hit of the 1960s.  The song got a second life in 1977, thanks to the South Side Hitmen and their organist, Nancy Faust.  With the White Sox hitting the cover off the ball and finding themselves in a surprising first place, Faust started playing the song after home runs.  Eventually, she also started playing it when the opposing pitcher was chased from the game.

The song became a hit once again, and Faust was awarded a RIAA gold record from Mercury Records to acknowledge her contributions.  It was a mainstay at Comiskey Park and its successors until Faust’s retirement in 2010.  Post-COVID, a recording of the song still makes the occasional appearance, though not as often as in Faust’s heyday.  The high play total is a result of the songs inclusion on every iteration of my White Sox victory playlists.

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And Print It!

Former Cubs manager Lee Elia, who became an infamous part of baseball history following an epic rant in 1983, passed away Tuesday just shy of his 88th birthday.  Born in Philadelphia, Elia spent all of his short major league career in Chicago, in 1966 with the White Sox and in 1968 with the Cubs.  Following the end of his playing career, Elia was a coach for the Phillies in 1980 and 1981 under manager Dallas Green.  When Green was hired by the Tribune Company to be their new executive vice president and general manager for the recently acquired Cubs, he hired Elia to be the team’s new manager.

With an influx of former Phillies on the roster, the Cubs finished 73-89 in 1982, their first season under Elia.  1983 didn’t start much better and, after a tough 4-3 loss to the Dodgers dropped them to a 5-14 record on April 29th, Keith Moreland and Larry Bowa were verbally assaulted by a fan.  In his cramped office, with a small number of reporters peppering him with questions, Elia went off.  in his tirade, Elia had plenty to say about the denizens who took in day baseball every day.

What … what the fuck am I supposed to do? Go out there and let my fuckin’ players get destroyed every day, and be quiet about it? For the fuckin’ nickel/dime people that show up? The motherfuckers don’t even work! That’s why they’re out at the fuckin’ game! They ought to get a fuckin’ job and find out what it’s like to go out and earn a fuckin’ living. Eighty-five percent of the fuckin’ world is working. The other fifteen come out here.

Surprisingly, Elia survived the ordeal, but not the season.  He was fired on August 22nd after saying he had never heard of a Braves rookie, Gerald Perry, who had just gone 4-for-9 with a home run and six RBI in a three-game sweep.  Elia returned to the Phillies organization, managing in the minor leagues and rejoining the big-league club’s coaching staff.  In 1987, he was named manager of the Phillies, going 51-50 after taking over the club.  He was retained for 1988, but a 65–96 record and a last place finish in the NL East led to his dismissal.

Regardless of his success, or lack thereof, on the diamond, he will always be a baseball immortal thanks to his off-the-cuff remarks on a late April afternoon in the bowels of Wrigley Field.

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iTunes Top 200: #4

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 continue this week with the fourth highest ranked song, a sing-a-long classic and the oldest composition on this list which has notched 242 plays since my stats began in late 2007.

#3: Harry Caray – Take Me Out To The Ballgame
iTunes stats: 242 plays, most recently on 9/27/2024
Previous ranking: #5

First written in 1908, Take Me Out to the Ball Game was popularized through many vaudeville acts and is considered one of the three-most recognizable songs in the country, although most people today have only heard the chorus.  It is thought to have first been played at a ballpark in 1934 and made an appearance later that year in Game 4 of the World Series.

Harry Caray joined the White Sox broadcast booth in 1971, becoming popular with the South Side faithful and enjoying a reputation for joviality and public carousing.  Returning owner Bill Veeck, knowing that Caray would sing along to Take Me Out To The Ballgame in the broadcast booth during the Seventh Inning Stretch, wanted Caray to lead the crowd in stadium-wide event.  Early in the 1976 season, Veeck secretly installed a public address microphone into the broadcast booth and turned it on once organist Nancy Faust started playing the song.  Caray initially did not want to do it, but, as Veeck explained, “Anybody in the ballpark hearing you sing Take Me Out to the Ball Game knows that he can sing as well as you can. Probably better than you can. So he or she sings along. Hell, if you had a good singing voice, you’d intimidate them, and nobody would join in.”  Caray finally agreed to sing it live, accompanied by Faust on the organ, and went on to become famous for singing the tune.

This version features Caray and Faust and comes from a YouTube video compilation of Caray’s performances from the late 1970s.  While Caray left the White Sox following the 1981 season and passed away in 1998, I still include the song on my White Sox victory playlists, attributing to its high play total.

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There Goes The Boom

Bobby Jenks, the man standing on the pitcher’s mound when the White Sox got the final out of the 2005 World Series, passed away yesterday in Portugal, near his wife’s family, after battling a form of stomach cancer.  Jenks, who turned 44 in March, was diagnosed with Stage 4 adenocarcinoma in January, just weeks after losing his home to the Palisades wildfires.

Jenks joined the White Sox organization following the 2004 season, after being selected off waivers from the Angels.  He started 2005 in Double A and was called up to the big-league club on July 5, making his major league debut the following day.  When Shingo Takatsu proved ineffective and Dustin Hermanson went down with a back injury, Jenks became the closer in September, finishing the regular season with six saves.  In the ALDS against the Red Sox, he threw three scoreless innings and picked up two saves in the three-game sweep.  Thanks to four consecutive complete games to finish the ALCS against the Angels, Jenks was well rested for the World Series.  He appeared in all four games against the Astros, throwing five innings and earning the save in Games 1 and 4.

He spent the next five seasons with the White Sox, making two All-Star teams and continuing to endear himself to White Sox fans.  In 2007, he tied a major league record by retiring 41 consecutive batters, becoming the first reliever to achieve the feat.  After the 2010 season, he left as a free agent, but injuries and a botched surgery ended his career.  He returned to Chicago in 2024, serving as the manager of the Windy City Thunderbolts independent team.

Next weekend, the White Sox are celebrating the 20th anniversary of that World Series team.  Jenks had been planning to attend, reportedly telling his doctors not to schedule any appointments for him in early July, but unfortunately it was not to be.

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

Continue reading →

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Historic Games

With Vinny Capra and the White Sox falling victim to Clayton Kershaw on Wednesday night, giving him his 3000th career strikeout, I decided to take a look back at the historic games I’ve attended over the years.  Here is part one, featuring six games where an individual hit a career plateau or a team clinched a division title.

June 30, 1998 – Diamondbacks 4, Cubs 3

Sammy Sosa had broken the June record for home runs nine days earlier, surpassing the fifteen previously reached by Babe Ruth, Bob Johnson, Roger Maris, and Pedro Guerrero.  In the 8th inning of the final game of the month, Sosa connected against Alan Embree for his 20th home run of the month, setting the record not just for June, but for any month of the season.

September 27, 2003 – Cubs 7, Pirates 2

After winning the first game of a double header against the Pirates, the Cubs were in position to clinch at least a portion of their first Central Division title heading into the nightcap.  After the second-place Astros lost their game, a victory would give the Cubs the championship.  They jumped on Pirates starter Ryan Vogelsong early, scoring six runs in his 1 1/3 innings of work.  Dave Veres induced former Cub José Hernández to ground into a double play to wrap up the victory.

July 26, 2005 – Giants 3, Cubs 2

Following a nearly three-hour rain delay, Greg Maddux took the mound against the Giants sitting on 2998 strikeouts for his career.  In the third inning, Giants shortstop Omar Vizquel stepped up to the plate. With a 2-2 count, Maddux unleashed a sinker that Vizquel flinched away from, taking a third strike as the ball drifted back over the plate.  Maddux, who finished the game with three strikeouts, became just the 13th pitcher to reach 3000 strikeouts and the ninth to also have surpassed 300 victories.

August 5, 2007 – Mets 8, Cubs 3

On a warm Sunday night in Chicago, Tom Glavine took the mound for the Mets, sitting at 299 career victories.  The 41-year-old lefty tossed 6 1/3 innings, giving up just two runs to secure the win and his place in history.  Glavine became only the 23rd pitcher, and just the fifth southpaw, to reach the 300-win plateau.

September 16, 2007 – White Sox 9, Angels 3

Sitting at 499 home runs, Jim Thome entered the Sunday series finale, which just so happened to be Jim Thome bobblehead day, looking to reach 500 in Chicago.  With the score tied at seven in the bottom of the ninth, Thome came to the plate with a runner on first.  Having gone 0-4 to that point, Thome took Dustin Moseley to a 3-2 count before launching the walk-off milestone home run.  He became the 23rd major leaguer to reach the 500 home run mark and the third to do so in 2007.  He was the first slugger to reach the milestone with a walk-off.

September 30, 2008 – White Sox 1, Twins 0

After winning a makeup game against the Tigers to force a tie in the AL Central after 162 games, the White Sox took the field against the Twins in a tiebreaker to determine who would move on to the playoffs.  The Twins looked to strike first following a double by Michael Cuddyer to lead off the fifth inning, but a throw home by Ken Griffey Jr. nailed Cuddyer trying to score on a fly out to center field, ending the threat.  The game remained scoreless until the seventh, when Jim Thome blasted a home run to straight away centerfield.  Bobby Jenks came in to close down the game and the White Sox won their second division title in four years.

 

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Fitbit XI – Week 23

Yet another good week, as I managed to extend my 30,000-step weeks streak to seven. The week got off to a slow start on Sunday, garnering just 3300 steps. Monday saw a nice increase, needing just 18 additional steps to reach 3900.  An autograph session with Bo Jackson followed by an exciting White Sox baseball game on Tuesday pushed me up to 6300 steps.  A single step is all that stood between me and 3800 steps on Wednesday.  A nice bounce back on Thursday left me with 4100 steps.  Another increase on Friday pushed me up to 4400 steps.  A trip to the ballpark on Saturday ended the week on a high note with 6800 steps.

Total steps: 32,784

Daily average: 4683.4

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iTunes Top 200: #5

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.

Today, we move up to the fifth most listened to song in my library, with 182 plays since my stats began in late 2007. It is the top ranked instrumental and also the top ranked soundtrack entry.

#5: Klaus Badelt – He’s A Pirate
iTunes stats: 182 plays, most recently on 9/27/2024
Previous ranking: #4

Klaus Badelt was a relatively new composer when Hans Zimmer recommended him for Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.  That score earned him the ASCAP Award for Top Box Office Film.  He’s A Pirate is the final track of the score, played at the beginning of the end credits.

Starting with the 2005 season, the White Sox incorporated the song into their game presentation, using it along with a string of highlights on the video board at the beginning of each game, leading into Thunderstruck as the team takes the field.  The song remained in use through the 2012 season, when it was replaced with a generic sound-a-like that never really caught on.  The song had a long run on my White Sox victory play lists, but has been removed in recent versions, which accounts for the drop seen here, from 4th place down to 5th.

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It Has Indeed Been A While

As we hit the halfway point of the 2025 season, I’ve seen fourteen teams already this year, just under half of the league.  Stretching back to the start of 2024, that number jumps to 25, which leaves a quarter of the teams I’ve not seen in quite some time.

Of the remaining five, the Nationals hold the top stop, as it has been over four years now since I have seen them live and in person.  The Twins are the biggest surprise, since going two plus seasons without seeing a division rival is pretty rare. I do have the opportunity to add each of these five teams to this season’s slate in the second half.  Anyway, here’s a look at each team and the last time I saw them play.

Most Recent Game By Team

Team Date
Washington Nationals 5/19/2021
New York Yankees 5/15/2022
Minnesota Twins 10/5/2022
Philadelphia Phillies 6/29/2023
San Francisco Giants 9/5/2023
Cincinnati Reds 4/13/2024
Tampa Bay Rays 4/28/2024
Cleveland Guardians 5/12/2024
Atlanta Braves 5/21/2024
Baltimore Orioles 5/25/2024
Toronto Blue Jays 5/28/2024
Los Angeles Dodgers 6/24/2024
Pittsburgh Pirates 7/14/2024
Detroit Tigers 8/25/2024
New York Mets 8/31/2024
Oakland Athletics 9/15/2024
Los Angeles Angels 3/27/2025
San Diego Padres 4/5/2025
Boston Red Sox 4/13/2025
Milwaukee Brewers 5/1/2025
Houston Astros 5/3/2025
Miami Marlins 5/10/2025
Seattle Mariners 5/20/2025
Texas Rangers 5/24/2025
Colorado Rockies 5/26/2025
Chicago Cubs 5/26/2025
Kansas City Royals 6/8/2025
St. Louis Cardinals 6/19/2025
Chicago White Sox 6/24/2025
Arizona Diamondbacks 6/24/2025
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iTunes Top 200: #6

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 continue this week with the two tracks tied for sixth on this countdown with 152 plays apiece, both of which have ties to the local ballclub and neither of which would classify as a traditional song.

#7: sox05_montage
iTunes stats: 152 plays, most recently on 8/28/2024
Previous ranking: #6

In 2005, the White Sox won their first division title since 2000, their first ALDS and ALCS ever, and, finally, their first World Series championship since 1917.  This track contains radio highlights from John Rooney and Ed Farmer, courtesy of the team’s flagship ESPN 1000, of the entire 2005 season, starting with a 1-0 victory over Cleveland at US Cellular Field and culminating in a 1-0 victory against the Astros in Houston to give the White Sox their first championship in 88 years.  It featured on my White Sox victory playlists for the next decade, finally dropping off in 2015.

#6: Gordon Beckham Intro
iTunes stats: 152 plays, most recently on 6/27/2024
Previous ranking: #6

Drafted by the White Sox as the eighth overall pick in 2008, Gordon Beckham made a splash when he first broke into the Major Leagues in 2009.  He used The Outfield’s hit Your Love as his walkup song, which was not part of my collection at the time.  This recording, featuring Gene Honda introducing the former White Sox infielder as he came up to the plate, was a part of my White Sox victory playlist until I was able to track down a copy of the real thing.