Career home runs through 2010:
Adam Dunn – 354
Brent Lillibridge – 3
2011 home run totals:
Brent Lillibridge – 12
Adam Dunn – 11
Tag / White Sox
Global Fit Week 6
Another week of SWAT meetings leads to the same mediocre results. Although, I would have easily broken the 10,000 step mark on Tuesday if not for a 14-inning game which put my 6 block walk back to car early into Wednesday morning. Saturday also had a slight baseball boost, as an early arrival for Mark Buehrle bobble head day led to a stroll up the ramps to the upper deck to kill time.
Sadly, this week isn’t looking much better. Perhaps it is time to head over to North Plaza for the afternoon coffee run to get in some extra steps.
600!
Congratulations to Jim Thome, who hit home runs #599 and 600 tonight to help the Twins take a late lead against the Tigers, becoming only the eighth player in baseball history to reach that milestone.
Nearly 4 years ago, on September 16, 2007, I saw him hit his 500th in dramatic fashion, a walkoff against the Angels on Jim Thome Bobblehead Day.
Back To .500… Again
The old adage in baseball is that you are going to win 60 games and you are going to lose 60 games. It is what you do in the remaining 42 that make a difference. Well, with today’s win over the Royals, the White Sox pull their record even at 60-60. Time to make the best of those remaining 42.
Global Fit Week 4
Week 4 got off to a strong start with Sunday’s combination of White Sox/Red Sox and the Paul McCartney show at Wrigley. Things slowed down by Friday, which was a work from home day. Saturday was a 13 hour day at the office, with some running back and forth between conference rooms.
Global Fit Week 3
Week 3 showed more improvement, as I passed the 6000 step barrier for the first time on Thursday and then pushed past 9000 on Friday, thanks to the Chicago White Sox and the parking restrictions around US Cellular Field. Saturday even logged some action due to another game. I should pass the 100,000 total step mark this week, and my daily average currently sits at nearly 4200.
20 Years Ago
My favorite regular season home run. Robin Ventura hits a walk off grand slam off of Goose Gossage. We were sitting near the top of the upper deck, in seats that don’t even exist anymore, on the other side of the foul pole. Good times.
End Of An Era
Disappointing seasons up to this point means that both the White Sox (somewhat) and Cubs (completely) are sellers at the trade deadline. The White Sox struck first, shipping Edwin Jackson and Mark Teahen to the Blue Jays for Jason Frasor and a minor league pitcher on Wednesday. The Cubs followed up yesterday, shipping the underachieving and overpaid Kosuke Fukudome to the Indians for two unheralded minor leaguers, while still paying most of his remaining salary.
Jackson came to the White Sox at the trade deadline last season in a controversial trade that sent top pitching prospect Dan Hudson to the Diamondbacks. Expectations at the time was that it was a move made in anticipation of a trade for Adam Dunn, as the Nationals were reportedly interested in Jackson. When he wasn’t flipped to Washington, Jackson settled in to the White Sox rotation and did what he always did: fought through bouts of wildness to go along with his flashes of brilliance. In the 7 starts I saw him make as a member of the White Sox, Jackson was 3-2 with a 3.59 ERA.
Teahen’s stay on the south side was slightly longer, and filled with a little less controversy. Acquired from the Royals for Chris Getz and Josh Fields before the 2010 season, he was immediately signed to a long term extension. A bad back made his defense at third base a travesty and, when he hit the DL last summer with a broken hand, the team immediately went on their hottest streak of the season. I saw him appear in 37 games in his White Sox career, hitting a pedestrial .244 with 0 home runs, 8 doubles, and 5 RBI.
When Fukudome signed out of the Japanese leagues, he was supposed to follow in the footsteps of Ichiro and Hideki Matsui. He specifically chose the Cubs over other suitors, including the White Sox, because he would be their first Japanese player. The fans ate him up, especially after he hit a walkoff home run in his first opening day as a member of the Cubs. Unfortunately, it was all down hill from there. After parlaying a good April into an All Star appearance, Fukudome struggled the rest of the rest of the season, eventually playing his way out of the starting lineup. The same formula continued for the rest of his time on the North Side. A strong start, then the long fade through the summer months. It’s not that he was bad, but he was worth nowhere near what he was making. In 80 career appearances as a Cub, he hit .257 in games I attended, with 1 HR, 17 doubles, 3 triples, and 20 RBI.
2011 Halfway Point
A disappointing first half of the baseball season came to an end (a few weeks back). Hopes of a pennant chase have thus far been thwarted by an anemic offense that is threatening to break some long held records, and not the good kind.
| Team | Won | Loss | Winning Pctg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas Rangers | 1 | 0 | 1.000 |
| LA Angels | 2 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Detroit Tigers | 2 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Baltimore Orioles | 2 | 1 | 0.667 |
| Chicago White Sox | 15 | 12 | 0.556 |
| Washington Nationals | 1 | 1 | 0.500 |
| Oakland Athletics | 1 | 1 | 0.500 |
| Minnesota Twins | 1 | 1 | 0.500 |
| Chicago Cubs | 3 | 3 | 0.500 |
| Tampa Bay Rays | 0 | 3 | 0.000 |
| Seattle Mariners | 0 | 1 | 0.000 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 0 | 1 | 0.000 |
| LA Dodgers | 0 | 2 | 0.000 |
| Kansas City Royals | 0 | 1 | 0.000 |
| Cleveland Indians | 0 | 1 | 0.000 |
Happy Birthday America
I enjoyed some nice fireworks following the White Sox victory over the Royals. Followed by a 2 hour train ride, which I could have driven in 45 minutes.
