Tag / White Sox

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An Empty Class

All eyes turned towards the small hamlet of Cooperstown, New York last Tuesday, as the votes were tallied and, for the first time since 2013, the 2021 Hall of Fame class was found to have no members.  Curt Schilling led all vote getters with 71.1% of the vote, 3.9% shy of the 75% required for induction.

Three others tallied greater than 50% of the vote, led by Barry Bonds, who saw a slight increase up to 61.8%.  Roger Clemens was right behind him at 61.6% and, with only one more go around each, it seems unlikely that either will make it via the BBWAA.  Scott Rolen saw a big jump, rising to 52.9% and looks like he’s on track to eventually make it.

Omar Vizquel, who was on the upswing and looked to be on a good trajectory, dropped back down under 50% after allegations of spousal abuse popped up last year.

Mark Buehrle scored the highest amongst the newcomers, with 11%.  Torii Hunter and Tim Hudson are the other two newcomers who live to fight another day, surpassing the 5% cutoff.  Of the local contingent, former White Sox outfielder Andruw Jones jumped up to 33.9% while Manny Ramirez finished with the same 28.2% as last year.  Cub outcast Sammy Sosa garnered 17.0%, while his former teammates Aramis Ramirez and LaTroy Hawkins pulled in 1% and 0.5% respectively.  Former White Sox outfielder Nick Swisher got no votes, which seems about right.

Schilling, in an effort to prove that he is the garbage human being that he shows to the world on social media, released a letter after the vote was announced asking to no longer be considered for the Hall.  “I’ll defer to the veterans committee and men whose opinions actually matter and who are in a position to actually judge a player,” he wrote, denigrating the BBWAA and the entire election process.  Personally, I hope they leave him on the ballot and that nobody votes for him.

While there is no class of 2021, there will still be an election ceremony this summer, as the class of 2020, Derek Jeter, Larry Walker, Ted Simmons, and Marvin Miller, get their day in the sun, corona virus willing, on Sunday, July 25.

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By The Numbers – 70

In 1929, uniform numbers appeared on the back of baseball jerseys for the first time, thanks to the Indians and the Yankees.  By 1937, numbers finally appeared across all uniforms, both home and away, across both major leagues.  Since that time, 81 distinct numbers have been worn by members of the White Sox, while the Cubs boast 76.

Today, we continue our look at those players, picking our favorite, if not the best, player to wear each uniform number for both Chicago teams with #70.  3 players have donned #70 while playing in Chicago, all of whom suited up for the White Sox.

Aaron Bummer was selected by the White Sox in the 19th round of the 2014 draft.  He made his major league debut on July 27, 2017, pitching an inning of relief against the crosstown Cubs.  He wore #70 for his entire first year, before switching to his more familiar #39 in 2018.

 

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2020: The Year In Travel

In normal times, this is where I would take a look back at all of the different trips I took this past year and look ahead to what, if any. travel plans I already have for 2021.  Unfortunately, 2020 was far from normal times.  So let’s see, in early April, Michael and I went to Boston to see Angelina and the White Sox battle the Red Sox.  Oh wait, that was cancelled due to the corona virus.  Well, in May, I went to California to see the White Sox do battle against the Giants in San Francisco and then the Padres in San Diego.  Oh yeah, that was cancelled too.

As it turned out, I only ended up making one trip during the hell year that was 2020.  Labor Day weekend, I headed up to Holland, Michigan for a week of relaxation.  Other than a couple of trips to the lakes (both Macatawa and Michigan) and a day spent in Saugatuck, I didn’t see much of the sites, as the rona was still very much a concern.

So that was it.  With vaccines starting to become available, there is hope that 2021 will be different, but, at least at the start, we are still pretty much locked down.

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iTunes Top 200 Artists: #171-178

It’s been 4 years since we last counted down the Top 200 artists in my iTunes library.  Since my iTunes stats are still intact, across multiple PCs, iPods, iPads, and iPhones, I figured it was time to take another look at the artists that have entertained me the most based on number of plays from late 2007 through January 1, 2021.

We continue today with our next batch of 10 artists, the remaining 3 tied for 178th place, 2 tied for 176th, and the 5 tied for 171st, and zoom past the half a century mark in plays.  Once again, 5 of these bands and/or performers are newcomers to this list.

#178: Depeche Mode
iTunes stats: 49 plays
Previous ranking: N/A

Members of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame class of 2020, the English band makes their debut by picking up 26 additional plays of their 3 songs in my collection.

#178: Coolio
iTunes stats: 49 plays
Previous ranking: #123

The 2 hit wonder, who won the 1996 Grammy for Best Rap Solo Performance, drops 55 slots after parlaying those 2 hits into just 14 new listens over the past 4 years.

#178: Stan Bush
iTunes stats: 49 plays
Previous ranking: #159

The star of the TransFormers: The Movie soundtrack has 2 tracks comprise his total.

#176: Dean Martin
iTunes stats: 50 plays
Previous ranking: N/A

More than doubling his previous total gives the deceased Rat Packer a decent debut on the chart.

#176: Lita Ford
iTunes stats: 50 plays
Previous ranking: N/A

The former Runaways guitarist jumps onto the list mostly due to now getting credit for her 1989 duet with Ozzy Osbourne.

#171: K.C. & The Sunshine Band
Continue reading →

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By The Numbers – 71

In 1929, uniform numbers appeared on the back of baseball jerseys for the first time, thanks to the Indians and the Yankees.  By 1937, numbers finally appeared across all uniforms, both home and away, across both major leagues.  Since that time, 81 distinct numbers have been worn by members of the White Sox, while the Cubs boast 76.

Today, we continue our look at those players, picking our favorite, if not the best, player to wear each uniform number for both Chicago teams with #71.  5 players have donned #71 while playing in Chicago, 3 for the White Sox and 2 for the Cubs.

Wade Davis was acquired by the Cubs prior to the 2017 season to replace Aroldis Chapman and help the Cubs defend their first World Series title in 108 years.  He set a franchise record with 27 consecutive saves.  He tied a LDS record by notching saves in all 3 Cub victories.  Following the season, he left as a free agent.

Jace Fry donned #71 when called up by the White Sox in 2017.  His 10.80 ERA in 11 games was not great.  When he changed his number the following year, his numbers also improved.  I’m sure there was no correlation between the two.

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By The Numbers – 72

In 1929, uniform numbers appeared on the back of baseball jerseys for the first time, thanks to the Indians and the Yankees.  By 1937, numbers finally appeared across all uniforms, both home and away, across both major leagues.  Since that time, 81 distinct numbers have been worn by members of the White Sox, while the Cubs boast 76.

Today, we continue our look at those players, picking our favorite, if not the best, player to wear each uniform number for both Chicago teams with #72.  A grand total of 3 players have donned the number while playing in Chicago, 1 of whom is enshrined in Cooperstown.

When Carlton Fisk joined the White Sox in 1981, #27, which he wore with the Red Sox, was taken, so he switched the numerals around and became the first player in White Sox history to don #72.  12 years later, Fisk left the White Sox as the all time major league leader in games caught, home runs as a catcher, home runs after the age of 40, and most seasons as a catcher.  He was also the career home run leader for the White Sox.  #72 was retired in his honor on September 14, 1997 and he was elected to the Hall of Fame as part of the class of 2000.

Robert Machado gave up his #29 when the Cubs acquired Fred McGriff at the trade deadline in 2001, becoming the first Cub to don #72.  He wore the number for the rest of his Cub career, which lasted until June 9, 2002, when he was traded to the Brewers.

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A New Voice

The Cubs and the Marquee Sports Network announced on Monday that Jon “Boog” Sciambi has been hired as the new play-by-play voice of the Cubs.  Sciambi has been the voice of ESPN Sunday Night Baseball for MLB on ESPN Radio and the play-by-play voice for Wednesday Night Baseball telecasts since 2014.  He takes the spot vacated by Len Kasper, who moved over to the White Sox radio booth last month.

“Having the opportunity to come to Wrigley Field and call games for the Chicago Cubs every day is surreal,” Sciambi said in a statement. “It really doesn’t get better than that. Chicago is one of the best cities and Wrigley is the best ballpark out there.”  Prior to joining ESPN, Sciambi had served as the lead television announcer for the Braves from 2007-2009 and as the radio voice of the Marlins from 1997-2004.

Sciambi teamed with current Cubs manager David Ross on ESPN telecasts, so he should have an immediate in to the organization.  He will continue working for ESPN in some capacity under this new deal.

In somewhat related news, missing from the list of contributors in the press release from Marquee was Mark Grace, the former Cub star who was suspended last season after making derogatory comments about his ex-wife during a broadcast.  Not a huge loss for the network or the Cubs, since, in my opinion, Grace makes for a poor broadcaster, but losing a high profile gig must sting for the former all-star.

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iTunes Top 200 Artists: #188-197

It’s been 4 years since we last counted down the Top 200 artists in my iTunes library.  Since my iTunes stats are still intact, across multiple PCs, iPods, iPads, and iPhones, I figured it was time to take another look at the artists that have entertained me the most based on number of plays from late 2007 through January 1, 2021.

Today, we begin with 10 artists, 4 tied for 197th place, 3 tied for 194th, and the first 4 tied for 188th.  4 of these bands and/or performers are newcomers to this list.

#197: OutKast
iTunes stats: 44 plays
Previous ranking: #167

A slight increase of only 17 plays over 4 years drops the hip hop duo from Atlanta down 31 spots in the rankings.

#197: The Juliana Hatfield Three
iTunes stats: 44 plays
Previous ranking: #185

After breaking up with the Blake Babies, Juliana Hatfield put together this band before going solo, which drops 13 places after garnering only 19 new listens across its 2 tracks, including one from the Reality Bites soundtrack.

#197: Mariah Carey
iTunes stats: 44 plays
Previous ranking: N/A

The icon makes her debut on the strength of 3 songs, none of which are her wildly successful Christmas classic, which have gone from 16 listens up to 44.

#197: Björk
iTunes stats: 44 plays
Previous ranking: N/A

The Icelandic chartreuse scratches her way on to the list thanks to 2 solo tracks and 1 live duet with PJ Harvey.

#194: Firehouse
iTunes stats: 45 plays
Previous ranking: #185

The glam band, who somehow beat out Alice In Chains and Nirvana for Favorite Heavy Metal/Hard Rock New Artist at the 1992 American Music Awards, added 20 new listens to the 3 songs that make up their play total.

#194: Fall Out Boy
Continue reading →

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By The Numbers – 73

In 1929, uniform numbers appeared on the back of baseball jerseys for the first time, thanks to the Indians and the Yankees.  By 1937, numbers finally appeared across all uniforms, both home and away, across both major leagues.  Since that time, 81 distinct numbers have been worn by members of the White Sox, while the Cubs boast 76.

Today, we continue our look at those players, picking our favorite, if not the best, player to wear each uniform number for both Chicago teams with #73.  A single player has donned #73 for each Chicago team.

Tony Phillips had a turbulent 1996 season with the White Sox, retiring for 48 hours during spring training and getting into a fistfight with a fan at County Stadium in Milwaukee in May.  When Albert Belle signed with the White Sox prior to the 1997 season, Phillips gave up his #8 and switched to #73.  His tenure with the number, however, was short lived.  On April 21, he was ejected 3 pitches into that night’s game against the Yankees.  Phillips had to be restrained by 3 White Sox players and ended up getting suspended for 2 games.  He accused American League president Gene Budig of being a racist, which Jerry Reinsdorf called “out of line,” and, on May 13th, Phillips was traded to the Angels.

On the other side of town, young pitcher Adbert Alzolay has appeared in 10 games for the Cubs over the past 2 seasons.  He has a chance to claim a permanent slot in the rotation in 2021.

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By The Numbers – 74

In 1929, uniform numbers appeared on the back of baseball jerseys for the first time, thanks to the Indians and the Yankees.  By 1937, numbers finally appeared across all uniforms, both home and away, across both major leagues.  Since that time, 81 distinct numbers have been worn by members of the White Sox, while the Cubs boast 76.

Today, we continue our look at those players, picking our favorite, if not the best, player to wear each uniform number for both Chicago teams with #74.  Once again, a single player has donned #74 while playing in Chicago, debuting in 2019 for the White Sox.

Acquired from the Cubs, along with Dylan Cease, in the 2017 Jose Quintana trade, Eloy Jimenez made his major league debut for the White Sox on Opening Day 2019.  In just 2 short years, he has made a name for himself, finishing 4th in Rookie of the Year voting in 2019 and earning the Silver Slugger award for the corona virus shortened 2020 season.