Tag / White Sox

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2019 Hall Of Fame Ballot – The Newcomers


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The BBWAA released their ballot for the Hall of Fame class of 2019 on Monday.  The results of the vote are due to be revealed on January 22nd, with induction taking place next July.  After Chipper Jones, Jim Thome, Vladimir Guerrero, and Trevor Hoffman were elected in last year’s voting, the new ballot contains 15 holdovers along with 20 newcomers, which may continue the logjam caused by the current BBWAA rules which limit the number of votes on one ballot to 10 and the ongoing refusal by some writers to vote for players tainted by PEDs, leaving too many qualified candidates fighting for limited spots.  Once again, the BBWAA and the Hall may find themselves with a mess on their hands.

Yesterday, we looked at the returning candidates.  Today, it’s time to look at the newcomers and who may be thankful come January.

Rick Ankiel

Mad props to the man for putting together a viable major league career as an outfielder after imploding as a pitcher, but he has no shot here.

Jason Bay

I can’t imagine a world where Jason Bay earns a Hall of Fame vote.

Lance Berkman

I never really thought I was watching a Hall of Famer during the 31 games I saw Berkman perform in, but I have a feeling he will get some, but not enough, support.

Freddy Garcia
Jon Garland

These two members of the starting rotation for the 2005 World Series Champions will always hold a special place in my heart, but not in Cooperstown.

Travis Hafner

This has been a weak batch of newly eligible players so far, no?

Roy Halladay

I imagine Halladay would have garnered strong support anyway, but his untimely death last year will likely goose his numbers.

Todd Helton

Helton will get in, but he may need to wait a year or two.

Ted Lilly

I guess we’ll see if Bruce Levine gets to vote in these proceedings based on whether the former Cub gets a vote or not.

Derek Lowe

The former Red Sox hurler may get a little support, but not enough to keep him on the ballot for a second go-around.

Darren Oliver

Yeah, no.

Roy Oswalt
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2018 Final Batting Leaders

MLB: Cincinnati Reds at Los Angeles DodgersAnother baseball season has come to an end, with the Cubs shocking late season collapse ending with a Wild Card game loss to the Rockies and year two of the rebuild for the White Sox hitting some bumps along the way.  Let’s take a look back at the offensive leaders for the 29 games, including the post-season, that I attended this season:

Home Runs

Name Total
Tim Anderson 4
Matt Davidson 3
Anthony Rizzo 3
Yoan Moncada 3
Nicky Delmonico 3

Hits

Name Total
Jose Abreu 23
Yolmer Sanchez 23
Tim Anderson 19
Matt Davidson 18
Adam Engel 18

Runs

Name Total
Tim Anderson 15
Jose Abreu 10
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2018 Final Standings

Despite holding a 5 game lead in the NL Central on Labor Day, the Cubs lost the tie-breaking game 163 on Monday to give the division title to the Brewers and then fell in the Wild Card game yesterday to the Rockies, prematurely ending their season and bringing my game-attending portion of 2018 to an end.  I made it to only 29 games this season, tied for my lowest total since acquiring season tickets in 2002.  I didn’t even manage to attend any games outside of the 2 Chicago stadiums.  Here are the final standings for those games and the 18 different teams I saw in person, through both the regular season and the Wild Card.

2018 Team Records
Team Name Won Loss Winning Pctg
Houston Astros 2 0 1.000
Colorado Rockies 2 0 1.000
Boston Red Sox 1 0 1.000
Cleveland Indians 1 0 1.000
Los Angeles Angels 1 0 1.000
Oakland Athletics 1 0 1.000
Detroit Tigers 3 1 0.750
Minnesota Twins 2 1 0.667
Chicago Cubs 4 3 0.571
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FB4: Week 31

A disappointing week, with only 3 days coming in over my daily goal of 7000 steps.  The week got off to a disappointing start, with less than 2900 steps on Sunday.  Monday was a bit of an improvement, coming in just over 7500 steps.  Tuesday was the high point of the week, with over 8700 steps.  Wednesday fell well short of goal, coming in at just over 5700 steps.  Thursday fell a mere 9 steps shy of 6200 steps.  Friday was back up over my daily goal, coming in at more than 7100 steps.  Despite a trip to Guaranteed Rate Field to see the White Sox battle the Red Sox, Saturday finished under 4900 steps.

Total steps: 43,059

Daily average: 6151.3

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Looking Ahead To 2019

Major League Baseball released their tentative 2019 schedule last week.  While the local squads have differing goals in mind as 2018 winds down, with the Cubs looking for their 4th straight trip to post-season and the White Sox playing out the string in year two of their rebuild, it’s time to turn our attention to next summer for both teams.

For the second year in a row, the White Sox open their season on the road in Kansas City against the Royals.  The home opener comes a week later, on April 4, against the Mariners.

The interleague schedule pits the White Sox against the NL East, with trips to Washington, Philadelphia, and Atlanta and home series against the Nationals, Marlins, and the Mets.  The rivalry with their north side foes continues with a 2 game series at Wrigley Field in June and then moving back to the south side in July.

The season ends with a 6 game homestand against the Indians and the Tigers.  Hopefully by this time, the White Sox losing ways will be well behind them.

On the north side, the Cubs open their season in interleague play, facing the Rangers in Texas on March 28.  They kick off the home portion of their schedule on April 8, against the Pirates.

The interleague schedule pits the Cubs against the AL West, with trips to Texas, Seattle, and Houston and home series against the Angels, A’s, and the Mariners.

The Cubs end the year with a 16 game stretch against the NL Central, with 13 of those coming against the Pirates and the Cardinals, who are likely to  challenge them for the NL Central crown.

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FB4: Week 29

A good week, despite a slow start on Sunday with a disappointing 3400 steps. Things bounced back on Monday, as I fell just shy of 8500 steps.  Tuesday managed to surpass my daily goal by a mere 71 steps.  Wednesday was better, with over 9700 steps.  Thursday came in at over 11,100 steps, as I bounced back and forth between Willow and South, preparing for the move back.  Friday was 2 steps shy of 10,100 steps, thanks to a post-work trip to Guaranteed Rate Field to watch the White Sox battle the Royals.  Saturday was the big day of the week, coming in just short of 11,900 steps thanks to an aborted attempt to get a Tim Anderson bobblehead before the Pearl Jam concert at Wrigley Field.

Total steps: 61,782

Daily average: 8826

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FB4: Week 26

Another good week, as the move to Willow continues to beneficial to my weekday performance.  Things got off to a slow start on Sunday as we recovered from Saturday’s hike before heading to the airport for the trip home.  Monday offered a good bounce back, with a good work day followed by a trip out for ice cream with Michael.  Tuesday was the high point of the week, finishing above 10,800 steps.  Wednesday was back down near 7000 steps.  Thursday was back up over 8000 steps.  Friday finished over 7700 steps, thanks in part to a post-work haircut.  Saturday came in over 8700 steps, thanks to trips to the grocery store and the White Sox game.

Total steps: 57,309

Daily average: 8187

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Hall Of Fame Batting Leaders

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Today, former White Sox designated hitter Jim Thome joins long time Braves third baseman Chipper Jones, Expos and Angels star Vladimir Guerrero, and Padres ace Trevor Hoffman in taking their place in Cooperstown.  With 3 new hitters joining the list of Hall of Famers I’ve seen play live, let’s check back in with the new leaders on the offensive side of the ball amongst Hall of Famers for all of the games I’ve attended between 1984 and 2018.

Home Runs

Name Total
Jim Thome 35
Frank Thomas 15
Vladimir Guerrero 6
Ivan Rodriguez 4
Chipper Jones 3

Hits

Name Total
Jim Thome 110
Frank Thomas 54
Ken Griffey Jr 32
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2018 All Star Break Batting Leaders

With the All Star Game on tap for tonight in Washington, with four total representatives from the Cubs and White Sox, let’s take a look at the first half offensive leaders for the 20 games I attended:

Home Runs

Name Total
Anthony Rizzo 3
Tim Anderson 3
Carlos Correa 2
Welington Castillo 2
Matt Davidson 2
Nick Castellanos 2

Hits

Name Total
Jose Abreu 19
Yolmer Sanchez 17
Tim Anderson 13
Adam Engel 13
Matt Davidson 12

Runs

Name Total
Tim Anderson 11
Matt Davidson 9
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