2018 All Star Break Standings

As the baseball world turns its sights to Washington for Tuesday night’s All Star Game, it’s time to take a look at the team records for the 20 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.

2018 Team Records
Team Name Won Loss Winning Pctg
Detroit Tigers 3 0 1.000
Houston Astros 2 0 1.000
Oakland Athletics 1 0 1.000
Kansas City Royals 1 0 1.000
Colorado Rockies 1 0 1.000
Chicago Cubs 4 2 0.667
Pittsburgh Pirates 1 1 0.500
Minnesota Twins 1 1 0.500
Milwaukee Brewers 1 1 0.500
Chicago White Sox 5 11 0.313
Texas Rangers 0 1 0.000
San Francisco Giants 0 1 0.000
Philadelphia Phillies 0 1 0.000
Baltimore Orioles 0 1 0.000

FB4: Week 20

A pretty decent week, thanks in part to one big day.  Sunday got the week off to a good start, coming in at nearly 7700 steps.  Monday was even better, finishing just 81 steps shy of 11,000 steps.  Tuesday suffered a big drop off, with only 9 steps keeping me from 6000 steps.  Wednesday was slightly better, but still under goal at nearly 6200 steps.  Thursday jumped back up over 7300 steps, thanks in part to travel down to West Lafayette.  Friday was the big day of the week, with over 16,700 steps thanks to Danny’s campus tour of Purdue.  Saturday finished over 7500 steps, due to a trip to Guaranteed Rate Field to see the White Sox battle the Tigers.

Total steps: 62,317

Daily average: 8902.4

Top 200 Albums – #1 – 10

itunes_imageNearly 4 years ago, we first counted down the Top 200 albums in my iTunes library. Since that time, I’ve successfully managed to migrate my music collection to a new PC with the stats intact. So, I figured it was time to take another look, based on number of plays from late 2007 through January 1, 2018.

We finish things off today with the final batch of 10 albums, ranked between #1 and 10, including 4 comedy albums, 4 compilations, 1 greatest hits package, and 1 bootleg live performance.

#10: Patton Oswalt – Werewolves and Lollipops
iTunes stats: 213 plays
Previous Ranking: 13

This total for Patton Oswalt’s standup set would be significantly higher if I were to ever sync my old iPhone 4s again.

#9: The Lonely Island – Incredibad
iTunes stats: 218 plays
Previous Ranking: 3

7 tracks from the groups debut album, most of which originated as digital shorts on SNL, did not rack up the listens and suffers a large drop.

#8: Various Artists – Living In The 90’s
iTunes stats: 224 plays
Previous Ranking: 22

A whopping 22 songs, from bands like The Proclaimers, EMF, and Roxette, make up the total for this compilation of early 90s hits.

#7: Garfunkel and Oates – Slippery When Moist
iTunes stats: 236 plays
Previous Ranking: 10

The entire album, which I got thanks to High 5 iTunes gift cards, added well over 100 listens since last time around.

#6: George Carlin – Complaints and Grievances
iTunes stats: 239 plays
Previous Ranking: N/A

The highest ranking debut is this 2001 comedy album, taped shortly after 9/11.

Continue reading →

FB4: Week 18

A disappointing week, that was saved by one good day to finish a whole 21 steps above goal.  The week got off to a slow start on Sunday, finishing with only 6100 steps despite a trip to Wrigley Field to see the Cubs battle the Giants.  Monday was another slow day, with just over 5700 steps.  Tuesday had a little bounce back, finishing 50 steps over goal.  Wednesday was another good day, coming in over 7700 steps.  Thursday was back down again, with just over 5000 steps.  Friday used a post-work trip down the Guaranteed Rate Field to see the White Sox and the Brewers to come in over 13,300 steps.  Saturday was the same trip, minus the work part, and came in with a lowly 3900 steps.

Total steps: 49,021

Daily average: 7003

Top 200 Albums – #11 – 20

itunes_imageNearly 4 years ago, we first counted down the Top 200 albums in my iTunes library. Since that time, I’ve successfully managed to migrate my music collection to a new PC with the stats intact. So, I figured it was time to take another look, based on number of plays from late 2007 through January 1, 2018.

The penultimate grouping has the nearly final batch of 10 albums, ranked between #11 and 20, including 3 compilations, 2 comedy albums, 2 studio albums, 2 greatest hits package, and, finally, 1 bootleg live performance.

#20: Patton Oswalt – Feelin’ Kinda Patton
iTunes stats: 169 plays
Previous Ranking: N/A

This total for Patton Oswalt’s standup set would be significantly higher if I were to ever sync my old iPhone 4s again.

#19: Garfunkel and Oates – All Over Your Face
iTunes stats: 170 plays
Previous Ranking: 27

10 tunes from the musical comedy duo contribute to this total.

#18: The Monkees – The Monkees Greatest Hits
iTunes stats: 177 plays
Previous Ranking: 14

19 different tracks from the made-for-TV band make up this total.

#17: Garbage – One Mile High… Live
iTunes stats: 184 plays
Previous Ranking: 63

The audio rip of the band’s live video release makes the list thanks to 21 different tracks.

#16: Various Artists – TV’s Hits Vol. 7: Cable Ready
iTunes stats: 191 plays
Previous Ranking: 12

This collection of TV theme songs, mostly from the early to mid 90s, uses 13 different tunes, from shows like Mad About You, Saved By The Bell, and Blossom.

Continue reading →

FB4: Week 17

A pretty good week, with 6 out of 7 days above goal.  Things got off to a good start on Sunday, finishing a whole 14 steps above my daily goal of 7000 steps, while Monday’s total was exactly 3 steps worse.  Tuesday improved a little bit, with nearly 7800 steps.  Thanks to a post-work outing to the south side to see the Orioles and White Sox, Wednesday was the big day of the week with nearly 13,100 steps.  Thursday came in a mere 49 steps shy of 8000.  Friday was another good day, with over 7400 steps.  Saturday was the down day of the week, coming in 25 steps shy of 4800.

Total steps: 55,037

Daily average: 7862.4

Top 200 Albums – #20 – 30

itunes_imageNearly 4 years ago, we first counted down the Top 200 albums in my iTunes library. Since that time, I’ve successfully managed to migrate my music collection to a new PC with the stats intact. So, I figured it was time to take another look, based on number of plays from late 2007 through January 1, 2018.

We are getting close to the finish line with this next batch of 10 albums ranked between #20 and 30, including 5 studio recordings, 3 compilations, 1 soundtrack, and 1 comedy album.

#30: Various Artists – Millennium Rock N’ Roll Party
iTunes stats: 154 plays
Previous Ranking: 50

13 tunes, from the likes of Santo & Johnny, Chuck Berry, and Jerry Lee Lewis, make up the total for this compilation of 50s hits.

#29: Veruca Salt – American Thighs
iTunes stats: 155 plays
Previous Ranking: 19

10 songs from the Chicago band’s debut album make up this total.

#28: Mexican Cheerleader – Kings and Kings’ Hoots
iTunes stats: 156 plays
Previous Ranking: 17

12 tunes off this sophomore effort from the local punk band make up this total.

#27: Garbage – Beautiful Garbage
iTunes stats: 157 plays
Previous Ranking: 21

The third studio album from the group uses 13 tracks to make up this total.

#25: The Beatles – Past Masters, Vol. 2
iTunes stats: 158 plays
Previous Ranking: 32

This remastered version of the album has 10 songs that make up its total.

Continue reading →

Busted

White Sox catcher Welington Castillo was suspended 80 games today for violating Major League Baseball’s Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program.  Castillo tested positive for Erythropoietin (EPO).  In a statement, Castillo said, “The positive test resulted from an extremely poor decision that I, and I alone, made. I take full responsibility for my conduct.”

Castillo signed with the White Sox this winter as a free agent, intended to be a stop gap behind the plate and, depending on his performance, a trade chip that could help the rebuild effort.  That would seem somewhat unlikely at this point.

FB4: Week 16

Another good week, despite ending on a down note with 2 sub-par days.  Things got off to a good start on Sunday, where a crosstown tilt between the Cubs and White Sox at Wrigley Field ended up with nearly 7500 steps.  Monday saw a bit of an improvement, coming in just over 7900 steps.  Tuesday went back down a bit, with only 7200 steps.  Wednesday managed to crack the 9000 step mark.  Thursday was the big day of the week, coming in at close to 13,500 steps.  Things fell off on Friday, with only 21 steps over 5000.  Despite a trip to Guaranteed Rate Field on Saturday, the day ended with just over 5200 steps.

Total steps: 55,399

Daily average: 7914.1

FB4: Week 15

A second consecutive week under goal, despite a 10,000 step day.  Things got off to a slow start on Sunday, with just over 4100 steps.  Monday was a nice bounce back, coming in 29 steps shy of 7200 steps.  Tuesday was the big day of the week, as a trip to Guaranteed Rate Field to see the White Sox battle the Pirates ended 8 steps short of 10,200.  Wednesday was another down day, with just over 5100 steps.  Thursday was a nice bounce back, with over 8200 steps.  Friday was back down, coming in with over 6100 steps.  Saturday jumped back up to 7800 steps, thanks to a trip to Wrigley Field for some exciting crosstown action.

Total steps: 48,809

Daily average: 6972.7