Tag / White Sox

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All Time Pitching Leaders – Through 2017

baseballs3White Sox pitchers and catchers hold their first spring workout today, so it is time for our annual look at the pitching leaders in the now 882 games I’ve attended, and identified, between 1984 and 2017. Not a whole lot of difference from last year, but a few categories have seen new faces join the leader board.  So, without further ado, let’s get things started with our first category, the always popular:

Wins

Name Total
Mark Buehrle 31
Gavin Floyd 24
Carlos Zambrano 21
Chris Sale 21
John Danks 19

Losses

Name Total
Mark Buehrle 17
John Danks 16
Carlos Zambrano 15
Gavin Floyd 15
Jose Quintana 15

ERA (>= 35 IP)

Name Total
David Robertson 2.17
DJ Carrasco 2.20
Nate Jones Continue reading →
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You Can Catch It All On WGN

After spending the last two weeks as free agents following a US Bankruptcy Court releasing them from their contract with Cumulus Media’s WLS, the White Sox announced this morning that they will be moving their radio broadcasts to WGN in a reported 3 year deal.  The broadcast team of Ed Farmer and Darrin Jackson will continue with the team for the 2018 season.

The White Sox first moved to WLS in 2016, signing a 6 year deal.  This morning’s action gives them their 3rd radio home in the past 4 seasons. that took them away from the Score after 10 seasons.  WGN last broadcast baseball in 2014, when the Cubs finished up their 56 year run with the station.

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Top 200 Albums – #179 – 190

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 continue things with the next batch of 10 albums that rank between #179 and 190, including 6 studio recordings, 3 compilations, and 1 live recording.

#190: Various Artists – Billboard Top Hits 1988
iTunes stats: 42 plays
Previous Ranking: N/A

5 tracks from this compilation of the biggest hits of 1988 allow it to make its debut on the list.

#188: Tori Amos – Under The Pink
iTunes stats: 43 plays
Previous Ranking: 172

Tori makes her debut on the chart with her second solo album, thanks to its 2 hits.

#188: Montell Jordan – This Is How We Do It
iTunes stats: 43 plays
Previous Ranking: N/A

A single tune, used as the walkup music by former White Sox outfielder Adam Eaton, puts Montell Jordan on the list.

#182: Various Artists – Dazed And Confused
iTunes stats: 44 plays
Previous Ranking: 181

The soundtrack to the movie about high school in the 70s gets on the charts on the backs of 4 entries.

#182: Soundgarden – Superunknown
iTunes stats: 44 plays
Previous Ranking: N/A

4 tracks from the hit album from the Seattle group allow it to make its debut, thanks in part to White Sox catcher Kevan Smith.

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Radio Free Chicago

For the third time in four years, the White Sox may find themselves on a new radio flagship for the upcoming season.  News broke yesterday that Cumulus Media, the parent company of WLS, had filed motions in US Bankruptcy Court seeking to get out from under “a handful of extremely unprofitable contracts, including those with the Chicago White Sox and the Chicago Bulls.”  The Sox and Bulls issued a joint statement Friday, acknowledging they have worked with Cumulus “to find an amicable solution that would provide broadcast continuity to our fans, while addressing Cumulus’ financial issue” but have failed to come to an agreement.

The White Sox moved to WLS in 2016, signing a 6 year deal that took them away from the Score after 10 seasons.  Following that move, the Cubs, who spent one year on WBBM after 7 decades on WGN, moved down the dial to the Score.  Should the Sox find themselves looking for a new home, the options may be limited.  After losing the Cubs, WGN may want to get back in the baseball business, especially if they can get a good deal.  The only other option would appear to be a return to ESPN 1000, which the team left in 2005 following their World Series championship.

The decision from the bankruptcy count is due on February 1, leaving a little less than 2 months before opening day for the team to reach a new deal, if necessary.

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2018 Hall Of Fame Ballot – The Newcomers

baseballhof

The BBWAA released their ballot for the Hall of Fame class of 2018 on Monday.  The results of the vote are due to be revealed on January 24th, with induction taking place next July.  After Jeff Bagwell, Tim Raines, and Ivan Rodriguez were elected in last year’s voting, the new ballot contains 14 holdovers along with 19 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.  And that doesn’t even take in to account Joe Morgan’s letter.

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

Chris Carpenter

He put together some monster seasons, but lost nearly 4 1/2 seasons due to injury, leaving his numbers well short of enshrinement.

Johnny Damon

Probably would not get anywhere near enough support, but he spent many years in a Red Sox or Yankees uniform, so who knows.

Livan Hernandez

The Cuban ex-pat may get a vote or two, but it should be one and done for him.

Orlando Hudson

I can’t imagine a world where Orlando Hudson, who finished out his career with the White Sox in 2012, earns a Hall of Fame vote.

Aubrey Huff

Not that he was going to garner any support anyway, but his recent social media posts, falling for the worst of the right wing conspiracies, certainly aren’t helping.

Jason Isringhausen

This has been a weak batch of newly eligible players. no?

Andruw Jones

Now here is an interesting conundrum.  If we stick to his first 11 seasons, it seemed like he was destined for the Hall.  His last 7 seasons, though, were so bad that it makes it hard to consider him.  This would be a tough choice.

Chipper Jones

Ah, there we go.  A sure-fire, first ballot selection for the long time Brave.

Carlos Lee

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

Brad Lidge

Lidge was on the mound when the Phillies won the World Series in 2008, but that won’t erase the memories of the huge home runs he gave up in the 2005 post-season, to Albert Pujols and Scott Podsednik.

Hideki Matsui
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2017 BBWAA Award Predictions

2016wsballThe Baseball Writers of America have announced the finalists for their awards for the just completed baseball season, which will be announced next week.  It is a good bet that few of my original predictions for the winners will be accurate.  Hopefully, these new predictions will be slightly better, especially since I’ll have a 33% chance of being right.

American League

Most Valuable Player: Jose Altuve, Aaron Judge, Jose Ramirez

Francisco Lindor was was my pre-season selection to win the award this year, but he was left out of the top three in part to his teammate Jose Ramirez.  Judge should be a shoo-in for Rookie of the Year, leaving Jose Altuve to take home the award, adding to his hardware.

Cy Young Award: Corey Kluber, Chris Sale, Luis Severino

Ironically, in his first year away from the White Sox, Chris Sale will finally win his first Cy Young award.

Manager of the Year: Terry Francona, A.J. Hinch, Paul Molitor

Once again, I didn’t make any predictions for this award prior to the season.  I’m guessing the surprising Twins will give Paul Molitor some love, but A.J. Hinch should take home the award.

Rookie of the Year: Andrew Benintendi, Aaron Judge, Trey Mancini

Another award I didn’t predict prior to the season.  Judge just might be a unanimous selection.

National League

Continue reading →

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2017 Final Standings

For the third consecutive year, the NL pennant was captured at Wrigley Field.  Unfortunately, this year it was the Dodgers that will be moving on, winning the NLCS 4 games to 1 against the Cubs and bringing the game-attending portion of the 2017 season came to an end.  I made it to 49 games this season, my largest total since 2010.  I did manage to add one new stadium this year, along with trips to 3 others that I had been to before.  Here are the final standings for those games and the 20 different teams I saw in person, through both the regular season and the playoffs.

2017 Team Records
Team Name Won Loss Winning Pctg
Milwaukee Brewers 2 0 1.000
Seattle Mariners 2 0 1.000
Oakland Athletics 2 0 1.000
Colorado Rockies 1 0 1.000
Pittsburgh Pirates 1 0 1.000
Boston Red Sox 2 1 0.667
New York Yankees 2 1 0.667
Kansas City Royals 3 2 0.600
Los Angeles Dodgers 3 2 0.600
Continue reading →
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LCS Pitching Leaders

With Game 1 of the 2017 NLCS between the Cubs and Dodgers in the books, it’s time to take an updated look at the pitching leaders from the 9 LCS games I’ve attended prior to last night since 2003, featuring the White Sox, Cubs, Angels, Marlins, Dodgers, and Mets.

Wins

Name Total
Jacob deGrom 1
Paul Byrd 1
Brad Penny 1
Chad Fox  1
Mark Buehrle 1
Bartolo Colon 1
Ugueth Urbina 1
Kyle Hendricks 1
Aroldis Chapman 1

Losses

Name Total
Jason Hammel 1
Mark Prior 1
Jose Contreras 1
Trevor Cahill 1
Kerry Wood 1
Kelvim Escobar  1
Mark Guthrie 1
Joe Blanton 1
Clayton Kershaw 1

ERA (> 4 IP)

Name Total
Jarrod Washburn 0.00
Mark Buehrle 1.00
Jon Lester 1.50
Kyle Hendricks 1.59
Steven Matz 1.93

Strikeouts

Name Total
Kyle Hendricks 10
Josh Beckett 8
Continue reading →
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All Time LCS Team Records

Thanks to a Game 5 victory over the Nationals, the Cubs head to their 3rd straight NLCS appearance.  The series kicks off tomorrow night in Los Angeles, in a rematch of last year’s championship series, which the Cubs won over the Dodgers in 6 games.  So, it’s time to take our first look at the team records for the 9 LCS contests I have attended, the NLCS in 2003, 2015, and 2016, and the ALCS in 2005.

League Championship Series Team Records
Team Name Won Loss Winning Pctg
Florida Marlins 3 0 1.000
New York Mets 2 0 1.000
Los Angeles Angels 1 1 0.500
Chicago White Sox 1 1 0.500
Chicago Cubs 2 5 0.286
Los Angeles Dodgers 0 2 0.000
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Playoff Pitching Leaders

With the NLDS between the Cubs and the Nationals tied at a game a piece, it’s time to take our updated look at the pitching leaders from the now 26 post-season games I’ve attended since the White Sox won the AL Central in 2000.

Wins

Name Total
Mark Buehrle 2
Jon Lester 2
22 tied with 1

Losses

Name Total
Matt Clement 2
23 tied with 1

ERA (> 6 IP)

Name Total
Aroldis Chapman 0.00
Johnny Cueto 1.13
Chad Billingsley 1.35
Jon Lester 1.35
Clayton Richard 1.42

Strikeouts

Name Total
Mark Prior 13
Continue reading →