1/2 way point at A to Z blogging.

13 letters done. 13 letters to go.  In the first 15 days of the A to Z Challenge I have shared videos, thoughts, information and anecdotes for 15 nouns ( 5 people, 5 places, and 5 things.).

I have set my schedule for the rest of the month and have posts about 15 more nouns.  That's right 5 more people like Allen Levi, 5 more places like Comiskey Park, and 5 more things like Giraffe Poop  (Actually I hope there are no more things like giraffe poop.).

Come back later today for my post featuring the letter N.  It has a person (nobody), a place (nowhere) and a thing (nothing).  Until then you can head back to A to Z blogging for more fun and adventure.

M is for Minnie Minoso( Person)

1925- 2015

Orestes "Minnie" Minoso broke the color barrier for the Chicago White Sox in 1951.  While played for 3 other teams than the White Sox but played most of his career in Chicago.  He played with them in the 50's 60's 70's and 80's.  On March 1st of this year Mr.  White Sox passed away. He had played, coached and been an ambassador for baseball his entire life.   Click here to read about his homerun prowess with the Sox.  Click here to go back to Blogging A to Z.

M is for Minnie Minoso

White Sox Homerun hitters from A.J. to Zeke

M is for Minnie

Orestes "Minnie" Minoso

Minnie Minoso was the all-time home run leader for the Chicago White Sox when on September 3, 1956 he belted his 80th for theWhite Sox eclipsing the Zeke Bonura's mark of 79 which he had tied the day prior, th. By the end of 1957, Minoso had 100 White Sox round trippers.

Minnie spent 1958 and 1959 with the Cleveland Indians and during that time Sherm Lollar took over the White Sox home run lead.  When Minoso returned to the South-side in 1960, He wrested the lead from Lollar and finished his career with 135 White Sox homers.  He kept the title until August 4, 1974 when Bill Melton hit # 136.

Minoso hit 135 dingers with the pale hose and 51 for other teams for a total of 186 major league 4 baggers.  In the course of his career, he averaged 16 homers over 162 game season,

Minnie, who passed away March 1st of this year hit 21 homers for the Sox in 1956 and 20 in 1960, his best 2 yeers HRwise for the club.

 For more A to Z blogging click here.  To read more about Minnie at my other blog click here.  

L is for Lee

White Sox Homerun hitters from A.J. to Zeke

L is for Lee

Carlos "El Caballo" Lee 

If asked who hit the most home runs for the Sox between 2000 and 2004.  I would probably say Frank Thomas.  Boy, would I be wrong.  Thomas hit 135 long balls during that time period which is enough for 5th.  Magglio Ordonez and Paul Konerko who we will meet later this week both hit 139 homers and Jose Valentin as well as the above referenced Carlos Lee both hit136.  No other team had more than 2 players with 135 or more homers over that time span many didn't have one.  .

Carlos Lee played for the White Sox  from 1999 to 2004 hit 152 homers during that time putting him 9th on the White Sox career HR list.   I n addition to his 6 years with the Sox, Lee played 6 seasons with the Astros, parts of 2 with the Brewers and parts of 1 season with Texas and Miami.El Caballo (Spanish for the horse) hit 358 homers in his MLB career. Lee averaged 28 hr for every 162 games played.  His best 2 home run seasons with the White Sox came in 2003 and 2004 when he hit 31 in both campaigns.


 For more A to Z blogging click here.

L is for Library (Thing)

Today's letter is L.  I have documented over the years that our family loves libraries.  Here is a you tube video from another of my blogs Dave Out Loud.






For more A to Z Blogging click here.

What I learned listening to K-Love

To listen to K-love online click here,  To donate to listener supported K-love click here.

K is for Kittle

White Sox Homerun hitters from A.J. to Zeke

K is for Kittle

Ron "Kitty" Kittle 

Jose Abreu hit 36 home runs hits last season becoming, The White Sox rookie season home run leader and also won the  American League Rookie of the Year. award.    Kittle, the former rookie home run title holder was also the last White Sox rookie to win Rookie of the year.

At a time  when Larry Bird,  John Mellencamp and David Letterman  were the most famous folks around from Indiana, No Hoosier was more popular than Kittle.  At least, not on the south side of Chicago.  Kittle averaged 34 homers per a  162 game season.   Kittles season rookie mark of 35 homeruns in 1983 (eclipsed by Abreu last year) was his most ever for the pale hose.He followed that up with 32 in'84.

Kittle started and finished his major league career with the White Sox and is still a fan favorite.  I ran into him (almost literally) at Sox Fest in 2006 and he signed the cap off my head.  

 For more A to Z blogging click here.

K is for King Tut (Person)

This classic Saturday Night Live skit was a jr. high favorite of mine.

Click A to Z to get back to the alphabetical disorder.

J is for Jose

White Sox Homerun hitters from A.J. to Zeke

J is for Jose

Jose Valentin

When you think about the 2005 White Sox, you often think about players who started playing for the White Sox in 2005.  Players like Iguchi, Podsednik and Hermanson.  You don't often think about the players from the White Sox whose last season was 2004.  This is mainly because we won it all in 2005.  If we had not, perhaps the ChiSox faithful would have dwelled more on  who we let go than who we picked up.  Consider Dye and Pierzynski for a moment who both came to the White Sox from the Bay Area in 2005.  In the 13 seasons combined that they play for the Sox they hit 282 total home runs between them.  That is 22 homers per season and 26 homeruns over 162 game season.

Now look at Jose Valentin, who we are talking about today and Carlos Lee who we will feature next Tuesday.  They played 11 combined seasons for the Sox both ending their time in 2004 and hit  288homers.  That's 6 more homers than Dye and Pierzynski in 2 less seasons.  26 HR by season and 30 HR over 162 games.

Valentin came to the White Sox  from the Brewers in 2000 and in his first month with the team hit for the cycle (A single, a double, a triple and a homer in the same game).  H hit 136 of his 249 career homers over  his 5 years with the  Sox.  Over that career he averaged 24 homers per
  162 game season.   Valentin hit 30 HR in 2004 and 28 in 2001 and again in 2003.

  If Jose Abreu stayson his torrid HR pace from last year sometime leat in the 2017 season he will be the Jose with the most white sox homers.  Until then our hearts belong to Valentin.

 For more A to Z blogging click here.

J is for "Jack and Diane" (Thing)

Welcome to 6 word Saturday/A to Z blogging.

slash what a great word. sa-lash!

Here's my 6:

John Cougar Mellencamp is a liar.

In the summer of 1982, John Cougar Mellencamp lied to me.  He did so daily, sometimes 3-4 times a day.  Even now sometimes  in an elevator, at a grocery store, a dentist's office or on pandora he continues to lie to me.

He says in his song Jack & Diane that life goes on long after the thrill of living is gone.  When I was 18 and I thought about John, Jack, Diane, The Tastee Freeze et. al.  I just assumed that John was right  and  at some point the thrill of life would eke out and I should enjoy life while I could.

33 years after that song I must say that while life indeed goes on, it does not and did not in my case outpace the thrill of living.  I believe major events in 1982, 1990, 1998, 1999, 2001 and 2005 and other smaller events scattered throughout my life have helped the thrill of living live on in my life.  These years are all the beginnings of important relationships in my life.

1982.  I became a Christian.  Some people view embracing Christianity as a get out of Hell free card.  To me, it gave life a purpose that continues to this day.  That purpose is to love God and live in a way that glorifies in him.

Sa-lash!

1990.  I made a life long friend.  That friend and I could laugh together shop together, play and watch sports together and in the years we were in different states and or countries exchange meaningful correspondence and stay close even though apart.

1998.  17 years ago today, in fact, I married that friend.  As long as I have Amy by my side the thrill of living is alive and well.

1999.  Our first daughter is born.  2001,  Our son is born. 2005.  Our 2nd daughter is born.

When you have kids, you see the thrill of living again through a fresh set of eyes.

So, John Mellencamp, know this.  Holding on to 16 is one thing, never losing the joy, curiosity and zeal for life is quite another.  I'll choose the latter.  But a chili dog does sound kind of good about now.

Click A to Z or Six Word Saturday to return to their  respective abodes.

I is for Ivan

White Sox Homerun hitters from A.J. to Zeke

I is For Ivan

Ivan Calderon

Ivan Calderon played for the White Sox from 1982 to 1990. Calderon also played for the Mariners, Expos, and Red Sox.  

Calderon hit 70 of his 104 Major league homeruns as a member of the White Sox .  This makes him 39th all time for the Sox.  Ivan averaged  18 home runs over 162 game season.  Ivan's annual home run production for the white sox was always in increments of 7.  He hit 28 homers in 87 and 14 each in 88, 89 and 90.  

  For more A to Z blogging click here.

I is for Illinois - (Place)

Six word Saturday and blogging from A to Z combine for these 6 words:

More people know Chicago than Illinois.  

For more Six word Saturday click here. For more A to Z Challenge click here.

H is for Harold

White Sox Homerun hitters from A.J. to Zeke

H is for Harold

Harold Baines

Harold Baines is one of the best baseball players I have ever seen.  He is certainly the most deserving to be in the Hall of Fame, who is not there already.

Baines played from 1980 to 2001, beginning and ending his career with the Sox.  Baines is 3rd all time on the White Sox home run list with  221. Baines was the all time Sox home run leader from 1987 to 1990.   His major league total is 384.   Harold averaged 22 home runs over 162 game season.   Bainesy hit 29 homers for the White Sox in '84 and 25 in '82.  These are his 2 best home run totals fo the pale hose.

H is for Hammering Hank (Person)

I know this is being published on April 9th, but as I write this it is April 8, 2015.  I just decided that my person would be Henry Aaron  and decided to show a video of him hitting  Home Run 715 that broke Babe Ruth's  home run record.  I just realized that Aaron hit 715 41 years ago today (for me) and yesterday (for you.).  Here is a nice clip of the event from Mlb.com




For more A to Z blogging click here. To see what I AtoZ blogged in 2012 click here.

G is for Greg

White Sox Homerun hitters from A.J. to Zeke

G is for Greg

Greg "Walk" Walker

Greg Walker played for the White Sox from 1982 to 1990.  His first full season was on the 1983"winning ugly" team that won the AL west that year.  Walker was the hitting coach for the Chi Sox in 2005 when they won the world series

Walker hit all of his 113 career  home runs as a White Sox player.  His 113 is good enough for 17th on the all-time list.  Greg averaged 21 home runs over 162 game season  In 1987 Walker hit 27 home runs this eclipsed his previous best mark of 24 which he achieved back to back in 1984 and 1985.

Walker played first for the Sox and was replaced as an everyday player by Frank Thomas, who was in turn replaced by Paul Konerko, who in turn was replaced by Jose Abreu.  Making the 1B position a stable home run source for the Sox going on 30 years.   For more A to Z blogging click here.

G is for Giraffe Poop (Thing)

In the early months of 1987, one chapter of my life had abruptly come to an end and I was in a holding pattern waiting to see what the next chapter would bring. One Saturday I visited a friend and spent the day with her at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago.

It was a nice seasonably warm day for late winter.  I remember we spent a lot of time watching my favorite animal the giraffe.  What I remember most about our visit to the giraffe enclosure was watching them poop.

I don't mean to be graphic, or disgusting.  I just found the way they relieve themselves to be so very interesting.  It comes out of the giraffe like a quick rain of pellets that hit the ground very quickly,  The giraffe just does his business while going about his business.

For More Blogging A to Z click here. 

F is For Frank

White Sox Homerun hitters from A.J. to Zeke

F is for Frank

 Frank "The Big Hurt" Thomas

I am listening to Frank Thomas give his 2014 HOF induction speech while I type this.  It is available at A to Z blogging toady by clicking Home School Dad.  I went to Cooperstown last year to see Frank inducted and this speech was the highlight of my time there.    I love it when he lists  so many of his former coaches and his teammates.  He gave his speech with the same exuberance that came with every swing of his bat.  

Thomas hit 448 of his 521 runs when with the  White Sox  from 1990 to 2005.  Thomas is the White Sox all-time HR leader for  the White Sox and hit for a .307 average for the pale hose.  The Big Hurt averaged 36 home runs for every 162 major league games he played.  Frank hit 40 or more homers for the White Sox for 5 different seasons.  His 2 highest totals were 43 in 2000, and 42 in 2003.

Now that Paul Konerko has retired, no current ChiSox player is anywhere near Thomas's prodigious HR numbers.  Record or not Thomas will be long remembered on the South Side of Chicago.  For more A to Z blogging click here.