N is for Next, Nelson and Nails

 Good morning  and welcome to day 14  of the A to Z challenge. This year I chose 3 themes for the challenge: Limericks, MLB sluggers in my lifetime, and A to Z wordles. For more information about these themes click here. 

Part I: A to Z Limericks

So many people get vexed

Wondering what to do next

I say don't have a cow

You're building next now

so just keep on doing your best.

Part II: A to Z Homerun hitters of my lifetime

When I decided I would be doing an a to z list of home run hitters in my lifetime I decided to apportion my lifetime in 5  approximately 11 year chapters and try to fit 5 players from each chapter on the list.  Yesterday13 days into the challenge I finalized my list.  Yesterdays entry and todays entry are both from the last chapter which encompasses 2011-2021. Yesterday I featured Miguel Cabrera who has hit 502 homers in his MLN career.  Today we talk about Nelson Cruz who is not far behind Cabrera with 450.  

Cruz has the most homers of any player between 2011 and 2021 His 372 is almost 50 more than the player behind him on the list.  During that time frame, Cruz has hit 163 homers for the Mariners ,, 80 for the Rangers , 76 for the Twins, 40 for the Orioles, and 13 for the Rays. Cruz now plays for the Washington Nationals and has hit one homer for them so far this season.  

Part III: Wordle Starting Words from A to Z

Note: Correct letters in the correct places will be shown in bold. Correct letters in incorrect places will be shown in italics.

My March 14th starting word was nails.

N A I L S  Got 2 letters, 1 in the right place 

S H E L L-  3 letters all in the right position 

S M E L T - smelt is a verb and a noun and I "nailed" it in 3.

For more A to Z challenge click here.  

M is for Meaning,Miguel Cabrera, Mouse

Good morning  and welcome to day 13  of the A to Z challenge. This year I chose 3 themes for the challenge: Limericks, MLB sluggers in my lifetime, and A to Z wordles. For more information about these themes click here. 

Part I: A to Z Limericks

I'd like to make a good syllogism

One that would refute nihilism

God exists.  He has plan. 

So there's meaning for man.

Now I'll go learn ventriloquism.

Originally published on FB March of 2014

Part II: A to Z Homerun hitters of my lifetime

Miguel Cabrera and I have something in common.  We have both worked for the Kane County Cougars.  He, when he was coming up with the Florida Marlin organization at the turn of the century and me, last summer when I worked in their concession stands. Cabrera's major league stats are more o,[ressive than his minor league ones and even my prodigious vending skills.  He is 9 hits away from joining the elusive 500 Homer 3000 hit club.  Cabrera hit 247 homers between the Marlins and the Tigers from 2003 to 2010.  In 2011 to 2021 (time spent entirely with the Tigers) he has hit 255 dingers.  

Part III: Wordle Starting Words from A to Z

Note: Correct letters in the correct places will be shown in bold. Correct letters in incorrect places will be shown in italics.

On March 13th I opened my Wordle with an animal for the 3rd day in a row.  

M O U S E- Got 3 letters, 1 in the right place 

S O U N D-  This was a mistake in logic guessing u in the place I knew it wasnt. 

B O G U S - Despite evidence to the contrary, this was not a bogus guess. 

F O C U S - Focus in four. 

For more A to Z challenge click here.  

At about 12:15 this morning I did my wordle early.  I started with mouse and finished in 2.  

L is for Lima Beans, (E)L Caballo and Llama

 Good morning  and welcome to day 12  of the A to Z challenge. This year I chose 3 themes for the challenge: Limericks, MLB sluggers in my lifetime, and A to Z wordles. For more information about these themes click here. 

Part I: A to Z Limericks

I don't mean to go to extremes

But the worst food in the world is lima beans 

I do not know who

Thought of those in Peru

But they certainly did not know beans!

Part II: A to Z Homerun hitters of my lifetime

Carlos Lee is definitely in my nick name hall of fame.  They call him El Caballo which is spanish for the horse.  I loved watching El Caballo play for the White Sox from 1999 to 2004. He got traded to the Brewers and I was glad that we got Scottie Pods in that deal and I know that Podsednik was a major part of our World Series Championship but I was still a little sad that Lee left. Lee played in the MLB from 1999 to 2012. He hit 315 of his 358 career home runs from 2000 to 2010.  In that time span, he hit 136 for the White Sox, 110 for the Astros, 60 for the Brewers, and 9 for the Rangers.  

Part III: Wordle Starting Words from A to Z

Note: Correct letters in the correct places will be shown in bold. Correct letters in incorrect places will be shown in italics.

Some of my a-z wordle opening guesses have multitudes of meaning to me and my family. Llama is one of the most significant.  There was a period of my life when my kids were growing up that I could not keep myself from saying the word llama.  It got so bad that I offered to pay the kids a nickel each time I said the word.  One night they as before bedked me to read some books to them for bedtime, which was big part of our not time routine so I wasn't suspicious until they pulled out books like Is your Mama a Llama, and Llama Llama Red Pajama.  They made some big money that evening!

For the letter K, I opened with Krill and for L I opened with Llama.  I find it interesting that I ended one opener  with a double L and then came back the very next day to start the word with the very same double L

L

L L A M A - got an a in the wrong place

B R E A K-  Placed that A in the right place

S Q U A D- Added a D but in the wrong place. 

D I V A N - Did not find out anything new.

T O D A Y- 5th guess, added t,o, and y and got the word 

For more A to Z challenge click here.  

K is for Kilometer , King Kong and Krill

 Good Evening and welcome to day 11 of the A-to-Z challenge. This year I chose 3 themes for the challenge: Limericks, MLB sluggers in my lifetime, and A to Z wordles. For more information about these themes click here. Due to the incredible busyness of my week I am posting more than 16 hours late today.  Usually I would post at 4:13 a.m to coincide with the date 4/13.  Speaking of 4/13 stay tuned and I will have a special 17th birthday shout out for someone who was born today.  

Part I: A to Z Limericks

our This limerick was written 3/20/22 about an hour after I finished the Shamrock Shuffle, a Chicago 5 mile run.  Special 17th birthday shout out to my niece Olivia who ran in that race much much faster than I did and is celebrating her birthday today.

 Just finished my first 8 K

A 5 mile race, so they say

I'll admit it was fun

But I'm glad that it's done

No more runs for a week and a day

Actually I have not run for 3 weeks and 2 days.  Although I have taught some gym and played some full court basketball.  I hope to get back on track (Oh boy, was the pun intended!) soon.

Part II: A to Z Homerun hitters of my lifetime

When I think of Dave Kingman, I think of Wrigley Field.  Kingman only played for the Cubs for 3 years (1978-1980) but during that time hit 49 home runs at the friendly confines.  When not with the Cubs he hit 20 more home runs at Wrigley as a  member of the visiting team. Kingman once hit a home run 550 feet.  

Kingman played from 1971 to 1986.  In the era of 1976-1987 he hit 329 of his career 442 homers, 3rd most of that era. Only Mike Schmidt (1st with 437) and Jim Rice (2nd with 341) hit more in that time period.  During that time King Kong belted  118 homers with the Mets, Creamed 100, for the A's,  hit 94 dingers with the Cubs.  He also hit 11 for the Padres, 4 for the Yankees and 2 for the Angels.  

Part III: Wordle Starting Words from A to Z

Note: Correct letters in the correct places will be shown in bold. Correct letters in incorrect places will be shown in italics.

My opening word for K on March 11th was Krill

K R I L L  - There was something fishy about that guess not netting letters

G H O S T-  I didn't get spooked by my first guess and got h and t on the second , but in wrong places.

H A U T E - this guess got A in the right position and added h to t as letters in the wrong position

W A T C H - got it in 4

This morning I started again with Krill and like last month guessed the wordle in 4 guesses.  

I better call it a night. Hopefully I can finish my 3 l topics before 4:14 tomorrow morning.  For more A to Z challenge click here.  

J is For January, Jim Rice, and Judge

Good morning and welcome to day 10 of the A-to-Z challenge. This year I chose 3 themes for the challenge: Limericks, MLB sluggers in my lifetime, and A to Z wordles. For more information about these themes click here. Due to the incredible busyness of my week I am only doing the limerick today.

Part I: A to Z Limericks

 ...

This limerick was written 8 years ago in preparation for a 20 degree below zero day 

Going out in this weather? stay in.

 If you must go,avoid exposed skin. 

With extremities warm 

You'll be safe in a storm

 But spittle might freeze on your chin

From Facebook 2014

My home run hitter for J is Jim Rice, an old school long ball banger who played his entire career (1974-1989) for the Boston Red Sox.  That's the years I turned 10 until the year I turned 25.  I spent my formative years of baseball appreciation watching this hall of famer play.  

From the time period between 1976 to 1987, Rice hit 341 (approximately 90%) of his 382 homers.  This is 2nd only to fellow Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt who hit 437 in the same time period.

Note: Correct letters in the correct places will be shown in bold. Correct letters in incorrect places will be shown in italics.

My opening word for March 10th was Judge.

J U D G E- E in coorect poition everything else wrong

R H Y M E-  Different word, same result.

B L A Z E - Added L and A in incorrect places.

S A L V E   -Correctly placed the A , S and L are in wrong position

L A P S E Got it in 4

Today I started with Judge again but this time got the correct word in 4 guesses.

For more A to Z challenge click here. 

I is for Illinois, Ibanez and Imago

 Good morning  and welcome to  a new week  of the A to Z challenge. This year I chose 3 themes for the challenge: Limericks, MLB sluggers in my lifetime, and A to Z wordles. For more information about these themes click here. 

Part I: A to Z Limericks

If me, you want to annoy

Go ahead mispronounce Illinois

Please be compliant

Let the s remain silent

And no, I am not being coy

The first 4 lines of that limerick stayed on my open computer screen all night as I could not think of an adequate final line.  This morning I asked my wife who volunteered the closer.  Thanks Amy. How fitting that the limerick dropping on our 24th wedding anniversary  shows yet another example of how wonderful it is to be on a team with you.

Part II: A to Z Homerun hitters of my lifetime

When I was thinking which homer smasher I would choose for the letter I.  I did not immediately think of Raul Ibanez.  I immideiately thought of Jason Isringhausen, forgetting for a moment he was   and gave up far more homers (85 in a 16 year career) than he hit (2).  My thoughts then went to Pete Incaviglia for a moment before settling on Ivan (Pudge) Rodriguez. With 311 dingers, Pudge does have more homers than any other I player.  I was pretty settled on I-Rod when I did a little more stat surfing.

In the period between 1988 and 1999 Incaviglia hit 149 bombs. Pudge only hit 109.  In the period of 2000 through 2010 Rodriguez hit 161 homers while Raul Ibanez slammed 204 (99 for the Mariners, 55 for the Royals, and 50 with the Phillies ). That means that I-Rod was the I with the most homers in either time period.  Ibanez hit only 6 less (305) career homers than I-Rod so I decided to give not to Raul.

Part III: Wordle Starting Words from A to Z

Note: Correct letters in the correct places will be shown in bold. Correct letters in incorrect places will be shown in italics.

In March when I was going alphabetically to pick my opening wordle words some were just random, and some held a great bit of meaning to me. Imago was one of the latter.

For several years my family and I went to the local college film festival called the Imago Film Festival click  on Wikipedia for more information about this festival.

I M A G O - Got M and O but in wrong places.

M O U N D-  M and O were correctly placed on my 2nd guess and I added n as well.

M O R O N- I felt a little like a moron not getting any more info from my 3rd guess as I did on my 2nd. 

M O N E Y -Throwing money on your problems, doesn't always solve them.  This maxim came true on guess 4, but I did get my N in the right place.

M O N K S - 5th guess got me no further than the fourth.

M O N T H - This was not the only 6 guess wordle I have had.  But it's the only one that took me a month to get.

For more A to Z challenge click here.