Archive for July 15th, 2024

Your loser update: All-Star time.

Monday, July 15th, 2024

Looks like the All-Star Game is tomorrow, and we’re at the break. So it is probably a good time to check on a few MLB teams.

The Chicago White Sox seem to have gained a hap or two. They are currently at 27-71, with a .276 winning percentage. That works out to about 117 losses if my math is right. I think that’s good enough to qualify for the MLB historical list, but perhaps not as bad as I was hoping for. Then again, I was hoping for “1899 Cleveland Spiders” bad. And you know, that projection might be off. 120 losses is still in play.

The Marlins are at 33-63, .344. That works out to 106 losses, which I don’t think is quite record worthy. After Miami, Colorado is 34-63, .351, projecting out to 105 losses. Also probably just out of record contention.

Obit watch: July 15, 2024.

Monday, July 15th, 2024

James B. Sikking, great character actor, has passed away at 90.

Yes, yes, “Howard Hunter” on “Hill Street Blues” and Doogie Howser’s dad. But he had a pretty substantial resume beyond those. 159 acting credits in IMDB, including one of the movies based on a minor SF TV show from the 1960s, “Cop Rock” (an unaccredited appearance as “Howard Hunter”: I just had to get that in), “The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo”, the good “Hawaii Five-0”, “The Rockford Files”, “Young Joe, the Forgotten Kennedy”, “The F.B.I.”, “Perry Mason”, “Von Ryan’s Express”…seriously, man was in every darn thing.

Including “Mannix”. (“One For the Lady”, season 4, episode 2. He was “Mark Langdon”. “Desert Run”, season 7, episode 6. He was “Sketchley”.)