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Weekend wondering: With his 35th home run this season on Saturday night (Aug. 18) in a 9-4 loss at Kansas City, Chicago White Sox slugger Adam Dunn recorded the 400th of his career. Wondering whether he can reach 500? At age 32 and with even slightly diminished HR totals the next three seasons, he could reach that plateau in the 2015 season. Meaning he conceivably reach 600 if he plays — and produces at approximately his career level of a home run every 14 or so at-bats.
Photo choice was either one of Adam Dunn or this. Not a difficult decision.
* Speaking of home-run ratios, is anyone wondering how long it could take Cubs rookie outfielder Brett Jackson to reach 100? He hit his first Saturday night at Cincinnati. That’s in 44 at-bats. At that rate, depending on playing time (and assuming it would be significant), he would hit about 10 homers a season. Meaning he would have to play about 10 seasons to reach the 100 level. And at that rate, he probably wouldn’t be playing for the Cubs.
* Speaking of not playing, wondering whether any all-star player — healthy and available — has sat as much after his all-star appearance as the Cubs’ Bryan LaHair? Wondering whether that’s an indication he might not really have been worthy of all-star status or whether the Cubs have such good prospects that LaHair’s position for 2013 will be benchwarmer.
* Wondering whether the Chicago Cubs still can lose 100 games this season? Well, they will have to go 15-28 the rest of the way to do so. Which means they would be playing .349 ball in those 43 games. As opposed to the lofty. .395 pace they have in their 47-72 season.
* Wondering whether the Sox can win 100 games this season? Well, they will have to go 35-8 the rest of the way. Which means the statistical-analysis department at elliottharris.com won’t even bother to calculate what that percentage is (.814). Which means the answer is no. Not when they still have six games left against the Royals — who lead the season series 7-4 — after Sunday.
* Wondering how long into his new contract Cubs shortstop Starlin Castro will be before he feels he is underpaid. He says he wants to be a Cub for life, which may sound good now but could sound like a life sentence — for him or for the team — down the road.
* Wondering whether the Chicago Bandits’ attendance for its regular-season finale Saturday at the Ballpark in Rosemont (a record 1,642) means the National Pro Fastpitch postseason games there will draw similarly sized crowds. The NPF postseason begins Thursday with the defending champion Bandits playing the Carolina Diamonds at 6 p.m.
* Wondering whether Chicago Bears fans would be despondent if the team had lost to the Washington Redskins rather than win on Robbie Gould’s 57-yard field goal late in the game? As if winning or losing NFL exhibitions really matters.
* Speaking of what the NFL likes to term “preseason” games, wondering whether any major sporting event can induce coma-like symptons the way the fourth quarter of exhibition games does — with the possible exception of those who are diehard fans and/or have money on outcome.
* Wondering what is something approximating midseason form in those NFL exhibition games? Try the number of commercials during the telecast.
* Wondering why would anyone would wear a coat and tie to an exhibition football game (which was the outfit that Bears president Ted Phillips had on when he was interviewed on TV before the game)? Guess the attire increases credibility. You know, like the way it works for politicians. Uh, bad example.
* Wondering whether the next time we have televised racing from Arlington Park we can have more of Alyssa Ali and possibly less of the winning trifecta of Howard Sudberry, Dan Roan and Ed Olczyk providing expert commentary and analysis. Nothing against the guys who all were quite good on the WGN hour of power for the Arlington Million.
Speaking of daily doubles (or an unreasonable facsimile thereof), here are a couple of videos from the recent Wizard World Chicago Comic Con 2012 at the Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont. Featured today are actresses Lauren Holly and Scottie Thompson (with a thank-you to Robin Monsky for helping arrange the interviews:
As usual, there were no cheerleaders for the Bears’ home game. The Honey Bears, who once roamed the sidelines, were eliminated after the 1985 Super Bowl championship season.
The consolation prize here is Washington Redskins auditions video:
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