Jack Parkman

He was part of the Frazier deal, IIRC. He got traded by the Dodgers to the A's.

I've given you plenty of examples of taking responsibility for myself. I wasn't even talking about me before, but somehow this got turned into that. I was talking about larger societal issues. Its fine if you accept that. I don't. A couple years ago, what you said was accurate. It isn't anymore. I've come to realize that I can only control what's under my control. It's my job to adapt to the world to the best of my ability, and that nobody really gives a flying fuck about autistic people. They care whether or not I can do the job. My frustration comes from know that I can do a bunch of jobs, but not being able to convey it. I used to see all of my negative attributes and none of the positives. The only thing that I don't know how to overcome is my age and lack of work experience combo. I'm concerned that I won't even get a damn interview anymore. It can be explained by my autism. I had nowhere close to the emotional maturity and understanding of workplace protocol to hold a job a few years ago. I still struggle with some of this stuff, but I can usually think my way through it. I'm incredibly self conscious about a lot of things, because I have to be. I take plenty of responsibility for my mistakes. A lot of them I chalk up to social ignorance. It is what it is. The past doesn't matter, the only thing that matters is moving forward. I know now that I wasn't ready for a real job in my 20s. I've accepted that and I've moved on. I know that I have a better attitude now. The only reason I consider myself annoying and grating is because at the beginning of a relationship, whether as a friendship or a romantic one, I struggle to gauge interest in the other person. It takes time for me to understand what is and isn't acceptable to them. Once people get to know me, I'm genuinely likeable. The beginning is hard, and that's why I'm like that.

I'm frustrated because I spent thousands of dollars on something I thought I could do, and I should be able to do, but nobody was ever willing to give me a chance. I've begrudgingly accepted that, and I have some ideas for something else to do for a career. There just aren't a lot of jobs out there that are a good fit for me. I'd be the first to tell you that. It makes it that much harder. The huge issue is sometimes I don't even know that I'm doing something inappropriate. People have to tell me. I've gained enough knowledge that I'm not entirely socially blind, but I still don't pick up body language or social cues.Everything is in a library in my head and I have to go look it up whenever I'm in a situation. I still struggle with interrupting people. To this day. I still struggle with the volume of my voice. I'm really loud. I can catch myself interrupting people every now and then but it's really hard. The other thing is that as strange as it sounds I appreciate people being blunt and direct with me instead of dropping hints. If you drop hints, I'll never get them. I'm not moping or anything like that, I'm lashing out on a forum out of frustration. Its more like WTF more do I have to do to get a shot? Did I used to have a bit of an attitude problem, sure. It's not like that anymore. If thinking that I should have enough value as a human being to be paid enough to support myself financially is having an attitude problem, I'm guilty as charged. On the other subject, I don't think meritocracy is dead, I think that it never existed. It's something that rich people made up to help them sleep better at night.

If I can find something that might help you understand, sure. I'll link it. When I said that the world is rigged against me, but that nobody did it on purpose I meant that. Nobody knew about autism without an ID until 30 years ago or so. It wasn't a widely accepted diagnosis until about 20 years ago. What I meant is that the world is designed for people who aren't socially blind. Because I have this issue, there is an unintentional bias that exists. If you assume me to be neurotypical in a job interview, you'd think I was really odd, at the very least, when I'm putting my best foot forward. There are so many little social protocols to keep straight. Body language, eye contact (believe me this is hard to get right) , and that doesn't even get to the questions themselves. For example, I was nervous in interviews and the only way I could answer questions was with my arms crossed. It made me more comfortable, but NTs read it like I had something to hide. Not my intention at all. Sometimes there are just so many things that you're trying to remember in an interview that your anxiety shuts down your brain. I've had that happen more times than you can imagine. It just overwhelms you.

I suggest you educate yourself on autism before you make that statement. If you ask any expert on the subject they will tell you that the job search process exacerbates all of an autistic individual's weaknesses and mitigates their strengths. The huge issue most people on the spectrum have is never being given an opportunity. These are facts. I just want an opportunity to prove myself, in a position in which I actually have the opportunity to succeed.

It's really not anybody's fault. I had to fuck up and make mistakes in order to grow enough to get to this point in my life. I made a metric shit ton of mistakes. I'd be the first to admit that. When I got out of college I was nowhere near ready to hold a job. I didn't know that then, but I do now. I probably would have been better off if I went to work right out of HS and went back to school later as a more mature person. That shit doesn't matter anymore. What matters is what I can do now, in the situation I'm in now. How can I move forward from here? That's the question. It's up to me to find out.

You'd be wrong. I've spoken to a number of pretty successful people who have a positive attitude about life and work. But continue to ignore that and live in your bubble where everything is fine and dandy.

Idk where you get that from. Really.

Dude, you don't fucking understand. Yes, the world is especially rigged to fuck me. If you ask any expert on autism they'll tell you that. Am I bitter and pissed about it? You bet your ass. Do I b**** about it every now and then? Absolutely. I only b**** about it when I'm super frustrated. It's therapeutic. Do I feel like a victim? Absloutely not. Nobody designed society just to fuck me over. It's just an unfortunate byproduct. I've made it my life's work to be a self advocate and educate people about what they're missing by excluding people like myself from the workforce. I don't want others to go through the same BS I did. Instead of sitting around and and saying woe is me I'm actively out there with others on my side trying to plead my case. It's not easy, I haven't made much progress yet, but I will never give up. I'm going to fight as long as I can. Its up to me to prove I can do it, and it's not just about me either. It's about making a path to independence for other people like me. There may come a point where if I keep fighting, I may see none of the fruits of my labor. I really don't care. If I can make one person's life better, even if it isn't my own, that's what matters.

This isn't coming from my inner circle either. I don't blame you for thinking that. I really don't know who to trust for advice on getting along in the workplace. There is one person I trust more than anyone else. Most of the people in my "inner circle" haven't looked for jobs for years. After College, I went to everyone I trusted at the time for advice and tried to get as much information as I could. None of it worked for me. Btw, those two guys were the only ones in my group with that type of worldview. I met them through a mutual friend. That mutual friend moved away and I kept hanging out with them. To be fair, I didn't know how bad they were until 2016. Trump made them more emboldened to speak that way. It wasn't often before that and I'd call them out on it. I thought bigger picture and I never took a lot of what they said seriously. I'm a completely different person than that, and I'm sad that it came to that. It's my mistake. Like I said in that thread, I was afraid to dump them because I had a really hard time socially in my younger years. I really wish I had the courage to do so sooner. My situation is the norm for people on the autism spectrum without an ID. I had to throw away a good job for me because I didn't take it seriously, soon enough. I got too ambitious and thought I could break in to the mainstream workforce. My biggest regret to this point in my life is not looking at that company as a possible career until it was far too late. I joined them when I wasn't ready for a real job (I'm not too proud to admit that) and messed things up way too much. By the time I was ready to take it seriously, things were too messed up.

Forgive me for being especially bitter. I've dealt with all of the things you have as a child and then some. Dude I didn't have much of a childhood. I spent most of it going in and out of therapy, going to from psychiatrist to psychiatrist trying to figure out wtf was wrong, having my brain chemistry fucked with constantly going in and out of hospitals because the drugs that the gave me made things worse instead of better, there were some that made me hyper aggressive and some that made me a zombie. I've battled major depressive episodes, multiple suicide attempts, and countless other shit. All before I got to high school. So forgive me about saying I've gone through a lot. I finally got iy shit under control, mostly because of dumb luck with meds, by my sophomore year in HS. I didn't get diagnosed with autism until shortly before my 18th birthday. I've had severe foot pain that has prevented me from holding low-level jobs. I can't stand up for more two hours without being in severe pain for a week. I'm recovering from my 2nd foot surgery as we speak. Every bit of work I've had to put in on adapting to the world I've done over the last 10 years or so. It's a daily struggle just existing. Don't fucking tell me I haven't gone through hell. I hope I can get someone to look past my issues one day, and see me for the awesome guy I know I am. The semi-arrogance and bitterness are my motivating factor. I want to prove to everyone that said I was a lost cause that I can make it in the world. I know what my responsibility is, and that is to adapt to the world around me as best as I can. I continue to learn, gain info, and fight like hell for every opportunity. And if I fail, move on and take the lessons to the next one.

Tony, I like your posts, but I gave examples of people that I speak with who have also had a rough time of it. I told you that it's not just me, but you're ignoring that. I talk to a lot of people. I don't meet people who have had positive experiences at work often. I do run into them, but I've found them to be the exception rather than the rule. I've found it to be an 80/20 rule. 80% of jobs suck. If you've found the 20%, you should consider yourself fairly fortunate. I'm happy for you guys on here who've had good experiences at work. I don't think that you realize how lucky and blessed you are. I already know my own experiences are abnormal and when I talk about this I refer solely to the experiences of others I speak with. None of these experiences are my own.

It's not the business's job to maintain that social/societal responsibility. That's the government's job. That's why people died fighting for labor rights. It's the government's job to keep a close eye on CA and remind them that they can't go too far. The Government has abdicated that responsibility for 40 years. CA has gone too far. I'm stopping right now before this delves into politics. Forgive me for not being clear about that.

I never claimed to know everything, but I do know a lot.

The whole difference in our opinion lies from the belief in meritocracy. You believe that is truly how the world works. I don't. Anyone who believes that is naive. That is an idealistic excuse from those in power to shift responsibility off of them and onto the populace. The world isn't a meritocracy. It's a good old boys club. It's not what you know, it's who you blow. You can't even get a decent first job without having someone to advocate for you. Again, you're in the military where everything actually works that way. It doesn't outside of there. Working hard might keep you employed, but it won't advance your career. You have to schmooze people to actually get that done. That's why I struggle out there. As an autistic person, i don't have those skills. The world isn't built for me, it's built to exclude me. I wish the world was actually a fucking meritocracy because I've worked harder and overcome more obstacles just to get to this point than a the majority of people. If you knew me, you'd understand. That's why it bothers me so much, and that's why I work to expose it. I've paid my dues. I just want dignity.

The military =/= everyone else. Things work differently there. Military life and civilian life are two entirely different things. Everything I said earlier does not apply to the military. Thanks for chiming in, but if your adult life has been entirely in the army I get a lot of where you're coming from. Thie military is a dictatorship. You have to know that when you sign up. Even though I haven't served myself, because I couldn't even if I wanted to, I have known a lot of people who have, including some who went to West Point. I understand it about as well as a civilian possibly can. My godfather was in the Navy for a very long time. I understand how it works.

Actually take the time to show me the ropes. Invest in your employees, and don't discard them whenever convenient. I'd rather take a 10% pay cut than lose my entire paycheck. Also, a company has more social and societal responsibilities than simply producing goods and services for a profit. They have the responsibility to create skilled labor and new products and jobs. Somewhere along the line people have stopped holding corporate America responsible for their responsibilities and have shifted all of them onto the individual. No wonder it's harder to get ahead and life is more stressful! It is the company's responsibility to give their employees everything they need to be successful in their role. College and other outside training programs can only do so much. At some point there has to be on-the-job training and mentoring. This whole sink or swim approach is literally psychological abuse. One shouldn't have to freak out every day that they don't have everything that they need to do their job, including information. While there's a lot of stuff on the internet, it cannot and should not replace training and mentoring. And sometimes, answers aren't available there either. I don't think that not being praised at work is analogous. I do think that people having to choose between their career and any sort of happiness outside of work is.

Nice way to not read the entire post, and only quote the part that fits your argument. Nice try though. I said that the player who wins the batting title probably had positive batted ball luck. But you didn't read that part.

The Sox might have to overpay to get anyone decent to sign here.

Not a bad idea to be honest. I'm not sure that Moncada wouldn't take a step back with the bat if he went back to 2B though.

There aren't enough likes for this post.

Skole isn't either. Maybe they know they have a LH power issue and are trying desperately to solve it.

As bad as Reed was, I would've rather it been him getting the AB than Skole.

The only thing that makes sense is that they don't think they're even worth a look.

What would Mazara cost, realistically? He's a weird case. He's going to be 25 next year but only has 2 seasons of control.