Jack Parkman

QUOTE (fathom @ Aug 22, 2017 -> 08:32 PM) I think we all would be thrilled if he can be a 3. Ya, agreed. We don't need him to be an ace, because we have Kopech and Hansen who look to be TOR guys. I can't believe how much he's lost off the fastball though since his Nats days. They must have really screwed him up mechanically. Perfect case of if it isn't broken, don't fix it.

I think we have a keeper with Giolito, but if he's throwing 92-93 vs 95-96 he's a #3 and not a potential ace.

Love that Giolito is getting tons of swings and misses on the fastball. That was a huge problem in ST.

QUOTE (Tony @ Aug 22, 2017 -> 07:13 PM) There is plenty that should "give you hope" about Moncada. Ok, maybe not the best way to have communicated it. I was referring to the slow start "gives you hope" probably wasn't the best choice of words. Maybe "gives me confidence that he will be a good, if not great MLB hitter" was a better choice of words.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Aug 22, 2017 -> 11:32 AM) Giolitto better look awesome tonight, or he's a bust as well. Did you see what he did last year? Moncada, Fulmer, Collins....confirmed busts Lopez, huge questions. ERA over 6.00 and hurt.....most likely bust Giolitto, big game tonight will determine his status....very well could be a bust. For people who wanted full rebuilds, the patience is amazingly short. QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Aug 22, 2017 -> 01:09 PM) I would agree with you on all things, except Fulmer. He is a bust. His stuff is just not good. Don't know what happened, but he lost something. I wish he were hurt cause I'd at least have a reason for why his stuff become so non-existent. I've seen zero flashes of "special" out of him. I also think it tends to be easier to evaluate pitchers then hitters (as well). QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Aug 22, 2017 -> 01:15 PM) He's a bit off, but it isn't like he was throwing 89. I wouldn't write him off. He needs to find a way to throw strikes like Thornton and Kahnle. I don't know if it will happen, and am sure his head is probably pretty screwed up right now and probably overloaded. His talent is still there IMO, but when you are always behind, its a double whammy because you have to lay it in there, and guys won't swing at stuff out of the zone. Just like a hitter, he's got to get himself better counts, and he needs to convince himself he can consistently throw strikes. I really have no idea why they called him up. He was set up to fail. Is there frustration as a fan about players coming up and struggling, sure. There are some guys(Fulmer) who don't pass the eye test. I just hope that Moncada doesn't turn into a Garcia/Moustakas situation where he figures it out when there is only one or two years of team control left. I'm willing to be patient, but when there is plenty of evidence that a guy doesnt have it, you have to draw the line somewhere. The one thing that gives me hope about Moncada is that you can't teach that eye. He has an excellent grasp of the zone.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Aug 21, 2017 -> 11:42 PM) I think everyone in America should be an independent like me. That way you can just assess candidates on their own merit. For instance I am a former Republican conservative, yet in the pack of bad choices, I became a huge Bernie guy. I despised Hillary; saw Trump as a total rich chump and really didn't like anybody else except Biden, who wasn't running and McCain and Kasisch. Cmon folks, both major parties are crooked; both are awful. Become an independent and assess all presidential candidates in the future on their own merits, not party. I'd love to be able to feel like i have a choice. If the Alt right had not hijacked the GOP, then maybe I'd feel like I have a choice. There are plenty of things I disagree with the democratic establishment about. There is no economic leftist party in America. These people need a voice. I cannot stress enough how economic empowerment solves a lot of societal ills

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Aug 21, 2017 -> 10:27 PM) I hardly think deliberately GOADING a group of liberals/Antifa and getting escorted out by the police is the MORAL EQUIVALENT of the actions we've consistently seen from NEO-NAZI hate groups... If those on the right desire to say that Antifa or Black Lives Matter are the exact same thing, just on opposite sides, there's absolutely no way productive way to go forward for this country without a completely new administration (Trump and Pence both gone) in 2020. If those on the right desire to say that Antifa and BLM are the moral equivalent of Neo Nazi hate groups, then there is no hope for this country period. We might as well blow it up and start over. We'll be fighting WWII all over again but within our own borders. This is where I was going about social conservatism not being a valid and acceptable POV. The point I was making earlier was that with some things it is not a matter of right vs left, it is a matter of right vs wrong. Can we all agree that there are certain things that are right vs wrong, and not an opinion/personal politics, but literally right and wrong? If you want to attack politics that is one thing. When you attack an entire group of people for things like "these people have a lack of work ethic" or other similar generalized character attacks, that in my mind is hate speech in disguise.

I don't understand how I'm not being objective. I don't like people who threaten my existence. Trump mocked disabled people, he's on my s*** list. I felt personally attacked by the leader of my country. I understand fiscal conservatism mostly. I think it is a valid, acceptable point of view. In my mind, social conservatism is not a valid, acceptable point of view. We should always strive to be more inclusive and diverse. Social conservatism keeps people like myself disenfranchised and on the periphery of society. You shouldn't be unable to support yourself financially because of things outside of your control. You should be judged on your character and nothing more. People say you enter this world as equals and I (strongly) believe that isn't true. The best way to "to solve the poor problem" is to give poor people and opportunity to work and live comfortably for the first time in their lives. I like to call this economic empowerment. The biggest thing that people have to see is evidence that change is possible. That used to exist. It doesn't anymore.

QUOTE (raBBit @ Aug 21, 2017 -> 09:43 PM) I mean you've shown you're not objective in any way already, but I'll dance anyways because I've had a few, but which side does the rioting and looting? (Both sides have contributed in violence.) I'm more referring to the events that occurred in Baltimore in 2015.(remember when the Sox/O's game got postponed?) It is completely counterproductive. I don't advocate that s*** at all. Am I an uber liberal? Yeah. But the way to successfully protest is to show the world who the oppressors and oppressed are. When you are a member of an oppressed class protesting, you want to show the public exactly who the assholes are. When you do things that portray your group as the assholes it completely defeats the purpose and feeds the trolls. When you live on the periphery of society like I do, you see things in a different light. I've been pretty strong and stern on my stances lately because of the whole Nazi thing. They threaten my very existence as a disabled person. I take it very personally when people attack my right to exist on this planet. In my opinion, I am the only one who can make a decision about whether or not I can exist. The whole 'when a right winger says" post was to point out the ridiculousness of their "talking points." that I strongly believe they use to oppress people who are not white neurotypical males. That the same attacks that they use to attack minorities and poor people can be used to attack them, and it is just as ridiculous from both points of view. The huge issue right now is that people on both ends of the aisle are not using their brain and critically thinking. From my point of view, the first thing that needs to be done on this subject is to get the majority of the country on the same page, and realize that minorities are still oppressed, but in a different, more subtle, but systematic way. Until we get to that point we're spinning our wheels. This seems like the mid-late 60s all over again. Hopefully we come out on the right side of this, and everyone is better off after this second era of social turbulence in the USA. This is part of what happens in a democracy. The biggest way to help minorities is economic empowerment. When you don't see a plausible way out of the projects or your parents' basement(in my case), you lose hope and become angry and resentful. I struggle with this at times but usually cooler heads prevail. I just don't understand how Nazis=bad is not a universal truth. That is what baffles me. I see zero moral equivalence between Nazis and hate groups who condone and preach genocide vs those who preach acceptance and inclusion. With regard to certain groups, I agree with the message, but not the methods.

For example, Rioting, Looting and violence during protests do not accomplish anything. They are counterproductive to the cause that you are fighting for and should not be partaken in. This is the type of behavior I call "feeding the trolls" It basically validates the racists/bigots point of view and gives them talking points, hence why it is counterproductive.

QUOTE (SoxAce @ Aug 21, 2017 -> 09:32 PM) That is completely false. Along with this game and the times I've seen him with the Knights, he was definitely 94-96. Obviously with the control issues, it won't matter anyways. That is what I've seen at the Major league level last year. I took what he was throwing today with a grain of salt because he was amped for his first start.

QUOTE (fathom @ Aug 21, 2017 -> 09:26 PM) Honestly, I'm more frustrated with how poorly Moncada and Anderson played today than Fulmer. With that said, hopefully Giolito performs decently tomorrow. Not overly optimistic Yeah, I'm starting to get a little worried about Moncada. He has a great eye but a ton of swing and miss.

QUOTE (Jose Abreu @ Aug 21, 2017 -> 09:24 PM) I don't get why people are so impatient. He sucks, but it really is not an issue for us to try him as a reliever next year. It's not like we're trying to contend or we have a packed bullpen or anything. The risk is nonexistent. Worst case scenario, he sucks and we lose more games, and get a better pick. The difference between a starter and a reliever is having 3 pitches vs 2. Honestly, I'm not sure he has one MLB quality pitch. It doesn't matter how hard you throw if you can't even come close to hitting your spots. You still need a good fastball and a good offspeed pitch to be a reliever. He has none of the above. His regular velocity is 90-93 , even out of the pen that isn't going to cut it anymore without elite command.

QUOTE (elrockinMT @ Aug 21, 2017 -> 09:19 PM) He doesn't have enough time on the books to make it a career yet. Give him a chance He's had minimal if any success above A+ ball. That isn't anything other than organizational filler. They messed up the scouting, I can see how it happened. You need to hit on top 10 picks but this guy looked like a #2 in the making at Vandy.

QUOTE (The Ginger Kid @ Aug 21, 2017 -> 09:10 PM) he's a gas can on any days of rest Agreed, I was referring to the once a week starting schedule that college and high school pitchers have. Sometimes you don't know how good a pitcher's stuff really is until they go to the pros. Fulmer is exhibit A for how scouting mistakes happen with pitchers. You are an Area Scout. You see him in at Vandy with lights out stuff. Everyone agrees. He gets to the pros and the stuff goes from MLB quality to Org filler quality after losing 2 days of rest. I take back what I said earlier. I loved the Fulmer pick when it happened, he looked super nasty at Vandy, but he just doesn't have it in the pros. It happens.

Scouts were always concerned about how Fulmer's stuff would hold on 4 days rest instead of 6. Seems they were correct.

QUOTE (soxfan2014 @ Aug 21, 2017 -> 08:59 PM) Ian Happ would look good in our system/in our lineup right now. Water under the bridge. They just have to more correctly scout how going from 6 days rest to 4 will affect a guy's stuff. Easier said than done though.

Whichever scout recommended Fulmer should be put on notice, if not fired now. he does not have major league quality stuff.

QUOTE (Chicago White Sox @ Aug 21, 2017 -> 07:44 PM) Nope. Anyone defending the scum in that video is 100% wrong. Did you even watch the video? Probably not. I'll stand by what I said previously. It's absolutely pathetic that people here would try to validate violence by saying the guy was "annoying" or because a liberal protestor was run down by a right-wrong psychopath. But whatever, political affiliation is more important than moral behavior to some apparently. I didnt watch the video. If left wing groups are feeding the trolls I will call them out accordingly. I was referring to the aura of hyperpartisanship in general.

QUOTE (Chicago White Sox @ Aug 21, 2017 -> 06:47 PM) Good god...the partisanship on this board is sickening. Not about right vs. left at this point. It is about right vs wrong. There is no argument. This is why the "hyperpartisanship" exists. You have a a large group of people who are saying enough is enough. You cant continue to socially and economically s*** on minorities and continue to get away with it, and then claim things like "reverse racism." The parallel to Nazi Germany in this country is staggering. No wonder a loon like Trump got elected

Rodon's velocity down again or trying to be Verlander?

As one of the biggest Giolito fans on this board, I'm really disappointed that he's starting Monday. I'm also an avid amateur astronomer and will be in Carbondale for the Solar Eclipse. I really want to watch his first start.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Aug 16, 2017 -> 09:49 PM) Out of 292 Republicans in Congress, as of this afternoon, 12 had condemned the president's defense of Nazis and white supremacists as "good people" by name/specifically. A number of others denounced racism without saying why or referencing the President. Only 12 of 292 said that yesterday was unacceptable. Couple more, including Kasich, have similarly used his name but would not be counted as Congress. Paul Ryan is touting his upcoming tax reform. I think it would be perfectly ok to have the US CounterTerrorism team Hack the Klan and Nazi servers. I wonder how many GOP members in state and national legislature are among their ranks. Honestly, I think that is the only reason it hasn't been done yet, because they are afraid of what they will find. Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell(AKA Yertle the Turtle) have already been on my s*** list for a long time. By not denouncing the president's statement, saying that they disagree but only saying that Nazis are against American values, they have crossed into CYA territory. They have also given a de facto endorsement of the Klan and Nazis in my eyes. They needed to come down hard on der Trumpenfuhrer(He has now earned that title, as he has crossed into Moronika territory) But they are cowards. May they go down with Trumpenfuhrer. More on Moronika https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/You_Nazty_Spy!

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Aug 16, 2017 -> 03:55 PM) So you literally just made a list of excuses for why you would vote against your best interests, while questioning why people would vote against their best interests. It happens all of the time with the political system we have in place. No, I gave my thoughts on your response. Maybe my definition of what is in my best interest is different than yours. Sorry, maybe what I meant to say is that i dont understand why people vote against what is best for the greatest amount of people. I am autistic, forgive me for not seeing gray areas where they may exist.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Aug 16, 2017 -> 11:00 AM) I see the same thing happen on the left such as when workers in unions for things like steel and autos vote for people who want to bankrupt their companies with higher environmental regulations and free trade agreements that would send their jobs overseas to workers getting pennies on the dollar. The reason you see this is because no person is fully represented by one party. It isn't a buffet where you can pick and choose your candidates positions one by one. It is more like your cable company where your options are Bundle A or Bundle B, even though you hate 90% of the channels in each bundle. RE: Unions-There is a reason they call it collective BARGAINING. First, there was no representation of labor in this country, and the working conditions were crappy to say the least. Fast forward 60 years, and there was an overcorrection where labor had most of the leverage, and they kept taking more and more from management. Management responds by breaking unions. Fast forward another 35 years and there is an overcorrection in the other direction, where management holds most of the cards again. Collective bargaining means both sides give concessions until both are happy. Then there should be no strike or lockout. However, there has to be common sense. Should laborers have job security. Yes. Should they never be able to be fired? No. If you are ass sitting for weeks on end then of course you should be s***canned. At the same time, Should management be able to fire someone because they challenged them constructively for business reasons? Absolutely not. Unions need to work the way they were intended to work. Unfortunately, both union leaders and management don't come to the table as rational negotiators. RE: The environment: This is non-negotiable in my opinion. There should be absolutely zero tolerance for pollution. There is no level of pollution that is acceptable. If there is any chance whatsoever that humans can be harmed by exposure to chemicals/pollutants, then the regulation needs to exist. end of story. I have a B.S. in chemical engineering Read about cancer alley in Louisiana. It is why I don't want to work in the petrochemical industry. Also with regard to broader climate change action, I believe it exists, and that the results of inaction could bring about the extinction of humans. So, this is non-negotiable. RE: D v. R- I think both sides have lost their base. Democrats have gone too far to the center( if not right of center) on most economic issues, and the GOP is just a bunch of loons, who are protecting really wealthy people's s***. RE: Welfare. I live on it. It sucks. I work too. They take my benefits away, the more that I work. It is really messed up. I don't have the social ability/executive functioning skills to hold down a full time, non supportive position. I didn't know that until I actually tried to do it. If I would have known, I would not have attended post secondary education. Right now I try to maximize the combo of the two(welfare/work) for maximum personal income. Would it be easier to sit around all day and do nothing, yeah. But it is really depressing to do so. It is hazardous to my mental health. You'd never know how incredibly fulfilling even the most boring, repetitive position is until you've gone 18 months with no job and responses to applications that are less in number than the digits on one's hand. The programs for disabled individuals to find full time work is misguided. They throw everyone into a giant pool and treat everyone the same, trying to get them entry level jobs(like those you get when you're 16) just to get them off the books. They have no regard for level of functioning that said disabled person has. I wanted to get a job as a Chemical Engineer or Lab Tech. They tried to get me to apply for bagging groceries and washing dishes. They completely ignored the fact that I would have an easier time holding down the ChE job rather than the dishwasher job, with my level of functioning and disability. Physically not moving quickly and lack of manual dexterity is part of autism. For those interested in Cancer Alley: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cancer_Alley