Jack Parkman

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Aug 16, 2017 -> 07:57 AM) And this is why the "right winger" votes for Donald Trump, as this is the left's public view of anyone to the left of Hillary Clinton. Maybe it because I truly fail to grasp how right wing policies benefit anyone other those who are independently wealthy and GOP politicians. I understand that they protecting their own interests, but other than that, I just dont see it. That post was meant to be satire. I was trying to point out how ridiculous these talking points are and while there may be a small bit of truth those from both points of view that the truth is somewhere else.

The huge issue is that every negative quality that one group of people say about another group of people whom they want to oppress and denigrate, are projections about their own behavior that they are embarrassed about. When the right winger says: Welfare queens take advantage of the system and are lazy and don't want to work They mean: 1. I don't pay my fair share of taxes nor do I give to charity to help the needy, and I don't want to. 2. I have a safe, secure job and I really don't do anything there but the bare minimum to stay employed. Every day I go to work I steal from my company. I am the lazy one. If I point the finger at someone who doesn't have the job opportunities to live comfortably like I do, then it makes me feel better about stealing time from my employer, and not paying my taxes. When the right winger says: The problem isn't the police officers beating minorities, it is that people think that the rules don't apply to them, and they are an entitled brats who have no respect for authority They mean: I think the rules don't apply to me. I don't like minorities. I think they are subhuman. I am above the law. I have enough money to make any problem I have legally, go away. I can just pay a lawyer to get me off the hook. I am the entitled brat. I just have to blame it on somebody else to make me feel better about my taking advantage of the system due to having a large paycheck. When the right winger says: Being gay is a choice. High functioning autism is a con made by people who don't want to work, and are too mentally weak to handle real life. They mean: These people make me uncomfortable. I don't want to deal with them, because they are different. I think they are disgusting because they have sex with people of the same gender or have trouble with social boundaries/personal hygiene. I choose to be closed minded, I am too mentally weak to handle it. I lack the critical thinking skills to come to the conclusion that these things are real issues. Why would anyone choose to behave in this manner, when it is very out of the ordinary? Life is hard enough. Why would someone add this burden to it? When the right winger says: If I have to raise wages, then there will be less jobs They mean: I am a greedy SOB. I don't want to pay people a living wage, because my standard of living will change marginally and that is too uncomfortable. Maybe I can't afford that new yacht on the Lake every 5 years. Now I have to wait 8. I don't care. I want it now, because I am a whiny, entitled petulant child. This is my I am skirting the responsibility of paying my employees fairly and giving people what they need to live comfortably or survive. Not only will I not pay them, I will not give them the tools necessary to succeed at the goals I've set for them. This way I can continue to lower their pay, because my company is doing barely well enough to stay in business, and I want all of it. It is MINE. You can't have more than x amount, even though you've done all of the work, and I've been out at the country club all week. I have more of these that I will post later.

QUOTE (Jake @ Aug 15, 2017 -> 02:53 PM) To put Giolito ahead of Lopez is absolutely absurd to me. Giolito has an entire arsenal of plus pitches. Lopez doesn't.

QUOTE (Scoots @ Aug 12, 2017 -> 06:54 PM) Can someone please explain to me, how did shields go from being one of the most dominant pitchers in the league with the Rays to John Danks? Did he get injured or something and just never fully returned to what he once was? Father Time gets everyone eventually. Shields is 36. He just lost it quickly. Lots of innings on ye olde right arm.

QUOTE (Wanne @ Aug 11, 2017 -> 07:58 PM) Like Ace said too...don't sleep on Hansen either... I don't sleep on Hansen. I've been excited about his potential since the Sox took him. I hate that everyone sleeps on him. Nobody really talks about Hansen outside of Sox fans.

QUOTE (ReyLo @ Aug 11, 2017 -> 07:54 PM) Giolitos fastball may be the worst now though. I've heard he's back up to 94-97. Obviously That is worst of Kopech, Lopez and he in terms of velocity but he has problems with command because it moves so much. Giolito probably has the least straight fastball out of the three.

Guys, don't forget that Giolito is supposed to have better stuff than Lopez, too. Scouts on stuff: 1. Kopech 2. Giolito 3. Lopez of the pitchers received in trade this offseason. If Giolito ever figures out his control/command, watch out.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Jul 23, 2017 -> 07:09 PM) Exactly. I want moderates. Social liberals but have money and want tax breaks. Don't care about speaking in tongues You can't be socially liberal and fiscally conservative. They are mutually exclusive, unless you just don't care about the National Debt. For example, How are you going to pay for those social programs to help the needy/poor get on their feet if you are giving tax breaks to corporations and the wealthiest individuals? Those corporations and wealthy people have more $ than the rest of the population combined. You have to tax where the money is, not where it isn't.

Also, Sox might not finish this game; nasty storms moving in the far west suburbs pretty quickly.

QUOTE (elrockinMT @ Jul 19, 2017 -> 08:58 PM) Anderson and Rodon will recover. Too much talent. Sometimes things just don't go the way we would like. I think it is a learning experience for the youngsters QUOTE (Dam8610 @ Jul 19, 2017 -> 09:03 PM) Exactly. They learn and take their developmental lumps now, the team gets a higher draft pick, they're good and accompanied by more talent in competitive years. It's win/win. QUOTE (elrockinMT @ Jul 19, 2017 -> 09:09 PM) I am betting even Sandy Koufax wasn't perfect his first couple years I wasn't arguing that he wasn't going to figure it out, just that it will be too late to be useful to the Sox when he does. I agree that he has too much talent to never figure it out; just not sure that it will happen here.

QUOTE (fathom @ Jul 19, 2017 -> 08:51 PM) I'm not so sure he's going to be a pitcher that ages well May I ask why? I could see him as a young Max Scherzer (glass half full) or a journeyman back of rotation guy(glass half empty) or he could be a reliever. Scherzer had horrible command/some injury problems early in his career, which led to Arizona trading him to Detroit.

Rodon, if he figures it out, will take a while. He will be in the 26-28 age range if he ever does. He might make a journeyman career with pitching coaches thinking they can get the most out of his stuff if he never figures it out. Unfortunately, if he figures it out, it will be too late for the Sox. He will have either been traded or it will be year or two of good pitching before he walks.

This is the same surgery that John Danks and Johan Santana had. If their recoveries (or lack thereof) are any indication of what is to come, the Dodgers had a guy go from top overall prospect to non prospect

QUOTE (greg775 @ Jun 12, 2017 -> 12:39 AM) Nice. The problem for many is time as u said. In a perfect world we could spend 4-6 hours a day helping the homeless. It's a crutch, sure, but people are busy. Also many people understandably don't want to always get involved. Like I said, the homeless person I tried to help get out of the rain was in my estimation beyond help. I was going to take the guy to the hospital after he freaked out or the police station if he didnt stop threatening me. I don't blame the guy for having mental problems, but not many people have the time to spend a good portion of their days helping people. Everybody has their own family problems, etc. You don't ignore the people closest to you obviously, and there is a hierarchy of people who are important to you in your life, but if you have an opportunity to make someone's day(no matter who it is), then do it. The biggest problem that I have is recognizing when, where, how and whether it is socially appropriate to do it at this time. For me, I am a high functioning autistic; I struggle horribly financially to get by, but I do something like that every once in a while. When I am downtown and have fast food I give some random hungry person part of my value meal, either the fries or half the burger. I know that if I didn't have my family helping out,or they didn't have the finances to do so, that I'd be in their shoes. I won the birth lottery, they didn't.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Jun 12, 2017 -> 12:30 AM) Awesome. You are a great person. I will say this can be tricky. I've actually picked up a homeless person who was standing in a storm once getting soaked and I won't go into detail but the experience was not positive. Remember, mental illness is possible in some of the homeless individuals. I try to be a good person at all times. I respect your take. I have a friend who at christmas time takes out 5000 dollars in 100s and gives 100 a pop to all homeless he can find. He's a good person. If I could, I'd rather set someone up with a good vocational specialist, who would help a financially struggling person get a job and if struggling with mental illness, seek outpatient help. Give a man a fish, he'll eat for a day; teach a man to fish and he'll eat for the rest of his life. Greg, The unfortunate thing is I have found that a good vocational specialist does not exist(in my experiences) There needs to be more of them. These people have too much on their plates and there isn't enough time in the day to set up individual plans for each person's needs and goals. Their heart is in the right place, they just don't have the time and energy to do what needs to be done. I wouldn't wish inpatient psychiatric help on my worst enemy. Heard too many horror stories. If you ever think you need it people, don't check yourself in. Go pay a therapist and a Psychiatrist instead, You'll be better off. All it is is a money grab. Doctors keep you there until they get paid as much as they want to make off of your insurance.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Jun 12, 2017 -> 12:18 AM) That's cool how we disagree completely. In my frame of mine, I feel like if everybody exhibited the qualities of Christ (the father who made us; son who died for us and holy spirit who sustains us; three in one) we would not be so selfish. We would not be cutthroat at all times. We would treat people as we would like to be treated. I respect your take. I live my life by what I like to call the platinum rule. Treating others like you want to be treated isn't good enough. You treat others BETTER than you want to be treated. Think to yourself "What would make my day if someone did something for me?" Then take it a step further. Go out of your way to do something nice for certain people. See that homeless guy at the corner by Union Station with the I'm hungry sign? Take him out to lunch and have a conversation with him. Don't try to lecture, just sit and listen to the guy talk. Attempt to put yourself in his shoes. Imagine for a moment what it would be like if the shoe was on your foot instead of his. How desperate would you be if you had no job, no prospects, no family to take care of you and nowhere warm to sleep in winter and cool to do so in the summer?

QUOTE (greg775 @ Jun 11, 2017 -> 11:37 PM) I as a stout believer would say this is what happens in a God-less society. But I then would/will duck as all sorts of objects are thrown at me. And as a secular humanist I believe the exact opposite, that this is what happens in a highly religious society. Religion is all about oppression, mind control and power. The best thing that ever happened to my mental health was to let go of the idea of god. For me believing in god was like voluntarily sentencing yourself to life in prison, but the prison is in your mind. It punishes good people by destroying their mental health, always worrying about whether they will enter the afterlife. It also vindicates evil people, by giving them a get out of hell free card, so they think they have carte blanche to be horrible human beings and commit heinous crimes in the name of their god. I don't need a god to look at my fellow human beings and know that they deserve the all of the things that humans need to be healthy, physically and emotionally.

QUOTE (Middle Buffalo @ Jun 11, 2017 -> 08:24 PM) In admonishing Bill Maher for using the N-word, Ice Cube said he knew Maher would screw up some day because sometimes Maher sounds "like a redneck trucker." So, I guess it's ok for a black guy to refer to a white guy as a redneck? Seems a little hypocritical to me. I'm sure someone will come on and educate me about the historical significance of the N-word now. It's not necessary. I get it. But, for the record, "redneck" is not exactly a term of endearment, so people who aren't white probably shouldn't be throwing it around. You want to know what the problem is here? It is how people in our society can't see another human being as our equal if they either a) look different b) have less money than us, most times due to environmental circumstances c) act differently, due to neurological differences or d) didn't win the birth lottery and live in a poor country. Why can't we all accept that we're all human, no matter whether we come from another part of the world, are gay, are a racial minority, don't believe in the same god or that god exists, are dirt poor, are disabled, are autistic. There is no civility left in America, only hate, blame and excuses. This country is coming apart at the seams, and is weak. Our greatest strength as a nation is also our biggest weakness. That is how incredibly heterogeneous the country is. Until we can learn to exit our homogeneous groups and put on our critical thinking hats, nothing will change. We can't continue to push others around and be selfish. We, as humans, are in a critical point in our evolution-Can we learn to put the survival of the species and life on earth ahead of our own immediate personal needs? If we can't we end life on earth, If we can we can continue for however long the earth is habitable for human life.

QUOTE (greg775 @ May 31, 2017 -> 04:41 PM) The gonads to do what exactly?? All she did was hold up a head and didn't explain WTF. Man you really hate Trump. I don't hate the man(though he is a pretty s***ty human being), I hate what he represents. He represents, in my opinion, Racism, Sexism, Homophobia, and marginalization of the disabled and mentally ill. He represents anyone who isn't a white, neurotypical man being sub-human. Being disabled, (by most people's definition, but not mine) What he did when he mocked that reporter was deplorable. He was automatically on my s*** list at that point. Greg, also, this isn't about ISIS, it is more an allusion to the French Revolution when the people beheaded the ruling class. Trump represents the ruling class in this country more than anyone. Why people thought he'd help the common person rather than enriching himself is beyond me. If you don't think there is a ruling class in this country, I can't help you.

QUOTE (greg775 @ May 31, 2017 -> 04:27 PM) This isn't about getting even for the morons who hung Obama's fake body from a tree. Those people are morons as well. She didn't say that's why she did it, to get even. Griffin's actions were wrong on many levels. Mostly it was grotesque and not funny. The fact she apologized so quickly shows her intent was mean spirited not artsy. She is Sooooooo stupid for not saving her career by a.) doing what you said, just say she wanted to get even for all the Obama haters hanging him in effigy; that would have worked or b.) again, proclaiming it 2017 ART. Saying it's up to the individual person to decide what it means. She blew it by immediately apologizing for what apparently was humor. It's not funny to hold a severed head that looks just like Trump when we are in real danger from ISIS bastards running around the USA ready to chop our own heads off!!!! All you need to know is her beloved NY Rockin Eve co host, Anderson Cooper, was appalled and blasted her actions on Twitter. Yes, both are morons, but I applaud her for having the gonads to do it. It is so incredibly sad that somehow this is less socially acceptable than the fake Obama lynchings. In fact, this is more socially acceptable than the previously mentioned things. Trump deserves people being mean spirited to him. He is a hateful, mean-spirited, selfish piece of s*** who brings disgrace to the Oval Office. The fact that Andrew Jackson is his presidential hero tells you all you need to know about him as a human being and as a president. He is president for make benefit glorious nation of Trumpistan.

I applaud Kathy Griffin. Good for her. Like was said earlier, the right-wing nutjobs used to have mannequins with Obama's face on it hanging from a damn tree. What's wrong right wingers? Can't take a little free speech? Hypocrites. Pointing out hypocrisy is always fun. I may not agree with what people say, but I will defend their right to say it. Trump is a horrible businessman, a worse human being and an even worse president(if that is even possible for him to be a worse president than human being) I am embarrassed as an American to have to call him "President." Trump is, in fact, a national embarrassment and one can only hope he was put into office purely with collusion from the Russians, otherwise there is no hope for America in the future if this is found to have not been the case. We are witnessing Nero playing the fiddle as Rome burns to the ground.

QUOTE (Kalapse @ May 15, 2017 -> 07:48 PM) .318/.362/.500/.862 Why is this May guy festering in AAA? AAAA guy. He was completely overmatched in the bigs.

QUOTE (fathom @ May 3, 2017 -> 11:48 AM) He had one of the worst fastball spin rates in baseball last year as well as one of the least effective fastballs I believe. General consensus seemed to be it was due to the spin rate, but I also agree his command stinks Either Giolito is injured or he's in-between his old(Nats) mechanics and where the Sox want him to be(I'd assume where he was when he was the top pitching prospect in baseball) He's talked about going back to what feels natural and being in-between mechanically in interviews so I'm going to assume it is the latter for now. Like I said earlier, we couldn't have acquired him via trade if the Nats didn't mess with him and he was still throwing 98 and getting outs. He's a work in progress. I wouldn't be surprised if it takes until 2018 for him to be fixed. Take Giolito's 2017 with a massive grain of salt. If he's still struggling next summer, then panic. I've seen still pics of his throwing motion in different spots. His motion is pretty complex.

QUOTE (Rowand44 @ May 3, 2017 -> 10:57 AM) It's SUPER premature. Look, the velocity is absolutely a concern and something to pay attention to but it's also not as crazy bad as fathom has been going off on lately. He could be working on stuff, he could be trying to get his mechanics straight or he might just be off to a really bad start. All I know is he's a 22 year old in AAA who has had success in the past and whose breaking ball is at least missing bats at the moment. He's a project at this point but to call him is a disaster is even too fathom-y for fathom. This is the truth. He is a work in progress. It was widely known that the Nats messed with his mechanics, and that is when his struggles began, with spin rate and other things. The Sox are trying to get Giolito back to where he was mechanically when he was the top pitching prospect in baseball. If he didn't have this issue, it is unlikely he could have been had in trade for Eaton, or even Sale. Giolito has admitted in interviews that he's "in between" the Nats mechanics and where the Sox want him currently.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ May 1, 2017 -> 09:53 AM) If the Sox truly blew this off season, this franchise is f***ed for a long, long time. Yeah, he didn't have nice things to say about Moncada either.