Jack Parkman

QUOTE (ChiSox59 @ Jan 16, 2017 -> 03:01 PM) This. Trading Rodon now would be idiotic. Did anyone read my entire post? You know, the one where I said that if they believe he is going to be an ace then Hahn should wait for him to prove it before trading him with 2-3 years of control left? And if they think his control problems say otherwise then they should move him now while that "possibility" is still there, and he does not have a track record of solid but unspectacular performance?

QUOTE (NCsoxfan @ Jan 16, 2017 -> 02:54 PM) If you believe he's going to be an ace, then you wait until he's an ace to trade him, not trade him now for other prospects with similar amount of control/risk. There's really no good reason to trade him unless you're very bearish on him. I agree, and said so in my post. BUT, if Hahn believes he's going to be a guy who always looks like he should be an ace based on stuff, but has mid rotation results(2-3 fWAR) then he should pounce now before he has a track record of solid, but unspectacular performance. -

QUOTE (Doc Edwards Shot @ Jan 16, 2017 -> 02:31 PM) I'm not up to date on current events, I apologize. Why would we be looking to deal Rodon at all, even next year? He's a young 24 year old kid with #1 or #2 stuff who gets paid very little. Isn't that the kind of player you rebuild with and keep around? Is it just because Boras is his agent? I don't get why the White Sox are absolutely unable to deal with any Boras clients. Isn't that position a bit antiquated nowadays and part of an ancient personal feud between Reinsdorf and Boras? If there's no way the Sox can deal with Boras for whatever reason then they should stop drafting Boras clients. Don't even go down that road from the very beginning... The best of the best Boras clients always go to FA......If you believe in Rodon,you believe he will be an ace, a bonafide #1. If that is the case, he's most definitely going to FA. That is why you trade him. Also, his control window is 1 year more than Quintana IIRC, so if it makes sense that the Sox' contention window does not include Quintana, then it does not include Rodon either. Quintana is signed through 2020, Rodon is under control through 2021 so the window really is not there. IMO Hahn should wait to trade him until he is an established TOR guy, then pounce similar to Sale.

I'm sorry, I'm not interested in Albies, especially as a headliner. IMO there is no deal to be made with the Braves, because Swanson is obviously off limits and they don't have a headlining position player other than him. If a hitter is rated as having a 20 power tool, then they better have a 75-80 hit tool otherwise, IMO, they are a non-prospect. Albies has a 60 hit tool so I don't care that he's rated highly, I don't trust him. Just by reading his scouting report, his ceiling IMO is a utility infielder. Are you going to trade Q for that??? Swanson or no dice Atlanta. I hope Hahn thinks the same.

This is the problem, is that we have no true leftist party in this country. The Cold War has scared too many people of leftist ideas that could work, and because of that we are left with the Dems, who are slightly right of center imo, and we just view them as leftist because the Republicans are so far right it is scary. Biggest example is the imagined "Pension Crisis" It isn't a problem with the public workers, it is a problem with the private workers. Private workers were complacent, thought that "being in control of their own retirement" was a good idea, but in reality they were just going from guaranteed income to going to the casino that is Wall Street. Now that private workers realize their mistake, and are jealous that they lost theirs, they take it out on the public workers instead of fighting back. That is too selfish, while instead they should be organizing themselves to recreate the labor unions of years past. IMO there is no industry that doesn't NEED a labor union anymore. Most employers have unreasonable expectations, because they a) can and b) labor is so easy to come by right now. Labor unions need to be smarter though, there needs to be a minimum standard for productivity that is collectively bargained, and firing bad workers needs to stay an option. It should not be impossible for someone to lose their job for poor behavior/attendance/productivity. It should be harder than "right to work" states which is really "right to fire" For example, you should not be fired for having a confused look on your face. There should have to be quantitative data to get fired. The opponents of labor unions say that those who work in them are lazy, but the reality is that those who DON'T have one are the lazy ones because they take the easy way out: they don't have the stones to organize.

QUOTE (SonofaRoache @ Oct 20, 2016 -> 11:21 PM) The Cubs becoming a championship contender has ruined the Sox. Fans wont stick around for a rebuild or more BS seasons when there is a much better option miles away. This organization is at a dead end. QUOTE (fathom @ Oct 20, 2016 -> 11:29 PM) Did you see the data on Sox/Cubs fan based off of Facebook information that was retweeted by Bernstein the other day? Cubs nation has taken over even the south suburbs. Goes to show how incredible dumb people on here are that think the Cubs being awesome isn't bad for the Sox. This is truth. If anyone thinks the Sox aren't moving when their lease is up, they're crazy. As long as there is a viable destination for them to go to, they're as good as gone. If you extrapolate twitter followers, there are roughly 7 cubs fans for every 2 Sox fans CURRENTLY. To think that ratio won't shrink to 8 or 9 to 1 with a Cubs WS win is insanely naive. Chicago is well on its way to becoming a one team town in baseball. IMO it isn't a matter of if, but when. The Cubs have taken over this city over the last 35 years or so, the only way for the Sox to have a chance is if the Cubs lose games 6 and 7, Lester's arm falls off in ST 2017 and Bryant and Rizzo completely suck going forward for some odd reason, all of which are unlikely to happen.

The Sox had their chances to take over this town from 1990-2008, the time in which they had the 4th or 5th best winning percentage in baseball, even with 4 losing seasons over that span, and one 90 loss season. What happened to the Sox is a worse Braves situation, where they were mostly good enough to finish 2nd or 3rd with 80+ wins. They won 90+ 5 times(90, 93, 00, 05, 06) and yet only made the playoffs 3 of those years. It can only be contributed to the randomness of baseball. they had some weird things go against them in playoff series (such as having their entire rotation blow out their arms in 2000) They also made the playoffs one year while not winning 90. Some teams made the playoffs winning 85-89 games, the Sox had to win 94+ in order to make it 3x, failed to qualify twice when winning 90+ and only qualified 1 time out of 5 when winning 85-89 games. If you extend it to 2012, they qualified once out of 7 opportunities while winning 85-89 games. Don't forget the strike year in 94 where they would have probably at the very least been the first AL wild card team. over a 10 year span during the Sox run (98, 03, 07) the Cubs qualified 3x without winning 90 games over 162 (they technically won 90 in 98, but needed game 163 to do so) My argument is, the randomness of baseball got the Sox during that span, and took some potentially very good Sox teams from the penthouse to the outhouse. We had a 19-23 year run of mainly very good baseball, and now, just like the Braves, we are on the other end of the stick. We have to just deal with it I guess. EDIT: Qualifier-I am not saying that those Sox teams were as good as the Braves teams in the 90s-00s, I AM saying that they were pretty consistently good, but not great and that over a 20 year period only have 1 World Series to show for it, just like the Braves.

QUOTE (iWin4Ron @ Oct 4, 2016 -> 09:23 PM) Damn, does that happen often? (fan throwing something at player when player is about to catch a ball) That's insane. Toronto fans are pretty unruly. If you know who he is, someone threw a banana at Wayne Simmonds during a Leafs-Flyers game, and there were multiple Leafs fans who threw waffles on the ice to voice their displeasure with management.

QUOTE (buhbuhburrrrlz @ Oct 4, 2016 -> 09:18 PM) classy Toronto fan trying to interfere with the game Drunk Canadians. Reminds me about the waffles and the banana in the Leafs arena.

Ye Olde Platinum Sombrero. I haven't seen a Sox player get one in quite a while, despite the suckwin team the past few years.

QUOTE (Tex @ Sep 11, 2016 -> 08:05 AM) We all trade our labor for food and shelter. That's why we work. It really doesn't matter if the company that pays you also provides the shelter or you take an additional step and cash a check from company A and write a check to company B. You are still trading labor for food and shelter. In the broader view there are two major issues here, work and shelter. Each should be maxed for the individual. For some who need help caring for themselves and need help paying for the care the most appropriate facility may be a group home. And that regardless of the circumstances that led to a person needing assistance with their day to day living. The people who can afford better accommodations of course are free to buy whatever services they like. But as you know that also ties in with Work. We can't escape an economic system that requires business owners to seek out the greatest labor for the least cost. There just isn't an incentive in our system for business owners to sacrifice profits for people. The better the skill set you have the better leverage you have with employers. There does need to be better awareness of the abilities of Autistic individuals so that employers are more willing to employ people with Autism. Point taken about trading labor for food and shelter. And you are correct about about the fact that there isn't an incentive for business owners to trade profits for people. That needs to change, IMO. There are too many people with not enough jobs, regardless of whether they are Autistic or not. When there is a surplus of labor, as there is now, there is a problem because too many people can't find work. They get stigmatized based on past times where if you wanted to work, you could. This is no longer the case, whether one wants to admit it or not. I'm sure there are plenty of people who WANT to work but CAN'T, because there simply isn't enough demand for ANYTHING right now. All of you who have jobs should consider yourselves incredibly lucky. IMO those in their 20s or early 30s in order to work, have to be the best of the best, otherwise f*** you, you don't get to. Go live in your parent's basement like a troll until they die, and then you will die too. That is the essence of our system right now, you know, maybe it's not the economy that is the problem, maybe it is the system.

QUOTE (bmags @ Sep 8, 2016 -> 03:30 PM) Thanks Elgin for sharing this. The previous owners of our current house had a nonverbal autistic son. Mortgaged house to care for him then lost job. Group homes are something but seems a bit like an outta site outta mind solution. RE: group homes-exactly my thoughts. BTW as an update, my current job is getting better/more consistent, and a family member hired me to do some office work either indefinitely or until my contract/part time job becomes full time. My part time job is a great thing because without it I'd have nothing. I feel incredibly lucky to have found it when I did and have been able to help the business grow as much as it has. I'd suggest you guys check it out sometime, and read some of the testimonials from employees there. We're all just happy that someone gave us a shot to do something productive. Otherwise we'd be doing a whole lot of nothing as society continues to reject us. http://aspiritech.org/ My point is and always has been though, that companies like that shouldn't have to exist, because society is failing to integrate pepole on the spectrum by finding jobs with a high turnover rate for neurotypicals that involve repetitve tasks, and assigning them to those on the spectrum.

Someone explain to me why most MLB teams don't listen to Chris O'Leary when with regard to pitching mechanics/injury. I don't know why most MLB teams and people around baseball think he's a quack. The guy seems pretty spot on to me, I have been following him since about 2009 or so. My only thought is that if pitchers threw correctly, there would be less guys who throw 94+ and more around 88-91 and hitters are too good now to have such a shortage of pitchers who throw hard. I honestly think the guy may have something. It seems like the guy who is wrongly arrested for murder when the guy is sitting there next to him with the smoking gun in his hand and the cops are ignoring him because the guy with the smoking gun is the police chief. I think it is more like they are ignoring him when he may have the answer, because they don't want to hear it. IF nothing else is working, why not try his ideas to keep pitchers healthy?

Bringing this back because I would like more people to read this. I want to get the word out, the more people that read what I wrote the better. I can blog all I want but that will only be read by parents of kids on the spectrum or those who are themselves. This affects everyone people, not just me or those who it affects directly. This is a public health issue, because in 20 years or so if nothing changes those who are in their 20s and 30s will be either a) homeless or b) Well, we as a society have to do something with this large group of people who don't "fit in." Group homes aren't an answer IMO, because those basically trade labor for food and shelter. Might be ok for those who are intellectually disabled, but not for those who aren't. it is insulting to me to do that. All I want really is to fit in with society as best as I can and be able to live similarly to anyone else with average intellect. I'm speaking out about my situation because I think that it is really hard to wake up every day realizing what is happening to you but being nearly powerless to change anything about it. Really, what am I supposed to do? Just accept it? That is giving up. I don't do that. I will continue to fight for people on the spectrum and there has to be a way to integrate those who are high functioning into society at large. There are plenty of jobs that would be good for us and some organization, what do we have to do to break the barrier?

QUOTE (greg775 @ Aug 17, 2016 -> 09:46 PM) Glad to see Anderson draw another walk. As well as rip a home run. He's drawing walks once in a while now which is nice. In case you missed it(and I wouldn't blame you for doing so): Anderson's Moon Shot http://m.mlb.com/cws/video/topic/8878818/v...-pole/?c_id=cws

QUOTE (OmarComing25 @ Aug 1, 2016 -> 11:48 AM) From Dave Cameron's deadline chat today: Jimmy: Benintendi/Rodriguez/Devers/Swihart for Sale. Deal? Dave: That's a big overpay for Boston. C'mon Dave, big overpay? Cameron is high. Eastern Seaboard Propaganda Network

What about taking 35 MM of Sandoval to offset some of the Moncada bonus to get the return that we want? Would that be worth it to you guys? We're rebuilding anyway and it really doesn't matter, and he'll be off the books when we're ready to compete anyway.

QUOTE (Chicago White Sox @ Jul 26, 2016 -> 09:47 PM) I'd probably do those deals for Quintana, but definitely not for Sale. Also agree with this. See above post.

QUOTE (soxforlife05 @ Jul 26, 2016 -> 07:52 PM) I don't like what I'm hearing from a lot of these leaked rumors I'm hoping we keep our pitching now. These teams are offering nowhere near what we should be getting for these guys if they are traded. QUOTE (oneofthemikes @ Jul 26, 2016 -> 09:44 PM) BBTN just had a segment about Sale and what it would take to get him. Boston - Said Bogaerts and Betts are totally off limits and that Moncada, Benentendi, Kopech, and Swihart was too much. Said Moncada, Kopech, Swihart, and Eduardo Rodriguez was a fair return for the White Sox. Rangers - Said Mazara, Gallo, Profar, and Dillon Tate was too much and that Mazara, Profar OR Gallo, Luis Ortiz, and Dillon Tate was a fair return. I don't think I'm good with either of the "fair" packages. Especially with some of the trades that have already happened in the past couple weeks. Three and a half years of a top 5 pitcher in baseball on an extremely team friendly deal is going to have to be an unprecedented package of talent in return and I'm not seeing that in the afore mentioned proposals. Completely agree. Neither are enough. If Hahn has any hesitation of going to fax the trade into MLB offices, it isn't enough. HAS to be stupid good to trade now. Otherwise wait until the offseason.

QUOTE (dmbjeff @ Jul 23, 2016 -> 12:31 AM) Man, none of those deals for Sale would ever happen. Carlos Correa isn't getting traded away for Sale, are you nuts??! Teams trade for people at the deadline to help them make the playoffs. They don't deal from their current core to add a similar valued player. It happens like 1% of the time. If they trade Sale, which I think they should, you go get the best prospect package you can find and build for 2018 and beyond. This current core is never going to put it all together. They need real contributions from young good players to help supplement higher priced talent. The Sox won't spend big money. They totally had the chance this offseason and blew it. Now next offseason, Free Agency is a joke, so we just go through another year of the same and Sale has even less value going forward, between age, contract and possible future injury. No I'm not nuts. That is the type of player you need to deal Sale NOW, with 3.5 years on a $45 MM contract(roughly) Otherwise you wait until the offseason, when you can get that guy because they can replace him. It HAS to be Herschel Walker deal reincarnate, or you take the gamble that you can move him next year at the deadline or this offseason.

I will also add, that the Sox need this type of package from a Sale deal: 1 Pre-Arb major leaguer with a track record of success in the Majors, A team's top 3 prospects, and 2 lotto tickets in the lower minors.

QUOTE (dpd9189 @ Jul 23, 2016 -> 12:11 AM) That's basically comparing apples to oranges. While Sale will get the Sox a haul IF he gets traded, I think we have to somewhat temper our expectations on the return. For instance anyone who thinks Boston will trade their top 3 prospects and 2 All Star positional players is insane. It's not that the Sox will get underwhelmed in a Sale trade but I'd expect something very similar to what Cole Hamels netted. I think Betts+ the top 3 is what they should ask for, and if they don't get it hold him. You want 3.5 seasons of Sale with his contract? Pay up. It would be painful for both teams. If the team's fanbase (that is acquiring Sale) doesn't think they got ripped off, then it wasn't a fair deal. Also, I think that the Hamels deal is completely different. He had 3.5 years at an AAV of 23 MM/yr on his contract when he got traded. I would expect the Hamels deal + one extra top 100 prospect for Quintana. Sale's value is off the charts. IMO due to the contract and age plus the fact that he is available, he may very well be the most valuable player in the game. Anyone else with potentially more value is untouchable

QUOTE (Chicago White Sox @ Jul 22, 2016 -> 11:46 PM) Sorry dude, but Bryant >> Sale. Disagree, because of track record. How long did it take for the AL to figure out Abreu? Bryant still strikes out a bunch, just not as much as his first season. He'll get figured out. Let's see how Bryant adjusts. Despite the ASG HR, Sale has made Bryant his b**** in games that count. 0-6 with 6 k against him.

I don't care. I agree with those who say that Bryant/Betts/Bogaerts/Correa is a starting point, and disagree with those who say that those players are more valuable than he is. You don't get a prime age ace who is on a 3/39 contract for less than that. He is, IMO the 2nd best LHP in baseball. and the only pitchers you could make an argument for being better than him for 2nd best in the game are Bumgarner and Fernandez. (Bumgarner and Fernandez pitch in the NL. Sale would have nearly Kershaw #s in the NL IMO. He'd annually flirt with, if not achieve 300 K. Arrieta was a flash in the pan IMO. He'll settle in as an ace level pitcher, but not a demigod like Kershaw) So, you are essentially trading for the best (healthy) pitcher in the game, with a contract of 3/39. Think about that for a second. Whatever Kershaw is worth in a trade when healthy, think about that deal. That is what Sale is worth. Then you add in the contract. So you get the rest of his age 27 season and his 28, 29, 30 seasons(prime) while paying him no more than 13.5MM in ANY season. For a top 3 pitcher in the game at worst. So think about that again. THEN tell me he's not worth Bryant++ or Correa++, etc.

As one of the people in this title, I think it is time to talk about this issue. Autism is a spectrum, and no two people on it are alike. You can have average IQ people, Low IQ people or High IQ people. You can have a minimal gap between performance and intelligence, an average one or an incredibly high one. Among those that are high functioning(considered Average to High IQ) some combination of that, along with repetitive behaviors, and lack of understanding of social skills/protocol are the major issues that come with this diagnosis. There are many resources for kids, while in school, but next to none for adults. Those that do exist are for those on the lower end of the IQ scale combined with a high gap between performance and intelligence. They throw people like this into grocery bagging jobs, or dishwashing, etc. Jobs that one can't support themselves with. With over 2% of males and just under 2% of the population diagnosed with this condition now, I think that the lack of acceptance of autistic adults into the neurotypical workforce is just shortsighted. If we have 330 million people in this country, there are around 6 million people that are being discarded by society. Most of them are useful people who have good brains that are being rejected constantly. The job search protocol is rigged against autistic people. You have to sell yourself, that is the hardest thing for an HFA(high functioning autistic) to do Most will be brutally honest in an interview, acknowledging both strengths and shortcomings in full detail. Employers claim they can't hire someone on the spectrum because they don't know this and that and that about social protocol and workplace expectations. Also, the traits that most employers want (soft skills, tactfulness, conforming to the company culture) HFA people won't do, because we don't understand and have no concept of these things. We can get it eventually, after it being explained multiple times, it seems nobody has the patience for that. Anyway, my point is, that there has to be something done because a)HFA people are going to college, taking out loans under the presumption that they are going to be treated fairly and are not being treated fairly. b) No services for those over the age of 18-21, to make wise choices about their future lives c) Those who haven't done a) are stuck doing minimum wage jobs indefinitely, and that is not going to cut it when their parents die and those who have done a) aren't being given a fair shake in their chosen field, whether it is a tech job or not. The estimated numbers of the unemployed autistic have gone up each year: The first time I looked in 2012 the estimation was 85% By 2016 the estimation is now 92%. That is unacceptable behavior from society, IMO. You can't just discard people because they, in computer terms, run a different Operating System in their brains. There are incredible advantages to this condition, and the biggest one is hyperfocus. If given clear, concise instructions, a HFA individual can block everything around him/her and just focus on work. I know this because I have done it. I hyperfocus about anything and everything. I could outperform everyone on certain things, but when I try to explain this in an interview, just the fact that I say that word seems "cocky." IMO, employers are just making excuses not to hire us because we're very different and require a little more molding. There should be a class that teaches workplace skills to those like myself available, so that we're more prepared for the real world. There is almost nothing out there. There are people who are willing to help all over the country and world, but they are focused in the urban centers, but we have to reach those who are far away. For example, I have to go 45 miles one way to get from my home to my job. They are one of a few places who help in Chicagoland, and I found them when they were the only one. Even so, there is the final problem: Independence The biggest issue for those on the spectrum is becoming independent of your family. We want to live like any Neurotypical adult would. We can't afford to because the jobs aren't there for us. Those that do exist pay better than minimum wage, but not enough to live on, even with a single person. Social security doesn't help either, because if you make enough to barely survive you don't get it anymore. they limit you to 720 dollars/month and give you nothing if you make 1000 dollars/month. How is one supposed to live on 1000 dollars/month??????? No job that is available to us makes us even that. So we all live at home or independently with financial support indefinitely. And therein lies the problem. What is going to happen when we reach our 40s and 50s and our parents are no longer there or able to financially support us? It seems like society is punishing our families because they have a son/daughter who is different, but able, and they won't let us do a damn thing to support ourselves. Now should we get paid the same as someone else who can do the job without the social support network? Not right now. But.......we should be able to make an independent life for ourselves, and we can't. We're being shunned. There are plenty of ways that we can help a company, but they won't let us. This is what was said to me by my professors when I was in college: You are one of the smartest, best students we've ever had walk through this department, you just can't get out of your own way sometimes. Not kidding. I have a degree in Chemical Engineering. I received one interview over the course of 4 years for anything related to it. Every time I go back to my school. I have gone through the disability networks for work, nothing. Persona non grata, I am. I have accepted my lot in life at this point, but I'm not happy about it. Society's attitude towards us doesn't only need to change, it HAS to change. There are too many people like myself that need to be independent, productive members of society. 4-5 million of them.