Jack Parkman

QUOTE (Chilihead90 @ Feb 2, 2015 -> 12:34 AM) I can't believe anyone who isn't a Seattle fan could root for those f***s. They are so hateable. I am a Bears fan and Seattle is my favorite non-Bears team right now, and Sherman is my favorite non-Bears player. The celebration after winning the NFC Championship last season and the fake press conference with Baldwin were awesome and hilarious. They also have one of the best unis in the NFL. Love the metallic blue. I hate the Patriots. Brady and Belichick are a couple of smug, entitled, cheating asses. I will take Seattle's cocky confidence 6 days a week and twice on Sundays over the smug asses in Boston. For all of the s*** that Lynch gets for not talking to the media, Belichick invented it. Why wasn't he ever fined? You have to believe you are the best before you can be the best. The history book said that NE won, but Seattle was the better team today, IMO. Their OC made the worst play call in the history of Pro Football today, given the circumstances. Also, the Patriots should have never even reached SB XXXVI, because even with the Tuck Rule, which was changed because it is BS, that was still a fumble. If you ever watch a replay again, Brady had the ball in a carrying position for about 1.5 seconds after he pump faked. That rule was created to protect a pump fake that slipped out of a QB's hand. If they lose do they even start Brady the next season, or do they stick with Bledsoe? The world will never know.

Does anyone here work in software QA? I am considering a change in career path and I would like to know what type of education is involved, since it is completely different than my educational background. Do you need a BS in Computer Science/Software Engineering? Where does Software QA lead to after advancing in your career? Please PM me with info. Thanks.

Does anyone have advice for someone who wants to learn how to play golf, but is very limited on funds. I already have some hand-me-down clubs, but I can't afford to take lessons or anything like that. there is a public 9-hole course in my area that is less than $15 to play, but I can't get the damn ball in the air, so I don't play. Is there really no way to improve my swing mechanics without taking lessons? Do the teaching shows on the golf channel actually help novices? Looking for as many ideas as I can get. Been trying to learn for a few years. I had it a couple years ago, but found the sweet spot in October and the weather went south and I lost it over the winter because I had no time to keep practicing. The next spring went to the range and haven't been able to find it again. It seems as the time went on my swing just kept getting worse and worse. Going out to the range for the first time in a while this week, and I kinda want it to be constructive and not just a waste of $. So for those who play often: Should I put this on hold until I have more disposable income, or should I keep trying?

So, it has been over 2 years since graduation, and I still haven't gotten an interview for either jobs in my field or anything else. I have decided to share my plight with you guys, to see if anyone can help/give me some advice/moral support. First off I have Asperger's. 1/88 people are on the autism spectrum, in case you guys don't know. I thought that choosing chemical engineering as my field would help mitigate some of the problems when interviewing/applying for jobs but it hasn't. I don't have much job experience because it has been difficult to find work. For example, I started looking for my first job before I turned 16 and it took me almost 2 years to get an interview, and shortly afterward I got hired. I quit that job to focus on my studies, and haven't worked consistently since the Sox won the Series. I spent 6 years at college getting my degree. While in school, I tried to get internships/jobs during career fairs but never got calls/interviews on anything. I just thought that it was due to the economy, and maybe that they were looking for 1-2 people at most and they were only choosing the best of the best for them. In late 2011 when I graduated, I started looking for work and quickly found that there weren't a lot of jobs out there for entry level ChEs,(industry slang for chemical engineers) I was also confused as time went on why other people that I graduated with were getting interviews/jobs while I wasn't. 2 years later, According to the professors that I had at the university, I am the lone person from that class who doesn't have a job. I don't know what I can do to get hired, anywhere. I try to get what I like to call "a job" instead of "the job" and I get the same result. I know people can tell by talking to me that something is up(I have a loud, high-pitched, monotone voice) but why can't I, for some reason or another, convey to them that I am still capable of doing the job? Though I didn't get awesome grades in college( I still got over 3.0 in engineering) Every professor that I had has told me that in terms of pure ability, I was one of the best students that they have ever had. But for some reason, I can't get out of the black hole of online resumes. Also, because of the Asperger's, relocating would be very difficult/stressful(if not impossible right away) so I have to stay in the Chicago area until I get 5 years of experience. I am willing to intern somewhere if need be, so if anyone can help me in any way, that would be greatly appreciated. I'd especially like to talk with someone in HR somewhere to find out why others who graduate college with little/no work experience can still find work, and I'm struggling to get even 1 interview.

This sucks. Even though I'm not a fan, his performance last year and in the 15-3 game gave me hope. As was said earlier in the thread, we won't know what is wrong if he struggles next season.

QUOTE (Jake @ Apr 8, 2014 -> 04:44 AM) O'Leary hasn't been universally well-received Really? Please explain. I'd like to know why. He has pretty much nailed a lot of the elbow/shoulder injuries over the past 4-5 years. Almost every guy on his lists has been injured. Notable exception: Gio Gonzalez. Thanks for telling me this before I made a fool of myself. What are the objections to him and his ideas? I have been following his site ever since Sale came up and his identifications of problematic mechanics are pretty much spot on with regard to injury.

There is a guy named Chris O'Leary who has a site on trainwreck pitching mechanics. I found the site during Sale's first season in 2011, just waiting for him to get analyzed. I think the fact that he hasn't analyzed Sale yet is a good thing. I think that there is a possiblity Sale may actually not have an inverted W arm action, because he leans over slightly while delivering the pitch, so he might actually have an arm action more similar to Randy Johnson. It may look like an inverted W because of the slight lean. I'm just a fan so who knows. EDIT: After looking at the track record this guy has of identifying problematic mechanics, I want to call The Score/ESPN 1000/87.7 and alert them of this guy and suggest that they get him on the air to discuss Sale's mechanics. I think that the Score might have a problem with it because they are the Sox flagship station, and Sale is the organization's prized jewel. BTW, here is the site : http://www.chrisoleary.com/

I remember Johnson's Fastball in the 92-95 range last September. Today he was 87-90. What happened? I hope it is a late onset of dead arm and he returns to his previous velocity because he was throwing meat today. If the velocity woes continue for another 3-4 starts, they should send him down. Is it possible he is hurt and not telling anyone? I was baffled when he threw his fastball consistently around 89 in the first inning.

QUOTE (bmags @ Mar 27, 2014 -> 02:20 PM) So it's March 27th and we already hate half the players? I don't "hate" Avi, he performed well last season in his limited time here, but I am just not sure if it will carry over now that it seems they have the scouting report on him that he can't lay off pitches low and away. It is almost sad. I wonder how he hit .370 in AAA to be honest. He just doesn't seem like he has a clue at the plate. Beckham had a very promising rookie season, but he faded after that and I feel that the same thing might happen to Avi Garcia.

QUOTE (Chilihead90 @ Mar 27, 2014 -> 02:08 PM) He seems to have the same problem as Soriano did/does. Can not lay off a slider on the outer 3rd of the plate. That last AB was just sad to watch as Villanueva went to that pitch every time and Avi couldn't help himself. Couldn't have said it any better myself. I wonder sometimes if plate discipline is something that can be learned or not. I am leaning toward the latter. Can you guys think of anyone in baseball who was a free swinger and then "figured it out?" If one either has it or doesn't, then Avi just doesn't. Which makes me wonder what Hahn saw in him to make him a centerpiece in the Peavy trade. The guy oozes tools, I know, but what good is raw power when a) he doesn't put it in play that often, and b) when he does, he puts it on the ground?

Avi Garcia=bad hitter. He swings at everything. He's probably going to struggle like Viciedo. I don't know why anyone would throw him anything in the strike zone. Every at bat I have seen this spring he has either struck out on breaking stuff out of the zone or grounded out on something out of the zone.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Feb 13, 2014 -> 02:38 PM) I'll drink [almost] anything if it gets me drunk. I'll even drink Samuel Jackson beer. MMM, MMM b****!

QUOTE (Jake @ Dec 22, 2013 -> 11:51 PM) Making the playoffs is always preferable. Always. I disagree. The only time making the Playoffs is preferable is if you have a realistic probabililty of winning the whole damn thing. Nothing worse IMO than making the playoffs with a team that is destined for a 1st/2nd round loss. Being a fan of a mediocre team is worse than being a fan of a godawful team. We're all Sox fans here, we should know this after 11 out of 12 yrs of it. In football this is a little different, because it is a tournament style playoff, but you have to see said team sneaking in possess at least 2 of the following on each side of the ball: 1. A front 7 that can rush the passer against anyone 2. An offense that can run the ball against anyone 3. A defense that creates a lot of turnovers against everyone, regardless of the strength of the team 4. An offense that minimizes turnovers 5. An offense that has tons of big play capability in the pass game 6. A secondary that can cover so well that it creates coverage sacks 7. An offense that is top 10 in 3rd down % 8. A defense that is top 10 in 3rd down % If your team has had a mediocre season, sneaked into the playoffs, and possesses 4 of these qualities, I think that it is ok to think that making the POs is good. The Bears possess one or two of these qualities, and it they are both on the offensive side of the ball. They are a bad team that had some a) good luck when they caught teams and b) some incredible 4th quarter comebacks. (The 1st 2 games of the season are at the top of the list)

QUOTE (DukeNukeEm @ Dec 22, 2013 -> 10:41 PM) Missing the playoffs is bad though. If you can send the message that this team can make the playoffs even with those losers it builds a ton of momentum for next year. I disagree. Making the playoffs does nothing but lose you spots in the draft. Also, If the front office thinks that they need to be fired. If the Bears make the playoffs this year it is a mirage, because, you know, the a top 3 QB resides in cheesehead land and he also won't get hurt every season. They need to build a team which can beat GB with Rodgers, not having a crap defense that has more holes than every brick of Swiss cheese in the state of Wisconsin every season. I guarantee you that if Rodgers doesn't go down the season would have been over weeks ago. Even as bad as GB's defense is, the Bears' defense is exponentially worse. I'm not confident that the Bears can win next Sunday even if Rodgers doesn't play. Capers owns Cutler and I would rate the Bears defense as rivaling Dallas in ineptitude.

Tom Brady and Bill Bellichick have a horseshoe lodged so far up their asses that it doesn't seem to ever come out. I mean really, how many times can teams blow huge leads to these two? It is like they have some Jedi mind trick that they pull on the opposing players/coaches. I wish that someone would have the stones to just put them in their place. Go for the kill, quit getting so damn conservative against them.

What does this guy bat? R or L? I can't find anything on the baseball sites that states whether he bats righthanded or lefthanded.

QUOTE (MAX @ Oct 17, 2013 -> 10:16 PM) All signs point to yes. Has a very high OBP in cuban ball. Good to hear. I hope that translates to MLB.

Can this guy take a walk??? Seriously. I am tired of the Sox getting guys who swing at everything. No more Ramirez guys who hit .270-.290 and have an OBP of .310-.320. The Sox aren't going to win anything until their hitters can get on base. If this guy can't take a walk, I don't think he will be worth $70MM unless he hits as well as Miguel Cabrera.

QUOTE (chw42 @ May 2, 2013 -> 09:54 PM) Is Reed throwing 92 on purpose or does he no longer possess a 97 MPH fastball? Reed never possessed a 97 mph fastball. Minor league velocity readings are notoriously unreliable. He has been 92-95 consistently since he has been with the big club. The hardest I have seen out of him is 96 mph.

I would also like to add this nugget to the conversation: I think the continued losing on the north side has turned the Sox fan mentality into the Yankees fan mentality. WS or bust every year. "If I don't think this team has a good chance to win the WS, I'm not going." This leaves only the die-hards going to the game each year. It is also a damn shame that in 111 years of baseball the White Sox have never made the postseason 2 seasons in a row.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Apr 21, 2013 -> 06:56 PM) What the Cubs do is irrelevant, because the Sox demographics are completely different. The Sox don't have as loyal of a fanbase where they can do a complete rebuild and still have any fans around. My argument is that the Sox have to hire a marketing guru to change that. Good marketing is a powerful tool, they should use it. Sox fans are like that because the organization allowed them to be that way, instead of clever marketing like the Cubs did in the 80s and 90s. If the Cubs could get droves of people to go to a ballpark and pay ridiculous prices to watch a team take a giant s*** all over the baseball field, why can't the Sox do the same(minus the ridiculous prices of course) for a period of time? WTF makes them so special?

QUOTE (thedoctor @ Apr 21, 2013 -> 06:25 PM) put me in the camp of not basing plans on what the cubs are doing. But this is the thing, the entire success of the team financially hinges on the Cubs continuing to lose. The Cubs being owned by the Tribune company for a period of time has completely changed things. IMO this should also not have been allowed by MLB in a two team town. Reinsdorf's biggest mistake was allowing the Cubs to effectively market their team without a fight from the Sox. The Sox market to people who are already Sox fans. The Cubs market and marketed to everyone. Most of the baseball fans who go to games in this city go to Wrigley, not the Cell. The Sox have to change that, otherwise they are toast. They continue to refuse to acknowledge that there is another team in town who they compete with for ticket sales and until they do they will not be able to move forward and put together a consistent winning ballclub, IMO. There has to be a subtle war for the tickets that the casual fan buys, and the Sox have to gain ground in that aspect. I would probably say that 65-75% of baseball fans who are Chicago natives are Cub fans. The Sox have to change that. If the Cubs have a 5 year playoff run with a couple of WS titles, The Sox would pack up the moving trucks after the first one.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Apr 21, 2013 -> 06:17 PM) The AL Central? The Sox have a BABIP of .268 right now. They're actually due for a positive correction. But what if the cause of this is that most of the hitters on this team are replacement level or worse?

IMO if they want to rebuild they have to start the process NOW. The last thing the Sox need is them to start a rebuilding program 2 years from now and have Theo's plan start to work on the North Side. That would be suicide. I honestly don't know what the Sox should do to move forward at this point, they are stuck between a rock and a hard place. I have been on the rebuild the team bandwagon since the 2009 offseason. The Sox are the Cubs of 2009-11 except for Chris Sale. An albatross contract, aging, underperforming players, lots of bad young players, nothing on the farm and no direction(that we know of) in the front office. The one thing the Sox have over the Cubs from that time is that they already have their ace in place, but that does them no good if they are lacking in so many other areas. It would be free agent suicide to trade Sale right now, however if the team is not competing in 2015 it has to be considered. It seems that they have missed the boat on the rebuild because it would have been better for them to do it when the Cubs seemed they had no direction. It also seems they have three choices:1) Rebuild immediately 2) Continue to try to build 78 to 85 win teams and hope that they catch some breaks and win 88-92 games, and win a wild card 3) throw money at the team and hope that it works. Given that Reinsdorf is not likely to give the green light to throw money at the team again, the sensible thing would be to start the rebuild now. However I don't think they are going to try to do that, I think they are going to continue to shove a square peg in a round hole and build 70-79 win teams and attempt to bulls*** the fans into thinking that they are going to compete for the division. IMO we are probably entering a lean period, and we have to hope that Theo's plan blows up in Ricketts' face and the Cubs not only not win a damn thing but stay really bad for a while otherwise it might be the end of the Chicago White Sox, like some others have said. If the Cubs ever win the WS, the Sox are toast in this town. The Sox have been built on being Chicago's winning baseball team, and when that is no longer possible, they are lost. They have to bring in a marketing expert and try to generate interest in a bad team.

QUOTE (Jake @ Apr 21, 2013 -> 04:11 PM) Only LeBron can pull off the kind of thing he pulled off. Derrick isn't that good. He's great, but he isn't so good that the only way not to win titles is to put absolutely horrible teams around him. If you flipped LeBron and Derrick on this team, the Bulls are the ones winning 20+ games in a row. If you want to see a comparable situation to the one he'd have if Derrick tried to push his way out, see Dwight Howard. EDIT: Also, it makes no sense why he would have suddenly realized how "bad" his team just months after signing that extension, which renders him without bargaining room Maybe seeing his team play without him made him realize how "bad" the team is. I think that the Howard situation is just the beginning. These guys think their s*** doesn't stink, which is part of what makes them so good. They see LeBron and what he did and say, "I can do that too." Though Howard got lots of flak for what he did, it is going to take a huge backlash from the fans for these guys to realize that that is a bad idea. Carmelo did it, LeBron did it, Howard did it, they all got flak but in the end they ended up at THEIR CHOICE OF TEAM with better talent than what they had around them at their first team. Whether it works chemistry wise or not is a different story.