Are White Sox fans being "silly" thinking we are going to get Harper?

[CaliSoxFanViaSWside]

1 minute ago, Jack Parkman said:

I have no idea what $40K even looks like as i don't think I've made that much money in my entire life. Even if I did, there is no way in hell I'd bet it.  I despise gambling unless I have nearly 100% odds of winning. That doesn't exist so I don't gamble. 

We can bet a penny then you only have to pay out $400 if you lose. You just said nearly 100% odds and you listed the odds at 40,000 to 1 in your favor. Surely that's good enough to gamble on . Any other team gets him besides Cubs and Sox and it's a wash , no money owed.

[Jack Parkman]

2 minutes ago, CaliSoxFanViaSWside said:

We can bet a penny then you only have to pay out $400 if you lose. You just said nearly 100% odds and you listed the odds at 40,000 to 1 in your favor. Surely that's good enough to gamble on . Any other team gets him besides Cubs and Sox and it's a wash , no money owed.

dude I live paycheck to paycheck. I don't bet money I can't afford to lose. I absolutely can't afford to lose $400. 

Sorry bro. 

Edited December 14, 2018 by Jack Parkman

[southsider2k5]

25 minutes ago, CaliSoxFanViaSWside said:

Oh boy so if that's the case let me bet Jack $1 and I get $40,000 if I win.

Put me down for $2.

[whitesoxwinner]

35 minutes ago, Whitesox27 said:

We desperately need a new rumor or something to happen. You guys are just bickering about nothing at this point 

Someone on reddit who had the bour signing 10 hours before it happened says that harper to the dodgers is done

[soxfan49]

45 minutes ago, Jack Parkman said:

I have no idea what $40K even looks like as I don't think I've made that much money in my entire life. Even if I did, there is no way in hell I'd bet it.  I despise gambling unless I have nearly 100% odds of winning. That doesn't exist so I don't gamble. 

Assuming you aren't 16 and assuming you have a job where you make at least minimum wage (which you do, hence "minimum" wage), you have definitely made $40k in your life

[Jack Parkman]

6 minutes ago, soxfan49 said:

Assuming you aren't 16 and assuming you have a job where you make at least minimum wage (which you do, hence "minimum" wage), you have definitely made $40k in your life

When you're autistic, you have a hard time getting any job. it blows. I've never held a full time job. I have a BS in Chemical Engineering as well. 

Sometimes you think hard work and persistence can overcome anything, and you're wrong

Edited December 14, 2018 by Jack Parkman

[GreenSox]

1 hour ago, Jack Parkman said:

Did you read about what I said? I think the 10 year deal isn't going to happen, they'll get a 5 year deal with an opt out after 3 to guarantee they hit FA one more time. 

If he's hell-bent on playing for a winner, that  (3 year opt out)) probably is what will happen.  

Edited December 14, 2018 by GreenSox

[Dick Allen]

If he ultimately signs somewhere else many White sox fans will feel silly. 

I re upped my small ticker plan today as it was the very last day I could, just on the off chance they sign one of these guys. But if there is no decent improvement in 2019, I will not re new anymode.

[Bananarchy]

2 hours ago, Jack Parkman said:

When you're autistic, you have a hard time getting any job. it blows. I've never held a full time job. I have a BS in Chemical Engineering as well. 

Sometimes you think hard work and persistence can overcome anything, and you're wrong

Based on your typing I would assume you're pretty mild then.  My sister is autistic and she can't even apply for a job.

I also have a Chemical Engineering degree.  Weird.

[Jack Parkman]

10 minutes ago, AustinIllini said:

Based on your typing I would assume you're pretty mild then.  My sister is autistic and she can't even apply for a job.

I also have a Chemical Engineering degree.  Weird.

There are 2 types of autism: with and without an intellectual disability. Autism without an intellectual disability used to be known as Asperger's. That is what I have. The brain works fine, the social and sensory aspects....not so much. 

Your classic pre-1994 autism is now known as autism with an intellectual disability. This is why autism is known as a "spectrum disorder" there are aspects of autism that you have and there are some you don't. 

Edited December 15, 2018 by Jack Parkman

[Bananarchy]

Just now, Jack Parkman said:

There are 2 types of autism: with and without an intellectual disability. Autism without an intellectual disability used to be known as Asperger's. That is what I have. The brain works fine, the social and sensory aspects....not so much. 

Got it.  My sister is severe.  My little brother is on the spectrum and he faces the same challenges.  Best of luck.

[Jack Parkman]

2 minutes ago, AustinIllini said:

Got it.  My sister is severe.  My little brother is on the spectrum and he faces the same challenges.  Best of luck.

Consider yourself lucky you got away without it dude. There is a strong genetic component. If you're doing ok at work, don't bother getting yourself tested even if you were curious. More trouble than it is worth. 

Edited December 15, 2018 by Jack Parkman

[Bananarchy]

Just now, Jack Parkman said:

Consider yourself lucky you got away without it dude. There is a strong genetic component. If you're doing ok at work, don't bother getting yourself tested even if you were curious. More trouble than it is worth. 

I've been through a myriad of tests as part of a study at the University of Chicago.  Multiple times as a kid I was run though a collection of tests.  I have three siblings: two are on the spectrum and two of us aren't.

[Jack Parkman]

8 minutes ago, AustinIllini said:

I've been through a myriad of tests as part of a study at the University of Chicago.  Multiple times as a kid I was run though a collection of tests.  I have three siblings: two are on the spectrum and two of us aren't.

You're really fortunate.  Consider yourself incredibly lucky. You got the good genes dude. All of the brains, none of the problems. I wish I was that lucky. 

Having been through the curriculum, you have to be a) borderline genius and b) a masochist to get a BS ChE.  That curriculum is a special kind of torture. I had no life for 4 years.

PM me some other time, I have some resources that might be able to help your brother. 

I'm pretty active in the community as a self advocate, and I seek out information and have a lot of good resources over the web. 

I don't blog or anything , but I do my part. 

Edited December 15, 2018 by Jack Parkman

[Southwest Sider]

Look, I am as excited as the next guy that we appear to be major players in the Harper sweepstakes. I definitely get swept up in emotion and admittedly get "silly"...

...Which is exactly what we are doing. Now I just want to preface this by saying being us being silly by thinking we will land Harper doesn't necessarily mean it's not going to happen. Indeed, sillier things have happened.

It's easy to get caught up in Soxtalk groupthink. And while I agree that Jack Parkmans constant back and forth with people who disagree with him ruins threads, I do agree with him to an extent here and commend him for challenging the groupthink that I admit that I have participated in. 

We really do need to face the facts and really temper expectations here. I'm not going to say that there's a 0% chance the Sox sign Harper, but the reality is that it is highly unlikely that he actually wants to sign with the Sox. He may think the farm is kind of nice, and that Chicago is cool, but this is a franchise that has basically lost the battle for Chicago to the Cubs. They are without a doubt, a completely irrelevant franchise to MLB fans in general, and of course, the national media that we love to hate. The tides can always change, they have before, but as we sit here right now and look at body of work JR has done as Sox owner.. it is generally not good. The Big Hurt and some ok teams kept the Sox relevant in the 90s, and obviously 05 was a big deal, but somewhere in between there it became "cool" to be a Cubs fan. Winning the World Series probably staved off some of that irrelevancy, but they did not sustain success and basically started becoming a joke of a franchise. It can be best summarized by saying:

"They 'tried to compete' for 10 years since 05, made the playoffs once and got smoked, tried to fill holes with marginal free agents. Big splash trades rarely worked (Samardzija, Frazier to name some), most prospects busted and in general, the Sox version of trying to compete was a total joke as the Tigers, Indians and Royals made painfully clear to us, year after year".

Now, if you're Bryce Harper, do you really want to sign here? We'd have to be hoping that Harper is some kind of person who is willing to bring a franchise out of irrelevancy, which isn't even a guarantee would happen. Given no other options, Harper probably would demand an opt out after year 3 and if the rebuild hasn't taken major steps forward at that point, he is gone. Harper would go a long way towards making the Sox relevant again ONLY if the rebuild works. 

Trying my best to put myself in Harpers shoes here, but if I am him I am waiting until the Dodgers or the Cubs or some other team that wants me but can't logistically make it work yet figures it out. Then I am signing there as soon as they offer the same or a better contract than the White Sox. There are numerous arguments as to why neither team will be able to work, and they are indeed good arguments, but I think there will eventually be a moment where one of the owners of these teams realizes that a young stud is literally standing outside my door waiting for me to let him in, and they will find a way to make it happen. 

I would absolutely love to be proven wrong, but while my heart says Harper signs here, the brain disagrees strongly. 

In short, yes, we are being silly. But stranger things have happened. 

 

 

Edited December 15, 2018 by South Sider

[Lillian]

15 minutes ago, Jack Parkman said:

There are 2 types of autism: with and without an intellectual disability. Autism without an intellectual disability used to be known as Asperger's. That is what I have. The brain works fine, the social and sensory aspects....not so much. 

Your classic pre-1994 autism is now known as autism with an intellectual disability. This is why autism is known as a "spectrum disorder" there are aspects of autism that you have and there are some you don't. 

Well Jack Parkman, you obviously do not have an intellectual disability, considering your degree and the quality of your posts. I'm sorry that you have not been able to obtain satisfying and well paying work. I hope that improves.