greg775

I see Paulie got two hits the other day. You all wait and see. ...

QUOTE (farmteam @ Mar 3, 2014 -> 05:55 AM) That was fun. A bit after the three hours were up, they announced that the tire had come in, but another part had to be flown in, too. That part would arrive from Atlanta too late to allow the crew to violate without violating crew service rules. Therefore, the flight would be delayed until 8 am this morning. I arrive at 6:15 and find out the 8 am has been cancelled. The problem still had not been fixed. Ended up waiting standby and was lucky to get out on the 11:30. Landed in Minneapolis 23 hours after I was originally supposed too. Definitely jinxed myself there. Damn. That is really a horrible experience. Did they pay for your hotel room? Can you stay wherever you want or was it some Motel 6? QUOTE (Tony82087 @ Mar 3, 2014 -> 06:17 AM) I travel almost every week, and fly 95% on American. As an executive platinum member, I fly about 50% first class, and 50% in economy. To be honest, there isn't a HUGE difference at this point, but with most American flights, you have wifi on the flight and an outlet under your seat. For someone that is always connected, it's a very nice feeling to be able to stay plugged in, connected and comfortable for a 3-4 hour flight. I've also just gotten lucky and really not experienced any long delays or problems with American, but flying out of Orange County helps with weather. It's all about status unfortunately when it comes to airlines. You're able to cut the line, not pay for checked bags, and quicker upgrades. May not be fair, but when you add all those things up, the travel experience becomes a lot more enjoyable. Unfortunately I fly what I consider a lot, but not enough to get many of the perks. The only airline that doesn't make me cringe is Southwest. I don't mind the boarding thing too much because I always purchase the $12.50 early boarding thing for each flight. It's $25 but my company hasn't balked yet. Actually if they do ever finally b**** about it, I will gladly pay it out of my own pocket. I know they have to let you on the plane, and I know there always will be somewhere to put your overhead bag, but for me, it's moderately stressful. Plus I'm 6-foot-2 and the middle seat truly is uncomfortable. Aisle you can pick your spots and stick one foot in the aisle stretched out and one under your seat stretched out a bit.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Mar 3, 2014 -> 12:41 PM) The Grammys have sweet musical performances and everyone is drunk at the Golden Globes. The Oscars is just a bunch of pretentious assholes acting like the world depends on them. Awesome wording of that post! Loved it. QUOTE (PlaySumFnJurny @ Mar 3, 2014 -> 03:39 PM) Now that you mention it, yes. There are always old, vain goats who have problems reading off it and weirdos too zonked to read it properly (Travolta), but it seemed like it kept happening to Ellen, too Great post! What did Travolta do? QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Mar 3, 2014 -> 07:51 PM) rightfully so. From what I have read, Bill was mad at Harold for taking credit for creating the Bill Murray movie role, and Harold was mad at Bill for acting like he was too good for Harolds movies anymore. So, ego ruins a good thing I thought the Murray tribute was really great. It was pure class to throw that in there quickly and he immediately apologized to this year's finalists.

QUOTE (IowaSoxFan @ Mar 3, 2014 -> 11:18 PM) Who said Beckham sucks so badly? Here is Bowdens write up on him "Scouts have finally accepted that he is not going to be the star many predicted, and if you can forget about the fact that he was once an elite prospect, he could still be a solid player who could also benefit from getting away from a team and fan base that views him as a disappointment." That crack about the fan base is stupid. There hasn't been a hint of fan displeasure at Beckham. Even on here, when he gets hot and he usually does at some point, we all get excited and think the real Gordo has shown up. If the Sox can trade him for somebody decent, do it. It's tough for GM's to trade first-rounders, though. It's just tough to give up on them. If the Sox do keep him and he is hitting .245 at the all-star break, it's time to let somebody else have him. How bout Beckham for Moustakas if Moose is sucking again this season?

QUOTE (farmteam @ Mar 1, 2014 -> 09:56 PM) So I'm sitting at the gate in Vegas right now, and Delta announces there's a blown tire and they have to fly a new one in. Delayed at least 3 hours, which makes me think it will be 6 hours. Solid. I feel your pain. You gotta take SW Airlines when you go to Vegas.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Feb 27, 2014 -> 08:44 PM) Hope he's under 5'9" because larger than that and you wont fit. I had a flight attendant tell me I didnt pay for the over head bin on the way back from Vegas on spirit (first and only time I flew it). I told her she can hold on to my bag then and wake me up when we land. She really didnt bother me after that. You have to pay for the overhead bin on that airline? wow.

QUOTE (dasox24 @ Feb 26, 2014 -> 04:20 PM) This is exactly what happened on my Southwest flight to Houston over Christmas. I was already seated and just gave this very cute girl a bit of a smile as she was waiting in the aisle to choose a seat. She promptly sat in the seat next to me (a middle seat, nonetheless) and made for some nice conversation for 2 hours. I used to dislike the "choose your own seat" aspect of Southwest... until that flight. One time I was on Southwest and this happened. I stress it was only one time out of the zillion times I've flown SW. The middle seat in my row was open and there were just a few seats left. I was assuming some big fat male slob would be sitting next to me as always. Not this time ... a perfect-looking woman, totally gorgeous, she was a 9 out of 10 looks-wise wearing appropriate summer clothing, sat in my row, middle seat. Ah yes, she immediately told me she had a fear of flying. She asked me to hold her hand as she literally could not stand the thought of the plane taking off. Did it have the makings of a Penthouse forum story? No. She told me she was going to Dallas to meet some guy she met on the Internet. After talking to her the whole flight and giving her pointers on how to not be afraid to fly, etc., she got off the plane into the loving arms of some guy who was about 5-foot-2 (shorter than her) with a fu manchu mustache about 20-30 years older than her. I just shook my head. I was smart enough to give her my card on the plane, but she never called. She must have married Mr. Fu Manchu. Ah, grand ol Southwest Airlines.

QUOTE (Quinarvy @ Feb 26, 2014 -> 11:25 AM) Your bishop is lying. Weddings are a part of the bill. General discrimination is the rest. This makes it so that even if a couple gets married in another state, businesses need not recognize them as married in Kansas. http://kslegislature.org/li/b2013_14/measu...453_01_0000.pdf Our bishop needs an editor, then. What a dope. His whole column was ripping the media for saying it only has to do with weddings.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Feb 26, 2014 -> 05:03 AM) Georgia and Arizona are getting in on the fun! If our bishop is right, the journalists are wrong. Like I said, he said this only applies to actual wedding ceremonies, not going to the movies, dining out, etc. I hate reading legalese in bills so I haven't scoured the Kansas law to see if our bishop is right or the appalled newspaper writers. Wonder if the Georgia and Arizona laws are also only about wedding ceremonies/receptions.

QUOTE (lasttriptotulsa @ Feb 25, 2014 -> 01:38 PM) I only fly once every few years so my favorite airline would have to be whichever one I can get the cheapest ticket for at that particular time. Flying is an interesting topic to me. I was thinking the other day that my sister and one of my brothers never fly anywhere. They pretty much stay in Chicagoland year round. Travel is a big time headache, a big time hassle but I can't imagine staying in my home base city a full year without going anywhere. I'm not judging them or anybody. I just think of all the places I've been on work's dime. I despise travel UNTIL i get checked into the hotel and then enjoy travel until it's time to go back to the airport. My fave destinations: New Orleans, New York, Hawaii, Boulder, Colo., Vegas. QUOTE (Y2HH @ Feb 25, 2014 -> 07:16 PM) Having a favorite airline is like having a favorite dentist. They're necessary, and some are less painful than others...but they all suck. I would have to agree, although I currently believe SW is a little better than suck. If you pay the extra 12.50 per flight you are pretty much assured a spot in the top 30-40 of group A, which pretty much guarantees you stress free flight knowing you'll get an aisle seat and knowing you'll have room for your carry on up top.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Feb 26, 2014 -> 04:56 AM) On the small puddle jumpers, everyone has to gate check their roller bag because the overhead bins are too small. Then after your flight as you wait patiently in line on the jet bridge for your bag, some asshole cuts to the front of the line just because he thinks he is important or something. THE WORST! It's pretty interesting. I have this pseudo duffel bag that is quite sturdy (it's not a gym bag per se but definitely not luggage) and has lasted a helluva long time and is still going strong as we speak. I don't even have to gate check it on puddle jumpers because it actually fits up top. I've even packed enough clothes in there for up to six day trips. I don't trust the airlines to get my luggage to me on tight connecting flights although SW seems to come through all the time for my travel companions. I thought it was interesting that American Airlines (I think Delta does it too) lets you board early (before your zone is called) if you have no carry ons that go in the overhead. That's a good idea as long as people don't change their minds and steal the overhead space.

I'm surprised none of you guys are worried about Salvador Perez and list him as I did. He's scary good and could dominate our baserunning theft attempts for years to come. I hope Coop figures a good way to pitch to him cause I think he's a star (if he stays healthy). If Sox had a catcher like Perez I think Sox would win the division this year. The black hole at catcher for the Sox really is a killer.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Feb 24, 2014 -> 03:10 PM) Unfortunately, the most pleasant experiences are often on niche airlines that don't fly many places - JetBlue is good, I like Frontier a lot as well. AirTran was good, but are being eaten up by Southwest slowly. As far as major airlines, none of the big 3 (AA/US, UAL/CONT, DELTA/NW) are particularly good. I'm 6'3" and leg room matters a lot, so I avoid Delta at all costs, as they consistently have the least leg room. Plus Delta is the one of the big 3 that doesn't hub in Chicago. AA is usually my slight preference over United because I find AA's customer service better when something does go wrong... But, United offers Economy Plus for a little extra, and I take that every time so I'm not so cramped and could, in theory, actually use my laptop. Southwest is a unique animal, and we use it regularly when we fly with your young kids. With little ones you always get, at worst, boarding between groups A and B, so you'll get to pick a row... they don't charge for checked bags, and when flying with little kids, you have a lot of stuff... and when we plop down in a row or two with kids, people almost never take the remaining seat next to us, LOL. And they have far and away the best customer service of any larger carrier. I used to have a job where I travelled every week. Greg, are you saying that AA now has an Economy-Plus type deal, where you can pitch in $30 or so and get more leg room? If so, that's fantastic. I haven't flown much in the past year or two. Yes I paid the 30 extra bucks to get more legroom. On the connecting leg to Lubbock the flight attendant actually came and got me and put me in an exit row. I thought that was a nice touch and was high on American til the bulls*** on the way back. A/C malfunction in the winter. Blah blah same ol s*** with the major carriers not named Southwest. QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Feb 24, 2014 -> 03:13 PM) Also Greg, I'll throw this out there... best non-airline website for flying information - SeatGuru.com. Without a doubt. You can find the specific plane found for your flight, and see a map of the plane, with info on every seat. It tells you which might have more or less width or leg room, which are exit rows, which have power ports, which might not have tray tables, which are louder, everything you can think of. Then you can select the right seat. Highly recommended. Thanks, I like the sound of seat guru.

QUOTE (HickoryHuskers @ Feb 24, 2014 -> 01:49 PM) What do you think Pope Francis would advise a Catholic florist to do if (s)he was asked to provide flowers for a gay wedding? To go ahead and provide.

I can't think of anybody, so I'll look at it this way. ... Guy I'd like to see most in a Sox uniform: Sal Perez of the Royals. To get him in his prime would be so much fun. So I guess he's my favorite non Sox player. He reminds me of a young Carlton Fisk. He's simply a stud.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Feb 23, 2014 -> 07:39 PM) They've been purchased/bought out by US Airways. I didn't know US Airways was doing that well to buy out AA. Will the hub change?

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Feb 24, 2014 -> 05:21 AM) This is such a greg thread Seems like not much is going on and I had a nostalgia moment.

My favorite former Sox player who is playing for another team is .... Well, it's not Chris Getz. It is Mark Buehrle. I loved his contributions to the Sox and love his style of pitching. Get the ball and throw it. There are nights he doesn't have it and gets hit, but surprisingly on a lot of those nights, he'd still get by. Who is yours and why?

QUOTE (Joxer_Daly @ Feb 19, 2014 -> 12:16 PM) Lots of bedtime reading in here. If Rodman goes back over there to party with their leader, he should be ridiculed/reprimanded/criticized all over our great country. N. Korea is not good.

I was reading in our Catholic diocese newspaper a column on the weird law they were trying to pass that would allow businesses to not serve gays in bars, restaurants, movie theatres etc., on religious grounds. Our bishop, who wrote the column, said the law was getting a bad rap and it only had to do with businesses having the right to refuse service at the actual gay persons' wedding and wedding reception. Like you had the right to refuse to be their provider of flowers. Or you could decline renting them your restaurant for the rehearsal dinner. Now if this is the law, I think I'd still be against it. But the bishop's point was that if a flower provider is all worked up against gay marriage he/she shouldn't have to provide the flowers. As the bishop wrote, it's not like there aren't plenty of flower shops willing to provide. At any rate, somebody is wrong here. The bishop maintains this law is only about actual gay marriage ceremonies and the wedding receptions and refusal of service. He stated the Catholic position on gay relations is that it is not right; he didn't call it a sin, but I think it is classified as a sin. He said that all Catholics should treat gays with respect and allow them the same amenities in life as heteros (except for flowers and food at weddings if there are businesses refusing to provide under religious objections).

QUOTE (Rowand44 @ Feb 23, 2014 -> 04:24 AM) SIU back to .500 in the Valley. The league tiebreakers are kind of funky but if we can somehow win the last 2, we'll prolly be the 3 seed in Arch Madness. Crazy. Is Barry Hinson beloved at SIU? I met him. He seems to be a nice guy. Feisty.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Feb 22, 2014 -> 10:34 PM) American is my least favorite and I travel for a living. Avoid it like the plague. Rock, how do you like flying? The general experience? I would assume your seats are all upgraded since you fly for a living. Do you give a thumbs up to the airlines or not? Are you horrified by the thought of being in the regular cabin vs. first class?

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Feb 22, 2014 -> 10:34 PM) American is my least favorite and I travel for a living. Avoid it like the plague. I did not enjoy my AA experience. I was reading their materials and they are plugging the "New American Airlines" for whatever that is worth. QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Feb 23, 2014 -> 03:43 AM) Why should the airlines feel ashamed because America is getting fat? Would you expect the White Sox to make larger seats and decrease seating capacity because their fanbase can't stop gaining weight? I live too close to O'Hare to even try Southwest, not worth the commute. I always fly American, it goes everywhere I need to and that's where I get miles from my credit card. They have treated me well, no major issues. There is the occasional delay or cancellation, but that goes with the territory given Chicago's weather. I also always fly nonstop when possible. By all accounts though, Asian airlines are about 1000x better than any airlines in America. It just seems to me the airlines don't care, simply do not care that you or your business is paying 300, 400, 500 dollars for flights in the U.S. We are customers and I shouldn't have to have some fat f*** pushing me into the aisle. This has happened OFTEN this winter. They have a responsibility to have people fit in their f***ing seats. Oh wait ... no they don't. If you pay for the luxury of first class you don't have to deal with this. I guess that's their out. I just about asked some asshole if he wanted to make out with me since he was all over me on some recent flight. People can't fit in the seats. QUOTE (Reddy @ Feb 23, 2014 -> 05:05 AM) DELTA - Dont Ever Leave The Airport But seriously AA, Delta and US Air are my top three LEAST favorite airlines. Ugh. Sounds about right.

QUOTE (Reddy @ Feb 22, 2014 -> 08:36 PM) Jetblue is my fav, but United is my primary airline and they're better than most everyone else in my experience. Don't like the sit wherever you want thing with Southwest and they're pretty bare bones other than their pleasant demeanor. Is United so good that travel can be considered pleasant or fun? It just seems to me, the bare bones issues like making your connection, getting to your destination close to on time, not being crunched into oblivion on the actual planes have made flying quite annoying to me. I pay the extra money on Southwest to get in the top 30 of the first boarding group which alleviates some of the SW angst, but its planes are also very cramped. Maybe you are flying first class on United. I just wonder why you like them. I was eavesdropping on some guy talking after we got sent back to the gate and he said he had over 100 hours worth of delays in flying this past month mainly on AA, some weather related, though.

I was flying from Dallas to KC this week and really on a tight schedule (yeah, like it matters to the airlines you need to be someplace when the weather is nice). The dreaded words, "We are going back to the gate for a mechanical problem; I don't know if it will be fixed or we'll need to get another plane" were uttered by the pilot on the intercom. It was American Airlines. We ended up thankfully only being an hour delayed. Plane was full of course. Rebooking would have been a nightmare had the plane been grounded for a winter A/C problem. WTF? It's also a nice touch (NOT) on AA that if you pay 30 bucks you can get a seat in the cabin that is not so cramped. How bout making all seats not so cramped to uh, respect the customer?? My question to you is ... are there any airlines you like/love? And do you think the airlines should be ashamed of themselves that with the country's inhabitants getting bigger (fatter) every year, these seats are as cramped as they are?? I don't know how many times I've had some fat f*** basically push me (in aisle seat) almost out into the aisle cause the guy can't fit in his cramped seat. I do give Southwest Airlines passing grades on overall experience (complaints would be 40 minute connection times are begging you to miss your connection and cramped new planes) and can't give any other airline a passing grade. Any horror stories/comments on the airline industry?