greg775

QUOTE (qwerty @ Dec 10, 2013 -> 03:19 PM) I used to post here and there at some point. I mean to the tune of 25-30 posts per day. Then my father got ill, he has had 14 stent '' procedures'' to his right leg. In my book, if they cut you open, it is a surgery, though now it it's just a new cute term these days to keep people at ease. He still ended up getting his right leg amputated because of cellulitis. My father has been diabetic going on twenty years now, he has been taking insulin for over half of those years, as he hits upwards of 500 at times on his sugar count. He has also had 8 stent surgeries (oh yes, procedures) to the heart. Three eye surgeries. My dad has always had a problem with his right eye, as in basic training during his Vietnam war games he got shot point blank with a BLANK. Ergo, shrapnel was lodged within, and they had to remove it on the spot. Advance 40 plus years, just to find out it was not all removed. He also fell from a 40 foot pole, which was part of the daily routine in basic. This happened during the winter with a sheet of ice several inches thick. How did he land? Feet first. Naturally it is hard to believe, but I have had several confirm it via his scrapbooks from his time in Vietnam. My father also broke his back while working on the dock. He was lifting something he lifted daily for years, weight wise that is, roughly 70 pounds, and it just shattered. So to this day he has a metal plate, screws, and bolts to keep himself upright. He was confined to a bed for nine months. This was almost 23 years ago, as he is currently 68 now. Back to those stents on the heart, well he has had four heart attacks in the past nine months, and he had a quint bypass after the first two. After the first two they found out that he has pancreatic cancer, which very well is the most deadly of all cancers. This specific cancer eventually shuts down all of your internal organs one by one, it is simply nasty. My father was having anxiety, which he would never admit to after the first two heart attacks, so they put him on Zoloft. He had been on it for several months, and he had a reaction to it that put him in a state of delirium. Ever see or hear of the film ''Harvey'' with James Stewart? He was living it. So they took him off it, and by they, I mean Hines VA. Months go by with him being off of it and they started sending it again (either comes through the mail or you can pick it up there when present) so he started taking it again without really taking much notice. For the past several years he has been on upwards of 18 medications, some as many as four times a day. So... when he sees a medication he takes it as noted, without thinking twice, because he never has known what half of them even are for. I suppose I can understand how a person would be like that, but there is no damn chance I personally am taking something without knowing what it is... and what it is for. Not to mention the side effects. Though I suppose when you take that much medication, just about everything under the sun could possibly be a side-effect. My mother and I end up finding out he had been taking it for almost a week, and a couple days prior to Halloween he started acting forgetful, loopy if you will. By the day of Halloween, he did not know where he was, who I was, or my mom. What he did know is that we were playing a big elaborate hoax on him, and we were the reason he got sent to Desert Storm along with a whole troop of other wheelchair bound soldiers. The day of Halloween we take him to Hines, they see what we see, run tests galore, and they believed that it was a morphine overload (was not breaking down properly) along with the Zoloft that brought this upon. The day after Halloween he has another heart attack while in Hines, and he essentially stopped breathing on his own. He could have breathed on his own, but he would have died due to exerting so much energy just to catch a grasp of air. So they stuck a tracheal intubation tube down his throat, to get the fluid off his lungs, and of course allow him to breath, without it, he was a goner. He was in a coma during this period of time. My father also has had fluid removed from his lungs 10 times in the past five years, and during that span he has had pneumonia several times. Roughly 90% of people that die due to this cancer do so undiagnosed. Those of which that get diagnosed die within nine months on average. To reach five years? The odds are between 1%-3%. Anyway, pancreatic cancer is the toughest of all cancers to detect based on where the pancreas is located within us. A special test has to be done, hence why so few ever get diagnosed. What I am currently in the process of doing in trying to contact every cancer society that will listen, so that I can get in touch with a child prodigy named Jack Andraka. Andraka has created a test strip that can detect said cancer in just five minutes, but it will potentially take upwards of 15 years before it goes through all the loops to get it marketed. Once I have Andraka on board, my intentions are to get a Kickstarter or any other sort of fundraising sort of thing going to create the first full feature length documentary based around this nasty cancer. I plan on speaking to all of the leading experts outside of Andraka, those that currently have the cancer, the loved ones of those that do, and the loved ones that have died because of it. Even celebrities that are living with it would be a much added bonus. It's so draining on the caretakers, that is why I feel it is a much needed aspect of the documentary. This ride, not just the cancer, has been a complete and utter toll on my mother and myself during this period. I simply need, not want, the world to know more, so much more, about this atrocity. Sorry for the jabbering, it was just for those that may have wondered where I have been all these years, as my activity has been almost none. Also, it felt good to get it off my chest, even if it is to people I have never met, nor ever will. I know I have been a pain in the ass in the past, I mean to my knowledge I have the highest warn rating in the sites history, but thanks for listening, for those of you that have made it this far. There likely are some grammatical errors that I have made within this post, but I have been up going 32 hours, with only and hour and fifteen minutes sleep prior, so I do not really give much of a s***. On my good days I get four hours of sleep, and even when that occurs, it is in the form of intervals. I have always done such, and most do not understand how I function. Hell it's the reason why I left school my freshman year of high school and became an autodidact. Technically, I suppose I have always been, but I was not labeled one until that point. Everything just moved too slow for me, and it does this this very day. You see, this is why I do not post, as I can go on, and on, and on even more.. My damn brain never takes a rest, it's so very exhausting. I will shut the f*** up now. Good day, talk to you in another seven months. Sorry. I read your entire post. That is just one, sad story. I will say a prayer for you all now. It just truly goes to show health is the most important thing we truly have. We can't ever take it for granted. You dad has had so many things wrong with him physically it's impossible to fathom. I can't even imagine insurance paying for all that, either, though that is a different topic. My prayers go to your dad and you guys.

QUOTE (pettie4sox @ Dec 12, 2013 -> 05:00 PM) We've been together almost 2 years now. I can see her getting complacent. I'm not a picky guy when it comes to how women dress or use make up (that's their prerogative). Hell, I don't care about her grooming habits either. I don't expect her to be a super model, but to just be in moderate shape would be suffice. She's gotten bigger and I'm just thinking to myself why does she think this is OK? I try to be passive aggressive by getting on the scale, showing her how my clothes barely fit anymore and stating how good it feels. Getting into shape too has caused my mind to wander since I see fit and hot women at the gym. She's got to know you are going to dump her over weight. If you are getting in shape and she's getting bigger, she's toast and she probably knows it. You are not married. You can dump her and move on for whatever reason you want.

QUOTE (ptatc @ Dec 11, 2013 -> 12:26 AM) I define it as a guy who goes out of his way to be mean or belittle people, especially the ancillary non-baseball people around people like the clubhouse people and the medical staff. Obviously, I'm sensitive to the medical staff who work their a** off to keep these guys on the field. He's not like Bonds who is in a different a** class but would ignore most people. AJ would treat people poorly not necessarily other players, although he did that too, but most commonly the others around. This is what I call a bad person. He is not the only one by far, I've seen worse than him but he is in the team picture. Cool ptatc. Thanks for the info. AJ is a dick, but I've also been around sports figures and met so many who are assholes I don't consider it a real problem. It is great when you run into some nice ones. I don't know why he'd be mean to medical personnel who are trying to help him. I would think medical personnel would have the upper hand on AJP so to speak since they are the ones curing whatever ails him. I believe he's a dick. I just know there are many in all clubhouses. How many would you estimate ptatc? Are 1/3 of a clubhouse total assholes or closer to half?

I'm at the Florida basketball game and AJP is supposed to be here tonight. I wonder if I tell him I'm one of his bigger supporters on Soxtalk he would refrain from hitting me. I better not risk approaching him lest he hit me or act rude to me, could affect my feelings for him forever.

QUOTE (ptatc @ Dec 9, 2013 -> 10:25 PM) He is a bad person. Not a bad player. He was a very good player and helped the Sox win. No doubt but let's not confuse that with being a class act or good person. I don't believe I am telling the truth, I'm speaking from experience. Although I did drink alot more in those days. I believe you pt, but what is a bad person? Do you agree there are major assholes all throughout baseball? I mean these are rich, spoiled individuals who have been stars their entire lives and I'd assume at least 50 percent are total jerks. I do believe you ptatc; I think you are one of the best posters in the history of posting. But what constitutes a prick? What has AJ done that would vault him to the top of the prick list in a sport full of jerks?

No one will ever change my mind about AJP. You can do whatever you want. I think criticizing him is almost sacriligious. OK I know that's the wrong word, he's not a religious figure. Criticizing him I think is ... ridiculous. Can't think of the right word. I praise him and applaud him as a Sox fan.

QUOTE (Chicago White Sox @ Dec 8, 2013 -> 05:47 AM) Great post. A.J. will always be one of my favorites for what he did on the field, but clearly he was/is a s***ty teammate off it. Not sure why some people refuse to accept this. Why the hell was he a s***ty teammate? He sounds like a team leader to me.

This talk of AJP being a prick amuses me. Do you know how many assholes are in professional baseball?? Who gives a f*** if he nixed the girlfriends? I'll take 20 AJ's on my team any day and maybe my team would win something. Sox missed him GREATLY IMO last year!

For what he is doing for Hawk. I'm speechless. AJP is total class.

QUOTE (flavum @ Dec 4, 2013 -> 06:13 PM) Seems like good timing to give Semien an opportunity to play 150 games. See what he's got. Let's see what the Sox do in the next week. Beckham or Alexei could be gone--although I'm not sure who wants them. Royals still need a second baseman. How bout robbing some of their young pitching for Becks?

QUOTE (scs787 @ Dec 6, 2013 -> 06:47 AM) For a 1B that is pretty sad, esp when you start to bring up his .355 slugging%....A a number he shared with Tyler Flowers. I'm done, I'll let others have the fun. (What's sad is I was one of the biggest supporters of this move, and now greg has totally wrecked it for me.) How can I wreck it for you?? People ask me to back my arguments up with stats, I do so, and it's still never good enough.

QUOTE (Quinarvy @ Dec 6, 2013 -> 07:00 AM) If for some reason Greg turns out to be correct and Paulie comes into ST as the starting first baseman, I'm finding a new team. He won't, but I imagine if Robin tried it he would be fired immediately. With all due respect, how can you still have the Sox as your team with Dunn on the roster?? When I see Paulie go to the plate, still, I get PUMPED! When I see Dunn I want to puke. I was sad when Paulie didn't play in that game I saw in Kauffman this year the Sox won in 13.

QUOTE (scs787 @ Dec 6, 2013 -> 04:57 AM) What white lies did he say at the that presser? Lol he hit .226/.290/.310 against RHP last year...Adam Dunn? .226/.327/.459.....If Dunn is so god awful, how isn't what PK did last year an embarrassment in your opinion? Paulie hit .313 vs. lefties with a .398 OPB. His stats for the year were .244 12 54 with OBP of .313. In what universe is all that embarrassing?? It's actually a pretty mediocre season if you go by major league baseball as a whole. There are TONS of players with as bad or worse stats than that. I'm saying it's not out of the question he improves on those stats IF HEALTHY. I mean, if he hit .180 with 6 homers and 26 ribbies, that would be embarrassing. He did not hit like that; he was OK at best. He was not trash especially when you consider he still can catch the ball in the field. Yes he's slow as molasses. I've never denied that. He can't run. Dunn hit .197 6 22 vs. lefties. 48 Ks in 122 at bats. For the year he whiffed 189 times and hit .219 with OBP of .320.

QUOTE (scs787 @ Dec 6, 2013 -> 05:45 AM) Because the guy made it clear he doesn't even want to be a starter! I think he knows his body, and he knows it's not gonna hold up playing even 100 games. It showed down the stretch in 2012, and pretty much throughout the whole 2013 season. He is going the Giambino route and nothing more. He also held a long presser on the last day of the season or the last weekend saying a lot of things that were white lies. Folks, Paulie never was going to quit. It was pretty apparent he wanted one more year. Now if he's getting regular at bats and hitting .150 after 2 months, I'd suspect he'll hang 'em up or become a coach at that point. My point has been he has never embarrassed himself yet and may have fuel left in the tank.

QUOTE (Chicago White Sox @ Dec 6, 2013 -> 04:09 AM) Just give this act a rest man. You're worse than some of the callers on Boers & Berstein. White Sox ... I guess you are totally dismissing the possibility Paulie could have a bounceback farewell season. ... Yet many people on here are willing to give Dunn the benefit of the doubt again and again. I repeat, Paulie is not 44 years old. He still hit the ball last year. He just didn't hit it over the fence for some reason, maybe declining power? Possible. Maybe injury?? Likely. What if he's healthy? If he can see the ball and his wrists and back are healthy, I still think there's a chance of a super bounce back season. I don't get why everybody dismisses it. We're talking about a natural hitter, not some of the unproven hacks on our team who are much younger.

QUOTE (Andy the Clown @ Dec 6, 2013 -> 04:18 AM) Good Lord. No wonder so many on Soxtalk hate you. You guys are starting to get personal again. Why the heck does my support of Paulie make me the bad guy here? I happen to think IF HEALTHY he is capable of a comeback and I am predicting a prominent role for the guy. No need to get all upset over some simple comments. Just think if I agreed with 90 percent of the board who hate the re-signing of Paulie ... the world is a BORING place if everybody agrees.

QUOTE (GreenSox @ Dec 6, 2013 -> 04:35 AM) Absolutely. I like this signing. Is Webb a ceiling middle reliever? Now I know why u guys didn't like my haiku format of posting when I used to do that. It seems kind of weird to see my haiku format in print.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Dec 5, 2013 -> 10:15 PM) I'm sure you've been drinking or doing drugs or something. Konerko himself has said he is not a starter and that he is a part-time player. He said he didn't think he'd be able to stand the long, grueling season as a full-time player again. And yes, you are the only one thrilled, which speaks volumes. You don't think there's a chance a healthy Paulie has a great spring? And if he does he wouldn't be starting? it's not like the guy is 44 years old for gosh sakes. I do realize what he's said publicly. I'm just pointing out a scenario in which he's not finished and actually bounces back.

QUOTE (Rowand44 @ Dec 6, 2013 -> 01:15 AM) Eh every fan base hates their middle of the road relievers because they're all frustrating. Sure I'd like to see Petricka and Webb get their shots but they're middle relievers, I'm not going to lose sleep over it if they have to spend a few months in the minors. I kind of agree with this. There are a lot of bad relievers out there. Hopefully this guy can find a comfort zone this season with the Sox. I long for the old days when starters could go 7 all the time, ideally get an out in the eighth. It seems to me the earlier we got to go to our pen (I'm talking you, Hector) the less our chances of winning. A reliever often gets lit up or has walk-itis. Maybe it's the same way for all teams. I'd like to see our record in games when we start the parade of relievers in the sixth, then the 7th. My guess is last year we lost almost every game in which that happened.

You guys aren't going to like this post. ... Robin Ventura is a former player. As such, Robin Ventura respects near Hall of Famers like Konerko (he won't make the Hall but a damn fine career). My take to you is it's Paulie's STARTING job to lose. Look ... we go to spring training. Paulie is going to be healthy. Paulie is going to hit .310 in spring training with 6-7 home runs. Paulie Konerko will be starting first baseman. You heard it here first. Please please give me credit when this happens. It's going to happen. p.s. Am I the only person on Soxtalk thrilled with his return?

He will have a very good year. You heard it here first. Thank goodness he's back. Gives me a reason to watch this pathetic team and maybe buy mlb.com again. Don't flame me, but can Dunn play left field? I'd rather see a platoon of Dunn/Viciedo out there. Let DeAza play center and Garcia right. Abreu DH. Can Abreu play LF?

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Dec 4, 2013 -> 02:41 PM) They may not be a 90 loss team, but I'd be surprised if they were a .500 team. I mean, are you really happy with 76-86? I disagree that Cano wouldn't sell tickets, but he doesn't do enough to make the Sox competitive. --- This is not the year to spend. It's not a free agent market that lines up well with the Sox weaknesses (other than Abreu), and they'll have more to spend next season. Dunn and Lindstrom are free agents who almost certainly won't be brought back, which frees up $19 mill. There are others - De Aza, Beckham, Flowers, Keppinger, Ramirez - who could be traded or non-tendered, which would free up money or commitments to spend money in the future. The team is not going to be very good this year, but there have been significant steps taken in the past 5 months to set the foundation for a team that can win for a long time. I feel Hahn has done a wonderful job thus far as GM and would give him an A. The Sox need some stars as the second team in the Second City. Even Bill Veeck who had no money, knew that. Hopefully Garcia or Tank can be those guys but I'm not hopeful because they have no plate discipline at all. Sale is a star; that's a good start. But we need an everyday star or two. The Sox gave it a shot with Dunn but he didn't work out. Major bust. Konerko was a star a long time, but nationally nobody knew who he was except teams in our division whom he murdered. Bring me some stars!!!

QUOTE (Quinarvy @ Dec 3, 2013 -> 10:12 PM) LMAO at Greg citing Bill James and Sabermetrics for the Red Sox signing AJ. Is greg now a statnik? I know Bill James personally. He lives in Lawrence as you know. And to all the statniks ... Bill James wrote a long long long essay in one of his books about the fact there is no such thing as "protection" in a lineup. In other words, let's say Adam Dunn is batting third and Abreu fourth. The performance of Dunn has nothing to do with how Abreu hits. That is according to the stat guru, Bill James. He says lineup protection is a myth (unless he's changed his stance on this). I know you all will disagree with James on this so what do you think of him now? I am confident, however, that James can identify baseball talent and his Red Sox now have AJP. That means Bill is projecting another good to great year from AJP. Meanwhile, we let him go LAST YEAR when he still could have been our catcher. Not smart.

QUOTE (HickoryHuskers @ Dec 3, 2013 -> 10:55 PM) Translation: While the Sox need a catching upgrade, they weren't dumb enough to give up anything of value for Lobaton, so we will wait and hunt around for a different sucker. Great post. Hopefully what you wrote is fact.

Geez Ellsbury just flip flopping from Boston to New York? Baseball is crazy with these big-money teams dominating everybody else. It's a fricking joke. The NFL at least doesn't give a bleep if some smaller city wins. Baseball, it's all about the big markets. At least Chicago's White Sox could act more like a big market team and get in the mix with the other big boys!