Tim McG

Pitchers and catchers report tomorrow!

Well, the Giants have their LFer in KCs Nori Aoki. Should be interesting. http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mlb-big-league-stew/giants-sign-free-agent-nori-aoki-in-hopes-of-solidifying-outfield-174403604.htmlell,

I know I shouldn't worry, because Brian Sabean always has something cooking, but been awfully quiet in The City by the Bay baseball-wise. With any luck, the Gigantes will pick up a pitcher or two. We can only hope.

Happy New Year!

Padres look like they are going to be pretty scary this next season. I don't know if they will be doing anything big this year but in a year or two...look out! Giants, Pads and Dodgers top three in the NL West. Anybody's call at this point.

Now that I am a retired person, I am planning on getting back to my horn, but I am in desperate need of a new trumpet. Been looking at Selma, Bach and Yamaha. I like the tone of the Selma but the valve action on the Yamaha feels much better to me. Never been much of a speedster when it came to playing, but the feel of the horn is very important to me. Any trumpet players out there who can share their knowledge on a good horn that won't break the bank, but have the above would be most appreciated. Tips on mouthpieces for Jazz and Jazz improv would be appreciated, too. Thanks! Tim

Happiest of Happys!

Now that sounds good, Neal! We live in a highly Hispanic area and the local tradition is to have tamales on Christmas Eve. So, we picked up that tradition and have done so for the last 20 years.

Rick, Actually, I was being serious. Up until last night, I hadn't found an au jus recipe that was any good. But no worries, we found one that tasted pretty good online. Tim

Prime Rib for us. Anybody know how to make a good au jus?

OK. Niners suck, basically. Owner Jed York and GM Trent Baalke are destroying the team once again by keeping a lousy OC Greg Roman, chasing Coach Jim Harbaugh and meddling in the day to day operations of the team. A pathetic 7-8 after three straight NFC title games and the solution is fire the coach? Wow. Well, that's my NFL input for this year. Carry on. Go (SF) Giants.

Thanks, Man. I do appreciate it.

A very Merry Christmas to everyone!

The poster formally known as GoodSpeak. Please read my post on page 3 in the News from Home thread. It pretty much explains everything.

Exactly. Just know, too, that every cancer treament is different for your specific needs. In my case, I was on chemo and radiation therapy at the same time and for about two months. It was very intense. Bad news is it gave me neuropathy. The good news is it succesully killed off the existing cancer tumors on my vertebrae. Now, I deal with the damage it did. I think it's awesome you are doing OK now. Best news I have heard in a month. Cancer sucks, but they have convinced me all is not lost when you get the diagnosis. Here's hoping for no come backs. Best of luck!

14/15 Though a couple were fragment sentences. Not correct on any level. Just sayin'.

Entertainer here.

Not much happening in the Giants clubhouse this off season. They lost Pablo Sandoval because he wanted a new challenge...? So, he was tired of winning the World Series, or what? Congratulations, Dan! Missed out on the Lester Young sweepstakes. He chose the Cubbies over the WS Champion Giants? M'kay. And Michael Morse flew the coup for big bucks in Miami. But they did pick up Casey McGehee. A strong hitter and a local guy, but no Panda that's for sure. Signed Sergio Romo, a good pick, but Jake Peavy? Ugh. They desperately need another bona fide starter. The MadBum can't pitch every night. So we wait and see what this will bring for the Giants in 2015. BTW...three rings in five years is pretty darn good, wouldn't you say?

BTW...you're not alone in the fear department. I, too, was scared spitless. Especially during the first surgery; I could have been paralyzed if the bone severed the spinal cord. The good news is they caught it early enough since they had a preliminary diagnosis three years prior. I was on a drug called Revlimid. They did blood tests every few weeks to see where the protein levels were. Mine were way high in one crucial protein and kept climbing until it was off the charts. The pain increased to unbearable levels and in March of this year I began my journey of the first of many hospital stays to kill this thing. The good news is multiple-myeloma is a very slow moving cancer so we had the luxury of time on our side. The better news is it appears I am on the longevity side of survival. My research says it can be anywhere from 5-20 years. Selfishly, I hope I last at least into my 80s. We shall see. Again, stay positive. I know in my case it was so easy to get depressed especially since I was pretty much a shut-in and spent a lot of my time alone in a bed. TBH, it is what probably caused me to be so angry in my postings here...and I feel very bad about that. The cancer even cost me my teaching job. That one really hurt because it is a job I love to do....the only job I ever wanted. But I digress. Bottom line is they have made great strides in cancer treatment...more so than when my Mom had lymphoma and cancer was pretty much a death sentence. Not so these days. Next challenge is to get off these pain killers. Not an easy thing to do, but it sure beats the hell out of active cancer! Obviously, I will be pulling for you and praying for you. You can do this, my friend!

Wow. Great news! I also have multiple-myeloma, but am not as far down the road as you. Now I see why my oncologist gets upset if I try to drop a few pounds. Wow. You are the sixth person I know who has the disease or knows a relative who does. Tom Brokaw has it, too. More widespread than I thought. How long have you been battling it? For me it has been four years, but in earnest the last year has been more agressive treatments with radiation and chemo. Just hang in there and do what the doctors tell you. They sent mevup to Stanford University which is a four hour drive, but it helped immensely. Our small city just doesn't have the talent needed or access to treatment. Good luck! Stay positive....you can beat this thing. It's been two years now for me. So far, it's been pretty easy. The first three months were kind of rough, when I was getting chemo twice a week. But now, it's only once a month, and it seems to be keeping the disease in check. So the surgery you mentioned; was that the stem cell transfer thing? How was the operation and the recovery? I'll admit, I'm a bit nervous (okay; scared shitless!) about that. Sorry it took so long to get back...physical therapy and a few errands. The surgery was to shore up my spine. The cancer settled in my vertebrae and wiped out a lot of bone marrow. Hence, the bone became very weak and began to fracture. At one point, a piece of bone broke and was protruding into my spinal cord. Emergency surgery was required. The second surgery was just before Thanksgiving and took care of another stress point with a lot of fracturing. That is where the pain was coming from. The doctor performed a procedure wherein she filled the places in my spine with this substance where the cancer had destroyed the bone marrow. Then wrapped the two fracturing vertebrae with a kind of bonding substance to strengthen the bone. It's a bit like what an auto body repair guy does to get rid of dents. He fills them and paints over the damage. Basically, you can call me Bond-O Man.

That's all great news Tim (that you're in remission, and improving), and you even got to watch the Giants win again. I was thinking about you during the season and wondering how you were. Thanks, Matthew. And Go Giants! Thanks, Jazzbo. A long way back, but I'm not giving in to it.

Wow. Great news! I also have multiple-myeloma, but am not as far down the road as you. Now I see why my oncologist gets upset if I try to drop a few pounds. Wow. You are the sixth person I know who has the disease or knows a relative who does. Tom Brokaw has it, too. More widespread than I thought. How long have you been battling it? For me it has been four years, but in earnest the last year has been more aggressive treatments with radiation and chemo. Just hang in there and do what the doctors tell you. They sent me up to Stanford University which is a four hour drive, but it helped immensely. Our small city just doesn't have the talent needed or access to treatment. Good luck! Stay positive....you can beat this thing.

Bit of news here...after an extended battle with cancer (multiple-myeloma) and a weight loss of 80 pounds, it looks like I have finally turned the corner toward recovery. Two back surgeries and neuropathy in both legs was the physical cost, but the pain has eased off a bit and with the aid of physical therapy, I am beginning to walk again. The cancer has been stopped and I am in what the oncologist calls clinical remission. I also retired this last month (my medical concerns forced me out a bit early), so I look forward to that journey as well. The result is I am a changed man. And I offer to all of you on this BBS, my sincerest apologies for anything I said or did which may have caused you anger or distress. This battle with cancer came at a bad time in my life and at a high cost. I am better now and ready to move on with a new perspective on life. It is my hope forgiveness will trump past indescretions. At this point in my life, any day above ground is a good day. I hope you will give me that chance. Best, Tim

Exactly. Will be contacting Jim ASAP. I've had it with this clown.

Saved for posterity. Save all you want but doesn't change you're a stalker and breaking the board's rules. Also shows just how warped/stalker that you couldn't have done something as simple as just editing out my name. Once again, saved for posterity. Either you Moderators get rid of this guy or delete my account. There is no third choice.