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Despite Whatever May Be Between Us... Sincerity and This Thing Called Life Trumps All...

Posted by Manny Stiles

451 days ago

I am reminded every so often.... it comes around EVERY so often... what matters and what is meaningless bullshit, pfftt! - life is "funny" that way!

Life has been Hit-you-over-the-head REAL to me lately and I am reminded...

I must remind you...

I Love you all.

Truly, Surely, honestly.

Not in a sexual or physical way - I am fulfilled there. In a personal way. I have involved my time and energy with you and maybe you don't know what that means to someone like me.

It is a love that an artist has for a painting; a love that a true actor has for his profession; a love that a patriot has for his countrymen, kinda... We share this same part of the journey!

It is without community, without comraderie, without friendships and without shared interest that I fail to exist.

If not for you - this shared journey, I fail to realize my full being.

Without YOU, fair AGM community, I am pointless. I am meaningless... I am (gasp) wordless to the world.

I love you for all of your abilities and all of your faults.

I love you for all of your capabilities and all of your misgivings.

I love you for being you and I love you more for not being me!

I love you for loving similar ideals as me - sport, life, sharing our passions...

Every so often, I am reminded how meaningless I am... how meaningless grudges, how meaningless proving points and how meaningless being "right" really is... And reminded how much you mean to me!

For sharing a willingness to express yourselves, how sharing your personal experiences is an effort, how being yourselves to people you've never met in "real" life is a true expression of being.

Thank you, community for being EXACTLY what you are - no matter how our personal relationships may be - smooth or bumpily - without you, I am a blip in the digital wind - and I thank you for dealing (or pretending to deal) with me!!!

That is all. Sometimes people never get to say what they really mean - today I want to remind you that beneath the facade of Red Sox and Yankee hating, beneath the sarcasm and biting witicism, beneath the facade of a personna - I am human too! And I THANK all of you humans for daring to be who you are!

It's just a reminder that there are people who really care beyond sports and opinion. People like me that just want you to read and enjoy - people like me that want you to write and WRITE HARD so I can read and enjoy!

Dammit! that's why we all found this place! Let your LOVE for whatever brought you here SHINE!!! For YOU, for me and for whomever might stumble across your love!

[edit] WRITE HARD!!!

I wish nothing but peace and good tidings to you and yours!!!

--Erik--

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Tmil42AAA-er

450 days ago

Score 5

Oh geez, Manny...I guess I love you too.

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The PipDiv-I Stud

450 days ago

Score 5

I'm sorry only one man has my heart, Tom Brady. Don't worry about me writing, I'll be finishing up my first full months of posts at my blog this weekend.

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RomiezzoLegend

450 days ago

Score 4

A great guy once said, "I am reminded every so often... it comes around EVERY so often... what matters and what is meaningless bullshit, pfftt! - life is "funny" that way! Life has been Hit-you-over-the-head REAL to me lately and I am reminded..."

Let me just remind you (and I speak for everyone here, I think)...

We Love you too, Stiles.

Truly, Surely, honestly.

Not in a sexual or physical way - we are (okay, most of us are) fulfilled there. In a personal way. We have involved our time and energy with you ~~maybe you don't know~~ and no, I don't think we know what that means to someone like me you.

Instead of just using all your words, let me put some of my own as well. Some of us really look up to you (and no, I'm not the only one). We all came here for the same reasons, and I'm glad that we have such a great community here.

"Don't you see what we have here? A site where guys with bad backs and bad knees can... get together on the same site and compete as guys that are all goosed up on steroids. And more than anything, isn't this game about gettin' together with your friends and just havin' a good time? I remember."

(Dammit... I promised I'd use my own words for this)

"I remember a long time ago I didn't have anybody. And you guys took me in. I guess that's why it kills me to see you like this."

In all seriousness though, I gotta love you Stiles for writing this up. Maybe you're just expressing the love you have for us now since the Rays are still in first place and you know they're gonna win the division. I dunno. You seriously write the best work I've ever read on AGM. What you say and what you write always comes from the heart.

So, with all that being said, I urge you to CONTINUE to write hard! No limits, remember that!

That's from the heart... Thanks for what you have done, and what you will do for what's to come.

--Romi--

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Manny StilesMajor Leaguer

450 days ago

Score 5

The motivation for this - 1) I was pretty drunk. 2) A friend/mentor of mine who was diagnosed with a disease that is sure to take his life in the next few years recently told me something very interesting:

"People think they are so afraid of dying when really, they are afraid of living."

He told me that the thing that matters most in this world is Love. He said "the path is Love, man... Love."

If you're not doing what you love what are you doing? Love matters more than anything you can touch or hold.

"If you don't tell people what they mean to you, what do they really mean to you?"

That wise man was in a car that was struck by a drunk driver going the wrong way on a highway off ramp last weekend. His personal assistant/driver was killed instantly and my friend/mentor is brain dead and on life support while his selfish family members are arguing over what to do. I am sure he did not want to be on a machine. But he didn't have a DNR directive and he is pretty wealthy with no children so his relatives are acting like vultures instead of caring relatives...

The drunk driver was barely injured and attempted to flee the scene on foot.

Even if you know your days are numbered, you still can't know for sure what that number is... Life is Love.

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RomiezzoLegend

450 days ago

Score 2

Anyone who has found the key to life knows that the thing that matters most in this world is love. Everyone ~~wants~~ needs it... it's just harder to some people to find or get enough of.

Your friend is a genius... I gotta tell ya.

I'm sorry to hear about that accident. I can tell that he is a good man. Why can't we have more people like him in all of our lives?

And the drunk driver is just evidence as to why I never have, and never will take a sip of alcohol in my life. (Even if I am in college). Because when my friends need me, I'll be the person driving them around.

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KelsdadAll-Star

450 days ago

Score 6

To Romi;

Yes, we all do look up to Manny, and it is not a conscious choice we make. Because he really is 6'6"...

Manny,

Sorry to hear about your friend, and;

People think they are so afraid of dying when really, they are afraid of living.

I heard this 15 years or so ago, I wish it was 30.

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Alex HolowczakHall of Famer

450 days ago

Score 1

You stole that height gag!

http://uk.yo...=AIMzWHdKxPY

http://uk.yo...=0JSahEDRjvw

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CheezerAll-Star

448 days ago

Score 2

Live like you're dying KD, live like you're dying.

In 2003, I had a battle with cancer. It changed me. Now I enjoy the moments more. There may not be a tomorrow.

How can you die if you never lived?

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Davis21wylieMVP

450 days ago

Score 3

Luv U2 Manny. In fact, so much so that I've got an NBA preview brewing with a word count that will blow your mind. But I'll only release it if you promise to do another Simpsons-themed version the same week. I thought the last time that they were perfect compliments for each other...

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Manny StilesMajor Leaguer

450 days ago

Score 3

Deal!

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Steel TownDraft Pick

449 days ago

Score 7

Your still not getting my bud light.

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The PipDiv-I Stud

449 days ago

Score 2

Innappropriate! and Too Soon! and Damnit that was Funny!

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Manny StilesMajor Leaguer

449 days ago

Score 1

I can't have your Bud light? Well how about your Syrup of Ipecac and/or a bottle of warm dog piss?

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RawbeezeitzMajor Leaguer

449 days ago

Score 0

AAAAAAwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

hugs for everyone

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The PipDiv-I Stud

447 days ago

Score 1

Keep dreaming, because without a dream what do you have to work towards? Someday you will bring meaning to these words and they won't ring as hollow as you've made them right now. It's ok to be both a hippie and a comedian. You just have let the a-hole part of your funny go. I know you can do this.

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Manny StilesMajor Leaguer

447 days ago

Score 1

No, YOU have to let the a-hole part of my funny go.

OR you can continue to think my generalizations are specifically aimed at you, if you need to feel better about yourself on your high horse.

I guess you never played sports enough to understand what "trash talk" is... Trash talk would fall under the "whatever may be between us" category.

I don't what you're issue is - is this because I said I don't like DWTS? - but it's with yourself and not with me. Quit dragging it out over multiple threads and over a period of days. THAT, my dear friend Pip is what IS called Troll activity.

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The PipDiv-I Stud

447 days ago

Score 0

Cease-fires need both sides to play along. See the New England Patriots page and Manny's thought if anyone wants to see both sides of Manny. I may be guilty of trolling but so are you. Oh and the people here that read AA will see me dealing with the Brady's injury through humor.

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Manny StilesMajor Leaguer

447 days ago

Score 2

Dude. Both sides? Funny and Funnier?

I am going to make TONS of posts about Brady from now until I'm dead. Same goes for Derek Jeter. Joe DiMaggio, Isiah Thomas, Tim McCarver, Rachael Ray... Hideki Irabu, Jeffrey Maier, JJ Redick Redick, DJ Drew, The Chicago Cubs, Rusty Kuntz, and on and on.

If you can't understand that, then I can't help you.

Believe it or not, when I crack on Brady it's not directed at you. The world does not spin around your head. Not a difficult concept here... I have lots of sarcastic things to say and a blatant willingness to share them in public.

Some people make a living. I make fun. It's just what I do...

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