Well here is a happy ending and another problem put to bed thanks to Old Master. A million thanks OM.
To make another long story short. My problem was a bad distributor cap. I replaced my Rotor, Cap, and Wires on May 11, 2009 with Autozone Duralast Cap, Rotor and Wires. I spent approximately $105 USD replacing the original stock Rotor, Cap and Wires that were over 9 years old and had 130K miles.
That is where my problem started.
Sometime around November 2009, I started noticing the symptoms described in the first post. The problems got progressively worse until last week when I could not drive more than 2 miles without throwing a P0300 Random Misfire code. As soon as I erased the code with the scan tool, it came right back on. The sputtering turned into bucking, fuel consumption was up, and the truck simply ran like crap. I finally had to park it for a few days, afraid to drive it for fear it would leave me stranded.
In a PM, Old Master told me that P0300 codes almost always come from the secondary ignition circuit, meaning plugs, wires, dist. cap, rotor or Ignition coil. He also reminded how picky these vehicles are about the brand names of parts, and how AC Delco parts are the only way to go on Secondary Ignition components as the Aftermarket products simply won't hold up.
To cut to the chase, yesterday, Jan 26, 2010, I replaced my AutoZone Duralast Distibutor Cap and Rotor with an AC Delco Cap and Rotor. I did not replace the wires. The results were unbelievable. No more sputtering, no bucking, no jerking, no more SES light, just smooth idle and acceleration. Problem solved.
I have read on this forum for years about OEM parts vs. Aftermarket parts. I am now a full fledged flag waving proponent of AC Delco Parts. This is not to say that they don't let a bad one slip through once in while. But here is the lesson learned. The original OEM cap that I replaced lasted over 9 years, the aftermarket cap from AutoZone lasted less than 6 months before the symptoms started. You do the math.
Luckily I got off cheap, the new AC Delco cap and rotor only cost me $53 USD, which is within a dollar or two of the price of the AutoZone cap and rotor. The part that amazes me the most is that I had to go to 3 different part stores to find an AC Delco Cap, and even then they had to order it from the warehouse.
Every Parts store claimed that their parts were equal to or even better than AC Delco, and that is why they pushed their own brand. DON'T BE FOOLED! Stick to your guns and insist on AC Delco. The price is not that much different and you'll be better off in the long run.