ACCBoards

There is no point in whining about lack of interest in anything. If there is little interest, that's it. I do wonder that there is so little conversation about baseball on these boards. Is it a reflection of the general lack of interest in baseball? Are the people who follow and love baseball just not interested in posting about it. Do posters just lose interest entirely when their team is eliminated?

Spike is a source of information for me when he is able to post. There are some colorful, desperately hip types that hit and run. Some post almost as if they feel an obligation to. But even after some interesting developments, no one posts. Steroids seem to excite more interest than anything else.

These playoffs are a good test. If the teams involved had been bland teams and the results predictable, I would expect light traffic. The playoffs have some very surprising developments. There are some oddities and what I would think exciting games, bugs bugging yankees, Cubs in the playoffs, walk-offs...
This is not scolding. That would be stupid. I thought this would be a fun place to talk baseball. I just don't know why it is so seldom that.

Quote:There are some colorful, desperately hip types that hit and run

Hilarious and accurate, and I mean that sincerely even knowing the very high probability that I would be included in that group.

Let's address this issue of lack of posting activity first----it must be said that the baseball forum of this place has always been little more than what it is now. Let's face it, if you're a true fan of baseball, and I for one am, there are a host of better places to go to engage in conversation. IMO, what you have here is a place where posters who have known one another, by moniker only usually, for a long time occasionally pop in to see if everyone is still alive. It's like a sense of "obligation" in a way. The fact that protracted discussion rarely ensues is somewhat a mystery, though it's almost certainly related to various individual priorities. Let's face it--this place is not a high priority with those who come here---it is most likely, in fact, a photograph of superfluous discussion on its way to total superfluity (?). There's a half dozen posters here that I admire, I must say, now including yourself Fayette, but it's apparent that most of us are in a "been there, done that" frame of thought. So, it's like we're dead but the coroner has pronounced it yet. Just my opinion.

the playoffs---the NL has sweeps and the AL has a chance of same---bet that's never happened before. It would be a joy to see the Tribe, at least, finish off the Yanks today but I'm betting that both those series get extended. At least the bosox are just battling the Angels not that whole damned mystique thing.

I'll give you a few snappy soundbites from the last two AL games....

Joba had NO more bugs on his neck than Carmona had on his in his half of that very interesting inning----I counted because I knew there would be people moaning about this. Carmona just didn't melt down.

How close did Mienkavitch, however the hell you spell his name, come to serious, serious injury when Hafner hit that line shot when the infield was drawn in? I swear that is one lucky man.

The inability to push across seemingly "can't miss" runs has hampered the Tribe all year---doubtless many other teams too.

Carmona is a freakin' monster--as a fan I can only hope and pray that this season wasn't some sort of dream.

Manny's walk off homer---as soon as I saw it my mind screamed out "Turbo Wedge."

Boy, do I like Lowell or what--yes, I like him very much.

As to Manny's "bear" antics in leftfield, I honestly think the guy does some of this stuff on purpose to build upon the legend.

Well, if, Fayette, there are gods of bulletin boards who monitor, naturally not as closely as Spike and what's his name, this place and who make the decision to vaporize the whole damned vapid place, then take care of yourself. I do sort of like the vaporize the vapid aspect. In fact, I think I'd have to vote FOR it just on the basis of alliterative agreement.

Take care all.

I'll be honest. Once the Dodgers are eliminated I lose interest. The enormous choke down the stretch they did was draining. (Although not as bad as 1992 or the Mets this year.)

I just hope neither the yankmees or the Rockies win it all.

Biggie,
You have from time to time posted a mercy response. Thanks. If this one goes belly up, take care.

I think we had a bit more activity back in the day (particularly during this time of year), but the gradual separation of the ACCBoards school forums has led to the situation that we have now. I would guess that the majority of UMD/NCSU/Wake posters are not aware of our new location. There is no link from those boards to this one.

The same percentage decline in posters/posting has occurred across the ACCBoards platform.

There is a back door link from Pack Pride to ACCBoards and Town Square. There is some interest in Baseball in general on the State boards. There is a Yankee/Red Sox and some State minor leaguer stuff.
Oh well.

Fayettewuf Wrote:There is a back door link from Pack Pride to ACCBoards and Town Square. There is some interest in Baseball in general on the State boards. There is a Yankee/Red Sox and some State minor leaguer stuff.
Oh well.

Well, for whatever reason, a lot of people only want to talk about non-State (or non-Terp or non-Wake) things with other State (or Terp or Wake) fans. It's rather odd.

When we tried to establish a World Cup soccer forum a few years back, we were unable to get over that block. For instance, there is a sizable Terp soccer fan base, and soccer threads on that board are everpresent, but we were unable to interest those posters in an ACCBoards soccer forum.

We also lost some UNC baseball posters many years ago when Ben Sherman took his site elsewhere.

you know what's funny/sad/the reality of this whole schmear? i did not even read this, posted 10/7/07, until just now.

Quote: I thought this would be a fun place to talk baseball.

we really need to unwind you from that notion, to the extent it still lingers, and it would be astounding if it did. baseball is the side dish, the creamed spinach, the caesar salad, on this table. it is the water you rinse your mouth with after a sample of a heavy cab at the tasting. my sense is that people come here not for the astute baseball comment but for the desperately unhip commentary of dessicated middle aged white men flavored occasionally with bungled baseball statistics and anecdotes from baseball games attended in the early 1980s. i know these men, some pretty well, and i am certain i have the personality/mission of this message board down pretty well

I guess I was misled by:
Conversation and debate about the national pastime, occasionally lively and often pompous; wine, cigars, and hoity-toity postmodern fiction are also discussed on occasion.

I thought the national pastime was baseball. So the national pastime is whacking off on a keyboard. Why don't we put it to a vote. Wow that 'desperately hip' thing really got to you.

shakes head sadly

i need to be candid with you old friend. i did not even understand that the 'desperately hip' thingie even applied to me.

the following is a public service announcement: users of this message board need to be constantly vigilant against the creeping global threat of malignant self-seriousness. earnest self seriousness is the hallmark of our smug Daily Kossite friends swarming the town square at the moment. by contrast to that horde of Big Thinkers, this here is the Potemkin's Village Board of Selectmen message board. this is the Half Assed Kings of Illogic and Social Gracelessness message board. 11000 posts into the game, i believe you understand this more than you are letting on but to continue with this parlor game a user must signify acceptance of these basic rules by hitting the "New Reply" button below

gives a bemused smile
So your contention is that this (the Baseball formum) is no place to expect a discussion of the sport of baseball on a sorta ESPN level?

The desperately hip thingie was not applied to you personally but your posts do seem to be attempts to project an image rather than communicate. However, they don't bother me; occasionally they entertain me.
My puzzlement was due to the lack of conversation about the game on a board that in the past had more. Biggie pointed out there were other places to look. No problem.

Quote:your posts do seem to be attempts to project an image rather than communicate.

that's me. i believe we now sing tonelessly from the same page of the hymnal

Fayette,

I'm not sure why the posters who can contribute on baseball topics have become less frequent visitors. Traffic certainly has dropped off under the current board configuration, perhaps in part because the State, Wake and Maryland boards are more Scout boards than ACCboards these days.

In its heyday, this board didn't have a stronger baseball-to-whimsey ratio, but the greater volume of posting meant there was more baseball being discussed as well as more of the "alternate town square" stuff for those of us who wanted that.

Without naming anyone else, I am certainly one whose knowledge of baseball is such that I would mostly embarrass myself if I got too ambitious in my analysis (and I have done that a few times, such as practically cannonizing Sidney Ponson and dissing I. Suzuki). But I enjoy baseball and welcome the chance to use some baseball reference, however strained, as a jumping off point for stuff that would just provoke yawns or foul political harangues on most message boards. Seriously, I don't think that has driven off the baseball hardcore, at least whatever hardcore was here.

This board, in its current state, would be severely diminished if you chose to take your baseball posts elsewhere; I hope you will continue as you have.

Once upon a time, the Prof asked every poster to start 1 thread a week (like the almond growers commercial) and for everyone else to make sure each thread got at least six replies. Could that be revived? Perhaps, but at least here, half of those replies would be "non-baseball" under the strictest construction.

Alternatively, can something be done to bring some of the lost posters back into the fold?

I have no answers. I do hope you and Mr. Fries continue to post through the long, cold winter that is before us.

Thanks for your thoughts on the subject. I do like to have someone to talk baseball with. The whimsey not only does not bother me it entertains me.
I guess I mainly come back here for the occasional thread that has various takes stuff that comes up in the game.
As for bringing lost posters back, I see the threads on Pack Pride regarding players in the minors, yanks vs. Sox, Major League in general surviving and even thriving. I'd like to see them over here mixing it up with all y'all. But we can't always get what we want as the poet said.

Quote:You cant always get what you want
But if you try sometimes well you might find
You get what you need

DukePride Wrote:

Quote:You cant always get what you want
But if you try sometimes well you might find
You get what you need

The Stones are not the resident poets of this forum; KidC and Biggie (aka the Muswell Hillbillies) made sure of that.

I tried my best not to jinx Cleveland by announcing "I am pulling for the Indians"

Would you be so kind as to announce that you're now "pulling for the Rockies"?