Diary Control Diary
Let's chat, shall we? Please, sit. Please. No, really. I insist.
We've had some problems on this site as of late, and frankly, it's starting to annoy me and a lot of other people who are valued posters on this site. I am speaking, of course, about the so-called "hijacking" of diaries. And before you start calling me "pot," I will freely admit that, in the past, I have been as guilty of this as anyone. That said, this practice has got to stop.
I know that many of us have come from other blogs, and hence are familiar with the "open thread" diaries. For those of you who don't know, the open thread is generally a diary where you can post, at all hours of the day and night, about whatever pops into your head. Do you fear North Korea? Have an opinion about which flavor of Pop Tarts is tastier? Want to report suspected subliminal messaging during "Fairly Oddparents?" Then the open thread is the place for you.
In this vein, we created the "Non-Baseball Diary," which has since morphed into the "OBD" last May, in order to combat this very problem. For those of you that were around then, you will remember some of the better diaries (and sometimes the game diaries) would often devolve into a mess of movie quotes, personal anecdotes, and something that resembled an online singles bar.
As of late, it seems that, every night, some unfortunate diary becomes the victim of unruly hijackers. As one of the more prolific diary posters here, I can tell you that it really sucks when you put some thought into a diary, and wake up to find that there are 200 + comments on a diary, only to discover upon opening it that most of the comments have nothing to do with what you've written about (see my meltdown on the Smack Talk diary for more on how this makes a diary poster's head explode).
All that said, enough. Okay? The OBD is there for a reason; to direct all the OT traffic into one area so it doesn't pollute other threads. Frankly, Al and I are starting to get emails from a lot of diary posters who are upset about what is happening to their diaries. Diaries take time to write, and it's not fair to their authors to take them over talking about, well. . . basically nothing. To be honest, it's making this site more reminiscent of cubs.com and it's driving valued posters away. So feel free to hijack the OBD till the cows come home, but leave the other diaries alone.
In the same vein, before you post a diary, please think about whether or not it actually merits a diary. We're getting a lot of diaries lately, consisting of a couple of lines, asking people what they think our lineup will be or whether we think Wood and Prior will be healthy. That's not diary material; that's worthy of a comment on a related thread.
Also, please at least try to convey something about the subject matter of the diary in your diary title. Sometimes we get 5 diaries on the same topic because the first diary posted has a funny title, but not one that tells people what it's about.
I'm not posting this to pick on anyone, but rather to let you guys know that, as much fun as we have here, it's starting to cause problems. Please try to be considerate of other posters.
The season is starting. There's going to be a lot more to talk about. Let's all have fun and keep other people's feelings in mind.
Thanks.
[editor's note, by Al] Julie & I had a discussion about this topic this morning and she offered to make this post, to which I add my complete agreement. Let's all have fun, enjoy posting about the Cubs and baseball and when appropriate, other topics. Thanks from me too.
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Its OK if you pick on me
As long as you seriously don't mind that we hijack the OBD, well, you've got a deal.
I too enjoy it more when there are really good diaries about a baseball subject that garner 100+ intelligent comments. We're still capable of this: see the last two Zambrano diaries.
But - as usual - you are right. Your guidelines here should help us all, especially those who are more guilty of thread hijacking (not naming names, gravedigger).
by gravedigger on Feb 17, 2007 9:32 AM CST 0 recs
I'm good with this also
That said, I'm sorry if my antics have offended people. I'll take full responsibility for my actions.
by secdelahc on
Feb 17, 2007 11:31 AM CST
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Thank you both.
by Al on
Feb 17, 2007 11:47 AM CST
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May I also suggest...
Anyway, it's just a suggestion. Let people know that you are the A-THOR-I-TIE and they must respect it, and you will handle all that jibba-jabba. Or maybe not.
by tyger1147 on Feb 17, 2007 10:01 AM CST 0 recs
Hey Julie...
by santo for prez on Feb 17, 2007 10:12 AM CST 0 recs
A few comments
A suggestion:
- Create a daily thread for non-specific baseball discussion. I suggested this months ago. If there was, on the main page area, a place for people to bring up baseball stuff that often isn't diary worth but worth noting, I think that would solve the diary overflow. This often is what becomes of the daily baseball threads during the season, however this doesn't exist during the offseason.
DmL
by dmlichte on Feb 17, 2007 10:26 AM CST 0 recs
That's what...
I could do this, I suppose -- but there will be games in less than two weeks, and then there will be an open thread every day till the end of the World Series. Maybe that'll help.
by Al on
Feb 17, 2007 10:29 AM CST
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Thanks, Julie (and Al),
UZI
by Ozgreeder on Feb 17, 2007 10:31 AM CST 0 recs
See...
It's the 500 comments about nothing in diaries that COULD be useful that's the problem.
I trust you can see the difference.
by Al on
Feb 17, 2007 11:47 AM CST
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I think the important thing to remember is
All things said, and all arguments over the past few months considered, I think BCB survived the long off season pretty well.
by sanantonecub on Feb 17, 2007 11:38 AM CST 0 recs
I apologize too
Unless it's really funny. ;)
by cubbieboy on Feb 17, 2007 11:58 AM CST 0 recs
I'm sorry.
By the way, I second dml's idea of a diary for news. This was suggested a long time ago, but it didn't really work. I would say I would do it every day, but I'm in school.
by sparkles721 on Feb 17, 2007 12:05 PM CST 0 recs
As...
by Al on
Feb 17, 2007 12:10 PM CST
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Well, that's the problem right there
As you say, with the advent of spring training and the season opener soon thereafter, the posts may naturally return to the one common interest that draws us to this blog in the first place.
by JFCubFan on
Feb 17, 2007 12:53 PM CST
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Baseball sites
by kerrysotherwife on
Feb 17, 2007 12:57 PM CST
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Exactly...
by santo for prez on
Feb 17, 2007 12:59 PM CST
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My inconsistency
But I also was so Bears minded this year that honestly except for when things were hopping I didn't think about the Cubs that much.
by kerrysotherwife on
Feb 17, 2007 1:14 PM CST
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Excellent post!
by shawndgoldman on Feb 17, 2007 12:11 PM CST 0 recs
Sorry, Shawn.
Your diaries are always so thorough. I liked reading them ever since you wrote the 'Why the Cubs will win 90 games' diary and got my hopes up in 2005(?).
by sparkles721 on
Feb 17, 2007 12:14 PM CST
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I, too, like your diaries.
by tyger1147 on
Feb 17, 2007 12:17 PM CST
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Why did you do that?
But I'm asking why did you post Windy City Gridiron? I went over out of curiosity.
I need another site to visit like I need a hole in the head...
by kerrysotherwife on
Feb 17, 2007 1:15 PM CST
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Sorry!!!
by tyger1147 on
Feb 17, 2007 1:28 PM CST
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to those who
You didn't miss much, in fact, when we took it, there was nothing left. It was completely stagnant.
by Faith plus 1 on Feb 17, 2007 12:14 PM CST 0 recs
to be fair
As for the fantasy one, yes, that's different.
by Faith plus 1 on Feb 17, 2007 12:18 PM CST 0 recs
How about more official diaries?
Any major news story. Official "Soandso is Hurt" Diary.
And can you sticky diaries about continuing discussions like on the lineup? When I posted mine there hadn't been one in a while and there had been a few things happened since then like the Floyd signing.
And how about this for a general idea. If you don't think it's important or don't like the topic stay out of the discussion! If you don't have anything to say on the subject don't say anything!
And any thoughts to someone volunteering to be a sort of diary judge. Not judge exactly but when in doubt PM someone with your idea and they'll give you feedback?
by kerrysotherwife on Feb 17, 2007 12:35 PM CST 0 recs
"Official" diaries?
When there's news I will try to post it on the main page. That's why I asked Julie to post about the Ryu deal on the main page, since I wasn't around my computer then. I would have posted about the Wood thing, but there was a well-traveled diary posted before I could get anything on the site.
A lot of these problems will vanish once the season starts.
About "sticky" diaries, this isn't quite like a message board where you can do that and the "sticky" posts stay there for months or years and get 5,000 comments. However, I'll see what I can do about getting the recommended diary period lengthened a bit.
by Al on
Feb 17, 2007 1:17 PM CST
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Al
I meant I don't want 10 diaries. What I meant to say is you or Julie post the official diary of the subject. Everyone knows that's where to go to discuss the situation.
by kerrysotherwife on
Feb 17, 2007 1:18 PM CST
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I've even said that...
It's a way to try to keep the discussion going in ONE place rather than all over the place.
by Al on
Feb 17, 2007 1:58 PM CST
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This Is a Cubs Blog
Lets talk about what's diary worthy. How many diaries does one person need to post per day? I'm tired of logging on every day and seeing four or five diaries posted by the same person, the titles of which are rarely baseball related. There are plenty of blogs out there - please leave this one for Cub fans. The off-season or not, the amount of useless banter being posted on this site is very dissappointing considering how much I used to enjoy AL'S BLOG. I can't begin to understand the amount of time and energy it takes to maintain this blog, so I can undestand the need for additional editors, but I would prefer a single diary per week from Al to the many useless diaries currently being posted.
Just one's opinion, but judging from the lack of postings by some respected bloggers, I think it's an opinion shared by others.
by BringBackRyno on Feb 17, 2007 12:46 PM CST 0 recs
first
second this is the biggest cubs blog and therefore your going to get alot of diaries and people and it isnt just a 4 man club of Shawngoldman, Maddog, Al and whoever else you like to hear from.
I want Shawn to post more, I want maddog to post more (but he has his own blog to tend to) but remember its the winter, not even the period where we sign FA.
BCB is what it is, its big, there are casual fans and more serious ones here alike, if you cant hanlde it then fine, but things like diary judges or deciding who is worthy of posting or who isnt is silly. This is a blog for everbody and you can pick and choose what you read, nobody puts a gun to your head and makes your read the OT diary of the day.
by ksucubbie on
Feb 17, 2007 1:00 PM CST
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In fact...
Check some of her other diary posts and I think you'll find she has posted quite a few on Cubs and baseball topics.
About the diary titles, go look at those as well. The vast majority are baseball and Cub related.
by Al on
Feb 17, 2007 1:14 PM CST
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Actually..
by santo for prez on
Feb 17, 2007 1:32 PM CST
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I wonder...
Monday afternoon: "Oh, there's this diary titled 'Monday OBD Diary'. I wonder what that's all about... Oh drat! It's about popular culture and other stuff I'm not interested in."
Tuesday morning: "Oh, there's this diary titled 'Tuesday OBD Diary'. I wonder what that's all about... Oh drat! It's about popular culture and other stuff I'm not interested in."
Wednesday afternoon: "Oh, there's this diary titled 'Wednesday OBD Diary'. I wonder what that's all about... Oh drat! It's about popular culture and other stuff I'm not interested in."
Thursday afternoon: "Oh, there's this diary titled 'Thursday OBD Diary'. I wonder what that's all about... Oh drat! It's about popular culture and other stuff I'm not interested in.
"MY GOD!!! Why does this keep happening to me! I dont get this. This 'blog sucks. All they have is stuff I'm not interested in. I have SUCH A HARD TIME discerning which diaries are about the Cubs and which aren't. Drat!"
by tyger1147 on
Feb 17, 2007 1:34 PM CST
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LOL
by Al on
Feb 17, 2007 1:57 PM CST
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That was the point...
by tyger1147 on
Feb 17, 2007 2:02 PM CST
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Not trying to be argumentative
Yes, I fully admit that I am not the most knowledgeable fan out there, but that does not mean that I'm not entitled to my opinion, or that I should not be allowed to post a diary about something Cubs-related if I so choose.
by secdelahc on
Feb 17, 2007 1:15 PM CST
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You're absolutely right
And I never suggested certain people shouldn't be allowed to post about the Cubs. To the contrary, that's exactly the point of this site. My feeling is there are too many diaries being posted on a Cubs blog that have nothing to do with the team nor baseball in general. The level of baseball knowledge behind a post is to me less important than its relevancy to the sport and the Cubs in particular.
Someone said this is the best Cubs blog out there, something I agree with completely. I'm just saying the quality has been diminishing lately and why not take the current event discussions elsewhere.
by BringBackRyno on
Feb 17, 2007 2:19 PM CST
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Sorry if I misunderstood
by secdelahc on
Feb 17, 2007 2:26 PM CST
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Julie...
Look, it's the offseason. Had we not had the top 100 series to keep discussion about baseball every day for the last three and a half months, who knows how much of this there would have been?
I think this will be self-correcting as we get closer to the season and actual games.
FWIW, I have another, shorter, "series" of posts -- definitely Cub-centric -- that I intend to start on Monday.
by Al on
Feb 17, 2007 2:26 PM CST
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I'm the one who's been saying it will self correct
See you all when the season starts.
by gravedigger on
Feb 17, 2007 3:14 PM CST
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Man,
With those two gone for a month, the BCB income will definitely go down. What a backfire.
by nextyearcub on
Feb 17, 2007 3:19 PM CST
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Suit yourself.
by Al on
Feb 17, 2007 3:49 PM CST
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Ryno...
There is nothing wrong with the OBD. It is the easiest diary to ignore. What is the problem?
What else has she done that has been soooooo off-topic and denigrating to the quality here?
Many posters here love her OBD diary, and would be disappointed if she didn't post one everyday.
by theprognosticator on
Feb 17, 2007 3:26 PM CST
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Respected bloggers
by nextyearcub on
Feb 17, 2007 1:50 PM CST
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that having been said
by Faith plus 1 on Feb 17, 2007 1:10 PM CST 0 recs
No one's asked you to get out...
by Al on
Feb 17, 2007 1:12 PM CST
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Faith..
Everything will be fine when the season starts.
by cubbieboy on
Feb 17, 2007 1:24 PM CST
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Faith
Just sayin'.
by nextyearcub on
Feb 17, 2007 1:53 PM CST
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Having been a hijacker and having had diaries...
I don't care.
I think everybody needs to chill. Including me, when I'm not chill. Just say "chill progs" and I should and will most times, listen and lower my temperature.
I understand I get a lion's share of the blame for much of the silliness here as I am many times the instigator of it. And I have no plans on changing that. To those of you who don't like that, this is me, sticking my tongue out at you.
I've spent large amounts of time putting diaries with some thought into them before (hard to believe, but it's true, I realize that doesn't make them necessarily thoughtful) that have been overrun with comments about absolutely nothing, and I can honestly say it doesn't bother me.
I figure if a diary of mine racks up a number of posts that are OT of the diary itself, then I figure that my diary wasn't as great of an idea as I thought, or perhaps nobody was very interested in the particular topic that day. And you know what?
Big effing deal.
It doesn't hurt my feelings. Not everything I say or post about has to be brilliant or even mildly relevant. In fact, one of the reasons I love coming here is that I have a choice: I can be silly with bloggy friends or I can be serious and talk baseball with bloggy friends.
And, for that matter, in the "serious" and "insightful" diaries of mine there are usually enough posts on topic that I can SCROLL THROUGH and find pockets of where people are responding to what I originally posted and I can IGNORE the parts where people are talking about bubble wrap if I so choose (which I rarely do, the OT stuff is many times far more fun than what I originally diaried about). It's really not that hard.
I don't know, perhaps some people feel better about themselves when they first see their diary in the morning and it has 200 comments. Maybe that makes them feel like a smart baseball fan and that their lives finally have meaning (to me, 200 comments tells me right away that my diary was hijacked and I'm frantic to see what delightful nonsense burst forth that I missed). And then they enter the diary and see that the comments inside aren't a paean to their baseball acumen and their ability to come up with insightful diary topics, but instead is about boobies. And so they freak out and get mad and slink away and pout. Why? I have no idea. Why do people beat each other to shit over a parking space? No clue.
That being said, I do understand a need to control this to where we don't have diary overkill (way too many new people seem to be making diaries of everything and anything that pops into their head), and we don't have every single diary spinning off into chaos. It has gotten worse of late. It has been looking a tad bit Cubs.com around here, though thankfully without the White Sox or Cardinal trolls.
So I will abide as best I can to the rule of keeping OT stuff in the OBD diary (amusing note: I rarely ever post in the OBD diary). Or on some open thread. But everybody needs to realize that in almost every instance, hijacking has been something that has developed based on something on topic in the diary. It has been mostly spontaneous, which is part of the fun. I believe there have been very few instances of premeditated hijacking. Hijacking has also been known to occur right around where there has been two posters who have gotten upset with one another, and I think that makes the hijacking useful as it tends to bring those that were angry at each other, back to their senses.
Anyway.
This is a blog about a hapless, horrible baseball team that we all for some nutty reason, love like crazy. The silliness that sometimes runs rampant here is NECESSARY. And will be even more so when the season starts, believe me.
But, as said before, I will abide by what Her Worship and Al have said and will try and keep the goofiness in the designated goofy zones. I would also like to say for those that like silliness and hijacking and bubble wrap, you have free hand to hijack any diary of mine, be it serious or no, at anytime. My diaries will be a haven to you, when and where they occur. In fact, if they aren't hijacked, I will be very upset with some of you.
For all of you fuddyduddies who have been whining to Al and not posting because of the silliness here, I can honestly say that we don't miss you and your "I don't think the Cubs are very good and here's why AND DON'T NOBODY MAKE ANY JOKES NEITHER" diaries or your random reveries back to when God was a small child AND DON'T NOBODY MADE ANY JOKES NEITHER.
Get over yourselves and lighten up and join us in the silliness. You'll have a better time for it, I promise.
by theprognosticator on Feb 17, 2007 3:16 PM CST 0 recs
Those last two sentences
I love baseball and the Cubs to death, but having a life is also kinda cool.
by nextyearcub on
Feb 17, 2007 3:21 PM CST
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What he said
Now, I do understand that sometimes it can go to far and I understand why some people would be bothered by it, but I think this is much ado about (almost) nothing. Like others have said, this problem (if it really is a problem), will correct itself once the season starts.
by VS on
Feb 17, 2007 3:54 PM CST
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BCB is OK with me
Don't sweat this at all, I think this site is growing up right before our eyes and I think we all need some games to get us back on track. For me, one month from today I'll be at a Cubs game dressed in St. Patricks green. That's sounds great to me, I'm counting the days!!!
by mrcubsfan on Feb 17, 2007 3:26 PM CST 0 recs
My only problem
by miltowncubbie on Feb 17, 2007 4:12 PM CST 0 recs
Adult discussions
by nextyearcub on
Feb 17, 2007 4:29 PM CST
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Once again...
And again, I don't want to be the "funsucker" -- there is absolutely a place for this here, because we have created a community of people who like each other and come here every day to be together.
The Cubs brought us together, and then people discovered they had other common interests. Those are covered well in the OBD's, I think. All we're saying is, keep the baseball discussion about baseball.
by Al on
Feb 17, 2007 4:31 PM CST
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fwiw
its not my blog, so i have no say in how its run, but figured i'd say my piece.
by tomas21 on Feb 17, 2007 4:27 PM CST 0 recs
this from the guy that...
:)
by theprognosticator on
Feb 17, 2007 4:37 PM CST
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One last point:
Here's an idea:
Start one.
Don't be so lazy and look for others to bring up what you want to talk about, CONTRIBUTE A FREAKING DIARY.
PUT SOME DAMN FOOD ON THE TABLE.
by theprognosticator on Feb 17, 2007 4:46 PM CST 0 recs
laziness
by miltowncubbie on
Feb 17, 2007 5:00 PM CST
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they shouldn't complain then...
by theprognosticator on
Feb 17, 2007 5:34 PM CST
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Just to clarify
breakfast be considered off topic ? I hope that discussing Orange Guy's current haircut would be considered Cub related.
Seriously just kidding. My only problem with the "hijacked"
diaries is that I basically have limited reading time for BCB
during the day and it is hard to get through 500 posts on a topic
that shall we say went off target. That said I am in awe of you
quick witted , funny off topic posters.
And for my "off topic" bit of the day. This helped ruin my
day http://tinyurl.com/39gwgs
by jessica on Feb 17, 2007 6:24 PM CST 0 recs
I'm going to make a...
by Thelonious on Feb 17, 2007 7:01 PM CST 0 recs
Shouldn't be
by tyger1147 on
Feb 17, 2007 7:54 PM CST
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Seriously people...
by santo for prez on Feb 18, 2007 3:44 AM CST 0 recs
well
I wish you guys would actually have read what I wrote, which wasn't that we have to stop hijacking threads, but just to do it in an approrpriate place, like the OBD or another OT diary.
Progs, are you seriously suggesting that I've never participated in the fun on here?
Gravedigger & Faith, I love what you add to this site, I don't want you to stop having fun. And, despite what all of you seem to think, this diary wasn't directed at anyone in particular. If I was going to email everyone that has ever participated in a diary hijacking, I would have had to email about 75 people, myself included.
Ozgreeder: I wouldn't want you to stop the completelyuselessbaseballdiaries. They're fun. All I was saying was that the 57th two line diary saying "What do you guys think our lineup is going to be?" is stupid. And no, I don't support the diary police. All I was asking was that people put some thought into whether their diary is actually a diary or more of a comment.
At any rate, from looking at the subject matter in the diaries this morning, I'm not feeling all that welcome here right now. I'm going to take an extended break.
by cubbiejulie on Feb 18, 2007 9:47 AM CST 0 recs
Of course you're welcome...
Check your email.
by Al on
Feb 18, 2007 10:03 AM CST
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I was...
UZI
by Ozgreeder on
Feb 18, 2007 12:09 PM CST
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no Jules...
Your post was valid and I agree with most of it. The nonsense needs to be toned down some and I said that in my earlier response. That being said, there were a number of responses by people I haven't heard of, or haven't heard from in ages, who seem to want to do away with all of the fun we've been having, including your OBD, and go to the other extreme, in the words of this guy:
NO MORE FUN OF ANY KIND!
I just don't see how they have any right to do that, especially when they haven't been a big part of what has been going on of late. I mean, where were these guys when we we signed Soriano, DeRosa, Lilly, OGD Jason Marquis? Where were these guys when we were having heated discussions about Zambrano?
This hijacking stuff has gotten way overblown as there are still tons of instances where baseball has been talked about and talked about at length.
And so I feel it necessary to defend the thread hijacking as it was getting demonized to the point of ridiculousness.
If you felt as though my jabs were pointed at you Julie, they really weren't, and I should have made that more clear from the outset, as after posting it, I wondered myself if you wouldn't take offense.
And also, I understand there are those that don't share the sense of humor of some around here and that is fine. What is funny to some is boring to others and that's cool. I can't speak for others but I can speak for myself and I can say this: I will try and tone it down and keep it under better control for your sake. However, keep in mind that much of what I post falls in line with my personality, and even when I'm posting about baseball, there are many times when I'm being goofy in my answer, and using odd humor, and that's just the way it is.
by theprognosticator on
Feb 18, 2007 6:50 PM CST
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