Times like these...

[RShack]

I will note that I think you sell this kind of forum short when you limit its reach to internal discussion. I don't think this is just about posters. I think it's very much about the team, too. In the same way that political message boards don't involve actual votes but are, in fact, a part of a deliberative democracy.

I can see how it's about the team in the sense of poster-reactions to the team. Not sure how the parallel to deliberative democracy holds true other than that. (Not saying it doesn't, just saying I don't see how it does...)

[RShack]

Then let's also not pretend that our involvement has a big impact on the mental states of the players or the coaches.

That depends on whether (a) people on the team ever use this place as a sample of fan opinion, and (b) whether media people ever use this place for that same purpose. Not sure what the truth is about that. I do see sporadic mentions of so-and-so reading things here, but I don't know if it's really true that either players or sports reporters ever look here. If they do, and if they have relatively few other samples of fan opinion, then the picture that gets painted here could very easily shape what they think general fan opinion is. And if they care what fan opinion is, the impact could be way, way disproportionate to the small number of ticket sales this place represents...

[Lucky Jim]

I can see how it's about the team in the sense of poster-reactions to the team. Not sure how the parallel to deliberative democracy holds true other than that. (Not saying it doesn't, just saying I don't see how it does...)

I'm not sure how the free trade of ideas, analysis, and even emotions wouldn't have some effect on how fans interact with the team. It's secondary, of course, just as a political message board - while not actually electing an individual or passing a law - has an effect (remote, perhaps, hard to define, for sure) on the democratic process.

[BaltimoreTerp]

I've got some British friends, and even they can't stand cricket.

Plus, there is some kind of insider joke about it I don't understand... I know a couple British guys who don't know each other... yet when the topic of cricket came up, they both managed to squeeze in the same comment... they mentioned that the last time they went to a cricket match, it was "attended by 10 men and a dog"... not sure if the "10 men and a dog" thing is specific to cricket, or whether it's a generic British joke, or what...

Google doesn't seem to have anything on it (and I admit to being VERY nervous to search for "10 men and a dog"...)

[Lucky Jim]

Google doesn't seem to have anything on it (and I admit to being VERY nervous to search for "10 men and a dog"...)

I think it's "three men and a dog."

The thwack of leather on wood has resounded around the shires in front of more than three men and a dog this past week

http://worldbbnews.com/2010/04/10/cricket-must-stop-prioritising-profit-and-find-a-schedule-that-works-observer-sport/

Jokes about county cricket's three men and a dog may soon involve a camel instead.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/cricket/article-1262127/The-weakest-pink-Centurion-Michael-Di-Venuto-hits-new-ball.html

[RShack]

I think it's "three men and a dog."

Right, that was it...

[Mackus]

That depends on whether (a) people on the team ever use this place as a sample of fan opinion, and (b) whether media people ever use this place for that same purpose. Not sure what the truth is about that. I do see sporadic mentions of so-and-so reading things here, but I don't know if it's really true that either players or sports reporters ever look here. If they do, and if they have relatively few other samples of fan opinion, then the picture that gets painted here could very easily shape what they think general fan opinion is. And if they care what fan opinion is, the impact could be way, way disproportionate to the small number of ticket sales this place represents...

Do you honestly think that there wouldn't be questions raised about the manager's job security even without fan sites like the Hangout? You think the reporters covering the team wouldn't ask questions about Dave's job otherwise, that they only come up with the revelation that the manager of a team playing nearly historically bad to start the year might be in a bit of hot water because they read message boards?

And I'd love to hear what you think we all should be doing. What is supporting the team? Because clearly, if Markakis and Johnson having to answer questions about the team losing and Trembley's job status is a bad thing, and you imply that it is, and its solely because we "aren't supporting them" and you also imply that it is, then there must be a way that we could support the team such that there wouldn't be questions about Trembley's job and so Markakis and Johnson would play better without spending the majority of their mental energy coming up with answers to questions about Trembley's job status.

So, how should we support the team? And why is what most of us are doing unsupportive?

[ChaosLex]

Do you honestly think that there wouldn't be questions raised about the manager's job security even without fan sites like the Hangout? You think the reporters covering the team wouldn't ask questions about Dave's job otherwise, that they only come up with the revelation that the manager of a team playing nearly historically bad to start the year might be in a bit of hot water because they read message boards?

And I'd love to hear what you think we all should be doing. What is supporting the team? Because clearly, if Markakis and Johnson having to answer questions about the team losing and Trembley's job status is a bad thing, and you imply that it is, and its solely because we "aren't supporting them" and you also imply that it is, then there must be a way that we could support the team such that there wouldn't be questions about Trembley's job and so Markakis and Johnson would play better without spending the majority of their mental energy coming up with answers to questions about Trembley's job status.

So, how should we support the team? And why is what most of us are doing unsupportive?

I assume it involves a campfire and the singing of "Kumbaya."

[NewMarketSean]

I wonder what got Cal Sr. fired in '88? It was only after 7 games.

[orioles119]

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South Park must of known what it was like to be an Orioles fan!

Smelling something that stinks and enjoying it!

[RShack]

Do you honestly think that there wouldn't be questions raised about the manager's job security even without fan sites like the Hangout? You think the reporters covering the team wouldn't ask questions about Dave's job otherwise, that they only come up with the revelation that the manager of a team playing nearly historically bad to start the year might be in a bit of hot water because they read message boards?

Having it come up somewhere over the course of a terrible stretch is one thing. But the timing of it wasn't just that. The timing was immediately after all hell broke lose here in way that I don't remember seeing since the great Tex-a-thon fiasco, with thread after thread after thread all being about the same thing. At one point, there were something like 14 threads going on about it. Do I think that was just a coincidence? No, I do not. However, if you think I'm trying to convince you, you are mistaken. You should think whatever you like.

And I'd love to hear what you think we all should be doing...

Oh, I think you should criticize whoever you want as much as you want. I'm not asking you to change a thing... unless you have tickets that you're selling to BOS and MFY fans. If you do that, then I think you should stop it. Other than that, I have no particular opinion about what you should do.

[Mackus]

Oh, I think you should criticize whoever you want as much as you want. I'm not asking you to change a thing... unless you have tickets that you're selling to BOS and MFY fans. If you do that, then I think you should stop it. Other than that, I have no particular opinion about what you should do.

First of all, that's crap, or else you wouldn't have added the "you all should be real proud of yourselves" BS.

Secondly, you still haven't answered what I've repeatedly asked you.

How does one show support?

If I criticize Jones for not being able to lay off bad pitches, does that mean I'm not being supportive? I've turned against him?

[El Gordo]

It would be foolish to think that the media doesn't pay attention to blogs and message boards and that their questions aren't informed by what they read there. It would be foolish to think that were a player to be dumb enough to read what is written here, he would find much of it supportive. And it would also be foolish IMO, to suggest that it should be otherwise.

[RShack]

First of all, that's crap, or else you wouldn't have added the "you all should be real proud of yourselves" BS.

Secondly, you still haven't answered what I've repeatedly asked you.

How does one show support?

If I criticize Jones for not being able to lay off bad pitches, does that mean I'm not being supportive? I've turned against him?

I don't think anything is to be gained by me critiquing the quality of your posts, any more than I care to hear you critiquing mine. At the non-personal level, I have already said that message-boards are not conducive to providing support to the team or to the players when they are struggling. It's not what message boards are for, and it's not what happens on them. They only get support when they help posters feel good. When the team and/or individual players struggle, they do not get support on message boards, they get criticism that often has a tone of blame, anger and overt hostility. This is true of every sports message board I have ever seen. There is nothing about this that is specific to this place in general or to you in particular. It's a generic message-board attribute. The mods keep it from getting too, too ugly here, which is a lot more than you can say for most sports message boards.

[Sports Guy]

I have 1 comment and 1 question:

Comment:

I have been on this site for a long time and in the time I have been here, I don't think I have seen one poster have more horrendously piss poor posts in one thread before...I mean really, this thread is a joke and rshack should be ashamed to even "show his face" around here.

Question:

Coming off of the last part of that comment...If this place is so bad, I want to know why Rshack even comes here?