How do you handle game threads?

[Brock Beauchamp]

Given that our proclaimed goal is more interactivity and traffic, I'd like to address game threads.

 

First, I'll get it out of the way that they're ALWAYS a pain in the ass in pretty much every possible way. If things are going badly in the season, people are negative. If things are going well in the season but badly in a game, people are negative. If it's a day of the week ending in Y, people are negative.

 

But game threads are also an important part of a baseball community, one I'd like to revive here.

 

What have past problems been?

 

How are game threads created here?

 

What would you like to see?

[Sammy Sofa]

Generally it was managed by one person, Fred (and then mostly me, I think, for a few years, though I quit after 2019); they'd put out a call for the season for people to sign up, and then the order the signed up was the order it went; person up created the thread ASAP after the last game, and did that until the Cubs lost, and then it moved to the next person on the list. The person "running" it would nudge the next person if necessary via email or PM, and then if the other person hadn't started a thread within a few hours of gametime, the next person on deck was up. We'd also keep a record for each game starter (the first post in the sign up thread was updated after each game to reflect this, and who was up and who was on deck.

 

Pretty informal; Fred had a whole template, but post-him it got pretty all over the place. When the Cubs were good/there more people here, the first post would at least have the starting pitchers and their stats, and the lineups posted ASAP. When the Cubs suck, or people just aren't feeling it, they'd usually be "themed" threads instead (like, "oh, they won last game and we posted a bunch of Mad Men gifs. Well, now we're gonna deluge the thing with Mad Men gifs until they lose!")

[Derwood]

Also, the poster with the best overall record got to start Game 1 of the playoffs, etc.

[David]

chinese food

[Brock Beauchamp]

Generally it was managed by one person, Fred (and then mostly me, I think, for a few years, though I quit after 2019); they'd put out a call for the season for people to sign up, and then the order the signed up was the order it went; person up created the thread ASAP after the last game, and did that until the Cubs lost, and then it moved to the next person on the list. The person "running" it would nudge the next person if necessary via email or PM, and then if the other person hadn't started a thread within a few hours of gametime, the next person on deck was up. We'd also keep a record for each game starter (the first post in the sign up thread was updated after each game to reflect this, and who was up and who was on deck.

 

Pretty informal; Fred had a whole template, but post-him it got pretty all over the place. When the Cubs were good/there more people here, the first post would at least have the starting pitchers and their stats, and the lineups posted ASAP. When the Cubs suck, or people just aren't feeling it, they'd usually be "themed" threads instead (like, "oh, they won last game and we posted a bunch of Mad Men gifs. Well, now we're gonna deluge the thing with Mad Men gifs until they lose!")

Thanks. I'm just getting a grasp on what losing Fred meant to this forum and this is an enormous help.

 

Do you have suggestions how to make this work better in 2023?

[squally1313]

Honestly, as much as I’d love to go back to the eras of a long list of thread starters and people ‘vying’ for the best record…probably best to figure out some sort of system to make it as automatic as possible. Was always the clearest sign that the board was going through a dead spell when you’d look for a thread in the fourth inning and not even see one there. I assume we can automate something that comes out at like, 7 AM or whatever of every game day? Edited March 1, 2023 by squally1313

[David]

Honestly, as much as I’d love to go back to the eras of a long list of thread starters and people ‘vying’ for the best record…probably best to figure out some sort of system to make it as automatic as possible. Was always the clearest sign that the board was going through a dead spell when you’d look for a thread in the fourth inning and not even see one there. I assume we can automate something that comes out at like, 7 AM or whatever of every day game?

yeah.

 

maybe the starting rotation/sign up can be brought back if the cubs are ever good enough to excite this board enough again and traffic gets to where it needs to get, but for now i'd posit that it's best to shelve it and go with an automated game thread post (assuming it's easy enough to implement).

[UMFan83]

Generally it was managed by one person, Fred (and then mostly me, I think, for a few years, though I quit after 2019); they'd put out a call for the season for people to sign up, and then the order the signed up was the order it went; person up created the thread ASAP after the last game, and did that until the Cubs lost, and then it moved to the next person on the list. The person "running" it would nudge the next person if necessary via email or PM, and then if the other person hadn't started a thread within a few hours of gametime, the next person on deck was up. We'd also keep a record for each game starter (the first post in the sign up thread was updated after each game to reflect this, and who was up and who was on deck.

 

Pretty informal; Fred had a whole template, but post-him it got pretty all over the place. When the Cubs were good/there more people here, the first post would at least have the starting pitchers and their stats, and the lineups posted ASAP. When the Cubs suck, or people just aren't feeling it, they'd usually be "themed" threads instead (like, "oh, they won last game and we posted a bunch of Mad Men gifs. Well, now we're gonna deluge the thing with Mad Men gifs until they lose!")

 

Game Thread guide:

 

Cubs are bad:

 

 

Cubs are bad but the few that remain are getting a little goofy:

 

 

Cubs are good but playing bad and people are rushing to the thread to complain:

 

 

The people who hate Game Thread overreactors respond:

 

http://vol1brooklyn.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/tumblr_moj96a1vbU1r556mmo1_400.gif

 

Cubs are on a winning streak:

 

 

The Mets are in town:

 

 

Cubs blow a save:

 

 

The Cubs game ends on trade deadline day and Jed does nothing:

 

 

The Cubs pull one out of their ass:

 

[Brock Beauchamp]

yeah.

 

maybe the starting rotation/sign up can be brought back if the cubs are ever good enough to excite this board enough again and traffic gets to where it needs to get, but for now i'd posit that it's best to shelve it and go with an automated game thread post (assuming it's easy enough to implement).

 

I'm kind of leaning toward me (or someone else who volunteers but that seems unlikely) to just start every game thread in the morning. I don't want to work up a bunch of strife over this.

 

Again, we're in this for the long haul. Things can and will change but I'm kinda leaning toward me just doing this every day.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

One time we were doing TV themes in game threads and Sofa put a SBTB new class gif on SBTB theme day and singlehandedly ruined an entire season of baseball.

[Sammy Sofa]

Honestly, as much as I’d love to go back to the eras of a long list of thread starters and people ‘vying’ for the best record…probably best to figure out some sort of system to make it as automatic as possible. Was always the clearest sign that the board was going through a dead spell when you’d look for a thread in the fourth inning and not even see one there. I assume we can automate something that comes out at like, 7 AM or whatever of every day game?

yeah.

 

maybe the starting rotation/sign up can be brought back if the cubs are ever good enough to excite this board enough again and traffic gets to where it needs to get, but for now i'd posit that it's best to shelve it and go with an automated game thread post (assuming it's easy enough to implement).

 

Yeah, I think automatic is the way to go, if possible. Then once the thread is up, let people figure out on their own what they want to do with gifs or stats and whatnot.

[squally1313]

yeah.

 

maybe the starting rotation/sign up can be brought back if the cubs are ever good enough to excite this board enough again and traffic gets to where it needs to get, but for now i'd posit that it's best to shelve it and go with an automated game thread post (assuming it's easy enough to implement).

 

I'm kind of leaning toward me (or someone else who volunteers but that seems unlikely) to just start every game thread in the morning. I don't want to work up a bunch of strife over this.

 

Again, we're in this for the long haul. Things can and will change but I'm kinda leaning toward me just doing this every day.

 

I'm in for this. Sure there are plenty of us willing to spot start. Think it's ultimately much better to have the thread already in place and then let people take it in whatever direction they want (the right direction being TV show gif themed, obviously). I remember getting, really, the bleakest form on anxiety as I tried to decide if I should start the thread...if someone else was also doing it at the same time, if anyone cared, what I was going to say etc. Will be better to just have it up and open.

[Sammy Sofa]

One time we were doing TV themes in game threads and Sofa put a SBTB new class gif on SBTB theme day and singlehandedly ruined an entire season of baseball.

 

http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/1470031/belding_yes.gif

[CubinNY]

Some of us always tried to make sure that there was a game thread for each game to honor Fred. Sometimes it would be one page other times it would be a few pages. I think some way to automate it would be good, but I also likee the unique way we did things. You can look at some of the headers for example from last year

[Sammy Sofa]

I'd suggest looking further back than that; the last couple+ seasons have been a mess. Pre-2016 to see how Fred did it, and then 2016-2019 for the gif-fests and weird themes and horsefeathers.

[fromthestretch]

Even if it's not automated, maybe just have the game threads for the entire schedule created before opening day and then adjust accordingly when rainouts happen and such.

[SouthSideRyan]

One time we were doing TV themes in game threads and Sofa put a SBTB new class gif on SBTB theme day and singlehandedly ruined an entire season of baseball.

 

Was it Barton Wyzel?

[Sammy Sofa]

So I put the whammy on the Ricketts? GOOD.

[UMFan83]

I'd suggest looking further back than that; the last couple+ seasons have been a mess. Pre-2016 to see how Fred did it, and then 2016-2019 for the gif-fests and weird themes and horsefeathers.

 

Look at like 2012-2013 if you want to see game threads that are 1-2 pages long almost exclusively filled with Fred posting PBP to himself. God bless that man

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

I just remember that I kept getting in trouble when I started game threads when Glendon Rusch was pitching because he nickname was [expletive] and I would roll with that!

[BigbadB]

I don't believe the Cubs have ever lost a game where I started the game thread................

 

I also don't believe I have ever started a game thread.

[UMFan83]

So umm Opening Day on Thursday, how we doing this?

 

No I’m not volunteering

[Duke Silver]

I'll always believe Mad Men gifs are responsible for the 2016 World Series. I spent countless hours scouring the depths of the internet for new gifs.

[Brock Beauchamp]

15 hours ago, UMFan83 said:

So umm Opening Day on Thursday, how we doing this?

No I’m not volunteering

For the time being, I'm just planning to pop in every morning and create a thread.

Long term?

[Brock Beauchamp]

13 hours ago, Duke Silver said:

I'll always believe Mad Men gifs are responsible for the 2016 World Series. I spent countless hours scouring the depths of the internet for new gifs.

Now there's a handy gif button in the editor with searchable gifs you can add directly to a comment!