A little intro to this thing we call TC

I would like to start by welcoming all the new posters to our community.  The site just continues to grow and grow, thanks in no small part to the great features and stories written by Ben, Gondee, Pac, Yondaime, mvhs, CB, and Hobbs.  These guys put in a lot of time to keep the rest of us entertained and informed.  I know that in my 2-ish years around here, my knowledge of the game of baseball has multiplied over and again.

I just thought that maybe the time is right for another crash-course on the ways and means around TC, since we have so many new posters and visitors.  The guys I listed above are the ones who keep us informed.  They write all the front-page stories, conduct the interviews, and pretty much just run this place.

Everyone else contributes in a number of ways - spirited debate (yes, Pot, I am talking to you), open threads, fanposts and fanshots.  Wait, what was that last one I said?  Fanshots?  What the heck is a fanshot? 

I'm glad you asked!  Fanshots are where we members of TC can post pictures, links to stories, quotes and just about any other thing that we want to.  Fanshots are the first place to look for breaking news and rumors.

Fanposts are where we tell our stories, vent our thoughts, talk about the weather, debate who has the best fried chicken (it is obviously Bojangles) and do just about everything else.  This is where people post their adventures from games that they have attended, share their pictures with us, and write great stories, conduct polls and many of the other great features that SBN has.

So, now that we know what each section is for, when is the best time to post something in them?  Well, before you post anything, check the rest of the site (specifically, the Fanshots) to see if someone else has beaten you to the punch.  Lately, we have had 3 and 4 different posts all telling us the same thing.  I don't say this to be an ass (even though I am a pretty big ass at times), but rather, to keep the conversation all in one place.  It really isn't beneficial to have the same conversations taking place at 4 different places.  Let's all chit-chat together.

The other thing that goes along with this is, if you are just pissed off that the Braves have lost 2 series in a row, or if you just can't stand it that Troy Glaus is turning into 2009 Greg Norton (taking walks and not really getting hits), please, keep your rants and raves to yourself.  Unless you can provide some insight as to WHY this might be happening, nobody wants to read a fanpost about it.  We all can see these things.  If you want to vent, feel free to make a comment somewhere about it, but a fanpost isn't necessary.  I would also respectfully ask that if you do feel the need to just rip into ol' Troy or Melky or Nate, or whoever, just step back, take a few seconds and calm down.  If, when you are calm, you still think this team is on the road to hades unless something is done about 1B or CF, go ahead and post what's on your mind - but please, keep it intelligent.

Finally, and I'll get off my soap box after this one, if you think you have a fantastic trade proposal that will take this team from being one of the best in the NL to one of the best of all time, we would LOVE to hear about it!  All you have to do is take your wonderful idea, run to the nearest Rosterbation thread (usually located at the top of the right side of your screen where all of the "rec'd" are located and post away!  The Rosterbation threads were intended to co-locate all of the trade ideas and discussion.  The reason is that if we get 10 new trade ideas a day (and that is a modest estimate), and they all get Fanposted, the other Fanposts get bumped off the page and don't get seen.

So, there you have it.  If one of the "regulars" tells you that something has already been posted elsewhere, or that something belongs in the rosterbation thread, please don't take it personally.  They aren't trying to be arrogant jerks, but rather, just trying to keep things somewhat organized and more fan-friendly for everyone.

Welcome to TC, and let the madness continue!