20 replies to this topic

[Hawkeye]

I agree with the masses on this one. I do miss the good ole days. I just wanted to make sure Brett knew we were still all out here. I don't post 10% as mush as I used to, but I still read faithfully, everyday, every hour! Thanks for all you do Brett. We are all still here.

[hansman1982]

That's only 5 hours from here and 3hrs from Detroit, if you ever see a goat bahhhhing on your doorstep your know the BBQ has begun

No, I think that is when Brett will know the BBQ is *ABOUT* to begin...

When I found this place it was a nice haven for sane discussion. Now I have to remind myself on an hourly basis to NOT feed the trolls. The message board has become the new place for sane discussion. Possible to get a 24 or 48 hour freeze before being able to post here?

I will say, I am like MG in that I take great pride in BN even though: 1. its not my baby, baby, 2. I am relatively new here, 3. I find Ace to be an obtuse, unsufferable douchenozzle. I hate to see the trolls but I understand that the extra page clicks will help keep Brett in business and he can build an even greater empire to include: 1. Additional writers 2. Additional information and "sources" 3. BN logo'd edible underwear. What I don't want to happen, though, is those extra page clicks turn our little slice of hell into the laughing stock of the Cubs world like the Cubs message board is.

I would also like to recommend that you not be afraid to turn to us for suggestions and discussions about this site. We may not be blog experts, and we certaintly aren't as invested in this as you are but I think those of us on the board right now are a pretty smart bunch of people who LOVE BN.

[Brett]

I hope you guys know - from me - how important you are to the site. It doesn't matter how "big" the site gets (I don't have visions of an empire, just a sustainable site that pays me a modest salary - it's getting close (which is a testament to just how hard to is to earn a living by blogging (which is not a compliment to myself, by the way - my timing was very, very lucky))). I'm grateful for the smart, cool folks like you all. Even just as friends.

[Hawkeye]

I was listening to somebody present their business plan to me the other day, and they didn't really have a leg to stand on. Pretty weak plan. He did say one thing that has helped me realize one of the reasons this place has blown up. He said that "exclusivity breeds desire". When this place was small, it was almost like a small club that we could hang out at and chat as friends. People saw that, and wanted to join. I guess what I am saying is, the growth (some great, some bad) was inevitable. If this place weren't cool, then people wouldn't be flocking. It is the cool part that brings in the masses. I would rather have an awesome site that people wanted to vist, than a site that sucked and nobody came to. Pretty much, it is the greatest of this site that has caused the weirdos to come out of the woodwork.

[TWC]

If this place weren't cool, then people wouldn't be flocking. It is the cool part that brings in the masses. I would rather have an awesome site that people wanted to vist, than a site that sucked and nobody came to.

You're exactly right. And it's certainly not fair -- to Ace, to us, and to new folks who visit -- to exclude (or want to exclude) people from taking part. I'm really happy that the site has done as well as it has over the last two-ish years I've been reading it. I think it's made Brett a better writer/analyst, which had made the site better on the whole.

It does feel pretty dumb to feel nostalgic for six months ago. Oh well. The grass ain't greener, and the wine ain't sweeter, on either side of the hill.

[Katie]

Actually, I was very surprised that I didn't have to register to post on the main site. Any mouth breather with a keyboard and Internet can share their wisdom with the world. Thrilled for Brett for the growth but the trolls, they are annoying.