One more Time

[PeteBooth]

Basically this message Board has been Dead for quite some time now. What are the reasons so perhaps they can be presented to the eUmpire support Team to get this board hopping again. See if any of these fit:

1. Since the Message boards have been around for a while, are individuals getting Board discussing rules, etc. and want more Entertainment, hence what I call Chop Sessions begin. You know what I mean; remember when we were kids and we would have those Chop Sessions to see whom could out do whom - with one exception - NO MOTHERS

2. Is the Board dead because individuals umpire different sports and are not interested in baseball at this time.

3. Not enough experts posting anymore

4. Too much Competition meaning we have eTeamz, URC, McGrifths, eUmpire and I'm sure many more as well. So have the Message Boards flooded the Market

Are there others and should they be given to the management here at eUmpire? or is this Forum basically had it and should be deleted from my favorites?

Thanks I look forward to your input

Pete Booth

[Mike M]

Pete, I still plan to keep this discussion board as one of my favorites. I also use ETeamz and URC. In my opinion, all three offer a different perpsective which I enjoy. As for this forum, the requirement to have an ID (no anonymous posts) keeps the discussion more civil here and this forum tends to discuss more the theoritical aspect of umpiring. As for URC, I like the categories and the solid advice offered. As for ETeamz, the interaction of umpires, coaches and parents offers a unique blend of opinions to consider.

[senior]

Pete:

I'm certainly no authority on human motivation, but I've observed several trends during my 1-1/2 years of internet umpire type board activity.

It seems like there are cycles that the boards go through, as well as interest generated by certain posters. Since I spend only about an hour a day on the boards, I select from this one, McGriffs, and eteamz always, and several others only when time permits.

Now, you might ask, what causes me to get involved and respond, as I am now? 1) Subject Matter. (no interest=no response) 2) Author. (if the poster has caught my attention in the past, I'll dwell a little longer, if I've ignored the comments of said poster before, I'm inclined to do it again. 3) Respondents. (if it looks like an interesting or helpful discussion, I'm going to pay attention. 4) History.
If the discussion involves several posters whose previous engagements have interested me, I'm going to pay attention.

You may find it interesting to check the numbers of views generated by certain authors on certain sites. There are several who draw a crowd, even with an uninteresting post, strictly because a spirited discussion seems to follow them,
(sometimes becoming mean-spirited before it's over).

My guess is that sooner or later, this board will pick up activity, as folks tire of the flamers on McGriffs, and the
perpetual waiting and site quirks on eteamz. I'm sure there are many posts on McGriffs only because of the anonymous
nature, and on eteamz the wait sometimes tires the patience of a saint, as well as the "lost" responses happening.

Don't give up, it may be worth the wait.

[Carl Childress]

Originally posted by PeteBooth
Basically this message Board has been Dead for quite some time now. What are the reasons so perhaps they can be presented to the eUmpire support Team to get this board hopping again. See if any of these fit:

3. Not enough experts posting anymore

Pete:

First, you're continuing to mix up eUmpire and Message Boards. They have nothing in common. eUmpire is like any sports officiating magazine you might buy -- except it's better: It comes out twice a week and gives you more information in a month than anyone else does in a year. The Official Forum (this Board) is owned by the parent company of eUmpire. We are one in the same, as it were.

Number 3 is my pick -- of the ones you listed. Lots of experts have stopped posting regularly. Let's see: Garth Benham and Warren Willson don't post on public boards (Warren only on my board at eteamz); Rich Fronheiser spends most of his time, I am told, on a private email community. Tim Stevens posts very infrequently, generally on McGriff's. T. Alan Christensen is an infrequent poster any where, Dave Hensley posts on eteamz almost exclusively as does Jim Booth; Kevin Mayo is infrequent (spending time on the email community). Jack Clark posts almost exclusively on McGriff's; Ace Holleran posts nowhere that I know of. Bob Pariseau dropped off the earth, as did Jim Mantle from Canada.

That leaves, alphabetically, Blaine Gallant, Bob Jenkins, Peter Osborne, and Jim Porter as the umpires who post on multiple (three or more) message boards. All of those men are demonstrated experts.

(Note: There are some experts who post just at the URC or eTeamz or McGriff's -- and always have: Manny, Mackman, Bible, Siegel, Dan, etc. I've deliberately not listed any of them above because they will not be known to the average galloper around the 'Net.)

I used to post quite often, and I still will over on Carl's Stuff, where anonymous posters cannot gain access.

I would post more, but as you know I have a "shadow," someone who follows me around with a series of closely related goals in his baseball Internet life: To prove that: (1) I don't know much about baseball; (2) He knows much more baseball than I; (3) the BRD is good but don't trust any rulings I give; (4) I lie and misrepresent baseball official interpretations, depending on whether I like the ruling; and (5) I constantly attack him. (That's the most outrageously ridiculous charge of all.)

Since almost no one "with a real name" ever tells this guy to stick to baseball and lay off me, my personality, and my style of answering baseball questions, he feels free to wander into a thread, write three or four thousand words, and then wander off, claiming I am too cowardly to defend myself or answer any of his questions since I know I'm wrong.

This fellow knows my New Year's Resolution was never to comment on any post or issue he raised. He also knows people will forget that, and no one can remind them.

BTW: Jim Booth on eTeamz recently pointed to one of his posts as particularly offensive. Perhaps he will get the message. He certainly would if other noted posters said: "Stick to baseball. Don't mention Carl."

Now that I have finished the 2002 BRD and the Gerry Davis book (Calling the Plate/Calling the Bases), I will have time to initiate some threads where umpires of differing philosophies will have a chance to explore what they think about a subject.

Someone once asked Ernest Hemingway what he thought about a certain subject. He said: "Well, I'll go home, write an essay, and find out."

There's little doubt that writing shapes our thoughts about as much as the reverse.

Finally: It's five a.m. my time. Consequently, I may have omitted a bona fide expert, one who most people consider is capable of answering almost any baseball question. To that person, I humbly apologize.

[rex]

Resolution Number 1

"I will not comment on any of their ideas, suggestions, or beliefs."


Stick to baseball, Carl, don't mention the other guy.


rex

I'm not sure why this board has slowed. I can see #2 being a big reason. I will continue to come and post. I also post at Eteamz,McGriff's,URC,and others. Baseball is just around the corner so things should be picking up. I go to my first college meeting of the year tomorrow.

[BJ Moose]

Yeah, that would liven things up. My associates and I will be more than pleased to "respond" should [name removed] ever brave the public waters again. He won't.

Originally posted by Carl Childress

Warren Willson don't post on public boards
[/B]

[BJ Moose]

I accept! I knew you would get to me sooner or later!

Originally posted by Carl Childress
I may have omitted a bona fide expert, one who most people consider is capable of answering almost any baseball question. To that person, I humbly apologize.

[JJ]

I also accept your apology, Carl. Wink! Wink!
I think one obvious reason the board isn't more active is that it isn't baseball season nationwide. Give it a couple of months, and watch the posts come rolling in.

GBA

[Jim.Mantle]

Hello all! Interesting what happens when you do a search for your own name in Google.

And a special hello to PapaC.

What's up with me? Family is great. A casualty of the dot-com implosion. Not doing baseball any more - a tinpot dictator up here in Ottawa (now deceased) banned me from umpiring in "his" League - so I walked away. The last baseball game I did was first base at the National Senior Championships in 1999.

Got recommended for, and achieved, my International certification, as well. Doesn't matter. The game is for the kids, not for the damn administrators.

Nobody in my family gave a flying leap about baseball, and I wasn't getting any better (the quality of the sport, as it is played here in town, wasn't driving me to better levels). So I didn't pursue getting re-instated.

I referee soccer now - doing pretty good. Am too involved in the administrative side (League President, Head Referee, etc.) but my wife tells me that is typical.

Jim

[PAblue87]

Sometimes the initial thread starter is a play or situation that you have to scroll down 3 pages to read. This can give one a headache, or by the time you get to the question, you forget the situation. Some responses conatin too much info, or opinions. We need to be more brief and to the point.