President Donald Trump

[Kevin Seitzer]

Seems to me that RJ was dying a slow death long before any of what you said happened. To me, that's just the way of the internet message board world. People find other things to occupy their time.

We lost a ton of people in the website changeover, and it's been a slow downhill ever since then.

I imagine there are a variety of causes, some of them societal like you mention, some because the original crew has gotten older, started having families and careers that take up more time, etc.

This place is nearly 20 years old, probably should be more of a surprise that it's still around at all than that it has dwindled over the past decade.

[GwynnInTheHall]

Baseball Think Factory ran into similar issues of toxic posts on its "Off-Topic" thread earlier this year.

they, too, lost a significant portion of their overall audience before they nuked "OT" - and no one seems to miss it, except for a handful of bitter, angry people who lost a megaphone.

it's a nice conceit to say "well, we walled it off into a single cesspool, so everybody shut up."

that's not how website message boards work, in reality. as long as there is a toxic element, posters will tend to vote with their feet and walk away.

it's like the old saying about a comedian who blames the audience for not laughing at his jokes. the customer is always right.

here, the customers walked away when a small minority annexed power at the website.

and I should add that I'll accept responsibility for whatever role I played in the downturn.

Like others have said, RJ has diminished in numbers for several different reasons, the conversation has always had an edge to it when it came to certain posters, the topic did not matter.

I could list names of those people, myself included, who bloviate on occasion (or regularly) and that list would be littered with site owners and moderators.

Baseball, politics, religion, vintage draft it does not matter, conflict occurs.

I get it JJ, you're not a fan of the current tone in the Hot Topic forum. You're trying hard to change the vibe in here. You won't succeed. I'd suggest leaving ing the "cesspool" to those of us who enjoy splashing around in it. Change the channel, turn down the volume, take a vacation. Because right now, you're actually the only one who seems bitter and as I've said before. That's not the JJ I remember.

Take care.

[Judge Jude]

"right now, you're actually the only one who seems bitter"

ok, you made me LOL

more than one thing can be true at the same time: the site inevitably would see the number of posters decline AND that number has accelerated thanks to the bile being spewed. (should have started with SPOILER ALERT!)

"You're trying hard to change the vibe in here. You won't succeed."

seems to be true. the inmates have taken over the asylum.

[fuhrdog]

These threads are basically for the professional arguers/debaters. I'm surprised at how much time some of you spend trying to convince the other side of anything. I'll admit I'm for whoever runs against Trump as I think he is the biggest threat and embarrassment to the US, like ever. With that said, I don't participate much in these threads as I know nothing anyone posts about Obama or Clinton will change my mind about Trump and nothing I could post about Trump will convince the Trump supporters of anything either(even those who defend him as if he's their first born but really don't care for him). It will be a great relief when we go back to having a normal country.

[Hornsby]

At the end of the day, this place has been dying a slow death since well before the whole move fiasco. As Doig said, the topics, and the posters, have been largely irrelevant to keeping the place healthy. The conservative posters, IIRC, seemed to have little to do with posting on other topics, at least in the past few years, so I see their moving on as a fairly natural fallout of death of a message board.

This place has never been a football hotbed, nor basketball, strictly baseball. It peaks in spring training, and slowly ebbs away during the summer months as interest fades for roto fans.

I suspect that it'll be gone in another 2-3 years, and a few of us will mourn it passing, but we'll find other places to frequent.

[Judge Jude]

I think that in retrospect, at the point where the political chatter became increasingly confrontational, the best path would have been a private polling of the then-regulars on whether to double-down with a "hot topics" thread - or to get rid of that stuff entirely from a fantasy baseball site.

then at least the result would have been what a majority of regulars sought.

I mean, I didn't think of it at the time either - so it's not a criticism. more of a lament.

[GwynnInTheHall]

I think that in retrospect, at the point where the political chatter became increasingly confrontational, the best path would have been a private polling of the then-regulars on whether to double-down with a "hot topics" thread - or to get rid of that stuff entirely from a fantasy baseball site.

then at least the result would have been what a majority of regulars sought.

I mean, I didn't think of it at the time either - so it's not a criticism. more of a lament.

My question would be--Why?

Every one of us has a choice to come into this subforum or not to.

I don't go into the regular topic sports bar because the topics aren't my cup of tea (one can only get into so many Ärtist de Jour, song draft threads and keep one's sanity

I don't enter the non baseball sports threads and when I do read the baseball forum, I only open topics I want to read about.

I don't understand why you can't be happy doing the same --It's obvious you're not happy dealing with this sub forum and it's atmosphere.

In any case, as someone who's been here since the sites inception, I'm absolutely against eliminating the Sports Bar from RJ. That includes the Hot Topic sub forum.

[Teenwolf]

Trump has been bringing up attacking hurricanes with bombing, including nuking a hurricane.

I did not enjoy the cult film Idiocracy, but I gotta say this real life simulation is even worse.

https://www.axios.com/trump-nuclear-bombs-hurricanes-97231f38-2394-4120-a3fa-8c9cf0e3f51c.html

[Judge Jude]

My question would be--Why?

Every one of us has a choice to come into this subforum or not to.

I don't go into the regular topic sports bar because the topics aren't my cup of tea (one can only get into so many Ärtist de Jour, song draft threads and keep one's sanity

I don't enter the non baseball sports threads and when I do read the baseball forum, I only open topics I want to read about.

I don't understand why you can't be happy doing the same --It's obvious you're not happy dealing with this sub forum and it's atmosphere.

In any case, as someone who's been here since the sites inception, I'm absolutely against eliminating the Sports Bar from RJ. That includes the Hot Topic sub forum.

GITH, you have won the war.

I believe that most (kind of) current and mainly departed posters do not share your view, so your victory ultimately may ring hollow. maybe some founders will regret handing you and your brethren the keys, but that's for them to decide. this torched, barren landscape is yours to - I don't know, enjoy, if that's the word.

[Teenwolf]

I find it funny that I'm one of the most active political posters on the board, constant article links and quotes and YouTube clips, and yet 90% of it is ignored... yet when I say "ding dong, Koch is dead" it sets off a mini-firestorm...

I appreciate Judge Jude posting Matt Taibbi highlights, and links to reputable sources (just as 1 example) because it shows he cares about issues. I may disagree with his conclusions, but I appreciate the effort to have an elevated discourse. Most of the right wingers that have left, posted mere opinion and trash, and i largely do not miss their content. I would miss Judge Jude, and many others here. But the bloviating on moral degradation that Teenwolf has wrought?... c'mon... I have a loud and obnoxious style, and if you cross MY perceived line, I call it out. But I do wish people cared more about serious content. I would trade all of the discourse on "tone" to add 1/10th more discourse on substance and we'd be much better off. But if you all prefer hysterically decrying my offensive takedowns of scumbags, there's not much i can do about that. I'm just being me.

[In the Corn]

But I do wish people cared more about serious content.

Well, Canadian Trump perhaps if your tone were more civil, there would be more serious content. It amazes me that everyone calls out the real Donald trump for his lack of tone, and that the left is looking for more civil discourse, but here in RJ land it's the left that has lack of tone and civility.

[GwynnInTheHall]

Well, Canadian Trump perhaps if your tone were more civil, there would be more serious content. It amazes me that everyone calls out the real Donald trump for his lack of tone, and that the left is looking for more civil discourse, but here in RJ land it's the left that has lack of tone and civility.

I think that's somewhat of a generalization, don't you?

[Fresno Bob]

Well, Canadian Trump perhaps if your tone were more civil, there would be more serious content. It amazes me that everyone calls out the real Donald trump for his lack of tone, and that the left is looking for more civil discourse, but here in RJ land it's the left that has lack of tone and civility.

[TranaGreg]

Well, Canadian Trump perhaps if your tone were more civil, there would be more serious content. It amazes me that everyone calls out the real Donald trump for his lack of tone, and that the left is looking for more civil discourse, but here in RJ land it's the left that has lack of tone and civility.

Just an observation - in here I expect mudslinging. However I expect more - much more - from my country's elected leaders (and am constantly amazed that this isn't generally the case).

[revo]

Trump uses next year's G-7 meeting to possibly get new business for his sagging Doral Club in Miami. *sigh*

BIARRITZ, France — President Trump is eyeing a new showcase for his hotel business: next year’s Group of Seven summit.

The president on Monday used a bilateral meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel to plug the Trump National Doral golf resort in Florida, which he touted as a likely location for next year’s G-7 summit.

“It seems to set up the best,” he said. Among the attributes he cited for the resort: foreign delegations could each have their own buildings; its “very big, great conference rooms”; its “tremendous acreage”; and its proximity to the Miami International Airport, which he said “takes planes from everywhere.”

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/trump-touts-his-struggling-doral-club-in-miami-as-site-for-2020-g-7-summit-2019-08-26?mod=mw_theo_homepage