Thursday, December 07, 2006

I Apologize. Really, I do. But Just Hear Me Out.

Alright, here's the deal: my academic life is going into overdrive for a good while, probably at least until the New Year. This means one thing: I have zero time to devote to Point 23. A sad reality, but a true one. Single tear.

Now, I'm sure the astute observer out there has already noticed the alarming decline, and to those who actually do check here daily or even semi-regularly (actually, to anyone at all), I'd like to extend a genuine apology for just bailing without any explanation. Honestly, I didn't even bother to make one up. Unacceptable, really.

I really wish there was something I could do about it, and I'd much rather be writing on here than some term paper, but really, I'd like to get the hell out of college at some point. I think it will benefit everyone in the long run.

So: what to do in the interim?

My goal when I started this site was to get a type of community atmosphere going. Get familiar with the people leaving messages and comments, that type of thing, but at the same time, still make it a site where anyone could leave a comment and just have some fun arguing about sports. Kinda like sitting in a bar (and hey, if you wanna down a few pitchers before posting on here, I'm all for it). I really, really just love to argue about sports (well, anything, actually, but mainly sports). So while there aren't going to be any new posts for a while (The Picks may still keep going; we'll see if everyone can get on the same page for a stretch run), I think it'd be cool if the arguing and the debating and the general ranting and raving continued. Escalated, even.

A few ways to do this, I think:

First, in the comments section of this post. The first couple or so can be about how much I suck (alright, it can get to double figures, but once it hits triple figures, that's excessive...but maybe not), but after that, just post whatever random shit you want to talk about. It doesn't even have to be strictly tied to sports (R. Kelly's zorro mask is always fun). Throw an opinion out there; doesn't matter how well thought out it is. I'd just like get some conversation going. About anything. Anything.

Same goes for the little Chatterbox in the right hand column. Love the chatterbox. And the Chatterbox loves you. Make it your friend.

A third option would be be adding some new material to the slowly-outdating-themselves lists that run down the right and left hand columns (you have no idea how much I love those columns; seriously, no idea). So far, there are five lists:

Quotes: A list of ridiculous things athletes (OK, anyone) have ever said. Read through those some time: taken as a whole, they are tremendous. But I know I've missed a ton of material. This is where you come in. Plus, people are saying ludacris things every day. Help me keep up.
The Cool Lunch Table: A list of people that just hold a special place in your heart. Reasons can range from "he won me my fantasy league" to "he's hilarious" to "man, she's really freakin' hot."
Please Go Away. Now: People you just can't stand. Think Paul McGuire, Dick Vitale, Billy Packer, or people from Duke.
Makes Sense: For things that don't make sense (see the irony?). Like the BCS or the March Madness play-in game. Billy Packer fits here, too.
GOAT: Here's where we're keeping track of the greatest things of all time. This list is woefully small. Let's do something about that.

If you look in the upper right hand corner, you'll see links for each of those lists where you can leave suggestions, but if that is too much work (and it would be for me), just leave 'em right here.

I've tried filling the sidebars with some other things - a poll, a video of the week, a top 10 list, a list of links out there I enjoy - all to varying degrees of success. If you have any suggestions for these things, let me know, and I'll get on it. Things you want to see voted on in Vote or Die, a topic for the Top 10 List, a funny/aweseome YouTube clip for the Video o' the Week, a new link, just let me know.

Actually, if you have any suggestions at all - like a new category altogether, for instance - I'd love to hear them. I really love those sidebars, and the more material in them, the better.

One little request: if you are going to post something, it'd be cool if you wouldn't do it anonymously. If you really must, I'm not going to complain, but I think its just more fun when everyone has their little code names and you can kinda get to know them. The community thing, remember? Like, "Oh, can you believe what WolverinesGotScrewed said? That is so WolverinesGotScrewed." I feel like Elaine telling Lloyd Braun to tell Dinkins that everyone in New York should wear name tags. Hopefully this idea goes over slightly better.

All this kinda sounds like I'm saying, "Hey, I'm bouncing for a while...while I'm gone, do all the work." Which I am. So get to work. And I'll be back before you know it. You won't even miss me.

Read the Rest After the Jump...