Random observations:
1. I may be nuts, but I think it would make a difference if we moved the three restricted "RedsZone" forums down below the "Miscellaneous" forums on the main page. I think it would more accurately represent the flow of the board as it is now. Showing the restricted forums at the top is kind of a "nose-rubbing" to those who don't have full access yet. The "Baseball" forums are the point of entry; should they maybe be on top?
2. The board to me is like a big convention of Reds fans, all milling around in a huge ballroom. But some of the old-timers were saying, "whoa, this convention is getting too big- I miss the old intimate days when everyone knew each other and threads didn't get to be 25 pages long before I could get to them". So the mods created a little side room where the old-timers and a few others could get together in an atmosphere that tries to simulate the old days. I'm sorry; I don't think that's a terrible thing. If you go to a restaurant, do you get upset if you're not allowed into all the private banquet rooms?
3. I have access to the restricted forums (not because I'm a good poster, mostly because I'm an old fart), and I can tell you there's no atmosphere in there of "gosh aren't we cool- we're the chosen ones". To the contrary, the general consensus seems to be that you could easily find 240 posters outside of ORG that are just as good as the ones in ORG. It's just been decided that we've earned, for whatever reason, access to a "knucklehead-free-zone". As to who's in and who's out, be patient. This is new to all of us; things will shake themselves out.
4. I have never understod the appeal of game threads, but to me the difference between the old game thread and chat, which everyone still has access to, is too small to be seen with the naked eye.
5. Ideally, some of you who are ticked off and leaving will end up starting your own Reds message boards. I expect the mods would like that too; they don't have any desire to be the only game in town. Go to it...