Does a messageboard have a role in how a player percieves his surroundings?

[TRF]

I left Redszone for a few months, partly because of personal issue, and in part because of a perceived attitude of the board. I've been reading some of (at least for me) older posts. It's well known that a lot of family members of the Reds' minor leaguers posted. CoffeyBro was the first I can remember of a family member of a major leaguer posting here. I suppose it is more common for family members of minor leaguers. It's a way to find out about the team, brag on your kid, etc.

Todd Coffey was a board favorite in 2006. And this board turned on him hard in 2007. Probably not just this board, but as this one seems to have the best posters, and I have read the ESPN, MLB and Yahoo boards. blech.

Now after the season, a more analytical approach was taken towards Coffey's performance. Yes, he had a down year. But I think most people believe he is still a valuable asset, and all he has to do is rebound to his 2006 form, and he instantly upgrades the pen.

That stated, emotions run high during the season. How do we temper those emotions, while remaining true to our opinions? We know family is visiting whether as guests or registered users. Is it right to call a player crap? I myself have called Milton a crap pitcher, without ever thinking that the guy's family might read this board.

Just something to discuss without mentioning Bedard. oops.

[Highlifeman21]

Even Eric Milton's family knows he's a crap pitcher.

[TRF]

I brought this on myself, didn't I.

[Mario-Rijo]

Originally Posted by TRF

I brought this on myself, didn't I.

Uh-Huh.

[Will M]

Originally Posted by TRF

I left Redszone for a few months, partly because of personal issue, and in part because of a perceived attitude of the board. I've been reading some of (at least for me) older posts. It's well known that a lot of family members of the Reds' minor leaguers posted. CoffeyBro was the first I can remember of a family member of a major leaguer posting here. I suppose it is more common for family members of minor leaguers. It's a way to find out about the team, brag on your kid, etc.

Todd Coffey was a board favorite in 2006. And this board turned on him hard in 2007. Probably not just this board, but as this one seems to have the best posters, and I have read the ESPN, MLB and Yahoo boards. blech.

Now after the season, a more analytical approach was taken towards Coffey's performance. Yes, he had a down year. But I think most people believe he is still a valuable asset, and all he has to do is rebound to his 2006 form, and he instantly upgrades the pen.

That stated, emotions run high during the season. How do we temper those emotions, while remaining true to our opinions? We know family is visiting whether as guests or registered users. Is it right to call a player crap? I myself have called Milton a crap pitcher, without ever thinking that the guy's family might read this board.

Just something to discuss without mentioning Bedard. oops.

TRF - there are quite a few posters who are 100% negative 100% of the time. There are also a few that are just jerks.
Use the ignore poster button to block these guys. It will make you enjoy Redszone a lot more. Try not to let the 5% of the world who are jerks get you down.

[Joseph]

TRF, its a good discussion topic.

I think the point of Redszone is intelligent baseball discussion.

Sometimes that discussion does devolve into 'Player X sucks'. Admittedly thats unkind, perhaps even unfair, but i think we are all here because of a few reasons. We mostly all love the Cincinnati Reds. If not the Reds, we all love baseball at least. I'm sure less than 1% fall into some other category, but Reds baseball is the focal point. We can't feel the intensity that we call love of something, without expression our frustration when that love isn't returned to us. It causes us to say some bad things sometimes, like Todd Coffey sucks.

Not many here would question his effort, thats why he's so popular when he's on, just like Freel when he's playing hard is usually popular. When they are off though, we feel let down and hurt.

Is it right to criticize? Yeah, it is ok to do that. It comes with their job. Is it right to yell and randomly say they suck? No, probably not, but it is going to happen, and their family members need to understand its not personal, its business....just like we hear every time they sign with the Yankees instead of taking a discount to stay in Cincinnati.

Thats baseball.

[TRF]

Originally Posted by Will M

TRF - there are quite a few posters who are 100% negative 100% of the time. There are also a few that are just jerks.
Use the ignore poster button to block these guys. It will make you enjoy Redszone a lot more. Try not to let the 5% of the world who are jerks get you down.

Not really the point. Say the board turns nasty on a reds pitcher that happens to have a brother that posts. Said poster relays to his brother how nasty it has gotten. Pitcher in his final year of his contract pitches well and files for FA, not even considering returning to the reds.

Yeah that may be an exaggeration, but not completely implausible. The information era now allows for near direct communication between fans and athletes AND their families.

I know how to use the ignore button, but then it isn't my son on the mound.

[Highlifeman21]

In all seriousness, professional athletes have to know when they are struggling, and when they have exhausted their talent.

2006, Todd Coffey enjoyed some pitching success.

2007, Todd Coffey struggled. I don't think he exhausted, or is close to exhausting his talent. I just think he struggled. Others may not share my opinion.

While professional athletes are people too, I would hope they would have thicker skin that normal people to withstand fans' opinions on internet messageboards/forums.

[top6]

Originally Posted by TRF

Not really the point. Say the board turns nasty on a reds pitcher that happens to have a brother that posts. Said poster relays to his brother how nasty it has gotten. Pitcher in his final year of his contract pitches well and files for FA, not even considering returning to the reds.

Yeah that may be an exaggeration, but not completely implausible. The information era now allows for near direct communication between fans and athletes AND their families.

I know how to use the ignore button, but then it isn't my son on the mound.

(1) I highly doubt that anyone would make a multi-million or even thousand dollar decision based on comments on an internet message board.

(2) If he did, where would he go? Where is there a place where fans on message boards won't bad mouth players who underperform? If there is such a place, then it is a place where the team is horrible and there are 10,000 or less fans every night.

[Will M]

Originally Posted by TRF

Not really the point. Say the board turns nasty on a reds pitcher that happens to have a brother that posts. Said poster relays to his brother how nasty it has gotten. Pitcher in his final year of his contract pitches well and files for FA, not even considering returning to the reds.

Yeah that may be an exaggeration, but not completely implausible. The information era now allows for near direct communication between fans and athletes AND their families.

I know how to use the ignore button, but then it isn't my son on the mound.

I doubt that the Reds message boards are any more or less nasty than other teams. If a player leaves a city because of someone on a message board or talk radio then that player is living in a fantasy world ( if he thinks all fans in his new city will priase him all the time )

[TRF]

Originally Posted by top6

(1) I highly doubt that anyone would make a multi-million or even thousand dollar decision based on comments on an internet message board.

(2) If he did, where would he go? Where is there a place where fans on message boards won't bad mouth players who underperform? If there is such a place, then it is a place where the team is horrible and there are 10,000 or less fans every night.

Originally Posted by Will M

I doubt that the Reds message boards are any more or less nasty than other teams. If a player leaves a city because of someone on a message board or talk radio then that player is living in a fantasy world ( if he thinks all fans in his new city will priase him all the time )

Relative to the history of baseball, messageboards are fairly new. the closest comparison would be call-in talk radio shows. But those have the added bonus of being gone a moment after the show is over. The internet is a more permanent medium. And one it seems everyone has access to.

[blumj]

Originally Posted by TRF

Not really the point. Say the board turns nasty on a reds pitcher that happens to have a brother that posts. Said poster relays to his brother how nasty it has gotten. Pitcher in his final year of his contract pitches well and files for FA, not even considering returning to the reds.

Yeah that may be an exaggeration, but not completely implausible. The information era now allows for near direct communication between fans and athletes AND their families.

I know how to use the ignore button, but then it isn't my son on the mound.

Yeah, it is completely implausible. I think it's a great idea to at least try not to post anything about a player that you'd feel bad about if he or a family member or friend of his read, but fans say some pretty creepy things to players in person, too.

[KoryMac5]

To me it is the internet that creates the straw that motivates posters to stir the drink. Before the world wide web if you wanted good conversation and debate you either had to go to your local sports bar or listen to a local sports talk shock jock. Both could end very poorly depending on what side of the discussion you were on. Slowly over time things started changing and more and more people started to gather their info from the internet instead of Joe's bar and 1530AM. This has happened because the internet allows you to have a more active role in the discussion and to do so from the comfort of your own home. You can be more amplified, louder, obnoxious etc... because this computer takes away some peoples inhibitions that they would normally have in check during face to face encounters. This being said everyone has an ego, including players and I feel that the majority of them care how they are perceived by the fans. I would imagine that a portion of mlb players either read or get info of internet message boards/blogs, so my answer would be yes a message board does play a role in how a player is perceived just like how a player is greeted upon entering or exiting a game.

[top6]

Honestly, if a player is so sensitive as to base a huge decision on basically anonymous comments on an internet message board, I am not sure I want them on the Reds in the first place.

[BCubb2003]

I seem to remember stories about Jim Maloney getting a hard time at the barbershop when he was struggling.