Archive for Administrative Stuff
Brand spankin’ new Depth Chart
Posted by: | CommentsOur Organizational Depth Chart is a pretty popular feature; I get emails and comments from you guys all the time about how useful it is, or questions as to why someone is placed where they are, stuff like that. There was just one problem with the thing: it was ugly as sin and hard to read. I guess that’s two problems.
Well not anymore. I had a technical snafu yesterday and lost all the data (thanks Time Warner), so I took the opportunity to tear the whole thing down and rebuild it. The result: it’s easier to read, easier to follow, and not so freaking ugly. I’m going to add some more players eventually, but for now I just wanted to get the thing back up and available for you all.
So let me know what you think, hopefully everyone finds it useful and more aesthetically pleasing. Any feedback is appreciated, so either leave it in the comments or email me. Oh, and before anyone asks, I’m not adding CC Sabathia or AJ Burnett until they pass their physicals and officially sign.
A November to remember
Posted by: | CommentsAllow me to take time out of this busy, busy Hot Stove Day — something happened! Mike Hampton signed with the Astros! — to thank everyone who stopped by RAB last month. While the news, outside of a Nick Swisher trade, was slow, we had more unique visitors and more page views than any other month in this site’s 22-month history. We had over 281,000 visitors and 444,000 page views, and we just want to thank everyone for stopping by and contributing every day.
Over the next few days and weeks, we’ll have some announcements about some upcoming plans and a new t-shirt design as well as Hot Stove coverage as it happens when it happens. Don’t go away. And as always, you can find us on Facebook and Twitter as well.
Thankful for the Yanks
Posted by: | CommentsAs part of our guest stint at On the Yankees beat filling in for Kat O’Brien while she’s on vacation, Joe took at a look at the things for which Yankee fans have to be thankful. Among the Yanks we’re thankful for are our owners, our GM and the underappreciated A-Rod. On a personal note, we’re also thankful for the nearly five million fans who have stopped by River Ave. Blues in our 21-month history. It wouldn’t be the same without all of you.
2009 Draft Order Tracker snafu
Posted by: | CommentsI received an email from fellow MLB Draft watcher Travis Orton, who mentioned that I may have been treating the compensation picks for unsigned draft picks incorrectly in our 2009 Draft Order page. I was under the impression that the comp picks are essentially “invisible,” and do not effect the overall number sequencing (i.e. #8, #9, #9A, #10, #11), however Travis pointed out that last year the comp picks were counted towards the overall numbering. This is significant because my methodology pushes a comp pick back one spot for every comp pick that comes before it, meaning the Crow pick pushed the Fields pick back one spot, which then pushed the Cole pick back two spots, etc.
So Travis and I exchanged you’re an idiot, I’m right friendly emails, and eventually took it Baseball America’s Jim Callis, who confirmed with MLB that the comp picks do count towards the overall, meaning I’ve been accounting for them incorrectly. I’ve updated the page to reflect the correct order and numbering, while Jim has an updated draft order in today’s AskBA. My mistake irreparably destroys my credit as a know-it-all blogger, but the Yanks actual benefit: the comp pick for Gerrit Cole moves up two spots, while the comp pick for Scott Bittle moves up four spots.
My bad, yo.
Make sure you VOTE today
Posted by: | Comments
We avoid politics like the plague here at the River Ave., but the three of us would be remiss if we didn’t urge you to take five measly minutes out of your life today to go and cast your vote for the next ruler of the free world. Countless Americans have given their life defending this right, so the least you can do to thank them is head to the polls. If you live in one of the boroughs and don’t know where your polling place is, you can find it here.
I don’t care who you vote for, just go and do it. (Comments are closed, I don’t want this thread to turn into Mo knows what.)
A message for our feed readers
Posted by: | CommentsThis one’s a short administrative note for all RAB readers who read the blog through our RSS feed. Please take the time today to make sure you’re accessing our feed via the following URL: http://feeds.feedburner.com/RiverAveBlues. Many of you are using the old feed address, and we just want to make sure everything is as streamlined as possible. Thank you.
Update by Joe: This is probably best accomplished by unsubscribing, then clicking on our Feedburner icon to the left. Just make sure you re-subscribe if you unsubscribe. Because, you know, we’re cool like that.
PSA: Please play nice
Posted by: | CommentsWe love a good discussion here at RAB. It might be tough to keep up with, but it puts a smile on my face to see a comment thread go over 100. For the most part, the discussion here is great. Commenters all bring something different to the table, and that allows us to get as comprehensive a view of a situation as possible.
However, more comments means more flaming. It’s unfortunate, but true. This is why we put commenting guidelines in place. Lately, though, we’ve seen plenty of violations. It’s time to crack down. I think that everyone will agree that this will make the discussions more fruitful in the long run.
Some of you may have received short emails from Ben, Mike, or me in the past week, asking you to stop the personal attacks. These are friendly warnings. We like you guys, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have to play by the rules. This goes doubly for the perceived “favorites.” We like you for a reason. Please, help us out by keeping your comments civil, and your personal attacks over at LoHud.
This means no calling anyone an idiot. If you must attack, attack the idea, not the person. Don’t go out of your way to call things idiotic. If it is truly idiotic, most people will silently agree. Simply point out what you think is wrong, and move on. Or just say nothing.
Speaking of saying nothing, this brings me to my next point: Don’t feed the trolls. If you see someone commenting for the first time and they’re blatantly trying to get a reaction, leave it be. It’s tough sometimes, but it’s for the best.
You give him a dollar, he’s gonna assume you have more:
We’ve also seen a number of off-topic comments, mostly preceded by “I know this is off topic, but…” This does not give anyone carte blanche to make an off-topic remark. If you have something off-topic to say, our email addresses are on the left sidebar. Off topic posts will now be deleted.
That’s really about it. Keep comments on-topic, and play nice. We’ll send email warnings for slight and first-time offenders, so please leave a valid email in the comments field. We promise we won’t use it for any other purpose. I wouldn’t want anyone doing that to me, and we’ll extend the courtesy to you. Repeat offenders will be put on a moderation list. A few current commenters have had this before, and can attest that it’s not permanent. It’s just our only power in situations like this. None of us want to use it, but if the violations continue, it’s a last resort, and only applicable for violations.
That said, thanks guys, for distracting me from doing work. I’d far rather argue with Chris C. over Manny Ramirez any day than do actual work.
Sam Borden taking a long walk between doubleheader games
Posted by: | CommentsEver think about taking a hike from the Bronx out to Flushing? Of course you didn’t. Only a deranged person would conceive of such an idea. I kid, of course. Sam Borden, former beat reporter for some tabloid paper we don’t care to mention (sorry, Mark!) and current columnist for the Journal News, is taking the expedition this Friday during the Yanks-Mets doubleheader. It’s about a 10 mile walk, and Sam plans to take it all by foot.
He’s taking donations for the American Cancer Society. You can head on over to his page to make a donation. He’s looking for $4,000, and is nearly 3/4 there, with 31 donations totaling $2,924. If you want to walk along with Sam, he has instructions on the page. Below is a map of the route:
It’s a good cause and a neat idea. So if you’re thinking about blowing a few bucks in the next few days, this is as good a way as any.
Free ticket for Volquez vs. Mussina
Posted by: | CommentsWe’ve got a free extra to tonight’s game. Seats are in the bleachers. First person who wants the ticket to leave a comment in this thread with a valid e-mail address in the e-mail field (where it will stay private) gets it. Please be in New York and able to go the game tonight. Ready, set, go.
Open Thread: Evaluating RAB
Posted by: | CommentsSo things are good in Yankee-land tonight. While the Yanks have the evening off, an afternoon win brought the Bombers their seventh victory in a row. With a plethora of open threads lately, we figured now would be a good time for some site evaluations. Thanks to Mike’s tireless draft coverage, we’ve had a huge month traffc-wise, and today, Joe debuted first RAB podcast.
So I want to take this opportunity to ask you, our readers, to evaluate the site with a critical eye. If you think we’re doing a great job and shouldn’t change a thing, thank you, but we’re not fishing for congratulations. We’d rather reserve this thread for comments about what we aren’t doing or aren’t doing well. What would you do to improve the site? What would you like to see added to our coverage? Leave your ideas in the comments, and we’ll sift through ‘em over the next few weeks. The feedback would be a massive contribution to the site.
