Baseball Toaster was unplugged on February 4, 2009.
Jon's other site:
Screen Jam
TV and more ...
1) using profanity or any euphemisms for profanity
2) personally attacking other commenters
3) baiting other commenters
4) arguing for the sake of arguing
5) discussing politics
6) using hyperbole when something less will suffice
7) using sarcasm in a way that can be misinterpreted negatively
8) making the same point over and over again
9) typing "no-hitter" or "perfect game" to describe either in progress
10) being annoyed by the existence of this list
11) commenting under the obvious influence
12) claiming your opinion isn't allowed when it's just being disagreed with
Dodger Thoughts is moving.
I'm not a big drinker, but I always wanted to be a regular at a bar. I guess you could thank Cheers for that, although I think the dream transcends a single origin. The dream of belonging, of being recognized, of being heard, being appreciated.
One summer day in 2002, with fulfilling this dream being the farthest thing from my mind, I started talking in a tiny room to almost no one in particular. Talking to myself, mainly. Over the next year, I'd see people on the street and nod a hello, sharing a conversation every few weeks or so. I started to know folks around the block.
In 2004, I moved shop to a bigger neighborhood and, in a sense, opened the doors. One by one, visitors started to make their presence known. It was a time when a handful of guests still seemed like riches, and under no illusions that we amounted to anything significant, you could feel a warmth. At the end of July that year, those of us who were there bonded over what for us was a cataclysmic event. We bonded over a mutual, natural belief in seeing the light during an uncertain time.
The following year, I joined a smaller band of shopowners in yet another neighborhood, that to me has always felt a little less urban, a little more pastoral. A colony. It wasn't that life slowed down – if anything, it became exponentially busier. But we really flourished here. It has been a fecund setting, with utterly unexpected growth. Deep, personal friendships have sprung from conversations reminiscent of a endless late-night college dorm room, reminiscent of the bar of one's dreams.
And I'm not just a regular. I'm Sam Malone. It might seem arrogant for me to write that, but believe me, it feels humbling. Because without the good grace of my customers, I'd still be the guy talking to himself in the tiny room.
Perhaps it could be like this forever. I don't know. Part of me remains curious to find out. But there's another part of me that's ambitious. The part of me that has wanted things when I could only dream about them, now has a chance to go grab one of them.
Tonight, Dodger Thoughts is moving downtown, where it will begin being hosted at this link by the Los Angeles Times. (Imminently, www.dodgerthoughts.com will direct you there as well.) The dive bar is headed for CityWalk, and I can understand where a regular might find that notion disappointing or dispiriting. Dodger Thoughts was more than words, and even more than a community. Thanks to Baseball Toaster, Dodger Thoughts was a place.
But there's also something to be excited about, because for all that we might sacrifice in intimacy, we stand to gain something very important. Blogs have come a long way in the past seven years, from being something that nearly no one had heard of, to being a dirty word, to slowly being considered part of the solution rather than part of the problem.
The Times, for all its many struggles – just this past Friday saw the piling on of more - is still the biggest stage in Los Angeles, in California, in the West, and one of the biggest in the U.S. And I am eager for Dodger Thoughts to be on that stage, to bring something positive there. (As Michael Schneider noted today at Franklin Avenue, there is still reason to be invested in the Times.)
The bottom line is that I'll be writing about the Dodgers for the Times, and though it's a different Times than when I first had that dream 25 years ago, it's still meaningful to me.
Some enjoy Dodger Thoughts just because it's about the Dodgers, and that won't change. Others enjoy Dodger Thoughts for something more, something that represents the best potential of what online conversation in the 21st century can be. The idea of introducing more people to the community of Dodger Thoughts, I think, is worth risking the sanctity of the site for.
The bar is turning pro. I hope you'll all stay regulars.
* * *
There are two main transitions for the move to the Times to make note of.
One is the potential immediate introduction of a number of new commenters, which could bring something of a culture clash. As always, I hope you will use patience and consideration toward any new visitors – and for that matter, to any old ones. The Dodger Thoughts "Thank You for Not …" guidelines will still be in place, and an ongoing emphasis on these will go a long way.
The second issue will be more vexing for some. The Times requires all comments to be reviewed before they are made live. There will be multiple people behind-the-scenes with the ability to do this, so in many cases, the approval will come quickly. But at odd moments and in odd hours, there will be delays.
I assure you that no one is more concerned about this than I am, but I urge you to see this from a big picture. It shouldn't affect your enjoyment of other people's comments. They will all come. At Baseball Toaster, you never knew exactly when the next comment was coming, and so the Times will be no different.
As for your own comments, this will require a little more patience. The comments will come, and they will come in the order that they were made, and so in the end, though the flow might be more staccato, the substance of our conversations doesn't need to change.
For example, I've studied the quantity of comments that come in the wee hours, which are the ones that are going to most delayed, and it's a tiny percentage of what the site does overall. That can be a great time to comment, but in the end, if you find that your 2 a.m. comment doesn't appear until 5 a.m., just remember that when it does appear, it will get a wider readership, and that it's all part of a bigger plan. In any case, I ask for your patience as we work the kinks out.
(I'll still have my day job at Variety, in case you were wondering.)
* * *
I can't leave without thanking Ken Arneson for making Baseball Toaster possible, and for all the other Toaster writers for being so great to work alongside. It is really a strong feeling. We'll always have our Paris of the Internet.
For more information on the fate of Toaster, please go to Fairpole.
I mean, Wow!
Well, as long as you're still doing it, Jon, and it's still Dodger Thoughts, it's large comfort. The comment delay thing will take some getting used to, but I'm sure we can work around it. During the games it might be a bit harder but sounds like there will be quicker approval rates at times like those.
At any rate, congrats and best of luck and we'll be there right behind you!
Will miss the simplicity of the Toaster though. Thanks again to Ken and Phil and company for keeping this going so well for so long. Don't be a stranger.
Congrats Jon. See you and I hope and 'spect everyone else over there . . .
I'm gonna try to thank as many of you individually as I can, but if I miss you, know that I love ya.
Mazeltov! Here's hoping there's a lot about Manny, oy gevalt!
I will definitely miss the Toaster. Love the set up.
I'm very happy for Jon, and I have two hopes.
1. That The Griddle will pop up again elsewhere, and
2. That the deluge of hundreds upon hundreds of Dodger Thoughts posts will disabuse the Times of the notion that comments need to be moderated.
Incredibly well said Jon. Just really glad I found you guys/gals this year.
Hear hear!
The Vin of the webloggers is moving up where he belongs.
Congratulations Jon Weisman.
One small step for Dodger Fans everywhere ...
I mean, Sam Malone and Vin in one day?
In one thread!?!!
http://www.insidesocal.com/dodgers/2009/02/dodgers-make-se.html
This reference has been made many times.
--
Btw, Jon, sorry if this was answered already, but will DT/Toaster posts be archived still, or is it all getting erased?
31 - Will be saved.
That's surprising to me. Making an offer like this seems to open a door to a 3-yr offer from the Gigantes or Angels (even though they aren't interested).
21 points midway through the 2nd quarter.
This place moving to the Times is incredible. Jon's readership will explode and that can only be a benefit for Dodgers and baseball fans. That makes me excited. But I'm still going to miss this place.
Oh well, all things must pass.
This is good for the Times and good for us and good for Dodger Thoughts. Jon, thanks for taking us up the ladder with you.
Hopefully, this move will also result in a more thoughtful fanbase. I've definitely learned a lot about baseball from reading you and the commenters here.
Is the Times getting you a press pass?
1. Avoid whenever possible.
2. Deal with gracefully when avoidance is impossible.
This is clearly a time for #2.
Congratulations, Jon, and I'll join you on the other side (complying with #1 above by reading as frequently and commenting as infrequently as ever!)
Employees are allowed to buy the paper, after all.
Sure would miss chatting food and the 70s LA Music scene and dogs with you.
And if a food savant named Ytram should show up at DTLAT at odd times, I'm guessing she'd be welcomed with open eyes.
Also, my guess is LAT needs a new handle
Pishaw - say it ain't so ...
I have to admit though that I will definitely miss all the contributors to the baseball toaster. it felt like they were regular plebes just like me.
I'll post at new site tonight.
But I will say, off topic... if you're fighting a cold, as I am, I highly recommend drinking Knudsen's Lemon Ginger Echinacea Juice. It's great for sore throats and so on.
There, just the kind of randomness I hope we can find a way to continue at DT v2.0.
Yes - and the change will come quickly :)
I'm really happy for you, but I must admit that I have a touch that elitist feeling - like having been a fan of a band for years before they have their first hit record. It makes no sense at all, but I have a feeling of loss right now.
I prefer to think of you as Becker.
As for the rest, no offense, but this sucks. I'm not happy.
There are many wonderful elements realted to this site in it's present form that I will miss ...
but the train is leaving the station.
It is like Dodger Thoughts has become Big Love. That kinda makes me like Amanda Seyfried, only she is just a little more beautiful than me.
Now, for the practical... it will certainly be a transition for this community. Granted, I've not been the most active in the comments and game-day threads... some of the game-day threads really thrived on that near real-time commenting. So... it will be a transition for sure. Plus, let's hope that your being on LA Times will raise the baseball IQ of the readers (and writers).
and on that point, I hope you keep challenging Plaschke with the same amount of vigor when the situation calls for it!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLC3uT3aCoE
NSFW
I've been a lurker since 04 and I feel I need to throw in my 2 cents. I really think it's a mistake moving the comments to a mainstream news site. This may be called comments here, but it is more forum and chat in nature. And expanding this blog brings with it a higher noise-signal. I've experienced this on a few message boards, and when there is a deluge of new users, the inanity is seriously offputting. Take note of Youtube and ESPN (or hell, most news sites) commentators and you will see what I mean.
Just a concern, but a very real one. I come here to read comments as much as posts, and I really don't want to have to wade through junk to get to the gems.
Okay, said my peace. I think the increased exposure is excellent and congrats again Jon.
I rarely post these days (especially in the off-season), but I don't think a day's gone by in the last couple of years when I haven't checked in here at least once (and usually DT is a page I leave up all day and habitually refresh).
I'm sad to see the Toaster ending, and our small special community moving on to something bigger. Of course, it's also exciting, and Jon, I couldn't be happier that this blog is moving up in the world. Now, off to register my name at the Times. :)
I take your point on the comment moderation at the Times and will hope it works out the way you say. That hasn't been my experience adding comments to the Times' other blogs, regardless of time of day. And those blogs get about 1/500th the commments you get even on a slow day. They have no idea what kind of avalanche is heading their way. If they are going to "approve" each one, there is no possible way the flow of the conversation can be maintained. I think the real-time, near-IM quality of your comment thread has been one of its strongest features since I first encountered it. You are, indeed, Sam Malone, but you've got a lot of Norms, Cliffs, Coaches and (ahem) Woodys delivering good lines, too. And I'm sure they'll continue to do so, but timing matters.
That said: You certainly deserve the bigger audience, the bigger comment base, and the prestige that still attaches to the LA Times. You have clearly become the best Dodger analyst in the city, and with the resources of the Times available to you, perhaps you'll be able to do some on-the-scene reporting, for example at Spring Training, the draft, or checking out the prospects in the minors. So this is a huge win for you and for all Dodger fans.
But the comment thing hopefully can be addressed. You're a pretty strong voice in favor of thoughtful, obscenity-free comments. If commenters have to register, if a filter catches all the barnyard epithets and spam, and if an editor swoops in several times a day to remove the hidden Al Qaeda messages, wouldn't that be sufficient? I hope so. Come the season, I want to sit on that enormous sofa with you and the rest of the gang and watch the cheers pile up when J-Martin hits a timely bomb.
P.S. I guess this also means the retirement of dzzrtRatt. See you at the new place under my legal name.
Thanks and congrats again.
I know the conversational/interactive aspect of blogging has a special appeal to many DT readers, but for me Dodger Thoughts has always been solely about Jon Weisman. I've been reading 4 years and posted maybe a handful of times. Don't underestimate the value of old-fashioned oneway communication, ie. the actual blog posts. You have a special skill and always something interesting to say. That is the primary appeal of DT to me, and the new audience at large you are about to serve. I hope that the quality writing will continue at the Times. Actually, I know it will. Good luck and best wishes!
All that said... it's like tearing down an old park to build a new one. It's sad but it's progress. It always happens and it's usually for the best. So I will hope!
Congratulations and good luck, Jon. I've been here since 2004 and this was such news to me that I told my wife about it before the new Manny offer. ;) You deserve the bigger exposure, and I'm sure the community will fall in line.
I'm also an extreme optimist. ;)
Take care.
I say we give it a whirl. Maybe with practices the Times can shave 90 seconds off that.
And y'know, the Times let me use my fake name. So what the hell, dzzrtRatt lives.
An analogy: The first time I heard the song "Born to Run," the album was at least a year away. I was part of a small group of people at Santa Monica Civic Auditorium being introduced to this new-fangled thing by struggling young opening act. Then, Time magazine, new management, ba-boom...and last night Mr. Springsteen performed the same song at the Super Bowl in front of the biggest audience of his life. And it still sounded great. The essence of greatness doesn't change.
The Thoughts is dead! Long live the Thoughts!
61 points and counting.
First BB and now DT... I hope I can find all of you out there soon.
...I'm gonna miss this place ::sniff::
Most my friends think I am the ultimate Dodger Guru, but its so refreshing to come onto this site and see the wealth of baseball knowledge from the Jon and the ensemble of loyal readers. I've learned so much from this site, and can only hope the LA Times doesnt screw up a great thing.
Best of luck Jon, I wish you all the best!
I'll miss the NPUT's and being LAT'd!!! ;-)
I rarely post, but Dodgerthoughts has become the first website I open daily for 3 or 4 years now. I think following the 4+1 game via Dodgerthoughts (sans any live tv feed) was probably my most memorable Dodger experience of the last 20 years! This site/your posts/the comment(er)s have all been a big part of my baseball life. Thank you.
I wish you luck and I'll be sure to follow the posts over at the Times.
Thanks for a running a great show.
2009- Toaster -> latimes.com
2013- Plaschke -> Weisman
I am so happy for you but as many have expressed better than I can, I have just a bit of fear that a place I go to every day is changing. But I'll be there.
Certainly all of this is a stepping stone.
Don't laugh about this, but the other day, I'm driving down the Santa Monica Freeway, looking up on top of the hill and seeing the light standards of the stadium in all of their glory, thinking, in just a few months, this same trip, they'll be playing up there again, and I'll have the raido tuned in listening to Vin.
Suddenly it occurred to me that this won't always be this way, because things do change. "Who would eventually replace the greatest announcer of all-time?" I then thought to myself, "Why haven't the Dodgers, instead of utilizing the Charlie Steiner's and Rick Monday's of the world, do what they did in Brooklyn so many years ago, and give a young, talented kid from the Bronx a chance to work with the great Red Barber?"
"Who could be such a candidate for that chance?"
I came up with one answer: Jon Weisman.
He's got knowledge; shmaltz and most, a devout love of the game. I could see Vinny taking this guy under his wing and who knows.... Our very own Jon eventually doing what he does best, covering the Dodgers. Only this would be game by game, inning by inning, pitch by pitch; every detail, story and experience in a lifetime filled with Dodger Thoughts.
I hope someone from the Dodgers Organization is reading, because stuff like this gold. The math is simple. You want to someday replace Vin Scully? Do it with someone that is capable of taking that type of announcing to the next level, just like Vin did with Red Barber. It's mentoring to some extent, but I tend to think its a brilliant idea whose time has come.
As far as this website, I have to say that I feel a bit sad in one respect, because it is sort of selling out in way, because I've been here close to the beginning, but most, because of the many LA Times writers and unknown amounts of staff that were sent packing by current ownership.
Much thanks to Ken Arneson for allowing us to be a part of your Toaster home. I hope if the Times thing doesn't work out, we still have a place like this to come back to.
Once again, congrats Jon.
I'm very happy for your continued success, sad though to see this site eventually go away. Guess it's NPUT @ LAT
Your insightful editorials are only matched by your amazing moderation skills. Honestly, I think that is the backbone that has kept this site so free of the usual internet craziness.
I'll be following whatever site you move to.
Kind of full circle for me. I moved out of CA 12 years ago and for the first couple years as the internet exploded I kept the LAtimes sports section as my first read in the morning. Slowly grew out of that and the Dodgers drifted out of my thoughts. 5 years ago I found Dodger thoughts and it has rejuvenated my love for the boys in blue. And now I have to go back to the times to keep it going. But I used DT as an intelligent source for discussion of all things that didn't violate rules and hope to still see some of that. But if not thanks to all who contributed.
I haven't been around long, but I'll miss the real-time comments int the game threads.
Now might be a good time to consider changing my handle...
If TGIF hired Sam Malone he would've gotten lost in the shuffle -- just another manager pulling another shift in a top-down organization. A few barflies might have followed him, then drifted away. The LAT hiring Jon to continue DT on their site is a win-win. There will be a noticeable improvement in the Times' Dodger coverage, a wider audience will see the fine work Jon is capable of, and Jon will have more resources, including I assume a biweekly check, so he can continue the blog despite his growing responsibilities and build on the base he's built.
P.S. With the Times' delay, I bet there will be more LATing, not less.
And may I also say that I've been reading you since Hector was a pup (and since Fox owned the Dodgers), and you've made me love both baseball and the Dodgers as much as I did when I was a kid. That's not insignificant. Thanks, Jon, and congratulations again.
i discovered this site a year ago and it's been my top source for Dodgers discussion since. i hope to see all of the brilliant commenters over at LAT, as well. congrats again.
cheers!
Good Luck.
The Dodger Thoughts path is somewhat familiar. I admin the #1 fan site for a now obscure but always wonderful collectible card game. We started on a personal website, but the person left the hobby, so we transitioned to .com startup's website. They were bought by a major cable network and that part of their business (fan sites) was phased out. However, we'd become big enough to attract the attention of the game's distributor and became an official fan site. Sometime later, we're back on our own. About 800 unique registered members log in each day. And so it goes!
Foxsports used to have some great boards for baseball organized by divisions. They closed those for a long time and all the posters there were scattered to the four winds. Some ended up here. And so it goes!
Good luck at the Times, hope to see everyone posting there. So long and thanks for all the fairpole.
This is still the best blog that I've ever come across. Jon is a wonderful writer and the community here is beyond belief. I enjoy this place because I love the Dodgers, but you guys make it a better place.
DT is the antithesis of the blogs in Buzz Bissinger's world. Reading the comments section at a major media outlet can drive a person batty. Bissinger was right, but he was also wrong and I hope now that DT has a really cool platform that everyone can show the world that blogs can raise the level of discourse rather than lowering it.
I do have one concern other than the delayed comments issue: Jon, you have occasionally been critical of Times writers like Plaschke and Simers. Your voice has lent legitimacy to the critiques of those writers. Will you feel comfortable critiquing other journalists for your paper? Will your role as an intermediary between the media and the fans change now?
I went to about 20 dodger games last year, including game 3 vs. the Cubs. One of the first things I did when I got home from a game was to read all the comments from the game chat thread. Since I don't bring a radio to the games, consulting Dodger Thoughts afterwards was my way of putting what I had just seen in perspective, of finding out whether an umpire had missed a call on a crucial play, of finding out whether Billingsley was really wild that night or if he was just getting squeezed, of reliving the moment of a home run or a strikeout or a webgem. In short, Dodger Thoughts was also my way of dealing psychologically with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The beginning of 2009 has been a cyclone of change for me, my friends, my community, and the country. So many friends are getting laid off. A few long term romances have come to an end. One friend's spouse died an untimely death in a tragic car accident. Because I impulsively visit this site multiple times per day, Dodger Thoughts leaving for the Times feels like another death. Coming here was almost like breathing.
Of course there will be a rebirth for Dodger Thoughts with the Times, and my heartbroken and downtrodden friends will also experience their own rebirth.
Lastly, congratulations to the prominent commenters here: the experts, the quick wits, the lions of debate, the film snobs, the anti-film snobs. You know who you are. You helped make this site what it is today. You helped Jon Weisman get a job at the LA Times!
I know you mentioned that things should be staying status quo, but does this include TV/movie talk? I really enjoy the Lost and Office talk that goes on around here and hope that doesn't go away with your move to the Times. If it can't be continued here, I hope that it will go on in some form at Variety.
Folks that feel close to you and will always wish you the best.
Alas, the cold medicine is keeping me from thinking too deeply or coherently so I'll just say -- see you all on the other side! Er, on the new DT. Turn off the lights when you're done and be a dear and take out the recycling, will you?
ImprobableImpossible
Keven Chavez
I'm late to the party (as usual), but I want to offer my sincere congratulations on the new gig, and an enormous thank you for providing a such a well-regulated, spontaneous community of Dodger enthusiasts.
Ironically, I first stumbled onto this sight back in the winter of 2003 in search of trade rumors, after the LA Times closed down their previous Dodger forum.
I've enjoyed your blog almost daily since then, though I've rarely had time to comment.
Today is special, and I wish you the best of luck! See you at the Times....
And hey, I prefer to think of it as you joining the paper that brought us the likes of Jim Murray and Mike Downey, not those other guys.
Thank you Jon and congratulations. I will gladly follow DT to the LAT.
Timmermann needs to find a gig somewhere, or at least a blogspot blog.
124 As for challenging the Times writers....perhaps you could somehow convince your new colleague Mr. Simers that his career needs an upgrade to a more "important" media market like New York or…. say Mumbai.
http://tinyurl.com/bs6yg6
Best wishes!
All that said, Gosh Jon, congratulations. I cannot think of a more talented and deserving person to do this. The Times are very lucky to have you and your analysis and I will always be a devout fan. Thank you so much for so many years of wonderful and brilliant posts. You made me think about the Dodgers in way I never did before. You enhanced mine, and I sure others', experience of being a fan. It's so silly to think that I am in a restaurant somewhere and the Dodgers just made a 9th inning comeback, and one of the excited thoughts running through my head is I have to check out what the commenters on DT are saying at this moment. But that is what I feel. That is what you have given me.
Well, thank you again, and good luck with everything. I wish you all the success and happiness. You certainly are Sam Malone.
This is a sad day. As you can read from the posters, there are lots of uncertainties and anxieties, too many to resolve at this time before the other site proves itself.
I think that many (if not all) of us will join you and see how the new site works. It's just that we are worried it won't live up to what we have come to expect and where we have come to relax on a daily basis.
Does anyone know where Bob is? Is he unhappy about this whole thing?
as the only newspaper subscriber in my age/peer group that I know, I am pleased to see a change being made by the Times I dont immediately percieve as negative and an indicator of approaching doom
In hiring you, someone there just justified thier salary for a very long time
Long live Jon and Dodger Thoughts, some times change is good, and many times it is what we make of change that ultimately decides it...
Since so many others have already eloquently expressed what Jon and DT means to them, as well as the concerns they have in the transition, I'll take a slightly different approach and address the rest of the "family".
A big part of whether DT remains the community we've all grown to love will depend on us. It may take some time to get the "feel" back to how we like it, but I encourage everyone to make the effort. It's true big companies don't usually change things overnight, but if we give Jon the ammunition he needs (100s of game posts, night after night), I'm guessing they'll make adjustments to ensure the new site functions as well as it possible can. Our responses (or lack of) to the ignorant and inane comments, coupled with Jon's great administrator skills, should help mold the new community over time. It may not be perfect the first week, or even the first month, but I'm guessing we can recreate most of what we love here over there if we're willing to be a little patient.
Change can be scary, and as someone who has been reading Jon every day since well before he first moved to the Toaster, I totally get that. But Molly and others are right: it's well past time that the masses start seeing Jon's writing on the Dodgers.
And who knows, given that McCourt seems to be unduly swayed by whatever is written about the Dodgers in the Times, maybe this will be the unexpected realization of our dream of having a voice within the organization! :-)
Most importantly Jon, know that while there are some concerns, the DT family is heartily celebrating this success with you.
1. Congrats again Jon.
2. I think the move has great potential.
3. I hope most of us here will move with the site and, even understanding the larger posting group likely at the LAT, I hope DT can:
a. keep its "community" - I hope we still have games days (though I have yet been able to go) and picnics.
b. not have too much of a problem with the new "signal to noise" - the posters here are a big part of the draw.
See you all there.
I am happy for you though Jon.
Seriously, good for you, Jon.
http://tinyurl.com/piles-o-cash
Anyway, congrats, Jon.
Nooooooooooo!!..... I mean Yeaaaaaaaa!!
I'm conflicted but I won't go away...
Good luck with everything. You deserve all the success you receive.
I'm going to miss this venue greatly and personally appreciated the organic growth of patronage through word-of-mouth, but I'm very grateful to have found such a wonderful and active forum for the exchange of thoughts and ideas that does goes about business with civility in mind. All the best.
From a frequent reader and occasional poster, I will simply echo what many here have already said: good for you, Jon. You deserve it, and maybe even the Times readership deserves it. Everyone here will survive the change, as much as some may initially dislike it.
Best of luck, and thanks for all of your efforts over the years. Maybe hard work and talent really do pay off in the long run.
Also, a big thanks to all the regulars who have contributed here to make the site what it was. Sincerely, Gilberto.
While I read your blogs, the big feature of this site for me has been the unfettered ability of posters to comment in a timely fashion. The new format will be totally worthless for those of us who like to watch the game on TV with a laptop computer and comment of the plays in near real time.
So while this will enhance your writing career, it puts a major damper on the ability of posters to talk to each other.
I am still sad to see DT at the Toaster end. It won't ever be quite the same. Of course I am excited for a whole lot more people to find dodger thoughts.
I really hope the regulars stick around, and the new place doesn't end up like the saying (and same of my favorite hole-in-the-wall bars), "No one goes there anymore, it's too crowded."
Who will post the last comment on DT Toaster version?
Who will win the free prizes: a Ghame Over T shirt (our choice of color), or a nifty pocket abacus (sure to impress and baffle your friends)...?
Whatever. We can say we knew Jon back when :)
Congratulations to a real pro, and good luck erecting the new community over at the LAT. I'll be moving over with the rest of the DTers. But it is sad to see the Toaster go.
Before someone turns out the lights in this bar, could I get a quick one-sentence summary of the whole Kuo pronunciation debate? I forget where we ended up.
Mazel tov, Jon!
the LAT Dodger Thoughts! So long
Toaster, you've been great! Just like
freshly toasted Cinnamon raisin toast in the morning!, I'll miss the freedom
to discuss more than Dodger baseball.
{sniff}
Comment status: comments have been closed. Baseball Toaster is now out of business.