Reader Survey
It’s a simple question: Why do you read this blog? You can answer in the comments section below, or, send me an e-mail.
Actually, I understand why some read it – because they like it. And, that’s the reason why I read other blogs.
But, what I don’t get are those who read this blog, and read it all the time, who then complain about it.
I see it when other blogs link to me with comments like “Surprise, this guy had this opinion,” etc. And, I see it when they send me e-mails telling me that I’m a hater, and/or, a hack, and/or, my all-time fav, “not a true-Yankee-fan.”
And, I see it on Twitter, when, the second after I make an entry to WW, the twitter-livers start fluttering like a bunch of grade school girls in the playground during recess with these types of exchanges:
ferengi @Skolnick OMG, he’s at it again! WW link
Skolnick @ferengi @Hikikomori I know, when I saw it, my crazy straw fell out of my mouth.
Hikikomori @Skolnick That’s why I told him that I stopped reading him.
ferengi @Hikikomori Stopped?
Hikikomori @ferengi Yeah, I just read him once a day now instead of a few times a day.
Skolnick @ferengi @Hikikomori I stopped too. Now, I only read him now thru iPhone feeds and twitter when he updates, but, I refuse to go to his site!
ferengi @Skolnick I like it when his commentors call him names.
Hikikomori @ferengi @Skolnick I want to comment there and troll but I ran out of e-mail addresses to register with.
It’s a mystery to me. There are blogs out there that I have found difficult to enjoy – either because I don’t like the writing style, or, I find them boring and/or self-indulgent…or, for whatever reason. And, you know what? After I decided that they were not to my liking, I stopped reading them. They’re gone – off my radar. Why would I spend any time on something that I don’t enjoy? Why would anyone? And, that’s what I don’t understand.
So, if you read this blog for some reason other than because you like it, I’d welcome your feedback as to why you read it. Thanks!
“But, what I don’t get are those who read this blog, and read it all the time, who then complain about it.”
I would say that you would likely put me in this category, so I wanted to respond to your survey. I’ll give 2 reasons:
1) I think it is valuable to read opinions wildly divergent from your own, because it can broaden how you think about issues. Now, that means the opinions I am reading are often going to be incredibly frustrating to read, but if I only read what I like, I risk always falling in with the general groupthink. I rarely agree with how you see the Yankees, but it aids me when I write my own blog posts to know that people think the way you do, so that I can try and anticipate those questions and develop a cogent argument as to them.
2) I like some of the commenters here. I think there are some who are “blinder-free” without the pessimistic tendencies that I argue with you about (I think MJ is a good example of this sort of commenter, just to name one of a bunch).
@ yagottagotomo1:
Anyone who follows your Twitter account knows there’s another reason why you read this blog. (I know, because, I can see how many entry referrals I get to WW from your twitter page.)
@ yagottagotomo1:
First, thanks for the kind word.
Second, I agree with your first point. It’s important to read intelligent viewpoints from all across the spectrum of opinions. Whether Steve’s posts are frustrating, biased or overly pessimistic, I still think his voice is an important one in the NYY blogosphere. I commend you for being open-minded enough to read things that you may not agree with. I think more people should do so in all walks of life, not just in matters of baseball.
@ Steve Lombardi:
Which is?
I hope you dont say to criticize you and rip you on twitter, bc I’ve already copped to that and put myself in that category. Also, you have a chicken and egg issue- I read it bc of the reason above, the result is what you sometimes see on Twitter.
@ yagottagotomo1:
Moshe – I know that you and others, enjoy playing WW reindeer games. And, that’s why you read it. Maybe, instead of me asking you why, you should ask yourself why…because it’s your time that ya’ll are wasting with this stuff.
So basically, you put up a “survey” to get people to out themselves, not to glean information. If you really knew why people like me read, then you didnt need a thread. I offered my point of view, and I suspect I will be the only one of the people that you have an issue with to respond. Yet, instead of engaging me on that, you decided to impose your own reasoning. So here’s what I will say:
I read because of the reasons I noted above, and only because of that. As such, you will notice that I am the only one of the group with which I “play reindeer games” to comment and engage with you and the other readers here on a regular basis. Recently, I have grown exceedingly frustrated with you, which is why I have been strongly criticizing you on Twitter. I dont read to “play reindeer games.” But believe what you want, its your blog, and it was your question. if you dont like my answer, that’s your own issue.
Also, I’m not sure what gives you the right to use my actual name. I use a pseudonym here, and despite the fact that most of the commenters here know who I am, I’m not so sure you have the right to do so. But again, your blog, your rules.
@ yagottagotomo1: Everyone knows who you are – I’m not letting out state secrets by using your given first name (only). More so, I’m trying to relate to you, person to person, to let you know that I know exactly what is going on.
And, please, others, don’t let this be the “Yagottagotomo1 Show.”
I am interested in learning more as to why anyone would waste their team reading, and, then, perhaps referencing (in their blogs, twitter, etc.) a blog that they don’t find enjoyable and/or meeting their needs.
Com’on, I see the links and the tweets. I get the emails. So, I know you exist. And, here’s you chance to explain why you spend so much time caring about a blog that you dislike.
You clearly do not know “what is going on.” After the treatment you gave me, in regard to ignoring the reasoning I gave you and imposing your own, why would anyone respond? You are asking people who criticize you to step forward and tell you why they read, yet you have already decided that they only read so as to criticize.
I read this blog for two reasons.
One is that I build my baseball blog reading sort of like a virtual well-balanced diet — I want to read, on a regular basis, a spectrum of opinion, and you fill out your part of the spectrum satisfactorily.
Two is for the commenters. The comment section here is not bloated with ridiculous numbers of people with nothing but fluff to contribute, it is not usually full of mindless vitriol, it does not read like a playground full of 13 yr old boys trying desperately to sound like a street corner full of their 19 yr old brothers, and it rarely veers into fantasies about the personal and sexual lives of the players. (I’m sure those who read other blogs will recognize some of the comment sections with whom I am favorably comparing yours.)
As long as those two conditions obtain, I will continue to read, and sometimes to comment.
cr1 wrote:
Amen for that!
I read this blog for a year before I started commenting, mostly for the more “out there” posts, whereas I read Lohud for news. Once I started school in Boston, I needed an outlet to not only read, but discuss my Yankee-related thoughts, and I enjoy the comments section (most of the time) because it is confined to a relatively smaller number of posters with relatively more intelligent responses. Overall, I enjoy it, but there are times where I see the frustration that Steve feels, because whether people want to call their comments “personal attacks” or not, I think that too often there is hostility between comments. Everyone needs to relax a bit – we can have intelligent disagreeing arguments without the hostility.
But I really enjoy seeing different perspectives from other die-hard fans, rather than listening to casual fans bicker with no knowledge of how baseball business works.
yagottagotomo1 wrote:
Not true. I’m assuming that’s the only reason. And, the purpose of this is to allow others, with compelling facts, to convince me that there’s another reason (that I may be missing).
But, to your case, the comments that you’ve made about me/WW at your blog and Twitter account speak for themselves.
@ jrk: Thanks.
Steve Lombardi wrote:
Ah, so it is a trial. I regret being the only one of the people you were referring to to volunteer. Like I said, I know my own reasoning, and you asked for it, so I gave it. You dont have to believe it.
And how on earth can someone bring compelling facts as to their motivation?
@ yagottagotomo1:
“Compelling facts” was a poor choice. Make that “feedback that is not refuted by their actual public actions.” Yes, that’s much better.
yagottagotomo1 wrote:
Perhaps because you make fun of him, by name, in other blogs comment sections?
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I needed an outlet to not only read, but discuss my Yankee-related thoughts, and I enjoy the comments section (most of the time) because it is confined to a relatively smaller number of posters with relatively more intelligent responses.
=======
This is also why I come here so often, aside from Steve’s posts.
With all the samey-same out there, it’s good to have something that you may not agree with all the time, but at least has some kind of edge or provocation, or some interesting angle. It’s all about entertainment mixed with insight, and that may include the pleasure of reading a post knowing it will rankle you (as in something on Nick Swisher). C’Mon, Steve, you have to know that you push some buttons (e.g. I chuckle anytime you post anything on Cashman, waiting for the mob to show up) and for all the people reading someone like Bill Simmons, there is a huge percentage of that readership that reads him b/c he drives them crazy.
Steve Lombardi wrote:
But you addressed your request to people with those very public actions. As such, the bulk of the people you wanted to respond have those public actions and would therefore have their explanations refuted.
Also, I’m not sure how my actions on Twitter refute anything. I read the blog for a certain reason. My actions on Twitter are simply reactions to that reading. I’ve quoted your blog on my blog positively and negatively. When I have a negative reaction and feel it is inappropriate for a blog post and would be met with derision from you (as it has in the past), I post those (very) negative comments to Twitter. I’m not sure how you interpret that as the reason for my reading. In fact, often when I talk about you on Twitter, people will ask me why I still read you. Without fail, I respond as I did here. Every single time.
Corey wrote:
No, that doesnt give him that right. He puts his name out there publicly attached to his material. I do the same on my blog. If he came and commented at my blog under a pseudonym, I would not reveal his identity. Rights of privacy do not go away just because he thinks that I am mean to him.
yagottagotomo1 wrote:
Well, conversely, what gives you the right to do what you do? Most of the comments I’ve seen about Steve made from you are on a personal level, not even having to do with specific opinions.
To keep it short and simple, I come here because:
1. The author traditionally thinks the opposite of what I think, making it a place I can continually voice my opinion.
2. It’s a smaller audience, so my opinion will be heard and responded to.
3. That same audience is, most of the time, very intelligent and pleasant to talk to and argue with.
4. I feel WW makes me a more intelligent baseball fan. There are many people in this community who are far more baseball intelligent than me, and I feel I learn a lot from them.
Corey wrote:
I’ll concede that I sometimes get caught up in criticizing Steve’s general viewpoint rather than his individual opinions, which results in some ugliness that is more personal than opinion-based. That said, I have a right to have those opinions and express them, even on a personal level. I also have a right to privacy that is clearly generally accepted by all bloggers and is possibly legally protected which Steve violated.
@ YankCrank:
1. Ditto.
2. Ditto.
3. Ditto.
4. Absolutely ditto.
cr1 wrote:
I read RAB for some of their news pieces and some of their analysis but I just spent an hour trying to follow along in their comments and it was maddening. Some guy named Tommy Smith/John Carlos/Archimedes Torquemada and some other guy named Steve B just bashed eachother’s brains in over the course of 60-80 quick-hit comments. I don’t know who these guys are but they both seem to be pretty rude individuals and their back-and-forth seemed to kill what was an otherwise enlightening discussion about the merits of Randy Winn vs. Reed Johnson.
In short, WW.com has by far the best commenting section on the web.
I read this blog and Lohuud. I am a west coast die-hard Yankee fan. A couple years ago I started looking for outlets, and came across a few. I have stayed with this one for a couple of reasons.
1. I am about the same age as Steve. Those of us who started being Yankee fans in the late sixties are different than most modern fans because when we started following the team, they sucked. And I do mean sucked. So, when Steve flashes his famous pessimism, I chuckle a little – I don’t quite share that perspective, but there’s a little bit of that shmear on my bagel too. I’ve amused myself that in my own mind all of George Steinbrenner’s warts went away around 1998 or so when we started rolling the WS. Before that ’96 ring, I was pretty much in Steve’s camp, albeit with the Boss in my sights rather than Cashman. So whereas I don’t see the glass half empty, Steve, I give you the latitude to say the sky is falling. I mean, you watched Horace Clarke.
2. The commenters here think things through and have solid knowledge of the game. On the whole, people here do not talk out their ass about things they don’t know about. That’s a good thing. Some of them, tip to Evan, really have their stats down, and that;’s a great thing, because I enjoy reading those posts but could never spend the time to collect that kind of material.
3. The one line, text-message speak kinds of posts “u c” on most blogs is not present here, English is spoken here, another good thing. I would not know a tweet if it kissed me on the lips, and I don’t give a rat’s ass about twitter. No offense if you do, have your fun. On this blog, things are coherent.
4. There’s always someone who takes Steve’s bait – used to be Bailywick, now it’s changed, but I like that back and forth of different opinions. What doesn’t interest me is a blog where someone makes a post and 217 people spit out the same thing or some variation of it. The difference of opinion helps one define one’s own interpretation of the game.
GDH wrote:
Ya know, I’m 23 and I started watching the Yanks when they sucked, too.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/NYY/1992.shtml
@ Corey: LOL
@ GDH:
@ chicken stanley:
@ YankCrank:
Thanks for the feedback. It’s all appreciated.
@ Corey:
Noted and props for that. For me it was like those two years – 77-78 just flashed out of nowhere, we weren’t really supposed to be that good, and with all the craziness in NY, it was like those two seasons were an oasis in the desert of many crappy to mediocre teams. My son is 14 and I keep trying to impress on him the importance of watching players like Jeter and Mariano when we go to games.
By the way, I look forward to the new contributors, including Corey and MJ and their posts.
I should add ’76 to that list. We fought and fought and made the WS, only to get just outclassed and ripped by the Reds.
Corey wrote:
Ditto. My earliest memories of the Yankees include Dion James and a lot of losses.
@ GDH:
Not a single person in my family watches baseball so I had no adult swaying me in any direction and I gave both the Mets and Yankees a chance in my early years due to my lack of cable and the Yankees putting games on MSG. Truth be told, the Scooter, Bobby Murcer and Melido Perez played the biggest hands in me becoming a Yankee fan during that year. The Yankees were bad, but the Scooter and Bobby got ya through it telling great stories. I also quickly became a huge Melido Perez fan (how could you not?).
Phil Rizzuto was also the reason I initially started reading this blog. The Scooter is one of my favorite people of all time and I have very fond memories of listening to him. Reading Steve’s “About Me” back in the day brought me to read his work, because we shared a fondness for Phil.
GDH wrote:
Thanks!
GDH wrote:
Ditto. If I remember correctly, there was a period where both were contributing to the blog, wasn’t there? I seem to recall both of them handling it very well.
@ YankCrank:
My two favorite position players back then were Big Mike and Little Mike (Stanley and Gallego).
Corey wrote:
Haha, than I guess Joe Girardi was your first “Johnny Damon”
@ YankCrank:
Actually, I’ve never hated a Yankee other than Damon and Farnsworth.
@ Corey:
And I don’t count Gorecki because he hasn’t touched pinstripes.
@ Corey:
Gorecki? What’s your issue with him?
@ yagottagotomo1:
Last season his uncle and I almost got into a fight at Citi Field.
I read WW for several years before I started to comment last year. Part of the draw of why I read is because I could identify with some of Steve’s background being a late-30s Yankee fan who favorite Yankee was Thurman Munson.
And being someone who’s not a fan of our GM, I find myself agreeing with him with a lot of his Cashman dissertation.
Which is not to say I agree with everything Steve writes. I think the in-season vibe could be better at times – I think it sways towards pessimism we constantly get from the media – that every Yankee loss is the beginning of the end, and that a 13-11 win, for example, can not be enjoyed since we gave up 11 runs.
Generally, sometimes I wonder how bad some Yankee fans were scarred by October 2004 in that even the successes now can’t be enjoyed. Maybe 2009 healed that – we’ll see in the months ahead.
In general, I like that this is a small community. I think I’m like a lot of the crew here in that I don’t read every response to every post, and if every post had 150 responses it’d probably make me lose interest after a while.
Some of the personal slings between commenters or directed at Steve do make me uncomfortable at times. Look, I don’t think Steve would want a crowd here who agrees with everything he writes – his last name isn’t Francesa.
Debate is good, and the comments here are thought out and well written compared to other places. But I think there are statements that are too personal or condescending aimed at other commenters, and I think that leaves room for improvement.
I read this blog for the obvious reason…
…because it’s there.
No, serious, I read this blog because…
…it tastes like chicken.
No, seriously, I read this blog because…
…I just don’t get enough frustration and hopelessness on the job.
No, seriously, I read this blog because…well, let me tell it in the form of an old joke.
Two elderly ladies sit down to have lunch together in a restaurant they frequent.
When the meal is over, one says to the other: “Why do we keep coming here? The food is terrible!”
And the other one replies, “I know; and such small portions!”
As near as I can recall, I saw an interesting link at another Yankee website to a piece on this blog. I hit the link and read the post. And I read the replies.
And it was good.
And then, a day or two later, I came back on my own, and read some more.
And it was good.
So, I kept coming back, and reading and lurking.
And it was still good.
So, finally, I dipped my toe in, and started commenting.
And that was good, too.
And now, I’m unstoppable, The Thing That Wouldn’t Leave
@ 77yankees:
Thanks. FWIW, you’re not the first person to share that they’re somewhat turned off by the personal attacks –
see from March 2008:
http://waswatching.com/2008/03/25/what-people-are-saying-about-waswatchingcom-part-ii/
and
http://waswatching.com/2008/03/21/what-people-are-saying-about-waswatchingcom/
@ Evan3457:
Dude. Know what’s funny? I like you. Go figure!
And, just a housekeeping note – the additional authors will be posting soon. I said February, and it’s only 2/2/10. Patience, my friends, patience.
@ Corey:
I have to say – growing up, Roy White and Bobby Murcer were it. We all had Bobby’s “bat wave” down with the whiffle ball bats. That and Mickey Rivers’ waggle were classics. Having grown up in the Scotter, White and Messer era, I am forever spoiled and embarrased that it took me so long to get the title of this blog.
@ GDH:
Better late than never.
And, FWIW, as a kid, doing the LHB Roy White with the bat held low was a biggie for me and my gang.
Steve Lombardi wrote:
I get the feeling when some people post their opinions, they sound as if they’re trying to argue in front of a criminal jury. By all means, people should state their opinion, but also realize if someone doesn’t care for Brett Gardner’s ability for example, they need to understand they’re likely not going to change that person’s point of view of Gardner no matter what you state.
I enjoy this blog because Steve is from “my era” of Yankees fandom – the 80′s and early 90′s. Most other Yankees blogs have authors who grew up with the Yankees of the 90′s and know nothing about the tough times. I especially enjoy Steve’s “throwback” posts.
Also, this is the only blog where I read the comments, and on rare occasions, post a comment. The comments here are usually well thought out and insightful, and disagree with Steve without resorting to mudslinging (most of the time). That’s hard to find on most Yankee blogs.
@ RockyTopYankee:
Thanks for the feedback. Good to know!
@ Steve Lombardi:
I know I’m late to this, but I was holed up pretty sick the past few days. I dont comment much, just a few quick jabs here and there, but I really enjoy the discussions/ constructive arguments that go on between some of the seasoned commenters. But when I do comment, its cool to know that more times than not, I receive some kind of feedback to my response. Mostly, I enjoy the small community atmostphere that this site gives off. The comments rarely stretch over 20 and are easy to follow. Its also been cool becoming FB friends with some of youse guys. To be honest I wasnt aware of all the side hating of WW that has been going on on Twitter, and am most definitely annoyed by it. I may not agree with some of Steve’s thoughts, but why would I waste my time attempting to demean the great work he does on here. Seems kinda childish and petty IMO. Well, keep up the good work Stevearoni and am looking forward to the other guys pitching in. It sounds like their work is allowing for the blog to press on. Clint out.