All season I enjoyed watching a game with BYB Friends. The playoffs...not so much

The stakes are much higher. We all get so invested in this team that a playoff game can be very frustrating if/when the bad guys win. I’m guessing that winning game threads are much happier places than losing threads and the playoffs only amplify that.

I suppose it’s good advice to remember that every member of this team (and coaches) played a big role in a dozen or more of our wins. (And a handful of guys can claim a whole lot more than a dozen.) It’s our team and we should support them in good times and bad (which applies to a game and a season as much as decade to decade). I don’t think that means you can’t get frustrated or even verbally state as much…that’s what makes us great fans instead of casual observers.

And I’ll say this: Yankee ball has a way of bringing out the worst in people. Seeing them work the count and pounding balls when they get the count in their favor is not fun.

Let hope for a relaxing game tonight from Verlander and stay classy when things don’t go our way.

We were irritated that Detroit didn’t annihilate Garcia and near the end, we lost it.

part of it is grouchy people, and part of it is people like David where it’s almost an act and you just have to have the context to realize that and roll with it.

I look at the PA threads and I see a lot of that as well. Both fanbases are or have been so confident in their teams that when things don’t go perfectly, they start to freak out. I think the freak out also has to do with fear, conscious or sub conscious, of the other team – “We HAVE to do perfectly or they’re going to capitalize on every mistake!” Unfortunately, stress leads people to unpalatable reactions. I don’t blame you if you don’t want to expose yourself to that as you watch a game.

People are just way to negative.

I was really looking forward to joining the game thread and participating a little bit, I haven’t had the time to do so much the last month or so. Then every ball that a tiger pitcher threw was followed by a post all in caps it seemed like and it just wasn’t fun.

I understand that playoffs are a more stressful time for us fans and we want everything to go well. I also understand that some of it could have been an act. or just following the prevailing mood of the thread. Unfortunately, for me, it ruined a nice place I like to go that I can get excited and still have an intelligent baseball discussion/argument with Tiger fans. A little more emotion is understandable in these situations, and a few more curse words or a couple caps posts are expected and understood, but it was out of hand Saturday in my opinion.

Many of the regulars are being much more negative because there is way more at stake with every pitch. On the other hand, many of the new posters aren’t helping this vibe. Some of the personal attacks we’ve seen are from newer posters who are either on edge or still aren’t quite familiar with the BYB guidelines.

I really noticed that the negativity started to compound on itself as yesterday’s game went on. Sadly, I think it will be even worse with JV on the mound tonight. Even during the regular season, it seemed like the sky was falling if JV gave up a run or two early on. I wish the playoff threads weren’t like this, but I guarantee that it won’t be this negative come the start of next season.

but I can’t say I disagree… it’s become a little different during the playoffs. That said, I pretty much agree what’s already been stated. I think it’s just a combination of people being on edge because the stakes are so much higher, and new posters not really familiar with how BYB works yet.

If you are around tonight, hope you feel like chiming in! Always a great night when JV takes the mound.

I’ve been posting here a while, a discussion I had in a thread recently, and I ended up getting called an established vet around these parts so maybe my two cents will have some weight.

I’ve posted here through good seasons and bad seasons. Great games and collapses. No hitters, perfect games, unmentionable games (for God knows how many overflow threads), and all the other stuff in between. All I can say is maybe this place is like a bar. You show up during any other day and you can see your regular group there and have a good old time watching baseball. Occasionally a new face pops up and he either fits in or you haze them away.
Playoffs are another monster. You go to your favorite bar, try to sit in your favorite spot, and all of sudden, everybody in town wants to watch ball and drink. “Might be fun” you say to yourself, but the whole experience is going to be off. Everything is louder. You can’t hear the game as well. People are swearing at the TV, alcohol is abused through spillage. Yeah you’re at YOUR bar, but things are different. Even your friends are occasionally delving into the swearing and abusing.

Now this answer I’m about to give may or may not sit well with Kurt, but if you don’t like it, just stay away. I don’t mean for it to sound negative toward you, because I perfectly understand that it may not be your cup of tea, but my experience says that the bar will only get louder and rowdier the deeper into the playoffs we go.

I agree that the game threads have been almost uncontrolled in the series, and I was sorely tempted to sit out last night. But I also needed to be among people who understand my emotions about the game. I think it may be due to having soooo many more people on and everyone posting his or her reaction at the same time. It gets really hard to follow. The other problem in the first two games was a lot of side OT conversations that loaded up the thread. We always go off on tangents at BYB (that’s part of our charm) but having 15 of them in a game thread is maddening. Maybe if we ALL made the effort to stay on topic and not just post an “Expletive” just to say something, it might help.

I’ve been reading gamethreads selectively. I mentally skip past the Debbie Downers1 and just pay attention to the people who’re trying to share the experience with friends old and new.

It’s honestly no different than my experience in Real Life, where I have baseball-fan friends with whom I watch and go to games during the regular season. During the playoffs, whether it’s at a bar, a friend’s house or at the ballpark, you get a combination of a lot more casual fans wondering what happened to Johnny Damon and the serious fans who’ve gone into hunker-down DON’T TOUCH ME DON’T LOOK AT ME I AM WILLING THE BALL OVER THE PLATE GAH FUCK YOU CANO DIE DIE DIE mode where their tolerance for tomfoolery2 goes away. This changes the vibe, not always for the better, but it’s just the way things go in sports when the stakes are raised.

I will say that the tighter the spring gets wound, the bigger the bounce when we win. That’s the glory of it.

1 – Except David. If he’s not complaining then the Earth is off its axis.
2 – Such as it ever was

and I credit the moderators for that. I think it is human nature to be critical of things. You read an article with 100 sentences and tend to pick out the one thing that you disagree with most. It’s as if the things that you agree with aren’t worth commenting on unless they stand out for some reason. But there isn’t anything remotely close to BYB in terms of having an enjoyable game thread if one is so inclined.

What am I supposed to do with the 325 gallons of Kool-Aid I made for the playoffs?

The stakes are higher so everything is magnified. During the regular season, after a loss “we’ll get them next time” works but it doesn’t in the playoffs because there might not BE a “next time” until spring.

Everything is more intense in the playoffs and in the moment even people who don’t normally overreact do so.

I’m with Madpoopz. Honestly, if you don’t like it, stay away from the game threads and come back for the analysis afterwards when everyone cools down and can talk more. And if you think THIS place is negative… holy moley, I hope you don’t wander into some of the areas I’ve been. This place is NOTHING like as negative as most. :)

Tribute to the moderators for that.