Guidelines

Our goal for this site is that it's more than just a place to supply news and analysis or to fill in the gaps that the traditional media doesn't have the column-inches to fill. We want it to be a fun place where fans can have intelligent conversation. Not everyone agrees with that. Some people think every site on the Internet should resemble their local sports bar or talk radio show. That's fine. There's plenty of other sites out there for them to play at. But that's not how it works around here. We strive to be better than the rest around here.

I write that introduction as a jumping off point in reminding everyone we do have rules, and you should review them. This is our guiding principle:

This is a baseball site. It is not talk radio, a message board or your personal blog. People should feel like Bless You Boys is a fun place to be a Tigers fan of any sort -- from the casual fan who just likes to take in a ball game with friends, to the statistics parsers who enjoy more complicated analysis. New people should be made to feel welcome. Vigorous disagreements are welcome, whether they’re with the authors or with others who comment. But note we put high value on the quality of discussion here -- not how loud you can yell

Not unsurprisingly, the first rule is to stay on topic. Conversation might branch out a bit here or there. It might lead you to think of some funny, related story. That's all fine. But everyone should strive to get back to the subject. If you feel strongly about a topic that you don't feel has received enough coverage, that's what fanposts are for. It's your chance to blog, so use it.

What is not acceptable and will be cracked down on is turning every post into a place to bring up your personal hangups. Every time we write about a position player is not an invitation to bring up the fact the Tigers need more pitching or more depth in the farm or your favorite minor league A-baller .

Otherwise, what do we expect? Debate honestly, debate intellectually. Remember that writing comments is a form of communication, and you should try to use the tools of communication such as grammar and proper spelling. Typos happen and we don't expect the Queen's English. But this isn't a cell phone, don't type like you're texting us.

Follow these guidelines and you'll have a lot of fun around here -- we promise.