Athletics Nation is a Web log or "blog" for all A's fans (often referred to as merely "AN"). It's a place where everyone who loves the green and gold can come together, congregate, commiserate and converse about the Oakland Athletics. It's run by me, Tyler Bleszinski (screen name is "Blez"). I started the site in November 2003 after several long drives to Los Angeles listening to KNBR-680. I anxiously awaited hearing some discussion or lamenting about the A's failure that postseason, I heard nothing but discussion about the hated San Francisco Giants. I decided that A's fans needed an outlet to discuss our team regularly. Our Athletics are largely ignored and/or criticized by the mainstream press. The goal of this site is to inform, entertain and to inspire intelligent discourse. It's an online bar; a place to exchange ideas and discuss the green and gold.
Is AN affiliated with Major League Baseball?
No, it isn't. This site is just here to give A's fans the outlet to discuss A's baseball 24/7/365 and to build a stronger A's fan community.
I've registered for the site today, but I can't seem to post. Why not?
Because the Internet has some immature people who like to cause trouble, Athletics Nation has a 24-hour waiting period for new users. But, please note that the 24-hour waiting period DOES NOT start until you've logged in for the first time. Once you log in for that first time, the 24-hour countdown starts. The goal is to make AN a fun and intelligent place that all A's fans can enjoy. This rule helps cut down on people looking to annoy and detract from that.
I can't post a diary or comment!
You have to register with the site to post comments or diaries.
I'm having trouble logging in.
99 percent of the time, login problems can be traced to cookies. You must have cookies turned on. Scoop uses them to remember your user preferences, display preferences, and comment preferences. If you have cookies on, and it still doesn't seem to work, then it might be a cookie logjam. You might have an old, non-working cookie lying around which prevents the setting of a working one.
How do I post a comment?
You have to register with the site to post comments. To post a comment: find the comment you wish to respond to, then click on "Post a comment" near the bottom of the comment. This will open a new comment box. Put a title for your comment in the title box. Put the body of your comment in the large box. Use any html formatting you want to.
How do you post a diary?
You have to register with the site to post comments or diaries.
How to post a diary:
In the menu box on the right click on "Post New Diary." Give you diary a snappy but appropriate title so that people know what they're getting. A deliberately misleading title is uncool. In addition, a title like "Look at this", "Must read", or "How long has this been going on?" is not very helpful. You can put your entry into the intro copy box, but if goes on, you may want to consider the extended entry box. If you want to post a poll, put the poll question in the title box and the available responses in the answers box. It's usually better to limit the responses to four to avoid splintering the votes too severely, unless it's just for fun. Also, you're more likely to get more readers for your diary if you include a poll AND if you include "poll" in your diary title.
The diaries don't seem to let me post something unless I have a certain number of characters in it. Why?
The diaries are on the site to help promote intelligent discourse and give everyone the ability to basically have their own AN mini-blog. But when the diaries first started, we had a lot of people entering one-line diaries that were bumping longer, more well-constructed diaries. So, to avoid this problem, 300-character minimums were instituted. If you want one-line entries, please make use of the open threads on the main page to express your one-line thoughts. Open threads usually come along at least every other day. Also, if you enter random characters at the end of your post to get to the minimum, more than likely, your diary will be deleted.
What about getting a link into my diary or comment or other simple things like bolding a line?
You should probably know a little HTML in order to post links. Simple things like bold tags and a hyperlink are outlined here.
Someone wrote a great story on another site, can I post it?
It's no problem posting parts of other stories, just don't post the entire article. That can be viewed as copyright infringement. Always make sure and include a link to the article as well.
What is an "Open Thread"?
Open threads just means that the comments on that thread are intended for an open and free discussion. Any topic regarding the A's is open for discussion. Everything from Barry Zito's two-seam fastball to extra tickets you might want to sell.
Can I edit my diary and/or comment once I post it?
Yes. Diaries were once final when they were submitted them, but we've recently changed that so they can now be edited.
I put up a diary yesterday, but today, it doesn't seem to be on the site. What happened?
Sometimes AN members post similar diaries before you put yours up. This frequently happens when breaking news takes place, such as trades, signings, etc. I will judge which duplicative diary stays and which gets deleted. More often than not, it will be the one that is more well-thought out so take care in what you submit as a final diary. Diaries also come and go quickly on AN because when people enter new diaries the older ones get pushed down on the page. You can always go back through more by clicking on "recent diaries" at the bottom of the page. Also, if you write a thought-provoking, interesting diary, there's a good chance it could wind up as the featured story on the front page of Athletics Nation.
What are the community standards for Athletics Nation? Can I use four-letter words?
Hey, we're sports fans and we get upset when Dotel gives up a late inning 3-run jack for us to lose. I understand that four-letter words can come streaming out, but use good judgment. There are some younger people on the site so try and keep it to a minimum. As for other things that can get you banned, they include personal insults, racist, religious or homophobic statements and posts that are intended to incite anger. Keep this golden rule in mind: "You can attack a comment without attacking the poster." Remember, regardless of what you think about someone's thought process, we all bleed green and gold and we're all cheering for the same team, even if we do it differently. Also, please keep personal political beliefs away from Athletics Nation. While this isn't a banning offense, it isn't healthy to inspire good baseball talk. If someone continues to bring political beliefs to the site, they may eventually get banned. There are plenty of blogs out there that discuss politics, AN wasn't created for that reason. I don't ever want to ban anyone from the site, so when you feel yourself getting emotional or getting ready to attack someone, pause and take a deep breath and remember, "They are an A's fan too." If someone makes a comment you don't like, try and talk it through with them. People are more rational than you'd think.
What do I do if someone puts up a comment I don't like?
Please consider talking with the person and reasoning with them before emailing me or getting in an argument with them. AN has become a good place for largely intelligent banter, with minimal flame wars. I'd like to keep it that way, so remember, unless someone is a troll or just wants to cause trouble, usually people can be very responsive if approached in a rational fashion. I think my time is better served by trying to secure better content, interviews and writing for AN rather than settle disputes between ANers.
I bought something through the AN Official Store, but I realize I got the wrong size or need to send it back for some reason. Who do I contact?
AN t-shirts are made by a company called Astropitch. E-mail shipping@astropitch.com. They're extremely helpful and should be able to help you out.
I have my own blog, I would like a link in your blogroll, how do I get one?
I've had to institute a six-month rule on any new baseball blogs that come along because I was getting so many requests for links. If your blog is older than six months and it's regularly updated, I'd be happy to add a link. Just email me.
Can you put me in touch with Billy Beane and/or any of the other A's?
A stipulation of getting the chance to talk with Billy Beane, David Forst and any of the other A's people is that I do not give out their personal information. Since I want to continue to get great access to give you the best AN possible, I can't break this agreement. Sorry!
What's with the globe in the left-hand corner?
AN has attracted A's fans who follow the team from all corners of the planet. AN has members who live in Australia, Japan, Alaska and Israel as well as everywhere else imaginable. The green and gold world represents AN with the epicenter of that universe represented by the star on the globe in the East Bay.
What's with the "In Billy We Trust" cult-like following of A's GM Billy Beane?
No, we don't all really wear dark robes, run around in Nikes and drink Kool Aid. But I'm the type of person to trust someone until they do me wrong. Beane has proven he's smarter than all of us by our A's averaging 95-wins or so in the 2000s. With that kind of track record, the A's front office has earned our faith. Plus, if a move is dissected from different angles than what you conventionally see in the media, you can often see the proof of Beane's intelligence and foresight.
How can I support the site?
You're already supporting the site by visiting it, participating in the discussions and opening diaries. If you want to support it financially, the best thing you can do is to support the AN advertisers (the ads right underneath the AN logo and the text links on the bottom right-hand side). The more you click through the ads and use their products, the more you're showing them that this is a better alternative to advertising in other places.