Athletics Nation 2016 Spring Game Thread Auditions

Athletics Nation thrives on the efforts of the community. When a spot opens up on the roster, we don't go out and sign a high-profile free agent writer, because we are a small-budget team. Instead, we promote from within, just like the A's do.

The front page crew keeps a Game Thread schedule, and right now there are a couple spots open for the coming season. To fill them, we're holding our annual Spring Training Game Thread Auditions, via the FanPosts section. Past graduates of this program include Jeremy F. Koo, Tim Eckert-Fong, and bernie_till_i_die, so as you can see there is not only the opportunity to cover some games but also to find an expanded role down the road. I also personally got my start doing Game Threads several years ago. If you've ever wanted to write about the A's, this is your chance; the platform already exists and the audience is already here, so you won't get a more gift-wrapped opportunity than this.

So, without further ado, here is how this will work. I'm posting the Cactus League schedule below, and anyone who is interested can claim a game in the comments section. To start out, we'll keep it to one person per game, but that rule may be bent depending on demand.

When you choose your game, your job will be to do the following:

- Post the Preview/Game Thread half an hour before game time.

- Post overflow Game Threads if the original thread exceeds ~500 comments (unlikely during spring)

- Post a recap of the game, structured however you wish, within an hour or so after the game.

At the end of the spring, we will determine who (if anyone) to add to the staff based largely on community feedback, but the final decision will be made by the front page crew.

Schedule of games to choose from. Games start at noon until March 13, when they switch to 1 p.m. (unless otherwise noted). Games that are televised on MLB Network are in italics (only the Giants on 3/14 is on Comcast Sports Net). Games that have been claimed are denoted by the screen names of the individuals who claimed them:

Thu. 3/3 @ Angels -- Jeremy Koo steps in for some practice swings (recap)
Fri. 3/4 vs. Rockies (SS) -- CaseyWitt_ (preview) (recap) (18 recs!)
Fri. 3/4 @ D'Backs (SS) -- Alex Hall steps in to loosen up his arm (recap)
Sat. 3/5 vs. Brewers -- Kingsguru21 (preview) (recap)
Sun. 3/6 @ Padres -- TuffsBuffs (preview) (recap) (14 recs!)
Mon. 3/7 vs. Royals -- OaklandAsbaseball (preview/recap) (12 recs!)
Tue. 3/8 vs. Rangers -- Duncan Morrow steps in to shag some flies (recap)
Wed. 3/9 @ White Sox -- CaseyWitt_ (preview) (recap) (14 recs!)
Thu. 3/10 vs. Dodgers -- baseballgirl steps in to take some grounders (preview)
Fri. 3/11 @ Reds -- BBG steps in again for PFPs (recap)
Sat. 3/12 @ Rangers -- NeedsMoreVisuals (preview) (recap)
Sun. 3/13 vs. Cubs -- 510SportsTake (preview) (recap) (10 recs!)
Mon. 3/14 vs. Giants (7 p.m.) -- jacobycarmola (preview) (recap)
Tue. 3/15 @ Rockies -- mattmcsports3 (preview) (recap)
Wed. 3/16 OFF DAY
Thu. 3/17 vs. Mariners -- kyrbyr (preview) (recap)
Fri. 3/18 @ Indians -- What's On Second (preview) (recap)
Sat. 3/19 vs. Reds (SS) -- TokoNeko (preview/recap)
Sat. 3/19 @ Giants (SS) -- Alex Hall steps in to work on his slider (recap)
Sun. 3/20 vs. White Sox -- Alex Hall steps in with the eyeball report (recap)
Mon. 3/21 @ Giants -- OaklandAsbaseball (preview/recap)
Tue. 3/22 @ Angels -- Jsb213 (preview) (recap)
Wed. 3/23 @ Mariners (7 p.m.) -- TuffsBuffs (preview) (recap) (19 recs!)
Thu. 3/24 vs. Rangers (7 p.m.) -- Jeremy Koo steps in for some final warmups (recap)
Fri. 3/25 vs. Angels -- blackmarketbaby.com (preview) (recap)
Sat. 3/26 @ Royals -- wobbling (preview) (recap)
Sun. 3/27 vs. Royals -- CryoBioBoy (preview) (recap) (13 recs!)
Mon. 3/28 vs. Indians -- Leap Year (preview) (recap)
Tue. 3/29 @ Cubs -- miky10hrusa (preview) (recap) (18 recs!)
Wed. 3/30 vs. D'Backs (noon) -- John N. Dillon (preview) (recap)

(The three Bay Bridge games from March 31 to April 2 will be used for final auditions or other tune-up purposes.)

Game thread positions are on a volunteer basis. Your motivation should be the pure enjoyment of following your team and the fun of having a voice about issues you care about. The entrepreneurial among us have used this kind of thing as an unofficial "unpaid internship" and parlayed it into paying gigs in the media industry, but that part is up to you.

So, without further ado, sign up for the game you'd like to cover in the comments! Even if you don't want to audition for a permanent spot but always wanted to run a Game Thread one time just for fun, that's fine too. The whole point of all of this is to have fun, so let's have some fun with it. Happy Threading!