Athletics Nation 2018 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 includes a Game Thread staff, and we’re starting to put together this year’s version. To help fill it up, we're holding our annual Spring Training Game Thread Auditions, via the FanPosts section.

If you’re interested in writing for AN, then this is the best way to get your foot in the door. In this case we’re specifically looking for folks to run Game Threads/recaps during the season, but many of our current front page columnists originally came to us through past versions of these spring auditions, including Tim Eckert-Fong, bernie_till_i_die, and Frederic_Henry — 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.

Note: It’s also OK to sign up for this because you just feel like covering a spring game for fun. Wanting to write for AN all season is not a requirement!

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 game per person, but that rule may be bent later on 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. (We’ll move it from FanPosts to front page and add a photo for you.)
• Post a recap of the game, structured however you wish, within an hour or so after the game.
• Bulleted lists should have 3 items but those are the only 2 things you have to do.

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. You can help by Rec’ing the recaps that you like best, as that will be a primary factor.

Schedule of games to choose from. Games start at noon until 3/11, at which point they switch to 1 p.m. (unless otherwise noted). Games that are televised are in italics with their channels (MLB Network, NBC Sports Net, or online at MLB.tv). Games that have been claimed are denoted by the screen names of the individuals who claimed them:

Fri. 2/23 vs. Angels — JToster
Sat. 2/24 vs. Padres
Sun. 2/25 vs. Royals
Mon. 2/26 @ White Sox
Tue. 2/27 @ Indians — dfodavid
Wed. 2/28 @ Cubs
Thu. 3/1 vs. Rangers
Fri. 3/2 OFF-DAY
Sat. 3/3 vs. Padres
Sun. 3/4 @ Padres — Baseball Jen
Mon. 3/5 vs. White Sox — aljout
Tue. 3/6 vs. Rangers
Wed. 3/7 @ Mariners (MLBN) (5:40 p.m.) — mattmcsports
Thu. 3/8 vs. Angels (MLB.tv) — Drone
Fri. 3/9 @ Brewers (MLBN) — GloryDA’s
Sat. 3/10 @ Rangers
Sun. 3/11 vs. Cubs
Mon. 3/12 vs. Giants (NBCSBA) — Mallory Ensminger
Tue. 3/13 @ Royals
Wed. 3/14 OFF-DAY
Thu. 3/15 vs. Mariners (NBCS) (7 p.m.) — Orodawg
Fri. 3/16 vs. Indians — Murphy26
Sat. 3/17 vs. Mariners (SS) — Pro4pro32polishA’sfan
Sat. 3/17 @ Giants (SS) (4 p.m.) — andypierucciUT
Sun. 3/18 vs. White Sox
Mon. 3/19 @ Dodgers (7 p.m.) (MLBN) — JJ209
Tue. 3/20 vs. Dodgers
Wed. 3/21 @ Brewers (MLBN) — BuckeyeRaider
Thu. 3/22 vs. Rockies
Fri. 3/23 @ Angels (MLB.tv) — CodyFSchmidt
Sat. 3/24 vs. Brewers

(The three Bay Bridge games from March 25-27 will be used for final auditions or other tune-up purposes.)

Game thread positions are on a volunteer basis. Your motivation at this level should be the pure enjoyment of following your team and the fun of having a voice about issues you care about. That said, some of our more regular and experienced contributors do receive small stipends, and the entrepreneurial among us have parlayed this kind of opening into paying gigs in the media industry. 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.

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!