crashcarson15

None of the soccer-specific stadia in this country are large enough to host World Cup matches.

VG, if you think members are trolling you or are generally posting things that are out of line, please don't hesitate to click the "Report" button.

I went to a Panthers game a few years ago when down in Florida for the Frozen Four. It was... maybe the weirdest sports experience of my life? It's like, here's two NHL teams and there's nobody here. Also the whole "walking out of the 85˚ Florida weather and into a hockey game thing."

They were just un-stickied. You should still be able to find them using the search feature.Searched and couldn't find them. Why were they un stickied?I believe (and I'd have to check this when not on mobile) they were all merged into the combined TEMPLATES thread to reduce the quantity of pinned topics.

Yes, if you see a thread that's been dormant for a while and bumped, just report the post and we'll get it taken care of.

Thanks, McCall. Taken care of.

Never said that it was. In fact, I said that a post that was cool for me was "I can't really feel sorry for the guy because he put himself in a really stupid position." This is exactly what you've just said I wouldn't allow. The issue comes with comments like "he deserved to die and the Earth is better without him in the gene pool," which is unproductive and over the line. That's got a much greater likelihood of starting trouble and you should be able to recognize that difference. If you can't, I'm sorry.

For the most part, I'm editing posts because I don't feel like they have a place in the discussion (typically personal attacks) and thus will write a message intended more for the poster than anything. But more than anything, it's whether or not you've gone over the line in my opinion. A post requiring moderation might say "Ward deserved to die and the Earth is a better place without him in the gene pool." That's just stupid, disrespectful, and over the line. It has no place in logical, on-course discussion. However, a post that doesn't require moderation would be "I can't really feel sorry for the guy because he put himself in a really stupid position." That's a calm and smart way to make a very similar point. Think twice about what you post before you post it. Read over it. And don't try and pull the "internet tough guy" role. If you've got complaints, we'd love to hear them. But the vast majority of feedback I've gotten has been of the "I like the changes" variety. So we keep doing the same things. You can always feel free to shoot me a PM if you've got a question about why something was edited or deleted.

Yeah, if he's sold goods with your logos on them, a nice C&D letter might be in order. On the same note, from time-to-time, these guys'll get ad revenue as a result of their accounts and/or websites.

When it comes to concept bumps, it's best to bump with a slight update or if you're in a concept series, a new concept.

Apparently I never posted in this the first time around, so... Cleveland Browns, Cleveland Cavaliers, Cleveland Indians: Just lumping these three together because they're all in the same boat. I was born in Youngstown, Ohio where my dad and uncle grew up. My dad sided with the Cleveland teams. His brother with the Pittsburgh teams. Apparently I drew the wrong end of that deal, eh? Columbus Blue Jackets: They're Ohio's hockey team and I fell in love after going to a game when I was seven years old in 2003. I had long since moved out to Indianapolis but I convinced my dad to stop over in Columbus for a game on one of our trips back from Youngstown to visit family... probably the best thing I've ever done. Loved this team ever since probably more than any other. Portland Timbers: This felt like a natural transition because "Hey, I'm a CBJ fan so I should be a Crew fan, right?" Not necessarily. When I started getting into soccer after the World Cup in 2010, the Crew were coming off of a recent championship and I kind of casually tracked how they were doing. As time went on though, the ownership kept running the team into the ground and I just couldn't really get into the team and called myself an "MLS fan"—that's where the Timbers jumped in. From when Portland entered MLS, they became my "Western Conference" team and this past year, I realized I was honestly rooting for the Timbers to beat the Crew when the two teams played. The great fan culture in Portland drew me (both from support of the team and of LGBT initiatives, etc.) to the club and having an owner in Paulson that actually gave a rat's ass about the team was pretty cool too. I don't foresee this one changing unless Indy Eleven move up to MLS at any point. Getting to Providence Park is probably my next "Bucket List" item to cross off. Aston Villa FC: Before the World Cup even came around, I figured "hey, all of my friends play FIFA so I should buy FIFA." I knew I didn't want to play with Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, or United, so I went looking for another team whose identity I really liked and found Aston Villa. Fast forward about a year and between a combination of playing with them for a little bit in FIFA 10 and knowing who they were because they, like the Browns, were owned by Randy Lerner, I decided to start following them. I looked at following a soccer team as a fun little novelty for a while but eventually really and truly fell in love with the club and the culture. I saw them on tour in Chicago in 2012 and took in a match last March at Villa Park. Paris Saint-Germain: After Villa, PSG were the second club I started following, doing so about midway through the 2010-11 campaign. I loved Paris and the culture of the city and PSG were having a nice bounceback campaign after a lower-half finish, chasing the Champions League places, so I started following the club. Of course as we all know, the oil money came to the club the summer of 2011 but the effects weren't seen too early on and I had gotten myself hooked. Following the club during the ultimately 2nd-place finish in 2011-12 was a hell of a lot of fun and the fact that I was supporting a club that might become like Barça, Real, or United didn't really set in until the Ibrahimovic and Thiago Silva acquisition in the summer of 2012. These days, PSG sit third amongst my European clubs to support but I'd still be chuffed to see them take home the UCL crown. Hertha BSC: It took me one hell of a long time to land on a German club. In fact, Hertha were the first club I disliked when trying to get into the Bundesliga as I was playing with 1860 München in FIFA and they were my biggest rivals for promotion... as it turned out, I would go through periods where I supported Bayern, Dortmund, Leverkusen, Mönchengladbach, and St. Pauli but when it was all set and done as the 2011-12 season came towards a head, I landed on the Berliners for my support. The team would go down but when I visited the German capital in January 2013, I fell in love with the city and cemented my passion for Berlin's largest club. Somewhat related, I also casually follow Union Berlin (both because they have a great supporters culture and because they're also a Berlin club) and St. Pauli (also for the fan culture). Indy Eleven: This is the newest club on this list (in terms of foundation) but it's pretty simple, really. I joined the Brickyard Battalion efforts to bring a team to Indy in 2012 and not too much later, the Eleven answered the bell for those calls. Can't wait for the first match April 12th. Indiana Pacers: I've admittedly gone back-and-forth on the level to which I care about the Pacers over the years but I'm definitely "ON" for a high-level of enthusiasm with them now. Growing up as a kid in Indiana, you fall in love with basketball and the Pacers were a team I got to watch quite a bit over the years. They'll never hold a cake to rooting for my beloved Cavs but they're a real fun team right now and it's really fun being around the city when they're in the playoffs. On the flip side, I'm not a Colts fan anymore—a combination of them pricing the casual fan out of going to games and the fan base being extremely, extremely fair weather and annoying. University of Notre Dame: I go here. But also, as a Catholic growing up in Indiana, I've been a Notre Dame fan for as long as I can remember. I'd been to 19 ND football games before I even enrolled at school here and have run that figure to 26... and it never gets old. Youngstown State University: Both of my parents did their undergrad here. Still waiting for a men's NCAA Tournament appearance... one of the longest-tenured D1 schools to have never gone. Ball State University: This is very casual and I don't care much but my mom did her MBA there, so... Fremantle Dockers: This is one of my newest fandoms... decided to start following footy this season and might end up studying abroad there at some point in my college career so hey, why not? Colorado Avalanche, Rockies; Denver Broncos, Nuggets: My mother's moving out to Colorado in the summer so I'll probably start following Colorado's teams.

I can kind of see where he's coming from, actually. The whole "who's gonna be the midmajor this year in the Final Four?" thing that's happened lately is getting a little stale. Also, I don't like Butler. Though I think I've discussed this in depth before.

While, sure, many of Brandiose's products look the same, someone living in Akron who goes to the ballpark isn't going to not buy a hat "because this is in the same style of that El Paso team in the PCL." For that reason, I tend to look at minor league identities in a vacuum and looking at it that way, this is IMO an awesome design and name.

Buc knows what's up.

To call Nationals Park a "retro copycat" shows that you have no understanding of what a retro-inspired ballpark even is.

Also, there's the whole nowhere for them to really go thing.

Entirely agree with the both of you. That jersey's my all-time favorite Tribe jersey.

BYU probably won't get into a major conference until they drop their objection to playing on the Sabbath. ALL college football teams play on the Sabbath (Saturday). BYU's objection is playing on Sunday, which is the "Lord's Day." No, BYU's objection is playing on the Sabbath.

We also lost a few of the different characters that running a fantasy league that has a lot of Bosnians, Croats, and Serbs could use.

I can't see St. Joseph's being seriously considered for the Catholic League as I wouldn't think 'Nova would give up their ownership of the Philadelphia market in that league. Nova has no ownership of the market. It is extremely provincial. In my opinion, only Temple has a significant fan base of non-affiliated people, with the other 5 schools followed by their alumni and not cared about by most others. IMO having St Joes in the same conference would benefit both schools. While that might not be the reality of the situation, that could be Nova's perspective on the situation.

I can't see St. Joseph's being seriously considered for the Catholic League as I wouldn't think 'Nova would give up their ownership of the Philadelphia market in that league.

But what about how Notre Dame makes a glorious commitment to America by playing against Army and/or Navy? And what about how just about every other FBS school makes a glorious commitment to playing a tough gauntlet by playing against [insert favorite FCS school here]?

The Big East'll still be able to be around as a non-football conference. Which doesn't mean much, but it's not the end of the line for the league.

Absolute greed ruins everything. CA-CHING!!!$$$$$$$ Wanting to make sure your athletic department has enough funds to keep non-revenue sports playing and thus educating more students? Ruining everything!

I've always got the vibe the couple of times I've been around the Beltway that they care about Maryland at least a decent bit. But yeah, it's all about getting BTN in more households -- hence why you'll see the Big Ten probably make a play for UNC and Georgia Tech. Notre Dame aligning themselves with the ACC for all sports seems to make sure they'll have an "in" if it comes down to that.