state_of_the_union

We’re about a week shy of the 1 year anniversary of the start of Major League Jerk so it’s not too surprising that we’re going through the kind of growing pains we’ve been experiencing around here lately. If you haven’t noticed, (if so, you’re either lucky or not as loyal as you should be), we’ve had server issues that have prevented people from accessing the site, we’ve had page loading issues that prevent you from reading the comment you just posted in addition to the general discomfort that goes with writing about sports on a daily basis.  We’re aware of the issues and are trying to fix them as they arise (more on that in a minute).

When we started this site a year ago, it was because we all thought our opinions were so great that we felt the world needed to hear them. After all, we’re serious minds that need to be recognized. Or maybe we just enjoyed having a forum to write about sports and make fun of each other’s favorite teams and cities. Either way, we did it because we had something to say and we enjoyed reading the opinions of our internet friends in something longer than a mere comment. 

I almost said that we’re like-minded individuals but nothing could be further from the truth.  We disagree more often than we agree and if you comb the archives of the site you’ll find numerous posts that contradict earlier posts.  We have five or six different posts arguing both for and against Bert Blyleven’s induction into the Hall of Fame for example.  I think that speaks to the strength of the site.  Even the contributors to MLJ are going to be surprised by what’s written because we are all so very different in our sporting philosophies, loyalties, and personalities.

The reason I’m writing all of this is because right now the site is growing. More people are reading what we have to say and that’s making it more difficult to access the site. We will eventually have to upgrade our server which will cost money and will cause us to either place ads on the site to pay for it or we’ll have to eat the cost ourselves which may cause resentment over a workload that could feel “required” as opposed to fun. I doubt any of us expect to make money off of this little venture–the primary reason of course is that there are 27 people writing for this site and most of us can’t even spell properly. Secondly, who would want to buy a foul-mouthed blog that’s supposed to be about baseball but spends most of it’s time making fun of Joe Flacco (brilliantly, I might add)?

You want my honest assessment of this site? I love it. Especially recently. I think the last two months have been the best two months of the site’s history. I think every week we get better at what we do. I think that there’s a healthy balance between quality baseball analysis and dick jokes and I enjoy both. Is that the point? Does it matter if I like the site? Does it make a difference to you, the reader, if I think the site is any good? You’re goddamn right it matters. Because the minute we don’t like our content anymore; the minute we stop caring about what gets posted; the minute this becomes a chore as opposed to a labor of love, that’s when we shut things down.  That’s when we got the way of the buffalo and FJM.

Again, the reason this is all coming out now is not because I was feeling particularly nostalgic for how things used to be.  I like the fact that more people are reading the site and I get a sense of pride when we have a good day with regard to numbers.  The reason I’m writing this is because with growth inevitably comes changes.  Some of these changes are outside of our control but the ones that aren’t are as follows:

1. The content will not change. As I said, there is no real shot of ever making money off this site and even if there was I wouldn’t change a thing to make that money.  We’re crass (some call it passionate, I don’t) and excessive in our swearing.  That won’t disappear.

2. We will not limit access. Yes, there have been issues regarding our site’s server and we have also had issues with some internal things that sometimes make it difficult to view your comment.  We’re working on it.  For the time being, you can register to comment and that seems to have fixed the problem.  If you don’t want to do that, feel free to try any other solutions you can think of until the problem is resolved.  I’m sorry if you feel disenfranchised by the current state of things.  I don’t like it either.

3. We will not tailor our content for links. Yes we like getting linked by other (bigger) sites, but we’re not going to start doing more lists just to get people to show up.  If we write a list it will be because that’s the mode we chose to write in that day.  Likewise, we won’t be littering the site with tits.  If a pretty girl shows up on the site, it’s usually because Clown wrote the post.  While we will occasionally send out links to other sites, it’s because we feel it’s a well written piece that we would like more people to read.

What this means to you:

Hopefully, nothing.  We’re trying to make it seem as if nothing is happening besides the writing and posting.  If you notice our server, I apologize in advance.  If our ads become annoying, let me know and I will try to find a happy compromise.  We don’t want the bullshit to get in the way.

Thank you for reading our site everyday.  If you haven’t commented before because you don’t feel like you’re part of the group, just remember that Paris snuck in and now he’s a part of the family (everyone’s least favorite member of the family but a member nonetheless).

Share and Enjoy:
  • Digg
  • email
  • Facebook
  • PDF
  • Reddit
  • StumbleUpon