What are the ground rules?

Here is the Batter's Box Code Of Conduct and Posting Rules:

1. Batter's Box is a site for intelligent baseball discussion and your posts should show evidence of intelligence. Try to advance the discussion with relevant observations or opinions. Before posting ask yourself: 'Is this post contributing to the thread?' If the answer is 'No' or 'I'm not sure', do not post your comment to the thread. At Batter's Box we value quality over quantity.

2. Proper usage of English is important. When posting use complete sentences, use appropriate capitalization, and do not use internet style abbreviations. Proofread your comments prior to posting them to the thread. You can and will be corrected if your use of the English language is poor. The more of us who make intelligent points, using proper English, the better Batter's Box will be.

3. Respect others. You might disagree with someone's opinion, but don't make it personal. Do not issue personal insults to other posters. Other posters are not jerks or morons; their opinion might be out to lunch but they are not. Similarly, players and front office personnel deserve our respect.

4. Do not insult a player or front office employee. Take a deep breath after a tough game. Remember that no player is as bad as he looks in his worst game nor as good as he looks in his best. Posting that "Wells sucks", or "I hate Patterson", or "Rios is a joke", makes YOU look bad. Remember that Batter’s Box is a site for intelligent baseball discussion: Knee jerk reactions don't meet that expectation.

5. Do not use profanity. Do not use inappropriate expressions such as "The Jays were raped", or "McCoy made an abortion of that play". Variations or abbreviations of profanity are not allowed - for example, STFU and F#$k are not allowed.

6. Don't make absolute statements unless you know them to be true. For example, if you say "the Jays suck with runners in scoring position", you should know that it is true. Otherwise check before posting.

7. Do not make the same post in two threads. Assume readers read all new posts and it will be seen.

8. Don't copy material from another site and paste it into Batter's Box without permission. Copyright laws disallow this practice, and on the other side we would not want our articles to be reproduced elsewhere without permission. You can summarize in no more than a few sentences. Always post a link to the source.

9. Do not pretend to be a major league player or a member of the front office. You have wide latitude to select your user name but impersonation is verboten. You can use "Lawrie fan", or "not the real Brett Lawrie", but not "Brett Lawrie". Keep in mind that you will have the same username as long as you’re a registered user of Batter’s Box – a handle that seems timely and hilarious right now might become very old very fast.

10. Don't be a one note Charlie. If you feel strongly about a point make it, even make it again. But don't return to the same point time after time. Most Batter’s Box readers are regulars; assume they know you and your perspective.

11. Be a considerate poster. An example of an inconsiderate post is rushing to post something you just read/heard as in "not sure of this has been posted yet but...". You’ll find in many cases it was already posted and had you read the thread you would have seen that.

12. Keep threads on topic. Don't hijack threads because you're in a rush to post something. There are appropriate threads to put everything in, and even if the appropriate thread is an older one your post will be visible because the thread will be bumped to the top of the Hot Topics list. If in doubt, contact a Roster member and a new thread can be established if required.

Remember, Batter's Box is NOT a democracy. Batter's Box is a private web site to which you are granted posting privileges. We have developed these simple posting guidelines and if you cannot follow them your posting privileges can be withdrawn at any time.

Finally have fun. These posting guidelines are designed to enhance everyone's enjoyment of Batter's Box.