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"I'm ten years down the road, Nowhere to run, ain't got nowhere to go."
- Bruce Springsteen (Born in the U.S.A.)

The early days (glory days?) of the Board were marked by a great spirit of cooperation. People volunteered information, and answered questions freely. My local teams stayed "ahead of the curve" with information I received here. People treated each other like teammates or friends, or somewhere inbetween.

I found the Board in late 97 or early 98. (Jerry, it was already in place.) I remember reading about people looking forward to the 198 Cincy GT, then talking about it afterwards. I was so envious, I went to the 99 Cincy, where interloper Brian Grazer showed us a thing or two about true power, and we teased The Canuck about the lacking "exchange rate" on his fly balls. That "Board Spirit" was truly evident at GTs.

I was so impressed with the Cincy GT that I hosted a couple of GT's in Charlotte (one with special guest, Major player Mark Weaver), enjoyed participating in others (BBQ tourney, Randleman, Durham), and helped us take the leap to longer "spring training" events, with two now serving separate but valuable niches.

Sure, the Board got crazy at times, and other boards might have more volume (but less depth.) I prefer to remember MMDD giving us extensive bat comparison reports from live BP with bats we had had not heard of, and wouldn't see for six months. I like that people would make trades with trust, through simultaneous mailings. I remember one player driving eight hours each way for a one-day GT. In all things, great camaraderie and friendship was present.

Thank you to Jerry for holding to your ideals so this didn't become "just another board." Thank you to my friends, the people who I have met, e-mailed with, or posted with, and especially those who inspired me to write a book.

I'm hoping this Board, like a good rally, continues to string along hits, and not have anyone thrown out on the basepaths!

Rams