There's some truth in what you say, Purdman. No doubt, the same topics come up over and over again and these days, and when I glance at page one of the main forum, I almost know in advance what will be there.
Still, at least from my vantage point, there was no drop off in the number of threads containing things that matter to me. I'll add that the way posters interacted when the major events were in progress continues to make everyone feel like they are at the event, when, in fact, some are and some aren't. I think that the coverage of the majors (Derby City, BCA Open, WPC, US open, IPT KOH) by our posters this year was the best it has ever been.
Each of us looks for something different on AZB, but for this poster, pool nostalgia, game theory, tournament coverage, player comparisons, and the evolution and politics of pro pool are the thngs that get me most excited. As threads on these subjects remain abundant, I'm still a happy camper here on the forum.
Then again, there was a slight dropoff in the game theory department. I feel I should take a little bit of the blame as I didn't start nealry as many "how would you play this?" threads in 2005 as I did in 2004, despite the fact that other posters showed great enthusiasm for those threads, both publicly and through private messages they sent me.
Since I joined the forum about three years ago, there has been one aspect of game theory that I think we can all do a lot better with. I'm of the opinion that many a league player (often identifying their APA rating) that asks for advice about a position that arose in a match of theirs wants to know what the percentage play is for a player at their level. Invariably, the player is offered nothing more than the shot that is best for a top professional. Defensive play tends to be shunned, and anything short of the most agrressive possible shot is deemed too passive. Personally, I've tired of recommending anything passive or defensive in these threads, because I know that such recommendations will be drowned out soon enough. The result, I believe, is that we are giving players advice that could be better. Pool is not about spectacular shiots, but instead about consistency and playing the percentages. How often we all forget. Just one man's opinion.
OK, so I've suggested one way in which the forum might be better. Who else has an idea or two?
