Those forum topics and posts are back, along with the bbpress ones, Both have been migrated to Vanilla Forums (free version) and it's ready to use now. Click the link below.

Obstructed View Forum

You're able to link your WordPress account with the new forum, but I believe you'll first have to do a password reset within Vanilla. Honestly, I'm now sure. I've created and deleted so many users over the last few weeks and I can't remember. It's not difficult. Maybe you can simply be logged into WordPress and click the Login with Obstructed View thingy on the forum and all will be good. Maybe you'll first have to do a password reset from within Vanilla. I'd suggest you use the same password you use for OV to make the linking process easier, but whatever.

If you notice a problem, set up a new thread. The forums we used before (Obstructed View, Entertainment, etc.) are now just categories so pick whichever one is appropriate when making a new thread. If you have problems logging after a reset, use the contact link at the top of the page to contact me.

I'll soon be replacing the sidebar widgets with new ones for this forum.

The post OV Forum Update appeared first on Obstructed View.

It was a long survey. We used 11 position players and 7 pitchers. Kerry Wood has since been removed due to his retirement so we had a total of 17 players and 3 statistics for each player.

Of the 51 fields, not including the tie-breaker becasue it wasn't necessary, 13 of the 22 who completed it predicted more than half correct, but only 1 person was over 28. Mark Ammer ran away with it as he predicted 33 of them correct. So even if we left Kerry Wood in there, he could not have lost.

Projectjions are more or less a baseline of talent, which means it's the average production we can expect from the player. It's interesting that our group average was exactly 25.5, or half of the predictions being correct.

When I was sorting through the totals I was actually curious if we were better able to project, at least in the form of an over/under, certain players. I haven't looked into that yet, but will sometime. I did notice that a couple of the returning players we predicted correctly almost across the board while new players were more mixed. I wouldn't guarantee that is correct, but I got that impression.

This isn't too surprising either as we know a little more about the players than a projection system can include since we're more familiar with how they'll be used and their current inury status.

I may or may not dig further into our predictions. The point total for all who entered the contest is below. For the couple of people that either do not regularly comment here or we're unaware of what name they use, we used the initials of their real name.

The post Obstructed View Projections Contest Results appeared first on Obstructed View.

Even when the mobile theme seemed to work, I much preferred to switch over to the desktop version. It wasn't difficult to do, but it made the user experience less friendly. When we learned that there were some commenting issues it was time to abandon the mobile platform we've used since our move to WordPress in early 2012. It was also time to figure out a long-term solution.

That wasn't, in our opinion, ever going to be displaying the desktop version of the site on mobile devices. Our mobile theme looked nothing like our desktop theme, which we have spent considerable time designing (probably poorly). This too was always problematic and is for many sites that use different themes.

Managing the files in one theme is difficult enough, but managing them in two themes is nearly impossible for a site like this that isn't making a huge profit. It wasn't worth our time, but since upwards of 20% of our traffic is being viewed on non-desktop devices, something had to be done. The desktop version was acceptable. This left one option: designing the mobile theme to look as close to similar to the desktop theme, but that's far too much work and it still leaves us having to maintain two separate themes.

Responsive themes have become quite popular as the number of devices grow. These themes format the content to the size of the device being used. You can use one theme for both mobile content and for those using a laptop or desktop. The theme will look the same on a smart phone, a tablet or a much larger screen. The only difference is the order in which elements of the page are displayed. Since the content is most important, it's front and center on a mobile phone while the sidebar elements are pushed to the bottom. On your mobile phone, the login module will therefore be pushed to the bottom of the page. We're looking into an alternative in which we could place it in the menu, but for now it's at the bottom on your phone and in the same place otherwise.

The site basically looks the same. If you didn't access this site on a mobile phone and I didn't write this post, you may not have noticed anything. Perhaps you'd have noticed a few styling changes or a different font being used, but you'd not have noticed anything significant. The most significant change is that there is no background on the menu.

You can now access Obstructed View from any of your devices and the content will be easily read. The comments section will be the same as the one you'd use on your desktop. There's no need to familiarize yourself with two different layouts when one will suffice. There is one exception for the time being: comment numbers. Most desktop browsers support ordered lists, but mobile devices usually don't. As a result, the numbers you see outside the comment box on your desktop won't be visible on the mobile device. We're looking into ways to number the comments so they can be seen on all devices. I don't know how much those numbers matter to you, but I very much prefer it when comments are numbered.

There could be some bugs. There may be a situation in which the theme doesn't format itself to your device. There's literally no way to have a website function the same in every browser on every phone, tablet or computer. It's just not possible without spending a lot of money that we don't have.

I've tested the site on the following browsers: Mac Safari/Firefox/Chrome, Windows 7 IE8/Firefox/Chrome, Vista IE7/1E8/Firefox/Chrome, iPhone Chrome/Safari, iPad Chrome/Safari and have been told it displays correctly on a few different Android devices. If there is a problem with a specific OS and/or browser it's almost certainly going to be IE6 or earlier. Hopefully there is not, but as long as it is in some way functional on that browser or earlier I'm not going to invest any time trying to figure it out.

One unseen consequence of switching to the responsive theme was the table layout of the forum. HTML tables and responsive themes don't work well with one another. Because of thise we've moved our forum to a new installation and there is a link on the menu in the same location. Since it's a new installation, people will have to register on the new forum. We're sorry for the invonvenience, but you can still post on our blog without being registered. The latest commented topics are on the sidebar, as well as the footer.

In the future, if you have questions, comments or complaints about something related to the layout of the site, please leave them in the forum. There is a thread already set up specifically for it.

The post Obstructed View is now responsive appeared first on Obstructed View.

There were so many great entries, in a way you are all winners, but in a more accurate way, there was only the one winner.  By virtue of a plurality of the popular vote by our readers (and possibly members of their families), the submission by intrepid reader, MO, has been selected as the Obstructed View Unofficially Official 2013 Chicago Cubs Slogan**:

MO, has politely deferred his Grand Prize to Nick, who submitted the runner-up slogan, "Don't Say We Didn't Warn You." So all five finalists will be receiving the Essential Games of the Chicago Cubs DVDs and Nick will be receiving the OV t-shirt as well.

Thank you to everyone who submitted slogans. It was difficult to narrow it down to five finalists, and we're really glad you guys did the voting to choose the eventual winner. Here is the full list of submissions:

• Getting Blindsided Every Day
• The Cubs:  An object at rest tends to stay at rest.
• The 105th time's the charm
• the revolution is coming
• If Rebuilds Were Easy, Anyone Could Do It
• Because you can't go over-slot on quixotic optimism.
• You're Still Watching? Awesome!
• Hey, We're Trying
• Uncle Fonsie's Lil' Scrappers
• Northside Youth Movement
• Smaller payroll bigger production
• Under Construction – Will Be Completed by end of 2014
• Caution: Under Construction
• Let Them Transform You
• Let's See What Transforms
• Baseball ad nauseum
• Right town. Right team. Wrong year.
• This is serious
• 2013 Chicago Cubs:  Jesus titty fucking Christ!!
• Even shit doesn't smell this bad!!
• Its no way to go through life!
• This isn't our year
• Rebuilding for the future of your grandchildren
• Soriano's almost gone!
• It's got a chance…gone, a lost season!
• 2013 Cubs: Should have been a FanShot
• Chicago Cubs 2013: This is Another Year
• 2013 Chicago Cubs: At least we don't have to hear 'Go, Cubs, Go' very much.
• Into oblivion!
• All aboard the fail boat, next stop: 2013
• 2013: Rebuilding futility
• Fail, Rinse, Rebuild
• This year redemtion will be spelled C-U-B-S!
• Where you come to suppress even worse memories.
• 2013:  Year of the Facepalm
• We of little faith
• 2013: wake me when it's over
• Fuck the Mendoza line!
• Hey, at least they aren't the Astros.
• 2013: Because every game has to have a loser
• 2013: Hang It Up And See What Next Year Brings
• 2013: Don't Say We Didn't Warn You
• 2013: The Prospects Strike Back
• Race to the Top Magic #: 163.  Piece of cake.
• Wrigley's the new Gitmo.
• Let's see the Astros top this!
• Someone's gotta lose!
• 2013 Chicago Cubs:  I'd rather watch old people fuck!!
• 2013: you'll be sorry that the mayan apocalypse was just a bunch of bullshit
• Hey, I think we play the Astros 18 times.
• Would you come if I wore my oversized Harry Caray glasses?
• Goodbye Astros! Hello last place.
• 2013 Cubs: Blame it on Obama
• The Doormat of the Pacific Coast League
• Wrigley Field: Even the Old Style can't help us.
• We just… It's… We're fucking sorry, okay?
• Nowhere and Back Again
• The 2013 Cubs: So Very Tired
• It's either this or the WNBA.
• Who's watching the kids?
• Maybe baseball's not your game. I know, let's have a spelling contest.
• Why are you still here?
• Fuck, the Fucking Fucker's Fucked
• The 2013 Chicago Cubs: Because We Have To
• I paid how much for this?
• It Gets Better (…right?)
• Youth will be served
• They actually play the game in a trough now.
• Pissing excellence into the wind
• Cubs Baseball…We Can't Suck As Bad As Last Year…Right?
• Why not be mediocre?
• Wait til next century!!!
• Is it next year yet?
• Shit's Gonna Happen!
• Our Ace is a 28 year old with a mullet!
• 2013 Chicago Cubs:  Who gives a shit?
• Relive the agony
• Facilitating happenings that approximate baseball
• 2013 Cubs: At least the Old Style tastes like piss.
• This WON'T be the year, but maybe soon!
• This Year Will Blindside You

*Slogan contest is not affiliated in any way with the Chicago National League Ballclub or any members of its organization.

** Seriously, the Chicago Cubs want nothing to do with us and would probably prefer it if we just went away with our stupid slogan bullshit.

The post Because We Have To appeared first on Obstructed View.

Phil, Kim, Nick, Josh, and Eric have captured America's hearts. With their cuteness and stuff.

Phil: Because we have to

Kim: Year of the facepalm

Nick: Don't say we didn't warn you.

Josh: Right town. Right team. Wrong year.

Eric: If rebuilds were easy, anyone could do it.

So, now that we've brought personal bias into this, don't hesitate to vote repeatedly for whoever you think you can recognize on a first-name basis.

UPDATE: The erroneous caption credits have been fixed. I think. h/t Nick (dying laughing)

The post Congratulations to our finalists – 2 Days Left to Vote appeared first on Obstructed View.

• Year of the Facepalm
• Because We Have To
• Right town. Right team. Wrong year.
• Don't say we didn't warn you.
• If Rebuilds Were Easy, Anyone Could Do It.

So what are you waiting for? Go vote. If you don't have Facebook you can email your vote to ov [at] obstructedview [dot] net.

The post Vote for our 2013 slogan appeared first on Obstructed View.

Okay, we've already received a truckload of entries for our 2013 Cubs slogan contest. First of all, thanks to everyone who has entered. I need to remind you that the prize we're giving away is a DVD set of the Essential Games of the Chicago Cubs over many decades, not just the essential games of 2012. This is a prize, unlike the Best New Artist Grammy or the Crosstown Cup, you actually would like to win. It has footage of games in which the Cubs were victorious, in many instances playoff bound. It's your chance to simulate the euphoria brought on by winning. 

But if you'd really like that winning feeling, I suggest you follow these ten tips for writing a winning slogan about the 2013 Chicago Cubs. You see, a lot of the 60+ entries to come in so far will not win. If they were better, they'd have a better shot at winning. That's how these things work. So pay attention.

10. Disinterest over disgrace. There's an awful lot of emphasis placed on how bad the Cubs are already sure to be in 2013. I certainly won't tell anyone to let the Hope Monster attack their expectations for next year, but please remember that baseball is a difficult game to predict. It's possible we won't be completely disgusted by the way the Cubs play in 2013. So slogans like, "Boy this team blows," while potentially quite accurate, focus too much on predicting. Yes, they'll likely be bad, but you shouldn't prematurely turn your nose up at next year's garbage. (Actually, Next Year's Garbage"  sounds like an ok slogan.) You can't know for sure that they'll be abysmal, but you can know for sure that we'll expect them to be. 

9. Don't mention the Astros. The Astros won't be in the NL Central anymore next year. They'll be an AL team with AL dreams. In 2013, the Cubs and their fans will care very little about the Astros' welfare. So don't use them in your slogan.

8. Pizza Hut MILF is not a slogan. It's a way of life.

7. It's a Way of Life is a slogan, but it's dumb.

6. The Shorter the Better. It's a slogan, not a Russian novel. If your slogan has subpoints and character back stories, it's probably too long.

5. Don't Try Too Hard. Again, we want a slogan that can, in just a few words, hint at what it means to be associated with this team next year, not double as a full-length comedy routine. 

4. Write and submit a slogan. If you want to win, you know, go ahead and enter. If you don't enter, your odds of winning suck.

3. You don't have to put "The 2013 Chicago Cubs:" at the beginning. We get it. It's a slogan for the 2013 Chicago Cubs. That's the only year for which we're accepting entries. No need to be unnecessarily  redundant and repetitive by telling us the date and the team name and that it's the 2013 Chicago Cubs.

2. Can you imagine it on a t-shirt? If it's not t-shirt worthy, it's probably not DVD worthy. 

1. Bribery. Seriously, why do I have to spell this out for you people?

Okay. I hope that helps. I hope you win. We've received some great entries and appreciate everyone who has submitted them. But the contest runs through Sunday, so there's still time to wow/bribe us, so get on that.

The post Slogan Contest Update: Ten Tips to Help You Win appeared first on Obstructed View.

The winners will receive The Essential Games of the Chicago Cubs on DVD compliments of A+E Networks Home Entertainment/MLB Productions. Product description below:

Product Description & Features

• by A&E Video
  • 4 Pack Set
  • The Chicago Cubs have a rich history in Major League Baseball and is one of the two oldest active teams in "Major North American Sports"
  • Chock full of historic moments, players, and milestones in the club's history, ESSENTIAL GAMES OF THE CHICAGO CUBS is a must have collectible for not only Cubbies fans, but baseball fans everywhere

MLB.com Exclusive Release Date: 07/17/12

The four fan-favorite games include:

• July 12, 1969 , Wrigley Field, Cubs beat Phillies 7-4, classic Cubs lineup
• 6/23/1984 – Ryne Sandberg
• 5/6/1998 – Kerry Wood 20 Ks
• 9/20/2008 – Division Clincher

We've generally ran the contests right here on the blog, but this time we'll be doing it on our Facebook page.

To enter the contest, leave a slogan on our contest page at Facebook (mobile users can visit this page). You must enter by Sunday. And you can enter more than once, but only one entry per person advances to the final 5.

The four of us who started this blog will select the final 5 slogans and then we'll have you guys vote for them, also on Facebook. The winner will receieve the DVD set linked above along with an Obstructed View t-shirt. The other 4 we select will receive the DVD set.

The post The Essential Games of the Chicago Cubs DVD Contest appeared first on Obstructed View.

The post Josh is joining Obstructed View appeared first on Obstructed View.

We have (actually, And Counting) put together a pretty cool image to mark our very special anniversary. We think it sums things up pretty well.

We're also introducing the Obstructed View Forum. It will soon be linked to on the menu and there will be a module on the sidebar with the latest forum posts. We have forums for the Cubs, baseball in general, football, basketball, other sports, entertainment and other topics.

We hope you use it. If you do, post a link in the comments so people can see it more quickly. There's a lot of activity in the comments and we're not discouraging you from using the comments in the same way you have. We just thought this could add something to the site that was worth trying out.

When we set up this site we installed a chat room and have used that for some of the roundtables we've done. We're going to open that chat room up to be used from time to time during games. We need the traffic on the blog. It helps pay the bills, but we're thinking we could have a weekly chat during a game. Not sure which day or if it will be a specific day each week, but it's something we're planning to do.

Also, there will soon be another contest on Obstructed View. The idea for it belongs to commenter GW so thank him for the riches that one of you will soon have. The contest will include all the players we've posted projections for and you'll vote whether or not you think they beat their projection or fall short of it. Therefore, the winner won't be known until after the season. Although we have yet to think of a prize, we've agreed its range in value will be between a free subscription to Obstructed View and a brand new twenty dollar bill.

Join the Forum discussion on this post

The post This is a year appeared first on Obstructed View.