TST got a little sentimental the other day, thinking about the NFL lockout of all things. If those schmucks don't screw up the 2011 season, it will be the sixth season for our ever-expanding community of, by and for St. Louis Rams fans.
Our first season was 2006, the last time the Rams had a .500 record. Thankfully, things look a little better for the Rams today than they did back then. Even more amazing than the transition the Rams have made, is just how much this community has grown during the bad times. Traffic slows down a little in the offseason - the lockout doesn't help - but it's some thirty times what it was back then, from hundreds of visitors each month to hundreds of thousands.
Traffic isn't as important, though, as the quality of the community we've assembled. In fact, more traffic can often mean that discussions take a turn for the worst, mirroring the lowest common denominator of the message boards. That hasn't happened here. Comments, fanposts, fanshots, etc. are of consistently high quality. Discussions are engaging. Not only is this a growing community of Rams fans, it's a damn smart one. You guys deserve all the credit. 3k and I could babble until we're blue in the face. It means nothing without the community, and it motivates me to keep this thing going. (BTW, if you're interested in contributing to the front page at TST, shoot me an email and we'll talk).
Ok, enough of the emotional stuff. The only reason I started this post was because I came across a little treasure in my old email messages the other day. Back in the summer of 2006, when all the behind the scenes stuff was going with SBNation to get this site up and running, we had to decide on a name for the site. The email I found contained some my first handful of ideas for what to call the site.
The nominees were:
Golden Horn Gateway - Not bad, but maybe a little bland.
Gold and Blue Review - Waaaaay too generic. How many teams have gold & blue for their colors?
Golden Turf - Hmm, sounds like some version of Boise State meets Goldfinger...without Pussy Galore.
Turf Toe - Not really Rams-specific enough, but I do kind of like it. Also makes me think of camel toe.
Golden Horn - Not bad, but not wow.
Horns O' Plenty - Definitely would not have worked during the Rams impressive 2007-2009 seasons.
Fortunately, Turf Show Times saved the day. It was the first name on the list, which says something about your first instinct, I guess.
Don't forget to tune into Turf Show Radio today at 6 p.m. Eastern. The link and discussion thread will be live right here on the site...Horns O' Plenty, er, Turf Show Times.
Hats off to you Rams fans. We deserve more than this silly lockout after what we've been through these last few years.