Hey Spengler, what up?  Its funny you should post this because I was thinking along almost identical lines.  The site has changed some.  There are fewer long entries and thumb suckers musing over the nature of reality.  There seems to be more short responses and chatter and less wordy contemplation (for better or worse).  That's not just because of Cheat and the front-page.  The diaries and the comments also seem to be generally less meaty.  

Of course, the composition of the community has inevitably changed some too.  Folk like Dyspeptic, Beeramid, Shaftr, Ssinger and Bridgeport Joe (and you and me) don't come around as often.

Please note that I'm not saying "Things were so much better back in the day" or "You young guys don't have the character we did" or even "You punks get off my lawn."  I'm just agreeing with your observation that its changed.  Of course, part of it may just be the off-season.  How many times can you talk about Shannon Stewart, Preston Wilson and Darrin Erstad before there's nothing left to say?  Maybe we'll all ramp back up when the games count.

And, for the record:

• Calm yourself regarding the 5th starter.  In 2004, I personally suffered the curse of Dan Wright.  It seemed like everytime I went to the Cell, he was the starter.  I even saw the Sox on the road once that year and caught Wright on the mound.  It was horrible.  I can still remember how he would get a few outs and lure me into thinking "This is the guy won 14 games in 2003.  He can be a solid major league pitcher."  Then, there'd be a hit, and he'd start nibbling.  Then he'd walk a guy and fall behind the next hitter.  You could literally see him lose confidence on the mound.  And he'd start to work . . . so  . . . slowly.  Then, inevitably, a meatball over the plate and a ball ringing off the wall or into the seats.  I'm telling you, I know exactly what your nightmare looks like.  But, and this is crucial, our choices this year are so much better than on 2004.  The other guys who started in the 5th slot that season were Josh Stewart, Mike Porzio and Neal Cotts (of the 8.10 ERA Cotts).  That was a really, really bad group.  Even if Floyd is no better than Wright (and I'm not convinced he is), we can sift through Haeger, Danks, Masset, Gonzalez, Phillips and Broadway and find something better than what we had in 2004.  Really, trust me, its going to be ok.  Go back to sleep.  (Honestly, I'm way more worried, relatively speaking, about the front four of the rotation.  They need to be really good.)
• The gyro-ball is, in fact, a myth.  But that doesn't mean it isn't cool.
• Wow, do I not care about the Yankee and Red Sox soap operas.  Coverage didn't use to be this way.  I grew up on the East Coast during the days of Reggie and the Bronx Zoo.  I know something about Yankee drama but this day-after-day minutia about junior high-level clique chatter is absurd.  ("I just heard that Mariano told Derek that he'll never, ever be friends with Theo or Tito even if he moves away because everything about them is just so over.")  Please, let's just ignore them until the games count.
• Anderson, CF.  Check.
• Pods and Erstad 1-2?  Please, please no.  
• Chris Young.  Sigh.  I hated that deal when it happened.  I said so here.  That doesn't mean I'm going to feel vindicated when Young has a great career.  It will just make it hurt more.
• I still say Bonds doesn't belong in the Hall.  It would be kind of funny (in a dark, twisted kind of way) if the all-time leaders in hits and home runs were both blackballed.  Maybe we could get a nice scandal regarding Clemmens have him barred as well?
• I don't know what's worse.  The Dominican legal system or American reporting about the Dominican legal system.
• No.  But you do get a tryout with the Bengals.

Most of the baseball sites on SBNation are slow right now, you'll see it pick up a bunch in the next week I'd imagine.

As for the old regulars...they're still around.  For me at least this site is a regular stop.  This site will always be a favorite of mine and its involvment in the 2005 season for me is special.

I didn't post much last year because the season really crushed me.  Mostly due to my own expectations being set a little higher than they had any right to be.  But I for one am hoping for a return to the old days and old ways of actual SSS baseball banter and not just bitching and bickering.

Here's to a good season boys (and girls)!

About this time Cheat even asked if it was worth keeping SSS going (paraphrase) due to the lack of posts.  I recall many of us reassuring him that once the season started he'd have to break the game threads into sections.

But at my age, maybe I'm misremembering?