F.A.Q.
What is this?
The Slurve is daily subscription email that brings you the best, most important, and most useful news and writing about baseball. Here's a sample.
Who should subscribe?
The Slurve is for anyone who loves all of baseball. It’s for people who love good sports writing. It’s for people who play fantasy baseball. It’s for baseball bloggers and sports media professionals. It is for anyone who wants one message in their inbox every morning that asks for nothing else but to be enjoyed.
I’m one of those people. Why should I subscribe?
There has never been so much good writing about baseball as there is now: insightful statistical analysis, evocative reporting, useful commentary, fun provocations, and concise news items. But it is buried under so much more junk: lazy “rankings”, rage-inducing fake-debates, and a lot of content you don't want your boss or child to see when they look over your shoulder. The Slurve conveys the daily baseball news, and highlights the best writing; it gives you a portal to the stuff that most interests you, and allows you to skim the best of the rest.
How often does it come out?
Seven days a week during the season, and just enough during the offseason. Weekend editions are essential news only. In the offseason The Slurve will be published at least once a week and whenever there are great stories that need to be shared.
Will you be advertising?
Maybe, but I dislike most web advertising. I will only put an ad in the newsletter if it meets certain strict standards: it must be unobtrusive, it must be tasteful, it must respect your privacy. I will not sell or share your information with anyone, ever. I will never lard up this newsletter with multiple screeching ads. My business model is to sell my subscribers a product they love. You are my customer.
Anything else?
When we get to a certain number of subscribers, I might start a private message board for our members. I know subscribers to The Slurve want a better way to the best baseball news. Perhaps many of them want to find a better conversation about baseball than you get on most forums. We'll see.
Also, I hope to provide some original charts, lists and statistical analysis. But I'm still working on the technology that would help me create that.
Who are you?
I’m Michael Brendan Dougherty, a professional writer and editor working from the suburbs of New York.
I just Googled you. Aren’t you some kind of political guy?
I started my career in political writing. And I’m proud of my work and my reputation in that field. But none of that stuff will be in this newsletter. For the sake of my sanity I wanted to get deeper into sports writing. I’ve wanted to launch The Slurve for a long time and make it my main project because I love baseball and it makes me happy to write and think about it. I think The Slurve will make you happier too.
