The 2020 Astros season will be “unique.” Be prepared, TCB.

The 2020 season fast approacheth. Spring Training games begin Saturday. Are you ready?

This season will be unique. It will be unpredictable. That is, more so than usual. On paper, the Astros are still awesome. But the games are played on the field, not on paper. By people. With minds and emotions that no one can predict.

Yes, the ubiquitous cheating scandal. How does it affect the Astros? How does it affect us at TCB?

How The Cheating Scandal might affect the team going forward

First, the Astros. Maybe it has no affect. Swinging and throwing and catching happen in the moment, and psychological background noise doesn’t affect baseball performance.

Maybe the scandal hurts the Astros. Playing all season under jeers and the almost universal hatred of fans and fellow players alike, the shame and guilt of the past takes away their mojo.

Or maybe, the Astros play with renewed determination, just to prove that they still deserve the accolades they have received in the recent past.

How The Cheating Scandal affects the Crawfish Boxes

If you are reading this, you probably are a troubled, but still loyal, Astros fan. A fan of the most hated team in baseball.

You may remain loyal for a number of reasons, personal to you. But know, the hatred many baseball fans feel towards the Astros extends to those with the audacity to remain their loyal fans. Not only will the Astros be mercilessly attacked this season, so will we here at TCB.

We, the editorial staff of TCB, will try to monitor and prevent outside trolls to an even greater extent than in the past.

But there is another element to our situation. Just as the Astros are going to be under intense scrutiny, so baseball fans across the country are going to be putting us here at TCB under additional scrutiny. We need to be especially cognizant of the Community Guidelines. See HERE, or posted below.

It’s simple really. Be nice. Show respect, Don’t insult or attack people. Don’t try to provoke people or push their buttons. (no trolling) And remember, don’t feed the trolls.

We will be under additional scrutiny for these infractions in particular:

“Discriminatory or derogatory language: This includes racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, or other forms of discrimination.”

Let’s try to keep it to baseball. Avoid politics and religion as much as possible.

So, above and beyond the normal moderation we have done in the past, we, the editors, have been encouraged to increase the level of moderation.

Here’s to another championship in Houston in 2020.

Go Stros.

Here are the Community Guidelines:

Welcome to SB Nation! We’re glad you’re here.

SB Nation is a network of communities where sports fans from all backgrounds gather to share their passion for the teams they love. We strive to create a fun and welcoming place for everyone to come fan with us. These guidelines help ensure that happens across SB Nation’s communities. Here’s the short version:

Be respectful in your interactions with contributors and fellow fans.

Don’t be a jerk, and don’t call other people jerks. We’ll remove anything we see that jeopardizes our communities.

You can help with that. If you see something that doesn’t align with our guidelines, let us know. Flag any comments, FanPosts, or usernames that violate our guidelines so our community managers can review them.

The rules below extend to our SB Nation communities everywhere: in our comments, on social media, and in real life.

We do not allow any of the following:

Personal attacks: This includes name-calling, insults, threats, hurtful comments about someone’s appearance, voice, or style, and all other forms of attacks. We want our communities to be welcoming and fun. Personal attacks are the opposite of that.

Discriminatory or derogatory language: This includes racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, or other forms of discrimination.

Harassment: This includes, but is not limited to, intimidation; stalking; unwanted photography; inappropriate physical contact; use of sexual or discriminatory imagery, comments, or jokes; and unwelcome sexual attention.

Illegal activity: Don’t promote, encourage, or make light of any kind of illegal activity, including DUIs, domestic violence, or sexual assault.

NSFW images and comments: Keep it PG-13, or you will be removed. This includes language and images that are sexual, violent, or generally offensive in nature.

Excessive profanity: Fans get worked up on game days, and we’re fans, too. We understand that. As a general rule, keep profanity to a minimum. Some communities prohibit profanity, so be sure to review guidelines for the individual communities you participate in.

Multiple accounts and throwaway emails: These are a signal that you’re not interested in being a productive member of our communities, and we do not allow it.

Trolling: We know it when we see it, and we’ll remove it. Don’t go to a rival team’s community for the sole purpose of riling up their fans, either. Moreover, you should never publish any private or personally identifiable information. Doxxing is strictly prohibited.

The “first post” rule: If you break any of these guidelines with your very first post or interaction, it signals to our community managers you’re just here to be disruptive. Violators may be banned, blocked, or removed.

Spam: We have a zero-tolerance policy on spam, which includes sharing links to illegal game streams or downloads. Spam will be deleted and spammers may be banned, blocked, or removed.

Anyone who doesn’t follow these rules when engaging in our communities will at best be removed from the conversation, and at worst will end up banned from that community. These decisions will be made at the discretion of our community managers and other SB Nation personnel.

If you see any of these things happening in our communities, please flag it and it will be reviewed. If you see it happening on social media or elsewhere, flag it to the community manager or team brand managers, who should be listed on our masthead. You can also reach out via our contact form.