"Go me."

"I'm sure I've been convinced of stuff too, I wouldn't like your blog so much otherwise."

"Some people seem to keep coming back just to disagree with me on everything!"

"I think that's a default hazard of the job."

"Yeah. And it keeps the comments, uh, lively."

"I'll admit I did not think of that as a perk."

"I actually sometimes drop an especially controversial arcball post when my usage stats are looking too heavy on the politics or other miscellany."

Ohan sporfles. "Controversial arcball post?"

"Sure, any opinion on the outside run rule or a player who's been harassing the water carriers will get them going."

"Harassing the water carriers!"

"It's not always specifically water carriers but you get the idea."

"What's the controversial part, whether that's okay?"

"Uh, sort of? The water carriers are greys so you've got some people arguing that it boils down to an offer of some side cash, people saying the accusations are totally fabricated and the water carriers are plants from opposing teams or just personally out to sabotage players, people saying it's an expected part of the cultural environment of pro arcball and if the water carriers belong there at all they'll understand, people saying the reports aren't made up but are exaggerated and in real life it was a miscommunication that just sounded bad to third parties and is getting blown out of proportion, and of course people who are just basically against harassing water carriers and don't see why this is so complicated, and people who are against harassing water carriers but more against having their team down a good arm for the rest of the season so they propose that instead of being kicked off the offending player just have to carry her own water or something."

"...that is a lot more water carrier drama than I had actually expected!"

"I told you it inflates my usage stats!"

"You should read the sports parts of her blog, too, she makes them interesting."

"Awww thank you."

"I'm convinced, if nothing else this water carrier drama seems fascinating from a sociological perspective."

"Thought you were the other kind of green."

"I'm the nerd kind of green!"

"There are many kinds of nerd!"

"I don't know that you want to read the seven hundred comment thread on water carriers, to be clear."

"I am staying well clear of the comments."

"But then you won't know all the sociological implications," she notes. "I only cover the aspects of the argument that aren't totally stupid, I rely on my commenters to fill in the rest."

"'Here be a detailed explanation of the arguments that are not totally stupid, but also let's not forget that some people are stupid in new and inventive ways all the time,' I think I don't need to read the second part of that."