Hi Joe,
I don't want to step on any toes here, but since the very beginning, one particular aspect of these 'Team Threads' that's different from other threads in the SP, is the banter between homers, which takes all sorts of forms. I've been around for a great long time, and as long as I've been here, no one has stepped in to regulate homers being homers. I know and respect that it's your town, but in a sense, playing the heavy regarding some of the interplay going on between thread regulars who have been engaging in these type of dialogues for such a long time, with no admonition, seems like the town police going into someone's home, and telling them how to behave. Due to how long it's been going on, and how it's the nature of homers both on message boards and IRL (think sports bar conversations), to interact this way...I'm not saying you're being heavy handed, but it feels like a bit of a reach, where it's not as big of a deal as you might think. Sometimes, it might be OK to respond to those complaining by telling them that you appreciate their concerns, but as long as it's just harmless 'homers being homers'' that's part of the dynamic of these particular threads, and unless it starts going over the line, it's OK. Team Threads are unique in that sense, and I think a lighter hand in them , when it comes to how Thread regulars/homers are interacting, might not be the worst idea. Just my 2 cents.