I'm reluctant to criticize the mods, they're worth at least 3x what they're paid. , but ... why the rush to close threads? If people aren't interested, then they don't have to read/respond. If no one's interested, then they'll quickly slip off the front page. If it's totally irrelevant, like 'how to get rich from your couch', then I could understand.
The Lee one was getting to 500 posts as it was, which would require closing. That can just be discussed in the MLS thread.