And neither bothers me
I get the general impression that Don tries to group related posts, with varying success. The downside is that then you don't know quite where on the thread to respond. OTOH, your way has a similar downside--if several of those threads are related, then it's uncertain which one is the best place to respond. I really don't know which one works out better. Just keep doing what you're doing and we'll let experience be the guide.
Front page real estate is virtual and elastic; the algorithm for cutting off the front page is based on the size of threads, not just their quantity, so it doesn't really matter which style you use.