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The Rules of Pacers Digest

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Whether your are a long standing forum member or whether you have just registered today, it's a good idea to read and review the rules below so that you have a very good idea of what to expect when you come to Pacers Digest.

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Below are the rules of Pacers Digest. After you have read them, you will have a very good sense of where we are coming from, what we expect, what we don't want to see, and how we react to things.

Rule #1

Pacers Digest is intended to be a place to discuss basketball without having to deal with the kinds of behaviors or attitudes that distract people from sticking with the discussion of the topics at hand. These unwanted distractions can come in many forms, and admittedly it can sometimes be tricky to pin down each and every kind that can rear its ugly head, but we feel that the following examples and explanations cover at least a good portion of that ground and should at least give people a pretty good idea of the kinds of things we actively discourage:

"Anyone who __________ is a liar / a fool / an idiot / a blind homer / has their head buried in the sand / a blind hater / doesn't know basketball / doesn't watch the games"

"People with intelligence will agree with me when I say that __________"

"Only stupid people think / believe / do ___________"

"I can't wait to hear something from PosterX when he/she sees that **insert a given incident or current event that will have probably upset or disappointed PosterX here**"

"He/she is just delusional"

"This thread is stupid / worthless / embarrassing"

"I'm going to take a moment to point and / laugh at PosterX / GroupOfPeopleY who thought / believed *insert though/belief here*"

"Remember when PosterX said OldCommentY that no longer looks good? "

In general, if a comment goes from purely on topic to something 'ad hominem' (personal jabs, personal shots, attacks, flames, however you want to call it, towards a person, or a group of people, or a given city/state/country of people), those are most likely going to be found intolerable.

We also dissuade passive aggressive behavior. This can be various things, but common examples include statements that are basically meant to imply someone is either stupid or otherwise incapable of holding a rational conversation. This can include (but is not limited to) laughing at someone's conclusions rather than offering an honest rebuttal, asking people what game they were watching, or another common problem is Poster X will say "that player isn't that bad" and then Poster Y will say something akin to "LOL you think that player is good". We're not going to tolerate those kinds of comments out of respect for the community at large and for the sake of trying to just have an honest conversation.

Now, does the above cover absolutely every single kind of distraction that is unwanted? Probably not, but you should by now have a good idea of the general types of things we will be discouraging. The above examples are meant to give you a good feel for / idea of what we're looking for. If something new or different than the above happens to come along and results in the same problem (that being, any other attitude or behavior that ultimately distracts from actually just discussing the topic at hand, or that is otherwise disrespectful to other posters), we can and we will take action to curb this as well, so please don't take this to mean that if you managed to technically avoid saying something exactly like one of the above examples that you are then somehow off the hook.

That all having been said, our goal is to do so in a generally kind and respectful way, and that doesn't mean the moment we see something we don't like that somebody is going to be suspended or banned, either. It just means that at the very least we will probably say something about it, quite possibly snipping out the distracting parts of the post in question while leaving alone the parts that are actually just discussing the topics, and in the event of a repeating or excessive problem, then we will start issuing infractions to try to further discourage further repeat problems, and if it just never seems to improve, then finally suspensions or bans will come into play. We would prefer it never went that far, and most of the time for most of our posters, it won't ever have to.

A slip up every once and a while is pretty normal, but, again, when it becomes repetitive or excessive, something will be done. Something occasional is probably going to be let go (within reason), but when it starts to become habitual or otherwise a pattern, odds are very good that we will step in.

There's always a small minority that like to push people's buttons and/or test their own boundaries with regards to the administrators, and in the case of someone acting like that, please be aware that this is not a court of law, but a private website run by people who are simply trying to do the right thing as they see it. If we feel that you are a special case that needs to be dealt with in an exceptional way because your behavior isn't explicitly mirroring one of our above examples of what we generally discourage, we can and we will take atypical action to prevent this from continuing if you are not cooperative with us.

Also please be aware that you will not be given a pass simply by claiming that you were 'only joking,' because quite honestly, when someone really is just joking, for one thing most people tend to pick up on the joke, including the person or group that is the target of the joke, and for another thing, in the event where an honest joke gets taken seriously and it upsets or angers someone, the person who is truly 'only joking' will quite commonly go out of his / her way to apologize and will try to mend fences. People who are dishonest about their statements being 'jokes' do not do so, and in turn that becomes a clear sign of what is really going on. It's nothing new.

In any case, quite frankly, the overall quality and health of the entire forum's community is more important than any one troublesome user will ever be, regardless of exactly how a problem is exhibiting itself, and if it comes down to us having to make a choice between you versus the greater health and happiness of the entire community, the community of this forum will win every time.

Lastly, there are also some posters, who are generally great contributors and do not otherwise cause any problems, who sometimes feel it's their place to provoke or to otherwise 'mess with' that small minority of people described in the last paragraph, and while we possibly might understand why you might feel you WANT to do something like that, the truth is we can't actually tolerate that kind of behavior from you any more than we can tolerate the behavior from them. So if we feel that you are trying to provoke those other posters into doing or saying something that will get themselves into trouble, then we will start to view you as a problem as well, because of the same reason as before: The overall health of the forum comes first, and trying to stir the pot with someone like that doesn't help, it just makes it worse. Some will simply disagree with this philosophy, but if so, then so be it because ultimately we have to do what we think is best so long as it's up to us.

If you see a problem that we haven't addressed, the best and most appropriate course for a forum member to take here is to look over to the left of the post in question. See underneath that poster's name, avatar, and other info, down where there's a little triangle with an exclamation point (!) in it? Click that. That allows you to report the post to the admins so we can definitely notice it and give it a look to see what we feel we should do about it. Beyond that, obviously it's human nature sometimes to want to speak up to the poster in question who has bothered you, but we would ask that you try to refrain from doing so because quite often what happens is two or more posters all start going back and forth about the original offending post, and suddenly the entire thread is off topic or otherwise derailed. So while the urge to police it yourself is understandable, it's best to just report it to us and let us handle it. Thank you!

All of the above is going to be subject to a case by case basis, but generally and broadly speaking, this should give everyone a pretty good idea of how things will typically / most often be handled.

Rule #2

If the actions of an administrator inspire you to make a comment, criticism, or express a concern about it, there is a wrong place and a couple of right places to do so.

The wrong place is to do so in the original thread in which the administrator took action. For example, if a post gets an infraction, or a post gets deleted, or a comment within a larger post gets clipped out, in a thread discussing Paul George, the wrong thing to do is to distract from the discussion of Paul George by adding your off topic thoughts on what the administrator did.

The right places to do so are:

A) Start a thread about the specific incident you want to talk about on the Feedback board. This way you are able to express yourself in an area that doesn't throw another thread off topic, and this way others can add their two cents as well if they wish, and additionally if there's something that needs to be said by the administrators, that is where they will respond to it.

B) Send a private message to the administrators, and they can respond to you that way.

If this is done the wrong way, those comments will be deleted, and if it's a repeating problem then it may also receive an infraction as well.

Rule #3

If a poster is bothering you, and an administrator has not or will not deal with that poster to the extent that you would prefer, you have a powerful tool at your disposal, one that has recently been upgraded and is now better than ever: The ability to ignore a user.

When you ignore a user, you will unfortunately still see some hints of their existence (nothing we can do about that), however, it does the following key things:

A) Any post they make will be completely invisible as you scroll through a thread.

B) The new addition to this feature: If someone QUOTES a user you are ignoring, you do not have to read who it was, or what that poster said, unless you go out of your way to click on a link to find out who it is and what they said.

To utilize this feature, from any page on Pacers Digest, scroll to the top of the page, look to the top right where it says 'Settings' and click that. From the settings page, look to the left side of the page where it says 'My Settings', and look down from there until you see 'Edit Ignore List' and click that. From here, it will say 'Add a Member to Your List...' Beneath that, click in the text box to the right of 'User Name', type in or copy & paste the username of the poster you are ignoring, and once their name is in the box, look over to the far right and click the 'Okay' button. All done!

Rule #4

Regarding infractions, currently they carry a value of one point each, and that point will expire in 31 days. If at any point a poster is carrying three points at the same time, that poster will be suspended until the oldest of the three points expires.

Rule #5

When you share or paste content or articles from another website, you must include the URL/link back to where you found it, who wrote it, and what website it's from. Said content will be removed if this doesn't happen.

An example:

If I copy and paste an article from the Indianapolis Star website, I would post something like this:

http://www.linktothearticlegoeshere.com/article
Title of the Article
Author's Name
Indianapolis Star

Rule #6

We cannot tolerate illegal videos on Pacers Digest. This means do not share any links to them, do not mention any websites that host them or link to them, do not describe how to find them in any way, and do not ask about them. Posts doing anything of the sort will be removed, the offenders will be contacted privately, and if the problem becomes habitual, you will be suspended, and if it still persists, you will probably be banned.

The legal means of watching or listening to NBA games are NBA League Pass Broadband (for US, or for International; both cost money) and NBA Audio League Pass (which is free). Look for them on NBA.com.

Rule #7

Provocative statements in a signature, or as an avatar, or as the 'tagline' beneath a poster's username (where it says 'Member' or 'Administrator' by default, if it is not altered) are an unwanted distraction that will more than likely be removed on sight. There can be shades of gray to this, but in general this could be something political or religious that is likely going to provoke or upset people, or otherwise something that is mean-spirited at the expense of a poster, a group of people, or a population.

It may or may not go without saying, but this goes for threads and posts as well, particularly when it's not made on the off-topic board (Market Square).

We do make exceptions if we feel the content is both innocuous and unlikely to cause social problems on the forum (such as wishing someone a Merry Christmas or a Happy Easter), and we also also make exceptions if such topics come up with regards to a sports figure (such as the Lance Stephenson situation bringing up discussions of domestic abuse and the law, or when Jason Collins came out as gay and how that lead to some discussion about gay rights).

However, once the discussion seems to be more/mostly about the political issues instead of the sports figure or his specific situation, the thread is usually closed.

Rule #8

We prefer self-restraint and/or modesty when making jokes or off topic comments in a sports discussion thread. They can be fun, but sometimes they derail or distract from a topic, and we don't want to see that happen. If we feel it is a problem, we will either delete or move those posts from the thread.

Rule #9

Generally speaking, we try to be a "PG-13" rated board, and we don't want to see sexual content or similarly suggestive content. Vulgarity is a more muddled issue, though again we prefer things to lean more towards "PG-13" than "R". If we feel things have gone too far, we will step in.

Rule #10

We like small signatures, not big signatures. The bigger the signature, the more likely it is an annoying or distracting signature.

Rule #11

Do not advertise anything without talking about it with the administrators first. This includes advertising with your signature, with your avatar, through private messaging, and/or by making a thread or post.
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Pacers president Bird isn't colored by stereotypes

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  • #1

    Pacers president Bird isn't colored by stereotypes

    this should put all the nonsense to rest, straight from the birds mouth

    Pacers president Bird isn't colored by stereotypes
    Bob Kravitz
    http://www.usatoday.com/sports/colum...-players_N.htm

    In Indiana, and in many other parts of the NBA-watching world, it's the giant white elephant in the middle of the room.

    Is Pacers president Larry Bird specifically trying to build a team dominated by white players?

    It's an uncomfortable question to ask in these politically correct days, but how do you ignore a roster that includes Mike Dunleavy, Troy Murphy, Josh McRoberts, Travis Diener, Jeff Foster and now, first-round pick Tyler Hansbrough?

    In a league where little more than 10% of the players are white Americans, the Pacers' roster is racially split down the middle, making them one of the whitest teams in the league.

    "I don't see race at all," Bird said recently. "I know a lot of it comes out of The Brawl — people think Indiana has to get all white guys — but I don't buy any of that. I played in Boston where it didn't matter who came in or who left, it was who helped us win. (Late Celtics coach and architect) Red (Auerbach) never saw color. And I don't either. I just pick them. It we hadn't taken Tyler Hansbrough, it would have been Ty Lawson. And if I could have gotten another pick (later in the first round), I would have taken Sam Young or Wayne Ellington."

    There is the perception, fueled in part by local and national sports talk shows, that because the Pacers imploded after The Brawl and had several other off-court embarrassments that involved African-American players, now they're overcompensating by stocking the roster with white players who may be perceived to be choir boys. This overlooks the fact that since Bird got involved in the draft process, eight of the 10 Pacers draftees have been African-American.

    Feel free to question Bird's judgment as a basketball executive, and there's plenty to question (see the empty 2006 draft of Shawne Williams and James White). But don't question the motivation behind his choices. If anybody understands that race doesn't matter, it's Bird.

    In some ways, the Pacers' president is still held hostage by comments he made to Jim Gray in a 2004 ESPN roundtable discussion. Asked if the NBA would benefit from having more white stars (specifically white American stars), Bird answered: "Well, I think so. I think so. You know when I played you had me and Kevin (McHale) and some others throughout the league. I think it's good for a fan base because as we all know the majority of the fans are white America. And if you just had a couple of white guys in there, you might get them a little excited …"

    How is that different than saying Major League Baseball needs more African-American stars? Or that the NBA needed a Chinese-born star to open up that huge market?

    Bird also caught heat for saying that as a player, he was insulted whenever a white player tried to guard him. He still feels that way.

    Whatever you think of the statement, does that sound like a guy who thinks so highly of white players, he would go out of his way to trade for, sign and draft them? Think about it.

    "I say what I say and however people take it, they take it," he said. Then he paused. "People are still trying to figure out how a kid from French Lick, Ind., made it to the NBA and played his (butt) off and won, and took no (bleep) off anybody. There are always people out there."

    At one point in our conversation, I tossed out the supposition that Hansbrough, whose selection was partially jeered on draft night in Indianapolis, is the victim of racial profiling.

    Bird didn't bite, but here's my theory: When a white player is drafted (particularly a white American), we immediately think of the many famous white busts throughout history. I'll admit it: When I heard Hansbrough's name, I had a Rick Robey flashback. It could have been Scott Haskin. Or Adam Morrison or J.J. Redick.

    The truth is, if we had looked at Hansbrough's résumé without seeing his picture, we'd have slotted him as a sure-fire top 10 pick. When Bird looks at his No. 13 selection, he sees a player in the mold of former Boston great Dave Cowens.

    "All these idiots out there, just wait until (Hansbrough) starts playing," Bird said. "Then they'll say, 'Oh, I see that now.' Just wait."

    In the end it's not about black and white, but the bottom line is printed in black and white. Wins and losses. And nothing else matters.
    Last edited by billbradley; 07-07-2009, 10:00 PM.
    Tags: None
  • #2
    Re: Pacers president Bird isn't colored by stereotypes

    Oh boy. Here we go.

    The make-up of this team has been driven by players who have failed on or off the court. The starters on this team would have been the following if they hadn't dug their own graves:

    PG - Tinsley
    SG - S. Jackson
    SF - Danny Granger or Ron Artest (Artest may have been traded, but not for Peja)
    PF - Jermaine/O'Neal
    C - Roy Hibbert/Jeff Foster.

    Other players just stunk or were in legal trouble: Williams, Harrison, Diogu, James White, and a bunch of others.

    This is all about who had the talent to stick and who has stayed out of trouble. Bird cannot help the fact that talented players like Jax, Artest, Tinsley, Williams and yes Harrison imploded.

    Edit: BTW, Sarunas who was supposed to be the next Jason Kidd imploded too. Of course, he is gone as well. This is largely about circumstances and could be that Bird is actually more open minded.
    Last edited by BlueNGold; 07-07-2009, 10:10 PM.

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    • #3
      Re: Pacers president Bird isn't colored by stereotypes

      "All these idiots out there, just wait until (Hansbrough) starts playing," Bird said. "Then they'll say, 'Oh, I see that now.' Just wait."
      Didn't he say more or less the same thing about Cabbage?

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      • #4
        Re: Pacers president Bird isn't colored by stereotypes

        Probably the best place to continue this is on UNPD. There's already a thread there discussing this topic.

        http://pignash.proboards.com/index.c...lay&thread=271

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        • #5
          Re: Pacers president Bird isn't colored by stereotypes

          Are we the whitest team in the NBA?

          When was the last time a team had 50 percent white guys (I think we are a player or two away)?

          My two cents: Larry Bird knows firsthand that a white guy perceived as slow and unathletic might be a lot better than people think. So he's more likely to take a chance on one. Simple as that.
          Last edited by McKeyFan; 07-07-2009, 10:32 PM.
          "Look, it's up to me to put a team around ... Lance right now." —Kevin Pritchard press conference

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          • #6
            Re: Pacers president Bird isn't colored by stereotypes

            Listen I appreciate the effort in getting the article out, but I just think this is going to lead us again down the path to people getting up in arms politically and Peck or hicks will end up shutting this down. The team is about winning and Bird knows that. He also wants to have character guys come in and help that is why he loves Danny because he is a talented character guy that will help his team win. I also believe that any player that is a minority in a sport is looked at as doomed to fail whether it be a white player in the NBA or an African American player in the NHL. But I will end it there.
            JOB is a silly man

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            • #7
              Re: Pacers president Bird isn't colored by stereotypes

              Originally posted by McKeyFan View Post
              Are we the whitest team in the NBA?

              When was the last time a team had 50 percent white guys (I think we are a player or two away)?
              Probably Utah.

              --

              But I'm not sure this "puts everything to rest." I mean what else is Bird going to say if they ask him?

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              • #8
                Re: Pacers president Bird isn't colored by stereotypes

                Originally posted by jhondog28 View Post
                Listen I appreciate the effort in getting the article out, but I just think this is going to lead us again down the path to people getting up in arms politically and Peck or hicks will end up shutting this down. The team is about winning and Bird knows that. He also wants to have character guys come in and help that is why he loves Danny because he is a talented character guy that will help his team win. I also believe that any player that is a minority in a sport is looked at as doomed to fail whether it be a white player in the NBA or an African American player in the NHL. But I will end it there.
                to be honest if it wasn't a kravitz usa today article i wouldn't have posted it. but there has been concern about bird targeting white players, and unless someone wants to defy logic or call bird a liar there is nothing to argue

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                • #9
                  Re: Pacers president Bird isn't colored by stereotypes

                  Originally posted by McKeyFan View Post
                  Are we the whitest team in the NBA?
                  No. See the link I gave above.

                  Comment

                  • #10
                    Re: Pacers president Bird isn't colored by stereotypes

                    Originally posted by billbradley View Post
                    to be honest if it wasn't a kravitz usa today article i wouldn't have posted it. but there has been concern about bird targeting white players, and unless someone wants to defy logic or call bird a liar there is nothing to argue
                    Love your avatar Bill.

                    Thanks for posting it. The thread will be shut down shortly, but that's ok.

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                    • #11
                      Re: Pacers president Bird isn't colored by stereotypes

                      Why is everyone on this forum so scared to discuss any issues involving race? If Larry Bird thinks it is ok to talk about, why are so many people acting like it's a subject that can't be discussed here.
                      *removed* Just keep politics and religion completely out of it, please.

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                      • #12
                        Re: Pacers president Bird isn't colored by stereotypes

                        I will get my point in before this thread gets locked (it should because mine did)

                        The facts are too blatantly obvious.

                        In simple forms, do I think Bird is racist? No

                        Do I think he has a desire to have several Caucasian players on the team, or find the next "Bird " ? Absolutely

                        Numbers don't lie
                        Because the streets is a short stop
                        Either youre slingin crack rock or you got a wicked jumpshot

                        Notorious BIG - Brooklyn's Finest A.K.A. G.O.A.T.

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                        • #13
                          Re: Pacers president Bird isn't colored by stereotypes

                          Originally posted by Jon Theodore View Post
                          Why is everyone on this forum so scared to discuss any issues involving race? If Larry Bird thinks it is ok to talk about, why are so many people acting like it's a subject that can't be discussed here.
                          Because this isn't the forum for politics, religion and other incendiary topics such as race. We are going to continue to stand by this decision for the betterment of the forum.

                          For further discussion of this topic, please head to UnPD.

                          *Thread Closed*
                          Last edited by Roaming Gnome; 07-07-2009, 10:56 PM.
                          ...Still "flying casual"
                          @roaminggnome74

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