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The Rules of Pacers Digest

Hello everyone,

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.

A quick note to new members: Your posts will not immediately show up when you make them. An administrator has to approve at least your first post before the forum software will later upgrade your account to the status of a fully-registered member. This usually happens within a couple of hours or so after your post(s) is/are approved, so you may need to be a little patient at first.

Why do we do this? So that it's more difficult for spammers (be they human or robot) to post, and so users who are banned cannot immediately re-register and start dousing people with verbal flames.

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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Insider articles requests (PLEASE)

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  • Insider articles requests (PLEASE)

    http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/colum...26id%3d2154084






    http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfl/scouting?gameId=250911033




    For those diehard fans out here, PLEASE!
    Don't ask Marvin Harrison what he did during the bye week. "Batman never told where the Bat Cave is," he explained.

  • #2
    Re: Insider articles requests (PLEASE)

    Battle of AFC heavyweights

    Why To Watch
    This game features two evenly matched teams -- Indy with its high flying offense and suspect defense and Baltimore with its suspect offense and dominating defense. It's also a rematch of a fantastic Sunday night game from last season that saw the Ravens temporarily deny Peyton Manning the TD passing record during the Colts' 20-10 win.
    With Mike Nolan gone to San Francisco as their head coach, Rex Ryan takes over as a first time defensive coordinator in the NFL. How will the Ravens handle the switch from the 3-4 defense to a more traditional 4-3 front? Has Kyle Boller improved enough to get the Ravens back to the Super Bowl or will he continue to regress at the position?

    DT Corey Simon will make his debut for the Colts -- will he be the missing piece of the puzzle that finally gives Indy a chance to be successful on defense? SS Mike Doss has a NFL mandated two-game suspension. He will be replaced by Joseph Jefferson, a converted corner, and there are questions if Jefferson will hold up as a tackler against the deep and talented Ravens running back group.

    This is truly a match-up of two AFC heavyweights.


    When the Colts have the ball
    Rushing: Changes in the Colts offensive line means a new look Colts run offense this season. Two new guards will be in the lineup as LG Ryan Lilja and RG Jake Scott will take over as full-time starters.

    The Colts will predominantly run from three wide receiver sets with RB Edgerrin James as the solo back. This will allow them to spread the field and keep SS Ed Reed and FS Will Demps out of the box. This will also force the Ravens to bring an extra defensive back onto the field and play nickel, opening more inside run lanes for James. Look for the Colts to run the ball early to stay in good down and distance situations. This will also allow them to set up their play-action passing game.

    By establishing the run early, the Colts will be able to check the fronts of the new look Ravens defense. The Colts can find any weaknesses and read any keys that their linebackers are struggling to read in their new 4-3 look. Look for the Colts to test the right side of the Ravens front where converted DE Terrell Suggs will be out-sized vs. LOT Tarik Glenn.

    Passing: There was some talk last week that Samari Rolle may miss this game due to a suspension for violating the league's code of conduct on a domestic violence charge. Rolle and the Ravens have not heard from the NFL yet, and it looks like he will be in the lineup this week.

    This will be one of the biggest tests QB Peyton Manning sees all season. He will face a secondary that has three former Pro Bowlers, and DC Chris McAlister and SS Ed Reed are top-5 NFL players at their respective positions. The Ravens tend to bring a more aggressive defensive approach to the game and like to mix in a lot of man coverage, but look for them to stay a little more conservative in this one. They can't afford to give up big plays in the game since their own offense won't be able to keep up.

    Look for the Colts to go to their three wide receiver/one running back/one tight end package often. This will allow them to spread the field and spread the ball around. TE Dallas Clark will align both on the line and as a wideout, which gives Manning four legitimate receiving options on any given pass play.

    If the Colts struggle to run the ball, look for Edgerrin James to become a factor out of the backfield on designed screens or quick arrow routes to keep the Ravens defense honest. The Ravens pass defense will ultimately decide the outcome of this game.

    When the Ravens have the ball
    Rushing: While QB Kyle Boller might be the key x-factor in determining the fate of this game, the Ravens won't even be in it if they can't run the ball and control the clock. Despite missing time last season to injury and suspension, Jamal Lewis topped the 1,000 yard mark again.

    The only change to the O-line for the Ravens is UFA pickup Keydrick Vincent in at ROG for Bennie Anderson. This is an upgrade for the Ravens and only strengthens one of the better O-line units in the NFL.

    The Colts have one of the weakest linebacker groups in the NFL, and they will be put to the test this week. Look for the Colts to run multiple stunts up front with their defensive ends and linebackers in order to try to shoot gaps and make Jamal Lewis declare or change directions in the backfield. Even with the addition of DT Corey Simon, the Colts front 7 is not physical enough to stand toe-to-toe with the Ravens massive O-line unit.

    RDE Dwight Freeney must be careful on the backside. He is one of the best defensive ends in the NFL at chasing plays down the line, but in this game he will see a Ravens run offense that runs the cut-back run better than any team in the NFL. The Ravens need to force the Colts to bring that eighth man down in the box to open up better passing lanes for Boller, who has consistently struggled to read defenses at the NFL level.

    More important than any aspect of the game for the Ravens is being able to run the ball effectively and keeping the Colts offense on the sideline.

    Passing: QB Kyle Boller must play well this week. Not only because this is a big game, but because if he struggles against the Colts secondary, it could be a long season for Ravens fans.

    He will face a unit that is minus Mike Doss at strong safety, will have a first time starter at strong safety in Joseph Jefferson and a young starting cornerback in Donald Strickland. Along with the linebackers, the Colts have one of the weaker back 7's Boller will face this season.

    The Ravens have a very unsophisticated passing attack, so look for the Colts to stay in the bread and butter Cover 2 scheme and make Boller make throws. Look for the Colts to run some zone blitzes this week to confuse Boller as to who is rushing or coming on the blitz. When the Colts go to their sub-package defense, they can bring more heat than any team in the NFL, and look for defensive ends Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis to get good outside pass rush pressure on Boller.

    Look for head coach Brian Billick to stay conservative this week. More than any other week, he knows he can't afford to have Boller turning the ball over to the best offense in the NFL. They will use the backs out of the backfield and TE Todd Heap in the flat and curls. Newly acquired WR Derrick Mason is excellent finding the voids in zone coverage, and while he may not put up a lot of big plays in this game, he should help control the clock for the Ravens.

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Insider articles requests (PLEASE)

      "Updated: Sep. 7, 2005, 8:11 PM ET
      Simon, Calmus boost Colts' defenseBy Rick Spielman
      ESPN Insider
      Archive

      Plenty of teams have been actively trying to shape their final 53-man rosters over the past few days, including some potential playoff teams with already strong lineups that are making aggressive moves to bolster certain positions or fill a few remaining needs.

      Indianapolis, Minnesota, Seattle and Dallas seem to have made the biggest acquisitions as they try to reach the next level.


      Indianapolis Colts

      SimonIndy fans and players alike should be very excited about the commitment the ownership and front office made to get the best players possible to fill voids on the roster. The biggest move was the signing of DT Corey Simon to bolster the defense. This gives them another potential Pro Bowl player up front to team with DE Dwight Freeney.
      Simon is a stout inside player versus the run who also can be an effective in-line pass-rusher. He posted 32 sacks in six seasons with the Eagles, but he should be even more effective in Tony Dungy's defensive scheme. In Philadelphia's scheme, which had linebackers blitzing from every conceivable angle, Simon was counted on to hold the point of attack and occupy blockers. Dungy prefers his defensive tackles to get up the field more and create a pass rush, much the way Warren Sapp and Anthony McFarland did under Dungy in Tampa Bay.



      CalmusBut signing Simon wasn't all the Colts did. With backup linebacker Kendyll Pope suspended for the season by the NFL -- reportedly for violating the league's substance abuse policy -- the Colts were very aggressive in finding a replacement. The team acquired Rocky Calmus from Tennessee in a trade and claimed Keith O'Neil off waivers from Dallas.
      Calmus comes with some durability issues, but brings a big, strong, physical presence versus the run. Look for him also to be a core player on special teams if he stays healthy. O'Neil also will upgrade the Colts' special teams.


      Dallas Cowboys
      Dallas made a significant move by signing WR Peerless Price. This should give Drew Bledsoe another potential big-play receiver to go along with Terry Glenn and Keyshawn Johnson.


      PricePrice never fit in with Atlanta and the West Coast offense. He was much more effective in Buffalo, which employed a more vertical passing game. With Glenn and Price, Dallas has two speed receivers who can stretch the field to go along with a big, possession receiver in Johnson.
      This was a combination the Cowboys tried unsuccessfully to create last season by trading for Cleveland's Quincy Morgan. It will be interesting to see if Price and Bledsoe can produce the same magic they had together in Buffalo.


      Seattle Seahawks

      WarrickThe Seahawks also made a move to upgrade their receiving corps by signing Peter Warrick, who was released from Cincinnati. With Koren Robinson gone, this restores depth to their receiving corps, which currently is comprised of Bobby Engram, Darrell Jackson and Joe Jurevicius.
      Warrick played in only four games last season before being placed on injured reserve. His most productive year came in 2003, when he had 79 catches and averaged 10.9 yards as a punt returner. He can be a crafty slot receiver, and he also can return punts. He is a similar player to Engram, but younger. He should fit well in the Seahawks' offensive scheme and give them some big-play potential. This move could pay off if Warrick can stay healthy.


      Minnesota Vikings

      RobinsonMinnesota made an interesting move this week by signing Robinson. This troubled receiver has the size, speed and big-play potential that teams want, but he will drop some easy balls because of lack of concentration and focus. His lack of maturity and off-field issues have kept him from becoming the type of receiver he should be.
      The Vikings have a solid group of young receivers with the emergence of Nate Burleson and first-round draft pick Troy Williamson, who has tremendous speed and upside. Veteran Marcus Robinson is a straight-line vertical threat, and Travis Taylor seems to be rejuvenated since being signed as an unrestricted free agent from Baltimore in the offseason.

      If Koren Robinson can mature and overcome some personal issues -- he recently spent time in an alcohol treatment facility -- his addition potentially can give QB Daunte Culpepper another weapon. The Vikings' front office will make sure there is no financial risk in this move, so if he does fail or become a problem, they can release him with no effect on the team or the salary cap.

      Rick Spielman, former general manager of the Miami Dolphins, has joined ESPN Insider as a "
      Here, everyone have a : on me

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Insider articles requests (PLEASE)

        Originally posted by Jose Slaughter
        saw the Ravens temporarily deny Peyton Manning the TD passing record during the Colts' 20-10 win.
        I wouldn't exactly call Peyton Manning taking 3 consectutive knees from the 7 yard line the Ravens "denying" Peyton Manning his record. I'd call it an MVP doing the classy thing and not rubbing a win in an inferior teams face.

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: Insider articles requests (PLEASE)

          Originally posted by Naptown Seth
          I wouldn't exactly call Peyton Manning taking 3 consectutive knees from the 7 yard line the Ravens "denying" Peyton Manning his record. I'd call it an MVP doing the classy thing and not rubbing a win in an inferior teams face.
          Yep if you remember afterwards Ray Lewis shaking hands with Peyton because he knew he was not going to run up the Score and showed a huge amount of Class.... That was very obvious....

          Why Not Us ?

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Insider articles requests (PLEASE)

            Originally posted by Frank Slade
            Yep if you remember afterwards Ray Lewis shaking hands with Peyton because he knew he was not going to run up the Score and showed a huge amount of Class.... That was very obvious....
            yeah I was at that game, and I remember the dumbass fans booing for not going for it. People all around me were yelling about how they paid a lot of money to see this, as if that record was owed to them.

            House Name: Pacers

            House Sigil:



            House Words: "We Kneel To No King"

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: Insider articles requests (PLEASE)

              Originally posted by Diamond Dave
              yeah I was at that game, and I remember the dumbass fans booing for not going for it. People all around me were yelling about how they paid a lot of money to see this, as if that record was owed to them.

              Yeah I know .. I think Peyton even mentioned something about that afterwards.
              There are some that call themselves true fans but are not.. just feel everyone should do as they see fit since they paid the ticket charge.. they are entitled to certain things...a disturbing trend in todays society...

              Why Not Us ?

              Comment

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