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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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Harrison overdue for cover splash.

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  • #1

    Harrison overdue for cover splash.

    http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dl.../1100/SPORTS03

    Bob Kravitz
    Harrison overdue for cover splash

    A challenge.


    A challenge to the major national sports magazines, specifically Sports Illustrated and ESPN The Magazine.

    Put Marvin Harrison on the cover. Feature Marvin Harrison in an in-depth story that tells the nation who this special athlete is.
    Just the way they've done with the mouthy Keyshawn Johnson, who isn't one-fifth the receiver Harrison is and has been for 11 years.

    Just the way they've done with the increasingly bizarre Terrell Owens, who continues to make headlines for reasons that are either ludicrous or sad or a little bit of both.
    Marvin?

    You know how many times he's been by himself on the cover of a major sports magazine?
    Never. Zilch. Zero.
    Now you probably want to know why. And I'm going to tell you why, coming both from the perspective as a former magazine journalist and as a current newspaper guy.

    Marvin's not sexy.
    Well, not sexy in a journalistic way.

    He doesn't have some outrageous made-for-TV story line, doesn't have an easy hook. Anybody who chooses to do the definitive Marvin Harrison story is going to have to dig, and dig deep. Getting Harrison to talk about himself, or his accomplishments, or the craft he has turned into an art . . . good luck.

    Part of this, even Harrison would have to admit, is his fault. He's very skittish with the media. One day he'll talk. Another day, he won't. One on one, he's usually fine. In situations when he's crowded by his locker, he gets panicked.
    In conversations, he is always amiable, but elusive.

    Example:

    Are numbers important to you?
    "I don't know. I'm just laughing. What have I answered before? I've been asked a million times. I just go out and play. I have no answer for that. My career seems so short right now and there's a long way to go, so at some point in time, I'll be able to look back on it, but when you're in the midst of it, it's hard to grasp what's going on. If they (the statistics) aren't brought to me, I won't even know about it."
    And that was the best part of the interview.
    I tell him, "You know, with you, it's like trying to nail Jell-O to a wall.''
    He laughs.
    Now I know how cornerbacks must feel, trying to cover him.
    Shoot, he doesn't have a publicist -- and after watching T.O.'s publicist, Kim Etheredge, he should thank heavens. Did you hear her at the end of the news conference? "T.O. has 25 million reasons why he should want to live," she said.

    If you want to make the case that Steve Smith is the best receiver in the league right this minute, you can do that. Over the long term, though, since 1999, nobody has been better than Harrison. Nobody. If he never plays another down, he is a first-ballot Hall of Famer. Period.
    He was the fastest receiver ever to 600 receptions (16 games faster than Herman Moore). He was the fastest ever to 700 (25 faster than Jerry Rice). The fastest ever to 800 (23 faster than Rice). The fastest ever to 900 (19 faster than Rice).

    With three catches Sunday against the Jets, Harrison, who has 949 in his career, will pass former Buffalo star Andre Reed into fourth place on the all-time reception list, behind only Rice (1,549), Cris Carter (1,101) and Tim Brown (1,094).

    Since we're rolling out numbers, here's another one: If Harrison catches a single pass (and we're assuming he will), he will tie Marshall Faulk's NFL record for receptions in 158 straight games to start a career.
    Is that enough?

    I particularly want ESPN The Magazine to step up here because the Worldwide Leader does so much to celebrate the culture of sports excess. I'm not an old man who frowns at all the Chad Johnson celebrations or the Shaquille O'Neal slam dunks, but we should also be extolling the virtues of those who do great things with subtlety and class.

    Like Harrison, who never celebrates touchdowns, never misses practices, never argues with officials, never woofs at opponents, and never acts like a diva.

    Those of us who follow these games are hypocrites, really. We say we really want good, quiet, graceful sportsmen who act with nobility. Then we ripped the San Antonio Spurs for being dull during their title runs, trashed Pete Sampras for being boring during his tennis reign, and continue to give magazine covers to T.O. and Keyshawn while completely ignoring Harrison.

    You wonder, if Harrison continues at his torrid early pace -- he has 22 catches in three games -- how long can he be ignored?
    The craziest thing is, opponents so far have played the Colts like they're more concerned with Indy's running game -- a concern that is shared by Colts fans.

    "We're just not used to getting that type of single (pass) coverage, but with that many people in the box, people are forcing us to throw," coach Tony Dungy said earlier this week. "They're giving us 1-on-1s. If they play him like that all year, (Harrison) will have 150 catches again." Harrison holds the NFL record with 143 catches.
    Harrison could live with that.
    Think that might earn him a magazine cover?

    Bob Kravitz is a columnist for The Indianapolis Star. Call him at (317) 444-6643 or e-mail bob.kravitz@indystar.com.

    I agree 100% with this.
    Super Bowl XLI Champions
    2000 Eastern Conference Champions




    Tags: None
  • #2
    Re: Harrison overdue for cover splash.

    Best article Kravitz has ever wrote.
    "Just look at the flowers ........ BANG" - Carol "The Walking Dead"

    Comment

    • #3
      Re: Harrison overdue for cover splash.

      Wow, that was good, especially for Kravitz.

      His line about cornerbacks trying to cover Marv was great.
      You, Never? Did the Kenosha Kid?

      Comment

      • #4
        Re: Harrison overdue for cover splash.

        Awesome article and really incredibly true.

        Comment

        • #5
          Re: Harrison overdue for cover splash.

          That is a great article about a great player. Marvin has been gettin' some love lately, but Kravitz is right (ouch, that hurts to say), Marvin doesn't get magazine covers because he's not drama like the other guys. "[Me-Shawn] isn't one-fifth the reciever" -- made me laugh.
          It's a new day for Pacers Basketball.

          Comment

          • #6
            Re: Harrison overdue for cover splash.

            Originally posted by Hoop View Post
            Best article Kravitz has ever wrote.
            i agree.

            Comment

            • #7
              Re: Harrison overdue for cover splash.

              I like the article, but I am always so torn on Marvin. On the one hand I love his calm cool demeanor, but on the other I sometimes feel like he lacks the guts to go for the jugular in big games. I just don't know overall I think Marvin is an amazing player and I would probably only trade him for a sane TO which doesn't exist.


              Comment

              • #8
                Re: Harrison overdue for cover splash.

                Originally posted by indy0731 View Post
                I like the article, but I am always so torn on Marvin. On the one hand I love his calm cool demeanor, but on the other I sometimes feel like he lacks the guts to go for the jugular in big games. I just don't know overall I think Marvin is an amazing player and I would probably only trade him for a sane TO which doesn't exist.
                I doubt that. When he's playing his cool demanor is usually just not taunting the other team or having a big TD celebration.

                I've seen Marvin spike the ball on the ground very hard after catching a ball for a first down. He's far from emotionless on the field.
                Super Bowl XLI Champions
                2000 Eastern Conference Champions




                Comment

                • #9
                  Re: Harrison overdue for cover splash.

                  Lord Helmet,
                  I just realized how much Martin Gramatica looks like Lord Helmet by seeing your avatar .

                  Comment

                  • #10
                    Re: Harrison overdue for cover splash.

                    Originally posted by lumber man View Post
                    Lord Helmet,
                    I just realized how much Martin Gramatica looks like Lord Helmet by seeing your avatar .
                    I guess you're right.
                    Super Bowl XLI Champions
                    2000 Eastern Conference Champions




                    Comment

                    • #11
                      Re: Harrison overdue for cover splash.

                      Originally posted by Lord Helmet View Post
                      I doubt that. When he's playing his cool demanor is usually just not taunting the other team or having a big TD celebration.

                      I've seen Marvin spike the ball on the ground very hard after catching a ball for a first down. He's far from emotionless on the field.
                      Very true, Marvin and Peyton are both fierce competitors, they just keep their heads level and play the game. That doesn't mean they care less, its just their method, and its a better one then going crazy after every play if you ask me.

                      Comment

                      • #12
                        Re: Harrison overdue for cover splash.

                        Originally posted by indy0731 View Post
                        I like the article, but I am always so torn on Marvin. On the one hand I love his calm cool demeanor, but on the other I sometimes feel like he lacks the guts to go for the jugular in big games.
                        I'm curious here and not trying to start trouble, but when has Harrison even something that makes you feel this way? Has he short armed passed in the clutch, not layed out on a pass, or ran out of bounds when one more yard is needed for a first down? I have not seen as many Colts games as some of you in Indiana, so I ask the question. I have no idea if this is true or not.

                        Comment

                        • #13
                          Re: Harrison overdue for cover splash.

                          Originally posted by indy0731 View Post
                          I like the article, but I am always so torn on Marvin. On the one hand I love his calm cool demeanor, but on the other I sometimes feel like he lacks the guts to go for the jugular in big games. I just don't know overall I think Marvin is an amazing player and I would probably only trade him for a sane TO which doesn't exist.
                          Not true at all. The most memorable example I have seen of Marvin "going for the kill" so to speak, is the Monday Night comeback from several seasons ago against Tampa Bay. If you'll recall, Keyshawn Johnson, (whom has been overshadowed by Marvin and several other WR's from his draft class) was mic'ed up for that game. He was griping the whole game about Marvin getting his catches on short out routes. When the Colts needed it the most, Marvin beat his man for a long catch that Keyshawn probably still remembers to this day. The Colts go on to win the game, Keyshawn is still an idiot, and Marvin will always be better than him. End of story.

                          Comment

                          • #14
                            Re: Harrison overdue for cover splash.

                            Originally posted by travmil View Post
                            Not true at all. The most memorable example I have seen of Marvin "going for the kill" so to speak, is the Monday Night comeback from several seasons ago against Tampa Bay. If you'll recall, Keyshawn Johnson, (whom has been overshadowed by Marvin and several other WR's from his draft class) was mic'ed up for that game. He was griping the whole game about Marvin getting his catches on short out routes. When the Colts needed it the most, Marvin beat his man for a long catch that Keyshawn probably still remembers to this day. The Colts go on to win the game, Keyshawn is still an idiot, and Marvin will always be better than him. End of story.
                            Agreed. Meshawn is garbage.
                            Super Bowl XLI Champions
                            2000 Eastern Conference Champions




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