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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:

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

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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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A Collapse and a Comeback

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  • A Collapse and a Comeback

    Nice one here from the Tampa Trib. with reminiscences of the last time the Bucs and Colts met and the incredible finish. The two franchises went in different directions after that game.

    http://www.tbo.com/sports/MGB8FPFAB7F.html

    A Collapse And A Comeback

    By JOEY JOHNSTON The Tampa Tribune
    Published: Oct 3, 2007

    TAMPA - Randy Mariman, a Tampa money-management consultant and longtime Bucs season-ticket holder, had never left a game early.

    But on Oct. 6, 2003 - after Mariman and four friends savored a pregame steak dinner, then the "Monday Night Football" festivities at Raymond James Stadium - he thought differently.

    The Bucs had just taken a three-touchdown lead on the Indianapolis Colts with five minutes remaining. Now their top-ranked defense was preparing to tee off on Colts quarterback Peyton Manning.

    "It was getting near midnight," Mariman said. "My buddies were all married with kids and they lived in Clearwater. They had to drop me off. I wanted to be a nice guy.

    "So I turned to them and said, 'Look, you know I don't leave games early. But if you want to go, it's OK. This one is over.'"

    By the time they reached the car, the Colts scored a touchdown.
    While heading home on Interstate 275, they heard the Colts score again as an increasingly distraught Gene Deckerhoff described the action on radio.

    Arriving at Mariman's Harbour Island condominium - with the Colts driving to force overtime - they hurried upstairs for a television.

    They watched, largely in silent disbelief.

    Final: Colts 38, Bucs 35 (OT).

    One of the greatest comebacks - or most traumatic collapses - ever seen on a football field.

    "We're sitting there, almost unable to move," Mariman said. "Nobody wanted to drive home. Everybody was mad. So my buddies called their wives - we're talking like 1:30 in the morning - and said the Bucs had lost, they were spending the night with me.

    "Their wives had turned off the game and were already in bed. Some of them said, 'What are you talking about? Are you crazy? The Bucs didn't lose.'

    "To say the least, that was a night none of us will ever forget."

    Tale Of Two Franchises

    Sunday at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis, the Bucs (3-1) meet the Colts (4-0) for the first time since Oct. 6, 2003, perhaps the line of demarcation for both franchises.

    The Colts learned how to win.

    The Bucs' aura of invincibility was shattered.

    "That was not a fun night," Bucs coach Jon Gruden said.

    For the first time in NFL history, a team had won after trailing by 21 points with under four minutes to play.

    Colts coach Tony Dungy, celebrating his 48th birthday, had an unforgettable homecoming against the franchise he led from 1996 to 2001.

    The Bucs, defending Super Bowl champions, slipped to 2-2. In many ways, they were never the same that season and finished 7-9.

    Early on against Dungy's Colts, though, the Bucs were dominant, rolling to a 21-0 halftime lead.

    "When I played against them, the Indianapolis Colts were always known as a soft football team," said former Bucs receiver Keyshawn Johnson, now with ESPN. "Once you punch them and get them down, especially with a defense like we had in Tampa, the Colts would be completely out."

    Johnson wore a microphone for ABC-TV that night, and unabashedly ridiculed the Colts, especially Indianapolis receiver Marvin Harrison. Eventually, those words would haunt Johnson.

    But that hardly seemed a possibility with 5:09 remaining, when Bucs cornerback Ronde Barber intercepted Manning and returned it 29 yards for a score, increasing Tampa Bay's lead to 35-14.

    On the Colts sideline, Dungy faced the reality. The Colts, already facing a short week with the Carolina Panthers ahead, were fighting a lost cause. Dungy turned to offensive coordinator Tom Moore: "Let's get Peyton and the starters out of there."

    "In that situation, you have to win the game," Barber said. "What happened after that is pretty unprecedented. I'm still in a fog over what happened."

    Said Al Michaels, then ABC's play-by-play man on Monday Night Football: "We had all these fantastic storylines and the game was a rout. There was no way the Colts could come back. No way. I mean, we were comparing the Bucs defense, justifiably so, to the Chicago Bears of 1985. Then, about 11:35 at night, the real game began."

    In New Orleans, Archie and Olivia Manning, Peyton's parents, sat glumly in their family room.

    "I never turn off the games with Peyton and Eli," Archie Manning said. "I had already accepted it. It was a bad one. Let's just play out the string.

    "Then slowly, this thing comes to life. It's like, 'OK. Better. Score's not so bad. Hey, wait a minute. Hey, something's happening. Oh my gosh. Are you kidding me?'

    "Are you kidding me?"
    Insurmountable Lead Unravels

    After Barber's score, Brad Pyatt returned the ensuing kickoff 90 yards, immediately changing Dungy's strategy and setting up the Colts for a quick score. Bucs, 35-21. The Colts then recovered an onside kick and six plays later Manning hit Harrison on a 28-yard touchdown on fourth-and-6. Bucs, 35-28.

    Tampa Bay covered the next onside kick attempt, but couldn't make a first down. And by then, Harrison was having his way with reserve cornerback Tim Wansley, playing for the injured Brian Kelly.

    Wansley bit on a pump fake, and Harrison beat him for 52 yards. With 35 seconds remaining in regulation, Ricky Williams scored from the 1. Tied, 35-35.

    The Colts won 38-35 when Mike Vanderjagt banked in a 29-yard second-chance field goal with 3:47 remaining in overtime. Manning finished 34 of 47 for 386 yards. Harrison caught 11 passes for 176 yards and two scores.

    "That night, the fat lady was definitely not singing," Bucs safety Jermaine Phillips said. "After the game, I checked my messages. Just about all of them said, 'Great game! Congratulations!'
    "I got a lot of apologies the next day from all those people who had gone to bed."

    John Madden, the "Monday Night Football" analyst, still calls it the most unusual night of football he has ever witnessed.

    "It taught me a lesson," Madden said. "I always felt great defense would beat great offense. Maybe even the Colts felt that way - until that night.

    "In my mind, that night started their team. It probably gave them the belief they could come back against the Patriots [in last season's AFC Championship Game]. On the broadcast, I remember saying, 'Tonight, we're going to watch one of the greatest defenses of all time.' Then look what happened. Unbelievable."

    As for Randy Mariman, the Tampa money-management consultant who still roots for the Bucs?

    For four years - whether it's the Bucs, Lightning or Devil Rays - he never has left early. And no matter what happens Sunday, he's watching until the end.

    "You never know," Mariman said. "I guess that's what we learned that night. You just never know."

    Reporter Joey Johnston can be reached at (813) 259-7353 or jjohnston@tampatrib.com.
    Last edited by McClintic Sphere; 10-05-2007, 05:38 PM.

  • #2
    Re: A Collapse and a Comeback

    I'm proud to say I watched that entire game. I of course thought we had lost, but I still watched.

    That was a great article. I don't remember Meshaun talking about Marvin though.
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    • #3
      Re: A Collapse and a Comeback

      Originally posted by Diamond Dave View Post
      I'm proud to say I watched that entire game. I of course thought we had lost, but I still watched.

      That was a great article. I don't remember Meshaun talking about Marvin though.
      Same here, I watched it all. I still remember being in awe we had won.

      Meshaun was talking a bunch of crap on us, and he was talking about Marvin, too. It really made me dislike the guy.

      I think I remember him saying something about Marvin then Marvin catches that long bomb from Peyton that sets up a quick TD.
      Super Bowl XLI Champions
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      • #4
        Re: A Collapse and a Comeback

        Originally posted by Diamond Dave View Post
        I'm proud to say I watched that entire game. I of course thought we had lost, but I still watched.

        That was a great article. I don't remember Meshaun talking about Marvin though.


        I'm not 100% sure on this, but IIRC, Meshawn said something to the effect of "I'm the best receiver to come out of the 96 draft", or something to that effect.

        Guess that's why Johnson is a 3 time Pro Bowler with 10571 yds and Harrison had made 8 straight with 13928.

        Anyway, that game seemed to be the turning point for both of these franchises. The Colts have been a premier team since then, and the Bucs were never really the same after that game.

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        • #5
          Re: A Collapse and a Comeback

          That game was definitely a critical turning point for both us and the Bucs. Amazing, amazing finish. I was in awe for days.

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          • #6
            Re: A Collapse and a Comeback

            I turned that game off right after the INT return - then heard about it the next morning. Still disappointed about that.
            The poster formerly known as Rimfire

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            • #7
              Re: A Collapse and a Comeback

              Originally posted by Adam1987 View Post
              I'm not 100% sure on this, but IIRC, Meshawn said something to the effect of "I'm the best receiver to come out of the 96 draft", or something to that effect.

              Guess that's why Johnson is a 3 time Pro Bowler with 10571 yds and Harrison had made 8 straight with 13928.

              Anyway, that game seemed to be the turning point for both of these franchises. The Colts have been a premier team since then, and the Bucs were never really the same after that game.
              Harrison had just come off the record breaking 143 catch season, and Johnson was stating he got all his catches off of short screen passes. Stupid, obviously.

              I was the only guy in my college dorm that didn't stop watching, if not for Brad Pyatt's run back, I might not have stayed watching.

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              • #8
                Re: A Collapse and a Comeback

                I like how Ricky Williams, and not Edge, ran in the touch though. You would think close in 8yrs people would realize that Polian is one smart man and passed on the favorite back to get James.
                Just because you're offended, doesn't mean you're right.” ― Ricky Gervais.

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                • #9
                  Re: A Collapse and a Comeback

                  Originally posted by Since86 View Post
                  I like how Ricky Williams, and not Edge, ran in the touch though. You would think close in 8yrs people would realize that Polian is one smart man and passed on the favorite back to get James.
                  Wait, not following. Ricky Williams did run in that touchdown. Am I missing some level of sarcasm that law school has murdered in my brain?

                  http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/boxscore?gid=20031006027

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                  • #10
                    Re: A Collapse and a Comeback

                    Originally posted by btowncolt View Post
                    Wait, not following. Ricky Williams did run in that touchdown. Am I missing some level of sarcasm that law school has murdered in my brain?

                    http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/boxscore?gid=20031006027
                    I think he was thinking of the other Ricky Williams.

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                    • #11
                      Re: A Collapse and a Comeback

                      Originally posted by Shade View Post
                      I think he was thinking of the other Ricky Williams.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: A Collapse and a Comeback

                        Originally posted by btowncolt View Post

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: A Collapse and a Comeback

                          Well ****.

                          EDIT: He only had 59 career rushing attempts, 190 career rushing yards, and 2 career TDs. I guess you can say he's an easy one to forget.
                          Last edited by Since86; 10-08-2007, 03:29 PM.
                          Just because you're offended, doesn't mean you're right.” ― Ricky Gervais.

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