Tweet
Re: Bball's Indy 500 thread: Photos plus Rants and Raves
nice pics.
nice pics.
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.
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.
See more
See less
-
-
Re: Bball's Indy 500 thread: Photos plus Rants and Raves
Great pics, and I LOVE this commentary and discussion. I hope this thread lives on for a while because I'm learning a lot from reading it!
Great job, Bball!
RESIDENT COUNTING THREAD PHILOSOPHIZERComment
-
Re: Bball's Indy 500 thread: Photos plus Rants and Raves
Pretty much your assumption about scanners is spot on. I bought a Radio Shack Race Scanner which basically comes with freqs for several racing series already assigned. Of course they are from last season so they need some tweaking. The one I bought was the (I think) Pro 137 model. In any case, it's the 179.00 unit. It doesn't come with headphones or muffs so you'll have to add your own.I would love to have a scanner and listen to all that stuff! It was my first race, and I didn't feel like renting one for the day. At some point, I will probably buy one so that I have it for any other races I attend. After the experience I had at this race, it is a virtual LOCK that I will be attending races with quite a bit of frequency. This may be a stupid question, but does the scanner work with every race? I would think that it is like a regular scanner, and as long as you have the list of frequencies, you are good to go....Can you give me an idea on what ones are good, and how much they cost? You really seem to be knowledgeable about IRL and racing in general (I loved the commentary and photos in your thread!) so I would appreciate any advice you could give.
I'd intended to pick up a set but Ratty Ol Shack was out of the headsets and the line at the track (where they were selling them) was moving too slow and I didn't find another stand until AFTER the race.
Last year I picked up a Proscan 100 race scanner at Big Lots for 30.00. This new one has more features and seems to have better reception as well.
The Proscan 100 comes with ear buds and a set of 26dB muffs so I just used those with the new scanner.
The problem with that setup is if you're like me and just want to check in on the scanner at different times and not use it the whole race, the stupid little ear buds and separate muffs are more trouble than just slapping headphones on and off. Plus you can more easily hand headphones to your buddies so they can listen in sometimes.
You're NOT going to hear the earbuds very well at all without the muffs. ...And it seemed like everytime I went to put the earbuds back in the wires were tangled and I had to untangle them.
I did a little research and didn't really see anything negative about the Radio Shack model that I purchased. I downloaded a freq list off the net the night before the race and punched in the new freqs and made sure the cars had the right numbers and names for easy identification. Then at the race I bought an official freq sheet for 5.00 at a merch stand. It was almost 100% identical to the free one I'd gotten the night before. Still, it added a little confidence and patience to the process of just putting it on a certain driver's channel and waiting for communications. It's not like there's constant chatter so if you want to listen in to your favorite driver the channel might be quiet for several laps. If you aren't SURE you're on the right frequency then you might bail and miss something.
Besides using mine to listen to the PA and the radio broadcast at different times I dialed in Vitor when he was leading and while he was trying to chase Dixon down. I used it to listen to Wheldon's communications when he started falling back. I listened to Danica for a while too. Once it was clear Dixon wasn't going to be caught, I switched to his channel for the final laps.
If you want to hear constant communications then listening in on Milka's radio is good for that. Her team was constantly encouraging her and giving her information every lap. They did the same last year.
I'll probably go to the Kentucky Indycar race this August so I hope to take them there as well. If you liked the racing at Indy and not just the event itself, I recommend going to the Kentucky race. It is an EXCELLENT facility. I'm not sure there's a bad seat in the place. And you can see the whole track from your seat (no big screen TV needed). It's a D shaped oval (like is popular in Nascar... such as the Charlotte track) and it's a 1.5 mile track with high banking.
I've been to a few tracks in my day and this facility is right there with any of them. And if you know some tricks, getting in and out of the facility and onto the road home is a breeze.
There's a feud with the track owners and Nascar brewing because they can't get a Cup race. I'm not sure how long this facility can/will stay open without a Cup race.
I really like having two Indycar tracks so close so hopefully it stays on the schedule for a long while.Nuntius was right for a while. I was wrong for a while. But ultimately I was right and Frank Vogel has been let go.
------
"A player who makes a team great is more valuable than a great player. Losing yourself in the group, for the good of the group, that’s teamwork."
-John WoodenComment
-
Re: Bball's Indy 500 thread: Photos plus Rants and Raves
Bball, Is that the track that Bruton Smith just purchased last week?
If it is, I'd imagine, they'll be getting a Nascar race before too long. He has a lot of pull in Nascar.Comment
-
Re: Bball's Indy 500 thread: Photos plus Rants and Raves
Gyron,
That's the one. ...But I don't think technically the sale is complete. Here are some links to the soap opera:
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5g...4uI-gD90RS7AG0
http://www.bleacherreport.com/articl...r-In-His-Deck-
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/motor...notebook_N.htmNuntius was right for a while. I was wrong for a while. But ultimately I was right and Frank Vogel has been let go.
------
"A player who makes a team great is more valuable than a great player. Losing yourself in the group, for the good of the group, that’s teamwork."
-John WoodenComment
-
Re: Bball's Indy 500 thread: Photos plus Rants and Raves
I have to say, if you are trying to attract a business relationship, suing your potential customer(NASCAR) is one hell of a way to do it. I don't think I've ever been successful by threatening a customer with a lawsuit and being able to complete the sale.....
The other thing is, why wouldn't he have communicated with NASCAR BEFORE building the track and getting a commitment that way?
I know before I invest $150 Million, I would want some serious commitments that would ensure I stay in business....Comment
-
Re: Bball's Indy 500 thread: Photos plus Rants and Raves
Gyron,Originally posted by Gyron View Post
I'm pretty sure there's a lot more to the story than just what we've talked about here and in the links. I think the track has been around for something like 10 years now. It's not like the lawsuit was their first step in this process. Also, I'm not sure Nascar 'officially' negotiates with anyone until they actually have a track to talk about... but that doesn't mean they don't give you some winks and nods and direction that would at least imply "Build it and they will come".
Of course even without that, if you do everything right and someone leapfrogs you and you feel they leveraged the playing field somehow in a way that was dirty, what is your recourse but to sue in the end?
And finally, if Bruton didn't think a Cup event belonged there, and could be brought there, why did he get involved in this?
I imagine Carroll's lawsuit was what he felt was a last ditch effort to either win a race on the schedule or more likely a settlement/judgment from Nascar. Either way securing some funding and in one scenario even leaving open the possibility of taking his settlement, licking his wounds, and closing or selling the track.
I think by the time Carroll filed the suit he knew there wasn't any other way to salvage things (with him still the owner).
-BballNuntius was right for a while. I was wrong for a while. But ultimately I was right and Frank Vogel has been let go.
------
"A player who makes a team great is more valuable than a great player. Losing yourself in the group, for the good of the group, that’s teamwork."
-John WoodenComment
-
Re: Bball's Indy 500 thread: Photos plus Rants and Raves
I'm sure you're right. I was just thinking damn, $150 Million, having to sell it at $half that, and still no event there.
And I'm sure Bruton will get one in there in 2010 if he's the official owner. The guy has an insane amount of pull in Nascar from what I've heard down here.
I wouldn't be surprised if he was part of the reason they guy couldn't get a race there, just so he could get the purchase at a bargin price.
I've also heard he's dirty like that when he see's something he wants.Comment
-
Re: Bball's Indy 500 thread: Photos plus Rants and Raves
Yeah, I would lean that way too except the deal between Bruton and Carroll seems amicable which isn't something I'd expect if Bruton was leveraging this thing from the beginning. Didn't one of the articles even say that Carroll would be staying on in an upper level capacity? Or course maybe Carroll sees a "deal with the devil" as better than his other options...Originally posted by Gyron View Post
In any case... it's an excellent venue for Indycar fans to catch a race on one of the 1.5mi D shaped ovals. It's not far fron Cincy or Louisville at all. It's EXTREMELY close to the Belterra Casino (if anyone visits there). For anyone who has only been to IMS, it's a different experience being able to see the whole track as well as watching the cars race on the high banks.
-BballNuntius was right for a while. I was wrong for a while. But ultimately I was right and Frank Vogel has been let go.
------
"A player who makes a team great is more valuable than a great player. Losing yourself in the group, for the good of the group, that’s teamwork."
-John WoodenComment
-
Re: Bball's Indy 500 thread: Photos plus Rants and Raves
Thanks for the insight about scanners...Surely I will be able to get one before the next Indy 500!
RESIDENT COUNTING THREAD PHILOSOPHIZERComment
-
Re: Bball's Indy 500 thread: Photos plus Rants and Raves
I went to my first Nascar race at the All Star Race a couple weeks ago, and the D shaped track like Charlotte's is pretty dern cool, if you are high enough up, you really can see the entire track. If Kentucky is like that I'd imagine, you'd have the same great views.Comment
-
Re: Bball's Indy 500 thread: Photos plus Rants and Raves
I've been to Charlotte as well and for all intents and purposes, Kentucky is exactly like that.Originally posted by Gyron View Post
As for the seating... you'd have to sit pretty darned low at Kentucky not to be able to see all around the track. In fact, I'm not sure it's even possible to get a seat that doesn't let you see all around the track. Obviously up higher is better but they really did a good job with the layout at Kentucky.
Kentucky has a 'tower section' that goes REALLY high but truthfully you gain nothing but a longer walk/climb and a higher ticket price to use those seats that I saw from there.
Charlotte is a nice facility as well. I've been to the Vegas track and the Disney track as well. The Disney track was rather 'blah' (and maybe a tad unsafe for the drivers as well). I believe Vegas might've been reconfigured in some way since I was there but it was also a D shaped oval.
The only other track I've been to was the F1 circuit in Montreal (Circuit Gilles Villeneuve). ...but that's a whole 'nother animal
-BballNuntius was right for a while. I was wrong for a while. But ultimately I was right and Frank Vogel has been let go.
------
"A player who makes a team great is more valuable than a great player. Losing yourself in the group, for the good of the group, that’s teamwork."
-John WoodenComment
-
Re: Bball's Indy 500 thread: Photos plus Rants and Raves
I just found this thread and want to read it all first, but just briefly off Bball's initial few words...
We did our normal 38th to Laf, park north of 30th. We got there around 12:10 after first getting there at 11:45 and realizing we forgot the tickets.the shuttle FROM the track SUCKED (compared to past years). For whatever reason, they ran the buses north and onto 16th St to depart the track which put the buses into the melee of people all trying to leave the track. In past years the buses headed south to leave so that they weren't driving into the belly of the beast. Not sure whose bright idea this change was.
Anyway, it's a walk from there, esp. to mid-Paddock, but normally it's worth it because you get in and out quickly. This year they broke the norm and let anyone pour up Laf road rather than forcing them out 30th, which is what happened to us the one year we ended up on 30th and WANTED to go onto Laf road. Make up your F bomb minds already jerks.
Frustrating. So we sat in traffic just to get to a light that was apparently on a normal cycle despite a cop in the intersection. Big mess. Took 5 times longer to get home than normal (10 minutes usually).
Being late thanks to my screw up meant I didn't get my wife a scanner rental like I'd planned. Next year as god is my witness I'm going to do a perfect, clean Indy trip...barring exit issues out of my control.
Also by your photos Bball it appears you were about 5-6 paddocks over. I think we were in 32 this year, a bit further down than I usually like, but I always forget when I go to get seats.
Finally I have a great shot of AJ on fire that I'll have to post. Might have to wait till FRI though to get enough time at home to send it up.
Yeah, it's not much better on pole day over there either (paddock pent). Did something happen, what's going on, who's talking, I think I hear sound.I know IMS upgraded to the QSC speakers a few years back for fidelity BUT they ultimately under-speced the system.
When the people bridge isn't collapsing. Also I hate getting out there. And one thing about a track that you have a great view of all the way around, no relief from the noise. You do the 600 for the full day and by lap 350 you're starting to hate life. My opinion of course. And I haven't been to the semi-night version, just some of those 9 am to 9 pm, when does this thing start, when does this thing end, why is it 95 degrees out days.Charlotte is a nice facility as well.
Last edited by Naptown_Seth; 05-28-2008, 03:31 PM.
Comment
-
Re: Bball's Indy 500 thread: Photos plus Rants and Raves
100% agree. She's a child, as bad as Tony Stewart or AJ.Will we ever hear the end of Briscoe and Danica? I'm sure the princess will keep the feud alive with the help of a Danica friendly media. The wreck was Briscoe's fault (IMHO) and I don't blame her for being mad. I'm just getting a little tired of the Danica fest. Danica, Danica, Danica. She could stand a little humility...
But then I don't get Briscoe's denial. He clearly broke out the back end as he peeled out and swung his back end right into her rear tire, hard enough to break the suspension right on the spot. His nose was in his lane but his rear wasn't. Man up Briscoe, admitting wrong doesn't mean that Danica wasn't a baby about it.
BTW, Will Power almost lost his back end too earlier in the day. Fished it and started to point his nose right at the pit crews before he got off it and straightened out. A lot of guys were getting ancy with all the yellows I think. Wheldon/Dixon were on each other just as hard as Marco/Kanaan for example. Heck, they all made Scheckter look patient and reasonable which is saying something.
Last edited by Naptown_Seth; 05-28-2008, 03:39 PM.Comment
-
Re: Bball's Indy 500 thread: Photos plus Rants and Raves
Bball, as much as I disagree with some of your Pacers mngmt talk, I'd say we are in perfect alignment on all things 500, right down to not being anti-Danica per se, but tired of the attitude. She can win, she wasn't going to win 05 as you explained very well, and it's time to just be a driver and get over herself.
Low pit tix - 100% agree
Unification "fixing" things - 100% agree, the fix came long ago. Not only that, but the whole "stars make Indy" was always a dumb argument. It's the 500 that makes OW stars. If AJ never ran a single 500, but did all his other stuff, almost no one would know his name. Pancho Carter is more famous for thinking he was waved past the pace car than all his other racing exploits.
I mean what's the big deal about a Rahal, Foyt and Andretti all racing together, but no one discusses a Scheckter being out there? Winning the 500, that's what. Relative of some non-500 star means jack squat, no matter how good the dad or granddad was.
Month of May - agree on opening day
Happy Hour - it's stupid that they haven't already made this change, how do they not get this?
Weather and speeds - track records, fastest man outside of the salt flats or a drag strip, that's what made the rest of the month so big. Nothing is broken except the sport hitting it's own safety limits.
FTWWhat I'd do is leave the rules alone for the first 11 spots but make Day 1 spots 12-22 provisional. That way, if the next day is rained out you've got those spots filled with the provisional times for the previous day.
Also big agreement. Yes it costs...that's kind of the point. It became a month in the first place because it was such a big deal to win, teams put tons of time and money into making that happen. Raise the purse before you chop the month short. The key is to expand the drama, not continue to reduce it till it's just a big Texas or KY race.is the time and effort teams have to put into it
It's not just another IRL race. Risk some money to perk the ears of NASCAR drivers, F1 drivers, heck, any non-IRL drivers. Get a few teams back in that just want that one-time shot at winning Indy and have no ties to the IRL series itself. IRL rules for cars, but otherwise a free-for-all.
And Eco FTW!but to see people challenge and cheat death. He says that is the allure of racing as a sport.
A guy with the guts and skill to make a dangerous move successfully is what racing is all about. 220, close quarters, OWR has more than plenty of that. Certainly more than the best NASCAR event.
I remember Bruno getting the pole and talking about how simple it was. Not really seeing it as simple since that point for him. Sure it's 4 lefts, but with most cars full out you better nail your lines perfectly without the slightest wobble.
Contrast that to F1 where drivers constantly go off circuit and miss lines but have track width to help them hold position. I realize the style of driving is itself a challenge, I'm just saying that in fairness to the IRL, it's not just as simple as "keep turning left".Comment
Comment