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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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Former Pacer Haywoode Workman hired as NBA ref

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  • #1

    Former Pacer Haywoode Workman hired as NBA ref

    http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/spo...-player-w.html

    Former player Workman hired as NBA ref
    posted by Kyle Hightower on Oct 9, 2008 10:25:58 AM
    Discuss This: Comments (0) | TrackBack (0) | Linking Blogs | Add to del.icio.us | Digg it
    Former NBA player Haywoode Workman has officially made it in his second career after being hired to referee his first season in the NBA in 2008-09, Vice President of referee operations Joe Borgia confirmed to the Sentinel.

    Workman played eight NBA seasons for five teams from 1989 to 2000 (averaging 5.5 points per game as a point guard). A second-round pick by Atlanta, he didn't stay long with the Hawks before becoming a league nomad.

    Now 42, Workman has been coming up through the ref ranks the past five years and was on NBA referee roster in '06-'07 and '07-'08 as preseason ref, while working both of those seasons as a NBA Development League official.

    Workman is one of three NBA ref hires this season.

    He was on the court working Orlando’s 118-80 preseason win over Atlanta Wednesday.

    Borgia, who in July was promoted to his current post, worked with Workman in his former post as a manager in the league’s officiating program in which he was responsible for the training and development of the officiating staff in the NBA and overseeing the WNBA and NBDL ref staffs.

    Now Workman’s finally getting his shot at the top level.

    When he refs his first regular season game he will become the third former NBA player to become a ref, joining Bernie Fryer (now retired) and Leon Wood.

    I first noticed Workman when I first got to Orlando in 2004 and on one of my first assignments recognized him refereeing in the Orlando NBA Summer League that year when he was basically a ref rookie.

    I sat down with him and wrote a story about his journey that summer which I posted after the jump.

    (Sentinel story from 2004...)

    WORKMAN HAPPY TO BE BACK ON COURT

    By Kyle Hightower
    Sentinel Staff Writer
    Clad in a referee jersey, the man was somewhere between anonymity and naivete as he watched wannabe and soon-to-be NBA players do layup drills at the Pepsi summer pro league.

    After an errant dribble bounced off the foot of Cleveland Cavaliers guard Dajuan Wagner within a backbend of the man, he trudged over to the loose ball and handed it back to Wagner.

    "Thanks, ref," Wagner, 21, said coyly, barely cutting his eyes in his helper's direction.
    And that was exactly the way former NBA player Haywoode Workman likes it.

    Workman was in Orlando last week as part of a special NBA program that hires groups of minor-league referees, mostly from the National Basketball Development League (NBDL) and Continental Basketball Association (CBA), to serve as officials at its summer leagues around the country.

    "Most of the guys don't really know, because they're younger," Workman said. "I'm a referee first. Either I give them a call, or I didn't give them a call. But then as the game progresses, it'll be like, `Oh, you used to play,' or something. Other than that, I'm just a referee."

    Workman, 38, played eight NBA seasons for five teams from 1989 to 2000 (averaging 5.5 points per game as a point guard). A second-round pick by Atlanta, he didn't stay long with the Hawks before becoming a league nomad.

    He started 52 games for the Indiana Pacers in the 1993-94 season, averaging almost eight points and 6.2 assists during the Pacers' first trip to the Eastern Conference finals that year. But a torn knee ligament in 1996 derailed his playing career.

    Then two years ago, after a few chats with current NBA official Bob Delaney, he decided to pursue a second career as a referee. He is entering his third year officiating, having done one-year stints each in the CBA and NBDL.

    Aside from the young players who don't know his past, the Orlando summer league is a family reunion of sorts for Workman among NBA coaches. Wagner said later that he didn't realize Workman was an NBA alumnus until Cavaliers Coach Paul Silas introduced him.

    "I had no idea he used to play [in the NBA], but I guess I should have guessed with his size," Wagner said.

    Wade Morehead, CBA deputy commissioner and officials supervisor, said about 80 percent of the NBA's current referees have come through the CBA's doors. He liked Workman from the beginning.

    "He brought a lot of experience and has a vivid understanding of the pro game," Morehead said. "It seemed like a natural fit."

    Workman said spending his post-playing days near a court was a no-brainer.

    "To me, too many other guys want to be coaches, general managers or administration," he said. "I'm a guy who feels like I need to be on the court.

    "It was an opportunity, and now that I've got into it more, it's the same as when I was trying to become a NBA player. I had a chance; I paid my dues and got in. . . . It's the same thing as a referee. My process might be faster than the average referee, so that's just to my advantage because I played. But I still have to pay my dues."

    There have been two other former NBA players to make the transition to officiating. Both are still among the league's 59 current refs.

    Bernie Fryer, who will enter his 28th season (tied for second among active referees) as an official next year, averaged 6.3 points in two seasons for three teams (1973-75). Leon Wood played from 1984-91 for six teams and averaged 6.4 points.

    But the fact that so few former players have made the switch to the other side doesn't surprise 27-year veteran official Joe Crawford.

    "You're very skeptical because you don't think a player of today, you wonder if they know what's involved and the hard work that's involved, because we don't make what the players make," Crawford said. "I didn't initially give him a lot of credit."

    Crawford and other current refs are serving as "clinicians" during the summer leagues. He said a group of 7-10 current NBA officials are selected randomly to help screen and critique the summer-league referees.

    His skepticism waned once he saw Workman make a few calls on the court.

    "I am pleasantly surprised," Crawford said. "For a guy who has just started to referee . . ., he really, really handles himself well. He's not ready for the NBA yet, but he's a very, very talented guy."

    Workman said he remembers "complaining" to Crawford and other officials when he was a player but added with a laugh that all is forgotten as he is "on their side now."

    Their days begin promptly at 8:30 each morning and consist of classroom-format dissection of the rulebook and NBA referee's manual as well as breaking down individual performances via game tapes.

    "It's wonderful; it's a great, great learning tool," Crawford said. "How these guys grow in a week is just fascinating."

    Workman lives in Tampa with his two children, ages 4 and 5. Since embarking on his newest journey, he has taken the reins of a once-fading local summer league just to get some experience and to stay close to home. He recently has started to travel.

    Though Crawford and Morehead have been impressed with his early strides, Crawford isn't shy about the road that lies ahead of Workman and others.

    "As much as you train as a referee, there's only 59 jobs, and the likelihood of somebody getting hired out of these guys [at the summer league] is not that great," Crawford said. "But that doesn't mean that they're bad referees. In most cases, it's just like our players; it's a numbers game."

    Crawford said some go on to officiate in college, though the success of Fryer and Wood is a big confidence boost.

    "We're just out there trying to improve on what we're trying to do," Workman said. "Maybe you won't make it to the NBA, but if you're an official, maybe this process will better your skill, your trade. Either you make it or you don't, but at least you got the best advice to the highest level you can get about being a referee."
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  • #2
    Re: Former Pacer Haywoode Workman hired as NBA ref

    Good for him. He certainly couldn't be any worse than the other refs in the NBA.

    Is there any chance he took Violet Palmer's job?

    Comment

    • #3
      Re: Former Pacer Haywoode Workman hired as NBA ref

      Originally posted by Shade View Post
      Good for him. He certainly couldn't be any worse than the other refs in the NBA.

      Is there any chance he took Violet Palmer's job?
      No, I saw her doing a game last night between the Heat and the Nets

      Comment

      • #4
        Re: Former Pacer Haywoode Workman hired as NBA ref

        Originally posted by Shade View Post
        Is there any chance he took Violet Palmer's job?
        I cringe everytime I see here reffing a Pacers game. I kick you not; I have yet to see the Pacers win a game that she officiates. N-E-V-E-R!!

        I don't know if it's her doing a bad job or if she's just a jix for my boyz, but whatever it is you can count on a tic-mark in the "lose" column for for the Pacers whenever she's out there. It's gotten so bad that my wife has even taken notice.

        Before sitting down to watch Wednesday's preseason game, my wife noticed Violet on the floor and shouting to me (I was in the kitchen gathering snackage for the game), "That woman's reffing again. You're boyz are gonna lose!" And sure enough, they did!

        Comment

        • #5
          Re: Former Pacer Haywoode Workman hired as NBA ref

          Comment

          • #6
            Re: Former Pacer Haywoode Workman hired as NBA ref






            game two of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals during the 2006 NBA Playoffs

            Comment

            • #7
              Re: Former Pacer Haywoode Workman hired as NBA ref

              She was also officiating Wednesday's loss to New Orleans.

              Comment

              • #8
                Re: Former Pacer Haywoode Workman hired as NBA ref

                Didn't Heywood once pick up a technical foul for holding/grabbing a New York Knick while on the bench in the playoffs for our beloved Pacers?

                Comment

                • #9
                  Re: Former Pacer Haywoode Workman hired as NBA ref

                  Don't know, but in NYC Rick Carlisle was "caught" "tripping" Sprewell once.

                  Comment

                  • #10
                    Re: Former Pacer Haywoode Workman hired as NBA ref

                    Originally posted by Hicks View Post
                    She was also officiating Wednesday's loss to New Orleans.

                    I saw a female ref ref'ing the game. I never heard the female refs name mentioned, so I just figured it was her.

                    Comment

                    • #11
                      Re: Former Pacer Haywoode Workman hired as NBA ref

                      I'd go to a game he was reffing, but since I highly doubt he'll ever do a Pacers game I guess I'll never get to see him in person again.

                      Comment

                      • #12
                        Re: Former Pacer Haywoode Workman hired as NBA ref

                        Originally posted by Justin Tyme View Post
                        I saw a female ref ref'ing the game. I never heard the female refs name mentioned, so I just figured it was her.
                        No, that was definitely not her. The ref on Wednesday for the NO game was good.
                        BillS

                        A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
                        Or throw in a first-round pick and flip it for a max-level point guard...

                        Comment

                        • #13
                          Re: Former Pacer Haywoode Workman hired as NBA ref

                          Did anyone else notice Palmer rolling her eyes after one of the bad calls she made in the Nawlins game?

                          I think even she knows she sucks.

                          Comment

                          • #14
                            Re: Former Pacer Haywoode Workman hired as NBA ref

                            Originally posted by BillS View Post
                            No, that was definitely not her. The ref on Wednesday for the NO game was good.
                            It was her. And she wasn't good. Better than usual, maybe, but hardly "good."

                            Comment

                            • #15
                              Re: Former Pacer Haywoode Workman hired as NBA ref

                              It's too bad they don't announce who's ref'ing games beforehand, so we'd know when to go see him. If only Donaghy hadn't gotten caught.
                              Come to the Dark Side -- There's cookies!

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