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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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Marvin Lewis wins NFL Coach of the Year

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  • #1

    Marvin Lewis wins NFL Coach of the Year

    He was my darkhorse pick but I thought Norv or Sean Payton was going to win.

    http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100116/..._coach_of_year

    Bengals' Marvin Lewis is AP NFL Coach of the Year
    AP

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    Cincinnati Bengals coach Marvin Lewis motions to a player during the first half AP – Cincinnati Bengals coach Marvin Lewis motions to a player during the first half of an NFL wild-card playoff …
    By BARRY WILNER, AP Football Writer Barry Wilner, Ap Football Writer – 44 mins ago

    NEW YORK – Marvin Lewis had much more than game plans to deal with this season.

    Lewis won The Associated Press 2009 NFL Coach of the Year award for guiding his team to the playoffs during a season marked by tragedy.

    The Bengals won the AFC North with a 10-6 record, just their second division title since 1990, both under Lewis. They did so despite the deaths of wide receiver Chris Henry and Vikki Zimmer, the wife of defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer. Several players' families also were directly affected by the tsunami in the Samoan Islands.

    For holding his team together under such circumstances and leading a turnaround from a 4-11-1 record in 2008, Lewis earned 20 1/2 votes Saturday from a nationwide panel of 50 sports writers and broadcasters who cover the league. He beat Sean Payton of New Orleans (11 1/2), Norv Turner of San Diego (9) and Jim Caldwell of Indianapolis (7). Andy Reid of Philadelphia and Ken Whisenhunt of Arizona had a single vote each.

    "I'm flattered," said Lewis, whose seventh season as Bengals coach ended with a 24-14 home loss to the Jets in the wild-card round. "I never took any credibility to it, that it could occur, but I am flattered. I would trade it to still be playing.

    "To me, this is more a recognition of the organization, for the coaching staff and the hard work they've done, and for the players."

    Few coaches have dealt with such a season of grief. Vikki Zimmer, who used to bake treats for the players, died unexpectedly in October. Two weeks earlier, defensive linemen Jonathan Fanene and Domata Peko and rookie linebacker Rey Maualuga struggled to contact family in American Samoa after the tsunami devastated the region.

    In December, wide receiver Chris Henry, on injured reserve with a broken left forearm, fell from the back of a pickup truck after an argument with his fiancee and was killed.

    So Lewis was as much a therapist and psychologist for his team as he was a strategist.

    "Just look at that load right there he's beared," veteran guard Bobbie Williams said. "With Chris, Vikki Zimmer, the Samoan Islands. ... There's been a lot of weight on his shoulders, and through the not-so-good seasons when it seemed like the world might have been crashing down, he's been that rock for the team and for the city. ... When you look at it, you're like, 'Dang, that's a lot, that's a lot.' But you know what? He's still there and he's still rolling and he's still coach."

    And he's Coach of the Year, the first for the Bengals since the team's founder, Paul Brown, won the award in 1970.

    "Our coaches did a great job of helping through those times and being there in support of Mike and his family, support of the players through the tsunami, and then with Chris' death and how that affected certain guys," Lewis said. "All that being said, I think again the credit should come to the entire group because they did this. I think we had a good group of leadership."

    Those team leaders credit Lewis for changing the environment in Cincinnati. There were far fewer unchecked egos this season, and the influx of youth worked well.

    "Marvin's really gotten better with gauging our team, and a lot of it is because he knows our individual players," quarterback Carson Palmer said. "He knows when to back off, he knows when to put shoulder pads on, he knows when to hold us longer for meetings, he knows when to get us out of practice earlier. And that's a head coach's main job, to get his team ready to play on Sundays."

    The Bengals certainly were ready in the first half of the schedule, going 7-2 and sweeping Pittsburgh and Baltimore to take command of the division. They faltered down the stretch, losing three of their final four — all against playoff teams.

    But how many teams wouldn't have struggled under all the adversity handled the Bengals?

    "He knows real life," Peko said. "He was able to not only be our coach but a father and mentor to some of us."
    Tags: None
  • #2
    Re: Marvin Lewis wins NFL Coach of the Year

    How could you pick coach of the year until after the playoffs have finished? Particularly giving some of the candidates this season. Obviously, giving up on the perfect season hurt Caldwell here... but if the Colts could somehow manage to win it all I think that would be pretty impressive for a rookie HC... and the regular season record easily eclipses what Cincy did.

    I don't think Cincy was all that consistent and I'd just have a hard time giving the award to Lewis.
    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 Wooden

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    • #3
      Re: Marvin Lewis wins NFL Coach of the Year

      Originally posted by Bball View Post
      How could you pick coach of the year until after the playoffs have finished? Particularly giving some of the candidates this season. Obviously, giving up on the perfect season hurt Caldwell here... but if the Colts could somehow manage to win it all I think that would be pretty impressive for a rookie HC... and the regular season record easily eclipses what Cincy did.

      I don't think Cincy was all that consistent and I'd just have a hard time giving the award to Lewis.
      These are regular season awards though I mean Charles Woodson won DPOY yet after last week you wouldn't have though that now would you?

      Comment

      • #4
        Re: Marvin Lewis wins NFL Coach of the Year

        COTY is usually for the coach of a team that sucked last year, got an easier schedule and did well the following year. As division winners, Cincy will get a tougher schedule next season and be middle of the pack again.

        Comment

        • #5
          Re: Marvin Lewis wins NFL Coach of the Year

          That "get a more difficult schedule for winning the division" is not like it used to be with the old five-team divisions (where all the fifth place teams played each other the following season), although there is still some truth to it.

          Marvin Lewis was outstanding this year, althoug over the last month of the season too many outside issues interrupted the Bengals' storybook season. Obviously getting Carson Palmer back helped a lot, but his stats were not particuarly impressive. He does bring a number of intangibles, too.

          The thing that struck me about the Bengals, especially during the first 10-12 weeks or so, was just how good they were in the fourth quarter - kept their composure, made key third down stops, moved the chains on offense. They really were winning close games in the fourth quarter, not jumping out to a lead and hoping to hold on (a la San Diego). And they were doing it with (a) no-name players, or (b) "name" players like Tank Johnson, Benson, Larry Johnson, even OchoCinco that were real headaches in the past.

          In the end, they certainly fell apart. My hunch is that many voters had decided by week 9 that Marvin Lewis had earned this and that the late-season collapse may have meant a short playoff run but good gracious, the Bengals were a team to be taken seriously for most of the season and how often does that happen?

          They didn't play a "fifth-place" schedule this season.

          Just for the record, they played,

          Last year's Super Bowl champion twice, 2-0
          Lasy year's AFC runner up twice, 2-0
          One other divisional opponent that is really, really, really bad, 2-0 (Cumulative, 2-0 against the other playoff team from their division.)

          the NFC North, and yes that division isn't very good but they had two playoff teams, 3-1 (1-1 against the playoff teams).

          the AFC West, and yes that division isn't very good so that 1-3 record is somewhat suspect (0-1 against the playoff teams).

          So for the portion of their schedule not based on last year's record, they were 10-4.

          The teams they played based on last season's schedule were:

          Texans, who played a great game against Cincinnati during their up-and-down year, and Jets, who played against the Bengal's second unit in the last week of the season. Had the Bengals beaten the Jets, the Texans would have made the playoffs. So those teams were not cellar-dwellars.

          They went 3-3 against playoff teams this year. That was a tremendous improvement. They were 0-7-1 the previous season.
          Why do the things that we treasure most, slip away in time
          Till to the music we grow deaf, to God's beauty blind
          Why do the things that connect us slowly pull us apart?
          Till we fall away in our own darkness, a stranger to our own hearts
          And life itself, rushing over me
          Life itself, the wind in black elms,
          Life itself in your heart and in your eyes, I can't make it without you

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