Announcement

Collapse

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.
See more
See less

Ty Warren foregoes 250K to go back to school

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • #16
    Re: Ty Warren foregoes 250K to go back to school

    With psychology it's hit or miss. No joke, the only friend I have with a psych degree waits tables at Cheesburger in Paradise.

    Comment


    • #17
      Re: Ty Warren foregoes 250K to go back to school

      Originally posted by travmil View Post
      With psychology it's hit or miss. No joke, the only friend I have with a psych degree waits tables at Cheesburger in Paradise.


      I know but at the time it was a good field(there was a time I was considering law school but realized it was not for me) not so much now if anything I regret not going into accounting when I was an undergraduate of course I'm doing that now at IUPUI and hope to get a CPA and work in the finance sector of a health care organization.

      Yes I'm going for a third degree go figure.

      Comment


      • #18
        Re: Ty Warren foregoes 250K to go back to school

        Originally posted by Since86 View Post
        Smarter? Degree.
        Worth more money? 275K
        Worth more to yourself? Degree
        Or would the smartest thing have been to have found a way to do both?
        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

        Comment


        • #19
          Re: Ty Warren foregoes 250K to go back to school

          Originally posted by Bball View Post
          Or would the smartest thing have been to have found a way to do both?
          And if he can't do it during the offseason, because of missing workouts, are you suggesting he could do it during the actual season?

          It's even better he's phsyically going to school, instead of signing up for online classes like at Pheonix U.
          Last edited by Since86; 03-22-2010, 12:36 PM.
          Just because you're offended, doesn't mean you're right.” ― Ricky Gervais.

          Comment


          • #20
            Re: Ty Warren foregoes 250K to go back to school

            Where there's a will there's a way.

            Anyone who can forego a quarter of a million dollars to get a symbolic degree just to make a point with his children obviously has enough money a degree doesn't matter anyway.

            Earn the money now, get the degree later.

            If he wants to do something that warms his heart and is a good example for his children, take the money and donate it to worthy causes, or hire some small businesses to do some work on his properties and help their bottom line and the economy's.
            Last edited by Bball; 03-22-2010, 01:33 PM.
            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

            Comment


            • #21
              Re: Ty Warren foregoes 250K to go back to school

              I honestly can't believe you're arguing against someone going to school.
              Just because you're offended, doesn't mean you're right.” ― Ricky Gervais.

              Comment


              • #22
                Re: Ty Warren foregoes 250K to go back to school

                Originally posted by Since86 View Post
                I honestly can't believe you're arguing against someone going to school.
                I'm not arguing against someone going to school.

                He can finish that degree any time.

                That quarter of a million dollars is not coming back.

                He could've done several things of note with that money if he didn't want/need it himself.
                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

                Comment


                • #23
                  Re: Ty Warren foregoes 250K to go back to school

                  Originally posted by Bball View Post

                  Anyone who can forego a quarter of a million dollars to get a symbolic degree just to make a point with his children obviously has enough money a degree doesn't matter anyway.
                  Because clearly an education's sole value is how much money it can bring you.
                  You, Never? Did the Kenosha Kid?

                  Comment


                  • #24
                    Re: Ty Warren foregoes 250K to go back to school

                    I see both sides.

                    I personally say good for him for doing something he feels was right (not you are me, but HE feels it was the right thing to do).

                    I also see the other side that says he could do other things to encourage education (read a book with his kids every night, encourage them to do science fairs, etc).

                    With that said Ty felt like it was unrealistic to take 5 classes in Texas and work for the Patriots at the same time.

                    Question his motives, but I for one will never fault a person for pursuing a degree. Sure we may not agree with it, but it is his life (and his money he is passing up). If he has invested walking away from 250K should not effect his finances in the long term.

                    Comment


                    • #25
                      Re: Ty Warren foregoes 250K to go back to school

                      Originally posted by SoupIsGood View Post
                      Because clearly an education's sole value is how much money it can bring you.
                      I'm not arguing against someone going to school.

                      He can finish that degree any time.

                      That quarter of a million dollars is not coming back.

                      He could've done several things of note with that money if he didn't want/need it himself.
                      IOW... There's no real time limit on that degree. But the money was there for the taking. On quick glance, passing up the money to get the degree and make a point to his children seems like a worthy motive.

                      But that assumes HE didn't need the money first and foremost (which is probably a good assumption but you never know). And if HE didn't need the money there are a lot of charities that could've used that money. Maybe some of his family could've used that money. Maybe some business on the brink of closing or laying off workers would've been glad to have been hired with that money.

                      Read the story about George Karl on the main page here and tell me cancer research or patient care couldn't use that money.

                      What about setting up a scholarship fund and using the money to send some deserving kid(s) to college to earn their own degree who couldn't afford it otherwise? ...Kids that won't have pro sports to help them build a quick nest egg.

                      That degree will always be there for him to finish... that quarter of a million dollars is gone and it's not coming back.
                      Last edited by Bball; 03-22-2010, 10:23 PM.
                      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

                      Comment


                      • #26
                        Re: Ty Warren foregoes 250K to go back to school

                        And that next +$250,000 will always be there for him to earn—he can do a few extra local radio ads and eventually make it up, if he's really that concerned. The only truly non-renewable resource he's got is time, and to someone interested in an education for the education's sake—which I think is at least part of what's going on here—then there certainly IS quite the difference between settling down to study now, and doing that studying seven years from now. "At least I'm making tons of dough!" won't comfort him if he's truly interested in cultivating his mind/intellect/character, I'm guessing.

                        I don't think we should dismiss what he's doing as "largely symbolic". . . refusing to return to his studies until after his NFL career would itself be symbolic, too, just not as noticeable or remarkable. . . .


                        ps., I think making him responsible for the fate of money he has chosen not to earn is silly - should a person never have any kind of hobby, or any time-consuming endeavors that don't directly bring in $$$? If I want to start skydiving on a regular basis—if skydiving is somehow really important to me—, should I deny myself that, and instead give the $ needed to hire a pilot to some "business on the brink of closing?"
                        Last edited by SoupIsGood; 03-23-2010, 01:18 AM.
                        You, Never? Did the Kenosha Kid?

                        Comment


                        • #27
                          Re: Ty Warren foregoes 250K to go back to school

                          Originally posted by SoupIsGood View Post
                          And that next +$250,000 will always be there for him to earn—
                          That money is gone. He walked away from it. Any money he earns the rest of his life will always be short that 250,000.00.

                          he can do a few extra local radio ads and eventually make it up, if he's really that concerned. The only truly non-renewable resource he's got is time, and to someone interested in an education for the education's sake—which I think is at least part of what's going on here—then there certainly IS quite the difference between settling down to study now, and doing that studying seven years from now. "At least I'm making tons of dough!" won't comfort him if he's truly interested in cultivating his mind/intellect/character, I'm guessing.

                          I don't think we should dismiss what he's doing as "largely symbolic". . . refusing to return to his studies until after his NFL career would itself be symbolic, too, just not as noticeable or remarkable. . . .
                          It's his life and his money to walk away from. But if he didn't want/need it, I don't see going back to school right now as the most wonderful thing he could've done for mankind. In fact, I can even see it as rather short-sighted and selfish.

                          Earn the money and donate it. Don't leave it on the table where it will likely never make it to the places he could've put it that would actually do some good in people's lives.

                          I'm not saying don't get the degree... I'm saying find a way to do both and don't be stupid about the money. He was IMHO stupid about the money... He didn't actually show his kids a bigger lesson about generosity that was there for him to teach.


                          ps., I think making him responsible for the fate of money he has chosen not to earn is silly - should a person never have any kind of hobby, or any time-consuming endeavors that don't directly bring in $$$? If I want to start skydiving on a regular basis—if skydiving is somehow really important to me—, should I deny myself that, and instead give the $ needed to hire a pilot to some "business on the brink of closing?"
                          Get back to me with an analogy that has you leaving $250,000.00 on the table to instead go sky-diving because your current analogy falls woefully short of my point. We're not talking a few hundred dollars here. We're talking an amount of money that would make a difference in anyone's life or in a worthy cause. IMHO that would be a much better lesson for his kids to see and learn.

                          The point of this guy walking away from the money to finish his degree is supposed to be some grand life lesson. Well, I don't think it is. It was an apparent attempt at one, I'll grant you that... but it was poorly executed when looking at the bigger picture.

                          But as I said, it's his life and his money... Don't expect me to applaud what I see as a selfish decision though no matter how well intentioned. If he didn't need the money there is no shortage of causes that did... and thanks to his decision... still do.

                          This wasn't a case of get the degree now or never.
                          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

                          Comment


                          • #28
                            Re: Ty Warren foregoes 250K to go back to school

                            BTW... Don't take my counter argument personally. I just see this differently than apparently most.... or everyone!
                            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

                            Comment


                            • #29
                              Re: Ty Warren foregoes 250K to go back to school

                              I just don't get the "other people still need the money" thing—why aren't you saying this to the people who actually have the money, the Pat's owner(s?)? Going to school in the US almost always costs a lot of $, and that time spent in school is always time that person could have spent elsewhere, making money.

                              Any money he earns the rest of his life will always be short that 250,000.00.
                              Okay, sure. My point was that money can be made up much more than time can—and more than anything, a really good education takes time, lots of time spent thinking about/studying things that aren't "practical" (ie money-making—I hate that "practical" has come to mean "makes you money" in the US). This is his life, and it's his job to decide how he's going to invest his time. What you see as selfish I see as an admirable act of self-cultivation. He's trying to send his kids a lesson in character (and lessons in character almost always have to be by example, I think)—that a great individual takes as good of care / is as attentive to himself as he does the people around him.

                              A really good education is about a kind of intellectual maturity—a maturity that may or may not make you lots of dough (that's the risk you have to take). I think the fact that "getting a degree" has come to mean "spending four years in UNiversity X so that you can make lots of cash once you get out" is what's standing between us in the debate. . . .
                              You, Never? Did the Kenosha Kid?

                              Comment


                              • #30
                                Re: Ty Warren foregoes 250K to go back to school

                                If you or no one else is getting my point by now, I'm not sure what else I can say to make it. My last post on the subject seemed to hit all the points but your (SIG) reply still doesn't seem to get my point. I'm not saying that because you don't agree, I'm saying that because the things you are saying and questioning are not really on point to what I'm trying to say.
                                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

                                Comment

                                Working...
                                X