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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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Indystar: Access with the Pacers

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  • Indystar: Access with the Pacers

    Go Candace! Now THIS is insider stuff (but it still doesn't say anything about the best soul food on the road, so really no better than Wells )

    http://www.indystar.com/story/inside...art-i/3807837/

    Access with the Pacers

    by Candace Buckner

    The Indiana Pacers are playing as the best team in the NBA. That, you already know. But there are moments happening beyond the velvet rope, if you will, that fans don't normally get to see.

    This particular blog will change that. They've given me an all-access press pass and I'm going to use it.

    You read the quotes in the game stories but rarely understand how they were delivered and the context behind them. So, periodically, I will write a behind-the-scenes blog intended to color in all the edges of this 16-1 season.

    There will be some statistics and commentary added every now and then, but I will mostly concentrate on the human element. Enjoy and please free feel to leave feedback.

    ***

    The Pacers had a plane to catch and the locker room was clearing out after their 105-100 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers. I always enjoy working the room at this time. The camera's flood lights are turned off and most of the tape recorders and microphones are long gone, so in response, the players shut down their sound bites. They just talk. Naturally and freely. It was at this time on Sunday afternoon when I spoke with George Hill about the difficulty in beating the Portland Trail Blazers at home, and his teammates decided to add their two cents as well, and just talk.

    "I've won there before but it's just hard. That's probably one of the toughest places to win in the NBA," Hill said.

    So, I wanted to get Hill's opinion on why exactly it's so hard.

    "I don't even know," he said. "The whole city. They sell out every game no matter if they win or (lose)."

    David West, pulling on his adidas sweatshirt, turned from the locker on the right.

    "You'll see," West told me. "You'll see it."

    Hill continued.

    "Even when they weren't great they still would win at home. Like, it's just - they have great home-court advantage. They sell out every game and this year…"

    At this point, Paul George, to the left, overheard the conversation and cut in.

    "That's going to make it worst," George said. "They're playing good, too."

    "…they're already playing well," Hill said, picking up where George left off. "It'll make it 10 times harder. So we've got our hands full."

    ****

    Whenever someone speaks in hyperbole, there's a new name for that: it's called 'pulling a Vogel.'

    Does anybody ever in the history of mankind like to share compliments morethan Indiana Pacers head coach Frank Vogel? I doubt it. (See, I just pulled a Vogel). Now he's taking it to a new level. No longer does Vogel praise players, defenses, places, things, etc. as being the best in the league. Oh, no. Vogel has stepped his game up – now it's the "best in the world."

    Vogel on facing the Clippers, who average the second most points in the NBA: "We know what they could do. They're one of the best offensive machines in the world."

    Vogel on the Pacers' NBA-leading unit: "We trust our defense. We're the best defense in the world." (Vogel actually dropped that line twice).

    Vogel on Thanksgiving dinner: ""This is the greatest spread in the history of spreads. This is going to be a smashmouth dinner. I have nothing negative to say because I am physically incapable of expressing a negative thought in public. You guys want to see me spin a basketball on a toothbrush?"

    Okay, that last one was the very brilliant joke from Bob Kravitz's recent column (Ughh! I just pulled another Vogel.) Last Friday, Vogel had read the story and per usual, with good humor responded to it: "Tell Bob Kravitz, best Thanksgiving sports column ever!"

    ***

    Alright, another story, but this one from pregame.

    NBA locker rooms open up before the tipoff for media availability – which means us reporters get to stand around and look awkward as guys sit at their stalls listening to their Beats headphones and pretending to be occupied in really important matters. (Most of the time they're just on their cell phones. Chris Copeland, for instance, plays dominoes on his iPad.)

    So, it's a pretty laid back atmosphere. In Los Angeles, no one looked more relaxed than Luis Scola. He didn't stay in the visitor's locker room, but rather popped a squat on a cart in the hallway and held court with three Spanish-speaking reporters.

    The diversity of the NBA shines through in the major media markets so it was no surprise to see the international gathering for Scola.

    "I guess the fact that we speak the same language maybe opens (him) up a little bit," ESPN Deportes reporter Gonzalo Aguirregomezcorta said. "I speak to him every time he comes … So I think that's always (helpful)."

    I wanted to listen in but my Spanish is regulated to "que pasa" and "¿dónde está el baño?" Even so, body language breaks all barriers and I could see how comfortable Scola was while communicating with those who shared a common bond.

    To be honest, my dealings with Scola have been pretty limited this season. The Pacers' locker room is filled with professionals who are easy to work with but if there was one guy I haven't quite cracked yet, it would be Señor Scola.

    So after their lengthy conversation, I wanted to learn from the reporters who have broken through to Scola. Fellow Argentinian Rodrigo Azurmendi and the Spaniard Aguirregomezcorta were kind enough to share their insights on how Scola expresses himself to them.

    "I talked to him exactly a year ago when they came with Phoenix and they lost to the Clippers, badly. And I talked to him after the game and his face was like, 'Shoot me! Get me out of here.'" Azurmendi recalled.

    Azurmendi said Scola remained a pro and answered the questions in spite of the loss. On Sunday, however, with the good times rolling, Azurmendi noticed a lighter and brighter Scola.

    "That's what I told him first. 'Hey, a year ago you were like you didn't want to be there and now you find yourself on winning team so he was talking about how happy he is," Azurmendi said.

    "I would say that he don't like (B.S.)," Aguirregomezcorta added. "Now we have a really good conversation about basketball and it was cool before the game. His feelings were not touched. So it was really cool, but he don't like (B.S.). If someone asks something that's not a suitable question, he will be very 'yes' or 'no.'"

    Duly noted. Must come correct with Scola, because the veteran is a student of the game and certainly knows his stuff. Besides talk about Scola's happiness, the reporters said the conversation turned to statistics – the Pacers' stats, opponents' stats, whatever. Scola could quote them all.

    "It's like he wrote an article yesterday about the Clippers," Aguirregomezcorta said.
    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...

  • #2
    Re: Indystar: Access with the Pacers

    'pulling a Vogel'

    So true.

    Indystar overall as an online newspaper and news source has stepped up its game over the past couple of months. More in depth reporting

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Indystar: Access with the Pacers

      My goal in life is to eventually pull the best Vogel in the history of pulling a Vogel. Ever!

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Indystar: Access with the Pacers

        NBA locker rooms open up before the tipoff for media availability – which means us reporters get to stand around and look awkward as guys sit at their stalls listening to their Beats headphones and pretending to be occupied in really important matters. (Most of the time they're just on their cell phones. Chris Copeland, for instance, plays dominoes on his iPad.)

        Well, we know why he wanted to come here now...


        Really though, I am definitely liking Candace. Hearing about these guys in casual, genuine, every day situations is always interesting.

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: Indystar: Access with the Pacers

          She is really good. Love it.

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Indystar: Access with the Pacers

            Wow. You have to appreciate her work. She's the best beat writer in the world.

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: Indystar: Access with the Pacers

              After the informal interviews the Pacers gave with Brook and Mark Boyle during the Fan Jam (i think), I'm looking forward to more random conversations from the Pacers.

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: Indystar: Access with the Pacers

                Wow, such a marked difference from what we received from Wells. Not meaning to trash on him, but I was very underwhelmed for the past several years. Think of all the nuggets we missed.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: Indystar: Access with the Pacers

                  Originally posted by Unclebuck View Post
                  Indystar overall as an online newspaper and news source has stepped up its game over the past couple of months. More in depth reporting
                  That's a Vogel.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: Indystar: Access with the Pacers

                    Originally posted by PacerDude View Post
                    That's a Vogel.
                    The most subtle Vogel in history! Nobody wants to get into a Vogel contest with Unclebuck. NOBODY!

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: Indystar: Access with the Pacers

                      Originally posted by BlueNGold View Post
                      Wow. I fully expect her to win a Pulitzer for her work. As everyone around the game of basketball should have already figured out she's the best beat writer in the history of the world.
                      Enhanced to maximize Smashmouth Vogelization!

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: Indystar: Access with the Pacers

                        "This is going to be a smashmouth dinner," is what I'm going to whisper every time I pull up to the Taco Bell drive-thru.
                        You Got The Tony!!!!!!

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: Indystar: Access with the Pacers

                          Of all the Pacers related articles and blogs that have been posted here over the years, BillS has done an incredible job of finding and posting one of the best Pacers related writings the world has ever seen here today!
                          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


                          • #14
                            Re: Indystar: Access with the Pacers

                            Vogel on Thanksgiving dinner: ""This is the greatest spread in the history of spreads. This is going to be a smashmouth dinner. I have nothing negative to say because I am physically incapable of expressing a negative thought in public. You guys want to see me spin a basketball on a toothbrush?"

                            Classic Vogel!
                            First time in a long time, I've been happy with the team that was constructed, and now they struggle. I blame the coach.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Re: Indystar: Access with the Pacers

                              I agree with kidthecat. Not trying to trash Wells, but this stuff is something that Mike is not capable of in his writing. I'm so used to awkward phrasing, poor quotes, and generally lackluster writing. Candace's articles have been such a breath of fresh air. She also doesn't whine when people ask reasonable questions about Danny Granger.
                              There is no NBA player named Monte Ellis.

                              Comment

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