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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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Montieth blog

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  • #1

    Montieth blog

    http://blogs.indystar.com/pacersinsider/

    Let me lead today’s exercise session. Everybody take a deep breath. Exhale slowly. Relax.


    The unrest that is flitting around some media and fan circles because the Pacers haven’t yet announced a major trade or free agent signing is, to put it politely, absurd. And to put it impolitely, it's stupid.


    Passing judgment on them or any other team at this premature point makes as much sense as commenting on the Colts’ effort in training camp. In other words, it hasn’t even started yet, so what’s the problem?
    True, some NBA teams made draft-related trades or have announced impending moves. But for the most part, the summer follows a natural progression.


    In June, teams focus on the draft. Trades are made that involve draft picks, but not many. In early July, teams focus on their summer league teams, although a few free agent acquisitions are announced. And now it’s nearly time for the real trade and free agency action to start.


    Keep in mind that the Pacers have often made their most meaningful moves late in the summer. They traded Dale Davis for Jermaine O’Neal on Aug. 31, 2000. Last summer they traded for Al Harrington on Aug. 22, after some were ripping them for not getting the deal done. So if a week or two passes and the Pacers haven’t traded O’Neal, it doesn’t mean it won’t happen. Doesn’t mean it will, either, but there’s going to be a process.


    I hate to be the bear of boring tidings in this knee-jerk world, but it probably will take awhile for things to play out with the Pacers, just as it did last summer. So hold those roster analyses.


    As for the rest of the league, there are two forces of nature at work. There are more capable free agents than there are teams with mid-level or better contracts to offer. And there are more media outlets feeling the need to "feed the beast" than there is legitimate news to report.


    That means there will be a lot of bogus rumors and a lot of waiting around for things to shake out.


    We’ve already seen hot rumors of Garnett being traded, followed by rumors of Garnett staying put. We’ve seen rumors of the Knicks pursuing Ron Artest, followed by the Knicks “cooling” on Artest.


    The truth is, it’s mostly been a lot of media-driven hype. Stay tuned for the real thing. Just be patient.


    ***


    Isn’t it interesting that fights in other sports are treated as inconsequential, inevitable or amusing, while those in the NBA are indicators of a serious problem within the league or greater social issues?


    I ask this in the wake of the scrum in the pits following Sunday’s Indy Car race at Watkins Glen. Listening to radio commentary on Monday, I heard it described as “kind of exciting” and “kind of fun” and “the best thing that could have happened” for the sport.


    I don’t disagree. But somehow I don’t think an NBA fight would ever be regarded so casually. And I can't help but wonder, are any of the racing people now "thugs"?


    ***


    I can't predict how much success Jim O'Brien will have with the Pacers next season, but I know this: He'll be just their second low-maintenance coach since his father-in-law, Jack Ramsay, coached the team in the late 1980s.


    Dick Versace, Bob Hill and Larry Brown were high-maintenance. Larry Bird was low-maintenance. Isiah Thomas wasn't as high-maintenance as some assume, but the reaction he inspired from others often made for a high-maintenance environment. It's playing out the same way in New York. He doesn't irritate his players, but he seems to get to a lot of fans and media members. Rick Carlisle was high-maintenance, in a quiet sort of way.


    Some of the high-maintenance coaches performed well for stretches, but they tend to wear out the players. They also make life more difficult for the front office, either by refusing to deal with the distractions or by causing them.


    You all know how it is in your work environments. Some people create stress, others absorb it. Bird absorbed it, but could only do it for a limited time before it got to him. O'Brien will do the same, but will have more staying power because he's a coaching lifer by nature and better equipped to handle the hassles of the job. He's also direct, honest, free of ego hangups and willing to deal with the locker room issues.


    That should mean fewer distractions and a greater focus on basketball, which would come as a relief to everyone.
    Tags: None
  • #2
    Re: Montieth blog

    I was reading Chuck Swirsky's blog and he's like What are the Pacers plans this offseason? . . . I honestly don't know what he's thinking, He's just thinks people have to operate like Brian Colangelo every offseason to keep up the hype. Pacers don't really need to make Massive changes, the only massive thing we coud do is trade Jermaine, and I don't see that happening. We've already got nyce players on this team, if Marquis stays healthy, get a back up PG, and another big man, We're gonna be fine IMHO.

    Chuck shouldn't worry about the Pacers, he should worry about the Knicks and the Celtics, and even NJ, cause that Atlantic Division just got competitive, I could see NY or NJ winnin that division next year
    R.I.P. Bernic Mac & Isaac Hayes

    Comment

    • #3
      Re: Montieth blog

      Sometimes it's tough to discern wether Mark's paychecks are signed
      by a representative of the Indy Star or the Pacers organization.

      It'd be nice if he occasionally aimed similar dismissive ire at Mr. Bird
      and/or Mr. Walsh.

      Comment

      • #4
        Re: Montieth blog

        This is kinda off topic, but does Conrad Brunner still write for Pacers.com or does he get the summer off?

        Comment

        • #5
          Re: Montieth blog

          I thought it was pretty even keel and a slight back handed slap toward the Krapitz article which is nice.
          You know how hippos are made out to be sweet and silly, like big cows, but are actually extremely dangerous and can kill you with stunning brutality? The Pacers are the NBA's hippos....Matt Moore CBS Sports....

          Comment

          • #6
            Re: Montieth blog

            I can't predict how much success Jim O'Brien will have with the Pacers next season, but I know this: He'll be just their second low-maintenance coach since his father-in-law, Jack Ramsay, coached the team in the late 1980s.


            Dick Versace, Bob Hill and Larry Brown were high-maintenance. Larry Bird was low-maintenance. Isiah Thomas wasn't as high-maintenance as some assume, but the reaction he inspired from others often made for a high-maintenance environment. It's playing out the same way in New York. He doesn't irritate his players, but he seems to get to a lot of fans and media members. Rick Carlisle was high-maintenance, in a quiet sort of way.


            Some of the high-maintenance coaches performed well for stretches, but they tend to wear out the players. They also make life more difficult for the front office, either by refusing to deal with the distractions or by causing them.


            You all know how it is in your work environments. Some people create stress, others absorb it. Bird absorbed it, but could only do it for a limited time before it got to him. O'Brien will do the same, but will have more staying power because he's a coaching lifer by nature and better equipped to handle the hassles of the job. He's also direct, honest, free of ego hangups and willing to deal with the locker room issues.


            That should mean fewer distractions and a greater focus on basketball, which would come as a relief to everyone.


            I would really like to know how Rick was high maintenance and also Bob Hill. I know Brown was and Versace really was also.
            Last edited by Unclebuck; 07-10-2007, 01:16 PM.

            Comment

            • #7
              Re: Montieth blog

              Originally posted by Unclebuck View Post
              damn, there is so much stiuff to comment on in the blog, I don't know where to start - I'll have to get back with you
              You all, everbody!
              Narf!

              Comment

              • #8
                Re: Montieth blog

                To be fair, the Colts won a title last season, while the Pacers were a lottery team. Not improving on a lottery team = BAD, no matter how you look at it.

                Add to that that other lottery teams have improved, and it's gets REALLY bad.

                Comment

                • #9
                  Re: Montieth blog

                  Originally posted by Speed View Post
                  ***


                  Isn’t it interesting that fights in other sports are treated as inconsequential, inevitable or amusing, while those in the NBA are indicators of a serious problem within the league or greater social issues?


                  I ask this in the wake of the scrum in the pits following Sunday’s Indy Car race at Watkins Glen. Listening to radio commentary on Monday, I heard it described as “kind of exciting” and “kind of fun” and “the best thing that could have happened” for the sport.


                  I don’t disagree. But somehow I don’t think an NBA fight would ever be regarded so casually. And I can't help but wonder, are any of the racing people now "thugs"?


                  ***


                  Without question there is a completely different standard for NBA fights vs almost any other fight in almost any other sport. (perhaps only the huge brawl in Miami last college football season compares as far as coverage is concerned. Baseball fights are said to be "part of the game" and the media and fans talk of a bench clearing brawl as if it is something to cherish. Of course hockey is even more so. But in auto racing it is kinda of laughed about.

                  it is so strange. I hate playing the race card - I just hate it but on this issue it must be at least a part of it - I think people look at a bunch of black basketball players differently then they do a bunch of race car drivers.

                  Comment

                  • #10
                    Re: Montieth blog

                    Originally posted by Robobtowncolt View Post
                    You all, everbody!
                    That's it, you are going to ignore - I just get that stupid song out of my head and what do you do. IGNORE for 3 days

                    Comment

                    • #11
                      Re: Montieth blog

                      Sweet, only 400 more members to go.
                      Narf!

                      Comment

                      • #12
                        Re: Montieth blog

                        Originally posted by Unclebuck View Post
                        Without question there is a completely different standard for NBA fights vs almost any other fight in almost any other sport. (perhaps only the huge brawl in Miami last college football season compares as far as coverage is concerned. Baseball fights are said to be "part of the game" and the media and fans talk of a bench clearing brawl as if it is something to cherish. Of course hockey is even more so. But in auto racing it is kinda of laughed about.

                        it is so strange. I hate playing the race card - I just hate it but on this issue it must be at least a part of it - I think people look at a bunch of black basketball players differently then they do a bunch of race car drivers.

                        Your right about that last statemet!!!

                        Nowadays, hockey media is wondering if Hockey fights/Violence is too much!! I think sometimes the media gets soft!!! No one was saying that when Wendel Clark and Marty McSorely was going at it. . .One of the best Hockey fights EVER
                        R.I.P. Bernic Mac & Isaac Hayes

                        Comment

                        • #13
                          Re: Montieth blog

                          Originally posted by Unclebuck View Post
                          Without question there is a completely different standard for NBA fights vs almost any other fight in almost any other sport. (perhaps only the huge brawl in Miami last college football season compares as far as coverage is concerned. Baseball fights are said to be "part of the game" and the media and fans talk of a bench clearing brawl as if it is something to cherish. Of course hockey is even more so. But in auto racing it is kinda of laughed about.

                          it is so strange. I hate playing the race card - I just hate it but on this issue it must be at least a part of it - I think people look at a bunch of black basketball players differently then they do a bunch of race car drivers.
                          There difference is not racial. The difference is people are close to the action on a basketball court. When a fight breaks out it can spill into the stands and involve spectators.

                          Auto Racing? Unless a fan jumps down onto the track or get's in the pits are they close.

                          Football? You still have to jump onto the playing surface.

                          Hockey? Again the fans are shielded from the action.

                          Golf and Bowling are the only American sports where the fans are as close to the players.

                          That leaves Soccer which get's plenty of bad pub for it's violent behavior. I wonder how much race is a factor in that?
                          You know how hippos are made out to be sweet and silly, like big cows, but are actually extremely dangerous and can kill you with stunning brutality? The Pacers are the NBA's hippos....Matt Moore CBS Sports....

                          Comment

                          • #14
                            Re: Montieth blog

                            Originally posted by Robobtowncolt View Post
                            You all, everbody!


                            Anyway, I don't think the unrest is just because we haven't made a move. It's because every day that goes by it looks more like we aren't going to make a move. Wells was on the radio yesterday saying that Tinsley will most probably stay and JO will as well. Then we find out that Rush and Graham have been signed to fully guaranteed contracts, which doesn't jive with the notion of major roster upheaval coming.

                            The story was, wait until the draft. Then it was wait until FA season. Now it's wait until the moratorium is lifted. Then it'll be wait until rookies can be traded. Then it'll be wait until KG is traded. Then it'll be wait until camps start. Then it'll be wait until Dec. 15th (when signed players can be traded). Then it'll be wait until the trading deadline. Then it'll be wait until next year.

                            It's all quite fustrating.
                            Come to the Dark Side -- There's cookies!

                            Comment

                            • #15
                              Re: Montieth blog

                              Originally posted by Unclebuck View Post
                              Without question there is a completely different standard for NBA fights vs almost any other fight in almost any other sport. (perhaps only the huge brawl in Miami last college football season compares as far as coverage is concerned. Baseball fights are said to be "part of the game" and the media and fans talk of a bench clearing brawl as if it is something to cherish. Of course hockey is even more so. But in auto racing it is kinda of laughed about.

                              it is so strange. I hate playing the race card - I just hate it but on this issue it must be at least a part of it - I think people look at a bunch of black basketball players differently then they do a bunch of race car drivers.
                              i think race has something to do with it... but i also think you've got to say there is much more intimacy with basketball than football, racing, hockey or even baseball could be argued. basketball players/fans aren't protected by walls or nets or glass... plus most (unless you're Rip) aren't wearing helmets or driving cars, etc... there is something more intimate about a basketball players visability (which is why basketball players are more likely to have endorsements than other team sport athletes...Peyton would be an outlier).

                              the other issue at hand is that it has only been basketball in recent years to have a MEGA fight in the stands involving fans. so basketball has earned more scrutiny, its not like the sport/players are complete victims in the matter.

                              Originally posted by RWB View Post
                              That leaves Soccer which get's plenty of bad pub for it's violent behavior. I wonder how much race is a factor in that?
                              the soccer bad pub would involve the fans not the players. fans launching burning torches onto the fields, people getting killed in riots. none of that involves players. the biggest soccer brawl on field was the headbutt which i can't say compares...
                              Last edited by avoidingtheclowns; 07-10-2007, 01:25 PM. Reason: added RWB quote
                              This is the darkest timeline.

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