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Clearing out some stuff on my laptop. Photo I took of the players parking lot during training camp mid 2000s I would think.
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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.
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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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.... -
Have to wonder if maxed out vehicles are still a thing or are the players a little more subdued in today's generation?Attached FilesYou 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.... -
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I don't think I'd want to be driving a Hummer today, even on an NFL player's salaryComment
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Now that I'm retired and the older I get I'm starting to forget some experiences I had not only in life but when i worked with the Colts for 10 or was it 11 years.
So if folks don't mind I'll be posting a few memories that pop up before they're gone. Some will be interesting and some will be boring as heck. But they will be a glimpe behind the scenes you normally don't hear from a Gregg Doyle or Bob Kravitz report.
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
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So we'll start out with something simple. My thumbnail photo on the left is a picture of Peyton and I from a surveilance camera taken the last day of training camp (2010?) I think. If you worked for or around Peyton he was not a big fan of sigining an autograph for you. Big handshake person or picture taken but not the signature. I guess he felt you were a fellow worker (part of the team) and not a fan and this was more professional. Having said that being his bodyguard for 6 years during training camps I did get one autographed picture. It was after a night practice and he had been signing more than hour an ready to leave the practice field. I had two pictures, one for another officer who helped me, and one for myself in a folder. I brought them out and asked if he would sign them. He gave me a $h!tty look and asked who are these for? I apologized and said they were for me and fellow officer Josh G. He kind of nodded, didn't ask if we wanted them personalized, but did take the time to do some nice legible signatures. Of course I still have the photo and actually did have if framed. I have two grown sons who are married and both have boys (my grandsons). Time for me to give it up and now i have to figure whick side get's it. i raised both of them to love the Colts and Pacers. I'll figure it out since the Mrs. has an autographed playoff towel signed by Reggie so each family will get something neat.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
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People don't have $$$ like that anymore and if they do it's not really worth it as I don't see anyone wanting to keep up with the Jones' anymore.Originally posted by RWB View PostComment
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So I've told this before and it does seem to be the one story newspapers like to run back in the day when they ran out of Peyton stories to write. They would talk to me for a different perspective.
So once again training camp and I stand along the sideline until practice is over. I'm wearing one of the bright lime green shirts so Peyton can see me easily. The fans line up along the ropeline several people deep about a 40 yard (sometimes more) clip. Peyton picks where he wants to start and we go from there. It's the usual pushing and shoving and my job is not only to protect Peyton but to make sure the kids don't get squished. Crazy how bad adults can get. There was one really pushy, chunky ,maybe 11 year old kid who kept trying to get Peyton to sign his football. Peyton was signing for everyone but wouldn't for this kid. We were out there for over an hour and this kid kept walking down the line trying to get his football signed. We finally get near the end and this happened.
I finally look at Peyton and ask him "are you going to sign the kid's football or not"? Peyton tells me "give it to me" and he signs the football. Me smiling hands it back to the kid saying there you go littleman. The kid then says "woo hoo I just made $20 bucks". Peyton gives me this $h1+ look and says I signed for him last year.Shoot I couldn't remember who he signed for in the last hour. That was the last time I ever sort of challenged him.
He did explain to me later if he didn't sign for some folks there is a reason. He had an adult sitting in their hotel lobby when the team was in Carolina in an arm sling. Peyton sits on the couch and the guy pulls his arm and a football out of the sling and asks for his autograph. Good lesson for me and it made me understand why players don't seem so friendly with fans there maybe a reason.Last edited by RWB; 05-13-2024, 07:15 AM.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
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I always enjoyed your training camp updates. Helped get me hyped for the season!
Super Bowl XLI Champions
2000 Eastern Conference Champions
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RWB, I have always enjoyed your stories!
Unless you have a NDA that prevents it I would think about a blog or something like that to capture all of these storiesComment
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Thanks all, appreciate the kind words. No NDA but some of the stories I'll be telling is more for friends rather than out in public so a blog frankly might be inappropriate. I'll be revealing real players, staff, and reporters names. And not to make someone look bad but could be embarrassing. The next one I post may be a better example why the story is hidden away here in little ole PD.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
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Not sure if anyone will remember the guy (I can't even remember the year) but here is something different. Jason Belsar (sp?) was a cornerback or safety at the time and early in Colts camp they supplied pretty much any established player a golf cart to drive around. Side note: in later years they restricted this a lot. Back to story..... The residence halls the players stayed in had one entrance only to use and the door was guarded by armed police officers 24/7. The hall Belsar was staying in was 4 stories tall and his room was on the 4th floor. As the story goes you'll see why this is important.
The Colts main office receives a phone call from an alleged fan advising they found and have in their possessiion a Colts playbook. They are willing to return it to the team not for money but if they get to meet personally with Peyton Manning. First the thought is this person is lying through their teeth but it was so odd a phone number was taken down just in case.
Sometime later Jason Belsar reports his playbook is missing and says it has been stolen from his room. Normally you take someone at their word but once again , one entrance, gun carrying police, and all the way on the 4th floor. So one thing was certain the call was legit and an Indy playbook was out in public. A call back was made an a meeting with Peyton planned with the caller (Peyton was not involved and the caller was just told this).
Trying to figure out how this person got a playbook was perplexing until surveillance video was viewed. Side note: Remember everybody in this world even back then there are cameras everywhere.....Well it just so happened a camera did pick up something. Video showed Jason driving his cart pretty fast and making a sharp left hand turn. His playbook flew right off the seat and falls into a grassy area where fans would sometime gather to get autographs. At some point you see a guy and gal find it and walk away.
So arrangements are made and the couple are invited to meet Peyton and to please bring the playbook. I was not involved in anyway of setting this up but was requested to keep one of the parties (the female busy) while the other entered the interview room where he was met by two PD detectives.
The couple arrived and the lady had the shortest dress I have ever seen in my life. Seriously her butt cheeks were hanging out and there is no doubt she really wanted to make an impression. Supposedly this was a married couple and I could only think wow I feel so sorry for the guy if his partner pulled this stunt. So the guy was let back into the restricted area and my job was to keep her occupied. She wouldn't sit still and kept getting up and walking around. He was back there for about 15 minutes and she kept looking at her watch asking what's taking so long.
He finally comes out carrying an actual Colts helmet but looking pretty bewildered. I can't say if this is right or wrong but it is what happened. She asks when can I go back and he explains it's not going to happen. We're lucky we're not going to jail they think we may have stolen it. So to compensate for the playbook a $300 dollar helmet was given but the guy was instructed to stand in line like everybody else to get autographs. She was pretty much ballistic and frankly made such a scene she was told either to calm down or be escorted off the campus.
I was told later if they had not basically held the playbook for ransom they would have got the helmet with Peyton's autograph on it but no way would they set up a meeting with Peyton. The only regret I kind of have was the proof they did not steal it but they (actually the guy) was put on the spot apparently (I was not in the room) saying he may have stole it. If you've seen enough of true crime shows I guess the good cop bad cop in action.Last edited by RWB; 05-19-2024, 12:15 AM.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
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More of a feel good story for this one and an example I think most players do care about the fan base that supports them. This took place after a really scorching August practice when everyone wanted to get out of the sun including fans. It was so hot even they didn't stick around looking to get autographs. Except for three young men hanging around wearing long sleeve shirts and backpacks. I felt sorry for them and our PD/Sheriff Dept/Public Safety folks had access to either water or gatorade drinks to hydrate. They looked like they were going to pass out so I offered them drinks. First I am a human being but also didn't want some folks passing out in front of me. The way they were dressed I assumed they were probably with some church group with the buttoned up long sleeve shirts.
Indeed they were and actually Mormons. Turned out they were from Utah and had the opportunity to stop by Colts camp.They stuck around with the hope of meeting Rob Morris the linebacker. I told them I can't promise anything but if I saw him I would let him know he had some fans here.
After practice the players would shower and then exit a building called the SRC. They would then proceed to a dining hall nearby for lunch. I kept watching and did see Rob Morris exit the SRC side door. He had ice on both knees and frankly walking like an 80 year old person. You could tell he was wore out and hurting. You know at the time it seemed Rob Morris kind of got a bad wrap from fans for not living up to being a first round pick.
That day he was a 1st round good guy. I told him about the young fellas and pointed to them standing up the road about a football field length away in their hot attire. Rob kind let out a sigh and said sure I'd like to meet them. Of course were in a restricted area and I have to tell him I would like to send them to you but I can't. So Rob Morris walking tin man trudges his way to the guys. Maybe 10 minutes of handshakes, photos, and signatures the guys from Utah got to meet their hero. Rarely were these guys Prima Donnas and they really do care about those who support them.Last edited by RWB; 05-19-2024, 06:20 AM.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
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Just realized with this story I actually fibbed earlier. I did in fact ask Peyton for an autograph twice and not just once, but it was not for me personally. My son at the time played high school basketball and before their season started the team and parents were trying to come up with additional funds for players who couldn't afford shoes/etc. Since I was around the Colts I thought what the heck maybe I could get a few signatures on a Colts hat and put it up for auction.
So I was able to get Peyton to sign. What's really crazy was I got Marvin Harrison to sign the cap and he's not one to sign much at all. Finally the trifecta was getting Edge to sign. However I was never around him very much until I had a strange opportunity. The practice fields were adjacent to a county jogging trail where the players would hop on golf carts with Colt interns or a 14 passenger bus for a ride out there. We would monitor the trail at moving time to make sure the players were not harrased. On this particular day I'm sitting on a 4 wheel ATV waiting for the bus to depart when Edgerin comes up and asks if he can borrow it. I'm kind of stunned since this came out of the blue.
He explains how he owns so many ATVs at home and he just wants to borrow it down to the fields. Funny as hell in his pleas he keeps calling me officer dawg. For a split second I think do I let him and I come to my senses and unfortunately tell him no. I tell him I wish I could but if he wrecked or got hurt not only would I lose my job but would have a thousand fans wanting to hang me for it. He just smiled, said ok, and hopped on the bus.
Later during the practice I spoke with my Director at the time and Mike Zunk (he was head of Colts security in Indy and former Chief of Police Indy) about my conversation with Edge. I told them about my project with the charity hat and how I probably blew it getting Edges signature at some point. Then came the bomb shell. Both my boss and Mike Zunk said he's a grown man you should have let him take the ATV. I know my jaw dropped and thought you got to be &h!++ing me. I had that opportunity and blew it.
Oh but not all was lost. Practice was still in full swing and just maybe I could still meet my goal. I waited on the sideline like usual and I should have bought a lottery ticket cause Peyton picked a day not to sign autographs. Operation Edge came into being. I hop on the 4 wheeler and just before Edge get's on the bus I get to him. Me "Edge if you really want to drive this ATV back to the Sports and Rec center you can". I told a tiny white lie "I could very well get in trouble for this but for your signature on this ball cap I'm willing to risk it""When you're done please park it outside the locker rooms and I'll pick it up". Edge "Thanks dawg I'll do that and don't worry. Like I told you I ride these all the time".
At this point he hops on and is driving crazy in between other players and heads down the trail. I'm thinking holy smokes what have I done and more worried he's going to run over someone rather than hurting himself. So here I am walking down the trail and Edge and the ATV are out of sight. It's probably a good 5 minute or more walk from the fields to the SRC and all the while I'm thinking I really messed up.
I finally get there and the ATV is parked outside and looks intact so thankful for that. Buttttt I don't see the cap and think are you kidding me. Not only no autograph from Edge but there went Peyton and Marvins too. Well on the front handle bars we had a first aid bag for emergencies attached and I thought well maybe just maybe I'll get lucky.
Well zippity doo dah there it was and a nice pristine autograph of Edgerin James, Marvin Harrison, and Peyton Manning. Thank you baby Jesus. So the autographed hat did get auctioned off during a high school football game and the high school basketball team got $260 dollars to help an athlete out. Worked out and so glad I was able to help out in a small way. Of course It didn't get me out of working the concessions every Friday during football season. Basketball parents worked concessions so football moms and dads didn't have to. I didn't learn a whole lot but I sure learned how to make popcorn like you taste in a movie theater.Last edited by RWB; 05-19-2024, 06:06 AM.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
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Marvin Harrison was a different individual for sure. I know he was an introvert but his was either extreme or a mixture of being plain rude too. Personally I'm an introvert but not unfriendly.
I was asked by the director of Task Force 7 (emergency preparedness group in Indiana) to put on a presentation on how security was set up for Colts camp involving police, fire, and emergency responders. Trying my best not to bore the heck out of everybody in preparing for this I took several photos of camp to include in my slide show. I had the opportunity to get some photos of John Madden who had arrived on campus with his Madden bus. Side Note... John Madden was one of the nicest people you could ever meet. Really didn't talk football and was more interested in the college and what it was known for.
So Madden is at the practice fields talking with Tony Dungy and I take a few distant photos of the guys talking. I at no time got near them or interfered with their conversation. I simply was getting some final shots for my presentation. Out of the corner of my eye I can see Marvin Harrison looking at me with a disgusting look and shaking his head like he is really pissed. I have no clue why but I do know it is directed at me as nothing else was happening where he was standing and he WAS looking right at me. He even let out a little grunt noise. What do you? I simply ignored him.
Between the SRC/Locker room/Weight room building ,the dining hall and residence halls was a natural stream that had pedestrian bridges to cross. Various officers were assigned to be stationed at this bridge since it was in constant use by the players and vulnerable to fans seeking autographs. Well it just so happened I was on the bridge a few days after the Madden/Harrison event and luck would have it here comes Marvin across.
Now I must admit this was not very professional of me but I was still kind of ticked at the way he had treated me. So as he comes across I give a look like not exactly mean but a I don't care for you. We do nod at each other but that was it. Now understand a nod was pretty much all you got out of Marvin at least for me anyway. An hour or so passes and I'm still on the bridge. Here comes Marvin back after probably seeing the trainers. He suddenly starts up a real conversation. A couple of months before training camp Terre Haute experienced a 100 year rain event where many areas were under water. It just so happened where this tiny bridge was located the water reached the very bottom of the structure and left so much tree debris stuck in the girders.
Marvin "That's a lot of tree limbs there". Me "Yes it is". Marvin "how come". Me "We had a major rain event in June". Marvin "oh". And that was it that was our big conversation as he walked off.
I figured later he really didn't care about tree limbs hanging off a bridge. #1 he probably thought he didn't need any enemies and secondly knew my job was to protect the players and would see me watching over Peyton everyday at practice. I did learn later from Craig Kelly (VP relations guy for the Colts) that Marvin had a thing about pictures and hated having his own taken. I have no clue why and maybe it's some religious thing. Bottom line everyone is allowed to feel the way they want but in doing so you don't have to toss your believes whatever they are on someone else.
Couple of other quirks for the man. He wasn't a big fan of signing autographs. Now not saying he wouldn't but he preferred not to. To make up for he would rather hand out wrapped tasty cakes or maybe it was Little Debbie cakes. I'm not sure cause I never asked. The other thing every camp when it was time to get out of Dodge he would park his vehicle next to the SRC exit door and as soon as camp was over he walked straight to his car and left. Everyone else of course was still parked in the lots near the residence halls they were staying in. But Marvin couldn't wait to get out of there.Last edited by RWB; 05-20-2024, 09:48 PM.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
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These are great stories. I remember some of your Reggie Wayne stories... and those instantly gave him a tick up in my book.Nuntius was right for a while. I was wrong for a while. But ultimately I was right and Frank Vogel has been let go.
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"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 WoodenComment
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