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Philosopher King
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Made My Day!!!
« on: Jan 22nd, 2003, 2:57pm » |
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on Jan 22nd, 2003, 1:22am, Walker_Boh wrote:I'm foaming at the mouth... |
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Boy, Walker_Boh, you made my night last night as I headed off to bed. I actually, being the perfectionist/"anal retentivenessist" that I am, had gotten up out of bed to quickly add a "lickin' my chops" smiley and an "up to something" smiley to my message on ugley's "another can of worms thread" "between the 20's" and bump the post up into the new day. At any rate, I am glad I so neurotically did so because this little message quoted above made me feel great as I went back off to bed and I needed that. Ya' see I'm doing this for the love of it. I want you guys to enjoy yourselves here, and so do I. A comment like this does a couple things: 1) it encourages me to press forth as it shows that joy is being had; 2) it makes me feel good about humanity, as these message-board environments can all too often have the opposite effect on one's psyche. Things like the comment above and, off the top of my head, KJ 76's remembering to use "the Gridiron Newsstand" the other day, Philly's humoring me with regards to my, let's face it, queer "Great Smiley Project" thing and then there was bgsgfan's takin' bullets for me over at FFToday when I first opened shop. I will always be indebted to him as he sacrificed (to a degree, in both senses of the word) his good reputation over there for me. There are many other times you guys made me feel good about myself and what I was doing here, quite overtly even. But, to be honest, it is these unprompted, naturally forthcoming niceties that REALLY speak to me, i.e. float my boat. The point being, I found "the Gridiron" making my life better/more enjoyable and ain't that what it is all about.
Ya' see I had never hung out on an on-line message-board forum before until I joined on over at FFToday in 2001, which, by the way, was solely due to my being invited to participate in the Mock Draft #1 that year and that was only due to the articles I was writing for the site. Anyway, not too long after joining, a number of times it was told to me to "have thick skin." This kind of stuck in my head as an odd thing. I thought to myself, "Why do I have to have thick skin?" Not that "having thick skin" is not a merit at times, but, generally, should one have to? Actually, the question really is "Why do I have cause to have to have thick skin?" What, people get on these boards, sit behind their computer screens and can't act humanely, decently, i.e. as if they were in front of me! ??? This puzzled me, but it was true, in part because it was allowed to happen. The anonymity of this kind of environment does leave open the possibility of such juvenile behavior and if it is not actively combatted by the site's admin, well, the forum is fried. Still, we're adults, right, at least most of us?
Where am I going with this? Well, we have developed a real "feel good" attitude here. I couldn't be happier! But, two nights ago, I went to bed concerned, concerned about a person I encouraged, against my better instincts, to "come back."  Ya' see that day I started to realize that I had welcomed (back) a mean-spirited soul, a ticking time-bomb, onto "the Gridiron" boards, and two recent posts of his specifically came to mind. One involved an unnecessary barb toward me on the "Jerry Rice" thread. He was making fun of my use of advanced vocabulary. Though his comment wasn't overtly or overly malicious (Walker_Boh's above is not overtly or overly gracious, which, as I pointed out, is the best kind of compliment), it was mean-spirited, which is actually more insidious, albeit perhaps unintentionally, as it infuses the board with negativity which cannot be easily "moderated against"/"justifiably removed," at least not without looking like a total pussy. Nevertheless, the negative vibe is there. Bottom line, I did not put all this work into building this forum to then massage the ego of some freak in an effort to mend a "relationship" he trashed in his first day of posting, prompting him to address an issue, like his opinion was important, and get made fun of by the guy in the process. What a slap in the face! The second one was a quite slanderous post about Eddie George. I remember it said, "I hate Eddie George... blah, blah, blah!" Whether you guys felt it or not, the energy of it was just rotten to the core. Listen, based on some of the articles I have written, you might be able to tell that I am really averse to when people use such language when talking about the players. I don't like when dudes predict doom for a player to a point where you can tell they are enjoying it. This is these players' "lives," moreover, their "livelihoods," for Christ's sake. It is one thing to say that a guy stinks; it is a whole nother thing to take enjoyment in the demise you predict. I actually think of it as sacrilege. These are the guys without which we don't have our little game. I prefer to pay homage to them as a group. How do I do so? I try to refrain from judging them with such vituperative language. Hell, I don't really know their personal lives, their family lives, what they really do in their free time, why they did this or that good or bad thing. In other words, I don't know the important things about their lives that could possibly evoke such a negative emotion inside me. Point being, "hate" is a real, bad word. When I think of hate, I think of Hitler, the KKK, Osama bin Laden. It, and words like it, should be reserved for such things and, in any case, I feel that the use of, and potential overuse of such words, gives a bad vibe to this kind of forum. Theretofore, I had read little to nothing of the like here. Of course, I am referring to ScreamingWeasel. I agonized over this! I know what one bad apple can do and I did not want this site to become (yet) a(nother) "thick skin" FF forum. There are enough of those already. I had let a bad seed back in simply because he was posting a lot. Wrong! That violates the essence of what I am doing here. I don't want to do things around here just to get attention or numbers. I even stated that on the "Offseason on 'the Gridiron'" thread. It just eluded me that that rule applies to this kind of situation as well.
I noticed on SW's "self-important" "So long" thread that one key member did not post... Philly. I kind of use Philly as a barometer of things on "the Gridiron". He is around here a lot and exemplifies what I want "the Gridiron" to be. I think he might have been thinking the same thing as me... "good riddance." This guy even admitted to being a "reject" at three other boards. That should have been a huge red flag. I know it can be difficult out there at those "thick skin" forums, but come on ! It ain't that bad! Anyway, I posted on his thread, as well, and even IM-ed the guy, though I agonized over it. I did NOT do it for SW, really. I did it for the kindhearted bunch, who did post on that thread, as I did not want to hang them out to dry. You guys have done a lot for me. The least I could do is show YOU my support, as I think it was probably me that he wanted to hear from more than anybody (and he did log on to look at that thread yesterday, before I posted though). So, I humbled myself. The guy has not come back and I, for one, think it is for the best. It made my day. I will not delete his account as anybody can change. Maybe, just maybe, he will realize that it is not the, now four, forums that he has left that are the problem in his case. At any rate, he was only a source of potential acrimony and unneeded headaches and a deterrant to the "feel good" atmosphere that we have worked so hard on developing and maintaining and that had me going to bed soundly and happily every night with the kindnesses I typically experience around here.
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| « Last Edit: Jan 26th, 2003, 2:28am by Stegfucius » |
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UFF Primetime Prophet
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Re: Made My Day!!!
« Reply #1 on: Jan 22nd, 2003, 5:20pm » |
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on Jan 22nd, 2003, 2:57pm, StegRock wrote:
Philly's humoring me with regards to my, let's face it, queer "Great Smiley Project" thing
I wasn't humoring you at all. I just wanted to win something!  Don't forget my idea about Smiley Survivor for the offseason... 
I noticed on SW's "self-important" "So long" thread that one key member did not post... Philly. I kind of use Philly as a barometer of things on "the Gridiron". He is around here a lot and exemplifies what I want "the Gridiron" to be. I think he might have been thinking the same thing as me... "good riddance."
To be honest, there was a small part of me that was upset to see him go. I think he posted some interesting, and thought-provoking topics... although some of them seemed like an effort to get his name on the boards as many times as possible. Despite the fact that I have more posts here than anyone but Steg, I didn't like his self-promotion. He seemed to exemplify everything I hated about the "other" forum. The fact that I didn't post really had to do with the fact that I couldn't be bothered to spend the time playing nicey-nicey to encourage him to change his attitude and feelings about Steg.
I guess Steg is the only one who knows this... How I came to the Gridiron is an interesting little story (to me at least). I poked around the "other" site once in awhile, but never really got pulled in - I found it hard to even ask "Who should I start?" without someone making an asinine comment. I read one of the articles Steg wrote and was impressed with the thought and intelligence that went into said article. For some reason, I felt compelled to email Steg and deliver kudos on his article. He wrote back and invited me to check out the forums here. I liked the feel and the lack of pompous, arrogant, idiotic jerks also appealed to me. So I'm happy to be your barometer Steg. (Maybe someday I can be a thermometer!)
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Re: Made My Day!!!
« Reply #2 on: Jan 22nd, 2003, 6:31pm » |
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I really didn't want to respond to this, but since I invited SW to the Gridiron, I felt as if I should. He and Steg didn't get along and as far as I'm concerned, that's their business. I'm sorry that this happened, but it was out of my hands and I hold no ill will towards either of them.
I think Philly is being a bit harsh here. I too was surprised at the amount of posts SW was making, but I don't think he exemplifies "everything I hated about the other forum", not by a long shot. I think his posts were well thought out and he was obviously enjoying the interaction with the group. I have no problem with that. In fact, I downright enjoyed it. I even learned a thing or two.
Steg, I'll admit that I don't know SW very well, but I don't think he's a "mean spirited soul", not by any means. From what I've seen he's actually quite the opposite. I've played with him in a couple fantasy leagues that he's commissioned and I have always found him to be a great guy and a peacemaker when things got out of hand. Like I said before, I think each of you were too sensative and overly critical of each other, but hey, it happens, that's life. Let's move on. You guys are both OK in my book.
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Philosopher King
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Re: Made My Day!!!
« Reply #4 on: Jan 22nd, 2003, 8:38pm » |
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on Jan 22nd, 2003, 6:31pm, Walker_Boh wrote:I really didn't want to respond to this, but since I invited SW to the Gridiron, I felt as if I should. He and Steg didn't get along and as far as I'm concerned, that's their business. I'm sorry that this happened, but it was out of my hands and I hold no ill will towards either of them.
I think Philly is being a bit harsh here. I too was surprised at the amount of posts SW was making, but I don't think he exemplifies "everything I hated about the other forum", not by a long shot. I think his posts were well thought out and he was obviously enjoying the interaction with the group. I have no problem with that. In fact, I downright enjoyed it. I even learned a thing or two.
Steg, I'll admit that I don't know SW very well, but I don't think he's a "mean spirited soul", not by any means. From what I've seen he's actually quite the opposite. I've played with him in a couple fantasy leagues that he's commissioned and I have always found him to be a great guy and a peacemaker when things got out of hand. Like I said before, I think each of you were too sensative and overly critical of each other, but hey, it happens, that's life. Let's move on. You guys are both OK in my book. |
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Walker_Boh, I don't know about any other venue, but the guy came off like a jerk here, granted a somewhat knowledgeable jerk, but a pompous one too... bottom line. His way of engagement (from what I can tell, on message-board forums generally) puts people off. That is not to say I did not learn anything from him. Heck, I FINALLY learned the correct derivation of the word "rotisserie." I have been waiting for that for about 14 years now, and it is not like I did not make a big-time effort to bring him into the fold (you know the e-mail) giving him numerous kudos in the process (what admin humbles himself like that?). But, the guy just had a thankless air, and he is the one who started all of this! Let's not forget that. He, not once, Walker..., genuinely extended his hand to me, moreover, in an apologetic way for that ridiculous uncalledfor initial tirade. I did to him, though, and it was not even my job to do so. Not only did he not reach back, he pulled his hand away, literally in the end by walking away. Look, I went over and above the call of duty as a web-site administrator and I just don't want this all summed up as "they did not get along." I did my part! What did he ever do to smooth things over? ... ... And, please, don't refer me to that half-ass "maybe I went a bit overboard, but the jury is still out" thing he wrote.
Walker..., you have made reference to his doing a good job commissioning leagues you have been in. Remember some dudes act differently when they rule the roost versus when they are in a subordinate role. I really think that is the bottom line here. I think the guy was used to being top dog. Here, and on message-board forums in general, you have to earn your keep. You know that, man. He seemed like he wanted to start right out at the top of the pecking order with all the according respect and audience.  He is actually still welcome to humbly work his way up the ranks here, like the rest of you are doing, and in the process he might get it OR he can go ahead and build his own forum where he can pontificate in any way he wants right from the get-go. 
In any event, Walker_Boh, thanks for your initial "foaming at the mouth" post and for caring enough about the goings-on here and posting your feelings. 
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UFF Primetime Prophet
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Re: Made My Day!!!
« Reply #6 on: Jan 23rd, 2003, 9:23am » |
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on Jan 23rd, 2003, 12:47am, StegRock wrote:
I don't know how to take that "thermometer" comment.  There is just an allusion there that's just... potentially yucky! Let's see if we can't break this down a little bit! What kind of thermometer? One a weatherman (  ) uses or one a doctor (  or  ) uses? ??? Don't like where either of those latter ones are goin'!  |
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I was, of course, thinking of the thermometer the weatherman uses. (Especially important here in NJ right now...)  Besides, I don't know any doctors that are using a barometer and avoiding malpractice suits...
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UFF Primetime Prophet
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Re: Made My Day!!!
« Reply #7 on: Jan 23rd, 2003, 9:27am » |
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on Jan 22nd, 2003, 6:31pm, Walker_Boh wrote:
I think Philly is being a bit harsh here. I too was surprised at the amount of posts SW was making, but I don't think he exemplifies "everything I hated about the other forum", not by a long shot. |
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I probably was a bit harsh in that statement. I think he exemplified some of the things I didn't like about the other forum. He did provide some interesting, and thought-provoking posts here, as I pointed out when I said I was a little bit sad to see him go.
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Re: Made My Day!!!
« Reply #9 on: Jan 23rd, 2003, 8:53pm » |
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on Jan 23rd, 2003, 3:14pm, Keyshawn Johnson 76yards wrote:An Eagles fan in New Jersey? That's unheard of!  |
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Are you kidding me?  You obviously have never been to South Jersey. We are tied much more closely to Philly than North Jersey and the Jersey Giants and Jersey Jets.
Hell, we don't even like the Devils or Nets here in South Jersey, even though our tax money goes to those East Rutherford teams. 
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| « Last Edit: Jan 23rd, 2003, 8:54pm by Philly » |
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Philosopher King
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Re: Made My Day!!!
« Reply #12 on: Jan 24th, 2003, 10:49am » |
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Daaaaamn, Jersey is in the house! Some know; some don't, but for Steggie here, here is the Jersey shore (at least when I am not romping around on other "roks"!) And they say Jersey people ain't nice! To them... I say, "Ey, fuck you!"  
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Philosopher King
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Re: Made My Day!!!
« Reply #14 on: Feb 8th, 2003, 6:54pm » |
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on Jan 22nd, 2003, 2:57pm, StegRock wrote:| One involved an unnecessary barb toward me on the "Jerry Rice" thread. He was making fun of my use of advanced vocabulary. Though his comment wasn't overtly or overly malicious (Walker_Boh's above is not overtly or overly gracious, which, as I pointed out, is the best kind of compliment), it was mean-spirited, which is actually more insidious, albeit perhaps unintentionally, as it infuses the board with negativity which cannot be easily "moderated against"/"justifiably removed," at least not without looking like a total pussy. Nevertheless, the negative vibe is there. Bottom line, I did not put all this work into building this forum to then massage the ego of some freak in an effort to mend a "relationship" he trashed in his first day of posting, prompting him to address an issue, like his opinion was important, and get made fun of by the guy in the process. What a slap in the face! |
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Fellas,
Before this gets completely forgotten, I wanted to make one last statement regarding where I am coming from and where "the Gridiron" is going, so to speak. It is important to and for me to get this out because it is something that deals with "the Gridiron" mission. When all this stuff went "down" with SW, I think there was a significant misinterpretation made by many as to what ruffled my feathers most. I think many of you thought that the whole "rotisserie" argument was what miffed me the most. That is far from the truth. Actually, my eventual, read not initial, badgering on that thread was in part a reaction to something that really did upset and concern me. It dealt with his little, pricky post on the Jerry Rice thread mentioned in the quote above. It wasn't its being a dig, moreover, against me that caused me real anguish, though that did aggravate the situation and me. It wasn't just that it was one of the first "ill" comments I had seen on "the Gridiron" for awhile. The real problem with it lies much deeper and directly goes against something I am trying to encourage here on "the Gridiron".
Ya' see a lot of people approach a message-board forum, well, lazily. I remember watching some morning talk show during the early stages of the internet boom and the guy being interviewed, a professor I believe, talked about his concerns in this new age of electronic communications, which requires much writing. He talked about the degeneration of writing skills in our culture, which has put an emphasis on spoken communication especially since the invention of the telephone, and pointed out that you don't write the way you speak. I found myself knodding my head... in which his words stuck. Where am I going with this? Well, all too many people come to message-board forums acting like they are out with their chums at a bar, where paying half attention, while looking at some hot chick over the shoulder of the guy you are talking to, making broad generalizations, speaking without thinking, drunken fights and bullshit artists reign. Analogous behavior on a message-board forum just causes misunderstanding, misunderstandings and strife. On a message-board forum, typing and writing skills are (back) in the fore. Being able to type quickly and accurately is a boon and being able to express your ideas adequately, meticulously, persuasively, with precision and in an articulate, fair-minded and diplomatic manner, is absolutely critical. This, at some point, requires the usage of sophisticated vocabulary and solid, and perhaps even advanced, grammatical structures. The funny thing is just doing this, in and of itself, softens the blow of your words when in disagreement with another member and makes you seem more reasonable (actually, probably makes you more "reason-able") in general. It is this kind of communication that I am trying to encourage here on "the Gridiron" and that in and of itself should allow us to maintain our friendly tenor and good vibrations.
At any rate, it was exactly this, careful, detailed writing and the use of advanced vocabulary, that was being made fun of, attacked actually if you consider the source, and THAT got under my skin in a big way. Besides the actual comment itself, his writing was curt and unpolished, exemplifying exactly that which I want minimized here on "the Gridiron". Do not get me wrong! You do not have to have a Shakespearean command of English to post here. It is just that I want to create an environment which encourages members to make an effort to be kind and humble, especially at first, and try to improve in the areas that are fundamental to good message-board communication, primarily writing. So, now you all know this is another facet of "the Gridiron" mission. I only hope that you can understand whence I am coming and can assist me in this goal.
Thanks, again, to everybody for contributing your time and energy here on "the Gridiron".  I am...
...Your Friend in Fantasy Football,
Steve
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Philosopher King
of Fantasy Football
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Champ - '94, '99, '02, '04
I love ''the Gridiron''!
Posts: 19699
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Re: Made My Day!!!
« Reply #17 on: Jul 29th, 2003, 5:45pm » |
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on Jul 29th, 2003, 5:28pm, KillerKingSting wrote:StegRock, I may be a newbie here but, from what I have read thus far, your light years ahead of many other forums. Great Job!
As far as how your able to articulate your ideas through your words, its an art form that is easy on the eyes. Something to be admired. |
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fest we got goin' on here I feel the need to express gratitude to some guys without whom I could not have made this thing fly and without whom this place would not be the same... 