Analysis from Last nights game.

[ozarkram]

olskool, While I dont completely agreed with the manner in which you handled these attacks. I do agree you were and are being bullied. To flourish on this board you must fit into a very small box. A cliche a club or whatever word you would like to use. There are one or two that control the board and if you dont to tow the line or goosestep to their music then so long. Pretty sad really. I am not condoning foul language but do believe fans should be able to post their opinions without worry to SS style attacks. If you stay you will find some very smart and knowledgeable Ram fans here. But they too are made to tow the line. Good luck to you olskool hope it works out for you. I am sure now this will bring attacks on myself (oh well) or a tenth ave freezeout, just my take for what its worth. Go Rams.

 

[fastforward]

@olskool, I hope you can stick around - whoever you are. On the whole this is a thin-skinned site. A lot of people on this site want trolls & trouble-makers to be dealt with quickly and harshly. I'll be honest and say that I support that viewpoint. The downside is that some people who aren't trolls or trouble-makers will be labelled as such and dealt with before they've established themselves.

Larry was a poster on the Rams board at ESPN. I thought he had a decent take on things but he said things in a way that got under people's skin. He used his insight to incite if you will. That won't fly here. Then he'd engage in retaliatory tit-for-tat-abuse. He wasn't popular.

 

[zeke2829]

Olskool was fine until his last couple of posts. Why pigpen wanted him banned puzzled me. He didn't say anything offensive until his last post. I have a feeling olskool is Larry from the ESPN board.

That's Larry ALL DAY LONG.........No Doupt

kudos to RetroRam for keeping the place free of TROLLS

 

[jacobarch]

Olskool was fine until his last couple of posts. Why pigpen wanted him banned puzzled me. He didn't say anything offensive until his last post. I have a feeling olskool is Larry from the ESPN board.

Oh snap! I hope it's not him from ESPN.
Well, I take that back, even if it is him give him a chance. We have good mods here if he gets out of line he wont last long.

 

[jacobarch]

That was inappropriate, but not uncalled for. I won't be threatened, or told what to say/how to say it by anyone. I know how to have a civil conversation - unlike some of the MB attack dogs that greeted me on arrival. I apologize for the wording there, but not the indignation at being bullied by some board know nothings.

Keep it civil and you have nothing to worry about. That goes for everyone. So lets end it there and have some great football talk!

 

[Red_Chaos]

can the mods run ip background checks here o.O?

 

[ozarkram]

O. my.

 

[bluepigpen]

Let me make myself clear olskool, I don't care if you do not like any part of the Rams game, organization, coaches or history. You are indeed entitled to your opinion whatever it is but I had two issues with your stance. One was the laughing icon in response to retro giving the speech about the site. Your response just by the icon, and not even getting to the retro's words yet, showed a complete lack of respect to any other person that does have the title and responsibility of a moderator, which every site must have to stay civil. Second, my problem with your stance on the Rams as a team after ONE Preseason barks troll and in the same category as Mr Kosar. Now if you, me, retro, or anyone wants to bash the Rams for not getting better as the season goes on, they are free game. They play or us the consumer, the fan and the backbone of every sports organization. Some of your thoughts have merit, thought out and correct, but the fact you showed contempt toward retro, and then bashed most of the Rams after one lackluster First Preseason game, took me to a level. Let us keep this real, to the point and at least be honest due to circumstances within a season and where the team should be. If you have a problem with anything I have said, I can't help that, it is now I see it, just as you have spelled out how you feel about things. Everyone on this site wants the Rams to win, I have been a fan of them for 50+ years also, I am critical of things all the time, past and present but I want to give the team time to jell and that can't be seen in one preseason game.

 

[Retroram52]

Hello everyone. This is a post concerning the experience of last evening. Having experience in dealing with trolls and their mentality, I know the boundaries they routinely trash and their motivation is NOT to progress Sports-talk along in a civil manner that has room for differences of opinion. It is however to create argument just to argue in malicious way (when they get a little alcohol in them, they can become belligerent beyond reason-I am not saying Larry was inebriated but I have dealt with such individuals).

I'll use SJ76 as an example. He routinely comes on this board with an attitude of providing counter arguments to conventional beliefs about the Rams as he sees them and if it is warranted that you can agree with or not agree with. He does it with a style that is argumentative yet is open to debate. Just ask Vitamike who the two have had some legendary battles about Sammie over the years. No one has been removed for disagreements or differing viewpoints that are civil. They have been removed when they become belligerent, demanding, and argumentative without reason and they present a cognitive inflexibility that is approach asshole level.

What gets people pissed is being new and coming on a board with the heavy undercurrent of not having the cognitive flexibility to accept other people's viewpoint without personal attacks and being aggressively demanding without earning the respect of both administrations and moderators. I won't go into details, but Larry could have easily went about things in a vastly different fashion where he would have been retained here (see Blue's post here for details). He got too disrespectful right off the bat without impetus instead of just relaxing and going with the flow.

More examples of excellent posters are fastforward, jacobarch, Zeke2829,and DK7000. Even OzarkRam who I have read before with his dissenting post has the right approach. Ozarkram has posted dissenting posts before so, it is not so much about dissension as it is HOW you present your dissension to other Rams fans here. Larry simply does not have those skills.

Ozark, I hope that your opinion of this site changes because I am not advocating a click or club other than the 50+ club and that club has qualifications totally unrelated to dissenting remarks. Bluepigpen's post here is pretty good and fastforward and zeke's are good too. None of you will be thrown off this board unless you pull a Larry consistently where you begin effing with people just to eff with people in a malicious disrespectful way and that is not being thin-skinned but realistic. That has little to do with being a Rams fan anyway and adds nothing to boards other than to piss people off.

So onward we go as jacobarch mentioned and Blue's post is pretty much where it lies. Also, Red_Chaos, mods I think cannot do checks but I do know someone who can. And Ozarkram, go to see you again!! Keep up the good work.

Any questions you can post or PM me but in my mind this issue is done until the next one comes along.

 

[ozarkram]

Hello Retro good to see you too. I have always been around. Its just getting close to crunch time. Its good to see all opinions are welcome as long as they are civil. (good show!) By all means check ips you can rest easy Red C I am not olskool. Believe me I have been accused of many things but not alt ids. I say the things I say as I am. As to my opinion it is mine alone I attacked no one and was not obscene or would I be. Are you a mod now Retro just asking do think its a good idea to have a mod that is a posting member of the forum? Seems they might have to much skin in the game. Not that you wouldnt be fair just wondering on a large board seems a mod should say be a member of another forum. Like a steeler fan being a mod of the rams forum and the ram being the mod of the steeler board. Well you get my meaning.

 

[Retroram52]

Yes Ozarkrams. They drafted me here on SportsHoopla. And I am enjoying my role here. That is an interesting take on the interactional dynamics of a mod and you do have some legitimate points on potential biases that may arise.

But I can tell you that fans and mods on the fan pages actually make for better mods because they are more attuned to a given culture of fans such as the nuances of Steelers versus say Eagles or Raiders fans. I assure you dealing with Trolls is about eliminating a cancerous behavior that affects everyone's experience. I know HammerDown wants this site to be a good experience where we can be fans without a lot of undue aggravation and BS that just ruins the experience altogether. But we can discuss this more going forward.

Red_Chaos, I can vouch for OzarkRam. He is not a troll nor has he ever been one. Yep, he does have dissenting viewpoints. Hell, I have dissenting viewpoints especially when Queen Idiot was running that dog and pony show. Again dissenting viewpoints are not the issue here. It is your motivation and HOW you present your arguments. Capeeche everyone??

 

[bluepigpen]

Ozark, I would not want to be a moderator anywhere, but I am glad retro is for here. Yes I think he can be objective and in the fan game also, why couldn't he? He as most fans on a forum site have an opinion for levels of play and can conduct themselves in a civilized and adult way to promote a conversation that most fans can go OK, I get his idea, whether they agree with or not. olskool and guys like him do not start an conversation with a reality opinion, with the example of the Rams stink from all angles without a moment in time to see if time settles issues. Preseason for example means what? The answer is nothing but extended training camp. How many years while suffering through the worst 5 year period in the NFL did the Rams play well in the preseason just to fall flat when it counted. Look up the stats but I can tell you as a Rams fan, it hurts to watch what you think is a sound team and then realize it is another long season. I would just as well have what we have at this moment, a lackluster game to build on and then get better. Guys punching the Rams after a single preseason game are just there to degrade , nothing else. You can find them on every site and at every forum, that is why the moderator is needed to help keep the site grounded.

 

[ozarkram]

Well Retros I can see both side as you say we can discuss going forward. I guess I see it as more of a rules thing or a this is ok this is not. Nuances are the things that sometimes get in the way. Its all good. Go Rams!

 

[fastforward]

It's best to have moderators moderating the sections that they're interested in. I've moderated elsewhere and being asked to watch over the religion and politics forums wasn't much fun from my non-religious non-American point of view. It shouldn't be a problem on a forum of this size. I know that NFL.com had a problem with complaints about moderators, particularly from 1 Canadian NY Giants fan, which resulted in them removing their forums.

 

[ozarkram]

Sorry blue was posting to Retro then saw yours. I have no problem with Retro being a mod I was just asking. An I probably should have researched olskool more before I posted. I only saw some of his other post after I posted mine. I have a habit of shooting first then asking questions its a fault I am working on. A troll or anyone who is obscene should not be tolerated. I am in full agreement. Personally I didnt think the Rams played that badly in the game. And believe Pead may yet come around.

 

[ozarkram]

Being a mod is never easy nor is having to ban someone. I too have had that experience kinda like having to fire someone you dont really want to but sometimes you have too.

 

[Retroram52]

Yea OzarkRam, fastforward, and Blue. I deleted a number of olskools post that were getting way out of hand way too quickly. He was calling me all sorts of unwarranted names that had no bearing on what I had asked him to do. He became uncontrollably belligerent so that is when I asked for him to be removed. Enough said.

Also, thanks for the vote of confidence from all of you as we go forward to game two of the preseason. I am open to suggestion anytime from any and all of you. Onward we go!

 

[bluepigpen]

Ozark, I know your passion and it is well needed on our site. I have a habit of shooting from the hip myself and sometimes shooting myself first. olskool was not interested in discussion just a bash. Discussion and information is why we are here not for anger or heated arguments and we are here for adult discussion to help increase our passion and by any other word, we are here for entertainment.

As for the Rams and Browns game, I have quite a few Browns fans as friends, that is why you see the Browns as my 3rd team although it could very well be the Lakers. As I spoke to them about the game and the Bernie conversation, the Rams did not play well but I give as much credit to the Browns as I do the failings of the Rams. The reality is, it doesn't matter in the big picture of things and what Bernie did in his homering is put down the Rams instead of pumping up the Browns. If he had said, the Browns are playing so well that they are making the Rams look stupid and simple, I would not have had a problem with that. Tell how though, they are making the Rams look bad, make an argument and then you have an outcome. As for the Rams, their game plan was so simple that the outcome was predictable and add to it in Cleveland, chauk it up to Oh well, we'll see this week and go forward.

I will add, if the Rams don't progress forwards as the season gets closer, I myself will not only be on them for failing but will myself be calling out the team and coaches. That is our right as fans.

 

[ozarkram]

Thanks blue. My opinion of Fisher in preseason is he plays things pretty close to the vest we may not see anything solid till the last game or two. He is checking out his players which is what preseason is really all about. Why show all your cards up front? Thats what it seemed to me he did last year and will follow suit this year. So I am not worried about preseason except for an injury someone always gets hurt in preseason hopefully Saffold will be the only one.

 

[bluepigpen]