a lesson for message-board miscreants

http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/story/11776517

Wisconsin decommitment a lesson for message-board miscreants
 
  Sticks and stones will break your bones but words will never hurt you.

Unless, of course, you're Vander Blue.

In that case, the words hurt.

And it was only a matter of time before we got here, wasn't it?

   
If Bo Ryan loses Vander Blue for good because of message boards, he might pull his hair out. (Getty Images)   
"These so-called Wisconsin fans, what they had to say on those [message boards], it really made me second-guess: Do people really want me here?" Blue told Jeff Potrykus of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. "Because I know if I was a fan and I heard about a recruit [who might be struggling academically], I'd be more like: 'What can we do to help him?' And not, 'Let's make him feel like the worst person in Madison right now.'"

Vander Blue decommitted from Wisconsin earlier this week.

It was not national news.

He is not John Wall.

But what made it a national story -- and perhaps a lesson for the uncivilized world of message boards, if we're lucky -- is that the decommitment was prefaced by a story about the Madison native's alleged academic woes, which led to some Wisconsin fans spending their days publicly bashing the Class of 2010 standout on the Internet. They questioned his attitude, character and intelligence. And guess what? Vander Blue read it and it bothered him.

He is 16 years old, by the way.

"I felt like I was in a corner, trapped and I couldn't get out," Blue told the Milwaukee paper. "I just felt like it was so unnecessary. I don't think I'm that worse of a guy. Sometimes I might be tired and have a little attitude, [but] I don't think I'm a horrible person.

"Forty year-old adults talking about somebody who don't got their license yet; I just felt it was so unnecessary," Blue added. "Picture yourself in my position. Rumors going around, you're just keeping quiet. And you read the article and 1,000 people [are] throwing you under the bus."

It would be easy to spend the next 250 words killing Wisconsin fans.

It would also miss the larger point.

Because this is not a story about Blue and Wisconsin as much as it's a story about message boards, and how total anonymity allows people to attack and attack and attack with little regard for the folks they are attacking. On a personal level, I can't tell you how many wild (and anonymous) words are written about me each month either on message boards or via e-mail; words that question my integrity, background, education, sexuality, hairstyle (that one's open for criticism, I suppose) and anything else you can imagine. Every once in a while, I actually take the time to respond in the most reasonable way I know. And more times than not, I get a response within hours from somebody apologizing and explaining how they would've never been so rude or brash or ignorant if they really believed I would read it.

Well, I got news for you: I read it.

As does Vander Blue.

And though I'm an adult with a high-profile job who is by definition fair game, Vander Blue is -- as he put it -- "somebody who don't got their license yet." He has not graced magazine covers, played on national television, appeared in police blotters or done anything to make himself a target. The only notable things about him are that he's pretty good at basketball, and that he has committed to and decommitted from Bo Ryan's Wisconsin program. That's it. And yet dozens if not hundreds if not thousands of people -- some of whom are most certainly adults with children of their own -- have spent this week trashing Blue and everything about him to the point where it's reasonable to presume they've hurt the future recruitment of the prospect they once believed would lead the Badgers to Big Ten titles.

That's the kicker, you see.

Though Blue decommitted from Wisconsin, he never eliminated Wisconsin from his list of potential destinations. Rather, he just said he wanted to take another look around and make sure everything was a right fit because he committed when he was only 15. Makes sense to me. It probably makes sense to most people. But his wavering didn't make sense to some Wisconsin fans, and they responded with personal attacks that led to a good old-fashioned your-school-sucks/no-your-school-sucks war on a message board with Marquette fans. Poor Vander Blue just caught in the middle, young Vander Blue now scarred by the wrath of the same people he thought loved him just weeks ago.

He said it all made him feel like the "worst person in Madison."

But I suspect some anonymous posters have a better hold on that label.

 

http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/story/11776517

Wisconsin decommitment a lesson for message-board miscreants
 
  Sticks and stones will break your bones but words will never hurt you.

Unless, of course, you're Vander Blue.

In that case, the words hurt.

And it was only a matter of time before we got here, wasn't it?

   
If Bo Ryan loses Vander Blue for good because of message boards, he might pull his hair out. (Getty Images)   
"These so-called Wisconsin fans, what they had to say on those [message boards], it really made me second-guess: Do people really want me here?" Blue told Jeff Potrykus of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. "Because I know if I was a fan and I heard about a recruit [who might be struggling academically], I'd be more like: 'What can we do to help him?' And not, 'Let's make him feel like the worst person in Madison right now.'"

Vander Blue decommitted from Wisconsin earlier this week.

It was not national news.

He is not John Wall.

But what made it a national story -- and perhaps a lesson for the uncivilized world of message boards, if we're lucky -- is that the decommitment was prefaced by a story about the Madison native's alleged academic woes, which led to some Wisconsin fans spending their days publicly bashing the Class of 2010 standout on the Internet. They questioned his attitude, character and intelligence. And guess what? Vander Blue read it and it bothered him.

He is 16 years old, by the way.

"I felt like I was in a corner, trapped and I couldn't get out," Blue told the Milwaukee paper. "I just felt like it was so unnecessary. I don't think I'm that worse of a guy. Sometimes I might be tired and have a little attitude, [but] I don't think I'm a horrible person.

"Forty year-old adults talking about somebody who don't got their license yet; I just felt it was so unnecessary," Blue added. "Picture yourself in my position. Rumors going around, you're just keeping quiet. And you read the article and 1,000 people [are] throwing you under the bus."

It would be easy to spend the next 250 words killing Wisconsin fans.

It would also miss the larger point.

Because this is not a story about Blue and Wisconsin as much as it's a story about message boards, and how total anonymity allows people to attack and attack and attack with little regard for the folks they are attacking. On a personal level, I can't tell you how many wild (and anonymous) words are written about me each month either on message boards or via e-mail; words that question my integrity, background, education, sexuality, hairstyle (that one's open for criticism, I suppose) and anything else you can imagine. Every once in a while, I actually take the time to respond in the most reasonable way I know. And more times than not, I get a response within hours from somebody apologizing and explaining how they would've never been so rude or brash or ignorant if they really believed I would read it.

Well, I got news for you: I read it.

As does Vander Blue.

And though I'm an adult with a high-profile job who is by definition fair game, Vander Blue is -- as he put it -- "somebody who don't got their license yet." He has not graced magazine covers, played on national television, appeared in police blotters or done anything to make himself a target. The only notable things about him are that he's pretty good at basketball, and that he has committed to and decommitted from Bo Ryan's Wisconsin program. That's it. And yet dozens if not hundreds if not thousands of people -- some of whom are most certainly adults with children of their own -- have spent this week trashing Blue and everything about him to the point where it's reasonable to presume they've hurt the future recruitment of the prospect they once believed would lead the Badgers to Big Ten titles.

That's the kicker, you see.

Though Blue decommitted from Wisconsin, he never eliminated Wisconsin from his list of potential destinations. Rather, he just said he wanted to take another look around and make sure everything was a right fit because he committed when he was only 15. Makes sense to me. It probably makes sense to most people. But his wavering didn't make sense to some Wisconsin fans, and they responded with personal attacks that led to a good old-fashioned your-school-sucks/no-your-school-sucks war on a message board with Marquette fans. Poor Vander Blue just caught in the middle, young Vander Blue now scarred by the wrath of the same people he thought loved him just weeks ago.

He said it all made him feel like the "worst person in Madison."

But I suspect some anonymous posters have a better hold on that label.

Is this your way of apologizing to every coach and recruit you accused of cheating?   

  Very interesting article, thanks for sharing.  I wish they would have shared some of the mean-spirited things the "miscreants" said .  Insulting a 16 year olds intelligence is way over the line IMO.  However, the other side of it is,  if you are going to be a Div.I athlete your gonna have to have a thick skin.  It comes with the territory.   There is a fine line.

just goes to show you...these kids do read the message boards.


wonder what people are saying on wisconsin message boards now.

Quote from: Marco Baldi on May 22, 2009, 04:04:51 PM

http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/story/11776517

Wisconsin decommitment a lesson for message-board miscreants
 
  Sticks and stones will break your bones but words will never hurt you.

Unless, of course, you're Vander Blue.

In that case, the words hurt.

And it was only a matter of time before we got here, wasn't it?

   
If Bo Ryan loses Vander Blue for good because of message boards, he might pull his hair out. (Getty Images)   
"These so-called Wisconsin fans, what they had to say on those [message boards], it really made me second-guess: Do people really want me here?" Blue told Jeff Potrykus of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. "Because I know if I was a fan and I heard about a recruit [who might be struggling academically], I'd be more like: 'What can we do to help him?' And not, 'Let's make him feel like the worst person in Madison right now.'"

Vander Blue decommitted from Wisconsin earlier this week.

It was not national news.

He is not John Wall.

But what made it a national story -- and perhaps a lesson for the uncivilized world of message boards, if we're lucky -- is that the decommitment was prefaced by a story about the Madison native's alleged academic woes, which led to some Wisconsin fans spending their days publicly bashing the Class of 2010 standout on the Internet. They questioned his attitude, character and intelligence. And guess what? Vander Blue read it and it bothered him.

He is 16 years old, by the way.

"I felt like I was in a corner, trapped and I couldn't get out," Blue told the Milwaukee paper. "I just felt like it was so unnecessary. I don't think I'm that worse of a guy. Sometimes I might be tired and have a little attitude, [but] I don't think I'm a horrible person.

"Forty year-old adults talking about somebody who don't got their license yet; I just felt it was so unnecessary," Blue added. "Picture yourself in my position. Rumors going around, you're just keeping quiet. And you read the article and 1,000 people [are] throwing you under the bus."

It would be easy to spend the next 250 words killing Wisconsin fans.

It would also miss the larger point.

Because this is not a story about Blue and Wisconsin as much as it's a story about message boards, and how total anonymity allows people to attack and attack and attack with little regard for the folks they are attacking. On a personal level, I can't tell you how many wild (and anonymous) words are written about me each month either on message boards or via e-mail; words that question my integrity, background, education, sexuality, hairstyle (that one's open for criticism, I suppose) and anything else you can imagine. Every once in a while, I actually take the time to respond in the most reasonable way I know. And more times than not, I get a response within hours from somebody apologizing and explaining how they would've never been so rude or brash or ignorant if they really believed I would read it.

Well, I got news for you: I read it.

As does Vander Blue.

And though I'm an adult with a high-profile job who is by definition fair game, Vander Blue is -- as he put it -- "somebody who don't got their license yet." He has not graced magazine covers, played on national television, appeared in police blotters or done anything to make himself a target. The only notable things about him are that he's pretty good at basketball, and that he has committed to and decommitted from Bo Ryan's Wisconsin program. That's it. And yet dozens if not hundreds if not thousands of people -- some of whom are most certainly adults with children of their own -- have spent this week trashing Blue and everything about him to the point where it's reasonable to presume they've hurt the future recruitment of the prospect they once believed would lead the Badgers to Big Ten titles.

That's the kicker, you see.

Though Blue decommitted from Wisconsin, he never eliminated Wisconsin from his list of potential destinations. Rather, he just said he wanted to take another look around and make sure everything was a right fit because he committed when he was only 15. Makes sense to me. It probably makes sense to most people. But his wavering didn't make sense to some Wisconsin fans, and they responded with personal attacks that led to a good old-fashioned your-school-sucks/no-your-school-sucks war on a message board with Marquette fans. Poor Vander Blue just caught in the middle, young Vander Blue now scarred by the wrath of the same people he thought loved him just weeks ago.

He said it all made him feel like the "worst person in Madison."

But I suspect some anonymous posters have a better hold on that label.

Is this your way of apologizing to every coach and recruit you accused of cheating?

Ive never accused a coach that didnt already have rumors swirling or already was caught. It looks like St Johns fans arent the only ones sabatoging their own team.

I wouldn't want anyone on my team that couldn't withstand Internet criticism. What would he do if the coach yelled at him? Transfer?

listen man, i havent been here as long as you, but ive been here a while...ive not seen too many posts just bashing someone...and there IS a difference between bashing and commenting...bashing norm is going after the guys intelligence off the court, his home life, etc...commenting is saying how the guy is inept on the basketball court bc he doesnt run set plays, he doesnt sub the right guys at the right time, he never has been a winner bc he didnt win at queens college and hasnt won here, saying he cant recruit bc he hasnt gotten good recruits...commenting is saying hey, maybe lance isnt the right guy for us, maybe we should go for a solid 4 star player who'll be here 4 years, etc etc...and those are the types of comments ive been seeing...99% of the people on this site are good people and while we may have arguments from time to time, no one ever crosses the line about anything...we didnt attack anyone, we merely are expressing our opinions about this program, which are warranted...if you're saying that i have to come on this site and pretend like everythings ok, on the off chance some 16 year old kid is gonna get pissed that as a fan, im unhappy with this program and think our coach cant cut it, then im sorry, but, thats not gonna happen...you know, the first step is recognizing the problem...the next is talking about it...i really dont see a problem though with anything we are writing on here...what recruits do you think we have scared away...we pretty much polished lances ass on here for two years, along with everyone else we had a shot with that mattered...so whats the problem?

I am torn on this one.  On one hand, I don't want a kid that is so affected by something as small as a message board.  If I was the kid being put down, on the other hand, I would feel pretty bad personally.  Of course you'd like to be welcomed and to feel wanted by your future fans.

listen man, i havent been here as long as you, but ive been here a while...ive not seen too many posts just bashing someone...and there IS a difference between bashing and commenting...bashing norm is going after the guys intelligence off the court, his home life, etc...commenting is saying how the guy is inept on the basketball court bc he doesnt run set plays, he doesnt sub the right guys at the right time, he never has been a winner bc he didnt win at queens college and hasnt won here, saying he cant recruit bc he hasnt gotten good recruits...commenting is saying hey, maybe lance isnt the right guy for us, maybe we should go for a solid 4 star player who'll be here 4 years, etc etc...and those are the types of comments ive been seeing...99% of the people on this site are good people and while we may have arguments from time to time, no one ever crosses the line about anything...we didnt attack anyone, we merely are expressing our opinions about this program, which are warranted...if you're saying that i have to come on this site and pretend like everythings ok, on the off chance some 16 year old kid is gonna get pissed that as a fan, im unhappy with this program and think our coach cant cut it, then im sorry, but, thats not gonna happen...you know, the first step is recognizing the problem...the next is talking about it...i really dont see a problem though with anything we are writing on here...what recruits do you think we have scared away...we pretty much polished lances ass on here for two years, along with everyone else we had a shot with that mattered...so whats the problem?

OK, well what would you say if I told you what was posted about our coach on a daily basis here and on other boards had something to do with a top recruit(not Lance) signing elsewhere. Now maybe this recruit was the big man we needed to get to the next level. What would you say if I told you he was leaning towards St. JOhns, so decided to check out what diehard fans were saying on the message boards and all he saw were posts of guys whining about the coach and blasting the current players on the team repeatedly and til no end? And if thats not bad enough, we have alumni telling kids to go elsewhere because these old men dont like Norm.
Now, we all know that we have no say in Norms fate as fans and as alumni, so why push kids away by killing our own players and going as far as commenting on the coaches wadrobe?

again, bashing shouldnt be allowed...its classless and doesnt help anybody...but commenting on norm, even if its a bad comment, if warranted, SHOULD be allowed...this is a forum to talk about st johns basketball, so if posters stay within the rules of posting on the site, whatever they have to say should be allowed...idt anybody simply comes on this site and says screw norm...we all have our reasons why we dislike him as a coach, not as a person, but as a coach...personally i feel everyone on this site is rooting for the guy bc hes hard not to like...but this is year 6, and we're still a laughing stock...ill comment on his lack of ability as long as he shows it...ill comment on his lack of recruiting, as long as he doesnt produce top recruits...even if recruits are looking on here, i cant just come on everyday and be all smiles and kiss norms ass to put up a front to make recruits gain faith in him...if norm was doing his job, what posters on a website have to say about him wouldnt matter...im not gonna cry if we did lose one recruit bc of our comments, bc first, we have lost countless others bc we can not win...some have actually come out and said they would have come here if we could win...so if we did lose out on one bc of this site, then the score should be around 25 norm 1 johnny jungle posters...secondly, we are not one recruit away from being a top dog, not even if its cousins or wall...what we are, is one coach away from being a top dog again...that is my opinion, as well as many others here...im a knicks fan marco...they were 2nd worst in the league this year yet i watched every game and didnt badmouth one coach or player...why? bc d'antoni is a smart coach who ran that team very well despite their losses...and the players, whos lack of talent isnt their fault, played their asses off and each utilized their talent accordingly...so despite the losses i didnt miss a quarter this year or complain once bc they are on the right path...st johns, on its current path, with roberts, is going nowhere...every year we are around 500 with the blowout losses and no postseason is making us more of a laughing stock...so if you are so worried about losing recruits, maybe you should stop worrying about what we write on this site, and start worrying about the coach and the administration...i have complete faith in st johns basketball regaining its prominence, but no faith in norm roberts taking us there...i look forward to a new coach in the future and proving to everyone that st johns basketball is not beyond saving

Quote from: SJD on May 22, 2009, 09:28:56 PM

listen man, i havent been here as long as you, but ive been here a while...ive not seen too many posts just bashing someone...and there IS a difference between bashing and commenting...bashing norm is going after the guys intelligence off the court, his home life, etc...commenting is saying how the guy is inept on the basketball court bc he doesnt run set plays, he doesnt sub the right guys at the right time, he never has been a winner bc he didnt win at queens college and hasnt won here, saying he cant recruit bc he hasnt gotten good recruits...commenting is saying hey, maybe lance isnt the right guy for us, maybe we should go for a solid 4 star player who'll be here 4 years, etc etc...and those are the types of comments ive been seeing...99% of the people on this site are good people and while we may have arguments from time to time, no one ever crosses the line about anything...we didnt attack anyone, we merely are expressing our opinions about this program, which are warranted...if you're saying that i have to come on this site and pretend like everythings ok, on the off chance some 16 year old kid is gonna get pissed that as a fan, im unhappy with this program and think our coach cant cut it, then im sorry, but, thats not gonna happen...you know, the first step is recognizing the problem...the next is talking about it...i really dont see a problem though with anything we are writing on here...what recruits do you think we have scared away...we pretty much polished lances ass on here for two years, along with everyone else we had a shot with that mattered...so whats the problem?

OK, well what would you say if I told you what was posted about our coach on a daily basis here and on other boards had something to do with a top recruit(not Lance) signing elsewhere. Now maybe this recruit was the big man we needed to get to the next level. What would you say if I told you he was leaning towards St. JOhns, so decided to check out what diehard fans were saying on the message boards and all he saw were posts of guys whining about the coach and blasting the current players on the team repeatedly and til no end?

Part of being an athlete is having thick skin.  If players read this, they need to take it for what it's worth and move on.  If a player like the one that was Wisconsin-bound is that weak-willed that he would be THAT effected by the message boards, then thats the fault of him and the people around him.

About 3 years ago I did a column for NBADraft.net about Kelvin Sampson's recruitment of Eric Gordon and the ethics (and lack thereof) behind it.  I received about 100 e-mails in the following days, about 70 of which were hate e-mails.  Just gotta suck it up, take it, and use it as motivation or just brush it off.

again, bashing shouldnt be allowed...its classless and doesnt help anybody...but commenting on norm, even if its a bad comment, if warranted, SHOULD be allowed...this is a forum to talk about st johns basketball, so if posters stay within the rules of posting on the site, whatever they have to say should be allowed...idt anybody simply comes on this site and says screw norm...we all have our reasons why we dislike him as a coach, not as a person, but as a coach...personally i feel everyone on this site is rooting for the guy bc hes hard not to like...but this is year 6, and we're still a laughing stock...ill comment on his lack of ability as long as he shows it...ill comment on his lack of recruiting, as long as he doesnt produce top recruits...even if recruits are looking on here, i cant just come on everyday and be all smiles and kiss norms ass to put up a front to make recruits gain faith in him...if norm was doing his job, what posters on a website have to say about him wouldnt matter...im not gonna cry if we did lose one recruit bc of our comments, bc first, we have lost countless others bc we can not win...some have actually come out and said they would have come here if we could win...so if we did lose out on one bc of this site, then the score should be around 25 norm 1 johnny jungle posters...secondly, we are not one recruit away from being a top dog, not even if its cousins or wall...what we are, is one coach away from being a top dog again...that is my opinion, as well as many others here...im a knicks fan marco...they were 2nd worst in the league this year yet i watched every game and didnt badmouth one coach or player...why? bc d'antoni is a smart coach who ran that team very well despite their losses...and the players, whos lack of talent isnt their fault, played their asses off and each utilized their talent accordingly...so despite the losses i didnt miss a quarter this year or complain once bc they are on the right path...st johns, on its current path, with roberts, is going nowhere...every year we are around 500 with the blowout losses and no postseason is making us more of a laughing stock...so if you are so worried about losing recruits, maybe you should stop worrying about what we write on this site, and start worrying about the coach and the administration...i have complete faith in st johns basketball regaining its prominence, but no faith in norm roberts taking us there...i look forward to a new coach in the future and proving to everyone that st johns basketball is not beyond saving

  Great Post SJD!!
   Lance said he wanted to go to a program that had a chance to win.  That has everything to do with Norm and nothing to do w/ message boards.

i hosted a couple of talk shows on the radio back in the day and there were people who made it clear they didn't like what i was saying...and me in particular.

what should i have done...quit???

you put yourself out there and you take the risks.

Quote from: SJD on May 22, 2009, 09:28:56 PM

listen man, i havent been here as long as you, but ive been here a while...ive not seen too many posts just bashing someone...and there IS a difference between bashing and commenting...bashing norm is going after the guys intelligence off the court, his home life, etc...commenting is saying how the guy is inept on the basketball court bc he doesnt run set plays, he doesnt sub the right guys at the right time, he never has been a winner bc he didnt win at queens college and hasnt won here, saying he cant recruit bc he hasnt gotten good recruits...commenting is saying hey, maybe lance isnt the right guy for us, maybe we should go for a solid 4 star player who'll be here 4 years, etc etc...and those are the types of comments ive been seeing...99% of the people on this site are good people and while we may have arguments from time to time, no one ever crosses the line about anything...we didnt attack anyone, we merely are expressing our opinions about this program, which are warranted...if you're saying that i have to come on this site and pretend like everythings ok, on the off chance some 16 year old kid is gonna get pissed that as a fan, im unhappy with this program and think our coach cant cut it, then im sorry, but, thats not gonna happen...you know, the first step is recognizing the problem...the next is talking about it...i really dont see a problem though with anything we are writing on here...what recruits do you think we have scared away...we pretty much polished lances ass on here for two years, along with everyone else we had a shot with that mattered...so whats the problem?

OK, well what would you say if I told you what was posted about our coach on a daily basis here and on other boards had something to do with a top recruit(not Lance) signing elsewhere. Now maybe this recruit was the big man we needed to get to the next level. What would you say if I told you he was leaning towards St. JOhns, so decided to check out what diehard fans were saying on the message boards and all he saw were posts of guys whining about the coach and blasting the current players on the team repeatedly and til no end? And if thats not bad enough, we have alumni telling kids to go elsewhere because these old men dont like Norm.
Now, we all know that we have no say in Norms fate as fans and as alumni, so why push kids away by killing our own players and going as far as commenting on the coaches wadrobe?

Do you really think any one player could push this team over the top?  Maybe one coach.  How have previous big-time "St. John's leans' worked out for us?  We're like 0 for the world with them. 

You believe anything you hear/read.  Who cares if a kid was leaning towards us?  So were Levance Fields, Cassan Breeden, Corey Fisher, Leo (Criswell) Lyons, Sylvan Landesberg, and Lance Stephenson.  Worked out well for us.  I guess it's the fans fault and not the inept coach, right?

You expect us not to be critical of our coach and voice our opinion when he is ruining our program just because we might lose out on some kid that he would probably misuse and have transfer anyway?   What a joke.

Y'all are missing the point and it's a point I have been making since the start. Kids read these site. Y'all have lost a recruit because of these sites. It's easy to type shit and hide behind a computer. That's why I put my picture up gave my real name and even posted my phone number. I don't give a #$%^.  I'm man enough to to say that I don't agree with norm sometimes but the man knows it's me talking. I'm not gonna smile in his face like I didn't say nothing. Alot of y'all are hiding behind ur computers talking wild shit. And I'm not coming at guys on this site I'm talking about some of those fierce person gots on redmen and some on big east. Now I have seen alot of them in person ie maven hits wasju pmg krusty they are cool and people in the basketball world now who they are. But some like realfan and tommy whatever hide behind the computer belittle players and coaches and are afraid to show up at games or meetings because they know they would get their ass whopped. I'm glad someone in the media put this out there. Ain't no fine line about nothing. Why would u want to play for a fan base that talks shit about u and throws dirt on ur name. #$%^ that the fans get what they deserve cause they talking tough but scarred to put a face with those words.

Y'all are missing the point and it's a point I have been making since the start. Kids read these site. Y'all have lost a recruit because of these sites. It's easy to type shit and hide behind a computer. That's why I put my picture up gave my real name and even posted my phone number. I don't give a #$%^.  I'm man enough to to say that I don't agree with norm sometimes but the man knows it's me talking. I'm not gonna smile in his face like I didn't say nothing. Alot of y'all are hiding behind ur computers talking wild shit. And I'm not coming at guys on this site I'm talking about some of those fierce person gots on redmen and some on big east. Now I have seen alot of them in person ie maven hits wasju pmg krusty they are cool and people in the basketball world now who they are. But some like realfan and tommy whatever hide behind the computer belittle players and coaches and are afraid to show up at games or meetings because they know they would get their ass whopped. I'm glad someone in the media put this out there. Ain't no fine line about nothing. Why would u want to play for a fan base that talks shit about u and throws dirt on ur name. #$%^ that the fans get what they deserve cause they talking tough but scarred to put a face with those words.

Great post kob

Y'all are missing the point and it's a point I have been making since the start. Kids read these site. Y'all have lost a recruit because of these sites. It's easy to type shit and hide behind a computer. That's why I put my picture up gave my real name and even posted my phone number. I don't give a #$%^.  I'm man enough to to say that I don't agree with norm sometimes but the man knows it's me talking. I'm not gonna smile in his face like I didn't say nothing. Alot of y'all are hiding behind ur computers talking wild shit. And I'm not coming at guys on this site I'm talking about some of those fierce person gots on redmen and some on big east. Now I have seen alot of them in person ie maven hits wasju pmg krusty they are cool and people in the basketball world now who they are. But some like realfan and tommy whatever hide behind the computer belittle players and coaches and are afraid to show up at games or meetings because they know they would get their ass whopped. I'm glad someone in the media put this out there. Ain't no fine line about nothing. Why would u want to play for a fan base that talks shit about u and throws dirt on ur name. #$%^ that the fans get what they deserve cause they talking tough but scarred to put a face with those words.

Hahaha I'd stay away from Realfan.  He seems like the type of dude that would have a weapons cache and that plays around with explosives.  Tommy is better.  He comes across aggressive as hell on these sites.  I expected him to be like 6'6 and a roid head.

I won't post my # but everyone on here pretty much knows me.  My pic is in my signature now.  I don't want to be anonymous. 

Like I said, I see both sides of it.  Attacks on kids are unnecessary.  Commenting on their performance on the court or the field is a different story.  The coach is more to blame than any of our players.  McCaffrey from Siena would have anyone of them playing like crazy by now.  Hopefully we get him in here in time to save the careers of some of them.

Quote from: kob24 on May 23, 2009, 02:33:10 PM

Y'all are missing the point and it's a point I have been making since the start. Kids read these site. Y'all have lost a recruit because of these sites. It's easy to type shit and hide behind a computer. That's why I put my picture up gave my real name and even posted my phone number. I don't give a #$%^.  I'm man enough to to say that I don't agree with norm sometimes but the man knows it's me talking. I'm not gonna smile in his face like I didn't say nothing. Alot of y'all are hiding behind ur computers talking wild shit. And I'm not coming at guys on this site I'm talking about some of those fierce person gots on redmen and some on big east. Now I have seen alot of them in person ie maven hits wasju pmg krusty they are cool and people in the basketball world now who they are. But some like realfan and tommy whatever hide behind the computer belittle players and coaches and are afraid to show up at games or meetings because they know they would get their ass whopped. I'm glad someone in the media put this out there. Ain't no fine line about nothing. Why would u want to play for a fan base that talks shit about u and throws dirt on ur name. #$%^ that the fans get what they deserve cause they talking tough but scarred to put a face with those words.

Great post kob

But, Baldi, you attack players and coaches all across the country by publicly accusing them of either giving or receiving money.  Not every kid or coach you blame is guilty, but you don't think twice dragging a 17 year old's kid through mud.  Also, anytime any kid is accused of doing something illegal, you automatically call him a thug and assume he did it.  I always give the guy the benefit of the doubt legally--except when there is no doubt--especially if it involves a crazy woman making allegations. 

Quote from: Marco Baldi on May 22, 2009, 11:08:14 PM

Quote from: SJD on May 22, 2009, 09:28:56 PM

listen man, i havent been here as long as you, but ive been here a while...ive not seen too many posts just bashing someone...and there IS a difference between bashing and commenting...bashing norm is going after the guys intelligence off the court, his home life, etc...commenting is saying how the guy is inept on the basketball court bc he doesnt run set plays, he doesnt sub the right guys at the right time, he never has been a winner bc he didnt win at queens college and hasnt won here, saying he cant recruit bc he hasnt gotten good recruits...commenting is saying hey, maybe lance isnt the right guy for us, maybe we should go for a solid 4 star player who'll be here 4 years, etc etc...and those are the types of comments ive been seeing...99% of the people on this site are good people and while we may have arguments from time to time, no one ever crosses the line about anything...we didnt attack anyone, we merely are expressing our opinions about this program, which are warranted...if you're saying that i have to come on this site and pretend like everythings ok, on the off chance some 16 year old kid is gonna get pissed that as a fan, im unhappy with this program and think our coach cant cut it, then im sorry, but, thats not gonna happen...you know, the first step is recognizing the problem...the next is talking about it...i really dont see a problem though with anything we are writing on here...what recruits do you think we have scared away...we pretty much polished lances ass on here for two years, along with everyone else we had a shot with that mattered...so whats the problem?

OK, well what would you say if I told you what was posted about our coach on a daily basis here and on other boards had something to do with a top recruit(not Lance) signing elsewhere. Now maybe this recruit was the big man we needed to get to the next level. What would you say if I told you he was leaning towards St. JOhns, so decided to check out what diehard fans were saying on the message boards and all he saw were posts of guys whining about the coach and blasting the current players on the team repeatedly and til no end? And if thats not bad enough, we have alumni telling kids to go elsewhere because these old men dont like Norm.
Now, we all know that we have no say in Norms fate as fans and as alumni, so why push kids away by killing our own players and going as far as commenting on the coaches wadrobe?

Do you really think any one player could push this team over the top?  Maybe one coach.  How have previous big-time "St. John's leans' worked out for us?  We're like 0 for the world with them. 

You believe anything you hear/read.  Who cares if a kid was leaning towards us?  So were Levance Fields, Cassan Breeden, Corey Fisher, Leo (Criswell) Lyons, Sylvan Landesberg, and Lance Stephenson.  Worked out well for us.  I guess it's the fans fault and not the inept coach, right?

You expect us not to be critical of our coach and voice our opinion when he is ruining our program just because we might lose out on some kid that he would probably misuse and have transfer anyway?   What a joke.

Well you know what I think about the Landesberg situation. But if maybe we land a top recruit, we win some games and others take notice and follow-which I think is already happenning anyways. So, yes I think 1 recruit can get us over the top. Again,this has nothing to do with Stephenson

Quote from: Marco Baldi on May 23, 2009, 03:10:28 PM

Quote from: kob24 on May 23, 2009, 02:33:10 PM

Y'all are missing the point and it's a point I have been making since the start. Kids read these site. Y'all have lost a recruit because of these sites. It's easy to type shit and hide behind a computer. That's why I put my picture up gave my real name and even posted my phone number. I don't give a #$%^.  I'm man enough to to say that I don't agree with norm sometimes but the man knows it's me talking. I'm not gonna smile in his face like I didn't say nothing. Alot of y'all are hiding behind ur computers talking wild shit. And I'm not coming at guys on this site I'm talking about some of those fierce person gots on redmen and some on big east. Now I have seen alot of them in person ie maven hits wasju pmg krusty they are cool and people in the basketball world now who they are. But some like realfan and tommy whatever hide behind the computer belittle players and coaches and are afraid to show up at games or meetings because they know they would get their ass whopped. I'm glad someone in the media put this out there. Ain't no fine line about nothing. Why would u want to play for a fan base that talks shit about u and throws dirt on ur name. #$%^ that the fans get what they deserve cause they talking tough but scarred to put a face with those words.

Great post kob

But, Baldi, you attack players and coaches all across the country by publicly accusing them of either giving or receiving money.  Not every kid or coach you blame is guilty, but you don't think twice dragging a 17 year old's kid through mud.  Also, anytime any kid is accused of doing something illegal, you automatically call him a thug and assume he did it.  I always give the guy the benefit of the doubt legally--except when there is no doubt--especially if it involves a crazy woman making allegations.

Youre right, I do attack OTHER teams players and OTHER teams coaches especially if I think they are cheating,which in most times they are. Some guys sit here and defend OTHER schools' coaches and players and continually put OUR own players down but than im questioned on being a true fan and called a troll? Case in point, after a good win against Georgetown in the Big East tourny,not 10 minutes after the buzzer their is a thread started killing Boothe. How does this help? Why not give some credit to a good victory?