University of Cincinnati Sports: Please clean it up

Tuesday, March 04, 2008

Please clean it up

A few things about this blog. You don't have to agree with everything UC does in order to have your comments posted here. You don't have to agree with everything the Enquirer does in order to have your comments posted here. But our expectation is that you will be civil to each other and toward UC, its coaches and administration. Most of you are. Some of you are not. And as a result, we must moderate this blog. Nobody likes moderation. We dislike it more than you do. But things are getting really bad. The constant back-and-forth sniping at each other is exhausting. The constant ripping of Mick Cronin and the UC administration is exhausting. You have the right to submit those kinds of comments, but we are not obligated to publish them. Again, please keep things civil. If everybody did that, we wouldn't have to moderate at all. If anybody would like to e-mail me their thoughts my e-mail address is jpichler@enquirer.com.
Thanks. Josh Pichler, Sports Editor.

28 Comments:

at 4:18 PM

Anonymous said...

Bill,

Wht's your sense about Mitchell coming back?
Does he want to? Do you think Mick wants him back?

Any inisght into the recruitment of Hopson?

Thanks!
Chad

at 4:41 PM

Anonymous said...

Amen to that. I agree wholeheartedly. Unfortunately I think its a just a select few who actually enjoy causing trouble.

I have no idea on Mitchell.

I have heard Hopson will not decide until the McDonalds All American game at the earliest. May carry into early April. I think UC has a very legitimate chance of getting him. however, no one really knows which way he is leaning. Its still Tennessee, Miss State or UC. Would be a tremendous get. I have no inside information on anything I have provided just what I have read from multiple places.

at 4:42 PM

Anonymous said...

Some thoughts on the overall situation of UC, its BB program and fan base. I wonder if any other school in the nation has a fan base so totally divided. You have ones who want to pretend that everything is alright, ones who blindly support everything UC, ones who wish UC would return to the "glory days" and ones who are still very angry about the Huggins firing.

While each individual is responsible for his or her own actions, the root cause of this divisiveness was, for the most part, caused by the UC administration.

Having been in management positions, I viewed the handling of the entire Huggins' dismissal as a power move at its most blatant. Beyond that, to say it was mishandled would be kind. But, regardless of how we personally viewed the firing, it has evoked many strong feelings.

Another thing worth mentioning is this fact: Anytime I have voiced a comment even slightly unflattering to the Enquirer, the comments are never posted. These comments were not ripping the paper, so why were they not posted?

Lastly, all true UC fans want the Bearcats to become a national force again. If that happens, likely most of the sniping, ripping, etc. will cease. Until then sadness, unhappiness, and yes, in some cases, anger will linger.

at 5:33 PM

Anonymous said...

Mr. Pichler,

Could you please be more specific concerning the kind of comments that will not be posted by this blog? Are you suggesting that we not be critcal of Mick or UC when we express our thoughts, and that we cannot disagree with each other's opinions. Is this a board for like minded individuals only, or is this a board where we are able to express our thoughts independent of the moderator's, (as long as they are not profane). Is this going to be a free opinion board or is this going to be a dictator board, where opinions are only posted if they are favorable to UC. We should be able to express our approval or disapproval of the program without being censored, if not shut the board down and start an mutual admiration blog.

Ralph Williams, Indian Hills

at 5:56 PM

Josh Pichler said...

This isn't meant to be complicated. Maybe the rule of thumb should be this: As you write the comment, ask yourself if you would have the guts to say it to the recipient's face. Look, you are free to criticize UC, the Enquirer and each other as long as you do it in a civil manner. What people get tired of is the back-and-forth "you're an idiot" ... "no, you're an idiot" dialogue. And comments that take personal shots at players, coaches, or administrators on this blog are not OK.
Josh Pichler.

at 5:56 PM

Unknown said...

Dear Josh Pichler & Bill Koch,

It is the norm on most well run blogs for a moderator to monitor the posts. In most, what are prevented are (1)trolling, (2) advocating violence, (3) profanity, (4) racism.

Each of these is to some degree in the eye of the beholder. The most difficult is the issue of "trolling." It is best defined as "comments made for the purpose of annoying, disrupting, or antagonizing a discussion thread."

Certainly, any administration and program should not be protected from legitimate criticism. Such a discussion can be quite lengthy and entirely appropriate.

But, efforts to demean through the constant drip of pettiness is trolling.

I applaud legitimate efforts to moderate a blog.

I think Dustin Dow's solution has been the best. Force identities to be used.

at 7:11 PM

Monclova Steve said...

UCFan79,
Well said. I think Dustin's blog is at the head of the class as far as Enquirer sports blogs go, for the reasons you mentioned.
Allowing people to hide behind "anonymous" not only encourages trolling, but also allows them to not be accountable for their remarks. Even those who supposedly "sign" their posts or use a temporary name can simply change it or forget to "sign". It simply enables them to dominate a conversation without disclosing their identity.
Personally, I'm proud to stand by my remarks with my identity. If I'm wrong about something, I'll be glad to admit it or at least engage someone in a debate. Maybe we'll end up agreeing.
Somehow, though, this blog has to become more than an endless broken record.
It would help if Bill was more active. I applaud Josh for trying to improve things, as long as all opinions can be expressed civilly and with respect.
Personally, though, I won't respond to someone who refuses to take the 2 minutes to register a blogger identity.

at 7:30 PM

Anonymous said...

I think the term "personal shot" is rather subjective.

Sippin' Mick refers to a negative coaching trait I believe Mick holds, so I hope it's not included on the "list" of no-no's.

Sippin' Mick Moniker Maker

at 7:39 PM

Anonymous said...

No one has told me this, but my sense is that Mitchell is probably not coming back. We'll see. As for Scotty Hopson, I've been told he will choose from among UC, Mississippi State and Tennessee.

at 7:43 PM

Anonymous said...

Bill,

Why is it your "sense" that Mitchell won't be back?

If he's not back and UC doesn't somehow pull a miracle and land Hopson, the team's offense could struggle massively (again) next year.

Sippin' Mick Moniker Maker

at 7:46 PM

Anonymous said...

About why I'm not more "involved" in this blog: When people e-mail me with questions in a civil manner, I always try to answer them. But from the minute I began this blog, I have been struck by the low level of dialogue I see in the comments. Frankly, it's depressing to wade through that muck every day and makes me wonder what's going on in these people's lives that makes them so angry and miserable. I simply don't have the time to be a referee, to read the endless complaints about "Nancy," the constant shots back and forth about who's an idiot and who's not. I left the third grade many more years ago than I care to admit. Huggins is not coming back. Nancy Zimpher is not going anywhere. Life goes on. I actually think it's a great story to watch how Mick Cronin is going about the business of rebuilding this program. I don't know if he'll succeed, but he has already exceeded my expectations for the second year.

at 9:19 PM

Anonymous said...

Mitchell averaged 3 ppg this year. They only lose WIlliamson and gain 4 more scorers. Exactly how are they going to struggle to score sucking mama's moniker?

at 9:26 PM

Anonymous said...

Monclova Steve,

Can you (or anyone else for that matter) please tell me how registering a blog ID will hold someone accountable.

Anyone can open any number of e-mail accounts under various names and can use various ficticious usernames when registering to a blog. So please tell me what is the advantage of having someone register, when they can sign in under various e-mail accounts.

Ralph Williams, Indian Hills

at 10:09 PM

Anonymous said...

JT,

I'm thinking because so far nothing about the four "scorers" has screamed anything but "the next Alvin" to me. And we know that means 3 PPG, as you so correctly pointed out.

Speaking of offense: it's good to see a real offense in action tonight (Ole Miss). They have almost as many points with over 15 minutes left as UC seems to have for full games fairly often.

And they started with so little talent there? How have they turned into such a scoring machine in less than two years?

Must be a miracle.

Sippin' Mick Moniker Maker

at 12:41 AM

Anonymous said...

Little talent??

Was AK given a NAIA player and a JUCO forward to start with???

Was he given 2 months to recruit 7 players to compete?

Does he have to recruit in the same geographical area as-Huggs, Dixon, Matta, Pitino, Sampson-IU and Gillespie?

Mr. IQ you need to check your facts little man.

at 12:51 AM

Anonymous said...

Personally, I loath the insulting tone used in language like "sippin' Mick." I hope that IS banned, as it adds nothing to the discussion and just stirs negativity.

It's one thing to say this coach is bad, he called a bad play, he mismanaged the team, etc. To continuously use names in order to convey a negative point is just obnoxious and immature.

As the editor said, if you wouldn't say it to the person's face don't say it in the blog.

at 3:01 AM

Unknown said...

Ralph & MonClova,

An ID can be banned. And that ID's IP can be recorded so that any other IDs with the same address can be banned.

That's how they do it on the well run sites.

at 7:24 AM

Monclova Steve said...

9:26 anon,
Up here in NWO we have 5-6" of snow on the ground. I have 2 choices -- start shoveling or reply to you hoping my teenage son wakes up soon.

I agree with you that if someone wants to go through all that you suggest to avoid taking responsibility for their remarks, I guess they can probably "game" the system if they truly want to. That's part of being a troll.

Of course, the way things are right now, registration is not required. Anyone can now post and simply "sign" YOUR name at the bottom, making it appear that it came from you. Unfortunately, you have no way to combat that fraud. We've seen this happen many times, including very recently.

If you were registered, your name would appear in blue with the "Blogger" logo next to it. If someone falsely used your name, it would show up in black without the logo.

You're right -- nothing is 100% foolproof. My experience, though, with blogs has been that registration works to keep things on topic and civil.

Just my thoughts. Take them for what they may/may not be worth. My son isn't awake, so it's on to shoveling.

at 7:57 AM

Anonymous said...

Civil discourse on a public unmoderated blog is oxymoronic. This blog has certainly reinforced the point. Character can be measured by what one does when no one is looking. It can also be measured by what one writes on an anonymous blog.
I can't imagine how depressing it must be to moderate this blog. Perhaps you could employ Hamilton County prisoners on work release. That would scare them straight quite quickly. I must thank Josh and Bill for providing an additional avenue for obtaining information about UC sports. I tend to read Bill's comments then skip the rest.

at 8:01 AM

Dave in Omaha said...

Amen Bill/Josh...

Living away from home and being a UC & alum and huge fan it's difficult to engage anyone here in Omaha in "bearcat talk"...That's why I rely on/enjoy forums such as this - when the participants act like adults. The sniping is tedious. I'm excited with what Mick (and Kelly) are doing and appreciate your efforts to keep the blog going. Don't let the imbeciles ruin it...

at 9:04 AM

Anonymous said...

Dave in Omaha,

You are excited about what Mick has been doing? In the last four games, they barely beat an average South Florida team (by 1 point) and are currently on a three game losing streak, including a loss at home to a very weak Providence team.

Also, it's interesting that you find the sniping tedious and then you turn around in the next breath and refer to other bloggers as imbeciles. A little hypocritical it would seem.

at 9:06 AM

Anonymous said...

Amid all the rumors and mis-information that appears on the web, administrators of other Bearcat sites have said (paraphrasing) "When Bill Koch says reports it then you can believe it." I would prefer that Bill spend his time pursuing his leads and posting his tidbits than trying to referee the nonsense that is posted on this site. The editor asked y'all to clean it up. If you can't see what might happen next, we all are going to lose.

at 9:34 AM

Anonymous said...

I, for one, apologize for my past childishness. I have realized that my complaining and endless poking accomplishes absolutely nothing. I will do better in the future..you have my word.
Also, I agree with those who have suggested forcing registration for users on this blog.

Sippin' Mick Moniker Maker

at 11:17 AM

Senator Jim said...

Thanks for your effort to "clean it up."

For all interested, there is a link on the "post a comment" page for signing up for an identity.

Hopefully, we'll see more people do that and have a better, more intelligent conversation.

at 1:13 PM

Anonymous said...

There are a handful of people on here that should be eliminated..err exterminated. Eliminate all the "Sippin Mick" comments. If you don't like his coaching style then simply state that in an intelligent fashion. Have a point to your comments. If you having nothing to post here other than insults then the Enquire should ban your comments......seems simple to me.

at 2:36 PM

Anonymous said...

The "Official Adam H. Fan Club" isn't going anywhere!

We support the players, lose or lose.

at 2:48 PM

Anonymous said...

To all "Official Adam H. Fan Club" members:

Please continue to support the players, because lose they will!

But just remember, they all will graduate and almost didn't get into any trouble off the court and almost didn't thug anybody in the Providence game.

Oh, our reputation is improving, just not on the BB court.

at 2:43 PM

Anonymous said...

Why should I be banned, my posts are knowledgeable. All of the Bearcatnation should be as knowledgeable as me. Mick has this team regressing not progressing.

Sippin' Mick Moniker Maker

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Tuesday, March 04, 2008

Please clean it up

28 Comments: