Goodbye Shoeless

[LakeSoup]

Simple question but why should any of us believe any of you at this point?

I've been following along with these developments for months but saw no need to get involved in it personally because I figured it was all getting blown out of proportion. Deleted posts, unfair infractions, I'm sure there was something to it but probably not as big a deal as it got turned into. I was willing to give everyone the benefit of the doubt and decided that the truth was somewhere in between. And Mister Mcgoo is a long standing hothead with a sharp tongue who no doubt rubbed many people the wrong way so you might be able to successfully argue that his time was due anyway and you probably wouldn't get a lot of argument from many people on that matter. But you guys just drove away your #1 contributor of all time, a much beloved and much respected bastion of Dobberhockey! And you expect us to still buy what you're selling, are you crazy? It must have been really easy to demonize Mcgoo or Dakkster or any of the other confrontational users you've banned lately but where the hell do you get off trying to do the same with Shoeless because he refused to be bullied and manipulated by you? It is shameful, you should be ashamed of yourselves, all of you.

? Did you even read his post? He, and no one on this forum, has been trying to "bully" or "manipulate" Shoeless.
Arguments can get confrontational. We don't know what type of exchanges happened between Dobber/Bomm and Shoeless, so why take such a hard stance?

[havanablast21]

Simple question but why should any of us believe any of you at this point?

I've been following along with these developments for months but saw no need to get involved in it personally because I figured it was all getting blown out of proportion. Deleted posts, unfair infractions, I'm sure there was something to it but probably not as big a deal as it got turned into. I was willing to give everyone the benefit of the doubt and decided that the truth was somewhere in between. And Mister Mcgoo is a long standing hothead with a sharp tongue who no doubt rubbed many people the wrong way so you might be able to successfully argue that his time was due anyway and you probably wouldn't get a lot of argument from many people on that matter. But you guys just drove away your #1 contributor of all time, a much beloved and much respected bastion of Dobberhockey! And you expect us to still buy what you're selling, are you crazy? It must have been really easy to demonize Mcgoo or Dakkster or any of the other confrontational users you've banned lately but where the hell do you get off trying to do the same with Shoeless because he refused to be bullied and manipulated by you? It is shameful, you should be ashamed of yourselves, all of you.

You are coming across as a troll in my eyes. Go be ashamed of yourself. Comments like that. Wow... Loving up to you self given forum name.

[The Bottlenecker]

You are coming across as a troll in my eyes. Go be ashamed of yourself. Comments like that. Wow... Loving up to you self given forum name.

Agree completely with Havanablast here.

I have continued to monitor this thread because it is nice to see our fellow members remember and honour Shoeless; undoubtedly one of the best posters this site has (had!). It is too bad that some take the opportunity to post senseless comments when it seems obvious they haven't read the whole thread. No body, to my knowledge, ever said that Dobber and Bomm were trying to ban Shoeless. Hell, Shoeless didn't even say that in the OP. I have said it before that I think McGoo's banishment was harsh, but when people post such vitriolic spew, I remember why we have rules and consequences for breaking the rules.

If Dobberhockey and the forum have gone that far into the pit of hell, then maybe rather than wait for the inevitable ban, you should just stop posting. I am going to try and stick to fantasy hockey for awhile and see if things around here settle down a bit on their own.

[bondon]

Simple question but why should any of us believe any of you at this point?

I've been following along with these developments for months but saw no need to get involved in it personally because I figured it was all getting blown out of proportion. Deleted posts, unfair infractions, I'm sure there was something to it but probably not as big a deal as it got turned into. I was willing to give everyone the benefit of the doubt and decided that the truth was somewhere in between. And Mister Mcgoo is a long standing hothead with a sharp tongue who no doubt rubbed many people the wrong way so you might be able to successfully argue that his time was due anyway and you probably wouldn't get a lot of argument from many people on that matter. But you guys just drove away your #1 contributor of all time, a much beloved and much respected bastion of Dobberhockey! And you expect us to still buy what you're selling, are you crazy? It must have been really easy to demonize Mcgoo or Dakkster or any of the other confrontational users you've banned lately but where the hell do you get off trying to do the same with Shoeless because he refused to be bullied and manipulated by you? It is shameful, you should be ashamed of yourselves, all of you.

LOL

[Lemmy]

How many jerseys do we have to retire before we come to a solution.

Senior members are walking away, there is no doubt a problem. I read more than I post but myself, like most members miss most of the drama because the mods or Dobber delete it and than we see guys getting bans and are left to wonder why.

In the real world, not the fantasy hockey world we need two things for a debate

1. someone representing the Affirmative

2. another debater presenting the Negative.

In my eyes McGoo and even Dutch were the Negative, Shoeless and Doulos were the Affirmative,

Walking threw the world with rose coloured glasses get only half the story and never any closer to a solution. The appeal of this site to me is that there are many sides, views and opinions to every trade and other hockey related things.

Step back and let the site be informative, not a communist site were only certain views are tolerated.

My rant is done, gonna miss you the most Shoeless you are a wiser man than I could ever be and you kept me coming back for years.

[slufoot]

Well said Lemmy. I don't think the two previous poster

- - - Updated - - -

Well said Lemmy.

[Rylant]

Shoeless, you are a class act and a legend on this site. More importantly, you are an amazing person who is seriously committed to make this world a better place. At the end of the day, you will be remembered as a person who made a difference; somebody who gave far more than he received. You are an important person; more important than most and certainly, more important than me. It will be sad if you decide to never return. I hope that time away will rekindle the desire to come here and take a break from some of the hardships you see so closely. I look forward to chatting with you again if it happens. Take care, Rick; you will be missed.

As for the trolls who just want to throw gasoline on the fire here, Dobber and Bomm have gone through this entire process with class and integrity. We are all grown adults here who happen to share a passion for hockey. Some times, things get heated. Some times, people say shit they regret. I have been there myself, and I like to think that I am man enough to apologize when I do or say things that I shouldn't. Dobber and Bomm have both shown sincere remorse for anything heated and inappropriate that they may have said, and like the true men that they are, they stepped forward for all to see, and said hey, I was out of line and I apologize. That's good enough for me. I have a feeling that Shoeless will be more forgiving than some in this thread.

Dobber and Bomm; way to do the right thing. You both just went up a couple of notches in my book.

Rylant

[mclarenf1]

Thank you shoeless for all your help over the years. You're helped me win a few pools with your invaluable insight. you will be missed!

[smoothfun]

Would someone please explain why the word "troll" is being used so much to
describe some of the members , myself included from what I gather here.

Everyone goes on about McGoos' forum behaviour and his treatment of others
but , at least he was honest and laid it on the line!
Did he piss me off at times yep , did I get caught in his "trap" from time to time ,
yep but , that's what he enjoyed. How hard is it to ignore someone , how hard is
it to "walk away" , who cares about another site , a link to some bullshit , who
really cares!? If anyone did care or/and did follow McGoo , so what?
If it is that "bad" that you need to ban someone from the site for life , especially a
bit of a local "rebel" leader , don't you think an open explanation would be a good idea?

I'm no troll , I'm no hockey genius , I openly state this from time to time , mainly as to
not be further insulted by some of the so called hockey geniuses who now govern these
forums.

So if I'm one of your trolls or am a nuisance to anyone here , please just say so and I will
gladly join the recently departed members.

This place is becoming like Wall Mart , too big & too powerful , remember the bigger they
are the harder they fall!

I'd say it's time Darryl to make some hard decisions.
Just don't lose track of where you came from , how you started , who supported you ,
why you are here , what the whole purpose of this venture was.
It's your "baby" and it's grown....just stop and take a good look at how things are going
and decide if this is what you wanted.

[Magicstew]

Wow, kinda been offline the last week, starting a new job, but it looks like the s&%t has hit the fan. One of the things I try to remember is that this is fantasy hockey, it is suppose to be fun. I try to take everything with a grain of salt, just like life you are going to meet people that are very opinionated about subjects. That's there opinion and I try to take in the info and form my own opinion.
I will truly miss Shoeless as his feedback on the forms was second to none, if he decides not to participate anymore. We have a small connection as he grew up 20 minutes from where I live. I wish him all the best, as what he does is truly inspiring.
McGoo & Dutch will also be missed. They had a lot of valuable info and hockey knowledge, and yes they would go off on tangents, but i would take that with a grain of salt and sometimes follow along chuckling to myself.
Think we need to have some Dobber mixers across the country/NA so people can put some faces on names - "g-dam Catalina wine mixer" - personalize things, we should all be here for the same thing.

Remember, "the whole is the sum of all the parts". "The chain is only as strong as its weakest link." Those are my profound thoughts for the day.

Now I gotta try and find out how long Bob is going to be out, major injury for my $ pool as V Fasth is my back-up

[Fighting_Emu]

Ive been in lurker mode- aka reading but not posting- since school started-

BUT...

had to respond to this.

As a long long time poster- Im really disappointed Shoeless is done here. Hope he reconsiders- definitely part of the lifeblood on these forums and kept things constructive and positive. Ive learned a lot about fantasy hockey and how to contribute to an online community by following your lead dude. ill also miss McGoo. Adsversarial yes- but as has been pointed out- critical thinkers usually are. Id rather have my feathers ruffled periodically than get 10 of the same watered down homogenous responses to my query.

I also think dobbers post was very classy. This has to be a tough spot- and although I missed some of the more heated posts I know personally how out of context your posts start to become when you're in an emotional state. As a veteran member I have seen dobber take the high road many times or stop responding to heated threads. I mean its hard to imagine he doesn't get a free pass here- hes spent years building a site that has become an institution for us- and from what ive seen has always done it with a fair and level headed approach.

I didn't want to post to take side- but rather just to say I had empathy for everyone involved. I think were learning as we go in terms of how to cultivate positive online communites- and honestly the very nature of the internet work against that- its a brave new world- and so far trolls reign supreme. I am quite sure Dobbers intitiatives/reprimands/whatever came from the most noble of intentions- to keep this a safe, troll free place where people could post. Unfortunately Im not sure this utopian place exists on the internet yet- lol! Over moderation- while motivated from the best possible place has resulted in maybe the worst possible outcome.

Heres hoping retirements/bans/policies are re-considered here. Best of luck to dobber and crew- this has been one of the greatest outlets Ive found on the internet in terms of bettering my fantasy hockey knowledge, crafting a written voice, sharing a written opinion and cultivating online friendships/comraderie.

Brighter days ahead...

[smoothfun]

Nice to hear from you Emu...hats off to your post.

POOL ON!

[STLblues]

Wow i have been busy the second half of Jan and missed everything! We need some hockey! Thank god for the neon green all star game! As for me still like the site and plan to stick around a while!

[Big Ev]

What a shitshow. even though I didn't support everything shoeless posted, this was completely mishandled by dobber and he has shown a lot of unprofessionalism here. I don't think I can support the site much longer either. With power comes arrogance and loss of focus.

[4T2]

Well, I have to admit that Dobber and his team are already taking a step in the right direction. Otherwise, these threads would have been locked by now and there would be a lot more deleted posts.