One Year Ago... A mistake was made.

He was riled up one day and started responding with some vulgarity and anger but another person who either works in the same building or jacked his IP/computer created a fake lawyer ID and made comments along the lines of threatening to sue the site for illegal usage of copyrights.

It was bogus (and probably had more to do with that "jamel" character than anything) but it was simply that the situation got COMPLETELY out of hand and none of it was anything resembling the sports banter AGM is known best for...

Jamel absolutely needed to go. He had created an anti-AGM hate site and was slinging slander and harassment around like he Pacman Jones raining on the dancers at the club. He was just antagonizing and didn't add anything of value but Tyrone stood by him like a civil rights lawyer (or just because it was funny getting everyone riled up over such silly bullshit) and made a stink of it instead of keeping to the function of the site.

Briggs should be back, even if it's under a new user ID or what have you. He doesn't need - or even want to - be here 24/7 but he definitely should not be banned anymore.

Whatever he "did" or didn't do, he served far more than a reasonable sentence. He's not out to come back and seek vengance. He's not out to destroy anything. He liked this community and the site's functionality and he likes having multiple outlets to spread his Chicago-based wisdom.

I have been hot and cold with Tyrone for a long time. But he's far more productive and less of a troll than Jamel.

We may never know who was behind "MikeyJ" **cough, cough JAMEL, cough, hack*** but I feel extremely confident it wasn't Tyrone nor directed by Tyrone.

I'm not so sure they work together but have reasonable cause to believe they are related by marriage.

But - who cares?

Your reasons are nothing new manny. I've heard them all before. Before you it was SSR, and before SSR it was Dan, and Dan told me all the same things you're telling me now about how he doesn't want to start childish wars, how he can change, how he could become a valued contributor. It didn't turn out any of the times before. Remember, if someone had listened to me the first time, Tyrone would have been blocked within his first month on AGM and there would have been several users that wouldn't have left.

Perhaps you should think about e-mailing him and saying you're sorry? I did.

You don't get it. You want this site to be something it can't be and still be popular at the same time. It has to be a free flowing community, not a stifling noose. Traffic is Traffic... traffic is good for the writers of articles, traffic is good for the readers and their comments, traffic is good for the editing and updating of pages; traffic is good! Tyrone keeps things hopping. He's entertaining... shit everyone on the internet can be entertaining once you realize how useless it is to take anyone - ANYONE - seriously on the 'net.

Open doors, don't lock them. It's for fun and enjoyment, not for restrictions and regulations. I understand the need for some rules, but there should be rules that allow people to be free, not prevent them from doing so.

You keep wanting red lights put up on the Information Superhighway.

Look, I DON'T blame them... maybe deep down I'm even jealous (not that I'd trade lives with ANYONE). But life at AGM goes on...

Let me know if you want to come up with some idea for a new, lucrative website featuring a 6'6" freek with a too-many-words-for-normal-folk problem.

How does convincing Niteowl to return justify reversing an wrongful ban?

These two things have nothing to do with each other. Look, I could possibly care less what NiteOwl does... that's his business and I'll even apologize to him too for taking my perfectly viable criticism at more than it's very worthless face value - Why should he care if I think his personal accoutns and stories of the past are miles better than his dry, dry news regurgitation..??

But for you to say YOU will concede a ban of Tyrone if you get something out of it? Wow. You've lost focus of your duties.

And to recall, - honestly - his posts were mostly of the boring, droning re-wording the game recap variety without insight and without his personal opinions. When he was telling stories of his experiences and the past he was very entertaining.

He left because he was tired of people criticizing his posts (mine might have been the straw that broke the camel's back for him, but I wasn't the only one) Furthermore, he left because he was upset about Tyrone being banned and he didn't want to be the fulcrum between the two sites playing see-saw around him - because he was posting on here AND JTJ.

I'll gladly apologize to him (again, by the way) but NiteOwl leaving and Tyrone getting banned are entirely separate issues.

Look, all i'm trying to do is make progress not keep rehashing the transgressions of the past. I'm not trying to blame anyone of anything or deflect some blame anyone thinks I am responsible for - God knows I have more faults than whoever feels inclined to dig them all up will ever find...

So what?

On behalf of everyone, TB, I'd just like to welcome you back and I thank you for your patience and persistence on coming back. I can't wait to read your future comments and what your opinions are in sports.

Cubs @ Houston