The Lockerroom
This is a the place to discuss the site, community issues, discuss ideas for opinions, and other things related to the community but not specifically about sports. You can add something to the locker room by clicking the link.
To Whom it May Concern (and other so-called "lurkers")
I'll start off with a story from a sports movie since this discussion, which originates with Manny's recent Lockerroom Post, is very much lacking in this category.
In the movie Gridiron Gang, "The Rock", who is a juvenile prison worker, is on duty when a fight breaks out between two boys. After breaking up the fight, he learns that these two boys come from local gangs that have hated each other for "generations" (I use this term carefully because generations in gangs is maybe 30 years). The Rock sits them down, and asks both boys if either one of them can identify why their two gangs started fighting. Neither can, and he tells them that for the rest of their stay in the prison, they are to respect each other, because neither kid knows why they are still fighting.
This is what we have here. Two websites that once clashed over a supposed former user of one that came to the other website, only to be harassed and to leave. But, once he left, the fighting didn't stop. Flamewars continued, and with them, this stupid back and forth between Manny and Tyrone that seems more appropriate for a drama between two Hollywood stars than two grown men.
Olaf's article was deleted with the hope that Tyrone et al would stop fascinating over everything that goes on here on ArmchairGM, and that Manny would stop commenting on Tyrone's fascination with this site.
It didn't. A Manny Lockerroom and 80 JtJ posts later, here I am, writing to both defend myself, and to ask Manny, Tyrone et al to put their dispute to rest. Manny can't post on JtJ, Tyrone and Jamel can't post on AGM. The three biggest culprits of the past 6+ months are stuck to the confines of their own site.
To Manny Stiles: We've talked via email before, so I think we're clear as to what the other person thinks about this. I just ask you to not give Tyrone et al the attention they seek. If you don't give them attention, they can't be a pest towards you or towards this site.
To Tyrone: I know you hate me, and that's fine. I don't care. I just ask that you stop obsessing with ArmchairGM in the same way you fascinate over Jay Mariotti.
To Jamel/Killing Pablo/whoever the fack you are right now: Get rid of FU Armchair. There's no need for it other than to voice your disdain for this site, and in particular, me.
To SSR/Hino/South Side Slim/other JTJers who have Armchair accounts: Stop following Manny/Tyrone's lead. This is really their dispute, and I think most of you actually have insightful things to say in regards to sports.
To Hino/South Side Slim/other JTJers who created Armchair accounts when you discovered Leslie was here: I welcome your contributions here any time. Your wrongdoings (if any) have been forgiven long ago, and it'd be cool to have more Midwestern users here.
To anyone/everyone else reading this: Take what you want from this. Learn from the story at the beginning. There's no point in getting involved in a dispute you have no place in, and don't know why it started.
To everyone who has been around long enough to know why this dispute started: Do your part in ending it. Don't encourage others to join in this dispute, and do your part in ensuring this dispute becomes a forgotten part of the past. Don't advertise that you'll explain to people why this dispute is going on, and don't explain it to those who ask.
To those of you who want to say "I told you so": Go ahead. Be that way. I ain't perfect, and I know it. But I'm willing to take crap from people like you if it means trying to make this site not fall apart.
I get this post is ironic since I'm doing what I say not to do. But in my opinion, it had to be done. I started this feud over a year ago (almost 400 days ago, to be precise), and it's time I helped bring this to an end. The quality of articles here has gone down. We as a collective group have driven away about a half dozen users at the minimum from this site, and others have grown sick of it. I'm not leaving, nor am I announcing a "retirement" that will end in less than 48 hours. That never has been, and never will be, my style. I will however, declare that I will from this point forward work to bring back the users who have been scared away from this site. If anyone has the email address of a former user, send me a message with it and I'll see if I can convince them to come back.
-- FP
