META: Ace resigns from MGoBlog (via Twitter)
O/U on this thread getting locked for foolishness? 18 minutes?
In before the LOCKED
If he's who kicked out WD and XM, I'm ok with this.
EDIT: OK, I'm sorry for being insensitive. I don't know Ace well or use twitter, so I don't know the underlying circumstances. I've just heard his name brought up recently in threads. I wish him (and everyone for that matter) the best of luck.
If I ever get in trouble I'm going to hire some members of the MGoBlog community because the PR framing around WD and XM is pretty impressive. If I hadn't been on this site for way too long I'd believe they were merely innocent victims of a power-mad moderator run amok and not antagonistic members who repeatedly received warnings about specific behavior and continued them until they were finally (check notes) removed from the site and could never again be heard from unless (checks notes again) they paid $5 to start a new account.
Haha. I really just miss the interesting commentary from them. But I feel like it's become a rallying cry. Remember the Alamo (as my 5th grade social studies teacher engrained in my head).
Generally when there are two stories, the truth lies somewhere in the middle and this is no different. There doesn't have to be a team XM or a team Ace. It's ok to say they both didn't handle the situation well. XM's banning was a matter of when not if because he certainly crossed over the line regularly. Ace probably shouldn't have publicly flamed him on twitter the way he did when the banning finally did happen. It's ok to believe both things.
I think if these interactions were face to face, they would have both acted different as they are probably both decent guys.
Having said all that. Ace is a terrific writer and I have enjoyed his work and I wish him the best of luck going forward.
If everything were done face to face, I definitely would not have the guts to tell you to make like a tree and leaf.
The ole' Biff Tannen move, eh?
Wait, I thought that was "Make like a tree and get out of here!"
I think you mean “make like a tree and get outta’ here.”
Yeah that....
Biff had a brilliant mind.
I'm not saying anyone is "right" here or not, and I've taken issue with Ace's actions and comments before. I don't think it was handled particularly well, though I also don't know why people act like Ace reiterating facts XM apparently shared here multiple times is considered "doxxing" or whatever other words people use.
But the framing on this site (not claiming you've done so) by some about XM is that he was some innocent bystander silenced by the draconian iron fist of Ace and the MGoBlog moderation army is ludicrous to me. It's a free, private site, and if you repeatedly get into fights with people and don't moderate your behavior when it's flagged you open yourself up to repercussions. Do I think there are other people here who should also get the same treatment and have skated by? Sure, but that's a different issue and doesn't necessarily apply to Ace's actions with XM. But I think people use the XM banning as a cover to just bash Ace for not liking his personality, his political views, etc. and that's inefficient and misguided in my eyes. That's more what I'm pushing back against because WD and XM aren't martyrs to some greater cause than internet fights.
Well said. I agree with everything you typed.
You keep bringing calm and reason to this discussion and you might have to run for president. You wouldn't get many votes, but you would have to run.
Right. People shouldn't mince words. Ace is just a little bitch, and that's really the crux of it all.
As opposed to tough guys like you, who call people names anonymously on the internet. At least Ace had the balls to put his name behind his hot takes
Takes should be judged on the basis of the takes themselves not by who makes them. For instance, I now also think you are a white knight little bitch solely based on your response not because I know who you are. Let me guess, you're going to say he's a great writer too?
There is only one person behind this blog that made it the most successful independent team dedicated sports blog. That guy can write. Or at least once upon a time when he cared.
I don't follow the battles between various posters, Mods, staff etc much, if at all.
I don't know what XM said (actually not even 100% sure who that is, but assuming Xtra Melanin?) Or what WD did this time, nor how Ace responded before apparently banning them for some reason.
I've never previously noticed any comments by Lewis Bullox, but I saw these & at risk of facing the horrifying stigma of being called a bitch, have GOT to say you seem like a moron, and after reading just a couple of comments I can't even imagine you've ever contributed a single thought worth the air it was printed on!
Now you can carry on trying to drag the convo down to the level you live on sir!
Just wanted to say I'm embarrassed you even responded, but I'm glad you did because it shows what a little bitch you are and so easy to goad. You self-righteous cunt.
I'm late to the party but Id like to push back on this notion that Brian is the only one whose writing is worth reading. This is a terrible terrible take. Seth does a fantastic job with his recaps, Neck Sharpies and the Teams. Ace makes great basketball team content. MattEM does weekly updates with basketball recruiting where he seems to go across the country at events. BisB writes Opponent Watch which is, in my opinion, the most consistent quality articles on the site.
Brian is great but what makes the blog special is the the array of talent that Brian has gotten to feature
Well said.
Can you remind us of the "warnings" XM received from the mods/staff before his banning? Aside from some posters complaining about him in the mod sticky (most of whom were also not exactly strangers to controversial posts), I don't recall any actions taken by mods or staff to warn or admonish him (at least in the public forums). I think part of the controversy about his removal was the lack of warning and other "due process" as it were.
I mean, feel free to check out Seth's post on XM's removal to see the series of events.
I obviously don't have access to the inner moderation of this site but I've received warnings before based on threads I've commented on that were nuked and that included an automated email as well as, in one case, a follow-up email. In the latter case it was more of a "the guy you responded to was the real issue but also the temperature should be turned down generally" type, but it does happen. When threads get nuked a lot of that evidence goes away, but the mods here seem on top of user complaints and if multiple of them come in for a single user I assume that's looked into. If you've got evidence that XM was an innocent bystander who wasn't aware that people complained about his behavior
So again, I can't speak to that user as much, though the fact he repeatedly got into issues with, at best, COVID-skeptical outlooks and multiple people flagging them likely lead to some communication. But again, not privy to that.
WD absolutely got warned repeatedly; at some point I remember he got negged into oblivion for something and then get a million points for sharing that email that got Brandon fired. So there was absolutely a series of warnings there.
And as I noted earlier, the great injury to these users is that they have to sign up with a new account and pay $5. If they truly felt like they were unfairly maligned I'm sure they could also reach out directly to the mods + Brian and see about creating a new account for free without the attendant baggage. There are a number of users here with multiple accounts + legacy of new ones; it's not particularly high hurdle to overcome.
The Brandon emails killed this blog for a few years.
Him posting every thread on the board was annoying and his attempts to police the threads like they belonged to him was also very annoying, but when WD started swinging his newfound E-Clout to get Michigan coaches fired I decided to take a few years off from the blog. You didn't have to click on "Fire Woman's Water Polo Coach" to know it was a WD thread.
Those emails turned WD into WD™.
XM and I had it out a few times in past years but it was always pretty cordial. But his brain got broke last summer fall and developed a bit of an edge.
Rob F spoke to him personally.
Before Ace banned him? As in, he was warned he was nearing bankable behavior and had a chance to pull back?
Just would like to clarify the timeline. I'm not going to die on this hill (I don't know XM or Ace) and I understand people can "buy back in" just for $5... but if punishments are being handed out capriciously that really puts a damper on any motivation to continue to be a part of this online community.
Dude.
So you aren't curious at all? We've had numerous posters here (read: not one-time trolls) that went off the rails at various times and got their lumps (e.g. Section1, Maizen, Mr. Yost, WD, etc.) When I get MGoNostalgic I look back at threads from years ago... a surprising number of active names now gone. Most went through a process of punitive steps... written warning docking, then docking a few hundred, then Bolivia, and then the banhammer if needed.
Just seems like the XM situation skipped right to the end. Uncommon.
Serious question- why are you so obsessed with XM and his banning? For months now, every time the topic comes up you just can’t help but rehash the same tired points about warnings (there were multiple), lack of due process (nobody here is entitled to any), inconsistent moderation and the like. Just give it up already - your tears aren’t going to bring him back.
Serious answer - as I said, it was a curious situation. That event elicited very strong responses from the board (the first thread discussing it, by MGrowOld I believe, had several hundred comments in the few hours it was up prior to being removed). No other banning (or similar META action within just the board) has had that effect... at least that I can recall.
I wasn't the one who brought up this subject either - I merely added a comment to an existing thread. If you choose to believe that equates to obsession, that is your prerogative.
Do you think maybe that had something to do with the current/recent (disgustingly stupid and partisan) political fuckery that has been happening? It has clearly polarized this country into two pretty well defined "camps". Seems to me that most people I see speaking up on XM's behalf fit pretty neatly into one side of that political divide...
So you aren't curious at all?
Not in the slightest. And I certainly have no interest in rehashing it every time Ace, XM, or WD is mentioned.
I missed the whole xm drama, but the guy was an obvious conman who repeatedly lied about his past. In addition to what Ace revealed, I caught the guy dead to rights pretending to have been a lawyer/cop in LA while being demonstrably ignorant of California law and legal terminology. They should've banned him then, but they let the ruse continue. I'm glad Ace outed him.
You can believe that, but you're wrong.
I agree, MGoHillbilly.
XM was telling me a few years ago about a multiple-murder case he was involved in investigating some 30 years ago involving murders that were being prosecuted in 3 different states, including California.
Enough details rang a bell for me that I eventually realized he was talking about the serial killer who killed a couple distant cousins of mine. There was absolutely ZERO chance that XM would have known that, that among the possible dozens this guy had murdered over his killing spree, were two of my relatives. Prior to that conversation, XM had never ever had a conversation with me about the cases he had worked on, nor would he possibly have known the first and last names of such distant relatives of mine.
Option 1: this story is legit and he forgot the legal definition of homicide despite having been involved in murder cases in a former career. (Maybe he was an extremely bad lawyer?) Also he signed up with a fake email address for some reason that would be plausible if we knew it.
Option 2: he conned you and never knew what homicide means in California law because not all conmen went to law school. Also he signed up with his actual email address, which is how Ace exposed his fake persona.
In 37 years nobody outside my family has ever once mentioned any of my cousins to me in any context, by name or otherwise. I'm sticking with option 2.
"Murder" or "homicide" or whatever, those were my words, not his, that I posted last night. Full disclosure: I'm not a lawyer and I slept at home last night, not at Holiday Inn.
But there was no "conning" or anything of that sort whatsoever going on. Never has been with me, I've always found the man to be 100% honest and trustworthy with me. Yeah, I sometimes have differences with him on political beliefs and religion, but neither he nor I let it interfere with friendship. In other words we agree to disagree (but never have we had to call it "agree to disagree" in order to avoid or end an argument).
Bottom line: I trust XM to the point that I would never hesitate to ask him for advice or hire him as my lawyer.
rob, I'm not describing your post. I'm telling you what happened when he got into an argument with me about what "homicide" meant in California law, and he was completely, demonstrably, and obviously wrong. It was a mistake no lawyer would ever have made. And then Ace exposed him as having signed up with a work email address that did not match who he was pretending to be. What more could you need?
I only vaguely recall the thread and have no knowledge of your argument with him within that thread, so I'll pass on making comment either way on those points.
But I did look up (both when XM got banned and again a couple days ago because of this thread) his work email address as he entered it when he set up his account, and there's absolutely nothing misleading about it whatsoever, he is who he says he is.
I do believe that. He made a mistake about the definition of homicide in California, doubled down when I called him on it, and then went for his "I truly wish you well" fake good guy dodge to get out of the conversation when I posted California code to prove he was wrong. Also Ace exposed his deception publicly. What's your basis for continuing to buy his con here?
You'd be able to see he was licensed in CA if you actually knew him. But why not go ahead and contact Ace to see if he'll verify if that's who you need to hear it from?
Yes.
what exactly did WD do? Ive been reading this blog before he got here. I remember him getting harassed for his merch posts more than him doing anything worth banning.
For the event that got him banned? Nothing. Something stupid about an effeminate play on LeBron's name and those who may have a same sex attraction to him.
Before that -- for being an insufferable, colossal, arrogant, dick.
A lot of the WD nonsense was brought on by the members of this blog. Every time he did or said something weird or creepy there was always an army of chuds ready with a "leave him alone, he's just a kid" and he turned into an entitled dick like Superfan and Big Nut. If WD sneaks into Harbaugh's funeral and signs his poster it's MGoBlog's fault.
Politics aside, not sure WD's current Twitter handle of "save Yost" is a good look. Seems like he *still* hasn't grown up much.
I love to post on a website for three years and claim to not know who the guy who writes like 60% of front page content for it is
To be fair, it might have been written by TomVH or Heiko. The posts aren't signed or anything so there's no way to tell.
My thoughts exactly
The funny thing about the WD defense, someone on here posted how proud they were that WD busted his ass and gets to live his dream of becoming a UM student. Dude has on his Twitter bio that he is going to UM-Flint. GTFO with busting his ass and living his dream.