Posts by Alex Cook

Casey White13, Anthony Jackson2, analoggull4. Where’s Ronald Hall at? 😁

Let's aim to have everything squared away by June 1st, give or take a day... it's not like it's set in stone, easy enough to tweak things later if we have to.

Michelle Palmer6, I'm coming for you. ☕

Henry Hernandez7 said:So, what, the big "eureka" moment only hits once the conversation is already over!?

Spot on.

Honestly, man, it feels like every single time you post on the US Soccer boards, you’re basically just handing a red flag to those few forum users who haven't blocked you yet—and the reason they're so wound up is because of your constant one-liner snark and little jabs that don't actually have any substance behind them. It just draws heat to you... and more often than not, it ends with people straight-up insulting you.

Look, you write the way you write—it’s clearly just who you are, and nobody’s asking you to change—but the way you talk to people means you aren't adding anything of actual value to the site... nothing worth mentioning, really.

Take care.

And yeah, before anyone says "there are no arguments"...

Anthony Jackson2... honestly, I don't even know where to start with this mess—it’s just one thing after another lately, isn't it? You look at the state of things, you look at how everyone is reacting, and you just want to shake your head... it’s like we’re all just circling the drain while pretending everything is perfectly fine. I've seen this pattern before, a dozen times over, and it never ends with a victory lap... just more noise and more people pointing fingers at shadows... anyway, what do you guys actually think about it all? Or are we all just waiting for the inevitable crash... kaže:
Can I get in on this, Carol Lewis? 🍿

Sold.

analoggull4 said:Back during the last European Championship, we used to have dedicated threads popping up for every single match. Are we not doing that this time around?

There's really no reason why it couldn't happen... if you think about it... 🤷

Walter Grant5 said:I’m calling for an end to that whole "if you don't see it, you're just an idiot" style of arguing. Seriously. That "I know, you don't" crap isn't even a debate—it's just trolling, plain and simple.

It’s not explicitly laid out in the rulebook—not written down in black and white, anyway—but it's definitely being treated as trolling. I mean, honestly... it all just depends on the context, I guess.

That day when Enzo was hanging out with KingUdoh—right after he’d been given one last shot at redemption, only to go ahead and blow it completely and get slapped with another permanent ban on the forum... I think it finally became crystal clear that this style of writing just doesn't fly... Honestly, you see these intense debates popping up everywhere lately—just endless, heated arguments... people getting all worked up over absolutely nothing, thinking they’re making some profound point when they’re really just shouting into the void... it’s exhausting, truly... They aren't going to look kindly on that anymore... honestly. This isn't 2008—that era is dead and buried—and that kind of stuff just doesn't fly here anymore. We’re all growing up—both the users and the forum itself—so things have changed...

So, I was digging through some old files earlier and stumbled onto this PDF about football rules—you know, the actual technicalities of the game, not just the hype you see on ESPN... anyway, I wanted to share what I found, though honestly, most of it is just common sense if you’ve actually watched a decent match in your life. It's all laid out in there, from the basic pitch dimensions to those tiny, annoying little officiating nuances that drive everyone crazy during a Sunday afternoon kickoff... turns out, even the pros get tripped up by the fine print sometimes. If you're looking for a deep dive into how the game is officially structured, this file covers it... but don't expect it to be an easy read, it's pretty dense...

The soccer subforum is already up and running—it’s an active part of the site as it stands... Look, I’m just gonna lay this out once so we don't have to deal with the usual headache later... there are rules here. Just basic ground rules to keep this place from turning into a complete dumpster fire—which, let's be honest, is always a risk with people like us. We aren't here to babysit anyone, but if you want to actually participate without getting booted, you gotta follow the guidelines... keep it civil, stay on topic, and for the love of God, don't come in here acting like you own the joint. It's pretty simple, really... just try to show some common sense...Look, every subforum here has its own specific vibe, which means we can't just use a one-size-fits-all approach for the rules—each one needs its own set of tweaks to actually work. So, I’m gonna lay out some quick guidelines for them right here...


Just a few things you all need to keep in mind... nothing too crazy, but don't say I didn't warn you when things get messy. Read through this stuff carefully—seriously, just take five minutes to digest it before you go diving in headfirst. It’s mostly just common sense, but since nobody seems to follow the rules half the time anyway, I figured I’d lay it all out right here... stay sharp, keep it civil, and let's try not to burn the whole place down on day one.

• Look, just a heads-up for everyone—we’ve got a strict no-advertising policy here. That means no self-promo in your actual posts, nothing in your signature, and definitely none of that stuff tucked away in your bio or location settings... keep it clean or it's going to be a problem.

• Just a heads-up for everyone—buying, selling, or trading cards isn't allowed on this subforum... strictly off-limits here...

• Look, when you see those moderator guidelines—you know, the ones highlighted in bright colors just to make sure nobody misses them—don't bother typing out some smart-ass reply or trying to argue your way out of it... just follow the damn rules. It’s really not that complicated...

• Look, you can toss your images in as thumbnails or just drop them straight into the thread—whatever works for you—but don't go overboard... keep the resolution capped at 800x600 and try to stay under that 200kb limit if you want things to actually load without a headache...

• When we’re live-modding during a game, things get a bit more laid back—honestly, the whole vibe shifts. We aren't sweating the small stuff or breathing down people's necks over every little thing... we mostly just step in when someone actually breaks the rules in a major way.

Look, if you decide to ignore the rules of this group, your post is getting nuked—no warnings, no second chances. And if you really push it and pull something serious, expect a formal strike or a permanent ban from the community. You can go read up on how we handle strikes and bans over there... if you actually care... here....

Thread Title: Kickin' things off... just callin' this one "Topic Initiation" I guess.

• Look, just do me a favor and actually scan the forum before you start typing—make sure you’re dropping your takes in the right section... it saves everyone a massive headache if we don't have the wrong threads getting cluttered with stuff that doesn't belong there...

• Look, just a heads-up for everyone—don't go double-dipping by posting the same thread in multiple places or different subforums. It’s a massive pain in the neck and honestly, we’re gonna have to treat it as straight-up spam... so just keep it in one spot, please.

• Look, before you go jumping headfirst into starting a whole new thread, just do yourself—and the rest of us—a favor and hit the [Search] bar first. Seriously... check if someone else has already laid out exactly what you're thinking about. There’s probably already a massive debate going on about the same thing, and nobody wants to see another redundant topic cluttering up the feed. And please, for the love of god, don't go digging up ancient history and reviving dead threads unless you actually have something vital to add... otherwise, just let them stay buried...

• Look, you really gotta give your threads a decent title... I mean, if the subject line doesn't actually tell people what the hell you're talking about, why even bother posting? It's just common sense—you want folks to know the vibe before they even click, otherwise it's just a bunch of noise in the feed...

• Look, if you’re planning on posting about some big game or whatever, don't go opening the thread like two months in advance... seriously, just don't. It's a waste of everyone's energy. A few days before is plenty—maybe even less, but you get the point. You really just need to nail the headline right from the jump: Team A vs. Team B—this Saturday....

• Look, just a quick heads-up for everyone—let's try to start our thread titles with a capital letter, alright? And honestly, keep them short and sweet... nothing too wordy or confusing if you can help it...

• Look, if we’re actually going to make this work, the opening post needs to be solid—I mean, high-quality, constructive stuff that actually lays down some decent groundwork for a real conversation... otherwise, what's even the point? The only exception is when someone starts a follow-up thread for those massive mega-topics that have already hit like 10,000 posts—in those cases, just drop a link to the previous parts and call it a day...

Look, if you go breaking the rules in this group, don't expect a heads-up—your thread is getting nuked immediately. And just a fair warning, if you try to play games and repost something we already wiped? You’re almost certainly looking at a multi-day ban... so maybe don't test us. Also, if your titles are trash, the mods are just gonna step in and fix them however they see fit—it's not personal, it's just how it works...


So, we’re talking about how to actually write posts here... which, let's be honest, is an art form in itself if you want to avoid looking like a total bot or some corporate shill... It’s easy enough to just dump text onto a screen, but there’s a massive difference between just making noise and actually saying something that sticks... You gotta find that sweet spot where you aren't trying too hard, but you aren't being lazy either—it's a fine line, really... Just my two cents, I guess...

• Look, just a heads-up for everyone—don't go dumping the exact same post across multiple threads or different sub-forums... seriously, don't. It’s just going to get flagged as spam, and nobody wants that headache... just keep it clean...

• Look, let’s try to keep things on track here—don't go turning this thread into one giant, endless side-conversation or some random off-topic mess... there are actually specific threads designed for all that rambling, so let's just stick to the point...

• Look, just a little heads-up for everyone here—please stop using all caps like it’s some kind of necessity. Writing in ALL CAPS feels like you're literally screaming in someone's face... and honestly, nobody's really in the mood for that constant shouting while they're just trying to scroll through the feed...

• Look, if you’re gonna go digging through the archives and drop a new reply into some ancient thread from years ago—just make sure you actually have something worth saying... seriously... don't just bump it for the sake of bumping it. If you're going to resurrect a dead conversation, at least bring something useful to the table... otherwise, what's even the point...

• Look, if you’ve got some extra thought or a quick correction to toss into something you already posted, just use the EDIT button instead of cluttering up the feed with a whole new reply. You've got a 90-minute window after you hit send to make those changes... once that's up, that's that.

• Look, just dropping a bunch of random emojis isn't really doing anyone any favors here. If you’ve got absolutely nothing of substance to add to the conversation, there’s no real need to clog up the feed with spam... honestly. And while I get that everyone wants to express themselves, going overboard with the smiley faces is a bit much—it gets distracting. Just two or three is plenty if you're trying to show what kind of mood you're in... anything more than that just feels like noise...

Look, if you go breaking the rules in this group, your post is getting nuked—no heads-up, no warnings, just gone. If you keep pushing it or acting like our guidelines don't exist, we’ll start handing out strikes or just straight-up banning you... so don't say I didn't warn you. And for the love of god, don't spam the same message over and over; that's an automatic strike, period...


3. Quoting

• Get the hang of quoting—basically, how to use the

  tag properly.
  

• When you're replying to someone, make sure you actually quote the specific message you're talking to... otherwise, it's just chaos.

• If the post you're responding to is a massive wall of text, don't be that guy—just grab the relevant snippets. You can find the details on how to do that here
  .

• And please, for the love of god, don't quote posts that have images in them... strip those out, especially if they're huge or taking up half the screen.

• Also, don't go quoting anything that breaks the rules in the first place. It’s not worth it.

Look, breaking these rules means we'll just nuking your post without giving you a heads-up. If you try to get a deleted post put back up, expect a strike or even a ban, depending on how bad things got...


4. Reporting stuff

• If you spot a thread or a post that's clearly violating the rules, just hit that "Report Post" button () and let the mods handle it.

• Try not to engage with those trolls or rule-breakers directly—don't go looking for trouble and risking a sanction yourself. If no moderator is around, just sit tight and wait for one to show up and deal with it.

• If you're pulling text from somewhere else on the web, use the

  tag. Always drop a link or write out where the info came from right underneath the copied text. If it's too long, just trim the fat... if you won't do that, at least leave the link.
  

Just so you know, these rules might change, but we'll give you a heads-up beforehand.

Huge thanks to MEP—honestly, none of this would be happening without them. 😬

So, first things first—we’re looking for people to step up and kick off the new group threads for the EP... Naturally, if you've already handled this kind of stuff here without making a mess of it, you’ll definitely have the upper hand—but hey, that doesn't mean the rest of you are totally barred from stepping up...
Just drop a note about which specific groups you're eyeing... we can hash out the finer details right here, or if you're feeling more private, just shoot me a DM...

James Taylor3 said:Even Marcin Gortat scored more than that.

Just hit some routine wins over at DraftKings. ☕ Tossed in some unders for the Chicago Wizards and the Charlotte Hornets on a double at FanDuel too... honestly, it was one of those good nights—I could just feel it coming...☕

Anthony Cook70 said:I honestly need one of the admins to step up and explain the logic here—like, seriously, why am I not allowed to call Messi a midget?...

Calling that "shorty" comment just the cherry on top of your little Football PDF opus... honestly, it’s perfect. That whole thing is basically just one giant collection of trolling and flame wars—I mean, you aren't even shy about throwing insults around at this point, are you? It's all just noise...

I've gone through all the rules here on the Forum... pretty much memorized them at this point...

Glad to hear that, seriously. I just really hope you actually took the time to dig into them from top to bottom... and didn't just skim the surface. 🙂

Look, before you start getting all rowdy and making a mess of things, let’s go over the ground rules for this Forum... I've seen enough chaos to know that without some basic guardrails, this whole thing goes south fast—and nobody wants to deal with that headache... Just read through the guidelines, play nice, and try to keep things civil. It’s not rocket science, really... just common sense, mostly.:

Look, if we want to keep this Forum from turning into a total dumpster fire and actually keep the discussions somewhat civil, we’re gonna need everyone to play by the rules. We’ve gotta maintain some level of decency here—so, basically, the following is strictly off-limits on the Forum:

Look, we’ve gotta follow the rules here in the United States—and I mean actually follow them, not just skim through... We're strictly prohibiting anything that breaks federal law. That means no hate speech, no calls for discrimination, and absolutely none of that business where people try to justify or glorify criminal acts. We also have zero tolerance for copyright infringement, animal cruelty, or anything involving the exploitation of minors. Seriously, don't even go there... stay on the right side of the law or you're out.
Look, just a heads-up for everyone—don't go posting your services or trying to hawk your products here without getting the green light from the admins first. If you're actually looking to run an ad or get some real exposure, do yourself a favor and reach out to the marketing department directly... otherwise, it's just going to be a waste of time...
Look, we’ve gotta address the elephant in the room regarding how people are acting around here—it’s getting a bit much... We're seeing way too much junk being dumped into the threads—stuff that's totally irrelevant, useless noise, or just straight-up off-topic nonsense that has zero to do with what we're actually discussing. It’s also becoming a massive headache because people are posting in ways that completely kill the flow... you know, making everything impossible to read. That includes using trashy, inappropriate titles or setting up profiles with signatures that just don't fit the vibe of this place. We need to keep things clean and focused if this is going to work...
It’s getting pretty ridiculous how some people are actively trying to sabotage the Forum staff—I’m talking about the blatant disregard for warnings, the constant attempts to resurrect deleted threads, and all that other nonsense... It’s like they think the rules are just suggestions or something. Honestly, seeing this kind of interference with the mods' work is just exhausting... it makes everything run so much slower than it should.
Look, let me be crystal clear about this—if you try to pull the whole "clone account" stunt while you've been banned from the Forum, you're asking for trouble. And I’m not just talking about one ban, either. Using multiple accounts to mess with people—you know, the classic move where you jump into a thread with different handles just to argue with yourself or pretend there's more support for your nonsense than there actually is... that kind of manipulative garbage is strictly off-limits. We see right through it, and it won't fly here...
Personal attacks... honestly, what happened to actually having a conversation? It’s getting pretty pathetic out there lately—just people hurling insults instead of actually making a point. If you can't defend your position without resorting to cheap shots at the person sitting across from you, then maybe you shouldn't be talking in the first place... just my two cents... Just straight-up baiting people into personal fights—you know, that whole toxic cycle of non-constructive nonsense involving politics, religion, or whatever other identity bullshit people want to weaponize... basically just pure trolling...
So, we’ve got people out here actually posting private info about other members... seriously? It's like some people just don't get how things work online. You think you're safe behind a screen, then suddenly someone decides to go full scorched earth and drop personal details that should have stayed buried. It’s messy, it’s low, and honestly, it’s just pathetic... turns out there are still folks who haven't realized that once that data is out there, you can't exactly pull it back in. Just a complete lack of class, really...
Posting private messages... honestly, what is even the point anymore? It’s just one more way for people to stir up drama where nobody actually asked for it... turns out some folks just love the chaos of dragging someone's business out into the open for everyone to dissect. Just feels messy... and kind of desperate, if I'm being real...

I’m not buying that "it's just a troll" excuse for a second... honestly, save it...

That’s your problem, isn't it...

Look, if some little guy decides to break a hard rule here on the forum, the whole soccer sub is going to fall apart—and let’s be real, that’s where all the jokes and nicknames live... everything would just go to hell...

There aren't actually that many terms that fly in the face of our community guidelines—I mean, if you look at a word like "midget" in total isolation, it’s probably right on the borderline of what we allow... but most of the stuff that pops up is way more toxic. We're talking about language that is aggressively discriminatory—whether it's targeting someone's religion, race, nationality, or just any other identity they hold... that kind of stuff is where we draw the line.

The issue here is you’re dropping that line in every second or third post—and through this constant relentless repetition, just like redviper32 already pointed out, you're clearly just fishing for a reaction from those FC Barcelona and Messi fans... and trust me, there's a massive crowd of them waiting to jump in. 🙂

Then there's the whole "humor" aspect of that phrase. If this supposed hormone therapy he was taking actually happened, then you're basically making light of someone's medical issues—but if it didn't, you're just trolling. It really can't be that complicated... 🙂

Trying to draw a parallel between, say, some massive "Dutch banking scandal" and his height is honestly just laughable at this point.

Selective banning based on specific nicknames just leaves the sub-forum completely at the mercy of whatever mood the moderators are in.

True, we're talking about selective moderation here. Banning posts that—get this—actually violate the rules. (see my explanation above)

Jamison is seriously going to be the death of me. This is the third straight game where he’s basically screwing me over—it's almost a guarantee at this point. I actually missed the first one, too... when he dropped 31, I was dead set on playing the over, but then I somehow tripped over my own feet and accidentally hit the under instead. 🙈

James Campbell, please, I am begging you... just save my day.

Dana Baker2 said:Can you believe this absolute madness? Indiana and Toronto just dropped 28 points in the final two and a half minutes... honestly, my brain can't even process that kind of chaos. Just pure, unadulterated insanity right at the buzzer...😲🙂
I swear, I have never seen anything like this in my entire life...
Look, at the end of the day, we really just need to see an under here... if that even happens... 🤣 Man, things were really looking up for a second there... everything was finally starting to click, and then—well, you know how it goes...

Another over played by mistake... went down like a total routine, yawn... ☕ 🤣

I just scrolled through the play-by-play... and honestly? It was a total wash—just a straight-up toss-up from start to finish... 🙏

Man, I actually managed to pull off a double with the Suns and the Jazz—was feeling pretty good about myself for a second there—but then Orlando comes along and absolutely nukes my night... typical.

I'll probably end up watching the Knicks game tonight too—and honestly, I’m thinking about pairing that with a Mel Over bet... might be worth a shot...

shadowbison53 said:Oh, so when moderators toss out low-brow insults at users, that doesn't count as "making it personal"? Just one example of the hypocrisy here.

Drop a link to back that up.

Dana Baker2 said:Can you actually parlay player props against each other on DraftKings?

Nah, they're strictly sticking to singles on that one...

So, I was checking the lines—on DraftKings, they’ve got Bargnani’s over sitting at @1.77 (with a 21.5% margin), but if you look over at Pinnacle, it’s hanging at @2.01 (about 20.5%). Also, just in case anyone is actually tracking this stuff, DeRozan is pegged at an 18.5 point margin over at DraftKings.

EDIT: Looks like the action moved on DeRozan... his under just dropped from 1.77 down to 1.71.

Peter Taylor3 said:I don't get it either—I started my own thread once and they nuked it instantly...

Look, your thread got tossed because:

1. There's already an active thread about the Champions League

2. Conspiracy theories belong over in the Alternative Facts section

3. It was basically designed as a playground for trolls to mess around...

Joshua Howard said:Questions about all these different technical glitches... is there actually a common thread here?
Or should I just start a new thread for everything?

The relevant thread was sitting right below this one...

fadedsailor932 said:🤦

...is this some kind of sick joke or what?

what

cosmiclynx57

Why do I get the feeling this whole thread is gonna resurface in like, a week or so?



Just kidding—Larry Walker24, I really hope you don't go forgetting all those little instructions the guys gave you... it’d be a real treat actually reading your takes, whether we're talking ATP/WTA stuff or just anywhere else on this Forum. 🙂