Oh DB, where are thou?

hope this doesn't come off the wrong way....

....but relying on one person for information about a program on a forum is never a good thing. he provided some great info which we all appreciated, but i figured after a while that it would come to an end. as we all saw, more and more pressure was put on that one insider, which eventually (i'm assuming) likely got him in a bit of trouble.

maybe it's just me, but i don't need to know every tidbit about every player, coach, or recruit before it is released publicly. it got to the point on the zone and on here where people weren't satisfied unless they knew everything before an official release. again, that's not always a good thing, and in my opinion shouldn't be what this forum is about. it got to the point where it was too much gossip and speculation, and not enough concrete discussion about facts.

i say just let the guy be. there are many solid basketball minds around here. this place isn't about one poster.
 
some of the info he posted on Morgan was clearly fabricated...
 
xjohnx said:
I know a couple people were let go around the same tie that DB disappeared. I'll leave it at that.
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This.


Even with that being said, don't worry. DB was getting plenty of his information from other sources too. Sources that are still around, and always will be. Some people just became comfortable with him posting information since he was mostly anonymous, so those people passed information along to him instead of posting it themselves.

I'm not saying DB contributed nothing, nor am I saying that he didn't provide excellent analysis. Just saying that I promise you guys will still get inside scoops (as you have been the last month or two) and you will still be getting excellent analysis.

DB, however, will most likely never post again. (Or, if he does, not in the same capacity he was able to before.)
 
I now realize that what I really meant with that post is: Don't worry. I don't think you're missing out on much. DB often broke news first on these boards, but it was rarely anything others didn't already know. You guys will have the same access to "inside" information with or without him.
 
For me, this is more about the lack of local media attention and interest in VCU athletics. That's why DB and those like him existed, they kinda filled an information void that is usually filled by local reporters who gave a darn. When you get to the point where the local media is getting much of their info and leads from a message board it indicates just how lame things are in this town. Think about it, when Grant was chasing the Bama job, we got most of our info tracking the Alabama media.

So I don't think its about needing to know every tidbit, I thinks its about needing to know basic scoop you'd expect the local media to follow up on. If I'm not mistaken, the Troy Daniels signing may have been the first time in years the T-D broke a story about VCU hoops that wasn't already known days ahead of time.

buckwheat said:
maybe it's just me, but i don't need to know every tidbit about every player, coach, or recruit before it is released publicly. it got to the point on the zone and on here where people weren't satisfied unless they knew everything before an official release. again, that's not always a good thing, and in my opinion shouldn't be what this forum is about. it got to the point where it was too much gossip and speculation, and not enough concrete discussion about facts.
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I think it's easy to get somewhat spoiled, and because we were spoiled, over time we seemed to develop a sense of entitlement to the info... demanding more, and demanding sources and verification. I don't think there's anything inherently wrong with that, but with a smallish program like VCU, it set up an inevitable conflict.

Bigger programs have a lot more ways for laundered info to find its way out. As 'Chill pointed out, they frequently have multiple members of the media digging for info. Our coverage, while perhaps better than in the recent past, is still rather limited and passively reliant on the school for info. Bigger programs also have more and bigger boosters, and they are frequently in position to find things out (sponsorships, multiple coaches shows, etc), and then pass that along sub-rosa. The number of people who know any particular thing is usually big enough to make tracing and blaming any one source pointless. We don't have that kind of info-laundering structure... if something leaks, it can probably be narrowed down pretty easily. And if the leaking parties try to supply the demands for more and more detailed info, it only increases the trail of bread crumbs back to the source. Ideally we'd have journalists doing the digging and providing a sheild... but for the most part, we don't. However, the work the Ram Nation guys are putting into this site may be well on its way to changing that (as new media models continue to merge with or supplant the old ones).

Hopefully our program will grow, and new and old media will adapt, and we'll get broader and deeper coverage, but in the meantime we should try to be a little more patient in our quest for info, otherwise we're creating a demand that may be harmful (albeit probably only mildly in any particular instance) if fulfilled by the wrong people.
 
i dont care so much about the "inside information" that DB was providing. I just liked his presence on the Nation and all that. When we all first made the switch from the zone, DB did a lot to mobilize and organize this forum.
 
Most of us want DB back, give him a second chance if he needs one; no one is perfect and we all make mistakes and his post clearly point out how much he cares for VCU as a University and our overall sports program. We miss him and want him back.
 
db is great. he is like a pokedex. point him at anything and he will tell you great insight about the subject. if anything, his analysis on various topics was amazing, not his inside scoops.
 
Hey DB, I enjoy your post. Come back and talk baskball with us!
 
The other thing that was nice about having DB around here was that he seemed to be an "insider" down on Broad St. And the Anthony Grant regime was as tight-lipped and absolutely devoid of any information, as any coaching staff I have ever seen. I mean.... they took not telling you ANYTHING to an entire new level. Don't get me wrong- I enjoyed the winning, and I'm glad those guys were here. But geez.... I really am tired of them acting like this is not our program- our business. That was getting real old- real fast.

So not only was DB's presence here a breath of fresh air, but man- what an irony that he is gone now- and that something didn't happen during the "quiet regime." Oh well.... I definitely agree with others here. There are several extremely knowledgeable posters around the Nation.... and they have varied sources. So it's not that we need DB. It's just that he was a good solid part of the community around here, and he did provide us with some inside info that helped us out on boring VCU days. JMO
 
I recall reading on VCU's section of the Zone a few years ago where someone stated there was a UR bias at the Times Dispatch/News Leader. I found that somewhat curious since the newly appointed sports editor at the time, MIke Harris, was a VCU alum. I'll confess that on a purely subjective basis, it did seem as if UR recieved more coverage on their basketball team. Although, I will add that over the past couple of years I think we now get our fair share.
I later approached Mike when I ran into him after he had moved to VCU and asked about "the bias". He suggested I give him a call later when we could talk about it since we were surrounded by others at the time. Definitely, I inferred from his reaction there was, in his mind, something to the theory. Regretably, I never followed up and he has since left.
Anyone out there have any info other than anecdotal evidence?
 
RESRam said:
I recall reading on VCU's section of the Zone a few years ago where someone stated there was a UR bias at the Times Dispatch/News Leader. I found that somewhat curious since the newly appointed sports editor at the time, MIke Harris, was a VCU alum. I'll confess that on a purely subjective basis, it did seem as if UR recieved more coverage on their basketball team. Although, I will add that over the past couple of years I think we now get our fair share.
I later approached Mike when I ran into him after he had moved to VCU and asked about "the bias". He suggested I give him a call later when we could talk about it since we were surrounded by others at the time. Definitely, I inferred from his reaction there was, in his mind, something to the theory. Regretably, I never followed up and he has since left.
Anyone out there have any info other than anecdotal evidence?
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That is a very interesting post. Shame you weren't able to follow up. Thanks for that little story.
 
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