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"The reason being each time you mention them, that just promotes their message board. I haven't been over there in a few weeks but when I did visit, I remember they always talked about how they could find ways to promote their message board. Each time you mention anything about them, that's helps them accomplish their purpose. In the large scheme of things, these guys are nothing more than nuisances like little gnats.-Email sent from Gene Swindoll to several of his posters
1000+ little gnats, 4 million posts, and one year later, I hope Gene and the rest of the free world gets the point. If you build it, they will come. What does this website offer? Nothing. I said it. We have zero access to coaches, players, and administrators. We have no premium content. We have no videos, no interviews, no audio clips. We have a message board, and the only thing it offers is the promise that a legitimate sports take will be allowed to stand on its merits. 4 million hits. Unbelievable.
So now, it is my turn to say thank you. Thanks for proving what I thought all along, that the Mississippi State fanbase was not one to take mediocrity and sunshine to no end. I knew there were those who felt like me and my friends, that MSU can be number 1 in everything, and the goal of being national champions should be first and foremost. That its OK to make jokes and talk down players and coaches who deserve it, because they are big boys who can handle it. That MSU sports, while exciting and enthralling, no matter the win-loss record, is just part of our lives, not the whole of our lives. That the internet is supposed to be fun. Thats what I believed on April 8, 2003, and now, it has been proven.
You have heard us say it many times, not one original member of this board expected this. Not one. We all thought, 50, maybe 100 members. Maybe. Well have some laughs at Genes expense, but it wont amount to anything. So we sent out those first emails, to guys like Cdawg, Mutt, Indn, willi, Ireland, and CB. We posted on Genes and the Blitz for certain guys to get into contact with us, guys who had sided with us in the endless debates before. And they came. And then more came. And more. By the end of the summer, we had three times the people we thought we would. We got to 500 before the Houston game. By now, DS and I were having the same conversation daily.I cant believe it. I still cant.
It almost didnt happen. You have seen today some of the flak we took. There were those of us that wanted to shut it down a week in I cant say that I blame them. But me, I felt like I had nothing to lose. Im not a rich guy, I dont have any kids to support, no house payments, nothing but an ordinary existence. So I said bring it on. DS will tell you, I was the rock that stood firm when he wanted to give up. I get that from my dad, and from his dad. We Arabs are nothing if not hardheaded. I decided to fight. I called my lawyer friends. They told me, no worries. This is still America. People can still say what they want. Let Gene and his buddies say what they want to, its not going to happen. I believed them, and I made DS believe them. And we kept on keeping on.
And how did we do it? By doing nothing at all. By merely existing. Gene did our legwork for us. By filtering out our name, by suppressing people talking about us, it created some interest. Couple that with the fact he was clicking the delete key overtime throughout the summer and football season, and you can guess why we thrived. People wanted to vent, and we were the outlet. People wanted to offer opinions about what was going wrong, and how to fix it, without being given coaches phone numbers, or being asked to show a resume. They just wanted to shoot the ****, and for a MSU fan, this is the place.
You know what the most interesting thing about this board is, to me? The fact that I wish it didnt exist. This board was spawned from three of the worst football seasons in the history of sports. I wish those hadnt happened. I wish Jackie had led us to that Rose Bowl, that we had lived up to the promise we once had. I wish Dontae Walker had won the Heisman Trophy. I wish Kevin Fant had won three Egg Bowls, and his name was atop the draft charts. I wish Eric and Derrick Thompson had bookended a couple of All American teams. I wish it had been Tommy Kelly on the cover of Sports Illustrated. But it wasnt, and no amount of hoping, wishing, or anything will change all that. We just have to deal with what is, and we have to talk about what is. This board is no different than any other medium of communication. As I am writing this, and you are reading it, somewhere in Mississippi, a couple of State fans are talking about football season, and how it doesnt look promising. Do those words hurt? Do conversations actually affect what happens on the field? Of course not. Were just fans, we go to the games, we cheer, we boo, we tailgate, we travel, we follow the team. But at the end of the day, I dont control what happens on the field, and neither does anyone else that isnt a coach or player. But I like to talk about it, the good and the bad. And when the bad is more than the good, well, thats just the way that is.
So what now? Whats in store for year 2? Well, hopefully, some more success for Mississippi State. Lets see the baseball team keep hitting like they have the past two days. Lets see if Roberts makes up his mind to return, and we get it done next March. Lets see if Croom can turn this group of guys into winners sooner rather than later. As for me? Ill just stay here and talk about them, win, lose, or draw. Ill go to the games, Ill listen to Jack and Jim when I cant make it, and Ill be at my keyboard the next day, telling you what I think happened, and asking you what you think happened. So until the next game, the next play, the next Bulldog victory, this is the General. Dismissed..and thanks.
1000+ little gnats, 4 million posts, and one year later, I hope Gene and the rest of the free world gets the point. If you build it, they will come. What does this website offer? Nothing. I said it. We have zero access to coaches, players, and administrators. We have no premium content. We have no videos, no interviews, no audio clips. We have a message board, and the only thing it offers is the promise that a legitimate sports take will be allowed to stand on its merits. 4 million hits. Unbelievable.
So now, it is my turn to say thank you. Thanks for proving what I thought all along, that the Mississippi State fanbase was not one to take mediocrity and sunshine to no end. I knew there were those who felt like me and my friends, that MSU can be number 1 in everything, and the goal of being national champions should be first and foremost. That its OK to make jokes and talk down players and coaches who deserve it, because they are big boys who can handle it. That MSU sports, while exciting and enthralling, no matter the win-loss record, is just part of our lives, not the whole of our lives. That the internet is supposed to be fun. Thats what I believed on April 8, 2003, and now, it has been proven.
You have heard us say it many times, not one original member of this board expected this. Not one. We all thought, 50, maybe 100 members. Maybe. Well have some laughs at Genes expense, but it wont amount to anything. So we sent out those first emails, to guys like Cdawg, Mutt, Indn, willi, Ireland, and CB. We posted on Genes and the Blitz for certain guys to get into contact with us, guys who had sided with us in the endless debates before. And they came. And then more came. And more. By the end of the summer, we had three times the people we thought we would. We got to 500 before the Houston game. By now, DS and I were having the same conversation daily.I cant believe it. I still cant.
It almost didnt happen. You have seen today some of the flak we took. There were those of us that wanted to shut it down a week in I cant say that I blame them. But me, I felt like I had nothing to lose. Im not a rich guy, I dont have any kids to support, no house payments, nothing but an ordinary existence. So I said bring it on. DS will tell you, I was the rock that stood firm when he wanted to give up. I get that from my dad, and from his dad. We Arabs are nothing if not hardheaded. I decided to fight. I called my lawyer friends. They told me, no worries. This is still America. People can still say what they want. Let Gene and his buddies say what they want to, its not going to happen. I believed them, and I made DS believe them. And we kept on keeping on.
And how did we do it? By doing nothing at all. By merely existing. Gene did our legwork for us. By filtering out our name, by suppressing people talking about us, it created some interest. Couple that with the fact he was clicking the delete key overtime throughout the summer and football season, and you can guess why we thrived. People wanted to vent, and we were the outlet. People wanted to offer opinions about what was going wrong, and how to fix it, without being given coaches phone numbers, or being asked to show a resume. They just wanted to shoot the ****, and for a MSU fan, this is the place.
You know what the most interesting thing about this board is, to me? The fact that I wish it didnt exist. This board was spawned from three of the worst football seasons in the history of sports. I wish those hadnt happened. I wish Jackie had led us to that Rose Bowl, that we had lived up to the promise we once had. I wish Dontae Walker had won the Heisman Trophy. I wish Kevin Fant had won three Egg Bowls, and his name was atop the draft charts. I wish Eric and Derrick Thompson had bookended a couple of All American teams. I wish it had been Tommy Kelly on the cover of Sports Illustrated. But it wasnt, and no amount of hoping, wishing, or anything will change all that. We just have to deal with what is, and we have to talk about what is. This board is no different than any other medium of communication. As I am writing this, and you are reading it, somewhere in Mississippi, a couple of State fans are talking about football season, and how it doesnt look promising. Do those words hurt? Do conversations actually affect what happens on the field? Of course not. Were just fans, we go to the games, we cheer, we boo, we tailgate, we travel, we follow the team. But at the end of the day, I dont control what happens on the field, and neither does anyone else that isnt a coach or player. But I like to talk about it, the good and the bad. And when the bad is more than the good, well, thats just the way that is.
So what now? Whats in store for year 2? Well, hopefully, some more success for Mississippi State. Lets see the baseball team keep hitting like they have the past two days. Lets see if Roberts makes up his mind to return, and we get it done next March. Lets see if Croom can turn this group of guys into winners sooner rather than later. As for me? Ill just stay here and talk about them, win, lose, or draw. Ill go to the games, Ill listen to Jack and Jim when I cant make it, and Ill be at my keyboard the next day, telling you what I think happened, and asking you what you think happened. So until the next game, the next play, the next Bulldog victory, this is the General. Dismissed..and thanks.