The Hogville Matrix

[TomBigBeeHog]

Can anyone come on here and show, by a preponderance of the evidence, that MA needs to be fired or that he is doing a poor job?

I have decided to embrace the negative. Perhaps like Neo in the Matrix, I can bring all of the concentrated forces of doom together ala agent Smith so that I may cancel them out with my positivity. Then, and only then, shall the war cease and Zion (Hogville) will experience peace at last.

[Deep Shoat]

Of course no one can. 

He hasn't done a bad job.  But he also hasn't been particularly excellent, either.  So far he has been pretty good.  The fear among many, myself included, is that is all he will ever be.

[TomBigBeeHog]

Of course no one can. 

He hasn't done a bad job.  But he also hasn't been particularly excellent, either.  So far he has been pretty good.  The fear among many, myself included, is that is all he will ever be.

It just sounds like many because of the constant drumbeat on radio and internet message boards. Just the same diehard few. The only way we could get an accurate count on the naysayers is to have an out of state, well respected polling company, come in and conduct a fan satisfaction poll. I would suggest the Pew Research Center, they are pretty credible.

[TomBigBeeHog]

Of course no one can. 

He hasn't done a bad job.  But he also hasn't been particularly excellent, either.  So far he has been pretty good.  The fear among many, myself included, is that is all he will ever be.

So you do admit that he has been kinda excellent. Even if only a wee bit (in your estimation). Right?

[Deep Shoat]

So you do admit that he has been kinda excellent. Even if only a wee bit (in your estimation). Right?

No.  But part of that could be related to my preference for fundamental defense over risk taking.

And by that, I don't mean mugging people in the post.  I mean moving your feet and playing fundamentally sound help defense.

I look at the product on the floor and see an ugly game.  I didn't see that under Nolan.  His teams took far less defensive risks and that translated into more success.

[TomBigBeeHog]

No.  But part of that could be related to my preference for fundamental defense over risk taking.

And by that, I don't mean mugging people in the post.  I mean moving your feet and playing fundamentally sound help defense.

I look at the product on the floor and see an ugly game.  I didn't see that under Nolan.  His teams took far less defensive risks and that translated into more success.

It took Nolan around 5 years to get that ball rolling. Seems like MA is on a similar time line. Most wins in 20 years last year. Could be some parallels there. Right?

[Deep Shoat]

It took Nolan around 5 years to get that ball rolling. Seems like MA is on a similar time line. Most wins in 20 years last year. Could be some parallels there. Right?

Could be.  But I'm not seeing it.  Again, maybe I'm biased.  But I don't think so.  Like most, I expect a significant drop off this season.  I also expect Monk to be a Wildcat.  And I have yet to see enough recruiting prowess from this staff to make up for that. 

My expectations are a minimum 3-4 season downturn, then, just as things are looking grimmest, CMA will have another few "bringing us back" seasons that mean he gets to stay and keep building. 

My hope is that he learns how to be an elite coach during that time, because he isn't going anywhere anytime soon.

[TomBigBeeHog]

Could be.  But I'm not seeing it.  Again, maybe I'm biased.  But I don't think so.  Like most, I expect a significant drop off this season.  I also expect Monk to be a Wildcat.  And I have yet to see enough recruiting prowess from this staff to make up for that. 

My expectations are a minimum 3-4 season downturn, then, just as things are looking grimmest, CMA will have another few "bringing us back" seasons that mean he gets to stay and keep building. 

My hope is that he learns how to be an elite coach during that time, because he isn't going anywhere anytime soon.

It's good to keep expectations lower, that way you are often pleasantly surprised when that low bar is exceeded. I do it all the time at restaurants.

[gmarv]

It took Nolan around 5 years to get that ball rolling. Seems like MA is on a similar time line. Most wins in 20 years last year. Could be some parallels there. Right?

I think some of the people who don,t wanna give mike time just don,t like him for whatever reason.

[TomBigBeeHog]

Could be.  But I'm not seeing it.  Again, maybe I'm biased.  But I don't think so.  Like most, I expect a significant drop off this season.  I also expect Monk to be a Wildcat.  And I have yet to see enough recruiting prowess from this staff to make up for that. 

My expectations are a minimum 3-4 season downturn, then, just as things are looking grimmest, CMA will have another few "bringing us back" seasons that mean he gets to stay and keep building. 

My hope is that he learns how to be an elite coach during that time, because he isn't going anywhere anytime soon.

Grimmest, wow that sounds like things couldn't get any worse. Could be like us going 0-8 in the SEC West and then winning 2 games the next year. Now Bielema has worked us for a raise and an extention. Dang it!

So what is the grimmest scenario you can imagine under MA? Would all 13 scholarship players be declared ineligible at once perhaps? That sounds grimmest to me but that's just me, to each his own Grimm fairy tale.

[Deep Shoat]

Grimmest, wow that sounds like things couldn't get any worse. Could be like us going 0-8 in the SEC West and then winning 2 games the next year. Now Bielema has worked us for a raise and an extention. Dang it!

So what is the grimmest scenario you can imagine under MA? Would all 13 scholarship players be declared ineligible at once perhaps? That sounds grimmest to me but that's just me, to each his own Grimm fairy tale.

See, this is why you see so much return argument.  I tried to answer your question as clearly as I could and you want to pick apart my words and assign meaning.

By grimmest, I mean just when it looks like CMA is finished because we have had 3-4 more non NCAAT seasons.  We both know we will never be terrible.  Mike is a good coach and his system does create issues for mediocre teams.  So we'll always win 18-20 as a minimum.  And we both know that will never be enough to get in the NCAAT.  If we miss on Monk and everyone else other than Macon, I think that is a real possibility.

If you start a thread asking for answers, don't use it as bait to recreate what is posted.

[TomBigBeeHog]

See, this is why you see so much return argument.  I tried to answer your question as clearly as I could and you want to pick apart my words and assign meaning.

By grimmest, I mean just when it looks like CMA is finished because we have had 3-4 more non NCAAT seasons.  We both know we will never be terrible.  Mike is a good coach and his system does create issues for mediocre teams.  So we'll always win 18-20 as a minimum.  And we both know that will never be enough to get in the NCAAT.  If we miss on Monk and everyone else other than Macon, I think that is a real possibility.

If you start a thread asking for answers, don't use it as bait to recreate what is posted.

lol. got it. So, you are predicting a 3 year absence from the tournament. Wow, that would be the longest stretch ever for an MA team. Even I can agree that that is kinda grim. Any other predictions? Grimm of course.

[hamARchy in the USA]

Elite programs establish winning expectations and a championship foundation in their conference first.  Elite coaches typically have won their first conference title by their fourth year at a school.  MA's been a head coach for 13 years now and has one tie for a conference title.  He had a couple of modest one hit wonders before Long picked him up.   It was recognized when Long hired him that the program was being committed to mediocrity and mediocrity is what the program is getting.  This past year's improvement was on paper only, a result of the softest conference schedule in the SEC.  Those who suffered through the agony of Nolan's last several years and the HDN era recognize mediocrity when they see it and they're seeing it again just as MA's track record foretold.  The complaints you read are a reflection of the state of the program, a program in which hope for a return to the elite of college basketball has been extinguished and the best anyone can realistically hope for is another one hit wonder.

[TomBigBeeHog]

Elite programs establish winning expectations and a championship foundation in their conference first.  Elite coaches typically have won their first conference title by their fourth year at a school.  MA's been a head coach for 13 years now and has one tie for a conference title.  He had a couple of modest one hit wonders before Long picked him up.   It was recognized when Long hired him that the program was being committed to mediocrity and mediocrity is what the program is getting.  This past year's improvement was on paper only, a result of the softest conference schedule in the SEC.  Those who suffered through the agony of Nolan's last several years and the HDN era recognize mediocrity when they see it and they're seeing it again just as MA's track record foretold.  The complaints you read are a reflection of the state of the program, a program in which hope for a return to the elite of college basketball has been extinguished and the best anyone can realistically hope for is another one hit wonder.

This was a bit long. I got sleepy reading it. I'm going to bed.

[Deep Shoat]

This was a bit long. I got sleepy reading it. I'm going to bed.

Looks to me like you are just trolling.

Sad, I thought you wanted an actual conversation.

[NostraHOGus]

Of course no one can. 

He hasn't done a bad job.  But he also hasn't been particularly excellent, either.  So far he has been pretty good.  The fear among many, myself included, is that is all he will ever be.

I think that's what separates some of us from others, and that is our fears.  My fear is overlooking the importance of stability and basic competitiveness, so we can ring up another decade in which we finished under .500 5 times, and barely broke the 20 win mark 3 times. During that illustrious period, we were ranked for maybe 5 or 6 weeks, and enjoyed RPIs in the triple digits for the most part.

The only coaches who ever performed better in their first four years (at least in terms of where we were at the end of four years) were two Hall of Famers that never lost a night's sleep about players leaving early for the NBA or the far less stringent NCAA academic/retention requirements.

Those coaching legends also knew that 20 wins and an above .500 conference record meant a bid to the Much Smaller Dance. In the Good Ole Days, the MAC was something you bought down at McDonald's, not a conference that merited a half dozen or more at-large bids.

I suppose we could argue that Lanny Van Eman left the program in worse shape than Mike found it, but I doubt that would be a winning argument. I might feel better if you could show me some tangible examples of a savior that has come into a formerly proud program that has gone off the tracks and quickly returned it to its previous heights.

The closest examples I can think of are Mike Anderson at UAB and Mike Anderson at Missouri. How bad does Arkansas suck if he can't do it here?

[NostraHOGus]

Elite programs establish winning expectations and a championship foundation in their conference first.  Elite coaches typically have won their first conference title by their fourth year at a school.  MA's been a head coach for 13 years now and has one tie for a conference title.  He had a couple of modest one hit wonders before Long picked him up.   It was recognized when Long hired him that the program was being committed to mediocrity and mediocrity is what the program is getting.  This past year's improvement was on paper only, a result of the softest conference schedule in the SEC.  Those who suffered through the agony of Nolan's last several years and the HDN era recognize mediocrity when they see it and they're seeing it again just as MA's track record foretold.  The complaints you read are a reflection of the state of the program, a program in which hope for a return to the elite of college basketball has been extinguished and the best anyone can realistically hope for is another one hit wonder.

We need look no further than this post for a concise summary of all the unsubstantiated drivel that drove the basketball program into exile. Now that there are rumors that Moses is returning from the desert, Pharaoh is double checking every pillar and every obelisk to defame and strike from memory all that was ever good about Razorback basketball.

In short, this is why we can't have nice things.

[hamARchy in the USA]

We need look no further than this post for a concise summary of all the unsubstantiated drivel  that drove the basketball program into exile. Now that there are rumors that Moses is returning from the desert, Pharaoh is double checking every pillar and every obelisk to defame and strike from memory all that was ever good about Razorback basketball.

In short, this is why we can't have nice things.

Unsubstantiated ?  That's all history to the one who knows it or is willing to do a little homework.  To those who embrace the lie the truth is drivel.

[Big Nasty 34]

Like deep shoat mentioned earlier, i think my biggest fear is that we really bomb the 2016 recruiting class and CMA never really recovers. That class has outstanding potential, yes. But, it also has very mediocre roll player filled potential if we don't land monk. I may be wrong, but I truly think that wherever MM goes will have a huge impact on CMAs success and stay here at Arkansas. Having that many open scholarships is just so make or break for a program. We need high level recruits and transfers to really stay prominent.

[HoopS]

I think the main thing I've seen is a fear that he is unfireable and I don't agree.

Is he fireable today? Of course not. We are increasing wins every season. Hit 27 this past season.

In the event we drop down to 18-20 wins like some suggest, would that be fireable? Nope. Why? Because everybody knows we have lost a huge portion of our production. It is only logical to step back, unless you're Kentucky.

Now, should that one year year turn into a 3 year drought like I've also seen suggested, I believe you will see that MA indeed isn't unfireable.

BUT

None of us know.

That's why I take the stance of "let it play out".

Life is short. Worrying and arguing daily about what may OR may not happen just doesn't seem to be a healthy way to spend your life but to each his own.

I will add that if things play out as some fear, then you will definitely see a lot of others join in and make some noise. But probably not before we see things play out.

In basketball, a key recruit or two can totally swing things.

[HoopS]

It is a good question. I don't know the reasons as I'm not sure I've read anyone lay out their reasoning. Perhaps they have. I just didn't see it.

[hawginbigd1]

It took Nolan around 5 years to get that ball rolling. Seems like MA is on a similar time line. Most wins in 20 years last year. Could be some parallels there. Right?

The difference in my mind is you could see the roster was becoming loaded with players for Nolan, I don't have that same outlook on what MA has done, and to be fair Nolan has not had as many defectors as MA. MA has not done what I thought he would do with this program to this point and I am not blown away by the talent level of the current roster.

Alas I don't get to listen to the radio in Arkansas much, but I am not hearing/reading all of this reported fire him talk in other avenues, which consequently is ridiculous to be saying at this point IMO.

[bigdaddyhawg]

It took Nolan around 5 years to get that ball rolling.

Is this not rewriting history to fit your narrative?

Nolan had Hogs in NCAA in year three, and in the Final Four in year five.

Big difference that to Mike's current tenure.

[NostraHOGus]

This is something I would like to explore a bit more if we can.  I am prefacing this with a disclaimer based on previous similar threads. 

I've heard many say MA is here as long as he wants and yet they don't come out and say why they think this.  They leave an unstated (implied) belief that since MA was/is connected to Nolan, that Nolan was fired, that Nolan accused and sued the University of racism, and that MA is black, that he can't be fired. 

Why? 

Why can't we openly and honestly discuss this 'hold' MA has (according to some around here) on the University of Arkansas within the bounds of civility?  I know I may be asking for something akin to the '69 Mets here but can't we explore this a bit?

The way you describe MA’s “hold” on the University of Arkansas suggests that you see it as a negative. That’s not really a solid foundation to start this discussion, but I’ll give it a try.

Nobody in this day and age is unfireable. That said, there are multiple reasons to avoid premature discussions about parting ways with Anderson. Absolutely none of those reasons involve any concern about racial discrimination or firing an African-American coach. Here are some of those reasons:

1. Mike banked a lot of good will due to his role as Assistant Head Coach during the entire time that  the program rocked and rolled. Not only do we get the benefit of that connection, we regained a civil connection with Nolan, who counsels and advises Mike like a son. (If this is somehow problematic for anybody after all this time, just stop reading now).

2. Mike is a consummate professional, and professionalism has not always been a strong suit for head coaches of a number of sports at the University of Arkansas.

3. Mike left a lucrative, secure job to return to Arkansas at a time when the basketball program was spinning aimlessly in what would mercifully became the tail end of an epic period of futility spanning more than a decade. Not only had we complete fallen off the face of the national basketball map, we helped drag the SEC down with us.  Meanwhile, we came within a cat's whisker of probation for APR concerns. The poor Creighton coach got so rattled after he surveyed the situation that he never even checked his kids out of class for a visit.

4. Our last two hires prior to Anderson (three if you count Dana) flamed out miserably, presiding over declines in attendance, even when they obtained modest success (which was limited solely to the transition seasons between Heath and Pel).

5.Meanwhile, Anderson spent 4 years at UAB and 5 years at Missouri, two programs of different sizes that both had enjoyed strong basketball histories, but had also devolved into raging dumpster fires by the time Anderson arrived at each.  I know some get get tired of hearing how Anderson's UAB team beat Kentucky to go to the Sweet 16 and how he bounced back from his worst year as a head coach (a .500 season) to take Missouri to the Elite Eight (losing by a razor thin margin to the eventual national champion), but Andersen got Missouri closer to a Final Four than anybody in history.

6. Anderson has never been fired since he's been a head coach, for some of the same reasons I'm listing.

7. While it is clear what Anderson was able to do in periods of five years or less at UAB, Missouri, and now Arkansas, nobody has yet to see what he can do longer term.  Common sense would suggest that he should be reaching his professional peak as a coach, so why roll the dice on an alternative until we have a chance to see if he can build on what he has accomplished so far?

(These silly theories about time lines and Elite coaches, that have no basis in actual historical consideration of the records of elite coaches or the circumstances of particular jobs, just baffle me).

8. Arkansas and the SEC are slowly but surely rebuilding national respect under Anderson, and like respected coaches and programs all over the country, the program can maintain that respect during a down season or a rebuilding year with somebody like Anderson as a coach.  Why? Because he has never experienced multiple consecutive years of futility, and he demonstrates integrity while creating an environment of success.

9. There are many more reasons why it is silly to suggest that winning 18 games next year or missing out on one player will land Anderson in hot water, not the least of which is we just had our best season since the program peak nearly 20 years ago.  So, I'll continue...

10.  If Mike Anderson strings together a couple of more years without taking us to the Big Dance, he will be on the hot seat.  If we don't rebound from that situation in successful fashion, he will likely be fired.

11. Nothing strikes fear in the hearts of MA's detractors more than the prospect that MA will succeed, so they either create unrealistic benchmarks which don't reflect the program's circumstances, or they ask us to simply accept their word that we are "mired in mediocrity" with Anderson as coach. This is a hard sell right now because most indications are that the program in general is in better shape that it has been in for quite some time, and fans are beginning to return to the arena.

12. If folks are right about our poor fortunes with Anderson at the helm, then they shouldn't be concerned about giving MA an opportunity to prove them right. For now, the big question appears to be, why would we even be discussing termination of a good coach because our Chicken Littles can't distinguish between an acorn and a falling sky??

13.Things cannot possibly get any worse than they did between the end of Nolan's tenure and Mike's arrival, so “mediocrity” should not be undersold as a strategy to return to an elite level. We’ve got to crawl before we can walk again.

14. Finally, we should be thrilled to have a coach that has a teflon coating, because stability has never hurt long term success in the recruiting process or a sports program. Fans who moan, complain, and instigate unfounded buzz about a coach's job security, on the other hand, are like pennies from heaven for opposing recruiters. That is why it was wise to extend Anderson's contract this past season, not to mention the fact that he earned it.

I could go on, but the people who need to read this most stopped after the first couple of lines, and nothing will change their minds, even if we could gaze into a crystal ball and tell them the positive things we are likely to enjoy with Anderson at the helm.

[NostraHOGus]

Is this not rewriting history to fit your narrative?

Nolan had Hogs in NCAA in year three, and in the Final Four in year five.

Big difference that to Mike's current tenure.

Nolan came within an angel's wing and an overtime victory over Arkansas State from being fired at the end of year 2.

Nolan's biggest challenges were social, professional, and intensely personal.  He had the basketball end covered as soon as he brought in players to fit his system, which coincided perfectly with NCAA rules changes that benefitted Nolan's approach to the game.

Nolan took over a well established program that had already seen some success on the national stage. Nothing about the Arkansas job Anderson took over could be described as "well established." We had even sunk to the bottom of the SEC in facilities, except for all the empty seats in our nice arena.

Nolan had more scholarships to work with and far fewer academic constraints that allowed him to get rid of players that didn't work out and bring in better players more quickly.  He developed a core group of experienced players that he then paired with a couple of McDonald's All-Americans, and 40MOH was born.

Nolan had the good fortune of coaching in the last stage of college basketball history during which three first round NBA draft picks played together until the end of their senior years.

None of it would have happened if we had listened to Nolan's detractors.

So, while there are lessons to be learned from history, grading Mike Anderson's progress solely by reference to where Nolan took us in year 4 and immediately thereafter is not really using the same measuring stick.

[bigdaddyhawg]

Nolan came within in an angel's wing and an overtime victory over Arkansas State from being fired at the end of year 2.

Nolan's biggest challenges were social, professional, and intensely personal.  He had the basketball end covered as soon as he brought in players to fit his system, which coincided perfectly with NCAA rules changes that benefitted Nolan's approach to the game.

Nolan took over a well established program that had already seen some success on the national stage. Nothing about the Arkansas job Anderson took over could be described as "well established." We had even sunk to the bottom of the SEC in facilities, except for all the empty seats in our nice arena.

Nolan had more scholarships to work with and far fewer academic constraints that allowed him to get rid of players that didn't work out and could bring in better players.  He developed a core group of experienced players that he then paired with a couple of McDonald's All-Americans, and 40MOH was born.

Nolan had the good fortune of coaching in the last stage of college basketball history during which three first round NBA draft picks played together until the end of their senior years.

None of it would have happened if we had listened to Nolan's detractors.

So, while there are lessons to be learned from history, grading Mike Anderson's progress solely by reference to where Nolan took us in year 4 and immediately thereafter is not really using the same measuring stick.

Another excellent example of Mike's supporters over-reacting to a factual point!!

A quote from the greatest comedy ever, Blazing Saddles -- "Gentlemen, gentlemen, relax your sphincters."

Not every person that doesn't goose-step with you is out to kill your guy.

(You can quote that if you'd like.)

[PonderinHog]

Is this not rewriting history to fit your narrative?

Nolan had Hogs in NCAA in year three, and in the Final Four in year five.

Big difference that to Mike's current tenure.

Nolan didn't follow Pelphrey and Heath.

[bigdaddyhawg]

Nolan didn't follow Pelphrey and Heath.

While true, with the differences between the players Nolan needed and the players Eddie left, he very well could have.

[intelligence]

let's see here.

We just went to our first SEC CG game and march madness in for f***ing ever. Does he need to be fired?

Seriously OP, stop feeding the f***ing trolls.

[NostraHOGus]

let's see here.

We just went to our first SEC CG game and march madness in for f***ing ever. Does he need to be fired?

Seriously OP, stop feeding the f***ing trolls.

I would normally agree, but it seems that every disappointing moment in Hog basketball turns into a hungry troll festival. Like zombies, they scatter throughout any thread where they sense the presence of live, uninfected bodies.

I look at this thread as a tongue-in-cheek effort to play loud music outside an abandoned mall so that the trolls/zombies are drawn to a collective area.

[Nipsey Mussle]

Of course no one can. 

He hasn't done a bad job.  But he also hasn't been particularly excellent, either.  So far he has been pretty good.  The fear among many, myself included, is that is all he will ever be.

I'd say 27-9, 5th seed in NCAA tournament is pretty damn excellent when you consider it is 4 years removed from Pel and after 20 years of suckage (give or take a year or two in between).

There are 2 types of MA naysayers: 1) Folks who hate his system, which then prompts them to point out any flaw they see while their minds aren't capable of identifying the positives. 2) Those who think it is April 3rd, 1995 and we just lost to UCLA in our 2nd straight finals appearance, thus making us a top 5 program in the country. You know, the ones who complained about going 27-9 this past season while completely forgetting about Pel leading us to a whopping 2 (!) conference victories in a season not long ago.

The "MA will always do just good enough" argument is just stupid. If a 5th seed in NCAA tourney is "just good enough" then I will take it.

[nwahogfan1]

Can anyone come on here and show, by a preponderance of the evidence, that MA needs to be fired or that he is doing a poor job?

I have decided to embrace the negative. Perhaps like Neo in the Matrix, I can bring all of the concentrated forces of doom together ala agent Smith so that I may cancel them out with my positivity. Then, and only then, shall the war cease and Zion (Hogville) will experience peace at last.

I don;t think anyone on here wants Mike fired.  So why is this an argument.  That is not to say we are not arm chair coaches and are satisfied with him on all parts of his coaching.  We would do that no matter the coach.  I bet Kentucky fans, North Carolina fans and Kansas fans criticize their coaches also.  Comes with the pay check.   That will never change no matter who the coach is. 

[TomBigBeeHog]

I would normally agree, but it seems that every disappointing moment in Hog basketball turns into a hungry troll festival. Like zombies, they scatter throughout any thread where they sense the presence of live, uninfected bodies.

I look at this thread as a tongue-in-cheek effort to play loud music outside an abandoned mall so that the trolls/zombies are drawn to a collective area.

+1. Someone gets it. I was trying to lure them out of the recruiting threads. 

[Deep Shoat]

+1. Someone gets it. I was trying to lure them out of the recruiting threads. 

trolling is against Hogville rules.  But I bet you get away with it.

[PonderinHog]

+1. Someone gets it. I was trying to lure them out of the recruiting threads. 

Sounds like fun...

[TomBigBeeHog]

trolling is against Hogville rules.  But I bet you get away with it.

Keep the negativity off the recruiting board. Thanks in advance.

[onebadrubi]

let's see here.

We just went to our first SEC CG game and march madness in for f***ing ever. Does he need to be fired?

Seriously OP, stop feeding the f***ing trolls.

He is the troll in this case

[HF#1]

If this next season is a 18-19 win season, then we don't get Monk, the pressure will start to mount from the natives. 

With that said, Anderson will not get fired, not by Jeff Long anyway.

[TomBigBeeHog]

He is the troll in this case

a troll (/ˈtroʊl/, /ˈtrɒl/) is a person who sows discord on the Internet by starting arguments or upsetting people, by posting inflammatory,[1] extraneous, or off-topic messages in an online community (such as a newsgroup, forum, chat room, or blog) with the deliberate intent of provoking readers into an emotional response[2] or of otherwise disrupting normal on-topic discussion. (Wikipedia)


If one were to read the post in the spirit it was clearly intended, then it would be plain to see that it was tongue in cheek and not a serious question. It was intended to point out (maybe not too clearly) the continual chatter of the anti MA crowd that pops up in every thread, which I (in mock seriousness) would lure them to (Neo like) and then neutralize them.

Another poster made an astute observation that this approach did not work well for Neo. I can see that it backfired. You might say I was trolling the trolls. I especially hate to see their crap in the recruiting forum. You can't win playing their game but I shall, in the words of Lone Watie in the Outlaw Josey Wales, "endeavor to persevere".

I love the direction of the program and I can see that some never will, no matter what, until MA leaves.

[Wild Bill Hog]

Not that familiar with the Matrix, but where are we "matrixed" at the current time?