THE DIRT
THE DIRT
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Issue 2/January 13, 2002 (Click
here for archived issues)
by NYRSkate ([email protected])
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Welcome to THE DIRT, the official Modemsports newsletter. For almost two years, and spanning the course of three editions of EA Sports' legendary NHL series, Modemsports has been here to bring you nothing but the finest in Internet competition, with players from all over the United States and Canada (and a few from Europe and even one from Russia, as well). Now entering its thirteenth season, we are dedicated to being...
Yada, yada, yada. Here's what you really want: the DIRT.
In this issue:
1. When does being a fan stop and being a raving lunatic begin?
I was in the lobby with NYIsles79 this past Saturday morning, and he was doing the usual Islander fan-ish dumping on the Rangers (or the Rags, as he likes to call them), so you got to see such tasty nuggets of information as this:
nyisles79: LET X=PAYROLL, Y=SUCCESS. LET $60MILLION PAYROLL=NO PLAYOFFS.. LET $30MILLION PAYROLL= PLAYOFFS BABY!!!!!!!!
Really. it's not like it's the first time I've had to think for 10 minutes to try to figure out what an Islander fan was saying. The next thing he said, though, just shocked me.
nyisles79: yes true.. WE BEAT RANGER FANS TO DEATH
I saw this, and my mouth dropped. I had to see if this was true or not. Sure enough, reading the newsgroups, I came across this article from the Washington Post. I think you all should read this. It's just as heinous as it sounds.
LONG ISLAND, Jan. 11 -- NYIsles79, the hockey player accused of pummeling another
player to death over a game, was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter by a
Long Island jury today.
Jurors said in a group statement that they felt they had reached a "very difficult, but proper decision."
NYIsles79 maintained he killed Goliath2K2 in self-defense in a violent fight over
NYISles79's hatred of the Rangers on October 5, 2001. Prosecutors, however, said
NYIsles79 overpowered the smaller man, whom he outweighed by 100 pounds, and delivered powerful blows to his head and neck, rupturing a major artery.
Goliath2K2 died the next day.
At a time of increasingly serious adult misconduct at competitive online sports events, the televised trial transfixed observers nationwide, many of whom saw in
NYIsles79 the face of online hockey players everywhere. The incident, which was witnessed by children as young as 7, also raised concerns about the psychological welfare of youngsters who
play online hockey games.
Involuntary manslaughter represents a lesser finding than voluntary manslaughter and indicates jurors concluded that
NYIsles79 did not intend to kill Goliath2K2 but that he used too much force and effectively committed an assault and battery that resulted in death.
NYIsles79, who was immediately taken into custody and whose bail was revoked, faces up to 20
seasons in hell when he is sentenced later this month. Nonbinding sentencing guidelines, however, recommend a three- to
five-season sentence for first-time offenders.
His head bowed and face stoic, NYIsles79 bit his lower lip as jurors returned to the
Uniondale courtroom shortly past 6 p.m., after more than 12 hours of deliberations over two days. The atmosphere was tense, and onlookers appeared confused at first as the judge was forced to ask the forewoman several times whether the defendant was guilty or not before he received an answer.
She finally replied, "Number three," referring to the verdict of involuntary manslaughter. Asked again to clarify the verdict, she said: "Three, guilty," as
NYIsles79's attorneys shook their heads. Several of his brothers sobbed and hugged other family members as
NYIsles79 was led out of the courtroom.
"NYIsles79 is not the person he has been made out to be, but, in fact, is an
honorable game player," the Associated Press quoted defense attorney Peter
LaViolette as saying.
Prosecutors, meanwhile, said they were "very satisfied" with the verdict, although there was "no joy" in an outcome that leaves two sets of
computers userless. NYISles79 has two computers. Goliath2K2 had four.
"Our hope tonight is also that if there is any good that can come of this -- this death, this trial -- it will be that we will not see another
player on an autopsy table as a result of rage over online sports," said Nassau District Attorney
Mike Milbury.
Goliath2K2 sister, Goliath2K1, appeared in the courtroom minutes later, holding the
keyboard of his newest computer and surrounded by other hardware. She described
Goliath2K2 as a "loving brother, a caring son" and "a devoted player."
"Our family will never be complete again. Our family and Goliath2K2 have paid the ultimate price," she said.
Earlier today, Goliath2K2's father said he told NYIsles79 in a courthouse hallway that he felt no animosity toward him, according to AP.
Goliath2K2 had recently regained custody of his computers and appeared to be turning his life around after multiple criminal convictions on charges ranging from assault and battery to
excessive deflection shots to illegal gun possession.
"I don't hate you. I forgive you," Goliath2K2's father, who would not release
his name, said he told NYIsles79. "He nodded at me and said, 'Thank you.' "
The argument that led to two physical encounters between NYIsles79 and
Goliath2K2 occurred at Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, N.Y., a suburb east of New
York City. Choking back tears at times, NYIsles79 testified this week that he became upset when he saw
Goliath2K2 trying cheese goals while using the Rangers -- goals that go in more
often than not -- at other players and saw one of them go in. EAWizard, who is
the commissioner of the league in which they play, testified that he saw
NYIsles79 tell Goliath2K2 to control his cheese goals.
"He [Goliath2K2] said, 'Hockey's about scoring goals,' " EAWizard said Tuesday.
" NYIsles79 said, 'That's [expletive]. It's about having fun.' "
The two men initially scuffled briefly in an alcove between the computer room
and the snack machine before NYIsles79 left the desk with one of EAWizard's friends, witnesses said. He said he returned about a minute later because he was concerned about
EAWizard's and Aero's safety as they administered the chat room. But some witnesses said
NYIsles79 reentered the room looking to resume the fight.
PeopleUnite, an assistant room manager, told him he could not enter the room and that he shoved
him against the wall, bruising his arm. NYIsles79 then grabbed Goliath2K2 by the collar and threw him to the floor,
PeopleUnite testified.
However, NYIsles79 said that Goliath2K2 had tried to hit him first when he entered the
room and that both men fell to the floor. Even as Goliath2K2 lay on the floor, with
NYIsles79 kneeling above him, Goliath2K2 hung onto NYIsles79's wrist and continued trying to punch and kick him.
Saying knee injuries prevented him from quickly standing up to retreat from the fight,
NYIsles79 said he threw three "off-balance" punches before Goliath2K2 raised a hand, as if to surrender.
A newbie online player pulled NYIsles79 up by his shoulders, and NYIsles79 said he walked away, not even realizing
Goliath2K2 was hurt.
The police officer who rushed to the computer room found NYIsles79 standing alone outside. Inside the
room, police found Goliath2K2 lying bloody and motionless, surrounded by NHL
2002 players. In a taped interview with police soon after the incident,
NYIsles79 said he wished the fight had never happened. The exchange, he told police, was "a stupid guy thing."
"I feel sorry for him, I really do. But I can't say he's not guilty," juror
Licey, an NHL 2002 player and babe magnet, told the AP. "A man was killed. Someone has to be accountable for it."
Rory Armes, executive producer of NHL 2002, called the verdict a "wake-up call" for
online leagues, players, and spectators nationwide.
"It's over for the abusive -- not only physically but verbally abusive -- people who are out there," said
Armes. "Sports are for the players."
© 2002 The Washington Post Company
Needless to say, I was shocked. How has he gotten out of jail so quickly? I
feel a bit... uneasy that players who would go to such great lengths to silence
Ranger fans are among us. Will I be next? Stay tuned and see how this one ends
up.
(The editors would like to say that the story above is NOT real. Goliath2K2 is STILL alive, as I am. Although with crazy Islander fans around, I can't be sure how long we will be.)
2. What's the most annoying aspect of the gameplay in NHL 2002?
Some of your answers to last week's questions:
id·i·o·syn·cra·sy (
d
-
-sng
kr
-s)
n. pl. id·i·o·syn·cra·sies
With that taken care of, yes I agree that, in just the slightest way, the white jerseys need a little getting used to. Maybe the blood on them after the Canucks get beat up (once again) will make it a little easier for you to see them.
[email protected] writes me with this: "FLIP shots are gay.... or when goalie just gets stuck outside the creasei think everything else is fine.." Two very good points. Flip shots are as gay as the people that use them, I've always felt. And the goalies in this game don't move fast enough. You could have a 1 on 4 against and the goalie, if he's out of the net, will calmly shuffle his way back to the net. You can bet that a good player will take advantage and put one in in this situation.
NYIsles79 mailed me, and said this: "GO ISLANDERS! RAGS SUCK" The message was dated January 6, perhaps a foreshadowing of things to come?
I just looked in chat, and OMG called me a H o M o. Oh well. Guess the cat's out of the bag now.
Our old friend, MegaManX, stopped by in the bandwidth-strapped
forum and gave these reasons:
1. No slap shots ever go in
2. Wrist shots only go in if they look like a semi-floater
3. Getting disc and that other person dont come back
4. Rebounds suck in this game with the options set the way they are for the
league
5. Need more hockey fights
6. Wristers only go in if there up close to the net on the goalie
Need more fights? Are you kidding? I'm lucky that Messier still has two good hands on him after all the times he's fought this season so far.
Rebounds can be done depending on the player taking the shot and where it's aimed. Hell, I just played DroDroDrolet before, and I think he should change his name to ReReRebound, because he works for them almost all the time. This is actually a competent strategy for this game, and I'm sure that with the tenacity he showed in our game that he's capable of a 5-6 goal game if he can get a break or two.
Everything else you say is valid. 4 out of 6 ain't bad, I guess. It would get you a 2 rating in this league, right?
J4Habs, to paraphrase his verbose post, looks at the insane amount of skill goalies have at passing the puck, the lack of a delayed offsides, no waving-off of icing by linesmen, and the Matrix-on-Ice quality of deflection goals. All of these are really good points, and I hope that they are all implemented or fixed, as the case may be, in the 2003 game.
When he isn't getting a little lovin', even Licey has time to respond. He says that the most annoying parts of the game are that you have breasts, that you suck, that you menstruate (sometimes even weekly!), that you use a kleenex instead of a tampon, and how's your boyfriend? I can only assume that the games he plays are much bloodier than everyone else's, to which I respond: "Get a mop out there! She's at it again!"
3. An Indecent Proposal
You've all seen AlexTanguayLW40 in chat, so you know he's very outspoken. But his constant claims that "Nieminen Is God" has got us thinking a bit. Just what is going on here? There must be some action behind the scenes! Luckily, we had an inside source catch up with Alex in his home state of Illinois, where we found him and Nieminen as they were looking for some fine Finnish cuisine. Although they appeared to passers-by to be just looking for a bite to eat, our source, who wants to remain nameless, saw otherwise...
"The two in question [Nieminen and AlexTanguayLW40] walked into this Finnish eatery, and promptly ordered 2 bowls of Karjalanpaisti (Karelian Hot Pot), which is Ville's favorite dish from back home. But, just before the waitress arrived with their meal, I saw AlexTanguayLW40 drop his fork, and it seemed intentional! For a second, I thought I was hallucinating, but when I looked back, there he was, on one knee, proposing to Mr. Nieminen! He had a ring out and everything! Although it looked like a Detroit Red Wings championship ring from 1998, he said to Nieminen that 'this means everything to me.' I couldn't figure out what Ville's answer was, but all I know is that the next minute they left their still-steaming hot pots behind and walked from the restaurant hand-in-hand! What a romantic scene! I cried for 15 minutes."
There you have it. Look in future editions of THE DIRT for any wedding announcements, honeymoon destinations, or otherwise that may come from this turn of events.
4. NYRSkate Achievement Awards
5. A Rebuttal Of Sorts
I love the fact that I got a lot of feedback (mostly positive) from all of you that read this last week. But one letter, by our own Maverick Hunter himself, was a dare, of sorts. I always take a challenge, so, MegaManX, here you go:
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thanks
Thanks for reading. Have a safe trip home. Here's this week's question. Think long and hard, guys.
This issue's question: Who is your favorite play-by-play man and color commentator during NHL telecasts, and why?
Email me at [email protected] with your answers.
© 2002 Modemsports/NYRSkate. All rights reserved.
of you goons have read The Dirt since its inception on January 6, 2002.
