So yeah. I've been away from Golden-Road.net for the past four weeks. If you're a member of Buy a Vowel or if you're one of my Facebook friends, then you know that absolutely nothing has happened to me during the past month. I wasn't sick, I wasn't in an accident, I didn't die, or any of that. I simply stayed away from this site the entire time. I didn't even so much as lurk here.
So why was I gone for so long? Because I had finally grown sick of all of the f**kery that has been going on around here for a very long time. I know I'm not the only one who feels this way. I noticed that, during my absence, Guint pulled a Searcy/Capitano and quit this site for that very reason. I don't blame him. I was prepared to give a fiery and profanity-laced speech on December 16 and leave the site altogether. Instead, I simply logged out and stayed away from everybody. I'm actually glad that I took a four-week hiatus from this site to cool off because it prevented me from doing what Searcy/Capitano/Guint did, which I might have regretted later. So, at least for now, I am still a member of G-R.net and still the FPG host. That may change in the future, depending on my mood and the attitudes of other members.
I truly appreciate Prizes and Chelsea for promoting whammy007 to assistant FPG host/moderator during my sabbatical. It assured the FPG players (except for me because I didn't submit any picks) that the game would proceed, even while I didn't. But now that I have returned, we will continue the FPG as normal. Scott will still contribute to this forum whenever necessary.
I have updated the FPG calendar. As you can see, we will still have a total of 28 FPGs this season... but I have made the final two weeks of the regular season Play-Along games in order to make up for the December 18 game (which would have been a Play-Along) not taking place. Since I didn't post any public announcement for that game, that might have prevented some players from not submitting picks. Because of that, there is no reason for me to consider that a valid game. Any picks submitted for the December 18 game have be discarded and that week's pot of $388,831 will be rolled over to this week's game, which will be a Play-Along. May 20 will serve as our replacement Play-Along game.
One final note: Torgo was the main reason why I stayed away from G-R.net for the past month. Back on December 16, I un-trolled a troll message to deliver my honest and earnest opinion of his exemplary recapping this season. His response to my praise was nothing short of meaningless and disrespectful to the point of slanderous. I felt that there was no point in me coming back to a website where people would treat me and others like s**t for no reason at all. That was why I took off for an entire month--to decide if I wanted to play Walk of Fame and give this site a second chance. But if he thought that he could attack me personally without there being some repercussions, then he was wrong. Effective immediately, he will be serving a four-game suspension from FPG. For the longest time, I considered disqualifying him for the rest of the season upon my return, but I decided just an hour ago that punishment was excessive--especially when 1) everybody can recall that I did absolutely nothing when it came to cheating and alleged cheating, and 2) I found out that he also resigned his duties during my disappearance. (Seriously, why did everything around here have to go to hell in a handbasket while I was away?! And don't even get me started about last Friday's pricing game lineup. I read the FPG recap a few minutes ago and I have to know what the f**k Sandler was smoking. I don't think that has ever happened in FPG before.) Anyway, Torgo may return to the FPG on Friday, February 12.
I have nothing more to say. Game on... and watch yourselves.