From: tcheung@scws6.harvard.edu (Thomas Cheung) Newsgroups: rec.sport.basketball.pro,alt.sports.basketball.pro.ny-knicks Subject: RSBP Buzzing About Sepinwall's Return Date: 11 Mar 1995 21:23:23 GMT Lines: 126 Message-ID: <3jt4cb$s5s@decaxp.harvard.edu> R.S.B.P (AP)--"HE'S BACK!" Signs like this appeared in yesterday's thread, "RSBP Decline" as speculation appeared on the Net that Alan Sepinwall was posting to r.s.b.p once more. That's right folks, rumors are flying fast and furious on ESPN that Alan Sepinwall will be leaving alt.tv.nypd-blue to return to the group that made him a star. Although, in the past, Sepinwall has been known to return to his former groupmates on alt.sports.basketball.pro.ny-knicks for an occasional post, a possible return to full-time basketball is on everyone's lips. Sepinwall left r.s.b.p. after garnering All-Trube honors and achieving the pinnacle of the sport. The renowned author of "Knicks Notes [tm]" shocked the world after announcing his retirement. "I've posted all I want to post about basketball," he said. "I just want to sit back and watch some television." But Sepinwall shocked the world again, only months later, making cameo appearances in alt.tv.er and then becoming a regular poster on alt.tv.nypd-blue. Said long-time groupmate Josh Konstadt, "For a guy who wanted to cut down on the exposure, he sure changed his mind quick." Associates of Sepinwall noted that the nasty, flame-like atmosphere of r.s.b.p drove him from the group. "It wasn't fun anymore. Everyone likes talking stats and broadcasting opinions, but now it's getting ugly." Agreed veteran BONVICINI, who also retired from the group earlier this year, "It used to be people would wrangle back and forth about whether the Knicks or Bulls were better, but at the end of the day, you could sit down and have a beer with them. Now, though, it's all flamewars and personal attacks." Veteran Todd Trubey, himself notorious for stat-talking in his youth, agreed. "Josh and Alan and I used to disagree about Wilt or Russell, but it was never with ill-will. The other day, I was in a thread with ambchang, and he called me a 'punk'. I was genuinely offended." Sepinwall left the draining world of r.s.b.p to pursue other endeavors. He complained about the changing face of r.s.b.p recently: >the signal-to-noise ratio on rsbp has really sunk in the past year or >so. For someone who's only been on the Net for a little over two years, >it's pretty scary to already be pining for the good old days. I still >skim the group and read postings with intriguing subjects or intriguing >authors (anything Knick-related, anything by Tricia) and ignore the chaff >(the endless All-Ugly lists, Ambchang). But the chaff has gotten so thick >that I'm really tempted to unsubscribe altogether. Some in the media speculated that Sepinwall had left r.s.b.p because of pressure over his apparent plagiarizing of NY Post writer Fred Kerber's articles. Rumors of a secret deal worked out between Sepinwall and the group commissioner abounded, perhaps in an effort to quash any possible scandal. Sepinwall denied these allegations, however. "My departure from the group has nothing to do with any improprieties of posting." But before long, he was posting to other groups again. Said Patricia Bender, "I know Alan. He's too competitive. No matter what he says, sooner or later, he'll post again." And Sepinwall indeed appeared in other parts of the Net, increasing group traffic in a number of more obscure groups. Although his posting prowess in the alt.tv.groups never approached the achievements he reached in r.s.b.p, Sepinwall said he was "fulfilling his childhood dream." Now, however, with the Television Writer's Strike, Sepinwall seems to be itching to get back in action. "Alan would never cross the strike line," disclosed an anonymous source. Could Sepinwall be returning to the group he once dominated? Sepinwall himself wasn't talking. He indicated that he might continue to practice post on alt.sport.basketball.ny-knicks: >Anyway, I'll try to post more - hell, maybe I'll even do an edition of >Knick Notes every now and then - but remember, I'm only human, people! :) Other groupmates agreed that his presence would be welcome. "He has a knack for raising the level of intensity on the group, even if his posting touch is on or not--which it is not," said Chris Whalen. "It's not like we're running threads for him," noted Pav Singh Athwal. "He comes in with a follow post whenever someone needs a break or the discussion gets stale." Sepinwall refused to talk to reporters after posting to r.s.b.p recently. He ftped some r.s.b.p archives with the coaches, and then was the first on the floor, practicing posting with Oliver Hsiang. Sepinwall was dressed in a sleeveless r.s.b.p t-shirt, red shorts, and white Nikes. After posting, Sepinwall immediately left in his Range Rover, heading off down the Infobahn. Now that r.s.b.p is mired in one of its worst seasons in years, perhaps the time has come for Sepinwall to return. The a.s.b.p.ny-knicks camp would certainly welcome it. "He'd immediately elevate the group's quality," said Athwal. "But I'm afraid to ask him if he's coming back." Even his opponents welcomed the prospect. "He was one of the best ever," said Pinhead. "Coming back would only improve the group." Others even relished the challenge. "Bring him on," said ambchang. "If you don't beat Alan for the championship, you don't deserve it anyway." Bob Davis, however, a former coach of Alan's in his championship years, said he hoped Sepinwall wouldn't return. "Alan left at the top of his game. Now, if he comes back, everyone's going to expect him to be able to flash follow posts, blitz with stats, and analyze the NBA as well as he did before. He's got a lot of pressure on him to see if he can match his previous performance. I would be truly disappointed if he returns." The world of r.s.b.p. remains on the edge of its seat, waiting to see if Sepinwall will indeed make a comeback. Coming up next: ambchang filed a $100 million suit against the Wall Street Journal, for its allegations that smoking crack cocaine leads to his unreasonable devotion to David Robinson. P.S. :) -- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Thomas Cheung '95 Represent Harvard's opinions? Copyright 1995 tcheung@fas.harvard.edu Yeah, right. As if. All Rights Reserved ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ "I am thinking of aurochs and angels, the secret of durable pigments, prophetic sonnets, the refuge of art. And this is the only immortality you and I may share, my Lolita." -Vladimir Nabokov