Quote:
Originally Posted by GoJetsGo
I think it's a percentage of the latter group that are largely responsible for bringing discussions down on an ongoing basis.
There are a moderate number of people who state what they think will happen about a player or situation with their tone bordering on arrogance. Then, from that point forward, their primary concern seems to be hoping and praying that's the way it turns out so they can save face / have the satisfaction of appearing in the right on the internet.
Baertschi is a perfect example. I honestly believe the loudest Sven detractors are just spouting off because they've maintained that stance all along and now just want to appear correct for bragging rights or to avoid admitting they were being premature / ignorant.
The most extreme example is that guy who wrote off Backlund. Now his primary agenda on the site is to avoid admitting he was out to lunch, and the topic has turned into a borderline obsession for him.
It's that process of passing off an opinion about how someone or something will develop, and then having ego playing a primary role in turning that subject into a borderline obsession.
People do it with Baertschi, Jankowski, and a wide array of topics, but it's far and away the most insufferable thing about sports message boards.
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I doubt anyone here is cheering for any of those guys to fail. Most prospects fail. If you're going to be a top 6 NHL forward, rarely are you going to struggle coming up at any point. It happens, but its rare.
I can't say for sure, but I'd guess most of the people down on Sven were right on the bandwagon when he tore it up in the WHL after being drafted (and then up with the Flames on the emergency call-up). But since then he's stalled for over a year and that's usually a death knell for a prospects chances if he's going to be a top 6 guy at the NHL level.