For my 10000th, I decided not to give any specific shoutouts and just thank everyone and offer a few thoughts. This time, I've foolishly decided to do both, as I did for my 5000th. After much deliberation (at least 47 seconds), I've decided to make the shoutouts first.
First of all, I want to thank everyone who continues to support the NLSC and the Forum. Without you, it would be me talking to myself for 15,000 posts. And that would probably get boring around 12,344.
Secondly, anyone who complains about not getting a specific shoutout will have to pick up Jackal's tab and trust me, you don't want to do that. Should that happen, you might want to encourage a couple of friends to complain so you can split the cost. You're welcome, Jackal.
Seriously though, if I've left you off the list it's nothing personal, as long as you're not causing me headaches I'm glad to have you around the Forum. 
Enough of the introductions. On to the mutual admiration society.
Tim...for getting me into the whole online NBA Live community and for giving me the webmaster/admin gig. There's been some frustrating times but also a lot of good has come out of it, more on that later. Thanks for the opportunity, the support during the early stages of my tenure and all the help over the years. Truly the best example I could have and one hard act to follow.
Lutz...for the patching help, the support when I came aboard and for being one of the most colourful characters in the community. It's a shame you're so busy these days, you're sorely missed.
Brien...who unfortunately so often seems to be a forgotten founding member of the team despite all the wonderful work he's done for the community.
Yohance...for returning once again, and being one of the biggest supporters of the NLSC. Hope to see you stick around for NBA Live 06 and beyond. Once again, I'll sum it up in two words: welcome home.
Stevan...easily one of the funniest members of the community. Stevan's also been very loyal and supportive of the NLSC for a number of years. I know I'm not alone when I say he's missed greatly. Cheers to Stevan, the true Pineapple Award winner.
Matthew...for being one of the most loyal and supportive members of the community. At times we've butted heads and haven't always seen eye to eye, but your willingness to let bygones be bygones, offer help, advice and encouragement during difficult online times is most appreciated. Cheers mate, next time I'm down in Sydney I should look you up.
The invitation to finally face off against each other in NBA Live...and of course, my eventual triumph...is an appealing offer, too appealing to pass up. 
Jae...remember when I first got the gig? Who would have thought back then I'd have made you a moderator some day? Through all the controversy and complaints, I still feel it was right in agreeing to the idea and wrong in ever doubting it. We need you around, plain and simple. Kudos.
Andreas...without whom we wouldn't have this new design, a lot of great patches and an important member of the team. Appreciate all the work you do Andreas, the loyalty and your attitude. Thanks again.
Jackal...about a year ago, I'd be thanking you somewhat sarcastically, it's great we were able to move past that. You may profess to be an asshole, but I disagree. You can be blunt, you can be confrontational. And at times, those can be really good qualities to have. The way I see it, you can be a jerk when you have to be - being cruel to be kind - which isn't something everyone can do. Thank you for giving me a chance to change your opinion of me. And please, stick around for a while.
Nick (air gordon)...for doing the right thing and supporting the Bulls. Enough said. Alright, I'll go a little further. Thanks for bringing your knowledge of the game to the Forum, always challenging other's opinions and arguments (including mine) and for being one of our best posters. Footnote: Go Bulls.
Cameron...another enthusiastic team member who's been both supportive and helpful. Shame you're a bit pressed for time these days, but it's always great to see you around the site and forum.
All the members of the NLSC Patching Team I haven't mentioned yet...SAG375, fran, Little_Big_Man, [lob]-shy, Alexboom, Sibo, Tuomas, wisdom_kid, Kuttan, and Qballer. Thanks for all the great work.
Paradizecityz & Threatlockz...our Tech Gurus, who continue to help out members, both new and old, with NBA Live tech problems. Thanks guys.
Alvin & Eugene...our two featured columnists. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and helping our Features section to get started.
DRESPN (Dre Naismith)...sorry things worked out the way they did, if you ever want to return you'd be most welcome.
DR P...anytime you want to make a comeback...
Shane Hefty...has given me a lot of advice over the years, helped out here and there and has always been up for a discussion. I'd like to see one more run in the general section debates...
Jeffx...another veteran who has never, ever caused any problems, great poster. I always enjoy our discussions about yesteryear, since you can add a different perspective, having a couple of years on the rest of us.
The ANZAC Krew...The X, match_66, Sit, Boyk, Matt...I'm actually having a hard time remembering everyone since there's been a lot of name changes. In any case, great to have you guys around to talk about the NBA coverage we get, the quality of FTA TV (or lackthereof) and for being good folks in general.
cyanide...great poster, model forum citizen. You're always welcome here, hope you plan on sticking around for some time.
Legend...also most welcome here, but probably not in cyanide's home.
fgrep15...another friendly member of the community always willing to make good contributions to discussions.
IndyPacers67...another newcomer that's made a great contribution, great to have you around. Go Pacers...but if they somehow finish behind the Bulls again, I won't be too upset. No offense.
FanOfAll...thanks for all the patch suggestions. In fact, thanks to everyone who posts feedback about the rosters, it's much appreciated.
And some other folks that have been great to have around...
Alcoholic
Amphatoast
EGarrett
refuze
Heiks
idiot
null17
Nick (Barnsy)
James
All of the patchmakers who continue to make outstanding updates
And once again, thanks to everyone who makes a good contribution and causes as few problems a possible. The support is very much appreciated. Thank you.
Also, special thanks to James Chheng for hosting us, the new server and his willingness to help out have made running and expanding the NLSC so much easier. James does a fantastic job running the Sports Gaming Network and it's obvious he cares greatly about the wellbeing of hosted sites and the coverage of sports video games. Thanks for everything you've done for the NLSC James.
And now on to the "speech"...
I know not everything has gone smoothly during my time as webmaster/admin of the forum. There have been all sorts of complaints, big arguments, controversy, flames and more than one of my decisions has been questioned. And that's just fine, because I'm always willing to discuss matters and try and work things out so everyone (or nearly everyone) is happy. I'm willing to put up with a lot of shit if it means I can improve the quality of the site and the forums.
Of course, I have my limits. I know there's been jokes about it, how robotic I've seemed at times. I know there's been folks that liked to call me "Android" because of the way I post. I know it might seem that way sometimes, a bit robotic, but even though the NLSC is essentially a hobby, I like to take some matters seriously and bring a professional attitude to my webmaster/admin duties. But sometimes I do get frustrated and a bit terse, so I appreciate everyone who understands I'm human too.
What you get when I post is basically me, though in my "real life" I'm more open to using profanity - much, much more in fact. The guys who've spoken to me outside the forum are probably more familiar with the "less professional" Andrew. That's not to say I'm not being me in the forum or that I'm a phony; I just try to set a good example and deal with situations as I would in a workplace environment. I'm probably less "robotic" than I used to be.
My other approach to being webmaster is to always be visible. Let's not deny it, 15,000 posts is a pretty ridiculous amount and there are folks who like to call me a spammer. They're entitled their opinion, but I don't buy that. I like the idea of a video gaming site that is big, but not so big that the webmaster/admin is some anonymous guy that emerges every so often to make an announcement or whatever. I like getting into discussions, I have no problem moderating when I get to a situation first and I like to help out in the NBA Live sections whenever I can. I have no apologies for my ridiculous post count and I don't think I need any. I like being a part of this community.
There are some changes in the community that I don't necessarily like. I think patching has become too competitive and a little taken for granted. It used to be about modding the game to improve it for your own enjoyment and sharing your work with other people. The influx of talented patchmakers has been awesome but it's also set the bar really high. I hate seeing a newcomer's work ridiculed; if it isn't "perfect", if it doesn't completely improve the game/existing graphics out of sight, it gets a
. And I think that's wrong. I know I'm generalising, there are a lot of helpful folks in the patching community, but I think our attitudes could be a bit better.
Another problem I feel is the assessment of the whole site and/or forum based on a couple of incidents or one section of the forum. It bothers me when we hit a bit of a slow period and all the "This place isn't what it used to be" posts start popping up because that starts a wave of negativity. It bothers me because of the time and effort I dedicate to running the NLSC, but also because if you are feeling a bit bored by the current topics you have the freedom to create your own. The forum is what you make it.
While I'm griping, I should also mention that it bothers me that some folks still say things like "Things will never change" or "There's no use complaining about (whatever)". I think I've shown I'm willing to make changes and do whatever it takes to make improvements around the NLSC, especially in the last twelve months. Sometimes, I'm only aware of a problem if I'm told about it. If you're not going to let me know about your concerns then you can't really complain that I don't care about them. That's just not fair. I think it's reasonable that I insist we discuss matters in a civil manner before I take any action. Hasty action is just going to cause more problems. The point is, I'm willing to listen, I'm willing to make changes, I'm not against improving the site. But sometimes I need you to meet me halfway.
Say what you will about the quality of the NLSC, say that I'm "running it into the ground" or whatever, but it must be in pretty good shape; after all, it got me a job. As some of you probably already know, I recently started a new job and one of the things on my resume that really appealed to my new bosses was the NLSC. So I'd say the site's in pretty good shape right now. Can it get better? Sure, few websites are ever truly completed. Will I do my best to continue to improve the site and forum? No question. But I am proud of the work I do, I'm proud of the work the team members do, I'm proud of this community and I'm proud to be the NLSC Webmaster/Admin.
In spite of a couple of my gripes and some recent events, I honestly think we've got a really good community. It's always nice to see people asking if other EA Sports titles have websites dedicated to them "just like this one". We have a good thing going here, I truly believe that.
I have to admit, there are times I've considered resigning. With all the fuss last year, I was ready to call it quits when I hit 10,000. But I'm glad I didn't. When I got back from a holiday in Queensland earlier this year, I thought about it because it had been an awesome week without a thought given to the Internet or anything to do with modding a video game. Everything was running well and it would have appeared to have been a good time to step aside. But I'm glad I didn't, because there's so much more I'd like to do. I'm not done yet. Not when 20,000 posts is only 5000 away.
Sorry to disappoint all those who feel I'm doing a lousy job and truly hate me (sidenote: if you truly hate me for the things I do running an unofficial fansite for a video game, you're wasting your time), but I don't see myself going anywhere just yet. Even if I get a little frustrated being pestered about the next release for the roster patch, even if I have to sort out some flames and disagreements, even if we are past some "golden era"...I'm not ready to quit. One day I'll have to. But I don't think that day will be anytime soon. Because even though I have my gripes, I still enjoy doing this.
Thank you again, everyone, for all the support you've given me. I hope I can continue to be the best webmaster/admin I can be, and you'll continue to support the NLSC for a long, long time. Time for a few drinks...on Jackal's tab, of course.
)
) but your posts, especially in the NBA Talk are paragraphs long. I don't know how you can do it, especially when you have the rest of the website to deal with! You deserve a lot more credit than what people give you, and it's my chance to tell you how much I appreciate everything you've done here. You're very, very professional, and I read Jae mentioning about how you're a funny guy outside of the forums, which is great 
and yes, put it on Jackal's tab.
