[Redrum]

This is prolly only of interest to the silverbacks of the Cardboard, but an old rival of ours has passed.

Back in the Pleistocene before the giant sports conglomerates totally ruled the sports bulletin board scene, the great rivalry between Kal and Stanford was carried out on Cyberbears and the Cardboard. Well, it started on the Bootleg but the cast of bolsheviks that founded the Cardboard sort of hijacked the board-vs-board rivalry over here with us.  It was great fun.  Us engaging and punking them on their own board, them being outraged that violating their little echo chamber was so...so...unseemly.  As absurd as crocodiles and hamsters living together.  They tried a little tit-for-tat but they just didn't have the chops. Odd that the Berkeley den of anarchy would be so humorless. Great fun at the time.  And so it went until Cyberbears sold out to the big sports fan conglomerate and became Bear Insider,  and the freebie fun just sort of fizzled out.

Well, now this, our old jousting partner:  https://bearinsider.com/s/517/chris-aver...to-the-end  A history sorta like Yvonne (if you squint at it sideways). Seems like a good guy, but wearing blue glasses and not as good looking.  RIP.

 

[Redrum]

This is prolly only of interest to the silverbacks of the Cardboard, but an old rival of ours has passed.

Back in the Pleistocene before the giant sports conglomerates totally ruled the sports bulletin board scene, the great rivalry between Kal and Stanford was carried out on Cyberbears and the Cardboard. Well, it started on the Bootleg but the cast of bolsheviks that founded the Cardboard sort of hijacked the board-vs-board rivalry over here with us.  It was great fun.  Us engaging and punking them on their own board, them being outraged that violating their little echo chamber was so...so...unseemly.  As absurd as crocodiles and hamsters living together.  They tried a little tit-for-tat but they just didn't have the chops. Odd that the Berkeley den of anarchy would be so humorless. Great fun at the time.  And so it went until Cyberbears sold out to the big sports fan conglomerate and became Bear Insider,  and the freebie fun just sort of fizzled out.

Well, now this, our old jousting partner:  https://bearinsider.com/s/517/chris-aver...to-the-end  A history sorta like Yvonne (if you squint at it sideways). Seems like a good guy, but wearing blue glasses and not as good looking.  RIP.

 

[yvonne]

Truly sad news. Although the boards diverged, he and I were comrades in the early days of the web. We and independent webmasters from Pac-10 conferences joined together as an alliance of independent boards.

[yvonne]

Truly sad news. Although the boards diverged, he and I were comrades in the early days of the web. We and independent webmasters from Pac-10 conferences joined together as an alliance of independent boards.

[Leftcoast]

Sad news indeed.  There was always a level of maturity and perspective in a GreyBear post that caused even a rival fan to "listen" with respect.

[Leftcoast]

Sad news indeed.  There was always a level of maturity and perspective in a GreyBear post that caused even a rival fan to "listen" with respect.

[wallendar]

Chris was a great guy.  Passionate about his Alma Mater, passionate about the rivalry between two outstanding institutions, and passionate about his website.

Today, the website is a mere shadow of its former self.  The “wild and crazy” posters are gone and the self-important windbags have taken over.  Heck, if you think it was humorless then, you ought stop by - it is as humorless as was my third grade teacher....

[wallendar]

Chris was a great guy.  Passionate about his Alma Mater, passionate about the rivalry between two outstanding institutions, and passionate about his website.

Today, the website is a mere shadow of its former self.  The “wild and crazy” posters are gone and the self-important windbags have taken over.  Heck, if you think it was humorless then, you ought stop by - it is as humorless as was my third grade teacher....

[terry]

Chris always seemed like a good, decent guy. I am very sorry to hear that he has left us.

[terry]

Chris always seemed like a good, decent guy. I am very sorry to hear that he has left us.

[OutsiderFan]

I'm probably one of the few here who ever met Chris Avery in person. As a one time heavy user of cyberbears, had a few personal encounters with GreyBear online and on the phone.  When I went to the Cal game at Tennessee in 2006, I met him in person at a tailgate before the game. Interestingly enough, the event was actually a product of Vol fans inviting Cal fans to join them, from the Cal board in the months and weeks leading up to the game.

Unfortunately, what ultimately became Bear Insider, turned into a mouthpiece to parrot official Cal program positions and the mods banned critics. This resulted in a schism between the fan base that when combined with Bear Insider moves to Scout, then to ESPN, and to be independent again, led to Rivals securing a position as a legitimate alternative, with what seems to be much better coverage of Cal sports, and the message board discussion is much better as well, IMO.

All this said, Chris Avery was one of the original board operators who shaped the development of this medium. Sad to hear he is gone.  But can't believe I had to read about this on a Stanford board, because the Cal Rivals board didn't have a post about it.

[OutsiderFan]

I'm probably one of the few here who ever met Chris Avery in person. As a one time heavy user of cyberbears, had a few personal encounters with GreyBear online and on the phone.  When I went to the Cal game at Tennessee in 2006, I met him in person at a tailgate before the game. Interestingly enough, the event was actually a product of Vol fans inviting Cal fans to join them, from the Cal board in the months and weeks leading up to the game.

Unfortunately, what ultimately became Bear Insider, turned into a mouthpiece to parrot official Cal program positions and the mods banned critics. This resulted in a schism between the fan base that when combined with Bear Insider moves to Scout, then to ESPN, and to be independent again, led to Rivals securing a position as a legitimate alternative, with what seems to be much better coverage of Cal sports, and the message board discussion is much better as well, IMO.

All this said, Chris Avery was one of the original board operators who shaped the development of this medium. Sad to hear he is gone.  But can't believe I had to read about this on a Stanford board, because the Cal Rivals board didn't have a post about it.