To me, the ‘Mater is a place where big-name racers and no-name fans can hang out together and discuss our favorite sport.
That means there will, at times, be disagreements. And that’s OK. It’s human nature. It wouldn’t be a good place if everybody was required to have the same opinion.
But, what bugs me the most on any web site is when disagreements turn personal. That inevitably leads to each person trying to one-up the other. Before you know it, everybody has been drug into the mud. There’s just no excuse for it.
Unfounded rumors, or responses posted just to stir the pot, should be deleted. The owners and moderators of the ‘Mater are not bound by the First Amendment. It’s their game, therefore you must play by their rules. Don’t like it? Go form your own board.
For Don Schumacher, of all people, to bother to sign up much less post on here speaks to his passion for the sport. The man has been successful in drag racing for longer than a lot of people here have been alive. To trash him or anybody else, without facts, is just plain wrong. He certainly doesn’t need the ‘Mater in order to justify his place in drag racing history.
I have had only one dealing with Don and that was during qualifying at Memphis several years ago. I don’t expect him to remember it. But I certainly do.
I had a picture I shot of his Stardust ‘Cuda doing a burnout at the Tulsa National Challenge in ’72 and wanted him to autograph it. He was seated in his hospitality area, speaking with one other person. Normally, the hospitality area is off limits to fans. But, when I showed the picture to the guy checking passes and explained I just wanted Don’s autograph I was allowed in. I walked up to Don’s table and just laid the picture down. He stopped his conversation and asked where I got the picture. I told him I shot it and would like his autograph. Instead of hurriedly scribbling out his name in an attempt to get rid of me, we talked for a minute or two, and he carefully signed his name along with adding “Shoe”.
Then, unexpectedly, he thanked me for asking for his autograph.
At the risk of sounding sappy or star-struck, Don’s presence here , along with other “names”,also says a lot about the ‘Mater.
If people would just think things through before hitting the submit button, there would probably be a lot fewer skirmishes. And that would benefit everybody.
That means there will, at times, be disagreements. And that’s OK. It’s human nature. It wouldn’t be a good place if everybody was required to have the same opinion.
But, what bugs me the most on any web site is when disagreements turn personal. That inevitably leads to each person trying to one-up the other. Before you know it, everybody has been drug into the mud. There’s just no excuse for it.
Unfounded rumors, or responses posted just to stir the pot, should be deleted. The owners and moderators of the ‘Mater are not bound by the First Amendment. It’s their game, therefore you must play by their rules. Don’t like it? Go form your own board.
For Don Schumacher, of all people, to bother to sign up much less post on here speaks to his passion for the sport. The man has been successful in drag racing for longer than a lot of people here have been alive. To trash him or anybody else, without facts, is just plain wrong. He certainly doesn’t need the ‘Mater in order to justify his place in drag racing history.
I have had only one dealing with Don and that was during qualifying at Memphis several years ago. I don’t expect him to remember it. But I certainly do.
I had a picture I shot of his Stardust ‘Cuda doing a burnout at the Tulsa National Challenge in ’72 and wanted him to autograph it. He was seated in his hospitality area, speaking with one other person. Normally, the hospitality area is off limits to fans. But, when I showed the picture to the guy checking passes and explained I just wanted Don’s autograph I was allowed in. I walked up to Don’s table and just laid the picture down. He stopped his conversation and asked where I got the picture. I told him I shot it and would like his autograph. Instead of hurriedly scribbling out his name in an attempt to get rid of me, we talked for a minute or two, and he carefully signed his name along with adding “Shoe”.
Then, unexpectedly, he thanked me for asking for his autograph.
At the risk of sounding sappy or star-struck, Don’s presence here , along with other “names”,also says a lot about the ‘Mater.
If people would just think things through before hitting the submit button, there would probably be a lot fewer skirmishes. And that would benefit everybody.
