Nicholas Newsome, of Paintsville, Kentucky

[Section 8]

Sounds like the step-son is going to get the hose again...

[4decadedukie]

I queried the Duke Alumni data base; no Nicholas Newsome is listed. I understand lots of DBR participants aren't alums, but I thought it might prove worthwhile to check.

[AluminumDuke]

"My kid bid on it when I wasn't looking" is one of the oldest copouts in online auctions.

In the end I don't really care about any of this as long as the pledge is received. But I still feel compelled to ask: Who goes out of town without their cell phone?

Agreed on both counts. In addition, that his step-son would also use his email address (assumed anyway, as it included "nick98") and that, at 27 years old (per his myspace page), he has a stepson old enough to be bidding online are both possible but, in combination with the rest of the story, seem a bit unlikely. Regardless, as he has apologized for the misunderstanding and pledges to eventually make good on the $230 pledged donation, I have chosen to give him the benefit of the doubt with regard to any further efforts to publicize the incident outside of this thread.

[colchar]

I am going to ask Julio now to announce on DBR that Nicholas has contacted us, apologized for the misunderstanding, and promised to make the donation when he is able.

But will there be a front page story stating that this guy, who has been publicly shamed, was not the one at fault? Yes, the step-son did something stupid (not to mention dishonest) but the man himself doesn't seem to have done anything.

[colchar]

But I still feel compelled to ask: Who goes out of town without their cell phone?

Me. Depending on where I go (to the US for example), my cell doesn't work. If it doesn't work, why bring it?

[AluminumDuke]

But will there be a front page story stating that this guy, who has been publicly shamed, was not the one at fault? Yes, the step-son did something stupid (not to mention dishonest) but the man himself doesn't seem to have done anything.

You seem to find it very easy to believe that DBR and BlueHealers have done Nicholas some grave injustice by stating (factually) that he won an auction for tickets and did not make the donation that he pledged. Perhaps you should wait for evidence that he at some point makes said donation before treating us the same way that you accuse us of having dealt with him. Julio's two announcements on the front page, both of which allowed for the possibility that Nicholas might have a valid explanation, did not go into detail about the significant efforts that were made to contact Nicholas. This entire incident essentially put a damper on my Thanksgiving holiday with family as I made numerous efforts to contact Nicholas and was torn over whether to leave tickets at Will-Call for someone who I had little confidence would complete the donation or risk stiffing someone who may have made a (delinquent but real) donation by credit card. Any effort made by anyone in the Newsome family to contact MMI between the original notification that he had won the auction on November 17th and the game day on November 25th would have allowed BlueHealers to redirect the tickets to another bidder and potentially garner the $220 donation that would have been the winning bid had said family not been involved.

[Uncle Drew]

1. It was Mike Nifong getting revenge.

2. It was my ex wife, sue her!

3. It was the one armed man.

4. It was his step son and he wants to break Nick and his mom up.

5. It was actually Patrick Patterson realizing he made a mistake and hoping to see a real basketball team this year.

6. It was actually JJ wanting to see a game in person incognito, worried this King guy might break all his records.

7. It was Lindsay Lohan and her latest sleazy "what was I thinking" move!

8. It was the group of 88 trying to take money away from sick patients in a foreign land because even they despise them.

9. It was my attempt to get Jason Evans to write me yet another message telling me clean up my act!

10. It was me, I have a secret crush on Julio and it was the only way I could get him to e-mail me.

[gvtucker]

I ran out of gas.
I, I had a flat tire.
I didn't have enough money for cab fare.
My tux didn't come back from the cleaners.
An old friend came in from out of town.
Someone stole my car.
There was an earthquake.
A terrible flood.
Locusts.
IT WASN'T MY FAULT, I SWEAR TO GOD.

[captmojo]

I ran out of gas.
I, I had a flat tire.
I didn't have enough money for cab fare.
My tux didn't come back from the cleaners.
An old friend came in from out of town.
Someone stole my car.
There was an earthquake.
A terrible flood.
Locusts.
IT WASN'T MY FAULT, I SWEAR TO GOD.

Don't do that eyebrow thing at me.