posted January 02, 2005 03:11 PM
It's time for the best of times, and the worst of times for 2004 as we start this new year. This year, voter turnout was as good as always, and the awards are as interesting as ever. I'd like to note in the beginning however, that some of these absolutely blew me away, given results of previous years. And then there were others where I just said "Yeah, I didn't even need to vote for them 'cause they were gonna win anyways." So, it was interesting to me, and now I hope it's about to become interesting to most of you. Note that each award is again explained for those too lazy to check back and forth for what each award is actually for.
Now, for the veterans (most of you), I'm changing the format yet again this year. The nominees (or names mentioned) part will remain. This part is names which were mentioned on at least one ballot, but didn't get enough votes to merit winning. The change this year is that there will be only a single runner-up for each category, unless a tie exists. And yes, there is indeed a split award this year. So, without further ahdoo (I don't know how to spell this word right, so I'm intentionally spelling it wrong 
), let's get to the awards, shall we?
The Mimi Bobeck Award: This award goes to the biggest forum troll of 2004. A forum troll is somebody who posts alot, but doesn't commonly say very much in their posts, or just doesn't input all that well.
Alright, to start off, let's go with the names that were mentioned in the ballots. Greven53, potm, Magicman_rj, NightDog, Traitor and Ashran all showed up in the blank on the ballot.
Your runner up for this award, snatching 1/4 of the votes, was nderdog. Apparently, this wasn't nearly as locked up as many assumed.
And this means that your winner, and still world champion of the WWE... er... I mean... the biggest troll of MOTL in the year 2004 is crazyturk, with his name showing on 35% of what I saw. Don't be offended though, your name shows up a few times here.
The Real Estate Award: This award goes to the mod which does the best job of putting idiots in their place, and closing posts that have no input to the board whatsoever.
Now, in the past, this award has always been decently close as I'm tallying votes, and I usually don't know who's won until I'm almost through my stack of votes. This year however...
The only mentioned name on this ballot which does not appear further was cerberus.
Coming in as your runner-up, with the name sitting on 13% of ballots, was Jazaray. She does kick posting-ass, but she's too nice about it for this award. (I learned in engerlish that that's known as foreshadowing!)
And your winner this year, capturing 83% of votes (WOW) was Tha_Gunslinga. Apparently, MOTL is pretty close to in firm agreement that nobody puts the dummies in their place as much as this man. Congratulations!
The Captain N Award: This award is for the key gamer on MOTL. Whether on the ultra popular Mafia & Survivor, or low-down a little on the World War X or WWE MOTL of old, the person who always brings an influence with them into the game.
Well, upon opening a few of the e-mails, I discovered something... apparently I missed UBB games being banned. 
And about 2/3 of people left this one out anyways, so I'm gonna put this award to rest, just like the crappy cartoon it's named after. For the record, myself, Vamp Doc and MagicMystic were mentioned in the ballots that did vote.
The Proton Award: This award goes to the best contributor on MOTL. Not necessarily a mod, but someone who almost always has something positive to contribute to the board, be it a link, game, thought, discussion, etc. Wide open here.
MOTL is possibly the only recreational bulletin board community where everyone will get the joke in this award. And that's kind of sad.
The nominees for this award are Mr. C, Raatcharch, Shadow88, flaminio, and GottaLoveElves.
Snaring a small 19% portion of these votes is nderdog. Never fear, nderdog is here! 
And, with 62% of all votes bearing this name, BoltBait finally wins an MOTL award, after 2 years of runner-ups and close calls. And, that may or may not be all for all the people mentioned in this write-up. Good times eh? Congrats, you deserve this for the posting box by itself, let alone all the other helping goodness you bring to MOTL daily.
The Big Bird Award: OK, no sick jokes here. This award goes to the friendliest member in the forums, who is always pleasant to talk to, and typically loved by the MOTL community.
For the love of god, please tell me that all of you who asked why the titleholder was ironic were kidding? If not, I think I retract my previous statement about this being an intelligent community.
The names mentioned in this ballot were Charles_Ensign, dputz, crazyturk, cmbinokawa, BoltBait, Magicman_rj, and potm.
Now, for your runner up in 2004, getting a 13% share, it's nderdog again. Congrats nder!
With 52% of the vote swaying in her direction, Jazaray retains her title of the Big Bird of MOTL. Atta fire Jaime!
(Get it? I said she was too nice for real estate and mentioned foreshadowing and... yeah, you get it. You know you do.)
The Trnothr Award: This award goes to the most electric member of the boards. Always seems to be disagreeing with somebody, and is a very good and persuavive arguer. Has very cemented viewpoints, and can back them up very well. I don't need to explain the name to this award, anyone who was around knows why. In other words, don't bother asking about what Trnothr means, if you don't mind.
I must say, this award became fairly interesting as time went on, because none of you people could make up your minds who you wanted. But, I digress, so...
The nominees for this award include eclinchy, D-O-T, Master, Boltbait, Traitor, and chaos021.
Now, your runners up, each taking 11% of the total vote, are CommonSense, flaminio, potm, and Hai Yo. This is the first time there have been near this many runner-ups for a category. So, to the 4 of you, enjoy!
Finally, your winner, taking 22% of the votes, is the now-defending champion, PlasteredDragon. He may have been gone for most of 2004, but he is definitely not forgotten. Good job Chuck, whereever you are!
The Radiance Award: This is to a member whose brilliance outshines all the rest. We know there are plenty of members on MOTL who can hold their own, but this goes to the member who's always right.
This award was one of a couple "Chuck vs. Chuck" awards we had last year, where it came down to Charles_Ensign vs PlasteredDragon. I was just waiting for the thread where they had varying opinions, because seeing the two of them debate would've been a treat, that's for sure.
This year's nominees are potm, nderdog, Greven53, crazyturk, MagicMystic, valmtg, BoltBait, hammr7, and PlasteredDragon.
The runner up for this award is someone, who, in my opinion, is not recognized near enough in these awards, for someone who has been an MOTL mainstay and is as well liked as he is. With 22%, flaminio will take this one home.
And, with 28% of your votes, the Chuck vs. Chuck winner this year is Charles_Ensign in this category. He appears to have disappeared as well, but congrats go to him anyways.
The Homer Simpson Award: This award goes to the overall funniest member. Always has something comical to say, makes us all laugh alot.
D'OH!
This years nominees include Traitor, potm, Master, Stat1C_X, BoltBait, Iabtu and SerraBanger.
For those who don't read the nominees, SerraBanger won't be winning this year. And neither will crazyturk, although he makes a much better showing with 19% of the votes. You're almost funny enough... in The Simpsons hierarchy, you'd be Moe, or Smithers.
And, as a first for this award, we have co-winners this year. Each of these folks snared a quarter of all votes, leaving only half for all the rest. Congratulations go out to both Greven53 & rockondon. These were the two which I had to choose between when voting myself initially. IMO, both of these guys were overdue for this award, and it's only fitting they both dethrone SerraBanger at once.
The Mike Bullard Award: This award goes to the overall unfunniest member. Tries to be funny, but just... isn't. For the record, Mike Bullard is a Canadian latenight host who's made me laugh once, ever.
In the past, there's always been an issue with high finishers in both Homer Simpson & Mike Bullard, which makes me wonder if there needs to be an award for people who spend their time trying to be funny, whether they are or not. This year, however, I don't think it was quite an issue.
Other names on this ballot include Iabtu, x0x2k1, grimlock_69, Istanbul, potm, rockondon, NightDog, Mr. C (self nominated ), daner, and Kluckers.
And your runner up for the Mike Bullard of 2004 is Hai Yo, owning 17% of the vote. Going back to my Simpsons hierarchy analogy, congratulations Hai Yo, because you're Lisa.
And, with a 22% take, this winner is not quite as high as he could be because of all the random stragglers which were voted for in this category. However, I guess whatever didn't work in 2003 for HanSolo6385, didn't work in 2004 either. And I'll take from what I said last year, don't shoot me, I'm just the messenger.
The Chronicle Award: This beauty is for any member who is worthy of being listed in the idiot chronicles. Due to some pure maturity, the post got put on hiatus by mods, but you guys know the idiots... this one is for BANNED MEMBERS. TunaBoo took 17% of the vote in 2002 while still a member, let's not do that again, mm'kay?
Sadly, the idiot chronicles have faded as another half-running thread in MOTL history, not only because of low interest, but I also am not around for the upkeep anymore. However, this name is still suited. I'd also like to mention that, in this category, alot of members who are still around got voted for, and I'm not entirely sure if the winner has been banned or not. Then again, seeing as TunaBoo technically was a runner up when he was still on MOTL, I'll let this one stand.
The nominees here were Honk!, mikesmate (OMFG I'm a vampier!!), and Trotters Traders (hay gyus im drukn and i luv nat.)
Your co runners-up for 2004, each taking 15% of the vote, were skeetskeet and jerry_player. Unfortunately, skeetskeet was the only funny one, but both of these guys merit this award (from what I understand).
And your winner of The Chronicle Award for 2004, owning a majority 54% vote, is Traitor. I won't make fun because, as I said, I don't even know if he's banned.
The Hit & Miss Award: This award goes to the most missed MOTL member. Either banned, or left on their own accord, we want them to come back and add to the discussion.
Last year, this award and The Chronicle Award were much like the funny and unfunny awards, with names being too common. However, I left them both in mostly because this can apply to current members who just disappeared on us.
The nominees in here are SerraBanger, HanSolo6385, Jazaray, jbp26, NikkoBob and squizz.
And now, the runner-up on this one, with 17% of votes, was... me! [Insert random theylovemetheyreallyloveme cliché here]. Thanks guys, I didn't even think I'd get mentioned in this one.
However, your winner in this category, and the person who I'm proud to say my vote went to, is 39% winner PlasteredDragon. He made it public earlier this year that he was leaving, and I for one was sad to see him go, as were many other MOTLers. I can, however, guarantee you he's still fine, as can be seen here, on his blog. Maybe someone could leave him a comment or two to let him know he won and that he's still appreciated. It'd be nice anyways.
The _____ in the _____ Awards: Fill in the following sentences relating to MOTL members most likely to attain some status in the future.
I enjoyed the ballot which read "The pain in the ass Awards". 
1) "And your newest mod for MOTL is _____ !"
I'll note that this award has a 100% success rate. I'll also note that this award was, by far, my favorite to watch as I tallied results. The whole way through, the runner-up and winner were tied, until the very last vote. But, I'll cut the suspense...
The nominees here were crazyturk and potm.
Congratulations go out to nderdog, netting 42% of the votes in this category. There's no shame in losing when it's this close.
But, with 45% of all votes, "And your newest mod for MOTL is BoltBait!" This is the second time BoltBait has been recognized on this post, and I still say he deserves it. Well done!
2) "Wow, look, _____ is playing on the Magic pro tour!"
It's not even worth doing a runner-up on this category. Trust me.
Your nominees here are *Tedman*, ths_chess, Leshrac, Havoc Demon, airwalk, and Jesus. (Is that a real MOTLer's name, or did someone really nominate Jesus?)
And your winner, netting 75% of all votes cast here, "Wow, look, Iabtu is playing on the Magic pro tour!". I guess this award is kinda defunct when we do have a PT member on MOTL. Ah well, congrats anyways Mike.
3) "Hey, _____ has their own TV show!"
I like to call this the most interesting member award, or the award where nobody ever gets more than 25%.
Your nominees here are Blastoderm55, GottaLoveElves, potm, daoddtemplar, NikkoBob, TaBlah555, Leshrac, nderdog, Kluckers, Jazaray, Valmtg and BoltBait.
The runner up in this category, with a near-record 17%, is rockondon. I find this pretty funny, because...
The winner, with 22%, "Hey, Greven53 has his own TV show!". It's not enough that they share the Homer Simpson Award, but they both deserve their own TV show according to MOTL. Unintentional coincidences are the best kind.
4) "Hello, I'm _____ and I'm an alcoholic."
I was unaware before this award that an MOTL member's name is now slang for drunk. Ah well.
The nominees here were dputz, Greven53, Kung_Fuscious, potm, and CommonSense.
The runner-up, having a 14% share in the votes, is Kluckers. I don't know what to think on this one, so I'll let you make up your own half-witty commentary.
With 64% of all votes, I think everyone sees this coming... "Hello, I'm crazyturk and I'm an alcoholic." I think next year, I'm just going to make it, "Holy crap, _________ is so crazyturked!"
5) "Welcome back to Channel 6 news, I'm Kent Brockman. In local news, police have finally gunned down _____ from his murderous rampage."
This award is honestly even worse than the TV one. I'm beginning to hate it just enough to remove it. Ah well.
Your nominees are *deep breath* NikkoBob, studderingdave, rockondon, CommonSense, Hai Yo, coolio, crazyturk, Shadow88, implode, eclinchy, x0x2k1, magic4tool and NIghtDog.
Each with a share of 9% of the vote, congratulations (I think?) to Stat1C_X, HanSolo6385, and Traitor as your runners up.
And your winner, owning 14% of the vote (aka one more than the others), "Welcome back to Channel 6 news, I'm Kent Brockman. In local news, police have finally gunned down daner from his murderous rampage." Seeing as I don't know what to say here... enjoy!
6) "OMGWTFLOLBBQ, _____ just got bant good!"
I think this one confused me as much as anything. I also want to know why in the hell I included BBQ originally. I must've still been drunk when I typed this up last year.
The baninees are thesibut, ths_chess, Leshrac, HanSolo6385, grimlock_69, jerry_player, TaBlah555, Stat1C_X, and x0x2k1.
The banner-up on this one, in yet another close one, Hai Yo will take 26% of the vote. Beware the banhammer!
And, your winner, with 30%, "OMGWTFLOLBBQ, Traitor just got bant good!" Which brings me to this question... is he already banned or is he expected to be banned? Either way, it doesn't look good, but it'd be nice to know.
The Kings/Queens of MOTL Award: This award is the popularity contest you know you all wanted. Vote for who you think is the most popular member on MOTL. You cast 4 votes here. There are 7 winners. This category is the real ego-boost.
And finally, the crowning (sorry, bad, I know) achievement of these awards, where we decide who we ultimately like the most. I gotta say, I predicted the winner on this one, but the rest weren't lined up quite like I thought they'd be. I'll hold you no further, here they come.
Your nominees here are Greven53, Stat1C_X, TaBlah555, Master, Iabtu, Shadow88, Kung_Fuscious, x0x2k1, NikkoBob, NukeMoose, cerberus, Kluckers, Valmtg, rockondon, and HanSolo6385.
In a tie for the 6th runner up spot, with 23%, one of only 2 members who have been on this list all 3 years these awards have been running, is GottaLoveElves. Oh wait that's me... yay! Thanks again MOTL for voting me the least popular of the most popular.
Also with 23%, the banhammer master himself, ThaGunslinga. I guess the only ones left are the ones who like him anyways.
With 5th place this year, a person who's been runner-up for more than any, but no wins to his credit, nderdog. I guess we should call him the mediocre of the popular... or something like that. Either way, congrats, 'cause you're well liked.
Next up, in 4th, sitting on a 41% vote, is Big Bird herself. Jazaray remains one of MOTL's most popular members this year.
With his name on exactly ½ of my ballots, congratulations are in order for crazyturk for climbing up a couple ranks to third this year. This would make him just about the most well liked troll ever.
With 55% is the nicest idiot on MOTL. I say nicest because he's responsible for the new text box, and alot of positive input, but I say idiot because he continually nominates Leshrac to be banned. Congratulations in 2nd BoltBait.
And your king of MOTL this year, is a man who's been nominated and taken a high position every year. Along with myself, this is his third year on this list, however, it is a championship for him. With 74% of all ballots bearing his name, the crown this year goes to potm as MOTL's most popular member. Way to go!
Dear god, I can't believe I've done this for another year, but here it is. This year saw many surprises, such as the fall of Han as the king of MOTL, and BoltBait & nderdog having a sudden entrance to the fray, in a big way. I was suprised myself to be nominated in some of these spots, but I guess a long stay on MOTL guarantees you'll be remembered. Congratulations to all the winners!
I'd like to take this chance to thank Leshrac once again for this site, to all the mods for keeping it friendly, to all the decent members who make it a nice place to be, to all the people who voted here, to anyone who participates in the MOTL stack (even though I haven't myself), and to everyone who has in some way made this board a place 30,000 of us call home on the internet.
As well, I'd like to personally express my gratitude to crazyturk, Jazaray, ThaGunslinga, MagicMystic and iccarus for their kind comments and compliments, and as well BoltBait and ThaGunslinga for suggestions on other awards and stuff that will be implemented next year.
I'm going to skip this year's random commentary section, because I included most of the funky things I noticed somewhere inside the awards anyways. So, thanking you all once again, I guess I'll see you all next year, presuming we're all in good health, and still enjoy it around here. I hope you enjoyed reading & receiving these awards as much as I enjoyed reading & receiving your e-mails. Until next year, happy travels!
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To the doubtful I demand
Take me as I am...
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posted January 02, 2005 03:11 PM
. Congrats to all the winners though! Now tony, take a hint on the hit or miss award and come back damnit!
And not for Mike Bullard again, either...
