The Hater - has sadly passed away.

[fbalmeida]

The Contest to select a Special Rank for The Hater will begin next week.

May the coruscating rays of the sun shine down upon this contest.

[ghuytro]

I haven't checked in here for a few weeks and like many, was in shock to see this thread.

I remember him from the old days when guys like him and Ed Kupifer (?) were elevating the level of discourse in the alt.raps usenet.

I recall with fondness that he always had a sharp, unique and sometimes uncomfortable perspective on things that challenged established narratives and orthodoxies.

If you were to ask me to name 5 memorable personalities from the Raptors RealGm board, his would certainly be on my Mount Rushmore.

RIP

[Meursault]

Sad to hear this - condolences to his family. One of the real OGs of the Toronto basketball forums, way back to his teddd days. Thanks for the great posts and memories

[HighOctane]

This is terrible news. He was a regular and will be missed. RIP.

[simple_jack]

RIP

**** cancer. Scares me to death that any day I can get terrible news

[slothrop8]

Truly one of the greats. I don't check in here much anymore - but seeing this today hurt. Probably nobody I've interacted more with in the online world than the late great The Hater. RIP.

[6ixSideSniper]

Man this hits me pretty hard, he didn’t know me but I’ve been reading his posts since I was in middle school, definitely one of the GOATs on here. Rest In Peace Ted.

[joshgc]

Had to login as well, as many others. Disappointed to hear the news, RIP.

[Spates]

My condolences to his family and friends.

I think I started browsing this forum in 2008. One of the many OG posters on this board whose input pulled me into Raptors fandom and the NBA at large.

Rest in peace.

[RaptorKenny]

RIP Hater. I vaguely remember the old days of seeing his heated debates on this board.
You will be missed. Rest in eternal peace

[JD225]

I don't post anymore but this saddened me as reading his posts was a staple to my childhood following of the Raps. One of the most insightful posters. RIP

[C Court]

Hater passed away exactly one month ago today.

[STA 13]

RIP
I don't post here anymore - in fact I barely ever visit - but I remember Hater well. Back in the day he was probably my #1 supporter in the anti Bargs arguments. Many heated debates were had

[BBS22]

As morbid as it sounds, I'm glad he got to see the Raptors win a championship. Clearly a diehard and was active with us during the bad years.

Cancer is horrible disease.

[James_Raptors]

Today marks two months ago since you left us my friend.
Today is my birthday (51) and here I am, on my day, thinking of you.
You had that impact on my life, truly.
I miss our talks in private. I am thankful for your compassion towards my wife.
I respect the gift you gave the both of us, sharing your intimate details and forming a special bond with Patricia, that only someone going through your type of journey could do for her (and maybe yourself? I hope?)

I've been waiting over 2months to post this, but , 8 days before you passed away my wife and I were having a conversation about you. Patricia shifted to my own personal trials as a younger person and asked me how do I live with these horrible experiences? I've always told her that I picture life's trials as a "key". And this key is obtained through difficult circumstances that no normal individual would want or willingly endure. But life happens, and we are faced with these hurdles. What does this metaphoric "key" actually do? The answer is pretty Captain Obvious. The "key" does what 99.99% of them are supposed to do, they unlock things. I'll be more specific...

A number of you old school posters who have been around this forum for years already know some deep intimate details about myself. I grew up with an incredibly violent mother, who started raping me from age 10-14, when I eventually left home for good, lived a year+ on the streets, yadda, yadda, yadda. Eventually I was asked to take part in a documentary on CBC called Runaways: 24 Hours on the street. First year "Mass Media" in school, and they decided to cover the Documentary i was in, to my incredible shock. Now people all around my school new details about my life. I started doing public speaking , a tad; something my former self wouldn't consider in a lifetime.

Over the course of a couple of years I went from someone who would "protect" my mother's activities at all cost, assume I was to blame for everything and remain silent about it all. And then transitioning to doing national television and speaking engagements. I quickly found that sharing my life was cathartic. Maybe this was the same for you? The combination of my horrible experiences as a child, the opportunity to speak about it on a huge stage, and a tiny bit of courage on my side, became a "key". The key is unique though, in the sense that it doesn't just open my doors, but the doors of others, and I'll elaborate more below.

Over the years I've had a number of people who have either reached out to me, or myself to them. We would have never known each other existed if it wasn't for our shared experiences , meeting over the internet and having the opportunity and courage to reach out to one another. They opened up to me and we offered each other companionship through empathy . You did the same when you reached out to me , and in turn, my wife.

I know you're gone. I know you can't read this. I don't want to say anything here that would diminish your amazing glow as a person, that I know you are. This is about you my friend. I guess I just need you to know, or others around here, just how brave you were. You were dying and here you were on REALGM offering details of your own journey and utterly unselfishly giving me and my wife the courage to face her biggest fears. You did that. You made the effort. You used your key to unlock a door and walk through it.

This is why I'm here on my birthday crying as I type this. You were not some 1's and 0's on my screen or a bunch of letters that formed your username. For those around here who didn't know this side of you, I want them to know how **** brave you were. And what type of person who would go to those lengths, under those conditions , to go outside your comfort zone and open up about your health. I wish we had met in person. One day I wish I could visit your grave, even if to touch it and say "thank you" for everything you have done for us.

Things are better here, my friend. But for many, many months, it wasn't. And you were there for us during those hardest of times.
I love you for that. Thank you for using your key , opening that door, and entering our lives. Trust me when I say this. You will never be forgotten.

[C Court]

Thanks for the post James!