Yeah, the stats topic is certainly not as unwelcoming to newbies as it used to be. I know that's a hard reputation for us to shake since a lot of people got turned off by the stats topic years ago and haven't come back. You still have the occasional mess (as you do with any topic), but overall, the stats topic is my favorite place to be during contest season. I think a lot of us are passionate people when it comes to contests and stuff, and so we argue stuff pretty fervently, so maybe that comes off as harsh, but I don't think most of us mean to be.
I can see why outsiders would not think highly of the stats topic, but I generally disagree with the reputation it has.
--
"I couldn't stand a day without a past or future. I need to live each moment to keep fighting here and now."