The Sicatoka

Welcome to a little place I've heard called "off the rails and in the ditch": http://www.wacsports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=10100&ATCLID=206317161

That high? On a side note, after watching a lot of popcorn get eaten at UND's expense (conference, moniker) seems it's time for UND fans to chow on some and watch someone else go through the wringer for a while.

Speculation from the south (no, further south) ... http://terryvandrovec.tumblr.com/

Seems the much beloved "Dakota 3" just might find themselves up the creek.

Uh, Muss and brother Muss commercials are stale no matter who they are for. Time to cut some new material. Seems they've called Zach Parise and he's cut a UND radio spot. Why not call Chris Kuper and ask him if he's willing to do the same. <-- See how I looped my diversion back to football.

Yesterday was signing *day* so fax early, fax late, no matter. Actually, this is a signing period. (I won't speculate for how long because I'll surely be corrected if I do.) If they got another DB (specifically CB) all the better.

Best officials I ever was on the ice with brought the captains to the scorer's table during warm-ups and set it down simply and early: "Two hands on your stick and your stick on the ice. If your stick isn't on the ice it better not be touching anything. And if you hand isn't on your stick it had better be empty." It sounded great but I figured they were trying to sound tough before the game. Thirty seconds in I felt a stick tap on my outside shoulder as I went into the corner for a puck. They called it. I was stunned. Thirty seconds into the powerplay I grabbed a defenders stick to move it out of my way to establish position to screen. So much for the powerplay ... We adjusted fast. It can be called that way.

I saw the initial contact between AndyMac and the stinkin' badger and figured "penalty" (because it was AndyMac). But then I realized: (a) AndyMac's stick rebounded above his shoulder from the contact with the stinkin' badger, and (b) there were no orange arm bands going into the air. That's when I realized (as the officials must have also) that to hook someone down it's pretty tough to have the stick that applied the hook recoil that far away from the impact.

Too slow again, amigo.

Someone say "big television"? http://www.marketwatch.com/story/the-half-million-dollar-tv-2013-02-01

Yes, but the best divers wear this.

Hmmm ... cats or rats. I'll take the cats. You can have the rodents.

Pick your favorite response: (a) Dude should act his age, not his shoe size. (b) When he walks from a room full of UND fans into a room full of NDSU fans the average IQ of both rooms goes up.

Would that be the other "General" ... Schwartzkopf? Hey, if hockey has a "General" (Pattyn) why shouldn't football?

I thought that sort of interlock (your image) is used on NDSU letterman jackets (if those still exist).

Are we sure "Hammy" and "lakesbison" weren't separated at birth?

For those of you wanting Hennessy on television: Who would do radio? Personally, I end up listening to about 40% of all the games on radio*. Hennessy is the best (and I'm talking all levels) and I would have trouble listening to anyone else. I put Sweeney and Hammer as about equal. Both have strong points and glaring weaknesses. If I want rambling non sequiturs about regional athletes from 30 years ago, sure, Sweeney's the guy. But many seem to forget those problems. *I'm at about 50% of games and the other 10% is someone else's TV crew.

One last thought on this: Was FargoBison (a) truly indignant that the UND story hadn't come out yet and then got burned by the NDSU story coming out the next day, or (b) did he know the NDSU story was coming out and was trying to temper it by releasing a "bigger" story here first (as we know media reads this)

Yup, the NDSU softballers were charged today: - one with delivery of alcohol to a minor, a Class A misdemeanor - one with harassment and disorderly counduct, a Class A misdemeanor and a Class B misdemeanor, respectively - one was referred to the State’s Attorney’s Office for simple assault, but after a review of the case prosecutors concluded Ortega may have a valid claim for self-defense and declined to file a charge OK, the UND hockey players were dumb; but, if you've given a beer to a person you know was under 21 you've violated the same law, which is just as dumb. But harassment? And a (declined to file) assault charge (which means something did happen)? I'd say those NDSU softballers aren't what you'd call "happy drunks". http://www.inforum.com/event/article/id/388031/

Players were suspended for the season opening tournament in Alaska. Those Alaska games affect the final RPI and PWR calculations that are used to select at-large teams to the NCAA tournament. Players were not suspended for exhibition games.

Could the difference be that UND got in front of its situation and suspended a bunch of players and reserved the right to do more later as warranted, and NDSU tried to portray their situation as being victims of their own misgivings and only acted after the pressure (media and public) mounted?

What has worked in the past? Knight and Kristo Rowney Parks MarkMac Rowney and Roc Roc and Drake So how do you maximize the potential damage to the other team? You spread that out as best you can: Knight and Kristo with someone ... and if MitchMac can figure out where to be to trail and clean up their rebounds ... Rowney Parks MarkMac may have been one of the five best lines in all of college hockey at the end of last season ... can they find it again ... Roc and Drake need to find a co-conspirator ... I don't believe it's Pattyn; I think it's St. Clair or Gaarder ... or Gleason. And you just can't seem to get Pattyn and Jim out of the lineup ... so it makes that last forward spot all the more difficult.

Probably makes it more comfortable around the Thanksgiving dinner table.

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