The Sicatoka

I wonder how many people signing that petition about "a constitutional amendment" realize they mean the state constitution (how many realize there is a state constitution?) and that the state constitution has no power outside the borders of the state of North Dakota and as such the NCAA does not have to acknowledge it.

"Oh my God! You killed Kenny!"

Same issue here. (Sorry basketball fans.)

So we use what we have. Example? How the hockey team was called to the ice last weekend was cumbersome and it just didn't flow. I respectfully submit the following ... "Ladies and gentlemen, Stand Up and Cheer, here comes North Dakota!" <band starts playing "Stand Up and Cheer"> (That's a freebee for you Looker and Hajdu, and I know you're listening. )

We lost control when we didn't demand an immediate transition from Sioux to something new. Instead, the "Sioux moniker or die" crowd got control with the "we'll run without a moniker" non-sense and now we're in limbo and subject to the whims of whatever media outlet prints today. I warned of this. I told you so. And now were stuck. Honestly, ask your legislator to dump the "cooling off" period law. Nothing will cool in that time.

The reason the stakeholders have lost control of their ability to select a new nickname is because they willingly gave up the opportunity to take control. They didn't take my advice: Control what is yours to control! And they should have demanded control because they were the ones who were losing the most to appease the NCAA. Rather than insisting that Kelley move ahead with the transition to a new nickname (as some wisely advised), they sat in a corner and pouted, insisting that no nickname was just fine with them. And when the SBoHE should have challenged the legislature's authority to control UND's choice of a nickname, they punted. The true believers among the "Fighting Sioux moniker or die!" faithful thought they won something when the legislature mandated a three-year no-nickname "cooling off" (i.e. pray for a miracle) period. Epic. Fail. The longer we keep punting on this the more likely it is that UND will end up with some pap and claptrap, inoffensive-to-all nickname. By the time whomever decides who decides that it's time for a new nickname, the "Fighting Sioux moniker or die" stakeholders will be an even smaller, more marginalized, easy-to-forget and easier-to-ignore group. It's time to control what is our to control.

You're running an apocalypse scenario. It won't come to that. It could get ugly, but not there.

And now we find O'Donnell has a "significant" injury: http://undhockey.areavoices.com/ And Parks may have been hurt by a CFB by Alt. (Same source.) Did that say Alt injuried Parks with a CFB? Gee, is that the same choir boy Alt that took a 5 and misconduct on a CFB hit to Lamoureux? http://www.undsports...DB_OEM_ID=13500 Too bad college hockey doesn't allow Mr. MacWilliam to give Mr. Alt a little "face time". Apparently he's earned it.

Which boils down to "which UND team shows up"?

I do. DI basketball is all about North Carolina, Duke, Kentucky, Indiana, and UCLA, not mid-major* schools in fly-over country. *Polite media code for "they have no freakin' chance to ever win a DI MBB title.

Can Tate Maris play forward? We may need him.

{WARNING -- my four favorite words to follow} I. Told. You. So. Now read my signature.

Minnesota and DU (and BC) pile onto the ice after periods to "meet and great" their goalie, and set up a potential powder keg. Either: (a) the "leaving the bench" penalty needs to be called, or (b) UND should change to jerseys of the colors of "dehydrated urine" and "bloody stool" like the teams that get away with it.

They could've before the law was rescinded but they didn't. That says to me who knows what the ND SBoHE will do.

You missed a step: They need the signatures. Then they need the vote to go their way. I'm not sure either of those are a given.

What the petitions (there are two remember) are going for is: (a) reinstatement of Al Carlson's folly, then (b) an amendment to the state constitution regarding the moniker <-- that would cause a conundrum as it would potentially conflict with another section of the state constitution

Don't know how bad O'Donnell is. Do know he might not be the only injury loss at forward after Saturday.

You assume McLeod won't chime in on Monday or Tuesday. I said it at the end of regulation: They should've sent both teams off the ice without a handshake after Saturday's game. But no, Don Adam proves his baffoonish lack of game control again. PS - Whatever happened to the "if you can go from the bench to the locker room without stepping onto the ice that's what you do" rule? Minnesota was coming onto the ice after each period. That used to be first a warning then a bench minor.

And here is the crux of the situation: Such a law, without a change in NCAA policy, harms UND. I will not harm UND. And the NCAA has shown that they will not and do not have to follow ND law (see: Al Carlson's fiasco). Efforts by SL beyond their lawsuit are misefforted and misguided. I say this because they want the power over the nickname, yet, they are trying to give some of that power (via petitions and a vote) to the voters of ND. SL needs to focus on the lawsuit and only the lawsuit. That solves the whole situation: the NCAA loses in Federal court and SL gets all the power. It's pretty simple, yet so few see it.

Correct. But that also means UND has four road (BSC) games that UND is not being paid to travel to and play.

Please keep ticket discussions in the ticket forum.

I channel-surfed five minutes on the way to the Wild @ Blackhawks game and saw that USD was vastly overmatched.

Meanwhile, south of the border ...

An FCS team will want more money to travel to play in Grand Forks than a SDSoM. Want to see a better team? Write the check.

Hey, it's not nice to disrespect the past winner of the "Best Monopoly in America" award. The Gambino family wish they had it so good.