The Sicatoka

Before attacking me and claiming I should work for the NCAA, I think you need to answer one question: Where were you on August 5, 2005, when the NCAA started this mess? I was here. I was on USCHO. I was contacting UND officials (Kupchella, Harmeson). I was explaining simply, clearly, how this NCAA policy was not allowable by the NCAA by-laws (since changed by the NCAA assembly) because I took the time to read and understand them. I was all those places, and contacting folks in Bismarck, explaining how this policy is simply the camel's nose under the tents of operations of every NCAA school and why the NCAA needed to be challenged and stopped on this. But, alas, all my efforts failed. But I tried. And lost. Why? As a private body of free association, it's the NCAA's game. Their rules. Heck, I've left the only trump ace left on the table for someone else to try: Get the NCAA declared a "state actor" (meaning they are no longer a private body) in a Federal court. I don't have standing to accomplish that. That's why I keep cheering for Spirit Lake. That's why I keep pointing out publicly, and privately, how SL should be challenging the NCAA. They have a shot to knock down the monster. UND no longer does. So no, the NCAA isn't any sort of diety to me, closer to demon actually. And sometimes the devil does win. Me? I have a tick mark under the "L" on my record from this. I'm not happy with it, but I'm man enough to take it and move on. So again, rather than making gradiose philosophical statements and ad hominem attacks here, where were you, what did you do, on August 5, 2005 when something was still possible.

Blais is a psychic healer that can cure bipartite patella?

Let's assume "no Parks" this weekend (as he's day to day): UND has 16 healthy* skaters to put onto the ice this weekend. Defense: MacWilliam, Mattson, Simpson, Blood, Gleason, Panzarella Forward: Kristo, Knight, Nelson, Lamoureux, Rowney, Gaarder, Dickin, MacMillan, Pattyn, Senkbeil Goales: Dell, Eidsness, Maris Injured/Out: Forbort, Rodwell, Grimaldi, O'Donnell, Parks Not eligible: St. Clair, MacMillan (Mitch) My "can Maris skate a wing" question is getting less and less funny. *"Healthy" is a relative term when it comes to Knight and Lamoureux recovering from injuries that kept them out previously.

Fail. Hosehead : (slang) A derogatory term for a person from Canada (Source: http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/hosehead ) Wally Shaver knew exactly what he said, and why he said it. More Minnesota hockey xenophobia.

1940? Weren't most men joining the Army in expectation of being drawn into a little thing called World War II?

Well I'm offended that they spend so much time worrying about who might be offended. What are they going to do resolve that for me?

Backing out the math on those two numbers, he's seeing nearly 39 shots per game.

Mitch MacWilliam? Has some strange gene-splicing been going on?

Like I asked before: Can Tate Maris skate a wing? Forbort, Grimaldi, O'Donnell, Parks, and Rodwell ... that'd be a heck of a powerplay unit, D-4 and Roc on the points, Rodwell in the tip-bin in front and O'D and Parks on the sides.

That's a nice little late season add for a USHL team.

Nothing. Nada. Nyet. Nil. Nein. Nolo. Like I've said before, I don't want to be dangling in the wind on the end of anyone's string, be it the NCAA's, SL's, or SR's. Cut 'em loose. Firebrand! Torch 'em!

Isn't UND also adding mens tennis with the move to the Big Sky? How's that progressing? Adding lacrosse? What an awesome idea.

How old is Voltin? Has he completed high school? We're not past the "last day to add" at UND yet.

I'd venture the guess that Big Sky teams are more on the minds of the average western fan than MVFC teams are on the minds of the average eastern fan. Big Sky teams are competing for "brain time" in their footprint with the Pac-12, MWC, and WAC. MVFC teams are competing for "brain time" in their footprint with the SEC, Big Ten, Big XII, ACC, Big East, Conf USA ...

Good luck. Lock up the sharp objects and doors to the roof.

Only one problem with your tongue-in-cheek here Rick: Roebuck and his WBB team were in Bahstan, Mass, last night defeating Hahvaad by a score of 60-57.

I'll argue there is one other (highly, highly unlikely*) way, namely, that Standing Rock softens their position and aligns with Spirit Lake. Yes, all the settlement agreement magic dates have passed, but would the NCAA really dare to now ignore the two groups they (per the settlement) said they'd listen to. *How likely you ask? About as likely as NDSU winning a DI hockey title in the next decade.

I believe what he's saying, but to say it publicly ... Ouch.

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.