The Sicatoka

We thought the moniker wasn't an issue to the Big Sky until that letter showed up. Where will it show up as an issue next? Your guess is as good as mine. But if the NCAA is involved ...

Same editorial: More specifically, " ... everlasing angst from the NCAA ... " and potential conferences, because that's all we'll ever have is potential conferences as no one will touch UND.

All of my statements are situation appraisal, save for the very last two words. If that's "telling others what to do" ... Much of life is accepting the wrongs that others believe are right because the others have the power. UND is stuck in one of those situations.

Well, that's the NCAA when they called such monikers "hostile and abusive". But the NCAA is too big to fail so they won't be allowed to.

Al Carlson put it "the well has been poisoned". I'll say the bell has been rung. You can't unring a bell. Al Carlson's bill was a renig on a legal agreement. That's not how North Dakotans do business. There's no honor in that. The NCAA won't change. UND will have to. Accept it.

The NCAA is a private organization. The first step would be to get them declared a "state actor". Then, as a pseudo-govenmental entitiy, they'd be subject to Constitutional provisions. The best (only) hope for the NCAA to be declared a "state actor" would be under this (from the link): Now can I get one of the resident legal observers to comment on the potential applicability of Brentwood v. TSSAA to the NCAA? My guess is that the scope isn't right and Brentwood doesn't apply, or else someone would've gone after the NCAA with it already.

This is the last big place where Kelley is dropping the ball. Don't just say "we need to move on". WHERE do we need to move on to? Having a plan to move forward is called "leadership". If you're taking away something beloved have something half decent* to fill the void or the old won't go away. *Examples of EPIC FAIL at this are Dartmouth (Big Green?) and Stanford (Cardinal, as in the color, not the bird or holy man). Miami of Ohio had something good, not great, but good. Arkansas State had something good, not great, but good.

The paragraph in question from the letter. Honestly, the first and last sentence in that paragraph read like they were written by Fullerton/BSC. The middle two, namely, read like they are straight out of an NCAA handbook. The aloof " ... are merely a reflection of the will of the members ... " is classic. The will of the members, that's why this policy came from the Executive Committee and only later was the full membership consulted to determine if the Executive Committee had such powers.

C'mon CAS, even you aren't that obtuse. Read the letter. Let me help you out with the money phrase: "The Big Sky Conference, as a member conference within the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), must take very seriously any guidance it receives from the national organization on these matters." " ... guidance it receives ... " So, it got "guidance" from the home office in Indianapolis. So, try to tell us again how the NCAA didn't get to the Big Sky. Or did Fullerton make that up and sign it?

Well, Minot is famous. This story is linked from DrudgeReport.com. http://www.minotdailynews.com/page/content.detail/id/555952/-It-s-a-sad-day----Crest-could-be-10-feet-higher-than-June-1.html?nav=5010

Here's the reality: Nobody outside of North Dakota gives a flying-F-bomb about North Dakota. We're flyover country. No one is coming to UND's rescue. The rest of the NCAA has voted to give the Executive Council this power. We're talking university presidents here. That demographic loves feel good, PC moves (that ultimately ring hollow as this will). Suck it up. Man up. We've lost, because the rest of the NCAA needs to feel like they've done something magnanamous for the down-trodden American Indian. And no amount of logic or "truth" will trump the overwhelming number of votes to feel good about themselves that will happen at the NCAA. As far as " ... I do not think it is worth throwing away almost 80 years of tradition for the Big Sky conference." Well, your statement is not quite accurate, because without the BSC, and the NCAA who put the BSC up to it, we'll end up keeping a moniker and logo but throwing away athletics. When no one will play you, you no longer have an athletics program. So, which is it: Fighting Sioux Hockey, doomed to fail because no one will schedule them, or North Dakota Hockey, that keeps playing "North Dakota" (tough, gritty, team-based) hockey. Think about this: One of the pregame videos at REA last year even used the phrase "North Dakota Hockey". "Why?" you have to ask yourself.

I misread his height on one of the scouting reports ... 6' .5" <-- missed that decimal. About Parise, I must've had 19 on the brain from Zajac's jersey number with NJ. What the heck, if I change I'll be wrong. If I keep I'll be wrong. So I'll take the lazy path.

OK folks, so why don't we make a game out of this. Pick the overall draft number position of the four UND recruits (Simpson, Grimaldi, Miller, St. Clair). Lowest total difference from actual draft positions wins. Tie breaker is closest single guess to actual position. No prize other than honor and bragging rights. My entry: Grimaldi - 19 overall (my guess inspired by Zach Parise) Miller - 20 overall (Grimaldi goes and Miller goes next) Simpson - 81 overall (you can teach skating; you can't teach 6'5" at age 17) St. Clair - 181 overall (later rounds the Euros tend to move up and the North America guys move down relative to mock drafts)

Technically, UND is not a full member yet. They could've easily met after Kelley and Johnson left. And please keep this in mind: By the tone of that letter, the NCAA got to the BSC and Fullerton. Do you think the BSC presidents wanted to discuss what the NCAA told threatened them in front of Kelley and Johnson?

Here's another thought that should make you cringe: Mr. Holder has reopened a division at DOJ They'll come a'callin', bank on it.

There comes a point where the battle is lost and you must keep your resources for battles you can win. The NCAA came up with a policy. They had Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Iowa in their camp from the start. They got to the Summit. They got to the BSC. They've made it clear they'll get to anyone else they need to. It's their game; it's their party; arbitrary and caprecious or not, that's the way it is. For some reason UND got onto their radar as someone that had to be knocked down. (I suspect it is related to Ralph Engelstad Arena.) They think they've won. So now we control what is still ours to control, and that is the best revenge, namely, coming out of this stronger than ever.

So, in reality, you're looking for an excuse to become a full-time Minnesota fan. Buh-bye. See ya.

Yes, folks, Wisconsin has made noise that if they are no longer in the same conference with UND the Wisconsin scheduling policy regarding teams with American Indian monikers could come into play, or should I say force no play.

The University of North Dakota will still exist and it will be #8 for them. Check the official record books: North Dakota has 7 National Titles.

So, if your notion is correct, why do they keep them around?

We'd need this guy and his family to sign off on it or we'd be "hostile and abusive" again.

If the NCAA does decide to meet with Shaft and who knows who else, I hope they ask just one question: Where do we send the bill for the changes you are mandating. Put it in the only terms the NCAA seems to care about.

Truth? By whose standard? Was there a disgusting float in a homecoming parade? Yes. Truth. Was it 30 years ago? Yes. Truth. Guess which matters to the NCAA and other "enlightened" types. Everyone has their "truth" that they operate from and are closed-minded to anything but. The NCAA has their version of truth supplied by partisans of their ilk and moniker supporters have their version supplied by that side of the fence. That's where this gets to quagmire mode, as it is.

No Dave, your short-sighted, single-mindedness on this issue with that singular statement is the death penalty. No, actually, what you ask for is departmental suicide. No. Way.

Well, it's time ... we do exactly what the former chair at Standing Rock and ardent anti-moniker mouthpiece Jesse Taken Alive told us to do ... Name the University of North Dakota sports teams after ... a US Cavalry unit ... the 1st United States Volunteer Cavalry ... Go RoughRiders. Dear NCAA, please don't be upset about the "cavalry" implications ... the tribal chair you listened to told us to do it.