The Sicatoka

So, let me get this straight: We're supposed to put what some assume is promised (a massively long-shot promise taken to full extension) to fewer than a dozen UND MBB players over the desires of Sioux peoples at Standing Rock who are signing a petition that may return their legal voice (via public referendum). Let me see, which is more important: college sports ... or the right of a people to self-govern. If letting this play out only gets the People of Standing Rock the return of their right to public referendum, but keeps UND out of an auto-bid conference for an extra year, it's still worth it. No contest.

Well, here's the most logical, least emotional, post I've seen in quite a while. It's the most succinct, objective analysis I've seen on the current situation.

How many present day FCS (DI-AA) programs of today west of the Mississippi will still be playing FCS (DI-AA) in 2015? I suspect a number will have fiscal issues and drop the sport and another group will look at FBS after 2011 and whatever moves the western BCS conferences may make.

Is it clear that they are refusing to cooperate? Last I heard, there's a petition drive on-going to revoke the moratorium on referendums on the reservation. I don't see the Standing Rock leaders saying much of anything (either way) about that. It seems reasonable to me to be patient and let that process play out as that's how Spirit Lake established a foundation to their "perpetual" support resolution.

You have some way to know the emotional state of 'star2city' when he posts something? Is that an add-in to my browser that I'm missing?

I recognize John Noah on the street. I recognize Tim O'Keefe on the street. I recognize Jeff Bowen on the street. I recognize Jason Blake on the street. And now I recognize Chris VandeVelde on the street. Next question.

No comment. Signed, Kommissar of Skulduggery Southern Red River Valley District The Vast Fighting Sioux Conspiracy " ... if you only knew ... "

Tony Hrkac went 46-70-116 in 48 games in 1986-87. That's 2.42 points per game or 2.42 goals per game just Tony contributed to (to get a point someone had to score a goal). Tony (2.42) outscored today's Michigan Tech (2.11) and he's darn close to doing it to UAA (2.48).

Now how would you know that.

Oh, I have a solution for this also. Variable value goals. ... WHAT!?!?! ... Yup. You get "points" based on the number of defenders in the defensive zone when the puck crossed the blue line. - clean break away? Just the goalie was back: 1 point. - a trapping team has four in the zone (plus goalie) when you dump and before it comes out you net it? 5 points. - 3 on 2 rush and you score? 3 points (2 defensemen plus goalie) - empty net goal? I can't decide if 0 or 1 (courtesy) point. Oh, and one more: If you shoot and the puck goes directly to the goalie who directs it straight out of play: 1 point for you. You could have a game where you score one "goal" and yet tally 12 points (say a "six point" goal plus six shots their goalie put out of play). Impossible system to keep track of you say? I say "television replay". What would this encourage? Have more guys lean to the offensive end (so you wouldn't give up "six point" goals). Hey, it's Friday with no games. You had to expect something wacky from me.

Why no scoring? - Today's goalie pads look more like sofa cushions. I'm pretty sure one of Brad Eidsness' leg pads is the size of both of Jon Casey's combined. The rest of the goalie gear has "super-sized" also. - The "butterfly" goaltending style. You've taken away the bottom quarter of the net (with sofa cushions). - Coaches. Can you imagine "Curious" George Gwozdecky teaching a toe-drag move? I'd guess he can't. Can you imagine him teaching a sweep check? Yup. Same for Eaves, Jutting, and most of the rest, including Hak. And with the sweep check style comes the demand for "basketball players on skates" because they'll have even longer reaches and longer sticks. - Systems. I'm so tired of seeing skaters skate away from loose pucks (especially in the offensive zone) because their 'system' says so. "Third man high, four men across the blue line, five men inside the dots." <-- All those are clogging up the ice for the creative scorers. I was harping about the dearth of scoring (across all hockey) a couple years ago. Brad Schlossman of the Herald wrote a couple stories and blogs on it. He had data showing that the average total goals scored per WCHA game has fallen from over nine per game to now about five per game. Put another way, in an average two-game series in the mid-1980s you'd see 18 or 19 (scores like 6-3 and 7-2) total goals on the weekend. Today you'll see 9 or 10 total goals on the weekend (scores like 3-1 and 3-2). Allow me to give my opinion on this overall trend. I. Hate. Soccer. If hockey continues to become soccer it'll lose me.

Have you seen the NDSU "Cleopatras" new cheer team? New NDSU school song: Cleopatra - Queen of Denial <-- read the lyrics, very appropriate New NDSU fight song: Walk Like an Egyptian

College basketball. College hockey ...

Dear Lakes, Go stand on the north side of Minard Hall at NDSU.

The NDSU Cleopatras: the Queens of Denial.

I minced words to see if you'd actually finally agree with something, that, when you read it objectively, is reality.

Apparently Dr. Chapman was a poor steward of NDSU and NDSU Foundation dollars as evidenced by the recent budget and house building problems. His lack of good stewardship cost him the presidency of NDSU. Did he intentionally take actions for personal fiscal gain? We don't know as the accountants doing the auditing are yet to chime in. On a personal level, I would hope any public steward would be wiser than that. Did he personally directly benefit from some of his stewardship decisions (see: $22k weekend with the family): Irrefutably. I minced some words there, but that seems to be the way MplsBison wants to see it.

NDSU has programs in engineering, architecture, construction management, and business so NDSU Administration must be familiar with these concepts. And yet no one in NDSU Administration stepped up and questioned the lack of planning on a million dollar expenditure?

I'll say it again: I don't mind Alerus Center for basketball. They can put 9500 in there and the seats are fairly close to the court and the sight lines are pretty good. Disclaimer: I'm not a basketball guy by any stretch.

I'd heard from a Fargo-area contractor that the countertops first put into the new house weren't up to Mrs. Chapman's liking so she had them ripped out and upgraded. I wonder what happened to the perfectly good, new countertops that were ripped out.

That's not journalism. It's a signed letter to the editor, an opinion piece. As such, it's her opinion. I know about opinions.

Yes. But in this move to Division I athletics we were all told that Athletics is the "front porch", the highly visible and recognizable face, of the house. So, right when the street past the house will surely have more traffic due to re-routing, we're changing the porch so folks won't be able to recognize the porch or house.

But here you are, exhibiting the same behavior.

http://www.grandforksherald.com/event/article/id/148960 We now have another possible logo for the NDSU Cleopatras ... the Queens of Denial. Here it is:

I expect nothing less than the empty, expedient, insubstantive, easy out to be taken by the SBoHE. And the only thing that'll change will be a logo and moniker.