The Sicatoka

I normally love Midco but today ... not so much. I have ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNews, ESPN Classic, but not ESPNU. And Midco doesn't do ESPN360.com.

Fargo Forum:

Fargo Forum: Better? Good timing there, eh? Now ... Blackface? Were the Colorado College Tigers hockey team there too? Or ... blackface, cowboy references .... Is this somehow related to the history of the previously all black 10th Cavalry ("The Buffalo Soldiers") and a "hostile and abusive" misuse of the Bison (buffalo) moniker and mascot? I think, just to be safe, NDSU should change the Bison moniker. :D

Further proof of why even though you can post something .... should you? This forum isn't a closed-door conversation amongst friends.

If you see someone qualified to receive services from American Indian Student Services wearing a cowboy hat, should you file a complaint? How about if it's kilt at a Halloween party? A Greek toga?

I thought I might be able to come into a thread with this title and figure out which recruits are still playing and how all of them are doing statistically. Silly me.

Makes ya wonder what breakdown really is happening.

There's a lot of maturation needed from all sides on this issue.

10:30 am Central on "The Deuce" (ESPN2)

JackJD: Changing the name won't prevent the next "cowboy" party on any campus.

Six WCHA teams, two of them hosts, a 2 and a 3(!) really made a mess of this. Troy Jutting has to be wondering a lot of different things tonight ....

It's the fastest growing HS sport in the US.

In recent years when 1 and 2 are both from "east" or "west" they've crossed the regionals going to a Frozen Four. For example, 2007: Rochester, NY played Grand Rapids, MI; Denver, CO played Manchester, NH. They did the same in 2006 and 2005. Putting #2 overall Miami (?) into Colorado Springs puts them in the west (as a west team) and allows them to "cross" the bracket by having the Colorado Springs bracket play an east bracket. nodakvindy's gues-timate would cross Madison/Albany (1/4) and Colorado Springs/Worchester (2/3).

Let's assume the top four are ... CCHA winner tonight CCHA loser tonight North Dakota New Hampshire UND winning today saved the committee a ton of issues: #1 overall goes to Madison #2 overall is a western team and should go to the other west regional (so sayeth history and precedent) #3 overall no longer has a western site available -- east they go (and they love making UND travel) #4 overall is eastern with an open eastern site I agree with nodakvindy's take at least for top seeds. I believe tonight's CCHA title game will determine who goes to Madison and who goes to play on wide ice at altitude (probably against the home team).

The conundrum is this: Given the shear and utter lunacy of a "cowboy themed" party in this climate, and still going with it , changing the UND moniker will do nothing but change the UND moniker. See: Oklahoma State, Colorado College, et al. PS - TRex, if you don't realize the moniker is gone already, you really haven't been paying attention. PPS - Didn't Ron His Horse Is Thunder recommend "Rough Riders" as a UND moniker. Think about it.

Uh, Colorado College hockey players, "black face", this season, ... ring any bells?

Dear Bob Motzko, Even if you're not scheduled to play a team, it'd be wise to look at box scores or recaps from other league games from the week before. For example: Shelast with six seconds left, to tie. Then maybe, "Howe, with 13 seconds left, to win" could've been avoided by your team. Oh well. You missed it.

Acting Co-AD Brekke is a BB guy. That's a pretty good vote of confidence.

What do I know about Sioux recruits? I know that between now and September 2009 (yes, 2009) we'll lose all of today's seniors and juniors, plus almost assuredly Chris VandeVelde. That's 9 forwards and 4 defensemen. I also know that lined up to come in between now and September 2009 (see: Wiki) they have .... 9 forwards and 4 defensemen. Plus, they have Lamoureux's replacement (Eidsness). The only question is Walski's, and what about Snider's future. If Hakstol and his staff are smart enough to have it lined up 18 months out, I'll trust them to bring the right guy in at the right time depending on the "ifs and whens" of today's juniors leaving early (i.e. 2008).

I only laughed at how much the league did to "shepherd" Minnesota through a trek to Mankato: - one in the press box/video booth - one with orange arm bands - one as a linesman Amazing indeed. With DU and CC going to St. Paul, and Easter weekend, the WCHA would have had a lot of empty seats (lost a lot of money) with no Minnesota at the Final Five (this should serve as warning/notice to SCSU Thursday). They had to still be stingin' from Todd Anderson's call (Saturday SCSU at UND) that switched the SCSU/UW series from 15000 seat Kohl Center to 5000 seat NHC.

No. No. No. No. No. Not clear enough? (bleep) NO. "Let them play" or "Let them decide it on the ice" only allows the team more willing to break the rules a greater advantage. Hockey is a game of speed and skill. Hockey games should not be won by the team better able to cheat. We were deep into "color coded calls" last night (MTU was "Code White" and UND was "Code Yellow") and it was a travesty. I want to see skating and skill. If I want to see blocking and tackling I'll go to Alerus Center.

I prefer a banana, or strawberries, on my Wheaties.

Given that and the previous story, I'd say yes. Using the provided very limited sample, I'd say of 14 UND graduates who are (Mr. Gipp's term) "First Americans" the split is 9 support and 5 don't. Aren't the folks in the minority opinion normally considered the dissenters? Wouldn't that mean Mr. Gipp is causing the ... dissension?

Heidi ... quite simply: So what. It's the smartest thing Hak can do for Michael Forney's development and career right now. Here's why ... What matters is the "five academic year to finish four competitive seasons" rule. Michael started UND in 2006-07 as Academic Year 1 (AY1). He completed Competitive Year 1 (16 games). This is AY2. Assuming he doesn't play again this year he won't complete CY2, as he has only played in 3 games (none in the 2nd half of the schedule). He'll thus have AYs 3, 4, and 5 to complete CYs 2, 3, and 4. (Three year; three seasons; it works out. No worries.) Basically, if he doesn't play another game this year he's taken a "redshirt freshman" year (like footballers do) as a sophomore. (We know he's had surgery since the end of last season. If it becomes an issue, Brad's blog means nothing. The paperwork to the NCAA will say "surgery" and three games are explained as "he tried and couldn't go; more rehab needed". Done. ) The key is not playing another game this year gets him three competitive seasons after this one. He needs those to re-establish himself as a top end player worthy of that high draft pick used on him. Knowing that, wouldn't you "healthy scratch" him rather than having him play a game and lose a whole competitive season (and season to get back to top-end form)? Why am I so sure of this? Hak played him in the Saturday UNH (an untested guy against UNH?) game: Game 17 of 35. Game 17 of 35 was the last possible game of the first half of the schedule --> Just 3 games, none in the second half of the schedule. (See: Hardship Rule) Hak used his last chance to see if Michael could go the rest of the way (and did so without costing Michael a competitive season). Of course, now that I've said I'll this Hak will dress and play him Friday and I'll look silly.

Heck, I missed one: