The Sicatoka

Minor details update.

Work out the details for today's college (and local resident) generation.

If the message is "Free Standing Rock" (let them vote!) any time is the right time.

Make this all about "Democracy at Standing Rock." Let's see the media make Sioux fans out to be bad people when we're promoting democracy! Let the Sioux People speak for themselves! Free Standing Rock!

Linkage.

On Thursday when the SBoHE meets, there will be a nickname protest at American Indian Student Services. Isn't it nice that they can find time in their busy day to hold an anti-nickname media event? So .... Someone needs to organize a "Support Democracy at Standing Rock" event. A nice touch would be a peaceful, respectful march on University Avenue from Wilkerson to the Union. Rally in front of the Union at noon! That's where the State Board is meeting. Carry signs supporting a referendum at Standing Rock and their right to democracy! Wear your Fighting Sioux garb! Support the Sioux name by supporting the Sioux People and their right to be heard! OK "Facebook, Twitter, flashmob-generation" ... make this happen.* Show up and be heard so others at Standing Rock can be as well. And if you do show up: Be smart, be civil, laugh at the other side because they're anti-democracy. "Be Better, Be North Dakota! ... Go Sioux! " * One of you on campus needs to take the ball on this because I'm too far away to make it work.

Go 'cocks.

I do enjoy that Mr. Fool Bear is calling out the hypocrisy of Mr. McNeil. Mr. McNeil (who claiming to be "traditional" changed his name to His Horse is Thunder) wants it both ways. It's good that someone's calling him on it.

Call me cynical, but I'm thinking Brett Favre to Greg Lewis wouldn't help this.

You don't ever dare scold, upgrade, or reprimand the actions of the "enlightened and respectful nickname opponents". You can't even do it when they've moved into insubordinate or uncivil behavior. So you surely dare not give them any sort of warning even in the face of (rightly) anticipated continued patterns of behavior. Only the "nasty, racist nickname supporters" need be chastised for actions that have never happened and can only be imagined to occur.

More marinade. Seems the grill's about to temperature ...

Dear Curious George, you GQ attired, dashing dasher dancing monkey you, Thanks for the free PR! Now everyone who watches Rockies baseball but loathes DU (for whichever of innumerable reasons) has a team to cheer for. I'm not saying that that team hasn't been CC in the past, but DU and CC are more the friendly rivals sorts. I'd never expect a melee to break out between DU and CC. But by stating your pure hatred of UND you've given a home to all those Fox Sports Rocky Mountain viewers who fester pure hatred for DU or DU hockey. We'll take any fanbase you can sent our way. It's our way of embracing diversity. Better? As bad as you claim us to be we can always point to two scenes: - Robbie Bina's broken neck courtesy Geoff Paukovich's dirty hit - Your dasher dance and ice stroll to upstage the officials, followed by (intentional?) NCAA rules violations post-ejection Pure class. Excellent reference points for us to use to define you and your program. Thanks again. From all the "Philly on the Red" fans: Thanks for adding to our numbers!

Any travelers out there? How would you feel after three trips to Texas in four weeks? The other thing: Heat and humidity. It finally caught up. (They were falling like flies at the TT/Houston game and that wasn't that far away.) The scheduling needs to be better after this year. The rest is part of the growing and learning curve.

Control what's yours to control, or guys like this will be there to "help" you.

We've been sitting ducks since the August 2005 NCAA press conference. I don't want to be a sitting duck after all this shakes out.

Not always a fan of the guy, but he may have gotten it right this time: I sure hope Ron McNeil hears, and understands, this.

That is a trap game. According to Massey, if Sioux Falls was a DII today they'd be in the top 25.

The North Central is gone. Some to DI (FCS), other to the Northern Sun (NSIC). It seems the NSIC filled the void left behind. The NSIC is 14 today. Will it soon be 16?

In the "market segment" (athletics) UND is in the competition markets the "logo" and "moniker" as much as the "brand". You have to have something to go up against that. Even Michigan, which has its block M logo, and is most identified by really ugly helmet stripes, still has the tag-line "Wolverines". Pick something (control what's yours to control) or someone will stick you with one that's only half complimentary. Personally, I believe UND should make more use of the logo I'm using as an avatar.

Don't be afraid.

I have a Reaper logo ...

Too "Nashville." Be unique. Reapers can look both back (state's ag history) and forward (GFAFB and UND UAV/UAS missions).

USAF flies them. So does NASA. So do these guys. All have ties to Grand Forks, ND, and UND.

Cute. Bob would've appreciated that. But one name/moniker in my final six list was used by a tribal chair and prominent former UND hoopster recently.

I'll guess six finalists: Rough Riders - state nickname, see: Kansas, Michigan, Tennessee, Wyoming, et al (ND/UND trumps GFRR) Nokotas - it's the only animal indignious and unique to North Dakota (and grows hair on its, ahem, scrotum ) Reapers - good concept (farmers of the past, UAVs of today and tomorrow) but too edgy for some of the "sensitive enlightened" Flickertails - it'll fail because it's unmarketable next to the urine-colored M-rodent to the east (don't forget "the Benjamins") <weather/celestial phenomena> - nice idea but people are sick of generic 'storms' and such <something cutesy integrating "UND"> - sUNDogs = fail Missing the final six cut: <some sky raptor> - eagles at UMC and hawks in Fargo, and the owl being seen as evil in some cultures, ends this theme Mafia - MafiaMan would love it, but can you imagine Tony Soprano sending "protesters" ... <anthing Dirty supports> - just on principle Winner? Well, one name was used by a tribal chair and a prominent former UND hoopster. That tells me the fix is in for that one.