The Sicatoka

My prediction for the 2009-2010 season: More predictions about the season will be wrong than will be right.

That was so easy. I just had to pick on you a little. Actually, I just wanted an excuse to type ... chick-fight!

In 2008-09 they went with a 14F-8D-3G (25 man) roster (and that considers Brad Miller as a D, so really we could call it 14.5-7.5-3). Right now, assuming Cichy, Kristo, Bruneteau, Rowney, (Gleason, MacWilliam, and Dell) they're at 14F-7D-3G (24 man) roster. I don't believe they'll go with a 24 man roster. That's not much room to account for injuries. My guess: Welcome back Michael Forney. Now here's my question: Are there any forwards who've played defense in the past? With 7D on the roster you're two injuries away from being short on the blue line.

Schlossman's blog now has Knight back to the AJHL and Mattson to the USHL. At risk of repeating myself:

I know what a donnybrook is and I know that "blond" normally refers to males and "blonde" normally refers to females, so, does that mean a donnybrooke is a chick-fight?

That's maintained by your fellow posters. And none of us are sure. We're not sure Forney's sure.

I flop my Midco between Versus and VersusHD: No. Contest. And it's the most dramatic for sports. I can watch an HD or a non-HD program on TNT or USA and I can't see the difference as dramatically as I see it for things like hockey.

I know I speculated otherwise elsewhere, but if both "Knight back to AJHL for 2009-10" and "Mattson trying out in Omaha" are true ... and Hakstol needs five forwards to replace the seniors ... Cichy, Kristo, Bruneteau, ... Forney? , ... Rowney? ... Forney is a unique case (1988 DOB). Bruneteau and Rowney are 1989 DOBs. This would essentially have the five oldest forward recruits in the pipeline coming this fall.* * Yes, Mike Fink is one day older than Cichy and Cichy and Rodwell were born on the same day.

One thing that should help hockey viewership in the future: High-Definition broadcasts. I struggle to watch hockey not in HD now.

For those of you in that primative outpost called "Phaar-ghoe" where Cable One does not carry Versus: West Fargo and the surrounding ND towns are Midcontinent Cable towns. If you have Midco you can get Versus (sports package). If you have Midco and an HD TV you can get VersusHD (sports package). Gonchar's goal looked really good in HD slow-motion.

It's a club program. The student who started it was very passionate. I'm sure he's since graduated. Who took over I'm not sure. You need a passionate advocate to make any program work.

Then the Bison club hockey titles in the 1980s aren't "official". And actually, NDSU football would only have five titles if only NCAA titles are "official".

I'd call UMLL games, which is part of MCLA, official.

I've said this all along. Leigh Jeanotte and his Jeanotte-headed followers have cried about being equal on campus. What they don't realize is that by doing this, yes, they'll be equal: They'll be coming down off the pedistal that Tom Clifford put AI programs and AISS on back during his tenure. Those programs will now all be fighting equally, no more AIs using the moniker as a fulcrum, against every other program for limited campus resources strictly on merit. Welcome to "equal" Leigh Jeanotte: It probably won't be what you expected, but it is self-inflicted.

Rantus Maximus Agreemus! But I did fix your one mistake (in bold above) ...

In this round, you're not in trouble until you lose at home.

"redwing77" is really "Ma Flower" (aka Marc-Andre Fleury)!?!?! That "redwing" moniker is awesome cover; I'd have never guessed.

"Don't take it! Don't take it! He's cheating you. I know if the Weber State guy gets two more catches he'll make at least $90 and you should get at least $45!" Memphis has ACADEMIC FRAUD issues affecting eligibility in their basketball program, and let's the coach during that time slip away with no saction to Kentucky, and the NCAA is worrying about constitutional legislation in Delaware and Montana.

And folks, since when do state lawmakers, with a constitutional ruling from the state's highest court, have to prove anything to the NCAA? Who the [bleep] does the NCAA think it is?

NCAA membership is as "voluntary" as car insurance. Sure, you don't have to have car insurance as long as you don't drive a car. And sure, you can change insurance companies, but will you get the same "coverage"? Public entities (like the ND Insurance Commissioner) reign in insurance companies, not the other way around. But that's not how it's working in college athletics.

Yes. Yes. And, Yes. 1. Business Week magazine polled Harvard economists recently and they rated them a better monopoly than the US Post Office and OPEC! 2. I answer yes because you could view the three levels of NCAA play (Division I, II, and III) as Venezuela, Iran, and Saudi Arabia of OPEC. Each acts to their interest, and yet to their mutual benefit as well. 3. The minute Myles Brand started talking about the NCAA being a "catalyst for social change" and dictating public policy to pubic governing authorities (for example, the North Dakota State Board of Higher Education, and now the Delaware and Montana gaming boards) they are attempting to take on, dare I say monopolize, a role in interstate commerce that Constitutionally only belongs to the Federal Government. How many times do I have to say ... "wait until it's your ox being gored."

Beware ...

How's your shoulder? I thought I heard it pop out from patting yourself on the back.

I hope you're not holding your breath waiting for that.