The Sicatoka

Folks keep bringing up the Big Sky. That's presently just as hypothetical as UND shuffling its sport offerings to add lacrosse and drop baseball, softball, and golf. Cost for cost? An analysis would need to be done. Buning comes from a place that had lacrosse (Army). If there was interest I'm sure he could use that as a reference. As far as recruits, even the established NCAA programs are recruiting good athletes and putting a crosse into their hands for the first time. (See here.)

Idaho Vandals Notre Dame Fighting Irish Augustana College Vikings Southern California Trojans Michigan State Spartans Florida State Seminoles I'm not seeing people as spun up about those. As far as a commercial, I know who I am (and I don't go around having to prove who I am to others) so it doesn't bother me. I see it as a part of life. I'd rather let people say what they will to learn what they think than force them to limited words and limited thoughts. I am who I am: I'm not just my race, or my profession, or my religion, or my hobbies. I don't let any one thing consume or define me. Like Marc Ranfranz was quoted one time, "There are stereotypes of just about anything. ... If you're going to stress out about stereotypes of your background, it's a lot of wasted time. You can't control what other people are going to say."

Not only is he the only '88 on that squad, he's the youngest guy by 10 months!

All for it! I believe to support a potential DI department options that are possible revenue generators, instead of sure money losers, should be evaluated. Hence the conversation of pros and cons of lacrosse: Could lacrosse draw more fans than baseball (and be less of a negative impact)? I've long said I'd like UND Athletics to be able to pay its own way at the gate. I'm trying to find ways to do that. These were posted on UND's IAC site. It is the projected FY 04 budget. Game Management $1,414,250 Scholarships $1,320,238 Administration - Salary $950,189 Hockey $275,100 Administration - Operations $200,500 Football $192,132 Womens Hockey $174,983 Fighting Sioux Club $130,000 Training Room $123,353 Ticket Administration $115,045 Marketing & Promotions $102,700 Swimming $82,770 Womens Basketball $80,695 Womens Track $70,700 Mens Basketball $68,600 Baseball $62,603 Mens Track $60,605 Volleyball $59,000 Softball $58,975 Media Relations $55,000 Womens Soccer $49,600 Football $36,850* Hockey $27,500* Womens Hockey $24,500* Mens Basketball $22,250* General Sports $20,000 Mens Golf $16,500 Womens Basketball $15,210* Cheerteam $11,475 Womens Golf $11,350 Buildings & Grounds $10,000 Miscellaneous Staff Travel $10,000 NCAA Championships $8,000 Tennis $8,000 Volleyball $7,000* Baseball $4,500* Swimming $4,000* Softball $3,500* Womens Soccer $3,000* Mens Track/CC $2,500* Womens Track/CC $2,500* Tennis $500* Mens Golf $500* Womens Golf $500* * recruiting only

Fahgiddaboudit.

GrahamKracker: You are worried about "stereotyping" of races. Yet, you won't accept that the Vandals are being stereotyped in television commercials. Get consistent or your foundation for argument is faulty. I'm sorry you are upset that the basis of your argument (that only American Indians face stereotypes) is damaged by a simple television commercial, but that still no reason to come with an ad hominem attack. PS - The Vandals are the Germans. They've been persecuted in the US also. Remember the interment camps of WWII. The Japanese were sent to camps in California; the Germans were sent to interment camps in New Jersey. We've all faced tough times. We all always will.

INCH. Sounds like personal problem.

Seriously, what's it take to have a good BB team? Three guys? Maybe? Those "three guys" used to be on six or seven guys exclusively on NCC rosters. Now they are going for playing time on NCC and NSIC rosters.

The only place I see those espoused are from posts from GrahamKracker.

Teams recruit for expected needs. UND has four lined up for fall 2006: F: Michael Forney, Chris VandeVelde D: Chay Genoway, Jake Marto There are only two seniors on the roster: forward Mike Prpich and defenseman Lee Marvin. Toss in the potential of early departures of Smaby, Stafford, or Zajac and the class for fall of 2006 seems about right. And don't forget that we may be getting Robbie Bina back and cleared for full contact and play. The only question would be if Jordan Parise left early (where to find another goalie). What the rest of the numbers from Heisenberg's site means is this: The rest of the league will be skating 10 freshmen every night next year. Seeing what Wisconsin's "old men" did to us, I'll gladly take the "old men" role and play teams with 10 freshmen on the ice.

It's a nuance, but he couldn't have "signed". The signing period is in February. He must have verballed.

So close. ... :D

The UND Mafia. Yes, Mafia. Why? 10. We already have Vegas ties. 9. Team captains referred to as "wise guys." 8. Our hockey coaches? Godfather Hak and his lieutenants Brad da Glare and Cary da Squirt Bottle. 7. We could keep the green and black color scheme. 6. Would Denny Gunderson have to join the Teamsters? 5. When our defensemen put a hit on someone, they really put a hit on someone! 4. We'd all get cool white fedora hats (for home games, black hats on the road). 3. Think how sharp the teams would look traveling in pin striped suits. 2. Violin-case shaped hockey bags. 1. Ask John Gotti: There is no Mafia. ---> No protesters!

You all laugh, but my people are much more than just fighters. And look at the stereotypes we battle. (Did I get the GK sob-story tone right? Now someone hand me a tissue. I'm getting weapy again from the thought of that horrible commerical. )

All of these Vikings and Irish. (sigh) A proud Vandal here, thank you.

I think "star2city" covered it before: The more simple answer is: It's all hypothetical right now. UND can't control the BSC. UND can control UND Athletics. You can't live your life worrying about what others might or might not do so control what's yours to control and do what's best for you. (Isn't that what Joe Chapman and Gene Taylor have been telling us? )

The problem is that sci-fi is just that: science-fiction. We live in a non-fiction world. In a non-fiction world reversing what is cause and what is effect doesn't solve problems.

Somebody in UND Athletics has some first-hand experience with lacrosse. If nothing else he'd have a solid grasp of the pros and cons.

I understand folks' points about travel costs. It's an issue. But we'd be trading baseball and softball and M/W golf travel costs (see my previous post about where those teams go) for M/W lacrosse travel costs and be trading up to sports that we might actually "gate" some fans in. (All the numbers are in the thread.) Another thought: Could UND tap into the Canadian (Winnipeg) lacrosse fan market? Canad Inn and UND lacrosse weekend packages in GF?

Why not turn the $$$ into field turf* for The Al and have soccer play in there? Scoreboards? Heck, then you'd have replay boards! * NCAA only allows soccer on natural grass or field turf. The ball never stops rolling on magic carpet.

I'm not sure what you are trying to say with "doesn't fit because all-sports conference counts it." Baseball and softball don't fit in the Big Sky. What would the SUs or UND do if an offer came along? I say you can't worry about that. The goal in my thoughts is a program that comes closer to "gating" its costs, and that stands a better chance of being nationally competitive, than the programs that are in place now. About your point/question 6, why not M and W lacrosse: They'd self-neutralize Title IX concerns (like M/W hockey). I'm thinking replacement, not addition. Now for some random observations and ("sudo"-)analysis by me. (Very scattered, sorry.) Drivers behind thought process: Going to sports with potential to be revenue neutral (v. negative, and positive is probably a dream). Reshaping UND's athletic department to facilities strengths. Reshaping UND's athletic department to climate realities. Align UND Athletics to Strategic Plan II goals and objectives. (see star2city above) Known data: UND Baseball averaged 261 per home date in 2004. UND Baseball had 2347 fans in total attend games in 2004. Denver has maxed out their stadium (3300) for lax matches. Baseball and softball facilities are wanting. Baseball and softball consistently lose home dates in April due to weather. The Al is sized to be able to hold lacrosse, and has a roof. Assumption: Golf (M and W), softball, and tennis did not surpass baseball in home attendance. Data with high believability (strong source, but unverified independently): UND Scholarships (limits and actuals) Sport DI DII UND Baseball 11.8 9.0 2.4 Golf (M) 4.5 3.6 0.2 Softball 12.0 7.2 5.5 Golf (W) 6.0 5.4 1.0 W Tennis 8.0 6.0 2.5 Potential scholarships available in a reshaping: M: 2.6 W: 6.5 to 9.0 (depending if tennis survives my analysis) NCAA Lax scholarship limits: M: 12.6 W: 12.0 Travel costs? DU's Recent Lax Schedules -- 16 to 17 dates. Normally two games per weekend. Four home weekends; four or five travel weekends (each > 500 miles). This season's UND travel schedules: Softball -- to FL, to UNO, to USD, to MSP, to Duluth, to (somewhere in MN). Baseball -- to Emporia State (KS), to Washburn (KS? MO?), to FL, to Brookings, to Upper Iowa, to BSU, to Mankato, to UMC, to Duluth, to UNO. Golf (W) -- to Detroit Lakes, St Paul, Marshall, Omaha, Vermillion, Mankato Golf (M) -- to Moorhead, Bemidji, Fargo, Sioux Falls, Vermillion, Mankato, Lincoln. Tennis -- five road trips (all to MN or SD) I see at least five >500 miles travel weekends in there. I guess I come to this conclusion: UND, short of a domed baseball stadium or a warmer season schedule, won't ever come close to gating costs of the baseball program (or softball, or golf, or tennis). Lacrosse at other schools has much better gates than what UND is getting today in baseball (et al). Lacrosse would have some basis for appeal to UND's demographics (recruiting areas, fan base) as well. I know there are many other fish to fry first (Buning's Day Planner thread), but it's still an interesting bull session with the folks here.

Hey, I'll admit that. But baseball and softball have proven to be pure red ink. I'd be happy with something that'd have even an outside shot at paying its own freight. Denver put 1200 in a lacrosse stadium in a snowstorm last year and filled their 3300 seat facility more than once. For comparison, in 2004 UND had 9 home baseball games with a total attendance of 2,347 (average: 261). I'd pay to see UND guys with sticks beat on Denver guys another month or two in the spring, even in The Al.

The University of Idaho (Vandals) is allowed to mock and stereotype Germanic people. Van

No, PCM. More like,