The Sicatoka

Try this instead. As far as requirements to jump to DI, see the DIAA threads.

A University of North Dakota education!

Sure I'd love to see DII saved. I've also said UND should evaluate DIAA. "What the market can bear" and "direct competition" are hallmarks of the economic system called capitalism. I firmly believe that collegiate athletics, from the fiscal aspect, must be run as a business. If the athletic department is not "in the black," they are a financial burden upon the institution and its primary mission, namely education. You want big-time athletics? Be prepared to pay the big-time freight.

I can see where both sides are coming from in this. I'm wondering if it doesn't pass will there be a push for neighborhood pools instead of just splash parks? Put in three or four neighborhood pools to replace those lost to dike construction and you're still looking at a significant fraction of the water park cost. The catch is, neighborhood pools won't draw in folks off the highway or the Canad Inn. It really is Scylla and Charybdis.

This guy lobbied hard for passage of that law. Wasn't the whooping crane the new mascot in the movie "PCU"?

The ND State Bird is the Western Meadowlark. Leave Sebastian the Ibis in Miami.

Then you'll love this: I bought tickets for the 2001 NDSU at UND game through the UND Alumni Association. For two tickets and a pre-game party it was $55 to $60. This year it is $27.50 for a ticket and $5 for the pre-game party. For two that's $65. That really isn't that great of a rate of inflation. I guess that it's just that everyone is paying it this year. Forgive me if I view it as excessive grousing and bemoaning coming from some corners.

They aren't maxed out on all of their scholarships for all their sports. Consider the $11 a contribution to the future of UND womens hockey. Let me repeat: Anyone who doesn't think college athletics is a business hasn't been paying attention for the last 20 years.

Yes, UND is a state entity. They should charge what they can for the game. They have to run the Athletic Department. If the Athletic Department is in the red the State gets the bill. So rather than $27.50 for a seat should UND not raise prices to the games and pass any red ink along to state taxpayers in the form of higher income taxes? Should grandmas on fixed incomes subsidize football fans? No. You want something you pay for it. Prices must cover the costs of the programs. Anyone who doesn't think college athletics is a business hasn't been paying attention for the last 20 years.

You mean this? Has DIII acted on it yet or is it still a proposal?

Nope. Too many men is a protocol violation.

I see a lot of new houses going in around Grand Forks that would take a great deal more than $20k per year to live in. (The annual mortgage payments would be more than $20k!) If those are the only jobs in GF, who's buying those houses?

The only poll that matters is the pole you raise a championship banner on.

The magic number is 14. It's either 7 mens/7 womens or 6 mens/8 womens sports with a minimum of two team sports for each gender. NDSU currently has 14 but DI counts track indoor and outdoor track separately so at DI NDSU would be at 16. UND is currently at 18 and would be at 20 if counted under the DI system.

Or conversely, someone else may have to sacrifice wrestling. Budgets and Title IX both have to be met. It's been an easy target at many other schools.

Yeah, but UND helped them with three fumbles and an interception all the first half! Oh, ..... yeah.

Is UND scared? Yes, but not of what you'd like to think. Any discussion of the issue must include compliance to not only the NCAA but Federal Law, namely Title IX. If you read NDSU or SDSU's Carr Reports, Title IX is a concern for both of them as well. Dropping "useless" sports like those mentioned is asking to be sued. Not having them will foul up the gender equity part of the equation. Carr actually pointed out the lack of womens tennis at NDSU as a possible future problem. Plus, to maintain said equity you have to add a womens scholarship for each new football or other mens scholarship (per Carr Report). All of this comes down to scholarships (or more simply, money). I'd rather see UND taking a measured approach to make sure the finances are in order. Hockey eats up the budget? 256,591 at $15 per seat is more than the $1.8 MM they spent on hockey last year, by $2 MM. Hockey is the engine.

Apparently, the NDSU Student Senate held back some of the 200 tickets to be raffled to students for themselves. That concerns me a little if they weren't open about it. But that's an internal matter for NDSU to deal with. What concerns me more is this part of the story: I'm not sure what to say after reading that.

There was a long article in the Grand Forks Herald yesterday about plans for the area around the Alerus Center. Your thoughts?

Like I said somewhere else, if I'm going to get excited about the Gophers losing a hockey game .... that wasn't the one.

The winner will be awarded the Nickel Trophy. Someone may try to pilfer it. That is utter blasphemy no matter who possesses it after the game. On that I suspect all true fans of the rivalry will agree. Sure, winner keeps it because that's how it works; however, I'm agreed with jimdahl on that. The series may well take a year or two off, but "eternity" is pretty hypothetical in my view as well.

Mentioning Tusculum, this week's Massey Ratings has Tusculum just one place ahead of Mesa State. If UND only plays one half like in the last two games (and maybe more considering Augie and the non-conference game performances), UND is going to be in trouble because they won't be able to come back against the level of defensive play NDSU is at right now. For UND to win I expect they'll have to play textbook defense and give up no plays over 30 yard plus they'll have to be at least +2 in turnovers. And did I mention that the offense can have no more than four "three and out" drives for the game?

Apparently they're late-bloomers. That's worked the last two weeks. It's not going to work this week.

But Sunday's Fargo Forum reports that the game is sold out. You know what that tells me about $27.50 per seat? They could have gotten more.

You're lucky we like you the other 362 days* a year. * Minus one football and two basketball dates.