The Sicatoka

We're not talking hockey. We're not talking about being a top school in the state. We're talking about paying, not subsidizing with university general funds or student fees, paying, the bills. Thus, PCM's comments about "the economic engine that makes it possible" if such a decision were to be made.

Now you're an expert on hockey venues? How many college games have you watched at each? Where'd you sit in each? Who was playing? What makes one better than the others? I'll trust Sioux forward Brady Murray's father* when it comes to rating hockey facilities. I suspect he has better hockey facilities judging credentials. And I'm not sure you'll like what he said. * Make sure you look at that domain name and understand who Andy Murray is.

Not understanding PCM's point (needing the economics to work) is the main reason for lack of success for many attempting the transition. For example, Portland State, of the Big Sky, one of most successful DIIs of the late 1980s and early 1990s, now has to subsidize by university general fund dollars and student fees two-thirds of their athletic department budget. Plus, within the last year they've dropped mens and womens tennis pleading poverty.

The whole list: http://www.undalumni.org/sioux-gala-auction-items.htm

(gulp) Which border?

Hey! I thought we agreed that we wouldn't discuss "Milbank" in public. Now PCM will be mad. Maybe PCM won't notice now that he's gloating and claiming that he's the "Slovakian Pipeline." And I'll have you know I've picked up Zap, Pillsbury, and Napoleon on my scouting responsibilities list.

Which is newer? The MacInnis at Tech may be older, but they just recently put money into it. The DECC is the same age (roughly). And Mankato is newer than 1972. Anchorage? How about if I change that to "least recently refurbished"?

How could I have that job? You haven't retired yet.

A while back young phenom Kobasew went to BC and bailed after one year. Now a young phenom Pineault goes to BC for a year and bails. This fall young phenom Dan Bertram goes to BC. I wonder if BC will do for Bertram everything it did for the other two.

Current HS juniors generally become HS seniors the next year. That is the normal transition path. Well, except for guys like Diggler.

Things would be great! The team would be in the oldest arena in the WCHA. The facility would need serious structural upgrades. There'd be half the seats and they'd be plastic. There'd be no replay boards at center ice. You wouldn't be able to have a beer. There'd be no Dippin' Dots. Zach Parise would have been a Gopher. The basketball and volleyball teams would still be in Hyslop for another 50 years. The only concert venue in Grand Forks would be the acoustically-challenged Alerus. I'm sure I'm missing some. But still, things would be most excellent if Ralph hadn't given us the best venue in the country. I hope your cynicism detectors picked all that up.

As far as HS juniors getting "looks" from teams, doesn't UND have verbals from current HS juniors TJ Oshie (Warroad), Taylor Chorney (S-SM), and Brian Lee (Moorhead)? Which few were "missed"?

Most draft picks aren't for "immediate needs." Teams go for free agents for those. The draft is more for the future (two to five years), to develop and build. Drafting is more like playing the speculation markets. That's why I have no problem with 17 or 18 year olds being drafted.

Boston to Orono in 2.5 hours? It's a 240 mile trip and the drive from Boston to the NH line (about 45 miles) is normally over an hour on a good day (thanks to traffic and toll booths). What kind of car are you renting?

Oh yeah. The US should be more like the Danish. Look what working for "careful and logical" change "of the underlying conditions" got them. But I don't recall the planes being flown into buildings in Copenhagen either.

From the "details matter" department: That's from here. I've toured the place. I don't remember getting any gifts on my tour. I believe that gift is a new thing. (This is where someone begins to complain either (a) they don't want the gift so they shouldn't pay or (b) it's a rip-off-crappy gift.) However, I will admit "jimdahl" raises a more than fair point from the "community relations" point of view.

"a 747"? Nah. Three 727s.

As long as they don't hire an agent or take money, I'm yet to see how being drafted gives a competitive advantage. What, does being the fourth round pick of an NHL team add 10 mph to your slapshot or help you to win faceoffs? This move is a move that is actually better for the student-athletes. Think about DiPietro at BU a few years back. He opted in after his freshman year. He spent the next two seasons in the minors. Wouldn't it have been better for "student-athlete" DiPietro to be able to be drafted when he was the hot commodity and still play for BU after that? It sounds like the NCAA may have figured this out as well.

I'm sure the tour guide has no other job responsibilities but to lead rubber-necking gawkers around on granite floors to look at cherry cabinetry and finish work.

I always like to see "the paperwork" formalized. Welcome Rastislav Spirko!

I was looking for something else in this forum and came across the title of this old, near-dead thread: The Alerus versus The Ralph Two venues that any other similarly sized city (and a lot of much larger cities) in the world would love to have either of. What a terrible dilemma for Grand Forks and the University of North Dakota.

I'm not sure if flying can be classified as a sport, but you can win national titles at it so let's give them their due. The University of North Dakota: Winners of 12 of the last 19 National Collegiate Flying Association's national titles and going for "Lucky 13". http://www.grandforks.com/mld/grandforks/news/8527919.htm

This link will explain what is going on as far as the new mall currently going in. Additionally, there's almost-formal word on a new townhome development going in in that same link. Those had been mentioned in this thread in the past.