The Sicatoka

My upper deck section full of "old people" season ticket holders was louder and more into the game Saturday than the student sections in the upper deck. What is up with that? Someone mentioned the Cameron Crazies. They are into the game. And they don't have to cuss to do it. See, there is a happy medium. PS - I say move the students into Section 105, 106, and 107. There they could stand and interfere with only their view.

bisonguy, If things are so good in the Bison Athletics books, why did NDSU - ask the City of Fargo to foot the up-front bill for new lockers and offices for NDSU football in the FargoDome, and - ask the ND Legislature for $15,000,000.00 for renovations of the Bison Sports Arena?

The hand-held Palm Pilot ticket scanners are all over at The Ralph.

I didn't want to have to say, "Put on as much extra weight as Diggler carries around" so I just pulled a number out of the clear blue sky. PS - I'm worried about you if you know boxing weight class numbers.

You bet ouch. When all the numbers come out, I'm sure we'll see nearly every campus in the state with back to back double-digit years. I have my idea on how to solve it, but folks in Mayville, Valley City, Bottineau, and Williston wouldn't like it.

As a "land grant", NDSU is allowed to bid on certain government that research that UND is not allowed to bid on. Being #200 without that preference program in place working for it (I'll avoid the unlevel playing field characterization) working for UND is far from a bad thing. Alternatively, all that money to NDSU and they still haven't reached that particular Carngie level?

Who talked facilities or coaches? SDSU had more scholarships than most of DII, an "unfair fight" if you will, and couldn't win. Now they are going into a "more fair fight" (more of the competition have the same number of scholarships as them) and they'll do better? That's like saying "I couldn't win as welterweight against fly-weights so I'll put on 200 pounds, become a light-heavyweight, and I fully expect to beat other light-heavyweights."

This past year we exceeded the threshold for the Carnegie classification of

SDSU had more scholarships than the average DII and couldn't compete. They had the advantage and couldn't use it to their own. So going to a place where more teams have more scholarships is going to make it better? That's the spin that just doesn't pass the logic test.

Yes, the NHL may strike. Old news. However (stand by, nightmare scenario for Bison hockey hating types to follow), that strike may just cause the NHL teams to not sign all the players they probably would have signed this summer. With the current threat of no collective bargaining agreement after June, and teams knowing they are going to push hard for a salary cap, they won't sign high priced free agents, and, assuming they are thinking rookie slots or a rookie salary cap, may not sign their draft choices until after a new CBA is in place. No CBA would be the cause of a strike. The strike, some sources suggest, may last from fall of 2004 into early 2005. So why should that matter to folks that dislike college hockey, especially UND Fighting Sioux college hockey? That probably is a sign that UND would keep their high-powered line-up in tact. That line-up includes a couple of Hobey Baker candidates, the son of an NHL head coach, and numerous NHL draft picks. That line-up has gotten UND attention in newspapers in Boston, Minneapolis, and Denver, plus Sports Illustrated, the New York Times and others national publications that I'm sure I'm forgetting. Plus, hockey fans needing a fix and not having the NHL just may be given a taste of more college hockey. Given that UND and the REA is already putting all home games up on digital satellite, who knows. Optimistic scenario? Sure, but no more optimistic than the pessimistic nature in which this thread was started. The thought of an NHL strike bothers me not in the least.

(I can't believe I missed this before.) Heck yes, I stay indoors. In my leather chair, Drinking a cold beverage, Munching on goodies, Watching hockey, .... In Ralph Engelstad Arena.

What bad thing did you do that your punishment is watching the Timberwolves?

Ah yes, that Summer Olympics sport.

You've slipped to name-calling now. How nice. The last refuge, eh? It cost UND $1.8 MM last year to run hockey. They had 256,591 fans attend home games. At $7 per ticket they broke even. They charged more than $7 per ticket because UND fans can afford the luxury and are will to pay it to see the quality product. Yeah, hockey "guzzles" money. It's the fuel source powering the rest of the athletic department.

Spikes. Cletes. Turf spikes. All "special appartus."

UND's first title, all their hockey titles, came in a tournament. UND's most recent titles (plural, 1997, 2000) came after NDSU's last football title. The only "polls" relating to hockey championships at UND are the "poles" the banners are raised on. (No charge for the homonym.)

Ah, so the problem is you don't like hockey and the sports broadcast priorities should cater to you. If you're near the Twin Cities, you're going to see hockey lead the sports a lot of nights from October to April. Sorry. PS - The NCAA only made money sponsoring two championship tournaments last year: DI mens basketball, DI mens ice hockey. Somebody's paying to watch hockey.

And a wooden stick, or pole, or a ball, or a hurdle, or a ....

That's right. Ban all sports with metal appendages to the bottom of the footwear! No hockey skates. No golf spikes. No sprinter spikes. No football or baseball turf cletes. (insert disgusted sigh here)

Neither. If memory serves, David Hale only lost one hockey fight before the NHL. The guy who beat him is on the Sioux roster today.

The "cold weather" IAs play. (Aren't most IAs further south anyway?) Then it is primarily IAAs and IAAAs. PS - BisonMav: Per the NCAA, your signature line is incorrect. It should say "5" for football titles. (The NCAA does not recognize "pre-1973" poll-based "titles." The NCAA lists NDSU at 5 in football. I noted that in materials recapping the 2001 NCAA DII championship game and titles by teams and conferences.)

They'll have an autobid to the NCAA tournament this year, most likely Holy Cross. I had to edit this because I had a "CHA brain gap" on the first try.

I'll save PCM the trouble.

Where to begin ....