Rick

Check with your wife. Maybe she can do the math for you. :-)

We have the same opinion, ira. Some posters were saying that kids need to leave high school early so they can play against better competition and thus aid in their development. I was sarcastically trying to make the point that TJ Oshie left Warroad after his junior year (which I knew he didn't) and it really aided his development (which it didn't because he didn't leave early). I believe that kids like TJ, Hain, Boeser and many other elite players aren't going to suffer at all in their development if they stay in high school. I also believe that others who aren't as gifted as TJ could just as well stay in high school and then play juniors. They might as well play one or two years of junior hockey after they've finished their high school years rather than leave early and play two or three years in the USHL.

Yup, when TJ Oshie left high school hockey after his junior year is when he really developed. It was even more critical for him to take his talents to a higher league because he was only in Class A. It might have set him back 2 or 3 years if he had returned to Warroad for his senior year.

OK, I know you. What is that going to get me?

Yup, I remember the days well when UND fans filled up the stands in Vermillion and Brookings.

This is like trading in your Cadillac Escalade for a Ford Bronco. Sad day for UND athletics. :-(

If these are your lines, I think I'd move Caggiula and Stetcher up. I believe Caggiula is skating on the top line with Connor McDavid now.

This is exactly right. Any UND Alumni within 200 miles of Greeley, Portland, etc, will drive to see UND play football. And, they'll drive a lot farther to see UND play at Bozeman or Missoula.

Exactly, there'll be more UND alumni at games in Greeley, Flagstaff, Bozeman, Missoula, etc, than there will be at Brookings, Vermillion, Cedar Falls or any of the other MVFC schools. I wonder how many UND alumni would be able to attend a game in the FargoDome? Probably not many more than there were at the Northern Colorado game.

I agree ira, I also like the Big Sky and the schools in it. I'm more likely to go to games at Big Sky locations than I am to go to places like Brookings, Vermillion or Fargo. And, there is a zero % chance that I'll ever go to a game at any of the other MVFC or Summit schools. As far as I'm concerned, picking the MVFC/Summit over the Big Sky is like picking a Chevy Impala over a Bentley Bentayga. I don't know why Kennedy or Faison would even consider dealing with two different conferences for these sports when they're already in a great conference. Just like UND is the power school in the NCHC, UND is quickly becoming a power school in the Big Sky. To me, Montana, Montana State, Idaho, Idaho State, UC Davis, Cal Poly are way more exciting than South Dakota, South Dakota State, North Dakota State, IUPUI and Fort Wayne.

I can't imagine it would affect recruiting. I'm sure if you tell any recruit that if he comes to the University of North Dakota he'll be able to play against schools like Southern Illinois, Illinois State, Missouri State, Youngstown State, Western Illinois, USD, SDSU, Northern Iowa, NDSU and that he'll be able to travel to some of the most scenic cities in the upper Midwest like Macomb, Brookings, Carbondale, Cedar Falls, Springfield, Vermillion, Normal, Youngstown & Fargo.....He'll say "wow, where do I sign up." This, as opposed to, having to try and sell a recruit on playing against schools like the University of Montana, Montana State, Eastern Washington University, Sacramento State, Idaho State, Portland State, University of California-Davis, Cal Poly University, Southern Utah, Weber State, Northern Colorado, Northern Arizona, and soon the University of Idaho and he'll have to fly to destinations like Portland, OR; Missoula, Cheney, WA; Davis, CA; Pocatello, Bozeman, Flagstaff, AZ; Greeley, CO; Sacramento and San Luis Obispo, CA. There's no question that Youngstown, Brookings, Vermillion, Normal and Fargo are going to win out every time. And then, if you're the University of North Dakota president, why would you ever want to be associated with other institutions that have top medical, engineering and law schools when you can hook up with schools that offer some of the top "junior college" type academic programs in the country? I suspect that the recruits rated as the #2 class in the Big Sky signed up with Bubba because they knew these amazing changes were on the horizon and they are all pumped that they don't have to board a plane to warm weather locations in Arizona and California like San Luis Obispo or look at that big "M" on the mountains overlooking the 25,000 fans in the seats of Washington-Grizzly stadium. This would be like University of Minnesota football leaving the Big 10 so they can take bus trips to play the MNSCU schools.

Yup, Darell's legs turn to jello and he wets his pants every time he's able to talk about the Bison.

Many of those that want us in the Summit also want us in the MVFC. Is there a Flagship university in the Summit? How many Summit schools have a Medical and a Law School? UND should stay in the Big Sky with more like-minded schools.

No, I'll take Cal Poly, Montana, Montana State, UC Davis, Idaho, Eastern Washington anytime over that group.

This must have been when #7 was a par 10. :-)

Oh yah, that's a great idea.

UND was the only program he was looking at and there actually was a way he was coming here.

When I need music therapy I just go to the Richfield or Eden Prairie Menards stores. They typically have someone playing a Baby Grand at the top of the escalator and I don't even have to pay an office visit to sit and listen.

You're comparing her to when you graduated so anyone who graduated in the last half of the 20th Century seems young to you.

You must have me confused with someone else. I often get asked for autographs because people think I'm Josh Duhamel. Then, as soon as I say I'm not Duhamel, they tell me my voice is exactly like Tom Barnard's. :-)

Neither one of you will be considered. As of today, I'm an unrestricted free agent and, due to budget cuts, I will be handling both the Play-by-Play and Color Guy duties. Well, I guess I should clarify.....I'll be doing PxP and Morgan Mundane will handle Color but there'll be no charge for Morgan. We'll also have Ma Linger and Backlash Larue as guests between periods. :-) Google Steve Cannon at WCCO to understand the above post.

Pat O'Leary thinks the world of Mark and is very happy that he's going to UND so hopefully that doesn't disappoint you too much.

Future Sioux Mark Senden helps Wayzata to state tournament. http://video.startribune.com/mark-senden-helps-wayzata-to-hockey-state-tourney/370050191/

All that needs to happen for the Big Ten Conference to become even more irrelevant is for the other conferences to stop scheduling them. Let them play each other 6 times a year. Mariucci Arena is half empty and the Kohl Center is even worse. When the conference changes happened the big mouthed Gophers fans were spouting off that North Dakota would be the program that would be hurt the most. And then Lucia decided he wasn't going to grace UND fans with his Gophers anymore. This was hailed as the final blow to Sioux hockey because North Dakota couldn't survive without the mighty Gophers on the schedule. Well, North Dakota is still playing in front of a packed house and the Gophers and Badgers are playing in front of parents, family and a few friends, just like your typical Bantam game.

Herschel Walker....is that you?? :-)