siouxrunner

Kupchella: Tom, I think we're making the right move here. I know the baseball team has a long history and tradition here at UND, but right now, with the move to division I, we don't have the funding to keep the team going. Buning: I agree. It's going to be hard, but even if I have to call each and every baseball alumnus and tell them myself that we are doing this for the health of the athletic department, I'll do it. As you know Chuck, we need to get our feet under us to be successful. The baseball team takes a lot of money out of our budget. Their travel budget alone could be outrageous for the first few years... Kupchella: And don't forget, they lost a few games to Duluth in late April last season. Buning: You're right, I'd forgotten about that series sweep. I guess we have no choice but to cut the program. Come on USA Hockey, do you really think that a couple losses to a sub-par team is a reason to cut the baseball program? The decision will be made by weighing costs, scholarship levels between men's and women's sports, facilities, possible benefits, and conference affiliation. I seriously doubt that a few losses to Duluth will factor in to a decision on the future of the baseball program.

corrected

Here's a list of the WCHA players still in the playoffs. Note the schools with the most NHL'ers: Detroit: Chris Chelios UW Ottawa: Dany Heatley UW San Jose: Tom Pressing CC Matt Carle DU Buffalo: Thomas Vanek UMTC New Jersey: Zach Parise UND David Hale UND Paul Martin UMTC Erik Rasmussen UMTC Brian Rafalski UW Calgary: Jordon Leopold UMTC Nashville: Greg Johnson UND Ryan Suter UW Carolina: Mike Commodore UND Matt Cullen SCSU Edmonton: Matt Greene UND Philidelphia: Ryan Potulny UMTC UND - 5 MN - 5 (I count Potulny because he played a couple games at the end of the year) Wisco - 4 Denver - 1 CC - 1 SCSU - 1 I think I counted everyone... Omitted Rasmussen and Rafalski (thanks for the tips ATL) - anyone else?

Anyone else think it would be a good idea for the Alerus to try to get a Swarm exhibition game up here? They could introduce the sport to people who haven't seen it before and get an early idea of the level of interest in the area.

Gotta love this picture of the Stanley Cup... http://vitt.net/stanleycuphrkac.jpg

It will be an exciting season next year, no doubt. In another week or so, we should be able to put down some more educated predictions, based on who leaves early...then again, it is the WCHA, and as we have seen many times before, anyone can win on any given night. Picking a conference champion this early is about as easy as... (fill in your favorite cliche here) I agree that it will be really great to see Bina back in the Sioux uniform next year. I was fortunate enough to skate with him on a defensive pairing earlier this season at the GFC alumni (Redskins) vs. GFC current team (Knights). He really is one of the best skaters I have seen, and during the game he definitely made me look good a couple times when I was out of position.

One thing I won't argue about is that money matters. That is one point we completely see eye-to-eye on. But, I feel that some of the funding for non-revenue sports is well spent. Being on an athletic team in college is a great way to learn communication skills, teamwork, leadership, creativity, develop a good work ethic, perseverance against adversity, networking, tenacity, etc., etc. College athletes go on to be leaders in their workplace after school, and can apply many of their experiences from the field/court/ice to their work environment as a professional. I'm sure you'll agree with me that these skills can be just as important in the world today as skills learned in a laboratory setting. The things learned on a competitive team at UND can't be taught in a classroom. Non-revenue sports may need funding where the big sports may not, but without funding many students wouldn't have a chance to develop those skills. That is why it is important to have them around. The primary mission of a University may be academics, but athletics are an integral part of the well being of the school. They add a venue for people to associate with the school, and they give the University another arena in which they can teach students.

Ahhh...didn't see the beginning of the discussion. I'll try to read through the entire discussion next time I post a long response. If we decide to go DI, going with the minimum number of sports probably makes most sense financially for the athletic department and school...along with satisfying all Title IX qualifications of course. But, how do you explain to the Baseball Alumni that their sport (one of the oldest here at UND) is being cut so that a new, emerging, and more hip sport can be added?

Sica, I think your logic is ridiculous. By your rationale the sports dropped if UND goes DI are: Men's and Women's Golf - as a northern team, we can never hope to compete with AZ State, Stanford, Arkansas, etc. Might as well cut some costs and scrap the teams. Men's and Women's Cross Country - men haven't even won a NCC title for many years, how will they amount to anything in DI? The women have had some success, but don't stand much chance of being a top tier team in DI. They don't bring in any revenue...cut 'em both. Men's and Women's Indoor and Outdoor Track & Field - not good enough to compete with the big schools (UCLA, Arkansas, Florida, etc.) so we should eliminate the programs. No home outdoor track (for meets), no home indoor track, no use being "a footnote." Men's Baseball - as said before, a northern team will have no hopes of being anything but an also ran at NC$$'s. Get rid of the team to open up more capital for football, basketball, hockey. Women's Tennis - although the team has access to an indoor facility, they would also have a hard time overcoming the "footnote" status in DI. Get rid of 'em. Women's Softball -haven't had much success in DII against much weaker opponents than they would face in DI. The program obviously has to go. Women's Soccer -while they have had some recent successes (making it to NC$$'s, competing well in the NCC) they aren't likely to become the calibur of team that would compete on the national level like the men's hockey program does. Gone. By eliminating 12 sports, UND is left with four women's sports (Volleyball, Basketball, Hockey, Swimming/Diving) and four men's sports (Football, Hockey, Basketball, Swimming/Diving) which have a decent chance of winning at the DI level. We would have no spring sports teams, and only one fall sport team for women and one for men. Personally, I think that the "footnote" sports are what makes UND sports so great. They may not win as many championships or make all the money, but they are competing and representing their school just as proudly as the "bigger" teams do, without the fan support. They provide some diversity within the athletic department. I was a two (three, if you count indoor and outdoor track separately, which the NC$$ does) sport athlete for four years, competing in XC and T&F. I had many great experiences and met a lot of great people. As a "footnote" athlete, it hurts to see this attitude toward non-revenue sports year after year. But hey, at least we would have some room for another "sweet spot," since the rest of the cabinet will have been cleared out.

It might be from 'Excalibur'??

I also like the upper level for many of the reasons mentioned before...you can really see the plays develop from up top. But one thing you really miss out on in the upper deck is the speed of the game. Sitting closer to the ice you get a much better feel for how fast the players are going. My favorite place to sit is about midway up in the lower level, just above the line of the glass. Sitting here, to me, feels like the best of both worlds. Also, at that level you can hear the sounds of the game better too...the skates, stickwork, players yelling, etc.

I LOVED that pregame video. I thought that Saturday night's video montage was the best they've ever had at The Ralph. The music and video gave me chills! After reading this post, I now have the song/chant/music stuck in my head again

Thanks to those of you running the grill and tailgating outside the old Ralph on saturday afternoon. I was running by and saw the festivities, then came back on my bike to be welcomed by a delicious bratwurst, ribs, and venison. That was some good food...unfortunately I wasn't dressed for tailgating so I had to leave before I froze to death. Anyway, I didn't get many names but I knew a lot of the people there were frequent SiouxSports posters. So, Thanks!!

This doesn't have much to do with the officiating this weekend, but it is a true story... I had a dream early this morning that I was sitting in a class or seminar or something...and a police officer walks in and asks me to step out of the room with him. He then proceeds to hand me a sealed envelope. Inside is a letter from the WCHA commissioner Bruce McCloud asking me to become a referee for the league. It said he saw me playing some intramural hockey game, and my skating ability met the requirements, but I would have to go underground while training to be a ref in order to protect my family. At the bottom of the letter it had a list of the refs from the previous few years. I didn't get to read the whole letter, or accept/decline the offer, because my alarm went off... Any ideas as to what the rest of the letter would have said?

Well played championship game...RR came about as close as you can to tying it up with a few seconds left, as the puck danced along the goal line before deichert swiped it up. Great finish to a great tournament. Looking forward to watching next year

Whoa, easy there... In the end, he still hit the goalie in the head. That warrants the 5:00 major. If you are willing to be the goalie laying on the ice, I'd be willing to take a light cross check to the back and see where my hands end up All hostility aside, the bottom line is that South won, Central lost, and nobody will remember this "incident" two weeks from now.

I was watching some of the ND State Hockey tournament yesterday, when one of the players (for Central, if I recall) played the puck with a high stick. We started wondering why it is still a rule that a puck can't be played with a high stick. If I understand correctly, the rule was put in place when helmets were not the norm and sticks weren't curved like today. Why stop play then, if the puck is hit up high? Is it just to discourage carrying the stick high? In today's hockey, I can't see any reason this should still be on the books... I wanted to see what other people thought, and since this forum provides me with a wealth of hockey knowledge, I thought I'd see what you all thought. Anybody ever questioned why this rule is in place before? Any good reason for it to be a rule?

I was sitting very close to this play, and had a clear view of what happened. Gregoire may have pushed him, but not any harder than what normally happens after a whistle in front of the net. I don't think he deserved a penalty at all. It looked to me like Weisgarber intentionally hit Ness in the head while falling. I'm sure many of you have skated/played hockey before, which means you have also fallen while skating. It is not that hard to control where you are putting your hands when you are landing. Weisgarber clearly took a shot at Ness...which was stupid anyway because Ness is the third best goalie on the team. I don't know why he has been playing...experience for next year maybe?

The United States, and to a somewhat lesser extent UND, are being represented in the Olympics by Joe Polo. Joe is a Mechanical Engineering student here at UND. He has been competing well throughout the tournament, and as I type this is going head to head with Canada in the semi-finals. Good Luck Joe! Make us proud! http://www.nbcolympics.com/athletes/5058236/detail.html

Well smoggy, I did live off campus for a while, and still didn't have problems parking. However, I usually arrived to school early in the day, when good (read, close) spots were still available. Unfortunately, even if every student who lives off campus comes early, many are still forced to park out in the boonies near the old Engelstad...the reality is that some will always have to park far away. The ramp is a good solution for this problem. Many more people will be able to park closer to the heart of campus and avoid the long walk. Also, with the parking ramp, many of those spots closest to the old engelstad may not be needed anymore. This could open up the area for expansion by either the athletic department or the EERC.

I think the location is the right one for a parking ramp. There is no way Campus Dr could handle the kind of traffic that a ramp behind the Fritz would generate. Also, putting it there would dramatically increase the traffic through campus. Putting it on the outer edge of campus, near two major roads makes complete sense... Do we really need a parking ramp? I'm not sure. I've been going to school here for 5 years now, and have never had problems parking. I think that the way we are growing as a campus, however, it is going to be needed sooner or later. Sure, you could build a smaller, less ornate ramp, for less money, hidden out of the way somewhere and hard to get to...but why not do it right the first time?

Any thoughts on Holmgren not meeting Cowher at center field after the game, or am I the only one that noticed this? Do you think he could be that mad about his team getting screwed on all the calls that he wouldn't even do the token post game handshake?

We had a little place called Lola's, which had excellent Northern Italian food and a great Wednesday night (I think) special...A personal pizza and a beer for $5. However, they were forced to close becuase, as the owner put it, the people of Grand Forks don't want a unique dining experience.

It's called the Bronze Boot

Problem: Students standing throughout game, blocking view of other ticket holders. Solution: Continue to enforce current "stand at exciting/appropriate moments." Have a meeting at the beginning of the season each year for student season ticket holders. Explain the rules, and (this is important) tell them why these rules are in place. Have Hakstol, Buning, and (maybe) the team captains present at the meeting to give their input and answer questions. I think this is a solvable problem. When the student fans in the very front (the ones who stand outside for hours on gameday to make sure they get those seats) know when it is appropraite to stand, and when to sit, the rest of the students will probably follow suit. Problem: Students chanting profanity Solution: Address problem at the beginning of the season at same meeting. I have been in the middle of a group of students during a game when the chanting starts, and when asked why I'm not "cheering" I politely say that I learned words longer than four words back in 2nd grade. Problem: Moving students will force season ticket holders to move to different sections and give up their preferred seats. Solution: Don't move the student section. Some think that moving the students will allow them to stand at all times, which they "obviously" want to do anyway, and if they stick us on the ends we'll like it better and so will everyone else. I think that students will warm up to the "stand at appropriate times" rule. We like center ice. We like to be by the penalty box. We like to have the band in the middle of the arena. Other people like where they sit. I don't know the name of the Guy-With-Long-Hair-And-Green-Sioux-Jersey, but I know he always sits behind the opposing goalie, and It would be weird to be sitting in "his" seat. Problem: Students not buying all the student tickets Solution: Play Minnesota every weekend Seriously though, I don't know why a student wouldn't want to come. I've been coming to games since I was a little kid, and attend every weekend I am able. It's $6 for crying out loud! I agree with most of engelbunny's previous post on the subject. (can't remember what topic that was in, but some really good ideas) This is my opinion on a few things that can be done to improve the current "situation." This may not be your opinion. Alternative solutions are welcome!