star2city

Lennon is waiting for an opportune moment, IMO. Expect numerous press conferences by UND this month: Division I announcement, football schedule with IAA team, nickname announcement, basketball coach, and likely a Big Sky announcement on May 23rd that they will be expanding.

An ideal baseball team for the MidCon (for Feb & March) is Texas-Pan American, even if only as an affiliate member. Northern Colorado is also a prime baseball candidate, but it could get in the WAC as a baseball affiliate. If NDSU/SDSU don't get full membership in the MidCon, look for UTPA or Northern Colorado to get baseball affiliation before the SU's do. The SU's are in a tough spot with baseball.

If NDSU had the tiniest desire to play UND, CSP would have gladly allowed their agreement to be bought out, and NDSU would have had a sold out Fargodome and come out way ahead on the deal. If UND announces DI in May, the people (and politicians) won't stand for the interschool bickering anymore. Either expect a UND/NDSU game in 2007 or the holdout school will suffer a major public relation issues and reap the political consequences of it.

Sodbuster: Is it true that Craig Smith has not applied for the UND position, and will not apply unless specifically asked to apply (which hasn't happened yet, according to one Mayville source) ?

Centenary was offered membership to the MidCon (over IPFW, among others) because it offered the promise of (1) a decent baseball team, and (2) good recruting grounds in Louisiana. Oral Roberts U wants to be a power in baseball and probably wouldn't look kindly upon NDSU and SDSU as associate baseball/softball members (northern plains schools, almost by definition, can not be powers in these springtime sports at the DI level). ORU would probably look more favorably upon NDSU/SDSU as full members if those schools didn't have baseball/softball.

Bisonmav: Only hope that the NDSU (and SDSU) administration is as mature in its view as you are. It would be best for everyone in the state if both got in the BSC.

In men

If UND is considering DI, I would expect informal meetings and discussions to be on-going with potential conferences. UND administrators should not put Sioux athletics in a position where they will be a DI independent - that wouldn't be fair to anyone, especially the athletes. May 23rd, when Big Sky Presidents formally meet in Missoula, will reveal if the up front work by Harmeson/Buning/Kupchella has been fruitful. If the Big Sky is interested in inviting UND / NDSU / SDSU, I hardly think that NDSU or SDSU AD's will be broadcasting that fact to their local reporters like Kolpack. After all the pain, money, and hard work that NDSU and SDSU have put into their DI transition, it will be embarassing and bittersweet for those school's administrations to be offered Big Sky membership at the same time as UND. A question may be if NDSU/SDSU administrations will accept a MidCon offer rather than a Big Sky offer so that UND gets nothing. But if the Big Sky than publicly declared interest in all three schools, Bison and Jackrabbit fans would then be clamoring for the BSC over the MidCon. If the Big Sky really wants 12 schools now, UND would be the 12th, even as an ineligible school.

Loved this quote: So to allow democracy to flourish by allowing the very people who are supposedly the subject of racism to vote on the matter is just totally outrageous.

Seems the Herald updated its story from earlier (?), and includes mention that the Standing Rock Chairman remains opposed.

A British Columbia school, Simon Fraser, was NAIA affiliated and some years ago wanted to pursue NCAA membership. With Canadian content laws for broadcast media and the general discomfort, especially on Canadian campuses, towards American culture, hard to forsee a rush of Canadian colleges into the NCAA. Canadian football especially creates some issues.

It's ironic that some of the fantastic examples of preserved land actually surrounds some rather hazardous installations, such as military bases or federal laboratories that restrict access. Both sides should recognize that these seeming antagonistic views can be helpful, rather than harmful, if they broaden their mental horizon and be a little creative.

Curious about Craig Smith's qualities that make him a good coach. Can someone elaborate other than saying he's a proven winner?

The WCHA will do what it can to avoid Bemidji State (too small an arena, low population area) but it also wants BSU hockey to continue. Splitting the CCHA in two would probably help hockey the most by maintaining rivalries and minimizing travel. The CCHA, with 12 schools, is really too big anyway. With the reduced number of conference games, Mich/Mich St could both continue scheduling tOSU and N Dame as non-conference games, and the other schools would still have regular series with either major name set. A Michigan College Hockey Association could be: Michigan Michigan St. Michigan Tech (from WCHA) N Michigan W Michigan Lake Superior St Ferris State Wayne St (from CHA) Great Lakes Hockey Assoc: Ohio St Notre Dame Miami OH Bowling Green Nebraska-Omaha Alabama-Huntsville (from CHA) Alaska-Fairbanks Niagara (from CHA) WCHA loses Mich Tech adds Bemidji Robert Morris to Atlantic Hockey

If Rivard had inherited players from an existing program, I could buy some of your arguments, Onlooker. But since Rivard started the program and recruited the players, both walk-ons and scholarship, your arguments fall on their face. The buck stops with Rivard and no one else.

Potts is the one under attack here, not Chapman. How is it acceptable to ascribe to Holmberg or anonymous sources negative motives toward Chapamn but ignore negative motives toward Potts? Yet the complete silence of an NDSU SBoHE bootster like John Q. Paulsen seems to assure you that he his not actively after Potts. Typical double standard by you, Tony. BTW, do you recall how Chapman and three JC presidents attempted to get a legislative bypass around the SBoHE for the funding allocation? Holmberg actively worked against that- seems he wants that authority to remain with the SBoHE and for the SBoHE to be a functioning body. Again, that flies in the face of your theory.

If Holmberg is after Chapman, why would he attempt to take out Potts too? Potts is the one who's character is being assassinated, not Chapman's. Tony's and Redwing's conspiracy theories are loony just based on that. Agree with Sicatoka and PCM that not all the information is in. So where is John Q. Paulsen's voice in all this? He and Chapman are known to be tight, but no official word in the press out of Paulsen. Why would this issue come to a head shortly after Chapman removes himself from consideration from the Wyoming job? (Belive me, this is a key question.) Redwing, you seemingly reflexively defend Chapman because your parents and Chapman are buddies, but yet accusing Holmberg of creating bad blood is perfectly acceptable. Having known Holmberg when he was a High School history and civics teacher as well as legislator, there are few people that are as passionate about good clean governement as Holmberg.

Take a look at this story [url="http://www.in-forum.com/articles/index.cfm?id=124284

Yesterday, WDAZ had a story Wrecking Ball For The Old "Ralph"?, which is available for viewing today on the In-Forum site. In the story, EERC Director Gerald Groenewold stated: "Mr. Buning has said he has no interest in that property at all, he

A few years ago in the media, Fullerton was asked about SUU getting into the Big SKy. He specifically stated that there were vocal opponents against their addition, but he also stated that Weber St. was fully supportive of them getting BSC membership. By the wording of his reply it was clear the vocal opponents could only have been Montana, MSU, or possibly EWU.

With the Mid-Con now in a situation where it must add at least one team quickly, possibly two, the Big Sky will need to act this summer if it wants a 12-team league. Other than Southern Utah, the Big Sky's only options are NDSU, SDSU, and UND. Adding Southern Utah is the Sky's only other option, which would likely destabilize the Big Sky by aggravating Montana just enough to push them to IA. But if the BSC did swipe SUU from the Mid-Con to placate NAU, Sac, and PSU travel concerns, the Mid-Con would then need three teams. The next two months will determine the conference lineup for the forseeable future for UND, NDSU, SDSU, and other NCC teams.

Minot Daily News: Minot State Task Force Reviewing DII

The commoncensus site also maps out sports teams allegiances. Since I'm a map geek, find rather interesting. Unfortunately, they don't show DII or DIAA teams.