star2city

This buddy of yours: Did he just happen to have in been in Duluth and had the crap beaten out of him? By an unnamed table craftsman?

Sort of off-topic, but it is interesting that former UND football player Paul Robson (whose HS football coach in Winnipeg was later UND prof Bill Bolonchuk) is one of the movers and shakers for the new Blue Bomber stadium: He'll tackle any challenge - Paul Robson Stadium project viewed as city's next great step

The Minot DN write-up: 2-2 tie

Strange as it may seem, "hockey powerhouse" Williston may truly become a dynasty in girl's hockey if these numbers are to be believed: Girls State Leaders Mikka Nordby from nearby Watford City was a Wisconsin recruit, so there is a beginning of a tradition there.

Sorry to resurrect an old thread, but just wondering if this was true: A secret visitor...eh?

Those conferences never encouraged NDSU/SDSU to go DI. In fact the Midcon and Horizon commissioners publicly denied interest (unusual in itself) and the Big Sky publicly rebuked membership (telling them to look elsewhere) before the DII transition year was over. There were no pre-existing gentleman's agreement with any of these conferences that either SDSU or NDSU will be given strong considerations even after four years. This is another common refrain from NDSU fans. By that definition, Alaska-Fairbanks is also "too strong" a school (flagship and a land grant) not to be accepted into a DI all-sports conference. Yes, that is an extreme example, but geography, media, and recruiting are what matter. At the DIA level, La Tech is an example of a "strong school" that is really hurt by its location, travel issues, and media limitations. Agree that NDSU "waddled" around too long in D2, allowing a golden window of opportunity to pass. If they had moved in the early 90's, they could have taken either Idaho's or Boise State's slots in the Big Sky. Instead of moving east, the Sky was forced west to Sac State, Portland State (and CSU-Northridge), making any Central Time Zone expansion nearly impossible until the Pacific Time Zone schools are gone.

USD: >50% from field and 3-pt land, 18/19 free throws USD 89 UND 69

For those out-of-town like me, there was a pretty decent business article on Suite 49 in the GFH today: Upscale but casual

Fighting Sioux football team announces 2005 schedule No surprises on the official schedule: 2005 Fighting Sioux Football Schedule Aug. 27- at Central Washington Sept. 3 - West Chester Sept. 10- at Winona State Sept. 17- Western Washington Sept. 24- Augustana* Oct. 1- St. Cloud State* Oct. 8- Ferris State Oct. 15- at Minnesota Duluth* Oct. 22- at Minnesota State* Oct. 29- Nebraska-Omaha* Nov. 5- at South Dakota* Nov. 12- NCAA Playoffs – 1st Round Nov. 19- NCAA Playoffs – 2nd Round Nov. 26- NCAA Quarterfinals Dec. 3- NCAA Semifinals Dec. 10- NCAA Division II Championship (Florence, Ala.)

I guess there is more than one school that has been reading and heeding the published free advice of highly compensated consultants, paid courtesy of two independent DI schools.

Without a redshirt season, Dressler probably needs to concentrate on spring ball. Perhaps in years 2-5 he will run track (and in a new indoor facility!). Perhaps shawn Swann, in his 5th year, can also run track.

If Roger was to become commissioner, it might be wise to consolidate the UND AD and REA general manager positions into one position. This would attract even higher caliber applicants with more pay. Granted, it might be difficult to accomplish (with two different lines of authority - the state, UND, and the REA committee), but it would help streamline and give a sense of common purpose to both.

MTS Centre in the cold light of day: Winnipeg residents "returning home feeling a little cheated"

On this and other boards, it has often been argued that Division I conferences will not pursue D-II schools until they make a full DI commitment. This past Wednesday, membership offers made by the Atlantic Sun to Kennesaw State (defending DII basketball champ) and U of North Florida pierced more holes into that argument: Kennesaw St., N. Florida rise into A-Sun This week, it was also interesting that WDAZ had a story on building a football/track practice facility on the site of the Old Engelstad Arena. Although fundraising would be needed, such a facility is the most pressing need by the athletic department , especially if football and track are to be viable at a DI level. So the question remains, who is running the smarter race: the green and white tortoise or the jackrabbit and his landcow friend? The impending split of the Big East in 2009-10 is the most likely cause of major conference realignments, likely rippling thorugh the Atlantic 10, Horizon, and Mid-Continent conferences. Without a change in heart by the Big Sky by that time, our friends down south will have each consumed an extra $10 million just on expenses, will face an unsettled fan base, will have lost revenue from no conference affiliation, and will still face the need for tens of millions in facility improvements. In the meantime, the tortoise will have all new barns and maybe endowments to go with them. Will patience and planning prevail, yet again?

Crosby devastated over lost jersey Manitoba made the tournament

Haven't seen this posted before: Nonsense to freeze out U.S. players

A few odds and ends: The Candian televison ratings are out. Tuesday night was the 2nd highest viewers ever for TSN: Drew 3.2 million Canadian viewers Anyone know the ESPN2 ratings? This National Post columnist, A Grand Affair for Canada, wasn't exactly endeared by Grand Forks' offerings: In the South, you can get deep-fried eggs and ice cream. And finally, the one foreign head of state that was rumored planning to attend failed to show. But Belarus' Alexander Lukashenko probably had other issues on his mind (like a coup while watching a hockey game at the REA!). Domino Theory: Will Ukraine's 'Orange Revolution' spread? The Monster's go it right: Tak! Yushchenko!

(unnamed source - forgive me ) So why has Craig Bohl been touting the Boise State model to bison backers? Does NDSU have a time frame for a IA move? Has their model been adjusted after the lastest Big Sky news?

From a junior college, to D-II, to D-IAA, to DI, and maybe to a BCS position, in the last 40+ years, no other school has accomplished more upward movement in football. Although Boise St. lost their undefeated season in the Liberty Bowl to Louisville, Boise St. should be looked at as a template for any school with football ambitions. It took $’s, $’s, commitment, $’s, a great local economy, growing population base, and $’s. Although this is a long article, just how a school formerly known for its vocational training was able to progress to the big-time is interesting, and should be worth reviewing for any school considering moving up: Is Boise State the next BYU?

Right now with 11 games left, 200,000 total attendance is what the REA is probably shooting for, which will still be a major accomplishment for a US-based site. Last year's Helsinki championships drew around 115,000. The Halifax WJC had around 250,000 in attendance. The Halifax total could only have been exceeded only if the preliminary REA games all drew 11,000 and TRF drew 2500+, neither of which happened. Single game tickets sales for the preliminary round never materialized (except for Canadian games), probably because the package ticket holders selling/giving away tickets to games they didn't intend to go to.

This is somewhat off-topic, but since Lindsay Whalen was almost a Sioux recruit and her parents are GF natives, thought this might be of interest as she was Minnesota Athlete of the Year: Lindsay Whalen: Queen of the Court

Last week, Canad Inn owner Ledohowski and the Winnipeg BlueBombers announced they were looking into the feasibility of a partially enclosed new stadium, with an attached water park, and a major hotel looking over the stadium's endzone. Wonder where he got those ideas? It would seem much of the impetus for Fargo to build a downtown arena complex would be to compete with the new Alerus / Canad complex. Some articles: Crossroads for BlueBombers Daring to Dream Could Be Some Sporting Spinoffs One of the wild cards coming out of these World Junior's could be: Would the IIHF consider Winnipeg and Grand Forks as co-hosts for a future World Hockey championship? Winnipeg would host Canadian team games at the new MTS Centre (Canad has also invested near that arena) while GF would host American games at Engelstad. That is the tournament Europeans really get into and would attend in large numbers. Since the tourney is in early April, weather would not be nearly the concern. Canad Inns could be the corporate mover and shaker to help make it happen.

After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. Matthew 2:9-10 Hoping a wellspring of joy will arise in your heart this Christmas Season!

From USA Today: US Skaters Expect Tough Sledding at World Juniors From the Toronto Globe & Mail comes this article with a number of inaccurate statements: Players can thank eccentric multimillionaire for palatial arena